I loved the Truly Devious series and was excited to see a new Maureen Johnson. This is very similar, but such a fun read. The back and forth between timelines and perspectives made for a good story.

After accidentally setting a fire on her date, Marlowe decides to take the summer off and become a tour guide on an island... and finds herself having. to solve a mystery that has bodies dropping while simultaneously trying to figure out an unsolved mystery of an a mysterious family on the island. Marlowe Wexler was just trying to impress her date... too bad that ended with her accidentally setting the house on fire and her crush quitting the same job they had too. Marlowe then decides to get a new summer job: working as a tour guide on the same island where Morning House is, a famous mansion that was abandoned due to the fact that there were so many deaths and that the house has a horrific secret that remains unsolved. Not to mention the new friend group she has also had one of their friends mysteriously die... and now another body has dropped. Marlowe is determined to find out what is happening and who is doing this before she becomes the next target. Can she figure out who is killing people and who had killed the family at Morning House? This is definitely a summer mystery read. While I was iffy on the mystery, I did like the two separate mysteries and the dual timeline. I kind of wish the pacing was a bit better and the mystery a bit more fun to unravel, but you can't win them all. Its an overall okay mystery read for me but I definitely would recommend it for YA readers looking for a summer mystery.

Release Date: August 6,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperTeen for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Told from past and present this book unravels the tale of a family led by a patriarch obsessed with the science of eugenics. But the death of two of his children causes him to abandon his home which is bought and reopened for tours years later. However the house has more secrets to discover and some may be deadly.

Marlowe Wexler is a tour guide at Morning House, a 1920s island mansion. But the longer she's there, the more she thinks something isn't quite right.

This is a good book with lots of twists and turns. Alternating between the past and the present is like getting a twofer!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available August 6, 2024

I requested Maureen Johnson’s newest standalone YA mystery DEATH AT MORNING HOUSE because I’m a big fan of her Stevie Bell mysteries, and this book did not disappoint! After a mishap at home, a teenager takes a job leading tours at the historical Morning House in the thousand islands. Mysteries and mayhem in classic Maureen Johnson style ensue.

The pacing of this book was really excellent. Johnson is a master of her craft. The characters were likeable and funny, and the mysteries satisfying. I really thought I’d had it figured out, but my suspect was a red herring. Can’t wait for more! Hope we see Marlowe, Van, Riki and Akilah again.

Fans of Truly Devious series will love this one!
I enjoyed the duel timelines it has historical fiction vibes with mystery and it flowed smoothly between the timelines.
Maureen did a good job showing the individual personalities of the characters, Some I liked some I didn’t.
I like the MC Marlowe the way she thinks and all of the interactions and relationship she formed. The old mansion on the 1000 Islands was cool. I thought I had it figured out but the twist made it so exciting ☺️🤓💜📚
I liked this book!
Thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Maureen Johnson's "Death at Morning House" is a captivating blend of mystery, humor, and a touch of romance, all set against the backdrop of a mysterious mansion with a dark past. The story follows Marlowe Wexler, whose life takes a turn for the worse when a disastrous date results in an accidental fire. With her house-sitting career literally up in flames, Marlowe finds herself in need of a new job, which leads her to Morning House—a grand mansion built in the 1920s on an island and soon abandoned.

Marlowe's new job as a tour guide at Morning House seems straightforward enough: low risk of fire, high chance of monotony. But as she navigates through tales of stained glass, nut cutlets, and Prohibition, Marlowe discovers there's more to Morning House than meets the eye. The mansion's history is marred by mysterious deaths, adding a chilling layer to her summer job.

Johnson's writing is engaging and witty, perfectly capturing Marlowe's quirky personality and her knack for landing in unusual situations. The blend of humor and suspense keeps readers on their toes, making it difficult to put the book down. The setting of Morning House is richly described, with its eerie atmosphere and intriguing past adding depth to the story.

The characters are well-developed, especially Marlowe, whose resilience and sense of humor shine through even in the most challenging situations. Her interactions with Akilah, the girl she's been in love with for years, add an emotional layer to the story, highlighting Marlowe's vulnerability and growth.

While the plot is engaging, it does rely on some familiar tropes of the mystery genre. However, Johnson's unique voice and fresh take on these elements make the story feel new and exciting. The pacing is well-balanced, with enough twists and turns to keep readers hooked until the very end.

Overall, "Death at Morning House" is a delightful read that combines mystery, humor, and a touch of romance in a way that only Maureen Johnson can. It's a perfect summer read for those who enjoy a good mystery with a side of laughter.

After a disaster date, Marlowe Wexler leaves town to work at a grand historical home. She’ll be a tour guide and must learn the history of the home and it’s past owner in the 1920’s, Dr. Phillip Ralston and the tragedy that occurred there.

I can’t say too much without spoiling this one but it’s a great mystery that will make you angry because it’s rooted in some horrible history. It’s a dual timeline and I enjoyed the past chapters more than the current, but I liked how the timelines worked together. The characters in the modern timeline were all interesting and I liked getting to know them. I wish I had even more time with the past time line characters. That could have been its own great historical fiction. This book is special because it has a touch of different genres: mystery and historical fiction !

“The past looks better when it’s a little blurry. Soft focus. That’s how we like our past. That’s why we never learn.”

Death at Morning House comes out 8/6.

I enjoyed this murder mystery set between two different time periods. The character development is great and you will feel for the main character throughout as she has awkward encounters multiple times. Some interesting twists and turns throughout this story for both the present and past timeline.

YA + mystery + dual timeline!

