Although this trope has been done many times, I kept coming back to read this book. It had me hooked from the very beginning. It did fall a bit flat for me a little over half way through, I just became a bit repetitive and I was finding myself uninterested in the characters and just wanting to get to the end. It did pick back up though. Overall it was a fun read. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys light horror. It was fun, just spooky enough and not overly gory.

I am actually quite surprised how quickly I finished this book once I got into it.
How To Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold combined the best bits of horror comedy and spooky haunted house. It kept me entertained and wondering what the next thing was going to come from around the corner. I can say I didn't fully expect the ending, you can have an inclination with just how the book is set up and starts, with the story being told in all the character's voice in one chapter or another.
I think the only thing I didn't care for was the main horror author himself, Mortimer Queen, I found him irritating when he was brought up. <spoiler>Honestly I don't feel bad for him at all? All in all the authors he took "revenge on" were all shitty people and he was a shitty person too. Who cheats on their cancer stricken wife with a erotic author... like really. POS. Don't care for him.</spoiler>
All in all it was a quick read and an enjoyable one at that. I would recommend you give it a shot and see some shitty people get what's coming to them.

Thank you NetGalley & Poisoned Pen Press for this eARC!
For sure when it comes out it will grace my horror shelves in paperback.

Famous horror author Mortimer Queen has died & writes 7 of his fellow horror authors into his will. Each one has a special connection & a history to the horror author. However, when they arrive they are told they are playing a game: answer a riddle & advance to the next room closer to escaping; answer wrong & the manor will take a person.

This was such a fun read for me I read it almost entirely in one sitting. As secrets started getting revealed I needed to know what happened next. Was I able to guess a few things? Sure. But there were also twists I didn’t see coming & the journey itself was a fun time.

I really liked the multipov. You would think 7 POVs is a lot but it really worked with the pacing & helped give readers needed insight. The characters seem to be well thought out & I found myself liking some but hating others. Also throughout the book you are asking yourself: Is this a reliable narrator? Who’s telling the truth? Who do I trust?

I don’t want to say too much because I felt like it was a pleasant experience going in blind. Would recommend to any fans of horror locked room mysteries with a dash of supernatural elements.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the arc!!

I’m in awe! This book is exceptionally well-written, with fully developed characters that draw you in and keep you invested. The brilliant air of mystery combined with the perfect amount of horror creates an engaging reading experience. I can’t help but envision this as a thrilling film adaptation—it’s begging for a production company to pick up the rights! Highly recommend for any horror fan!

3.5 stars, rounded up. This was entertaining! I did struggle with getting into the story due to the varying POVs, but that was also what eventually won me over and kept me engaged. I feel like lovers of Knives Out and Agatha Christie would appreciate this book! Thank you, NetGalley!

This was such an interesting read. It definitely started out a little slow in the beginning, but it picked up and held my attention. I love the addition of short stories after each room. I think the ending was a little predictable but I still quite enjoyed it.

Reminiscent of And Then There Were None with a horror twist, How to Survive a Horror Story follows a group of 7 writers who find themselves gathered at the manor of the recently deceased Mortimer Queen for a will reading. Each writer has a different connection to the elusive author, but they all find themselves trapped in the same game Mortimer left behind for them after his death. This set the foundation of the story as these character go through each level to solve riddles that reveal why they were invited and what their connection to Mortimer actually was.

The concept was really interesting, but I found the execution a bit lacking. The riddles were really easy to solve even when the characters would act like they weren't. There was a POV for each character and while the author did a good job giving each one a distinct voice, I didn't find their characterizations very compelling and I don't think every character needed to have a dedicated POV. They were unlikeable, which was the point, but I didn't find any layers to their unlikeability. Even the relationships the story told us they were building between themselves as they played the game weren't so believable.

The story did keep me invested though as I kept reading to see what everything was leading up to, but I didn't feel the sense of tension that I should have with a plot like this. It was a decent read though and I would give it a shot if you're a fan of mysteries with a light horror aspect to them.

