Beneath the Stairs was creepier than my usual choice for a thriller read - enough so that I made sure to only read it during daylight! Luckily I survived without any crazy dreams/nightmares, unlike most characters in the book.
The plot centers around a hidden, abandoned house in the shape of an octagon. Clare and Abby visit the house as kids and have an experience that causes Abby's family to move out of town. Clare leaves the town for college and rarely returns. The effects of their visit continue to haunt them through adulthood. Over 20 years after first visiting, Abby has returned to the house and ended up in a medically induced coma. Clare comes back to their hometown to try to figure out what happened to Abby.
I enjoyed that while the scenes at the house were creepy, this book wasn't scary enough for me to need to put in the freezer (one of my favorite Friends jokes). The pacing felt inconsistent - sometimes I would have trouble staying intrigued but other times I was racing through the pages. This could have been due in part to me reading it while on vacation!
Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for access to the book in exchange for my honest opinion. If you enjoy spooky reads and creepy houses, this one is right up your alley!

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I enjoyed this overall and thought it had some good creepy moments. I wasn’t sure what to expect aside from a potentially haunted house, so I liked seeing where this went and felt like it had some surprises! The pacing was pretty good overall with lots of fast paced, tension filled moments, but there were also some slower moments (in a good way) that helped to establish background information. I really liked the setting of this bizarre house with an incredibly creepy basement. This element was particularly well done!. I also enjoyed the structure of the book with going back and forth between present, recent past, and more distant past as it weaved storylines together in a very interesting way. We do have some sad moments here certainly, especially since it deals with people who have been wronged or not believed in some way.

The main character Clare was pretty sympathetic overall, and I enjoyed following her. She’s had some tragedy in her past with her mother dying of cancer, and she made some dumb choices as a teen that affect her relationships with friends. I felt bad for her, especially since she’s carrying a lot of guilt (which in some ways is fair but also, she was just an impulsive teen so I kinda think it’s just an unfortunate accident). She’s motivated to help Abby who has gone back to this house after events from years ago, and she uncovers the history of the house. Clare is nice, caring, and empathetic overall. I appreciated how she tries to help her friend’s daughter who’s drawn to this house as well. Abby seems a little unstable, but I liked getting to see her journey a bit. We don’t get to see her a ton (she’s mostly in the recent past timeline). Some of the other side characters are creepy or just very wary/unhelpful to others. Overall, I liked the interactions between everyone, as well as the romance that develops. I felt the connection between the characters and didn’t feel like this romance overpowered the main story.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with this and would recommend it! I’d be interested in reading more from this author.

Content warnings for miscarriage and murder.

Oh my goodness guys, if you want a great book to bring some creepiness to your life you will definitely find it in Beneath the Stairs by Jennifer Fawcett. The Octagon House has got to be one of the creepiest settings I've had in a book this year and the mystery surrounding it really added to the suspense of the story. Multiple timelines always make my heart happy, and I thought Fawcett's decision to move between not only different viewpoints, but different timelines as well was an excellent one. There is a heavy supernatural element to the book that I personally loved and sometimes I feel like there is unexplored potential when it comes to this, but I thought what was included was perfect for the story told in these pages. This is a debut, and I was really impressed with the way Fawcett was able to expertly weave together all that was going on in a way that made sense and created such a wonderful atmosphere.

This is definitely a slow burn, and for that my friends I offer you the audiobook! Ok, I’m not giving it to you, but it is coming highly recommended by me so there’s that. Despite having more than one viewpoint, one of which is a man, there is only one narrator for the audio, and I have to give props to Carolina Hoyos for what a nice job she did. I had no issues with her doing everything and I would gladly listen to the audio over and over again. I hope she has a lot more audiobooks in her future, and I think it would be hard to find anything not to like with her performance here. I don’t know that I had any issues with the length of this book despite what others have said, and I thought there were some pretty realistic things that Fawcett covers as well which was nice. I really need more books from her ASAP, and I hope I don’t have to wait too long for her sophomore novel.

Oooo yes! I have been waiting for a read like this. All the creepy suspenseful haunted house, keep me scared and up all night reading vibes. I really enjoyed this, and I will be looking over my shoulder for a few weeks. So good!

The synopsis of this book had me so pumped, but the book itself just didn't hold my attention. I started to get into it at around chapter five, but by chapter 15 I found myself skimming a lot. Also, I think I expected this to be more of a ghosty-horror story, but it just didn't land for me.

Not a traditional thriller, which made it all the more interesting; it incorporates family drama and processing trauma and grief, all while quietly twisting in a (possibly) haunted house. A good mix of creepy ghost story, childhood friendships forged and forgiveness.

I really really really wanted to love this book. It sounded so creepy and the first few chapters really sucked me in, but I am sad to say I didn't really like it. It felt very long and I thought this was a horror novel? There wasn't very much horror involved in my opinion. Nothing was surprising or really all that interesting. It felt bland. I'm sad to say it wasn't for me

3.75 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Deep in the woods in the Octagon House, a man killed his wife and two young daughters. One summer night, an emboldened fourteen-year-old Clare and her best friend, Abby, ventured into the Octagon House. Clare came out, but a piece of Abby never did. Twenty years later, an adult Clare receives word that Abby has attempted suicide at the Octagon House and now lies in a coma. With little to lose and still grieving after a personal tragedy, Clare returns to her roots to uncover the darkness responsible for Abby’s accident.

