This book was overall an enjoyable read. The main character was funny and quirky in a way that felt real and lived in, like someone you would know in real life. I loved the setting and I thought the author did a really great job building tension. You kind of knew what was going on but you didn’t know how or how the pieces would fit together. All the action happened in the last 80% of the book, and it seemed like it was resolved a little too quickly, and a lot of the personality of our main character was dropped during that time. I would have loved for the book to be longer. Just to draw out the final few scenes a little longer and had some of the humor present in the rest of the story to those chapters.

This was a very interesting and unique book while the premise was a little predictable the ending was not and Sam was such a relatable, like able character it made for a quick read that I enjoyed very much. Would absolutely recommend to friends and will likely purchase for myself
Thank you

This was such a fun new installment from Kingfisher! Their books always deliver on the fun side of horror and I really enjoyed listening to an audiobook of their work for the first time!

What I really liked about this book was how the story and the narrator contributed to the incredibly creepy atmosphere in this novel. I truly enjoyed feeling like I was IN the story along with the characters.

Thank you to T. Kingfisher, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy of "A House With Good Bones" for an honest review.

I fell in love with T. Kingfisher recently reading "What Moves The Dead" for an end-of-2023 Challenge Read and was so moved I had to snap up the forthcoming arcs for her books being published this year. It was a perfect move on my part, following that intuition and drive off the most recent read as I devoured this new novella in the space of a little less than two days.

Shoutout to the amazing Mary Robinette Kowal, who did a marvelous job of giving presence, voice, and very different feelings to all the characters she narrated. They were flawless, and I got happily lost in all the voices she did for them.

I loved the spiral twists and turns. I loved our unapologetic heroine being proud of being fat, being drawn to a life not focused on marriage/children, and being fiercely complete as she was, following her truth. I loved the reflection on down-home Southern values, the good and the bad in them. I loved the decidedly creepy slow lead-up with the house, the roses, the grandmother, the "Witch" down the road, and the "underground" children.

I don't want to give any spoilers, but I definitely advise reading it!

I actually really enjoyed this book. It was my first southern Gothic style, and it was a bit suspenseful, I will check trigger warnings , - death, mentions of racism and such but it wasn’t heavily involved. I did not find a scary, but some stuff might be to others. It was also hilarious! I loved every character they just came off the page. I am surprised about how much I really enjoyed the fuck it was a change for me I usually read contemporary romance and fantasy books but this was refreshing and super fun. I really enjoyed it and will be seeking out more books by this author.

This is a fun, light-hearted, and pleasantly creepy book. I would call this is a cozy horror. In it, Samantha (Sam) Montgomery is an insect archaeologist. Sam's new dig gets postponed so she goes home to stay with her mother in rural North Carolina. But Sam's mother is acting strange and unsettling things start happening in the house.

This is very similar in setting and tone to T. Kingfisher’s book “The Twisted Ones”, but less scary in my opinion. My major issue with the book is that it is a little too cozy and not creepy enough. Over half of the book is build-up. Creepy build-up is great, unless it is obvious what the creepy mystery is leading up to. Unfortunately, it was painfully obvious what was going on from the very beginning. That might be a plus for some people, because it makes the book less scary. I liked the “Twisted Ones” more because there is no way you could guess what was going on. But it is still worth reading.

I listened to the audio version of this book. The narrator, Mary Robinette Kowal did a good job overall. However, I didn’t like the voice she did for “Phil”. It was sort of like an old prospector's voice even though he is a 30-ish man. It is too strained.

ADDICTIVE.

I can't wait to pick this back up! Not only was it funny, it was oddly wholesome. I never thought I'd want a vulture pet in 2023, but here we are! Thank you T. Kingfisher. I need MORE!

A change in her work plans means Sam is heading back to the house she grew up in. While her grandmother has passed away and her mom now own's the house, it seems more like her grandmother's sterile home than the brightly colored, warm house her mom turned it into. Her mom is acting strange as well, changing her behavior and acting as if someone is watching her. What has her mom so frightened?

I loved this book! It's only really horror for about a quarter of the book towards the end (at least a more traditional form of horror that you expect), but that didn't affect my enjoyment at all. There is a dry, witty humor that runs throughout that I loved. There is also just a general sense of unease, that something isn't quite right. I love how T. Kingfisher used bugs, roses, and vultures to convey this unease, but also remind the readers ways in which these things can be completely normal or even good. The characters were fun, unique, and had great chemistry together. This book tackles families. It looks at the expectations and trauma our families can leave on us and how that affects us. This book may not work for everyone because there is a significant tone shift, but I thought it worked perfectly.

Also, I listened to the audiobook and thought the voice narration was very well done! The wit and humor really came through! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me an advanced copy of the audiobook

This book gave me Grady Hendrix vibes in the best way.

Sam has an unexpected time off work and decides to go stay with her elderly mother. Her brother has noticed that their mom seems "off" and with Sam's logical, scientific brain, she concludes that her mother my be experiencing some memory loss.

With that, her mother is seeming to mimic the ways of her late grandmother which is really throwing Sam for a loop. Her grandmother was a bitter, wicked, racist woman that made more enemies than friends. Sam's mother was quite the opposite. Always polite, open minded, and was always on the positive and progressive side of life.

