I initially really loved this story and it has SO many components that I was excited about. Queer, domestic horror, with a hint of supernatural and a mirror upon society. I think this book started off so strong but as it went on, it began to fall off for me. The story became a bit too repetitive for me, with the same type of situation happening over and over again. I think Sol is a fantastic MC, and I really loved the way her brain worked as she's trying to parse through that's happening to her, but the repetitive components had me losing interest. I found my mind wandering while reading and becoming less and less invested in the story.
Unfortunately I ended up not finishing this ARC, but it's a story that I want to come back to in the future. I think the theme of racism and it's overarching implications throughout the story was really well done and I think the tension within the story between characters was fantastic. I think the pacing could have been sped up and the book could've been shortened a bit and it would have hit a little different. It's unfortunate because I really enjoy this author, however this book just fell flat for me and ended up being a DNF. Normally I would not put a star rating on a book a DNFed, but due to this being a NetGalley ARC I'm required to. 3 stars because I really enjoyed the themes and where the story was going until it fell off for me.

THIS BOOK HAUNTED ME. I am obsessed with this. This was the first book, ever, to give me legit nightmares. I felt so weird and suspicious in real life because of this book. Deeply unsettling.

Oh my Gosh! let me take a breather here. This was not what i expected but dang did I still really liked it. I am so grateful to have gotten suggested this book.

All I have to say is I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book! Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

Since _The Other Black Girl_ and _Midsommar_ are two of my very favorite pieces of media, I could not wait to see how they came together - per the description - in this adult debut from Tirado. While there are some obvious elements of both here and this book is engaging enough, for me, it is missing the magic of both of the aforementioned creep outs.

Alice and Sol move to a typical suburban dwelling where they have nosy neighbors, an aggressive homeowners' association, and the opportunity to own a home in a way that feels like a real chance at a status shift. The possibility of the latter distracts them from the dangers of the former, though, so it's much clearer to readers that there are major problems brewing than it is to the two folks actually struggling to survive in this environment. Out of two, it's Sol who takes center stage early on, and between the bizarre work drama, repeated recollections of past familial trauma, and growing awareness of the changes in her wife, it's clear that this new environment is not changing her for the better. Sol's perceptions and trajectory are the joint highlight of this piece.

While Sol is an intriguing character, the pacing is a bit slow, Sol's memories grow repetitive at times, and the great villain - the homeowners' association - is just not as effectively frightening as the evil neighborly community is in so many other similar novels. Having lived in a homeowners' association for 25 years (it's compulsory in my region), I'm also fascinated by the ongoing concern about whether or not they should join. Since the purchase of a home requires this in my area, I found myself getting unnecessarily hung up on the idea that they even had an option (which naturally makes this seem like a less frightening circumstance than my own real life!).

The concept is great and there are sinister and chilling aspects of these characters and their environment, though there are other efforts that hit the goals with more vigor.

At no point when reading this did I find it to be a terribly enjoyable book. It hits you with the creepy aspect really early on, never changing in intensity, just staying the same vague creepy level. I couldn't even pinpoint a climatic moment if I tried. The ending was quick, sad, and disappointing all while being very poorly explained. The twist at the end was popped in very quickly and not super clear as to what was happening.

I have no issues with the depictions of characters, they were well described and flashed out and full of culture. But the plot is severely lacking in every way.

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. Sol is having a tough time in her career and personal life, but things start to look up when she moves with her wife, Alice, to a prestigious community. The Homeowners Association in the community, however, rubs Sol the wrong way and she notices all sorts of oddities. When strange things start to be noticed by Sol, and she figures out why they were able to get their house so easily, Alice begins to wonder if Sol is not suffering mentally. This book was definitely creepy, with a lot of psychological horror. Not my normal go-to, but if you are looking for a book to set some eerie tones, read this during those darker months to add to the feeling. There is a lot of unease and dread built up with this book, so that ability by the author was appreciated. Also, as an aside, this book is socially relevant due to sexism, racism, etc. in this book. Only issue: this ended kind of quickly for such an atmospheric build up.

