Listen, I love Edgar Allan Poe as much as the next guy, but let Beneath the Poet’s House by Christa Carmen be a lesson to you: dating a man unhealthily obsessed with E.A.P. is not just a red flag, but a deep, dark crimson billboard the size of Rhode Island. Or, Providence, Rhode Island, at least, which is where the story in this gothic thriller drops us after cozy mystery novelist Saoirse White moves there to escape bad memories back home in New Jersey following the shocking, sudden death of her husband.

Unfortunately her new rental’s historic connection to nineteenth-century poet Sarah Helen Whitman (who broke off her own real-life engagement to Poe after their brief, passionate affair flamed out) leads to ever more (or should I say ‘nevermore,’ ha ha ha) complications in her life: trippy séances, home invasions, diabetic cats, blowhard literature f*ckbois . . . the usual New England nonsense.

This is a weird book. From the subject matter to the tone and pacing, everything about it is a little . . . off, shall we say. A little odd, a little eerie. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing — a lot of the time the nagging feeling I got that I couldn’t quite see the whole picture Carmen was setting up, that something was lurking just out frame, helped to heighten the more unnerving elements of the story. Then again, it also muddled the hell out of this already painfully slow, slow-burn.

What consistently cuts through the noise is Carmen’s talent for visual imagery, especially when turning something seemingly normal into something far creepier. Long branches become clawed, reaching fingers, and cemetery headstones pop up through fog like fangs. Bulbous black flies follow Saoirse wherever she goes, crawling up her neck or flitting across her sweaty hairline, a creative manifestation of her abusive late husband’s hold on her. At points she “wants to stitch up her lips with a darning needle and heavy thread” to avoid confessing to something, or feels like she’s coming apart during a stressful moment, “unravel[ing] arteries and ventricles, severed like thread against teeth.”

Her gory, gothic visuals aren’t the only things that captured me, though — she’s an ace at setting a scene in general. Beneath the Poet’s House has an Ivy League campus novel vibe thanks to being set so close to Brown, Saoirse’s old stomping grounds. There are scenes in the stacks of the school’s grand, historic library, The Providence Athenaeum; strolls to cozy coffee houses; and sprawling gardens swathed in the warm, golden palette of early fall. You really have a sense of what these characters are seeing and experiencing on a day-to-day basis.

And speaking of characters, that’s where this book lost me. Coupled with the aforementioned pacing and tone issues, Saoirse and her quirky new Providence friends, as well as her English professor fling, Emmit Powell, never come across as even remotely grounded. Each of them can be summed up with two-word descriptors/archetypes — the Broken Woman, the Wise Hard-Ass, the Bubbly BFF, the Tortured Genius, the Gay Sidekick, etc. — and oftentimes their unrealistic dialogue jarred me out of a scene. I mean, not even the most emo literature snob I know speaks the way Emmit and Saoirse do with each other. Not even the most fictional, emo literature snob I know. Perhaps that was a purposeful, stylistic choice to represent Emmit and Saoirse’s old-timey connections to Edgar Allan Poe and Sarah Helen Whitman? I don’t know. Regardless, it didn’t work for me.

(Example: “Why do we write? To push past death. Why do we live? To push past death. I just want you to open up to me. To talk to me more deeply than—” Oh shut the f*ck up, Emmit. Please.)

Those issues are exacerbated by a slow, slow start after a promising, menacing opening scene at a funeral. The plot meanders for a good, long while after that in various directions, none of which seem to point to how this book ended up labeled as a ‘thriller’ — is it about a haunting? A stalker from Saoirse’s past? A nefarious group of cell phone-hating transcendentalists? It’s almost as if the author can’t decide which direction to take, so she skates around any real answer rather than committing to one. Until the last third, of course, when things get wild out of f*cking nowhere. So much so that I kept waiting for the main character to wake up and reveal it had all been a grief or stress-induced dream. (The signs of a Saoirse falling under the thumb of yet another toxic man are there, but none of them hint at the situation she eventually finds herself in, imho.)

Fortunately the superb gothic imagery and nods to Edgar Allan Poe in this one were more than enough to keep me reading, even when the story gets away from itself. Having said that, I do desperately wish Christa Carmen had made the entire book as creepy and intense as the last few chapters. Those scenes are like seeing the ghost of what this book could’ve been. So much potential! Alas.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There is no “sophomore slump” for Christa Carmen. Beneath the Poet’s House, the standalone follow-up to 2023’s The Daughters of Block Island, is another engrossing New England Gothic tale featuring a strong female protagonist contending with secretive, sketchy men who may or may not have her best interests at heart, friends with mysterious pasts and motives, and a lingering sense that something supernatural may be going on.

