Oh, wowzers !
Grady Hendrix did it again - awesome !!!

I love, how the author always shows us, that there's lots of spooky stuff going on down South.
His characters are all charming, some are feisty, but they all want us to move down South, regardless of the shenanigans going on...

Here's a quick - no spoilers - synopsis:

Big sister lives in San Francisco with her 5-year old daughter.
She gets a call: Her parents have passed away in a car accident.
So she will have to go home to the Carolinas, to take care of things.
Once she arrives, she finds out, that her little brother tried to take care of everything already with "discount" services and papers for the funeral.
The rest of the family is not very happy about it and ultimately, the parents house needs to be sold and money needs to be shared between the siblings...but...

Their mother was a doll and puppet maker, as well as kind of a weird lady.
Meanwhile the Father was a straight shooter and a Professor.

However, there are lots of secrets in that Family, which will be revealed when both siblings are trying to clean the house and sell it.

So that's the short version.

However, besides the point that the siblings never really liked each other and have lots of their own childhood secrets, we will find out that the story is not that simple and there are lots of things going on, that might make you wet your pants...

I highly recommend to pick up a copy, find a warm and safe place to curl up with your new book and make a long day/night or a great weekend out of it.
Enjoy !

A big thanks to Netgalley, the author, and Berkley Pub for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

You guys-take me seriously when I say anyone who has a genuine fear of dolls or puppets should NOT read this book! You’ll never sleep again.

I was so sucked into Louise and Mark’s drama that I actually forgot this was a horror novel until the taxidermic animals and creepy ass puppets went on the offensive. This was a terrifying thrill ride told in Hendrix’s unique style. I was emotionally connected to the characters, riveted by all of the action scenes that felt like they were straight out of a classic horror movie, and traumatized in the best way by the numerous haunted entities. There was humor and depth that you don’t usually expect to find in this genre. I wouldn’t change a thing about this crazy story!

Grady Hendrix's contemporary horror, HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE, is a terrifying update on the haunted house story that, unfortunately, is weakened by Hendrix's familiar problems: uneven pacing, unlikable characters, and an unsatisfying ending.

I think Hendrix is just an amazing author, even when I’m not fond of one of his plots I still enjoy is writing immensely. I hated the dolls in this one; they felt like cheap scares, and they weren’t even scary at that. The main villain’s ghostly reveal came much too late—we really needed that direction earlier in the book. And the plot felt repetitive after a while; when in doubt, wear the puppet on your arm and bad things happen, then repeat ad nauseam. I absolutely loathed the brother’s story of college cult membership. It was such a boring aside, and his character already was hanging on by a thread in believability. Anyway, Hendrix is a fantastic author and I love what he does, but this one was such a dud for me.

LOVED this! Grady Hendrix never misses! This book was absolute insanity in the best way, which is kind of Hendrix’s brand. The story was well-plotted and paced and never lacked in action. He does what he does best: takes an absolutely unbelievable premise and writes it in a believable, jaw-dropping way. Easily 5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 4.5/5 stars

How to Sell a Haunted House is another bonkers horror comedy by Grady Hendrix. This story follows siblings, Louise and Mark Joyner, as they deal with their parents’ deaths and try and come together to decide what to do with their estate. Louise and Mark have never been close and grief and competition have brought out the worst in them. However, when they find some disturbing things in the parents’ home and begin to remember strange events from their childhood, they may have to put their differences aside to..defeat the haunted puppets taking over their childhood home.

This book is completely unhinged. I believe it is unhinged in the best ways, but I can see this one being a bit polarizing. I loved the off the wall, very dark humor of the story. It also actually creeped me out at times. I mainly listened on audio, which really added to the experience. I love a haunted doll/puppet and Grady Hendrix delivers. Pupkin is a horror icon and I need to see him on a screen. He is the star of the show, but there is plenty of family drama as well. Louise and Mark are (very) flawed, but their sibling dynamic added so much to the story.

