It's not really a review because I stopped reading after 23%. I am an impatient reader, and this book seemed to be meandering.
I requested this book. I loved the title and the cover, and the blurb seemed intriguing. It starts well, and the prologue builds pretty strong intrigue. The writing is neat and nice, but I didn't like the storytelling. It's too descriptive; it tries too hard to create that eerie ambience. I couldn't connect with the main character (and couldn't pronounce her name), or any character for that matter).
As I said, the writing is good, and the premise is literary, as the title of the book suggests. However, it failed to grip my attention.

Thank you for the ARC.

Christa Carmen’s Beneath The Poet’s House entices from page one with the set up of Saoirse White, a woman with a complex past and a recently deceased husband starting fresh in a house formerly owned by the poet and spiritualist, Sarah Helen Whitman, who Edgar Allen Poe courted. The gothic shadows loom in layers with mysteries of the house itself, Saorise’s past, and her new found friends who are a group of transcendentalists.

The complex story unfolds as we get to know the handsome award winning author and a romance begins. But the shadows only deepen from there and when the rollercoaster starts to ride the pages turn while we begin to pray that Saoirse will make it out alive. With the sprinkle of horror, Carmen infuses the macabre of Poe into the gothic thriller, riveting the reader to the end.

I must add that Bram Stoker Award Winner Christa Carmen’s detailed research adds a really lovely depth to this multi-layered story which is a thrilling delight from start to finish.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

Christa Carmen does gothic thrillers immaculately every time. It’s one of my favorite genres and is so hard to get perfect but she does. The Daughters of Block Island was one of my top books last year so my expectations were high for Beneath the Poets House and they were met!

You know you’re in for a wild ride when within the first chapter, the main character moves into a gothic house next to a cemetery and finds 3 people holding a seance in the basement.

I loved all the Sarah Helen Whitman and Edgar Allen Poe tie-ins. The way Saoirse’s life begins to parallel to Sarah’s as she’s living in her house and meets a writer whose life strangely parallels Poe’s.

This was such a nerve wrecking ride and I loved (almost) every second of it. Some parts at the end dig drag on and get a little silly but it didn’t take much away from the overall book.

4.5 ✨ rounded up 🐦‍⬛

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

I’m actually blown away at how much I loved this ARC. I usually stray away from books with a ghostly, supernatural edge to them but this totally worked with the setting and the story. A must read for a well-crafted plot and New England vibes.

I also enjoyed learning a bit about Sarah and Edgar’s careers, as well as their relationship. I’m all for history infused thrillers 🙌🏼

After the death of her husband, Saoirse moves into the historic home of Sarah Helen Whitman in Providence, RI. She keeps running into a man around town who reminds her both of her dead husband and of Edgar Allan Poe, Whitman’s one-time fiance; the two seem to have an instant connection and start spending a lot of time together. Soon, she finds herself experiencing uncanny similarities to Whitman - could it be a residual haunting, or is it something even worse?

I wanted so badly to love this book, and there were parts of it that really hit the spot - the descriptive writing that transports the reader to the graveyard behind Saoirse’s house (and other spooky settings) and the weaving in of Whitman’s and Poe’s histories and poetry. I even liked Saoirse’s kooky friends, who she meets when she finds them having a seance in her basement.

But there were a bunch of things that really didn’t sit right with me - specifically, the romantic relationships. I wanted more mystery about Saoirse’s past and what happened to her husband - it was immediately clear to me, and I would have liked to be kept guessing for longer. (He also couldn’t have gotten a JD from Princeton, which does not have a law school.)

But more importantly… to watch as women ignore red flags and explain away abuse is just not enjoyable to me, even when it achieves something for the plot. After seeing what the (eventual) villain gets up to in the second half of the book, I really wished that he hadn’t had such a connection with Saoirse; the plot could still work if she and he had been strangers. I guess having it be so emotionally charged was helpful to the story, but it felt like too much to me. Sarah Helen Whitman was a formidable woman eclipsed by a man (Poe) and unfortunately Saoirse seems to suffer the same fate.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy, in exchange for an honest review.

