Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons for the e-ARC of Suburban Hell & PRH Audio for the audiobook!

We're only in the first month of the year & I think I already found one of favorites.

Suburban Hell is everything I want in a book: suburban drama, possession & a fun laugh-out-loud time. I loved everything about this one.

This was so much fun! The book cover is an absolute draw - who could resist this?! The characters are equally relatable and cringey. Any parent of small kiddos OR people who live in a fishbowl atmosphere can absolutely get a kick out of this.

This book answers the question of what happens when a group of friends in an upper class suburban neighborhood suddenly suspect that one of their friends is possessed? And it does it in a pretty funny way, too.

I can see why — as a horror novel — this one might not have been a hit with everyone. It’s got a bit too much ‘we can do it!’ for me, but I think it still came off rather nicely. And, whether people want to admit it or not, it’s true that women bear the brunt of child rearing and household chores. I enjoyed it that although this was pointed out, the author didn’t make every male character a jerk. It felt more realistic this way.

This was so much fun! First off, I swear Kilmer is one of my neighbors because she describes life as a Chicagoland mom so accurately it was like reading pages of my own journal. She also brilliantly balances humor with horror,
adding in dashes of compassion and awareness without it ever feeling out of place. Each character is distinct and I swear you’ll recognize yourself, your friends and family, or your frenemies in Kilmer’s cast, adding authenticity to the book. There were lots of laugh out loud moments and great one-liners and while it is classified as horror, I never felt scared (I watched a lot of “Charmed” growing up).

Such a fun change of pace for any reader but if you’re a mom (particularly one from Chicagoland), you definitely don’t want to miss this hidden gem!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons but all opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. Suburban Hell is what happens when you live in an HOA and you try to make improvements without clearing it with the powers that be...bad things happen. This is an unsubtle tongue in cheek satire of suburbia that plays up the moms get things done and dads are doofuses tropes seen in primetime media. Grady Hendrix fans, pick this up.

This was such a fun horror book! I loved the "lighthearted" vibes but also how it really did get kind of scary! I loved the tone and definitely will be picking up more books by the author!

My best friends excorcism but set it in suburbia and throw in some desperate housewives. A fun fun book! So freakin cool! I loved the plot and the characters!!

Rich people drama? Chicagoland setting? Horror?!?!?! Extremely up my alley. This was a wild, campy ride that kept me fully engrossed every step of the way. Really enjoyed this one and looking forward to reading more by Kilmer!

This book was a fun listen even though I had a little rant about something in this book while listening to the audiobook I won't go into it here it not that important to this review. Over all this feels like a summer supernatural block buster that just fall short of what you want. the ending is tie up fast kind of it has that goosebumps ending up it not really over kind of things but other wise it was a fun read and if you like cheesy horror this might be for you

4.5/5

Suburban Hell is Maureen Kilmer's horror debut, and what a fun debut it was! While this book does have horror elements as well as some supernatural creepiness, it is not overly scary or anything, so plenty of readers should be able to enjoy it. Kilmer created a blend of humor and women's fiction along with horror aspects, and for me, that made this unlike any other horror novel I have read so far. Amy is the only viewpoint in the book, and while I normally like multiple viewpoints, I loved having it just be her telling the story. I think we still get plenty of development for Liz, Jess, and Melissa despite not having their viewpoints and I also loved the friendship theme that permeated the book. Suburban hell indeed, I was also a fan of the setting and the Mom Mafia that Amy and her friends hate so much. While not a mom myself, I still found plenty of areas of the book and characters that were relatable to me.

I'm also going to say that another large part of why I loved Suburban Hell so much was due to the audiobook, and I could not get enough of Jaime Lamchick's narration. I was really surprised to see that Lamchick hasn't narrated that many audiobooks since she felt like a pro to me. Her voice was easy to listen to and I thought she voiced the book exactly the way it needed to be. I ended up buying a copy of Suburban Hell and I could undoubtedly see myself reading and/or listening to it again and again. It was very amusing and also managed to creep me out on more than one occasion without completely scaring the pants off of me. I also laughed and any book that makes me laugh definitely deserves a reread in my mind. There are also more serious themes discussed like isolation and depression, and I appreciated Kilmer bringing all these different aspects to the story. If you are looking for something that doesn't take itself too seriously and has great entertainment value, I would recommend Suburban Hell for sure!

A group of suburban housewives turns a shed into a She Shed where they meet for a ladies-only Wine Night. But the night they celebrate the She Sheds grand opening something is wrong. A demonic presence!

The cover and the premise were interesting to me--suburban housewives battling a demon while trying not to alert the homeowners association - honestly, it sounded like a Netflix series and maybe a nice break from heavier horror novels. While the storyline moves at a fast clip, the humor is flat, the characters are one note and the dialog felt dry.

This reminds me of Desperate Housewives + Santa Clarita Diet--light humor and fun, a little thin on plot and panache but overall, entertaining

I just wasn't grabbed by this one. I typically love this genre, but it lost me within a few chapters. The cover and concept are great, but it didn't have the teeth the cover promised. I would absolutely pick this one up again based on the cover alone, and I'm hopeful that once it's published in its final form it will be a fun October 2023 read!

This book was really fun! I was cracking up at some scenes! Makes you rethink girls night! The author did a great job!

This book is an interesting combination of chick-lit and horror. I give this book 3.5 stars but had to round it up to 4. I did find it a little hard to get into the story because the main character was not really someone I could relate to. Her main focus was being that suburban house wife who loved her life yet regretted leaving her career. The demon possession in the book made it more interesting I just wish it leaned a little more into the horror angle. Still, if you want light horror check this book out!

Can’t help but love the writing style, though the beginning kind of dragged on, and took me a while to get through.

Very cute, horror-lite comedy in the vein of Grady Hendrix's The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. Charming, full of heart and humor geared more toward readers that prefer their horror on the not so scary side.

Obsessed with this tale of suburban mom friendships gone demonic. A camp classic of a book. Thanks to Putnam for the ARC.

A story of friendship and evil.

Four neighbors, Melissa, Jess, Liz, and Amy have become friends for the last few years. They meet monthly to hang out, watch a movie and have some drinks. Liz is excited about starting the construction of her She-Shed. A place where all of them can enjoy some alone time, away from their kids and husbands.

Unfortunately, it seems that more than dirt is unearthed when the building commences. Suddenly, Liz's personality changes. Looming darkness begins to surround their neighborhood. Accidents happened. The friends all can feel the danger they are in but how can they help Liz?

Suburban Hell was a good tale for this month of October. It was fun and entertaining. I liked that their friendship was the driving force to help Liz. Those were good friends!!

Cliffhanger: No

3.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by G.P. Putnam's Sons via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5
This book was creepy, I had to check my corners in the dark before I went to sleep.
I liked the practical magic outcast group vibe. Friendship kept the women safer and stronger.
I do feel like it could have been a bit shorter and the last confrontation during the exorcism could have been harder to win.
Overall a fun drama in suburbia story.

this book was unexpectedly like pretty dark, but really intriguing! I went in a lil blind to this book because the synopsis of just a demonic spirit enters the neighborhood group chat pretty much like yes I'm in. there were a few graphic scenes that I was not expecting and I was definitely on edge after reading this book at night. I think that this would be perfect for anyone who enjoys like suburban mom drama but also a spooky vibe. that sounds fairly niche, but I think there is wide reaching appeal for this book! 3.5 stars rounded up!