This was by far the best book I've read this year. I loved the ambiance of the stories setting and the characters. It could not have been better unless it would have been just a tad darker and closer to NA vs. YA. Lord that would have been INSANE!! As it sits though this book gave me the heebee givees and I could not put it down. There is a reason George is a multi-winning author!!

This read is definitely set in the South, the Georgia Swamp area, and we find people whom have lived together for generations. Some of the happening are not what you expect, and sure not southern hospitality. There is hate and curses, and then there is the deep believing of lies, until unfortunately they become truth.

This is a time slip read, and with young women dying or coming up missing, from the same family, and in the end will Susana Prather survive?

There is hate here, and sadly lynching, but there is a hope, and in the end we have a page turner for answers! Keep reading!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Thomas Nelson, and was not required to give a positive review.

Curses and Other Buried Things was EXCELLENT. I loved the exploration of the theme of generational curses. Caroline George presented the theme in a supernatural way, but I appreciated her application to real life and encourages readers to not stay stuck in the same cycles as their families of origin. The character development was wonderful although sometimes you wanted to shake the main character for the choices she was making. Overall an enthralling story that I didn't want to put down!

I'm a sucker for Southern Gothic Horrors, and this one didn't disappoint!
Susana comes from a long line of cursed women, where each first daughter is cursed to an early death and trapped in their small town on their 18th birthday. Her family has secrets, trauma, and a long line of complicated history that ties them to the land they live on and the other people of the town.

This was an incredible exploration of what it is to be a girl growing up in a small town. You can grow up not knowing more or wanting more and just content yourself with being thought of as cursed. Everyone knows everyone in a small town, and it's easy to become what others tell you you are.
Susana is constantly drawn into the swamp that claimed every first daughter, and at the beginning, she does everything she can to stop the curse - boarding up and locking doors, enlisting help from an old friend. But none of it gives her relief. Towards the middle, we see her give into her "fate" with relief. She lets herself be claimed by the swap and accepts that it's just a matter of time until the land takes her for its own. Susana resigns herself to becoming what everyone has told her she is - she's cursed, and she's never leaving the town. After she becomes an adult, she's a lost cause. Growing up she was warned about what not to be. Don't be promiscuous. Don't talk to boys. Don't fall into the trap that your mother did - pregnant at 17 and dead. The only thing that anyone does believe about her is that she's cursed, and she believes it. She never got to discover who she was. She was never allowed to hope for a future after high school. She had accepted that there was nothing for her outside of her small town.

I think that this book won't hit the same if you didn't grow up in a small town. Small rural towns tend to eat girls up or trap them. Everyone tells you who you are before you get to discover who you want to be, and most of the time, they don't say that you're anything good. I loved this book for being spooky and gripping, but mostly, I loved it for being capturing what it can be like to be a girl growing up in a rural space.
4.5 stars rounded up - I read this during a slump, but it was a fantastic book.
Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson publishers, and the author for an eARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are wholly my own.

The book reminds me heavily of [book:Impossible|3188580] based off of myth and curses of women in a family, but this one is a leveled-up because of George's family connection to this "historical" fiction title with magic/witches. Set in the South, which is almost its own character, there is the nonlinear timeline of the past and the present with generations of women in between.

And the message is stronger than the characters and story itself because we've come so far (and still have farther to go) to understand the complexity of relationships, that people make mistakes, and that generational trauma is a thing.

Lovely story with all of the parts working together to make an impact by the end that allow reflection for the reader and a confrontation for the main character and by default the author writing about her family's past. Creative.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book. I don't know why I waited so long to read this book it was great. I really enjoyed the characters, the premise and the characters the story overall was great I read it in two sittings it had me right into the story from the first page. Highly recommend 4 stars

read if you like
-family secrets🔒
-generational curses🌾
-small town mystery🔍
-friends-to-lovers romance💛
-Georgia setting🍑
-ethereal writing📖
-dual timeline🕰️

this book was EVERYTHING I hoped it would be. full of spooky season vibes, lovable characters, slow burn plot, intrigue, romance, secrets upon secrets. A dual timeline, YA version of Where the Crawdads Sing. Similar in their twists, and settings but with a grittier swamp vibe. Pick this one up JUST in time for halloween🎃

3,5⭐️

I'm thinking how to approach this book properly. On one hand, it's gorgeously painted atmosphere of Southen US, generational trauma and family secrets, full of chilly moments. It's dark and mysterious, which were my favourite parts. On the other hand while I had breaks from reading I asked myself what are my real feelings about this title. Because it lacked something; besides the hypnotising thrillerish chapters, doomed from the beginning characters and incredibly interesting plot it wasn't a full picture. I'm not able to fully grasp what was missing, as all those things that are present in CaOBT are enough to write a great story.

