This is such a great horror novel for those who are new to horror... as for me, although there were some aspects that were gripping and suspensful, overall, this one was a bit boring. At times, the plot felt messy and the ending seemed very abrupt to me. It was enjoyable, but not my favorite horror of the year.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

3.5 stars

I really wanted to like this book because it has two very good plot twists, which I normally like, but the lead in felt a little too long. The creep factor didn't come in until about 65% in and I almost dnf'd it before that point. I'm glad that I did read the ending because it was really interesting, but I wish it had a bit less of build up.

I also wish I could say more about the book, but can't because I'll give away spoilers, which I don't want to do.

If you don't mind a slow build horror book, then I'd say give this one a try. It has paranormal scenes, true crime plot points, and is set at a creepy house of a horror movie director whose left his prime.

Harry is cleaning for a famous horror-movie director. First, off how cool it would be to work for a famous movie director where you could get to see props of some of your favorite movies all the time! That would be pretty cool.

One day, she was cleaning, and she heard voices from behind a locked door. I could feel the internal struggle she was having when she heard it. On one hand she is a single mother who can barely keep a roof over her and her son's head and food on the table so she needs to keep her job or does she get involved & possibly lose her job. She isn't really even sure she heard anything at all.

This book was not what I expected. Although, I'm not sure what I expected since I never read the synposis 🤣! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read it on the way to Legoland, on the way to Daytona, and while my kid swam at the pool. I love being the passenger princess. 🤣.

This book is set during the pandemic when restaurants are just beginning to open again. I only mention this because some people don't want to read any books set during that time.

If you like horror novels and don't mind a book set during the pandemic, check this one out. I'm marking it, Bargain.

I'm not sure I'd re-read it, but I might consider lending it to a friend so we can chat about it.

I was super excited to read this book but in kinda let me down. I enjoyed the writing style and overall premise but it was super slow and nothing really happened until like the last chapter of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

Thank you to Berkley and Christina Henry for the chance to read ‘The House That Horror Built'! I loved the previous Henry books I read AND I love the idea of a reclusive horror director living in a gothic mansion, so I expected to absolutely adore this book. I typically really enjoy the way her books are written, but this one just didn't seem to have the same style as previous works. I hate to say it, but there was just no oomph to this one. I kept double checking that it wasn't being marketed as YA, as the writing and plot came across a lot more juvenile than I can usually expect from this author. I can see how this book would be good for those wishing to dip their toes into the horror genre. I really wish I'd enjoyed it more but I look forward to hearing from patrons who are more likely to appreciate this one.

Being a horror genre fan, this title immediately drew me in but I really am not sure I’d categorize it as horror. It was more like gothic goosebumps children’s scary story with a bit of humor mixed in. In fact, if this book made it to the silver screen I couldn’t help but picture the MMC as Jack Black. Don’t let this review deceive you, it still contained a haunted gothic mansion filled with all the horror props that would give most people nightmares, on top of some kind of ghostly haunting taking place, and a poor single mom down on her luck trying to ignore the things going bump in the house while she was trying to hold on to her job to care for her son. It was entertaining and fun, but for me not scary and not as dark for my usual tastes, which is okay but what doesn’t scare me may scare you so beware!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘼 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙘 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙪𝙥𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙨.

I have such mixed feelings about this book… the premise sounded so interesting and right up my alley. I honestly had such high hopes going into it for some reason.

Unfortunately, the story just fell short for me. I really wanted to love it as the eerie feeling had me spooked and invested. Honestly, I don’t know if it was the wrong timing, but I just couldn’t focus on what was going on. I kept getting confused along the way.

I will say, that it started out super interesting and I was sold at the beginning… however, the ending just was not for me. While I can appreciate what the author was doing, it didn’t work for me.

I also felt like the story would abruptly lose me and shift too quickly - especially that ending!

I also wanted more of a scary aspect. Yes, it had the paranormal atmosphere with the creepy house, but nothing really “spooked” me. The eerie horror movie references were a great addition though!

I absolutely loved the gothic setting, but the plot was just too messy for me personally. I have mixed feelings about this one.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you Berkley publishing and netgalley for my review copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a slow slow burn. Which isn't usually a problem with this author.. Usually we have a lot of buildup or tension with the atmosphere.. but for some reason this didn't really deliver much in any aspect. If there were more sinister happenings right in the beginning of the book, it would have kept the intensity and interest more.. But for the most of the book I wasn't even sure if anything paranormal or weird will happen. Everything kind of happened really fast in the end, and we were left with that. I was disappointed to say the least.

Overall a good idea, with a great theme, but something was just missing for me and didn't win over previous books by this author.

Thank you @berkleypub and @prhaudio for the free #gifted copies of this book and including me on this book tour.

Single mother, Harry, has instilled two things in her son: 1) Respect and kindness are required. 2). There’s nothing more entertaining than a good horror movie.

