This was such a fun read. I love that the supernatural elements were grounded in real family trauma. It was a perfect balance of emotional and paranormal horror.

The idea of this book is SO CREEPY! Dolls, PUPPETS, actually, coming to life and getting in your head...it's frightening in a way that Chucky couldn't be frightening. A haunted doll story will make you look at dolls in a completely new light, for sure. And Pupkin is one heck of a frightening doll. And when Louise and her brother Mark come together to take care of their parent's house and possessions after their untimely and sudden death, they realize that it's not the actual house that is haunted but the beloved puppet from their mother's childhood. And, slight spoiler alert, burying and burning this doll does not mean the doll won't stop haunting you...

This book is too disturbing and I did not finish reading it. Too much horror for me. It's packaged and starts off as a dark comedy, but it's darker than that.
Thanks anyway for the digital review copy.

Thanks to Berkley & NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Grady Hendrix is like the horror author for people who don't like horror, because he's kind of funny, you know? This might be the title where that changes though.

Louise goes back to her parents' house after they die in a car crash. Her mom has been a Christian puppeteer for Louise's whole life, but recently put it on the back burner to take care of Louise's ailing dad. When she arrives, her asshole brother, Mark, has commandeered the whole funeral planning situation. Louise is already stressed out because she had to leave her young daughter with her ex back in California, so she just lets him roll. Things go from bad to worse, though, when the will reveals that the estate has been left to Mark, who is known for sinking his cash into get-rich-quick schemes that don't pan out. Suddenly, Louise digs in her heels and wants a piece of the sale of the house (which BTW is full of puppets and dolls), which leads to a torrent of otherworldly happenings. These get off to a slow start, but the ringleader of the weird goings-on is clearly PUPKIN, Louise's mom's favorite puppet, a CLOWN puppet (if you didn't already find clowns upsetting, get ready to do so).

Hendrix ramps up the tension until you feel like your nerves are guitar strings ready to snap. Arguably, this could have been a shorter book, and I did grow weary (because clowns, duh). I did take breaks because I felt like it was A LOT. But I still "enjoyed" it (if you can call it that).

If you like The Final Girls Support Group, you will like this.

This is a super fun read! I don't think this is my favorite from Grady and I wish the cover was giving more haunted house than it is, but I enjoyed it and am glad I read during spooky season!

I've read almost all of Grady Hendrix's novels. They are always well written but not always my cup of tea. I enjoyed this one on almost all levels. I did not find the book particularly scary though. I never found the puppets and dolls threatening even though I've looked at my own askance since Child's Play and Poltergeist. lol. But I did find the relationships this book explored, especially the one between Louise and Mark, worth my time. I thought their interplay and antagonism were realistic. I really liked that while Louise was our narrator, Hendrix gave Mark the opportunity to be explored. I also liked our main villain Pupkin. Its story, while not scary, was the cherry on top. I definitely recommend this one.

I have enjoyed Grady Hendrix in the past but this was not my favorite. I thought it would be a good Halloween read with the haunted house element... but this was not for me.

The story involves Louise and Mark trying to sort through the details after their parents death. They are arguing about how to deal with selling their childhood home when they notice strange things happening. Their mother’s collection of puppets seems to be upset by the commotion.

This would be a fantastic movie. Child’s Play meets Goosebumps. The book was creepy and weird more than anything. I hope it gets optioned for a movie, I could see it play out well on screen. If you like Child’s Play, this is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Grady Hendrix has done it again. Fantastic read with the perfect combination of spooky and camp. Who doesn't love a haunted house full of puppets and imaginary dogs! Do yourself a favor and read it immediately.

Louise is summoned from her life as a single mother in California to her childhood home on the east coast. Her parents have died in an accident. Now she must deal with her "difficult" brother in order to close the estate. Theirs has not been a good relationship and revisiting the past is both painful and enlightening. They discover there are supernatural forces at work and family secrets that they will have to fight together. For me it dragged a bit and but picked up once the family curse fighters got involved.
This is a review of an eGalley provided by NetGalley.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this advanced copy of How to Sell a Haunted House. This was my second Grady Hendrix book and I enjoyed it! I caught myself yelping, holding my breath, laughing and an occasional squeak lol. I am not one to read a horror story but this was a great one to read!