Besides that, full recommendation. I've read a surprising amount of books connected to swamps and curses this year, and Caroline George did not disappoint me with her one either.

I really wanted to love this book, but the writing style and the jumps between the past and the present just confused me.

Gothic not really horror but horror-esk, and full of twists turns and so many questions. I really enjoyed reading this, there was a lot of mystery and trying to put the pieces together with th MC which I aways love. If you like darker mysterious adult books this is for you

What a brilliantly written story. This is a genre I normally wouldn’t read but I found myself loving everything about it. High praise!

This story of generational trauma and curses blew my mind! It’s so easy to believe that the past defines us and we are fated to repeat the mistakes from it. It takes bravery and strength to push through and overcome the past. This story highlighted this in such a fresh and powerful way! Susana’s story was also the story of so many others and it was powerful to me. We can break the cycle by banishing silence and move on in healthier ways!

Some books are more than beautiful or masterful. Some stories have the power to break curses.

I don’t even know how to write a review for a book this powerful, this needed for every person. There are so many books that have masterful storytelling or beautiful prose or relatable characters, but there are few books that have true power in their words.

You will just have to take my word when I tell you this book IS a literary masterpiece. I highlighted 50 quotes. That should tell you enough. But if it doesn’t… The prose is absolute perfection. Every word intentional. And the pacing is spot on; this book demanded that I soak in the story, that I read slow and let it seep into my soul.

CURSES & OTHER BURIED THINGS isn’t simply a story of a girl trying to break a curse. It’s a story that many people carry in their hearts and hide in their closets. It’s the dark parts of our pasts—both personal and generational—that we are too scared to even acknowledge. Lies we’ve been told that we think predict our futures.

“A curse is a lie you believe about yourself” and this book is about to break some curses. Because every curse can be broken. Every hurt, hangup, and habit can find recovery. And this book will likely be a stepping stone to healing for those willing to open themselves up and look the past dead in the face.

I especially appreciated how the toxicity of purity culture was woven subtly into the story—a topic that so many fear to approach out of fear. Susana’s struggle against her feelings for Godwin were a very authentic picture of how purity culture can fuel a fear of romance—the lie that if you kiss someone, you might as well be having sex, and to be attracted to someone is no better.

“Free people free other people.”
And after reading this book, I feel a little bit more free.
I feel a little bit more brave.
I feel a little bit more ready to dig up some buried things.

“Blood holds all kinds of curses. I’ve heard those words since I was in diapers.”
Susana Prather has grown up believing she’s cursed. Like all the other Susanas in her family tree she doesn’t believe she’ll make it past her eighteenth birthday. Because of this underlying belief she doesn’t allow herself to love or dream.

A few of my favorite things…
-A dual timeline. This one kept me so intrigued! It bounces between Suzanna in modern times and the original Suzanah near the time of the Civil War.
-A cat named Barney Fife and a mention of the Bonanza show.
-Caroline’s style of writing. It’s so beautiful and really pulls you in. She used a lot of words I didn’t know. I enjoyed looking them up and expanding my vocabulary. Some of it was just Southern culture I wasn’t familiar with.
-The theme of your parent’s sins and what people say about you not determining who you are.
-The theme of learning that love isn't something that has to be earned.

Know that…
-There are several mentions of teens making out, being on drugs, and getting drunk.
-There’s a lot of sadness and some descriptive deaths.
-Some minor crude language.
-Scandals with married men are mentioned.
-Karma is mentioned.
-Suicide, suicidal thoughts, and sexual abuse are mentioned.
-There is some supernatural stuff.

Concluding thoughts...
At times the teen partying, drinking and making out felt like a bit much. But in the end I think it helped tell a really important story. In the town of Berryville it seems everyone is trapped by their parent’s past and what people say of them. If someone says they’re gonna be a drug addict just like their parents they just accept it for the most part. This story overall is about rebelling against that. Rebelling against your “family curses”.

Perfect for…
Older teens and young adults in need of an intriguing story that will make them think.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Another fantastic book by Caroline George! Honestly, with each new release she has, she's quickly become not only an auto-buy author for me but one of my favorite authors. If you enjoyed either of her other books, you need to read this book!

