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

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Some mild spoilers are ahead, so read with caution.

Wow. This book was so good. When I started it, I found it funny, this story of this empty nester living in this haunted house and treating it like it's a normal thing. And then. I came upon the chapter detailing Margaret's history with Hal, and I immediately sat up and went "OH It's a METAPHOR." (THIS IS WHERE THE SPOILERS START) Likening the main character staying in a haunted house because she loves the house and can deal with the downsides to her staying in an abusive marriage because she loves him? Perfection. Genius! I could not love it more! (END SPOILERS).

Anyway, this story was beautifully written and so unique. A perfect read for the upcoming fall and I highly recommend you add it to your Halloween TBRs.

The September House is a thrilling horror filled with ghosts, a haunted house, and the woman who lives there. Is everything really happening or is she falling prey to the same mental health issues her father had? They say they’re hereditary, but Margaret knows she isn’t crazy. What’s happening to her is real and she isn’t leaving. This is her home and she’ll do whatever it takes to stay.

If you enjoy puzzles and spooky thrills you will also love this one!

Margaret and her husband, Hal, finally buy a beautiful Victorian house and are happy to have a place of their own. It barely registers when the realtor tells them there has been a death in the house before. The price is too good and the house is too lovely. Even when they realize it’s haunted, Margaret refuses to leave her house. Even when September comes and the walls bleed, the house moans and all the “pranksters “ show up to point at the basement and repeat “He’s down there”. After 3 Septembers in the house, Hal’s had enough and leaves. Their adult daughter, Katherine, gets worried and tries to find where he has gone. Unfortunately, she comes to stay in September.

This was a great spooky read perfect for fall. The house is definitely its own character and I loved the ghost housekeeper. Seriously, can I have one?
It was the right blend of spooky and amusing. The end was pretty great! If you like creepy houses and ghosts, both funny and terrifying, I definitely recommend this one.

Thanks to @netgalley and @berkleypub for a copy for review!

This was such a cleverly written book!

When Margaret and her husband, Hal, bought a large, beautiful Victorian house for a good price, they felt so lucky! But soon they realized that the house was haunted. Every September, the walls drip blood, and ghosts who had all met a brutal death make an appearance. While Margaret and Hank have learned to adapt, there is a sinister presence lurking in the basement, which eventually causes Hank to flee.

Soon, their daughter, Katherine, arrives to try to find her father. She doesn't know that the house is haunted and Margaret does everything she can to keep it that way.

I loved that this book had some horror, family drama, mystery, and dark comedy in it. I loved Margaret and how she normalized all the paranormal activity going on in her house because she was determined not to leave. I think Fredericka was the best character in this book. I just loved her!

I highly recommend this one, and I hear that the audiobook is amazing as well!

Thank you, @netgalley, @berkleypub, and the author for the gifted e-arc!!

This is my new favorite haunted house book! It’s funny, emotional, with a deep message, and it’s terrifying!
Margaret is an amazing character. I pictured Betty White as her, the whole time. She is eternally optimistic and kind, in situations that call for anger and fear. She stole my heart immediately, and once I got her full story, I was even more in love with her. She made the September House a home, and it is proven within the story. Margaret is the heart of the book.
The parallels between the abuse in Margaret’s marriage, to the abuse the house dwells out, is so sad but so well done. Margaret has always accepted what she was given, and did so with a positive attitude. Despite the bruises from her husband, and annoying festering bite wounds from her rude ghosts roommates. But when her child is in danger, she becomes the stronger, take no crap woman we all want. It’s exhilarating watching her transformation. This gives a message of hope.
The ghosts in this book are all so incredibly unique. Each has a story, and interaction with Margaret that draws her deeper into the house’s clutches. She has accepted their haunting, which seems to only be at its worse in September. But when September comes, they really give it their all. Let me tell you, the basement.. Master Veil… omg you will be seeing him in your nightmares.
I absolutely loved this book. I loved every single thing about it. It scared the crap out of me, made me chuckle, and pulled on my heart strings. It is the perfect story.

Margaret and Hal can’t believe their luck when they stumble onto their dream house. They’re so enraptured that they ignore the agent’s warning about the (many) deaths that have occurred in the house. Fast forward four years: Hal has disappeared and Margaret is preparing for the screaming apparitions and bleeding walls that appear every September. She won’t give up the house so she resigns herself to the hauntings ahead. Orlando’s hair-raising debut delivers dark humor, insight into domestic abuse, and some very unexpected turns. I laughed and was saddened by Margaret's ability to 'learn to live with anything'. You'll cheer for the final showdown with the house. Excellent haunted house horror!

