I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for my review. I found the story well written; there are sex scenes that do nothing to drive the story and a rather abrupt ending.

I was really excited to receive this ARC of a YA horror book by the author of "Bird Box" and "Malorie". The premise sounded incredibly creepy (I mean, a house at the bottom of a lake!) and while the book delivered all the spooks and chills, I'd have to say it falls more into the speculative category than horror, and I was a little underwhelmed. While a good, quick read, I wanted more - more depth from the YA characters, more horror in the plot, and more like I was a part of the story - the narrative didn't draw me in and make me feel as vested as I would have liked. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Beautifully written story of two teenagers experiencing first love and something much darker. When the teens are on a boating trip and discover a house at the bottom of the lake they are on, things take a darker turn. I enjoyed the book, just wish it was longer. Highly recommend.

Thank you in advance to NetGalley and Del Ray Random House for the eARC of A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malerman in exchange for my honest review.

A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malerman is one of those reads that can ignite a good discussion. I love the creepy underwater setting and found the story to be extremely unique. I think this would also liven up any college English Lit class as well. So much to analyze and discuss! However, those with Thalassophobia (fear of deep, dark bodies of water) may not appreciate its aquatic theme (consider yourself warned). Overall, a great and thoughtful story.

Just finished A House at the Bottom of a Lake by
@JoshMalerman. A quirky story about new love set against a place that shouldn’t be. Unique in the telling as much as the tale. It pulls you deeper with each page. Is it the house or the couple? #AHouseattheBottomofaLake #NetGalley.

This was absolutely unsettling in the best way. The plot was a very slow burn, and I was hooked the entire time thanks to the entrancing imagery.
Two young people building an insulated relationship on (and in) a lake over the course of a summer, and Malerman’s writing style made me feeel every long second of it. A unique exploration of the fragility and intensity of young love.
Pick up if you revel in ambiguity and want a psychological suspense that creeps along a winding (underwater) path.


4.5 stars.
I was given a ARC via Del Rey & Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

James works in his dad's hardware store. He really likes this girl Amelia that comes into the store. He gets the courage to ask her out for a date. The date was a picnic on a lake. The teenagers see another lake and go to it. Then they see another lake and take a tunnel to get to it. When they get to the third lake they find a house at the bottom of the lake. The couple love going out to the lake and swimming to the house.
This book was so good I couldn't quit reading it. There is just the right amount of suspense to keep you reading on and on.

I went into this novella completely blind, only knowing the author and that I’ve heard a few people I follow have given it good reviews. And I really liked this one! I enjoyed that it was thought provoking and metaphorical with an engaging world that was easy to get into. I also enjoyed the openness of the ending, it’s one of those endings where you can spend a while thinking about it and theorizing what it means. I am however a bit confused by how this book was marketed as horror. I would classify this more as magical realism or mystery with some romance rather than horror. 4 stars

Overall I like the book but I would have liked to have found out more about the house prior to it being at the bottom of the third lake. There were definitely some ominous moments where things did not make any sense to me. I felt like the relationship between Amelia and James seemed very rushed. I don't know if it was due to the fact that the book was so short and they needed their characters to connect quickly but needless to say, I didn't feel the love. I liked the book but maybe I would have liked it a bit more if it was longer and they provided more of a back story of the characters and the house.

Rating: 8.0/10

Thanks to the publisher and author for an advance reading copy of A House at the Bottom of a Lake for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions.

A House at the Bottom of a Lake is the most eerily beautiful novella I’ve ever read. Malerman’s prose had me as addicted to the house as his characters, and I was disappointed when I was promptly asked to leave.

I’m all for a story by Malerman, but bring in a house at the bottom of a lake? SOLD. What could be more intriguing than looking just below the water’s surface and seeing a shingled roof? I don’t even know if a ship at the bottom of the ocean comes close; and while I came into the novella going off simply the title, author, and cover, I was definitely surprised to find a love story within its pages. Can he pull it off?

The answer is yes.

But, while I feel that this tale by Malerman will garner reactions similar to that of I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid (polar opposite reactions from readers that range from love to extreme dislike – hate is too strong a word for a book), I believe the majority of readers will have mixed feelings; especially those who have come to love the author for his originality and how the ideas swirling around in his mind become ink on a page. Do not expect this story to be wrapped with a nice little bow by the end; rather, covered in silt. Much like Bird box (though now, we have the sequel, Malorie), it is left quite open-ended and left up to your own interpretation. Sometimes, that isn’t necessarily a bad thin.

Those that arrive at this novella expecting an outright horror story will be extremely disappointed. This is a coming of age love story with magical realism and mystery, but some eeriness is definitely peppered in. In all honesty, it is just Malerman’s prose in motion and beautifully told story. If you can finish the story with “no hows or whys” thrown around like the characters within, I think you’ll find immense satisfaction.

