Our Wicked Histories by Amy Goldsmith is a chilling and atmospheric literary horror that pulls readers into the haunting world of Wren Hall, a decaying ancestral estate in Ireland. Meg, a talented and once-popular art student, is invited to spend a Halloween weekend with her former friends, the Wren twins, in an attempt to redeem herself after a scandal that led to her suspension from Greyscott, a prestigious art school. What she believes will be a chance to patch up old wounds quickly becomes a terrifying and surreal descent into the darker side of friendship, secrets, and the very place they gather.

The story is steeped in a gothic atmosphere, with Wren Hall serving as both a physical and metaphorical prison. The mansion is shrouded in mystery, its mirrors covered, its walls damp and decaying, and the lake at the center of eerie legends. Goldsmith crafts an unsettling sense of dread, making the reader feel as though something sinister is always lurking just out of sight.

As Meg reconnects with the Wren twins and her estranged friends, it becomes clear that the bonds of friendship are not easily mended, especially when long-buried secrets begin to resurface. The past bleeds into the present, and it seems that Wren Hall itself is complicit in the strange occurrences that start to unfold. The narrative weaves a slow burn of suspense as Meg and the others must confront not only their own histories but also the possibility that the estate holds darker truths than they ever imagined.

Goldsmith excels at creating a haunting sense of atmosphere, blending the psychological tension of a reunion with the supernatural terror of a place cursed by its own past. The novel is as much about the relationships between the characters as it is about the secrets of Wren Hall, and the tension between the two grows as the weekend progresses. As ancient sins rise to the surface, the story takes a chilling turn, leaving the reader wondering how well anyone truly knows the people they consider friends—or whether they can escape the grip of the house’s dark legacy.

Our Wicked Histories is a captivating and sinister read, perfect for fans of gothic horror and psychological thrillers with a supernatural twist. Goldsmith’s exploration of friendship, guilt, and the haunting nature of the past will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very last page.

So I guess I will start off by telling you all that this book is a YA Gothic Horror novel.
It follows a group of friends on a trip to Ireland. Their friendships are tested, mysterious deaths occur and they must deal with a dark history of the lake that they are by. Which holds tons of secrets.
So to me this sounded soooo good, and something I really wanted to read. But as I got into the book it was not that great, sadly I must say :,(
For me the book kinda dragged on and just didn't feel like it was put together that well.
I was not really a a fan of any of the characters so that didn't help things. There was a lot of things going on with the characters and interactions between them all. But that still didn't help me really connect to any of them or even care for them.
The book had dual timelines.
One thing I did like was that there was banshee lore in the book, which was fun and interesting to read.
Another positive was that there was an interesting twist to the book at the end. So it gives a thriller-type vibe as well as a horror one.
Not sure what else really to say about this book, I mean I am glad that I read it and sad that it wasn't a better book for me. But that doesn't mean that others will not like it so please take my review with a grain of salt and read at your own will.

This premise sucked me in--but it wasn't all true. It its intense, slower paced due to gothic telling of the story, but very YA. I think I would have liked this more written for an adult audience. It was eerie and had a lot of unlikeable characters, which doesn't always work for me. Still would read more from this author!

"Fear death by water."

Our Wicked Histories was a delightful surprise. Although I’m a fan of horror books, I don’t read a lot of YA horror because I usually find them a bit lukewarm due to the target audience. However, OWH has several chilling moments. The setting—a Gothic mansion in Ireland, isolated from the nearest village and surrounded by trees—is very well crafted, and the inclusion of statues, covered mirrors, and Irish local legends adds even more to the suspenseful atmosphere. The rumors of a banshee haunting the lake at Wren Hall only heighten the sense that the eight friends traveling to the twins Lottie and Seb’s mansion will soon encounter something supernatural—and deadly.

I really enjoy horror stories that involve a group of friends—like the game Until Dawn and the movie Bodies Bodies Bodies—but I find it hard to come across books like that which are actually good. OWH delivers on this front too; the group of British friends studying at an elite art school, Greyscott’s, is full of intrigue, secrets, and tension. Since they’re teenagers, some of these intrigues are a bit cliché, like the love triangle between the protagonist Meg (a scholarship student who struggles to find her place among her rich colleagues), Seb (the typical player), and Laure (the typical preppy girl), but this didn’t bother me. In fact, I found it necessary to break the grim atmosphere at times and to better understand and get to know the characters.

The only factor that made me give it a 4 stars instead of 5 is that the ending dragged on a bit. The protagonist takes too long to figure out things that become obvious to the reader throughout the story (or at least it is obvious if you're familiar with "The Fall of the House of Usher", which the author says was an inspiration in the opening note) and takes too long to act and fight back. I also felt that some details needed more explanation. But overall I had a great time with this book!

