DNF at 70%. I really, really tried to like it, but essentially nothing interesting has happened. I also can’t figure out what type of book this: thriller, horror, magical realism?

Just because it wasn’t for me doesn’t mean it’s not for you!

Thanks to the NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my advanced copy.

This one was interesting, but in the best way. I wasn't sure how much I was going to like this one after reading the synopsis, but I highly encourage everyone reading this to check it out.
Not only did I love the overall Mystery and creation of the house, but this story was truly unsettling and addicting. I really enjoyed it!

Difficult to define but easy to enjoy, this book offers something to readers to horror, thrillers and drama. I loved the way in which the author built the characters, especially the relationships between the three childhood friends. Dark and intriguing, the author’s style and use of language is absolutely compelling.

I really loved this story. It was super creepy and went way beyond the typical haunted house story. I also really liked the addition of the Scandinavian folklore. Add in a taste of T. Kingfisher and you have The Drowning House. It’s interesting because there really weren’t that many characters. It was mostly Melissa and Leo, yet so much happened in the story! It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time, and I felt like I was there in the story. Cherie Priest absolutely has a gift for spooky writing, so if that’s your thing, go get this book!

Huge thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

Drowning house is a strong and propulsive horror novel, perfect for a summer poolside or beach read. The atmosphere in this book is thick as the northwestern fog, and I felt the damp and the dark and the pounding rain throughout.

When Melissa gets a frantic email from her childhood friend Simon that his grandmother has passed away, she hurries out to comfort him. Except when she gets to his grandmother's house, she finds her friend missing, and a mysterious new house washed on shore. Where did it come from? What happened to Simon. The answer to both questions is definitely nothing good, that's for sure.

Like many horror novels, once the nature of the threat becomes real, this one loses some of its magic, but I still very much enjoyed reading it, and it was cool to see all the dominos that Priest had carefully set up through out the first half pay off. We spend a lot of time with the environment and our two main characters, but there's a nice cast of supporting characters who I enjoyed so much I wish we could have spent more time with!

A worthy addition to your summer reading stack for readers who enjoy Lovecraftian inflected horror. I'd recommend for fans of Model Home, The Hacienda, or The Ballad of Black Tom.

I received an advance review copy in exchange for this honest review.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Drowning House by Cherie Priest from Net Galley & Poisoned Pen Press in order to read and give an honest review.

Simon Culpepper watches his one-hundred-year-old grandmother flee into the night while a violent storm rages. When he finally catches up with her on the beach, he finds her body, it appears she died from sheer fright. Further down the beach he also finds the shell of a large house that has been violently propelled ashore. In desperation Simon reaches out to his two oldest and closest childhood friends, two who cherished his grandmother as much as he did. Melissa receives both a silent voice mail and an email from Simon telling them about his grandmother’s death requesting her and Leo’s help. Melissa and Leo head out to the Island only to find that Simon has gone missing and has left no clues behind.

The chapters jump back and forth from Melissa and Leo’s POV and through glimpses of the past that tell a story that spans decades with crumbs that unveil the truth which intertwines, power, ancient Nordic magic, missing boys, and the deepest darkest family secrets.
A fan of Cherie Priest, I was not disappointed with this latest offering, she has created a novel to rival those of Stephen King and Dean R. Koonz. The Drowning House is a brilliantly written, cleverly plotted supernatural horror which wraps up with an epic, nail-biting battle. The characters are well-written, multifaceted, and realistically flawed, which, in my opinion, only makes them seem more authentic.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and found it to be an atmospheric, chilling, dark, creepy, and briskly paced horror novel which I devoured in one sitting. I highly recommend it.

*Thank you to Poisoned Press for the Arc**

This book is about Melissa, Leo and Steve as adults and kids. They have to be "friends" again after so long since The Drowning House appeared on the beach. This is also told in 2 different time periods.

The chapters are short and move quickly. I wondered what was going and it was different and interesting. It kept me thinking the whole time.

I enjoyed it and can't wait to read more by this author.

3.5✨/5 - rounded up

Like many others, the blurb about this book made me hit "request" SO FAST on NetGalley. It sounded so different with its "house wreck" that washes up and whatnot...

Honestly, I try to read fewer than 350 pages when possible because horror or thrillers should be able to tell a story within that page range. I made an exception with this one at over 400 pages and I feel like it could have been as impactful (or more) with about 100 fewer pages.

