A haunted house! A creepy basement! A generational curse?

This was a chilling read and I was thoroughly creeped out!! It really felt like I was there and I really did not want to be!!

The Octagon House that sits outside the small town is HAUNTED and has interrupted generations of those who have stepped into it - always leaving questions and no answers.
Clare and Abby have gone in before as curious kids but a part of Abby never made it out. Twenty years later, Clare comes back to visit when she hears that Abby tried to go back into the house and ended up in a coma.

This spine-tingling slow burn with multiple POVs and jumping timelines cover grief, fears, and friendships. As Clare tries to piece together what might have happened, the gaps leave just enough space to insert our own fears, making it that much more haunting... are our real fears sometimes based on things that aren’t real at all?

I feel the entire story, not just the climax, was the true spooky dazzle of this book. I’m excited (& maybe slightly scared) for more from Jennifer Fawcett!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for my advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review!

I love a good ghost story and was super excited to receive this one. The synopsis did seem a bit similar to Home After Dark by Riley Sager but once I started reading, it was a lot different. This story had a lot of potential but it was just full of a lot of filler. Some characters got a lot of time but their stories could have been told in other ways. There were so many time jumps it did get a bit confusing and a lot of the time it just ended up being the same story over and over again.
There were no big twists which kept it difficult to keep going. Once it ended, I was left with so many questions. There didn't seem to be a deeper meaning.

Thank you to Netgalley, Atria Books, & Edelweiss for my copy in exchange for an honest review. Expect publication date 2/22/2022

Perfect for fans of "The Haunting of Hill House" and Riley Sager's "Home Before Dark," Jennifer Fawcett's "Beneath the Stairs" is a haunting, gripping debut about the sleepy town of Sumner's Mills and the so-called Octagon House that lies dormant in its deep woods.

Told primarily through the viewpoint of Clare, whose unexpected return to Sumner's Mills has her confronting not only the horror of the present, but the past as well, this is the story of how darkness settles into the bones of a place--and never quite leaves. Through various viewpoints that go back more than one generation, the story of the Octagon House and its inhabitants slowly unfolds as Clare comes to terms with the fact that the ghost stories of her childhood in Sumner's Mills may likely be so much more than that.

It's not often I find myself genuinely scared while reading, but this book scared me more than once. Fawcett's writing creeps near slow burn territory at times, but the story was so immersive and suspenseful that it kept me fully invested from beginning to end. If you're looking for an action-packed, explosive thriller, this might not be the book for you. If you're like me and love a well-written ghost story, this is the perfect read for you. "Beneath the Stairs" is layered and mysterious (some readers may find there to be too much mystery left even at the end) but its plausibility is what makes it truly haunting.

*Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

Just scary enough to not want to read before bed, but too good to not read before bed. I loved the mystery that was at the heart of this story. I love a good haunted house / ghost story and this did not disappoint! I really enjoyed all the characters and loved the ending and the closure all the characters got. Very good read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Atria Books for an E-ARC.

Jennifer Fawcett's debut, Beneath the Stairs is a well written novel. The book alternates between 3 separate timelines to tell the story of the Octagon House which has been tormenting the town of Sumner's Mills for 85 years. We meet George and his little sister Marion back in 1936, the Fischer Family in 1965 and Clare and Abby in the present.

Fawcett transitions between each of these timelines brilliantly and it's very easy for the reader to follow along without confusion. The publisher has labeled this book as general fiction but I consider it closer to a suspense novel with some ghostly elements.

The plot was well developed and engaging. It's based on a house affecting 3 different families and their experiences in the house.

The timelines that I most enjoyed were the flashbacks to 1936 and 1965 involving the Sumners (George and little Marion) and the Fischers. The sections in the book involving Clare and Abby in the present and back in 1998 tended to be drawn out and lowered my rating from a 5 star down to 3.75/4. Various plot moments in the book with Abby and Clare could've been edited out which added nothing to the plot. Those sections will be sent to the publisher directly on NetGalley.