Saoirse White has moved to Providence to start over after the unexpected death of her controlling husband. The house she rents turns out to be the historic home of poet and spiritualist Sarah Helen Whitman, who was once engaged to Edgar Allan Poe, frequented by a trio of local writers who invite her to join their occasional seances calling upon Whitman’s spirit for guidance and inspiration. She also meets Emmit Powell, a prize-winning author with a Poe fixation. New friends and new romance seem to respark her lost creativity … but are the odd things happening around her the work of Whitman and Poe’s spirits, or something more mundane and sinister?

Saoirse is a woman fighting the demons of her past, hoping for a fresh start. Carmen doles out Saoirse’s secrets (not all of which have to do with her troubled marriage and her husband’s death) in tantalizing little moments that sometimes go unnoticed until you realize later how well the author seeded them. As someone who has struggled with writer’s block resulting in part from depression after a major life-changing event, I connected with Saoirse’s struggles – and I both reveled in and felt concern for how her creativity comes rushing back to her, wondering if, again, there was something supernaturally malevolent happening.

Carmen is a master at surrounding her protagonists with characters whose motives and intentions are not always clear, keeping the reader wondering which characters will turn out to be truly on her side and which will not. Saoirse’s new friends, new love interest, late husband’s best friend, and parents all contribute to the general sense of unease that permeates the book, and all have moments where I questioned what their true motives were – without ever feeling like any of them were acting “out of character.” (Well, except for Saoirse’s father. He’s in like one scene, and sorry, he’s just an unrepentant asshole.)

The city of Providence is also a character – or perhaps it’s more accurate to say that the city of Providence’s literary history is. Whitman is a strong presence throughout the book because Saoirse lives in the poet’s house, which means of course Whitman’s one-time fiancée, Poe, is a strong presence as well. But so is H.P. Lovecraft. And Emmit Powell calls to might a plethora of “charismatic and charming” New England award-winning authors who moonlight as college professors. I’ve read my fair share of Poe, Lovecraft, and contemporary award-winning auteurs. This book has inspired in me some about curiosity about Sarah Helen Whitman, though, which I think may have been Carmen’s intention.

The general Gothic sensibility of the book (houses with a dark history, characters with secrets and questionable motives, a female main character in danger) really worked for me. Carmen’s atmospherics are on point and kept me in a state of building dread that pushed me to keep reading even when I knew I should be going to sleep, all leading to a satisfactory set of reveals (secrets must be revealed in such a book) and conclusion. I hope the book will have the same effect on you.


I received an electronic advance reading copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Beneath the Poet’s House was released on December 10, 2024, so this review is a bit late.

The very frustrating main character made me DNF this after 60%. I was just mad at her for being so unrealistic in her decisions and thoughts. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

Saoirse has zero survival instincts. I'm frustrated at the predictability of the dangers in this book, of course not the height the plot goes to but the essence that Emmit is a bright red flag.
It was very clear from the very beginning what her big secret was. I couldn't understand why dhe just wouldn't hear Aiden out and just up and left.
It's great to make friends at a new place but don't strike up a friendship with people who have been holding séances in your basement, Saoirse.
Loved all the literary references and was appropriately grossed out by their forced imitation in this romance. Loved the gothic vibes and the university town setting.
Read this as a cautionary tale if you feel like dating an award-winning writer facing a block. Spoiler, he might bury you alive.

Beneath the Poet’s House is my first time reading a book by Christa Carmen. I was intrigued by the story and setting, a modern novel with gothic elements, set in Providence, Rhode Island, where a widowed young woman retreats to restart her life. Saoirse, formerly a cozy mystery writer who has been away from writing for several years, returns to the city where she attended college at Brown hoping for inspiration, to find a good job perhaps and/or begin writing again. She begins with renting a house that was occupied by Sarah Helen Whitman in the 19th century, a woman who would briefly be engaged to Edgar Allan Poe. Whitman was also a poet in her own right.

