Spooky season is officially still a few months away, but you can give yourself a proper chilling scare to close out summer with Kate Alender's new novel The Companion. A rare contemporary Gothic YA horror story, the novel is dark, twisty, and utterly compelling from beginning to end.

The Companion follows the story of sixteen-year-old Margot, the lone survivor of a terrible car accident that killed her parents and both of her sisters. Without any family to speak of, she's shuffled off to an orphanage, and eventually adopted by a rich family with a remote country mansion. The other orphans think she's lucky - after all, how random is it that some guy her father once rescued from drowning would give her a new home at his posh estate?

But, as is always the case in stories like this, things aren't exactly what they seem.

You see, part of the reason the Suttons adopted Margot was so that she could be a companion to their existing daughter, Agatha, who has been rendered largely uncommunicative thanks to a mysterious illness. And soon, strange things begin happening in the house - things that play tricks on Margot's mind and make her wonder whether she's losing it, or actually in danger.

An exciting, fast-paced thriller, The Companion is difficult to put down and makes for a great transition into the darker and more frightening books of Fall. Here are three reasons this novel is worth your time.. (Full review at Culturess.com)

This was . . . creepy. However, it wasn't as creepy as I was hoping it'd be. It was more of a mystery/thriller with some aspects that, on the outside, appeared creepy but really weren't.

Here we have Margot, someone who went through the most traumatizing thing you could imagine and because of it she's become an orphan. Then she finds herself "adopted" into a rich family under the condition that she's a companion for the daughter who is catatonic.

This is where things get interesting. Margot starts experiencing things that she can't explain. She's already had experiences with nightmares that are too real, but they've become less frequent once at the Copeland Hall. Agatha, the girl she's supposed to be a companion for, is trying to respond and lead Margot to clues about the secrets of the house.

Once the big reveal starts to unravel, everything that's been happening isn't as creepy as it feels when you're reading it. It becomes creepy and disturbing in its own weird way, completely different from the original feel of the story. Then some things weren't really explained, or I just failed to comprehend some of it.

I had a suspicion about one little element early on but I didn't really start putting the pieces together until it was too late and everything was already unraveling. That's how well put together the story was.

If you're a fan of V.C. Andrews — her original works, not the ghostwriting! — or anything with a creepy factor that follows clues to a big reveal . . . then you'll love The Companion. There's enough twists and turns, so many secrets, and just enough to make you feel all kinds of emotions with all the characters: antagonist and protagonist alike!

All I have to say about this book is wow.
I ended up binge reading this one and I loved this twisty horror story with a Gothic undertone!
If you're looking for a spooky read that will give you chills and make you sleep with the lights on, then this is the book for you!

The Companion is such a creepy read. Not in a gruesome horror kind of way, but more of a slow-building psychological horror. I read this book in one sitting. I needed to know what was happening and couldn't put this one down! The only issue that I had was that there was too little explanation of certain character's motivations that I wish were expanded upon.

I finished this book two weeks ago and thinking about it still gives me chills.

The main character, Margot, lost her parents in a tragic car crash and has been living in a group home because she has no living relatives. She tried living with a friend's family at first, but soon realized a lot of her friendships were based on cruelty, which she could no longer engage in. Some time after arriving at the group home, Margot is offered a place in the opulent home of a former acquaintance of her dad's. She is told over and over again how lucky she is.

Enter the "catch". The family has brought her on to spend time with their teenage daughter, who is mysteriously ill and almost catatonic. At first things seem almost normal... and then.

Margot suffers nightmares and loses time occasionally as she struggles with the trauma of having lost her parents. This adds to a sense of confusion in the story, a sense of terror that begins to build. We see everything through Margot's point of view and at times it is unclear what is real and what is not, which is incredibly frightening. And of course, the more we learn more about this perfect family that has taken Margot in, the more we learn there is no such thing as perfect.

I didn't put together what was going on until somewhere near the end, and even then, the way things played out shocked me. The ending is a wild fast-paced roller coaster of events. And everything builds up to it. I read this book in a single night. I meant to read a couple pages before bed, then stayed up half the night to finish it. Once you pick this up, you will not want to put it down!

