A quick, easy read with an underlying, unsettling tension woven throughout. I love when a setting becomes as much a character as the people living in it, and this story succeeded in bringing that to life.

I love Christina Henry - this was a lighter horror novel and a little slower paced but still grabbed my attention! Full review coming shortly after blog tour!

Title: The House that Horror Built by Christina Henry
Publication Date- 05/14/24
Publisher- Berkley Publishing
Overall Rating- 5 out of 5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. My goal for this review is to help you understand what to expect and why I enjoyed it. This is the story of a single mom who is cleaning the home of a reclusive director. That’s a short sentence isn’t it? However this story is more of a family story than anything else. It’s the story of Harry Adams, a single mom trying to make ends meet while she raises her teenage son Gabe. It goes back and forth in time from the past to the present but the majority of the story takes place in the present. Harry is cleaning the home of Javier, a horror film director whose wife and child went missing years ago. Since then, he’s been in new reporting and has become somewhat notorious. As time goes on Harry starts to notice strange things happening with all of Javier's movie props.

This is not an extremely thrilling story, it’s more of a literary horror. I think if you go in thinking you will be on the edge of your seat, you will be disappointed. I really enjoy slower moving books, especially when I find them relatable to my own life and a lot of this was. Harry and Gabe remind me a lot of my Mom and I’s relationship. One of the fundamental things that shaped me as a human was being raised by a single Mom. When that’s done well in a book, I’m likely to love it.

This is eerie and spooky at times. The writing was entertaining, I never felt bored or like the story was becoming dull. I can see why some others may feel that way but I think because of the personal connection of the family elements and my newfound love of horror, I just all around really enjoyed this and I hope you will give it a try.

The premise of this book was phenomenal! Loved the idea of a single mom working for a horror director and she loves horror herself. The story had me on the edge of my seat and it was uniquely written. Go in with an open mind and have fun with it. I wish there was a little bit more to it but overall it was a solid story.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to review!

Harry is a single mother, struggling to pay her bills while trying not to ruin her son’s(Gabe) life with all of her worries. She finally has a good job, cleaning for Javier Castillo, a famous movie maker. Circumstances have made him almost a recluse, and his house is full of props from all of his successful horror movies. When he takes an interest in Gabe, Harry just might have gotten a bit lucky. That is until the house seems to be possessed or is Harry just losing her grip on reality. Besides numerous things that go bump in the night, what actually happened to Javier’s wife and son? I started to have an inkling about what might be going on, but to be perfectly honest, I just wasn’t sure. A book that made me think either the house was haunted or the people inside. Not to tread into spoiler territory, but this was another case of my shaking my head at the things people will do.

This one was fun and kept me biting my nails until the very end.

I am so thankful to Berkley Pub, Christina Henry, Netgalley, and PRHaudio for the #free audiobook and digital access to this haunted flick before it hits shelves on May 14, 2024.

Harry has loved horror movies and lore for her entire life, and after being ostracized by her family for her obsessions, she's cast to the streets, pining after cheap rent and a good job to care for her son. After accepting a house cleaning role for esteemed horror movie director Javier Castillo's foreboding Chicago mansion (Bright Horses), she's thrust back into her childhood dream come true. Foreboding is an understatement for Bright Horses, as this home quite literally has ghosts haunting its very presence.

Deadset on remaining professional and keeping her job, Harry turns a blind eye to the moving props and distant cries for help. Not long before her son also takes a liking to the home, and they are invited over for regular dinners at the Castillo household, which forms a friendship that eventually becomes a caretakership. Mr. Castillo has a dark past, and so does nearly every resident of this gothic mansion. Secrets can't stay hidden forever, and the truth of it all will shock you to your core.

