When I was in high school, I hosted way too many parties, so I was all in for this book. I mean the premise screams a high school graduation party gone wrong, and add in a haunted house. Sign me up! Sadly, though, this book didn’t work for me as much as I hoped it would. There are some spooky chapters but not as many scares as I hoped for!

🏚️ I loved the haunted house setting! If you want a creepy setting this one is on point. The house itself is a great character, probably the best part of the book if you’re looking for spookiness.
👻 The ghost story was really intriguing, and I loved how each story about the family that previously owned the house played into the book throughout.
👧🏾 I loved that there was a plus size, black female main character, and that’s all I can say about what I liked about Arden. She really ruined this book for me. From chapter one I really didn’t like her. She’s so narcissistic and doesn’t even realize how much her friends love her. She harped on her weight instead of being body positive. Plus, I thought Nathaniel was a really interesting character, and Arden couldn’t even see how much he loved her because she was so in her own head the entire book. I really wished she would realize the whole world didn’t revolve around her.
🎉 The party setting was set up for so much fun and drama, and I was here for it, but it got a bit overshadowed by Arden.
🏳️‍🌈 I have a huge heart for Remi and Hannah! Yay for LGBTQ rep! 💛
🩺 If I wanted a science lesson I would have stayed in science classes in high school. The medical jargon was overused, underwhelming, and unnecessary to the story.
🧑‍🧑‍🧒 While I was closer in age to Arden’s parents, I couldn’t relate to them spending all her college money on a dilapidated haunted house? Why would any parent do that?

💬 So overall, this book wasn’t for me. I didn’t love it, but I also didn’t hate it. I wanted more scares and less Arden. Ghost hands sucking people into floors and walls will give me nightmares, ghosts possessing people to dance will make me laugh and still be creepy, but give me more scares and less narcissistic main characters to hold my attention.

Thank you Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5, rounded up. 'Tis the season for a haunted house story, and this one starts off strong! I found Arden immensely likeable and particularly enjoyed her realistic relationships with her friends, her classmates, and her prior hook-up. The actual supernatural events are genuinely scary and creepy and kept me reading, so I was disappointed with the lack of payoff at the end of the book (so many dropped threads!). Regardless, it's a solid YA horror that I'd recommend for this month.

Lily Anderson’s Killer House Party offers a thrilling but somewhat uneven mix of teen drama and horror as Arden and her friends throw a graduation party in the eerie, abandoned Deinhart Manor. The novel has all the ingredients for a gripping YA horror: a creepy setting, a group of teens with secrets, and supernatural forces that turn the night into a bloody nightmare. The concept of an abandoned mansion with a dark past is engaging, and the party setting promises plenty of tension and scares.

The book starts strong, with Arden’s impulsive decision to throw a party in the mansion setting the stage for what could have been a great haunted house tale. The dynamics between the characters add a layer of intrigue, as each has personal reasons for attending the party, which slowly unravel as the night progresses. However, once the supernatural events begin—walls bleeding, doors locking, and terrifying apparitions—the pacing feels uneven. While there are some genuinely creepy moments, the horror often takes a backseat to the group’s interpersonal conflicts, making the story feel less urgent than it should be in a life-or-death scenario.

The main issue with Killer House Party is that it tries to balance too many elements—teen drama, horror, and mystery—which leaves the final act feeling a bit rushed and underdeveloped. Some of the scares are predictable, and the characters’ decisions at times seem questionable, which detracts from the suspense. That said, fans of teen horror will likely enjoy the book’s blend of slasher-style thrills and high school angst, but it may leave others wanting more depth in both the scares and the storyline.

Valedictorian Arden’s perfect future plan was a private college that guarantees medical school admission—is derailed because her feuding, divorced real estate agent parents spent the her tuition money on Bucktown’s notoriously haunted house, the Deinhart Manor, she’s devastated. Her two best friends, Remi and Maddy May, have a money-making plan to save her college dreams: charging admission for a graduation party at the spooky, abandoned manor. Her parents don’t even take her out to dinner after graduation. She gets the key to the Deinhart Manor so she can have a haunted house party and get it ready for the party. That way Arden will raise enough money to at least get through the first year of the private university. Her two friends arrive early as they plan to help the manor look perfect for a haunted house part. Unknown to them are terrifying ghosts and blood raining from the ceiling. Why are hands popping out from the floor? The party mood quickly changes once the teens realize the house won’t let anyone leave. Teaming up with her former fling, Nathaniel, Arden and her friends work together to figure out why the manor wants to keep them inside. Will they be able to figure out a way to leave the haunted house?

