★ ★ ★ ★ ★ //5

My Darling Dreadful Thing
by: Johanna van Veen

THOUGHTS:

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity to read an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Do you love a book that is:

-dark
-gothic
-horror
-psychological

This will be for you and it has even more within!


Literally take all my dreaded stars—really take them all and all my love. This book was so good. I ate it up and didn’t take a second to break from it until it was done. I adored the writing style, the world and character development, plot/setting—ALL of it. I am always excited and in the mood to read a dark horror type read and this fed me just that. This books cover is just the icing on this. The way that Johanna feeds you this horrific terror on a platter was beautiful. I do not want to go too much into this book because I believe this is a perfect book to curl up with blindly on a cold day with a hot drink and warm blanket and get lost within it’s pages. I cannot wait to share this book with everybody that I know!

Roos has not had an easy life. Her mother uses her as a medium,someone who can speak to the dead. It’s a con and one that makes Roos feel sick. She has no other options though, as her mother keeps her almost starved, and she has no one to turn to, and no other place to go.
Until Agnes Knoop comes for a reading. Her husband has died, and she is looking to connect with him. She recognizes something in Roos and soon takes her away from this awful life. Roos now has food to eat and warm clothes, but when they reach her husband’s home, she begins to learn that the wealthy life she envisioned, it’s just a façade.
What could bring these two women together? Agnes can live in her dead husband’s home until she dies, but his sick and malevolent sister (Willemijn)combined with the house crumbling around them is anything but glamorous.
Roos only has eyes for Agnes and will do anything to ensure that she doesn’t send her away. Her misguided thinking has her to listen to Willemijin and it will be the biggest mistake she has ever made.
Told from two POVs, Roos and Dr. Montague in the past, and in the present. We learn how the spirit Ruth will do anything for Roos, and where Agnes found her spirit, Peter. Roos tells a tragic and unbelievable tale to Dr. Montague while he tries to save her from jail. It’s apparent from the first time we meet him that something has gone horribly horribly wrong. As Roos tells her story, I vacillated between thinking she was an unreliable narrator, or that every word she said was the truth.
A very creepy creepy story and I don’t want to give anything away, but it’s the kind of tale that does not have a happily ever after ending. I was engrossed throughout this book. I’ll definitely be looking forward to the author’s next book. 4.5 stars.

This was such a surprisingly unique read! I liked the way the author jumped time to show you before and after what happened, leaving the reader to fill in the missing pieces until it all fell into place. Everything was so unpredictable and it made for an intriguing read! Thank you so much for the opportunity. I’ll definitely be recommending this one.

First off, the cover is stunning and once I saw it, I knew I must read the book.

This book is absolutely captivating. Yes, it is a gothic ghost story but also a beautiful love story in so many ways. The relationship between Roos and Agnes is magnetic and heartwarming and I loved Ruth’s gentle way of comforting Roos.

Roos had a horrific childhood. Forced to perform séances by her abusive mother, she turns to her friend Ruth for comfort and protection. Ruth, however, is Roos’s spirit companion, a ghost of a young girl who was murdered centuries ago. Roos’s entire life changes after performing a séance for Agnes Knoop. Agnes takes Roos to live with her on the estate she inherited from her recently deceased husband. Roos soon finds out that she and Agnes have more in common than she expected. As their relationship grows, Roos tries to please Agnes and makes a horrible mistake that ends in murder. Roos is arrested and to save herself, she must convince everyone the guilty suspect is a ghost.

The author did a fabulous job drawing you into these characters. I fell in love with both Roos and Agnes but also found myself caring for Ruth and Peter in the same way. The story is told through two rotating perspectives, Roos’s recollection of what happened and a conversation she is having with a doctor about the events. This was a excellent way to tell the story because the conversation aspect brings out more details and has you questioning Roos’s story. The ending was quite perfect and will have me thinking about this book for a while. I cannot wait to read this author’s next book.

