First of all, thank you Netgalley and Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This book is the second of a prequel trilogy which is a tie-in from Flowers in the Attic, written forty years ago. It takes us back to the early years of Corrine's marriage with Garland Foxworth. At only twenty-one (she got married when she was seventeen and secretly pregnant with her first son, Malcolm), she faces the challenges of being the wife of an aristocratic and wealthy man and how she deals with her new life.

Written in Corrine's perspective, this book makes me feel contradictory emotions. I found Flowers in the Attic (book one of the Dollanganger series written many years ago) a fascinating and intense story when I read it almost ten years ago. I also found Beneath the Attic, the first book in this “new” trilogy, really interesting. This second prequel book? Not so very much.

Let me explain. Book one sets solid roots so you want to look forward the other books. This one makes you wonder if you're reading the correct book. The sequence of events comes back and forth, confusing the reader sometimes.

Also, this book looks like it was written by an amateur writer, not someone who has a lot experience about creating a story. And the inconsistencies in the plot are monumental! Sometimes  I felt like I was reading a 1980's mediocre soap opera screenplay than a book which story takes place in 1895.

When I opened my ARC and started reading, the first upsetting moment was when I read the phrase “picking up where Beneath the Attic left off...” Not true, actually. Out of the Attic starts five years after Corrine and Garland's engagement (the ending of Beneath the Attic shows Corrine preparing her wedding). What happened in those years? There's a short prologue that tries to answer my questions, failing in doing so. No, I didn't wanted a full-details-story, but at least a more coherent explanation would be nice.

Then, there were the main characters. I found them superficial. The Garland you see in this book is so different than the one you read in the original series, that you can't really connect with him. Not to mention Corrine, which doesn't makes you feel any sympathy for her, even in the most terrible moment she has to face later in the story.

(Okay, I have to admit it: in that specific event I did feel pity for her. Just. A. Little. Bit.)

Resuming it, there's no substance in them, no inner growth, especially in Corrine. The fact that she got married so young and with no preparation to deal with marriage and kids in a high society world isn't an excuse at all.

To be fair with the book, it has good moments. The event mentioned before —ain't gonna give spoilers!— was really intense. Like that, other parts of the story shine with its own bright. And the epilogue has a interesting twist that I found very intriguing and captures my attention enough to look forward book three (Shadows of Foxworth —the last of the trilogy).

“The Star Wars Prequels Effect” in a 19th Century-based book? Unfortunately, this is the case here. In conclusion, a story with a lot of potential wasted in favor of frivolity.

I know most people who read the first and second books wanted more and more. I did. I read all of the books in the series, and then I got this book. I have not read most of the other new, but I will, as I want to know the back story. As for this one, it was not what I expected. The writing was not horrible, but it was not as good as the original, But don't get me wrong, it was a good book. And it answers many questions.

I want to start off by saying thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book, it was a very good read easy to follow along with storyline and characters. This was a new author for me but I very much enjoyed it, thank you for the opportunity and I look forward to reading more by this author again. I highly recommend this book to everybody.

This is where the family starts for the book Flowers in the Attic. The Foxworth family is old money in Virginia. Corrie Dixon marries Garland Foxworth and moves into the mansion outside of Charlottesville. The mansion is the envy of others less fortunate. Corrie lives there like she is a prisoner.
When Corrie gives birth to Malcolm she doesn't feel like a mother because she has help and she doesn't have to do anything. He tends to be like his father and only gives her grief.
If you are a fan of these books this one is a must.

I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this title. Unfortunately, this title archived before I was able to download it.

I'm almost embarrassed to admit just how anxiously that I have been awaiting this one since finishing the first book in this pre-prequel series back in August. That one ended so abruptly that I just couldn't wait to see what would happen next! And I have to say that this is a better book - the historical details are actually correct this time around and there are no comparisons to fictional characters who's author's haven't even been born yet! If you skipped the first book in this series, I don't know that you would really miss all that much by starting here - all of the pertinent details from the first book are refreshed here - truly, it's a much more thorough recap than I expected.

But, I must say that this one isn't quite as action-packed. The bulk of the book lies within Corrine's own head as she grapples with regaining her own identity after five years of marriage to Garland. I didn't expect this gap in time (honestly, I had expected this to begin with the wedding itself!), and while this time gap is needed for this book's plot, I just felt like the gap didn't work as well for Corrine's character development. And as a result, this installment relies a lot more on telling than showing. This slows the pacing down - and though there are some genuinely good scenes here, for all of its errors, I think I still preferred the first book. It was just more engaging! But, I have heard that a third book is planned and I am definitely looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of that one, too!