I’m interested in seeing what others think of this one. I loved it and cannot wait to see what Hendrix thinks of next!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ok this book reminds me of Annabelle meets Chucky! Don’t read this before bed!!
Louise is a single mother to a daughter named Poppy. One night she receives a devastating phone call from her brother Mark, their parents have died in a car accident. Immediately Louise is confused why was her elderly mother driving at night and in the rain? Louise takes the next flight out to Charleston to her family home. The home is filled with her mothers beloved dolls and puppets hundreds of them! Louise is hoping to go there and go through everything and sell the house, and head back to San Francisco. Selling the house will help her financially. Walking into the home she’s flooded with memories, but she’s confused why is the tv on, her mothers purse on the counter, dolls sitting in the chair and a hammer on the floor? Every time she turns the tv off it clicks back on and noises are coming from the attic. Talking to other family members she hears her mother left in a hurry that night saying something about an attack. Louise and Mark realize there something angry and threatening in the home, a powerful energy that isn’t ready to let them go or the home. A house filled with family secrets and memories, Louise and Mark will have to uncover what the house is hiding! Oh my gosh the dolls and puppets will continue to haunt me!! No Punkin for me thank you!

Short synopsis: When Louise’s parents die suddenly in a car accident, she heads back home to clean the house to sell.

My thoughts: Wow, what did I just read. I don’t know if I’m terrified, or if I loved that book. Some parts were straight up spooky, others left me feeling a little nauseated and covering my eyes. It read so quick and could totally see it being made into a future horror film.

Dolls didn’t really scare me before, but I’m definitely rethinking that! This book is filled with not just spooky dolls, but possessed puppets which is probably worse!

I’ve read most of Grady Hendricks books and he has quite an imagination. When i saw this new release I jumped at the chance to pick it up. I did a mix of reading and listening to this one, and the audio narrators did such a great job with this. They had the spooky puppet voice down!

Read if you love:
- Puppets and dolls
- Staying awake past your bedtime afraid you’ll have nightmares
- Family baggage and secrets
- Horror films

What an INTENSE read. Hendrix knows how to write creepy but this by far was his creepiest. Killer puppets coming to life? I also enjoy how all of his books have a huge overarching theme. This one being a strained familial relationship in particular a brother/sister one.
All I know is this scared me a ton and I never will look at my children's stuffed animals/dolls the same again.
Damn Grady Hendrix.

I requested this ARC because I thought it would be fun reading on a long plane ride. I could not get into the writing and DNF'd this at 30%.

I knew going into this book that I would, at the very least, enjoy it. Even the Grady Hendrix books that I don't rate five stars are all worth reading, he has a sly approach to horror and humor that just proves that he himself is a fan of the genre. What I DIDN'T expect was a poignant reflection on death, adulthood, and just how hard we'll work to convince ourselves that our weird little families are normal. Hendrix titles the sections of the novel using the BADDA approach to grieving--Bargaining, Anger, Depression, Denial, Acceptance (though not in that particular order). This felt apt, as I felt such a complex range of emotions while reading the story. The characters all feel real, especially to anyone who grew up in the south and has ever uttered the word "Memaw." The action is intense, and the horror had my skin crawling in a way books usually don't. Still, my favourite aspect of the book is the way the main character, Louise, has to face the way her perceptions of life--her brother, her parents, herself--aren't necessarily the factual truth, as there are multiple sides to every story and great leaps that we'll take to convince the world that we're the normal ones.

All in all a solid read in a way that ensures I'll suggest this book to all sorts of readers, not just ones looking for a spooky horror read.

As usual, Grady Hendrix manages to tell a haunting, creepy story about ghosts and the supernatural, but it's really about something else. Loved this aspect of family trauma and trying to fight the passing of generational trauma.

Let me start by saying that I love Grady Hendrix. His fusion of horror, heart, and comedy is right up my alley and I was so looking forward to this book like I do with every new release of his. It did not disappoint. Truly creepy, laugh-out-loud funny, and incredibly heartfelt, this book delivers. The only reason this isn't a five-star read for me is the whole possessed doll/puppet trope. I had a hard time buying into that, so the horror part of the novel was slightly less effective for me because of that. Mr. Hendrix makes up for this however with his sensitive, realistic, touching exploration of grief.

