I was happy when I started this one and it sucked me right in. Haunt Sweet Home is about a girl named Mara who takes a job working as a production assistant for a film crew that does a popular home renovation TV show with a cheesy paranmoral ghost hunter twist.

Mara's job ends up requiring her to secretly create scary sounds and effects at night to scare the people who are being featured in the show. It all seems pretty straight forward...until it's not and spooky stuff starts to actually go down.

This was a fun read. The writing was entertaining and was mystery with a side of silly, which I love. I wish it was a full novel! I haven't realized it was a short story until it abruptly ended and I wanted more.

3⭐️

This was a nice, quick read. Mara felt extremely believable burnt out 30+ year old trying to figure out how to get her shit together. I did enjoy how she went into this job offered by her cousin without asking any questions and then was so surprised about all it entailed. I liked that she was awkward and didn't make friends easily. Mara definitely got into her own way on multiple fronts and seemed to make everything she did harder than it needed to be. Even though this was a short novella, it didn't take long for things to get repetitive and I quickly got bored with the story. The ending also felt rushed after the repetitiveness as if there wasn't connection between where the story was and the end.

Thank you Netgalley and Tordotcom for providing this ARC to me!

Mara is a bit lost. She is not satisfied in her personal life, keeps trying and failing at committing to college, and feels practically invisible to her family. So when her cousin offers her an opportunity to work as an assistant on his popular haunted house renovation tv show, she decides to accept. After all, what does she have to lose? Mara soon finds herself as the person responsible for making the “hauntings” happen each night of filming, from producing mysterious fog in the forest to playing eerie sound recordings, all while trying to remain undetected. But as things on set become increasingly frightening beyond her own doing, Mara will have to question everything she knows.

I really enjoyed this weird little book! I really identified with Mara; I too am the youngest grandchild and always have felt out of place and in the margins around my extended family. My grandfather was also known for his carvings, just like Mara’s grandmother in the story. I loved the atmosphere built on the page for each of the “hauntings;” I could truly picture each scene in my mind (and would watch the heck out of a haunted house renovation show, by the way). While I did figure out most of the major twist early on, this did not detract from the story. I did find the ending to be a little underwhelming, but mostly it is the length that kept this from being a 5 star read for me. I feel that the storytelling would have been even stronger if it had been condensed into a short story or expanded into a longer novel; some aspects seemed repetitive while others went underdeveloped. Overall, this is a fun, fast, and spooky read perfect for the Halloween season.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

I snagged this one on NetGalley because the cover caught my eye and it sounded really good! It was an interesting but decent read. I enjoyed that it was short and I could read it in one sitting. The book is a little under 200 pages but is full of emotions and paranormal twists. I predicted the twist early on but I was curious of how it would all play out. I recommend i you want an interesting twist on a haunting!

I had started to read this book after failing to read Cherie Priest's "The Family Plot". This book delivered in all the right ways for a ghost story. I'm a huge fan of the "cozy horror" genre and really just want more books like this, maybe with a little more scare, just a pinch more though.

4.5 stars! I really loved this! This is a sweet little ghost story about a girl working as a PA on a reality, HGTV-type renovation show that revolves around "ghosts." There was nothing too incredibly surprising or deep, but I really thought it was perfect for what it was. I enjoyed the characters and thought they had an appropriate amount of depth for a book of this length. The storyline was fun and the book managed to keep me turning pages, even with the character reaching a sort of monotony in daily events. I thought the last 10% or so felt a bit rushed, but overall this was a great little read. I'd definitely pick up more from this author in the future!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the eARC, and for the opportunity to leave an honest, voluntary review.

Weird and atmospheric, this one was strange and unique in a fun way.

This is part identity crisis, part ghost story all set against the backdrop of a paranormal activity television show.

Our protagonist is untethered in life and accepts a lowly job working for her cousin. She will help create spooky settings behind the scenes for a haunted renovation show… That literally makes no difference to the story in the long run, which was a strange choice. A bit of a bait and switch considering we know from the get go that the “hauntings” are staged. In actuality, the way this book goes was fun and fresh. I enjoyed it!

Haunt Sweet Home centers on Mara, adrift and aimless, working as a PA on her cousin's home remodeling show "enhancing" the eerie atmosphere. Her family is dismissive, her coworkers are mercurial. She attempts to connect to a coworker, but can't see past her own jealousy.

Haunt Sweet Home is a good short story stretched out to novella length. It would've been better as a short story OR expanded into a longer story. Some plot points feel rushed and don't get the explanation they need. We understand Mara's struggle, but her reactions to Jo seem to come out of nowhere. The ending has a unique take on haunting that made reading it worthwhile.

Haunt Sweet Home from Sarah Pinsker is a fun little novella that blends reality TV, horror, and a bit of coming of age.

Mara is the youngest of all her cousins. She's aimless, having tried college several times, but still not committed to anything. When her celebrity cousin offers a night shift production assistant job on his home makeover/haunted show.

Mara is treated like a body. She's just told where to go, when to eat, where to sleep. It's fine, the job is okay- a little boring at times, but it's a paycheck. When the daytime version of Mara, Jo, shows up and helps terrify a pair of homeowners. Mara finally has a friend at work. Jo starts getting a tiny bit weird, and Mara is quick to separate herself. That is, until, the night in the library when Jo goes too far.
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This is a fast read. It's enjoyable and I couldn't put it down - reading way past bedtime because I wanted to see if Mara would ever grow up and become who she was always meant to be.

I feel like this is a haunted coming of age story. I almost hope that Pinsker returns to Mara and the ridiculous reality show, it's a fun setting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a little slow and not quite the ghost story I was hoping for. I wanted more creepy vibes, more eerie atmosphere. That said, the concept was new and I enjoyed the author’s acknowledgments where they shared the premise for the story. I’d have liked more meat to the reveal. I was left with weird visuals and half-structured ideas.

The premise of this book was delightful, but it seemed a little rushed in places. I really liked how the ending turned out, not quite what I was predicting.

A cozy horror that reimagines a popular trope of something going awry when trying to con a haunted house reality show.

It’s no surprise I was enthralled by Sarah Pinsker’s voice and story; what I didn’t expect was how cozy this haunting would be. But while it’s more concerned with human introspection and growth, it still delivers in the supernatural department. I loved this novel of a fake haunting turned real, and the characters who try to navigate its unexpected twists, turns, dead ends, and vistas. Definitely recommended.

The idea of the Unknown, are there such things as ghosts? Are all those Haunting shown on TV real?
This book is so different from what I usually pick up. It has around 9 chapter, it's short but definitely has an impact.
Mara, doesn't know what to do with her life. She feels left out at family dinners and always feels as if she's looking in from the outside. She's often forgotten about, and at times the bud of everyone's joke.
When she accepts a job as a night PA for her cousins TV show things begin to change.
I did like the approach the author took. Very different and fresh. You can sense the emptiness the main character was feeling. Always being pushed around, not really being included. It resonated with me. I was able to empathize with Mara. I pretty much figured out a bit of the plot, a bit predictable but I did enjoy the book. It's a good book to pick up on a October evening snuggled into a plush blanket drinking tea.

HAUNT SWEET HOME was absolutely delightful! Mara doesn't know what to do with her life, so she decides to take a job on her cousin's haunted house reality show. This show is, of course, faked, and it is her job to set up the tricks to make the homeowners believe that their house is haunted. The longer her job goes on, the more begins to happen on the sets that cannot be explained by her tricks.

While I do think this correctly falls into the horror category, it is definitely horror 'lite' and is more like a fun romp with a touch of paranormal activity than something that will scare you. I say this as a neutral statement because for someone who wants something to scare the lights out of them, this book is not it. However, if you are looking for a lighthearted, quick read, this will be perfect.

I enjoyed the writing styles, the main characters, and loved the plot concept. The pacing was perfect, giving enough depth to the context building and characters without ever dragging.

This would be a great book to pick up if you liked LOOKING FOR LOVE IN ALL THE HAUNTED PLACES by Claire Kann and something that I will not hesitate to recommend to others!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted eARC!

I really enjoyed this little coming-of-age horror novella about a young woman who takes a job as a production assistant on a ghost-hunting reality TV show and finds herself caught in the middle of some inexplicable events of her own. The main character was sympathetic and often relatable, and I loved the little details of her work days and her life, sprinkled liberally throughout. I did find the horror/ghost story elements relatively predictable (I was able to figure out most of the plot points when they happened), and I wish it had kept me on my toes a little bit more, but it was a fast and enjoyable read, and I’d definitely read more of the author’s work; I know she has a couple of backlist titles that have been on my want-to-read list for a while.

I've read a few of Sarah's titles and really enjoyed them all so far. This one was a fun, fast, and quirky read about a twenty something named Mara who takes an entry level overnight production assistant job on her cousin's haunted house reality tv show.

Taking the position gives her full behind-the-scenes access to what's real and what's not on these types of ghost haunting spin offs, and helps her to continue to avoid the bigger decisions she's been putting off, like what to do with the rest of her life. Even Jo, the mysterious floater girl who starts shadowing Mara out of the blue, makes digs about her lack of direction and passion.

Mara takes an immediate liking to Jo until, on a long weekend from work, she invites her to tag along to a family get together and Jo fits in with her extended family better than she does. Is it her imagination or does Jo do everything just a little better than she can? And is she losing it or does Jo even LOOK a little like her?

While not heavy on the horror, its definitely got some fun paranormal and ghosty stuff going on. A little cheeky, a lot of heart, and a really enjoyable afternoon read! If it's not hit your radar yet, you really should check it out!

Haunt Sweet Home is a kitschy reality show that the lost and wayward Mara gets a job on thanks to her cousin. Working the night shift has her involved in the hauntings of the homes featured on the show.
A ghost story that will take you by surprise with its heart, Home Sweet Haunts is a quick read that will stick with you.
For a more indepth spoiler free review check out my youtube video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6obljz3wCtw

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 HGTV but make it haunted, a brilliant concept that launched Jeremy to the spotlight and his cousin Mara behind in the shadows. When Mara takes a job as a PA for Haunt Sweet Home, she quickly takes over making some of those ghostly spectacles that are captured on the show happen. Obviously we can’t believe everything we see on reality television, right? But when strange occurrences arise, Mara is not only dealing with potential spirits on the set of the show but also from her past. Sarah Pinkser writes an absolutely beautiful tale about the ghosts we carry with us.

Review is on Goodreads and will be posted on instagram closer to publication date and on Amazon when published!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was fun, I thought the pacing fell a bit flat in certain parts, especially the big reveal kind of just happened, and there was no turmoil? I wanted more of a slow realization and digging. All in all a neat little ghost story