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sshpurple1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Gore, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
stardustvein's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, and Abandonment
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
3.5
“I’ll come right out and say it,” Mercy told them. “Strange noises, bad vibes, your mom and dad recently passed— Your house is haunted and I’m not selling it until you deal with that.”
➽ How to Sell a Haunted House was my first Grady Hendrix book! It's about Louise who has to go back to her home town and sell her childhood home after her parents died in an accident. She's not thrilled to be working with her lazy, irresponsible brother Mark and is creeped out by all the dolls her mum kept. What I liked most about the book was the Horror element. There's something unsettling about the house, as it gives off such bad energy. The dolls and puppets are genuinely creepy. I'm not afraid of dolls, but the book did a great job of making them as sinister as possible. There's also a doll called Punkin who used to be the mother's favorite. The audiobook narrator had such a creepy voice for it!
➽ The reason this book didn't 100% work for me was Mark and the sibling dynamic. I have to admit that Mark's behavior drove me up a wall. Louise has her faults and can be a bit snobbish, but Mark isn't much better. He's very irresponsible and flighty, behaving more like a man-child than an actual adult. When he gets control over the house, he keeps bullying and gloating to Louise all the time. It was SO annoying. Their fights and arguments honestly made me glad that I don't have any siblings 🙈 I just found Mark incredibly unlikable and hated how much he enjoyed having power over Louise. We later get his POV but it was far too late and also didn't fit within the story at all.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
glutenfreemaggie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
samburkhouse's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Vomit, Medical trauma, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Minor: Gun violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Abandonment, and Alcohol
thatoneguyjm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
faduma's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
mpswans1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
julieyael's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.75
This is a book that I took time to really appreciate.
The first half of it (that’s the first 200 pages!) were just ok. It’s a bit slow and I did not care too much for the characters.
For a moment, I even thought about not finishing the book, because I felt that this was not what I expected from the story.
But then it becomes more intriguing and you feel that there is more to it.
When you enter the last third of the book, it becomes hard to leave it.
I wished the slow part of the begining was not that long, because it’s all well written and you feel the creepy atmosphere building up.
In the end, the book kept its promises, it’s a fun and creepy horror novel, with a good dose of paranormal, and a light touch of gory details (very light, but I guess it can be triggering for some people)
So I would recommend it, if you are ready to spend some time on the first part which is less exciting and a bit long to my taste.
The second half of it really deserves a good 4 stars.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Gore
Minor: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol
vercopaanir's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Mental illness, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Fatphobia, Blood, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol