“Our Wicked Histories,” by Amy Goldsmith

I really liked this book. It was slow in the beginning but picked up after a little while. I got very attached to the FMC and did not want to see these rich, spoiled, mean kids treat her the way they do. The ending was a shock to me because I saw it going a certain way, but it wasn’t exactly like I thought. The FMC struggles with what and who she wants to be, sitting in with her peers, and her own morals and self-respect. She grows a lot throughout the book. The murder mystery aspect in a desolate place during a storm made the plot more intense. 4 out of 5 stars, so worth reading.

-Ghost Lore
-Banshees
-Poor Kid X Rich Kids
-Who Done It
-Artists

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

This is such a great blend of folk horror, gothic horror, and locked room mystery thriller. It’s been a long time since a YA book has hooked me like this. A pretty slow burn but I loved the element of things increasingly feeling ‘not right’ with this dilapidated ancestral home. And there were some truly chilling moments! I was reading this late at night and actually got scared, a rare occurence.

Our Wicked Histories gave massive Erin A. Craig vibes, so if that’s an author you enjoy then you absolutely need to check Goldsmith out.

I did audio for the last 20% and thought the narrator was the perfect choice.

Our Wicked Histories is a thrilling, terrifying gothic horror that kept me reading so late that my eyes hurt and I had to stop. It's about Meg, who up until recently, was a scholarship student at a prestigious private arts school. She's been suspended, cut off from the future she was building for herself and her friend group, ever since an incident at the summer ball. But all of that is going to change. Her best friend, Lottie Wren, invites her and the circle of friends to the ancestral Wren manor in Ireland, a place steeped in colonial trauma and more recent trauma, crumbling and flooding and generally more than a little unpleasant (even before the deaths start). Meg is going to make amends, get accepted back at Greyscott's, and continue on with her life. That is, if she can survive this getaway. Mix banshees, a Samhain party, creepy paintings and creepy twins, no cell service, and what you should do then is fear death by water.
I loved it. It started a little slow, and was annoying in how much it held back about the Incident, but once it got rolling, it really got rolling. All the characters are spectacularly dislikable (with like, 1.5 exceptions), as it should be in a book set in a gothic manor. It was a bunch of rich kids and one deeply unreliable narrator, and much like Knives Out, one of them is guilty of something way bigger. Or it's a ghost. The atmosphere is so perfectly set, with the storms and the lack of cell service and the way the power keeps going out. It uses a lot of tropes, but tropes exist for a reason. Goldsmith uses them well, not as a crutch but as a way to help lay breadcrumbs for the reader. The tension builds and builds, and watching the characters squirm and break as the pressure builds is delightful. The backstory, what happened when Meg was accepted at Greyscott's and what led up to and happened at the ball, sometimes feel like they slow the story down, at about the midway point, but as the book builds up to both what did happen at the Incident and the climax of the book, it speeds back up again. Additionally, it's genuinely very creepy horror. It had me freaked out to go to the bathroom because there's a mirror in there, freaked out to leave the warmth of my bed because the rest of the apartment was dark. It was scary, and I lived for it.

Do not read this book at night. You've been warned!

Halloween, Irish manor setting, the author of Those We Drown—that's all I knew before diving (aha!) into this book and once again, Amy Goldsmith did not disappoint. She's back with her beautifully descriptive writing, eerie setting, and a story that moves at an amazing pace. On top of that, some truly unsettling moments. Why oh why did I only read this book at night? Lol

If you're into books that are atmospheric, that hook you from the very first chapter, and have creepy small-town legends, I would definitely check out Our Wicked Histories. This book was fantastic and is the perfect Spooky season/Summerween read. I cannot recommend it enough!

Our Wicked Histories, written by Amy Goldsmith, is a captivating and suspenseful narrative that had me on the edge of my seat until the final page. The intricate plot and complex characters kept me guessing throughout the entire story, making it a truly unforgettable read.

DNF. Too slow paced, plus the atmosphere didn’t draw me in, nor did the incredibly vapid characters.

A YA atmospheric horror story that took me by surprise. So I believe the author has mentioned that she was inspired by Edgar Allen Poes story “The fall of house usher” so that already gives us an idea on the feel and direction this story is taking and I totally got those vibes. It’s set in an Irish gothic hall and flips between past and present following Meg who is expelled from her private school after some incident but has the chance to make amends over the summer by staying at this fellow students Manor in Ireland. I really enjoyed it! Perfect for the upcoming spooky season.

