The imagery of a house often plays a significant role in horror literature, symbolizing both safety and danger. In this ghostly horror story, the house is a character in itself, holding secrets, past traumas, or supernatural elements. Overall, this novel set in Savannah blends psychological suspense with traditional horror elements, creating an atmosphere of dread and intrigue that kept me engaged until the final page. I loved how the ending made it all come together.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The House On The Cover Of A Horror Novel by Evie Knight, I was so excited to get this book, A haunted house story is like a romance you know how it’s going to end but it’s about the journey and with this book they were mini surprises and OMG moments but unfortunately they also had moments when you were like WTF? Emily gets a chance to do the cover of a horror book that has yet to be written by Cooper Yancey he wants the picture to inspire him to write a great southern Gothic novel. The only thing is when she goes to see the house she starts having traumatic pain and is rushed to the hospital right before entering. This is when she learns she is pregnant. Throughout her pregnancy she paints versions of the Home which makes her husband Miles think she loves the house because she didn’t tell him about the book cover, nor about Cooper Yancey. Needless to say when he blindfolds her to surprise her with their new home, it’s the creepy house she’s been painting. she isn’t happy and doesn’t hide this from miles. It doesn’t take long before the haunting to start and OMG is this house haunted. There were many things I loved and didn’t love about this book I think if you haven’t read many haunted house stories you will probably really love this book it is well written with the exception of miles’s flimflam back-and-forth opinions because right when he thought one thing he would immediately think the complete opposite the next minute. Not to mention Miles‘s patriarchal attitude I mean he even took Trent‘s word a man he just met over the belief he should’ve had in his wife and ran with it. I also wish the author would’ve balanced out the Horror by giving us a little positivity at the end of the book but to each his own I did like it and do recommend it if you love haunted house stories you will probably like this one.. I think if they had better communication and not keep secrets. As soon as she said she didn’t tell Miles about the call from Cooper the first thing I thought is my husband would’ve been the first person I called had something that awesome happened to me either way it’s a book and it was entertaining so it did it’s job and I do recommend it.#NetGalley, #RawDogScreamingPress, #EvieKnight, #TheHouseOnTheCoverOfAHorrorNovel,

Emily “Em” Lawrence is a commission based artist who is approached by a famous horror author. He is specifically interested in Southern Gothic horror and chooses Emily’s eye for his particular project, to her overwhelming chagrin. She finds the perfect home- and right away, she knows this home is to be the inspiration for her horror novel project. When her husband, Miles, comes across the multiple sketches, he decides to buy the home. Why not- he’s trying to be helpful to his recently pregnant and high risk wife, assuming her plethora of drawings are thanks to her love for the home.
Oh, buddy- husbands, you should REALLY check with your wives before you decide to buy a home. Yes, it’s extremely precious to attempt to take one more giant and looming decision off a pregnant woman’s plate, but Emily really should have gotten a say in where she wanted to choose the eternity of her marriage and motherhood.
There is an assortment of creepy vintage toys, wallpaper that seems to glare alarmingly even when you’ve thought you’ve covered it, a supportive and fun/quirky/witty sister in law/ best friend combination, and a couple who have achieved pregnancy who have been trying for what seems like eons to them.
There are some segments of this book I will NEVER forget- and I just adore when that happens. I truly do love the unsettling, claustrophobic, insidious whispers this home provided. Kudos to the author for a very good haunted house book!
Thank you so much to the author and publisher for the eARC.

The House on the Cover of a Horror Novel by EV Knight

Oh this place..this place has secrets..

Man, what a ride- I couldn’t put this book down.

Author, EV Knight masterfully intertwines creativity, motherhood, and haunting secrets within a Southern Gothic setting. Artist Emily Lawrence, finds herself deeply drawn to an eerie, abandoned house while working on a cover for Cooper Yancy’s new novel. This house, with its tragic history and unsettling vibes, becomes a character in its own right, shaping Emily’s journey and her mental state.