Suspense and ghost lovers will find this book to be a 3-4 star on the spook factor. Scenes which involved characters exploring the house were creepy. I was impressed given that this is the author's first novel. The ending was a bit too fast for me. I would've preferred a little more time down in that deep, dark basement. Readers should not go into this book expecting a major twist like a thriller. Instead this is a well developed ghostly, suspense novel and the effects it has on major characters.

Clare and Abby went through a lot together, but what they saw in the Octagon House 20 years ago nearly broke them. And now, as Clare weathers her own personal tragedies, she finds that Abby may finally have succumbed. People were murdered in that house, but is it still taking lives? If Clare wants to sort out her own issues and save her friend, she'll need to go back to the beginning. This is a well-written thriller about one family's poisoned legacy and the lengths to which we will go in order to save our friends. And to save ourselves. And how those acts are not mutually exclusive. Tinged with nostalgia and weird architecture (the haunted house is octagonal...with an exceedingly out-of-place large steel basement door, with a mind of its own), Beneath the Stairs is vastly entertaining.

This book is perfect for those looking for a creepy, somewhat supernatural vibe. It had me scared, while reading in bed in the dark. The twist was a little lack luster for me. But I enjoyed the book and liked the atmosphere it portrayed.

There's something lurking in he basement of The Octagon House.. As teens Clare and her friends decided to explore the creepy house. But when Abby gets stuck in the basement for just a few seconds, it changes her life forever.
This was a really good book. Creepy as heck. After this you'll never go in a dark basement alone again! Thank you so much!

This was a really scary, really entertaining book. The Octagon House is hidden deep in the woods in a small town in upstate New York. The house was the scene of a terrible crime--in the 60s a man was convicted of killing his family. Many years later, Clare and Abby are 14 years old and best friends, and decide to brave the haunted Octagon House. It changes both of them forever, especially Abby. Twenty years later, Clare is drawn back to Summer's Mill because Abby has attempted suicide at the Octagon House. It's up to Clare to figure out why, and to save Abby, herself and the town from the menacing evil of the Octagon House.

I really enjoyed this book--there was a nice mix of gothic mystery, historical mystery and sleuthing, a redemptive arc for the protagonist and supernatural chiller. I would recommend this!

Thank you to Atria Books for my advanced copy of Beneath the Stairs in exchange for my honest review. This book was CREEPY in the best way. I love multiple povs and dual timelines and this book hit the mark.

Eerie and unsettling, this is a great story. Jennifer Fawcett captures teenage friendships—and the insecurities, bravado, and intimacy that go along with them—so well. And the Octagon house is truly terrifying. The large metal door that leads down to the basement is the stuff of nightmares, and the truth uncovered about the house’s history is even more disturbing. I loved it!

So far it looks like my opinion is in the minority, but this debut novel wasn’t for me. I tried to like it, even just parts of it, but overall I found it to be a very generic haunted house story.

There’s a house. It’s octagonal in shape. A group of girls went into it in the ‘90s, and one of them came out “changed”. This goes from present day, to the ‘90s, then the ’60s, then when you think there couldn’t possibly be more of the exact same story, to the ‘30s. In present day, the girl who came out of the house different than she went in has seemingly attempted suicide and is in a coma, so her old friend comes back to town to … hmm. I don’t really know what, I guess be there for someone she hasn’t seen in 20 years? I suppose if she hadn’t returned, there wouldn’t be a book. 🤷🏼‍♀️

There aren’t really spoilers, because nothing big happens. There isn’t a big twist. There was no deeper meaning (that I could see). The characters were boring and slightly interchangeable. It’s just about a haunted house with a creepy basement that has a creepy doll in it … unfortunately about as dull and cliché as it sounds. I feel awful to do it to a debut novel, but I’m going with two stars on this one. Towards the end, I was so ready for it to be over. Hopefully others will enjoy it more than I did.

(Thank you to Atria Books, Jennifer Fawcett, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

I enjoyed this one! I love books with more than one timeline, and this had a few! The coming of age theme was well done and detailed enough that I found myself reflecting on my own processing of feelings and experiences at Clare and Abby's she in the 90s timeline. Chapter 17 was one of the best written chaotic scenes I have read where I was so stressed it felt like experiencing a thriller movie in the theatre. I did want a little more from the ending but overall really enjoyed it!