I’ve tried reading a couple of YA horror books before. They were…eh to say the least. So I went into this, turned off all my lights, turned on my phone, and read. And as I slowly felt tendrils of fear crawl up my spine, I realized: wow, this is actually a horror story of quality caliber. It’s not gory and gruesome, or even shockingly exciting in the way of action. No, it reminds me ever so slightly of Jane Eyre, with a huge mansion, but something always seems slightly…off. And that’s the kind of horror that gets me, the incredible combination of creepy atmosphere and suspicious characters. I loved this.

I was really looking forward to this book. It has everything I love- Gothic atmosphere, orphans, creepy children. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the writing. Margot seemed so much younger than seventeen, and for the first hundred pages, there was barely anything creepy going on. I was interested in what was going on with Agatha, so I plunged ahead, but sadly even that reveal wasn't worth the wait. I didn't like Margot's constant complaining, or her attitude about being Agatha's companion. She was kind of naive, and the entire book just felt off somehow, and perhaps that had to do with the writing style, as I mentioned above. All in all I felt like it was boring, lacking in suspense, and had a rushed ending, which I find is common in YA thrillers.

I've been on a thriller/horror kick recently, so when I received this book from Penguin Teen, I was jumping for joy! I really enjoyed this story and how it builds up on itself. We go from a somewhat calm beginning to terror filled mayhem and it was pretty epic!

For starters, poor Margot is suffering from nightmares after she is the sole survivor in a car crash that killed her entire family. After losing all her friends and no family to take her in, Margot ends up at a group home. Luckily, her father saved the life of Mr. Sutton, who wants to repay his debt by taking Margot in.

But Margot is not brought in selflessly - they want her to be a companion for Agatha, who has come down with a mysterious illness. Unable to talk, barely take care of herself, and generally absent from reality, Agatha isn't much of a bother. Weird things start happening in the house and Margot realizes that things aren't what they seem.

There were some moments in this book where I thought this was going to be a ghost story. If you're not into that, don't worry, it's not! But from the creepiness level of this book it was a strong possibility. Margot experiences some scary and weird things in the house and those experiences alone would have made me run screaming for the hills. I don't know why she didn't run on the first day!

This book was not only very well written, but the story, the cast of characters, and Margot's experiences made this book one of my favorite thrillers. I had suspicions on what exactly was happening, but the ending still blew my mind! I really liked the set up of Agatha and Margot's friendship. Even though Agatha is not coherent, they still manage to communicate and cultivate a trusting friendship. It was really cool to watch this progression, especially later on in the book as Margot starts to figure out that something isn't quite right.

One thing I didn't like about the story though was the ending. Specifically, the fact that it ends so shortly. We get some kind of resolution, but not enough details that I felt satisfied. The book leads up to the climatic moment and the resolution afterwards fell flat for me. I either wanted a better recap of what happened or another scene before the end that explains what is going on. The ending is just too short and quick in my opinion. It's why I can't give this book 5 stars.

While the ending may have not been to my liking, the rest of the book is so well thought out and planned, I'm still reeling over what happened. The last 25% of the book was so fast paced and intense I didn't want to look away to take a sip of water. With a different ending, this book probably be a 5 stars for me, but with what we have, this is a 4.5 // 5 stars. The Companion releases on August 25th, 2020, so be sure to preorder your copy today!

Well this one was a delight, a creepy, atmospheric read with tension galore. Alender's writing is superb, and I think teens are absolutely going to devour this one. Thanks for sending me the widget, Penguin Teen!

The first third of the book I thought I was reading a re-telling of The Secret Garden but little hints were being dropped along the way that this was something more than a young person being taken into a rich family’s home to help their child with an affliction. It’s sorta of a cross of what you get if you were to combine The Secret Garden with Misery and add/subtract a few things. Somewhat predictable in places, nice surprises in other places. Very high on the can’t put down factor.

Whoa so creepy & twisty! Loved this! Margot at the age of 16 has been through too much tragedy, so to hear that an opulent (Copeland/Sutton) family wants to take her in is a dream come true. Well things aren’t what it appears but where else can Margot go? There are secrets and history surrounding Copeland Hall and the generations of the Copeland family that Margot soon discovers! Thank you to Penguin Teen for an ebook ARC. This is my honest review.