When Louise’s estranged brother Mark calls her form across the country, she knows it can’t be good news. It turns out her parents have died in an accident, and she has to leave her young daughter in order to grieve and manage the estate. When she gets there, she has to battle ghosts of long-repressed family history, in the most literal sense. How to Sell a Haunted house is by turns, touching, funny, gory, and absurd. A quick and compelling read, this book is perfect to plow through in an afternoon- while laughing, cringing and being thoroughly creeped out.

Fans of Grady Hendrix and his CAMPY HORROR should be thrilled with his latest offering, “How To Sell A Haunted House” …but it’s much more CREEPY, than it is SPOOKY.

What would make Louise and Mark Joyner’s parents leave their house in such a hurry, the night they lost their lives in a car accident on rain slicked roads?

The TV was still on, her Mom’s purse on the counter, her Dad’s cane on the floor and a half eaten Turkey sandwich in the fridge.

Oh, and the Attic had been nailed shut.

This is what Louise and Mark find when they show up to clear out their parent’s home in preparation for sale.

That and their Mom’s CREEPY DOLL collection sitting in the living room, watching the TV.

Yes, this house isn’t haunted by people gone, too soon-it is possessed by dolls and puppets.

“A Puppet is a possession that possesses the possessor”

And, there is one Puppet, named Punkin, who is clearly in charge.

“Punkin home! Punkin home forever!”

And, he isn’t about to let you sell his house out from under him! 😳

I LOVED “The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Vampire Slaying” (my first Hendrix) but, since I don’t watch Slasher films, much of “The Final Girl Support Group” went over my head. This book would determine if Hendrix is or isn’t an author for me.

While, I think it’s now safe to say, that he probably ISN’T, I do think that fans of HIS and fans of horror stories starring demonic dolls and possessed puppets will enjoy this one, publishing January 17, 2023.

It was fun to read this during *SPOOKY SEASON* but since it isn’t out for Halloween, maybe the Publishers should move the publication date up by a week so you can read it for the first FRIDAY the 13th, next year, which happens to be in January…🤔

Thank You to Berkley for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley, in exchange for a candid review!

This story was creepy, tense, weirdly funny and kept me on the edge of my seat. I never know what to expect with Grady Hendrix but I do know one thing to expect: chaos in the creepiest/best form. There's family drama in this that keeps you intrigued the entire time, not to mention all the terrifying things happening along with it. 10/10 recommend this one for all your spooky lovers!

Thank you #netgallye for an early read of #howtosellahauntedhouse

This book was amazing. The southern charm, the ghostly thrills, the family banter, all of it was great. This book had a couple of the scariest scenes I have ever read in a book and it was amazing. I am so thankful I could read this book and review it! It was such a fun and thrilling experience.

Grady Hendrix is one of the darlings of the horror world at the moment, and there are probably very few who would dispute this idea. Part of the appeal of his work is the clever way in which he approaches tired and worn horror tropes, and injects new life into an old premise.

Even the title of his forthcoming release screams of the playful nature of his work--How to Sell a Haunted House. It's a clever title, and the book's jacket copy only serves to tempt readers to explore Hendrix's ideas of a haunted house.

So, how does he do?

Overall, Hendrix's book is quite fun. The story centers on Louise, who flies home to deal with the funeral and legal issues that arise when her parents die in a car crash. What she finds is a house that doesn't want to be sold, because it is haunted.

The main strength of the book lies in Hendrix's ability to craft realistic familial relationships (I know. You thought I was going to say the campy horror fun. The gore. The laugh out loud jokes. But no, it's the realistic familial relationships that drive this one). While I didn't like Louise as a person, I understood her point of view at times, and often rooted for her to change. I can also say the same thing for her brother, Mark. But it's the family dynamic and conflict that moves this story beyond a campy horror story and helps Hendrix work his magic. Both characters were far from perfect, or even likeable, yet Hendrix manages to instill the reader with hope for positive change in his characters, and so you root for them. The family dynamics here were real and honest and many families have had similar scenarios occur after the death of a parent or loved one.