I was genuinely kinda freaked out by this book. Especially with the prologue, I feel like there was definitely a chilly atmosphere that had me intrigued by the entire book. I think my biggest problem was the addition of one of the POVs which I didn't feel added anything at all to the story, and I was a little confused by the ending. Besides that I thought this was a solid horror novel!

Fount this to be creepy and boring. I overall enjoyed it to give it three stars but I felt like it could have been more.

It really dragged. Could have easily been 100 pages shorter. Had it's spooky moments, but wish it had more cohesion.

3.5 stars rounded up. Beneath the Stairs is an excellent supernatural thriller that kept me so engrossed, I read it in only a few sittings.

Deep in the forests of the Adirondacks sits the Octagon House, an abandoned home with a dark history. When Clare's childhood best friend Abby tries to commit suicide in the house's basement, Clare is summoned back to the town of Sumner's Mills to confront the ghosts of her past, both literal and figurative.

Yes, the plot of this novel sounds somewhat generic and similar to that of a lot of other thrillers being published today. But what sets Beneath the Stairs apart from the others is its vivid atmosphere, rich and authentic characterizations, and masterful plotting. Jennifer Fawcett seamlessly weaves three separate timelines in prose that is both poignant and laced with tension. This is a suspenseful, thought-provoking, and chilling debut with a lot of heart, and Fawcett's writing gives me Jennifer McMahon and Simone St. James vibes.

The narrative could have been tightened up a bit, and there are a few aspects of the plot that are left unresolved, but overall I was impressed with Beneath the Stairs and will definitely pick up whatever Fawcett writes next.

Beneath the stairs was part mystery, part paranormal thriller. I found the MC to be a bit too damaged and derranged to really get behind. The premise was great but not something I'd buy on my own

This book was so good and atmospheric! It brought the creep factor I was looking for and added twists that I did not see coming! I will be watching for more from this author. The writing style was relatable and brought me in and then scared the crap out of me! I have stairs in my house and I will never be the same again!

Creepy and suspenseful with atmospheric writing. This will keep you up at night until you finish.
Many thanks to Atria Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Beneath the Stairs is a twisty thriller ghost story that is more than worth the read. Local haunted house known as "Octagon House" is where a man killed his wife and two daughters years ago. Clare and Abby spent the night when they were fourteen as many kids dared to try and do. Now, it's been twenty years and Clare receives word that Abby tried to kill herself in the Octagon House and is in a coma. The writing is excellent with strong characterization. Highly recommended to anyone looking for a haunting thriller. Be sure to check out Beneath the Stairs today!

If you are looking for a creepy read that centers around a mysterious and possibly deadly haunted house, this is for you! This is an atmospheric debut that was entertaining and very intriguing. Why is the house an obsession? What secrets are waiting to be revealed about the strange Octagon House? The past comes back with a vengence proving that you can run, but you can't hide! Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for my copy.

So I really don't even know how to rate this one. I needed to know what happened but it's like the thriller that never ends!!!! Lol I feel this book could have been like 100+ pages shorter. Also I feel like a lot was left unanswered. Who doesn't tell the police they just stumbled upon a graveyard of bodies? Who could live with knowing that and never saying anything?

This was an enjoyable read. I don’t know how I truly felt about Clare, but I really enjoyed the mystery and spook factor of the story. I felt like I did have some trouble fully understanding what happened in the past and did not like the switching of perspectives for this piece. However, Beneath the Stairs had an overall great atmosphere and kept my turning the pages.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishing house for an advanced copy.

Enjoyment: 3.5
Total rating: 3.71

I enjoyed Fawcett's writing, even though I feel that the plot itself was a little scrambled. Considering Beneath the Stairs is her debut novel, I am optimistic she will only get better at planning the story and tying up loose ends.

Beneath the Stairs slowly builds up to its third act tension and pace. The house itself evokes a mysterious, eerie and claustrophobic atmosphere. Some of the timelines are more interesting than others, but they all collectively serve the same purpose.

I am interested in reading her next book.


Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of Beneath the Stairs.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the debut novel by Jennifer Fawcett - 4.5 stars rounded up!

When Clare and Abby were teenagers, they went into an abandoned and rumored haunted house buried deep in the woods known as the Octagon House. Neither came out the same. The house was the scene of a multiple murder years ago, where a man was convicted of killing his entire family. Clare finally left her upstate NY hometown but came back twenty years later after receiving word that Abby had gone back into the house and was now in a coma. But Clare can't deny she feels the same pull to go back into the house.

What a gripping debut! There are multiple points of view as well as different timelines but the author seamlessly made all the transitions. This was part horror, part mystery, part thriller all wrapped up in a book that I couldn't put down. I really liked all the characters (well, most of them!) and could feel their emotions, plus the creepy woods vibe added to the story! Extra points for a setting and author from Upstate NY where I live! Can't wait to read more from this author.