An interesting gothic tale with notes of Shirley Jackson and classic horror, It Will Just Be Us keeps the reader on tenterhooks throughout. With deep running claustrophobia and characters that leave you questioning everything, this book builds atmosphere very successfully. There’s a couple of scenes that are extraordinarily tense, like the scratching at the door and the tarot card reading, and they bring an overbearing sense of fear to the reader. This was a very well-written haunted house novel; the best certainly that I’ve read in a very, very long time.

Hi all! 
Today I am going to be giving you a spoiler-free review of Jo Kaplan's upcoming new release (publication date: August 11th 2020) of It Will Just Be Us. I received an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) from NetGalley and was also given the opportunity to interview the author herself! You can check out that Q&A here. If you are interested in pre-ordering a copy, please click here. Without further ado, let's get into this review! 

Screenshot from my NetGalley account
THE PLOT
Sam Wakefield's ancestral home is a decaying mansion built on the edge of an overgrown swamp. Built by her mad ancestors, Sam has possessed a unique gift since she was a little girl. She can witness echoes of the past and the ghosts of those that came before her. When her pregnant sister Elizabeth, moves in with her and her mother, Sam begins to see a faceless-boy whom she suspects is a symbolic prophecy of her unborn nephew. She is further disturbed when he starts to commit extremely disturbing acts and taunts her throughout the labyrinthine hallways of the mansion. As Elizabeth's due date approaches, Sam is determined to prevent an innocent baby from evolving into the evil child he is destined to become. Moreover, the boy appears to be connected to a room within the mansion that has always been locked. What will Sam find once the door finally opens and will she be able to save her family from their dark destiny? 
THE CHARACTERS 
Sam Wakefield is our protagonist and it is through her eyes that we gain insight into not only her life in the present, but also the ghosts of the past. She is an archaeology teacher with a reputation for being quite odd. Throughout the novel, we learn about her tumultuous relationship with her sister Elizabeth and her brother-in-law Donovan. Sam feels incredibly connected to her home, the Wakefield history and her ancestors; having witnessed their memories and presence throughout the mansion. She lives with her alcoholic, negligent mother and strong-willed sister, after Elizabeth decides to leave her husband and move in quite late into her pregnancy. The characters in both past and present are equally important to the story itself; intertwining and creating meaning as the reader gets deeper into the story. It is a little bit difficult to trust Sam as the narrator purely due to her inability to discern reality from memory, but I felt she was the most developed and interesting character within the book. 
THE WRITING STYLE 
The writing style was incredibly strong, beautiful and poetic. It was almost dreamlike but also unsettling as I found myself rather disturbed by certain moments. In my opinion, this is exactly what I desire from a horror novel. I want to be moved but I also want to be scared. The author was able to evoke emotion and fear quite seamlessly. I also felt she painted such a vivid picture with her descriptions. I was utterly absorbed in the novel to the point where I felt like I was getting lost in the hallways of the decrepit mansion. As a huge fan of the horror genre, I couldn't recommend this story enough. It was hauntingly magnificent...
STAR RATING
I gave this an easy 5/5 stars! 
I hope you enjoyed this honest, spoiler-free review. Feel free to order a copy for yourself from the link above.
Thank you for reading
Peace & Love xoxo
Disclaimer: This post contains links to my Book Depository Affiliate which helps fund my blog, I am not being paid or sponsored for this post/products – all my thoughts/opinions are my own

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for sending me an eArc of It Will Just Be Us in exchange for review consideration.

I love Women in Horror Month. I find new names to add to my TBR, boost my favorites, and find genuine camaraderie in the women horror community on Twitter. If you haven't checked it out yet, you're truly missing a great opportunity. And while this title isn't due to be published until late summer, I will definitely be talking it up until then.

It Will Just Be Us is a creepy, Gothic tale that gave me Shirley Jackson vibes. Samantha returns home to live with her mother just as her sister, eight months pregnant, arrives after a fight with her husband. While their relationship is pivotal to the plot, it's difficult for me to pin down exactly what the focus of this story is. Family? History? Mysticism? The land? Time? Legends? Yes, to all the above. The sisters are at the forefront, but the real star is the house. Rich with horrifying history and very real ghosts, Sam regards the house as its own character, a living thing with its own unidentifiable agenda.

