booksbyjoanna's review against another edition
4.0
Horrid is often described as Gilmore Girls but make it horror and I’ll have to agree.
Jane and her mom Ruth are very close, thrown into grief when they lose Jane’s father. Broke and alone, they are forced to return to Ruth’s hometown in Maine and childhood home.
Labeled as ‘The Creep House’ by locals, Jane is unaware of her mom’s past and what happened in her new house. Now she’s thrown into a town where everyone seems to know what happened but refuse to tell her.
Whether it’s grief, ghosts, or real monsters, Jane is plagued by nightmares, paranoia, and hidden secrets. I was truly spooked and this house gave me the absolute creeps!
It was refreshing to see a mom believe her kid in a book for once! Instead of ridiculously brushing her experiences off, Ruth trusts Jane and reacts like a normal, healthy parent. The twists at the end and that ending left me shocked for a good while!
As my first YA horror, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It did it’s job, it creeped me out. Be aware if you’re easily spooked!
Jane and her mom Ruth are very close, thrown into grief when they lose Jane’s father. Broke and alone, they are forced to return to Ruth’s hometown in Maine and childhood home.
Labeled as ‘The Creep House’ by locals, Jane is unaware of her mom’s past and what happened in her new house. Now she’s thrown into a town where everyone seems to know what happened but refuse to tell her.
Whether it’s grief, ghosts, or real monsters, Jane is plagued by nightmares, paranoia, and hidden secrets. I was truly spooked and this house gave me the absolute creeps!
It was refreshing to see a mom believe her kid in a book for once! Instead of ridiculously brushing her experiences off, Ruth trusts Jane and reacts like a normal, healthy parent. The twists at the end and that ending left me shocked for a good while!
As my first YA horror, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It did it’s job, it creeped me out. Be aware if you’re easily spooked!
katwhiskerz's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Overall, a quick book to help you get in the swing of reading! I thought the author did a good job at keeping the tension throughout most of the book; there were moments when I felt my own skin prickle with anticipation. I also liked how visceral some elements of the book were, especially the recurring roses. Definitely creepy. I loved it. Things I did not love though: the third person omniscient voice of the narrator (I just did not like, not my cup of tea, also if you're gonna focus on Jane, why not keep her voice in the third person limited? Also, who calls their parents by their first names??), how much this book felt like it had been written by an amateur writer (the job at a coffee shop, the move to a new town, the long post-plot twist explanations), and the addition of unnecessary elements (Will could have not shown up at the end or not be in the book at all and the story would have been the same). I also felt like this book was a missed opportunity to further explore the twisted relationship between grief, anger, and horror. I liked where it was going with Ruth's darker backstory but everything felt a little flat to me and I never could connect to Jane's grief over her father. Worth the read if you're interested, but don't expect a new favorite!
softblackstars's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
fullsun00's review against another edition
4.0
3,75 *Slight spoilers*
Ok, so it started kinda slow and it took me ages but once it hit the middle- end i was like ok i gotta finish it.
It was not scary tbh it was a an atmospheric read with some mystery elements. Nothing happened until the final part and i felt like it as imposible not to know what was going on. It was obvs the house was haunted when they entered it for the first time.
Mental Health is really present on this book and it was kinda used for creepiness which was kinda u know ... well.
Overall i think its a good halloween - ish read
Ok, so it started kinda slow and it took me ages but once it hit the middle- end i was like ok i gotta finish it.
It was not scary tbh it was a an atmospheric read with some mystery elements. Nothing happened until the final part and i felt like it as imposible not to know what was going on. It was obvs the house was haunted when they entered it for the first time.
Mental Health is really present on this book and it was kinda used for creepiness which was kinda u know ... well.
Overall i think its a good halloween - ish read
ashley__reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I’m not sure how to even review this book. I really enjoyed the overall storytelling, the beginning was a bit slow but the pacing quickly picked up and didn’t slow down. The last portion of this book was a bit all over the place but in a good way, even though I feel like I guessed the big twist far too early and that was a bit disappointing. But overall this was a good, paranormal YA horror book that was for the most part fast paced and the writing was really well done with a spooky atmosphere.
michelle_pink_polka_dot's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Stars
I feel like I loved this book, but then 2 minutes later I feel like I didn’t?? I’m having a weird time trying to figure it out.
I think the reasoning for that is that the story and atmosphere are freaking awesome, but I wanted the side characters to mean more to the story and they just didn’t. The ending is very abrupt, and I’m a fan of an open/gotcha ending, but I wanted this one to have MORE leading up to that. It would’ve been cool if the mother, friends, and co-worker were somehow more connected to the things happening at the end— but it ended up that they were all MIA and kind of pointless to where the story went. But bonus points to ZERO romance!!
I definitely have feelings of “damnnnn girl” and I like that— I just wish this story was a tad more fleshed out. It sort of feels like it could’ve been a short story or one of those campfire tales instead of a full-fledged book.
I feel like I loved this book, but then 2 minutes later I feel like I didn’t?? I’m having a weird time trying to figure it out.
I think the reasoning for that is that the story and atmosphere are freaking awesome, but I wanted the side characters to mean more to the story and they just didn’t. The ending is very abrupt, and I’m a fan of an open/gotcha ending, but I wanted this one to have MORE leading up to that. It would’ve been cool if the mother, friends, and co-worker were somehow more connected to the things happening at the end— but it ended up that they were all MIA and kind of pointless to where the story went. But bonus points to ZERO romance!!
I definitely have feelings of “damnnnn girl” and I like that— I just wish this story was a tad more fleshed out. It sort of feels like it could’ve been a short story or one of those campfire tales instead of a full-fledged book.
martyna's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
tabbyjleonard's review against another edition
4.0
Horrid was a very atmospheric read. It was very descriptive and just sucked you in! 4 starts because there are so many questions left in my mind at the end of the book! It was a great quick read.
ciarawh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5