The Invited follows Helen and Nate who move to Vermont to build their dream home. Both Helen and Nate are former teachers with Helen being a history teacher and Nate being a science teacher. Helen becomes interested in the history of their land and especially that of the legend of Hattie Breckenridge who lived and died there a century ago. Slowly, Helen becomes drawn to certain items to incorporate into their home that have a connection to Hattie and her descendants.
The book follows the perspectives of Helen and Olive and has occasional flashbacks to events that happened in the past with Hattie and her descendants. Olive is a 14-year-old girl whose mother recently disappeared and lives in the same town as Helen and Nate. I thought her perspective was out of place at first, however, her connection to the plot becomes clear. I also liked Helen as a protagonist because she is interested in the history of the land, and she is also open to the paranormal. Whereas Nate is more science-based, and he needs physical proof in the paranormal. I found myself not liking Nate as much, but I did like him by the end of the story.
As far as the plot itself, I enjoyed following Helen as she found the items for their home and learned about the history of those items. There were also a few creepy scenes, such as when Helen would wake up in the middle of the night, but I would not classify this book as a horror story but as a paranormal ghost story. I also enjoyed Olive's perspective as she tried to figure out what happened to her mother. Furthermore, I did figure out a few of the plot points before they were revealed, which was a bit disappointing, but there was one big plot twist that I did not expect. I did like the ending of the book, and it wrapped up the story well. With all that said, I recommend this book if you are interested in ghost stories but do not go in expecting a scary story.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for affording me an opportunity to read this ARC. I've been a big fan of Jennifer McMahon since my wife and I read her novel The Winter People and thoroughly enjoyed it. The Invited was no exception as the plot pulled me this way and that and really kept me guessing. Just when I thought I had figured out what was happening, I hadn't. Now to seek out more McMahon to read. Highly recommended.

I almost expected more thrill or creepiness to this story. But it could also be my lack of not being easily creeped out. I did enjoy the characters and the concept of the story. But I also felt it to be to predictable. I had no shock. So that was my reasoning for 3 stars.

There was so much to love about The Invited. From the start, the opening scene and the ghostly premise had me hooked. The first chapter starts with a bang and the story did slow somewhat as we are introduced with the cast of characters surrounding the New England property that once belonged to the Breckenridge women. Throughout the story, there's a sinister and gothic feel that kept me compelled. I didn't love the character of Olive and that's the only reason it wasn't a five star read. There was a few surprises that I didn't see coming! I can't wait to read more from the author.

Spooky one that I should have saved for October. A young couple buys land to build their dream house. The land has history and as they build haunty things start to happen. Helen and Nate start researching the background and decide to add pieces to the house that have had violent murders happen near it. Mantles, wood beams, etc. All in all , as the house gets built, each entity begins to inhabit the house, making it a safe place for spirits to gather. Helen and the little neighbor girl commute with the spirits to help solve the disappearance of the girl's mother.

I am ashamed that it took me so long to read this book. It is fantastic.

In the early 1900s, Hattie Breckenridge was hung as a witch, her body discarded in the bog where she made her home. Enter Helen and Nate, a married couple who purchase the land where Hattie lived. In a desire to escape the bustle of suburbia, they begin constructing a home, hoping for a quiet life.

It isn’t long before odd occurrences start. Things go missing, the sound of screaming rises from the bog at night, Nate sees a mysterious white doe. As he becomes fixated on the doe, Helen delves into Hattie’s family tree, learning Hattie wasn’t the only one who met a terrible fate. With the help of an odd young girl named Olive, and a new friend, Helen is soon immersed in digging deeper into Hattie’s past, trying to discover what became of her descendants. Helen grows certain Hattie is trying to communicate with her, warning her of an ugly tragedy to come.

I highly recommend reading this book. The storyline is great and the book flows nicely.