Harry works cleaning the mansion of reclusive horror film director, Javier Castillo, moving through the house and cleaning his collection of horror movie memorabilia with very little personal connection to her boss. She figures he wants his privacy, given that he recently relocated to Chicago after his wife and son disappeared, and keeps her distance. But when Javier finds out that she has a son of a similar age to his missing son, he becomes more and more interested in Gabe, blurring the boundaries between employer and employee. And Harry starts to see and hear odd things in the house, which escalate as Javier and Gabe grow closer.

Henry does a good job developing Harry's character and point of view, providing solid foundations for her beliefs and behaviors through backstory and characterization. The other characters are less well developed, though that makes some sense given that the story is almost entirely told through Harry's experiences and thoughts. Unfortunately, the pacing and balance is uneven and the atmosphere not developed enough for me to have felt Harry's unease and fear. Though weird things start happening fairly early in the novel, there is too much downtime between those events and too much "normal life" intervening to build tension well. The story kept me reading, but I wanted more action and more tension than it ended up giving and the big action and reveal happens so late in the novel that it feels like a let down. Good potential but disappointing for me.

Thank you to Berkeley and NetGalley for the opportunity to read The House That Horror Built early in exchange for a review.

A single mother working in the house of her favorite reclusive horror director discovers dark secrets that might answer the suspicious murder accusations that have haunted the director years ago... but it might cost her. Harry Adams adores horror movies and it's no coincidence she ends up with a job cleaning the house for her favorite movie director Javier Castillo. Javier is famous because of the suspicious death of his son... who was also accused of murdering a girl. As Harry works in the house strange sounds and things begin to happen, she begins hearing a voice calling for help... but she knows Javier lives alone so who could it be or what? The longer she stays in the house the more she begins to question what happened to Javier's family. Told from present (Harrys pov) and past (Javier's pov), the story unravels the mystery of what is happening in the house. It was kind of like modern day Jane Eyre but there is no romance at all. It was an easy read but it felt a bit slow at certain points and there really was no horror or kind of fear, it definitely felt like a thriller mystery.... but slow. It's okay and I think it would make a good read for people who want a house mystery and not any horror.

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This book went in circles at points and could have been edited down to be less redundant. As a reader, we know Harry doesn't have money, we know she puts her son first, etc. It doesn't need to be over explained so many times throughout the book. Also, although Harry was a strong Mother, I wasn't endeared to her character and couldn't quite connect with her. There was just something missing for me.

I did feel pleasantly surprised that the story went in a supernatural direction that I wasn't anticipating when I started it. I had to know how the story would all wrap up and that kept me reading even though the pace wasn't very fast.

It had some good creepy parts but I wouldn't call this a horror novel. It's more of a slow burn suspense story. I wish the ending had been more satisfying for me...I don't know. I think I just had different expectations for it.

I am so conflicted about this book! My biggest response is also the strangest: this would make a fantastic movie. Although writers are always advised to show rather than tell, this has SO MUCH showing that would translate well to a visual. Some of the tension and dread that was missing in reading it, that made it feel slow, would be perfection in a movie. I would leave a theater after watching this feeling awful but in the good way. A feel bad movie. But it makes for kind of a boring book.

Except I can't say that firmly either - Harry is an interesting character, always trying to check her own paranoia and effects of life trauma against logic, rationality, and reality, and falls into the classic horror trap of trying to avoid a horror trap. She's a great mom, and her son Gabe is a truly lovable teen character. I love that the parent and the child work together when it comes to the haunting, and the way Harry chooses truth woven with protection. Their relationship is excellent, and was the brightest light in this book.

Javier Castillo, our other main character, is complex and frustrating. He is a representation of genius, toxic masculinity, the complexities of fatherhood and emotions, but also a person whose ego is so big and his head is so far up his own ass he's basically a circle. The kind of person you want to meet once and then never see again, appreciating them from a distance.

This is worth reading, worth thinking about, and is clearly written by someone who appreciates horror movies.

Ever since reading Alice by Christina Henry, I have been trying to read all of her books. She has become one of my favorite authors and with good reasons. As soon as I saw The House That Horror Built on Netgalley, I immediately requested it. I was so excited to be approved, and I devoured this book.