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

If you are looking for one creepy, bizarre, disturbing book then you need to read this.
Sol and Alice buy a house in a gated community. Once they get there the neighbors are pressuring them to join the HOA. Things seem off with the house and the neighbors as strange things start to happen. This gave off such creepy vibes the whole time and reminded me of stepford wives. The HOA controls everything you do and they seem to know everything about you.


Sol hearing voices was so disturbing. She is hiding so much from Alice. She wants to make this marriage work.

There were so many creepy, bizarre, disturbing things going on in this book that it is hard to describe.

The cover of this book was absolutely the best. Hands down snagged me right away. I sat down and enjoyed this book throughout the weekend and was not disappointed with this. Alice and Sol move into a new home, new neighborhood and things start to look a little off, not be quite what they seem. This book gave an eerie, creepy, darkness is looming vibe that I was loving. I enjoyed the characters as well as the plot, the storyline kept you turning pages following the twists and turns and the ending was so good and I definitely didn’t see it coming. I was very pleased to find a new favorite author.

Thank you @netgalley , @williammorrow and author for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

The book centers around Sol Reyes and her wife, Alice Song, who have just moved into a new home in a gated community. Sol's life has spun out of control as she is put on probation at her university lab for a plagiarism accusation, and she has a growing dependence on alcohol. They grow suspicious of their overly friendly neighbors and the intrusive Homeowners Association. Strange and terrifying events begin to happen. Sol's paranoia intensifies while Alice attributes Sol's growing anxiety to her drinking. The turning point comes when Sol discovers a journal from a former resident and sheds light on the true nature of Maneless Grove.

The author does an excellent job of writing some gruesome imagery and the loss of sanity. Sol had a difficult childhood and hid her true identity. Her internal battles and external conflicts have a psychological toll, like her slow rejection of the community, which has the same effect on her mind and body. Some body horror and eerie atmospheric elements will cause the reader to shutter.

I also thank the author for excellently exploring microaggressions and oppressive social norms. The community's insistence on a "neighborly spirit" becomes a chilling metaphor for enforced conformity. The differences between Alice's life experiences and optimism play well against Sol's macabre witness. The book was a standout addition to the horror genre, leaving readers to ponder the unsettling question of what it truly means to be a "good neighbor."

I received an ARC ebook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow.

We Come to Welcome You is a steady-paced suburban horror story that delivers psychological horror. I would place it somewhere between Midsommar meets The Stepford Wives in terms of vibe and tone. Tirado writes a good mystery here, with a plot that keeps readers guessing up till the very end. Where We Come to Welcome You loses some points for me is the ending. It was abrupt and left feeling a bit let down.

As a person of color in a 99% white neighborhood I really wanted to like this book, but all in all, it didn't quite work for me. Sol and Alice are a queer couple and people of color who move into a very Stepford Wives-type gated community. All the houses are alike, the neighbors are pushy, and on top of that, weird stuff starts happening.

Alice is the type of partner who dismisses all the worries and fears their spouse is feeling, and that's her main characteristic. The endless microaggressions, the overbearing behavior of the neighbors - whom I had to keep looking back because I couldn't keep track of them - Alice just wanted for Sol to stop taking it all so seriously. Needless to say, I didn't like Alice much.

Sol is awful in her own way, and didn't make for a main character I could root for, which left me with a book full of negative characters.

I think I really liked this concept of this book more than the execution. A BIPOC Lesbian couple move to a neighborhood where all is not as it seems. When Sol starts seeing things, we question what is really going on in this neighborhood and with the people living in it. I spent a lot of time going back and forth between being spooked, confused, and unsure of where the book was ultimately heading.

I liked some aspects of the story but then others left me wondering too much about it.

Overall I rate this 3.5 stars and would recommend it in conversation with some other books like Nicola Yoon’s One of Our Kind and Alyssa Cole’s When No One is Watching.

