I do not fit in with the cool kids. I didn't find this book that great. I kept waiting and waiting and ended up with unflavored oatmeal.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review

I am torn whether this is more thriller or horror, but either way it was a great way for me to transition into spooky season. While I was never really scared, it does have a little more than your typical thriller. It’s a cross between a ghost story and an unreliable narrator. I was never sure if Margaret was crazy or seeing ghosts. The book does a great job of letting me waver back and forth and as soon as I made a decision, something in the book made me second guess it. And as I try and categorize it, it definitely has some dark humor and is a little tongue in cheek at times. I do really love a book that can pull off dark humor.

This gave me a vibe like those 70s horror movies. Potergeist, The Exorcist and Amityville Horror. I’m not sure if the author planned this homage or it was just a lucky coincidence, but either way I loved it.

I connected with Margaret and sympathized with her. She tried to be so accommodating with the ghosts. Such patience. And I felt so sorry for her having to live by all those rules that she first set up to deal with her husband and then the ghosts.

A appreciate that this one was creative and not like other books you will read this spooky season. With all the books that come out each week, being different is a feat.

You should really kick off you spooky season reads with this clever ghost story.

Oh man- a haunted house story set during September to kick off spooky season? YES PLEASE! Readers be warned- this book is terrifying.

Initially, I loved Margaret’s almost comical approach to being incessantly haunted. She humanizes and sympathizes for her motley crew of terrifying roommates. She is merely exasperated when others would be scared out of their minds.

The genre bending of September House will keep all readers on their toes. The author’s ability to make her sensible narrator later be perceived as an unreliable source blew my mind. Is this a horror story? Or a troubling psychological thriller? The family drama which dealt with the heavy subject matter of spousal abuse showed that you don’t have to live in a haunted house to be constantly scared for your life.

For mood readers who love a good scare or any reader who appreciates good story telling- I highly recommend reading September House this fall!

Spooky season…. but make it darkly comedic and a bit touching too.

When I heard the premise for THE SEPTEMBER HOUSE involved blood dripping from the walls and screaming that escalates throughout the month of September, I was prepared for a spine-tingling story.

Yes, it was a bit spooky, but this debut was an unexpected albeit somewhat gruesome delight! With quirky ghosts, a complicated mother-daughter relationship, and irreverent humor, this is not your typical spooky season story. Carissa Orlando’s background in psychology was evident with aspects of mental health addressed with great care.

Pairing the print with the audiobook was the way to go! I enjoyed the distinct ghost personalities that came alive in the audiobook narrated by Kimberly Farr. Add THE SEPTEMBER HOUSE to your fall TBR!

Thank you Berkley for the blog blitz opportunity!

Haunted House + Domestic Drama + Darkly Funny = Blended Genre Horror Book that will appeal to readers beyond the typical horror lovers.

What I liked:
🩸Victorian Haunted House: While the pranksters (our ghosts) appear all year long, come September, the haunting activity kicks up a new notch - walls bleed, killer birds appear in the yard, and ghosts scream and play mind games. My favorite ghost is Fredricka, who becomes indispensable to Margaret.
🩸Margaret: She understands rules must be followed to survive her abusive husband and to live in the house she loves. To Margaret, “Everything is survivable.” She shows women tend to endure abuse while protecting their children. I love the parallels the book portrays as Margaret finds her inner strength to survive all the horrors in her life.
🩸Darkly Funny: From the ghosts’ shenanigans to Margaret’s internal monologue to the banter between Margaret and her daughter (Katherine), the laugh-out-loud moments are plentiful. Quite a surprise for a horror book!
🩸Narration: I HIGHLY recommend this format. Kimberly Farr voices Margaret exceptionally well. Farr infuses sarcasm, dry humor, and a bit of eeriness in this haunted house tale.

The September House is perfect for fans of Grady Hendrix or anyone who wants to dabble in horror this spooky season.

Wow! This book is the best haunted house story I’ve ever read! If this were a movie, I definitely wouldn’t be able to handle the gore, but listening to it allowed me to focus more on the psychological aspects of the story. The horror is front and center, but the family dynamics were also really interesting. The narrator did a great job embodying Margaret. The September House was perfectly grotesque and terrifying, making it an ideal choice to read during spooky season!