As a child, Roos endured unimaginable abuse from a woman bent on exploiting her. As a consequence, Roos grew to become a frightened, lonely half woman/half little girl whose only companion was a spirit she named Ruth. Saved from the depths of despair by lovely Agnes, Roos begins a life never dared to be considered, far way from the trauma and horrors that had shaped her, and for the first time ever, Roos began to believe her life could be different. Now, possibly she could love and be loved by someone other than Ruth and at last she could be safe. The events that unfolded proved to be even more traumatic than those previously suffered.
This is a beautifully written tale where the reader is swept along with travails of Roos. We are desperate for the happiness she deserves to continue, whilst wholly aware that being a gothic novel, this is unlikely. Further, as the book continues, we the reader has to ask ourselves whether it is real or imagined - is Ruth and the others indeed real or has Roos conjured these in her fractured mind as a coping mechanism for her miserable life?
Johanna Van Veen is one of those authors with a light touch but a broad stroke. The way she paints a picture and draws you into the scene, the smells, the touches, the ambience of the setting, is quite sublime. Dealing with very difficult and delicate topics, she treats them with respect and although not afraid to show the reader the horrors, still Van Veen presents them in such a beautiful way that the reader forgives the indelicacy of the subject and is instead a willing participant in the unfolding drama. This is a gift rarely seen with authors who all too often are happy to lay the drama out in a gore fest.
At once light and beautiful , at another dark and foreboding, this manages to be a wonderful book of the triumph of hope and love in the darkest recesses of one’s life and one’s mind. It is ultimately a book of survival and the strength of love to overcome even the most dreadful of circumstances.
I absolutely loved My Darling Dreadful Thing and cannot recommend it highly enough.

This book blew me away - from the first few pages, I was sucked into this dark and Gothic world of Roos and Ruth and Agnes and I couldn’t stop reading until I had devoured it all in two sittings. This book was the perfect mix of horror, madness, and love-tinged obsession and I loved every minute of it! Set in the Netherlands of the 1950s, you are instantly drawn into this story of back and forth with Roos and a Dr. Montague, who is interviewing her and trying to make sense of her story that has led her to this point. Does Roos really have blood on her hands because of madness or is her story all true?

This dark little tale of spirits, secrets and sapphic romance left me wanting to read more books like this. I felt as if I was living alongside Roos and Agnes; almost as if I could feel the coolness of Ruth’s fingers on my own as I was drawn further into the story. The writing is beautiful and fast-paced, and the gothic atmosphere of the drafty house where Agnes takes in Roos to be her companion is perfect for anyone obsessed with old family secrets and relics from odd family members.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC copy in exchange for my voluntary review!

Roos Beckman works with her mother on seances with a little help from Ruth, Roos’s spirit companion. When Agnes Knoop stops in for one of the seances and asks Roos to move in with her in the crumbling estate that she inherited from her late husband.

The book starts with an interview to see if Roos is mentally stable to stand trail for a crime that she may or may not have committed.

The cover is great, the relationship between Roos and Agnes is wonderful. This is an adult novel.



Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Prepare for a chilling odyssey where terror intertwines with affection in "My Darling Dreadful Thing" by Johanna van Veen.

This narrative delves into sapphic gothic horror, masterfully combining atmospheric dread with emotional depth.

Since childhood, Roos, along with her mother, has orchestrated faux séances, giving the grieving a faux interaction with the departed. Yet, Roos genuinely communicates with an entity: a departed girl named Ruth, with whom she shares an uncanny, soothing connection.

The plot darkens when a mourning Agnes Knoop graces one of these sessions and beckons Roos to her enigmatic mansion in the Netherlands. The magnetic pull between Roos and Agnes is palpable. However, when a grisly death takes place, Roos finds herself in the crosshairs of blame.

The tale unravels through dialogues between Roos and her therapist, Dr. Montague, juxtaposed with the recounting of the actual events. Dr. Montague endeavours to discern Roos's sanity, all while piecing together the spine-chilling sequence of events.

Navigating the book's shadowy passages, I was astounded by Johanna van Veen's prowess in weaving a narrative that keeps readers enthralled. "My Darling Dreadful Thing" is a mesmerizing tale that lingers in your psyche, invoking the enigmas of the supernatural and the overwhelming force of passion. A truly gripping and eerily enchanting read.

The story takes place in the early fifties, just after the war, in Dutch territory. Roos is the adopted daughter of Mama who is an abusive mother and Medium who puts on fake stances for money. And with Roos' help has done quite well. Their secret? Ruth, an actual dead girl who has attached herself to Roos many years ago. They've become friends and Ruth has vowed to love and protect Roos.

During a seance with the newly widowed Agnes, things change for Roos. Drastically. For better or worse remains to be seen . . .

