This debut horror novel by Maureen Kilmer was a winner for me! Amy and her three friends live in an upscale neighborhood and have routine ladies night to get away from the stresses of everyday life. Liz decides they need a she-shed and the women go to her back yard to toast but that moment brings strong winds and a strange feeling they all experience and the next day a horrible stench overtakes her backyard. Liz begins looking and behaving differently but only Amy seems to notice. None of the ladies believes what is happening but as the weeks go on and they witness unnatural occurrences especially at Liz's house, they finally realize they must save their friend to save themselves.

This book was still an unexpected surprise for me As it was a debut novel. The satirical horror and quirky characters made the book a real treat. The story was entertaining, enjoyable with some spookiness and humor.

Where can I start with this book. First off, don’t’ miss it. This is a story about a group of 4 friends that do everything together. When one decides to “upgrade” her home, she runs into a ‘little’ problem of the evil spirit variety. She is a new author that is worth making a big deal about. Her writing reminds me of Grady Hendrix. The story is written well and creepy and a great read, rather than horror just for shock value. It has an evil spirit, possession, humor and friendship. If you are looking for just another horror book that is shocking and slashy, this is not your book. But if you love a book with an actual story, a place to root for the good guy, and well written character development, then you’ve found it here. However, do not get me wrong, this rates high on the creepy spooky factor, see the evil spirt and possession above. It’s good, it’s great. Do not miss it.

Spooky/Creepy Factor – 4

Story – 5

Total Rating 4.5

Would I recommend it? Heck Ya. This I a fun ride all the way through.

Thank you to the author and Penguin Group Putnam for giving me a free copy to read and then review this honestly.

I found this to be a fun mash-up of women’s fiction and “horror lite”.

Amy and her neighborhood friends, Liz, Melissa, and Jess, meet monthly for a Girls Night Out, when Liz decides to build a She Shed in her backyard for their get-togethers. When ground is broken for the construction, a demon is unleashed, possessing Liz. Strange things begin to happen and Amy is determined to save her friend, and the neighborhood.

This is a fun romp with plenty of laugh-out-loud snarky humor, poking fun at suburban mommy life. If you are looking for a serious horror novel, this is not that book. I definitely enjoyed the humor more than the demon backstory.

The author developed her characters well, making them funny and relatable. There are serious issues addressed as Amy struggles with the loss of her sister to addiction. I appreciated that her husband was a good man who was supportive and loving to Amy, which is rare in the male-bashing fiction world these days. I also loved the focus on women’s friendship and their support of one another. The author tended to get a bit too whiny/philosophical toward the end and the demon’s backstory and reason for unleashing fury on the neighborhood was a bit of an eye-roll, but easily forgiven.

I’m not a fan of horror or demons, but this was campy and wicked good fun.

When the ladies of the hood get together, things often happen. They are normal things, drinking, partying, sharing mommy woes, but when the decision was made to have a private spot, a Sheshed was decided upon to be constructed in one of the friends, Liz’s backyard.

As soon as the ground is broken, there is unleashed a malevolent spirit who decides to live inside Liz. Horror of horrors, Liz changes and the group of ladies including Amy, Jess, and Melissa are frightened by Liz’s change.

It’s a problem as Liz’s demon threatens life and limb of her “friends” and making plans for their demise along with their families

What are the ladies to do against a demon from hell? Should they run away, move from a neighborhood and friends they love or should they stand and fight?


This was a fun book filled with quips and celebrating the joys of friendship, family, and solidarity.

I enjoyed the ladies repartee as well as the husbands (all except one) who seemed to offer understanding of what was getting to the ladies.

Will Liz be saved or will all the friends fall prey to Liz’s evil spirit?

Coupled with a tinge of horror, but lots of lol moments, Jan and I enjoyed or foray into Whispering Pines and its residents. Sleepy village it was not!

Thank you to Maureen Kilmer, G. P. Putnam's Sons, and NetGalley for this super "Fun" and Scary book.

Well, this was a ridiculously fun book and perfect for #spookyseason ! A Suburban Chicago cul-de-sac where four neighbors became friends, and also, you know a demon comes to town, as they do!
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This book nailed suburban life, including how #target is a watering hole, PTA events have binders that get passed down and oh, that block party.
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The creepy factor was there especially with a Barbie playhouse crime scene.
I felt like this was a bit campy which I enjoyed and the Jimmy Buffett tie in at the end amused me!
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Thank you #gpputnamsons and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book and the storyline, will recommend to others! I definitely think it’s not a book for everyone, but really, what book is!?

