I received an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Marin never had a home growing up, as her mother moved her from state to state quite frequently. That all came to an end after a tragic accident. Marin is taken in by her mothers oldest friend Alice Loveland with free room and board in exchange for becoming her children’s nanny while Evie, the eldest daughter is away at school. The two youngest daughters seem to act strangely with mysterious mishaps occur, causing Evie to return home. Marin and Evie face many obstacles caring for the children and together they unlock the secrets of the Lovelace House.
This was a great page turning book with unexpected twist and turns.

I finished this book about a week ago and I still find myself lost within the atmosphere of this book. All the dead Lie Down takes place on a secluded manor on cliffside in Maine during the summer months. After loosing her mom in an accident, Marin is invited to live with her mother's childhood friend at Lovelace house and take care of her daughters in return for board. I was initially interested in reading this book because of the similarities it had to The Haunting of Bly Manor- creepy children who live in a seemingly "haunted house" and are taken care of girl who has no one left, not to mention a live-in chef who knows all the family's secrets. So although that's what pulled me in, I'm so glad to say this book exceeded my expectations exponentially. This book has an exquisite atmosphere- dark greenhouses, gloomy July mornings, a mysterious forrest, an unforgiving ocean- on top of having a intrigue mystery about magic, deceit and family. It also falls into one of my favorite tropes of found family which I honestly wasn't expecting and was so happy when it did. Although the romance takes a back seat to the mystery, there is still a good amount of yearning and slow-burn goodness for an incredible pay off at the end that feels authentic to the story and characters. Underneath the mystery of this book is quite a pure story of love and doing what you must for the people you love. I can't wait for this book to be released because I just know all the cottagecore/lgbtq+/light academia girlies will eat this up (just like i did!)

This book was definitely not for me. Uninteresting characters with a plot that was mediocre at best and super duper cliched at worst. Teenagers that speak/act like dumb young adults and children that act like dumb teenagers.

From chapter one, this seems like a fairly blatant retelling of Bly Manor (main character’s last name is Blythe even). Very cliche and over the top. Nothing felt spooky but a lot felt tacky and ridiculous. About 15% in, the book just straight up states that the girls are crazy despite not showing that AT ALL leading up to that. A little weird but definitely not homicidal. [insert meme voice] Well, that escalated quickly.

The romance is very cliche and felt super forced to me. The second the love interest showed up our narrator acted like one of those cartoon dogs whose eyes fall out of their head while their tongue hangs to the floor. There was never any real chemistry, instead it was just a case of being the only two teenagers within eyeshot so they must be in love.

Plus, I literally rolled my eyes throughout the entire part 3.

As an avid lover of Shirley Jackson, this book hit the spot! I did not think I could find a perfect balance between gothic, horror, and romance. However, McCauley brilliantly tied these elements together in a story that will stick with me for a long time. The writing style absolutely made me fall in love with this book. The elegant voice mixed with the at times gruesome descriptions had me hanging onto every word.

I love a good haunted house story, but this was so much more than that. The time spent reading this book, I felt was time spent on the Lovelace estate. The shoreline, the orchard, the greenhouse, the library, these were all places I wanted to be and could imagine them perfectly. Yet, at the same time the house terrified me. Marin’s instinct to run and her desire to stay in the home resonated with me as the story progressed.

P.S. shout out to all the cinnamon toast comfort food people out there.

Withholding my review due to the Harper Collins Strike. Please visit the HCPUNION instagram for more information about the strike and how you can help those employees.

Writing: 5/5
Character Development: 4/5
Plot: 4/5

Warnings: None

Themes: Mystery, Thriller, Magical Realism

All the Dead Lie Down is about a girl who is asked to nanny 2 girls over the summer in a dark, strange house that holds a lot of secrets. This was a great read. I enjoyed Marins character and the sisters were fun to read about, especially Theo. The mystery around the Loveless house was well written and easy to understand but it also had its plot twists and turns. The ending seemed a little rushed but I still really enjoyed it.

This book is great for anyone who loves dark secrets centered around an old estate and the family who lives there.

I received a free copy of this book and am leaving an honest review.

Excellent atmospheric gothic novel, plenty of horror elements to go around complete with incoming child care giver to weird creepy estate with weird children who may or may not be trying to kill her plus a curse and the anticipated skeletons in the closets that fullfill their promise of ghastliness.

