The setting of this book, Smith's Hollow, is excellent and helps build a fun story.  It's always so interesting when a town/setting almost serves as a character itself... because Smith's Hollow just exudes this ominous and weird feeling.  You can tell the town has secrets of its own.  And throw in a grandmother and her ancient tale to the mix and you've got yourself quite a story!  Did I mention it's the 80s and there are loads of coming-of-age vibes?  So... even more bonus points, right?!

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2021 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2021/02/2021-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

**3.5-stars**

The town of Smith's Hollow has suffered quite a few tragedies over the years. The eerie part is, no one seems to remember. When two girls from out of town are found slayed in a backyard, literally cut to pieces, it does grab everyone's attention. At least momentarily.

Lauren has grown up in Smith's Hollow and now, just shy of her Freshman year in high school, she begins to sense something is severely wrong with their quiet town. For one thing, her father was murdered in the woods just last year. His heart cut out of his body.

When she hears about the murdered girls, she doesn't hold much hope for the police finding the culprit. They never solved her Dad's murder. Everyone just seemed to move on, but Lauren remembers and she wants to get to the bottom of it.

The thing I loved the most about this story was the atmosphere. The setting of Smith's Hollow, that eerie small town vibe where you can instantly tell something is off. Additionally, I found Lauren to be a likable character and the relationships within her family were interesting.

Since her father passed, her mother has been struggling and seems to take a lot of her frustrations out on Lauren. Nothing she ever does is right, her mom is always nagging at her. Then there is Lauren's little brother, Danny, who she loves dearly, but he's a strange kid. He seems to know things he shouldn't and he says the oddest things.

When Lauren begins to have visions as well, of a horrible monster and the murdered girls, she starts to investigate. What is going on in Smith's Hollow and what is her connection to it? Her first stop is her Grandmother's house and boy, does she have a tale to tell!

There's witches, there's curses, there are sacrifices that need to be made. Lauren sees it as her job to put an end to the madness. Along with a friendly policeman, a cute next-door neighbor and a roving reporter, Smith's Hollow had better watch its back.

Throughout this story I was reminded of other stories. I felt Sawkill Girls, Strange Grace, The Devouring Gray and The Wicked Deep all rolled into one. It was fun, I'm glad I read it. I love how Christina Henry's mind works, but this isn't my favorite of her books.

Lauren's best friend, Miranda, drove me batty. I was hoping she would be the first victim, but unfortunately that didn't happen. Also, there were some subplots I wasn't as interested in and I found those portions dragging for me. I think I could have enjoyed it a lot more if those had been shaved back a bit, including the racist neighbor.

Overall, this is a solid story. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy a dark atmosphere with some gruesome deaths steeped in mystery.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Publishing, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I adore Christina Henry and will continue to pick up anything else she writes!

I was really excited to read this book but it ended up being kind of disappointing. It’s pitched as horror but it never raised my pulse in the slightest. I think this might have been better revived if it was placed in fantasy, since that seems to match quite a bit more. 
Additionally, the end of this novel didn’t wrap up well for me unfortunately. First, the tiki torch racism felt extremely out of touch when we currently live in the racist hellscape we do. Blaming all of the racism on a magical curse just felt ... kinda weird? Especially after the attempted coup on the Capitol this past week. 
Secondly, the ring being something that Lauren won at Skeeball and then used to defeat the monster felt a little too easy and was introduced too late in the story to be believable. It felt rushed and random.

I rated the Ghost Tree by Christina Henry three out of five stars. I received this in e-format from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ghost Tree brings the reader to Smiths Hollow, where people- in particular- young girls are going missing. However, no seems to remember this is happening. It is not until two girls are found murdered in a community members yard that the community realizes they have a problem on their hands. To add to the mystery, Lauren, a young girl in Smiths Hollow still coping with the death of her father, is experiencing crazy visions and dealing with a very intuitive younger brother, while also trying to navigate young love and the distance teen years wedge in friendships.
The description of this book is what drew me to it. It sounded supernatural, mysterious and intriguing, however, I felt it was lacking. There were parallel stories going on which culminated in them coming together, however, I felt it fell short in concluding why people were missing and what the townspeople may or may not know. The book was not short of creepiness as well as blood and gore, however, at times it felt like there was not enough buildup in the suspense and the story at times was lost on Lauren and her coming of age, rather than the supernatural elements I thought the book would focus on. To say the least, it was very anticlimactic. However, I would recommend the book to those seeking a little supernatural thrill or some blood and gore, mixed with mystery.