Entertaining as hell! Love the characters, the setting, and that not once did the story shy away from what it is. A fun romp through a haunted house with lives and a horrific inheritance on the line.

Love the unique characters, and the short stories interspersed between the main story. I did like the fact that all the characters weren't seeking redemption, so although unlikable, I was still rooting for them.

Perfect quick read.

SO GOOD. Thrilling, exciting. Fast paced. I couldn't stop reading this and wanting to know what happened next. I will definitely be reading more from this author

First off I want to think NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel by Mallory Arnold in exchange for an honest review.

5 Stars.

Holy cow! This is my favorite book that I have read this year and one I think will definitely be in contention for the book of the year. I DEMOLISHED this book in one sitting. I cancelled plans to meet friends for tacos and margs (which is my love) because I literally could not put this book down.

Growing up, Clue the board game (and the icon movie) was my favorite. I own multiple versions and it comes to no surprise that one of my favorite group activities is an escape room. So when I read the synopsis of this book that writers are locked in a manor in a final game designed by a Horror author legend. I knew this was going to be right up my alley.

What I wasn't expecting was how it was clue, mixed with the movie Monster House, but make it more horror and gruesome but salt in a little Verity vibes where you are left wondering who is telling the truth..... I gobbled this up like it was a tray of deviled eggs at a family function.

Do yourself a favor and RUN to get this book. RUN RUN RUN.

Mysterious author dies, a group is called to a remote mansion for the will reading, and find out they are not the only ones hungry for more. Is it really the mansion? Is it someone in the house? A lot of adjectives will lead you there

As Melanie awaits the will reading she compares her fellow guests to chess pieces, herself to a lone red checker. From there begins another type of game, reminiscent of Saw meets The Shining. It starts out a little slow and took a few chapters in to bring out the characters' defining attributes but once the clock starts ticking (literally) the tension keeps the plot moving forward. While I wish some parts were more developed as I still had a couple questions upon finishing, that may be due to my more frequent reading of mysteries. I enjoyed the riddles and the "group of writers" trope. I'd be interested in reading something from this author again.

4.25/5 stars! This was a fun little romp of a who-done-it with Clue-esque features. The pacing is spot on and keep the story going at a rate that feels authentic to being trapped at the estate with a killer. The reveal was fun and the cast of characters were well developed.

This story was really creepy to say the least. The concept of a monster house is not something new but the execution of it all was interesting. However, there was no right or wrong in the whole story, it was all grey. It did feel a bit repetitive but the ending was unpredictable.

I really enjoyed this book. Great eerie vibes. Loved the concept of the book and loved the riddles and the idea of the race against clock before the demented house will eat you (the character). Loved it! Could read more like this.

How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold was a thrilling, eerie ride! The idea of writers invited to a creepy manor to play a deadly game is such a unique concept, and the atmosphere of Queen Manor is chilling. The riddles and twists kept me hooked, and I loved the gothic vibes mixed with modern horror. Some characters could’ve been more developed, but the suspense and creepy tension made up for it. If you love locked-room mysteries with a spooky edge, this one’s for you! 👻

I loved the "Phantasma" allure this book gave me with the every room a riddle has to be solved. I had to read this in one sitting because I had to find out who the house was going to get. I love creepy, spine tingling, murderous vibes.

Part gothic horror and one part mystery. This book is a darkly clever, puzzle-filled thrill ride set in a house that devours its residents.

The story begins with the death of horror legend Mortimer Queen and a strange, enticing invitation: a select group of writers are summoned to his estate to hear his will. What they expect is inheritance. What they get is something much more sinister. Each room is a deadly puzzle, and solving the riddles within is the only way forward. But not everyone will make it out alive.

It is full of locked-room tension and high-stakes twists that unfold like an escape room. As each chapter progresses, secrets are revealed, alliances shift, and the true darkness behind each character. What made this book shine was how horror and mystery blended seamlessly. The puzzles are genuinely satisfying, the time-is-running-out tension keeps the pace racing, and the characters are far more twisted than they appear on the surface. It is a dark love letter to horror fiction with just enough humor to keep the dread from swallowing you whole.