This book had a great mystery to it and it kept me reading all the way to the end, because I just HAD to know what happened! If you love mystery books and YA lit then I highly recommend this series. Five stars!!

I recieved an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and will recommend it often!

I have really enjoyed V.C. Andrews book before and so I was excited to read this one. Out of the Attic is a dark and twisted story that focuses on Corrine and Garland's marriage. It was dark and unexpected.

Admittedly, the story was hard to follow at times especially the timeline of events from both the past and present. I did like that we got to learn more about Corrine in this book.

I really wanted to like this one more but felt it too disoriented. There were parts that had the potential to be great but as a whole, it didn't piece/fit well.

I give Out of the Attic 3 stars. It has dark themes that is recognized by V.C. Andrews but lacked character development and timeline consistency.

Out of the Attic is the prequel to V. C. Andrews' famous " Flowers in the Attic" Series. Out of the Attic is the story of Garland and Corrine Foxworth's first years of marriage after the birth of their son Malcolm. The story tells of the Forxworth's lives in high society in Charlettesville, Virginia in the late 1800s.
This book was definitely not what I expected it to be having read and thoroughly enjoyed all the earlier books in the series. That is to be expected with a different writer, writing the book. I know this is strange, but I feel the main character in the book was Foxworth Manor. It's dark gloomy, abandoned rooms set the tone for the whole book and the characters' lives. If you are new to the 40 year old series, it will set a solid understanding for future books in the series.

I grew up reading this book series so of course I jumped at the chance to read and learn about the beginning of the saga. I was both enthralled and disappointed at.The same time. The book explained the story 3 generations before the story. The book had some dark, evil happenings you would expect, but also had continuity errors, both with the historical times and prior aspects of the book. This one is a second part of a 3 part series making this prequel. I am looking forward to the next installment.

I first read Flowers in the Attic 40 years ago when it made it's debut. The dark, haunting, and disturbing tale has stayed with me all these years because of the compelling characters. I quickly became an enduring fan all those years ago and read the sequels as soon as they hit the shelves. After the passing of the real V.C. Andrews I noticed a decline in the stories that followed they never had the same punch. Out of the Attic is a whole other story. It felt like I was thrust back into the Attic. The chills were back, the mixed feelings about the characters all too familiar. The disturbing yet compelling elements were present and accounted for. A must read for fans of the original Flowers in. the Attic series, or as a starting g point for new fans. I hope there will be more to come. Maybe the grandmother's back story. That would be interesting.

In this second prequel story Garland and Corrine have been married five years now and Corrine is unhappy in her marriage. Garland is never home, always claiming to be away on business, but she keeps hearing rumors that he is having an affair. No matter what Corrine tries, Garland always seems to get the advantage over her. Malcolm is incorrigible and because she has never bonded with him, she has no real motherly feelings towards him.
It is hard to reconcile the Garland in tis book with the one in Garden of Shadows. This one seems so much like how Malcolm turned out. I enjoyed getting more of the back-story, and seeing what appears to be the final breaking point for Corrine.

When requested this book I didn't realize it was part of a prequel series for Flowers in the Attic. I just saw VC Andrews and got excited. How can a Book say it was written by an author that has been dead?

Ok, about the book...... it was okay. Yea some questions were answered but I never really realized I even had questions so it isn't like it completed my life or anything. I enjoyed the original series much more but I could see how some people may enjoy it.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I just really enjoyed this book. It was just really easy to get lost in this book. I will definitely be reading more by this author.

I really loved this book!! It had so many twists and turns. It kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next!! This was my first book by this Author, and it won’t be the last!! Quick read!! Highly recommended!! You won’t be disappointed!!

If you are a fan of the original V.C. Andrews please don't destroy your memories by reading this. I was a huge fan of V.C. Andrews and excited to read the background on the Flowers in the Attic series. This has been written by a ghostwriter, he destroyed the story and is a horrible writer! Childhood memories of reading this series 40 years ago and and then excitedly finding there was more....yes, a wee bit upset. Worst review I have ever had to write.

"The twisted, beloved Dollanganger legend began two generations before Corrine Foxworth locked away her children in Flowers in the Attic. The second book in a new prequel story arc, Out of the Attic explores the Dollanganger family saga by traveling back decades to when the clan’s wicked destiny first took root.

Married to the handsome, wealthy Garland Foxworth following a wildfire romance, and an unexpected pregnancy, young Corrine Dixon finds her life very different from how she imagined it. Often alone in the mansion of Foxworth Hall, she can practically feel the ancestors’ judgment of her as insufficient - as not a Foxworth. Stern portraits glare at her from the walls, and the servants treat her strangely. Nothing in the vast place is truly hers.

