I would say that most of this book was trending as a 4 star read, but once I started thinking more about it, I lowered it to 3. It was overall a very fascinating story with very interesting characters.

- The format really helped this story feel like it was moving along. Roos is being investigated for murder and is telling her story to the doctor who is trying to decide if she can be tried for insanity or not.
-- This does lend itself to a very "told not shown" kind of feel at times because Roos is literally telling the doctor what happened.
- Roos and Ruth have such an interesting dynamic - exploring this was fun but also contributed to me lowering my rating in the end. I loved the complication that Ruth added as she was always around and her and Roos were a package deal. BUT when I thought about it, I am honestly a little weirded out by the relationship given that Roos was a child when the very adult and very centuries-dead Ruth connected to her. They ended up having a very intimate kind of relationship that would have been fine if Roos had always been an adult when she was around.
- Roos felt very infantile at times which was not great. She was made to act younger because of Mama, which I completely understand, but by making Roos feel younger, it then makes the relationships she has with Ruth and Agnes, both assumedly older, feel a little strange.
- The abuse Roos experienced at the hands of Mama was intense and troubling. I do appreciate how we can see the way this formed Roos in many important areas of her life.
- The relationship between Roos and Agnes was so complicated but I actually loved the buildup here. We see Roos making bad decisions but with the best intentions all because she is experiencing a new emotion and attachment to Agnes - and vice versa.
- The plot carries itself pretty slowly, but not overall boring. The constant eeriness of the supernatural lingers throughout the book and keeps you on your toes just a little.
- The ending kind of leaves it to reader interpretation - is Roos living in her own delusions or did these things regarding the spirit world really happen??

Overall, I liked the gothic atmosphere and the supernatural focus. And the central focus of this being a test of determining Roos' sanity as it pertains to the murder trial makes this feel more substantial.

This had so much promise, and I was super excited to read it; but unfortunately that excitement did not carry through the whole book. The pacing was so slow, and it felt like nothing happened. Even when things did happen, they also didn’t?

Roos has a spirit companion and is forced to do seances by her “mamma.” Mamma has her sights set on obtaining Agnes’ patronage so they can carry on with their way of life. After the seance Agnes takes Roos on as a companion in her secluded home she shared with her SIL.

I was thinking things would start happening once Roos moved into the house, but eh. The last 20-ish% has you thinking something wild is going to happen, but still it doesn’t which was disappointing. I was hoping for so much more with this one.

This is a DARK story and it's so well done. It builds from unsettling to all out chaos.

The imagery that the author uses is perfect at setting the atmosphere. The dynamic of Roos and Ruth is hard as Ruth at times protects Roos but is also a source of pain and terror.

I loved used the psychological evaluation as a plot device, rather than villainizing mental health as the reason that this has occurred.

Overall I think this was a great story!

I don't know what I was expecting when going into this book but I was not expecting to walk away with a new all-time favorite... This book was so beautifully written and so heartbreaking that I actually had to force myself to finish it, because I just didn't want it to end! My heart breaks endlessly for Roos and Agnes and I will forever think about them. The traumas they experienced may have sculpted them into who they were during the book but it would never take away their flames and I just loved that. It has been so long since I have loved a book this much and even longer since a book has made me cry as much as this one, and I am eternally grateful that I got to experience this story. Anything this author writes in the future will be an autobuy and hopefully a favorite, I am anxiously waiting for more!

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this copy in exchange for my review.

I was completely enthralled by My Darling Dreadful Things. It's a slow burn, following Roos Beckman, a young woman that has a spirit companion and performs 'seances' with her mother. At one of these seances Roos meets Agnes Knoop and the two form an instant connection, but after an invitation to Knoop's estate, long buried secrets come crawling out.

An amazing piece of sapphic gothic horror. Loved this.

My Darling Dreadful Thing had a lot of potential - a gothic setting and dark atmosphere, a crumbling family estate, séances… a spirit companion! But sadly it didn’t fully live up to my expectations.

We follow the character of Roos, who holds séances with her mother, giving the impression of being a powerful medium. The truth is that she has a spirit companion who she lets possess her during these séances to help deliver all the theatrics! Having a spirit companion actually sounds pretty cool - being able to see and communicate with the undead (in a non-creepy way). Roos, however, is not treated well by her mother and after a wealthy widow offers to buy Roos, her mother accepts. So off she goes to live with this widow in a gothic and intriguing crumbling estate.