After Emily finds out she’s pregnant she’s rushed to the hospital and put on bed rest. Her loving husband Miles, in an attempt to support and surprise Emily during this hard time,decides on a whim to purchase the very house he finds paintings of in his wife’s studio. Believing she painted them out of love for the home, he decides this will be the perfect place for his growing family.
Weird things start happening to Emily in the new house -toys returning over and over again, weird whispers, old timey music playing out of nowhere .Miles, although very supportive is hesitant to believe her and thinks it could be just postpartum depression.
The story’s tension escalates when Emily’s baby.,Rhett goes missing, prompting a desperate search that reveals hidden truths about the house and its former occupant, Dr. Leeds. With Cooper Yancy at the helm,he gathers information and uses his popularity to create media coverage. Meanwhile, motherhood juxtaposed with horror creates a gripping atmosphere for Emily, into a world where the past meets the present.
The book ends in a haunting finale that questions the nature of reality and explores loss,madness and the supernatural . With vivid imagery and a compelling plot, Knight has crafter a haunting tale that lingers long after the final page. The House on the Cover of a Horror Novel is a profound exploration of how art reflects life—and how, sometimes, life can mirror horror.

This is a great year for haunted house novels and EV Knight's The House on the Cover of a Horror Novel falls somewhere comfortably in the middle of the pack. To be honest, it's not doing anything new or twisting tropes, but it is performing them with enthusiasm and a good sense of fun amidst an overarching narrative about motherhood. It's comforting in its own horrifying way.

Emily Lawrence is given the opportunity of a lifetime: paint the book cover that will inspire a famous horror novelist and earn 50% of the profits. However, that opportunity quickly sours when her husband, Miles, buys the terrifying Victorian mansion she's inspired by in an attempt to provide for their new family of three. Things automatically go wrong (as they do) and creepy toys, creepy music, and a general sense of unease permeate Emily's life. But is this just a bad case of post-partum depression or could the house actually be haunted? When their baby is taken, will Miles and Emily be able to set aside their bickering and find him?

Knight writes a slick plot that is engaging and hard to put down. Like I said earlier, many of the scares and things that happen are fairly textbook haunted house narrative, but they're still entertaining and fun to watch as the characters encounter them. The switch between Miles and Emily's perspectives works to keep readers on their toes with whose narrative they believe: is the house actually haunted or is Emily losing it? Both characters make good arguments for either option and the novel ends ambiguously enough that I could see readers having multiple interpretations of what happens. Bits and pieces of the book reminded me of the first season of American Horror Story with just as dysfunctional a couple. As other reviewers have said, a lot of the conflict could be solved with communication but where's the fun in that?

I recommend The House on the Cover of a Horror Novel to readers who can't get enough of the haunted house genre, but aren't necessarily looking for something new. It's great for those looking for the horrors (and gore) of pregnancy and motherhood on the page. Readers who enjoy Knight's other works will still find a good voice within these pages. Plus that cover is gorgeous.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED the idea of the artist drawing pictures for the author for his horror novel really interesting and I haven't read it yet.

I also found the first chapters really exciting - right from the start. However, it quickly developed in a different direction... for me it was more of a "pregnancy horror" and I didn't want to read something like that.

The characters were okay... except Miles, who was anything but likeable. He had some good moments but for the most part he upset me. Maybe that's how it should be ^^

Of course, many clichés are used again, such as the pregnant woman who you don't believe anyway. Things that suddenly appear again even though you have OBVIOUSLY thrown them away and no one cares?? OK??

It's a real shame that the book turned out this way. For example, you could have included her drawings for the cover in the actual book so that the horror factor would be greater.

The beginning of the book was so great, but unfortunately the tension was lost for me. Really a shame!

I really enjoyed The House on the Cover of a Horror Novel. I cared about the main characters, Emily and Miles and the ending devastated me. All in all a good book.

The House on the Cover of a Horror Novel by EV Knight is so good omg!!! I wasn't expecting for this story to be THIS good but it totally is. I loved it so much!

Ok, so ...

