There are secrets in the woods and in the walls of this home, if you listen closely enough. How close is too close, is the question.

After a painful breakup and a shocking incident at work, Cassie leaves her hectic life in New York and returns to her hometown in New Jersey. There, she reconnects with childhood best friend Eli, who is now a widowed father of two, and quickly marries him. As she settles into life in the woods, homeschooling the children and getting to know her reclusive neighbor Joan, Cassie continues to struggle with her OCD and the shadow of Eli’s late wife, Beth. Despite her efforts, Cassie feels inadequate compared to Beth’s legacy as a perfect homemaker. When Cassie begins hearing a voice that reveals the house’s hidden secrets, she is drawn into unraveling the mystery of Beth’s untimely death.

I wanted to love this fast-paced and unexpectedly dark at times novel, I really did. The first 2/3 of the book had me gripped, easily convinced by and even routing for our queer, struggling main character. It’s tragic and romantic — two childhood best friends finding their way back together; finding present comfort from a tumultuous past. Cassie is a mess, but one of the most intriguing kind. Despite her OCD making gruesome appearances, some days worse than others, Cassie is, at her core, good. She doesn’t overstep her boundaries, she helps where she can, she doesn’t ask for anything in return. Not to mention she’s a book lover, too.

Then came chapters from a different perspective, first reading in a descriptive way that reminded me of the whimsical stylings of Max Porter, but this slowly turned into backstory and deeper character development. Suddenly, I blinked and realized we flew off the rails. Without any spoilers, I can say, I was willing to suspend belief, go along for the uncharted trek, but the closer the ending got the more I just couldn’t take it. I was frustrated, unbelieving, and confused to as why we were throwing in these last minute plot points. In hindsight, I couldn't understand why certain parts of the story were even told to us -- what was their purpose? Overall, it felt half baked when the potential for a delicious treat was just looming there, begging for more time to cook.

I don’t feel as though I wasted my time, this is a quick read, but I am ultimately left unsatisfied despite the author’s best effort to tie up loose ends.

This was a fun and quick read! I wished it was a little spookier but I was pleasantly surprised by the twist. I think the description of the book doesn't fully captivate the best parts of this book. I loved the story and uniqueness that this author gave us, and I can't wait to read more of their work!

House of Beth is one of my first ventures into litfic besides Yellowface. I wasn't sure what to expect, but Kerry Cullen really surprised me here! Did I choose this book by its cover...yes! But it was SO worth it. I devoured this in less than a day lol!

Cassie, our narrator, suffers from harm OCD which causes grotesque hallucinations and intrusive thoughts to plague her almost every waking moment of every day. As much as she tries to mask her illness, there are moments when the gore simply slips through the cracks. After a sudden breakup with her girlfriend, Cassie begins to spiral. After witnessing a horrific incident at her literary agency, Cassie finally breaks and flees from NY to NJ. In the small town of Elwood, Cassie reconnects with her recently widowed childhood best friend, Eli. The two rekindle their love for each other, and Cassie assumes the role of stepmother to Eli's two remaining children. Cassie suffers in private, plagued by her hallucinations and now the reality that she must forever live in the shadow of his dead wife, Beth. When a mysterious presence lures Cassie into the woods, she's forever changed. The house begins whispering secrets of what once was to her, and Cassie begins to unravel the mystery surrounding Beth's untimely death.

Cullen blends gothic, queer, and literary fiction in House of Beth. An exploration of grief, maybe not for the dead, but for a version of ourselves that could never exist. How we chain ourselves down to fit society's standards, even if it kills us. Cullen's portrayal of harm OCD is deeply refreshing. Instead of acting as a trauma porn plot device, there's meaningful exploration into Cassie's OCD. We see her very real struggle against it, and how she pushes herself to be a good mother despite her illness. Be sure to check content warnings before reading, however, as the depiction is very graphic at times.

I picked up on some pacing issues towards the end, however, I think they can be attributed to the fact that Cassie is an unreliable narrator...and some other factors that get explained later.

Overall, I quite enjoyed House of Beth, and certainly look forward to Cullen's future works! Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really liked this book! It had a good amount of eeriness and a haunting feel to it. I liked the way the book was written, and all of the tense moments you feel while reading it. It was well written and I enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

I saw the cover and that was the only reason I got this book.

It was a gothic rollercoaster with dark academia vibes though I don't where those came from. I loved how even though I absolutely despised the MC I was still able to feel for her. Writing horrible people and still making it work is the mark of a true writer.

Thanks to Kerry Cullen for this eARC

P.S. I'll be working on a longer review for goodreads. It'll be up soon!!!

If you like “weird girl” lit you will enjoy this book! Cassie struggles with OCD related to harm. I felt that her thoughts were done really well and definitely gave me the feeling of being slightly horrified at what was popping into her head.

I liked the way her relationship with Beth developed. Beth had more depth to her than I thought she would since she grew up in the church and her life seemed to circle around her religion. I didn’t like her at first but ended up liking her more as her thoughts were revealed.

I received this as an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it follows the story that was promised from the description. I was hooked from the first page and was there until the end. I was glad everything worked out and that the characters felt like realistic characters. I loved the cover and how Kerry Cullen uses the writing to tell a story.

Let’s stop a moment to appreciate the absolutely luscious cover on this one. Yes…I chose a book by the cover. No, I have no regrets.

This is a very unusual story. I absolutely hated our MC at first, but grew to love her. And as for Beth, she wasn’t just a bland trad wife – she ends up being much more interesting than you’ll ever expect.

Be prepared to actively dislike a couple of the characters, but the story itself is riveting and I found that I simply had to keep reading.

Unique and compelling!

