Member Reviews
It's the dream home of your nightmares. Sol and Alice have moved into a home in a gated community. The day they move in, they are quickly greeted by members of the HOA, welcoming them to the community and dropping off the HOA agreement.
Alice is a successful marketing executive, while Sol, once a promising researcher at Yale, is currently on leave/under investigation for plagiarism. On top of that, her father is living in an assisted living home, and remains the overbearing homophobe he always has been.
Maneless Grove is not a normal gated community. Everything is a bit too perfect. Except for the strange little girl from across the street who does not speak, only stares into the distance and smells like rotten meat. The HOA contract is strict and the association members are too pushy for Sol's comfort.
Sol continues to find strange things around the house - a twig, a disappearing stair, an eye looking at her from a vent.... And then she finds a journal from a previous resident.
-----
This is a modern Stepford Wives + Get Out + Midsommer. It was weird, kind of scary, but nothing that was ENTIRELY brand new, plot wise. Still, I plowed through this one.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I was so excited to read this book because it was described as The Other Black Girl meets Midsommar and I really enjoyed TOBG. But I really struggled with this book because I did not like the main character, Sol. Sol (black, Dominican woman) and her wife, Alice (Korean American) recently move into a new neighborhood. Sol has recently been suspended from her job at Yale University due to suspicion of plagiarism. She's not in a good place mentally, her father doesn't accept her relationship with her wife because that goes against her Dominican heritage and she's an alcoholic. She's just miserable and it made me as the reader miserable too.
When they move into the neighborhood strange things begin to happen and it affects her relationship with her wife. She just becomes hyper focused on all the strange things and trying to figure out what was going on. When the twist is revealed it wasn't as climatic as I expected and a bit confusing too. Honestly I have questions but I'm not curious enough to find out the answers. Sadly this book was not for me but it had an interesting premise and a lot of potential.
Sol and Alice are the odd women out in their new community - in more ways than one. Sol isn't a fan, especially of the HOA but Alice is more of a go along sort of person until the creepiness amps up. And boy does it. This is indeed sort of a merger of the Stepford Wives and Get Out with a queer tilt and it explores the racism, homophobia, and nasty attitudes that can tip one over. In Sol's case, she's already drinking too much and now she's got to deal with this mess. She's a dynamic character who you've gotta admire for her determination. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. No spoilers from me but know that this has a more mellow ending than I expected.
Overall this was a very engaging and gripping book. There were parts that made it hard for me to follow… however I did really enjoy the read and the ending of this book
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this read in exchange for an honest review.
This was the 2nd book I read by this author. I was nervous because im not a big horror reader. However, I was excited to see that the author was coming out with another book. I really enjoyed this read. However, the ending felt rushed to me. I feel like it went from all this build up and rushed to an ending. Also, I thought the ending was just okay. Im not gonna lie I wanted Sol to beat them, not be a if you cant beat them then join them kind of character.
Also where was the information about the cult??? I was really hoping they were going to dive into that a little bit more. As well as diving into more about what happened to Sean and how Nadine was involved. They put so much emphasis on Sean's story line but I wish it was built out a little bit more.
The story was very good just wished the ending was flushed out a little more.
The beginning of this novel was so strong and the second act it was awful. Our main character makes assumptions of others by just straight up being racist towards white people. She spends 2/3 of the book throwing herself a pity party. Sol’s relationship with her wife didn’t even seem that great from the beginning, so trying to make a point later on in the book felt weird. It felt choppy. I did liked the journal entries in between chapters and some of the scary elements. It defiantly made me grateful not to have a HOA where I live.
If you like Jordan Peele, this is definitely for you. I was hooked on this book. I just really had no idea where this was going and I still ate this up. Similar to how I feel after anything Jordan Peele I’m not entirely sure what the fuck happened but I also appeal to that. It leaves things to the imagination and that’s always fun for me. That being said the main character could really be a downer, which in some weird way really added to the book. Definitely recommend for spooky season! It was the perfect level of creepy and psychological thriller. Thank you, @harpercollins and NetGalley for the read!
This one sounded really good but I felt it was a slow burn. It’s described as midsommar meets the other black girl, it definitely gives almost cult vibes but I just couldn’t get into the story.
Are you a fan of Ira Levin books?
Jordan Peele's horror films?
Looking for a slow-burn domestic horror/suburban thriller featuring a queer couple of color?
This may be for you...
Sol Reyes and her wife Alice Song have just moved into a seemingly ideal gated community. The hope is it will hell ease their work/marital problems.
Things are a bit off, though.
As Sol is attempting to navigate a damning university accusation, she turns to the bottle. Before long, she starts to fear the strange neighbors, their microaggressions, and a persistent "voluntary" HOA...
Makes you wonder if you really want to sign that contract...
This was a fun one, with some creepy vibes.
The ending will be polarizing, but worth an autumn read!
This book brought out a kind of suburban horror I didn’t even know I was looking for. Maneless Grove is as unsettling as it gets, with its pushy Homeowners Association and neighbors that just feel off. Sol’s growing paranoia and the creepy happenings in the community keep you hooked and on edge. The mix of social commentary on racism and the eerie atmosphere adds a unique twist to the horror.
Even though I was drawn in, the pacing dragged in a few spots and some character development felt lacking. The ending came a bit too quickly for my taste, leaving me wanting more clarity. Still, it’s a gripping and unsettling read that sticks with you.
I really loved this book! It felt like a cross between the movies Get Out and 1BR (which, if you haven't seen 1BR, go now!) I loved reading the perspectives of a Black Latina woman and a Korean woman. This book kept me interested and questioning everything right up to the end (with a very satisfying resolution).