WOW. Christa Carmen has done it again! This book was brilliant. If you need an atmospheric, gothic, suspenseful novel - this is it. The author has such a magical way of transporting you into her stories. I loved Saoirse and following along with her while she navigated her grief, new friendships, and her return to her craft. I don't typically reread books, but this is one I will absolutely read again on a cozy, chilly weekend.

Wonderful gothic thriller! The plot and pacing in this book were so well done as are the characters. I do recommended to those who are looking for a different type of fast paced thriller.
Thank you NetGalley.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Christa Carmen’s Beneath the Poet’s House is a spellbinding thriller that seamlessly blends gothic horror with psychological suspense. Set against the eerie backdrop of Providence, Rhode Island, this novel explores the haunting legacy of the past and the dark secrets that lie beneath the surface.

The story follows Saoirse White, a grieving novelist who moves into the historic home of Sarah Helen Whitman, a 19th-century poet and spiritualist once courted by Edgar Allan Poe. Seeking solace and inspiration, Saoirse is drawn into the enigmatic world of Whitman and her fervent followers. As she begins to uncover the house’s hidden history, Saoirse’s own past resurfaces, intertwining with the present in chilling and unexpected ways.

Carmen’s portrayal of Saoirse is poignant and compelling. Struggling with the loss of her husband and a crippling writer’s block, Saoirse’s journey is one of self-discovery and resilience. Her interactions with the eccentric trio of transcendentalists—Lucretia, Mia, and Roberto—add a layer of mysticism and intrigue to the narrative. The introduction of Emmit Powell, a charismatic Pulitzer Prize-winning author, further complicates Saoirse’s emotional landscape, leading to a series of revelations as shocking as they are inevitable.

The novel’s setting is richly atmospheric, with Carmen’s descriptive prose bringing the haunted house and its surroundings to life. The sense of place is palpable, from the tucked-away rose garden to the forgotten cemetery at the back of the property. This gothic ambiance enhances the suspense, making the reader feel as though they are walking alongside Saoirse through the shadowy halls and hidden rooms.

Carmen excels at creating a sense of unease and foreboding, with each chapter peeling back another layer of the mystery. The pacing is expertly managed, building tension and keeping the reader engaged until the very end. The twists and turns are well-crafted, ensuring that the story remains unpredictable and thrilling.

Beneath the Poet’s House is a masterful thriller that will captivate fans of gothic horror and psychological suspense. Christa Carmen has crafted a tale that is both haunting and deeply human, exploring themes of grief, identity, and the enduring power of the past. This novel is a testament to Carmen’s skill as a storyteller and her ability to create a world that is as mesmerizing as it is terrifying.

Well written thriller with some gothic horror thrown in. I really enjoyed Beneath the Poet's House and found it to be a quick and entertaining read with just the right amount of horror in it for me. The premise was interesting and I always love having a story with Poe references in it. There were some good twists and surprises and would recommend. I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved my first experience with this author's writing when I read The Daughters Of Block Island last year; its gothic and creepy vibe perfect for Halloween month. Christa Carmen's newest story Beneath The Poet's House promised to have that same vibe, and it's an Edgar Allan Poe inspired bookish gothic thriller plot at that! I simply couldn't say no to this story after I read the blurb, and I decided to read it during October as it seemed so fitting for this time of the year. I'm definitely glad I read it a bit early, because it ended up being exactly the creepy, ominous and atmospheric gothic/paranormal thriller read I was craving!

I'm going to keep this review short to avoid spoilers, because Beneath The Poet's House is one of those books where it's best to go in blind. What I can say that it is an extremely atmospheric read; the Providence setting makes for a perfect backdrop of this gothic story and I LOVED the many references to Edgar Allan Poe and Sarah Helen Whitman and their lives/work. This story is based on historical facts, which really took the story to the next level for me. The author even explains which parts are real and which parts are invented after the story ended... And it made me want to know even more about both authors.

