Similar vibes to the Netflix show, the Santa Clarita Diet. Some suburban women get a taste of the supernatural in this cutesy, soft horror, when one of them gets possessed by a demon during the construction of their She Shed. A lot of stereotypes and a very easy climax, this wasn't 100% my style (I like my horror to actual be horrific, see Grady Hendrix and Stephen King for examples) but it was a fun, easy read for anyone easing into the genre or just wanting something a bit more lighthearted.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this digital ARC to read and review. #SuburbanHell #NetGalley

If you were a fan of "The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires" then definitely give this one a try!

The story surrounds a group of busy mom friends who meet monthly to get away from their children and husbands to have fun movie aka wine nights. To really get away from the distractions they decide to build a "she shed" as their own little clubhouse. In that clubhouse is where it all changes...

Shortly after they realized they've released some sort of demon who has taken over Liz, one of the girls in the group. She gets smelly and rude and literally just chaotic.

Maureen Kilmer has a way of writing that kept me totally engaged. I don't normally gravitate towards books about demons and possessions and such, but this one was so wonderfully written and hilarious, that I'm glad I stuck it out and finished.

I really loved all of the characters. I felt like I was apart of their group and while this book isn't supposed to be scary per se, I did get the chills a few times!

I highly recommend reading this book if you want some funny horror. I would love to see these ladies battling more demons in the future!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for sharing this digital ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Like the description says, it feels like My Best Friend's Exorcism met Bad Moms and had a child called Suburban Hell. This is a great horror debut by Maureen Kilmer.

In this book we meet four suburban housewives, Amy, Liz, Jess and Melissa, who fall just outside the realm of the typical soccer mom. They were real and relatable. These women could have been my group of friends. The group engages in a monthly "movie night" which is more or less a wine party. Liz, the frequent host of these movie nights has decided to build a She-Shed for the women to hang out in. The night of the ground breaking for the She-Shed, Liz proposes a toast and all hell breaks loose. Liz is invaded by a demon and it's left to her three friends to save her. All while planning carnivals, being a part of block parties and running kids around.

I loved these characters. I loved that they continued to deal with normal mom issues while fighting a demon. Did I want a little more? Yes. I would have loved a little more of the Bad Moms side. It was funny. This book wasn't scary for me, although some readers will find it scary. There were a few parts that creeped me out, but the interlaced humor kept me from getting scared. The exorcism was a little lackluster, but it didn't ruin the story. I loved the ending. It set up well for a sequel, but a sequel isn't necessary. I really hope there is one, however. All in all, a great read. 4.5 stars. I knocked off a half star because I wanted a little more for the exorcism. But I would highly recommend this and already have.

Suburban Hell is one of those books that truly surprises you in the best way! Take a bunch of suburban moms and add a demon into the mix and you get this creepy and unputdownable read! I highly recommend it!

This book was so much fun! It's like Desperate Housewives meets The Exorcist. It has a fast pace and is filled with creepy and funny moments throughout. If you liked My Best Friends Exorcism by Grady Hendrix, definitely check this out!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC!

Suburban Hell is accurately marketed as Bad Moms meets My Best Friend's Exorcism, although I think I'd actually throw The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires in there too. The concept of a group of suburban moms fighting a demon in their quiet neighborhood is exactly my niche of horror-comedy and I very much enjoyed the execution!

There were parts of this that I LOVED. Some of the interactions with the other moms, the general premise of moms having to run around caring for kids while also learning how to do an exorcism, the actually scary scenes -- all super fun. I also loved that we jumped pretty much right into the conflict! No slow beginnings here.

My biggest issue with the book was that the final conflict seemed really anticlimactic. It was resolved really quickly, considering how much havoc the demon was wreaking, and kind of felt like the author wasn't really sure exactly how to execute the climax. The very last scene was brilliant, though.

I also feel that the theme -- "suburban moms save the world" -- could have been better reinforced with more conflict directly around that concept. There were some offhand remarks about moms being expected to do all the labor, and Liz's husband Tim sucked, but overall, if the author was seeking to empower suburban moms, some more contrast to that idea would have helped drive it home. (This is a double edged sword, though, because I did appreciate that Amy's husband, for instance, wasn't a total dickhead and that she didn't resent her kids, which stories about suburban women can sometimes turn into.)

Overall, though, the concept and the bond of friendship between the ladies was very enjoyable and enough to keep me reading through some of what I thought were the weaker points of the book.

