This new novel by the amazing Jennifer McMahon is what we like to call a "slow burn mystery." It alternates between 1978 and 2019 and centers on Violet Hildreth as both a child and an adult. In 1978, she lives with her grandmother who is loving and smart, a well known psychiatrist working with the mentally ill at her esteemed treatment center in Vermont. In 2019, she is a re-invented, monster-hunting podcaster and her longest standing monster hunt has been alluding her for years and playing with her emotions.

In 2019, she travels back to Vermont in pursuit of the monster she so badly wants to find and might possibly be...her sister. Inspired by the original "Frankenstein," this novel is atmospheric and well-written. But scary, it is not. It's a slow-burn which is my least favorite kind of burn. I usually love Jennifer McMahon's creepy ghost stories, but this one didn't quite have the pizzazz I look for in her novels. I kept putting it down and then...not picking it back up. However, I was puzzled and did want to know what would happen.
This may be an unpopular opinion but I stand by my rating of 3 stars. Thank you to Gallery and Netgalley for the ARC and I hope you will enjoy this story available in April 2022.

You have no idea what you are getting yourself into when you open this book. But if you are a fan of Jennifer McMahon's books, you know this and you are more than ready for the ride.

This slow-burn "what is going to happen" tale ("what is happening now" also) put me a bit "ill at ease", so to speak. McMahon sets the story with the present where the reader meets Liz Shelley. Shelley is a podcast famous monster hunter, but reveals that she is really trying to find her sister. Then the story switches to an alternate story/timeline in the 1970s, we meet Gran and her two grandchildren (Violet & Eric). Gran runs a psychiatric hospital and is known for bringing home patients from time to time. One day Gran brings home Iris and the children are told to treat young Iris like their sister. Iris doesn't speak at first and Gran wants regular updates on her progress from older Violet.

I really enjoy how the story teases the reader with alternating chapters of the timelines. Each chapter dangles more and more carrots of information until you suddenly can't help but piece the story together, McMahon is a smart writer and doesn't spoon-feed her readers, I adore this about her books.

While this has been told to be a modern retelling of Frankenstein, I see it as so much more. McMahon is too original to simply take an age-old classic and modernize it a bit. She takes her own story and sprinkles just enough classic old-timey scary elements that you don't want the story to end. This is the mark of a great writer and a must-read book.

This is definitely my favorite of McMahon’s books. Scary and dark, twisty and foreboding, shrouded in real history (I know a little about the history of eugenics and the little I know is horrific) and with a completely surprising twist ending that I loved passionately (we need more positivity like this in our books!) I will thoroughly recommend this to fans of darker mysteries and thrillers.

4 Stars!

It's been a while since I've read Jennifer McMahon....and I'm wondering what's took me so long to come back!!!

I started reading this one before bed last night and was mad that I was falling asleep and couldn't finish it! Gran is a renowned surgeon, turned psychiatrist, the Director of The Hillside Inn. Vi and her brother, Eric are homeschooled by their brilliant Gran. One day she brings home one of the patients, from the Inn, named Iris. This story is brilliantly told through dual timelines, 1978 of Vi and Eric's childhood and 2019, present day with Vi hunting monsters, still. Sprinkled in are excerpts from a book written about the Hillside Inn.

No spoilers here, but I was truly creeped out and was making sure my leg wasn't hanging outside of the covers last night!!!

A special thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Jennifer McMahon for providing me with an ARC.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)

My thoughts: I LOVE everything this author writes. She could write instructions on shampoo bottles and I’d have to buy all kinds of shampoo just to read more of her words.

This is my third book by Ms McMahon. And every one feels like the best kind of suspense movie… you think you know what’s going on pretty early, and it turns out you *kind of* do, but with a twist. And then there’s another HUGE twist right at the end, that’ll just blow your mind.

Nothing is as it seems, in this book especially. NOTHING. And it’s not what it seems until the very end.

Once this book comes out in April, definitely go pick up a copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Are monsters real? Regardless of what you think, this book will have you second-guessing yourself!

Set in present day (2019) and also 1978, this is a story of Dr. Helen Hildreth, a brilliant psychiatrist who runs the Hillside Inn. Dr. Hildreth also cares for her two grandchildren, Eric and Vi. One day, Dr. Hildreth brings a strange young girl named Iris into her house and instructs her grandchildren to treat them like their sister, which they do eagerly!

Vi and Eric are obsessed with monsters, as most children are, but they take it to the next level with their monster club and late night hunts for mysterious and unexplained things. But Vi starts to think maybe they are living with a real life monster, Iris. As Iris begins to talk and share what she remembers, Vi starts to ask more questions and searching for answers to some of the unexplained things happening around Hillside Inn

Fast-forward to present day, Lizzy Shelley, who is a real life monster hunter and finds herself back in Vermont, searching for Rattling Jane, the local monster who was known for taking young women. But what Lizzy finds while she is there, will be much more than she had ever thought was possible.

