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.

I almost want to give it four stars but that ending. The ending was too rushed and there was nothing satisfactory about the conclusion.

Book Review

Title: The Haunting by Natasha Preston

Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Horror

Rating: 3.75 Stars

I have never read a Natasha Preston book before but I have heard some amazing things about her young adult thrillers and horror books. That being said, I have always preferred adult horror and thrillers because they can often go places book for teens can’t but I was intrigued by the premise of the book.

The bare bones of the plot is that the year prior to the opening of the book something happened that changed their lives forever. Our protagonist Penny has to watch as her boyfriend, Nash’s dad is arrested for the murders of several of their classmates. As the entire town turned against Nash, Penny has an internal battle about how people see Nash but is devastated when her parents stop her from seeing him even though he had nothing to do with the murders, he just happened to be related to the person that committed this horrible acts.

This Halloween, Penny is constantly finding herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and is stumbling over the bodies, sometimes literally but she also keeps running into Nash, which seems suspicious. This premise did remind me a lot of There’s Someone Inside Your House which I really enjoyed and had a really similar setup so I was excited to get into it. Like many young adult thrillers the book is designed to keep your attention focused where the author wants it and it keeps you on the edge or your seat throughout. It is definitely fast paced and perfect for the spooky season, especially those that want something quick, easy to read and doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Preston has some amazing character work here because as events unfold we constantly switch between cheering the characters on and then becoming suspicious of them while the twists and turns come to light. The Haunting also has a lot of small town vibes providing an almost cozy atmosphere to the book which was a little strange at first but really enhanced the experience later on. If you’re a fan of movies like Halloween and Scream, then I would recommend this although it does tone down the horror and the gore elements despite there being several murders throughout the book.

Overall, The Haunting was a great introduction to her writing and character work but I was disappointed with the ending because it is left open to interpretation which I didn’t feel was needed. If like the title suggests, the book was paranormal in nature then an open ending might work and work well but here it only frustrated me as a reader which is the reason for my rating.

This was such a good book! I have all of Natasha's books and i have loved every last one. She has become one of my favorite writers. I can't wait to see what her next book as in store. The plot and characters are amazing.

"The Cellar" was one of the few books that got me into reading years ago by the same author, Natasha Preston. Thinking about that book still gives me chills. So, that's why I was so excited to read "The Haunting," and it didn't disappoint me at all.

It's nearing Halloween in Penny's town; the horror of last year's murders was in the minds of the town folks. This year, the murders start again. The anxiety Penny felt whenever there was a murder in the town was expressed so well and felt so real. The spooky vibes in the story lasted till the very end.

I loved the dynamics between Nash and Penny. They weren't together most of the time, but their connection was so heartfelt. The twist at the end was so unexpected. I guessed wrong, not once but many times, about who might be the killer.

The ending is a killer. I've never encountered a book with an open ending before. Now, I realize it's something I'll have to endure indefinitely, and it can be quite frustrating. It's just ended so suddenly. Actually, it didn't feel like it ended at all; it feels like the story is on pause, but it will never continue. I still can't process the fact that I don't get a proper ending.

Apart from that part, it's just an amazing page-turning thriller with worthy twists and likable characters.

I was super excited to read this book, both because of the blurb and because of the author, but it fell a bit short for me.

Last Halloween, Jackson Whitmore was arrested for murdering multiple teenagers over the course of the week leading up to Halloween. Penny was the girlfriend of Jackson’s son, Nash, but her parents forbade her from seeing him anymore. Since Jackson’s arrest, she has slowly dropped all of her interests and gone into her shell. This year, Penny is shopping for a costume when she discovers a body. From there unravels another round of serial murders.

I loved the atmosphere of the book, with the Halloween theme and haunted houses and fall carnivals. The overall setting really pulled me in. The characters, however, were a bit annoying, and I had a hard time empathizing with any of them. The ending wasn’t a huge twist, which wouldn’t be such a problem if I had enjoyed more of the development of the story.

This book was fine. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it. It was just meh. If you’re looking for an atmospheric spooky read that’s pretty easy to get through, this might be one for you.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was fine. Preston’s writing isn’t usually for me, but the plot was spooky and Halloween-y enough to make it worth reading.

#NetGalleyARC I hadn’t read anything by this author before this one but so many of my students are fans so I had to give this a try. This was a perfect October read, creepy and thrilling. I could see this becoming a movie one day. Definitely worth the read!

The cover and title may be a bit deceiving, but The Haunting was a perfect read for a rainy pre-Halloween afternoon. No literal ghosts, just haunting memories and plenty of teen slasher-y suspense. Penny and her friends are still feeling the heaviness of last year’s Halloween murder spree as the anniversary approaches. While they try to figure out how to move on and reconcile their feelings about their best friend after finding out his father was the murderer, a new killer in town and several fresh dead bodies are making it hard for them to forget…

While I questioned many of Penny’s decisions (and those of literally all of the parents and town officials…) the story unfolded like a classic teen horror movie. I won’t say it’s “cozy” obviously, because of all the murder, but it’s definitely nostalgic. Like reading this felt like a favorite season in high school with my own friends in my own little small town ❤️ This is a fast paced read to add to your spooky season TBR for sure. And that ending?! 😱

Natasha Preston once again has written a ya thriller masterpiece. Like her previous release The Island, I honestly did not expect the twist at the end! I look forward to her next novel and release. i hope it's soon!

I loved this book the perfect thing for a great Halloween read!!! It literally kept me guessing throughout questioning everyone's innocence or guilt! Definitely was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book! I highly recommend for all thriller lovers! You don't want to miss this one!

Much thanks to #netgalley and the publisher of allowing me to read and review this ARC.

If you enjoy the Scream franchise, you will enjoy this. As a teenager raised by Wes Craven, this book brought me to that special place only a nostalgic trip down slasher road could fill.

Thank you to publishers of The Haunting for the advanced copy. Natasha Preston is one of my favorite Young Adult thriller authors. While I deeply loved her other work, this one just wasn’t up to par for me. The plot was good, I enjoyed the characters and found them relatable but the story just took too long for me. I found myself getting distracted easily.

As always Natasha Preston knocks it out of the park!
This thriller follows Penny and her friends in their small town one year after a killing spree of highschoolers exactly 1 year ago. The killer happened to be her now ex-boyfriend's father, a week prior to Halloween.
The town shuns her now ex-boyfriend Nash and his sister Grace for their fathers wrongdoings. Even though they had nothing to do with it, and their father is now in prison. They have been outcasted and have no friends, and Pennys parents forbid her to see Nash anymore.
Everything in town goes back to normal once the killer is caught.
But one year later, the murders happening again the same way they as the year before. Is this a copycat killer?
Are Nash and Grace following their fathers path?

The twists and turns of this book kept me wanting more. I thought I knew who the killer was, I thought I knew who was being shady. But turns out I was only half right.

Another YA thriller, another win in my book!

As always her book ends on a cliffhanger, and I have a love hate relationship with that. But man did I wish I had closure with this one!

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the ARC!