Grady Hendrix fans and those who enjoyed Shirley Jackson’s Haunting of Hill House will be ecstatic to add this to their to read list. As implied most spook happenings in this title occur in September so this came out at the perfect time! You will truly start questioning whether the strange occurrences are real or imaginary. Some parts are more gory than others and will take you by surprise so it does have horror along with its gothic atmosphere. This will be an author to watch!

I was really excited for this one, but unfortunately, I DNF'ed after about five chapters. The pacing felt very slow and I didn't feel invested in the story or the characters at all. I was curious what was happening with the house, but not enough to hang on through the rest of the book. I listened to a bit of the book on audio, but didn't really vibe with the narration. While I'm certain some people will love this book -- especially those who love slow burn horror, Grady Hendrix, and gross gory ghosts -- it wasn't for me.

Thanks to Netgalley, Berkley, and PRHAudio for copies of this book!

“I loved this house. And you didn’t give up on the things you loved.”

Me throughout most of this book: “There are some nice bloody moments, but people looking for violence and gore won’t be into it.

Me when I reached the last 10% of the book: “Oh. Oh, okay.”

This was a good read for the start of the spooky season, (though I do read horror books all the time.) Margaret lives in a haunted house, but the ghosts only act up during the month of September. When the story begins, her husband is missing. There were a couple of things I didn’t love about the book, so I’ll start with those.

If you’re looking for straight up horror, this may not be your cup of tea. The story can be a bit cutesy at times with Margaret and the ghosts and there are also a lot of different spirits, so it’s tough to keep who everyone is straight. They all have backstories and individual personalities. (Though that is one of the things I thought was fun.)

I read so many reviews that said they loved the relationship between the mom and daughter. Did we read the same book?! I almost had to stop reading (several times!) because the daughter, Katherine, was such an insufferable person. I can’t go into detail without spoiling things, but holy shit I hated her. And her behavior made zero sense. Your dad is missing, but you didn’t like him. (With GOOD reason!) So why are you so insistent on finding out where he went? Why does it matter? And why are you treating your mom like garbage just like he did, when she clearly isn’t well? At no point does this book convince me that finding Hal is a good idea. After we find out more about Margaret and Katherine’s pasts, frankly how dare she act this way around her mother now. Take a fucking seat, Temper Tantrum McGee.

A personal pet peeve of mine: I hate it when adult characters say “Language!” to admonish their kids. In this case, the kid was old enough to be living away from home, which only made it more cringe. (29, to be exact.) The one exception to this is when Handsome Jack says it in the Borderlands games, and that’s only because he’s hot and I have a thing for him. In this book, Margaret kept saying it to Katherine for almost all of the story and it got old very fast.

I guess the biggest and most obvious question in a situation like this is: why not just move, though??? Especially if one of the ghosts in your house is legit terrifying and seems to want to hurt you? I know the real estate market is tough and the walls only bleed for one month out of the year, but come on, Madame. *This IS eventually explained, but not until about 58% into the book. Is the explanation satisfactory? Admittedly, I think so, given the circumstances. Oh, and some stuff happens eventually that is not exactly surprising, but then the story keeps going and I liked the ending so that made up for it.

So what are more of the things that I DID like about the book?

- Fredericka the “maid” and the nosey neighbor Edie
- The ghost character designs
- Most of the humor, which is consistent throughout
- The comical way that Margaret interacts with a lot of the ghosts reminded me of one of my favorite movies, “The Frighteners.”
- Surprisingly violent and gory!
- Interesting way of portraying misunderstandings/people seeing situations from different perspectives (albeit with very frustrating results)

Without revealing too much, the story functions as metaphor for living as a victim of abuse. Although some of the parallels are a bit on the nose, overall I think it’s well done and has some lovely moments. This book is a mix of humorous, almost cute ghostly Halloween haunting and heavy handed family drama that goes to dark places. Tonally, it’s kind of all of all over the board so I’m not sure who I would recommend it to besides horror readers that enjoy a bit of everything and are very open-minded.

TW: domestic abuse, gaslighting, animal death (“offscreen”), child death

I adored this book from the beginning and the main character made me laugh so hard. The ending was fantastic, and I was hooked throughout the whole book. It wasn’t particularly scary, but I think that is because we see things from the main characters point of view. I was only a couple chapters in when I made my best friend start reading it too, because I enjoyed it so much! This is a perfect spooky season read.