This was a good suspenseful mystery. The setting was suffocating and isolating, even when the author took us into the small town closest to the property. I wouldn't call it a thriller so much as a creepy mystery. It wasn't fast-paced, but it did keep me interested and curious to know what was happening to the characters.

this was a very fun read, it kept me spooked and guessing as to what was going to happen. Again I love witches so this was just up my alley. The writing was well done and the characters were well written. I think this is one I will recommend.

I generally don't like ghost stories because I don't like to be scared but this one tended to more suspense than ghost story which is why I think I liked it some much. I finished in a few days because I had to know what happened.

Nate and Helen do what many of us dream of. They decided to build their dream house. There's a problem and it's the land they have built their house on. When this story stars, we witness Hattie being hung. Hattie Breckenridge met the fate of many witches, death. Helen is a history teacher, so she learns of Hattie. Nate is all about science. So what will this strong couple do when they start having issues with their new house and land? Was the past really forgotten, or is there a lot more attached to this place than they bargained for? Gifts show up, from where, and from who?

I found this slow but interesting ghost story to be gothic and rather good. Sure, you can guess some of it, but it's still a nice read because less about the ghost, and more about the history and where past and present collide and how we react to that. It's not spooky, it's more intriguing. I liked it.

The Invited by Jennifer McMahon flips the haunted house story: instead of unwittingly moving into a haunted house, our main character knowingly builds one.
Helen and Nate begin this horror book not believing in ghosts. After a rough patch and an unexpected inheritance, they are ready for a new start, quit their lucrative jobs (!!!) and move to the country to build their dream house. Though they balk at the idea of their property being haunted, they quickly become believers when funky things are afoot on the estate.

There’s a twist in The Invited, one which I saw coming early on. That’s not a deal-breaker for me. While it’s shockingly wonderful to be gobsmacked, I don’t stand tall in victorious sanctimony when I figure out the twist before it’s officially revealed. It’s okay.

Maybe this one is a little too obvious, though; a little too unshocking to truly call itself a twist. Instead, we could call it a mildly interesting turn with plenty of road signs leading up to it.

This is an enjoyable book, despite it going somewhat off the rails in the final climax.

Even more than horrific, parts of The Invited are stressful. It’s frustrating and kind of vicariously fun to see Helen and Nate’s series of ridiculously bad decisions that lead to the unraveling of their marriage. I had to keep going to see what would happen next.

Many thanks to netgalley and doubleday for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

LOVED! Especially having a character that has my name. So so good! She is definitely one of my favorite authors

The Invited by Jennifer McMahon is a 2019 Doubleday publication.

Helen and Nate decide to go for their dreams instead of trying to compete in the never-ending rat race of the city. They move to Vermont, buy a parcel of land and begin building their dream house.

Before long they get wind of local folklore and legends about their property- and Helen is even given the side eye, with locals believing she’s been called there by Hattie, an alleged witch who died nearly a century ago. The place is supposed be haunted by Hattie- but of course, there’s no such thing as ghosts- right?

Still, Helen is fascinated by the history- while Nate has been drawn into the mysteries of the local wildlife. Something is off though.

Helen and Nate begin bickering, lying to each other and keeping secrets.
Meanwhile, Olive, a young local whose mother disappeared- is desperate to find her- is convinced Hattie left behind hidden treasure- and if she finds it- it could help her find out what happened to her mother.


After getting off to a rocky start with Helen and Nate, Olive, and her aunt, becomes a part of Helen’s obsession over including historical building materials in her home and with Olive’s treasure hunt- but mostly with Hattie’s shocking history that is somehow linked to Helen…

I don’t read paranormal or horror novels very often these days- but during the early fall months I always find myself ready to settle in for a good creepy tale- preferably one centered around haunted houses or ghost stories- and nothing too graphic.

This book fits the bill perfectly!!

This story has a historical element, hidden treasure, a mystery, and a ghost story. The suspense builds nicely, and the foreboding is palpable. I loved the way all threads came together and enjoyed the finale. I did figure some things out in advance- but it didn’t damper the effectiveness of the story at all.

It was tense, really creepy, and suspenseful without being too intense, and thankfully the atmosphere trumped all violence and gore!!

