Natasha Preston has been an instant-buy/instant-read author of mine for quite some time…despite her endings that make me want to launch the book (or my Kindle) across the room. This one was no different. So, if you are expecting a nice, clean-cut ending, this story nor this author are for you.

A small town in the middle of nowhere is still haunted by the murders of five teens that occurred almost exactly a year ago to date. The murders devastated the entire town, but especially Penny and her group of friends because the murderer was none other than her boyfriend, Nash’s, dad Jackson Whitmore. Jackson was a quiet, private person but someone who always welcomed Penny and made her feel at home; his being a serial killer was not on their Bingo cards. Not only is Penny dealing with this fallout, but she’s also feeling tremendous guilt for dropping Nash when the news broke. Mostly because her parents made her, but she also had her own hesitations. Did Nash and his sister Grace know all along? Were they in on it? Did they help? WAS SHE NEXT?! But now, a year later, Penny feels awful for ghosting Nash the way she did, and she knows she still loves him despite how her friends and family may feel about it. She also knows NASH and he couldn’t possibly have had a hand in this…even if he is avoiding her and acting shady.

“I’ve been finding it increasingly difficult to trap my emotions inside. I’m not supposed to think about Nash. My feelings for him were supposed to disappear along with our contact.”


"This can't be him. He's nothing like his dad. He wouldn't do that. I turn around to put as much distance between me and Adi's confusing accusation as possible. That's when I see him. Between the little bookstore and the pharmacy, facing Party Town and staring straight at me. Nash."


So, to try to forget about what happened last year, Penny continues to fake a smile and go along with their Halloween traditions…when a body turns up. Immediately the town suspects Nash and his sister, Grace. The whole town already ostracized them, their dad is in prison for this exact thing, so why wouldn’t it be them? Penny is the only one convinced it can’t be. So begins a suspenseful game of cat-and-mouse with twists you may see coming because this is YA after all…

"As horrific as the murders were last year, they did give everyone something to talk about and memorials to organize. I'd never seen the town so alive as when it was drenched in death.


I loved the Halloween vibes, and I loved the relationships Penny had with her friends Adi, Omar, Zayne, and even Nash. I felt Penny’s pain and longing for Nash, and I felt the tension when they were together. As the reader, we can see they both still have feelings for one another, but they’re both just awkward teenagers who don’t want to show their true emotions. Nash and Penny’s dialogue kept me entertained throughout the whole book.

“Get back in your car and lock the doors.” “No.” He sighs sharply. “For once will you not argue with me?” I cling to him harder. “I’m not letting you get hacked to death alone.” “This isn’t some Romeo and Juliet BS.” “Yeah, I know. They weren’t murdered.”


While some parts made me laugh, there were too many scenes that had me screaming about Penny being stupid and that’s why this book got three stars from me. The group (especially Penny) is currently being stalked by someone, someone who is most likely murdering their classmates, and they’re making jokes and carrying on per usual. Or, when Penny sneaks out at midnight, with a murderer loose and thinks it’s a great idea (MORE THAN ONCE.) “Did that decoration just move?” “There is someone in the cornfield with me.” The idiocy just took my thoughts from “WHO COULD IT BE?!” to “THIS GIRL IS TRULY A MORON!”

I did like how you could feel the mood of the whole town as events took place. In the beginning, the entire town center is fully decorated for Halloween, everyone is running around in their costumes, planning their parties and deciding which haunts to visit this year. While there has been a murder, no one wants to believe it's happening again, so they take some decorations away, but keep what they can as to no disturb everyone's excitement.

"I notice right away that the Halloween decorations have been partially taken down, but a few stray bat cutouts remain on the bulletin boards around the room."


Then after another murder, Penny takes all of her décor out of her room, and by the end of the book, the town is barren again, as if Halloween doesn’t even exist. It felt real to me. It’s what I’d expect if this were happening in my town and I appreciated that, it made it easier to envision the solitude and fear everyone started to feel.

"The few Halloween decorations that I have in my room are now in a box on the floor. I don't want any of it."


Also, because it MUST be said, the ending. IT WAS HORRENDOUS. Definitely not as bad as some of her past books, but still had me raging. We dedicate our time to these books, and we’re left with nothing. Not a scrap of justice, not a hint of a conclusion, just nothing…I feel it isn’t fair and just a waste of time for us readers. I do love me some Natasha Preston books, but if she keeps ending like this, I will need to find a replacement author because the anxiety just isn’t worth it. Surefire way to put someone right into a reading slump.

