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.

A creepy, seemingly nice and generous old man and former horror filmmaker hires a single mom as his housekeeper and lets her move into his big house with her son. From the beginning Henry gets bad vibes about the house but its when her son's life comes into danger that she is forced to take action. Deliciously suspenseful with lots of Blue Beard vibes, this was a quick, fast-paced read. Good on audio, this wasn't my fav by Chrstina Henry but it was still worth picking up. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I was hoping for more gothic horror from this one, and it just wasn't doing it for me. I'm bummed that this wasn't my jam. Thanks Berkley for letting me give it a shot!

3.5 stars. This has some scary moments and the ending was twisty. Hated Harry so much. Her religious parents burned her horror books so she decides to run away?!?! Talk about extreme. Then she becomes a rather strict parent—ironic. She puts her son’s needs first but does nothing to better herself or her financial situation. The house and horror movie props are spooky and Sten is super creepy. Daniel was a great character. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC

This one is a good one that isn’t as spooky as it sounds. The suspense kept me intrigued. The story was one that was creepy and will keep you wondering, what happened?

Harry is a struggling, single mother trying to make ends meet. Her teenage son is a great kid and the two of them share a love of horror movies, especially the classics directed by Javier Castillo. Castillo has relocated to Chicago after tragedy struck his family. He requires discretion, precision and timeliness. He hires Harry to clean his house. Mr Castillo is a little odd, but Harry keeps her head down and focuses on the job, some of that entails dusting his enormous collection of frightening movie props. That is creepy enough until she begins to hear cries for help from a locked door at the end of the hall.

I could not wait to dive into this book, the premise sounded so intriguing and I started reading with high expectations. I have really enjoyed Henry’s other works, especially, “Near the Bone.” I am fine with a slow paced story as long as the ending delivers a fantastic payoff. Unfortunately this fell short for me. It. There just wasn’t enough substance and I found the characters lackluster and disjointed. There was a good story there it just took too long to get there.

2 ⭐️

Harry Adams has been a horror fan most of her life, so working as the cleaner for a famous, reclusive horror movie director--Javier Castillo--feels a bit surreal. However, Harry tries to focus on the job and the money it provides to support herself and her teenage son, Gabe. When strange events start occurring, voices behind a locked door, a moving costume figure, amongst her employer's substantial collection of memorabilia, Harry feels compelled to find answers. Is the house haunted and why?

This book feels tailored to horror movie buffs. The love of the genre is written into every word. The world of film-making is intrinsic to this novel as Harry is the stand-in for other movie lovers who are as fascinated by the people who make the movies as much as the movies themselves, yet they don’t always like what they see behind the scenes. Harry is a very likable main character, self-deprecating, very practical, but also clearly very educated about horror concepts. She is a great character to follow into a potentially haunted house because she knows all the mistakes that people make in horror movies and carefully avoids making them. Her relationship with her son is so heartwarming. The reader sees the hardships and how much Harry has sacrificed to give her son a good life, not to mention the genuine love between them. It is juxtaposed to reveals in this novel that tie intimately to the secrets Bright Horses hides. Gothic atmosphere is a strong part of this book, and the tone is more sinister than outright frightening. Readers looking for visceral, brutal horror won’t find that here. This is a slower-paced, quiet horror thriller that carefully focuses on relationships, particularly the parental-child bond. While the ending felt abrupt, the journey was very fulfilling, and it was hard to say goodbye to Harry and her son when the book ends.

The House That Horror Built is an eerie and tense read. It is a slower paced story but it keeps you engaged and on your toes throughout. There’s no big thrills or twists but it maintains the suspense. There was a feeling of nostalgia that I enjoyed. This story did not need to rely on gore or dramatics to entertain. The simplicity of the supernatural element paired with the evocative writing are enough to create fear and chills.

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Here's the thing: this worked for me in a "single mom struggling to raise son; boss is kind of weird" way. It worked less for me as "scary horror novel", but that wasn't like, a terrible thing? Just... maybe lower expectations if you're hoping for pee-your-pants creepy? I definitely felt for main character Harry- she's in a dead end job, trying to make ends meet for her and her teenage son. She takes a cleaning job with a famous horror film producer since she loves horror films, but also she's scrambling for work in a quasi-post-COVID world.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Harry and Gabe. And I also liked the way Harry was trying to come to terms with Gabe getting older and becoming more independent. As a mom, that scares the bejeezus out of me, too, so I felt that. Add to it that Javier is a little...extra. Harry doesn't feel super comfy being friendly with Javier, since he is her employer, but she acquiesces- and then immediately regrets her life choices as she and Gabe become closer to Javier (and Javier's history).

I enjoyed the mystery aspect, for it seemed to me more mysterious than thrilling, but I suppose that is just semantics. I enjoyed Harry as a character, and all the hard choices she has to make. I won't say this is my favorite novel of Henry's, but neither did I dislike it.

Bottom Line: A good mystery and character story, a bit light on the horror.

This was a really fun, unexpected read from Christina Henry! I 've found that Christina Henry really excels in writing books in many different genres and with different tones. The House That Horror Built runs more in the thriller/horror vein than straight horror, in my opinion. It's not necessarily Henry's best work, but it was perfectly entertaining and I really enjoyed how the story played out. I felt as though the ending was a bit crowded and abrupt and would have appreciated something that was a bit more drawn out, but overall I had a fun time with this one. I really liked getting to know these characters and also getting some flashbacks into some background for them.

Thank you to PRHAudio/Berkley for the ARC/ALC!

