I absolutely love when a book lives up to its synopsis. This was a perfect mix of horror and comedy (my favorite genre!), and I LOVED it! Love when the focus turns towards "the power of friendship'!

5/5 stars!

I'm always a sucker for a good horror comedy, and Suburban Hell didn't disappoint! Amy and her friends Jess, Melissa, and Liz look forward to their monthly ladies nights, drinking bad wine and unwinding from the stress of their lives. When Liz decides to break ground on a She-Shed in her backyard, a special space just for the four of them, all hell breaks loose.

Literally.

Filled with the usual fun horror tropes - Ouija Boards, Exorcisms, Creepy Kids, Creepy Kids Drawing *shudders,* this book was a blast from start to finish. But at the core, this is a book about friendship and the importance of community and support. At times gripping and creepy, at other times, totally poignant and moving, Suburban Hell is a fun, morbid time!

*I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and views in this review are my own.

This book had the right mix of horror and comedy in it for me. I couldn't stop reading it and actually found myself laughing out loud (and getting strange looks from those around me) at points.

This book is addictive!! I could not put it down until I finished it. Amazing story of friends, life and a bit of the afterlife. Some parts make you snort in laughter and some make you cringe. The storyline is unique with the voices of the main characters being clear. Perfect beach read!

Thank you to NetGally and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Idyllic suburban neighborhood with a demon problem, what could go wrong? Suburban Hell is a fun (albeit a bit campy) take on a demonic possession story. It's on the lighter side, so even horror wimps can handle it.

Read this book if you're more scared of the PTA moms than literal demons.

Cross-posted to goodreads at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4650005261

This is an entertaining read about living in the ‘burbs demon style lol! Four moms - Amy, Liz, Jess, and Melissa meet up once a month for wine & movie night, they decide to make a She Shed in Liz’s backyard. On the night of the unveil, they christened it with a ceremonial drink unleashing a demonic presence! Liz is possessed and chaos ensues on their cul-de sac, it’s to the other three to save Liz and their neighborhood. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a gifted copy.

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.

Overall the story is simple and enjoyable enough, though it doesn't do much new and exciting with the genre. The main character is a bit flat and annoying with her constant judgement of the suburban lifestyle that she is ultimately a part of. Her group of female friends is what saves the story, keeping her from falling completely into the "not like other girls" cliche, the edge of which she teeters on throughout.

If I'm being honest what caught my attention was the cover. After I read what the book was about I was convinced I had to read it. A book about an exorcism? Count me in ! Unfortunately I was a little disappointed. For a book advertised as horror it wasn't very scary at all. Since it's about an exorcism you'd think there would be a lot of creepy scenes but there was hardly any. The mc who was possessed didn't come out in the story as much. This was mostly about her friends trying to find a way to save their possessed friend while juggling mom life. The ending was anti-climactic. I was expecting a little more chaos from the demon. I would recommend this to people who want to ease into the horror genre. I also see this as a good book club pick for older women. Overall I'd rate this 3 stars.

This review will be posted closer to release date at:
www.instagram.com/chibichapters

First and foremost, this book was a ton of fun, and I definitely found a new thing to be scared of! In the horror genre, this was definitely on the lighter side - both in tone and scariness. I thought this book would remind me of the TV show Cougar Town, and it did. The description likens it to My Best Friend’s Exorcism, and this book feels like an adult version of that. I like that it leaned on themes of motherhood, depression, isolation, loyalties and - of course - friendship; they all couple well together to give the book some psychological depth. The characters felt real and authentic. Early in the book, there is some heavy-handed foreshadowing that felt unnecessary. I don’t need lines that feel like “I didn’t know how bad things would get, but I soon found out.” I also wish the ending was scarier. It just didn’t have enough going on for it to make my skin crawl.. While some scenes certainly were scary, I think I might use this in my general fiction book club (at a library) next year.