This book is very YA, with a focus on romance, about kids at an exclusive school. Meg is on the outs with her friend group and may be kicked out of school, and this weekend is her last chance to make things right. This story is atmospheric and eerie, and I spent most of the time wondering if there were ghosts. Very fun. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

The synopsis for this suckered me into picking it up. The romance is focused on way too much. I wanted more of the mystery, folklore, and creepiness - while those aspects were all present, they seemed to fall by the wayside for the love story, which is very much not my cup of tea. This is more of a romantic mystery than a thriller.

ALL OF THIS FOR A BOY?!?!?! Stand UP! I beg.😭✋🏽

A very well written book that suffers from bad marketing due to the horror being on the back burner rather than the meat of the story, as insinuated. I came for the horror/mystery, but the book really just rotated around Meg’s situationship with this mediocre boy and it irked my spirit because I didn’t sign up for goofy rich kid melodrama WITHOUT the horror being the focus. Had it been advertised as a spooky commentary on manipulative bitch boys then fine, but it’s not advertised correctly at all. The horror was phenomenally written and very unsettling and scary to read, however we didn’t get nearly enough of it. We barely got any lore about the horror elements included, which is frustrating because this author has great potential as a horror writer. It’s just not the central focus for this book and it was made to seem like it was.

We flashback often to get context for the protagonist’s current status/relationships in this friend group and how that intersects with the present events. Sometimes, especially in the beginning it was a bit slow and I was so ready to skip to the spooky shit and the actual plot but it was much more character focused than I wanted. Especially when the characters focused on were mainly assholes. It almost made me want to put the book down because I was bored for a long while and kinda didn’t care about these people (Meg needed to listen to her mama and not be an ass kisser for real). It picks up at the end, but like, that’s the end. You know? Again, written well but this doesn’t leave much room for the scary parts when we’re still harping on these terrible people while slowly unfurling the plot. The book unfolds beautifully for what it is, but it should’ve been marketed differently.

A group of unlikable privileged art school kids get together for a weekend of confession and consequences.
This YA horror weaves a Hamlet-esque story together with Irish Banshee lore.
I wasn't sure if I would like this starting out. The tone is extremely YA, and unlikeable characters don't always hit. But holy gaslighting batman! This was so good for the genre. I'd definitely recommend this for older teens.

Content is teen drinking and fade to black romance.

I received this digital book complimentary from the publisher. All the opinions are my own.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I tried so hard to get into this one, but it just did not keep my interest. I didn’t really care for any of the characters, and the storyline was extremely boring at the beginning. I thought it was starting to pick up about halfway through, but I was still left wanting more.

I LOVED this book! I couldn't put it down!
I loved the timelines of the narration. I loved learning what had happened in the past slowly, as we get to know the characters in the present. I think it's something that only really talented authors can do, it was a very effective method to tell this story.

I loved the atmosphere. It was spooky and claustrophobic and haunted and ethereal. I felt the wind in my hair and the darkness closing in around me. It was fantastic. The beautifully written setting added so much to the story.

I loved the mystery. I loved learning who the characters were by their effect on the main character and how she understood the world around her. They were well-rounded, and they felt real to me. The twist at the end was marvelous. I loved watching it all unravel.

This is the first book I've read by this author, and it was insane! Grabbing you from the start with a mysterious event, Meg needs to apologize for an incident with another student where she pushed her off a bridge and was suspended from her art school. Meg intends to apologize at a Halloween Party she was invited to with her friend and her estranged crush.
When she arrives at the estate where the party is at the house and the estate is haunting and gothic, Wren Hall seems to have a haunted history. Then when she enters the house with Lottie she finds out that all the mirrors are covered and the weed-choked lake is the image of nightmares and urban legends.
Once the party arrives and all the friends arrive the whole atmosphere is awkward and then they start having the party Laure arrives and Meg apologizes and when she does Laure says she will forgive her but that she has to tell the whole truth about what happened. Then the next day Laure disappears and strange experiences start happening around the house. Wren Hall has secrets and so do the people that are at the party, some secrets are worth dying for. This was an interesting read! It was worth the read and it's spooky and an eerie mystery as well! Very well written.
Thank you Netgalley and Delacorte Press for the opportunity to read and review this one!

Creepy, atmospheric, gothic mysteries are my jam and this book hit all the right notes for me. 4/5 loved this one and want to read more from the author!

Meg is a kid from the poor side of town, her mom works two jobs, one of which happens to be on the cleaning staff of a fancy private school. Meg is also a talented artist, so her mom encourages her to apply for a scholarship to study at the fancy school. Meg get's the scholarship and becomes friends with super rich, super popular, super perfect Lottie Wren.

The book starts with Meg arriving at Lottie's creepy AF Scottish family estate. She hasn't seen Lottie since the dreadful night of the end of school ball three months prior. This book has two main dueling plots: trying to figure out why Meg got suspended after the ball, and figuring out if the lake at the Wren estate is truly haunted by a banshee.