Harry Adams is a single mom of a teenage son struggling to make ends meet on the heels of the pandemic. Her job as a cleaning lady for renowned horror filmmaker Javier Castillo is a perfect fit for Harry, who loved all things scary growing up. Mr. Castillo’s mansion, Bright Horses, is filled with scary costumes and props from his frightening movies and Harry does her best to keep them all in pristine condition, clean and dusted. Everything is going as well as could be expect, until Harry begins hearing noises in a locked room. Things go from scary to scarier when Mr. Castillo begins to show an interest in Harry’s son, Gabe.

This was such a fun, atmospheric read! Part cozy mystery and part horror, the pacing was perfect and held my attention throughout. The setting of Bright Horses played a huge part in the story, with its dark corners and rooms filled with scary movie memorabilia. At the very heart of the story was the relationship between Harry and Gabe, mother and son. I adored their close knit, easygoing connection that never failed, even when times got very tough. And I had an idea where this story may be going, but there were a few twists I was not expecting! This is the second book I have read by this author and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

“The House That Horror Built” is out NOW! This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

I loved the premise of this book - and the cover? YES!
Harry Adams grew up with strict parents - and fell in love with pop culture, especially horror. A massive horror movie buff, Harry lands a cleaning job at Javier Castillo - creepy house filled with his horror director relics. I loved the personality of the house and its objects.
Javier invites Harry and her son over for dinner - beginning a sort of friendship. Harry quickly applies boundaries - but can't help returning with her son for another dinner.
The best part - they both see the creepy costume move. I really enjoyed both characters experiencing creepy of this character. Not done very often - added another dimension to their relationship.

I was looking forward to a book that would give me chills and that spooky feeling. This one unfortunately did not do that for me, it fell a little flat and left me confused. The plot was messy and all over the place, the build-up was lackluster and didn't provide the payoff it was looking for. It was entertaining but not what I was hoping for.

I absolutely enjoyed this stunning horror mystery novel about a young single Mom named Harry, struggling to provide for her bright teenage son Gabriel during the pandemic. Harry finds a job working as a housekeeper for an infamous Horror movie producer who was part of a scandal years earlier when his wife and son, who is suspected of murdering a young starlet.

This a bit of a slower burn story, but I loved how the horror was interwoven with the mother/son dynamic. I also really related to the pandemic references which were tastefully written. The creepy scenes were well placed and just enough of a teaser to keep me hooked!

Not wanting to spoil the best parts of this story, I won’t say any more other than please give this one a try! It truly was such a phenomenal book.I’m

I was very intrigued by the description of this one and when I saw Christina Henry was the author I knew I wanted to read it. Maybe I went in with too high of hopes but the book feel flat from where I hoped it would be. That isn’t to say it wasn’t a fun book it was. It wasn’t quite as creepy as I hoped it would be and it was pretty easy to figure out, but it was a fun read. The story is told in present tense and then there are chapters of both the main character Harry and Javier’s pasts. I liked the present tense the best and didn’t feel like the flashbacks added as much as I would have liked to the story. Harry is a single mother who lost her job in the pandemic but she is finally working again as a house cleaner for a very particular filmmaker. As her problems seem to increase so does her employer’s desire to get to know her better. Unfortunately she also starts to see impossible things that tell her all is not ok in her employers home and maybe not all of the horrors are leftover props. This book wasn’t bad and for a lighthearted haunting story it was ok. I think the idea just had potential to be a little more.

This was my first Christina Henry book and it sounded like everything I could have wanted. Sadly, I was seriously underwhelmed.

I liked Harry well enough. She's smart and struggling, but level headed and loyal. I enjoyed seeing her love for Gabe and how all of her actions and decisions were tempered by that love.

Plot wise it's so very slow. There's loads of inner monologue, likely seriously pages and pages of it. The build up and tension are non-existent and by the time the crazy part finally shows up, the book ends.

Overall, this book had a lot of potential, but the execution didn't work for me. I expected a lot a lot a lot more.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

The House that Horror Built is a murder mystery with a hint of the supernatural focusing on a single mom and her teenage son and her employer, a famous reclusive horror film director. The main focus of the story are the relationships and it is less about the haunting. It would be a decent entry point for a mildly creepy, but not so scary book.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for the electronic copy.

As the pandemic begins to wind down, single mom Harry takes a housekeeping job at the home of famous horror-movie director Javier Castillo. Castillo has been a recluse in his house full of movie memorabilia since a tragedy that forced him from the public eye and Hollywood. Harry, a horror movie fan herself, is content to do her job and leave, until she begins to notice strange things happening in the house. Then, her employer invites her and her son over for dinner after never speaking to her except in a professional capacity. Something is going on at the home, named “Bright Horses,” and Harry just hopes she can escape it alive.

This book is certainly an ode to horror movies, and like in a horror movie, I was sitting there thinking, “Don’t do it, Oh no, she’s going to do it…….Yup, there she goes……” It was so good in that way. Just a fun escape in that way, like a great thriller that you can sink your teeth into. I was intrigued from the beginning and wanted to know how it was all going to end.

There are some good twists and turns in there, and while I guessed some, I didn’t guess others. But I didn’t think that was a bad thing. Because like in a good horror movie, the real value of the scare is seeing the villain rise up and seeing everything really laid out on the table. And this one has some real horrors in there. It’s enough to give you the creeps and never enter a gothic mansion again.

I enjoyed this callback to some classic gothic thrillers, mixed in with the homage to the movie industry. I was really into it and loved the characters. They alone were well worth the read.

Pick this one up if you’re looking for a good, creepy read to distract you for a weekend!

Most of this book was spent depicting Harry’s financial struggles as a single mom during the pandemic. It was like the haunted house was more of a sub plot. With how much time was devoted to Harry’s life, I was disappointed by the abrupt ending with no closure on what happens to her and her son. The haunted house owned by a well known horror director was such a fun idea, I just wish this story had focused more on Javier and his family.