This was a totally atmospheric YA gothic horror mystery. The setting was perfection, I love a creepy manor, plus this one has a creepy lake too, and at Halloween no less! I was totally immersed in the story, and it had a great amount of creep factor. Topped off with drama and wonderfully unlikeable characters, I'd definitely recommend it. Add this one to your spooky season TBR for the ultimate experience!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Amy Goldsmith for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Our Wicked Histories coming out July 30, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I was really intrigued by the summary of this book, so I wanted to check it out. I really loved the setting of Halloween in Ireland. I loved the first half of the book. I thought it was really suspenseful and mysterious. There were a couple things I didn’t care for in the second half. I think the Fall of the House of Usher inspiration made it a little more predictable since I’ve read that story. Meg’s personality was a little wishy-washy when it came to Seb. I wasn’t feeling it. Meg’s actions were a little annoying in the second half. But overall, I really enjoyed the story. It wasn’t as horror driven as I thought it’d be. I would check out other books by this author.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys spooky YA books!

"A teen girl's attempt to make amends with her former friend group takes a sinister turn during a weekend getaway at an ancestral Irish estate in this atmospheric, literary horror from the author of Those We Drown.

There's something in the lake at Wren Hall. At least, that's what the locals say. Not that Meg cares much about the rumors. When she's asked to spend Halloween weekend at the Ireland retreat of the wealthy Wren twins, she recognizes the invitation for exactly what it is: her last, and only, chance to save her spot at Greyscott's, the exclusive British art school she attended on scholarship until last summer. Clever, beautiful, and talented, the twins are the pride of Greyscott's, and kindhearted Lottie Wren was once Meg's closest friend. But not anymore.

None of Meg's old friend group have talked to her since she left school - and they especially don't talk about the incident that resulted in her suspension. Now, Meg is willing to do whatever it takes to earn their forgiveness.

But Wren Hall turns out to be far from the idyllic country manor Meg was expecting. The house is damp and drafty, the mirrors are all covered, and the weed-choked lake is at the center of legends that haunt the property to this day - a tainted legacy the estate seems unable to shake.

The truth is, people aren't the only ones who keep secrets. Places can keep them too - and Wren Hall is drowning in them. When the past bleeds into the present and ancient sins rise to the surface, Meg must ask herself how well she really knows her one-time best friends...or whether any of them will survive the weekend."

Sometimes the secrets of places are far more dangerous than the secrets of people.

Thank you Netgalley and Delacorte Press for allowing me to read and review Our Wicked Histories! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you love the atmosphere of Mike Flanagan's films like The Haunting of Bly Manor, The Fall of the House of Usher, and The Haunting of Hill House, you're going to fall in love with Amy Goldsmith's sophomore novel, Our Wicked Histories.

I haven't been thoroughly creeped out by a book in a long time. Amy Goldsmith's storytelling is incredible. I was kept on the edge of my seat till the very last page. I love the way she was able to weave the words in such an eerie, and deliciously dark way. There are a couple of predictable moments but I was still entertained by the twists at the end.

I know I'll be haunted by Our Wicked Histories for a while.

Also, whoever did the cover for OWH needs a raise. It's gorgeous! I wish I could buy a print and hang it on my wall.

4.75 stars

Not gonna lie…I hated most of our characters. I also thought Meg was a little too much ‘pick me’.

But Meg grew on me, the plot was fantastic, and I soon found myself lost in a very good mystery.

While a few of the secrets were obvious, I still very much enjoyed the read and found myself simply anxious to find out if I was right.

Definitely a solid read.

• ARC via Publisher

If you love Mike Flanagan shows, especially The Haunting of Bly Manor and The Fall of the House of Usher, you'll love this book. Spine tingling and suspenseful at all times, I constantly found myself scared of what would happen next. The story was just as twisty and gripping as the weeds at the edge of the lake in the book. This is a great gothic novel with a possibly haunted house/property, a potentially dangerous lake, and maybe it's a banshee or maybe one of them is the killer.

4.5/5 ⭐️
If you took Saltburn and The Haunting of Bly Manor, you would get this book.
It was so good. It was full of twists and turns and secrets. With characters flipping and flopping and making me flip flop with my feelings towards them. But it was the horror part that I loved the most. There was a moment reminiscent to The Ring that properly scared me that I had to walk it off. I loved it.
I personally enjoyed the duel timeline. We had the front story which was the spooky, gothic house party that felt otherworldly. Then the flashbacks filled with secrets steadily unveiled to us. But the flashbacks were great kind of paradox because it felt so high school. Cause they are high school. All these heighten emotions and desire to belong and crushes and jealousy, all that was relatable to when I was a high schooler. It almost worked to humanize the gang.
I really enjoyed this story & highly recommend it anyone that likes spooky stories like Bly Manor.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

Another strong atmospheric thriller release from Amy Goldsmith!