I will not publically rate this as I was not able to finish the book. I was looking forward to reading this title even before I saw it on the NetGalley website, but I was disappointed when I actually read it. The blurb describes it using the titles of existing properties for good reason, as it does not feel like it is just rehashing points already made in other properties. It does not seem to have much original going for it. Some of the visuals were cool (I liked the creepy tree behind the house and weird silent children) but other times, like with people's moving shadows, the spooky stuff was way too explicit way too soon. Mostly it was okay, but this subgenre is already becoming oversaturated and there are much better titles I would recommend to someone over this book.

I've been waiting all day to leave this review! Let me get my negatives out of the way, so I can then rave about what I loved because I did, for the most part, love this book!

The amount of italicized words bothered me. When they were used for Sol's thoughts, no problem, but the repetitiveness of emphasized words got me super distracted at times - to the point where I'd stop reading to count how many were on one page. The only thing that affected my rating slightly was the ending. Well, not what happened, but how abrupt it was. There was soooo much buildup, then over quickly. I didn't have any unanswered questions, however, I felt like it was missing a chapter between the last 2.

The good stuff - The whole idea behind this was incredibly creative. I struggle with horror novels because a lot of themes seem more silly than anything, but this felt refreshingly terrifying. The suspense was AMAZING! It had me turning pages until I finally finished at 2:00AM. I couldn't stop!
Not only were the strange events & neighbors creepy as hell, but even the psychological aspect made me uneasy (in the best way) because I could so closely relate to Sol's social anxiety, being a "loner," and having to deal with homophobia. Yes, I wish the ending had a bit more excitement, but this book had me hooked from start to finish. It was such a creative, well thought out, unique book. Bravo to Vincent Tirado & thank you to NetGalley & William Morrow Books for this ARC!

I had very high hopes for this book upon reading the summary. I love a domestic horror, and the setup of this was quite promising. However, the messaging and motivation here were extremely muddled. The buildup was intriguing, but the payoff didn’t quite measure up. I’m still a bit confused about what was actually happening in this neighborhood- a lot of clues didn’t seem to end up solving the puzzle that was the ending.

This is a wonderful adult debut, very much in line with Vincent Tirado's YA novels in terms of the focus on social commentary and historical information about white racism and violence. It's hard to read at times if you're like me and have issues with a focus on gaslighting, but since that's the premise of the book, it certainly makes sense that it's a focus.

I liked this book. I found it to be interesting, but it wasn't overly creepy. I liked the role that Sol and Alice's cultures played in the story.

This was rightfully creepy yet current but the plot did tend to drag at certain times. I still enjoyed it overall.

Sol wanted the move to work, to help salve her crushing anxiety while her career is possibly ending and a possible drinking problem hurting her marriage. She wanted it to work, she wanted it to be a good thing, but as soon as she moves in with her optimistic and charming wife Alice, the house shows its true, creepy colors.

More unsettling than the house is the Homeowners Association, the HOA, that are hell bent on getting Sol and Alice to sign their predatory contract. Members of the community try to win them over, but as Sol shows her independent nature, the more they show their racism and homophobia.

Making things worse, Alice doesn’t seem to notice anything wrong with the house and Sol’s insistence on what she’s seeing only serves to further damage their marriage.

There’s something the vents with eyes. As the only normal neighbor walks up to their second floor, a stair disappears, and she falls to a terrible injury. Sol tries to find the parents of the creepy child next door, but upon looking in their window sees the worst possibility – but then it disappears when she calls for help.

Sol seems to be on her own against this strange, horrifying place, and she doesn’t know how to make it out alive – or if she can save her wife.

This book was a perfect representation of anxiety, especially felt by someone from a marginalized community. This accurate portrayal coupled with the supernatural events work well together and the elements support each other.

Sol is a great character, her complexity and struggle against the horror was sincere. It was so sincere that the constant rising tension almost made me want to stop reading. There were a few times I said to myself, “Can Sol get a single win here?” But it shows the author’s talent that I couldn’t put the book down despite that.

It seemed like Alice was the reason Sol didn’t leave the house, but Alice herself is not a character I really felt very attached to. This does make sense in the story, and Alice is a very well written character. But I wish the relationship could have had more positives.

Overall, a recommended read! Pre-Order now for September 3, 2024

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