2.5 stars for this one, in my opinion. While I found the story to be interesting, the fantasy/magical realism moments threw me off and took me out of it. Those were a bit unexpected as this is the first book of the author’s I’ve read and I don’t remember it being billed as such!

I thought the narration was just OK. I especially struggled to listen when the narrator shifted into male voices, as it seemed unnatural to her.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC!

Obsessed. This entire book from start to finish was so entertaining and kept me completely enthralled. I've come to love T. Kingfisher's work and I truly believe each book has excited me more as I've come across them. The narrator on this audiobook did such a good job in keeping me drawn completely to the story. Learning about Sam, and her mom, and her grandmother had me making wild assumptions only to figure out my assumptions weren't correct. I cant recommend this enough.

4.5 stars.

"Mom seems off."

"A House With Good Bones" is a southern gothic horror about discovering family secrets hidden behind a perfect veneer. As a lover of Gothic horror, I was excited to read this book. Unfortunately, it took me a long time to get through it. The suspense is built slowly up until the explosive climax. The climax of the story was actually really creepy... and quite unlike anything I've read before. I would say it made the slow beginning worthwhile.

I listened to the audiobook, and for the most part I thought the reader had the perfect voice for the dry, sarcastic, narrator. Her voice for the grandmother was perfectly creepy as well. However, I found her voices for the male characters to be laughable, particularly Phil. I could not take the character of Phil seriously because of the reader's silly male voice.

All in all, I appreciated the sarcastic narrator (despite her many entomology tangents. though, these were interesting at times) and the theme of generational conflict. And, that crazy climax will stick with me for a while! Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook access!

I could not love this book more. The characters are fantastic. The setting is excellent. The creepiness factor is perfect, not too scary but a good amount of scary. The Narration is really good and I like the engagement with the southern gothic. Samantha is so smart and fun and the depiction of academia is really, really good. I just loved it so much.

In the hauntingly atmospheric novel "A House with Good Bones," a Southern gothic tale unfolds, revealing the secrets of an old family home, vultures, roses, and supernatural encounters. Samantha Montgomery's archeology expedition comes to an abrupt end, prompting her to return to her childhood residence after her brother expresses concern. The house, once inhabited by their malevolent grandmother, Grandma Mae, holds a history of misery and darkness. As Sam arrives, a chilling omen manifests in the form of a foreboding vulture perched on the mailbox, seemingly scrutinizing the house. The unsettling sights intensify when she reunites with her ailing and peculiar mother and starts witnessing unexplainable phenomena herself, including her grandmother's haunting voice and roses that defy nature, lacking any insect presence.

Haunted by memories of her traumatic past with Grandma Mae, Sam embarks on a journey to unravel the long-buried family secrets hidden within the house's walls. The deeper she ventures into the mysteries that shroud her childhood home, the more she confronts unimaginable horrors beyond rational comprehension.

"A House with Good Bones" is a mesmerizing read that masterfully captures the essence of Southern gothic fiction, cleverly employing the symbolism of roses and vultures to add intrigue and depth to the narrative. This novel is a true delight, offering an immersive and spine-chilling experience.

My heartfelt thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first T. Kingfisher book and I will be checking out more of her work. This is a Southern gothic horror about a house that appeared to be haunted by the main characters emotionally abusive, racist, and overall not very nice grandmother. Thanks NetGalley for the audio eArc

A weirdly humorous horror book. The main character is charming and it was a fun read. The audiobook was well paced and the narrator did a good job of portraying a light North Carolina accent.

Thank you to the publisher for this ALC. This was my first T Kingfisher book and it did not let me down. It was so eerie and creepy.

I got this audio from NetGalley for review. I figured I’d give the author another shot. If you check out my review of The Twisted Ones, you see that I haven’t had the best luck so far.

This story is pretty short. However instead of feeling concise, I thought it was very rushed. While there are some nice tidbits dropped through the story that pay off in the end, the end is super abrupt and has far too much going on.

The author has a very distinct voice. Which is good for an author to have, as it becomes their brand, however it does not agree with me. The witty, banter-y first person shtick comes off as very forced and also dry to me. Personally I just think it isn’t for me. It made the two separate novels bleed through as very similar to me. I did however really like the use of an overweight main character. Their weight is in no way the main focus, so it’s nice to see.

I just personally found this falling very short as an attempt to recreate the gothic haunted house feel. I am thankful for the opportunity to give the author another shot, but it’s not for me. Personally a 2/5*

The audio was not bad, but the one male characters voice was done SO poorly. She just made him sound idiotic

I was talking to a friend about this book and I told her that the best analogy I could think of was the story of the frog slowly boiling in the pot: As I started reading it I was aware that things were creepy, that things were going wrong, and the incidents escalated so subtly that I didn't realize how deep I was into the horror aspect of it until I was all in.

This brief book packs a big punch and I was glad I was granted and eAudiobook ARC so that I could listen to it before its release.