In the story we meet Harry Adams, she has always loved horror movies. Maybe you can say she loves every spooky and macabre. Unfortunately, her parents prohibit her from watching, reading, or even to have the slightest exposure to the genre. Fast forward to the present, and Harry is a single mom of a promising young man, but money is tight, so she takes on a cleaning job. Her client is none other than legendary horror film director Javier Castillo. When she enters his private estate, things get weird fast. Harry feels uneasy, starts to hear voices, and soon finds herself having to leave there with her son.

Let me tell you, I was at the edge of my seat. You could feel the tension Harry felt throughout the book. I sorta resonated with Harry a bit because I was the girl in the group where all I wanted was to read horror and watch horror flicks. If this turns into a movie, I can see it being such a unique and entertaining movie. It's definitely a must-read.

In The House That Horror Built by Christina Henry we meet independent single mother Harry who has been on her own since running away from her religiously Finattic family she soon becomes the housekeeper for famed horror director Javier Castillo when Harry begins working for him he has just fled across country from LA to Chicago wanting anonymity from the scandal of his wife helping their son flee murder charges and they haven’t been seen cents. She’s supposed to clean everywhere except for the locked bedroom upstairs and although curious she minds her business until the day she starts hearing noises and please for help from the room this is only the beginning of the strange happenings that are going on in Bright Horse House it doesn’t help matters when Harry believes Mr. Castillo is taking too big of an interest in her 14 year old son Gabe. When someone is murdered in the house and due to the paparazzi Harry and Gabe is forced to move-in with Mr. Castillo it just marks the beginning of the end. Despite horror memorabilia moving on its own and a recent murder victim occupying the home I think I would’ve gone with Harry’s first thought and that is to stay at a homeless shelter I really like Terry has a character although her suspicious nature did begin to be a bit much but overall I really liked her and I also liked the whole 80s horror atmosphere of the book I thought the ending was a bit fast but overall really really liked it and totally recommend it I’ve never read a book by Christina Henry before but would definitely not hesitate to read another. I love paranormal fiction and love it even more when it’s not a question of is it paranormal or can it be explained I like ghost, things moving that shouldn’t move in they had all this and more. The book was so good! I want to thank Berkeley publishing and net galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

"A single mother working in the Gothic mansion of a reclusive horror director stumbles upon terrifying secrets in the captivating new novel from the national bestselling author of Good Girls Don't Die and Horseman.

Harry Adams has always loved horror movies, so it's not a total coincidence that she took the job cleaning house for movie director Javier Castillo. His forbidding graystone Chicago mansion, Bright Horses, is filled from top to bottom with terrifying props and costumes, as well as glittering awards from his career making films that thrilled audiences - until family tragedy and scandal forced him to vanish from the industry.

Javier values discretion, and Harry has always tried to clean the house immaculately, keep her head down, and keep her job safe - she needs the money to support her son. But then she starts hearing noises from behind a locked door. Noises that sound remarkably like a human voice calling for help, even though Javier lives alone and never has visitors. Harry knows that not asking questions is a vital part of working for Javier, but she soon finds that the sinister house may be home to secrets she can't ignore."

And what about that scandal!?!

This was my first Christina Henry book, and I liked it, but it honestly didn't blow me away. I think she did a good job with the pacing, I was pretty engaged the whole time. However, there was literally no twist at all, exactly what I thought was happening was accurate, and the ending was very abrupt. I would say this book was entertaining, for sure, but I don't know if it will stick with me.

Harry Adams has always been a fan of horror. She takes a job as a house cleaner for the reclusive and scandalous horror movie director, Javier Castillo. As she cleans she begins to notice things she can’t ignore.

Movie buffs will enjoy this as it has a lot about movie production, directing, and spooky props. I didn’t really connect with the characters or the spook factor but I was still very curious to see how it ended and how the history played into the current time.

The House that Horror Built comes out 5/17.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this title!