Built by Mad Catherine, the house is constantly changing, a maze where even the family still gets lost if they aren't careful. This reminded me so much of Stephen King's Rose Red--a trait which really worked for me. Each room acts as a conduit for memories, ghosts of everyone who lived in the house and their moments echoing through time. They appear without warning, playing out their lives on a loop, and Samantha approaches them like any other chore. How can I make the bed when there's a dead body in it now? But the closer Elizabeth gets to her due date, the more Samantha is haunted by a faceless entity--malevolent and dangerous and truly terrifying.

We see the effect the house has on the women who live there, but we also see how it affects men, specifically one who has a history of violence. Elizabeth's husband Don goes from estranged husband with a temper to a violent, vengeful presence in the course of a few chapters. The descent into madness, however, is subject to interpretation. Is he really the villain, or is he the hero? An antihero, maybe, but we can't really tell for sure, because we've been following Samantha's rationale, and we see what she wants us to see. Kaplan's use of perspective shines in this aspect.

Culminating in a heart-pounding series of events that I will not discuss because the unraveling timeline is one of the best parts of the story, we see the strings of memories connect and extend, and watch as Samantha is faced with past, present, and future.

Just. Wow. I'm still speechless.

Sam's voice and interaction with her sister reminded me of We Have Always Lived in the Castle. There's a formality to her speech that strategically alienates her from a contemporary tone. There are cell phones and power lines, but they feel removed from the text. Another world. This feels deliberate and only enhances the isolation she feels in the house. Kaplan's skillful handling of diction and atmosphere is beautiful and effortless but powerful.

For fans of Rose Red and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, It Will Just Be Us is a must-read in 2020. 10/10 would recommend.

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.

Profoundly disturbing. Chilling details.

Set in the Virginia swamp, Sam’s ancestral home, Wakefield Manor, has been cursed since inception. The house collects memories, replaying over and over snippets of events that occurred within its walls. All that dare to enter this haunted house are subject to these visions of the past.

Living in the house taints Sam and her sister, Elizabeth, leaving them as outcasts in the small nearby town of Shadydale. It has claimed her father, driving him to suicide. It has claimed her mother’s sanity. Sam tried to leave but always finds her way back to the house as if being pulled by a magnetic force.

When a pregnant Elizabeth moves back home to escape an abusive relationship, the house feels different. A new darkness penetrates the walls showing Sam the future evil within her unborn nephew. She is desperate to find a way to change the future horror she has seen but when her sister suddenly goes into labor during a blizzard, leaving them stranded, is she too late?

This book is out of my comfort zone as I don’t usually read horror novels. It is a very well written story that left me wondering what memories my house would show. My only issues with the story are the graphic parts involving animal cruelty. It almost made me stop reading. I understand why those parts were needed to show the true evil the author was portraying however the amount of detail deeply disturbed me.

I genuinely think this might be my absolute favorite horror book I have ever read. The visuals and the pacing were so on point - I could actually picture the scary moments. The story was incredibly original, and there were so many twists and turns. I loved the combination of the gothic ghost story and the slave heritage. My only complaint is that I thought the last 15% of the book dragged on - it could have been shorter and accomplished the same thing. But I really enjoyed the book, and cant wait to recommend it to others.

I went into this expecting something similar to The Haunting of Hill House, and it definitely has that vibe. The author did a good job building that creepy setting, and I was very engaged for the first quarter. The book also tried to be too many other things, and some of those inspirations were not very successful. There's a definite nod to The Shining, but the author made us do leaps of logic and suspension of what we already believe of the characters to get there. A blizzard in a southern swamp? Having to run outside with a child to escape the scary guy with a crowbar who wasn't a threat to begin with, but became a threat after the three women knocked him out and tied him up? It made for a quick final quarter, but it felt like rest of the plot should not have led up to that. Some of the gore felt off and even unnecessary, so I wish the author would have leaned in more to the gothic side of her writing. Interested to see more from this writer, though. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