I don’t think this is meant to be YA, but it read like YA to me (cue Seinfeld - not that there’s anything wrong with that - but it’s just not my vibe). From what I remember Roos is actually early 20s but she read much younger to me - maybe as a result of her abusive history - either way, the prose read quite simplistic at times.

Some effectively creepy imagery and the time period of the 1950s in the Netherlands were the aspects of this book that I really enjoyed. There is also a sapphic romance that injected some heart into the story! Worth checking out if any of this appeals to you - especially for that stunning cover! 3 stars.

I’m not usually into gothic stories but I was obsessed with this book. Its spooky, has some dutch history woven in which was fun for this dutch reader. There was some triggering content relating to childhood trauma, but written in a way that doesn’t linger in the trauma but rather in the result. The sapphic love story made it even better. A really atmospheric novel.

👻Book Review👻
*
Summary; Spirits are drawn to salt, be it blood or tears.
Roos Beckman has a spirit companion only she can see. Ruth—strange, corpse-like, and dead for centuries—is the light of Roos’ life. That is, until the wealthy young widow Agnes Knoop visits one of Roos’ backroom seances, and the two strike up a connection. 
Soon, Roos is whisked away to the crumbling estate Agnes inherited upon the death of her husband, where an ill woman haunts the halls, strange smells drift through the air at night, and mysterious stone statues reside in the family chapel. Something dreadful festers in the manor, but still, the attraction between Roos and Agnes is undeniable. 
Then, someone is murdered.
Poor, alone, and with a history of ‘hysterics’, Roos is the obvious culprit. With her sanity and innocence in question, she’ll have to prove who—or what—is at fault or lose everything she holds dear.
*
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*
My Thoughts- this book was so good! It was the perfect blend of spooky and historical fiction! I loved each character and really felt for Roos. This book is totally unique and in some sections it genuinely freaked me out 😂. I loved the relationship between Roos and Agnes and seeing Roos finally be able to be her own person. It was a really cool dark blend of different genres. Overall this book was fantastic, I highly recommend it for horror and historical fiction fans. It reminded me of Mexican Gothic or La Hacienda. But it was totally unique and fun!
*
QOTD- do you believe in ghosts ?! I’m a sceptic myself 👻
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#bookreview #bookrecommendations #mydarlingdreadfulthing #johannavanveen #bookstagram #booksofig#booksofinsta #bibliophile #bookobsessed #bookaddict #bookaesthetic #horrorbooks #horrorreads #horrorbookstagram

🕯️My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna Van Veen 🕯️

Thank you @poisonedpenpress, @johannavanveen1997 & @netgalley for this amazing Arc!

"I can't think right now. If I do, I'll think and feel too much."

Pages: 375
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book Goal 2024: 57/100

This is the kind of ghost and possession story everyone needs!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 I’ve read my fair share of haunts, spooky stories and books that should give you the willies but normally a ghost book will fall flat for me.

Often they are too “silly” or unrealistic. But the way Ruth (👻) is just a part of Roos as a main character makes this one believable. Oddly enough…This one is a gloomy gothic tale that I didn’t know would have a nurturing peaceful atmosphere included in the story line.

What you will find in My Darling Dreadful Thing
✨Séances
✨Spirit Companions
✨Murder
✨Love story
✨LGTBQ+
✨ Multi Timeline with an investigation

My darling dreadful thing is already out and can be added to your TBR now! If you’re a horror fan, I would snag this one!

"There's a reason the word 'haunting' is rarelv used in a positive way. To never be free of someone, well, that's not always a comfort."

#netgalley #review #read #0to100 #mydarlingdreadfulthing #reads #reading #booknerd #booksbywomen #books #book

I absolutely flew through this book. It was written so well. I was absolutely obsessed from beginning to end.

A sapphic horror that manages to be soft and romantic as well as horrifying. The description of rotting dead bodies is definitely horror-based, but it's not really scary, and in fact often done with love. Overall, a horrifying but still emotional and hopeful story that focuses a lot on death and abuse and trauma.