Quick and Dirty⁣
-contemporary horror⁣
-paranormal AF⁣
-haunted Victorian mansion⁣
-complicated family dynamics⁣
-lots of trigger warnings⁣
⁣
Thoughts⁣
Oh my, y’all!! This was SO much more than I expected. I figured it would be a standard horror novel with some spooky stuff and a little mystery, but it was SO much deeper. I freaking loved this book, and I’m betting that anyone who enjoys family dramas will appreciate it, too. Sure, there’s some spooky AF stuff going on here, and LOTS of gore. But at its heart, this book is about trauma and the impact of trauma on our hearts, minds, and psyches. I usually don’t care for unreliable narrators, but I didn’t mind it so much with The September House, not sure why. The main character, Margaret, has so much dimension, making her relatable and believable. Her complex relationship with Hal, the house, and her daughter Katherine brings depth to the story that kept me engaged and intrigued, eager to get back to the book every time I had to put it down. My favorite part of the book is the ghosts, Fredericka in particular. The witty exchanges between her and Margaret, along with Margaret’s dry delivery, infused the book with unexpected humor. Overall, this was a big winner for me! Does this mean I’m a horror fan now??

Rating: 5 stars

Thank you, Berkley Publisher and Netgalley, for allowing me to read this advanced reader copy of The September House. When I read the synopsis of this one a while back, I was so excited. Carissa, you did an excellent job with this humorist creepy, spooky novel. I instantly loved the main POV, Margaret. She's a bit eccentric, and I wanted to protect her from the physical abuse that she was experiencing. The ending surprised me big time. Carissa, you didn't have to snatch the rug under my feet like that. I thought the story was over, but no, Carissa had other plans for us.
I need to buy a physical copy to add to my collection.

This was such a interesting, fun and also creepy read. I loved the character of Margaret & how she has come to love this haunted house and gets used it's quirks. The house is creepy already but come September it gets even creepier.
The walls bleed, creepy ghost children come out and screaming every night.
This book wasn't super scary in the fact that Margaret is used to this house so seeing it through her eyes is just another Tuesday but towards the end it did get creepy.
This was a fun, creepy novel perfect for Halloween.

3.75
This was an interesting haunted house story. I liked the writing style and Katherine was a great main character, though at times I wanted to shake her! All in all a very good debut novel from this author.

Can a book be gruesomely hilarious? Because The September House delivers!

Margaret is determined to stay in her beautiful Victorian home she cohabits with some very mangled and angry ghosts. Every September the hauntings come to a head and honestly the worst part is trying to keep the bleeding walls clean. When Margaret's estranged daughter comes to visit in the middle of September she's on high alert trying to keep her ghostly secret safe.

The September House was written so well, it was a story of grief, abuse and loneliness. It has everything a good haunted house story needs: a house with years of gory history, a homeowner we're not quite sure is trustworthy, and the overwhelming feeling of not knowing what is real and what isn't.

This isn't just a horror book, there's humor, warmth and at the very center a story of a family finding their way back together. Definitely recommend everyone read this heading into spooky season!

For sure the most unique haunted house story I’ve ever read. With some traditional HH elements + some brand new (to me) concepts + hilarious dark humor + a lot of sad, emotional subplots. I could not put it down.

It’s September, and Margaret knows the month is just going to get worse. The house walls will start bleeding, slowly but surely. The pranksters will start to show up one by one. And by the end of the month, she’ll be exhausted from lack of sleep due to the constant screaming inside the house. After four years in her dream home, Margaret knows all the rules, and how to survive. But when her husband Hal ends up missing and her daughter Katherine shows up to investigate, all of Margarets rules are being put to the test and the house’s secrets are about to be exposed.

Ahh! I loved this book. If you are a fan of weirdly dark and funny thrillers or horror stories, this book is for you! It’s a cross between a Grady Hendrix, Mona Awad, and a Joe Hill book, and I am here for it. The story kept me guessing the entire time, and just Margaret’s entire personality had me chuckling. I loved the way she was crafted and her interactions with the house and its ghosts. I could have enjoyed a book twice this size with just our ghost’s and Margaret as characters. They were all perfectly crafted, and I adored them, in the weird way people love creepy things.

