3.25 stars. I liked this a decent amount, but not thatt much. The plot was interesting as well as the magic system, but it does fall into the same setup as most ya horror. They tend to blend together. I liked the ship, but again, not thatt much. I didn’t feel that strong of a connection, though they were still cute. This definitely did resemble Bly Manor. The ending was satisfying, and I liked how they used Evie’s abilities.

Wow! So creepy and well crafted. I did NOT see any of that coming and there was one twist so shocking, my hands actually flew to my mouth. Kept me guessing until the end.

However, the reason I didn't rate it 5 stars is that, once the big twists were revealed, there was a barrage of twists building upon them that became, well, a bit tooooo twisty. Not that any of the events are believable to start with but I felt like the author pushed it past the point of shocking and there was just an overload.

I still highly recommend it for anyone who likes horror and especially creepy houses full of secrets.

Thank you to NetGalley for my review copy.

"All the Dead Lie Down" by Kyrie McCauley is a gripping and atmospheric thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. McCauley's skillful storytelling and well-drawn characters make for an engaging and immersive reading experience.

The novel follows a complex and compelling protagonist as she delves into a web of secrets and lies, uncovering dark truths along the way. McCauley's writing style is evocative, painting vivid pictures of the setting and creating a palpable sense of tension and suspense.

One of the strengths of the book lies in its well-developed characters. The protagonist feels authentic and relatable, with flaws and vulnerabilities that make her journey all the more compelling. Supporting characters are equally well-drawn, adding depth and complexity to the story.

The pacing of "All the Dead Lie Down" is well-executed, with a perfect balance between action-packed moments and quieter, introspective scenes. The author masterfully builds suspense, keeping readers guessing and eagerly turning the pages to unravel the mysteries at hand.

Furthermore, the novel explores thought-provoking themes such as trust, betrayal, and the lengths one would go to protect their loved ones. These deeper layers add emotional resonance to the story, elevating it beyond a mere thriller.

In conclusion, "All the Dead Lie Down" is a captivating and well-crafted thriller that will leave readers hooked until the final page. Kyrie McCauley's skillful storytelling, atmospheric writing, and compelling characters make this book a must-read for fans of the genre. Prepare to be enthralled by the twists and turns of this suspenseful tale.

Sapphic, gothic, and creepy, this story is so well written, it's one I will definitely be adding to my permanent collection. I loved its eerie vibes!

Sapphic, Gothic, and YA perfection in one book. Marin arrives at the Lovelace expansive, creepy house after her mother's death. Alice is her favorite horror author, a widow, and mother to 3 girls. Marin has been hired to take care of the youngest two because the eldest is away at school. But, a multitude of pranks and secrets test Marin along the way as the story gets increasingly creepier.

Very creepy and well written! I'll definitely be recommending this to teens who are looking for a horror read.

The perfect amount of haunting, creepy and surprisingly quite lovely. The plot moved on forward at the perfect pace with just enough creepy occurences and realizations to keep me invested. And of course I can't refuse a cute but fulfilling lesbian romance.

I’ve watched The Haunting of Bly Manor twice and read House of Salt and Sorrows, so those comps combined with the eerie book title sounded like an atmospheric read I’d enjoy.

With no other relatives, Marin is alone in the world after losing her mother in a tragic accident. She’s left with no money, no job, and no prospects. Until her favorite horror writer, Alice Lovelace, offers her a nanny position for the summer at her estate in Maine. Marin’s mother and Alice were childhood friends and with no other options, Marin accepts the job.

I was absolutely right about the atmosphere – it’s dripping with creepiness. Alice’s husband passed away about a year ago, and the family is still grieving his death. The two young girls Marin is to supervise are …. challenging. Wren clearly doesn’t want her there and plays cruel pranks on Marin. Thea assists with the pranks and also buries her dolls in graves after they “die” of various illnesses. Although Linda offered Marin the job, she’s far from welcoming. Strange animals roam the estate – animals with half their skulls visible, missing limbs, etc, and the forest isn’t a safe place. Alice’s oldest daughter, Evie, and Neera, another employee, seem pretty normal and round out the cast. The author did a wonderful job with characterization.

Marin is immediately drawn to Evie (it was insta-love), but Evie is holding onto a long list of secrets. Once she learns to trust Marin, they discover there are even more mysteries to uncover. Some of those mysteries are pretty gruesome and come as quite a surprise – which just added to my enjoyment of the story.

I’d recommend this novel to fans of Gothic atmosphere, paranormal happenings, some romance (it wasn’t the primary focus), and decades old secrets. It’s a bit of a slow burn, but I couldn’t look away.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

3.5 stars

This is a YA sapphic horror about Marin, who's moved to Maine after her mother's death to be a nanny for a horror author, Alice Lovelace. Marin's hoping this job will help her feel closer to her mother, who grew up with Alice. Instead, she gets a cold & distant boss, a "townspeople-don't-go-to-the-manor" creepy house, & 2 charges (Thea & Wren) who are way too comfortable around the dead animals that keep showing up in Marin's room. She blames it all on grief for the girls' father/Alice's husband, who's also recently passed, & is determined to stick it out.

Just when Marin starts to settle in, Evie (the oldest daughter) returns home, because what is a gothic story without a beautiful, mysterious type? She & Marin grow closer, but what Marin first assumes is emotional distance due to grief quickly proves to be a dark secret. Duh.

There are genuinely creepy elements in this book. It's atmospheric, & there are fun excerpts from Alice's horror books interspersed throughout. Relationships between the sisters were well-written; Thea & Wren especially felt like distinct & realistic characters. I wanted this to be something that I could really sink into, though, & it fell a bit short. I wish it was longer, particuarly the last 1/3rd, to fully explore all the twists it delivered.

I also didn't feel the romance as much as I wanted--I was told about the feelings more than I experienced them, but so much of the emotional intensity of this story relied on the bond between Evie & Marin. I think I'd have preferred a slower burn to let the tension of their relationship build with the creepiness of the overall story. Admittedly, (maybe unfairly) I'm comparing to "Such Pretty Flowers", another sapphic gothic horror, which knocked things out of the park for me.

Don't get me wrong, there was nothing WRONG here. I just felt a lot of pieces were just shy of hitting as hard as I wanted. But I had a good time reading it & am interested in more from this author to see if those elements are stronger in other works.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, & the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a great story to kickoff the seasonal change from spring to summer. We follow Marin as she unravels the secrets of the Lovelace Estate. Brought on as a nanny for two young children - the dark, strange, and sometimes sinister things that keep occurring has Marin constantly on her toes.

The balance of gothic atmosphere, beauty within the dark, horror of past traumas, and depth of character development was well done. Kudos to Kyrie McCauley for truly intertwining these aspects into an engaging story. This was my first read from her and I look forward to picking up more.

A thrilling and creepy YA read. Marin finds herself working for a distant family friend of her mother's. There is something off at Lovelace House, though, and Marin is determined to find out if it's the house or the family.

I completely fell in love with Kyrie McCauley’s writing in her book WE CAN BE HEROES, so when I saw she had a new book coming out, I didn’t even read what it was before requesting a copy for review. Ha.

The cover copy gave me some THE TURN OF THE SCREW vibes– a girl comes to an old estate to work as a nanny for two children who have some creepy habits. This isn’t a retelling of that play, though. The setup is similar, but the plot goes a whole lot of other places.

I liked the dark, endlessly creepy vibes. It definitely has that edge-of-your-seat, something-really-bad-is-about-to-happen kind of feeling all the way through the book.

The characters really hooked me into the story, too. It’s a very predominantly female cast. I think the only male named characters are the Lovelace girls’ father and a neighbor man who kind of looks out for danger in the woods. The younger sisters are mischievous and odd. It’s easy to tell they’re lonely and grieving, and that they’re keeping some kind of secret. I liked the push and pull feeling of the relationship between them and Marin, who feels drawn to them because of their sorrow and loneliness but wary because they can be capricious and cold.

As Marin tries to untangle the mystery around the Lovelace estate and the complicated history between her mother and Alice Lovelace, she also meets a girl her age, and a tenuous romance develops between them. I loved the sweetness of that love against the darkness of the rest of the story.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

We follow our main character through a summer working as a live-in nanny for a writer. The idea there was pretty interesting to me. I didn't think that I'd have any interest in following someone's nanny as they just did their normal day-to-day routine. Was I ever wrong.