After struggling to find work, Harry landed a cleaning job at an old house owned by a former horror movie director and overflowing with horror movie relics, and it didn’t sound like a bad option.

But then, as they always do, unexplainable things start happening.

With a slow build into the action, Henry took her time in painting these characters. We get a deep dive into Harry’s mind- the struggles of being a single mom, the hardship of living at near-poverty levels, and I found myself easily cheering for her and her son, Gabe.

As with most haunted house storylines, this house has a heartbeat all its own. There’s a creepiness that emanated from the movie props, making them feel as though living entities. Eeriness seemed to loom in the air of the house, but the plotline never quite reached the sense of foreboding I craved.

Though this is labeled a horror read, I found it to be more horror-light or even horror-adjacent. With no gore and little action until the last chapters, this book felt creepy rather than downright scarry. It would be a great starting point for anyone wanting to give the horror genre a try.

🎧 Narrated by Lisa Flannigan, I felt as though I was right there in Harry’s mind. From her instincts as a mother to her determination towards what’s right, Flannigan brought the essence of Harry to life. Her depiction made this a quick and easy read.

After finishing this book I can see how the ratings were not great. That being said, I did enjoy it. I believe you have to be a real thriller/ horror lover to appreciate many of the little Easter eggs and references. Many old/classic horror movies were referenced in this story and I really liked how the author paid homage to so many classics. The story was good, I was entertained and enjoyed the writing style. The one thing that I could not overlook was what a horrible nasty person our main character Harry was! Good grief she was just so needlessly snappy, nasty, judgemental, and downright rude. Ugh she really annoyed me. People went out of their way to be nice and helpful to her and she would bite their heads off! She was constantly worried about people thinking they were better than her. Other than that criticism, I enjoyed it. I think the book will have a very niche following. I will read more by this author.

Honestly one of the best parts about this book was how fast it read. I was able to finish it in less than 24 hours which is always a win in my book. Other than that the story felt very underwhelming to me. Sure there were some spooky parts that freaked me out but I felt like for the most part it was more about the main character Harry freaking out about money and where her and her son were going to live. I wanted more of the spooky haunted house and less of the mother/son relationship. I did really enjoy the plot twist at the end even though I saw it coming but I feel like the rest of the story I more or less zoned out on. I understand the meaning of the title I just wanted more ghostly happenings to occur. And if I'm being completely honest I couldn't stand the main character Harry. I get she's trying to be the independent single mom that doesn't need anyones help but I got tired of reading about the independent single mom that doesn't need anyones help.

Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group for the review copy!

Thank you so much @berkley pub for the eArc #blogstop ❤️ & thank you @prhaudio for the Alc! This was one of my most anticipated books & I’m so excited for it to be out in the world. Read this book if you like: gothic horror, houses with creepy histories, likable protagonists that you want to root for or quick horror novels that make you nostalgic for old horror movies.

I was really excited to read this book! The cover art & description were perfectly designed to elicit interest. After reading it though I will say it was an entertaining read but fell short of my expectations. I love how the book grapples with heavy topics, incorporates legends from around the world, & normalizes lgbtq+ storylines. Those reasons alone make me want to recommend that you absolutely read this book. As with any anthology some of the stories are absolutely phenomenal there are one or two I would give 5 stars to. But they’re averaged out by more mediocre stories which I could have done without. The one thing I would wish for is a more cohesive thread between the stories. The summary promised a book of stories that were connected by a single house. But aside from some throw away lines you wouldn’t know it. I think that a bigger emphasis on how the stories were intertwined with the house would have given it a bigger impact. I do think this book is a good read and very good at incorporating topics that lost ya shy away from

Thank you to @berkleypub for the #gifted copy.

I read a lot of horror. This was creepy, but not scary or gory so if you are looking for something to ease you into the genre then this would be a great start. The story fely YAish to me, but very engaging and enjoyable.

I really liked this story. It is a little slower paced with a gothic horror, but it builds to a great mystery and climax. I ended up going to purchase the paperback of this one to have the physical copy.

One of the immediate questions in horror like this tends to be "why don't they just leave" when they have that option. This book does a great job at setting up stakes and why Harry keeps going despite the strange happenings.

Figuring out if Javier is the evil or another victim adds a great layer to this story!

I had such a fantastic time reading this book! I really enjoy Christina Henry books, and her latest horror books have been so entertaining to read, and I knew that I would have a blast reading this book, and I did! The premise was interesting and I loved reading it!

The atmosphere of this book was just sinister and creepy, which was perfect for a horror book. It had me tense, and nervous for what was going to happen next, but I had to keep reading to find out, because curiosity has to be followed through in a book!

The fact that there are these voices asking for help in her employer's house? When that employer is how she's supporting her family by herself? That was just another thing to struggle with on top of the horror. Not to mention the bond that was forming between her boss and her son to further complicate things.

