I apparently do not click with with Amy Goldsmith's writing, but the propulsive plot drove me through this book in one night regardless. It's not my favorite YA horror/thriller, but it gets the job done.

Thank you to netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for allowing me to read this book. This cover is so damn beautiful. This book was creepy and it gave me all the vibes I was looking for.

Set on an old Irish Estate, Our Wicked History has a gothic feel. Meg is invited to attend a Halloween party at the Wren twin’s family estate and she jumps at the chance to go after being shunned after an event that happened at a school dance. She hopes to apologize and make things right to regain her friendships. The estate isn’t what Wren or the other guests expect. It’s more run down than expected, mirrors are covered, and strange noises happen. There are several flashbacks to tell what happened.

Our Wicked Histories was a quick and entertaining read with supernatural elements.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press for the ARC of the ebook.

A good read. I thought it was a bit slow in the beginning but picked up. Overall, I’d recommend this to older teens.

I'll admit, I was a little skeptical going into this one, since I wasn't the biggest fan of Goldsmith's previous book, Those We Drown. However, Our Wicked Histories was leagues ahead, and I was very pleasantly surprised. The beginning of the book reminded me a lot of the horror movie "Bodies Bodies Bodies," which is one of my favorites. I liked the interactions between all of the characters, especially Meg and any other character. I thought that the dual past and present timelines were so great and flowed very well together. While the mystery would have been great even without any of the supernatural elements like the banshee, I really enjoyed that and it definitely made the story spookier.

This book is creepy and I am here for it!

When Meg travels to a classmates' Halloween party, all she wants to do is apologize and set things right so she can go back to her old life. She doesn't expect to uncover lies, murder, and ghosts!

The setting of this story is perfect- an old family home in Ireland that has a lake with a tragic history.
The pacing was great. The uncovering of the story kept me turning the pages, but scared to turn the lights off.

Eerie tale, with just the right amount of suspense.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an early copy for review

Embark on a journey into the eerie depths of this YA paranormal mystery, draped in the captivating allure of a haunted house theme. My adventure with this book kicked off with the magnetic pull of its splendid cover, a siren song that whispered, "Read me now, Nilufer, you fast reader, horror-obsessed nerd!" A sincere thank you to the publishers for granting my clicking impulse, turning it into a thrilling reality.

Beyond the enchanting cover, the narrative unfolds within the gothic, claustrophobic confines of a mysterious house, blending elements of a whodunnit mystery—a perfect convergence with my cherished thriller tropes, compelling me to dive into the story without a second thought.

The pacing of the story is commendable, steering clear of yawns or head-scratching moments, ensuring an uninterrupted and engaging reading experience. It avoids the pitfalls of boredom, slow burn, or dragging, making each page a seamless continuation of the mysterious journey.

However, amidst the laudable storytelling, the narrative falters in its portrayal of characters. The presence of dislikable characters, including the flawed protagonist Meg, adds a layer of complexity. Meg's bad-tempered nature and desperate attempts to fit into a higher social circle create a tension that permeates the narrative.

While the storytelling is praiseworthy, the major mystery succumbs to predictability, leaving me with an irresistible urge to reveal the perpetrator's identity to Meg. I found myself patiently waiting for her to catch up, playing the role of a spectator with prior knowledge of the conclusion.

Delving into the core narrative introduces Meg, a scholarship student at Greyscott Academy, whose path intertwines with the enigmatic Wren twins, Lottie and Sebastian. A scandal during the school's traditional ball propels Meg into a journey of redemption, forcing her to navigate the eerie secrets concealed within Wren Hall in Ireland.

In the end, the book presents an intriguing concept, notwithstanding its missteps. I've settled on a 3.5-star rating, rounding up to 4, acknowledging its fast-paced nature and the popcorn-read quality that captured my interest from the outset.

A heartfelt thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press for generously providing this digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest opinions

“Our Wicked Histories” is an adrenalizing and evocative story. This book was a thriller that I enjoyed reading page after page because the author created a wonderfully woven mystery story involving secrets, betrayal, and friendship. Wren Hall has an ominous lake whose stories are terrifying. The complex journey in which Meg attempts to be accepted by her friends again and understand Wren Hall leads to an intriguing character development. It does an excellent job of mixing horrors with psychology, thus creating a fascinating revelation of personal and historical puzzles. The story has many unforeseen turns that make you question the integrity of the characters and the actual story of Wren Hall. If you admire suspense and moody scary, this story is a must-read!

Thank you to Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This book took a long time to get to the chaos and mystery. The first 80% was a build up of what would happen and the twist and turns. Since it took that long I was kind of over it already. Although that twist I did not see coming.

Okay so this book is my new OBSESSION?! When I tell you it had everything! Beautiful writing, beautiful but bleak descriptions, a sketchy cast of characters... I could picture everything so CLEAR.

Favorite Part:
The ouijaboard scene!!! dear lord OR the sleepover party (so tense!).

Quick Synopsis:
Meg goes to Ireland to stay at her friend's ancestral home but once over there she can't get images of a screaming, watery woman out of her head, meanwhile both Meg's past and house's dark past are slowly uncovered.

I've never read a story about a bean si before so that was really awesome.

If you like gothic or ghost stories this is a total hit!

