5 out 5 stars. I absolutely loved this book. Although I was definitely expecting it to be paranormal with the title being the hauntings. I was not disappointed in the storyline. This story is about a small town where brutal murders on high school students happened for a week leading up to Halloween the year before. They thought they were pasted it once the killer was arrested but the next year it started again. Is it a copycat or is the killer out of prison and doing it again.

Jackson Whitmore was two people — one was a dad and the other was a killer. He has two children Nash and his younger sister Grace. Penny was good friends with Nash but the community and her parents tell her not to have anything to do with Nash. Penny though misses Nash and wants to talk to him. She gets a chance to speak with him but finds it difficult to know what to say. Nash and Grace are considered to be guilty by being the killer’s kids. Penny and her friend go to the costume store to get costumes for Halloween. As she going through the costumes, Penny’s foot hits something solid. She looks down and sees an arm and blood on the white shirt. Penny screams. It appears that maybe it’s the beginning of another string of murders. Why? It’s exactly one year anniversary of the murders. It doesn’t seem to matter that Jackson Whitmore is in prison. Who kill the person that was lying on the floor? What will happen to Nash and Grace?

The author has written a novel with suspenseful chases and mysterious sightings. The author has Penny make very good choices and some seem “silly” but it kept me reading. I enjoyed reading the novel. I had fun trying to figure out who the killer was.

Okay, let's just say I did not guess who the killer was. That was a fantastic thriller by one of my favorite authors. I've loved all of Natasha's thrillers, and this one lived up to the hype of her other books. It's a perfect spooky time read. It definitely had some slasher vibes, and would recommend it if you loved the new movie Totally Killer on Amazon Prime.

A year ago, Jackson, Penny's ex-boyfriend's father, goes to jail after the gruesome Halloween murders of 4 teenagers. Exactly 1 year later the murders start happening again in a similar fashion, on the same days. Is it a copycat killer? Most of the town is saying no but the teenagers know better. Penny has no choice but to try to find out as she keeps getting pulled closer and closer to the murders. From finding the first two bodies to being a target herself, she is determined to find the person and end it while trying to save herself and her friends.

This was the perfect book to start days before Halloween. I couldn't put it down and as soon as I thought I figured out who the killer was something else happened that made me completely question if I was right or not. Turns out I was not! I didn't see the twist at the end coming at all.

Thank you Net Galley for the e-ARC!

The Haunting by Natasha Preston will appeal to fans of young adult horror and thrillers. In this novel, the main character, Penny, is trying to get over her ex after she's forbidden from seeing or talking to him. The reason why is because he was arrested for a series of murder that took place during the Halloween season the previous year. When a similar murder takes place, Penny and her friends are left trying to figure out who is responsible...is it her ex, a copycat, or something else?

The Haunting is the perfect spooky season read! I love that it's set at Halloween time and the descriptions of the decorations, activities, costumes, and more provide the perfect atmosphere for this creepy murder mystery. My high school students are avid readers of "murder mystery" and thriller books and I have a few in particular that are HUGE Natasha Preston fans. I know that those readers will fly through this book...between the atmosphere, the pacing, and the drama it's the perfect read for a high school audience.

What better way to celebrate the anniversary of a serial killer’s hunting spree than by finding a dead body? Penny doesn’t want to believe the murders could be happening again—after all, it was her ex-boyfriend’s father behind them all. And he was put behind bars where he belongs. How could it be him? But the evidence of a copycat keeps piling up and pointing in the direction of none other than the son of the killer, Nash—Penny’s ex. So much so that Penny can’t help but suspect him.

But it’s Nash. He wouldn’t do that to her. And he was with her when the bodies were found. It can’t be him—unless he has a partner, or just happened to learn how to cover his tracks by a mastermind. Maybe even the man who raised him..
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I hate to say this was a total letdown for me. It started off really strong with a town still haunted by a serial massacre that occurred the previous Halloween that wanted to move on but also wanted to keep the kids of the killer ostracized. Then Penny finds a few of the victim’s bodies and decides to immerse herself into a hunt for the truth. Was all good until it became predictable.

The killer wasn’t too hard of a guess. I wasn’t too sold on their “reveal” and I feel like it was written halfheartedly. and then the ending was like an abrupt cut off—not a cliffhanger, but like there should’ve been a chapter or two left and wasn’t. I was pretty upset when i turned the page and saw “acknowledgements” instead of an epilogue at least. Really, really disappointing. I don’t know if I can recommend.

I really enjoyed The Haunting. A perfect Halloween read. I was very hooked right from the start. I think this is a perfect example of Young adult scary story, I was.a little disappointed in the end because i had some questions and they didn’t get answered. I’d like a sequel .