My least favorite thing about this book was the daughter, Katherine. She’s pretty insufferable and while she plays a pivotal role in the story, I actively groaned whenever she was involved.

I don’t want to give too much away, as to not spoil the story, but if you’re looking for a new Haunted House thriller with some dark humor than The September House is perfect for you! I can’t believe this was a debut and cannot wait to read more from Carissa Orlando!


https://amzn.to/3Z8I35oThe September House comes out September 5, 2023. Huge thank you to Berkley Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.

Loved the September House. It was an interesting scary haunted house story about a married couple who moved into a beautiful house of their dreams. The house was haunted but the ghostly activity became even more severe during the month of September - blood dripping down the walls, ghostly apparitions appearing and being more aggressive; furniture moving, etc. The couple had a complicated relationship with their daughter that adds an extra interesting element to the story. It was fun and kept me reading until the end to see what happened. I would recommend this book to all libraries.

A couple move into an old house and discover that it’s haunted. When the husband leaves without warning, the wife is determined to try to live life normally—ghosts and all—until her somewhat-estranged daughter shows up demanding answers. Debut author Carissa Orlando uses her clinical psychology background to the fullest advantage in the thought-provoking book The September House.

When Margaret Hartman and her husband, Hal, find the hundred-year-old Victorian, they know it’s the right house for them. Despite being married for 30 years, it’s the first time for home ownership for the couple and get settled in right away. Margaret, in particular, knows this is her forever home. Nothing will ever convince her to leave. Not even the ghosts.

The Hartmans move into their new old house in May; in September, Margaret realizes the house isn’t just a place to live. It’s a vessel for old memories and the souls of people who died miserable deaths. The ghosts appear as they were in their last moments; Fredricka, the former housekeeper, has a cleaver through her head but seems to navigate just fine despite it.

Although the presence of the ghosts is unsettling for Margaret, she knows how to live with unsettling things. Once a person learns the rules of a given situation and sticks to them, they can go on without much problem. Even when the walls drip blood in the month of September, Margaret knows she just needs to pick up a mop, a sturdy brush, and a bucket of water and everything will be fine.

Less convinced is Hal. After four years of putting up with the house, Hal leaves. Although Margaret knows she should probably worry about him, with the month of September on the house once again she’s got bigger things to concern her. Then her daughter, Katherine, calls, and Margaret knows everything is about to get messy.

Although Katherine has had an uneasy relationship with Margaret and a distant one with Hal, she worries that she hasn’t heard from Hal in several weeks. She announces she’ll be coming to visit, and nothing Margaret can say deters her. Margaret even consults next-door neighbor Edie on what to do with Katherine, but the friends don’t find a viable solution.

When she arrives, Katherine is bound and determined to find her father. After reporting him missing to the local police, she insists on searching for him. She also demands that Margaret go with her. But Margaret doesn’t want to go. More importantly, the house doesn’t want her to go. As difficult as it is to deal with the ghosts, particularly the children who bite her or keep pointing to the basement and reminding Margaret that, “He’s down there,” Margaret knows leaving the house for long periods of time is asking for real trouble.

Author Carissa Orlando leans into her experience in clinical psychology to shape the characters in this confident narrative. The novel doesn’t read like a debut at all; every word seems carefully placed for maximum impact. The result is a book that will draw readers in, gory details and all.

Orlando settles comfortably in her chosen genre. There are enough supernatural elements and blood—literally—for fans of horror stories. The pitch-perfecting layering of the novel, however, means readers must face Margaret’s psychological horrors right along the physical ones. By the end, it’s hard to tell which are more terrifying.

The author also accomplishes a near-impossible feat: presenting one perception and then completely flipping the narrative in such a way that readers feel as unmoored as the protagonist. Once readers begin to question everything they think they know about what’s happened, Orlando flips everything again. The plot device requires a delicate touch, which the author gets almost perfect.

