Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review!
Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 4
Pace: 2
Plot development: 3
Characters: 2
Enjoyability: 3
Ease of Reading: 3

Overall rating: 3 out of 5

The Farmhouse is a somewhat slow read, but it is no less captivating than the next best thriller. I particularly enjoyed the double entendre-cum-plot twist. I would have liked the plot twist to happen somewhat earlier in the book in order to see more of the fall out of it.
The writing was fairly easy to follow and enjoyable to get through.

Good book! Keep me wanting to keep reading! My first by this author and i will read more !! Highly recommend this author !!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this novel! All opinions are my own.

This book had so much potential and I was really excited to see where it would go. From the start, I felt a strong dislike toward the husband, which kept me hooked, but I kept waiting for a big twist or revelation that would elevate the story. One thing I did appreciate was how the FMC kept me on my toes, constantly making me question whether or not I should trust her. However, the ending ultimately left me feeling underwhelmed. It seemed rushed, and I was hoping for a more impactful conclusion. While it wasn’t a bad read, I do think there was room for improvement in terms of pacing and delivering a stronger payoff.

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Zero on-page spice)

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC copy of The Farmhouse by Chelsea Conradt.

I will honestly say, I am always down for a debut novel from an author and the plot is just right. The Farmhouse follows Emily and Josh as they move from San Francisco, CA to the middle of nowhere Nebraska after the death of Emily's rather eccentric mother for a fresh start. Side note, it still amazes me that they ended up on a farm in the middle of Nebraska as their fresh start..but that's someone who did the opposite. But when she starts to notice that things are just off, Emily starts to realize that this fresh start may not be what it seems and of course, she is told that she is being paranoid and everything is fine. Which, made me kind of huff because of course the woman isn't going to be believed and of course she is going to be right. It was at that point that while The Farmhouse has so much potential, it is also rather predictable in its course and the thrill and underlying fear isn't there any more which made it fall flat for me.

The Farmhouse by Chelsea Conrad is a truly creepy haunted house tale. Emily and Josh Hawke moved from Haight Ashbury in California to a farmhouse in Nebraska. it’s been six months since her mom Penelope died but she is still severely mourning her loss. The move is supposed to be a fresh start and they couldn’t be more excited. unfortunately soon after moving in strange things start happening. From the light coming on in the barn to the barn itself moving from one location to another but none of this prepares Emily for what else the house has in store for her. It has a story to tell and will not be quiet until the story is told. she finds out every female who lived there previously has either died in a strange way or like the teenager before is missing. it doesn’t help matters when the people renting out her land to grow crops visit the barn way more than she thinks they should she gets woken up by her mom‘s favorite artist Dolly Parton singing, but the house isn’t the only place she hears her mom‘s playlist. this was such a creepy story and despite the fact I did not like the way it ended I still absolutely recommend the story. I thought Emily being that upset because Josh found what she was saying hard to believe and as a matter of a fact didn’t believe her was ridiculous I mean even though what she said was true she should’ve given Josh a break I mean it was a fantastical story. I guess in the error of hating the patriarchy that it was status quo I just don’t like this new theme where all men are bad and gas lighters because they all are not. Either way forget my soap box speech this is a great book with creepy vibes in an even creep your tail if you think small towns treat outsiders with distain wait till you see how Nebraskan’s treat their own.#NetGalley,#PoisonPenPublishers, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #ChelseaConrad, #TheFarmhouse,

I’m a sucker for an Authors debut and a chance to find a new author I love so I had to snatch this up especially after reading the ominous synopsis! “the farmhouse” definitely has potential to be great. The plot follows our FMC Emily who has recently moved from a big city to a small town in Nebraska following the passing of her mother. She is definitely searching for a fresh start and instead she finds that her new home is harbouring the ghosts of the Past in more ways than one.

What I enjoyed:
The creepy atmosphere
The sense of a haunted home
Eery isolated small town vibes

What didn’t work for me:
At some points the plot felt a little too slowburn and I was eager to get to the point, from a debut perspective the book could have benefited from a little more editing however I enjoyed the read as a whole. I think the author definitely has potential and I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next!

