Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC!

Top notch gothic horror with an innovative new spirit is a win for Johanna van Veen’s amazing debut! Wow! It’s difficult for me to believe that this is a debut novel because it is just that good!

I appreciate the author’s voice, both while writing as protagonist, Roos, and as her psychiatrist. This novel hits many of the finer points of gothic literature, while breathing new life into it with her spiritual world building. Sensual, visceral, and dark, while still retaining a glimmer of hope, this book does so many things well. Maybe what I appreciate most is the way in which van Veen guides us through the horrors of Roos’s old life without being crass or overt in the descriptions of trauma. The author treats the character with dignity, helping also to retain some of the mystery that’s so important to gothic literature!

I can’t wait to read Johanna van Veen’s next novel!

I can see this book becoming my entire personality.

We love an unreliable narrater and this book is just chock-full of them. Our mc, Roos, is forced to perform séances with the help of her spirit companion, Ruth. It’s not a great gig and her mom is the absolute worst. Things look pretty grim until a beautiful young widow named Agnes comes to a séance to hear from her dearly departed hubby.

The two women have an undeniable connection and Roos goes to live at Agnes’ crumbling gothic manor where she’s caring for her dying sister-in-law.

Secrets run amuck as we’re pulled from the story into current day where Roos is being interviewed by a psychologist who is trying to understand and clear up some truly awful things that we’ve yet to find out.

The writing is gorgeous. I’ve been in a reading slump for a hot minute and this book was everything I needed. I read the entire thing in one sitting. I was entranced, I think was disgusted, I was terrified at times. This book is positively spooky.

Imagery was off the charts. I could feel everything on the page as if I was there myself and that’s my favorite kind of book to read.

I am so thankful I got to read this book early (thank you NetGalley!!) and I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy as soon as it releases! Also so excited to see more work from this author in the future!

From the onset, the reader gets a taste of the gorgeous gothic atmosphere that permeates every part of My Darling Dreadful Thing. The main setting is a sprawling, rundown manor, which is the perfect place for a young woman and her spirit companion.

More than once, the chapters, which are neither too long nor too short, end in cliffhangers. This makes it difficult to stop reading. I found myself physically stopping myself from bingeing this novel, because I didn’t want it to end. The writing is so fluid, it is easy to get swept into it.

The morbidity is beautifully written throughout. Much is descriptive of things that should be horrifying, but often, these depictions are retold in a horrifyingly childlike wonder. The reader soon finds the beauty in its horror.

My Darling Dreadful Thing is a visceral, gorgeously written gothic novel that is binge worthy. You won’t be able to stop thinking about it, long after you finish.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My Darling Dreadful Thing was a really intense and creepy read (and very entertaining!). Johanna van Veen has mastered the balance between horror and romance. Van Veen’s writing style really suited the story and themes, I couldn’t put this one down.

There are some heavy topics in this book, so be sure to check out the trigger warning before reading!

Reviewed for NetGalley:

This was a fantastic read, and I am kicking myself for taking so long to read it. (I had started it a couple times, and assumed it was going to be a historical tale, and pushed it off at first).


Roos Beckman helps her greedy and uncaring mother swindle grieving loved ones during seances, with the help of her Spirit Companion, Ruth. That is, until a wealthy, young widow, Ms. Knoop, comes and sweeps Roos out of the cold floorboards of her mother's home.

The story is told between two time frames, one with Roos being questioned for murder with Doctor Montague, and the other what led to her imprisonment.

I was very, very pleasantly surprised but how much I enjoyed this story. A gothic ghost story, beautifully told.

This is not a horror book. Don’t get me wrong. There is horror throughout all the pages, there are spirits and séances and wicked, wicked things. But this book is a love story.