I was lucky enough to grab a copy of this ARC before it released. The title and the cover drew me in, naturally, and the story was exactly what I'd hoped for! Equal parts funny and unsettling, this book features a good ol' fashioned possession, a link to a tragic history, and a trio of modern mothers who band together to solve the problem in a way only Moms can handle.

This book gave me Santa Clarita diet vibes in the way that it balanced the supernatural with the mundane -- it's not just dealing with a possession our heroine has to worry about, but balancing summer vacation and community obligations too!

This isn't a book I usually gravitate towards, but I'm glad I picked it up. I definitely recommend this for anyone who likes reading books that err on the side of realistic fiction versus fantasy!

I had so much fun reading this book. The cover is what caught my eye but the story was so fun! I also saw a review where someone compared it to a “woman’s version of Supernatural” and I love that TV show, so I had to read this. It did not disappoint! I loved the mom friend crew and the friendship they shared but I also appreciated that it was told from a one person perspective. That made it easier to keep up with all of the characters. Enjoyed this book so much! It releases on 8/30/2022 so it’ll have you ready for that spooky season vibe!

Thank you. NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

The description of this book compares it to Grady Hendrix’s My Best Friends Exorcism. From someone who is a big Grady fan, I actually liked this more than My Best Friend’s Exorcism. An apt exploration of the pressures and complexities of modern motherhood. Reflecting on how isolating motherhood can be, when it was never supposed to be that way. And ultimately, how female friendship can save us. Every day moms save the world, even if it’s only the small ones we exist within.

I loved Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer! I loved the strong points about friendship and how it takes a village. I truly believe friendship can and have saved people's lives. The characters felt real, flawed but well meaning. I flew threw this book and some parts were a little scary. I'm a big scary cat so don't trust me on that. I can't wait to read the next book this author writes!




*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC*

Amy and her best friends, Liz, Melissa, and Jess all live in a Chicago suburb, in a save quiet community. Their kids play together and every one is very happy about the start of summer vacation

Amy and the girls love to get together monthly for a movie night. During movie night they discuss that they wish they had a place all their own with no interruptions from husbands for children. Liz decides that she will have a She Shed built in her backyard for them.

The night before the construction begins on the She Shed, the four friends christen the area with a drink. While standing there they feel a shift in the winds and a strange feeling settles over them.

Once construction begins the neighborhood is filled with loud noises and a pungent awful smell. Liz also starts behaving strangely. Amy, Jess, and Melissa try to get to the bottom of the strange occurrences such as possessed rumbas and much more.

Will Amy, Jess, and Melissa be able to save their friend and their neighborhood before its too late????

I absolutely love this book!
4.5 star rating

ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“Suburban Hell” is a horror-comedy that follows a group of friends as they face a demonic force that has been unleashed in their suburban planned community. Told from the perspective of Amy, the novel starts on the night of her monthly get-together with her best friends, Liz, Jess, and Melissa, at Liz’s house. Following copious amounts of liquor, the friends gather in Liz’s backyard around the site for a future she-shed that the group plans to use as a space just for them.

Construction of the she-shed quickly breaks ground thereafter, but construction is ground to a halt as a horrific smell is unleashed, permeating the neighborhood. The smell isn’t the only thing that has changed in the neighborhood: Liz has suddenly turned into a version of herself that is unrecognizable, even to her best friends. Amy decides to confront Liz to make sure she is okay, but things take an evil turn and the neighborhood won’t ever be the same again.