The overall story was great and quite honestly went in a direction I was NOT expecting and I always love when the seemingly "normal" story throws in a bit of the paranormal. Make sure to read the epilogue as it is a bit of a prequel that gives a little bit more insight into the house's history.

As always, thank you to NetGalley, Cherie Priest, and Poisoned Pen Press for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book in just a few days. The story line was very intriguing. For fans of thrillers with a touch or magic or supernatural storylines this is a book for you. I did feel it took a little bit to pick up but even at its slowest I still wanted to keep reading. As I look back at the book as a whole I find that most storylines were wrapped up pretty neatly! I felt there were a few moments that I don’t understand or thought might be slight plot holes but not enough to drop my opinion of the book. More so I myself had a problem suspending my disbelief not a problem with the book.

I thought the characters were interesting and had a wide range of character types. The setting is definitely perfect for a summer thriller or a beach vacation read.

I’d rate it 3.5 out of 5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Drowning House isn’t just your typical haunted house story. There are two houses with mysterious pasts. One has been resting on its foundation for decades. The other one washes up on the beach with no easy explanation for how it got there.

The Drowning House is a must read thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. Friendships are tested, memories are questioned, and nothing is certain.

I loved this book. It’s the perfect summer read. Many thanks to @poisonedpenpress and @skullsandpinkflamingos for offering an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #PoisonedPenPress for the book #TheDrowningHouse by #CheriePriest. This book is about a house that washes a shore and Simon disappears. Two of his friends, Melissa and Leo go out searching to find him. Along the way, they have many obstacles and paranormal things happening to them. How did this house wash away and can they find Simon?

Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and author Cherie Priest for this arc!

Childhood friendships, dark secrets, lots of crazy - creepy stuff, suspense and a big ol’ freaky house that just washes up on shore from the ocean. WHA the WHA?

This horror / thriller is a super slow burner of a story … until it isn’t! The author does a great job character building and setting the stage with lots of flashbacks and smallish reveals before you get fully dropped into the hot mess of present day … where the action really picks up as MCs Leo & Melissa work together to fight supernatural forces, right the wrongs of the past, find their friend who has disappeared and oh ya, survive . The atmospheric setting is perfectly eerie and the suspense factor is enough to keep pages flippin’ cuz ya just gotta find out what in the heck is going on! It’s a longish book, but didn’t feel like long ... it flowed nicely and kept me engaged all the way through!

I would have enjoyed maybe a shocker or a twist and maybe a few more questions answered at the end … but overall, a solid story that I ate right up!

Have you ever seen a shipwreck up close? How about a housewreck? A literal house that washed up ashore?? I haven’t seen both, but it would be fascinating and also scary to see one!

The Drowning House is a housewreck that suddenly appeared out of nowhere on a violent and stormy night. Mrs. Culpepper who lived nearby died after seeing it and her grandson Simon disappeared shortly after, but not before leaving a voicemail and an email to his childhood friend Melissa, who in turn called Leo (their other friend) for help. Both will need to set aside their differences if they want to find answers and solve the mystery surrounding the drowning house and their missing friend.

This is a unique kind of haunted house story. I love the sinister background with atmospheric setting, plus the friendship among the 3 friends, and even the constant bickering between Melissa and Leo. The book is a mix of horror and fantasy with mystery thrown in — a perfect weekend read that kept me glued to the pages from start to finish. Thank you @poisonedpenpress for my digital ARC.

Cherie Priest never disappoints! The Drowning House was a great, atmospheric read. The characters were well done and realistic and the story felt unique. The friendship the characters had felt real and honest.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY 🥳
✨ R E V I E W ✨
The Drowning House by Cherie Priest
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Houses fall into the Pacific Ocean all the time.
Not one has ever come back. Until today.

A violent storm washes a mysterious house onto a rural Pacific Northwest beach, stopping the heart of the only woman who knows what it means. Her grandson, Simon Culpepper, vanishes in the aftermath, leaving two of his childhood friends to comb the small, isolated island for answers—but decades have passed since Melissa and Leo were close, if they were ever close at all. 

This is the perfect book if you want to try out horror without gore!
It’s atmospheric, creepy, & mysterious.
Written in third person, alternating between past & present, which I am a fan of! This was such a fun one to read! & I will definitely be reading this author again!

