I had a terrible time rating this honestly. I'm very torn. I feel like this is a five-star book in terms of quality, but one that I really liked rather than loved. And so, four stars.

I've been a fan of E.M. Carroll for years, and I think their work is spectacular. The skill that went into creating this graphic novel cannot be overstated. The art is absolutely gorgeous, especially the way they've primarily used black and white art throughout, but used vivid colours to express the surreal and twisted images that haunt the protagonist. The story itself is artfully constructed. A Guest in the House follows Abby, a woman married to an older widower with a young daughter, as she lives a rather dreary small-town existence and suppresses the parts of herself that have anything interesting or emotional happening, while she is also haunted by the ghost of her husband's deceased wife. The story takes fascinating twists and turns that make you wonder what is real and what isn't. Abby is a magnificent example of an unreliable narrator, and unpacking what's real and what isn't is honestly both impossible and very enjoyable to attempt anyway.

Overall, this is a book I could reread and analyse and write essays about and continue to be intellectually stimulated by, but even though I did really enjoy it, it just didn't capture my emotions enough for me to say I loved it. Perhaps on a reread though, as it definitely feels like one that would benefit from that, it might even be necessary. Regardless, I definitely recommend checking this one out.

In this haunting graphic novel, new wife Abby struggles to find her own identity after she marries a widowed dentist with a young daughter. Haunted by the shadow of his deceased ex-wife, which manifests itself as an entity seemingly only she and the daughter see, she struggles to find her place in the family and find any shred of identity within herself. I thought the art in this was really lovely, especially the color portions and the choice of contrast, especially with reds. I really loved the art style, and for the most part I liked the story. It’s the ending that I was mostly confused about. I won’t go into spoilers, but it’s literally the final two pages that had me a bit confused on what actually happened. The character designs of the ghost are so creative, how most of the book she’s presented as the image Abby has conjured for her- until she doesn’t.

Absolutely stunning art style, beautiful story. I felt invested emotionally in the characters in the short amount of pages. I loved it!

This was a super-strange read. I loved the graphic adaptation of Wait Till Helen Comes, which has echoes of this book (or vice versa)--the hollow, eerie eyes, the terrifying relational situation, the frustrating relationships between characters, the revelation of whodunnit.

Off-putting in an excellently executed way, Really lovely art style. Not my usual kind of book, but definitely worth a read.

The art is beautiful. It's features gorgeous illustrations that are eerie and creepy. I read Through the Woods and really enjoyed it, so I was so excited to read this one. While, the story was okay...it kind of lost me at times. Also, the ending was kind of confusing to me. This one was just okay for me, I enjoyed the art more than the story for this one.

I LOVED Carroll's Through the Woods and was hoping to love this just as much. Unfortunately, I didn't. In t-minus 1 day, I don't remember the story.

Carroll's A Guest in the House gave me chills. The colour palette lends itself to the creepiness of the story. The story was reminiscent of Charlotte Perkins-Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper, which is a favourite of mine.

Emily Carroll's artwork continues to blow me away. Every turn of the page reveals something utterly compelling whether it is a domestic scene full of intriguing, curious details or a splash page of gorgeous unexpected color. The story is deeply upsetting and tense without ever revealing too much which is my kind of horror.

As usual, another dark hit from Emily Carroll!!! I loved the artwork in this graphic novel and the twists and turns the mystery took.

This was a mixed bag for me and a title that I think will ultimately be forgettable for many.

This story follows Abby, a newly married woman, as she tries to navigate her relationships with her new husband and stepchild, herself... and the ghost of her husband's previous wife?

The premise sounded really intriguing to me but I felt very unsatisfied reading this story. I was confused and disinterested, though the ending did grip me and left me thinking on it for a night or two after finishing the book. I also was not a fan of the art. Most of the pages felt bland, which was worsened by the largely black and white/grayscale color palette. However, the occasional spreads that did incorporate color really wowed me; scenes with the knight took my breath away, and I found myself thumbing through to peek at the next one as I was reading.

