Louise returns to her hometown to sell her childhood home after the deaths of her parents while also dealing with her brother Mark, who never left their hometown and is fired from every job he gets. While getting the house ready for sale the siblings discover that the dolls their mother collected and created have taken on lives of their own.

I DNF this book about a third of the way through. I didn't find it funny, or scary, or interesting or entertaining. I didn't connect with the main character, and the writing wasn't submersive enough to make the any of it seem realistic enough to be horrifying. I got really, really tired of the siblings' bickering.

As a huge fan of Grady Hendrix, I was surprised that "How to Sell a Haunted House" didn't click with me. I have read all of the author's books to date, but this was difficult for me to get into. I think I wanted more of the vibe of "The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires" and thought it just didn't meet the same level.

As emotional as it is terrifying, Grady Hendrix takes the audience for a ride where they're white-knuckling through every page—in only the best way. Horror fans will appreciate the masterful way Hendrix employs tension to get under the skins of his characters (and readers), culminating in some of the most terrifying scenes I've read. But under the horror is a wonderful exploration of grief and what a family looks like in the aftermath of tremendous loss.

This one was just mediocre for me. I am wondering if his writing is my personal taste, as I did not love My Best Friend's Exorcism, either. Just nothing super noteworthy.

A true banger. I have not stopped talking about this book, and neither have my friends. Everyone who reads it gets drawn in by the horror and humor of this Grady Hendrix masterpiece.

This was SO entertaining! Louise's life was... rough to read about, to say the least. One thing after another had me turning the "pages" as quickly as I could, eager to see how her story would play out. I loved that this really nailed both the creepier elements and moments and the humor in the book - not that I'm surprised, since that's often Hendrix's thing in his stories. They're fun, they're funny, and they're horrifying - I love them.

I found the first half of this book to be extremely compelling. Grady Hendrix's writing has a way of pulling me in, and this was no different! I especially enjoyed seeing Louise and Mark's relationship unravel in the first half. The differing perspectives of their relationship made me feel like I couldn't trust anyone, which paired well with the situation in their parents' house.

The second half lost me a little. Though I thought I would hate it, I actually ended up enjoying the puppets and their role in the narrative. However, the numerous action heavy scenes made me feel like I was reading a different book than the one I had originally picked up. Furthermore, I felt that the narrative was paced oddly. I think (what I would consider) the third act to have started too early in the story, leading to a really drawn-out ending.

Overall, I enjoyed this, though I don't think it's my favorite horror (or even my favorite title from Hendrix) I've ever read. However, I would (and have!) recommended this title to others, though after reading, I think I might be a little more selective about who I recommend this to. I enjoyed it, but I don't think it has wide mass appeal.

Another great one from Grady Hendrix. I love a good spooky read. I like how the book was divided like the five stages of grief. Definitely interesting and was worth the read.

Thank You to Net Galley for the free e digital ARC.

This is my first time reading Grady Hendrix. I was a little scared about reading about scary dolls/puppets. It reminded me of Annabelle and Chucky dolls and I avoid those type of movies. I was worried the book might be a bit too scary for me. I forgot about all that when I started reading. It was so interesting, thrilling, and suspenseful, I didn't want to put it down. I couldn't wait to see what happened to the family and how it would all end. There were some curve balls that I did not see coming. I was surprised at the ending and I couldn't help but wonder if that really is the end. I liked how the story line flowed and was so well written. I felt like I was right there involved in all action and so worried about all the characters and trying to unravel what in the world was going on. I think this is a book that you could reread and always pick up on something new each time. I will be reading another Grady Hendrix novel and adding him to my favorite authors list.

I just don’t think their writing is for me and that’s fine. It was just alright and I figured it out too quick.

Hendrix is definitely something special. I finally got around to reading this one and I am so glad that I did. Hendrix has a way of making something both absolutely ridiculous and super frightening. The brother/sister dynamic between Louise and Mark is also very engaging and feels very realistic. I do feel like things were a bit rushed at the end once we find out that Pupkin is not a demon, but possessed by a ghost. It still closed up the story well, but there were some things I wish had been fleshed out with more descriptions since it was done so well during the rest of the novel.

I don't even know where to start with this. It was good yet got a bit weird. I had a hard time connecting to the characters or rooting for them. As the story went on you got a better idea of what happened in the past.

This is the most terrifying book I’ve ever read. I actually had trouble sleeping two nights ago because of it. I kept envisioning the creepy dolls and puppets from this story. When I was younger, my Grandma had a “doll room” with life size dolls set up lifelike in it-they looked like real people. And now I’m just extra creeped out after finishing this. A fun read, a la Grady Hendrix, but I’m sufficiently traumatized by the imagery in here.

Anyway, it’s a perfect choice for spooky season reading!

I love Grady Hendrix particular brand of horror. He describes some of the most disgusting and creepy things, but I have to say, this one did not creep me out! BUT, there was plenty to be scared of, like your family. The dynamic between Louise and her brother and their inability to navigate their own grief and their parents estate was hard to read at times because it felt so real. With the depth of grief that Louise is dealing with, you can easily imagine that the things she is experiencing are likely her brain translating grief into horror.