The young protagonist of this story, Margaret (Margot), shares a happy life with her warm and loving family. This life comes to an end when her family is in a catastrophic automobile accident. Everyone dies- except for Margot. Since she has no living relatives, she is sent to a group home. Her life at the home is miserable and she wakes up screaming every night from terrible accident-related nightmares. Margot is freed from this situation by one of her father’s college friends. Margot’s father saved John’s life and John, in turn, wants to give Margot a home.

Of course, things that sound too good to be true usually are, and there is a very big catch in this situation. John and his wife, Laura, want Margot to be a companion to their daughter who is catatonic. Margot slowly builds a relationship with Laura and the daughter, Agatha. When the family’s son, Barrett, returns from school he and Margot are immediately attracted to each other. Life with the family is comfortable, but Margot senses that something is just not right. As time goes on, Margot realizes that her life may be in danger and that she needs to escape.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It took me back to the days when I would read gothic romance novels by Mary Stewart, Phyllis Whitney, and Daphne du Maurier. The Companion is rich in atmosphere, with a sense of dark events to come. I like that the Gothic genre has been updated with more contemporary characters. There is very little objectionable content and this novel will be enjoyed by many junior/ senior high school students.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 - 𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫; 𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝟖.𝟐𝟓.𝟐𝟎!
This e-book was gifted by @PenguinTeen (#PenguinTeenPartner) and in no way affects my review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
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5/5 Stars for this Standalone YA Thriller
Let me just start off by saying within three chapters of this book I was terrified in the best way. Katie Alender has such a chilling way of describing the atmosphere. I felt like I was a fly on the wall inside of this gothic esque mansion, watching the story unfold. When our heroine Margot finds herself an orphan, tasked to be the companion of a mostly catatonic young woman, things quickly take a turn.
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I could truly feel the emotions that Margot felt through Katie’s writing. When she begins to feel more comfortable, she says, “𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳,” and that just struck a nerve to me. I know that feeling all too well and I felt so connected to her. There were times where I could hardly walk myself to the bathroom in the dark halls of my own home because I was so scared!
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I had my suspicions along the way, some right, some wrong, but overall, I am so happy I read this book! My 16 year old self would have devoured this in the same way my adult self did! However next time I read something from this author, I might choose daytime instead of bedtime!

I received The Companion through a Book Con giveaway from Penguin Random House.

I would rate The Companion 4 out of 5 stars. The books starts out with the main character, Margot, finding herself alone and in a very sad situation for a 16 year old girl. It is not until the loving Laura and John take Margot into their privileged lives. Margot appears to be very lucky on the outside but not all is what it appears to be with Laura and John, as well as their two children.

I really enjoyed this book. While I figured out what was going on fairly early on, the book had enough mystery and intrigue to keep me wanting more. Katie Alender provided such description in the characters and the scenery of the house and gardens, I felt as though I was experiencing what the characters were feeling. During many points in the book, I felt myself having goosebumps as Margot was being warned to Go. The book was set up nicely to keep you wondering if this was a horror story or thriller.

As the main character Margot was very developed and allowed the reader to have a lot of incite into her emotions and how she processed traumatic events in her life. I wished some of the other characters were as developed and not so much afterthoughts. I, also, thought the ending was unexpected and a nice, tidy way to clean up the height of the story, however, it would have been nice to know more about why certain characters such as Laura, were the way they were and did what they did. I, also, found the young love, a little predictable and unnecessary but it did break up some of the more heart pounding moments. I would say there was also a little too much emphasis on Laura and Margot's relationship and how Margot just wanted to please Laura. After the first few chapters, it was apparent and didn''t need to be dragged out for a few more chapters.

All in all, I enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it.