Like I said, it shows that Beneath The Poet's House was inspired by both Poe and Whitman, and there are many references and connections. Both are integral to the plot, playing a key role in both the character development and the events that take place. The building up of tension and the gothic atmosphere is very well done, and especially the second half goes darker than expected. Part of me did feel Saoirse had it coming with some of the stupid decisions she made... But there is no doubt that the story becomes properly intense and creepy once certain escalations take place.

As for the characters... While Saoirse frustrated me at times (the stupid decisions I mentioned), as a whole it was interesting to see how she developed over time. I did feel that the whole secret she was hiding was hyped up too much, and as a result the reveal fell a bit flat for me. Emmit was intriguing with his growing obsession and his similarities to Poe... He livened up the plot, that's for sure. It was the group of Saoirse's new friends I warmed up the most to though, and I liked how they helped adding some lighter moments to the plot.

If you are looking for a more character-driven psychological thriller with a bookish angle and a gothic/paranormal vibe, Beneath The Poet's House is a great choice. It ended up being another very atmospheric and ominous story!

Beneath The Poets House is an exciting thriller with such a strong sense of time and place with gothic literary influences. Saoirse is newly widowed from her toxic, controlling husband. She moves back to Providence where she had gone to college and had happy years.
She unknowingly has leased the home of Sarah Helen Whitman, poet, intellectual and lover of Edgar Allen Poe.
Saoirse makes a quirky group of friends who are huge fans of Whitman and transcendentalism. And she keeps bumping into dark, passionate Emmit.
This a smart and literary thriller. I love a flawed yet earnest heroine who is just beginning to learn to trust her gut. And I love that Carmen gave Saoirse a health issue that makes her more accessible and completely human.
This book has wonderful pacing and breathless twists and turns. A fun and clever read.

Although gothic horror isn't my normal genre, this was a perfect book to read during "spooky" season. well developed characters and a story that kept me wanting to know what would happen next.

I couldn’t wait to read Beneath the Poet’s House, as it would take me back to College Hill in Providence. I was quickly rewarded with gorgeous, poetic writing, befitting the subject matter. The book has a little bit of everything in it - supernatural, romance, historical references, thriller and horror.
Saoirse moves to Providence upon the death of her young husband. She takes a lease on 88 Benefit St., sight unseen. She hasn’t even brought all her belongings into the house when she hears voices. Turns out, the house belonged to Sarah Helen Whitman, poet , transcendentalist and romantic interest of Edgar Allen Poe. And here are three spiritualists having a seance in the basement trying to commune with her dead spirit. What a great start to a story! Surprisingly, Saoirse not only becomes friends with them but quickly develops a love interest that she meets through a series of coincidences. It soon seems like her life in Providence is mirroring that of SHW. Cue the eerie music.
I struggled a little that Saoirse so quickly fell under Emmitt’s spell to the detriment of her own well-being. I’m not a fan of stupid characters and Saoirse was rapidly becoming one. And it wasn’t like she was all that young. So, I was really curious to see if she would wise up and break the cycle of being with controlling men.
Carmen does a good job of giving the reader a great sense of place. It was easy to envision the scenes, even some I’d rather not have envisioned so well! I appreciated that while the book relies heavily on history, it’s not historical fiction.
I was disappointed that some of the plot points were so obvious. But the last third of the book really took a turn and became quite the thriller with several unexpected twists.
My thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of this book.

To start, I just want to make it abundantly clear that I went into this book with hope. I pass Sarah Helen Whitman's portrait every single time I walk through my department to get to my office. I am an avid fan of transcendentalist literature, and I have a soft spot for the lesser known women who are occluded by the fame of successful men. I was thrilled to see that this book was an homage to SHW, but I just can't, in good faith, recommend this book.

Before I get into my critiques, dear reader, I actually want to bring up the parts of this text that I enjoyed. Even I, the most ruthless critic of books, need to acknowledge that I enjoyed parts of this book. First, I thought that the pacing made a lot of sense. I think that when creating a parallel between the relationships of SHW and Poe, the sort of insane whirlwind of emotion is necessary and thoughtful. I also thought the premise of stumbling upon a group of people conducting a séance in your basement is both hilarious and a nice nod to Whitman's own eccentric party habits. I also thought this was just the correct kind of text to begin on the first day of October. The spooky autumnal vibes were there, for sure. The text was full of delicious figurative language that I thought complimented the topic well. Plus, the final 20% of the book almost sort of made up for part of the other 80%.