• ARC via Publisher

This belongs to a genre of publishing industry gothics that I keep returning to, hoping one of them will really hit for me. House of Beth has a lot of pieces that don't quite fit together for me and an ending that didn't seem to build from what came before. I wanted, oddly, more darkness. Maybe because so much of what was on the page came from the protagonist's ocd, which was stated incredibly matter-of-factly, the actual atmosphere didn't feel as thick as I would like.
It was a promising idea that ultimately to me felt like it pulled its punches and left its most interesting ideas to be glossed over

If a book is compared to Bunny by Mona Awad, you can bet I’m all in. I know it’s going to be unhinged, wild, and a fever dream—and House of Beth by Kerry Cullen did not disappoint. From start to finish, this book lived up to all the hype. I devoured it in one sitting, only pausing for a quick meal, and was completely captivated. It’s quirky, a little dark, a touch gay, and full of spirit (literally).

I couldn’t help but root for Cassie and Beth at every twist and turn, while secretly cheering for the demise of certain other characters (and I was right about them in the end!). The depiction of Cassie’s OCD intrusive thoughts was both intense and visually striking—this book would make for an incredible film.

Overall, this was a 5/5 read for me, no notes. I’m eager to see what Kerry Cullen writes next. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced eARC.

I liked this book a great deal, and I am already excited for Kerry Cullen's next!

I liked Cassie and Beth both, and the book definitely lives up to its queer gothic tagline and its comparison to Rebecca. I liked the town. I was drawn in by Cassie's distant, haunted voice. I was surprised at how much I liked the children. The only thing I would say is that - while acknowledging that the best books are often about many things at once - I do not think this is primarily a book about queerness or stepmotherhood or most of the other things the blurb talks about. Rather, this is very much a book about having obsessive compulsive disorder. It's the OCD that's the crackling lightning in this book. It was unexpected, but I loved it.

I will only say that I don't think the reveal at the end of the book fully lives up to the spooky premise set up by the first half. Alas!

Would highly recommend, though, and will pick up whatever else this author writes. I'm just a malcontent, lol.

I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"House of Beth" by Kerry Cullen is a haunting and mysterious read. The protagonist, Cassie, struggles with OCD, which manifests in intrusive thoughts centered around unwanted themes and harm. She also comes across as flighty and impulsive, presenting as a messy and unreliable narrator.

When her life becomes overwhelming, Cassie leaves her publishing job and girlfriend to return to her hometown. There, she reconnects with her childhood best friend, Eli, a recent widower and father of two. As she becomes absorbed in his life, she also finds herself enmeshed in his deceased wife, Beth’s life.

Much like Cassie’s favorite book, "Jane Eyre," readers will be left guessing about the truth: the realities of Beth’s past, Cassie’s state of mind, and what might be a mere obsessive figment of her disorder.

This brief yet captivating story will keep you on your toes. If you enjoy suspenseful, thought-provoking novels like "Jane Eyre" or "Verity," or appreciate a messy protagonist similar to those in "The Guest" or "Big Swiss," or the goriness of "Monstrilio," then this novel may be just what you’re looking for. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was PHENOMENAL. HOUSE OF BETH follows Cassie from her New York City desk job in publishing back to her hometown of Elwood, New Jersey, where she somehow finds herself stepmother to her childhood best friend’s children after running from something horrifying — something that wasn’t her fault, but that she couldn’t face. Throughout this, Cassie is mourning the loss of her relationships back in New York, especially with her girlfriend, Lavender, whom she felt she knew wholly, and who knew her like that, too. She’s clamoring to escape the intrusive thoughts she has, of death and pain, all at her hands. But throughout the book she’s also discovering something new about herself that will shape the way she lives the rest of her life.

This is a story about living authentically, and the consequences we suffer when we don’t. It’s a story about love and what we’ll do to escape situations where we don’t feel it. Told in dual POVs, both of which I enjoyed, there wasn’t a single moment when I was reading HOUSE OF BETH that I felt bored or like the story wasn’t stringing together in a way that I could follow — every moment felt necessary and the ending had me flipping to the next page, shocked that that was how Cassie exited stage right. But it also felt like the natural conclusion to this story.

If you’re a fan of eerie, gothic stories and think you’d enjoy reading one set in the suburbs of North Jersey, you should absolutely pick this one up. This was a fantastic debut and I can’t wait for the waves it’ll eventually make!

Cassie is flawed yet deeply empathetic. Her escape from heartbreak and professional trauma leads her back to her hometown along the quiet banks of the Delaware River. Her attempt to rebuild a simpler life—reconnecting with her childhood best friend Eli and embracing the rhythms of a slower, more domestic existence—is complicated by her struggles with harm OCD. Her intrusive, gory thoughts are portrayed with honesty and care, giving readers insight into Cassie’s private turmoil while grounding her in a raw, human vulnerability.

The shadow of Beth, Eli’s late wife, looms over every inch of Cassie’s new life—her presence felt in the perfectly maintained décor, the home’s routines, and Eli’s unspoken grief. The tension builds beautifully as Cassie begins to sense something unnatural about the home and its secrets. The introduction of the disembodied voice, narrating the house’s hidden truths, adds an eerie layer to the story, turning the setting into a character all its own.

Cassie’s search for answers about Beth’s death unfolds deliberately, grippingly. The novel skillfully balances Cassie’s struggles with the escalating sense of dread, creating a psychological mystery that is as much about Cassie uncovering herself as it is about solving the riddle of the house. Joan, the reserved neighbor who offers quiet moments of wisdom and guidance, serves as a subtle foil to Beth’s idealized memory, further deepening the novel’s exploration of traditional domestic roles and the expectations placed on women.

It’s an engrossing and beautifully written exploration of the ghosts we carry, both real and imagined.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.