I was a huge fan of the original Dollanganger series, but I'm not a fan of the books that were published after V. C. Andrews' death in the late eighties. Flowers in the Attic and Petals on the Wind are two of the foundational books of my adolescence. I was disheartened when the ghostwriter, Andrew Neiderman, published some additional, and very unnecessary, books in the series a couple of years ago. Those books told the story of Flowers in the Attic from Christopher Dollanganger's point of view, and in my opinion, they were completely unnecessary. Neiderman has never been able to capture the tone of the original V. C. Andrews. His books are mashup of the various plots that VCA created in the seven novels she published during her lifetime, but Neiderman's books just don't have the same effect as her books did. While the original V. C. Andrews was not a great novelist, she WAS a fantastic storyteller. She had a unique gothic style that made it impossible to stop reading. She somehow captured the angsty voice of her teenage heroines and never talked down to her audience. But Neiderman's characters are mere shadows of the original characters. Almost all the books he has written (which is about 90% of the VCA oeuvre) have bored me to death. Every paragraph is full of cliches and melodramatic metaphors that make me roll my eyes.

And yet ... I didn't hate this book as much as I expected to. It doesn't have the same shock value that the original Dollanganger books had, but it wasn't as boring as many of the other VCA books written since the late eighties, when Neiderman took over the VCA franchise. This book tells the story of Catherine and Christopher's great-grandmother, the original Corrine, mother of their "grandfather" Malcolm Foxworth. Anyone who has read the remarkable third book in the Dollanganger saga, If There Be Thorns, will remember the references Malcolm made to his mother in his secret diary: Corrine abandoned Malcolm as a young child and lay the groundwork for the monster he became later in his life. This book tells the story of how Corrine met Garland and came to live in Foxworth Hall, and I'm sure the story will continue in yet another installment in the coming months.

I'm not completely against ghostwriters taking over the reigns of dead authors. I just wish Virginia's family had chosen a writer who could more closely match her voice. It's beyond frustrating that the publishers are churning out these novels to capitalize on the original V. C. Andrews name, and they have allowed the books to become a ghost (pun intended) of what they used to be. Surely there's someone more qualified?

As much as it annoys me that there will be more books in this series, I'm just as annoyed at myself for continuing to read them.

This book is the prequel to Garden of Shadows which is the prequel to the well-known saga Flowers In the Attic. In this story, we learn the back-story of Malcolm's mother, Corrine Dixon. She was the spoiled daughter of a wealthy bank manager. She met Garland Foxworth at a gala and was immediately infatuated despite the gap in their ages. I would love to tell you more, but I don't want to spoil anything for you.
This book was illuminating. I really enjoyed getting the back-story but wish it had gone further into the future and showed Corrine as a mother and when Malcolm's obsession with her began. If you are a fan of this series, you do not want to pass this book by.

I really enjoyed this book. I was a bit fan of V.C Andrews & the "Flowers in the Attic" series, so I had to read this one. I couldn't wait to read more about the Dollanger family.
It was just as I hoped it would be; answering so many questions I had about Corrine.
Well written, intriguing, a must read for anyone who was/is a fan of "Flowers in the Attic" books.

This was a huge let down, mostly because I grew up reading VC Andrews books. Could not finish. Not really sure what was going on here.

I am a huge fan of V.C. Andrews' books and was so excited to have a chance to revisit Foxworth Hall. In this book, the early beginnings of Corrine Dixon were brought to life. She meets Garland initially at a gala event where she is making her debut. She is immediately drawn to him and spends the evening being regaled by him, She arranges to meet him and is taken advantage of and becomes pregnant. Her father seeks to right this wrong and meets with Garland. He proposes when she and her parents visit their home and finds out that he is not what he seems I really enjoyed the characters and the eerieness of it all. I think this book does a good job of tying into the original books. Thanks for the ARC, Net Galley.

Unfortunately, I stopped reading at 25%. This book was not for me. I strongly disliked the main character, Corrine, and the story didn’t match the time period it was supposed to be set in. I really like the Flowers in the Attic series but this prequel fell a bit flat.

This story is just as secretive and intriguing as the original books in this series!

Corrine Dixon (the original Corinne), is a young, conceited girl who uses her beauty to her advantage. With her friends, her family and even when she meets Garland Foxworth.

What a mystery Garland is! I have been creeped out by that family since Flowers in the Attic...and this just perpetuates it. How deep do the secrets go?

This first novel in the new trilogy, the beginning of the wicked web surrounds the Foxworth family tree. I know I am going to be waiting for the next installment on tenterhooks!