Atmospheric read with a crappy ending, but a good time filler for sure. Just don’t go into this expecting the best story ever. Lower expectations may help you enjoy this more than I did.

Thank you to NetGalley & Delacorte for providing me a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Haunting by Natasha Preston really caught my attention with its unique mix of supernatural scares and real-life issues. The plot follows a group of teenagers in a small town who start experiencing strange, unexplainable events. From the very beginning, I was hooked by the suspense Preston builds so masterfully.

What I loved most about this book is how it blends ghostly happenings with the characters' personal struggles. As the hauntings get more intense, the secrets and past traumas of the characters come to light, which adds so much depth to the story.

The pacing is just right, with plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing. Sure, some plot points might seem familiar if you're a fan of the genre, but the strong character development and gripping narrative more than make up for it.

Overall, "The Haunting" is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller. Natasha Preston delivers a story that's both emotionally engaging and truly terrifying.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this e-ARC! I do my reviews on my social media platforms. I am currently working on getting through my reviews so stay tuned! Leaving a rating as a placeholder for me and to not effect the books rating in order to post this. Thanks again!

The novel follows Penny and her small town one year after her now ex-boyfriend's father went on a mass killing spree the week before Halloween. Now the entire town isolates her boyfriend, Nash, and his sister, Grace. Everything is seemingly back to normal until the kills start happening again. Are his children following in his footsteps? Or is there a copycat killer amongst them?

THIS WAS JUST SO FUN. It's September, which legally means the spooky season TBR list has started and I've decided all of my Kindle reads would reflect that! This was a digital advanced reader copy (DRC) that I ate up in less than two days despite being almost 400 pages.

Whilst I did guess the whodunnit, I didn't guess their motive or why they were doing it and how. There's another twist that just GOT ME.

I had no critiques though until the ending. I went to click the next page, and then it was the acknowledgments?!?!?!?! This ends on a cliffhanger. WHERE IS MY CLOSURE? If this were to be a series, which it most likely won't be, I'd understand, but instead, that just ticked me off a little

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

I *LOVED* The Island, but this one was a little flat for me. Here’s what I loved, and what I didn’t.

Loved: friends standing up for each other. Typical overprotective teen parents being portrayed extremely accurately. The concept of a copycat killer. A town obsessed with Halloween. A spooky YA suspense with many bodies. The twist.

Didn’t: It felt like this should be a sequel given the background in the first chapter. It also felt like the beginning was a little choppy and the end was abrupt and more unfinished than not. While there were distractions from the killer’s identity, it wasn’t a stretch to guess who it was.

Overall, this was a better-than-average YA suspense for me.

Auto read author for me but this was not my favorite. I love how most of her reads end on a cliffhanger but this one was a bit anticlimactic and predictable

I have enjoyed everything I have read by this author so far. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to read this!

Meh. Could have been better. I liked that it was all based around Halloween and I was reading it at almost the same times that things were happening in the book. Penny just did too many stupid things…put herself in all the wrong places at all the wrong times, and kept sneaking out even though the FBI was watching her house and her parents were home. It wasn’t really believable that this killer is just able to plant bodies around, run Penny off the road, kidnap Adi, etc., even though these places were FULL of people, and the cops and FBI are in town and on high alert, and the killer left NO trace behind at the scene. I knew the dad didn’t really do it (but wasn’t sure who did), so that wasn’t a huge shock or twist for me. The ending was stupid bc why would Grace kill Omar? That made no sense at all. And we’re left not knowing what happens to anyone bc of how it ends, so we get no closure. Also…the title…The Haunting….this was really nothing to do with a haunting. This is my second Natasha Preston book and the first was bad too, so I think I’m done with her as an author.

When I saw that I was approved for this book I screamed!
So grateful to have been given this opportunity!!
I loved it. I love Natashas writing and I think this was a phenomenal read!

Quick paced, kept my attention and had me on the edge of my seat!!

We were young, and in love. I still care for him deeply but when his dad was taken away in handcuffs last Halloween, something changed in Nash and we haven't spoken since. There's no way I could be in love with a serial killers son according to everyone else. But I am and now that the killings have started again, it's time for our inevitable reunion.

Preston presents an immersive mysterious chain of events in The Haunting. Pulling you in with a killer first sentence and holding your attention to the very last page.

