A Good House for Children by Kate Collins is a stunning debut novel that captures the essence of feminist gothic mystery with its themes of motherhood, madness, and the value of a woman's work. The story follows Orla, a painter turned mother and wife, who moves into an antiquated Georgian house on the Dorset cliffs with her husband and son. However, as they settle into the new home, Orla begins to experience strange occurrences that make her increasingly fearful for the safety of her son, Sam. She hears voices when no one is around, doors open and close on their own, and Sam has made an imaginary friend whose motives Orla does not trust.

The novel is narrated in a dual timeline, and the other protagonist, Lydia, moves into the same house as a live-in nanny four decades earlier. She, too, becomes aware of intangible presences in the large house and becomes increasingly fearful for the safety of the children in her care. However, no one in either woman's life believes her, dismissing their claims as the stuff of magic and mayhem, sprung from the imaginations of hysterical women who spend too much time in the company of children.

Collins has expertly crafted a story that weaves the past and present together, creating a hauntingly atmospheric tale that is both eerie and intriguing. Her writing is evocative and engaging, immersing the reader in the gothic setting and building tension as the plot unfolds. The themes of motherhood and the value of a woman's work are expertly explored, adding depth and meaning to the story.

Overall, A Good House for Children is a mesmerizing novel that will leave readers captivated and chilled to the bone. Collins has delivered a compelling and thought-provoking tale that will appeal to fans of Mexican Gothic and The Essex Serpent. A must-read for anyone looking for a feminist gothic mystery that will leave them questioning what is real and what is not.

A family. A house. An unknown.

The Reeves welcomes families and seems like an ideal place to raise a family. But the house has secrets. And slowly, it begins to take over.

A creepy tale. Very gothic. Dark. Mysterious.

All the good things when looking for a spooky book to read.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Horror

This is a gothic horror book that is set in dual timelines and tells the story of Orla and Lydia, who have each lived in the Reeve. The Reeve is a house that is known to be haunted, but it is also a place where the lines between various periods and realities may get blurred. Orla's husband is adamant that this house will serve as an excellent environment for the development of their two children, despite the wife's reservations. The past timeline is told from Lydia's perspective. Lydia finds work as a nanny for a family that is dealing with the loss of their dad. She quickly begins to hear and feel things that are frightening, but her devastated boss, Sara, does not listen to Lydia when she tells her that something really wrong is going on. There is something about the house.

The story is quite entertaining. The main aspect that, in my opinion, provided the biggest entertainment value here is the atmospheric mystery of the story. A haunted house is one of my favorite tropes in the horror genre. I think the author did a fantastic job with the gothic setting. Although I found the characters to be intriguing, I did not feel that I was able to connect with them due to the structure of the story.

In the two different time periods, I liked both families. The author made both of them fairly engaging, but the constant switching between them has made it harder for me to concentrate, and it has also lessened the enjoyment that I get out of it. I liked the open ending. I know some readers don’t enjoy that, but I feel that with horror books and movies, an open ending is quite effective. If you enjoy stories that are told in dual timelines, you might like this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a free copy of the book.

"The Reeve was limitless in its capacity for illusion." This is a story focused around a woman who realizes her life isn't of her own making. We follow Orla as she unravels in her new home, the Reeve, which proves to be much more than she could have imagined. The novel alternates between two timelines, Orla in the present and Lydia decades earlier. These storylines slowly build upon one another, continually adding to the tension and leading to what feels to be an inevitable conclusion. I'm a sucker for an unreliable narrator; I found it heartbreaking and riveting watching Orla mentally deteriorate and affect those around her. Whether or not Orla was actually experiencing these supernatural occurrences didn't really matter. The real-life repercussions are the same either way.

I was really impressed with this debut novel by Kate Collins. Her descriptions of the Reeve were beautiful and haunting. I felt myself as the reader getting lost within the house's vastness and "aliveness". I also absolutely hated Nick, but I think that's the point. He was an absolutely horrid husband. Additionally, I'm not sure I'd classify this as horror; to me, it's more of a psychological thriller. It's certainly creepy at times. Bravo to Kate on her debut book! I look forward to reading more of your work in the future.

A big thanks to Netgalley and Mariner Books for providing me with an electronic advanced readers copy.

A Good House for Children follows two different women, Orla and Lydia. Split POVs are hit or miss for me but I think Collins provided enough difference, while not making it jarring, when swapping between the two. That said, being locked into Orla and Lydia’s POVs did prevent finding out what other characters really thought about the situations that were going on. I would have loved to see a chapter here or there that followed one of the other characters.

The atmosphere in this book was fantastic. I’ve never been to Dorset, or anywhere in the UK for that matter, so I had to rely on Collins to take me to the location. Her descriptions of the environment and choices of people Orla and Lydia interacted with provided me with a vivid idea of the location. Collins also used these to create a creepy atmosphere that snuck up on me.