And the ground is set for what will be an almost implausible sudden passionate affair with highly Gothic aspects which highlighted my major problem with this story: the character of Saoirse herself. I didn’t believe in her behavior, reactions, everything much of the time and that undercut much of the plot of the story. Too many inconsistencies in her narratives, both what she tells others and what she tells herself and us, the readers. This may be just one individual reaction and I’m simply not part of the true audience for this book, but I can’t recommend it. Otherwise, there were moments of high tension and scares in well written fright segments. And the sections on Poe and Whitman were also interesting background which was new to me.

2.5 rounded to 3*

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book. This review is my own.

Enjoyed this book filled with interesting characters each holding onto secrets while they are development throughout the story

“Beneath the Poet’s House” starts off decently enough, with an intriguing premise and some promise in the first 10-20%. However, the rest of the book is a slog. The story drags on endlessly without much payoff, and I found myself losing interest quickly. It feels like it could have been much shorter and more impactful. Disappointing overall.

Beneath the Poet's House
by Christa Carmen
Pub Date: Dec 10 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️👩🏼👩🏼‍💻👩🏼‍💼
Unmoored by her husband’s death and suffering from writer’s block, novelist Saoirse White moves to Providence, and into the historic home of Sarah Helen Whitman, the nineteenth-century poet and spiritualist once courted by Edgar Allan Poe. Saoirse’s certain she’ll find inspiration in the quiet rooms, as well as in the tucked-away rose garden and forgotten cemetery at the back of the property.

Saoirse is immediately welcomed by an effusive trio of transcendentalists obsessed with Whitman, the house, and Whitman’s mystic beliefs. Saoirse, emerging from grief and loneliness, welcomes the idea of new friends taking her mind off the past—even as they hope to summon it. When she meets Emmit Powell, a charismatic and charming prize-winning author, Saoirse thinks she’s finally turned a corner.

Emboldened by new romance, Saoirse begins to write again and, through her writing, rediscover herself. But as old fears return, she finds that nothing about her new life is what it seems—and a secret she’s tried so hard to bury may not be the only thing that comes back to haunt her.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC.

I picked this book because the premise sounded so interesting to me. However, I ended up bored and frustrated with it.
I really struggled with the author's writing style. Everything was overdescribed. The dialogues were so unnatural and the characters didn't have distinct voices (the dialogues and main narration were written exactly the same). I understand, they are writers/poets but I have never heard a real person speak like that.

The characters were annoying. Saoirse spent most of the book ignoring every red flag, it was to the point I couldn't feel any sympathy towards her at the end, because I was so frustrated with her. The "villain" was so obvious, I couldn't believe she had a problem to figure out what kind of person he was.

One positive thing I can say about "Beneath the Poet's House" is that I liked the setting. I have never been to the places described here, but I could imagine them and could feel the gothic romanticism atmosphere. Also, it was interesting to learn something about Edgar Allan Poe and Sarah Whitman.

The plot was advancing very slowly. For every interesting thing that happens,there were three filler chapters. It didn't read like a thriller. Most of the book is a relationship study between Saoirse and Emmit. I know their relationship needed to be established first, but I wanted to read a thriller, not boring dates between two cardboard people. I liked the parts where Saoirse held seances with her new friends and I wished there was more of them. The ending picked up pace, but at that point not much of the book was left and it couldn't save this book in my eyes.

I think this book just wasn't for me, but maybe if someone likes a slowburn story with a pinch of thriller, they'll enjoy it?

First, I would like to mention that I went to the book release for Beneath The Poets House, so I got an inside look of what went through Christa Carmen’s mind while writing, and it made me go into reading this book with a different mindset. I got to meet her and she’s a wonderful human! I really enjoyed the book release event and reading this book! I have a signed hard copy of BTPH, but wanted the EBook so I didn’t run the risk of ruining the hard copy :)

Also shoutout to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book for free in exchange for my honest, non bias review.

Now for the review itself!

**POSSIBLE SPOILERS!**

Let me start off by saying I was so excited to have the setting of this book be a place I visit frequently written by a person from the same town as me! Very exciting!

I actually really enjoyed Carmen’s writing style. Usually, I’m not too keen on the multitude of descriptions some novels have, but this was necessary for the plot of this book.

We have Saoirse (ser-shahhh), who just moved to 88 Benefit St in providence, still mourning the loss of her late husband, Jonathan… or is she? Even though Carmen wrote this book in the 3rd person, it is still geared towards how specifically Saoirse feels.

