I don’t know why the first word I think of to describe this book is “cute”, but I can’t think of a better way to describe it! Horror isn’t supposed to be cute, but I mean it in the sense that this whole book was kind of a cute wink and nod to the genre itself. This is the author’s horror debut, so to me it felt like she was dipping her toe in … I usually like my horror on the more gritty side, but again, this was cute.

The book centers around our protagonist, Amy, a newly-suburban mom who would have lost her mind without her new neighborhood friends, Melissa, Jess and Liz. Moving to the Chicago suburbs was something she wasn’t happy about, but this squad of wine-loving, worn out mothers who she can relate to make it much more bearable. Until they decide to build a “She Shed” in Liz’s back yard and Liz … changes …

I loved all the the pop culture references, and that it was set in the Midwest without being about farmers. Awesome little references were strewn all throughout, and there was even an “Ope” said, so we are right on point there. For me, this book did have a couple slices of cheese, but for the most part, it was relatively funny. There were definitely a few genuinely creepy parts as well, though!

I’m usually not one for ghost stories (too hacky most of the time) or things dealing with demonology/witchcraft (you shouldn’t mess with demons - I know, I’m such a Melissa!) but since this is also a humorous story, it was fine in this case. There are a few sad topics lightly touched on, and the writing was excellent, so it all came together and worked. 3.5 stars, rounded up for being a debut! I’ve now read my first cute horror book - and it wasn’t too bad.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam, Maureen Kilmer and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Amy, Liz, Jess, and Melissa are all suburban moms who managed to find each other amidst the craziness of the perfect PTA moms. They get together regularly and are the perfect support for each other. Until, that is, one of their new home projects unleashes a demon and all of a sudden the ladies find themselves protecting their perfect suburban life from demonic possession.

I just finished this book and it is such a fun read! It is told from Amy’s point of view, who moved to the suburbs from the city because of their expanding family. I love how much I related to her situation where she’s trying to be a good mom, a good suburban resident, and trying to get back into the workforce. I felt her frustration every time she applied for a job and didn’t get it. I also love how much she cares for her friends. As an implant myself I can understand how hard it can be to adjust and still not feel 100% comfortable. And to top it off she now has to learn how to fight a demonic possession!

When I first started the book, I kept thinking about THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB’S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES by @gradyhendrix because of the great group of women and their different personalities and the fact that their husbands mostly took a backseat to the story.

I love stories where ordinary people like a housewife or working mom come face to face with the supernatural. It makes you wonder how you’d deal with the situation as far-fetched as it seems 😆.

I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a fun and entertaining read! It can be creepy and sad at times, though. Also, this is the second book in a week that I’ve read where there’s been death of bunnies/hares. So take that as you will. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Trigger warning for drug addiction and demonic possession.

Such a fun read!
I will be looking out for this author.
I loved reading this while getting my workout going, made time fly.

I was really excited for everything about this book. From the excellent cover to the blurb, it seemed like the horror comedy of my dreams. I mean, I’m not usually into suburban mom books, but you can’t tell me that suburban moms battling a demon and causing general chaos doesn’t sound fun as hell.

Unfortunately, it was not fun as hell. In fact, it was rather…slow and boring? Turns out, Suburban Hell is way too heavy on the Suburban and way too short on the Hell. I find myself disappointed that the book doesn’t live up to its premise, and it was slow enough/lacking enough in action that I never found myself excited to pick it up and finish it.

It’s not actually a *bad* book, though I did feel uncomfortable about the way it handled some mental health issues, including addiction. There was a side plot about the main character’s sister dying of an overdose that honestly seemed pretty unnecessary and wasn’t given the care it needed to justify it being included in the book, in my opinion. The back story of the demon also made me feel like mental health was thrown around a little carelessly in this story.

Overall, I imagine this book will have an audience who will really enjoy it, and even relate to it. That audience just won’t be most people who pick it up looking for horror, it will be the suburban moms the book is about.

A huge thanks to NetGalley, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, and Maureen Kilmer for providing me a free copy in exhnahy for an honest review.

Amy Foster is living the Illinois suburban “dream”-a hardworking husband, two sweet children, a beautiful home, and is still looking for a new job vs. the stay at home mom gig. But the best part? She has Liz, Jess, and Melissa—three close neighbor-friends with whom she has monthly movie nights and a long running group chat. They even are about to have their own she-shed, built in Liz’s backyard, christened with box wine one summer night.

But as the summer progresses, Liz starts acting strange. Weird smells, horrific behaviors, and downright terrifying occurrences and injuries start happening. It’s not long before Amy suspects that this is less coincidence and more demonic. With the help of Melissa and Jess, Amy makes the decision to not let her neighborhood and her friend circle go down without a fight. Even if it means she has to wage war with a demon to save it.

I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK. This was a marvelous book, if Desperate Housewives met The Exorcist, hilarious and endearing and downright gross in spots. This was absolutely a winner, written basically in my own backyard with lots of Illinois/Chicago suburb references and genuinely endearing characters. I want friends like this myself, a group of ride or die mom besties who aren’t going down quietly.