I think this could have been great but the pacing did NOT work in its favor. It took forever for anything horror-related to happen other than the constant mentions of various horror movies and paraphernalia. When things did finally happen they were so few and far between that it still felt like nothing. By the end (when everything was happening, and I say everything lightly) it felt like the climax of the story was just crammed in. Also, there felt like some pretty egregious loose ends that didn’t get addressed!

The dialogue in this is probably my biggest complaint. It was so weird? Real people don’t talk like this? Gabe’s dialogue specifically just was not even close to being realistic. 14 year old boys do not say things like that. I’m so sorry. They just don’t. Everything felt like buzzwords somehow and there were incredibly oddly placed sentences that felt like classroom PSA videos, like if I was watching a movie the characters would have turned and broken the fourth wall to deliver this Deep Commentary. I wish I’d made a note of some of them but alas. I did not.

This one just fell really flat for me unfortunately. It’s a bummer!

The House that Horror Built
Christina Henry
May 14, 2024

I’m a huge fan of Christina Henry’s writing but this one I think would have been better as a short story. I loved the premise and the characters, the beginning and the end but the middle lagged a bit.

Harry’s a single mom, struggling during the pandemic, and gets an opportunity to for the job of her life; cleaning for a horror film writer. The mansion, Bright Horses, is a horror lovers dream. Props and memorabilia from Javier Castillo’s movie making days are everywhere. Harry begins to suspect theirs more to the house than meets the eye when she hears strange voices and moving memorabilia. The bond that Javier has with Harry’s gifted 14-year-old son is at first welcome but soon borders on obsessive.

Again, a lot of great things about this story but a lot of time internalizing in Harry’s head and a little lag. All in all, enjoyable and I’ll continue to look forward to Henry’s books.

My thanks to @BerkleyPub for this gifted copy!

This was just not it for me. I'm going to keep this review short and sweet. I didn't find this to be scary or riveting, it felt very YA written. It was very repetitive and while reading I thought it was 800+ pages because we hardly get new info and it just didn't captivate me.

I love love love the author's other books. In all honesty this didn't even have the same fast paced, edge of your seat writing, that the author usually creates.

This was my first Christina Henry read, and you best believe I will be seeking out her other books now. I read this in almost one sitting. It flowed to well as the story gradually built. I will say the ending was rather abrupt but I kinda liked it that way, there wasn't a need to continue it after the big thing happened, so I enjoyed that it just ended rather than spending several chapters wrapping it all up. I will say there were times where the anti current movies, or using your phone, or other curmudgeonly things like that felt out of place, but overall it wasn't too bad.

My heart is still pounding

What just happened ? I’m an adult, how did a book shake me to my core ? Well, when you are Christina Henry, you know how to skillfully craft a book that will consume and frighten even the coldest of folks.

I know I know. This is crazy . I can read Stephen King and not even bat an eye but I tell ya, this one is good, real good .

It might have been the whole spooky, horror house or maybe it was the secrets and twists that just kept on coming .

I think you should find out for yourself …

Teaser :

A single mother working in the gothic mansion of a reclusive horror director stumbles upon terrifying secrets in the captivating new novel from the national bestselling author of Good Girls Don't Die and Horseman.

Harry Adams has always loved horror movies, so it’s not a total coincidence that she took the job cleaning house for movie director Javier Castillo. His forbidding graystone Chicago mansion, Bright Horses, is filled from top to bottom with terrifying props and costumes, as well as glittering awards from his career making films that thrilled audiences—until family tragedy and scandal forced him to vanish from the industry.

Javier values discretion, and Harry has always tried to clean the house immaculately, keep her head down, and keep her job safe—she needs the money to support her son. But then she starts hearing noises from behind a locked door. Noises that sound remarkably like a human voice calling for help, even though Javier lives alone and never has visitors. Harry knows that not asking questions is a vital part of working for Javier, but she soon finds that the sinister house may be home to secrets she can’t ignore.