I have to say that I hate that Lisa Unger’s The Doll’s House is only a short story. I really enjoyed the concept and the story could have easily been expanded to give us a deeper dive into the characters, especially giving us a more thorough exploration into the twisted mind of the villain. The story revolves around Jules and her daughter Scout. At the start of the story all we know is that it has been a year or so since Jules’s husband has died (we’ll learn more about him as the story goes on.) and they are moving into Kirin’s (Jules’s boyfriend) mansion. Scout is less than thrilled with having to move, especially as she is starting her senior year of high school. Kirin is a famous doll maker (working in film/tv) and his house is hi-tec, outfitted with an AI. But the house and grounds feel a bit off, and Kirin’s life has not been without tragedy as well. His sister went missing years ago. And it’s not long before both Scout and her mother begin to suspect not everything is as it seems. It’s a fast paced story, perhaps too fast paced. As I said, I really would have loved to have seen this story fleshed out into a full fledged novel. While as a short story it was still highly entertaining, I do lament at what could have been. Bottomline is: Unger always entertains and most fans of her work are likely to enjoy this story. I’d like to thank Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of the The Doll’s House.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RLGGRNA9TW4Y3/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

4.5/5 stars

The Doll's House is a suspenseful short story.

This story alternates between Jules (mother) and Scout's (17 year old daughter) POVs.

Jules is a widow who is finally ready to give love another chance. The story begins with her and her daughter moving in with Kirin. He is extremely wealthy and lives in a mansion. He is an artist who makes dolls.

This story was wonderful. So creepy and amazing. I could not wait to see how things would play out. The house was so fun. The dolls were unbelievable. And the atmosphere was so eerie. I felt so connected to both Jules and Scout.

Even though this story is only 98 pages it really did not feel that short. I enjoyed it so much. It was spooky and chilling and I could not put it down. This is the perfect Fall read!

Lisa Unger, my little black heart beats for you.

The Doll's House

Cue the creep factor, the cover alone says it all, then throw in a reference to "dolls" and I am already scared.

Unger, has yet to disappoint me, and we have been on a long journey together. As one of my most favored, auto buy authors, I can never get enough. The minute I conclude, the count down begins for the next book to release.

The Doll['s House, is chilling.

Well, one word to describe it.

It's also terrifying, suspenseful and pure thrilling.

At less than 100 pages, this is such a quick gut punch, you won't know what hit you.

I loved every minute of it.

Check out this teaser :

A widowed mother, ready to give love another chance, moves into her fiancé’s old family home with her teenage daughter. But as they try to build a future together, the past refuses to let go in this haunting short story from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger.

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.

I will read anything that Lisa Unger writes because I’ve loved every book I’ve read by her. This is a short story with spooky thriller vibes and I really enjoyed it.

Even though it is a short story it was full of Lisa Unger’s thriller writing style. It had me turning the pages like a crazy person because I needed to find out what happened.

I felt like I needed a full length novel from this story because I enjoyed it so much.

The Doll's House by Lisa Unger is a creepy short story.
Unger really did captivate me with her writing and characters here in this one.
An enjoyable suspenseful read. Well written and very entertaining.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.


I find myself drawn to short stories of late and The Doll House is a perfect example as to why. Lisa Unger was able to get me emotionally invested in 80-something pages. It's a great dark book with twists and turns that you'll read in one sitting, but still want more.

A new short story about a mom and daughter who move into a famous puppeteer's house.

I enjoyed this, but I thought it was too short (I understand it's a short story, but I wish it had been a tad longer)! There were some things that felt a little rushed or I wish had been allowed to build a little more. It was a really quick, suspenseful read though!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa Unger does a fantastic job setting a mood and sense of place. In the case of the short story A Doll’s House there’s always an underlying sense of unease and creepiness. The characters and story are well developed so much so I wished it to be longer with more backstory. Furthermore, it’s a highly enjoyable story that had just enough supernatural and eeriness to maintain my interest.