Thank you for the gifted copy!

Publish date - June 17th 2025

Such a great book. Thank you for letting me read this in advance.I couldn't stop reading it. Looking up this author for more reads now.

Thank you to Netgalley for supplying this e-arc. This book definitely had potential for me, but unfortunately it was just too slow-moving and too slow burning. I also felt like there were a lot of repetitive scenes and characters.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy and ability to share my thoughts before publication.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Still reeling from the loss of her mother, Emily and her husband leave California to buy a farm in Nebraska. But once they move in, things get weird. The barn seemingly moves and the farmers they leased the land to are acting strange. And there's the whole business of girls going missing and women dying on the farm.

Overall I enjoyed this, I liked Emily and cared about what happened to her. I'm a sucker for a story about women speaking for girls whose voices were stolen. I thought the pacing was good and I stayed interested in the story — would definitely recommend this to others.

There is just one thing I kept hyper fixating on and expected to play a bigger role in the overall story.

Spoilers below!
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Emily, your husband SUCKS.

I got the ick immediately (I yelled EW over and over) and had a feeling this was all building up to something major involving him, but it didn't and ended with a pffft instead of a bang. With all the gaslighting and love bombing, I truly thought there was going to be some big twist that he knew this family all along and had been involved in the girls' deaths. I'm disappointed it didn't end that way! But pleased she still dumped his sorry behind.

I love a spooky farmhouse atmosphere! I was very much hooked in the beginning of the novel, I really enjoyed Emily's voice and the build of the plot. Where I struggled was about midway through, I very much lost steam and felt like I was a little bogged down by details, losing momentum. Overall a worthy read but not one that I would return to. I would, however, recommend to a patient reader who appreciates atmosphere and psychological elements!

This book had so much potential. But I could just not get myself to care. I wish the author had developed the lore and history of the house first BEFORE the "creepy" stuff started happening because I was not invested enough to be freaked out by the barn with Emily. And girl, are you serious? I was constantly rolling my eyes at her. She came across as a teenager sneaking about rather than an adult. Ignoring adult duties, lying to her husband about stupid stuff. I almost DNF'd it at 37%. But I pushed through and while I did enjoy how the story ended, I didn't care for how we got there.

Women on this farm never made it out alive. Emily was always dismissed and put off as crazy. Could she be the difference?

This book was interesting, but not quite what I hoped for. I wished it had been more on the side of thriller mystery and less on the side of psychological thriller. My biggest complaint is the pace, it moved way too slowly to the point that I lost momentum of the plot and started to get the details scattered.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley.

Oh my, I think I just found my new favorite book! The way this is written kept my attention the entire time and I couldn’t put it down … 5/5 stars for sure!! I cannot wait to read more books by this amazing author!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Farmhouse by Chelsea Conradt.

Ooooh, this is a spooky read! Emily is still recovering from the loss of her mom, and looking for healing with a fresh start at a remote cabin in Nebraska. She loves having chickens and training for her upcoming marathon among the cornfields. But there are small, mysterious happenings around her, and despite her voiced concerns, no one seems to be taking her seriously. With research she discovers that something very sinister happened on her property, could it be that someone from the beyond has unfinished business?

I did enjoy this book, I could envision rows of cornfields, and a creepy barn that holds a lot of secrets. My biggest complaint is the pace, it moved way too slowly to the point that I lost momentum of the plot and started to get the details scattered. It wasn't quite organized enough to really get into. Otherwise, the idea of it was great!

This was a really good book! It held my interest and kept me wanting to read more! I enjoyed Emily’s character and how she grows throughout the book. You won’t be disappointed if you read this!

I really wanted to love this book however, it was such a slow burn and fell flat for me. It was just ok in my opinion. Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Super good was not expecting that ending loved it kept me in suspense the whole time can’t wait to read another one

Is Emily imaging things, or is something really wrong at her new home?

Screams in the night only she hears, lights in the decrepit barn out back, and the black mold she keeps seeing.....are they figments of her grief-stricken mind, or is there something more sinister happening?

Intriguing, and twisty, I wasn't sure until the end if it was inn Emily's head, or not!

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!