First of all, I love this cover.
Second, I also loved this book.

Is it the predictable story of “parents split and one parent and kids moves into an old haunted house” totally yes. But the writing is good and the characters were great.

I enjoyed the mystery of the house and of Holly herself. The author does a great job of slowing whittling away at Holly until she only has one way to turn.

So yes it is predictable but that doesn’t make the book bad. If you are looking for a ya horror, then give this a try.

What I loved about this book was the slow build up of the spooky elements. It's almost as we're being haunted as the book progresses. The atmosphere is perfect with its small town, haunted house vibes!

Evie was a good MC, she has a lot of struggles and you can feel for her and understand some of the decisions she makes even when they're the wrong ones. We get friendships, a very cute romance, and lots of spookiness.
This book had all the small town creepy vibes that I live for!

The ending had me shocked! I’m really excited for the second book. If you love spooky, haunted house, ghost stories don't delay pick this up today! This was such a creepy but fun read! I was hooked the entire time!!!!

This was an easy 5 star book!

Wow this was a fun read. I was a little disappointed in the ending because i felt like the book was building and building to some huge revelation but that wasn’t what we ended up getting. I understand that the author wants to continue the series, but we could have gotten SOME answers.

I think the ending really let the book down and while i want to find out what happens next, i don’t know if the story enraptured me enough to count down the days until the sequel comes out.

Great spooky read and great read for younger audiences.

3.5 stars

This was a fun spooky read. All in all it was well written and gave me chills. After I started reading, I did find out there was going to be a sequel and maybe it was cut too short to make that sequel? It felt like there was not a lot of character development. However I am curious to read more of Evie’s story in book 2 and learn more about her past and the eery things that are going on in her life.

This book was a great read! I enjoyed the creepy atmosphere. This was a nice ghost story. Overall, I would reccomend it. Special Thank You to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy prior to publication.

A very good start for a series, 'Holly Horror' follows Evie as she moves to a new house with her mother and younger brother. The house is believed to be haunted, but even tho everyone in town has that belief, no one actually believes it.

I liked the way the author painted this small town, because, honestly, that's how they are.

The characters, even the ones with just a scene, are well-written and none of them feels flat.

The descriptions are great, the scary ones gave me chills.

The pace was good, no info dump.

It gets 4* mainly because of the last plot twist that had me say 'oh, shit' out loud.

I can't wait to read the next book!

"Maybe when things lie dormant for too long, either above our heads or below our feet, people worry about what might come skittering through the cracks, or grow, or wake."
Haunted, creepy and mysterious house full of secrets, ghosts, a randomly singing doll and a cat named Schrödinger who appears out of nowhere. I was captivated by the cover and the description and loved how chilling the story was sometimes, also fun and thrilling.
“Your voice may be quiet, but your spirit is loud. And loud spirits tend to attract attention. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good.”
I did guess some of the twists, but still enjoyed the way they were shown.
The ending definitely promises that next book will be even more fun and creepy and I'll be there for it!

Welp. That was nice and creepy and leaves you on a cliffhanger! I enjoyed this one and even had to set it aside at times because it creeped me out. I didn't realize it was going to have another book and I'm totally on board with it.

If you're looking for a spooky read I recommend you pick this on up!

This was an excellent spooky YA story perfect for the October season. I loved the little town that Hobby House resides in and our main character as she tries to navigate her way around a new place, new school and the haunting in her new home. There were many scenes that were chilling and just down right creepy. This book was well written with characters you root for and others you don't, and you can never say no to spooky children. Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Ghoulish Ghosts!
16yo Evie and 10yo Stan just moved into Hobbie House in Ravenglass, Massachusetts with their divorced mother. The locals call it Horror House because of a death and disappearance happening to its residents. The story alludes to something that happened to Evie in the past and one of the reasons the family of three moved to have a better life. Evie sees a shadow, hears voices and sees creepy things that make her feel that the house is haunted. When the hauntings start taking over her life, danger comes for Evie and Stan. When Stan goes missing, Evie does everything in her power to find him.
Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the spookiness of the story. I like how the author portrayed each family member as individuals with different personalities and issues. I like the evolution of the mystery.
Language: PG for 22 swears and no f-words.
Mature Content: PG for brief kiss.
Violence: PG for mention of death by shotgun wound, no details.
Ethnicity: Evie is white. Desmond is black. Tina is Latina and Birdie is Korean.

Horror House has a bit of a reputation in the town of Ravenglass, Massachusetts. Horror House is Evie Archer’s new home, where she lives with her mother and brother after her parents’ divorce. Evie hopes that this will be a fresh start for herself and her family, but Horror House and Holly, The Lost Girl, have different plans. Determined to uncover the truth about the house and Holly’s disappearance, Evie soon finds herself wrapped up in more than she may be prepared for.