The author has written a classic horror novel. I enjoyed the haunted house “haunting” the party attendees. It’s creepy at times. The legends of the house that are. Given made the novel even better. It’s a perfect horror read.

This premise has all the makings of a good horror story. Unfortunately, it falls flat. Arden is a likeable character. The motivations of everyone involved works for me. I do like the twist in how to escape even if it’s a bit corny. I just wasn’t scared. The beginning starts off great and then I guess the fear factor fizzles. This isn’t to say that Anderson doesn’t have incidents happen throughout the book, there are plenty. I just wasn’t scared.

What could have been just fun dialogue between Arden and Nathaniel ended up with Arden always doubling down on how much she isn’t into him. It took away from the friendship factor. I liked Hannah, a secondary character in the cast. I just didn’t like Remi. As for Maddie May, I think because the author was trying to keep one secret about her, they ended up making Maddie May a bit surface level so that the reader isn’t that invested in her.

I was looking forward to a Killer House Party and instead it was a dud.

The premise was so unique and fun. Loved the idea of a grad party being thrown at an abandoned haunted house. Execution fell short for me.

This story was perfect for a spooky season. It's a younger YA haunted house story with a twist. It starts a little slow but leads into a fast-paced mystery horror. I highly recommend it if you have a few hours to devour a book.

Thank you to author Lily Anderson, Netgalley, and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

This novel was floating along at about 3 stars for me for most, despite a slow start, but the ending was very disappointing. It left plot holes and unsatisfactory answers. Yes, it was pure fiction, but there were still things that just didn't make sense or were unnecessary. The characters are semi-likable, but in a book like this, you really want to be able to root for the characters. Having said that, thank you for allowing me this copy!

DNF @ 57%.

I tried to give this book a chance. I was super interested and I love a good teenage party turn murderhouse, but I just was not interested at all. The 'horror' was trying too hard to be scary that it wasn't at all. I know it was probably supposed to be camp-y and obviously YA, but this just was not for me at this moment. Maybe I'll come back and finish, but I don't think I'll be picking it up soon if I do...

A party to die for!

When Arden's parents go behind her back and purchase a decrepit, supposedly haunted, mansion using her college tuition, she loses all hope. There goes her future career. There goes her dreams. She'll be stuck in this podunk little town forever. But one of her friends has an idea. It's graduation, and a ton of kids are about to be rolling in cash. Why not throw a party and give their classmates somewhere to spend their new green? And Arden knows exactly where to have the party. The one place every in town is dying to get inside: the Deinhart mansion.

What teenager hasn't wanted to have a party in a haunted house? So Arden and her friends spread the word, collect the cash, and throw a party to remember... That is, until a few of their classmates are murdered, the walls begin to bleed, and it becomes clear that someone or something doesn't want them to leave. Can Arden and her friends figure out how to escape the mansion before it's too late? Or are they doomed to become just another chapter in this house's haunted history?

Killer House Party was such an enjoyable read. I couldn't put this one down! I loved the witty and sarcastic dialogue. I thought the premise of this horror story was particularly good as well. The way legends about the house became reality was particularly intriguing. I wouldn't say this book was particularly scary, but it was thrilling. I found myself constantly desperate to find out what would happen next.

Ms. Anderson certainly has a way of eliciting emotion, at least for me. The rage I felt when Arden found out her parents had spent her college tuition was palpable. I could really picture myself in her shoes, desperate to do whatever it took to still be able to attend her desired school in the fall. It's easy to see why Arden was so hopeless. An eighteen year old needs to make $15,000 in a few months in order to make her tuition back? Nigh on impossible!

Overall, I thought this was an excellent YA horror and would definitely recommend it to others. I need to seek out more by Ms. Anderson!