The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry is a moody, creepy horror novel told mostly from the teen female protagonist's point of view (although we do hear from other's as well). As a horror enthusiast, I appreciate getting to hear the story through the eyes of a teenage girl and that we were not bombarded with unnecessary sexual content. 

Once I started reading the story, I could not stop and was surprised by the length (400+) of the novel. It didn't seem as if it was 400+ pages. I would note however that the back story of the witch and curse, could have been shortened a little. I did not enjoy the historical story line as much as present day.  

Lastly, I wasn't sure if this book was a teen horror novel or intended for an adult audience. I think it would be appropriate for both audiences but I was unsure of the intent. As a librarian, I would recommend it to teens looking for horror as well as adults.  Although bloody scenes and vague sexual references, language and content is appropriate for a range of readers.

The Ghost Tree would be a great read for a young adult who was interested in a horror novel and okay with descriptions of gore. A young woman and her crush solve the mystery of why there are so many deaths for such a small town.

I loved this compelling coming-of-age tale about two girls with a lifelong friendship, and the things that happen to them during their young years in the 80s. Small towns in horror stories are some of my favorite settings, and Henry pulls that trope off well here in my opinion - I felt the seclusion, the small-minded ness, the danger of the witch's curse.

The premise of this book had me hooked instantly. Dead girls, a weird town, a ghost tree.

Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this book. I’ve read other Henry books and absolutely loved them, but this one didn’t work for me. I liked Lauren and the story was okay but the adult scenes just seemed off to me. Even the like-able adults read like they were written by a 15 year old. I also felt it moved too slow and the ending was super predictable.

It's the summer of 1985, and freshman-to-be Lauren is slowly separating from her lifelong best friend, Miranda. Miranda's boy crazy and determined to spend her summer finding an upperclassman with a nice car to take her to school in the fall. Meanwhile, Lauren's dealing with her antagonistic relationship with her mom, which has only gotten worse since Lauren's dad was brutally murdered last November. When the brutal murder of two girls comes to their small town, Lauren's determined to find the connection to her dad, though just about everyone else in town is having trouble remembering... well, anything to do with either crime.

This is an excellent mix of supernatural and all-too-human horror, wonderfully told. The small-town life, the trials of teenagehood... it all rings true and marries perfectly with the cursed story of the town. Highly recommended.

This horror story had its ups and downs and although I did enjoy it. I don't think that I would buy a copy of this one.  This is not a young adult novel!  Although some of the characters are young adults this novel is adult!   Going into this one I didn't know that.  Which I think could have been part of my issue.  I generally have love hate relationships with adult novels.  I think that if you enjoy this kind of story that you might like this one. I would say try it from the library first and see if you love it.

Smith's Hollow is a weird little town. Two girls are brutally murdered and no one seems to be able to wrap their brain around it. They all seem to just be able to move on and forget it.

Lauren lives there with her over anxious mother and younger brother Danny. She starts realizing that no one cares about those girls and then discovers that every single year a teenage girl is murdered...but no one remembers it.

Okay...so this book is kinda over the top cheesy horror. I get that. You have to go with it if you are going to enjoy the story. I did not mind that. Other little stuff bugged my socks off.
Like the 80's references.


I didn't need a time period reference every few minutes.

The book isn't horrible. It just seemed to me like it was trying to be so many different things that it lost some of the magic. Stick with the basics people. You do not have to through in every dang current rage.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

I usually like horror reads and I do like the authors alternate take on fairy tale retellings, but The Ghost Tree was a little lackluster. I found the worldbuilding she created to be adequate and the mystery to be uneventful. The characters were mediocre and leaning towards “I couldn’t care what happens to you”. Overall, The Ghost Tree was a very unexcitable and non terrifying horror read.