Roos Beckman has a spirit companion named Ruth who assists our darling main character in the ruse Mama has cooked up for her patrons - séances that show them glimpses into the afterlives of the beloved. She overtakes Roos, with her approval, and puts on a show. Only Roos only ever sees Ruth, not any of these other spirits she claims. But when newly widowed Agnes Knoop attends one such performance things begin to change. Agnes whisks Roos (and Ruth, who is always at her side) away from Mama and shows her a new life at the the estate Agnes inherited from her late husband, though still within it’s walls is his still living but ill sister Willemijn. Agnes and Roos have more in common than initially meets the eye and potentially growing feelings while Roos settles into her new life and tries to find out exactly what is going on around her.

The story is told between first hand accounts from Roos and interviews between Roos and Dr. Montague intended to see if she’s fit to stand trial for murder. These snippets of her conversations with the doctor reveal that the things that happen are coming and it’s up to the reader to decide if Roos is genuinely seeing and experiencing the things she says or if she’s genuinely crazy.

Ultimately, My Darling Dreadful Thing is a captivating, dark tale with a lot of love sprinkled amongst a lot of tragedy. I found it an easy to devour read and I loved the characterization of the spirit companions. Peter leapt off the page as kind and gentle even though he’s large and dead. Such a good read.

𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝗩𝗲𝗲𝗻, 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗲𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱!

Set in the early 50s in the Netherlands, the story revolves around 21-year-old Roos(je) Beckman who lives with her harsh mother. They both sustain their living through Séances, aided by Roosje's spirit companion, Ruth.

After a fortuitous encounter with Agnes Knoop at one of these Séances, Roos finds herself moving to live with the widowed Mrs. Knoop at the Rozentuin Estate. (Fun fact: 'Rozentuin' translates to 'Rose garden' in Dutch, and 'Roos' is the Dutch equivalent of the name/flower 'Rose'.)

In the ensuing months, their companionship aids in healing each other's past Traumata. However, Roos senses an impending event. Nothing has ever worked out for her after all.

At the Rozentuin, we meet Agnes' ailing sister-in-law Willemijn, (Auntie) Mrs. van Leeuwen the Indonesian cook, and Peter Quint...

¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦

This debut from van Veen is nothing short of amazing! The author had me engrossed within just a few pages. I particularly loved that the book is set in the Netherlands - a refreshing change from the usual American settings.

The 35 chapters are divided into three parts, each escalating in suspense. Every chapter pulls you in deeper, weaving its narrative threads around you until you find it hard to put the Book down.

This hauntingly beautiful story is a tragedy for those two unfortunate Souls who merely sought to live their lives in peace.

At times, I felt like Cassandra of Troy, foreseeing what was about to happen but powerless to intervene.
𝕿𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖊 𝖘𝖎𝖉𝖊 𝖔𝖋 𝖒𝖊 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖘𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖜𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖕𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖊𝖉 𝖜𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝕴 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖓 𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖆𝖇𝖔𝖚𝖙 𝖆 𝖈𝖊𝖗𝖙𝖆𝖎𝖓 𝖕𝖆𝖗𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖇𝖔𝖔𝖐!

Roosje is a character plagued by misfortune, and I felt deeply for her. It seemed as if she was fated to a life of sadness and loneliness, save for the company of her spirit companion, Ruth. I found the parts about 'both' Trudys unsettling, but they were necessary for the narrative.

As for Agnes, I found myself relating to her on several occasions. For instance, her mixed Eurasian heritage and the perceptions of those around her because of it, as well as her conflicted feelings regarding her ethnic background.

All characters, even the minor ones, were well written and I enjoyed reading them!
Well deserved 9.7 Stars out of 10 and I will gladly round this up here to a full 5 Stars Rating!

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍, 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒄. 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚𝒔 𝒂 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅-𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈.

The book is set to be published on 14th May 2024, and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did!

4.5 stars!

Before you decide to read this book, look into the trigger warnings!

This book was so intriguing, and I think the author does a very VERY good job of treating these harsh subjects with the weight and respect it needs.

This book left me aching for more, while also having a great ending.

Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinons are my own :)

My Darling Dreadful Thing is a visceral, haunting, and bloody novel rich with gothic themes and a sapphic romance that is equal parts bitter and sweet. I really enjoyed how the story within this one developed, especially as Roos' reliability as a narrator is called into question.

What this book really succeeds at is making us second guess ourselves. Is Ruth real? Is Peter? Or were Agnes and Roos mentally ill women abused and traumatized by the men and the other powerful people in their lives? Ultimately, this book explores heavy themes of abuse and trauma and I loved watching Roos get to reclaim her autonomy from the people who have hurt her.

Also worth mentioning is how stunning the prose within this novel is. Each word is as sharp as a shard of glass and I'm looking forward to seeing My Darling Dreadful Thing make its way into the world.

I was here when in Halloween the publisher, kindly gave free copies for the novel.

It was not what I was expecting of it. It was more dark and grim, a great seasonal reading but I wasn't in the mood for more grim reading after that October and let it go.

It was well written but it was not for me at that moment.

I hope it has a great reception, it's awesome to see horror books that are not written by king.

If you are looking for a grim take about a girl who has the sight and a complicated family, this is your kind of book. Gothic to the core.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this beautifully original gothic horror feast. Starved to stay small and childlike, scantily clad and forced to perform in fake seances, Roos is abused by her mother in a heartbreaking number of ways. Her only comfort is her beloved spirit companion Ruth. Ruth who was sacrificed and buried in a bog centuries ago. Ruth who makes Roos' life only just bearable, until the day the beautiful and mysterious Agnes turns up at a seance and changes things forever. What are the limits of the mind and soul ,and how much abuse, or love does it take to bind or break them? A wonderfully horrifying book. I hope to read many more from this author!

Having never read a title by Johanna van Veen before, I was not sure what to expect, but a queer gothic novel is always something I will read. I enjoyed the way she wrote as well as the careful way she dealt with very traumatic issues in her novel.
Roos can see spirits, and one (Ruth) is her best and only friend. Forced to perform seances with her Mama to survive, it all changes when Ruth performs one for Agnes, a wealthy widow. Both of their lives change after, but will it be a happily ever after? You will need to read this to find out.
I very much enjoyed the description of the spirits in the book and how they came to be that way. It was different than any other books about ghosts I had ever read. Ruth and Peter Quint were interesting characters with complexity. I did not understand some of the other spirits introduced, though, as they did not follow the "rules" it seems about how to be made.
Despite the confusion about how spirits came about, I would recommend this book. It handled some very hard subjects with grace and humanity.

My Rating: 4 Stars

CW: trauma, mental illness, ableism, child abuse, rape, racism, misogyny, homophobia, emotional abuse, miscarriage

My Thoughts:
At the beginning the author writes: “If you strip down My Darling Dreadful Thing until nothing remains but its essence, you will not find a horrific secret at its very heart. You will find, instead, a love story.” And I could not say it better.

Overall this was an enjoyable, easy flowing read. I liked the writing, I liked the characters an I liked the pacing.
I also did enjoy the interview excerpts every other chapter but at the same time I felt like they took out some of the tension.

The ending was nice, but a bit boring? The story just kind of ebbed off with no real climax.
Personally I had hoped for something a bit more exciting and maybe that the question if the spirits are actually real would have been answered, but that's just my preference.

"I know what she wants: to curl herself around me like a comma and press her gaping mouth to my throat so she can drink my blood."

I tend to really enjoy queer horror so this is one I wanted to check out. However despite loving this subgenre, I struggled with this one. First it read young. I prefer adult fiction so I tend not to love anything that reads like young adult fiction. I also didn't love the narrative style. It felt very classic Victorian which some readers will love but is not to my tastes.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

a woman with a corpse-like spirit companion only she can see, a decrepit manor filled with secrets and a young widow, and trial for murder unfold in this sapphic romantic horror.