DNF @ 33%. I really enjoy T. Kingfisher, but it feels like absolutely nothing has happened in this book yet. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, but literally nothing has gone on. I get that it's going to be a slow-burn, but it shouldn't be THIS slow! So far, the main character has talked about bugs and drinking to excess 1000 times. I'm not into it, sorry.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, T. Kingfisher, and NetGalley for the ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.

This book starts with the words “Mom seems off” echoing in Sam Montgomery’s ears from a warning by her brother. As Sam settles into her new life with her mother she too notices changes in what used to be what she thought a warm loving home. As things progress the weirdness starts to get worse and Sam needs to decide if all secrets should stay that way.

This was not the book I was expecting when I got it. It turned out to more a horror book than a book about an old house as the title might make you think. Nevertheless besides some gruesome hallucinations by Sam it turned out to be a great book. I would give this book a 5 out of 5 stars

I liked it well enough.

Sam Montgomery is an archaeoentomologist who just finished a job in Arizona. After her brother calls her to tell her something seems off with their mother, she decides to go visit her in North Carolina. Sam is excited to spend her time off watching crime tv shows and drinking wine.

Sam's mother is usually a carefree, easy-going, and stress-free woman but when Sam sees her, she can't believe this thin, jumpy, and distracted person is her mother. In addition, her home feels off too. Her mother had painted all the walls white like when her Gran Mae was alive instead of the vibrant colors they were the last time she visited. Is her mother getting dementia or is someone harassing her? And why are all these crows watching the house and her every move?

A House with Good Bones had an entertaining character to keep my interest throughout. The gothic elements were well-balanced. Furthermore, the narrator, Mary Robinette Kowal did a fantastic job of keeping things moving for me.

Cliffhanger: No

3.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Macmillan Audio via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

“dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family.” This was all I needed to know moving forward with reading this haunting gothic story.

I’m fairly new to this sub genre, but enjoyed the setting and plot so much. The narrator added so much to the book, and I thought it was a perfect choice.

*many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted audiobook

It feels wrong to not include a T Kingfisher book on the list of good books I've read recently. This is a southern gothic horror story, which feels like this authors specialty. It involves a plot that unearths deep dark family secrets. We follow Samantha who is between jobs as she returns to her mother’s home only to discover drastic changes in her widowed mother and childhood home. Honestly this gives off such a good Halloween read vibe, theres a “Witch”, ravens, a ghost and our main character who has a good sense of humor through all the chaos. Theres such a good mixture of like creepy as hell like you’ll want to read this with the lights on but theres also a light hearted feel to it which made it a fun combo. It’s a really quick read, I recommend it if you are already a fan of this author or if you haven’t read from her yet, this is actually a great starting point in getting a feel for her stories.
Full review on YouTube

‘Mom seems off.’ Sam Montgomery hears her brother’s words echoing in her head as she comes home to her mother’s house in North Carolina. She is excited for her extended visit with her mom and is looking forward to relaxing, boxed wine, and murder documentaries. When she walks inside, she realizes that the chaotic, warm home is now replaced with a ‘nice and normal’ vibe. But that’s not the only thing that seems different. Her mother is constantly on edge, jumping at the smallest noises and constantly looking over her shoulder. It isn’t until Sam uncovers a jar of human teeth hidden in the prize worthy roses, does she start digging for some answers. But Sam is finding that some things are better left buried.

This book was a trip! I love T. Kingfisher’s writing and how she incorporates gross, horror into it. The last 1/3 of the book really took off and I couldn’t put it down until I was done. The vultures, witches, and paranormal was so interesting really gave the book the perfect gothic, slow burn vibe. This book gives a whole new meaning to ‘a house with good bones’, if ya know what I mean. Also, always a fan of a character who can get down with boxed wine and murder docs. I definitely recommend this book to gothic horror lovers! I gave this one 4/5 stars!

Man, this book! I've read one other T. Kingfisher book and I really enjoyed it. This one sounded really good, and the concept was intriguing, and once I started, I couldn't put it down! I wanted to know more about this mom living in the family home, and all the changes that she made that wasn't her.

At first, Sam thinks her mom is grieving for Sam's grandmother, though it's been a while since she passed. Because there can't be something supernatural about what's going on, right? But creepy things keep happening, and Sam's questions just multiply.

There was one point, where things seemed to calm down-for about a second. Because I looked at how much time was left, and it was like an hour, so I knew there was going to be more story, but boy, I wasn't expecting all of that!

There was maybe just slightly the start of a romance, maybe romance. Which got off to a rough start with their first meeting. I'm not sure, because with the way things ended, it didn't seem to be open to a future, which is too bad, because I enjoyed the two of them!

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read more by T. Kingfisher!

Absolutely obsessed. I haven't been able to stop thinking about this book since I finished it! This was my first Kingfisher and I can't wait to dive into her backlist!!!

What a twisted mind T. kingfisher has... this was a crazy trip of magic, wizards and roses... if you know you know

You had me at Southern Gothic. I love the creepy feel of this story. The narrator was fantastic!

A big thanks to the author, the publisher, and netgalley for a copy of the ARC.