I enjoyed this quick thriller/horror tale.

It was a middle grade/YA thriller that I think a lot of kids will enjoy. The whole Urban Legend I think will never get old (for me anyways) and had me rereading and pulling late 90s/early 2000s movies and books for my kids that they instantly became obsessed with. And perfect time of year.

Will definitely be in my HS library.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

This was slow paced but I was intrigued for about the first half of the book with the focus on urban legends. We learn pretty early on that Nate's family is on the run from their past and the family dynamics were definitely odd. I wish the back story of why they were on the run had been shared earlier on, as I started getting annoyed with the continued vague comments so deep into the book. Like the fact that Rowan saved those kids and they were moving around to escape the haunted aftermath could have been shared sooner without ruining the book or suspense.

I thought it could have ended around the 80-85% mark when Nate trapped his friends in the house and it would have been a solid ending. It was a twist I wasn't expecting and I would have been satisfied with that closure.. I thought everything after this point was unnecessary, or could have been edited down into an epilogue.

🎧The audio performance was good though! The whispering quality made it extra creepy and the fear in Jesse Vilinsky's voice was top notch! I'm not sure I would have finished this book without the audio.

Excellent audiobook. I thoroughly enjoyed the reader of this book and the plot moved along at an excellent pace.

Similar to my experience with Ralph’s other work, this was a quick and fun popcorn thriller with some spooky elements tied in. Not a new favorite but definitely one i enjoyed my time with.

Thank you Netgalley for my review copy!

Thank you Netgalley and Spotify Audiobooks for the ALC.

Story: 🌟🌟🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟

Nate and his family are trying to outrun a curse by moving to a new town. However, when Nate is pulled into an urban legend club, new and old ghosts merge and there’s no place left to run.

This was very Goosebumps-esque. It was fun and quick with great narration.

ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

House Left by Vincent Ralph Holy freak-a-roni. This book blew my mind. Nate and his family are on the run.. trouble is, it’s not a thing they can run from. Nate doesn’t want to make friends. Friends mean something to leave behind but when a small group of misfits befriend him.. he cannot help wanting to join. I loved it. The misfits take on urban legends in their spare time.. since Nate joined.. they seem to be becoming real… I love the supernatural tones in this book. The book is so twisty and I never figured out what would happen at the end!! Blown away! If you love a horror thriller… this one.. this oneeeee 4.5 stars

Amazing concept. Way too long of an execution. I almost gave up on this, was hooked back in when the twist was exposed at about 90%. The wrap up was also a bit mid.

Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARCCin exchange for an honest review.

This was definitely a slow burn horror. I spent probably 60% of the book confused and wondering what was going to happen. Then things got really intense and I couldn't put the book down!

I really appreciated the multiple narrators particularly when the big twist was revealed.

I would likely recommend this one but just be warned that it takes a bit to fully suck you in.

This book sounded like something I would enjoy but unfortunately I found the plot to not be very developed .the characters were meh .

Unfortunately I am not recommending One House Left .

Thank you NetGalley for letting me listen to this Audio ARC.

I was really excited to dive into this book and to hear more about The Hiding Boy. This book sounded so creepy and felt like it would be the perfect book to listen to especially with the creepy season on it's way.

I'm not sure if it was because of the narrator at the beginning portion of the book, but I found it a bit harder to pay attention depending on the character they were voicing. I also really couldn't see the appeal with the "love interest" for Nate and way he felt so drawn to her.

But around 3/4 through the book, I was drawn in by the surprise twist. This really caught my attention and I couldn't stop listening until I reached the end to hear more.

This book is 3.5 stars for me.

As soon as I saw the R.L Stine meets Urban Legends call out, I was immediately up for allllll the nostalgia!

While I was hoping for something a bit scarier and creepier, I realize that might be because this is a YA novel, and I'm more accustomed to darker thrillers or horror stories. I also think this might have prevented me from fully connecting with the characters.

I did think that the concept was definitely unique and intriguing and this paranormal story certainly makes for a fun read for the upcoming #SpookySeason

3.5 stars rounded to 4 for Goodreads

Nate is the new kid in school. No friends, no acquaintances, and no past - at least as far as his classmates are concerned. He is invisible, and he prefers it that way. But one day Max approaches him. And there is just something about her. Perhaps they can be friends, and the taint that has followed him and his family around won't touch her. Perhaps he can be a normal teenager. Perhaps that is all a bit too much for a boy from a family like his to hope for...

I'm not quite sure how to feel about this book. There is a HUGE twist around 3/4 of the way through the book that I was not expecting. And while I always appreciate an author that can completely through me off, I'm not sure that I liked the twist. Your mileage may vary. Overall, it was entertaining.

🏠Book Review🏠
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Summary- Sixteen-year-old Nate Campbell grew up in the shadow of Murder Road – a street cursed by the vengeful spirit of the Hiding Boy.