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press, Cherie Priest & Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 🤍

The Drowning House by Cherie Priest is a thriller/horror novel with some paranormal elements that definitely gave me chills. There are dual timelines and multiple POVs within each timeline. In the flashbacks, Priest helps us understand the dynamic of the friend group which I thought helped round out their characters and relationships. In the present day, we follow Leo and Melissa, two-thirds of a childhood friend group that spent each summer together on Marrowstone Island, as they come together after their third childhood friend Simon disappears after the passing of his grandmother, Mrs. Culpepper. As they search for Simon, they slowly uncover secrets that Mrs. Culpepper tried to keep hidden, even if it killed her.

This book had so many things: a sinister house washed up onto the shore, a missing friend, cries coming from the corners, dramatic group dynamics, and some dark magic. The premise had me hooked! I enjoyed the pacing of the story and felt that it did a great job at holding my attention. Around 60%, things really intensified and took off from there. I loved the paranormal qualities of the story, but then the story took a turn I didn’t see coming. It was something I definitely wasn’t expecting, and I won’t say it was bad since I was still invested. But I felt like Leo and Melissa reacted pretty well and that they figured out a solution pretty easily. I also was left wanting more from the antagonist, needing more development and action from them. When I finished this book, I also had some unanswered questions.

That being said, I had a good time reading this one. I still found it to be an enjoyable read, having some qualities that I really did like. A couple of times while reading, I got the chills. If that happens, then it’s doing something right! The Drowning House is out today!

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc!

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press & Cherie Priest for this read and HAPPY PUBLISHING DAY!

The premise had me desperate to read it and I wasn't disappointed! It's intriguing, mysterious and unique! This paranormal horror/thriller is suspenseful and switches from past and present in multiple POVs. Friendship is a strong theme throughout and the bond between the protagonists can be felt. I loved the hunt to find answers and that I was following so addictively along with our characters.

If you're after a paranormal read that is suspenseful, with friendship as a strong base, contains some haunting moments and a unique premise - this book is for you!

I have to preface this by stating that I am a huge fan of Cherie Priest as a writer and as a person. She has written some of my favorite books and I’ve never not like something she’s written.

I was immediately drawn in by the opening — the storm, the tragedy of Mrs. Culpepper, the disappearance of her grandson Simon, and most of all the appearance of a house on the shore, washed up on the beach like a shipwreck. That is an amazing premise.

The story shifts POV characters and times, something which Priest does masterfully. When in the past, it feels like the story is told from the view of a younger person. Mrs. Culpepper takes on the mythic properties of one of your friends’ guardians (we all had that one adult that we respected but were also terrified of). This is drawn into the present where Culpepper’s presence is still felt by Melissa and Leo, Simon’s friends since childhood who have come to search for him. This is a well illustrated dynamic, as we see how the two act without Simon being there to act as a lynchpin.

Unfortunately this is portrayed a bit too well, as the characters come off a bit unlikable at times. While totally believable, there were times when I just wanted to shake the two of them.

This, however, was the one thing which I disliked. There is a great building of tension as the two dig deeper and deeper into the Culpepper family secrets. There is a nice sense of claustrophobia created by the storm which traps them on the island. The plot builds, with discovery upon discovery, until the end which I will not say anything about for fear of spoilers.

All things considered, another fine outing.

I love old-fashioned haunted-house-type of horror books, and this one lived up to the hype. The visuals are terrific, and the premise absolutely original! But it's not hard to see why I characterized the book as "old-fashioned": the plot is quite straightforward, without any shocking twists, the characters' concerns are always reasonable and their thinking sound, and though the characters themselves are one-dimensional somewhat, the dialogue is natural, and the prose flows like water. Once I realized what kind of book I was reading, I was drawn in and couldn't stop turning the pages till the whole picture made sense to me and I had some idea where things were going. Admittedly, there's a very strong sense of familiarity throughout, but the author has a specific story to tell, and soon the familiar horror tropes become solely her own. She manages to offer a complex narrative, even if sometimes she stresses too much the story's fantasy and magical elements, at least for a horror book. After all is said and done, however, the fact is that I enjoyed the book immensely, and will gladly check out the author's other works!

This book had such an eerie setting and I really wanted to like it. However, I was not a huge fan of the third person writing, and I thought it was a bit slow. I did enjoy the characters, but felt they fell a bit flat for me. Overall, a three star read for me.