As the novel progresses, the friends just can’t shrug off the strange burn marks, self-moving dolls, horrible smells, and other such events that seem to be surrounding Liz. Is she truly possessed? Can the group of friends band together to rid their neighborhood of evil before all is lost? Or will their suburban life go to hell? This story tackles those challenges, as well as the challenges of dealing with the PTA.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I’m a big horror fan, and I always welcome a good horror-comedy. This was a fairly light-hearted take on the traditional demonic possession horror novel. It is an easy read, and I tore through it quickly. Even though I’m not a suburban mom, I related easily to the main group of characters, who were all well flushed-out by the author. I did feel the first half was a little bit of a slow build (which is why I took away one star on my review), but it picked up pace as the novel went on. The author did a great job of portraying the life of a suburban mom and the challenges and expectations placed upon same with the introduction of a demonic possession and struggles with the PTA rolled into one.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. This would be an excellent choice for a reader wanting to introduce themselves to the horror genre or the young adult crowd, as well as all of those suburban moms out there. The book was witty with a dose of horror, resulting in an excellent combination to please most readers. I will definitely be looking forward to more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.
This novel is a campy horror story with a strong friendship theme. Kilmer interjects humor and really gives the 4 leading ladies such distinct and real personalities that I felt like I was a part of their circle. I absolutely loved the friend theme and the "it takes a village" tones to the story, but the rest of it just didn't grab me and keep me up late reading.
However, I recognize the book may not be a 5 star for me, but I do know some women who would rate it 5 stars and will be strongly recommending this book to them!

I loved this book! It was funny, very creepy in moments, and a wild ride. I loved the main friend squad and the plot was very interesting. Each of the foursome had their own personality, and it felt like I was reading a story about real people. I enjoyed everything about this book and it was hard to put down! I highly recommend it.

Amy is lives a run of the mill life in suburbia. Her and her husband moved from Chicago to a neighborhood where everyone knows everyone, PTA rules all, and the hottest gossip involves who brought store bought cupcakes to the function. This isn’t really Amy’s style. Luckily, she’s found her micro-community within Whispering Farms. Amy, Liz, Jess, and Melissa find solace in one another and use their bond to decompress from the rigid social standards placed onto suburban stay at home moms. All is well, until the most meek, level-headed, calm member becomes…different. After digging up a spot for the women’s she-shed and unearthing a horrible stinky nightmare Liz morphs into a self-centered being. She has no interest in her family or friends, she lives to look hot and act as a recluse. Determined to get to the bottom of what’s going on, Amy leads her friends down the rabbit hole, uncovering secrets they wished they didn’t have to in order to save Liz.

Suburban Hell is a campy horror delight. Kilmer’s ability to inject comedic relief between the women’s woes is reminiscent of Grady Hendrix’s writing style (I’ve seen Suburban Hell compared to My Best Friend’s Exorcism—hard agree) and I couldn’t get enough. The women are painted as they should: multidimensional people who long to be labeled as something else besides MOM. The struggles they face in Whispering Farms, the place where being a “good mom” is made to be a competition with multiple requirements are real and reflect the unrealistic standards that mothers are held to in society. Community and reliance on one another were strong themes presented throughout the novel, which reigned true until the very end.

The paranormal elements were sporadic, catching me off guard at times, intertwining with the elements of suburbia seamlessly. My only qualm is that the build up was there but, the ending felt it was missing something compared to all the activity that took place to get to that point. All in all, I highly recommend this suburban spooker. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this title!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4611989561

Very fast-paced book for those that loved R.L. Stine's Fear Street series as a kid. Suburban Hell is a total throwback, but written for adult women, specifically stay at home and working moms stuck in the suburbs. There's lots of wine, catty women, total BFFs - and curses, demons, and hauntings! I thought this was a really clever book and I enjoyed the hell out of it!

Suburban Hell
Maureen Kilmer

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you @net and @penguinputnam for my advanced copy of Subruan Hell. This one releases August 30th and you’re going to want to grab it!
Think Desperate Housewives but if Bree (Liz seems like a Bree to me) got possessed by a demon.
This was a light hearted, horror comedy with the right amount of spooky to keep you drawn in, and I loved every second of it!
Being a mom it was easy to relate to the talkings of schedules and making sure everything runs smoothly.. and avoiding the PTA 🤣
I love how far this group of women will go to save one of their friends, everybody needs friends like these women!
The only draw back like my friend @morbid said was that I feel like we were lacking some of Liz’s story since she is the one who becomes possessed. Overall though it was a great book and I definitely recommend it!