This is, so far, my favorite Grady Hendrix novel. It was so much more than a haunted house story (though it was a lot of that as well!) It is also a complicated family story, as played out by two estranged siblings and their very complicated relationship. A relationship made so much more complicated by the existence of a puppet that both of them were individually obsessed with and manipulated by at different points in their lives.

While it was an excellent family drama, it was also incredibly creepy! Even if you do not find dolls and puppets spooky, you may feel different after reading this. Without giving too much away, Hendrix combine to two together wonderfully for a very satisfying story.


Thank you to NetGalley for providing a e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book took a long time to het throigh. Too much description and not a lot of action until I was almost finished reading.

I am a big Grady Hendrix fan and this one did not disappoint. The beginning is a little hard to get through because the dysfunctional family is a little too real and you wonder where the horror is coming from, other than the horror of real life. But then about half way through the puppets come into play. It was both hilarious and terrifying at the same time. Some parts are a little gory but it is nothing more than his other books. I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you Net Galley for the advance copy. I loved this book, even more than The Southern Book Clubs Guide to Slaying Vampires. Grady Hendrix draws you into the story immediately and at first it seems like a relatable story of family dysfunction. But as the book progresses, things get crazier and more creepy, and what you thought you understood about this family gets spun around. I am not saying it was scary enough to give me bad dreams, but I will say I didn’t read this book right before I went to bed! It crept up on me like good horror stories do, while always maintaining the strong and believable family relationships. It was not predictable to me and it was also funny. Grady Hendrix is a must-read author.

I did not enjoy this book. If I had known the book was not about a spooky old haunted house but rather about a creepy puppet I would not have read this.
Anyway, so Louisa, who left home for college and never really came back, finds out that her parents have died in a car accident she is suitably shocked, devastated, etc. and comes home for the funeral. At home she finds her brother who she has never gotten along with eager to sell the house and pocket his inheritance. However, the house has strange vibes, things start moving, etc.
I really didn't like or enjoy any of the characters in this book (maybe some of the extended family are OK). Louisa's relationship with her daughter during the book was awful, her relationship with her brother was awful...I really just didn't like spending time with anything or anything in this book.

Never have I been more glad that I don't have a single puppet/doll in my house!!! Also, I may have made sure that my attic door was locked before going to bed at one point!

This was Grady Hendrix at his finest! I love the way the Hendrix writes. His books are just creepy enough to give me the heebie-jeebies at moments but there is enough humor thrown in there that I don't dwell on it. I am able to move on rather quickly which is good because the heebie-jeebies tend to arrive right when things really start getting interesting. I have to know what is going to happen next.

One thing I can definitely say about every Hendrix book that I have read is that I am never bored. He keeps me on the edge of my seat and fully invested in what is happening in the story. He has also been known to throw in a few twists or surprises that I didn't even see coming and I am always thrilled when that happens.

I flew through this book. It was the perfect read for the spooky season. My only complaint is now I have to wait even longer for the next Hendrix book (whatever it may be) to come out. Exorcisms, heavy metal, vampires, haunted Ikea, support groups, and now puppets...whatever will he come up with next?! I don't know but I can't wait!!

A big thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for granting me early access to the digital copy.

How to Sell a Haunted House is a hard book for me to officially rate for a couple of different reasons.

I don't really mind reading haunted house books and horror books though I really can't handle it if the same type of scenes are in movies instead. I'm okay with reading it but not watching it play out. So I thought I was going to be able to handle this book. But then the protagonist walked into the house of her recently deceased parents and I found out exactly what we were dealing with and why I think the description of the book is misleading.

The book synopsis does not mention that the items in the house that are haunted are dolls and puppets. I have a very intense dislike of dolls and puppets which is one of the reasons why I'm uncertain of my rating. Although it was very well written and creepy and I actually don't mind being slightly scared by a book, dolls are a bit much for me and I probably would NOT have requested this book if I had known. And I feel as though a lot of people also have the intense hatred/fear of dolls and would put it down once they discovered that's what they'd gotten themselves into.

Also, it was mostly just a creepy vibe type of horror (which is what I prefer) until a small portion in the middle/end where we had a bit of torture horror so if you're not expecting that or don't like that then maybe you should avoid the book or this section at the very least.

Overall I liked it but it really was not for me if that makes sense at all.

If you like horror, if you like a good Gothic tale, if you've ever read anything by Grady Hendrix and enjoyed it even a little bit - please read this book. Read it all. Read the dedication, the dear reader, every single word. Grady's books sometimes get hard for me, because they're unexpectedly dark; this one made me sob when I finished it, because I've had that dream and it hurts to wake up. A fantastically creepy haunted doll story, with an unexpectedly heartwarming finish.

I'm a fan of Grady Hendrix in general, and this was a light read from him set in the same universe as a couple of his other novels. The characters didn't grab me like some of his others did; in fact, I found both main characters to be extremely grating, which really detracted from my reading experience. There are some gruesome moments, but I wouldn't call any part of this book truly scary, unless you have an extreme phobia of dolls or puppets. An easy read, but I definitely wouldn't recommend this one first out of all of the rest of his books.

