I went into the story knowing it was a short story. I really wish there was more to it tho.
I liked the characters you really got a good feel for Jules and Scout. Right off the bat you don’t want to stop reading. Unfortunately it was very cut and dry. There is zero twists you know the story right off the get go. I really wish there was more to the story. But if you’re looking for a good easy and fast read I definitely recommend reading this one.

The Doll's House: A Short Story by Lisa Unger is expected to be published on September 12, 2024 and is about Jules and her daughter Scout moving in with Jules' fiance named Kirin. Like Jules and Scout, he's lost loved ones and wants to make them feel safe and secure. However, strange things start happening in the house and on the property. Is Jules imagining it, or is it real?

I'd like to thank NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy ARC of this short story. I received a copy for free in exchange for my honest review. Lisa Unger is one of my favorite authors and the cover art is amazing, so I was excited to read this latest story by her.

Told from alternating perspectives of Jules and Scout, the story was engaging and hard to put down. It has a familiar feel to it, and I let my mind go wild with different theories of where Lisa Unger was going with it. None of my theories panned out, which I'm glad about.

Since The Doll's House is a short story, the author had to get to the ending quickly. However, I wish it had been a full fledged novel because it could have been fleshed out more and much spookier. I just wanted more to the story than what we received. Four out of five stars.

This is one I had to read with the lights on. It's a short story, but isn't short on the creepiness. I'm a huge fan of Lisa Unger and this was a great little read. I don't typically go for short stories, but this is one I would recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC

A semi-spooky story about motherhood and grief, all taking place in a smart house. I had a good time with this.

Quick short read but was such a creepy well written story. To think k your life is going to be great again then things happen. I really enjoyed this book.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this book.

Scout is forced to move in with Kirin, her mother's new boyfriend. Scout is still trying to grieve the death of her father and is not happy to be leaving her friends and the city to live on a secluded estate. Kirin ends up giving Scout a doll he made in honor of his sister Emma who is missing but presumed dead. Scout begins to feel that there is something wrong and is determined to find out what happened to Emma.

This is a fast, short story thriller. I enjoyed this book but thought it was rather predictable. The story could have been a bit longer to dive deeper into the characters and build more suspense. I also thought it was weird that a 17 year old girl would be excited to receive a doll. Overall, I liked the story and I think it would be a good read for people who like short thrillers.

The Doll’s House by Lisa Unger (A Short Story)
Genre : Mystery | Horror | Short Story | Fiction
Rating : 5 Stars
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.
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I just wrapped up this short story and couldn't resist sharing my thoughts while it’s still fresh in my mind! I requested this read on NetGalley because I’ve previously enjoyed one of Lisa Unger’s novels. At only 85 pages, this story dives right in—no time wasted. It hits familiar horror beats: a widowed mother, a grieving child, a wealthy stepdad, and, of course, a creepy doll. While it followed a familiar path, I still found myself hooked. The characters were well-crafted, the doll was incredibly eerie, and some moments tugged at the heartstrings despite its short length. I’m impressed by how much depth the author packed into just 85 pages. A solid, chilling read!

Thank you netgalley and #amazonshortstories for this ARC.

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For those of you on NetGalley this is a read me now. It feels like Lisa (I’m not sure she knows we are on a first name basis) is starting to write all short stories. There are so many on Amazon and I have read almost all of them. Unfortunately, this was not one of my favorites. This had the potential to be so much more scary than it was. I mean come on dolls are the scariest thing on the planet. It’s only around 80 pages so it’s easily read in one sitting. It just didn’t pack all the scary feels that I just knew it was going to have. I love Lisa Unger. She is one of my favs and a go-to author for me but I needed more out of this one. Thank you Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is September 12, 2024.

The Dolls House novella packed a lot of punch for a short story. This was an occultish story with a bit of darkness. An almost perfectly creepy vibe short story for a spooky season.

This should have been a novella. The story was rushed. I liked the premise and how it started. But there wasn't a big "mystery" to figure out and could see it coming. This book would have been much better if it was more fleshed out and had more depth. The DD was also unnecessary and was pretty obvious who that was. There's more potential for this book if it had about 100 more pages.