Maybe it's because I read so much horror ... but, damn ... I was hoping for more from this book. I think it had something, and just kind of dropped the ball.

I read a lot, and like I said, horror is my genre. So, if you're someone who isn't used to the same ole horror tropes kinda rinsed and repeated, you might enjoy this.
If I had read it as a horror newbie, I probably would be thrilled. (Minus the dialogue ... Some of that just needs work, IMO.)

But other than that, it felt very generic.
It just felt like the equivalent of a Blumhouse movie, and I thought I was sitting down for A24.

Wasn't really anything new. But very readable.

I'd recommend this to my friends who are breaking in to horror.
But if you read a lot of it like I do, you may want to wait and check this one out of the library or something before deciding to purchase.

This book was amazing! Ev is such a good writer. I felt the horror and emotions of the characters and they felt very real. I get disturbed by pregnancy stuff when it is in horror stories because something always goes wrong and there is one scene i was quite perturbed by. The ending is something else. I love EV's books and she is an author I will automatically purchase on the day of release. Five stars.

This was a really dark and interesting read that is part haunted house story but also a psychological look at motherhood. Told in two perspectives, this book can fill slow at parts, but I was so intrigued by where the author was taking the story that I was really immersed in the story. And being set in Savannah was just perfect as that city is so spooky!

The two perspectives are Emily and her husband, Miles. We follow them through a really difficult pregnancy and also becoming first-time homeowners of a house that Emily initially scoped out for the cover of a horror novel (and which her silly husband then proceeded to buy without asking her first). By offering both perspectives, we do get to sympathize with both character’s struggles as they work through the pregnancy, and then having the baby where Emily ends up with postpartum depression. Add to that a house that may in fact be haunted, and you can see why both characters end up at each other’s throats and feeling like they are losing their minds. Emily’s perspective is definitely the stronger written one as we see her struggle with coming to terms with motherhood when it isn’t quite what she expected. And then she has a husband that doesn’t believe her when she tells him things about the house and thinks she is going crazy. And is also annoyingly obsessed with returning to work rather than making sure his wife is okay after all of her struggles.

There is also some humor mixed into this one, especially in the character of Cooper Yancy, the eccentric author who originally commissioned Emily. Things take a really dark turn when baby Rhett goes missing, and this part of the novel really got to me as Emily struggles to be believed in her feelings as a mother that something paranormal is amiss. The ending definitely could have been elaborated upon a bit, but it did something I’ve never really seen before which I really appreciated. And although the story can feel a bit disjointed and clunky at times, I think it almost added to the story and how the characters were feeling. So all in all, I would definitely recommend this one to those who appreciate a slower, more psychological story.

I really enjoyed how the story started with the main character being offered a cool opportunity to create a cover for a well known horror author. That premise itself was a unique start.

The cover of this book is what drew me in at first. It’s absolutely gorgeous and such a mood for spooky season.

The story line was creepy. I wanted to keep reading to see what was going to happen. I wouldn’t call this story “twisty” but there were suspenseful moments. It’s definitely bingeable
As I wanted to keep going to find out what was actually going on in the house and to see how the author was going to wrap it all up. The first half was the build up to everything and the last half was a fast unraveling of events. I enjoyed it.


Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley & RDS Press for an e ARC ♥️

The book is about Emily Lawrence , who's hired by a famous horror author to find inspiration for his next novel. He wants her to explore the creepiest, most haunted places in Savannah, and she thinks she's found the perfect spot - this gorgeous old mansion with a dark history. But things take a dark turn when Emily starts experiencing weird and terrifying occurrences, even before she moves in! She begins to feel like the house is watching her, waiting for her to make a wrong move.

And then, to make matters worse, Emily finds out she's pregnant. She's thrilled, but also terrified - and her husband's reaction isn't exactly what she hoped for. He's been acting strange lately, and when he buys the house without even asking her, Emily starts to feel like she's losing control. As they try to settle in, Emily starts to feel like she's losing her mind. Doors slam shut on their own, objects move around, and she starts to suspect that something malevolent is lurking in the walls.