This southern gothic tale is captivating and deeply moving. I found myself savoring each of her words, rereading lines, and whole paragraphs. This isn't a book you'll read quickly. You'll want to sit and mull it over.

The dual perspective between Susana and Suzanna is eloquently balanced and bewitching. I found myself frustrated when I had to put the book down. There was really no point where I ever wanted to stop reading the story or where it got slow. It was a constant struggle for me wanting to savor the words and take it slowly, and to also just find out what happened!

This book is a "just one more chapter" kind of book you definitely need in your life. And it has an ending that will have you on the edge of your seat and biting your nails! (And possibly screaming, unless it's late at night and you don't want to wake the house like me!)

So well written. Again, George is a fabulous writer and this story is her best yet! Highly, highly recommended!

Caroline George has such a descriptive and soulful style of writing, it pulls you right into the story in a truly immersive and cinematic way.

“Curses and Other Buried Things” is remarkable! I don’t want to spoil anything because it’s a tale that deserves to be experienced freshly. I loved how it was at turns a spooky southern gothic, a riveting historical mystery and a deeply moving family narrative set in a vibrantly realized small town. So many emotions! I felt like I knew the characters, and I cared so much about what would happen to each of them.

By the end of the book (and into the author’s notes), I was completely in tears! I relate so much to growing up in the south (and having a lot of ancestral roots there), being fascinated by family history and wishing so much that there had been more truth and light shown in places that deserved to be unhidden. I have always felt strongly connected to those who came before. The lineage that makes me who I am. Thanks to modern DNA and genealogical research, secrets have been uncovered. My own buried things. And we do indeed have a powerful choice in how we allow the past to impact our present - and future.

I’m so grateful to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing the ARC so that I could share my honest opinion. And I can’t thank Caroline enough for writing this mesmerizing story that will continue to inspire!

“Blood holds all kinds of curses.”

Beautifully written. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys southern gothic horror.

Having spent time in a small town, I can attest to the culture created by the past and the unwillingness to see the truth.

Curses and Other Buried Things is a twisted tale of this very culture and how it created an environment where our main character's odds were set against her from the start.

Angry and upset, Susana makes many mistakes, as to be expected, before setting out on a path to change her future.

Stumbling through the present, we're given a glimpse at the past and torment one family has endeared for generations.

Though an interesting and intriguing story, it didn't speak to me, which makes me a little sad.

Curses and Other Buried Things was an absolute phenomenal book! I loved this story so much. I loved that it was told from different POV's in different time periods and I felt like this helped make the book so impactful. I enjoyed Suzanna Yawn's story based in the 1800's in the Okefenokee Swamp as it followed her troubles and her "curse". This part of the story was so vivid in scenery and so heartbreakingly told that I felt like I was watching Suzanna Yawn's story as if it were a movie, I could feel her emotions the author had written this part of the story so well. It was also fascinating thinking about how someone's words can have such an impact on not only one generation but many generations of families. I also enjoyed Susannah Prather's modern story and how the curse and her ancestors story impacted her but didn't feel as strongly for her story. I loved how the author had Susannah Prather have flashbacks to her ancestors story so she understood what was happening. This was a really beautiful and well written story. A little bit magic, a little bit heartbreaking and a whole lot of finding yourself. This was one of the most memorable stories I have ever read.

4.5 ⭐️

Well, it’s been nearly two weeks & I’m still not over this story. 🥺 It left me speechless & struggling to articulate my thoughts… I’m still not sure I can put all those feelings into words.

Caroline George never fails to leave me spellbound with her lyrical prose, heartfelt themes, and relatable characters. Once again, she absolutely delivered! And the atmosphere… ahh, I had a chilly, crinkly feeling up my spine—so well done!

My poor heart was on the line the entire way through, and I don’t know if I’ve ever been so tempted to flip to the end to see what would happen. 🙈 (Don’t worry, I didn’t but this story had a serious grip on me!)

Yet beyond the gorgeous southern vibes, intriguing characters, & twisty mystery were deep truths—hard truths—and so much heart & hope. It’s a story of learning to live outside the shadows of our pasts. Of guilt & secrets. True belonging & kinship. And finding grace to grow from our mistakes.

In a way, we all have our own Okefenokee Swamps—the past that haunts us no matter how far we run. But alongside Susana, we find that’s where the Hope comes in.

An absolutely stunning tale that did my heart good! 💛


*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.