Holly Horror is a gripping, twisted young adult novel that I enjoyed. It jumped right into the tale and didn’t let go. It is a fast-paced novel and I liked the inclusion of things such as text messages to help in the telling of the story. I enjoyed the characters and the honesty in their feelings, motivations and actions. I was hooked into the mystery surrounding Holly and The Patchwork Girl and traveling with Evie on the path towards the truth. Holly Horror is a wonderful young adult horror story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 STARS

Genre: YA Horror

Synopsis:
Evie, a teen, moves into an old home that is known as the Horror House where a girl went missing years ago. She begins to notice creepy things occurring and realizes something awful might have happened to the missing girl.

This was a good YA horror (book 1 of a series). It makes the song “Say, Say oh playmate” creepy with old attic, doll vibes. Think paranormal situations in a teen high school setting. I flew through this book and it leaves a few questions unanswered for the next book in the series. A great book for the fall! It is YA so it is somewhere in between Stephen King and the Goosebumps books for those seeking age an appropriate gauge. I will be reading the next book in the series for sure.

Thank you Penguin Teen for the ARC! 👧🏼🖤

First of all, I want to thank NetGalley and Penguin for sending me this wonderful ARC!

I am impressed! I don't know if this is the first book from the author, but I can tell you that I am amazed by it.

We follow the story of a girl named Evelyn Archer (Evie) who moves to a different city, to a house that's been in her family for quite some time, with her mother and her brother. Evie then begins to realize that something is wrong with the house, since her mother's cousin has disappeared 40 years ago. And Evie decides that she needs to understand how could someone just vanish from the face of the Earth without anyone noticing...

This book was so well written that I just wanted to finish it as fast as I could. I was in a reading slump and it just got me out of it!

I mean... Just read it!

2.5 stars - While I think the overall idea for the novel was interesting, the book really fell flat through its execution and I found it to be a pretty average read. I think my main gripe with the novel was the writing, which I found a lot of difficulty connecting to. While the story of Evie and her connection to the house and its spirits to be fleshed out, I could not move passed the lack of depth her interactions with other characters were. As readers, we are supposed to connect with Evie and understand why she would move down the dangerous path she sets herself on - especially because she is meant to feel lonely and have no one understand her. However, we had limited interactions with the individuals around her and even when we do, those moments feel so surface level and forced. I enjoyed how it wrapped up (really reminded me of A Great and Terrible Beauty) but I don't think I will be continuing in this series - even though there were some spooky scenes that creeped me out!

Evie and her mother and brother move out of the city for a fresh start and into their new home- called Horror House by locals. Evie learns about Holly Hobbie, who went missing from the home.

If you go into this one expecting a young adult horror, it’ll be very enjoyable. I love a good haunted house story but this one had a lot extra to it as well: teenage angst and drama, divorce and family issues, family and town history. I really enjoyed how the author brought it all together. I especially loved the tarot aspect and how it played a role. The book had a good conclusion but also left an opening for the next book.

“Where was there to go when the rot was hidden deep inside? Like a work in an apple, eating away at everything within?”

Holly Horror comes out 8/15.

Holly Horror by Michelle Jabes Corpora is a true ode to the 80’s even if the book itself takes place present day. It's categorized as YA Horror, but I would put it right smack in the center of middle grade and horror. While the main character and some of the supporting side characters are in their mid to late teenage years, the book reads like it was written for pre-teens. The characters are also more on the level of pre-teens when it comes to emotional development. This does nothing to damage the story or vibe of the book. It in fact does the opposite and gives the book a vibe that is a mix of Stranger Things and 80s horror/supernatural movies like The Lost Boys. A lot of this vibe also has to do with the setting.

In true 80s movie fashion, the main character and her broken family move from the big city to a small eastern town. In this case, it’s a move from New York City to the fictional town of Ravenglass, Massachusetts. The differences between New York and Ravenglass or stark. Where New York is big, loud, crowded, and busy, Ravenglass is small, quiet, sparse, and slow. Ravenglass is the quintessential small town. It’s ten miles from the nearest “big” city with a chain store, surrounded by trees, has one main street, everything is within walking distance, and everyone is in everyone else’s business. It’s small town life. It’s the perfect setting for decades old gossip to thrive and survive. It also creates an isolated environment that makes our main teenage characters feel stuck. For one thing, walking ten miles to the nearest big city is a major feat. For an all other and different thing, everyone knows your business. You can not hide. That’s mental and emotional torture for those teen years, and the main character of Holly Horror is no exception.