This Southern Gothic and horror novel really ties contemporary issues with supernatural beings. It was definitely a slow build up to the horror, especially with Sam's insistences on explaining everything with science.

I really enjoyed this book and think that audio was fabulously done. Mary Robinette Kowall gave every character their own voice and I really appreciated the distinctions she made.

Thank you Net Galley and Macmillian Audio for the audiobook ARC of "A House with Good Bones". This review is my own thoughts and opinions.

-1 point for dissing Cheerwine. but relatable in the North Carolina experience. I am one of those North Carolinians who will go to bat for Cheerwine.

I really enjoyed the overall atmosphere and appreciated the the light-hearted tone the main character takes. Personally, I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much it it was more morose (pun intended).

The aspect of generational trauma is the most important element in my opinion. It's giving Disney's Encanto but add vultures, bugs, rose, and boxed wine. It also gave me a bit to process about my own trauma.

Would recommend to fans of horror, humor, gothic vibes, and nature conservation.

Hilarious and terrifying in equal measure, with pitch-perfect narration by Mary Robinette Kowal (whose work I knew from the Amberlough series by Lara Elena Donnelly). I found myself producing various sound effects ranging from snort-laughs to outright screams.

If I have a complaint, it's that Sam is just a hair too slow to accept that something supernatural is going on (come on, those vultures?). But the moment at which she gets, er, incontrovertible evidence miiiiiiiiiight have elicited the biggest scream of all.

Just marvelous, don't listen late at night when alone, particularly not in any place that has a rose garden. Made me think more positively about the ants in my house, though I confess I'm still putting out bait.

This was so creepy and good! I binge-listened to this in 2 days, but it could easily be listened to in 1.

Favorite tropes included:
- Creature Feature (insects and flowers!)
- Paranormal
- Sorcery in the Family

The narration of this one was just okay - I didn't mind the narrator as Sam, but she came off as ditzy at points. I didn't like her "Phil" voice, but the grandmother's was great.

Kingfisher is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors!

First, I want to thank NetGalley for this arc, I absolutely adore everything T. Kingfisher publishes, and this was no exception. It did remind me of How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix but where that one was absolutely terrible, this one thrived. T. Kingfisher's writing is always fantastic, she has a way to set an eerie and disturbing tone without being over the top in her descriptions. I could feel the ||crunch of ladybugs as Sam stepped on them|| or fingers racking through my hair. I loved the main character and her job was fascinating, I felt like I was learning things about the insects she came in contact with while also trying to figure out whether what was happening was real or not. I loved how the vultures, roses, and insects were all woven together in this book.

4.5 stars! Listened to this as an ARC for netgalley; The narrator for this audiobook was perfect for the story and all its characters. And the humor had me giggling to myself, a really interesting story at a perfect pace

Thank you for granting me this audiobook arc.

I enjoyed my experience with this book. I found the way she explored how certain family members' beliefs can in some way affect the present family. The 15% was a bit wacky to me but overall the book was a good read.

I really enjoyed this southern gothic horror, especially with how well it combined its eerie and unsettling elements with humor and heart. It's a rather quick read but it packs a lot of action into its pages, especially near the end. If you love things that are atmospheric and creepy, this is definitely a book for you!

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

A quirky novel with an interesting plot that did feel unique. But I never fully engaged with the characters or the story. It also had a very boring start which did not really help with that. It took so long to buildup to the actual reveal of the horror entity I almost dropped the book. I did thoroughly enjoy the narrator and it was a great choice for the book.

While this book is too gory and adult for curriculum adaptation, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!! The horror built perfectly and the climax of the haunting literally made me want to curl into a ball. The narration was beautiful, I would love to this to more audiobooks that feature her. T. Kingfisher really has a way of making gothic horror modern and fun.

If you had told me before reading this that I would want a pet vulture, I would have never believed you, but here we are.

Samantha's brother is concerned about their mother. "She seems off," he said. So, when her work project gets postponed, she travels to North Carolina to see for herself. She is immediately concerned. The walls and decor of the house, usually bright with color, are now painted off-white. Old Confederate photos hang on the wall once more. While this is peculiar, she is most concerned because her mother also appears unwell. She has lost weight, jumps at the slightest noise, and is misremembering the past. She is also suddenly religious and no longer tolerates cursing in the home; she is becoming more and more like Sam's dead grandmother; something is definitely wrong. The longer she stays in the house, the more things become worrisome. Sam, a scientist, shrugs off the weirdness with logic and rationale—until she can't.

T. Kingfisher expertly crafts this Southern Gothic novella, writing about ordinary characters doing ordinary things in a ordinary houses while slowly building tension one unordinary incident at a time.
As the story unfolded, I could not stop reading. I finished this in one day. I had to know what was happening. The ending was superb. I will happily read anything T. Kingfisher writes—even a grocery list.

T. Kingfisher, I adore you and all your characters and very importantly their brains!
This I have to say was one of the less twisted or thrill-y of this author’s work and I still know that I ordered it to get it as soon as possible my shelf would be missing something great.

Check CW obviously

I have to say the religious undertones and the meshing of the south and southern values was such a fun/upsetting in a good way thing to visit as someone who was raised (thankfully) adjacent to a lot of this kind of thing. I wish there had been a little more but also I’m never going to wish a good book to end. Again a solid 4.5 star