Overall, I enjoyed the book and have to remind myself that I can't hold it to the same standard as an adult horror novel. I despised the ending but the writing was good and I enjoyed the storyline. Preston referenced Scream a few times and that is the vibe I got from this book..."The call is coming from inside the house!" I would definitely recommend this book to YA readers but I wouldn't recommend it to adults..


Penny's trying to forget about her ex, Nash. His father was arrested for the brutal murder of four teenagers on Devil's Night last year. Penny's parents have forbidden her to have anything to do with Nash or his family. It's hard not to think of what happened as spooky season gets underway--but she's trying.

That stops when she goes to the Halloween store with her friends to find a costume. What she finds instead is ripped from a horror movie: a girl from school bleeding out on the floor of a dressing room. Stabbed.

Is a copycat killer on the loose? The adults are saying no. But Penny knows better.

Natasha Preston has done it again! Preston is the queen of YA thrillers and never fails to deliver a pulse-pounding story. Seeing our main character grapple with the murders that start popping up again in her town, a year after a previous murder spree, was a great time.

I’m not much of a scary book person but I read the synopsis and thought, why not?! It started out only slightly creepy but man! I found myself looking over my shoulder and jumping at any sounds while reading! The book was decently developed and had me wondering what was going to happen next. The ending though! I felt like it was a race and then it just ENDS! What?!

First off I LOVE her thriller books! she never disappoints when it comes to drawing you in till the very end. I was actually unable to guess who was behind all the evil in this book. The one and only thing i hate is the ending BUT that wont stop me from getting any of her new thrillers to come out. 10/10 you should read this book and her other thrillers. You will not be disappointed!

All around it was a very interesting story.

There is some stuff that was very repetitive but that is the way teenage girls think so that rang true in a sense.

I got a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest review. I’ve read almost every book from this author and have found myself ending the books wanting an actual ending. The author just stops the story without a full conclusion. The storyline was very interesting and draws the reader in. Just don’t go in expecting everything to be wrapped up in the end.

Okay, without reading the synopsis, and just going based off of the cover, this is not the book I was expecting. I thought it was going to be like a haunted house, but it was more like reading a novelized version of Scream. Though for spooky season, and especially with today being Halloween, it’s kind of perfect. Though that ending? That cliffhanger is absolutely brutal and how dare LOL So if you’re looking to pick up a spooky book that reads that a slasher flick, this is actually perfect.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the early copy! It was the perfect read for Halloween. I need to know what happens!!!

5 Reasons to Read

Murder

A year after a serial murder spree, the killer behind bars now, new bodies are dropping.

Copy Cat Murders…

Is the true killer not behind bars or were they wrong? Now that more murders are happening things they thought they knew about the serial killer from the year before is starting to bring about too many questions.

Friendship

After the father of their best friends goes to jail as a serial killer friendships between those left in the aftermath are struggling to keep it together. Which side is the right side to be one, who to believe or not believe? The friendships in this book are tested to their limits.

Tension

Talk about thriller vibes. This one will keep you on your toes from beginning to end. When the MC doesn’t just find one body but two she starts to realize she may be next! Or people will start to believe she has something to do with it…

Unseen Ending

Let’s just say the ending was shocking…

What a wild ride! I flew through this book in one afternoon. I love slasher movies and this book was such a good homage to Scream. Ok, yes...the believability level of the story was low but it was highly enjoyable! I thought Penny was a firecracker and loved the banter she had with her friends. I was shocked by the twist! It was just one blow to the heart after the other. My biggest complaint was that there was no closure for this book. It ended abruptly and I was left a bit confused and let down. This was my first Natasha Preston book so I am not sure if this is her MO but I would have loved a little more at the ending. Maybe she is setting it up for a sequel?? Is that wishful thinking? Anyway, I really enjoyed this book and it was the perfect end to October! 4⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ebook ARC. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

The novel centered around Penny, a young woman whose former partner's father carried out a deadly rampage last Halloween, claiming the lives of four adolescents.

Despite her efforts to distance herself from Nash and his family, the approach of the next Halloween leaves the town on edge.

During a visit to the Halloween store in search of a costume, Penny stumbles upon a corpse, indicating the emergence of a copycat killer, instilling a sense of imminent danger.

Reflections: I particularly enjoyed the eerie Halloween ambiance that permeated the narrative, with the town bustling with entertaining festive activities, contributing to the chilling and suspenseful atmosphere of the book.

The premise was strong, and I found the book to be an enjoyable young adult thriller, enriched by the festive Halloween backdrop.

