Cover Image: Suburban Hell

Suburban Hell

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Member Reviews

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy to read.
I like this book alright. I thought the premise was a little silly but it's just cozy suburban mom story. This is a perfect pick if you are in the mood for a low stakes supernatural story set in the middle of suburban America. I love all the dynamics within the community and the drama between the mom. Im not a mom myself but it had me intrigued and laughing a bit. I found it hard to understand the supernatural aspect of the story. I would have wanted more supernatural instead of being inside the protagonist for so long. Overall a fun read for the summer season. I loved the small references to the 80S.

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I just finished reading Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer. It was a one sitting read for me, and I can't wait to read more from this author. How far will you go to help your friends?

Amy, Jess, Melissa, and Liz all live in the same neighborhood. As moms with young children, they need adult time, so they have monthly "movie" nights with abundant adult beverages. Liz has the idea of a She-Shed in her backyard, so that they can have uninterrupted time.

As soon as ground is broken, an awful stench covers the neighborhood. It soon becomes apparent that something is dreadfully wrong with Liz. Amy is the first to see this and try to help Liz, and
guilts Jess and Melissa into helping.

I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to lovers of chick lit. It would also make a great beach read.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a free digital copy of this book from Net Galley.

#SuburbanHell#MaureenKilmer#NetGalley

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I was not expecting to enjoy this book. “So why did you request an ARC?”, you may be wondering. The answer is simple, I am weak and back when Penguin RH International used to send out e-ARCs blasts, I used to download everything even remotely interesting or intriguing. Which is how I found myself submerged with ARCs that I am still trying to read and review after more than a year. But alas, us readers need to get our serotonin boosts.
Anyway, I was saying… I am not usually a big horror reader, and most of the horror I try, I end up disliking or downright hating. However, I think I found my subgenre of horror, campy and ridiculous horror. Exhibit one is how much I loved the movie Freaky (2020). Exhibit two is that I had such a fun time with Suburban Hell, it was actually refreshing.
This book was completely over the top and I actually laughed out loud a few times, which rarely happens while I read. I tend to cry more than I laugh at books, but this one was funny.
I think the suburban setting is the perfect one for this kind of story. We don’t have that kind of “culture” here in Italy, but I have consumed enough USA media to know the drill by now, and I think Maureen Kilmer nailed it with this book.
My only small issue with this book, which is why I didn’t give it a higher rating, is that the characters weren’t exactly my type of character. Or, better said, I wasn’t invested in them. The plot was fun, and the shenaningans they were up to were engaging, but I did not feel anything towards them, which — if you know me — is a problem when I read something.
However, all the rest was very well done, in my opinion. It was a perfect blend of comedy and creepy atmosphere, and I believe this would make for such a great movie or mini series. I can totally picture it being adapted, and I hope it will happen sometimes in the future.
The writing style was nice, it kept me interested through the whole thing and, as I said, it made me laugh, which is not an easy feat for any book, especially adult ones, to accomplish.
Suburban Hell isn’t going to be for everyone, I can see that, but I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves comedy horror or even to those of you who want to like horror but are little scaredy cats who cannot handle heavier themes. This one is for you.
So, if you are looking for a fun, funny and original horror story, you should definitely give this one a try. If you like camp and over the top fiction, this book is definitely one for you. If you liked Freaky or any movie that’s similar to it, you should also give this one a try, trust me, you won’t regret it. And if you do regret it, I take full responsability.
That is going to be all for today, but if you have any recommendations for me in this same campy style, I’d love to hear them, because I think I want to read more of it.

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As a suburban mom, I feel qualified to say that this is a fantastic summer read, with the story starting just as summer break kicks off for the families in this book. Don't be scared off by it being "horror", it's never too scary or gruesome (obviously everyone's mileage on that may vary). There's some snarky humor and nice friendship moments. My Midwestern self was laughing at the ways the author described some regionalisms (an excellent break down of Fleet Farm included). Maybe add this to your TBR and grab it when you're making that next snack run, summer break is here!

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This book had so much potential and it fell short for me. It really never felt like there were true stakes.

The friendship between Amy, Liz, Jess and Melissa was incredible. Definite friendship goals. I couldn't relate to the aspects of motherhood, but I loved that they found each other and stuck together. They seemed like true friends and that came through the page. The demonic possession felt like a weird after thought. It was an incredible idea for a book that just fell flat and never went anywhere. Honestly at the very end (with the "cliffhanger") it kind of felt like Amy had lost touch with reality instead of there being an actual problem with demons trying to get into the world. I'm pretty sure that could easily relate back to the whole book feeling like there weren't really any stakes. I would only recommend this book in very specific circumstances because I just didn't like it.