My kind of horror novel!!

4 stars

I was a fan of this book even before I realized its author went to the same grad school as me. That just made me love it even more!

There is plenty to get sucked into here: witches, ghosts, a treasure hunt, family drama - the works. It's genuinely creepy and thrilling. The story follows Helen and Nate, a young couple who decide to build a new house right on some seriously haunted land. Their journey becomes intertwined with a teenage girl, Olive, who is coping with the fact that her mother abandoned her (and who thinks finding buried treasure will bring her back). I loved the historical aspect of this book, since the reader is treated to some perspectives throughout the last 100 years. There are a lot of interesting pieces of historical context sprinkled throughout.

My only complaint is that this felt a tad long. There were some sections that seemed to drag a tiny bit. I also guessed one of the main twists well before it happened. Otherwise, this is a super spooky read that's perfect for fans of the supernatural genre.

Not very scary, but definitely creepy. And original. Instead of moving into a haunted house, a couple builds a house in the Vermont woods so that it can be haunted. A wonderful twist on an expected trope, which is admirably fresh.

The novel starts out with a bang, takes a long set-up, then picks up serious steam toward the end. But all the while, we're introduced to a plethora of fully-formed, interesting characters and crisp dialogue, and a mystery that must be solved. Yes, some genuinely spooky stuff is in here, but this isn't really a horror book so much as it is a supernatural mystery. And a pretty damn good one at that.

Really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more from Ms. McMahon.

I went into this book thinking it would be an awesome horror book. I tend to read more thrillers, so I was excited to have the change of pace. However, this book is not what it seems and is classified more of a gothic then a horror story.
The author's writing is amazing and she did keep you hooked into the storyline. I look forward to what this author writes in the future!

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I have heard a lot of buzz about this author in the past and having read another book of hers recently (The Drowning Kind) I wanted to catch up on some of her past releases. I really liked this one so much - more than The Drowning Kind even. There were some aspects of the two books that were similar even: both set in Vermont, both featured water as part of the plot, and both were about ghosts! But I ended up liking this one so much better  - I think it was because of the interwoven stories of Hattie's family throughout and how each descendant's untimely demise was revealed to the reader. It was gruesome but enthralling. As far as characters go, I thought Olive was a little annoying at first but she really grew on me. Nate stayed pretty annoying throughout. I liked that he came around at the end but he was self-important throughout the whole book. Helen's character really interested me with her love of history and her drive to help Hattie. The plot in this one was very good - there were some great plot twists that I didn't see coming and I loved how all the various plot areas came together in pieces that made complete sense at the end. I would definitely recommend it, was a great and spooky read!

A young couple buys property to build their dream home only to find out that a murder took place there many years ago and it's haunted. They are both intrigued and pulled into the mystery in different ways and worry that the other night be going crazy. Add in a young girl who has family problems and who is searching for a treasure on the land that the murderer woman supposedly buried there and you get some strange happenings and ghost sightings. It was a good story but I felt like it dragged a bit and I didn't feel like I had a connection with any of the characters.

I always enjoy a Jennifer McMahon. The right level of mystery with a thin ribbon of creepy makes her books such a delight at any time of year. Already looking forward to her next book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy!

I feel like I'm kind of the odd one out here. A lot of other reviewers seemed to really enjoy this book; it just missed the mark for me, for two reasons:

Firstly, and most importantly, this book is not a horror novel. I would say at best it's a lightly creepy mystery, but nothing more. I think I just felt really let down by the promise of a classic haunted house spookfest that turned out to be very PG.

Secondly, I didn't care about the MCs. They're rich, privileged, and building their dream house from scratch, despite no formal experience. Uh...okay. If you can suspend your disbelief a little, you might buy into this, but that still doesn't make them likable.

Overall this just wasn't as compelling or spooky as I thought it would be. I will say, if you scare easily and want a "horror lite" ghost story, you might enjoy this! But more hardcore horror fans would probably be disappointed.