A perfectly creepy short-story horror story with an eerie Mansion filled with even creepier dolls and the doll maker who is looking for his next perfect creation. Lots of spooky fun with this one. I thank Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A short story, yes, a good short story, no! The best part of this book was the last page. It grabbed my attention more than the entire book. The storyline had potential. However, as a short story, it lacked depth for me to engage in the plot quickly, leaving it feeling predictable and missing substance.

I"m a big fan of Lisa Unger! She has once again delivered a taut, suspenseful book.

The story follows the lives of three women whose paths intersect in unexpected and chilling ways. This part felt particularly twisty and suspenseful. A seemingly perfect life is shattered when disturbing truths about the past come to light, leading to a tangled web of deceit, obsession, and danger.

This is a short mysterious, suspenseful and gripping story. The details are very interesting. The book has been written beautifully. There are twists and turns that makes the story interesting. Thanks to the Publisher

What a great short novella. My first book by this author but won’t be my last. I kept turning the pages wanting to know what was going to happen. I love books with some supernatural elements and this book did not disappoint.

Published by Amazon Original Stories on September 12, 2024

Doug killed himself, leaving behind Jules, a widow in her 30s, and Scout, a girl in her teens. Who gives a dog’s name to a kid? Jules and Doug, apparently. Doug was a famous writer with a “rabid cult following” and the bad habit of spending more money than he earned. He left his family with no significant assets other than their NYC apartment.

Now Jules is 37, has unburdened herself from debt by selling the apartment, and is moving in with perfect fiancé Kirin. Her “fresh new love” took her “completely by surprise.” Jules loves Kirin because he is “solid,” meaning that, unlike Doug, he has enough money to take care of her. The idea of taking care of herself has apparently never entered her head. Maybe that’s the point of the story — Jules evolves by becoming (spoiler alert) a self-sufficient writer before the story’s end — but my impression is that Lisa Unger wants the reader to sympathize with Jules’ plight rather than faulting her for making bad choices.

Scout is 17 and moving into Kirin’s house as the story opens. She is unhappy with everything, including her mother and her stepfather-to-be, notwithstanding his wealth. Scout’s therapist says she doesn’t want to move on because that would mean leaving her father behind. That makes sense but, let' face it, Scout is 17 and therefore programmed to be unhappy with her life regardless oer her circumstances.

Scout is more bonded to Kirin’s 20-something assistant, Jessie, than she is to Kirin. She also seems to be bonded with DD, her texting partner. But she gets a “flutter in her stomach” when a boy named Racer pays attention to her on her first day in the exclusive private school she will now be attending.

What begins as a boring family drama takes a thriller/horror twist when Scout hears singing coming from Emma’s room. Emma is Kirin’s troubled sister, who maybe had something going with Racer’s dad. Emma is missing and presumed dead, but could she be in her room, singing? Emma finds the room empty but discovers a doll with a slim black dress and ruby shoes. Was the doll singing? The answer is never clear. Like other unlikely plot elements, Unger seems happy to attribute anything she can’t explain to the supernatural.

Kirin made the doll’s dress and shoes from clothing that the missing Emma left behind, which strikes me as a disturbing thing to do despite Kirin’s status as a “world renowned puppet and doll maker.” Scout is impressed that the doll is so realistic it seems to be alive. Readers have seen this before.

Jules believes she caught a glimpse of a woman outside the house, a slim figure dressed all in black. Kirin dismisses her inquiry. You see where this is going, right? Well, maybe not. Unger tries to spice up the plot with a hidden map and a mysterious key, although the location of those items makes no sense at all.

Kirin will obviously turn out to be a bad guy but his motivation for being bad is unconvincing, in part because he is a paper-thin character. Scout lives up to all teenage girl stereotypes but has no personality of her own. Jules is too full of self-pity to be a worthy character, even if she comes through at the end.

A chapter that offers the hope of actual thrills turns out to be a dream. Why do writers annoy readers with dream sequences?

The story ends as stories like this usually end. The resolution is unimaginative. While the identity of Scout’s texting partner is meant to be surprising, it is entirely predictable. The identity of the mysterious girl is so obvious that the attempt to conceal it while foreshadowing the reveal is a waste of words. Making her true identity possible requires a belief in the supernatural that seems to be Lisa Unger’s go-to move, but readers who hope that mysteries will be solved by rational thought will be disappointed.

Fans of Christian Lit soap operas who believe that guardian angels watch over us might like this story. Perhaps because I am not part of that market, I thought it was sillly.

NOT RECOMMENDED

Like many of Lisa Unger's works, this examines the dark side of relationships and has great characters. I would've liked a full-length book to have time to build the suspense and learn more about the backstory.

Love a creepy short story. Thoroughly enjoyed this and would recommend if you are a fan of unger. I would recommend if you are a fan of her work.

This was a quick fun read.
Right away our main characters are moving into a new home after a recent passing of a loved one.
Mom is to look to the future respectfully, her daughter, not so much.

