I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

First, I want to start by saying that Gothic Horror is one of those genres that I really want to love but it's just not for me. The cover is gorgeous and was honestly the first thing that pulled me in. That being said this book was fine, but it just wasn't great. There were several things I enjoyed about this book. I really loved the idea of having a spirit companion and the connection between spirit and human. I also liked the format, specifically the break between the actual story and the interviews with the doctor. I feel like this was a great way to get to know Roos, our main character, but also helped lead up to the ending. It also was a great way to plant seeds of doubt about Roos and whether or not she did what she was being accused of.

Some things that I don't feel like were well executed in this book were the sapphic relationship between Roos and Agnes. It felt very one sided and honestly a bit flimsy. I just wasn't convinced that Agnes felt the same way and was in it 100% like Roos was. One thing I don't like about the gothic horror genre in general is the incest plot point that is common within these books, which this book includes. I just don't understand why this is necessary, which again, is a me problem, but I just didn't enjoy that part of the story at all. I also felt like Thomas coming back and the whole ending was honestly very anti-climactic. Everyone was so terrified of Thomas being back and then nothing really came from it. Maybe the author was trying to lead up to the big reveal of what would really happen but I just don't feel like this worked and the ending fell flat for me.

Overall, this book was interesting enough for me to keep reading but in the end just wasn't a big hit for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy.

I feel safe writing this review at the 51% mark.

I really enjoyed that there's the story being told then every few chapters an interview in the present time. It's creepy and well-written. I do think that the author over-describes some of the scenes when Roos is snooping through the house, but generally I just think it adds to the creepiness of the house they're living in. The relationship between the three main characters in the story is so interesting and even if Roos was malicious in the murder, with the way Agnes and Willemijn treat Roos and their respective relationships to the recently deceased Thomas, it's deserved.

I think this is for those who like a truly dark, gothic story.

A beautiful gothic tale that kept me interested! I was drawn to this book by the gorgeous cover but found the story is just as good. it's gothic, haunting, beautiful and tragic. The setting was great, I liked the characters are really wanted only the best for them.. well maybe not Mama. I think any fan of the gothic genre would like this book. Thank you NetGalley for opportunity to read this early.

★ ★ ★ ★ • 4

Looking for something dark and sapphic? This has pretty much everything you could want. For the very beginning the story is interesting and eerie (only in the best way of course).

The storyline is well thought out and despite the book itself being gothic, it didn’t fall into the typical extremely slow-paced story telling that is usually associated with the genre… Which was refreshing.

Would definitely read again and recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review!

This book has everything I wanted - its got a spooky manor, ghosts, love/tension, and more! I wish this had come out closer to October for all the fall and spooky vibes, but it was too good to wait!

A wonderfully gothic, dark tale about lengths one would go for love and the consequences resulting from those choices.

With creepy spirit companions, ominous old estates and a sapphic romance what isn't there to enjoy about this book.

Definitely review for trigger warnings before reading this book as it touches on some difficult subjects.

I was gripped early on in My Darling Dreadful Thing, immediately being immersed into the world of Roos and her spirit companion. The eeriness was palpable throughout this story. The author does a great job of harnessing the dark, gothic atmosphere and setting to drive the story.

Unfortunately, there was a lot that didn't work for me with this one, particularly with plot and character. I found the story slow and repetitive, especially the interludes between some chapters featuring psychiatric interviews that seemed to just repeat what we'd read in previous chapters and allude ominously to what was to come. The characters also fell flat for me, seeming underdeveloped and acting without clear reason.

All of that being said, Johanna van Veen's writing style was lovely and kept me engaged and interested. I look forward to what she does next!

i really loved this one. i always love queer horror, and this one is so well-crafted. Roos is such a strong narrator, and even when i was frustrated with her, her feelings and actions felt justified. this is a book that is definitely going to stick with me for a long time.

A wonderful debut. I relaly enjoyed this book. Thank oyu to the publisher for the ARC! I look forward to more by this author.