But here's the kicker - whatever is haunting the house seems to want Emily's baby. She starts to feel like she's in a desperate fight to protect her unborn child, but she's not sure if she can trust her own instincts. Is the house really haunted, or is she just losing her grip on reality? I won't give away any more spoilers, but let's just say it's a wild ride. If you love ghost stories, psychological horror, and a dash of Southern charm, you'll love this book!

Sadly from the first few chapters, I wasn’t confident that I was going to enjoy this. The concept seemed exciting and I was looking forward to a more author/artist story that was heavy on the ‘haunted house’ idea which unfortunately we didn’t get. Half of the book is talking about a horrific pregnancy and birth story which was definitely not what I expected from reading the summary, and don’t get me wrong I can appreciate a good twist but this seemed way off. The characters were so unlikeable I struggled to continue reading. Miles is a terrible husband and just seemed like such a child it was unbearable at times and Emily just had such a lacklustre personality.

Emily Lawerence is an artist who designs covers for books. Her husband, Miles Lawerence, is an owner of an up and coming tech company. Emily gets a chance to design a cover for one of her favorite authors, Coop Yancey. He wants a house to inspire a southern gothic story. Just when Emily finds the perfect house, she finds out she is pregnant. Miles mistakes her drawings and paintings of the house believing she has fallen in love with it. He buys the house and everything turns. I struggled with this one. I went from enjoying it to not enjoying it and back again. I personally did not care for any of the characters. Miles especially. I think this book had potential. I wish that the history of the house was explored more. I feel like the house was supposed to be the main character but it fell short. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher!

"The House on the Cover of a Horror Novel" is a chilling, gothic tale that digs into the psychological depths of motherhood, strained relationships, and the terror of the unknown. The story follows Emily Lawrence, an artist whose life takes a sharp turn after her husband, Miles, unknowingly buys the eerie house she’s been sketching for a book cover. What begins as a seemingly perfect solution for their growing family soon spirals into a nightmare.

Knight expertly weaves the tension between Emily’s growing sense of unease and Miles’s rational explanations. As Emily struggles through a difficult pregnancy, she begins to experience unsettling events—disembodied voices, strange presences, and a creeping sense that something in the house wants her child. Her fears are dismissed by Miles, leading to a breakdown in trust and communication between the couple. This conflict adds another layer of tension, as the house’s malevolent influence begins to isolate Emily in her torment.

The novel shines in its ability to blur the line between psychological and supernatural horror. Emily’s paranoia is skillfully portrayed, leaving the reader unsure whether the house is truly haunted or if the stress of her high-risk pregnancy is pushing her to the edge of sanity. Knight’s exploration of the anxieties of new motherhood is both empathetic and deeply unsettling, particularly as the story builds to a nerve-wracking climax when their baby vanishes.

While the novel’s pacing stumbles in a few places, the atmospheric tension and gothic setting make up for the slower moments. The house itself feels like a character, with its sinister whispers and hidden dangers lurking just out of sight. Knight delivers a few clever twists that keep the reader guessing, though some may feel that certain plot elements could have been explored in more depth.

Overall, The House on the Cover of a Horror Novel is a solid entry into the haunted house genre with strong supernatural undertones and psychological horror. It’s perfect for fans of slow-burn horror, though it may leave some wanting just a bit more bite. Still, the unsettling atmosphere and Emily’s journey through fear and doubt make this a memorable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own in exchange for an honest review.

Creepy house that gives off haunted vibes ✅
Horror author needing inspiration for a new book ✅

This book is not like most “haunted house” stories. This book leads you to believe that the house is really haunted. Voices that only one person hears, things reappearing out of nowhere, and just plain old spooky vibes.

Emily is an artist that is commissioned to paint something creepy to inspire a horror author with his next novel. However, when she finds the perfect subject, a spooky old Victorian house with a horrid past, her husband decides to buy it as a surprise. When they move in, things go from bad to worse.