Holy crap, this was fantastic!! I went into it not realizing how sapphic the vibes were, and was definitely pleasantly surprised. I loved the way so much heart and emotion was woven in this otherwise creepy, weird little book -- I don't think I've ever read anything else like this, and I didn't at all expect how invested I'd become in the story about Roos and her creepy friend.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC of ‘My Darling Dreadful Thing’. To say I devoured this sapphic book would be an understatement. I loved this story so much it consumed me. This is the exact horror book I have been searching for. I love the representation in this story. Everything was done so elegantly and yet horrifying it was *chef kiss*. I hardly read the synopsis of this story, and honestly I think it was better that way. I had no idea where this story was going and it was perfect. The ending felt satisfying. this story has everything I wanted; horror, sapphic romance, madness, mystery. Highly recommend!

The main thing I can give this book credit for is being an incredible "slump breaker". Nothing was capturing me for quite some time and right from the start, I loved this book. This is one of the creepiest atmospheric novels I have read. Our main character, Roos, is such a complex person and I loved learning more as the story progressed. Overall, a very spooky time.

“My Darling Dreadful Thing” is a unique and unsettling read, blending gothic elements with eerie undertones. Roos Beckman's strange bond with a specter named Ruth sets the stage for a chilling narrative filled with ambiguity and mystery. As Roos navigates her past involvement in seances and her present circumstances under Dr. Montague's scrutiny, the line between reality and illusion blurs, creating a creepy and atmospheric tale. With a well-crafted plot and engaging character dynamics, this book keeps readers guessing until the end.

Rating: 3.5 stars.

Grateful to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

I got an ARC of this book.

Woah. This was woah.

Everything from the cover to the way it was written was made perfectly for me. I can’t even express how much I adored this book. It was dark. It was weird. It wasn’t excessive. It was the exact sort of horror that I would binge and not even notice I had.

The book is told from the perspective of a young adult girl who had been abused all of her life by her maternal figure. It is unclear if this woman is actually her mother or not, which is just part of the abuse she faced at the hands of Mama. Some of the abuse was typical and easy to TW against (forced eating disorders for example). The others fit the world more. There was locking Roos into the floor so she can pull off fake seance events. The first chunk of the book really hammers home just how abusive Mama is, but it is the only thing that Roos has ever really known. Then throw in Ruth. Ruth is what changed the book from creepy to perfect.

Ruth is Ruth. She defies description in a way that is effective. I could tell you about her, but she is still amorphous in looks and plot and yeah. She is fascinating and Ruth might be my favorite character, if she really is a character. That is how fun the unreliable narration gets. Ruth for sure exists for Roos, but does she really exist? It is not clear. The story has a transcript of an interview conducted by the psychiatrist and his notes. It gives some perspective and some foreshadowing to what happens. It is wild. That slight medicalization was a wonderful touch. It is clear that even if Ruth is not real, Ruth does not cause distress so does her existence really matter in the scheme of metal illness? Wonderful!

I could go on and on about this book and never say anything that would make any sense. Even if I was to get specific, this book is weird enough that it would require context and such to really make sense. I suggest just diving in. It isn’t difficult to follow, but it does meander. It is not a fast horror. It makes you wait and experience all the scents of horror.

Clearly influenced by the Master of the Macabre, Edgar Allan Poe, Johanna Van Veen masterfully officiates a most unholy marriage of the macabre, the supernatural, and the tragically beautiful in her debut horror novel, My Darling Dreadful Thing. One of Poe’s most haunting tales, The Fall of the House of Usher, provides the gothic architecture Van Veen builds from. She builds her own harrowing house of horrors and skillfully incorporates new surprise rooms and trap doors for the reader to discover, successfully resurrecting an old story with new twists to haunt the masses. Similarities immediately visible include a thematic presence of claustrophobia and isolation, death and decay, and myth and madness. The Rozentuin, the decaying family manor, is also likened to a living and breathing thing, dying out with the end of the Knoope bloodline. As expected, the Knoope siblings, Thomas and Willemijn, are uncomfortably dependent on each other and so emotionally entangled together the reader immediately detects the symptoms of a sick, incestuous relationship between the two. Thomas’ wife, Agnes, is revolted by their relationship but stays for her fondness of the family manor and meager prospects should she divorce her husband.