All The Dead Lie Down
Kyrie McCauley
16 May 2023 - expected publication date
ya / gothic romance / horror / lgbtqiap+

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5/5

Description:
Days after a tragedy leaves Marin Blythe alone in the world, she receives a surprising invitation from Alice Lovelace—an acclaimed horror writer and childhood friend of Marin’s mother. Alice offers her a nanny position at Lovelace House, the family’s coastal Maine estate.
Marin accepts and soon finds herself minding Alice’s peculiar girls. Thea buries her dolls one by one, hosting a series of funerals, while Wren does everything in her power to drive Marin away. Then Alice’s eldest daughter returns home unexpectedly. Evie Hallowell is every bit as strange as her younger sisters, and yet Marin is quickly drawn in by Evie’s compelling behavior and ethereal grace.
But as Marin settles in, she can’t escape the anxiety that follows her like a shadow. Dead birds appear in Marin’s room. The children’s pranks escalate. Something dangerous lurks in the woods, leaving mutilated animals in its wake. All is not well at Lovelace House, and Marin must unravel its secrets before they consume her.

Review:
I could not put this book down. I started it at 7:45pm and had it finished at 11:50pm. I DEVOURED THIS BOOK. It was really that good. The characters were each flawed and even a little creepy in their own ways, which for the most part made them endearing. They were fleshed out enough to feel like we knew them, without giving too much away from the get go. A couple things (nothing major to the plots twists and turns) were a little predictable which is why I couldn’t give it a full 5 stars, but damn it was still so good. It was dark and creepy and entirely gripping without being over the top and completely gross. TRIGGER WARNING if teeth/bones/dead things get to you. It’s not overly graphic but it’s there. I want to spend a summer at Lovelace House. Maybe not a WHOLE summer, but I could do a couple weeks. For now, I will settle for the book.

thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for access to the earc in exchange for my honest review.

“Something dangerous lurks in the woods, and all is not well at Lovelace House”

all the dead lie down is dark, twisted and disturbing down to the bones and it is the perfect blend of southern gothic, mystery and romance. full of surprising revelations, characters of ill intent, and a healing sapphic romance, all the dead lie down brings its readers into the large but claustrophobic Lovelace house where not all is as it seems, and secrets long buried threaten to reveal themselves again.

I love haunted house stories, and this was no exception. I loved the setting, the creepy vibes, the characters. There were some parts of the story that did seem a bit slow, but overall I enjoyed the story, and I am interested in reading more from this author.

Creepy haunted house, terrifying gothic horror mixed in with a bit of romance! What's not to love? I'm not big on romance in my horror stories but this was so well done I couldn't complain. The twists and revelations at the end made for a really satisfying read. Great book!

All the Dead Lie Down Review!

Big thank you to Harpercollins Children’s Books and Netgalley for this gifted arc, in exchange for an honest review! All the Dead Lie Down comes out May 16, 2023!

I briefly read the synopsis and immediately requested it when I found out it was about a nanny watching some creepy kids. All the Dead Lie Down was a 4.25/5 ⭐️ for me! I didn’t know much else about this book and the paranormal aspect was a pleasant surprise. It made the book that much more eerie and creepy. I did think that the romance was a bit unnecessary. I’ve been working with kiddos for 12+ years and never have I chose to make out instead of do my job and watch the children. 😅 This one reminded me of The Turn of the Screw and The Turn of the Key in ways. I loved the isolated gothic mansion setting and it was super dark and pretty graphic at the end! This one was fun and I’ll be looking for more of McCauley’s work in the future!

Hauntingly beautiful.
I did not know what to expect going into this book but I was very pleased with the storyline and characters.
It can feel slow at first but it picks up quickly.

DNF @26%. I like YA horror/thrillers but this didn’t have any of the aspects I look forward to in this genre of books. The atmosphere is severely lacking which is pretty critical in gothic books that tend to be low in plot. The two little girls were so annoying and I got tired of reading about them. Felt like I was reading a book about a girl babysitting two troublesome girls rather than a gothic/horror book. The f/f relationship so far is fine. No seeds of interest were planted early on in the book to intrigue me enough to see how things pan out. Out of all the YA sapphic horror books getting published right now, I think this one is skippable.