This book was AWESOME! I absolutely loved the dark atmosphere of Hillside Inn, along with the switch from the 70's to present day. Very atmospheric! So many surprising twists and turns throughout the book, especially towards the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really like this author's books. Some are better - and more plausible - than others, but she always does a good job of creating a great creepy or spooky atmosphere. The Children on the Hill is one of her more tightly written stories, and does a great job as usual of providing a great setting.

As always, the story moves back and forth between the past and the present. Lizzie, a popular podcast host of stories about monsters, is following up on the case of a missing girl who is rumored to have been taken by a local monster legend. The case stirs up memories of her own childhood, and she flashes back to her odd upbringing. Insert private mental institution and the woman who runs it, while simultaneously raising her grandchildren while living next door.

Secrets and mysteries around past events combine and lead to some fun twists. Very fun and creepy read with some great philosophizing about what makes a monster,.

This book gave me some serious chills! Something strange was going on at the Inn and I definitely got hooked wanting to find out.

Without giving anything away, finding out the pasts of each of the children (Violet, Iris and Eric) definitely threw me for a loop. In the future, Lizzy the monster hunter definitely wasn't who I assumed her to be for most of the book either. My assumptions were very off which was probably what was intended.

I can see how this book was compared to Frankenstein, but it really is it's own piece of great writing as proven by all of the twists near the end.

I don't typically read a lot of books in this type of genre, but this one was really well done. It was eerie and had me on the edge of my seat.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

In 1978, Violet and Eric live with their Gran. She is their caregiver and home schools them. They are lucky because Gran’s job is right across the street and they can see her any time. While she is Gran to Violet and Eric, to the people at work she is Dr. Helen Hildreth, an expert in mental health treatment. The treatment facility doesn’t take children, only adults. Gran brings home a young girl, Iris, to live with them. Iris acts as though she hasn’t been around other people and acclimating her to society will be challenging. Where did Iris come from? Is her stay at Gran’s permanent? Violet and Eric have a club for monster hunting. Should they explain monsters to Iris?

Years later, in 2019, a podcaster named Lizzy Shelley investigates reported sightings of monsters. Her current investigation involves the disappearance of a girl supposedly abducted by a monster.. What truly has happened to this girl? The podcaster is afraid that this case may involve her sister. Is her sister the monster? She fears the outcome of her investigation.

What an intriguing book! As the story begins, the introduction of the feral child Iris appears to signal that she will become another “monster” that Violet and Eric must deal with. Don’t jump to conclusions. Jennifer McMahon has much to reveal to readers, each page clarifies the story. Justice will come when the monster is slain.

Is "Damn, Jennifer's done it yet again!!" a succinct yet accurate review? Phew!! Shades of Shirley Jackson stir in all the shadows on this one.

I loved this book! I think this is my favorite book written by Jennifer McMahon. I read it in one day! The story was well written with just the right amount of creepiness and had many twists and turns that I did not expect, which kept me guessing until the end. I will be recommending this book to everyone! #NetGalley

The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon is a suspenseful and haunting thriller. Vi and Eric live with their grandma at a treatment center. They have a monster club where they are constantly searching for monsters. Then Iris moves in and joins the two monster hunters. What is going on in this treatment center?

A gripping gothic horror in the spirit of Mary Shelley’s masterpiece. “The Children On The Hill” was my first Jennifer McMahon book and certainly won’t be my last.

Before she was Lizzy Shelly, she had another name and lived across from a renowned treatment center located in Vermont called the Hillside Inn. Her Gran was the acclaimed psychiatrist in charge of the center. She had a brother, sister and spent her days biking, playing games and adding to “The Book of Monsters” that she and her monster-obsessed siblings created. Then there was the fire. Now, Lizzy travels across the country hunting down monsters and documenting her adventures on her popular podcast “Monsters Among Us.” When a young girl is abducted in Vermont, rumors swirl it was a monster that took her. Forced to go back to her home state, Lizzy must finally confront the one monster she’s sure is behind this and many other abductions she’s been tracking over the years. Her own sister.

This was a brilliant, suspenseful story inspired by Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” I loved the dual narrators and dual timelines, as well as excerpts included from sources relating to the events. While I would consider it a slow build, I read it quickly as the back and forth timelines kept me guessing and intrigued. I was so engrossed in the story it wasn’t until more than halfway through that I realized the major curveballs McMahon could throw—and throw them she did—multiple times right up until the very end. While shelved as horror, for anyone who isn’t a fan of gore, this one is a mild horror playing more into the mystery/thriller and certainly gothic aspects of the horror genre. Shocking, haunting and tragic, McMahon did Shelley proud on this one. 4.5 stars,

Always the fan of Jennifer McMahon, this book did not disappoint! Her writing is always on point and I really enjoyed how the timelines flowed seamlessly through the novel, you will enjoy both! The characters of the children was something that I enjoyed the most, and figuring out Iris's story kept this a page turner for me. A new favorite of mine by Jennifer McMahon!