Thank you, NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press, for the opportunity to review and provide my honest feedback.

This book was fun! At times you definitely had to suspend reality because it got so ridiculous, but overall I enjoyed reading it! I liked the different POVs and learning why each person was invited to the manor. I feel like there were some plot points that didn’t get answered/weren’t clear enough to get a higher rating from me. Even so, I read this book and 2 sittings! The very end fell a bit flat for me personally, but I’m still glad I was able to read it

I have a feeling that this could be the most positive review I’ve ever written and isn’t that the best feeling ever? Reading a book and loving it from beginning to end. “How to survive a horror story” is officially my favourite book of 2025 and it’ll be hard to find a better book but we’ll see what happens. It’s only April.

Finding out this book is the author’s debut novel was mindblowing. How? Obviously, I can see that she’s the editor of a magazine so writing is something she has to be good at. But being a journalist and a writer isn’t the same. You can write well as a journalist but not as a writer of fiction novels. I was almost done with the book when I got that information and I couldn’t stop thinking about it while I finished reading the book. I already thought the novel was fantastic but writing this book this way when it’s the first one? Incredible. I understand this might be the first book this author gets published and not the first she wrote but I’m still in awe.

So I got this ARC after requesting it when the cover got my attention. I read the premise quickly, since I like going into books as blind as possible, and thought it sounded interesting enough. I’m so happy the cover is so gorgeous because it’ll catch people’s attention when it’s available in bookstores and I need people to read this book. I won’t shut up about it. By the time I picked it up I had forgotten the premise and just wanted the book to surprise me. And it did that for sure. In the best way possible.
Horror is a tricky genre. For both books and movies. The tone chosen can dramatically change how someone feels about that horror story. So reading the premise and the title I wondered about the tone of this book. Would it have some comedy like many horror movies do? Would it be more serious? Would it be very gory or chose not to show those gory details instead? And the answer is all of the above. I wouldn’t call this a comedy horror book but some parts made me laugh and I think adding those comedic moments was intentionally done. It also covered very serious topics and did it in a way that fit. None of the comments felt like the author was trying to complete a checklist of things that should be included in a book. That was all used to give the characters their own nuances.

And that’s what I love the most about this book: the characters. On chapter 1, we find these characters all together at the same place. We read all these names and wonder how long it’d take to memorize them and understand who’s who. It took two seconds because every single character had its own very clear personality which made them stand up. There’s still some mystery about them and about potential lies that they told or that the narrator told us. But I feel like I knew who everyone was from the very beginning and that’s so helpful. It’s not a huge cast but still, I appreciate not feeling confused at all. It helps me enjoy the reading process so much more.
As for the pace, it was fantastic. I’m the most annoying person always mentioning the pace of books but…it’s so important! Especially nowadays when it seems editors aren’t allowed to do their job and so many books have the worst pace, which makes it so hard to get through them. Not a problem here. Right from the very beginning, the pace is flawless. There can be some ups and downs in the book, which wouldn’t mean a book is bad necessarily, but I didn’t notice that here. It started off strong and finished the same way. That’s not easy to achieve and it’s another thing that made me adore this book.

Maybe my only complaint would be that right at the end I got a bit scared about where the story was going. I feared the author could struggle to stick the landing because the plot is quite ambitious and horror endings are the hardest to write. But I’m very pleased with how the story ended. Again, the last 10% is the only part of the book where I can be a bit nitpicky but if that’s the biggest issue I have with a book, we’re doing very well.
Also, the plot made sense. As much as plots with supernatural elements can make sense, of course. But the author didn’t use that as an excuse to just do whatever and throw logic out of the window. By the time I finished the book, I understood everything that happened and I understood why and how. I’m a journalist too and we love our W questions.
Important to mention again how impressive that is for a debut novel. I didn’t exaggerate when I said I’m not going to shut up about it.

The bad side of this being a debut novel is I have no more books written by this author to read. But I’ll be waiting for the next one. And whenever this book comes out, I’ll have to buy it because I’m 100% going to reread it. Plus it’s SO pretty I need the physical copy!