This short story was well-crafted, offering enough depth and resolution to leave me satisfied as a reader.

After losing her husband, Jules is quickly swept off her feet by Kirin, who brings her into a fast-paced romance that leads to marriage. However, her daughter, Scout, is not a fan of this new man in their lives. The situation is made even more challenging when Scout has to leave behind her friends and school to move into Kirin’s mansion.

Scout's suspicions about Kirin grow, and she becomes increasingly convinced that there’s more to him than meets the eye.

Although this book is labeled as horror, it felt more like a short story with an unsettling undertone rather than a full-blown scary tale."

Just wow! Lisa Unger delivers a heck of a punch! This was an intense story with fantastic characters. Definitely kept me flipping pages long into the night. Huge on the creep factor!
Thank you NetGalley and Lisa Unger for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Quick little spooky story. I really enjoyed our mother and daughter main characters. I think this would be better as a full on book or shortened a little, the ending seemed a little rushed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

When Jules first meets the handsome artist Kirin, she’s still mourning her husband’s death, but a fairytale romance soon sweeps her off her feet. Now she and her daughter Scout are moving out of the city and into Kirin’s once-lonely mansion. He’s thoughtfully updated and adapted the home to match their personalities. But Scout is determined to keep her father’s memory alive by rejecting the new life her mother and Kirin have spun for her.

There are stories that are too long and could be 100 pages shorter and then there is this one that needed about another 100 pages to add a little more depth and a better ending in my opinion. Lisa Unger typically keeps my attention and I have liked most of what I have read by her but this one was meh. I believe writing a short story is harder than a novel simply because you only have a few pages for development and punch. I honestly feel that it started out strong but it lost momentum in the second half and then just ended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon publishing for the ARC of The Doll’s House.

A quick and easy thriller that actually leaves you thrilled. I really enjoyed this book! I would highly recommend.

🎎Book Review🎎
*
Summary- When Jules first meets the handsome artist Kirin, she’s still mourning her husband’s death, but a fairytale romance soon sweeps her off her feet. Now she and her daughter Scout are moving out of the city and into Kirin’s once-lonely mansion. He’s thoughtfully updated and adapted the home to match their personalities. But Scout is determined to keep her father’s memory alive by rejecting the new life her mother and Kirin have spun for her.
Scout’s sullenness begins to fade, though, when she finds a beautiful handmade doll in one of the many empty rooms in the house. Kirin says that the doll belonged to his late sister and he’d like Scout to have it. Scout’s hopeful for a connection over their shared grief, but as she grows more curious about Kirin’s sister, she can’t escape the feeling that a danger lurks in the house…and its gaze is fixed on her mother.
*
Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
*
My thoughts- This beauty came out last week and at only 98 pages long it’s totally worth the read! I loved this one SO much, Lisa Unger can do no wrong in my eyes. I would have loved a full fledged novel from this I loved it so much! This was such a fun horror novel, it’s so fast paced and so much fun! Will you see the twists coming ? Probably but man this is fantastic !
*
QOTD- what is something that scares you ?! Haunted dolls and clowns always scare me !
*

This is a short story which was available on Amazon Originals.

I personally find dolls pretty spooky so a horror story centered around a doll maker in an isolated mansion should really get to me! However, although I found the story very entertaining and beautifully written, I felt that it lacked suspense. I could guess most of the time what would happen next which definitely lowers the scary rating!

Still four stars because it was a pleasure to read, the characters were well done, and it was a great way to spend an hour on a quiet afternoon. That last paragraph though! Now if the author wanted to write a part two but featuring Vivi and Shiva - that could certainly be very scary indeed.

Okay this one I absolutely loved. Such a great creepy, spooky read! I don’t know what to even say other than if you want a great creepy read this one is a must! The characters were amazing and the plot was just phenomenal!

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

The Doll's House is a creepy, quick read that has you slowly leaning forward onto the edge of your seat as you read it.
Jules and Scout are off to start a new life after the death of Jules husband (Scouts father). Moving in with Karin (Jules boyfriend) in his huge home is a huge change, especially for Scout, who finds it hard to hide her real feelings on the matter. The House is run by an AI security system called Vivi (which freaked me out), and Kirin seems just too good to be true, especially coming along at just the right time in their lives. But after Scout finds a lifelike doll of Kirins missing sister and Jules has strange visions, the pair are left fighting for their lives.
I flew through this quick read and have a feeling this story is not finished yet, and we may be seeing a part two from that ending! This book took me back to goosebumps type stories from my youth in a way, and I absolutely loved it.

EXCERPT: (This excerpt contains some spoilers - so if this concerns you please skip forward to the ABOUT section.)
JULES
God, I miss him so much. Doug, it must be said, was not a great husband. An A-plus father, but just barely clinging to a passing grade as a spouse. He was bad with money, left us with more debt than I was aware of. He was periodically unfaithful - once a publicist, once a superfan who followed him on tour. He battled depression most of his life and finally took his life in a Los Angeles hotel room on the road for his last novel.
But, wow, did I love him. Against all reason and good sense, I loved him deeply. I tried to shield Scout from the worst of it. She doesn't know we had to sell the apartment, that I needed the money to pay off Doug's debts. I didn't want her to know that he left us in such a mess, without even a note of explanation or a goodbye.
I sit across from him, staring. This is not right. He's not here.
'Rich, handsome, successful, devoted,' he says. 'You've leveled up, Jules. Good for you.'
I am not going to answer him, because that would mean that I'm not aware I'm hallucinating. I'm just going to pretend this isn't happening.
'It's picture perfect, just like you always wanted. Except for the grief garden, the scared mystery girl warning you away, and the whole locked-in-your room thing,' he says. 'That's a little sus, as the kids say.'

ABOUT 'THE DOLL'S HOUSE': When Jules first meets the handsome artist Kirin, she’s still mourning her husband’s death, but a fairytale romance soon sweeps her off her feet. Now she and her daughter Scout are moving out of the city and into Kirin’s once-lonely mansion. He’s thoughtfully updated and adapted the home to match their personalities. But Scout is determined to keep her father’s memory alive by rejecting the new life her mother and Kirin have spun for her.

Scout’s sullenness begins to fade, though, when she finds a beautiful handmade doll in one of the many empty rooms in the house. Kirin says that the doll belonged to his late sister and he’d like Scout to have it. Scout’s hopeful for a connection over their shared grief, but as she grows more curious about Kirin’s sister, she can’t escape the feeling that a danger lurks in the house…and its gaze is fixed on her mother.

MY THOUGHTS: Delicious!

I loved the creepiness, the sense of foreboding. Lisa Unger is one of the few authors who can fully round out a short story, providing the full tense and suspenseful reading experience in very short (92 pages) format. The Doll's House lacks for nothing.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#TheDollsHouse #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Lisa Unger lives on the west coast of Florida with her family.

DISCLSOURE: Thank you to Amazon Original Stories for providing a digital ARC of The Doll's House: A Short Story by Lisa Unger for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

I was captivated by this short story! The blend of past and present in this tale really drew me in. Jules, a widowed mother, is ready to start fresh with her daughter, Scout, but the mansion they move into holds more than just memories—it seems to have its own dark secrets.

The way Lisa Unger weaves the story of the handmade doll and its connection to Kirin’s late sister was both haunting and intriguing. I loved how Scout’s growing curiosity about the doll and its origins built up the suspense. The atmosphere was chilling, and the sense of impending danger kept me hooked from beginning to end. It’s a perfect read if you enjoy a mix of emotional depth and eerie mystery!

A quick read but no less satisfying! Something's amiss when a widow and her daughter move in with the new boyfriend. Mysterious and creepy with a fulfilling conclusion.