I am a huge fan of the Flowers in the Attic series, and so when I saw this came up for requesting, I had to get it.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book after reading 50% of it. I couldn't relate (or like) any of the characters in this book. The father just doted on his daughter like she was a perfect little angel, the mother was so frigid and cold that you didn't know whether you shouldn't like her or should feel sorry for her, and the main character that thought she was basically god's gift and knew everything about everything in spite of the fact she was only 16 at the time.

Personally I felt that the time frame didn't even come through all that well. It just like they wrote a story in present time but every once in a while mentioned that their were horse and carriages and gas lamps were still being used in order to remind you that this story was taking place in the 1890s.

I'm not sure how many V.C. Andrews books this author has wrote, but I have to say that I am very disappointed in this one and am actually very sad that this is part of the Flowers in the Attic series.

Even though there are a lot of critical reviews about this book I liked it. This was set in the 1890's and some of the situations did not fit that time period but hopefully this will be corrected before publication. I definitely want to read the next two books to find out what happens to cause Corrine to do the things she did.

Thanks Net Galley for allowing me to read this book for my honest review.

Following the usual unimaginative pattern of V.C. Andrew's post-mortem works, Beneath the Attic is highly predictable, nearly comical in its 'male writes young female protagonist' failures, with added flavor gifted by unnecessary nods towards the Confederacy in Corrine's 19th century Virginia and internalized misogyny (are we not supposed to expect better from the nefarious Foxworth grandmother of Flowers in the Attic?)

The first quarter of the book in particular is poorly-written, and required some determination to push through. Unsure if the quality was necessarily below what Andrews' ghostwriter has previously put out, as it's been years since I picked up a new V.C. Andrews novel. Unfortunately, this latest work has been a stellar reminder of why I stopped picking up V.C. Andrews books at my local library, or worse, spending money on them. Despite the problematic aspects of V.C. Andrews' original works (i.e. her own), they obviously were engaging enough to inspire popular intrigue; whereas post-mortem, her ghostwritten works demonstrate a noticeable decline in quality. I've read better fan-fiction online, I'm not so sorry to admit.

Primary takeaway these days from V.C. Andrews books seem to be: all handsome, moderately-intriguing men are rapists, but women will love them anyway. Maybe have their children. Internalize the idea that they are at least partly responsible for being sexually assaulted or deserved it simply for being, like, alive or whatever...and just leave it that.

I managed to finish the copy I received to the end, but can't really give it a 2-star based on that alone. As always, however, appreciate the NetGalley platform for providing me an early inside look into the latest addition to a series I've begrudgingly followed.

**On an added note, I saw on Goodreads that the page count listed for this book is 368 pages. The e-book downloadable format I received through NetGalley was only 207 pages. Not sure if I received the final copy of the book, or if the information listed on Goodreads is mistaken?

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Corrine is a typical sixteen years old girl, who has it all. She's an old child to a wealthy family. The apple of daddy's eyes. Avoiding every single one of her mother's advice, Corrine decided she wanted to grow up overnight, by attracting the attention of a wealthy twenty-three years old, Garland.

This was a hard story to read as I have to keep in mind the time period in which the piece was written. There was no such thing as a career, independent woman. Women were kept as trophies and homemakers. Corrine was a spoil little girl that's not much different from any girls today. As a sixteen years old, she seems to think she knows it all, until one day she actually need her mother. Suddenly, she realized maybe growing up so fast wasn't a great thing, especially since she has to be alone in a huge property, married to a man she barely knows. There is something dark and sinister about the Foxworth's family history as well as the house she's now living in. Corrine's voice and attitude does bug the crap out of me. She was spoiled and entitled to the point when bad things happened to her, I didn't truly feel bad for her.

This was a good story that answered questions for me after many years. There is a link to my blog review.
I give this 3.75 stars,
https://booksgaloremore.blogspot.com/2019/07/beneath-attic-by-vc-andrews-375-stars.html?spref=fb&m=1

This is the prequel to,the prequel. Corinne Dixon is a young, superficial belle who schools her small circle of friends about how to win over men and other normally taboo topics for the last nineteenth century. At her first adult party, she encounters dashing Garland Foxworth. She contrives to win him and becomes pregnant. Corinne is ready to marry Garland and lord over the vast Foxworth Hall estate, but the mansion holds many secrets, especially her Intended's obsession with his deceased mother.
Creepy and sinister.