This book was stellar and I am SO HAPPY I started spooky season with this gem. This book is OUT NOW as of 08/30/2022 and you should absolutely get your hands on it as soon as possible!

When Amy Foster moves to the suburbs, she doesn't expect to summon a demon when she puts a shed in the backyard! Yes, I said that correctly. This is a darkly humorous book that was so fun to read!

Suburban Hell is a fun jaunt into dark comedic horror. The story is told from the point of view of Amy, one of a group of four friends and neighbors who get together for movie night. Well, it's not so much a movie night as it is drinking wine and talking. Liz, one of the group, decides the group needs a dedicated space away from all the responsibilities of being a mom, wife, and just life in general.. Once construction begins on a future She Shed, hell is unleashed.

The story is a fun read. Is it scary? Not entirely, but I think the humor of it all tempers any fear factors there may be. I mean, who wouldn't laugh at demon possession and exorcisms...right? Right?

The characters are fun. Amy and her friends are genuine in their failures and strengths. There is a real camaraderie between them despite being very different people. This book is as much about friendship as it is surviving the hells of suburbia, literally and figuratively.

I really liked this book. It's a lot of fun. Fans of The Southern Book Clubs Guide to Slaying Vampires will really enjoy this book. A dark playful read and one I would definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC and the opportunity to read and review Suburban Hell.

The cover artwork for this book is beautiful and eye-catching, and what initially got me interested to read! This book is perfect for fans of Grady Hendrix, in that it deals with demonic themes in a comical (and thrilling) way! I love suburban America being the setting for horror books, as it's so relatable and makes you think the story could literally happen anywhere. 4 neighbors become fast friends, and are excited about building a "She Shed" on the property of one of the women's yards. As the groundbreaking commences, one of the women experiences a change that's apparent to everyone. The plot flowed well, and I didn't forsee what would happen, which was great! I liked that the evil begins affecting the narrator's children, and I also like that we got some history on the town for why things were happening. I loved the ending. All in all, great book (the most fun you'll have reading about possession!) and will be recommending to others!

I feel like we are starting to see more of this kind of Horror, and I am not mad at it. While it still has the horror elements to it, there is also this layer of humor involved which I think gives it a horror lite type of feel. It's a fun debut and I'm glad I read it. I think people will enjoy this one.

This is the story of four women who live in the suburbs and became quick friends. They are always there to help each other out with the children., almost like sisters. They get together at least once a month for Mom time and on one of these nights they come up with the idea for a She-Shed to be built in Liz's back yard. On the night after they christen the start of building something noticeably starts affecting Liz. She just isn't acting herself and cutting herself off from the group which is totally not like her. This story is of how the remaining three friends come together to figure out what is going on.

The characters in this book made me long for friends like this. They were so close and always checking in with each other. They are the kind of friends I would love to have. I think the author did an excellent job of pulling us into the story, making us feel like we were right there. Definitely a thriller I will recommend to others.

3.75⭐️

This book feels like a Halloween episode of Desperate Housewives. A group of moms in the Whispering Farms development get together regularly for movie night. Amy, the narrator, suggests they stray from the usual romcom and watch a horror movie, which is a not so subtle foreshadowing for the events that transpire later in the book. The others don’t agree. The kind-hearted, warm Liz is building a She Shed in her yard, and is supposed to begin construction soon. When they break ground, an awful smell like decaying flesh envelops the subdivision.

Liz begins acting strange. She’s not herself, showing up to a community party dressed sexier and acting meaner than she ever has. She begins neglecting her children and starts drifting away from her friend group. When Amy goes to check on Liz one night, Liz tries to push her into the hole in her yard where the She Shed is supposed to go and walks away, leaving Amy trying to scramble her way out of a 6 foot deep hole. It’s up to Amy, Melissa, and Jess to figure out what’s wrong with their friend. Is she having a breakdown? Or is it demonic possession?

I enjoyed this book, and it is sufficiently spooky for spooky season, but there is minimal horror (which is great if you aren’t a huge horror fan!). It is very Desperate Housewives-esque, and the entire time I was picturing each of the characters as a different character from the show. Overall, a great read for fall for people who like light horror!

This was a fun comedy-horror story that acknowledged the hard work of women and particularly mothers. This book definitely didn’t take itself too seriously - lots of ridiculousness and comic relief. I enjoyed the dynamic between the friends and could relate to the struggle of maintaining your personhood outside of your relationship to others (wife, mother, etc.) I only took off a star because of the length of time that passed - the book didn’t drag, but I was disappointed in how long it took for the friends to band together to banish the demon.

I was so lucky to be able to get access to this arc! And boy was it a good time! I wanted to broaden my horizons and read titles out of my comfort zone and this was the first of it's genre for me. Simply put, it did not disappoint.

First off, I need friends like the main characters in this book! They are loyal, funny, and down for anything! I never knew there could be such sinister beings lurking in a suburban neighborhood and women so eager to conquer their fears for their friends. I respect what the women did for one another throughout the book.

