as much as i dont like scary movies about dolls/puppets (as i think they are pretty silly), this one had me sucked in; it reminded me of Goosebumps' Night of the Living Puppet meets Annabelle meets Child's Play, a really good mix i may add. i liked how it crossed familial secrets, repressed trauma and possessed objects to make a really fun yet creepy haunted house story

First and foremost, this book has solidified my phobia of puppets and dolls. I will never be the same after reading this. It was a creepy, deeply atmospheric novel. If you have enjoyed Hendrix books and writing in the past, you will not be disappointed. I look forward to what is next!

Creepy, weird, but an interesting characters, and an over-all good read. If you weren’t already afraid of puppets or spooky dolls, you will be after this.

***Louise finds out her parents have died, and she dreads going home. She doesn’t want to leave her daughter. She doesn’t want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father’s academic career and her mother’s lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls

Most of all, she doesn’t want to deal with her brother, Mark. Unfortunately, she’ll need his help to get the house ready for sale because it’ll take more than some new paint on the walls and clearing out a lifetime of memories to get this place on the market.

But some houses don’t want to be sold, and their home has other plans for both of them…****

This is the second book I've read by Grady Hendrix he certainly has some crazy imagination. His books are never those ones you know there's a perfectly normal explanation for all the weird going ons. His books are just plain ghostly and supernatural.
Maybe it was the puppet vibe in this book I didn't like or that the story was so far-fetched. (Yes I know its not real)
During the first 3/4 of the book I struggled to get into it, I found it slow and repetitive and it took me a while to read it. The last 100 pages are where all the action is and I read it in one sitting, but I was glad it was finally over!

It's Spooky and hits all those childhood fears of creepy puppets and imaginary friends this one just wasn't for me!

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix is a fast-paced, entertaining read that combines horror and comedy in a unique and enjoyable way. The book follows a brother-sister combo tasked with selling their parent's (haunted) house, and the creepy events that unfold as they attempt to do so. Hendrix's signature blend of horror and humor is on full display here, with plenty of spooky moments balanced out by witty dialogue and humorous asides. The characters are likable and relatable, and the audiobook narration is top-notch. As a bonus, hearing Grady Hendrix's insights on the book and his writing process on the Libro.fm podcast adds another layer of appreciation for the story. Overall, How to Sell a Haunted House is a fun and satisfying read that will delight horror fans and comedy lovers alike.

Louise returns home after her family dies - well this one will haunt you as the house haunts Louise - I don’t want to give to much away - but it’s a fast excellent read

I cannot and WILL NOT with dolls and puppets. Nope. Nopety nope. Hard pass. But I still love to read books and watch movies about them. 😏 One of my favorite film horror series when I was a kid was Puppet Master but I’m not sure any of those little demons compared to Pupkin…. Y’all are just gonna have to read this to see what I mean. The whole thing is one living nightmare for me so I was loving on it. I did think it lulled in certain areas and wasn’t a huge fan of the ending…. But damn if it didn’t creep me out. The more I read, the more monstrous it all became. My full review is coming in Scream magazine.

So tell me, do dolls creep you out? 🎎

How to Sell a Haunted House is 4.5 out of 5 stars for me! This is the 3rd book I have read by Grady Hendrix and it did not disappoint. The one thing I really enjoy about his writing is that, while I can tell it's his writing, each book is completely its own. I tend to find authors stick with what they know but I don't find that to be true with Hendrix and it makes me want to read his books!

I'm not sure how to feel about this. Author is very good at creating very unlikeable characters. I would say its realistic of how siblings relationship works but also absolutely frustrating to read. The back and forth, the constantly overthinking, I believe this is to give a credible, realistic character development but honestly I couldn't have cared less about what happened to these people. The horror factor was cool. The puppet, at first seemed demonic then soon reveals its true identity to be a sibling of deceased mom, whos "acting out" because he didn't get a closure. I don't know. It almost felt unnecessary to tie that back all together to a dead family member? If I had a choice, I probably wouldn't read it. was the writing good? absolutely, did I like the story? not really.

Really great, and surprisingly emotional read. I liked the theme of family mixed in with the haunted house. There's also a decent amount of humor.

This book is tense, creepy, funny and easy to read. I am a big fan of Grady Hendrix. I always enjoy a horror novel that includes humor. I would recommend this book to someone wanting to try out the horror genre, but wasn’t sure were to start. There is nothing more terrifying than devil puppets.

Louise finds out her parents died in the most unfortunate way and dreads going back home to deal with everything - not to mention telling her young daughter, and facing her estranged brother.

I was so excited to get to this book because I've had much success with the author's books in the past. However, this one just could not keep me interested. What I thought would be a scary horror book about haunted houses turned out to be a book about the most annoying set of bickering siblings in the world. I couldn't even pay attention to the plot because there was so much of their arguing on the page. I give it three stars just because I kind of understand, I think, what the author was going for, but it just did not work for me. I would recommend his other works before I recommended this one.

Well, that was something. This week, I learned what a radical puppet collective is, and I really wish I hadn’t. 😅 This book was CREEPY! Grady Hendrix is a mastermind. I was instantly transported into a world reminiscent of that in a classic King novel; Pet Sematary, anyone? For me personally, the story didn’t actually begin to pick up until about 200 pages in. I am totally okay with never reading the phrase ‘Kakawewe!’ again. Shit was terrifying. Also, why was the ending of this book so emotional? I mean that in a good way… it was an element that I had not expected from a horror novel. My fourth Hendrix read and while it was not my favorite, it was definitely worth my time.

Another great read by Grady Hendrix. Hilarious and creepy.
Thank to NetGalley for the advance copy.

This copy was kindly given to me for review by Netgalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.


Now that I have sat back from this, this book was a solid 4.25. I found myself repeatedly creeped out while reading this book; it had major Chucky doll vibes. What Hendrix does well is having the reader in the beginning of the story swinging between believing that the main character is losing their mind or a paranormal experience happening.

Overall, good book. Devoured in two sitting. Perfect read for a gloomy autumn day

Horror with a touch of twisted humor that reminds me of Stephen King’s writing.
When Louise receives the call from her brother Mark that their parents were in a fatal car crash, she flies home to take care of everything. What she walks into is nothing like she expected and a secret, that’s been held quiet for two generations, bursts their reality. Mark and Louise struggle with each other until they finally realize they need each other's help to deal with the haunting of their family home. Interestingly creepy!

Honestly, this book was just not for me. It took way too long to get into the story. And i found the brothers dialogue, just absolutely exhausting. Now, I will always always read a Grady Hendrix book, and sadly they just won't all be for me.

3.5 rounded up to a 4. I love how Grady writes complex characters who can appear to be one thing at the beginning and end up somewhere completely different than you expected. Mark is a perfect example of this, though Louise has growth as well. I also enjoyed that the supernatural element was accepted as truth from everyone, rather than spending a lot of time trying to bring everyone onside. This book took me a long time to read because I put it down for 3 weeks before we went on a trip to Disney World, but it turned out that while this book has some great suspense and action, I never found the puppets to be nightmare-inducing. It was a page turner that was hard to put down from 40% to the end!

This was WILD. I loved it! Grady Hendrix is absolutely bonkers and I love it. Everything I've read by him is just wild and weird perfection!

This book deals with the two scariest things: dolls and families. Campy, scary, and surprisingly emotional. Grady Hendrix books are always a fun time.