A House at the Bottom of a Lake is an interesting read. Two teenagers meet and go on a first date at a lake where they discover a house underneath the water. They become obsessed with this house and have to visit it every day and explore it, the house seems alive and oddly preserved. They don't question anything about it, it is just their secret place where they fall in love and become one with the house. It seems their own characters don't really exist with each other or alone without the connection to the house. There were some creepy elements where I thought we would get a glimpse of something more sinister but then it went away and I felt confusion. I don't know how this could be classified as a horror story, maybe more of a psychological journey where the obsession of young love often falls flat after the summer is over and the adventures are gone. The ending was extremely unsatisfactory and I'm curious as to what the author says about what he was trying to share with readers, the purpose of this story. As others have said the two main characters were quite wooden and only seemed to come alive around the house, I would give the story 3 stars for interesting concept and some colorful descriptions, but a 2 for the characters and even the actual plot of the story. Thankfully it was a quick read but this should not be classified as a horror story.
Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for the copy of this book for my honest review.

This story started out a bit slow, but has a good premise. I wasn't feeling the characters, who were just 17 years old. Might appeal to a younger audience.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novella. Hmmm, where to start???

Loved the beginning, got my attention and held my interest. As soon as Amelia and James see the house, things started to get creepy and (I was also home alone on a dark rainy night) I had to stop a few times because the natural creaking in my own house scared me silly.

And then the ending just seemed like such a letdown. I thought about it a lot and sometimes I like it, sometimes I really don't.

So... The plot was great but could have done with more development or more explanation. It was whimsical (I mean a house at the bottom of a lake, right?) but I was definitely left with “what the heck?” It started to pick up steam which really made me finally read faster and find myself not wanting to stop reading because it really was an interesting concept. It was just a bit bland and “so what?” feeling. That ending.... what in the world?

What really caused me to struggle was the characters and dialogue. The characters had no development or personality, they honestly could’ve been the same person. The dialogue was wooden and unreal. I didn’t feel any connection to either character so if one of them died I wouldn’t have felt sad at all.

A pretty good read. Very well written. A rather interesting story of two teenagers who become obsessed with a house at the bottom of a lake and the psychological toll it takes on them. Can’t say I’m thrilled with the way things end up but I understand the reasoning behind it.

Bird Box is one of my favorite books, so I was super excited to receive an arc for this. Sadly, it fell flat for me. It just didn't have the same appeal.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I read it all in one sitting and didn’t want to put it down, yet I did have a couple of strong problems.

Mostly, these kids didn’t act like 17 year olds. Secret scuba classes, spending the night out on a lake without even bringing up what parents would say, impossibly long strings of first awkward first date stories. It would be much more believable if the were 21, or I’d the fact they were 17 wasn’t mentioned so much.

I can’t tell how I feel about the ending. I don’t think I like it. It’s certainly going to be a hit or miss type of thing for most people.

This is a book I‘ll continue to think about.

A totally disappointing book. The only reason I finished it is because it is mercifully short. Two teenagers who barely know each other and are totally inexperienced at diving become obsessed with exploring a two-story house submerged in a hidden lake. They find loads of things that can’t be explained, and guess what? They never are explained. Two very cardboard characters with no personalities to grab the reader. An implausible situation met with a ridiculous response. No closure. An unsatisfactory ending, like the author got as sick of the characters as I did. Stilted writing. Creepy stuff for the sake of creepy, but not thrilling or mysterious, just creepy. Not worth the time I spent to finish it.

I'm very torn on A House at the Bottom of a Lake.

The Good: great idea. Intriguing. Chilling level of suspense without the deep seat of horror. Immediate storytelling with no excess "purple prose" to get in the way. Easy and very quick read - took me about an hour.

The Bad: You can tell it was written by a man. Abrupt. The characters are very two dimensional, giving you no real investment in the story. There's no background to either of them and no personality, giving you no weight as to why they are so drawn to the house. I have never read a more clinical description of sex. Also, as someone who has learned to scuba dive... there is just too much suspension of disbelief required to read this.

Great concept, amazing images to burn into your imagination, good quick read.... just wish the characters weren't cardboard cutouts.

I have been wanting to read this title for quite some time, as I've seen it during my rabbit hole searches for my next read. I have to say, A House at the Bottom of a Lake (HBL) did not disappoint and was everything I wished it could be. I have not read Bird Box by Malerman, so this is my first novel.

James and Amelia quickly fall in love not only with each other, but with a house. A house that just so happens to be completely submerged in a hidden lake. Secrecy, fascination, and obsession take hold of them as they begin their dives into the house below.

This title is not long and I read it in one sitting, quickly devouring chapters. Which, I truly loved because of the perspective change and how they mirrored one another. Exploring the house was very exciting this way because sometimes I would be disappointed to know we'd be heading back to the surface before our next dive in.

I could picture everything. Nothing was too descriptive and it felt like just enough, Enough to let my mind wander, but to also keep me grounded. All of the environments felt eerie, but magical. Scary, but safe. Empty, yet so full.

I would not suggest entering this book with a specific want. I would not go in trying to label its genre. I went with it and at times I truly felt like I was on the raft waiting for the next dive. Experience the story and take time to digest It. HBL is truly wonderful and I defintely plan on giving it another read in the future.