We Came to Welcome You is a horror novel about the picturesque horror of suburban life, especially for queer couple Alice and Sol.

When Alice and Sol move into the perfect new home in the perfect neighborhood, life feels short- but only for a moment. Things quickly take a down turn and the neighborhood turns on Alice and Sol, making their life a nightmare.

Horror lends itself to create a commentary of the everyday world, and We Came to Welcome You is a prime example of the horrors that not only queer couples face everyday, but Black and Brown people face as well. The sociopolitical commentary was spot on and essential during these times.

The pacing of the book was off balance, which made reading the story feel a bit lopsided at times,

A queer couple buys a house in what can only be described as a cookie cutter cult. And it’s as white as it sounds.

Sol and Alice are newly married and ready to start setting down roots (ha). This gated community is idyllic, the people are ✨neighborly✨ …in the worst way. The streets are endless and eerie, the children seem to share one mind, and rotting bodies hang in the neighbor’s house. Or…do they?

Sol starts to notice things are amiss, but Alice, the superstitious one, is quick to shut her up in an effort to keep “that kind of stuff” out of the house.

This was a really interesting premise, albeit one that’s a bit overdone, but the same things kept happening and it fell flat really quickly because there was never any sort of explanations for the things Sol was seeing. So much of the plot was undeveloped that I lost interest in the story really early and kind of hate read the last 70%.

I really wanted to enjoy Sol as this flawed main character, but she really didn’t seem to change at all over the story, for the good or for the bad. She’s apparently a molecular biologist at Yale, but I didn’t believe that for a minute. Other than the issues of accused plagiarism she was dealing with at work, it’s never mentioned and she never thinks about it. Which is✨crazy✨ considering the unending stream of word vomit in her head. Her character development happens kind of suddenly towards the end, but it was confusing and unsatisfying. I think she would have been a really great character to read if she had been written more believably.

Ultimately, not my thing. I like horror but this wasn’t it.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Vincent Tirado's latest novel, We Came to Welcome You, opens with Sol and her wife Alice buying a new home in a cookie cutter neighborhood surrounded by too-friendly neighbors who try to pressure the two into signing their Homeowner's Association contract. Sol is already struggling with a probation from her position as a biologist at Yale when the neighborhood, its residents, and even her house seem to be pulling tricks on her. Alice doesn't seem as concerned, however, and continues the assimilate to the neighbors and their new home.

Even though the "Gets Out meet X" genre is a bit overdone these days, I thought this book had something fresh to offer in its commentary on identity and intersectionality. Sol's identity as an LGBT Afro-Latine woman isolates her from various spaces and makes her feel misunderstood even when she's with her own family. Readers can easily see predictable signs that something is not right in the neighborhood she's moved in to, but Sol isn't sure whether what she's experiencing is normal. This is common with people who regularly experience microaggressions—it becomes hard to discern harmful and benign interactions. Eventually, that person starts interpreting most interactions as harmful and stays in a state of stress and anger.

The pacing of the book was lacking—lagging and repetitive in the middle, rushed and unsatisfying in the end—but otherwise, I enjoyed the read. I especially recommended it to fans of The Honeys or One of Our Kind.

Sort of reminded me of Them on Amazon, just not as brutal and violent but still intelligent and terrifying.

Thought it was very successful in communicating its larger sociopolitical thesis without sacrificing the narrative whatsoever. Completely entertaining and engaging.

Sol is an Afro Latina professor at Yale, currently suspended after accusations of plagiarism. She had dreams of owning a home with a garden. Now she and her Asian wife Alice have moved into their home in a gated community. As the last boxes were unloaded, representatives of the HOA appeared at the door with a copy of the agreement to be signed. After reading the restrictions, including a ban on gardens, Sol refused to sign. Dealing with weekly visits to her homophobic father, the situation at work and anxiety, Sol has increasingly turned to alcohol. She often displays little patience with Alice and their relationship often seemed strained. From the moment they moved into their community there were ominous signs of things to come. In a perfect neighborhood with beautiful white trees in every front yard, their back yard has a seemingly dead tree that is more than it seems. Vincent Tirado mixes horror with his story of paranoia, racism and the pressures to conform. While he delivers on the creepiness factor, his ending seemed a bit rushed and left me wanting more. Rating this 3.5 stars, rounded to 4. I would like to thank NetGalley and William Morrow for providing this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC!

For a book that seemed to drag on, not a lot happened. I love a creepy neighborhood trope, but I had a hard time deciphering if it had too much going on, or if nothing happened. I found the characters incredibly unlikeable and was rooting for Sol and Alice to just get a divorce. The plot was promising and I liked that it had hints of horror sprinkled in with the Stepford wife theme, but sadly for me it wasn’t enough. The author did a great job setting the scene but unfortunately the characters made me really dislike the book.

I enjoyed the beginning more than the end which I felt really fizzled out but I can't say I loved the book. I loved the idea and what the book promised to be about but it was kind of flat. It was unsettling and there was a sense of unease throughout the book but then you really need a good pay out for all that I don't think we got one. I felt like there was a lot dropped subplots and themes that an editor should have picked up on. It almost felt to me like the book was partially written, put away for a long time and then picked up again with the author forgetting some of the foreshadowing they had written. It wasn't bad but I can't say I'd recommend someone going out of their way to read it either.