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Amy lives outside of Chicago in a cul-de-sac with three great friends Jess, Melissa and Liz. They have weekly get together and Liz decides to have a she-shed built in the backyard for their clubhouse. However, when the ground is broke it stirs up more than just dirt making the cup-de-sac a living hell.

I really enjoyed the plot line and the storytelling of the book. I wanted to know what was going to happen and if they were going to survive.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy.

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Really enjoyed this debut novel by Kilmer.
As funny horror books go I think it is a winner. Spooky in all the right places and actually made me laugh out loud. Four moms who just want to build a she shed for some girl time inadvertently end up with one of them possessed!

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I loved this book! I saw bits of myself and my girlfriends reflected in Liz, Melissa, Jess, and Amy, though we've never had to save our friend from demonic possession (that I know of). This was a well-written, fun, campy novel in the vein of Grady Hendrix - I can't wait to read more from this author!

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Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an ARC!
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Unfortunately I DNFed this, it just didn’t catch my attention and maybe I’ll get into it again when I’m in the perfect headspace to give this another try!

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to read this early. Review has been posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

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Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I had a alot of fun reading this book. It's horror comedy which helped me because I recently been going through a hard time. It's fast paced and funny. Definitely recommend. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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🏡 Suburban Hell
🍷 Maureen Kilmer
🔪 Horror/Women's Fiction/General Fiction
🧟‍♀️ August 30, 2022

The playful cover grabbed me because, let's face it, the suburbs can be creepy AF. Kilmer spins a fun horror story, thick with strong bestie vibes. (My phone keeps autocorrecting it to *beastie* & that's not far off.) I'm a little removed from the world of elementary school mothering but she nails it: PTA, volunteering, she-sheds, and the villages women forge to make it through these often isolating & exhausting years. If your looking for some fluffy horror with some Grady Hendrix vibes this spooky season, Surburban Hell has you covered.

A big thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read & review.
#netgalley #SuburbanHell #horror #ittakesavillage #suburbanhorror #spookyseason

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Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

This was fun. Loved the tag line. I grew up in a suburb like setting and some of the scenes were flashbacks to block parties and similar from when I was a kid. It didn't completely land with me, but I still had fun.

3.5/5

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This is basically Finlay Donovan for horror. It's cute, it's funny, and despite the stakes being high it remains light hearted. I think if I were a suburban mom I could have liked this one more, but it was just a little too suburban mom for me.

I'm definitely interested in picking up future titles by Kilmer.

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This is a fast paced book. I’m usually not seen to this genre but I truly enjoyed this read. My first book from this author and I can’t wait to read more. Great storyteller. I can see this being adapted into a movie. Blumhouse style

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Wow, this was one of the most wild rides I’ve ever taken but I enjoyed every second of it! If I had to describe this story it would be My Best Friend’s Exorcism meets Finlay Donovan.

My only complaint is that the end felt too rushed and I wish this could be a series, perfect for fall spooky season!

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Horror comedy is having a ~moment~

Although I can understand why this book was compared to Grady Hendrix, I don't think it was quite as good as Hendrix's books. I liked the kooky premise a lot but I felt the pacing was a bit slow and struggled to get into the story. The cover art is absolutely incredible. I think readers who want a lighter horror story will enjoy this, and it is a good break from domestic suspense while still being set in a suburban enclave.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest review!

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I really enjoyed it and give it 4 out 5 stars. I like the friendships and family dynamic, strong female friendship, motherhood and parenthood. Liked to see what friends will do to bring you back from the darkness and demon possession.

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This was a fun read that will get you in the mood for Halloween. The story centers around a group of neighbors that live in the suburbs of Chicago. The group consists of 4 women that have formed a strong friendship. When one of the group breaks ground on a “She Shed” something terrible happens leaving one of the group possessed and the rest of them frantically trying to figure out how to get their friend back.

I enjoyed all of the Illinois and Wisconsin references since I live in Wisconsin. The characters were great. I loved how the friends were so different from one another and stood out from the stereo-typical suburban housewives.
A good story about friendship and girl power!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 ⭐️

#NetGalley. #SuburbanHell #MaureenKilmer

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What’s a mom to do when her close friend becomes possessed by a demon? Read this one to find out!

What I liked:
-strong female friendships
- supportive parenting
- bread winning moms, stay at home moms, stepmoms, stay at home dad. I appreciated the different ways the families worked.
-supportive husbands, the MC’s husband doesn’t believe but still supports his wife in doing what she feels she needs to.

What I didn’t love:
-the idea that not fitting in with the other moms means that the other moms have frivolous interests
- I went in blind and thought it was going to have more humor. That was all on me for not having wrong expectations

This is a good book about the importance of female friendships with a supernatural twist. At the heart though are women that are trying to manage everything and lean on each other.

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