A thrilling and creepy YA read. Marin finds herself working for a distant family friend of her mother's. There is something off at Lovelace House, though, and Marin is determined to find out if it's the house or the family.

I completely fell in love with Kyrie McCauley’s writing in her book WE CAN BE HEROES, so when I saw she had a new book coming out, I didn’t even read what it was before requesting a copy for review. Ha.

The cover copy gave me some THE TURN OF THE SCREW vibes– a girl comes to an old estate to work as a nanny for two children who have some creepy habits. This isn’t a retelling of that play, though. The setup is similar, but the plot goes a whole lot of other places.

I liked the dark, endlessly creepy vibes. It definitely has that edge-of-your-seat, something-really-bad-is-about-to-happen kind of feeling all the way through the book.

The characters really hooked me into the story, too. It’s a very predominantly female cast. I think the only male named characters are the Lovelace girls’ father and a neighbor man who kind of looks out for danger in the woods. The younger sisters are mischievous and odd. It’s easy to tell they’re lonely and grieving, and that they’re keeping some kind of secret. I liked the push and pull feeling of the relationship between them and Marin, who feels drawn to them because of their sorrow and loneliness but wary because they can be capricious and cold.

As Marin tries to untangle the mystery around the Lovelace estate and the complicated history between her mother and Alice Lovelace, she also meets a girl her age, and a tenuous romance develops between them. I loved the sweetness of that love against the darkness of the rest of the story.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

We follow our main character through a summer working as a live-in nanny for a writer. The idea there was pretty interesting to me. I didn't think that I'd have any interest in following someone's nanny as they just did their normal day-to-day routine. Was I ever wrong.

The children were so strange. Like I understand the younger girls were used to being just the two of them or quickly scaring off any other nurse-maids and nannies that their mother hired. They had no idea what they were getting into with Marin. She was not as easily swayed as those others were. She had a much different life than most of those other nannies probably did.

The dog was odd. Like, I've never met another animal that had such a pronounced consciousness (I'm sure there's a word that is escaping me for what I mean) where Thisbe seemed almost human-like.

I loved the reveal at the end over what was actually going on with the girls and their mother. All the things that the cook knew but couldn't bring herself to talk about. The ending was beautiful and worth the read. I never would have guessed anything that came about at the end of the book.

A propulsive and haunting story worthy of your summer TBR!

Readers follow a grieving Marin Blythe as she accepts a position as a nanny on the coast of Maine. As she explores the large estate and gets to know the young children she will care for, it becomes apparent that not all is what is seems.

All the Dead Lie Down offers a brilliant juxtaposition between beauty and horror as well as characters that are engaging and complex. The Maine setting, with it's jagged coast line and mist shrouded forest was written very thoughtfully, I felt whisked away to my actual childhood home!

This was my first read from Kyrie McCauley and it left me excited to read her blacklist! She has a style that is undeniably straightforward. I found it is free from extra flourish and yet it paints such a vivid and visceral picture! This style makes the story an effortless read, one that I think will be a surprise delight for atmosphere junkies and gothic enthusiasts alike!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Children for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

A haunted house queer love story? Sign me up. If you're missing your Haunting of Bly Manor content then I definitely recommend checking this book out. McCauley's writing is dark and atmospheric, and while at times this made the story drag - it did completely suck me in. I am here for Marin and Evie's love story and watching them come together was everything. This book isn't as horror-driven as I was expecting, but it still delivered a few gruesome points.

Overall, would recommend 9/10 times.

Ooh, this was really good! If you like spooky houses and gayness...PICK IT UP!

There I don't think I need to say anything else. But I will.

Marin is a great main character, she is struggling with the loss of her mother and nannying these kids who don't want her there (classic) when their older sister gets home and she realizes that a) Evie is hot and b) something spooky is going on in this house!! The mystery was great, characters were amazing, house was hella spooky.

This book has promise but I just couldn't not get into it for some reason unfortunately it was a dnf for me

ALL THE DEAD LIE DOWN has

- Haunting of Bly Manor vibes
- A creepy coastal Maine estate
- Creepy woods
- Dark family secrets
- sapphic YA romance

This story had some truly spooky moments and a really wonderful atmosphere for a gothic tale. I really wish I had loved how everything unfolded however. It has so many good elements and reveals but there was something that just wasn’t working for me throughout. There were times when I was enthralled with what was happening on the page, and others were it felt like it was dragging.

If you’re looking for a a gothic, cottagegore read for pride month this might be something you want to add to your lists! Just because something didn’t completely work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t for you!

*ARC copy provided by Netgalley and Katherine Tegen Books for review

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book so much. I think it has become one of my new favorites. It was a beautiful, haunting, romantic novel that I will reread many more times. I loved the storyline between Evie and Marin, Thea and Wren. My mom passed a year ago and I find some things hard to read now that didn't used to be. This book however, was like a soothing balm against my grief and warmed my heart. I adored this book and will be looking for more books by Kyrie McCauley.