This is a suburban thriller that tried to do too much in my opinion. I am eager to read more from this author, but there were a few too many plot holes and moving parts for this one to stick out as memorable for me. That said, we chose this for our book club this past year and it made for great discussion! I just had higher hopes of enjoyment for this one.

I really liked the premise, but unfortunately this wasn't the book for me.
While I liked the characters, I had a hard time engaging with the story itself.
I'm sure it will be a good book for a different reader.

I REALLY wanted to like this book because I had enjoyed everything else that Vincent has wrote and I enjoyed suburan horror. However, this story felt like it was constantly setting up for something big to occur but it never really happened. I really wasn't a fan of the ending because again it felt like something big was going to happen but it really didn't.

3.25⭐️s
We Came to Welcome You is an eerie dive into the real-life horrors of HOA communities, white privilege, and loss of identity, mingled among some Body Snatchers-Happening hijinks.
There was a lot I liked about this, most of which occurred in the second half. The beginning felt like too slow of a build-up for me (Im impatient, so more of a me thing?). Tirado definitely does character development and eeriness well, as we experience a rollercoaster of emotions through Sol, while simultaneously being creeped out as she navigates the hellscape she finds herself in.
After trudging through the beginning, I felt the ending wrapped up too quickly. I was really enjoying the ever evolving developments within the community.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC!

I wasn't super crazy about this, but to be fair, it was never going to be my type of story. It was classified as a domestic horror or something, I think.
I really didn't care for any of the supernatural stuff and honestly, I zoned out quite a bit during the second half of the book.
I'm rounding up to three stars, which I believe is a tad generous.
Thanks to #netgalley and #williammorrow for this #arc of #wecametowelcomeyou in exchange for an honest review.

The premise was interesting but the story fell to come together for me. There were many plot holes, the story dragged in many places and I’m not sure how I feel about the ending. I understand where the story was going and the reason why but I don’t know that I liked it. It did make me sit with it for a while though.

I am so thankful to William Morrow Books, Vincent Tirado, and Netgalley for granting me advanced access to this galley before publication day. I really enjoyed the dialogue and plot of this book and can’t wait to chat this one up with my friends!

I heard that this was better on audiobook, so I think I will try it that way when I can. The premise of this book is so good. TI speaks to my soul. I love/hate friendly neighbors. Give me more of those.
I was not feeling this like I expected to but I am fighting a cold and dealing with my own weird issues so likely that is why. I just can't seem to get a book to get into my soul this week.
I will give this another go soon when I am not a mess.
Thank you for the ARC. I liked it. I just wanted to love it.

Sadly, this was a miss. I love social horror, I just could not get behind Sol. She was so negative and hard to empathize with, though I did really love the ending of this one. I also appreciate what it had to say about cutting ties with family members who are toxic, about the insidiousness of racism, and how hard it can be to have multiple identities that are not of the majority. I'd read this author again though!

I loved this book! I haven't read a book like this in so long. The diversity was everything I expected it to be in 2024. I found the horror elements to bit predicable in some areas while I was pleasantly surprised in other areas. Over all, it was a great read and a top read of 2024. Thank you Netgally for letting read this book as an ARC

A Touching Story with Room for Growth
We Came to Welcome You is a heartfelt exploration of grief, family, and the power of human connection. The story follows a young woman as she navigates the complexities of her family's history and the loss of a loved one.
While the author's intentions are admirable, the execution falls short in some areas. The pacing is uneven, with some sections feeling rushed while others drag. The character development is inconsistent, and some characters lack depth and complexity.
Despite these shortcomings, the book offers moments of genuine emotion and insight. The author's ability to capture the nuances of grief and loss is commendable. However, the overall narrative lacks the necessary tension and suspense to keep the reader fully engaged.
Ultimately, We Came to Welcome You is a sincere attempt to address important themes, but it falls short of its full potential.

Sol Reyes has had a rough year. After a series of workplace incidents at her university lab culminates in a plagiarism accusation, Sol is put on probation. Dutiful visits to her homophobic father aren’t helping her mental health, and she finds her nightly glass of wine becoming more of an all-day—and all-bottle—event. Her wife, Alice Song, is far more optimistic. After all, the two finally managed to buy a house in the beautiful, gated community of Maneless Grove.

However, the neighbors are a little too friendly in Sol’s opinion. She has no interest in the pushy Homeowners Association, their bizarrely detailed contract, or their never-ending microaggressions. But Alice simply attributes their pursuit to the community motto: “Invest in a neighborly spirit”…which only serves to irritate Sol more.  

That's enough to tell you things can not possibly go well...

I wanted to love this so much. First I loved the fact that the couple were married lesbians, a subject that just was not something that was in italics or bold so you knew. It just was.

I really like the character of Sol, she was the kind of woman I would befreind even with all her issues. The problem was the story just took to long to get to the good, meaty heart of it.

Just as it got good, it would peeter out and my interest would shift. it just never got to where it was heading. There were very creepy moments, then some silly Stepford Wives moments. But it never delivered on the promise it made to the reader.

Thanks to @netgalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I loved the concept of this book, but the story never really seemed to find itself and it missed the mark for me. I really enjoyed the character of Sol and what we learned about her; however, the pacing could be so daunting that even the most gut-punching emotional moments barely registered on my radar as I was eager to get into the meat of the story. There is some great characterization and sinister moments in the story, but I wish it had all come together much better.