It’s hard for me to pass up a horror novel – especially with a cover like this one. Full confession – when I was a young girl my mom, without asking for my opinion, redecorated my bedroom with Holly Hobbie pink and white gingham. That was an entirely different situation than portrayed in this book, but no less of a horror story for me.

After Evie’s parents’ divorce, she, her mother, and younger brother relocate to a small town and move into an old house that’s been in the family for many years. Even though the locals call it Horror House, it’s rent free which works perfectly for their current finances. The house has your standard creepy attic and cellar, and it’s not long before Evie starts hearing voices. Despite that, she’s interested in learning more about the house’s history and uncovering what might have happened to Holly Hobbie. She disappeared from her bedroom, now Evie’s bedroom, years ago without a trace. In exploring the house Evie discovers an old chest in the attic containing Holly’s diary that sheds more light on her disappearance and an old doll – that speaks to Evie.

Besides all the chilling happenings in the house, Evie’s family isn’t in the best place right now – her mom’s new job requires long hours, her younger brother is hanging out with troublesome new friends, and none of them are handling the divorce well. She’s also being threatened by a mean girl at school over a boy and begins to react to situations in uncharacteristic ways. Evie turns to her psychic aunt who also lives in town, but refuses to go into the Horror House. She performs a tarot card reading for Evie that parallels what’s currently happening along with disturbing results for her future.

This is a light horror read that felt more like middle grade than YA to me, and I’d recommend it for the lower end of the YA spectrum. For some reason I thought it was a standalone, but it ends on a cliffhanger and another book is coming. I’d recommend this for readers who prefer their horror more eerie than terrifying.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a digital copy ARC of this book and the opportunity to read and review based on my own personal opinions. 


please note, I am fairly picky about the books I choose to read and don't always jump on the most popular buzz of books being thrown around online. Between the description and the cover, I was very interested in reading this book.


This book is said to be a nod to a beloved classic Holly Hobbie reimagined with a dark twist.  😏Color me intrigued... 

🌑This YA Horror (leaning more toward younger than adult) revolves around teenager Evie Archer who moves from the big and busy city of New York to the small quiet New England town of Ravenglass, Massachusetts, with her mother and brother after her parent's divorce.  This is meant for a fresh start for the family in an old abandoned family home previously owned by her mother's Aunt and Uncle. Her new home however is known in the local community as the "Horror House" and small towns tend to talk.  Yikes! 😲


👤The home has a dark past after learning about Holly Hobbie, who vanished from her bedroom one night.  This mystery starts to weave itself into Evie's life and a strange shadow starts following her everywhere.  What happened to the lost girl?  What's real?  Things start getting strange as soon as she arrives in this sleepy little town.  Trying to fit in as the new girl is hard enough, but being the new girl living in a haunted house is challenging.  Evie also struggles with her relationship with her mother but this story is from her POV so you only see what Evie feels regarding her mother's disregard to the rumors of ghosts.  


😱Traces of Holly linger in the Horror House and slowly begin to take over Evie's life as she struggles to get answers to her disappearance. A strange shadow follows her everywhere she goes, and Evie starts to lose sight of what's real and what isn't the more she learns about "The Lost Girl".  A teen who is thrown into a new school trying to make friends, dealing with a broken family, and a house with a dark past that hasn't seemed to go away over time. Can Evie find out what happened the night of Holly's disappearance, or will history repeat itself and confirm its wicked nickname "The Horror House" given by the people in this little town? 


👀I don't know about anyone else, but in my own personal experience, I have had odd feelings of being watched and in some cases, I was and saw the person staring at me.  At other times no one was there but I still got that same feeling which is super icky, to say the least.  This book has that creep factor which makes it more interesting for me.  It goes at a medium pace with all sorts of odd things happening but then a little slower in the middle but be patient, it ends with a banger.  


😵Beware because this is the first book and there is a cliffhanger which I should have expected since it said #1 after the title online, but if you just look at the cover you may think it's a stand-alone book.  I hope that the other characters in this story are more developed in the second book because they weren't quite there in this first book which lowered my rating.  I do like a bit more when it comes to characters in a book otherwise they are forgotten as the story progresses. They might be in the second book and this first book scratched the surface of their involvement with Evie.  


🙀Based on the title and cover it may intrigue people looking for an adult horror but this book is not geared for the adult horror reader. If that is what you are looking for, this isn't for you.  Since I enjoy all sorts of genres, regardless of this leaning more toward a younger audience, I found it entertaining and look forward to the next book.  Side note, anything I rate a 3 or above I feel is worth reading. 