I’ve read others mention this with The Yellow Wallpaper and I can see the resemblance although I feel it was more like The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. While the story setup did take a little longer than I would have liked once it did get going I was hooked.

I like gothic horror books and A Good House For Children lands firmly in that genre. I look forward to reading more books by Kate Collins and seeing where she takes me next.

Welcome to a classic story with a sinister haunted house that has a taste for susceptible children and vulnerable caregivers.

There are two tales set in The Reeve, a Gothic/Regency monstrosity built around 1800, set high on the Dorset cliffs. In 1976, Sara, a recent widow, moved in with her 4 children, school age Phillip, twins Tabitha and Clover, baby Owen, and a nanny, Lydia. In 2017, Orla, a painter with a husband absent during the week, is discovering the same house with her inexplicably non-talkative son Sam, and baby Bridie.

The tales are told in tandem and about a quarter way into the book, silent Sam is drawing pictures of the house with four gray childlike figures around a pond, one which is smaller, like a baby. When Orla asks him where these “friends” live, he pantomimes “here.” In the past , Lydia is finally making friends who tell her of “accidents” that occurred at the house, like a girl who drowned in a pond pre-World War I (and present day Orla learns there’s an improperly filled-in pond that needs to be excavated).

As I stated, this is a classic slow build horror story in each timeline with atmospheric changes, unexplained noises, pervasive uneasiness, and small discoveries of past tragedies. Both Lydia and Orla come to dislike the house and both feel trapped by their circumstances to stay. The tension is excruciating, and when the final section is titled “Decay” (after “Budding,” “Ripening,” and “Blooming”…… oh, my gosh). Time to decide if you’re going to have nightmares tonight (especially after reading repeatedly how NO one is sleeping very well). This is a stunning debut for author Kate Collins — I absolutely loved it! 5 stars!

Thank you to Mariner Books/HarperCollins and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!


Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO No descriptive eye colors, but there is a depiction of a pregnant Orla as “cow-eyed” (British term).
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): YES 1976 Sara mistakes hemlock for elderflower (both in the carrot family), but that could be a common error. But 2017 Orla’s nursery has a view of an orangery with “orange maples” and “flowering magnolias”, a sight never seen in real life as maples get their brilliant colors in autumn (the season of the later story) and magnolias bloom in spring. There is a mention of “bright” gorse in the autumn, but that can start flowering in fall although it’s at its height in spring.However, the haunted garden and strangling mistletoe are essential parts of the story.

This was a fantastic and beautifully written debut novel. It is a story about a sweeping gothic home called The Reeve set on the cliffs of Dorset and two families who lived there 4 decades apart. In the late 1970’s, a grieving widow moves into the house with her 3 children and nanny , Lydia. Sara is reclusive and it is up to Lydia to care for the children and keep them safe from whatever forces are haunting the Reeve. Fast forward to 2018 , when Orla and Nick move into the Reeve with their two children. Their son Sam, who hasn’t spoken for months, starts communicating with an imaginary friend. Orla also begins to sense strange presences and begins to lose her grasp on reality. In both timelines, the house takes on a life of its on and pushes both families to the edge of sanity. This was a creepy, haunting novel that is well categorized as true gothic literature.

This book was very slow which I struggled with. I found myself not caring because nothing was happening. I get that it was atmospheric which I usually enjoy, but the pacing was lacking. I am so disappointed because I usually love a nice haunted house book – but this one did not hit the mark for me.

I will not be leaving a review on social media for this one despite finishing it – waiting for something to happen.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for my e-arc in exchange for this honest review.

Wow! I have to say, right off the bat, that this book did not turn out to be quite the story I was expecting when I read the plot synopsis on NetGalley. Based on that, I figured I was in for a typical haunted house story that follows all the same beats I’ve read before in countless other books written in the last decade or so.

Not so! This book surprised me, in a good way, by eschewing many of the tropes I’ve come to expect from recent books in this genre and delivering something that feels like a delightful callback to the atmospheric, creepy books and movies from earlier eras. If I had to compare it to something, I’d say that if you’re a fan of classic horror films such as The Changeling or Burnt Offerings (and, also, if you loved Netflix’s adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House), you’ll most likely love this book.

Things I liked: The alternating time periods, the slow burn build up, the way the author captures a spooky, dismal atmosphere whenever we are spending time with the characters inside the house

Criticisms: A couple of loose ends don’t quite get resolved by the end (and I will probably update this review after the book’s publication date to delve more into that, rather than put spoilers here right now). However, this is really just a small nitpick in a book that I largely enjoyed and would definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Serpent’s Tail/Harper Collins for the advanced reading copy I received in exchange for this review.