I was immediately pulled in by the cover alone, but reading the description had me excited for a gothic tale and questions on sanity. I found this so intriguing and was hooked from the start. I had constant questions about what was going on and, while the answers were slowly revealed, there was a deeper undercurrent about if the answers were reality or a fabrication of the mind. There’s some definite similarities to The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, which is referenced in the novel, that kept me questioning the plot.

I found the writing smooth and easy to follow. The blend between interview transcripts and the narrator recounting what happened definitely made it more enjoyable and well-rounded. The characters felt genuine and mostly fleshed out.

I do think some of the reveals and ending were a lackluster, but it didn’t really take away from my enjoyment. Further, there were times where I felt like the pace was dragging and the ending felt particularly fast. Despite those things, this was a solid read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC! Opinions are my own.

I loved everything about this book. Super creepy, Wonderful characters, intense atmosphere. It made you WANT to finish it, to see what was creeping around the corner. A very Gothic tale with a surreal atmosphere.

"My Darling Dreadful Thing" doesn't reinvent the wheel - though it does offer a fun new time and place for the type of story we usually see play out in Victorian drawing rooms - but it is an enjoyably spooky good time for fans of the genre. Towards the end, the plot started to get derivative enough to draw my attention (I know Crimson Peak is, in itself, a pastiche of the classic Corman flicks, but I do draw the line at quoting word-for-word) but it didn't detract so much from the whole that I wasn't able to have fun with it.

***A big thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book.***

I had mixed emotions about this book, grappling with a sense of discomfort and fascination that lingered long after I finished. It was akin to witnessing a train wreck—disturbing, yet undeniably compelling, forcing one's gaze. The dark, gothic theme and psychological intricacies woven by the author were hauntingly beautiful, leaving a lasting impact. However, the inclusion of Ruth and the spirit companions left me puzzled, questioning their reality or if they served as imagined solace.

While I can't declare my love for this book outright, the fact that it elicited a spectrum of emotions—both positive and negative—prompted me to give it a high rating. The ability of a book to evoke such a visceral response deserves commendation. If you appreciate gothic and unsettling love stories, this book is tailor-made for you, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

The narrative revolves around Roos Beckman, who collaborates with her mother on seances, assisted by Ruth, Roos's spirit companion. The story takes a chilling turn when Agnes Knoop invites Roos to live with her in a decaying estate inherited from her late husband. The book opens with an interview probing Roos's mental stability in connection to a potential crime.

The overall presentation is enhanced by a striking cover, and the portrayal of the relationship between Roos and Agnes is wonderfully nuanced. It's important to note that this is an adult novel. Personally, I found the beginning captivating, with its creepy and gothic elements, and the writing was undeniably beautiful. However, as the story progressed towards the end, the unfolding events and the resolution of the central mystery felt somewhat lackluster, leaving me less engaged. Despite this, the book stands as a solid and enthralling read overall.

4/5

From the beginning this story really captivates you and never lets go. The atmosphere was so eerie and disturbing. We are taken from creepy faux-seances in run down rooms to haunted mansions and all the strangeness in between.

There was definitely a lot to this book, a lot of tragedy and a lot of misery all coming together into a perfectly horrible storm you couldn’t look away from. At times it was almost too indulgent in the misery though, but nonetheless you just had to continue.

You can see the clear inspiration from The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (some of his passages were even quoted in the book as well!), just this time turned up a few notches. It was definitely a creepy and wild ride, and it took me by surprise a few times as well.

And just like the inspiration behind it, in the end you can’t tell what was real and what was not. And I think that was what really tied it perfect together.

My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen it's a gorgeous gothic story that packs so much in its pages.
It touches heavy subjects as physical and mental abuse, racism, death and how different people deal with it.
The Author's way of writing was phenomenal, this is a must read if you like gothic, horror, mystery and a story that is so much more plus the cover is beautiful!

I recommend this one and excited to see more from this author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC of this book