💭Final thoughts, this is a great book to read during the spooky season or listen to on audio with your friends for a spooky sleepover weekend (if it's offered in audio) for middle-aged kids. Honestly, I think if this is offered in audio form I will get it because the spooky factor is typically much better when listening to it in my opinion. Especially if they add some light spooky music in the background during the creepier parts.

Fully enjoyed this one! It was just the right amount of spooky. Holly Horror is perfect for the upcoming fall weather and spooky season!

In the small town of Ravenglalss sits an old abandoned house known The Hobbie House, but the people who reside there have been calling it The Horror House because of its haunted history. Evie’s parents divorced, and instead of downsizing in New York, her mom decides to move into her cousin’s old house, The Hobbie House. Evie’s aunt, Martha, has hired help to keep the house clean over the years, but she’s never felt comfortable stepping inside because of the strange energy coming from within.

There used to be a happy family that lived in Hobbie House years ago, but after their fifteen year old daughter vanished, they left their belongings and fled. The same thing happened over one hundred years ago to another family that lived in the home. Could the same thing happen to Evie?

The moment I saw the book cover, the description, and the artwork throughout the book when I read the first look on bookishfirst, I knew I would be hooked! I wouldn’t read this book at night because it will terrify you with its ghosts, spirits, and talking dolls.

I don’t want to give too much away about the storyline; but the characters were lovable, the setting was eerie, and Evie takes it upon herself to solve a decade old mystery even if the spirits try to take her too! It ended on a cliffhanger which the author executed amazingly; giving readers a glimpse of what’s next in the sequel, The Longest Night, which publishes next year!

3.5 Stars.
I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

First, this novel is getting a lot of bad reviews because at times it does seem to read like a Young Reader novel, rather than YA. I agree is some aspects that you can tell this author went from young reader and is attempting to get into YA, I would almost say this novel is like a young YA novel.

Second, although at times it reads as a young reader novel, the creep factor in this novel is GOOD! Super creepy and made my jaw drop and gasp out loud a few different times! Bravo!

The reason I gave it 3.5 stars as opposed to higher is because the creep factor was really good, it did read a little young for what I like in YA, however, it was intriguing and kept me entertained and wanting to continue the book. That is always a good sign. The ending was definitely one of those jaw dropping moments..... I don't know if I will pick up the next book, to be honest. I am a bit intrigued to continue the story, however, unsure if I will be impatiently waiting. Good, creepy novel over all!

3.75 rounded up to a 4!

I really enjoyed this! There was a bit at the end that I was a little confused by and exactly how the spirit world works, but I think all of that will be answered in future books. I completely ignored the fact that this was a series and was NOT expecting that insane cliffhanger! I feel like this book had some really compelling characters and I was shocked at how high stakes it felt. This is exactly what I love about YA horror and the creeping sense of dread that this book brought to the table.

Like I said, there were a few plot issues that confused me and sometimes the story dragged a bit in the middle of the book, but overall, I really enjoyed it and can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

Evie hopes for a fresh start in Massachusetts after her her parents painful divorce. But her new home, along with its name the Horror House isn’t looking as promising as she thought. There’s the story of Holly vanishing from her bedroom one night and traces of her still longer. Evie decides to solve what really happened in her new house.

This put me in the mood for spooky season! It has the classic tale reimagined and made modern. A haunted house and clues to solve make for such a paranormal adventure. I mean who doesn’t want to be their own ghost Hunter.

The concept and writing were very addicting and kept me reading. If I didn’t have an early morning I would have just finished it in one sitting. There were times Evie’s actions were a bit annoying, but we learn more about her and how in ways she felt like her and Holly were the same. There are some slow pacing but I felt it was needed to build the atmosphere.

All in all, I really enjoyed this YA horror.

I loved this book! It was so creepy and kept me on the edge of my seat anticipating what would happen next. A lot of what happened could have been avoided if some of the characters were more honest with each other. I wanna know what happens next so badly!!!!

A great ghost story and perfect for the fall season coming up! I'd definitely read it again. I found the plot to be engaging and it was very atmospheric.

First of all, I love this cover.
Second, I also loved this book.

Is it the predictable story of “parents split and one parent and kids moves into an old haunted house” totally yes. But the writing is good and the characters were great.

I enjoyed the mystery of the house and of Holly herself. The author does a great job of slowing whittling away at Holly until she only has one way to turn.

So yes it is predictable but that doesn’t make the book bad. If you are looking for a ya horror, then give this a try.

What I loved about this book was the slow build up of the spooky elements. It's almost as we're being haunted as the book progresses. The atmosphere is perfect with its small town, haunted house vibes!