This was a fast paced fun read about possession, friendship, and the banality of suburbia. When one of their mommy foursome starts acting strangely, Amy, Christine, and Jess team up to battle the evil threatening their neighborhood.

I read this one in a day. There were one or two inconsistencies but overall it was highly entertaining. The book hits the ground running from chapter 1 and it doesn’t stop to the last paragraph. The characters have a self awareness that was surprising to see in a horror novel. And despite some of the gruesome vignettes it still had a touch of a sense of humor.

I really enjoyed this book—I thought it made some important observations about motherhood, womanhood, and suburbia, which was all great. I wish the horror elements had been more pronounced; there were some excellent moments (the haunted Roomba or even early in the book when the main character gets pushed into the pit in Liz's backyard), but at times it felt like the novel was shying away from truly committing to horror. The ending was kind of a fizzle: Kilmer spends so long building up the back-to-school carnival that it seemed obvious it would be the scene of the final confrontation, but instead we breeze past it pretty quick in favor a conclusion that feels more anticlimactic (and ultimately unnecessarily extends the book 50 pages too far). On the whole, though, would recommend!

Suburban Hell is the debut novel by Maureen Kilmer and it was FANTASTIC. This book delivers on everything a horror novel should give a reader. It is similar to Desperate Housewives..... if it was horror and took place in the midwest.

This was a fun read. As a horror fan, it was refreshing to read a horror/comedy that was genuinely well done. Reads sort of like My Best Friends Exorcism by Grady Hendrix, which I also thought was great. I would definitely recommend this to readers who want something funny while still smart, or for those who want to read horror but can't stomach anything too intense.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I think that was fun. I had a few issues but not enough to detract from the book as a whole. I think this would a good addition to a collection that had similar titles.

Great read for October in particular.

This was a great little comedy-horror. It felt like a mom version of My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix. There was some decent amount of backstory for Amy, our protagonist, as well as the underlying theme of friendship and bonds. There were a couple of laugh out loud moments as well, like the whole Darlene incident (no spoilers!).

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read Suburban Hell.

There's a feeling of nostalgia reading Suburban Hell. As a child growing up in the '80s, horror consisted of Poltergeist, Freddy Kreuger, Mike Myers, and the movie It. Like most things, the genre has seemed to evolve. It's darker and twisted, a sense of shock value exists that wasn't present for me in '80s horror. I think what I've realized is, it's not the far-fetched, supernatural stories that scare me, it's the real-life depictions that are too close to being true that are produced in film and books today that give me fear. Suburban Hell is a nice break from that. It's funny and creative. The darkness that's felt in the book isn't something that produces fear but curiosity. Don't get me wrong, the story has its moments. I found myself reading faster through many parts of the story just to find out how twisted it gets and it did not disappoint!

Suburban Hell feels like '80s horror. There's a comedic feel to '80s horror, you can't help but read or watch, and tell yourself that what you're reading is entirely impossible and so far-fetched that's what makes the story one that you just can't seem to put down, because you wait around waiting for the next " what the hell" moment. I think the world has had its fair share of realistic horror in the two years that the supernatural, twisted yet funny story is welcome.

I really enjoyed the characters and their friendship in Suburban Hell. I think the author Maureen Kilmer did a really great job introducing each of the characters to the reader in a way that made you feel like each of these women could be a friend or neighbor in one way or another to the reader. If I'm ever possessed by an erratic demonic being, I'm hoping I've got an Amy in my circle of friends.

I enjoyed the book, and recommend it to anyone looking for something different and unique to read.

⭐️4 stars⭐️

This was such a fun read! The group of women was my favorite part of the book. I loved their friendship so much (and I feel like they would definitely be my people if I lived in their neighborhood! Even though this is a Horror novel I laughed out loud multiple times as I was reading! Such a fun read for fall or any time of year!

Thanks to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

… It all started with a she shed.