First off I want to thank @netgalley, @crookedlane & @jokaplan for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Wow ! A chilling haunted house with ghosts count me in. I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end, I have to say the start of this book starts off so strong.
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The way the author describes the environment with such succulent writing. It all comes to life. This is not a book that is centered on characters it mostly centers on the environment and all the chills it has to offer. If you're looking for a fast paced book this one will not be for you, I am usually not a fan of slow paced, but it was so well done. Even with it's slowness and longer chapters the haunting atmosphere takes over. The main character Sam lives in this haunted mansion with her mother and pregnant sister, she has nowhere else to go until she solves all the mysteries of Wakefield manor.
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This was an amazing slow paced book that brought on all the chills. If you're looking for a haunted, horror, ghost story pick this one up you won't be disappointed.

"It is a house haunted by memory; it digests us, all of us, and spits us out again at random."

The Wakefield House is reminiscent of Winchester House. It's a labyrinth of corridors and rooms that echo the past, changing and transforming themselves at will. Phantom images of people and events of the house's history plays out like a movie reel. Even current residents are able to glimpse segments of their childhood memories-always there, unable to be forgotten.

This reads like a classic Southern Gothic tale. The atmosphere, the house, the landscape all culminate into an eerie tale full of dread and despair. This is such a great, thought provoking book that brings to mind Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House" which was so much more than a ghost story! The house's past is pieced together through glimpses of its replayed history. Our protagonist, Sam, is also able to glimpse images of the future or so she thinks. Is she mad or is the future of the Wakefields also imprinted on the house? And if so, can it be altered or is fate?

The ending of this was so unsettling. A book's ending hasn't chilled me to the bone since Susan Hill's "The Woman in Black." That ending will linger with me for a long time to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book to review !

It Will Just Be Us
by Jo Kaplan

A wonderful Gothic novel featuring mystery, madness and decay at Wakefield Manson located in the small hamlet of Shadydale, VA. A unique book reminiscent of “ We Have Always Lived In The Castle” (Shirley Jackson) however, in this story, the mansion is as prominent a character as the main protagonist “Samantha Wakefield” . The beginning describes current inhabitants, widowed mother Agnus Wakefield and her daughter's Samantha and Elizabeth Wakefield. Of course, the mansion itself makes a pretty strong initial impression with it's cast of long dead characters of the past .

Wakefield mansion is prone to play echo's of it's memories “immemorial” for the viewing pleasure (or non-pleasure) of it's living inhabitants. Sam and her mother Angus have been privy to these constant visions over the years and the reader wonders if the house is truly haunted or are certain members of the family ? Enter Sam's older sister Elizabeth who doesn't seem to share in her mother's and younger sister's almost daily ability to see Wakefield's echo's. As the mystery at the center of the story begins it's climb to a crescendo, we learn the truth of Wakefield mansion and the family within. Several twists and turns keep everything very interesting. This story follows a main path however, veers left, right and off center to take the reader on small paranormal road trips along the way. A truly wonderful reading adventure! Loved the ending but I will not spoil for the reader with more information.

If Diane Setterfield and Shirley Jackson had a long lost sister, I would imagine it would be Jo Kaplan. Her writing is exquisite and this novel belongs along with the classics. What a true pleasure to read ! As a huge fan of Gothic mystery/horror, “It Will Just Be Us” is in my top 10 best Gothic novels ever written. A solid 5 star rating

PS: In another review I read of this book, a reader was unhappy with the segments that included animal abuse/torture. I do agree, I hate to see, hear or read about anything regarding abuse toward any kind of animal however, it was just part of the story and was far from the worse I've read. I suppose a warning to readers who may be sensitive to this matter...it is in the book however certainly not a predominant part of the story.

"Once this house has you, it doesn't let go."

This one reads almost like The Haunting Of Hill House, with Netflix’s style of production. The book is slow-moving while maintaining its literary-horror atmosphere after the first pages, but holds your interest with some intriguing mysteries...

What secrets lie in the room at the end of the dim hallway of the third floor in Wakefield Manor?
What’s the identity of the faceless boy only she keeps seeing commit disturbing acts?
This one is unraveled early on and made one heck of a twist.