"The Companion" follows a teenage girl named Margot who is the sole survivor of a car crash that kills her family. Margot goes through a brief stint in a group home before being taken in by a married couple who knew Margot father in college. Margot finds out that she is to be a companion for their daughter, who has suddenly come mute and ill.
Without giving away spoilers for this novel, I liked it! I think thrillers and creepy, spooky stories are vastly underserved in the YA genre. The Companions had a great creepy atmosphere and good characters that left you suspicious and wanting to keep reading. I will say that I figured out what was going on pretty early, but that may be due to my age and having read several thrillers in the past. That aside, I think it would be something that young adults would really like and gravitate towards and checks a lot of boxes for their intended audience. No gore or overt violence in this novel. Thank you do NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading this book and found it to be a quick read, one that I couldn't put down towards the end. Must admit, I was extremely wary in the beginning when the plot seemed to be headed towards haunted-house territory: there are a lot of red herrings in the beginning that indicates ghosts are in the house, and these elements made the story feel rehashed. I almost stopped reading, but glad that I didn't (and very glad that these hints of a ghost story were just read herrings).

The story was fairly good and the writing is solid, but there are some plot elements that I couldn't get past:
1. By all accounts, Margot's life was never in danger and her physical injuries weren't major (according to what she'd told Laura in more than one conversation). No one should have thought she'd die in the hospital; and even if they did think so, the lawyers who settled these accounts weren't retained by her father so had no legal authority to act on her behalf (they were just "well meaning friends" who worked with her father). CAN you legally give away someone's personal belongings as long as they are still alive, anyway? Plus, Laura had been living with a friend's family for a time, so presumably she'd been given clothes and shoes while she was with them. They wouldn't let her keep those things? I get that we needed for this girl to feel she had nothing, but there must have been a better way to convey that than to have her stripped down to owning just a pair of flip-flops and a couple of outlet t-shirts from a shelter.

2. It also didn't make sense that her father and John were so completely out of touch, yet he still had found out about the accident and even learned about Margot needing a home. John has no authority over his wife in any other way yet he was able to insist on adopting a stranger. Once he's "won" this argument and Margot is there, John feels no obligation to get to know her, or to even be present in the house as she's settling in. That's a plot element that should have been better explored.

I'm a stickler for detail and I have a much lower "suspension of disbelief" threshold than most people - maybe these details will be minor to most readers, but they did really distract me from enjoying the story more.

But like I said, I did enjoy the book overall and appreciate the chance to read it! Thank you for the advance copy.

A thriller, good for fans of Natasha Preston and April Henry. This story focuses on Margot, a teenager who has lost her family in a terrible accident at the beginning of the book. She is taken to a group home and then to a huge estate, to be the companion of a rich family's very ill teenage daughter.

This book reminded me of some VC Andrews tales (like My Sweet Audrina). Andrews typically wrote rags to riches stories where the grass turned out to not be so green on the rich side, after all. Much like this book. I found it to be predictable, but I think students will really like the suspense.

Margot was the only survivor after her parents and sisters were in a car crash and drowned. Sent to live in an orphanage, she was taken in by a rich family to be a companion for their daughter Agatha. At the estate daily nightmares of her family’s watery death subsided, as Agatha’s mother Laura was very kind. But things began to change when Margot found an old diary of Laura’s younger sister who had died years ago. By the time she began to put two and two together, time was up before she could get to four.

This was very creepy, so make sure not to read it at night or you’ll have the same nightmares as Margot. Alender was very clever as she lured readers along on her sinister plot, making us totally despair for Margot and Agatha. Well-done Ms. Alender. Very well done.

PS – not sure why the cover has a spoon with pins in it. I can think of lots of different types of covers to describe this book, but a spoon with pins would not be one of them.

Highly recommended for ages 14 and older.

I received a digital advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

You either love Lifetime movies or you really, really don't. I find them kind of addicting when I happen on one. This book reads like a Lifetime movie. You know that there is more to the Sutton family than meets the eye. You know that things aren't what they appear. And as you get further in the story, you know what's happening. Yet, that predictability doesn't take away from the story. It adds to the suspense in a way. This book would definitely be popular in my school library. It's a page turner. It's suspenseful. It's creepy. Gave it four stars instead of five because I definitely still had a couple nagging questions upon finishing.

The Companion is quite the ride. After losing her family in a car accident, Margot finds herself the ward of a rich, high class family. But something is not quite right...
With a fair amount of intrigue, this book kept me entertained, however I felt that the pacing was slightly off and the resolution was a tad to quick. Overall it was an interesting read and I would recommend for young readers in search of a light mystery.
Thank you Penguin and Netgalley.