I’m just going to start off by saying unfortunately this book didn’t work for me. After reading and looking at other reviews, it seems I’m in the minority in thinking this so I would still urge you to pick this up if it sounds interesting.

There were so many elements to this book which I should of liked. The spirits and haunted house, the mixed media format, the mental health and trauma aspect, but something just fell really flat for me. I think ultimately, the main character had a lot of dialogue which I just didn’t care for. And it was definitely too descriptive in parts, not really too much happened. Which can work for me if I love the characters.

Roos has had a spirit companion for a very long time, ever since she was forced to sit under the floorboards and work the wires at her Mama's seances. The question becomes whether her spirit companion is a product of trauma or truly a paranormal entity.

My Darling Dreadful Thing is told from the POV of Roos with occasional snippets of interviews that are carried-out between Roos and a doctor which hint that things take a very dark turn later in the story. By including the interviews, the sense of intrigue is heightened because there is a sense that any happiness Roos might experience may not last as well as painting a picture of Ruth, her spirit companion, as potentially a malicious force.

I did think that this story had some interesting twists and turns and plenty of questions that remain tantalisingly unanswered by the end of the story. Where I think this book perhaps isn't at its strongest (but I am also unsure what the intention was here) is creating a sense of doubt about Ruth's existence. At no point in the story did I feel any doubt about the existence of Ruth and that made the events of the book feel a little less in doubt that maybe was intended? I do feel as though some doubt was possibly sewn around Agnes and Peter but Roos' belief in Agnes is so strong that the reader can't help believing that she found a kindred soul.

I do thing van Veen did a really skilful job at touching on some difficult subject areas with a lot of care and delicacy and overall had an enjoyable experience reading this book, I just wish we had gotten a little more.

This book was utterly disturbing, though in a good way. I have never read a horror, or a goth novel, so this whole genre was super new to me. I was really disturbed when i started, but as you go on, you connect to the characters. It is not the kind of horror i know from movies, it is a slow, creepy kind of horror. I actually do not have a lot of words for this, but keep your mind open and let it surprise you. It is really one of a kind.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

The writing was really good and immersive but the story was just to slow for me. I just wanted it to get to the point a bit faster.

My Darling Dreadful Thing 👻🦇🔮💔🌹🪦
by Johanna van Veen
4.9/5 ✨

Thank you to the author Johanna van Veen, the publisher Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this e-ARC!

I adored this book from beginning to end, and I devoured it every time I allowed myself to sit down and read it. This is another title I found myself pecking at in small bites because I didn't want it to end. Roos and Ruth warmed my heart, set it on fire, and destroyed it, and I loved every second of it. And then we get Agnes, too, who adds a whole new level of excitement to the story. I was haunted reading through these pages and meeting the spirit companions, and I was absolutely enthralled by the gothic romance of it all. This title will make you think about the boundaries of our minds and whether it's mental illness or just a layer of the world that some of us cannot see. This was so atmospheric, and I'm so sad that I'm finished with it, but I have already started telling everyone I know to read it. I can't recommend this title enough!

Thank you again to everyone for the opportunity to read and review this title!

I would say that most of this book was trending as a 4 star read, but once I started thinking more about it, I lowered it to 3. It was overall a very fascinating story with very interesting characters.

- The format really helped this story feel like it was moving along. Roos is being investigated for murder and is telling her story to the doctor who is trying to decide if she can be tried for insanity or not.
-- This does lend itself to a very "told not shown" kind of feel at times because Roos is literally telling the doctor what happened.
- Roos and Ruth have such an interesting dynamic - exploring this was fun but also contributed to me lowering my rating in the end. I loved the complication that Ruth added as she was always around and her and Roos were a package deal. BUT when I thought about it, I am honestly a little weirded out by the relationship given that Roos was a child when the very adult and very centuries-dead Ruth connected to her. They ended up having a very intimate kind of relationship that would have been fine if Roos had always been an adult when she was around.
- Roos felt very infantile at times which was not great. She was made to act younger because of Mama, which I completely understand, but by making Roos feel younger, it then makes the relationships she has with Ruth and Agnes, both assumedly older, feel a little strange.
- The abuse Roos experienced at the hands of Mama was intense and troubling. I do appreciate how we can see the way this formed Roos in many important areas of her life.
- The relationship between Roos and Agnes was so complicated but I actually loved the buildup here. We see Roos making bad decisions but with the best intentions all because she is experiencing a new emotion and attachment to Agnes - and vice versa.
- The plot carries itself pretty slowly, but not overall boring. The constant eeriness of the supernatural lingers throughout the book and keeps you on your toes just a little.
- The ending kind of leaves it to reader interpretation - is Roos living in her own delusions or did these things regarding the spirit world really happen??