This was such a fun read I really enjoyed it the friendships felt real, It was very creepy enjoyable and I felt like I was in the suburbs while I was reading this will definitely check out other things from this Author.

A morbidly amusing poke at suburban life!

Just as a group of suburban mom friends make plans to build a fun “She Shed,” one member undergoes a startling personality change that coincides with breaking ground for the new hangout spot. Have they unleashed something evil? Is she really possessed? And are all of the strange, scary happenings (like a robotic vacuum attack and a disturbing Barbie scene) connected to her frightening character alterations?

As you may have gathered, this story doesn’t take itself too seriously, although it does touch upon some serious things. I really liked the focus on friendship and the importance of connection, as well as Amy’s backstory pertaining to her sister, who’d been possessed by a different kind of demon. Amy’s past properly explained her devotion to this current danger, even more so than her dedication to her friendship with Liz.

There are some humorously creepy scenes in this, as well as some more unsettling ones. Please be warned that there is an upsetting moment depicting animal deaths early on in the book, but it isn’t frivolous and the author develops the emotional reaction to it well.

The Goodreads blurb describes this as Bad Moms meets My Best Friend’s Exorcism. It honestly didn’t give me Bad Moms vibes at all, but it did feel like a blend of the latter title and The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, only with nicer husbands. It’s still its own story, though.

Suburban Hell was a nice treat after several emotional reads and some books I really didn’t like, as well as a nice distraction from real life worries. If you enjoy campy horror, you’re definitely going to want to add this one to your list!

I am immensely grateful to G.P. Putnam’s Sons for my digital review copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Suburban Hell will be out in September 2022!

This book was so good!!! Wouldn't be surprised if it's one of the best this year. Not familiar with this author but great story! Took me a while to start it but then I was hooked, the plot kept me guessing and I loved the characters. Super twisty! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

Thank you NetGalley and Maureen Kilmer for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was such a fun read, I usually find horror comedy to feel glib and forced but the dark humour really shone through without feeling fake.

The dialogue and writing was dry and witty, even with the exaggerated storyline the relationships felt real. With the rise of female ennui stories, I was apprehensive about reading about yet another privileged wealthy suburban woman. It was a pleasant surprise, the horror and comedy meshed together very well - although in my opinion PTA meetings will still be more horrifying to me than a demon running rampant!

I look forward to reading more stories by this author.

I loved this book! Judging by the cover I was afraid it would be somewhat chick-lit-ish, but it was actually rather creepy. I really appreciate it when in author write "possession fiction" and doesn't go over the top with spinning heads, levitating children and such. Ms. Kilmer got it just right. There's a subtle way that the black cloud begins to settle over the small group of friends, with a rotting smell, horrible nightmares and general concern for their friend Liz. whose backyard is emitting the smell of death and sewage. Liz does begin to change overnight, but it was her idea for a She-Shed that started it all, so I guess that's to be expected. Eventually the pals realized what is going on and have to choose to fight or flight and you have to read the book to find out what they chose and how that worked out.
#SuburabanHell #Netgalley

What a fun debut! I have heard this compared to my best friends exorcist and I think the comparison definitely applies. This felt like a mashup between the tv show Desperate Housewives and My best friends exorcism. This book was a whole lot of fun, with likeable characters, told through the point of view of Amy, a woman struggling with the loss of her sister to addiction. As her typically giving and loving friend Liz begins acting weirdly after breaking ground on a she-shed in her yard, things get hairy quickly. This is a fun story full of heart and truths about motherhood, grief, friendship, suburban life, and the power of love and forgiveness. I hope the author writes a sequel! Trigger warning for animal death (off page). Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Randomhouse for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was a fun way to pass a Sunday afternoon, but not something that I'll be thinking about ever again after I finished.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review an arc in exchange for my honest opinion- all thoughts are my own in this review!


First and foremost- I think this book hit the mark for me. Very reminiscent of a Grady Hendrix novel- which is a compliment coming from me. The dark humor really shone without feeling …. Fake? Throughout the impossible plot- it still felt real. The friendships, relationships, relatability of the characters in their suburban lives- was fairly realistic throughout the humor and exaggerations. I loved it, I can’t wait to recommend this one.