What ended up happening though? Yeah, that was so great to read, I was cheering for Harry to come out victorious, after all that she'd been through. All those pieces that came together worked really well. I just wish we could've had a bit more of the ending!

This was another really great story by Christian Henry and I can't wait to read more!

Unfortunately, once again a Christina Henry book started out with a great premise, characters I cared about and a great first half. Then things slowly fell apart and the book turned out to be just ok. I felt the story was wrapped up too quickly.

This is the second Christina Henry book in a row that’s been really disappointing and I’m not sure if it’s an editing issue or if she doesn’t have an editor anymore or if something else is going on. Like Good Girls Don’t Die, this one is super disjointed and doesn’t even seem to get to the real story until the back 1/4 and by that point, it doesn’t even matter because I was frustrated and bored. The idea was GREAT and I kept reading in hopes that something, ANYTHING, would be worth the effort but in the end, I finished and decided I’m not going to be reviewing her books any longer unless I hear from someone else that a particular story is really good. So sad.

Lisa Flanagan did such a wonderful job narrating this book! The depth of concern and love Henry has for Gabe was magnified by Lisa’s tone and inflections. I’m definitely adding her to my list of narrators I love!

Christina Henry’s books are perfect for readers wanting to get into the horror genre without diving right into the deep end. There is an ominous undertone and I found myself wondering what was really going on behind the scenes. Is the house truly haunted? Is Mr. Castillo really as pleasant as he seems? What the heck happened to his wife and son? So many questions! The ending wraps up nicely with some twists I didn’t expect. If you’re looking for a quick and creepy read, definitely add this one to your lists! Especially the audiobook!

Christina Henry’s latest novel, The House That Horror Built, is perhaps her least unconventional in recent years. In spite of this, it worked for me. The story captures the tradition and spirit of the best horror movies, making this one of her more enjoyable books.

Set in Chicago amidst the pandemic, Harry Adams is struggling to get by with her fourteen-year-old son Gabe after all the restaurants closed in the city, taking away her waitressing job. Desperate for work, she applies to be a house cleaner three days a week at Bright Horses, a sprawling estate owned by Javier Castillo, a renowned horror film director. Secretly, Harry is a huge fan of his work, but decides to keep quiet to give the man his privacy. The filmmaker’s life has been plagued with scandal after his only son Michael became the main suspect in a young woman’s murder. However, before an arrest could occur, Michael vanished along with his mother. Abandoned by his family, Castillo chose to live in the mansion in solitude, away from the prying eyes of the media.

At first, the job goes well. Castillo may be a reticent and curt man, but as far as bosses go, he is fair and relatively undemanding. Harry’s primary duties are to keep the house immaculate and to clean his vast collection of horror movie props, which quickly becomes routine. But then, strange things begin to occur, especially surrounding a particular costume piece from Castillo’s most famous film. The costume’s mask seems to watch Harry with empty eyes, and sometimes she thinks she can see it move and hear voices. Afraid to lose her job, she keeps quiet, even though she suspects an otherworldly presence in the house and that her employer may be involved. But when Castillo begins to take an unsettling interest in Gabe, Harry’s protective instinct sets off every alarm system in her brain.

Unlike Henry’s more recent novels like her fairy tale retellings and over-the-top horror, The House That Horror Built feels more down-to-earth and familiar. For one, the setting and the characters’ pandemic reality is something that most of us can relate to—social distancing, financial woes, and emotional strain. In Harry’s case, she is struggling to find a job, pay her rent, and keep her son in school. Her troubles lend the story more authenticity, and while some may find all this a bummer, the rawness appealed to me because it helped ground the novel’s supernatural premise in the everyday.

I also observed how character development here was prioritized over heavy messaging (Good Girls Don’t Die, I’m looking at you). Everything about Harry’s personality from her no-nonsense determination to her resentfulness and mistrust is a product of her past—a strict and religious upbringing—revealed through flashbacks which enrich the narrative. On the other hand, things are a lot less clear when it comes to Javier Castillo. Questions surround the enigmatic director, leading the reader to wonder if there is more to his decision to live alone in a creepy old mansion surrounded by his weird horror movie props.

Last but not least, The House That Horror Built is equal parts horror and mystery, which is what I enjoyed most about the book. But while it may not be a 24/7 fright fest, there is still enough atmospheric tension to keep readers invested, and despite the classic haunted house motif, the plot invites readers to explore the genre beyond cheap thrills and simple scares.

Bottom line, I appreciated the fine balance between setting, character, and plot that I felt was lacking in the author’s last few novels. In The House that Horror Built, Christina Henry has managed to capture the energy behind the fascination for haunted house stories and the horror genre in general, and it’s a passion that feels genuine and fun.