Margaret has found the perfect house after a long life moving from rental to rental. Her daughter is grown, her husband is no longer drinking and this amazing house is on sale for a ridiculously low price. She’s never going to give up this house, even if there are ghosts. As long as you follow the rules, you can survive the month of September. And she is very good at following the rules.

Available to purchase now on hardback and Kindle from Berkley Books (an imprint of Penguin Random House) is the Gothic horror-thriller—The September House by Carissa Orlando. In this addictively engaging and complex debut novel, a woman is determined to stay in her dream home even after it turns into a haunting nightmare.

In the novel, Margaret and her husband Hal were ecstatic to finally own a home when they purchased a large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street for a shockingly affordable price. They then learned about the hauntings. Every September, blood drips from the walls. Former residents' spirits start to show up, and they're all scared of whatever is hiding in the basement.

Most people would run away in fear, all except for Margaret.

She'll continue to live there; it's her home. But after four years, Hal has had enough and unexpectedly departs. Their daughter, Katherine, unaware of the hauntings, comes and is determined to find her missing father, who's not answering his phone calls. It doesn't help that September has only just begun, and with each unsuccessful search Margaret and Katherine make for Hal, the hauntings become more and more terrifying because of the secrets the mansion needs to keep hidden.

The September House is a clever and creepy tale in the vein of The Amityville Horror, Stephen King's The Shining, and Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart. The narrative is from the point-of-view of Margaret, where, as a reader, you question her insanity and reality as the story plays out. Three-fourths of the novel is a drama with some dark comedic aspects; the horror and gore don't show up until the final act. Did I mention the blood? Because there's plenty of it.

Overall, The September House is a bizarre and horrifying haunted house tale that will appeal to most horror fans. After reading the final page, you'll think twice about buying an old Victorian house. ╌★★★★★

Loved this unique spin on a ghost story. Margaret and Hal buy their dream Victorian home- never mind that the listing price is suspiciously inexpensive. When they find out that the place is haunted, Margaret remains undeterred- moving is the worst, and she's not about to let something supernatural get in her way. The author did a fantastic job building the tension with this one and I loved that it felt genuinely creepy- but like something that could actually happen. I also loved the dedication. Cant wait for more by this author! Featured on ep 117 of my podcast, Book Talk, etc.

The September House is a very unique story mixing elements of paranormal, mystery, horror, and even humor. I loved that this story really revolved around the ghosts in the house and how Margaret was determined to ignore and live with them, so she could continue to live in her dream home. There were times I laughed out loud at some of her encounters with the ghosts that live there, and at times, it was deeply disturbing.

Orlando also tackles issues of marriage, mental illness, and family. I will warn you, if you have a weak stomach or are simply not someone who likes a lot of gory detail, skip this one. The scenes she describes are filled with gore and horror at times. If you're fine with that, this will be the perfect spooky read for you.

Bottom line, I really enjoyed this unique book.
Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC!

The September House could not be a more perfect pick for your September TBR, considering its entire premise. Be prepared to dive into a seemingly ordinary house that turns into a nightmarish realm each September, where husband and wife Hal and Margaret have been living for a number of years trying to survive the horror-filled month. I loved this spooky atmosphere that Carissa Orlando created and this premise was such a fun and relatively unique one as well. This was an incredibly impressive story that I thoroughly enjoyed and absolutely recommend to any haunted house fan. This story explores a myriad of themes, especially darker and more difficult topics that I found Orlando handled incredibly well. If you're in need of something spooky to read for fall, then look no further because The September House is the pick for you.

A woman is determined to stay in her dream home after it becomes clear that it’s haunted. Are you intrigued too?

This was not my usual read. I get scared easily, but I was so intrigued by the premise that I made an exception.
I was immediately drawn into the conversational tone as 50-something Margaret describes finding her dream house later in life for a steal. She also describes the way the walls bleed in September and her ghost housekeeper with a mangled face from an encounter with an ax who still insists on making Margaret tea. Margaret’s husband left months ago—the details are hazy, except that last September was too much for him—and her grown daughter, Katherine, who’s never visited, is fed up with her mother’s excuses about her father’s whereabouts. Katherine is coming to see what’s happened and she won’t wait until October.

The September House was definitely gory, but it was written in such a down-to-earth, almost funny voice that none of it bothered me. I couldn’t wait to see where it was going. I flew through the almost 14-hour audio book. I kept thinking the whole story was a bigger metaphor for something. Menopause? Marriage? Motherhood? I really wanted to come away from the book with a big thematic revelation, but I didn’t. That said, I’m not sure it wasn’t there.