Thank you to NetGalley and Scout Press for the ARC!

Yet another winner from McMahon, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. This book was so good that I read it in one sitting and didn't even notice how far I had gotten until I was more than halfway through it because I was so engrossed.

The story alternates timelines between 13 year old Vi in the 1970s, who lives with her psychiatrist grandmother and brother, and Lizzy, a monster hunter and podcaster in current time. McMahon brilliantly weaves together these 2 stories in a way that I found myself equally invested in both story lines and anxiously awaiting their convergence.

The story is fast-paced and has a way of making the seemingly unbelievable completely plausible. I found both Vi's and Lizzy's stories to be equally appealing and found that I could empathize with all of the characters in the book. The writing is conversational and also atmospheric, and I could easily visualize the creepy setting. The end of the book is both surprising and satisfying.

I don't want to say much more because I don't want to give anything away, but definitely recommend that those who like mysteries and psychological thrillers read this book- I think you will be glad you did. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Jennifer McMahon book. I have been interested in her books for a while and getting this ARC from Netgalley seeemed like the perfect chance to start.

I was intrigued with the story from the very beginning and questioning the truth and motives behind the different characters. The ending itself was unexpected and well done.

Cannot wait to pick up another of her books!

Yep another McMahon Wow read!
I am absolutely a big Jennifer McMahon fan ~ I read six and all were awesome ~ well actually one didn’t work for me! Okay of the ones I liked they were absolutely awesome!
My favorite was "The Drowning Kind"!
This story is different ~ true "The Night Sisters" was described as horror but to me it was more ‘horror for beginners. This one can truly be described as ‘Horror”! It was inspired by Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”

Question~ Is the real monster the created creature or the created who created it?

This story is told in POV of two timelines 1978 by Vi a child and in 2019 Vi now as Lizzy who has a podcast entitled the “Monsters Among Us”. There is a third POV referred to us the “Book of Monsters.

Main characters are Doctor Helen Heldreth and her two grandchildren Violet and Eric.
Dr. Heldeth is a brilliant psychiatrist acclaimed for her work in a renowned treatment center for the mentally ill.
She is known by her grandchildren as ‘Gran’. One day she brings home a young girl named Iris who is a about the same age as Violet. Iris lacks social skills but is bright and certainly doesn’t seem mentally ill. Vi and Eric are delighted to have a new playmate so don’t give much thought that gran is a kind person and surely just wants to be helpful. The grandchildren love monsters; they view movies, read monster books and play monster games.
We soon discover that the background of all three children has been kept from them and they have no idea of the truth.

In the POV of the “Book of Monsters” there are words of wisdom that are expressed that are going to make for great book clubs discussions.
For example ~ Monsters are real they are all around us whether we can see then or not.

We all have a bit of monster in us, a voice that tells us it is okay to take that.
Who doesn’t feel super good when they can release somethings stuck in them by throwing or breaking something? Hmmm

Story kept me turning pages. Jennifer McMahon doesn’t disappoint.
This is another WOW read!

I always enjoy reading the Author’s Acknowledgements. In this case Ms. McMahon thanks Mary Shelley because as Vi would say ~ she is the one who started this!
Want to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 26, 2022

As someone who has read all of Jennifer McMahon’s books, The Children on The Hill is by far my favorite. McMahon always does an excellent job of weaving together multiple perspectives throughout various historical periods. Honestly, I’m always impressed by how her non-linear stories blend into such satisfying endings. This well-paced novel is a mix of early X-Files, Stranger Things, Frankenstein, and Now and Then. McMahon has been called the “literary descendant of Shirley Jackson” (Chris Bohjalian, author of The Flight Attendant) and I would have to agree. Another great one from McMahon!

I love Jennifer McMahon and this is probably my favorite book I've ever read of hers. It has everything a psychological thriller fan would want - creepy mental hospital, experiments, monsters, 1970's! It was fantastic and left me guessing from start to finish. If you are already a fan of Jennifer's writing - run to buy this book. If you've never read her books, now is the time to start!

Love this author! Jennifer McMahon has a skill with writing creepy and atmospheric books, the exact kind of books I love!

“The first thing you need to know is that monsters are real”

This story alternates between two timelines; 1978 Vi and Eric live with their grandmother, Dr. Helen Hildreth, who runs a psychiatric treatment facility and present day Lizzie Shelley who is a monster hunter who normally investigates local legend "monsters" but is now trying to find her long lost sister, she knows monsters are real, her sister is one.

This story was inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and was the perfect creepy read for this time of year!

I am a big fan of this author and her writing style and cannot wait to see what she comes up with next! I would recommend for those that love creepy, atmospheric books. Please keep them coming Jennifer McMahon!

A big thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!