Beneath the Attic by V.C.Andrews
Ok, I read my first V.C.Andrews when I was a young impressionable girl and I have read if not devoured all of her books over the decades since I read Flowers in The Attic so I pretty much know and love all her books! It is obvious that this was written by a ghost writer as V.C. Andrews passed many years ago, that being said I was still so excited to read this prequel to Flowers in the Attic that I read this in 2 days and I am definitely interested and waiting for the follow-up to this one. I am happy to have finally starting to learn what made Corrine they way she became in the later books and what drove her there. Thank you Netgalley and the Publishers for allowing me to read this ARC book and give my opinion!

I read my first VC Andrews book when I was a teenager. I'd guess I was 16 and I clearly remember it was Flowers in the Attic. Perhaps my love of reading started with VC Andrews. She has a way of roping you in, telling you secrets, and somehow you become so entangled with the characters, you lose all judgement for the decisions they make. Flowers in the Attic is the only book I remember vividly reading from VC Andrews. I am sure I read others, after Flowers in the Attic was so difficult to put down. But, as the years passed and I grew more and more busy with things other than reading, I haven't picked up one of her books since then.

When I saw Beneath the Attic by VC Andrews posted on @netgalley s website, I couldn't believe it. What did this book have to do with the characters from Flowers in the Attic? Was VC Andrews still alive? Had I missed other books she had written in the last few years? Would I even still be interested in her type of writing?

Well, I ravenously finished this book in 2 days. I think that speaks for itself. The book quickly transported me back to imagery akin to the Gatsby days with grande staircases and shiny chandeliers. Wealth, prestige, secrets, and desire are all woven into the story with artistry.

In all honesty, the book was predictable for the most part. Until the end. No spoilers here, but as the reader, you will be left hanging. And, you will be so caught up in the oddities and peculiarities of wealth that you won't be concerned that you think you know what is going to happen.

I give this book 5 stars. You don't have to be a fan of VC Andrews to be a fan of this book. Additionally, the book is crafted in such a way that you don't need to know anything about the other books that VC Andrews has written. This is a fantastic summer read. A great distraction and easy to fly through.

A huge thank you to @gallerybooks @netgalley @pocket_books for allowing me to review this amazing book that was ghostwritten by @neidermanandrew . The expected release date will be 8/27/2019.

#netgalley #gallerybooks #pocket_books #andrewneiderman #yournextread #summerreading #suspense #nerdlife #mustlovebooks #readmorebooks #oakcitybooks @oakcitybooks

4 stars--I really liked it.

This is not a good book. In fact, it's pretty terrible. The first-person writing is lazy and historical inaccuracies abound, even to the point where they made me laugh (an example: this book is supposedly set in 1890, but at one point the narrator compares herself to Scarlett O'Hara--even though Gone with the Wind was published in 1936. Oops!).

However, sometimes I enjoy reading something trashy, and this scratched that itch. I'll always have a weakness for V.C. Andrews, thanks to my generation's near-universal love for Flowers in the Attic. And even though this wasn't written by Andrews (and boy does THAT show), it captures that breathless, slightly scandalous feeling of reading something adult and forbidden. All the gothic trappings I love are here, and I was disappointed when the book was over that I'd have to wait for the sequel to know what happened!

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

Sorry ... just couldnt finish it. I was so excited as the Flowers in the Attic series was one of my all time favorites as an adolescent. I started and stopped so many times, I finally gave up. It just didn't capture my attention nor hold my interest.

Thank you #netgalley and #Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Booksn for the eARC.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for Beneath the Attic. I picked this book because I have read VC Andrews books' my entire life so of course i was super excited to see the author name on my screen! However, this book left me confused as to rest of the series. I enjoyed the book DO NOT GET ME WRONG! I missed the writing styles over the years but this book blurred the lines of what i knew to be true in the other books. For example, Foxworth Hall being Corrine's childhood/family home where in this book she herself marries into the home and her parents live elsewhere. I think if i had not read the other books about Corrine and her children I would have loved it more. Just be prepared for things to be a little different than what you think you know about this family, their home and the swan bed. Still a good read and i would read it again.

Fans of V.C, Andrews will really enjoy this prequel to Flowers in the Attic. For romance novel readers this should satisfy; a good escape from every day world.

I am a huge Flowers In The Attic fan. I am in my mid 40's now and read that series in high school. Beneath The Attic does not disappoint! It has that same wronged feeling I had when reading Flowers In The Attic. I love how we get a look at what made Corrine the mother she became. If you are a V.C. Andrews fan you will not want to miss this book!!