I was so interested by the premise of this. Unfortunately it was too slow and underwhelming. It was not for me and I didn’t end up finishing it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book!

Set in two timelines, we follow the story of Meg, a genealogist returning to her hometown for a job at an asylum turned apartment complex, and the journal entries of Ella and Dr. Woods who were at the asylum while in operation.

While dealing with the ghosts of her own past while storing together the ghosts of the past of Abney Heights, Meg is forced to face what she's spent a lot of time running from.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and thought it was the perfect blend of intrigue, mystery, and gothic spook. Abney Heights is available now!

Interesting read with some genuinely creepy moments. The setting was atmospheric and the story featured a strong female protagonist.

I chose this book because of the absolutely stunning cover. I was obsessed and I thought this was going to be my favorite read of 2023, but unfortunately when I actually started reading the book, the hype I built around it in my head fell quite silent very quickly. This didn't engage me like I thought it would and I really tried to love it, but there's only so many time you can catch yourself skimming before you call it quits. This may be someone's jam, sucks that it wasn't mine.

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
The book goes between the past and present. As it progresses, it reveals the main characters are interconnected. The mystery and atmospheric elements also increase.

The Haunting of Abney Heights is more thoughtful and researchy mysterious than ghostly in a scary way.

There are clues, diaries, journals, observations, acts of blackmail, and terrible goings on. All with an undertone of mysterious sinisterness and control over delicate women. And much much more!

A mystery surrounding an old asylum and the patients that once inhabited it. A great novel with a switch between time line and characters perspective. I really enjoyed this book, quite atmospheric in places, a little creepy - not too much, a great read.

This was too little and way too much, all at the same time. Normally, I enjoy the intertwining of generations…stories overlapping, told through different viewpoints. Unfortunately, the characters fell flat for me. It lacked atmosphere and the “haunting” was all but nonexistent.
The plot lines dragged on…rather than building…to a rushed and utterly ridiculous ending. Cramming in commentaries on sexuality, mental health, family dynamics, and abuse did not make this a compelling read.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. The concept of the story is part ghost story, part mystery. Add in the setting of an asylum and I was hooked. The story slowly unveiled itself through case notes and journal entries which provides little crumbs as to how the plot plays out.

I was engaged throughout the plot although I wished there were more character development for Meg and her friends.

Thank you Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for the arc.

Thank you to Cat Thomas and @netgalley for a free copy of this ARC.

When Meg returns to London, she knows she’ll be facing ghosts from her own troubled past. She doesn’t expect to be so unsettled by the place where she’s staying… even if is a former asylum.

Investigating the mysterious deaths of two asylum patients, Meg discovers an intriguing Edwardian world of steampunk spiritualism, genteel gay romance and radical therapies. Digging deeper, she begins to realise something evil lurked behind the asylum’s liberal façade.

Did the patients find out? Was that why they were killed?

Deciphering a coded document takes her nearer the heart of the asylum’s secrets and reveals shocking truths about Meg’s own life. Her grip on reality crumbles as the dark Edwardian past begins to overtake her. Can she survive the damaging path to the final piece of the puzzle?

I quite enjoyed the general storyline of this novel and the themes of mental health treatment and persecution of sexual orientation, which was refreshing to be seen set in a historical context but with a modern perspective and outlook. Generally as ghost stories go I felt it fell more into the mystery genre than anything, as I was expecting more spooky shocks, and even though the storyline was intriguing, the writing still for me was a little stilted and the story dragged at times which made getting through certain chapters difficult. Nevertheless an overall enjoyable read.

IMMEDIATELY got chills. I cannot express the unfathomable amount of eye strain reading this caused me because I COULD NOT LOOK AWAY FROM MY SCREEN THE ENTIRE TIME I WAS READING THIS.

My star rating does NOT reflect anything as I marked this book as DNF.

I had to DNF this at 20% for my own sanity. I feel awful but it took me way over a month to read around 68 pages. I just wasn’t interested in the book, the story or characters. This wasn’t for me and I couldn’t understand it or get into the story due to finding it boring. The book isn’t bad it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Wow and I mean wow. I was pleasantly surprise at this book. Not going to like it took me a while to get into it but it was worthy!

I love how all the story came together. and I really liked that we got to see different POVs from past and present. Really good story.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me a digital copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Overall it was an OK book and I liked the premise, however I found it a bit underwhelming. If you like a mystery it's a nice easy read but I'm not sure I'll recommend to friends.

I have been in a reading slump for far too long and this was definitely the book to get me out of it. I love me a little cozy murder mystery and 'The Haunting of Abney Heights" brought a smile to my face. I fell in love with the main character in the beggining of the book. I mean who doesn't love a curious little lady conducting her own investigation?

This was such a delightful read that I finished it in two seatings. The mystery and the setting of the story keeps it spooky and doesn't let you stop until you figure it all out. Absolutely loved the book!

I really enjoyed this gothic novel with the dual timeline. The story seems simple. Meghan Morgan, a professional genealogist, is commissioned to discover the great-aunt story of one of her clients.
So here we have a Lunatic Asylum with new methods of treating mental health issues, a double crime and a mysterious machine for contacting the dead. What more could you ask for in a gothic novel? This book drew me in mainly due to the atmosphere and location of the novel's action. An additional plus was my favourite diary theme. In my opinion, it always adds another dimension to the story, and here there are two, including one encrypted. I admit that I could predict many events, but two plot twists surprised me. I didn't expect this turn of events at all, but it was a brilliant move that added a deeper dimension to this gothic novel.

This is a fine novel that is entertaining and engaging. The interweaving of Edwardian and contemporary story lines is expertly crafted and with a shocking finale

This book had a great story line and the element of historical fiction with a touch of family discoveries. You will follow Meg as she is working on helping Betty with genealogy. The Haunting of Abney Heights goes back and forth between present and 1907. Meg and her group will research what they can and Meg will decode the journal. She discovers her own genealogy as well. For me personally I wish it was a little more fast paced as I found it hard to focus and be drawn completely in.

I'm a huge fan of non-gory supernatural suspense, so I liked this one a lot. It takes a long time for the suspense and action to get going, a lot of this is about the archives and research part, but since I liked the main characters of the Scooby Gang, that was fine.

📖 ARC book review 📖
The Haunting of Abney Heights by Cat Thomas
Genre: historical fiction, mystery, supernatural
Pages: 416
ARC: yes
⭐️: 3.5/5
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📖 synopsis:
Meg is a genealogist who is recruited into a mystery of finding out who killed her clients great-great grandmother. With the aid of the dead woman’s journal, Meg goes on a journey through an old asylum and encounters ghosts of her own making.
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💭my thoughts💭
Phew, guys. This book took me a WHILE to get into…I’m not going to lie. The first 60% of the book was 🥱 I suppose I understand in the end because it was character development and all that jazz, but honestly? I felt it could have been shorter. The ending was a shock that I didn’t see coming, so that helped redeem it a bit. I gave it a solid 3.5⭐️ if you’re expecting a TON of paranormal and ghost stories, you’ll be disappointed, I’m afraid. But it does play into the ghosts of human nature. Overall, decent read 👍🏻
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Thank you to netgalley, Cat Thomas, and Gwillion press for the ARC. All views here are my impartial views of the book provided to me in return for such and do not reflect the author or the publisher in any way.
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