The children were so strange. Like I understand the younger girls were used to being just the two of them or quickly scaring off any other nurse-maids and nannies that their mother hired. They had no idea what they were getting into with Marin. She was not as easily swayed as those others were. She had a much different life than most of those other nannies probably did.

The dog was odd. Like, I've never met another animal that had such a pronounced consciousness (I'm sure there's a word that is escaping me for what I mean) where Thisbe seemed almost human-like.

I loved the reveal at the end over what was actually going on with the girls and their mother. All the things that the cook knew but couldn't bring herself to talk about. The ending was beautiful and worth the read. I never would have guessed anything that came about at the end of the book.

A propulsive and haunting story worthy of your summer TBR!

Readers follow a grieving Marin Blythe as she accepts a position as a nanny on the coast of Maine. As she explores the large estate and gets to know the young children she will care for, it becomes apparent that not all is what is seems.

All the Dead Lie Down offers a brilliant juxtaposition between beauty and horror as well as characters that are engaging and complex. The Maine setting, with it's jagged coast line and mist shrouded forest was written very thoughtfully, I felt whisked away to my actual childhood home!

This was my first read from Kyrie McCauley and it left me excited to read her blacklist! She has a style that is undeniably straightforward. I found it is free from extra flourish and yet it paints such a vivid and visceral picture! This style makes the story an effortless read, one that I think will be a surprise delight for atmosphere junkies and gothic enthusiasts alike!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Children for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

A haunted house queer love story? Sign me up. If you're missing your Haunting of Bly Manor content then I definitely recommend checking this book out. McCauley's writing is dark and atmospheric, and while at times this made the story drag - it did completely suck me in. I am here for Marin and Evie's love story and watching them come together was everything. This book isn't as horror-driven as I was expecting, but it still delivered a few gruesome points.

Overall, would recommend 9/10 times.

Ooh, this was really good! If you like spooky houses and gayness...PICK IT UP!

There I don't think I need to say anything else. But I will.

Marin is a great main character, she is struggling with the loss of her mother and nannying these kids who don't want her there (classic) when their older sister gets home and she realizes that a) Evie is hot and b) something spooky is going on in this house!! The mystery was great, characters were amazing, house was hella spooky.

This book has promise but I just couldn't not get into it for some reason unfortunately it was a dnf for me

ALL THE DEAD LIE DOWN has

- Haunting of Bly Manor vibes
- A creepy coastal Maine estate
- Creepy woods
- Dark family secrets
- sapphic YA romance

This story had some truly spooky moments and a really wonderful atmosphere for a gothic tale. I really wish I had loved how everything unfolded however. It has so many good elements and reveals but there was something that just wasn’t working for me throughout. There were times when I was enthralled with what was happening on the page, and others were it felt like it was dragging.

If you’re looking for a a gothic, cottagegore read for pride month this might be something you want to add to your lists! Just because something didn’t completely work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t for you!

*ARC copy provided by Netgalley and Katherine Tegen Books for review

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book so much. I think it has become one of my new favorites. It was a beautiful, haunting, romantic novel that I will reread many more times. I loved the storyline between Evie and Marin, Thea and Wren. My mom passed a year ago and I find some things hard to read now that didn't used to be. This book however, was like a soothing balm against my grief and warmed my heart. I adored this book and will be looking for more books by Kyrie McCauley.

A slow burn of creepy and mysterious sapphic gothic romance. Horror that resembles Turn of the Screw, Haunting of Bly Manor, and House of Salt and Sorrows. Marin just lost her mother, and is invited to nanny by her mothers old friend, the famous author, Alice Lovelace, at Lovelace Manor. The children- Wren and Thea try to terrify Marin in various ways, obliviously trying to spook her enough to leave. Alice begins to display strange erratic behavior, hiding away all hours of the day- writing her Novel. They call home their Eldest sister Evie. Marin is intrigued by Evie’s mysterious nature, and allured by her put together Dark Academia appearance. They slowly begin to bond, but Marin can tell Evie has lots of secrets up her sleeve.

Creepy, fun, tragic, and beautiful.