Spellbinding. It withholds a strong atmosphere all its own that enables the scenes to easily swap between intensely uncomfortable to deliciously addictive. It's dark, twisted in the most alluring ways. A must read.

I was definitely drawn in by the description of gothic sapphic horror and the beautiful cover, but the writing is what kept my attention. Her writing is so well done, I did not realize this was a debut novel until I looked up the author on socials.

Roos, a young lady who has a dead woman named Ruth as a spiritual companion, has been forced to aide and perform in phony séances by her mother since a young age. After a young widow, Agnes, witnesses one of their "performances", she whisks Roos away to become her companion, for reasons unknown. Living in a rundown estate, Agnes and Roos become undeniably closer until a gruesome death occurs. With Roos as the main suspect, a psychologist must determine whether she is guilty of the gruesome murder or if she's just a psychologically disturbed young woman in the wrong place, wrong time.

This book was dark, spooky, and beautifully told. The relationship between Roos and Ruth was so interesting and unique. It was definitely one of the highlights of the book. Also, van Veen wrote such a cool perspective on death and how spirits are made/sustained. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for her next books.

Check content warning for sexual assault (referenced), abusive parents (descriptive), and gore (descriptive).

Thank you NetGalley, Johanna van Veen, and Sourcebooks for my ARC!

Get ready for a spine-tingling adventure where horror meets love in "My Darling Dreadful Thing" by Johanna van Veen.

It's a sapphic gothic horror with a potent blend of visual and psychological terror.

From a young age, Roos and her mother have been staging fake séances to help people pretend they're speaking to their dead loved ones. But Roos has a real connection to a spirit, a long-dead girl named Ruth. They share an unusual and comforting bond.

Things take a dark turn when a widow named Agnes Knoop attends one of their séances and invites Roos to live with her in a creepy old estate in the Netherlands. The attraction between Roos and Agnes is evident, but a gruesome death occurs, and Roos is accused.

The story unfolds through conversations between Roos and her psychologist, Dr. Montague, and the narrative of what actually happened. The psychologist tries to figure out if Roos is mentally sound while investigating the chilling events.

As I journeyed through the book's dark corridors, I marveled at Johanna van Veen's ability to create a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. "My Darling Dreadful Thing" is a chilling literary voyage that will captivate and haunt your thoughts, evoking the mysteries of the unseen and the terrifying power of love. Don't miss out on this chillingly beautiful experience.

What a beautifully written work of art. I was hooked on this sapphic horror romance from page one. I had no idea this was a debut novel until I googled the author looking for other books to read after finishing this one. The love between our two main characters is tragically stunning, the story playing out in a way I didn’t expect (but absolutely loved). Roos storyline will break your heart, and keep you so intrigued, especially whenever Agnes and that backstory comes into play. The way you really don’t know what happened with Roos because she is such an unreliable narrator is delicious and it’s something that I love in my books. Amazing. Five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

It was a great book and such a quick read for me, it took me a full 3 1/2 days to finish reading, jumping into audio form when I had to attend to real life responsibilities. It was interesting and honestly a book I would have picked up just based off the cover alone. Definitely recommend!

I know it doesn't release until 2024, but it IS spooky season so I couldn't wait to read "My Darling Dreadful Thing" by Johanna Van Veen. Thanks to @sourcebooks and @poisonedpenpress for the advanced copy.

So how can Roos prove that her spirit companion is real in this gothic ghost tale?

The only addition that could have made it even more creepy would be witness statements of what happened at the manor.

But I believe Roos....

Sinister and sapphic - who would've thought those two words would go perfectly together? But they absolutely do for this story.

Love the dark veiled imagery that was injected in this book, and the pace and plotting was very well planned. Definitely more of a psychological page-turner than a classic horror trope, but that's what makes My Darling Dreadful Thing an exceptional read.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I loved this so much. The cover had me so interested in the book, especially as a spooky season read, but I was engaged in the plot the entire time. I’m such a sucker for mixed element writing as well so the shift between how the story is told just really scratched an itch in my brain!