<i>Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.</i>

Grandy Hendrix is becoming a new favorite author. Loved How to Sell a Haunted House. Perfect read to get into the Fall, spooky season mood. Love it!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am sad to say this was my least favorite Hendrix book so far. I was expecting so much from it because I love haunted house stories and I have loved every book previously by Hendrix. Unfortunately, this one let me down. I still had an okay time reading it and I enjoyed the horror elements but the main issue I had was not liking either character at all. I wanted to shake both of the main character constantly and its very hard to totally enjoy a book when you hate the MCs.

I will always pick up Hendrix books as new ones come out but yeah, if someone asks me for a book recommendation, this is not the Hendrix I would recommend.

In How to Sell a Haunted House, Grady Hendrix has turned the banal and the ordinary into something existentially terrifying. This is Hendrix's modus operandi. Often, the most mundane things: an IKEA shopping store, book clubs, one's best friend, or the idea of a family home in his hands, turn twisted, greasy, full of spikes and tendrils, patiently waiting to dig its way into the mind of his helpless readers. Grady Hendrix writes the best horrors. 

“wishing harder than she’d ever wished before that for just sixty seconds someone would hold her, but no one holds moms.” 

One of the overarching features of Hendrix's stories is the flawed characters. People are imperfect, gray in emotions and deeds, sometimes heroic, and other times cowardly. Unless you seek a novel where the good is always good, and the evil is easy to spot, stories and characters are complex three-dimensional creations. As a reader, horror is more effective when I can empathize or am repulsed by characters past their inherent "goodness" or "badness." Hendrix capitalizes on the grayness of characters to effectively tell his stories. 

The premise of How to Sell a Haunted House is that Louise's parents have died. Louise, a mom, has had to leave her child with her ex to travel to Charleston to tie up familial loose ends. One of the loose ends is her childhood home, her father, an academic, and her mother, a woman obsessed with dolls and puppetry. They both loved and knew her best, and the raw pain and emotional deadness from losing a parent are shown well. It feels like Louise has been scooped out emotionally, but she still has to go on living, making decisions, and dealing with what is left of her family, her brother Mark. Mark has his own battles to fight. While Louise left, he stayed, and there is contempt there. 

“But she didn’t have a choice. She would have to handle whatever happened. There was no such thing as too much. There was just more and more, and her limits didn’t matter. Life didn’t care. She could only hang on.” 

As it turns out, selling the house and dealing with their crumbled relationship will be much more complicated and terrifying than either thought. 

There is something unnerving about dolls. It could be because they represent us and who we think we are or the uncanny valley effect, which is the reaction to how human an object looks while not being quite right. Often, it involves revulsion and unease. Some stories capitalize on this trait, Like Annabelle and Chucky. On the one hand, they are toys, harmless objects of play and joy; on the other hand, there is something not quite right about Annabelle. Hendrix took this idea and turned it up to 11. Puppetry is creepy, generally. But obsession and puppetry are so much worse. Think puppets in every room, hanging from the ceiling, their strings lightly brushing your face as you walk under them, their glass eyes staring at you but not seeing. Eyes, everywhere. Hendrix probably sat back in smug satisfaction at the horror practically dripping off the pages. 

“This is where we grew up. It’s not The Shining.” “It’s Shining-adjacent,” Mark said in the gloom.” 

Now take those puppets, eyes everywhere, and give them life. Stick them in a house and put two broken people in there with them. The puppets are unhappy with Louise and Mark's choices; they have access to tools, their teeth, knives, and a propensity for mischief. Voila, How to Sell a Haunted House. 

It is shocking how scary How to Sell a Haunted House is. It isn't one thing, but the combination of writing, characters, dolls, and atmospheric worldbuilding that creates a sense of malice and revulsion on every page. And it only builds as the book nears the last third. Is this my favorite Hendrix book? It's hard to say; they are all different and well done, but this one is the most atmospheric. 

“Louise tried to think of how to explain death to a puppet.” 

Read this novel if you are looking for a frightening time, hate puppets, or want to immerse yourself in a Hendrix world. It is worth the scare and the time to read it. God, I hate puppets.

1. I wasn’t hugely impressed with Grady Hendrix’s last book - The Final Girls Support Group - so I was nervous about this one. I needn’t have been because it ended up being my only five star read of July! In hindsight, perhaps reading a book about siblings clearing out their parents’ house after their deaths might not have been the wisest choice just weeks after doing almost exactly that with my own sister - it certainly brought up some Big Feelings, but it was also a cathartic experience, if only through seeing how much worse this whole thing could have been! At least the creepy doll I found in my mum’s house hasn’t tried to attack me… yet. Easily the best book I’ve read this month and one I plan to go back to again in the future.

2. Next up was How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix for the thriller prompt. This ended up being one of my few five-star reads of the year so far which was really exciting given my lack of enthusiasm for the previous Grady Hendrix book. It was fast-paced, creepy, and filled with the sort of uncomfortable reading I love from this author that makes me keep coming back to his books.

Sleep with one eye open and hide your stuffed animals in the closet because Hendrix's newest novel will chill you to the bone! Full of creepy puppets and family drama, How to Sell a Haunted House stands out as one of the best horror novels of 2023.

Genuinely scary *and* I can see so many of my family members/neighbors in the characters. The combination of abject horror and family drama is insanely effective.