An excess of profanity and an ending that feels a little too much like a cheesy movie might deter some readers. Others will find this the perfect book for the upcoming spooky season.

The September House which is both:

Hysterically Horrific

Horrifying Hilarious

A horror novel unlike any I have read. Narrated my the female MC in such a nonchalant casual aloof way it was
hysterically horrific. Or maybe it was horrifying hilarious.

I highly recommend this for horror lovers. Although graphic and most definitely horror, it is also perfect for someone who is just starting to dabble in horror due to its almost lighthearted approach.

A September kind of haunted house. 👻🏠

The story didn't scare me, but it does have scary things like bleeding walls (only in September), moans from within, ghosts, demons and a bit of gore. The humor does balance the overall tone of horror, though it felt a bit cheesy, at times. The ghostly were often referred to as pranksters.

The woman of the house, Margaret refuses to leave her home, bleeding walls and all! She fights about it with her hubby Hal, who has had enough! Then, he suddenly disappears one day and things seem to get more and more bizarre. Their daughter, Katherine arrives to investigate what happened to her father.

I liked how the author presented the house, it seemed to come alive and wreak havoc on the family. Although, I wasn't a big fan of the conclusion,

I don't think I was the right reader for this one, horror is not my usual genre. I wasn't able to get invested in any of the going ons or gory offerings.

Check out more reviews because this one has some huge fans!

Margaret and Hal found a-steal-of-a-deal home to buy, were warned of past deaths, but that didn’t discourage them from purchasing their beautiful dream house. The original hard wood floors, wrap-around porch, gorgeous fireplaces, made it hard to resist! It’s old so of course there would be a death or two, right?

Margaret has managed all the disturbing events over the years and found a way to make staying manageable. She loves the home, so she’s willing to put up with a few things, but Hal wasn’t so committed to staying. Now Katherine, their grown daughter, has become insistent on coming to stay and find Hal. Margaret must deal with Katherine while trying to get through September, when all the odd occurrences in the house build into a crescendo of macabre.

The September House was creepy and scary! I thought twice about reading right before going to bed. Even thinking about it now makes me uneasy, but there was also a bit of dark humor to it. The way Margaret just tackled all the crazy, scary stuff so matter of fact. It didn’t phase her much, and handling it was like just another chore to mark off her list. Well, that’s if whatever she had to deal with didn’t come from the basement. *shivers*

I kept wondering if I was going to find out this was all in Margaret’s head. I wondered what happened to Hal. Bits of the past, Hal and Margaret’s marriage and the relationship with their daughter Katherine are revealed.

I won’t detail anymore, but I will say this is one of the few books that actually scared me. I liked how it all turned out, which isn’t something I can often say with horror stories. Definitely a good, scary story! Perfect for this time of year!

Thank you so much to Berkley for the advance copy of this book!

"You can live with many, many things you find deplorable. Especially when there are rules."

This was such a perfect book to kick off the upcoming fall season. I had no clue what to expect from this but I felt like this just hit all the marks for me in a scary book. I am not easily scared especially while reading and this trend continues. But it could possibly be scary for someone else especially during one of the parts towards the end

Every September this house comes alive with those who once were there at the house. Margaret has made peace with the house and its antics but her husband Hal is tired of it, leaves and stops returning calls. Their daughter Katherine comes to visit and this makes Margaret nervous because of what the pranksters do. But Katherine needs to know what is going on with her dad and wants to figure out what her mom is hiding.

The relationship between Margaret and Katherine was very prominent throughout the book. Margaret struggled with keeping the antics of the house out of Katherine's way but the deeper into September they got, the harder it was to control.

"He's down there."

The book is told from the past and present timeline. We learn about the history of the house through Margaret's research that she told Hal about. We also learn about the abuse that Margaret had been inflicted on by her husband and their daughter saw it happening.

I really think this could work well as a movie or even a limited series. THere was so much happening at some point that I think visually could be really cool to see.

It is very hard to talk about the book without giving too much away!

If you enjoy books about haunted houses with a missing person element - check this out!

4.5

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of The September House by Carissa Orlando!