Read this if you like:
-creepy smart house setting with equally creepy puppets
-touch of supernatural
-sense of doom and tension
-people with secrets
-short chapters and quick read
-past unsolved missing person
-multiple POVs
-satisfying ending

My rating 4 out of 5

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for this eARC that will be published September 12 2024,

The Doll's House written by Lisa Unger was an action packed spooky novella filled with supernatural vibes and contemporary feels. This novella was only ninety-eight pages, but it was filled with so much action and thrilling moments where it felt like my heart was going to drop out of my chest. The Doll's House was so creepy that my jaw was on the floor a numerous amount of times. Although this short story didn't give me nightmares like I thought it would, it still made me keep a flashlight next to my pillow when I went to sleep at night. I loved this short novella, but the reason I gave it four stars is because I feel like it needed to be a full novel, and the ending was ended abruptly. When I saw the cover for The Doll's House, I knew I had to get my hands on this novella immediately and I'm so happy I had the privilege to read this story because it definitely amazed me, I was NEVER once bored. If you are looking for a spooky read for this Halloween season, look no further than The Doll's House written by Lisa Unger, I just can't stop recommending this short story. The body chills were CHILLING. Ladies and gentlemen, if you do decide to read this novella, think twice about keeping a flashlight next to you at night.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND AMAZON ORIGINAL STORIES FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!

"There was no tomorrow when the person you loved most died."

"Embrace the new. Let the old fall away like a shed skin. Be the new."

"Predators and abusers can sense your pain and weakness. It's their gift."

Jules Cranor is widowed at the age of thirty-seven and a single mom to her seventeen year old daughter, Scout. After losing her husband Doug, Jules has sworn off love, but that's until a handsome artist sweeps Jules off of her feet in a fairy tale romance. When Jules falls in love with this handsome stranger, she wants to pack up and her and Scout's lives in the city and move into a once lonely mansion with her new love bug, Kirin Winslow. Scout and Jules used to be super close, but now that Jules wants to up and leave their lives in the city, Scout looks at her mom like she's a rival gang member. Scout doesn't want to leave her friends behind, but does she really have a choice at seventeen years old? Scout was super shy, but she had a fireball of a personality, her smart ass comments always had me giggling. Doug Cranor was a famous novelist, he battled severe depression. Doug committed suicide in his hotel room in Los Angles when he was on the road for one of his book events. I just wanted to reach into my kindle and hug Jules and Scout after everything they have been through, it was truly heart breaking hearing them talk about their lives after Doug's passing left them heart broken and alone.

Kirin Winslow is a world renowned puppet and doll maker, Kirin's doll's and puppets all have names and stories behind their creations. Kirin also owns Winslow House which is a castle/country manor. Winslow House is a smart home and Vivi is the voice of the smart house, Vivi controls the lights, the temperature, and the locks on every single door. Kirin has also made accommodations to meet Jules and Scout's needs and of course Vivi knows their names. One night when Scout can't sleep, she decides to walk through Winslow House and check every room. Scout stumbles upon this room with pink carpeted floor and a doll sitting on a shelf, somehow Kirin finds Scout wandering the halls and he tells her the story of the doll. Kirin had made a doll of his sister Emma to honor her life. Emma was presumed dead, but her body was never found and she has her own room in Kirin's mansion. This doll of Emma is kind of creepy. The doll's dress is made out of an old shirt Emma owned, the doll's shoes are made out of Emma's homecoming dress and many more of the doll's features are made out of Emma's things. One day, when Jules is in The Grief Garden she sees a girl with dark hair, torn black jeans, a tattered t-shirt, and tears of mascara running down her face. The Grief Garden was built by Kirin and Emma's mom, it's a place to decompress and pray.