Narrator, Kimberly Farr, was fantastic and added to the all-of-this-is-mostly-normal tone that made the book so much fun to read. Farr made Margaret’s choices—ones I would never, ever make—seem so incredibly reasonable. I will warn that for people who speed up books, the narration on this one seemed slower to me so you might want to listen on an app that allows you to speed up more than your normal rate.

I’d absolutely recommend this one for fans of horror or someone who’s just looking for a different read this fall. And I’d love to talk to anyone had had thoughts about the overall themes of the story.

🎉🎉🎉Pub Day Review🎉🎉🎉

What would you do if you finally bought your dream house only to find out it’s haunted? Will you stay or will you move out?!?

The September House by Carissa Orlando is a horror story/supernatural thriller that’s sort of a cross between The Exorcist and The Haunting of Hill House. The haunted house has bleeding walls, a ghost housekeeper and a whole lot of other terrifying spirits roaming around complete with suicidal birds crashing into the windows! What’s more interesting is that the height of its hauntings occur every September. I was hooked from the get go! At first, I couldn’t fathom why Margaret and Hal would opt to stay in their house and endure the terror. But as I read on, I began to understand the main characters’ rationale, especially that of Margaret’s. She’s an interesting character for me - and I was quite intrigued with her right from the start. I was actually more invested with her rather than the plot itself. Despite the vivid descriptions of the gore and hauntings, I would say that the horror level is quite tame for me. I did not have goosebumps nor experienced sleepless nights while reading this. It’s quite bingeable and entertaining. I can’t help but root for the ghosts to have HEA, especially for Fredricka! It was slow to start but boy, the last 8 chapters sure made up for it! I can see this being made into a movie! Overall, The September House makes for a great fall/Halloween read.👻

***Thanks to @berkleypub and @netgalley for my e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

TW: Domestic violence/abuse

3.5 stars

I really wanted to like this book. I reallllly did.

And on some level, I did enjoy reading about all the spooks and haunts that lived with Margaret and what she and Hal put up with each September until he disappeared. It was unique and really interesting. I wanted to know all the details about why and what was happening.

But I feel like those things were just scarcely explained - they were just a throwaway line at one point. I wanted more explanation for how the ghostly residents ended up ensnared and trapped in the house forever.

But I liked how the author used the themes of abuse and adaption to compare the real world to living in the haunted house. As more and more was revealed, it made so much more sense and it really made me think. I really felt like that took the book from an average ghost story to a deeper, literary novel. The twists around Margaret and Hal’s relationship were at times so hard to read, but they gave such insight into the mindset of that type of relationship, and showed how it’s not as easy as “just leaving.” Truly. A+ to the author for that.

Overall, this was a good book with some things that were slightly frustrating. But it did keep me reading until the end, for sure. I’ll be reading more from this author, and I’d recommend reading this book.

It was Margaret and Hal’s dream house, until that first September. Every September, blood pours down the walls, ghosts appear, and screaming starts up every night. Margaret can take it. Hal cannot.

Hal hasn’t been seen since the night he left, and their daughter Katherine (who doesn’t know about what’s happened) is worried enough about him to fly in. With a new September starting, Margaret can only hope for the best.

This book is absolutely made by the fabulously matter of fact narration of Margaret. The things that are happening are so scary, but Margaret just treats them as part of life. And things do get absolutely terrifying. Orlando has a real talent for eliciting feelings of horror in readers, and is a great writer. I would definitely recommend this book.

Margaret and Hal are ecstatic to finally own their own home, a beautiful Victorian house that they found for a very reasonable price. When their dream home becomes a nightmare, Margaret is determined to stay, but her husband Hal wants nothing to do with the property, especially in September. Turns out their breathtaking home is filled with those that don’t actually breathe: ghosts that inhabit the house all year long. To make matters worse, every September these houseguests get loud and mischievous,if not outright dangerous, and the walls drip blood. After four years Hal can no longer take the hauntings and leaves, but when he stops returning phone calls Katherine, their daughter, begins to worry and comes to town to find him. Katherine knows nothing about the hauntings, so she can’t fathom why her father would up and disappear, but the house is determined to keep its secrets, including what it knows about Hal, and will do anything to keep those secrets buried.

The September House reminded me a little of Thirteen Ghosts with a mystery thrown in that I undeniably enjoyed. I absolutely loved the ghosts that inhabit the house–well, most of them–along with Margaret. She is such a strong individual and seems to have a heart of gold. A quick moving story that kept me on the edge of my seat made this a novel that I could not put down. I especially got a thrill out of the ending; it seemed to fit the story perfectly. I can’t wait to see what Carissa Orlando writes next!