It's hard to properly describe this. There's family drama and intense, crazy shit with possessed dolls. This is also an incredibly sad story about family secrets and cathartic obsession. Anyone who's been through loss will find this hard to get through in some parts. Louise and Mark have a very difficult relationship but they have to work together to get through the death of their parents and the evil in their parent's house. Mark's description of his college experience was excruciating to get through--painfully boring and irritating. We all need someone like Barb in our lives-comic relief and no-nonsense faith.

It is amazing how gut-wrenching and painful the relationships of these characters are - they are flawed and funny and real in a way that I never expect in comedy/horror fiction - and it is more amazing that stress I felt felt for their drama perfectly matches that of the actual horror. Beautiful, growing elements of spook, creep, and a scratch of body horror. I really fell for the sibling dynamics, together as well as within the large family. it's a wonderfully crafted story. I've said it before but I mean it now: this is my favourite Grady Hendrix.

Hendrix knows how to use horror (and humor) to tell stories with serious themes. This one includes family secrets, generational trauma, sibling rivalry, creepy dolls, and more - all told in a rapid-fire, sometimes rollicking story. Some sour notes - the chapters covering Mark's time in Boston was necessary to the story, but clunky and somehow dull, despite what was being revealed.

Also - at least two instances where "discrete" was used when it should be "discreet".

Thank you for the early copy! I’ve been salivating over the description since the book announcement and Pupkin and all his creepy cohorts did not disappoint! I’ve already been raving about it at a bunch of book events!

This book didn't end up being what I expected at all, but because Grady is such a thoughtful writer and reverent horror fan, it was still a fun, campy nailbiter. I really appreciated how wildly Mark swung in my esteem over the course of the book, and I think the family dynamics were as interesting as the scary stuff.

And I'm just gonna say it: Grady writes women better than any man writing horror, full stop. It's not like he deserves a cookie for portraying women as people or anything, but I do think it's worth highlighting that I'm never stressed that something misogynistic is gonna happen, or that the story will hinge on gendered violence. It's one element he doesn't borrow from 80's pulp horror, for which I am grateful.

To me, this book spiritually has more in common with My Best Friend's Exorcism and, to a lesser extent, Grady's other earlier books. Fans of Southern Book Club or Final Girl Support Group are, I think, going to find some of the absurdist mega-80s aspects of this book a little silly. But that's kind of what I love about it.

When Louise's parents die suddenly, part of settling the estate is dealing with her puppeteer mother's giant collection of handmade puppets. She and her brother, Mark, are in conflict with each other and eventually, with one puppet in particular. When the puppet, Pupkin, attaches itself to her daughter, Louise and Mark must work together to save her. More than just a scary story about a haunted house or a possessed puppet, How to Sell A Haunted House is a touching story about family and forgiveness, but with plenty of surprising scares and twists. The story feels grounded and believable, even with supernatural elements that a lesser author might not be able to sell to the reader. Another slam dunk from a giant of the genre. I will recommend to fans of Nick Cutter and Joe Hill.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for a digital review copy.

Louise and Mark, estranged siblings, have lost their mother and father and have been targeted by the forces of darkness. Specifically those inhabiting their mother's creepy puppet. Y'all, I came into this with a healthy fear of puppets and dolls and I'm walking away with an unhealthy terror. This book does a fantastic job of exploring family dynamics and trauma while also giving us animated dolls and attack squirrels. Scary and goofy and touching. 10/10, maybe the best book I've read all year.



I read this as an ARC from Netgalley.

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. My review will be based on the physical ARC I read (if I qualify)

Only Grady Hendrix could make puppets so scary and sad at the same time. He nails grief, the difficult of sibling relationships, and generational trauma in a way both fresh and nostalgic (my childhood nightmares of R L Stine's Slappy from "Night of the Living Dummy' are BACK).

Grady Hendrix, again, proves he is a force when it comes to writing a gripping,even silly, ghost story.
This book begins fairly benignly and has a subtle crescendo into full blown action about 1/3 of the way into the story.
While I enjoyed most of the book and I thoroughly enjoy Hendrix's writing style I must admit that this one ran a little long for my liking. (at least by 100 pages)
However, there is always the appropriately placed sarcastic comment or funny situation to keep a reader invested.
Worth a read if you are a fan.
A solid 3 stars

3.5 stars

Grady Hendrix is one of my favorite campy, horror writers. How to Sell a Haunted House started off strong and I connected to the characters almost immediately. I liked learning about the family dynamics and getting creepy tours of the house in the beginning. But then the story got really boring and slow and I almost gave up at 80%. I'm glad I didn't because it picked up again but the ending felt simultaneously rushed and like it would never end. Overall, as always, Hendrix does a really awesome job with characterization and dry humor and I will be recommending this one to patrons.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.