Throughout this roller coaster of a novel, the imagery and descriptive language Carmen uses had me scared when Saoirse was scared, sad when Saoirse was sad, and so on. BTPH really had a grip on me! I couldn’t read a lot throughout the 6 days it took me to read it, but I was constantly thinking about this book. When I got to read it again, even just a page. What will happen next. You get it.

Let’s talk about Emmit for a minute. At first, you get the impression that he’s a diehard Poe/horror fan. Then, tried to gaslight Saoirse into thinking SHE is stalking HIM? And then you, as the reader, think “huh… maybe it’s just a coincidence” … until all evidence points to it being anything BUT a coincidence! His character development… or I guess you could say, when his true identity reveals itself, is excellent. It didn’t happen too fast or slow. The kidnapping was soooo not what I thought was going to happen, and when Sersh tried to escape not once, but TWICE? I wasn’t expecting her to actually get caught both times until Saoirse herself thought “he’s probably waiting, watching”

Okay this is probably the longest review I’ve ever written and ever will write, but it’s only because I can’t recommend Beneath The Poets House enough. Especially since she’s a fellow Westerly resident like I am :)

The literary connections in this one made this catnip for book lovers, and there is enough Gothic inspired darkness that captivated me as a reader. I found the characters interesting and well developed, and I look forward to more from the author.

Saoirse White is dealing with grief and writer's block, and decides to move into the home of Sarah Helen Whitman, the nineteenth-century poet and spiritualist once courted by Edgar Allan Poe. Saoirse is immediately welcomed by a trio of transcendentalists obsessed with Whitman, the house, and Whitman’s beliefs. Glad to make friends, she soon meets prize-winning author Emmit Powell and romance blooms. Saoirse begins to write again, but old fears return, and a secret she tried to bury may not be the only thing haunting her.

From the start, there is the hint that Saoirse's husband has some kind of untoward activity going on that she's avoiding. She is lost, so immediately falls in with the trio holding seances in the basement and Emmit. Some creepy things could be suggestions: the sensation of flies buzzing or boards creaking, or visions during a seance. Loneliness and grief can do this, after all, and she has a vivid imagination and the need to write. There are a few red flags, but the whirlwind romance makes her feel wanted and loved for the first time in years due to the conflicts in her marriage before her husband died.

The story is compelling and drew me in right away. Saoirse looks into the history of the house, the ties between Sarah Helen Whitman and Edgar Allan Poe, and has her own poetic inspiration. When things start to deteriorate, it goes rapidly. I was shocked when it got unhinged, but was proud of Saoirse's drive to survive. The final quarter of the book was a wild ride, where spooky romance turned into a thriller. It's a fascinating story, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Such a perfect blend of dark academia and gothicism, constantly tiptoeing on the verge of being paranormal!

This is a story about many things, but most importantly it is about a strong woman clawing her way out of the dirt that's suffocating her (*wink wink*). Saoirse has been through a lot, both in the past and during the events of this book, and all of it has made her into an incredibly strong character, into a fighter that never backs down. I loved the atmosphere of her new home, and how that, combined with her mental and physical illnesses, made her an unreliable narrator in a certain way. Her uncertainty of what is real and what is only a voice inside of her head made for some interesting, eerie scenes that made the hairs on the back of my neck rise. The author has the talent to write these types of scenes masterfully, scenes where you'll start believing into the paranormal and find yourself looking over your own shoulder or straining your ears to discern what that faint whisper from another room was. Her inclination towards the mystical, macabre writing style goes perfectly with the themes explored in this book. I loved the influence Sarah Helen Whitman and Edgar Allan Poe had on the development of this story, how their romance echoed throughout this one. More importantly, I loved how the focus was on the women, how Poe was a face often mixed with two abusers from Saoirse's life, and Whitman was a welcome presence urging her on and providing comfort. As the author herself wrote in the acknowledgements: " [...] where the most poetical topic isn't the death of a beautiful woman...but the life of a momentous one. Soul-crushingly significant and preordained."

If you love Whitman, Poe, dark academia, gothic literature, haunting scenes, and poetic interventions into a novel, you would probably enjoy and cherish this novel! There are some trigger warnings you might want to check out first, though! I'm incredibly grateful that I got to discover this author with her previous book, and that I got to enjoy this one too!