Roos Beckman appears to be a powerful spiritual medium, easily subverting critics and holding steadfast believers bewitched with her preternatural gifts during staged séances held at her mother’s house. Roos has her Ruth, a spirit companion whom she permits frequent bodily possessions to deliver the expected theatrics during these sessions. Roos’ Mama exploits her child’s “madness” for capital gain by hosting these séances to prey on grief, financially consuming the most severely afflicted individuals with mortally wounded and agonized souls. Living in the Netherlands during the 1950’s, Roos should have some level of independence and have access to a few promising avenues for her future as a young woman, but her Mama has isolated and controlled her so totally, she is instead half starved, both physically and mentally, with no regular food or knowledge of the world. Agnes Knoope is a wealthy widow who first appears as a potential patron Mama is trying to impress, but during the séance where Roos pretends to channel Agnes’ dead husband with Ruth’s help, things go far beyond what was initially planned. Agnes offers to outright buy Roos, and disgustingly, Mama sells her daughter. As fearful as Roos is to leave, she’s also hopeful and suspicious that Agnes can see and feel much more than she’s admitting to.

When Roos and Ruth arrive at the Rozentuin with Agnes, Thomas Knoope is already dead, and there is a mysterious, intractable illness plaguing Willemijn Knoope, swiftly ushering the last living member of the Knoope family tree to a premature grave. Roos and Ruth are finally happy and starting to allow themselves to feel happier things in life, but they can’t escape a creeping feeling there is something sinister a foot at the Rozentuin, one that Agnes is fearful of acknowledging at all and Willemijn delights in provoking. This is a propulsive page turner since the author does such an excellent job at crawling under the reader’s skin using tantalizing clues and grotesque incidents around the house. Her writing is dissonantly lyrical and darkly atmospheric, which effectively conveys a peculiarly unsettling tone throughout the book. Roos and Agnes’ relationship is one sapphic love story that seems damned from the very beginning, but it is so lovely and gentle and true, even death will have trouble holding them apart. For her love of Agnes, Roos is desperately trying to fix what may be wrong, but the harder she tries, the deeper she digs into dark, derelict spaces she doesn’t belong, and before long, reality is cracking, time is running out, and death will come knocking to be let inside…Echoing Poe, Van Veen buries the reader in some archly disturbing truths, but she tunnels even deeper into the reader’s psyche by deftly conducting a postmortem examination on something we are all dying to possess but fearful to keep---love. I can’t give enough praise for this book, and as a hopeless romantic, I need some time to stitch back together my own bleeding heart and mourn for Roos and Agnes. Read this book. Its horrifying but also tragically, queerly beautiful.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC and the opportunity to share what I think! All opinions are my own. Publication date was May 14th! I have posted this review to my Goodreads account, in addition to my FB group, The Book Banquet, and retailer websites.

All the Gothic tropes are here and then some, in an unusual story. The time period is supposed to be 1950s, but could easily be Victorian, in both setting and language. The world is experienced mostly through the narrator’s eyes and the reader is left to discern fact from fiction, or what is real vs delusion. The book is well written and paced, kept me reading and left me guessing.

I enjoyed the background and inspirations for this story. I loved the eery vibe and liked the context. It had many things packed into it. I did not care so much to being told everythng so there seemed to not be much suspense. I wanted to know the characters better as well. over all i would say it was cool and good but for myself not fantastic. I liked it so wanted more too it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This is my honest review.

When I first picked this up I was intrigued because the premise reminded me so much of the movie Crimson Peak and honestly, it still does. It had the same creepy, morbid atmosphere. There is a mystery shrouded in death and hauntings. Our main character Roo, can see and speak with the dead. And Agatha and hers relationship is so tender and sweet.

I have to say, I wasn't sure I was going to like this. I don't like investing my time in stories with so much sadness, but Roo's Sprit Companion, Ruth, arguably made it all worth it. Even with the similarities to Crimson Peak as well as others have said The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe, I still felt this book was wholly unique, unsettling, morose, and disturbing. The fact that it's also just unapologetically queer made it all the better.