Every few years, for nearly six decades, a different house on that street has been the scene of a tragedy.

Nate and his family move to a new town as they try to outrun the curse once and for all. But, when he is pulled into his new friends’ urban legend club, new ghost stories merge with old until there is nowhere left to run.
*
Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*
My thoughts- I’m so behind on book reviews but thank you so much Macmillan for the advanced copy which is signed and came with stickers!! I really enjoyed this one it is so wild and unexpected. Super fun YA thriller that has some wild twists you won’t see coming. I liked this one so much, the audio was fantastic. Nate and his family are just so fascinating to follow, I could not put this one down! Perfect for fans of urban legends and horror films! Be sure to grab it where books are sold today!
*
QOTD- What is your favorite urban legend ?! Bloody Mary used to scare me so bad lol!
*

<b>TW/CW: Language, fighting, toxic family relationships, dementia, death of loved one, grieving, depression, anxiety, death of sibling, bullying, family drama, blood, gory scenes </b>

<b><big>*****SPOILERS*****</b></big>
<b>About the book:</b>
Sixteen-year-old Nate Campbell grew up in the shadow of Murder Road – a street cursed by the vengeful spirit of the Hiding Boy.

Every few years, for nearly six decades, a different house on that street has been the scene of a tragedy.Nate and his family move to a new town as they try to outrun the curse once and for all. But, when he is pulled into his new friends’ urban legend club, new ghost stories merge with old until there is nowhere left to run.
<b>Release Date:</b> August 27th, 2024
<b>Genre:</b> Horror
<b>Pages:</b> 320
<b>Rating:</b> ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

<b>What I Liked:</b>
1. The plot sounded creepy
2. Short chapters
3. Reads fast

<b>What I Didn't Like:</b>
1. Read too YA
2. Characters feel repetitive
3. Teenage romance
4. Not horror - more mystery feeling

<b>Overall Thoughts:</b>
<b><i><small>{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}</small></i></b>

Calling the road Murder Road remind me of a book called <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196614815-murder-road"<b>Murder Road by Simone St. James</b></a>, which also talks about a road of death.

I wish the teenagers were more interesting. So far it feels like Nate is coming off very one dimensional, Hazel just keeps calling the boy she left behind, and Roman is fighting for money.

If Nate knows that his urban legend is real why would he want to risk making another urban legend real? Wouldn't he want to not be anywhere near another one?

Did you know that Nates grandmother died? Yeah, you'll only hear about it every chapter and almost every 5 pages.

They all go to Murder Road and in the boys house (not sure if this house has been vacant since the 60s the town hasn't knocked it down) they are locked away from Nate, we suddenly change character pov to Max's. Why?? This is weird. Then Seb & Tyler's.

They are lost in this haunted house and Seb just died but suddenly in the middle of all of this we have Tyler over here questioning his life decisions and whether he should take a school scholarship. What???

The house turns into this 1408 Stephen King ghost thing where their spirts from their pasts and worries of their lives kill(try) to them off.

Tyler and Max survive. The police even talk about how the town should knock down the 5 houses and yeah why aren't they?? How is the town doing this since they've had so many people killed at these places.

So we now know that Roman is responsible for the death of 5 bodies and feeding the house people just because Roman interrupted the curse to knock the door down saving the other kids (I guess).

Oh they killed Hazel's boyfriend in the house.

I'm confused why they wouldn't approach the town about knocking the houses down to see if it'll stop the curse they have, but they don't even try that path they just jump into leading people to the houses.

In theory then since Roman broke up the houses killing those people that broke in and broke the door down what did that mean that little girl that saved Max and Tyler but also be haunted and have to lure people to houses? She interrupted the natural order of things.

So it's 6 months later and they are knocking the houses down starting with the one where Seb died in. Magically Nate and his family is able to just blend into this huge crowd and you're going to tell me not one person recognizes any of them. Like how is that even possible. They grew up in this town and no one recognizes them especially since Max had put out a podcast saying they were on the lookout for them and they had disappeared but they just get in watch the house get knocked down and sneak out.

<b>Final Thoughts:</b>
This book reminded me of The Craft. That a new girl that had the final power showed up and gave the existing group the power they were missing. Nate is that character that shows up to make the urban legends come alive.

It's never explained how the urban legends came true when they were around Nate. It's never explained and kind of seemed an after thought to a storyline that was pretty massive.

I wanted to like this story but it all just felt very meh to me. The characters weren't interesting and at times could come off annoying. The tone of the book was too YA. There was the twist of Nate framing the group, but it seemed so out of character to the person we had been following around and reading his thoughts that suddenly he'd set his friends up to be murdered.

In the end though I don't know if I'll remember much from this book. Wasn't terrible but also wasn't very memorable.

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<b><small>Thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the ebook & Spotify Books for the audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

really enjoyed One House Left. It deserves its comp to R.L. Stine, though this is better written...

I totally kid. I love R.L. Stine and appreciate all of his work and his contribution to the Horror space. I still read his books today and will continue to do so, well, forever. Anytime I see a new release compared to Stine's stories, I am going to check it out. It's the Publishers doing their work. They sold me. Sometimes it pays off, other times not so much. Happy to report it def paid off here.

This story follows 16-year old, Nate Campbell, who grew up on a cursed street, dubbed Murder Road, haunted by a vengeful spirit known only as The Hiding Boy. Every few years a different house on the street is plagued by some sort of violent tragedy. Nate and his family, trying to outrun the curse, move to a new town at the start of this story and that is where we pick up with Nate.

We follow him as he navigates being the new kid, while also trying to outrun his past. Will he be able to do so? Is it even possible to escape from the clutches of Murder Road?

I was hooked into this one from the start. It was giving me total Fear Street vibes with the narration style and the way the MC, Nate, presented his story. He was pulled into a clique of friends at his new school, led by the strong-willed, Max, who love learning about and exploring urban legends. Little did they know that Nate was actually living one.

Max seemed like such a cool girl to me. I loved her. Everything about the way she was described and the confidence with which she carried herself, she was def my fave in this one!

There's all sorts of mystery throughout this story as well. I had so many questions. I didn't really know what was going on half the time, purposefully on the author's part, and it kept me hella intrigued. People were acting strangely, Nate was receiving mysterious threatening messages, it wasn't quite clear the circumstances under which Nate's family left their old home; there was so much I wanted to know.

That's one way to keep you furiously flipping pages!

There was a huge twist around the 70%-point, that legit left my jaw on the floor. I couldn't believe what was happening and it totally changed my perspective on everything. I felt that was so well played by the author. As far as reveals go, it was definitely one I did NOT expect!

I also loved the escalation of this story. It was like a snowball rolling down hill. The pacing was very well done. There's a lot that I appreciated about this story, but I won't risk saying more because I don't want to spoil anything. Just know, I was impressed. Overall, I loved how the concept of Urban Legends was used by the author to tell this story. I found the characters so compelling, especially my girl, Max. As YA Horror novels go, this is at towards the top of the class!

Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. This is the 2nd-book I have read from Vincent Ralph and I'm definitely seeing a progression in his work.

I look forward to reading more from him!

“We shattered her heart into a million unsalvageable pieces because we had no more ways to fight back.”

Although this line is near the end of One House Left, I don’t think it gives anything away. It just lets you know that Vincent Ralph’s new YA thriller is about more than spooky ghost stories. It’s about love and family and redemption, but it’s also, in typical Vincent Ralph fashion, spooky season perfect, and I loved every minute of it!

This was a good and creepy story that keeps you guessing about what is actually happening. This would probably really good as an Audio book with the creepiness of it. I enjoyed it but felt there was just something missing for me to say I loved it.

I am not sure I agree that this is R. L. Stine meets urban legends because the style was very different. It was a good young adult thriller, but it was drawn out in a way R. L. Stine never was. I listened to the audiobook of this one and I liked the narrator a lot. I thought he did a great job bringing the main character to life, and when there were chapters starring other characters he transitioned well to making those feel real too. Nate and his family have been moving frequently and it is clear they are running from something horrific. Nate has survived by not getting attached and he hopes to be invisible at this newest stop too. He bumps into a group of three friends and he can’t help but become attached even when the three of them tell him they are a group that likes to try urban legends. This book wasn’t scary but it was fun (even if I saw the twist coming). I do love urban legends so the story of the hiding boy was definitely an interesting one. I do think the story could have moved faster, but over all it was.

Nate and his family have been moving from house to house for years, always seeming to be on the run from something. Now Nate is living near Murder Road, the street in which the Hiding Boy lurks, waiting for his next victims.

Nate has never been one to make friends, but this time, it’s different. He meets a girl who changes his whole world. Nate is dragged into his new friends’ urban legend club. A club in which they test the accuracy of an urban legend.

Are urban legends real? Who is leaving threatening notes for Nate and why are all these supernatural happenings occuring?

When Nate and his group of friends, want to test out the legend of the Hiding Boy and Murder Road, Nate reluctantly agrees but not before begging his new friend to runaway with him.

What is Nate and his family hiding? Can this group survive the Hiding Boy?

𝓜𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼: Spoiler Alert!
☁️☁️☁️

Definitely reminiscent of R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike! This was a CHILLING YA supernatural HORROR! It is on par with Rachel Harrison’s “The Return”. This book kept me in-rapt attention! I started out with the e-book then switched to the audio. The narrator NAILED it! Spooky with a very nice TWISTY surprise at the end!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was full of creepy and terrifying moments. The urban myths in this story were nightmare worthy and it was very interesting to have them be center stage in this book.