Hmmm ...Winchester, IL the setting of this suburban hell.. the near West suburb of Chicago IL.. hmm, could that be a riff on Westchester, IL..?? My guess is that Maureen Kilmer lives near there -somewhere close by OaK Brook, IL I would bet on it.. This is a totally goofy -semi-scary book. Amy is a mom of two kids who is friends with three other women in their subdivision. When the group decides they need a she-shed to get together over wine and drinks-the horror begins. I am from Wisconsin originally and live in the far West suburbs of Chicago since I married and this book is so spot on to the Chicago suburb vibe!! Yes, we really did call Illinoisans FIBs.(heeheehee-cue me and my Highschool friends giggles).. Anyway, I liked the beginning and the middle-it was cute and there were some funny bits but the ending did feel a little of a let down..Once the friends performed an "exorcism" on their possessed friend Liz, I kind of felt like -okay is this it?? However, if you take this as a fun read and don't expect an ending like "The Exorcist", I am certain you will enjoy it.

This book was so much fun. It is a horror comedy which takes the hell-like experience of being a mom in the wealthy suburbs literally. As someone who lives in Chicago, the niche references to life here were a treat and were so accurate to life here (such as travelling across the WI border to secure some Spotted Cow). It was also a great touch on the importance of adult females friendships and a great haunting that is creepy but light and fun at the same time. Highly recommend!

/4.5 out of 5

cross-posted on Goodreads!
thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

this book was an absolute blast!!
4 best friends (your typical suburbanite moms) come face to face with evil forces.
dun dun dunnnnnn

it was at times funny, at times emotionally charged, all throughout incredibly entertaining. the characters were relatable in that "lets get wine drunk and make fun of our neighbors" sort of way, and the pacing is great, with just enough action and dramatic tension to keep you reading.

the spooky parts were pretty well done, though a bit tame. i thought the ending was a predictive cliché, but all in all, i'd definitely recommend this, it's a really fun read.

i'll be on the lookout for more titles by Kilmer, if they're similar to this.

Who knew a She Shed could cause so much trouble. This book was so good I read it in one day. It's a neighborhood moms version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with the right mix of friendship, comedy, and horror.

“Bad Moms meets My Best Friend’s Exorcism”? Yes please!!

Four moms get together once a month for a movie (a.k.a wine) night to escape their kids, husbands, and general suburban life madness. One night, after discussing the building of their Instagram-worthy She Shed, they decide to go out into Liz’s backyard to christen the land. The next day as the construction workers break ground, a horrible smell is suddenly spreading out from the yard, and all hell breaks loose- literally! Liz seems to be possessed by a demon and something is wreaking havoc on their neighborhood, and Amy, Jess, and Melissa have to fight to try to save everyone.

I absolutely loved this book! I’m a big horror fan, and since becoming a mom last year I’ve developed a new love for books about being a mom. Suburban Hell is the perfect combination of a story about friendship between mothers, and spooky scary demonic possession, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a bit of horror with some lightheartedness built in.

This book did so many things well! The writing style was wonderful and held my attention. I loved the characters, and they felt like real people that I would want to be friends with. The weirdness and creepiness was *chef’s kiss*, the humor was funny but not obnoxious, and the ending was PERFECT.

My only real “complaint”, if you can count it as such, is that the climax felt like not enough pay off for all the buildup. It wasn’t bad, I didn’t dislike it at all, I just wished there had been more to it- it felt very quick and abrupt.

All in all I’m super glad to have read this book, I think it’s become a new favorite!

Wow! Hello Moms! Come one come all! Welcome to the suburbs of Chicago!
*Let me start with-This is totally not my typical genre whatsoever! But I will admit, I was drawn to the cover of this one! Hot pink with a group of moms with black nails! The inside cover talked about a group of moms who loved wine and one may be possessed! Yup! Sounds good! I requested a copy and was granted into the world of suburbia hell!
Amy-Liz-Melissa &Jess are bestie suburban wives who love mocking all PTA moms, gathering for cocktail nights/watching a movie, and having fun without getting disturbed by husbands and kids.
Liz decides to excavate her backyard and build a She-shed- (opposite of man cave) for the gals so during one particular summer wine night they go out back to christen the land!
The next morning the girls sense Liz is off and Amy believes after some really strange occurrences that Liz is demonically possessed!
Here in lies Suburban Hell and the steps they are taking to research and bring their foursome back together sans demons!
This book was funny, light, and bright. It also possessed the chic horror aspects that it promised. I enjoyed the tight friendships that were shown throughout the book. It was a much needed break from my normal thriller/suspense novels. While this book won’t debut until September 2022, I would definitely add to your list as I think this will be an absolute hit with back to school moms! The only thing I wished it had more of was a brief backstory of each of the moms. We knew about Amy loosing a sibling but we didn’t know much about Liz, Jess or Melissa.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.