This book was really great to read. I couldn’t stop reading it. It took me a while to read the book, but I finally finished it. It was probably the best horror book I’ve ever read five stars.

Whew!

Goldsmith’s sophomore novel Our Wicked Histories is a top-tier slice of contemporary gothic set in a damp and dreary manor house by a lake.

Meg, an artistic girl with anger issues, is attempting to apologize for mistakes she made at a party but turns out nothing is as simple as it seems...

Man. I loved both the writing and the poetry references that were snuck-in. Not to mention the descriptions that definitely scored high on the creep-factor. The fall setting was perfection and I loved how the characters interacted with each other and how their relationships changed throughout the story and as we learnt about their 'wicked histories'.

I was immersed in this book from the get-go and found it difficult to put down!

Unreservedly 5 stars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Delacorte Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on 07/30/24.

I loved loved this book even if it did leave me scared to use the bathroom at night!

Our wicked histories is a gothic ghost story with a twist. We follow Meg to a run-down mansion in Ireland where she attempts to make amends with her friends after she messed up at a Christmas party.

There is wonderful atmospheric description and I felt really immersed in the landscape. There was also a feeling of doom as the story went on and things were revealed.

I’d recommend this for fans of gothic horror and dark academia.


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to the Publisher for sending me an arc in exchange for review!


After reading Those We Drown and being absolutely blown away by it, I knew i wanted Our Wicked Histories immediately. However I feel like it completely missed the mark. I was really hoping for this sense of dread for the horror that was coming like I experienced in the authors previous work and it never came. Not to mention that the main character didn't want to make me root for her. She complained constantly over a boy not paying attention to her after a blow up she had with a friend despite people dying around her.

The ending felt very predictable and I saw it coming from Chapter 1.

OUR WICKED HISTORIES has everything I loved from Goldsmith’s debut, THOSE WE DROWN, including:
🌊 gorgeous prose and imagery that transforms the mundane under disturbing shadows
🌊 the ability to use the same phrases over and over, each time twisting them with increasingly sinister meaning
🌊 gaslighting mixed with slipping sanity
🌊 mythology
🌊 large casts that drop like flies with no one to trust

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

OUR WICKED HISTORIES cements Amy Goldsmith as an auto-buy author for me. For horror fans and anyone that loves gorgeous writing, this one had me losing sleep. The only thing that kept me from reading all night was being afraid to keep going in the dark.

I cannot wait for her next book. Thank you so much for the ARC!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

This was an engaging read and I finished it in one sitting. It gave me supernatural homicidal Gossip Girl vibes lol. The world building was great and the characters, while not all particularly likeable, weer done well.

5 ⭐️

from the first page, megs immersive voice had me tumbling through the book. this was such an creepy gothic read!

what I liked:
the atmosphere! wren house is so well described that I was afraid every moment I was there
the lore! I haven’t read a young adult book about a banshee before and the horrors felt fresh
the nods to art and literature were perfection!
the dreamlike, ghostly atmosphere of horror at the house
how the flashbacks slowly revealed more, cranking up the tension and giving dark academia feels

An absolute must read!

Thank you, NetGalley and Delacorte Press, for an advance review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily

Our Wicked Histories is much more Gothic than I usually read, but I loved it. The setting — from the estate to the lake to the folly — was so atmospheric and creepy. While the plot started out strong, it felt both dragged out and underdeveloped. I wish there was less time spent on flashbacks and more emphasis on strengthening the current timeline. There are still some moments I'm genuinely confused about; I'm sure the ambiguity is intended, but a little more clarity on some things would have tied things together in a stronger way.

Um, the gothic atmosphere in this one is IMMACULATE?!

Meg, our MC, gets a scholarship at Greyscotts, a fancy prep school. Once there, she’s welcomed into a circle of similarly arty friends. Her best friend has a cute brother who takes an interest in Meg, but when I tell you their relationship is not plain sailing. Things between them come to a head at an end-of-semester party, and Meg’s actions that night lead to her being cast out of the group. When she gets the chance to apologize a few months later, at her friend’s creepy Irish manor house, she takes it. But things do NOT go as planned.

I read "Our Wicked Histories" so quickly, like I flew through it. The chapters are short and end in cliffhangers, which is a style I like. I enjoyed how the author weaved in the story of how Meg came to be friends with everyone and all the drama that went down between them before the ball. Some of the writing in this book was so so beautiful, and I found Meg to be an engaging and sympathetic character.

If you’re looking for a book that will thrill you with gothic hauntings and is dark academia-adjacent, this is the book for you. It’s a perfect fall read and I will absolutely be recommending it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for an eARC of "Our Wicked Histories" in exchange for an honest review!

Our Wicked Histories is a stunning look at our own personal histories mixed with those who came before us. How places remember that history while our minds try to move on.

I loved the Irish folklore with Samhain and the Bean sí. The setting of the Wren’s ancestral home and the incorporation of Britain’s overlooked dark history with the Irish famine added the appropriate horror. I could have done without the school drama, especially Sebastian’s fickleness, but everything else was perfectly haunting and also informative.

This had all of Goldsmith’s signature atmospheric writing from her debut, Those We Drown. I love how deftly she weaves mythology and folklore into her modern-day tales. She’s crafting her place amongst YA gothic horror fiction and I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and Random House for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.