Creepy. Solid plot and story line. Dark humor. Did I mention creepy?
Louise and Mark have not been close since they were small children. Mark constantly favored by their mother did not help.
Upon their parents' sudden death, Louise and Mark are forced to get along, cope with death. And their mother's legacy - puppets. Dozens of puppets. Including Pupkin, the original puppet from when their mother was a young child.
But Pupkin isn't happy. When Pupkin isn't happy, people get hurt.
Wonderful imagery, lots of creep factor and the plot - great twists. And always love Grady's dark humor.

What's creepier than a solid haunted house story? How about one filled with creepy puppets?

I'll admit that Grady Hendrix's novels are usually big hits or big misses for me - but this one was a huge swing, right out of the park. Known for blending typical horror tropes and wacky twists, Hendrix wrote a story here that is full of well-written characters. These are people you feel like you know, they could be your own family - and the decisions they make in the most absurd situations still manage to feel authentic.
Maybe I'm biased due to my own unfounded fears of dolls and puppets (any other 80s kids out there who had a Cricket doll? ~shudder~), but the craziness of this one really satisfied my desire for good old-fashioned horror, while still delivering on character development.
This was my first read of the New Year and I have a feeling it's going to be one of my favourites.
5/5
Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the advance copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Publication date: January 17, 2023

I received a gifted galley of HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE by Grady Hendrix for an honest review. Thank you to PRH Audio, Berkley Publishing Group, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review! This was my most anticipated January release so was happy to kick off the year strong with this one!

HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE follows Louise, a single mother who gets a horrible phone call telling her that both of her parents have been killed in a car accident. She must make her way back to her hometown to sort things out with her brother Mark, a brother she has barely talked to in years. They must come together to plan a funeral and deal with their parents’ estate.

When it comes to their childhood home, something about it feels off. It is stuffed full with their mother’s crafts and especially with the puppets she created to perform her unique ministry. There is a lot of work to get done to have the house ready for sale and a lot of tension between the siblings. When disturbing things begin to happen in the house, each suspects the other is to blame, but there is more going on than they could have guessed.

This isn’t your typical haunted house story and looking at some of the less favorable reviews, I think that is at it’s core. If you’re going into this one expecting a standard haunted house, then I could see why this wouldn’t live up to expectations. That said, this book absolutely delivered the creepiness and the shudder inducing eww-ness I was looking for when I picked it up. There are definitely moments from the book that my brain is still vividly showing me!

Louise and Mark didn’t really impress me in the beginning, but I really enjoyed the character arc each goes through and the way their relationship changes as things begin to happen and different secrets are uncovered. There is a lot of toxic drama in this family!

There were a few places where the pacing slowed down a little bit, especially as we got into some backstory between the more high action sections. Still, I can see why the information given through those sections was needed for the story.

Overall this book was WILD and intentionally over the top in the way I expect from Grady Hendrix. He is definitely and autoread author for me and I’m already eager for more!

Without question, this is my favorite Grady Hendrix book to date. Please, please, please let there be a movie of this book! I also can't say enough good things about the audiobook... Be sure to check it out in audio format for some epic narration.

An interview with the author will be published on the Wrath of the iOtians podcast in January circa pub date.

Disclaimer: I am a Grady Hendrix Superfan, so I was thrilled to receive an e-ARC for this latest novel. Louise is living in San Francisco with her young daughter when she receives a phone call from her brother that will change her life. Both of her parents have been killed in a car accident. She returns to her childhood home in Charleston to take care of the house and her mother’s eccentric, vast and creepy handmade dolls. But selling the home isn’t as easy as it seems, especially since it is clearly haunted. This book is equal parts funny as it is moving as it is scary. In addition to the trademark Hendrix horror, the novel examines Louise’s fraught relationship with her mother as well as her current complicated relationship with her brother. A wild and winsome read. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and to NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

Excellent haunted house horror novel that also explores family relationships and the ways grief manifests in our lives. Would recommend for fans of Hendrix's previous work, especially My Best Friend's Exorcism.