The new fiance is a great guy. Very successful, wealthy, respectful that the daughter is still grieving her father, has welcomed them into his massive home and made his space their space, customized special areas for each of them to foster their creativity.

Everything is perfect, right?

Who is this random woman who keeps appearing around the property? Who is humming 1am when everyone should be asleep? AND why does this "Alexa" wannabe of a smart house seem so judgy...rude!?

There’s something about Lisa Unger’s books that pull me in and keep me begging for more.

Even when they’re about the last topic on earth I want to read about: creepy dolls.

This was the perfect novella to read for the spooky season, and it was a quick one too. Beyond the fact that it’s a novella, it’s also one you won’t be able to put down!

This was fine. Wildly predictable. But as far as shorter stories go, it would be a good one for someone just starting out in the thriller/horror department. For me personally, I felt like it was lacking in a lot of information and depth.

It is not impossible to write a gripping, thrilling short story, see everything short ever written by Daphne du Maurier or Shirley Jackson. It is a challenge, however, to build up characters, arcs, inciting incidents, etc. over a short story in a way that makes the reader commit to it the way they would with a full novel. I really enjoyed the premise of Lisa Unger's The Doll's House, with Jules trying to move on from the death of her husband and Scout, her daughter, dealing with the loss of a parent and now change. The story is also told through their dual perspectives. There is a lot of emotional intensity to mine there, and Kirin as the "too good to be true" new partner could also work really well, especially with the combination of his work and the new house. Added to that is the history of Kirin's sister. This, however, is a lot for a short story. It's almost as if a full-length novel was trimmed into a short story and as a consequence, all subtlety or nuance was lost. The story begins with Jules and Scout moving into Kirin's house and then, from there, I don't think more than a week passes, if even that. The developments that take place, especially in Kirin's character and Scout's was too quick for me to be able to suspend my disbelief. On top of that, there were a lot of elements that felt a little over-the-top, although I probably would have accepted them in a novel where they had more time to be established. For me, The Doll's House just simply wanted to do too much all at once. I probably would have enjoyed it more if either it had been either down, significantly, by focusing on just one perspective for example, or stretching the time period it covered, so that it doesn't all feel quite as sudden.

Reviewed alongside 'The Lover' by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

This was such a fun and fast read. I was intrigued throughout the story and I definitely recommend it!

Lisa Unger is one of my faves and the The Doll's House didn't disappoint! It's a short story and I was captivated from beginning to end. It was both chilling and creepy, making for an thrilling read.

I appreciate the ARC

The Doll's House is a short story, but wow it does not disappoint. I was hooked from the beginning and was so thankful I could read this in one sitting.

Jules is trying to move on after the death of her husband. Scout, her teenage daughter, is not happy about her mom not only dating again, but moving them out of their NYC apartment to an upstate mansion, a new school her senior year, a new place to live, a new guy for her mom.

Kirin is a doll maker.... and shortly after they move in weird things start to happen.

Thank you Lisa Unger, Amazon Original Stories, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Doll's House
Lisa Unger

A really well written, spooky little tale ...
A mother, who's moving on after the death of her husband with her daughter and new boyfriend, begins to experience spooky stuff ... Is this really happening? Could it be stress causing her imagination to run amuck?

The story kept me intrigued. I enjoyed the writing, and I thought the characters were well fleshed out. I think it certainly could have been longer, giving more space to expand. (And more time for the events within to take place, which could have benefited certain aspects.) Instead, it got right to the point ... and I respect it.

An hour well spent.

4 / 5

Chilling and very gripping. I love Unger's writing style. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the free eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

This is a fantastic short story! There is an ominous tone created throughout the entire story. The ending was good. I would love to read a sequel! If you like dark unsettling stories, this is perfect for you! Special Thank You to Lisa Unger, Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

"The Doll's House" is a short story that captivated me from beginning to end. It was both chilling and creepy, making for an excellent read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

ARC Review 💌 (I'm sorry it's so late. I was unable to read this at the time, but I finally got to it and still wanted to leave a review)

This short story is about a widowed mother, Jules, who is ready to give love another chance. She moves into her fiancé's smart house with her teenage daughter, Scout. But as they try to build a future together, the past refuses to let go.

I was quite surprised by this story. I don't generally go for short stories but this sounded really interesting and I wanted to give it a try. It started off really well, very easy to get into and I liked the main characters. The plot was also really good. The book was progressing very well and I was certainly entertained. I listened to the audio version and I feel like that already made the experience better (I liked the narrators).

Throughout the story I kept trying to figure out what happened to Kirin's sister, and I had my own new theories after every chapter, however, I must say near the end of the story I felt things happened a bit too fast. I know it is a short story, but I feel like even with maybe 2 or 3 more chapters it would've been better. The ending was also slightly predictable but, I still liked it and I was shocked at it regardless.!

The concept of this story is great. I think it's very creative and I really did enjoy reading The Doll's House. Other than the pace at the end, and the ending being a little predictable, I really had fun with this one.

Thank you Lisa Unger and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this short story🫶🏼

Format: Kindle / Audible
Rating: 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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