When creepy things starts to happen in this house, you may go, “Girl, you better get outta that house!” but it becomes quite clear that the main character...literally has nowhere else to go, and in addition to her pregnant sister who’ll soon be giving birth, the house has this elusive hold on her; it’s her ancestral home after all, and there’s evil lurking somewhere in her family that she feels compelled to unravel.

I enjoyed one of the ending scenes where the protagonist is attempting to escape from great danger, I loved how the history of the mysterious swamp played a role in her and the faceless boy’s fate. Definitely worth the read for Gothic haunted house horror fans.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review. I love horror, really, really love it. Unfortunately I found this book hard to follow, is it the past? Present? Future? At one point it seemed to focus on one thing which was great. However, it again went off on a tangent. I really wanted to like this book but it just didn't work for me at all.

It Will Just Be Us by Jo Kaplan
Genre: Gothic Horror, Mystery & Thriller, Paranormal Fiction
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publish Date: 11 August 2020

Do you like the works of Shirley Jackson? Do you like haunted houses? Has the Winchester Mystery House in California, USA always held a flickering flame of fascination within you? Then you need to read this book!

I haven't been able to put it down, it was read in two days and now I have book hangover... I'm emotionally distressed its over and now I have to go out into the world knowing I read it too fast. It Will Just Be US by Jo Kaplan was a book that caught my eye by the cover image first and then the synopsis on the back. It sat on my “to read pile” for a fortnight and even ended up jumping the queue because it kept calling to me.

The book centres around three women, a mother and her two daughters who due to circumstances in life find themselves living together in the ancestral family home. The home is built in a swap in the southern states of America and has been cursed not just by its location but by the deaths of some of its construction workers and Mad Catherine. Mad Catherine oversaw the house being built and once the original plans where executed she continued to build. Thus the house is confusing and vast. The current family inhabitants have had to grow up in this labyrinth that has held onto echoes of the past that replay themselves randomly. But it gets darker because there is a room on the third floor that has always been locked, the rules by which the house plays by are changing and the last daughter to arrive is pregnant. Add into the mix a history of madness, the Underground Railway which helped enslaved Afician Americans, the dead of winter and a freak snow storm, this book is the prefect read.

What I loved about the book was everything, the characters are well developed and I developed a sisterly relationship, with all its ups and downs. The writing left me on the edge of my seat and the ghosts were prefect. The ending took me by surprise, through in hindsight it shouldn't have but I didn't have much time for out of the box thinking when I was so sucked in.

This book has become one of my favourites of the year! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It Will Be Just us is a good book with some eerie moments and interesting characters. This is one of those books I needed to sit on and think about after I read it and I came to the conclusion (after a sleepless night) that it's quite a good read! I love a book that will stay with you long after you read it and this book certainly fit the bill. I look forward to more books by the author in the future.

I loved this book. From the very beginning, I was immediately hooked. Stayed up all night to finish it and am glad I did!

A really good haunted mansion/gothic story. The writer did an excellent job with the details and bringing the mansion to life.
3 stars.

I requested and received a Copy of this book from NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first novel to me by Jo Kaplan.
To be honest I am not big fan of horror stories but this one is good for me because it not contain a lot of scary scenes so I enjoyed it, especially this is debut for Jo .

I’m sure this is a fine horror story, but I stopped reading when a scene came up that contained casual animal torture and abuse. I am seeing this more often in recent fiction. I believe a great story can be told without adding gratuitous animal torture/injury to it and will not condone it under any circumstances.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and the author, Jo Kaplan, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of It Will Just Be Us in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I was hooked from the start.
The storyline was well thought out and written with intriguing characters. The atmosphere was chilling and deliciously creepy. I read this book in one sitting as I could not put it down.
Well worth a read for fans of the genre.

The kindle version of this book is poorly formatted which negatively affected my initial impressions of this book. I'm sure I missed some important nuances in the lyrical weaving of past, future, and present events that inhabit the house and haunt our main characters. Nevertheless once I made it through the first quarter or so, narrative and style grabbed my attention and the mystery and horror of the story sucked me in.