Spooky, Creepy and spellbinding debut novel about a house that is maybe haunted.

Two timelines present two different families living in an old mansion in Dorset - the 70's and 2017. In both, women feature as overwhelmed and unsupported as they care for their children best they can. The house itself, presents obstacles that loom larger and larger until they cannot be ignored. Is the house haunted? Are the women just losing their sanity?

Collins masterfully connects the women's stories and creates a super spooky book sure to keep you reading well into the night - with the light on. If you like gothic stories, haunted houses and ghosts and spirits, A Good House for Children is for you!
#Marinerbooks #AGoodHouseForChildren #KateCollins

This gothic novel has all of the traditional hallmarks--big, old houses, ghosts only the children can see--and for that matter, child ghosts and living children, disbelieving family and neighbors and the opposite, neighbors who are convinced the location is haunted. It's also got dead or missing/unsupportive husbands, working women who are also apparently alcoholics...overall, I kept wondering if the author really wanted to make this a book that judges working mothers and so shows mothers who work who are are uniformly unhappy and neglect their children and drink heavily, because it certainly reads that way. Besides that, the whole conceit fails on a few levels, one of which being the suspense of who dies and when and how--there are no surprises because readers are told well in advance of what happens.

This is a haunting story of a house and it’s occupants. The main character is the house - not an easy story to write - but the author does so brilliantly, bringing it alive in two time frames forty-one years apart. This book leaves you feeling unsettled and you’ll never look at an old house the same way.

Thank you Netgalley and Mariner Books, for providing me with the eARC!

I love gothic horror, so I was really excited when my request for this was accepted! This book was everything I was expecting, plus an interesting twist. It wasn’t super fast-paced until the end, but the slow, creeping horror throughout the rest of it was very well written. I thought the entire atmosphere was thought out, and the way that Orla and Lydia’s perspectives intertwined helped add to the off-feeling that the entire book holds.
Both Orla and Lydia’s characters were very likable, and I quickly started rooting for them - although, I wasn’t totally sure what exactly I was rooting for them to do. Even when Orla’s character begins to go downhill, I still hoped that she’d somehow find help. I think Lydia’s perspective offered a unique view compared to Orla’s. From Orla’s perspective, we see how she - as a mother - is affected by the house; Lydia’s perspective, however, shows an outside view of how Sara, as a mother, is being drawn into the house.
If anything, this book left me wanting more. I both loved and hated the somewhat abrupt ending that Orla and Lydia’s perspectives had. I would’ve wanted one more of Lydia’s chapters to maybe wrap things up a little more. I also wish more was done with the locked door/passageway.
Overall, though, this was a solid gothic horror novel and a wonderful debut! I can’t wait to see what Collins comes up with next!

This was a bit slow and long but the atmosphere alone outweighed those issues. Dark, ominous, !mysterious, macabre, gothic. Oh, I loved it! Every detail. The tone was perfect. I wasn't on the edge of my seat but I was intrigued and invested.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

This book is tragic yet beautiful. At first I was mostly just exasperated by the living situation for 2017. I wondered how anyone would go along with that arrangement, & the husband continued to irritate me throughout the book. The terrible husband acting like his wife is insane is one cliche this book uses, & there are some others, but it's not a whole cliche. This book is described as feminist & while it is female focused I don't find this book to be outwardly feminist. Maybe if the wife had actually given her husnand some push back. Overall I enjoyed it.

The creeping sense of dread was incredible, and I struggled to sleep after putting this book down. My only issue is that the end felt a little lackluster.

3.5 stars
This is what I want from a gothic. Dark mysterious, sad. I I love multi- POV’s and it worked flawlessly in this book. Though it was a bit of a slow burn it didn’t really feel that way. I would’ve rounded up my stars had there been closure.
Overall this is a great read.

A Good House for Children
A Novel
by Kate Collins
What secrets is the house hiding? A feminist gothic tale perfectly suited for the current moment, A Good House for Children combines an atmospheric mystery with resonant themes of motherhood, madness, and the value of a woman’s work.
Dang, this was a new kind of gothic book. It had women's POV, and where children died at alarming rates in this creepy house. I felt it was dark, as it was intended. Sadness and grief, and really no way out. Women lose their minds and children in the house. Ghost, spirits, and entrapment.

this was such a good gothic mystery, it had what I enjoyed from other books like this. Kate Collins does a great job in telling the story and creating great characters. I enjoyed the spooky atmosphere of the book and loved the theme of motherhood. I can't wait to read more from Kate Collins.

"The door to Clover’s room slammed shut. Something heavy landed on the stairs and disappeared. Lydia fell sideways and skinned the heel of her hand on the bare boards. Beads of blood welled in the graze and saltwater from the swimsuit stung the wound. She crouched on her hands and knees and stared at the landing. Sweat prickled her palms."