Ooohh ... This was really good! What started as a seemingly normal, typical life story evolved into an eerie, darkly magical, but scary tale. Jules and her 17 year old daughter, Scout, are dealing with a major life transition after the death of Doug, Jules' husband and Scout's father. As they are starting anew, there are some odd and creepy happenings in their new surroundings. What is real and what is imagined? Who can they trust? What exactly is going on? This was a quick, engrossing read, and I really enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the digital ARC.

Thank you for this early copy of the story.Lisa never let’s you down .It was fast paced and a page turner .The characters were lovable .Her description in the story was spot on .Definitely a good thriller book for spooky season .

THE DOLL'S HOUSE has the perfect amount of suspense and creepiness that I would expect from a novella. I liked the quick pace and the alternating chapters with the points of view of Jules and Scout. I'd say this is a great little story to read for spooky season or if you just like horror novels. Although the story was not scary to me personally, you won't find any dolls hanging out in my house anytime soon!

Many thanks to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.

This review will be shared on my Instagram account (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

The Doll's House
by Lisa Unger
Pub Date: Sep 12 2024

The Doll's House is the first short story I have read from Amazon Original Stories. At only 98 pages this story is a quick read but also an awesome read! A great read with the Halloween Season coming up! I'm excited to read more of these short stories from Amazon Original Stories!

Synopsis: A widowed mother, ready to give love another chance, moves into her fiancé’s old family home with her teenage daughter. But as they try to build a future together, the past refuses to let go in this haunting short story.

Many thanks to #TheDollsHouse #NetGalley and #AmazonOriginalStories for providing me with an E-ARC of this 5 STAR short story!

I'm a Lisa Unger fan and the fact this this is a short story, I felt that it was too short and as creepy, dark, and suspenseful as it was, it could have been even more so in a longer edition. That being said, The Doll's House was a good read.

Jules is widowed, when she found the perfect guy to restart her life. She moves into a beautiful mansion in New York. Her teenage daughter is not over the moon to have her dad replaced and her life upended. I was looking for more resistance and angst from her, but instead she makes friends easily and is on a mission to find out more about the new man in their lives.

A bit supernatural here and there, so suspending belief is a must to enjoy this story. Unger fans will enjoy this short read break.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for early access.

The Dolls House is the perfect short story to indulge in over Halloween.

There are scary dolls and puppets. An unsettling owner of an isolated mansion with secrets to keep. And Jules and Scout - the main protagonists of the story.

As their story unfolds you learn that neither Scout or Jules are being totally honest with each other.

You also learn that the house is full of secrets waiting to be told.

And perhaps most unsettling is the house AI who just sets the unsettling edge on the narrative.

I really enjoyed this and its a 4 stars - it was a pity it was a short story and not a novel as I was sorry to finish it so quickly.

Put this on your Halloween TBR list! The plot is twisty, and the main characters are engaging and more complex than one typically finds in a short story.
Much to her surprise, Jules has fallen head-over-heels in love again despite still morning the death of her husband. Much to her daughter's chagrin, they are moving into Kirin's mansion, where he has spared no expense on renovations to welcome them. But is Kirin too good to be true? (Cue creepy music) A quick and entertaining read, spooky, but also a bit too "out there" for me (which brought my rating down a bit).

I have previously read other books by Lisa Unger and really enjoyed them. When I saw she was coming out with a short story, I was so excited. This was a quick, suspenseful and eerie. I found that even though this was a short story, it was detailed and had a great storyline. The characters were well written and this short story really packed a punch. I would definitely recommend!

I always look forward to Amazon Original Stories and this one did not disappoint! I will be waiting for release day so I can also listen this one. We'll done!

Spooky. I've never read any of this author's other work but I am considering picking up her other work. Honestly, would read an entire series centered in this town with those creepy puppets forever. I am only given the short story a minus star because I thought the reveal was a slight letdown, and thought the author could go off the walls with the puppets if she wanted to. Though the ending was super fun, and definitely leads to more questions than answers.

This book is only 98 pages but packs a punch. Creepy dolls, creepy house and some supernatural beyond the grave vibes. This is definitely one you want to read. Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC in exchange for my review.