This book was everything I hoped it would be and more. I expected dark satire/horror comedy about wine moms and the absolute hell it is living in suburbia (AKA, “where dreams go to die”), and this book delivered that with a sly edge of pop culture indulgence and social commentary on how lonely motherhood can be, how much work moms do without any recognition or gratitude from their spouses, and how living in suburbia means you also have a certain outside appearance that must be maintained in both your house (mandated by your HOA) and your neighbors (because lord forbid you not be the only mom on the block not wearing the latest trend in atheleisure).

The book is extremely entertaining and definitely a page turner. Do I feel like it’s a book with wide appeal? No. This book is definitely a niche market book. It’s not going to resonate the same with everyone simply due to the main themes of motherhood and female friendship. But as that one mom that was always the odd one out on every block I’ve lived on because I could care less for what everyone else was wearing or what the latest food trends this book definitely feel into my pop-culture and horror infused soul and mixed with my morbid humor loving heart.

The cons would be that Kilmer does tend to beat some points over the head and some things do feel a bit too on the nose. The book could have also used a bit more tightening up, though it’s not too loose in the pacing. I did have some questions that could qualify as plot holes, but I don’t know if that’s just me being overly analytical or not.

Overall, it’s a fantastically dark and whimsical book that takes the idea of suburban hell and notches it to 11. It’s one hell of a time.

Thanks to NetGalley and G. P. Putnam’s Sons for granting me access to this title.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4!

Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP PUTNAM/ G. P. Putnam’s Sons for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Suburban Hell follows Amy Foster, a suburban mother who has finally felt at home in her Chicago cul-de-sac with her neighbors, Liz, Jess, and Melissa. In fact, Liz just made a She Shed for them in order for them to have a place just to relax without their spouses or kids.

Things all go wrong when Liz's She Shed releases a demon that turns their nice cul-de-sac into a nightmare. Amy has to figure out how to stop it before the the demon-and the HOA-chase her out.

The vibe of this description did make me feel like this would be a very humorous and silly book and it definitely delivered! I thought this was a great debut horror novel, and I completely flew through this book. At times I did want to be a little more scared, I think this book definitely did what it set out to do, and I will definitely read more from this author!

A playful horror story with the atmosphere of a light-hearted comedy. This is a nice, easy read about a stay-at-home mom who feels like an outsider in her suburban life, except in the company of her three best mom friends. Life is shaken up when one of those friends starts to demonstrate signs of demonic possession.

A fun and creepy book. Possession has hit the neighborhood and what are these suburban moms to do. An entertaining read and if you love Grady Hendrix, then definitely check out this book!

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy for an honest review.

A clever and wicked funny novel that I would recommend to those that enjoy light horror, comedy-horror, killer roomba's, relatable characters, life in suburbia for an outsider, strong friendships, parenting woe's.

Very fun read and would love to see more from Maureen Kilmer!

In this snappy debut of diet horror, Maureen Kilmer gives readers a fun look at the chills of suburban life in 'Suburban Hell'.

Stay at home mom, Amy Foster, begins to feel that something is amiss in her quaint suburb outside of Chicago. Her friend Liz, always the perfect hostess and the most thoughtful of all the neighborhood moms, has suddenly retreated into herself. The children are frightened of her, animals no longer cross her yard, and most grievous of all - her husband doesn't even seem to notice. Topping it all off is a horrific smell of sulfur emanating from Liz's backyard. Suddenly, Amy's idyllic and tranquil neighborhood seems to be anything but. Kilmer's quippy book explores the limits of the weird and the depth of adult female friendship beyond the PTA and superficial interactions that - I am led to believe - plague mommyhood. Certain moments made me laugh out loud, while others were painfully cringe and borderline sacrene.

While I didn't mean to, I couldn't help but compare this story to 'My Best Friend's Exorcism', and 'Suburban Hell' plays out much the same as Hendrix's book. However, unlike Hendrix's book which is set during our last collective experience (high school), Kilmer very clearly is writing for a specific demographic and experience set. There isn't anything wrong with that. I think there are some beautiful parts of her book that address loneliness, "baby blues", and the isolation that comes from generally being a mom. However, some might find the narrative lacking and strictly surface.

Please don't mistake me, this is by no means a "bad book", but it is definitely fluffy. All in all, I enjoyed it - I could listen to Melissa relive her traumatic childhood in a megachurch all day, the possessed roomba will legit haunt my dreams, and I appreciate Kilmer using the lens of horror to examine suburban isolation and mature female friendship.

Sincere thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.