The Doll’s House is a short story by Lisa Unger, whose books I have read previously. In the story, a mother and daughter are moving into the mother’s boyfriend’s house, a house that is extremely creepy! The daughter is not happy about the move and is still mourning her father’s suicide, which happened a year ago. I really don’t want to give anything away, so I will just tell you that there is a high creepy factor. I’m glad I read it even though I thought there way too many coincidences happening.
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for allowing me to read this ARC. This review is entirely my own opinion.

I liked this short story well enough. Unger does a good job of drawing you in to the idyllic, rich town where the main characters find themselves. I think this might have been better if it were a little longer, since it moved a bit too fast to be believable. Still, it’s a fun story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for an eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This was a well crafted short story that did not disappoint! While grieving the tragic loss of her husband, Jules meets a dashing man named Kirin who she falls madly in love with. Before too long, she finds herself engaged to Kirin and moving into his home with her daughter Scout. Scout is not thrilled with this move and doesn’t hesitate to show her feelings. The “Winslow House” is beautiful and state of the art. Kirin, who is a renowned “doll maker”, tries to get closer to scout by giving her one of his best creations…a doll made in the likeness of his lost sister. Intrigued but also sensing something darker, Scout starts to investigate the history of the Winslow House and the sister who disappeared. As the story goes on, she realizes that all is not what it seems and she and her mother may be in grave danger. This was a short but compelling story! I highly recommend this read!

A short and very creepy novel, after a whirlwind romance widow Jules moves herself and her daughter Scout to the countryside to love with her new partner Kirin.
The plot is pacey and engaging but the novel's short length means the characters aren't fully developed leaving the reader slightly ambivalent about the ramping tension. It feels as though the ending is a little abrupt but the concept is interesting nd the writing is engaging. Well worth a read.

This is a short story, not a full-length novel, it’s about 80 pages long, but it has it all packed in neatly within those short pages.
Honestly, I have no clue what REALLY happened in this story. And somehow, I love it. There is no open ending, but there is no definite and conclusive explanation of what was what, or why it was there at all.
I’m not a fan of unexpected surprise paranormal twists, and this might have a touch of paranormal within the story, or it may not have it – it could have been paranormal, or it might have never happened. And, turns out, it works for me!
A fast-paced, action-packed, suspenseful, and claustrophobic story. With a strong gothic vibe, with a fierce teen character, with a strong touch of horror and mystery, kind of spooky, and with a satisfying ending. I’d say this is THE perfect one-night-read when you are looking for a quick and thrilling fix in a book.

4★

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc of this novella.

The main reason I wanted to pick this up was that I've been enjoying a lot of the Amazon novella collections so far. I also do like a quick read here and there. This was really great and I had a lot of fun.

During the first chapter, I wasn't sure how much I was going to enjoy it as the characters didn't feel relatable for me personally. But I ended up enjoying both POVs.

The story follows a mother and her daughter after the death of her husband. So we get both the mother's POV and the daughter's as well. We follow them as they move into the mother's new boyfriend's house, and things get weirder from there.

I have never read anything by this author—although I do have an e-book of her Christmas thriller and I'm looking forward to reading it—and I have to say I really liked the writing in this story. So that makes me want to pick up her other stuff as well.

I really enjoyed this, would recommend for sure. A short spooky read, perfect for the spooky season.

Also will read anything be Lisa Unger. Not typically a fan of short stories but this was fun! A bit predictable but she writes a great story!

The Doll’s House:
This bizarre short story features a widowed mom and her teenage daughter who move into her artist fiancée’s mysterious mansion. Is this a place of safety or is there something sinister lurking nearby?
4 stars

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

I don't read a lot of short stories but when I saw this one was written by Lisa Unger, I knew I had to get it. Under 100 pages, this story manages to pack so much in. We get to know Scout and her mother Jules who have just moved in with Jules' new partner Kirin, into his lavish estate. Kirin is an artist and makes lifelike dolls. I won't say anymore except be sure to give this one a go. It is perfect as an in between read and will not disappoint.