When I first downloaded this book, I had no idea how invested I would become with the characters and the plot. Johanna and the imagery she used throughout this book not only tell a story, but place the reader in the story as well. I highly enjoyed reading about the relationship that formed between Ruth and Roos.
Roos grew up dealing with things a child should never have to go through, and happened to meet and be comforted by Ruth. Throughout the story, you come to love and care for Ruth and how protective she is of Roos despite not being human herself. The lengths she’d go to just to keep Roos safe, and the romance that blossoms between them progresses deeper into the story. I found myself going back and forth between being on Ruth’s side or despising her. Overall, this was very well written and I found myself unable to stop reading. I don’t want to spoil the book or give up too much of the plot. I am extremely lucky to have been able to read this before it came out! If you want a dark and twisted love story, you’ve come to the right place.

Slow burn. A book that made me uncomfortable but also a book that I love. This book is worth a read. Thank you Netgalley

A beautifully dark debut!

From a young age, Roos and Mama have been performing seances, rigged to give unwitting customers what they desire, speaking once again to their deceased loved ones. While these are falsehoods, Roos does have a spirit who has latched onto her. Ruth is a long dead girl and the two have a somewhat symbiotic relationship, finding comfort and companionship in one another.

A widow named Agnes Knoop attends a seance and soon requests for Roos to come and live with her in the estate left to her by her late husband. The attraction between Roos and Agnes is quickly evident, and the two seem to have a lot in common. But, a brutal death occurs in the house and Roos is blamed.

Told between transcripts between Roos and her psychologist, and the story that has happened, how Roos unfolds it, not sparing a single detail, we learn of Roos’s life, her hardships, and her time with Agnes. In order to see if she can stand trial, Dr. Montague seeks clues and answers to the question of Roos’s sanity.

This was a dark and intelligent read. I find that horror can be so subjective to an individual, with people not always finding fear in the same books dubbed as horror. This one is truly enthralling, with great visual and psychological horror intertwined. I suggest if blood is something that makes you squeamish, this might not be the book for you, as it talks a lot about it, as it is an integral part of the story.

"My Darling Dreadful Thing" by Johanna van Veen is a mesmerizing and atmospheric novel that blends elements of horror, the supernatural, and LGBTQ+ romance into a compelling and chilling narrative.

The story revolves around Roos Beckman, a young woman with a unique ability—she can see and communicate with spirits. Her closest companion among the spirits is Ruth, a mysterious and corpse-like figure from centuries past. Roos' life takes an unexpected turn when she meets Agnes Knoop, a wealthy widow who becomes captivated by Roos and her abilities. This chance encounter leads Roos to Agnes's decaying estate, a place filled with eerie occurrences and a dark, foreboding atmosphere.

Van Veen excels at creating a palpable sense of dread and mystery throughout the narrative. The eerie and unsettling events that unfold at the estate are described with vivid detail, immersing the reader in a haunting and macabre world. The author's prose is beautifully crafted, enhancing the gothic atmosphere of the story.

The central romance between Roos and Agnes is a poignant and heartwarming element of the novel. Their connection is palpable, and their growing feelings for each other are portrayed with depth and sensitivity. The complexities of their relationship, set against the backdrop of the supernatural occurrences, add layers of intrigue and emotion to the story.

The character development in the novel is noteworthy. Roos is a compelling protagonist, and her journey from a lonely, misunderstood young woman to a determined and resourceful investigator is captivating to follow. Agnes, with her wealth and privilege, undergoes her own transformation as she becomes entangled in the mysteries of her estate.

The murder mystery that unfolds in the latter part of the book adds a gripping layer of suspense to the narrative. As Roos becomes a prime suspect, the stakes are raised, and the reader is drawn deeper into the web of secrets and lies surrounding the estate.

One of the standout features of the novel is the exploration of the supernatural and the spirit world. The presence of spirits, particularly Ruth, adds an otherworldly and haunting dimension to the story. The interplay between the living and the dead is skillfully woven into the plot, creating an atmosphere of both beauty and horror.

"My Darling Dreadful Thing" is a novel that defies easy categorization. It is part historical fiction, part gothic romance, and part supernatural thriller. It seamlessly blends these elements to create a unique and engrossing reading experience.

In conclusion, Johanna van Veen's "My Darling Dreadful Thing" is a beautifully written and haunting tale that will appeal to readers who appreciate atmospheric horror, intricate character relationships, and a touch of the supernatural. It is a story of love, mystery, and the blurred boundaries between the living and the dead, making it a must-read for fans of gothic fiction.