A slow burn of creepy and mysterious sapphic gothic romance. Horror that resembles Turn of the Screw, Haunting of Bly Manor, and House of Salt and Sorrows. Marin just lost her mother, and is invited to nanny by her mothers old friend, the famous author, Alice Lovelace, at Lovelace Manor. The children- Wren and Thea try to terrify Marin in various ways, obliviously trying to spook her enough to leave. Alice begins to display strange erratic behavior, hiding away all hours of the day- writing her Novel. They call home their Eldest sister Evie. Marin is intrigued by Evie’s mysterious nature, and allured by her put together Dark Academia appearance. They slowly begin to bond, but Marin can tell Evie has lots of secrets up her sleeve.

Creepy, fun, tragic, and beautiful.

Marin has recently lost her mother in a tragic accident. Luckily, her mother’s estranged friend, a horror writer, offers Marin a place to stay in exchange for her services as a nanny to her younger daughters. Marin doesn’t really have any other prospects, so she travels to Lovelace House, an isolated manor on the coast of Maine, surrounding by forest. And Lovelace House and its inhabitants are very, very strange. The little girls regularly bury their dolls in the graveyard, their mother Alice is curt and unfriendly when she isn’t sequestered in her study writing, and no one ever comes to visit. Is Lovelace House as haunted as outsiders seem to think it is?

This book is sooo atmospheric and I love the way Lovelace House acts as a character. It reminded me of Rose Szabo's novel, What Big Teeth, in that respect. And the writing in All the Dead Lie Down is both gorgeous and whimsical and creepy—all my favorite things.

“There were speckled bitches and toadstools, and it reminded Marin of that fairy tale, the terrible one, with the house made of candy meant to lure children in. Then again, after just six weeks of watching the Hallowell girls, Marin could understand why a witch might feel compelled to eat them.”

So worth the read.

YOU KNOW I LOVE MY GOTHIC BOOKS AND THIS IS NO EXCEPTION

with vivid atmosphere, a SAPPHIC ROMANCE, and a strong fantasy element, this made for such a compelling, unputdownable read and i absolutely adored it. this was just a blast and i highly recommend picking this one up

All the Dead Lie Down was absolutely fantastical! McCauley wrote a story that was so well written I found myself flying through the pages, unable to put the book down, pondering what would happen next. My favorite piece of this entire story was how believable the characters were.

The writing is clear and clean, and very immersive. The book hums along at a good clip, but the pacing makes sure we're given time to breathe between plot-intensifying moments. The story was absolutely engaging and the work that went into the settings was noticeable and superb. I felt absolutely transported and I'm so incredibly glad I was able to read an arc of this story.

Pros:
Really nice (and unexpected) representation of anxiety. I also appreciated the creepy atmosphere, and the natural and normalized development of the sapphic romance. No homophobia, and nobody had to come out — hooray!

Cons:
I found myself wishing for snappier pacing and more realistic dialog (particularly from the two little girls) throughout. And for me, the supernatural elements needed to be integrated sooner. By the time the true nature of the horror came to light, I...didn't really buy it. The leap was just too late, too sudden, and too large for me to play along.

I really connected with our main character Marin, Always anxious, with a perpetual pit of dread in her belly, constantly fretting at how things can go wrong, a permanent state of caution and worry. And a perfect foil to Evie, the beautiful eldest sister to the girls Marin has been charged with nannying after her mother has died, and she has accepted an invitation to live with the Lovelace family at their secluded New England estate. Evie is bold and brash and beautiful and Marin is instantly intrigued. But the sisters are hiding something, and strange, unsettling things are happening in the old home and on the spacious increasingly spook grounds, and as Marin and Evie's romance blossoms, a sinister decay deepens. I didn't realize this was YA before I read it, but I found it to be the perfect balance of cozy-creepy atmosphere and charming love story, with some delightfully disturbing surprises.

Instagram post will be linked soon!

All the Dead Lie Down is a very atmospheric and gothic YA novel that delivers allllll of the spooky vibes.

Marin, our main character, is left completely alone when her mother passes away. She has just recently graduated high school and feels a bit lost. When her mothers childhood best friend asks Marin to move into their estate in Maine to become a nanny for her 2 young girls, Marin has no other option than to say yes.

Soon after arriving, sh*t hits the fan and it gets very creepy, very fast. The writing was very atmospheric and descriptive, while the plot moves at a captivating pace. There is LGBTQ+ rep in this one, which I loved! This has so many good twists and turns that are pretty odd and out there so I didn’t see them coming!

If you liked The Haunting of Bly Manor then I think you’d love this!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a perfect fall/winter read that I almost forgot that I was reading it in the middle of May. Atmospheric and spooky, with fog and ocean mists and cold New England summers? Love it!

The twists and turns this book took were so fun, even if a few of them are maybe slightly hinted at in the comps listed in the summary. But still! Chilling, but in a fun way. And the romance? I will never not love a sapphic romance, y’all.