This was a messed up story! I was able to guess what was going to happen, quite early, but that did not keep me from enjoying this story. I loved the paranormal and artificial intelligence aspects to this story, both added to the overall creepy feeling. I loved the ending; and I cannot wait to read more of Lisa Unger's work in the future.

Lisa Unger has proved her talent for creating believable characters. building suspense, adding plot twists and turning all into best sellers. In The Doll’s House, she does all this in only 98 pages. Widow Jules meets artist Kirin (a puppeteer!) and, with her high school age daughter Scout, moves to Winslow House, his luxurious AI controlled mansion. What could go wrong? Much, it seems. You’ll find out in this impossible to put down mini-thriller. Enjoy but don’t plan to go to sleep after you finish that last page. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Original Stories and Lisa Unger for this ARC.

“Back in my room, I put the Emma doll on my window seat, leaning her against one of the plush pillows. I fall asleep watching her eyes shine in the light of the room”

Creepy! Jules is widowed and has finally found someone who loves her and her daughter, Scout, and wants to create a life with them. Once they move into this expensive mansion, chock-full of high-tech alarm systems and AI ears listening in, they begin to notice that things are not quite right.

In the beginning, Kirin seems like a night in shining armor to Jules but Scout isn’t buying it. Not only does she miss her dad but she becomes inquisitive about what happened to Kirin’s sister, Emma.

Emma disappeared years ago and a few people in town are still trying to figure out what happened to her. Kirin is a doll and puppet maker and he works with the entertainment world. However, the dolls may have a more important role in Kirin’s life than just selling them.

Throughout this short story, I knew the creep factor would continue building. Any time a doll or clown is involved, something frightening will happen. I didn’t like Kirin from the beginning. Just by the way he spoke and the things he would do when Jules and Scout moved in. He had control of the whole house and the AI system. They couldn’t just unlock the doors, they had to ask the system to unlock and lock doors.

Even with the new age technology we have today, there is just something about having to rely solely on it that seems a bit unsettling to me. Add some puppets and dolls and a missing sister and you have, The Doll’s House, which is spine-chilling and such a great book for thrillers lovers! I loved this one. Unger is one of my top thriller authors and this book is exactly why. The story couldn’t have been told better!

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC of this book.

If you haven’t read a Novella yet, this is the one to dive into!!! At 98 pages this short story has depth, action, suspense, mystery, and a touch of spooky. Lisa Unger did an amazing job building backstory, developing characters, setting the stage and delivering suspense and mystery in few pages. The ending concludes the story and you aren’t left wondering what’s next. If you are short on time but want to be taken for a literary ride grab The Doll House!!!

Thank you to Net Galley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC of The Doll House by Lisa Unger in exchange for my honest review.

A creepy house, a creepy atmosphere, and creepy dolls made for the perfect short story for the upcoming season. Things escalated quickly here and didn't let up until the last page, leaving me wanting more, but in a good way. I could easily see this being a full novel and almost wished it was. This author knows how to craft suspenseful, haunting stories no matter the length. Given the limited pages in this, the characters still managed full development, taking the reader into their world. She excels at what she does, and this was no exception. Four stars.

Thank you, Netgalley, and Amazon Original Stories for this ARC.

The Doll’s House by Lisa Unger is a short, creepy, engaging story! I was hooked from Chapter 1! It is a perfect read moving into the Halloween season! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. Rating: 4 stars only because I wish it was longer and the ending felt a bit rushed! Publication Date: September 12, 2024

Thanks to #NetGalley and #AmazonOriginalStories for the book #TheDollsHouse by #LisaUnger. I absolutely loved this short story by one of my favorite authors and was left wanting more! A widowed Jules meets Kirin, a doll maker, and soon she and her daughter Scout move in with him. Kirin’s sister went missing many years ago and Scout is very intrigued and starts asking questions. You will never believe what she finds. Highly recommend this amazing book!

A fast paced, short read that packs a punch! Full of suspense it kept me guessing. The characters are intriguing. Perfect for horror fans!