I don't have a real review for the book yet, as the Harpercollins Union is still on strike. Pay a fair wage and listen to negotiations and I will gladly review the book. Until then, I will not. Sorry not sorry. I'm not crossing the picket line.

This was such a great read. The author does a great job of establishing this creepy house in the middle of nowhere where creepy things happen and there are creepy children trying to chase the main character away. It reminded me a little more of Turn of the Key instead of Turn of the Screw/Haunting of Bly Manor but since Key was inspired by Screw, close enough. The author did such a great job of establishing the gothic setting and immersing the reader in the world.

Our main character Marin is invited to live at Lovelace House by the owner, Alice Lovelace, who is a famous horror writer. Marin shows up without a penny to her name and tries to be nanny to the 2 Lovelace children - who of course play creepy pranks on her and are generally creepy ("creepy" is the word of the day for this review). She finds dead birds in her room and learns about creepy Lovelace traditions like how when you cut your hair, you keep it in the house forever. Marin is determined to understand what is actually happening at Lovelace House and get to the bottom of what everyone is hiding. The story unfolds and gets weirder (in a great way) as time goes on. I had a few guesses for what the reveal was going to be and none were right.

Marin meets the older daughter, Evie, who returns from school because one of her sisters wrote her to come home. I enjoyed the romance between the 2 of them and it felt very authentic. Evie was probably my favorite character in the book - you get an idea of her in the beginning but then she develops throughout and you learn more about how she actually is vs what she presents to the world.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy.

ARC by NetGalley and the publisher.
This novel reminded me of The Turn of the Screw with the plot while also still being its own which I enjoyed as it wasn’t just a carbon copy. I felt the book had a good balance of horror, with it still being in the YA genre making it not too terribly terrifying for a younger reader audience. I always find creepy houses with children as occupants to be even more unnerving and this book was no different. The setting of the Lovelace Estate was both intriguing and spooky with it’s haunted grounds and long family history. The romance in this book was cute and served as a nice break from all the twisty happenings. There was a nice build to the plot and all the questions that arose in this novel were answered which I found refreshing as many books I have read lately leave plot holes or cliff hangers. I did however feel as if the actual ending felt rushed, while it was still shocking and unexpected it wasn’t as creepy as I was anticipating it to be.

All the Dead Lie Down comes out May 16, 2023.

Thank you again NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was super excited to read this, given it was supposed to be similar to Bly Manor, so was so ready for a spooky house and wild characters. Upon beginning this though, I was sad to discover a lot of the major similarities between the tv series Bly Manor, that it was disappointing to me :( There are few things the author could have easily switched up to make this a more original story and I would have enjoyed it a lot more if she had taken these extra steps.

All the Dead Lie Down was such a creepy and chilling read. The writing was hauntingly beautiful and kept me on edge until the very end.

This story follows Marin, who just lost her mother in a horrific accident. Marin’s favorite horror author and mother’s childhood best friend offers her a nanny position after the accident. However, Lovelace House is rumored to be haunted or cursed by the townspeople. The children Marin is asked to care for are mischievous and quite creepy. One child is cold towards Marin and wants her gone. As Alice’s oldest daughter, Evie, returns home unexpectedly, darker and twisted things begin happening.

These characters are all well developed. Each one has a personality of their own without it feeling like it’s too much. To me, this story was equally character driven and plot focused. It was executed extremely well.

This was my first sapphic horror and it is definitely not my last. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Perfect for fans of House of Hollow.

After her mom dies, Marin's grateful for an offer from her mother's long-lost friend to move to an isolated estate to serve as a nanny for her children. Alice - a horror writer - seems haunted and distant - while the children run wild with a series of escalating pranks. Things come to head when the children summon older sister Evie back from boarding school. Marin can no longer ignore the weirdness of the house and the family, even as she finds herself drawn to beautiful, perfect Evie.

The isolated house provides the perfect slate for a Gothic horror for the ages. The dread builds slowly - starting with an uneasy feeling, a few dead birds and a family of eccentrics - then escalates to a horrifying conclusion. The sapphic romance between Marin and Evie is well done, and the characters alternate between being appealingly vulnerable and sinisterly dark.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.