Perfect for people who enjoy dark academia and may be struggling with what comes -after- the doors to the school shut for good. Those readers may vibe with Emmitt and Saorise in their musings of the past and reflection on Poe. But also perfect for those who share a similar interest in thrillers, in paranoia, in claustrophobia, and in revenge. My critique and really the one that keeps this from being a five Star read for me is that I hated the addition of Aidan’s character. He really added nothing for me, except strange sequences of jilted, over dramatic dialogue.

Thank you NetGalley and Christa for the ARC.

Unfortunately this just wasn’t for me. I wasn’t able to get into the story or the characters and found the pacing to be on the slower side than I’m used to.

Set in Providence, Rhode Island, "Under the Poet's House" introduces the reader to the rich literary history of the city. Home to no less than twenty libraries, Providence is also the home of Brown University, an Ivy League college - and coincidentally, the alma mater of our protagonist, Saoirse (pronounded Sur-Sha) White.

Saoirse moves back to Providence a few months after the death of her husband. Saoirse is a mystery novelist, but has not written anything in recent years. The house she rents, fully furnished, was once the home of Sarah Whitman, the paramour of the infamous Edgar Allan Poe. Once ensconced in her new home she make new friends and even adopts a black cat. More importantly, she meets a man named Emmit Powell who resembles both her late husband AND Edgar Allan Poe himself. She is immediately attracted to the man and they begin a passionate affair. Also, she finds herself writing again. She is writing poetry, and not her former cozy mysteries.

As their relationship develops, she slowly becomes aware that Emmit Powell might not be the man she thought he was...

Saoirse is also hiding her own secrets very close to her chest.

With themes of transcendentalism, unhealthy relationships, and literary history, this novel will appeal to many. I would describe it as a literary gothic/suspense novel.

3.5 stars rounded up for NetGalley and Amazon - rounded down for Goodreads where the stars have different values.

unexpectedly enjoyed this one. I usually struggle with slow paced books, but this one was well done and deliberate in its nature. I appreciated that this book had a little horror, mystery, thriller and even a dash of romance. It all worked out really well together which doesn’t happen often. The setting was great, but I do think that this is more of a character driven novel. I loved getting to know everything about everyone. The side characters were also well done and really added to the story overall. I do think that at time things were a little too convenient for everyone and that wasn’t ideal. This is a good read and I would recommend it to those looking for a grittier read.

This book was simply not for me. I found the story to be too slow and did not care much for any of the characters. Hands down, the best part of this book was all of the fun tidbits of facts about Sarah Helen Whitman and Edgar Allen Poe.

Saiorse moves to Providence after her husband's unexpected death searching for a new start in life and rents the house where Sarah Whitman, Edgar A. Poe's fiancée used to live. The town has a history with ghosts, seances, and the paranormal and she will see herself involved with all that plus a renowned horror thriller writer who, at the beginning, brings to her life a new spark of happiness. Nothing could be much further from the truth, soon she'll see herself imprisoned by a web of lies and running for her life. Beautifully written, it makes the reader think about the past, strange romances, the power of the things unexplained, betrayal, deceit, good and bad family relationships, friendship, and domestic abuse.
I thank the author and her publisher for this ARC.

Horror, mystery, thriller, romance … this book has it all. Set in Providence, Rhode Island, it tells an atmospheric, gothic and very poetic story around Saoirse White who -after her husband dies of a heart attack - unbeknownst to her rents Sarah Whitman’s historic home, the 19th century poet who was briefly engaged to Edgar Allen Poe. Saoirse’s husband had been controlling and abusing and here, away from her old life in New Jersey, she hopes to find herself and peace again. She quickly makes a trio of new friends, adopts a cat and meets (and falls for) the charismatic and successful writer, Emmitt Powell, who shares her passion for Whitman and Poe. All seems perfect, and she even starts writing herself again, a career that she had given up during her marriage. But then strange coincidences and parallels to the lives of Whitman and Poe keep happening, and Saoirse must face dark secrets.
I truly enjoyed this story and the auhor’s poetic writing style. I loved how she draws you into 19th century poetry which made me want to pick up and read some of Poe’s classic works again myself. I had not been aware of his relationship with Whitman but she sounds like an interesting and strong woman. My favorite characters by far were the 3 friends who used Saoirse’s home for their séances to ‘bring Sarah Whitman back to life’, and I loved each of their adorably quirky personalities.
While the beginning is a bit slow, the end is a massive twist that I did not see coming and had me turn the pages. A solid 4-star read for me.
I thank NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Ms Christa Carmen for the opportunity to read this advance copy. The above is my honest review and own opinion.