Evie was a good MC, she has a lot of struggles and you can feel for her and understand some of the decisions she makes even when they're the wrong ones. We get friendships, a very cute romance, and lots of spookiness.
This book had all the small town creepy vibes that I live for!

The ending had me shocked! I’m really excited for the second book. If you love spooky, haunted house, ghost stories don't delay pick this up today! This was such a creepy but fun read! I was hooked the entire time!!!!

This was an easy 5 star book!

Wow this was a fun read. I was a little disappointed in the ending because i felt like the book was building and building to some huge revelation but that wasn’t what we ended up getting. I understand that the author wants to continue the series, but we could have gotten SOME answers.

I think the ending really let the book down and while i want to find out what happens next, i don’t know if the story enraptured me enough to count down the days until the sequel comes out.

Great spooky read and great read for younger audiences.

3.5 stars

This was a fun spooky read. All in all it was well written and gave me chills. After I started reading, I did find out there was going to be a sequel and maybe it was cut too short to make that sequel? It felt like there was not a lot of character development. However I am curious to read more of Evie’s story in book 2 and learn more about her past and the eery things that are going on in her life.

This book was a great read! I enjoyed the creepy atmosphere. This was a nice ghost story. Overall, I would reccomend it. Special Thank You to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy prior to publication.

A very good start for a series, 'Holly Horror' follows Evie as she moves to a new house with her mother and younger brother. The house is believed to be haunted, but even tho everyone in town has that belief, no one actually believes it.

I liked the way the author painted this small town, because, honestly, that's how they are.

The characters, even the ones with just a scene, are well-written and none of them feels flat.

The descriptions are great, the scary ones gave me chills.

The pace was good, no info dump.

It gets 4* mainly because of the last plot twist that had me say 'oh, shit' out loud.

I can't wait to read the next book!

"Maybe when things lie dormant for too long, either above our heads or below our feet, people worry about what might come skittering through the cracks, or grow, or wake."
Haunted, creepy and mysterious house full of secrets, ghosts, a randomly singing doll and a cat named Schrödinger who appears out of nowhere. I was captivated by the cover and the description and loved how chilling the story was sometimes, also fun and thrilling.
“Your voice may be quiet, but your spirit is loud. And loud spirits tend to attract attention. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good.”
I did guess some of the twists, but still enjoyed the way they were shown.
The ending definitely promises that next book will be even more fun and creepy and I'll be there for it!

Welp. That was nice and creepy and leaves you on a cliffhanger! I enjoyed this one and even had to set it aside at times because it creeped me out. I didn't realize it was going to have another book and I'm totally on board with it.

If you're looking for a spooky read I recommend you pick this on up!

This was an excellent spooky YA story perfect for the October season. I loved the little town that Hobby House resides in and our main character as she tries to navigate her way around a new place, new school and the haunting in her new home. There were many scenes that were chilling and just down right creepy. This book was well written with characters you root for and others you don't, and you can never say no to spooky children. Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Ghoulish Ghosts!
16yo Evie and 10yo Stan just moved into Hobbie House in Ravenglass, Massachusetts with their divorced mother. The locals call it Horror House because of a death and disappearance happening to its residents. The story alludes to something that happened to Evie in the past and one of the reasons the family of three moved to have a better life. Evie sees a shadow, hears voices and sees creepy things that make her feel that the house is haunted. When the hauntings start taking over her life, danger comes for Evie and Stan. When Stan goes missing, Evie does everything in her power to find him.
Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the spookiness of the story. I like how the author portrayed each family member as individuals with different personalities and issues. I like the evolution of the mystery.
Language: PG for 22 swears and no f-words.
Mature Content: PG for brief kiss.
Violence: PG for mention of death by shotgun wound, no details.
Ethnicity: Evie is white. Desmond is black. Tina is Latina and Birdie is Korean.

Horror House has a bit of a reputation in the town of Ravenglass, Massachusetts. Horror House is Evie Archer’s new home, where she lives with her mother and brother after her parents’ divorce. Evie hopes that this will be a fresh start for herself and her family, but Horror House and Holly, The Lost Girl, have different plans. Determined to uncover the truth about the house and Holly’s disappearance, Evie soon finds herself wrapped up in more than she may be prepared for.

Holly Horror is a gripping, twisted young adult novel that I enjoyed. It jumped right into the tale and didn’t let go. It is a fast-paced novel and I liked the inclusion of things such as text messages to help in the telling of the story. I enjoyed the characters and the honesty in their feelings, motivations and actions. I was hooked into the mystery surrounding Holly and The Patchwork Girl and traveling with Evie on the path towards the truth. Holly Horror is a wonderful young adult horror story.