Yet these familial relationships weren't the only good points of the book. Yes, it's horrific and campy and bloody and funny. And those things work perfectly for this book, and gives it a tone quite unlike the dark violence of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, which was so much more gritty and dark. Hendrix knows how to put his characters through the ringer, and he does so here--at great entertainment to the reader. The conflict never stops and Hendrix drives the narrative superbly.

Still, it's not a perfect book, despite Hendrix's craftmanship. There are a few flaws, despite how campy, funny, and haunted this book is. First, Hendrix mashes together a couple of well known horror tropes in this one. Haunted Houses and possessed dolls/puppets (I wouldn't have named the two, but other people are outing it, so . . .). Though the blending of tropes didn't impact the enjoyment of the story, I did feel the bait and switch. I wanted this to be more of a haunted house story, and it's not. Not by far. And that ruined some of the clever and playful marketing of this book. For some it won't be an issue, but to be fair, I was looking forward to the haunted house trope more than a possessed doll/puppets trope and felt a bit let down at the recognition that it's not.

Another issue for me is that Hendrix (despite his skill at crafting excellent relationship dynamics), does feel a bit formulaic in his story beats. The beats and conflicts feel the same in many of his stories and it feels a small bit as if he's writing the same story but with new names and tropes tossed in. In the hands of a less skilled author, this wouldn't work, but Hendrix masks it well enough and provides enough of a great story in so many other ways that it's not too much of an issue, even if I am cognizant of it.

Last and not least--cover art. Come on publishers--it's like you don't know who your target audience is for any book any more. Give us something we can sink our teeth into and know that this is campy horror fun. And yes, I know this is a publisher issue and not Grady's fault.

All that said, I think the book is quite a bit of fun and the masses are going to love it. I did. It's an excellent book, even if it left me a bit haunted that this story is about a haunted puppet, and not a haunted house.

4 stars

Thanks to the NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC for review.

When Louise's parents die in a car crash, she comes home for two weeks to take care of everything, knowing her brother–the underachieving Golden Child–either won't do anything or will mess it all up. She's not thrilled to be cataloging a house full of meticulous tax records dating back fifty years, every toy they ever played with as children in the attic, and oh did I mention all the creepy dolls and puppets her mom had?

This book actually scared me, and had plenty of twists and turns to make it more than just atmosphere. Louise and her brother Mark are revealed layer by layer as the story goes on in what might be Hendrix's best character work to date. All in all, a satisfying read that will keep people up...for multiple reasons.

Love this writer and the way they bring entities and ghosts and evil that has been done and revamps it into something completely new! Puppets?! So scary!

Thank you so much, Berkley, for the ARC of How to Sell a Haunted House.

I have yet to read any of Grady Hendrix’s books but after reading this book, you can bet I will be reading rest of his books!

This is probably the creepiest, dark comedy story I have read by far. The scary puppets (remind me to NEVER buy one!), the attacking of squirrels, velveteen rabbit, and imaginary dog-spider, this was a fun read. I couldn’t get enough of it and I just had to keep reading till 2am to finish the book. It was that creepy but also that good!!

If you are into haunted puppet(s) and family drama, this is perfect halloween reads!

Grady Hendrix, author of “The Final Girl Support Group” and “The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires” is back with another twisted horror-filled novel. To read a Grady Hendrix novel, you must suspend all sort of disbelief and just go with it, because it’s quite a ride.

But this is much more than a horror novel – it’s also a story of loss. Cut through the blood, guts, horror and evil puppets and you’ll find a take on how the past shapes us. Louise and Mark have to let go of the childhood trauma that caused them to drift apart in order to take on the evil that faces them in the present. As they work through their differences, they also uncover generations of family secrets that have kept everyone trapped in a dangerous web of lies.

“How to Sell a Haunted House” starts off a little slow, but goes full throttle once Louise returns home to deal with the funeral arrangements and her parents’ estate. Content warning for a very graphic, bloody scene close to the end and a caution to people who don’t like clowns or puppets. Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Want a mix of Chucky, Haunting of Hill House and family feud? This is it. What a fun, old school haunted house story but also a fun twist on family issues and childhood trauma.