Evie Archer is a tortured soul. From her introduction, it’s clear to see she is a typical teenager going through typical teenage things. However, Evie is also a unique individual that lives at the beat of her own drum. This can be disastrous as a teenager where collective thinking and acting is more praised. Evie makes her own clothes for goodness sake. Talk about giving high school bullies an easy out on finding something to single you out about. That’s what makes her so loveable though. She sees the followers, but she walks in the opposite direction. There is a part in the novel where she dresses up as Claire from The Breakfast Club, another character walking in a different direction from the pack.

Evie and her younger brother Stan are the product of a recent divorce. Along with their mother Lynne, they are forced to move out of their New York apartment after the divorce proceedings due to financial concerns. Instead of moving to a smaller apartment in New York, Lynne decides to start fresh (run away?) to Ravenglass to live in the abandoned and believed to be haunted Hobbie House that once belonged to her aunt and uncle. Haunted you say? It’s ok. Lynne doesn’t believe in ghosts. It’s all hogwash. To Evie though, it becomes all too real. As soon as her family crosses the city limits, Evie begins to see, hear, and just feel that things are not right with her new home. Then, the shenanigans begin, and they don’t stop until the very end of the book.

This story is told in the third person, single POV. This couldn’t have been more perfect for this type of haunted house story. We see things only from Evie’s perspective, so the reader is left to figure out if what she is experiencing is real or not. We also get to see how she sees herself in the eyes of others. We get to read all of her thoughts, doubts, and assumptions she puts on others, especially her mother. Evie’s relationship with her mother is very strained. This is mostly due to her mother’s inability to know how to talk to her daughter out of fear and wanting what’s best for her. Of course, Evie sees it more as her mother not understanding or having time for her, typical teenage beliefs of their parents. This relationship is tried and tested throughout the book but ultimately develops in a very cathartic and positive way by the end of the book.

Evie has many relationships with many different characters in this book. We had her relationship with her brother Stan and her Aunt Martha, both of which moved and developed in their own separate ways. Then, there were the tentative friendships she made with Tina and the Birdie’s Diner family and the budding first-love relationship that grew between her and Desmond King. All the relationships got their own time to shine. However, it did feel as though the characters themselves were the tiniest bit underdeveloped. For instance, aside from his initial introduction as the “boy-who-has-it-all-but-wants-none-of-it”, we don’t really know much else about Desmond. This makes their love story feel slightly shallow. This goes for Evie’s relationship with Tina as well. The pull for wanting their relationships to survive and prosper at the end wasn’t as strong as it could have been.

Regardless, this book is brimming with literary and science references. There were great references to Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, Pinnochio, and Jane Eyre. There were also science references and explanations like black holes and Schrodinger’s cat. They were excellently placed references that were also educational. This is another area where the book reads like more of a middle grade book. The absolute best reference and plot device used in this book, however, were the tarot cards. The author does an excellent job of initially introducing them towards the beginning of the book as a way for Evie to open up about her emotional stress to the adults in her life. Only to bring them back in the climax as a key to victory.

The next book in the series comes out next year, and 2024 can’t come soon enough.

5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group/Penguin Teen for providing an advanced copy of the finished book in exchange for an honest review.

Spooky season has begun! This book had just what I wanted, a creepy house where tragedy has struck, strange visions of dead girls, a friend to help investigate what exactly happened decades ago, and a splash of romance to top it off.

I found this to be an easy read and the plot jumps right in. The main character Evie starts noticing that something isn't right and starts being haunted by a presence. The little things added up and I thought the build up was nice and ended in a good climax.

What I didn't love was Evie and Stan's relationship. He wasn't there a ton, but played kind of a large role and I think we could have seen more of him.

The ending wasn't quite what I expected, but now I'm looking forward to the sequel!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Penguin Workshop and NetGalley for the copy.

Atmospheric, beautiful and creepy and I just cannot wait for the second book. Sometimes YA horror disappoints, but this was very well done. I will be sure to read this author again. Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for sending me an e-arc 4.5 stars! Get this on you fall reading list!

Excuse me but I need book two immediately to recover from the roller coaster Holly Horror just put me through. That ending!

I have to be honest I went into this book not expecting much. But I was completely blown away. Holly Horror is addictive and fast paced. I flew through the second half of this book. I absolutely loved the legends in this story. It was filled with so many good spooky scenes. I fell in love with the characters as well.

It did drag for me a little bit in the beginning but after about 30% in I was completely hooked. I seriously can’t wait for book two to come out.

Overall I had such a fun time reading Holly Horror. It gave me such nostalgic vibes. I felt like I was back in middle school falling in love with horror all over again. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves YA horror.
4.5/5 Stars

I did not realize when I requested this that the target age range was well below my years of life. Therefor, I do not think I am the right audience for this book. I will say that I do think it would appeal to my daughter and I love the cover and page designs very much. I have it five stars for as the aesthetics and after my kid reads it will happily see what she thinks and post a review to goodreads on behalf of her.