Thank you to Net Galley, William Morrow Publishing, and the author for this ARC.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I could never guess where things would be heading next, which in my opinion, is an indicator of a great story within this genre. The author set up each unsettling aspect in ways that had my own brain scrambling to understand it all, much like the main character. Speaking more on that, I absolutely adored Sol's character and found that I related to her in different ways; as someone who also struggles with anxiety, I thought that the description of the anxious mind overthinking and sometimes paranoid thought process was spot-on and added to the tension that the plotline was creating. I was truly on the edge of my seat with this read, and it propelled me through until the very end! I would recommend this book to those who love a good mystery and who want to be hooked from the very start.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
I was a big fan of Vincent’s debut book and I was excited to see an adult book coming out by them. This deals with a Get Out/ Stepford Wife’s situation where a community is not as perfect and glamorous as it seems. Vincent’s use of suspense is very spot on. It deals with everyday horrors of racism and homophobia while also dealing with creepy neighbors who want you to conform. Vincent does write horror very well and I’ll be looking forward to more YA and adult projects!
Sol Reyes is looking forward to moving into a new gate community with her wife, Alice Song. It's been a difficult few months professional coupled with regular, frustrating visits with her elderly father in his nursing home - Sol needs something to feel like it's going right.
But even on move-in day, the neighbors of Maneless Grove seem bit to . . . involved. They show up while they're moving in with a Homeowners Association contract, have a hard time realizing Sold and Alice have different last names, and oh the microagressions! But as these annoyances start to turn dangerous, Sol begins to wonder if there isn't something more nefarious going on. As Alice starts assimilating into the neighborhood, Sol keeps digging trying to find out the history of their house and the truths of Maneless Grove.
While an enjoyable story overall, I found the ending a bit challenging to follow exactly what Sol was doing after learning the 'why' behind Maneless Grove and thoughts some story lines weren't resolved to the extent I would have liked. Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow publishing for providing me a e-book copy of this book! #WeCametoWelcomeYou #NetGalley
I have mixed feelings on this book. I loved the horror aspect of this book. It was super creepy and I really enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on in the neighborhood. The story was just a little slow. It also felt like there was more of an emphasis on racial issues than the actual horror story.
I was really down for the creepiness of this book.The house and neighborhood were just so off putting! However this is a slow burn to not a lot of payoff and that was very disappointing and this book was in my top 5 anticipated this month.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.
Unfortunately, this book was not my cup of tea. I was first drawn in by the enticing cover, and even though it was billed as a horror novel, the plot didn't sound *extremely* scary to me, so I decided to give it a shot. Unfortunately, this book didn't meet my expectations, and it did end up being too creepy for me (personally). It just left a bitter taste in my mouth. I am slightly upset because I really do enjoy a good domestic thriller.
Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.
********
If you are interested in seeing more of my reviews and other content feel free to connect with me here <3:
https://linktr.ee/bookreviewsbyjules (links to my Instagram, Goodreads, TikTok, Storygraph, My blog and Substack newsletter, etc)
If you are a publisher or author who has questions about my reviews (as well as questions about my stats, reach or engagement), please free to email me. I am also open to requests for book reviews from authors or publishers. Thank you again for taking time to read my review, and I hope you have a wonderful day!
We Came to Welcome You felt like Get Out and Stepford Wives melded together. A queer couple moved to the neighborhood of their dreams, only to find out their neighbors are from hell.
TW for racism and homophobia, but the social commentary on these tough subjects is really good.
The downside is the book fizzled out. It felt like all of the built up suspension never comes to any kind of head, and then the book just ends. Worth a read, and other readers may feel differently than I do about the ending.
When Sol and Alice move into the Maneless Grove housing development, Sol is at a rough patch in her life. But the new, cute house in the spotless neighborhood doesn’t cheer her up - in fact, it creeps her out. From her new neighbors’ micro aggressions against the gay, interracial couple, to their increasingly strange behavior, Sol can’t shake the feeling that something is dangerously wrong in the community. But Alice not only dismisses Sol’s concerns, but she begins acting strangely herself. The more Sol finds out about her new home, the more she knows she has to get her and Alice out. The question is how to do it safely. If it can be done at all.
This book was compared to “Midsommar” and “Get Out” by the description and other reviewers, and I can’t help but agree. There’s just the growing sense of dread that begins and grows and grows……muahahahaha. I won’t say any more.
Anyway, the book was very well written, and I was really impressed with how easily I was pulled into the plot, which moved along smoothly and just ramped up slowly, and set the perfect scene for the big punches that landed at the perfect times. That timing was what really made this book great. It just dropped these big moments in, sometimes casually, sometimes with a bang, but always with the perfect tone to move the plot along to where it needed to go. It was great.
And the ending was a banger. Perfectly on point.
However, the amount of emphasis Sol put on her identity and how hostile everyone else was to her became overwhelming at times. I’m no stranger to feeling like an outsider at times (It’s been a rough year, people.) But not every person in the world is out to insult you or make you uncomfortable. It got tedious when Sol couldn’t have a conversation with someone without assuming that they were talking down to her or being rude.
But honestly, I genuinely did like this book. It was a truly creepy, twisty read with one heck of an ending *wink*. Pick this one up if you’re looking for something different, but not if you’re about to move. You might end up tearing up that contract, lol.
I received a free copy of, We Came to welcome You, by Vincent Tirado, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Sol and her wife Alice, moved into a gate community, and thought everything wad going well. Sol is accused of plagiarism, which leads to day drinking, and her HOA is crazy. I thought it was a slow burn of a read, but I did not care for the language.