Okay.

I am going to use a quote of Carmen's to help illustrate my feelings towards this book. I hope that any memory that I have of reading this book "[can] be gone like a fart in the wind." It's a real quote. While I think that Carmen has found a niche in writing thrillers about local Rhode Island history, it is a really great thing that this book is not advertised as anything close to historical fiction. While the general makeup of Poe and Whitman's relationship were somewhat accurate, the details surrounding her residence were not. The house was never owned by Anna Power, Whitman's mother, but Samuel Hamlin, who rented a unit in the house to her. So the whole premise of conducting séances to Whitman as "true owner" of the house doesn't even work. I'm wondering if Benjamin and John Reynolds felt excluded from the rituals in the house that they built....

Additionally, this book reads as though it was pulling information about transcendentalism straight from the Encyclopaedia Britannica. While it is true that transcendentalism very heavily draws from the idea of the unity between individual identity, consciousness, and nature, to simply boil it to "transcendentalism is when no phone" is reductive, insulting, and completely disregards the emphasis on abolitionism and women's suffrage that was intrinsic to the movement. There was mention of the supposed slave tunnels that exist under Providence, but Carmen really pulled a "it's the 1840s without the racists" card from Taylor Swift. And yes, I know that Whitman's societal accolades are mentioned, but aside from the unquoted inclusion of her verse in the text and her life as part of a character's regurgitation of her Wikipedia page, Sarah Whitman is just the counterpart to Poe in this text. At an event that I attended where Carmen spoke, she mentioned that it was a love letter to this accomplished woman, but given the parallel of Saoirse's relationship with Emmit with Poe's and Whitman's, she was overshadowed all the same by the insane actions of men.

As for the characters, there were so few qualities that were memorable, except for their names. Lucretia read exactly like the overexcited best friend in Carmen's previous novel (Sarah); Mia fit the aloof and uptight skeptical woman who seems mean, but is really looking out for the main character; as for Roberto, I have never read anything that has tried to make a character sound gay more so than this book. His characterization made me think of something a friend of mine once said about a different surface-level feminist text: "men can either be highly effeminate or completely toxic." This stands true for 99% of the book with the exception of the very last page. Jonathan? an abuser. Emmit? Psychotic. The dad? Misogynistic. Roberto? Gay so as not to be interpreted as a threat to Saoirse's safety. I know the whole point of the book is that Emmit is a nut case trying to become Edgar Allan Poe, but men are evil for other reasons other than assault! Given how <i>The Daughters of Block Island</i> used sexual violence, I find its inclusion in this book troubling.

Now for the parts of the book that just irritated me, and we'll do this as a list.
1. The emphasis on specific locations in Rhode Island while ignoring the actual layout of Benefit St. At least from the writing, it seems as though the Athenaeum and Carr Haus (which doesn't have waitresses btw) are considerably closer than they are, and that you'd pass the Ath while walking to the cafe? Nope!

2. The fact that Saoirse was thinking in trochaic octameter is just not plausible. I'm sorry. I know that she's having a spiritually induced push from SHW herself, but I find it so unbelievable that someone would automatically think in a stress that is antithetical to most English speech patterns (iambic.)

3. For someone with a heart condition, Saoirse is so stupid. How she could forgive someone for literally drugging her with LSD without her consent while also having a very tenuous relationship to health is unbeknownst to me.

4. As soon as I saw the names Saoirse White and Emmit Powell, I could already tell how the book was going to end. I love creative foreshadowing, but this had the subtlety of a nuclear bomb.

That being said, it was fun to read, so there's that! I would strongly recommend that Carmen gets a new editor because while her writing has its merits, whoever signed off on the book in this state needs to be fired.

Another excellent story from Christa Carmen.

Novelist and recent widow, Saoirse White moves back to Providence, Rhode Island, where she once attended Brown and fell in love with her deceased husband.