Even her son, Malcolm Foxworth, born in the luxe Swan Room and instantly whisked away to a wet nurse, feels alien to her. With a husband alternately absent and possessively close, Corrine doesn’t yet realize that she’s barely scratched the surface of what lies beneath Foxworth Hall’s dark facade and the family that guards its legacies.

With the fortieth anniversary celebration of Flowers in the Attic, and ten new Lifetime movies in the past five years, there has never been a better time to experience the forbidden world of V.C. Andrews."

I am one who devoured all those Lifetime movies, especially this past August, and am in need of a V.C. Andrews fix!

OUT OF THE ATTIC • V.C. Andrews (*Andrew Neiderman) • ⭐️(If given the option, I would have left the rating blank. Please read on to see why my one star review is NOT an accurate depiction of this book, but the only rating I could grant it.)

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Before you read further, please bear in mind that I made a decision to NOT READ this book. I am using this "review" to explain why I came to this decision. With that being said, take my "review" for what it's worth.

Choosing not to read this book was a difficult decision for me, and one that I never even contemplated having to make when I first requested this book. Let me set the scene for you: I am scrolling through NetGalley and see V.C. Andrews' name front and center on a cool looking cover. I notice the name of the book is similar to "Flowers in the Attic," a series I LOVED and devoured six or so years ago. Could it be? Is there really more to the Dollanganger story? I did not even realize V.C. Andrews was still alive! I am thrilled and without doing any more research on the book like I usually do before requesting a title, I immediately jump at the chance to get a digital ARC of this book.

Once I receive the email that my request has been accepted, I excitedly start to do a little research. I read the description of the book to see where I will be reuniting with the Dollanganger story. It turns out this is the second book in a prequel arc I did not know existed! The synopsis seems fantastic - I am going to get insight into the Grandmother (Corrine Foxworth) that became the villain in the initial "Flowers in the Attic" series. I love background stories into characters from series I loved, especially when it humanizes a character previously seen as a villain.

I then moved on to Goodreads and started reading reviews. I normally do not read reviews before I read a book, but I wanted to know if I needed to read through the entire "Flowers in the Attic" series again, and read the first book in this new prequel story arc. Yes, I was seriously considering re-reading a five-book series and the first book of the prequel just to fully appreciate this book! Instead I was hit with a wave of negative reviews and information I was completely unaware of. Due to this newfound information, I will sadly not be picking up this book. Here is why:

1. For those who were like me and did not know, V.C. Andrews is dead. She has been dead for over 30 years. This makes sense in retrospect, but I have thought many an author dead in the past only to realize they are still alive and actively writing books. A man named Andrew Neiderman now ghost writes under the name V.C. Andrews. This was misleading and very disappointing to me, but I was not going to let this deter me from diving back into the Dollanganger's story.

2. This series is not the only spin-off that exists from the original series. First came the "Christopher Diaries," a series I had never heard about likely because it was written off as such a low-quality cash grab. I cannot speak from first-hand knowledge because I did not read this series, but popular opinion seems to be that this series is an insult to the story Andrews created so many decades ago. Just because one spin-off series did not seem to be well-received though does not mean that this one will be of a poor quality! I continued to research, trying to stay optimistic.

3. The first book in this prequel has none of the positive qualities that made me fall in love with "Flowers in the Attic". The dialogue does not match the time period that this story is supposed to take place in. The historical inaccuracies are apparently glaring. The writing is obviously different, since V.C. Andrews herself did not write this book. There is apparently shallow character development. And worse of all? Characters who were painted one way in the original series have allegedly been completely skewed to fit the new agenda of this prequel. I do not want to taint the pleasant memories I have of once beloved/or at least liked characters. I wanted a redemption story for the Grandmother, not having kind characters now smeared and altered for the worse.

Normally I would not let a few bad reviews scare me away, but this was a series that I really loved during my childhood. I do not want to read a spin-off that will disappoint me, especially when it is not even written by the original author. Maybe I have been mislead and this prequel is great, but that is just not a risk I am willing to take. I do not want to promote a clear "cash grab," nor do I want to add a bad taste in my mouth to a storyline I regard highly. I do want to reiterate that I did not read this book. This review is based off of other people's opinions, research about the book and author, and my own personal preferences. Because I have not read this book, I will not be advertising my "review" beyond this submission and I do not mean to dissuade others from picking this book up.

I read the whole Flowers in The Attic series when I in grade school (and probably way too young) and then quickly devoured the Casteel Family Sage and The Logan Family. Ok yes, themes run strong in all three series but I enjoyed the reading aspect.
I was thrilled to be granted this ARC by NetGalley (Thank you!)
I was not thrilled to read the book.
What did I read...
like for real..what did I read?
Did they even refer to females in the 1800 as being hot?
I couldn't do it.