I'm sure this is someone's favorite book and I am happy for that reader! However, this is one that I don't think will stay in my mind as the year progresses. I imagine I am not alone in that boat.

"A Guest in the House" explores themes of obsession, love, and the enigmatic nature of Sheila's death, making it a gripping and suspenseful graphic novel for fans of horror and mystery fiction.

Thank you to netgalley for providing a e-galley for review. A Guest in the House is the story of Abby as she navigates being a new wife to a small town dentist and step mom to his daughter after his wife died. Abby discovers some information that maybe Shelia's death wasn't as innocent as it seemed. Add in an overly friendly neighbor and you have Emily Carroll's new adult graphic novel.

Emily Carroll does it again! I loved the art style and tone of this book - we follow Abby, who has recently married a widowed dentist and become stepmom to his daughter. Abby seems dissatisfied with her dull, colorless life as a housewife, and things aren't totally adding up when she asks questions about her husband's previous wife's death. Meanwhile, Abby has these really colorful, vivid dreams about a knight which seem to have some queer undertones. By the end, I was reminded a lot of how I felt reading When I Arrived at the Castle. I found myself questioning what was real, what wasn't, whether the narrator was reliable, and what it all meant. I like ambiguous endings, although I do wish there had been just a little more clarity. It does make you want to immediately reread to see if there's more to pick up on that you might have missed. Such great queer horror and I hope Carroll does more full-length graphic novels!

This was a strange and mysterious graphic novel that I really enjoyed! My one complaint - and it may have been because of the galley - was that some of the dream sequence writing was next to impossible to read. I have heard from others with hard copies that this is not a problem in the finished book, so again ymmv. I always enjoy Emily Carroll’s work, and this was no exception.

Was trying to read more graphic novels...typically not the biggest horror/suspense reader either...A Guest in the House was okay, but I'll continue on my graphic novel journey.

While the ending was a bit confusing, I felt that I understood the story as a whole. The art, needless to say, was impeccable. It's exactly what I look forward to from Emily Carroll! I will be handselling and promoting this book thoroughly!

The illustrations in the graphic novel were spectacular! I couldn't stop gawking over them. They were so creepy and really put the scare into the novel and story. Cannot wait to see more from Carroll.

"A Guest in the House", by Emily Carroll, is a slow-burn, psychological and domestic horror. It was the second graphic novel I read written by Emily Carroll. I really enjoyed her debut graphic novel, "Through the Woods", and found her art style very unique and memorable. Her art style is consistently amazing in "A Guest in the House", as the illustrations, starting with the cover art, make this book compelling.

Plot-wise, the story follows Abby, a woman in her thirties, married to a recently widowed man. She is content to adapt herself to her new role of stay at home wife and stepmother to a teenager who still misses her mother. She also seems content to isolate herself from everyone else as soon as she begins her new life. Soon, she starts to suspect something more than meets the eye happened to her husband's ex-wife, and she gets herself more and more invested in trying to uncover the past.

I loved the unsettling atmosphere throughout the story, and the contrasting colors between the read life and dream sequences, which helped maintain that atmosphere all throughout. The only thing that didn't sit quite well with me was the ending. While I am not one to dismiss an ambiguous ending, this one was a little bit too ambiguous for my taste and left me turning pages trying to figure out what I may have missed, but to no avail. Still, it's a great psychological horror story, with stunning art. For fans of Emily Carroll's art, this one is a must. It's also a very fast read, so for those trying to cram books for their yearly reading challenge, like me, this one is a great pick.

Thank you to First Second Books and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. "A Guest in the House", by Emily Carroll has been out since August 2023.

i so, so, so wanted to like this one, and the art was absolutely stunning, but there was just a little bit too much going on once the narrative reached the middle portion, which led to some major pacing issues for me. i kind of liked the slow burn pacing of the earlier portion of the book, and while i appreciated the folkloric, almost cosmic twists this title brought, the pacing and timing of the novel made it only okay for me.