As if making the way through the hallways at school isn't a hard enough task for this group of teenagers, they are haunted by the actions and restrictions of the adults surrounding them. No doubt having you sympathizing and connecting with them as the copycat killer makes their way through town.

With the intensity and the curiosity to find out who the killer is building with the turn of every page you will become invested right along with this friend group.

And since this is targeted towards a Young Adult audience, these characters are portrayed perfectly. These characters are raw and show a tremendous amount of strength. Especially our main character Penny.

And that ending. Holy craziness. When that shock factor hits you will definitely be asking yourself how you, yourself didn't piece that together.

I defenitly recommend to those who enjoy a fast thrill taking place during Halloween season and to fans of the Scream franchise (more specifically Scream 4) that don't mind a little unconventional teenage drama here and there and of course maybe a couple unalivings

A huge thank you Natasha Preston and @netgalley for the advanced invitation to this small quant town where the teenagers aren't as innocent as they seem 🖤

Thank you to Delacorte Press, Net Galley, and the author, Natasha Preston for this ARC.

I have read many Natasha Preston books, but this was not my favorite. I still am not sure why it was called a the Haunting when there was no haunting of any kind.

The story revolves are Penny, and her friends. It is told from Penny’s POV. Her ex boyfriend, Nash’s dad, is in jail for the murder of four teenagers. It is set during Halloween where the town has gone all out with their festivities. Suddenly teenagers begin dying again. But how is this possible if the real killer is in jail? Is it a copycat? Or did the police arrest the wrong person.

I read that many people felt like this was the plot of Scream. It is very similar.

The ending was similar to The Island in my opinion. She leaves you with a cliffhanger. If you are looking for a book with resolution, don’t even bother with this book.

I don’t think my students will be bothered by anything except the abrupt ending. They are always looking for scary stories and this one would do the trick. It just wasn’t for me.

Full of Natasha Preston's signature thrills and chills, THE HAUNTING was such a fun ride! I loved the expert and steady pacing and the way she pulls no punches! I was on the edge of my seat the whole book!

The Haunting was a good story with a main character that I really liked. It was not one of Preston’s best in my opinion.

I've read all of Natasha Preston's books, enjoyed all of Natasha Preston's books, and The Haunting definitely continued that pattern. If you have read and enjoyed previous books by this author, I think this is one of her best.

Big thank you to the Natasha and Netgalley for my review copy!

Last Halloween, Nash's dad was arrested for the murder of several of his classmates. Penny, his girlfriend, was devastated when the town turned against Nash, and her parents forbid her from seeing him. This Halloween, the murders seem to be happening again, and Penny keeps finding the bodies.

She also keeps running into Nash. Minutes before she discovers each one.

My Thoughts

Can I take a second to gush over how much I LOVE Natasha Preston's books?! She has yet to let me down with any of her thrillers. Keeping me on the edge of my seat, turning pages, and biting my nails. This was the perfect October "spooky" read!

The characters were so amazingly well written. I cared for them all. Alerternating between rooting for them and being suspicious of them. An artistic blend of good deeds and flaws.

Our FMC, Penny, was the perfect choice for the reader to experience the story threw. She is a cute bled of innocent and sweet mixed with fierceness, loyalty, and determination. It's no wonder her friends have love and worry for her.

The descriptive tones of the book were on point. I could just imagine the quaint little Halloween obsessed town. I could smell the smoke that choked the air, and in the end, I could almost feel the fear that dripped off the teen. ( I love the authors writing style)

In true Preston fashion, the ending is a bit open to determination. Not a cliffhanger, but not cut and dry with a pretty bow. I don't want to give anything away, but this does end with a bang!

I have loved every book I’ve read by Natasha Preston she is one of my favorite YA thriller authors she always has a good twist waiting for you and this book was no exception. I will read anything she puts out and I look forward to our next thriller from her.

Absolutely loved this book! I couldn't put it down and read it all in one sitting. I love the way she writes and can't wait for more!

I love young adult mystery thrillers. This one had a lot of twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and I loved the mysterious aspect.

Holy Halloween was this book creepy! This might be one of Natasha Preston’s best books ever. I was so absorbed in this book I read it within 2 days. I loved all of the creepy vibes and haunted house feelings that were entwined throughout the story, and I loved how there was a lot of back and forth about a copycat killer.

Fantastically done, a top read for me!