There are a lot of other characters, but the book is told solely from Meg's point of view. Because of this, there was just an absolute ton of repetition in her thinking and obsessing. The book struggled to move forward in the plot and frequently skirted around what really happened at the ball, without giving it away until almost the very end.

There were some fun turns, and some neat atmospheric horror scenes, but it didn't really come together at the end. I think the book would have been a lot better if we had a few other character's POVs.

I appreciate the ARC!

This book was SO creepy!

I loved all the spookiness and the mystery and ghosties and banshees and wondering if the narrator was unreliable. However, there was a little too much teen drama mixed in for me, and some of it got a little weird with the twin side characters. I am all about teen drama, but all the back and forth with these girls and Seb, while a murrdurrrerrr is afoot?! I was like ugh, girls you don’t even need him this boy is not worth it 🙄😂.

Honestly, I got worried there at the end that there wasn’t ghosties or banshees at all and it was just crazy jealous teens taking each other out.

I liked this though, it’s a good fall read!

Thank you @netgalley and @delacortepress for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Ever since Meg left school, she’s been ousted by her friends, and now this weekend is her final chance to win them back. The Wren twins have invited her to their eerie country estate, Wren Hall, but Meg can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t quite right. The estate is infamous for being haunted by a lady of the lake and its history is filled with unsettling disappearances. As Meg faces the tension within the group and the estate’s dark secrets, she must decide whether she can repair their fractured friendship or if the past will tear them apart for good.

A gothic adventure that explores the longing for acceptance and belonging, but not without dire consequences. Perfect for readers who enjoy haunted houses, deception, and mysteries shrouded in lies. The atmospheric setting and well-crafted characters draw you in, making you feel as if you’re shrouded in the sinister mystery right alongside Meg. Loved this from beginning to end!



*Thank you to Amy Goldsmith, Random House Children's and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

This story was such a fun, dark gothic mystery. A modern group of teens is dropped into a historic Irish estate in a town that whispers and hides from the owners and the legend of a banshee rises as their group slowly begins to dwindle. The characters were just as snobby as you’d expect a group of elite teenagers to be, but the atmosphere and paranormal horror made up for it in all the right ways. If you need a spooky mystery to dive into, I would definitely recommend reaching for this one this fall!

Thanks to Random House Children’s and Delacorte Press & NetGalley for an E-ARC copy of this story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for providing me with an eARC of Our Wicked Histories in exchange for my honest review!

This YA gothic horror tale radiates a supernatural atmosphere that I can't get enough of. It's the thick sort of mood that creeps me out as we stay in this manor and check out the accompanying lake, with the tension particularly bumping up a notch towards the second half of the plot. I wouldn't even say this is doing anything especially groundbreaking with its execution, but that doesn't take away from the ways in which it can rivet me. In addition, I appreciate how this explicitly touches on the dangers of love-bombing—something I wouldn't have necessarily expected a story of this type to cover.

Overall, I'm officially rating Our Wicked Histories 3.75 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding up to 4 stars. I'll look forward to more of Amy Goldsmith's work.

I was definitely spooked throughout this one. If you want something good for spooky season definitely go with this one it passes the vibe check for Fall season reads.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!

A myriad of things are haunted in this gothic horror novel: our protagonist Meg, her old friends' family estate Wren Hall and even the water that surrounds it. Drowning in her sorrows after being suspended from an elite art school—one she can only attend via scholarship—Meg jumps at the chance to reconnect with the Wren twins in the hopes of once again landing in their good graces. She needs them if she wants to return to the school she loves. She needs them if she wants to feel like <i>herself</i> again.

One weekend at Wren Hall to celebrate Halloween, and things could possibly go back to the way they used to be. Expecting a lush estate, Meg is surprised by the dilapidated state the manor is in and the eerie lake beside it. Things are definitely not as they appear, and many more secrets than just what happened at the ball last term will come to light... some of them screaming.

The water remembers.

This book wants to be beautiful and full of lush, evocative prose, yet for me it didn't hit the mark. A handful of pretty words could be strewn together in a sentence, but oftentimes left me feeling hollow rather than enraptured. Detailed, winding descriptions are a staple of gothic lit so the inclusion isn't a poor one... I just feel like another round of edits could really make these passages <i>sing</i>.

This is a decent enough first forray into gothic horror, for the younger crowd looking to dip their toes into a new subgenre. Readers who enjoy dark acadamia will likely enjoy themselves as well, seeing as many common tropes and motifs from that subgenre are also present. I loved the messy relationships and all the bean sí or banshee lore in this novel!!

I think that I'm a bit too old for the story this novel wanted to tell, but that hardly means it's unsuccessful. The cast of British teenagers all act and sound like modern teens, which may put off any potentially older readers but ultimately the YA tag isn't really <i>for</i> us. I know I would've eaten this up back when I was in high school!!