Secondly, this book was beautifully written and so much detail put into the characters and setting, that it felt as if I was watching a movie in my head. Every part of the story flowed effortlessly and I was more than satisfied with the ending.

4.5 stars! I definitely understand all the hype around this book, as well there should be! Thank you Netgalley, publisher, and author for this first time experience!

This was so much fun!! What a great debut. This was like a scary Real Housewives and I was all for it! I think this book is perfect for Grady Hendrix fans.

Desperate Housewives meets My Best Friends Exorcism. Lighthearted and not scary at all but in a fun way, if this is of interest to you I'd definitely reccomend it. It wasn't a book that will stick with me long term but I did have fun reading it.

This book is hilarious and spooky. Has the humor of Santa Clarita Diet but the spooky underlay of The Conjuring. I could not put this down. The plot stays at a steady and fun pace without giving you whiplash and while the humor is very much present, it did not overwhelm the story or make it too corny to enjoy or scare. The friendship dynamics were also soooo relateable to any of the "bad moms" out there.

I think this is the perfect book for those who enjoy some humor with their scares.

I had such a hard time putting this book down! A group of suburban moms is left to deal with the demonic possession of their good friend. The odds were against this group of ladies but I loved watching them tackle things that seemed impossible that they weren’t even sure that they believed. I found this story to be incredibly entertaining.

This story is told from Amy’s perspective. Amy is part of a group of 4 neighborhood women who do everything together. When Liz breaks ground on a She Shed for the group to use, things go horribly wrong for her. It is up to Amy, Melissa, and Jess to figure out what is going on and save their friend. There were quite a few strange happenings that kept the story incredibly interesting. I loved the mystery behind what was happening and really hoped to see the group find a way to save their friend.

I really liked the characters. I could relate to so much of their suburban mom life from juggling kids, trying to fit in, and trying to avoid the PTO. I loved how different each of these women was and liked the fact that their friendship felt very genuine. Amy’s husband, Mark, was awesome and seemed ready to support Amy no matter what. Amy’s kids even played a role that added some key pieces to the puzzle.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought it was a fun story that kept the surprises coming while keeping me glued to the pages. I wouldn’t hesitate to read more of this author’s work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

You know all of those books about suburban neighborhoods where everyone hangs out together and the women have wineclub? This is that, kind of. Maureen Kilmer takes that and reveals the true hell it can be. I mean really. I appreciate some humor with my horror. Who doesn’t? If you said, “Me!” then you should skip this. This is for the rest of us.

We've all done it. You're scrolling through Pinterest and the idea hits. Your favorite DIY blog or magazine features one and your brain starts to turn. A popular Instagram account features one boho inspired snippet and you're hooked. You're dreaming of your very own She Shed. 

You think it'll be a place where you can get away with your friends, forget about work, have some delicious appetizers, or even have a few glasses of wine out there but what happens when that dream turns into a nightmare for the whole neighborhood? When breaking ground in your long awaited personal space wakes something up, what will it cost to save suburbia?

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the entire year and I LOVED IT. The writing was engaging and driven, the characters were enjoyable, and the story was creepy, quirky, and unique.

I received a copy of Suburban Hell from NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnem in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a horror story with other moments about a suburban mother who after finding a group of outcasts who don’t quite fit in with other mothers. Whether they have a slightly unconventional family, aren’t quite as rich as everyone else, or just see through the BS, all four of the women found friends in each other and plan on making She Shed in Liz’s backyard for somewhere they can get away from everything just to have some time to themselves.

However, when the ground is broken, a smell like death fills the air, and Liz starts acting even more aggressively, even toward her friends, and the stress of life becomes even harder on the friends and their lives.

I went into this looking for a comedic horror story with maybe a bit of reflection on suburban life, especially for women, and that’s how it starts, but besides moments where a roomba goes crazy and little moments like that, most of the story is rather serious in its tone. Liz herself only makes a few poignant cameos after she starts acting strange, and the reveal of what happened both makes sense, but I would have liked to see her interactions more.

The story takes a lot of time reflecting on Amy and her life as she spends most of her time taking care of her children, cooking for them and her husband, taking them to playdates and to different places to play, trying to take on running a carnival for the PTA, and looking for a job, which I’m not sure when she’d have time for when she only has a job to look for a job between looking after her children and keeping up with cleaning, cooking, and everything else. Not to mention, she looking to be a social worker.

It doesn’t just sound exhausting, it sounds impossible, even when her children go back to school.

The thing is, that part of the book is the meat of the book, with the horror of the book is just frosting. A bit there to emphasize parts of what is going on and the themes, but mostly lost in the book overall for long parts that made it feel like it stretched out into infinity. And that’s what made the story more of a 3-star for me. Perhaps if I was a suburban mother, the story just didn’t grab me. I found myself wanting the horror to draw me into the themes of the story, and instead, it was left to the side to connect to the character looking for a job and dealing with raising her children without connecting to them while weird things happened every once in a while as she snarked at them every once in a while and her friends made their own contributions here and there.