In order to get back into the good graces of her friends, Meg has a lot to apologize for. It doesn't help that her position at Greyscott's Academy is also riding on getting back on her friends' good sides. When she's invited to Ireland to spend the fall break at the ancestral home of two of her friends, it seems like the perfect opportunity to win them all back. But Wren Hall doesn't exactly turn out to be the quaint Irish estate that Meg was expecting. The locals all talk about.a dark side to the place, legends of something haunting the lake...

Meg soldiers on, determined to make the most of this trip. But she can't shake the feeling that there is something out there, watching them all. Something pulling them down deep, deep into the secrets of Wren Hall, leaving them unable to surface. Can Meg and her friends repair their fractured relationships or will the past catch up with them all, destroying any hope they have of surviving the weekend intact?

After having read Those We Drown by Amy Goldsmith, I had a pretty good idea of what I'd be getting into with her next release. After finishing Our Wicked Histories, I can absolutely tell you that was true in the best of ways. Some authors are meant to write romances, some are meant to write fantasy, Amy is absolutely meant to write atmospheric thrillers and horrors that pull you in and don't let go until the very end. She sets the stage so skillfully, it's easy to get lost in the pages, to feel like you're there and experiencing these events first hand.

The setting of Wren Hall is eerie and classic, the characters are compelling, and the overarching mystery keeps you guessing and second guessing until the very last moment. I do feel like Our Wicked Histories does have a bit of the same cyclical feeling that Those We Drown had, that it could have been a little bit shorter without sacrificing the quality. Or that maybe more attention could have been given to the wrap up of the plot instead of rehashing some of the same points repeatedly. But overall, this was a very enjoyable read and one that I would pick up again and would definitely recommend to others who enjoy immersive storytelling.

Amy Goldsmith has me coming back for more time and again. I look forward to seeing what she brings us next!

There is absolutely something in the lake at Wren Hall, and Amy Goldsmith’s page-turner of a novel had me reading as fast as I could to discover what was lurking in there. The main character, Meg, was very easy to relate to; and while some of her decisions at times could be questionable, you truly are rooting for her every step of the way. I really enjoyed how Goldsmith was able to weave the horror, mystery and teen romance drama together so seamlessly, and this was a perfect read for the start of summer. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for this ARC.

There's nothing quite like the experience of being scared by a book. You're all snuggled up in your home, buried under blankets, and suddenly the horror of what's on the page in front of you feels like it's breathing down the back of your neck. I felt like this multiple times during my reading of "Our Wicked Histories" because Amy Goldsmith did a fantastic job of immersing me in the rural Irish countryside.

Though I didn't really enjoy the entirety of the romantic subplot, I did enjoy the horror and suspense that laced every page of the book. I think that if you're looking for something a little spooky with some tension, suspense, and a hint of mystery then you should pick up "Our Wicked Histories" and let yourself get lost in the pages.

There’s something in the lake. It should have been filled years ago. That’s what the locals say at least.

Meg will do anything to earn her friend forgiveness. They haven’t talked to her since she got suspended.

So, when they all meet at Wren hall, she will do anything. Too bad Wren hall is hiding secrets. Will any of Meg or her friends survive the weekend?


I love gothic horror books, they are some of my favorites, and this book did not disappoint. This book is for the older end of the YA spectrum, but not because it is graphic, but because it is intense. The intensity of the writing just jumps off the page and the story felt so real. The book was so atmospheric it was great. The main character was a lot of fun, but she was a tad predictable at times. The cast of side characters were great, however there were quite a few of them. The dual timelines were great and easy to keep up with, it also kept the story interesting. Since this is a gothic story, the pacing is on the slower side, but there was plenty to hold my interest, so my mind didn’t wander. I also enjoyed that this story was pulled from Edgar Allen Poe, that was a nice touch, and I loved the author’s note.

If you are looking for an utterly immersive YA gothic horror, then you need to check this book out.


Thank you to @delacortepress and @netgalley for this e-arc. All thoughts are my own.

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=3.75 | 😘=3 | 🤬=3.75 | ⚔️=4.5 | 🍺/🚬=2 | 15+

summary: scary banshee scary haunted Irish lake possibly evil twins mysterious murder and almost-murder in the past forgotten memories very basic class commentary hilariously stereotyped gay side character

thoughts: had a really good twist! this was overall pretty okay—very atmospheric and gothic and creepy—but the time-switching structuring was occasionally confusing and hard to keep track of. I still liked this, though––it just didn’t blow me away or anything.

Thank you to Net Galley and Delacourt for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which is available 7/30/24!

A haunting atmospheric tale of a teenaged girl trying to make amend with a friend group set in the creepy backdrop of an Irish estate that has more than just skeletons in its closet.

I found this to right up the alley of a mid level teen. It has twists and turns that weren’t predictable but it did read as slightly juvenile which isn’t a bad thing at all. I thoroughly enjoyed getting the crap scared out of me reading this.