When I saw this I was immediately weary. I have DNFed one of Preston’s books before. I think I was one of many of my friends that DNFed Awake by her. And since then I haven’t tried reading anything else by her. I heard her writing got better and as a slasher horror officiando, I HAD to at least give this a shot. And it was ok, but that ending was terrible.

Ok so the whole thing is there were a couple murders that happen the week before Halloween and the day of. It ends up being the dad of two kids who go to the local high school. Now they have been treated as outcasts and people hate them. They act like they are out to do the exact things their father did. But the girlfriend of one of the kids still has feelings for her ex. After everything that happened, her parents made her stay away from them. But she didn’t want to. She knew it was their father and waited for a while before she said eff it and reached out again. Unfortunately, this is right as the murders start happening again……

Now, this premise sounds bad ass right? Well it was. But unfortunately I don’t read reviews before I read the books. Because if I had, THEN I WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT THE ENDING OF THIS WAS TERRIBLE. It seems all of her endings are like this too. It was like that Hicks Road book I read earlier this year. It also ended in literally the middle of a scene. Why do y’all keep doing this? Do you get some like great joy out of it? It really makes zero sense because we don’t know how anything ends. And like does everyone die? Do the police get there? Do you do this so we can keep talking about it? Even if we’re talking about it in a bad light? Because I can tell you I won’t be recommending this to anyone unless they want to be unfulfilled by a book. Because Lordt knows I listened to the end like 5 times to figure out where the next part started and realized that that was all of it.

Now that my ranting is over, I think I was that mad because everything else about the book was good. It was like a real slasher movie. And I can’t say I found anything wrong with it. I was sucked into it like it was the first time I was watching like Halloween again. The writing style of Preston’s shows tremendous growth from the last book I read by her and for that I was grateful. Will I be going back to try reading her other work? No. But I did go back and read the synopsis of some of them just in case lol

Just like the writing style changed, her plot movement and plot devices did too. I wasn’t at all bored during the book and it was never like slow moving or weird. I was actually pretty into this. I found myself like listening all the time. As soon as my son went to sleep or started watching tv or not paying attention, I was losing myself in this book. It was actually pretty good.

Besides the ending, the thing that was driving me bat shit was the characters. I was OVER IT. Every time they went off on their own, every time they acted like they couldn’t be harmed, every time they didn’t look over their shoulder, or anything, I wanted to reach in the book and shake them. Like bodies are wracking up and the only thing y’all can think to do is go to your town’s fair and go in a maze in a big ass cornfield? MAKE IT MAKE SENSE. I don’t think I understand. But I get it, these are teens, so they were like hard headed and didn’t want to listen. Even if it meant not dying.

This book had so much potential, but the characters and the weird ass ending made it so mid! She should have gotten another pass by her editor or even some more ARC readers to tell her not to ruin this book like this. Because Lordt knows this could have been something good. But it went from good to just MID.

Penny is the all-American teenager living in a cute little town boasting all the usual Fall activities: a pumpkin patch, a Halloween-themed carnival in the town square, a horror movie marathon at the theater, a “haunted” forest, a corn maze, and…. murders.

Last year the week of Halloween was a blood-soaked nightmare as five teenagers were found murdered, their bodies dumped at various places around town. Penny’s then-boyfriend, Nash, was shocked when his father was arrested for the heinous stabbings. Now a year later, Penny’s parents have done a fairly successful job of keeping her away from Nash - but then while shopping for a Halloween costume, Penny discovers the body of a classmate. Is this the start of a second annual serial killing spree?

This was a fast-paced read that is perfect for spooky season! I enjoyed how authentic the author made everything feel, the way that Penny was just trying to live her life but couldn’t escape seeing the various dump sites around town while just going about her various activities & trying to actually enjoy the Fall season this year. The teenage experience of sneaking around with friends & dealing with the drama of TikTok videos was vibrantly captured, & the abrupt ending was very on-brand for this author.

Thank you to NetGalley & Delacorte Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Writing: 4/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Enjoyment: 3/5

Themes: Horror, YA, Slasher

The Haunting is about a girl whoes trying to get back to a normal life after her boyfiends father is arrested for killing several teenagers in their town the year before. On the anniversary Penny can’t tell if she is going crazy or if recent events are contributed to a copycat. This story reminds me a lot of the 90s slasher movies. So if you enjoyed those you will enjoy this book. I wish there was more of a story behind the events and the plot was built up more. There were some times I wanted to yell at Penny for her choices but that is the way all horror stories go. I really enjoyed the authors writing style and the characters. But the plot and where the story goes didn’t click with me. This is a great book if you want a quick slasher read with a nod to 90s horror.

I received an arc and am leaving an honest review.