Overall, I liked the gothic atmosphere and the supernatural focus. And the central focus of this being a test of determining Roos' sanity as it pertains to the murder trial makes this feel more substantial.

This had so much promise, and I was super excited to read it; but unfortunately that excitement did not carry through the whole book. The pacing was so slow, and it felt like nothing happened. Even when things did happen, they also didn’t?

Roos has a spirit companion and is forced to do seances by her “mamma.” Mamma has her sights set on obtaining Agnes’ patronage so they can carry on with their way of life. After the seance Agnes takes Roos on as a companion in her secluded home she shared with her SIL.

I was thinking things would start happening once Roos moved into the house, but eh. The last 20-ish% has you thinking something wild is going to happen, but still it doesn’t which was disappointing. I was hoping for so much more with this one.

This is a DARK story and it's so well done. It builds from unsettling to all out chaos.

The imagery that the author uses is perfect at setting the atmosphere. The dynamic of Roos and Ruth is hard as Ruth at times protects Roos but is also a source of pain and terror.

I loved used the psychological evaluation as a plot device, rather than villainizing mental health as the reason that this has occurred.

Overall I think this was a great story!

I don't know what I was expecting when going into this book but I was not expecting to walk away with a new all-time favorite... This book was so beautifully written and so heartbreaking that I actually had to force myself to finish it, because I just didn't want it to end! My heart breaks endlessly for Roos and Agnes and I will forever think about them. The traumas they experienced may have sculpted them into who they were during the book but it would never take away their flames and I just loved that. It has been so long since I have loved a book this much and even longer since a book has made me cry as much as this one, and I am eternally grateful that I got to experience this story. Anything this author writes in the future will be an autobuy and hopefully a favorite, I am anxiously waiting for more!

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this copy in exchange for my review.

I was completely enthralled by My Darling Dreadful Things. It's a slow burn, following Roos Beckman, a young woman that has a spirit companion and performs 'seances' with her mother. At one of these seances Roos meets Agnes Knoop and the two form an instant connection, but after an invitation to Knoop's estate, long buried secrets come crawling out.

An amazing piece of sapphic gothic horror. Loved this.

My Darling Dreadful Thing had a lot of potential - a gothic setting and dark atmosphere, a crumbling family estate, séances… a spirit companion! But sadly it didn’t fully live up to my expectations.

We follow the character of Roos, who holds séances with her mother, giving the impression of being a powerful medium. The truth is that she has a spirit companion who she lets possess her during these séances to help deliver all the theatrics! Having a spirit companion actually sounds pretty cool - being able to see and communicate with the undead (in a non-creepy way). Roos, however, is not treated well by her mother and after a wealthy widow offers to buy Roos, her mother accepts. So off she goes to live with this widow in a gothic and intriguing crumbling estate.

I don’t think this is meant to be YA, but it read like YA to me (cue Seinfeld - not that there’s anything wrong with that - but it’s just not my vibe). From what I remember Roos is actually early 20s but she read much younger to me - maybe as a result of her abusive history - either way, the prose read quite simplistic at times.

Some effectively creepy imagery and the time period of the 1950s in the Netherlands were the aspects of this book that I really enjoyed. There is also a sapphic romance that injected some heart into the story! Worth checking out if any of this appeals to you - especially for that stunning cover! 3 stars.