While this story was good, I wish there was more to it besides the basic instincts and such of motherhood. Willing to do anything to keep them safe. I wanted more of a haunted house story and didn’t really get they’ll at with all the hard hitting topics chosen and gaslighting.

I would encourage everyone interested to read the trigger warnings before reading as they do delve into some deep and very triggering.

I hadn’t read a horror novel in quite a while, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. This one had some good and bad things. The writing felt clunky at times and some of the sentence choices were odd. The dialogue between the characters was awkward, but I think it was meant to be that way.

It switches between Miles and Emily’s perspectives, which gives you a nice break from each character. The characters, especially Miles, are unlikeable, but I was okay with that. Miles is just plain terrible in the beginning, but he goes through struggles as well. The struggles gave his character some understanding.

What I enjoyed about this story is you don’t know if the haunting is actually happening or if it’s just an extreme case of postpartum depression. I also felt this book moved along pretty fast, which kept my interest. This story does include harm against children, so be aware of that.

Thank you NetGalley and RDS Publishing for this eARC to review. All opinions are my own. This book is available September 12, 2024.

Read if you like:
👻 Ghosts and Haunted Houses!
🤰🏼 Pregnancy and Babies
🧠 Mental Health Struggles

Oh my god! First of all, I have been a fan since I read Knight’s novella Three Days At The Pink Tower and when I saw the chance to read an advanced copy of this horror novel, I could not pass it up! The House On The Cover Of A Horror Novel is completely full of suspense, murder, with a touch of true crime, as the crime only took place inside the fictional world. I love how this horrendous house is haunting only Emily for the duration of the story, making her appear like she is suffering insanity after a heartbreaking and emotional pregnancy that could have costed her her life. Then, at the climactic ending, everything is unraveled to her husband Miles and twin sister Monica, who are finally shown that she’s not crazy and indeed, the house is haunted. Bravo to that ending and I’ll be on the lookout for all Knight’s future releases even more!

The setup of this novel is so intriguing! Our main character Emily is an artist and gets commissioned by a famous horror author to create inspiration for his next horror novel. Emily finds a delightfully creepy house and starts to paint it - but her husband misunderstands her interest in the house and buys it for their family.

One of the biggest issues I have with this one is that it is sold as a haunted house horror and should really be marketed as pregnancy/motherhood horror. The synopsis on NetGalley (and I assume the finished book?) talks about Emily, Miles, and their son, but the son isn’t born when the novel starts, and the event of him going missing in the house doesn’t happen until the 60% point: this should not be in the synopsis, it would be more impactful if it wasn’t, and something more vague was mentioned instead.

The husband is awful in this one. I know it’s a staple of the genre to have a gaslight-y husband, but Miles is horrible. Get a divorce Emily! I never get the sense, even when everything is going great at the beginning of the novel, that this couple likes or respects each other. He has no redeeming qualities and the whole side story of him calling his son another name behind his wife’s back because he doesn’t like the name she chose is written as if this is a cute quirk and not cruel behavior.

The writing style feels scattered at times. The author has a good voice and this novel is at its best when it is speedy, concise, and to the point writing. However, sometimes the author tries to write in more purple prose and the similes and metaphors come off really jarring and overwritten. Overall, I wish this was a more gothic haunted house story, rather than parenthood horror. A book with one of the most graphic birthing scenes I’ve read in a while should better prepare the reader for such content.

Another note: there is a nonbinary character that gets misgendered by the author (not the characters) in the text. He/him is used instead of they/them in a sentence where the nonbinary character is doing something and it feels like the author just decided to add a nonbinary character to check off some diversity box and didn’t actually care about making the rep good.
Editors - this is super triggering - this is on page 103 “humming in the back of his throat” should be “humming in the back of their throat”. This error feels especially weird because the husband makes a big deal out of explaining the concept of they/them pronouns in quite a patronizing way to Emily, and then the author misgenders her own character.

Overall this had a lot of potential but unfortunately missed the mark.