It was so nice to see a coming of age story with a female protagonist! This was a quick read because I was invested in the main character’s journey and couldn’t put it down. There were some twists that I didn’t see coming, as well as some that I did. The final full reveal was well done.

An interesting title from Christina Henry; I suppose it fits into the horror category. It felt a little teenaged to me, some aspects of the story felt a little juvenile. Not my favorite but certainly not bad.

Something is very wrong in Smiths Hollow. The story begins a year after Lauren's father was murdered. Now the torn-apart bodies of two teen girls have been found in a backyard that connects with the very same forest. 

Alex Lopez and his family have only recently moved to Smiths Hollow after he was hired on to the miniscule local police force. It was Alex and his partner who were the first to be called to the scene of the murdered teenagers. He was both shocked and appalled at the horrific violence.  

The first order of business was to try to identify the girls. Next up, they needed to determine who murdered and mutilated them, and WHY? 

As the story unfolds, secrets are revealed and a conspiracy seems to be taking place in Smiths Hollow. 

The bodycount continues to rise, and it becomes more and more apparent that something very sinister is taking place in the small town. 

This is the perfect book to pick up today since it is Halloween and spooky stories are the order of the day. 

In addition to the main plot, there are several subplots including one that speaks to a major problem facing the current populace of the United States - that of racism - both overt, and systemic. 

I enjoyed reading THE GHOST TREE and I recommend it to those who like a bit of spookiness alongside their mysteries. Like I said, this a perfect book to begin reading on this Halloween night. 

I rate THE GHOST TREE as 4 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. 

Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book. 

FAVORITE QUOTE: 

"Yes, there was something very wrong in Smiths Hollow. And Alex needed to find out what it was before it disappeared from his memory, too. Before he forgot about the girls who'd called to him in dead voices. Before whoever - or whatever - cut those girls to pieces did it again."

Oh my stars, this was the perfect October read for me. Gruesome murders in the woods? Ghosts? Witches? Creepy small town with some serious secrets? Yes, thank you!

The Ghost Tree is well-written and completely engaging—once I started I didn’t want to stop.

The book is set in the early 1980s in a sleepy little town where all is definitely not what it seems. Fifteen-year-old Lauren’s father was brutally murdered recently in the woods, and she’s experiencing all sorts of weirdness herself while also navigating the confusion that is growing from girl to young woman. When her headache leads to a vivid vision of a monster savagely killing two girls in the woods, Lauren is upset enough… but then the bodies of the girls are found and Lauren has to figure out quickly what’s going on.

I don’t want to give too much away, but suffice it to say, I enjoyed the plot and characters very much. The story is told from multiple POVs, and as much as I adored Lauren, I also loved Alejandro’s chapters. The town’s lore is laid out in a wonderfully witchy fairy tale-like story. Fun 80s references throughout, gory horror, a curse, witches and monsters, and I honestly didn’t figure out who the killer was until the end. There’s a lot to love here for horror fans.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my free copy in exchange for this honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

The Ghost Tree is, first of all, not a ghost story. It has no ghosts to speak of, but it does have witches and curses and a mysterious dark power that terrorizes the town of Smiths Hollow.
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The book started out slow but picked up speed fairly fast, and the mystery element kept me reading. There's a fair bit of blood and gore here, but I'd still call this soft horror. It won't give you nightmares but still a more than decent story.
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The book isn't listed specifically as YA, but it definitely is, full of teen angst and body drama and relationship issues. As long as you can look past that (and good news, there's less of it as the story progresses), this is a good little supernatural thriller.

Fans of Stranger Things will love this horror novel set in the 80s. It would be a good crossover for adults and older YA

If you’re looking for a creepy book this October you have found it. This book is told in multiple points of use. And it’s a rather spooky/entertaining read. 

I went in to this book completely blind I loved the cover thought it was rather perfect for this time of year so I read it. I recommend that you do the same. I don’t read a review don’t look at them just go and read the book.