4.5 ⭐️

All the Dead Lie Down is a whole mood. It’s gothic romance and horror and atmosphere. Even while it seems like not much is happening, it’s an enjoyable read. Everyday life at the Lovelace estate is so charming and otherworldly and othertimely that it lulls me into a false sense of security, meanwhile horrific realizations are dawning on me, one after another. I loved it!

The only thing keeping this from being a full 5/5 for me was the slightly OTT climax, but the characters and sense of place are so strong that I’m willing to suspend all my disbelief for them.

I will definitely be back for more Kyrie McCauley!

Also, I just want to give a huge shoutout for a realistic portrayal of tarot. I knew it was good when the first cards to show up weren’t major arcana!

I experienced this book in three formats: eARC, VoiceGalley, and the published audiobook. I loved the actual audiobook best, but I am grateful for the opportunity to receive both the ebook and a synthetic text-to-voice audio as ARCs.

Full review posted to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5460673527

The nitty-gritty: Atmospheric and eerie, All the Dead Lie Down is a nice mix of horror, coming-of-age and family secrets.

It was the creepy, evocative cover of All the Dead Lie Down that caught my attention, and I have to say Kyrie McCauley’s story matches the cover perfectly. This was such an atmospheric story with unexpected elements, although the most interesting parts didn’t really happen until after the halfway point. Still, as a reader who is very picky when it comes to young adult, I ended up really enjoying this.

Seventeen-year-old Marin Blythe is all alone in the world after her mother died in a terrible train accident. Luckily, her mother was friends with the famous horror author Alice Lovelace, who asks Marin to stay with her over the summer and act as a nanny to her two young daughters. Marin is grateful for the opportunity and arrives at Lovelace House eager to begin her job. 

But soon after she arrives, Marin realizes that things aren’t quite right. Alice Lovelace is reclusive and unfriendly. Her daughters Thea and Wren seem to delight in playing cruel tricks on her. She discovers a trunk in the attic full of long braids—made of real human hair. Thea spends time burying her “dead” dolls and holding funerals for them. And when Thea’s and Wren’s older sister Evie returns from school, she talks about a family curse, although no one will explain the details of the curse to Marin.

Eventually as Marin starts to bond with the girls and becomes closer to Evie, the terrifying secrets of Lovelace House begin to reveal themselves.

McCauley sets her stage perfectly, evoking a secluded, gothic setting, an old house with the ocean on one side and a forest on the other. The residents of Lovelace House seem quite at home there, as they are odd themselves. I liked the character of Alice, a Stephen King-like horror author who locks herself in her room all day and writes, suffering from migraines and writer’s block. You know there’s something “off” with her, but it isn’t until the final reveal at the end that the reader learns Alice’s secrets. And speaking of Stephen King, there’s even a nod to The Shining later in the story that made me smile.

There’s a sweet and subtle romance that develops between Marin and Evie, and I thought it was nicely done. After all the weird and disturbing things that Marin sees during her stay at Lovelace House, it’s a miracle she doesn't run for the hills, but part of her character development is trying to find where she belongs in the world, and I appreciated the fact that she sticks around to try and make her new found family work.

The author includes brief flashbacks that show the horrific accident Marin and her mother were involved in. Clearly she’s suffering from trauma and trying to find ways to deal with it, and when Evie and her sisters reveal their own past traumas, I was worried that the story would become too dark. But McCauley gives readers a glimpse of hope to temper the darkness, and for me if was just the right amount.

I mentioned that it takes a while for the plot to kick in, and that’s the main issue I had with this book. Nothing really happens in the first half, and I found myself growing bored and impatient with the story. True, the eerie atmosphere was exceptionally well done, but it was a lot of mood with really no substance behind it. But apparently McCauley used this time to carefully set things up, because the second half was such an improvement. We learn the secret of the Lovelace curse and wow, it was a doozy! I’m not going to mention it because it will spoil the surprise, but it was the perfect gothic element to make up for the slow first half. The author pulls in lots of ominous story details, like an ocean water flooded basement, the family crypt and cemetery, bones of the dead, the dark and creepy woods surrounding the property, and a greenhouse full of poisonous plants.

The last few chapters were thrilling and terrifying. Without giving anything away, Evie and Marin are involved in a confrontation with Alice, who is attempting to right a past wrong. McCauley adds even more creepy and disturbing scenes, and I flew through the final chapters as fast as I could. I also loved the sentimental, feel-good ending involving Marin and her situation, as she’s been trying to find her place in life after her mother’s untimely death. Fans of atmospheric storytelling and unusual supernatural elements should definitely check this out.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

*full review will be posted on my main platform shortly*

this was definitely creepy and something very wrong with the house that Marin was staying in.
Creepy children, a mother who is never around but hiding in her office to write a book.
Finding birds constantly in her room.
I didn’t expect why the house was so creepy and I definitely didn’t expect the twists that it gave either!