Book Review of Killer House Party by Lily Anderson

Cover Story: Montell Jordan
BFF Charm: Peas in a Pod
Talky Talk: Spooky Silly
Bonus Factors: Haunted Houses
Factor: Gore
Relationship Status: Stay Cool

Cover Story: Montell Jordan
This cover is the perfect mix of unserious and spooky and gives off a vibe similar to those old timey movie trailers (?) where phrases would splash across the screen in a “thrillery” style font. (There’s likely an official term for those, but I have no idea what it is.) My only complaint? The stuff in the cup looks more like a thick chocolate ganache than it does blood.

The Deal:
Arden Lozano Flack used to have everything planned out. She’d graduate high school—as valedictorian—and then go off to a fancy university to study medicine. Eventually, she’d become Dr. Arden Lozano Flack, and she’d be happy.

But then her parents, Bucktown’s premiere realtors, buy the Deinhart Manor. With Arden’s college fund. And they make a plan for her to join them in their realty business, even though she has no interest in doing so. And then they split up, unable to collaboratively decide on what to do with the supposedly haunted mansion.

So Arden does what any just-graduated young adult needing to make money so her future won’t be completely ruined would do: Hold a graduation party in the mansion, and charge people for entry. Little does she know that the house has more in mind for the teens than just a wild night of celebration.

BFF Charms: Peas in a Pod
I get Arden. She’s envisioned a life for herself that takes hard work and a lot of sacrifice, and she’s well on her way to making it happen. But when a setback happens, she practically falls apart. She can’t see a way out of the mess, and so creates an even bigger mess by trying to force her path back onto the track she’d been going down. I was a lot like her coming out of high school. I had big aspirations and the overconfidence to think it was what I wanted. But once I got into college, I realized it was OK to fail. It was OK not to be the best at everything. And it was OK to lean into strengths, even if they might not be the ones you thought you needed/wanted. Arden has to experience something massively traumatic to come to this realization while I just had to squeak my way through a computer programming class. But she gets it in the end, and her life will be all the better for it.

Swoonworthy Scale: 2
Arden runs into her old makeout partner Nathaniel, whom she doesn’t really like. And not in an enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers sort of way; his need to constantly correct everyone and one-up everyone in conversation is annoying, to say the least. The two work together to beat the house, but reluctant friendship is as far as Arden’s willing to take things. (There’s a bit of romance from secondary characters, which is why I scaled it to a 2, rather than a zero.)

Talky Talk: Spooky Silly
Anderson has a great comedic wit that shines, even through a novel about gruesome murders and paranormal frights. Her characters always seem very real, and complex, with dialogue that’s as quippy—though not as unrealistic—as the Gilmore Girls.

Bonus Factor: Haunted Houses
I enjoy reading about haunted houses. Houses that are home to things “other.” Houses that cause people to do crimes. Houses that give off certain sinister vibes. Do I want to actually go into one of said houses? Absolutely not. But, like I said, they’re really fun to read about.

Factor: Gore
While I don’t have a problem stomaching paranormal violence and blood, and the gory scenes definitely add to the ambiance of the story, it might be too much for some folks. So this is a not exactly (content) warning. More of just a heads up!

Relationship Status: Stay Cool
While I would likely have chosen to go to Sober Grad Night at the high school over a party in the utterly frightening (even before knowing it was haunted) Deinhart Manor, Book, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy our time together. From behind the Kindle app. From the very safe comfort of my well-lit own home.

Like someone sitting in a movie theater yelling at the girl in the horror movie, I kept wanting to yell at this book with "Why? Why are you girls doing this?!" Of course throwing a graduation party in a notoriously haunted, abandoned how is a terrible idea. Of course, it's all going to go horribly wrong. And, of course, it makes for a great YA horror read. The reason I only gave it three stars is because YA horror is having an amazing moment. Compared to some of the other novels I've read recently, KILLER HOUSE PARTY didn't have the character depth and societal commentary that has made of the other stories feel more propulsive.

I was intrigued by the title, the cover, and the description of this book. The plot was actually very good. I love a spooky haunted house novel where teens throw a party and spooky stuff starts to happen. If you're looking for that, this is the book for you. Blood raining down from the ceilings, hands coming out of the walls and floors. Yup, this has it all. Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt Co Publishing as well as Lily Anderson for the advanced copy!

My first horror YA book! Twas a good one at that! Definitely kept my on my toes but was definitely a YA book. I'm not real good on adult horror so this was definitely in my alley. These get harder to review because you don't want to spoil anything. It was very inform jammed at first but 40% through it was more enjoyable! Perfect read for the spooky season!

A fun, entertaining YA horror. An interesting story centered around the Deinhart family and their haunted manor. Ardie's parents were totally selfish spending her college fund on a real estate investment. Ardie needing to raise money decides to throw a rager at said investment the infamous haunted Deinhart Manor. I liked the different myths, rumors, versions of what happened to the Deinharts and Deinhart Manor as told by different characters throughout the story. "What Happened to the Deinhart Family" are the only named chapters in the book which was a nice add to the main twist of the story. Realizing how the mystery was coming together was thrilling. I enjoyed how bright, intelligent and clever Ardie was. The scientific reasoning behind the haunting was nicely done. The banter among the characters was great. Ardie's sarcasm. Nathaniel was funny af. A great, supportive friend group. I spent a lot of the book being like omg, what is happening and where tf is Maddie? Bloody, satirical, funny, with diverse characters. I enjoyed Arden's body positivity but could have had less negative woe is me self talk. The life lesson was a bit cheesy at the end. Overall a solid, engaging YA horror for spooky szn with some fun laugh out loud moments.

This is a great book for spooky season. This is a YA horror novel that takes place in a haunted manor and it was a totally thrilling read.

I really enjoyed the diversity of the characters in the book and how they were unlikely allies against the house.

There were several different stories going on and I loved it. The horror plot line was so good. I’m a sucker for haunted house novels and this was full of terrifying ghosts and bloodshed.

I definitely plan to read more from this author.

This was a wild ride. What do you do when you're furious with your parents because they did a really crappy thing at your expense? You throw a house party in one of their empty properties for your entire senior class, of course! I suppose that tragedy shouldn't have been the farthest thought from their minds, considering the house they are throwing the party at is well known for its eventful and horrible past. They definitely were not expecting to die!!!

This killer party is just that, as the house and the ghosts that live inside begin holding hostage the party-goers, and worse... Now Arden is faced with saving herself and the lives of her friends when the house is out for blood.

This was such a fun time. I love how this mostly just focuses on the one night, the one party. There is A LOT that happens inside The Deinhart Manor and Arden is at the heart of all of it. This was fun and spooky, perfect for the Halloween season.

Honestly, if you're looking for a cute YA haunted house story with mild horror and teen related humor, this is a great fit for you.
It was a 3⭐️story for me. Something I enjoyed and appreciated for it's light hearted spooky fun and a nice palette cleanser between heavier books.
As always, I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an advanced ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had a super fun time reading this haunted house story!
Some things are going on in Arden's life, mostly with her parents, that make her decide to throw an epic house party at a place everyone wants to get into. Deinhart Manor. A place that has been shut from the public ever since the Deinharts died.

As soon as the party gets underway the crazy things start happening. At first, Arden thinks there's a logical explanation.. at least until one of her friends almost gets sucked into a wall. That evidence definitely pushes Arden to believe in the ghosts haunting the manor, and now it's up to her and her friends to figure out what the ghost wants, and how they will escape.

I knew from the first page that I would enjoy this book. I really liked Arden her friends I didn't love them at the beginning, but definitely liked them more by the end. The atmosphere was top-notch, and the plot was fast-paced. I didn't want to put it down and read it in one sitting.
I think this is a great book to start off the spooky season, and I look forward to reading other books by this author.

I am not much of a horror reader, especially not at night but this story was cool, unique and scary! Maddy May, Remi and Arden decide to host a party at the deserted haunted mansion Arden’s parents just spent all her college money buying! They are hoping that charging and entrance fee will help her make enough money back, what they don’t anticipate is that the house might want some payment of its own. The rumors about what happened in the house hundreds of years before are multitudinous and all a bit different but as the night wears on they learn the reality might be even worse!