Renting the first furnished house she found, she's surprised to discover that the house was once the residence of Sarah Helen Whitman, the poet, spiritualist, and former love of Edgar Allen Poe. With the hope that living in this historic location helps her writer's block, Saoirse is quickly included in a group of transcendentalists who are all obsessed with her house and with Whitman.

She also meets a beautiful, intriguing man, Emmit Powell, a Pulitzer Prize winning novelist and professor at Brown. Their relationship is quick to develop, full of passion and starts the wheels in Saoirse's writer brain once again.

But, when Aiden, her husband's friend, finds her and shows up on her porch, asking to discuss her husband's death, Saoirse finds that all the secrets that she kept buried might be rising to the surface.
-----

Wowee Zowee. This book was a perfect book for October. With Gothic influences and using the real words of both Poe and Whitman, Christa Carmen created a timeless world. Even the names of the characters are timeless.

While the book has a bit of a slow burn, the last quarter is so action-packed and terrifying. The tension and need for relief keeps the pages turning.

A fantastic story with historical significance.

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

I did enjoy the protagonist and her background and life traumas, but the general plot didn't clique with me that much. The setting wasn't that appealing to me and the pacing issues (at least in my opinion) also failed to keep my attention sometimes.
But I'm sure other readers will enjoy this book much more.

This was an exhilarating experience. It’s like going on a roller coaster when your stomach keeps turning upside down and then when it’s over, you’re finally free to relax. You don’t want it to end, but there’s a satisfying epilogue.

It went quickly from the funeral of Saoirse White’s husband, Jonathan, to a hot-and-heavy relationship with a handsome Pulitzer Prize author, Emmit Powell. She moved right after her husband was buried was now living in the 1880s house in Providence, RI. It was once owned by Sarah Helen Whitman: a poet, essayist, transcendentalist, and spiritualist. However, Whitman was remembered more for her brief engagement to Edgar Allan Poe.

Saoirse wants to be loved so much after a difficult marriage that this new man doesn’t have to work too hard to charm his way into her heart. She should have taken some time for herself first but it felt too good to be desired passionately and this is where the reader gets immersed into her world so much that whatever comes next is off the charts.

Those who love Edgar Allan Poe will want to read this book filled with the most precious and vulnerable parts of life. It reads quickly with a lot to digest from tarot card readers with Saoirse’s three friends in the dark basement to a ghost tour with history that makes you want to step into their shoes just once. Sure, there are some coincidences but that's part of what makes it a good psychological thriller.

My thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced book with an expected release date of December 10, 2024.

“Beneath the Poet’s House” is a gothic horror by Christa Carmen. I’ve come to the conclusion that gothic horror / mystery just isn’t my jam, but I think that if you like that genre, this may be a book you want to pick up. This book’s idea is interesting - newly widowed Saoirse moves into a house once owned by Sarah Helen Whitman, once courted by Edgar Allan Poe. Saoirse meets three people who literally have broken into the house to try to talk the spirit of Whitman via a seance. Saoirse then meets an author, Emmit Powell, with whom she decides to start a new romance with Powell. While things were strange in Saoirse’s life before moving into this house, things become more strange. There’s the friend of Saoirse’s husband, who has promised (threatened) to find her. There’s the fact that Saoirse is told she resembles Whitman - and that in certain light, Powell resembles Poe. Must admit, the fact that Saoirse adopted a cat with diabetes I found applaudable - but that she neglects the cat, not good at all. I did like the fact that Ms. Carmen rather well described grief and how some decisions one makes in grief aren’t necessarily great ones, but at times I also wanted to shake Saoirse for some of her decisions. For me, this book was okay, but I rounded up because I do believe others will enjoy it.

Beneath the Poets House is exactly the kind of thing g I love. It is full of little glimpses of literary history, funny, lively characters, and a surprising plot. This is a thriller about writers, for writers.

LOVED !!!
Right up my ally. Incredible writing I was hooked Right from chapter one and have reccomended to so many people !

I will be back for more 🤩