Beneath the Stairs is Jennifer Fawcett's debut novel. I really enjoy the writing style - it was easy to follow, concise and gripping. The story idea was interesting, and had so much potential. That being said, this novel was not my favorite. I did not enjoy the mental health representation and did not think it was done in a very respectful way. The characters treated suicide in such a blase or contemptuous manner, and they were so quick to label people as addicts. I felt that there were many parts of the story that were not clarified or tied up at the end, while others did come full circle. The atmosphere and descriptions were effectively creepy, and I really enjoyed the setting of the book. I do feel like perhaps too many issues (mental health, addiction, suicide, murder, miscarriage, etc.) going on on once that weighed the story down a bit. Overall, I enjoy the writing style, atmosphere and setting descriptions, but this particular story wasn't for me. I will not be sharing this review publicly, as I do not believe in sharing negative reviews.

If the Octagon House keeps calling to you, will you answer?

Best friends Clare and Abby find themselves haunted by the spooky geometric house where a man once murdered his family. After bravely visiting it together as teens, Abby has never been able to escape its persistent beckoning and, finally, as an adult, she returns, only to be found days later in the house’s basement after an overdose.

Clare returns to her hometown to support Abby’s family and discover the truth of the Octagon House once and for all.

This story started off well and I expected I’d come out on the other end with a higher rating. I really enjoyed the melancholic reflectiveness of Clare’s narrative and, although I did initially find the sudden switch to a third person narrative a bit jarring, I was able to ease into it. Those early scenes pertaining to the Octagon House were quite unsettling.

Jennifer Fawcett undoubtedly managed this complex story well. The aspects that frustrated or disappointed me were largely a reflection of my reading preferences. I didn’t care for the romantic aspect for reasons I won’t spoil here, I didn’t feel the reveal was especially exciting, and I disliked the tidiness of the ending. Although all of that was a matter of taste, I cannot deny that I was especially frustrated with the late entry of a Borderline Personality Disorder diagnosis. I felt the understanding of this disorder was superficial, both in how it manifests and how it is diagnosed. Plus, it wasn’t truly a necessary addition to the story.

Jennifer Fawcett shows great promise in this debut novel. It is rare that I find anything pertaining to a haunted house genuinely haunting so she has my highest praise with the creepiness she successfully illustrated. There are many early readers who’ve found the book, as a whole, worked better for them, and Sarah Langan, who wrote the amazing 2021 release Good Neighbors, has given Beneath the Stairs her seal of approval. Please don’t let my own dissatisfaction dissuade you, as this tale of friendship and terror might be your next five star read!


I am immensely grateful to Atria Books for my digital review copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Beneath the Stairs will be published on February 22, 2022.

An amazing read. My husband and I both loved this read. I have already recommended to all my friends!

My thanks to Atria books, Jennifer Fawcett and Netgalley.
I've been reading this book since December, 22. I'm finally giving up at 55% on January 4.
This story started out strong, but then it kept changing timelines. This isn't usually a problem for me, but this time? It would go back and forth between exciting, then boredom. I'm finished!
The writing was great, I just wish it had been more linear.
I would read another from this author.

Yooooo this was creepy! I would absolutely never go into a haunted house for ANYTHING but this story is all about it. I loved this story more than anything and think this is Fawcett's genre!

An entertaining suspense mystery with paranormal undertones. A deserted house with a haunting history attracts the curious teenagers of Sumner Mills and some who enter are hypnotically drawn to return. Fawcett creates a creepy story blended with childhood friendships, relationships, and small town secrets.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Jennifer Fawcett for the advanced copy of Beneath The Stairs. #NetGalley #BeneathTheStairs

A realy excellent blend of suspense and ghost story. The main characters of Clare (and later Mitchell) were well-drawn, the writing flowed, and the story line kept me intrigued. I could have used a bit less of the retelling several times of the basement story but the author did a great job of pulling it all together in the ending chapters and I would definitely read whatever Jennifer Fawcett writes next. She's got a real talent for creating believable characters who have hidden depths to them and aren't just cardboard cut-outs. By the end, I felt as though Lori, Abby, Taylor, and particularly Clare were recognizable, flawed humans who I was glad I'd spent time with. .