Marlowe ends up on a small island in Thousand Islands giving tours of Morning House, an abandoned family mansion built in the 1920s where two members of the residing family died.

The professor in charge of all the tour guides goes missing, and a new mystery on the island begins.

Read if you love...
- YA
- mystery / thriller
- dual timeline
- solving cold cases

I absolutely loved the Truly Devious trilogy, so I was so stoked to see another standalone from Johnson!

One of my favorite things about Johnson's books is the dual timeline + double mystery: the present day plot with a mystery is tied to a past timeline with a mystery, so you get to read through two plots happening (with the main focus on the present day).

This one was also fun because I loosely know the area from the research I did while editing a friend's debut book, so it was cool getting to be back in Thousand Islands. Also, not gonna lie, I really want to know if the author loosely got the idea for this book from the history of Boldt Castle (my fave editing fact checking rabbit hole).

Anyway, this one was a rollercoaster in both timelines. I was constantly trying to figure out who did things and definitely did not have it figured out. I loved the cast of side characters, the location, and the tiniest bit of romance.

Big shoutout to NetGalley & HarperCollins Children's Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

PUB day: August 6!

Location: Thousand Islands, New York
Representation: queer MC
Content warning: child death; fire / fire injury

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy of this book--It was one of my most anticipated releases of the year! Johnson's Stevie Bell mystery series is in my top reads of all time, and the writing in this book felt like coming home. It was lovely meeting this new cast of characters and exist in the heads of Marlowe and Clara--and the beginning of this book is straight up hilarious. Overall, I did find this mystery and its island setting to be slightly less enamoring than those of Ellingham academy, and I found myself more interested in the mystery of the Ralston family rather than what Marlowe finds herself caught up in. But truly, see what I did there, Maureen Johnson cannot miss and this book will surely be a favorite of mine.

3.5 stars, rounded up. A standalone murder-mystery featuring a girl named Marlowe (fitting, right?), who is accident-prone, with an amazing memory, an aptitude for attention, and perhaps a bit more than her fair share of awkwardness.

As Johnson has proven she can do so well, she continues to tell the story of solving a cold case, with interspersing passages of the past and the present. The mystery is wrapped up in one novel, with a sense of closure at the end. The characters are diverse and interesting, and the plot is engaging. It took me awhile to warm up to this one. Something about Marlowe’s introduction struck me as slightly false, at first. The plot moves things along well, however, and the characters in the 1930s are very engaging.

I do recommend reading, but I do not think it is Johnson’s best.

Death at Morning House is a story of a group of young adults who go to Morning House, a mansion on an island to be guides for the summer. While they are there things begin to happen that no one can explain. Friendships are getting stronger at the same time suspicions are growing. Someone isn't being honest is what they fear. The story is told in two POV's being from the current summer at Morning House and the original story of the mansion that was built in the 1920's. The Doctor who lived there adopted 6 infants, telling the story of how he was heart broken for the children who would be raised without their father in war time. So, the story goes between his life there with his family and the teens who are now there.
They find out quickly they may be fighting for their lives very soon, both in the early 1900's and present time.
Ya in genre.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harpers Publishing (Haper Teen) and Maureen Johnson for the e-version of this arc. All opinions expressed in this review are mine alone.

Death at Morninghouse is a solid, twisty YA mystery set in dual timelines. I found both timelines engaging, and while this story didn't have the same.magic as the Truly Devious series, it's definitely worth a read!

Maureen Johnson has another hit with Death at Morning House. The nervousness, awkwardness, and heartache in chapter 1 perfectly captured my 16 year old self. The story slowed between ch 4 to 11, but once it picked up I couldn't put it down. Similar to Nine Liars, I did have a challenge keeping up with the different characters ( a good 12 important characters). However, a perfect Johnson book filled with heart, humor and mystery.

Marlowe comes to Morning House after an unfortunate accident with a candle, leaving behind her girlfriend to run tours for the Summer. She arrives on the island to find a group of local friends who were embroiled in yet another mystery, the death of their friend. As Marlowe gets to know Morning House and its dark history, she comes to find out that there's a lot more to everything than meets the eye.

I have never read anything by Maureen Johnson, but I was really intrigued by the blurb for this novel and very excited to get the opportunity to read the ARC. I found that I love her wit and humor. It made her characters likeable and real. I loved the switching between timelines, past and present. To me, this gives a fun twist to the story as you are trying to figure out what is going on in both timelines. And you don't want to stop reading so you can figure out what's going to happen next!

I very much enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more into Maureen's Truly Devious series and any future novels.

I will admit the cover drew me in first off. But the story is amazing. When I put it down, I had to pick it back up. I had know what was on the next page. Get this book, y'all.

4⭐️

After a disastrous date ends in accidentally burning down a house, Marlowe Wexler assumes her life is over as she knows it. The fire wasn't her fault and the adults didn't really blame her, but Marlowe blamed herself. After isolating herself, she's offered a job at Morning House, a historic house built in the 20s and abandoned not long after. Morning House was once the home of the Ralston family and was plagued with tragedy. When her new boss goes missing, Marlowe worries that Morning House might not be done with tragedy.

I really enjoyed this. I loved all of the characters and how they all were flawed in their own way. They felt like authentic teenagers and not just younger adults. Marlowe was such a chaotically relatable person as she tried to work out her first relationship. I really appreciated how well Marlowe and the local kids worked together in the end. I think it's normal to be suspicious of a new comer joining the group, especially when the initial group was as close as they were, but it was also nice that they eventually realize that 'sides' was not important.

The POV of the Ralston family was absolutely fascinating to me and I think I would have almost preferred for the entire story to be told in that time line rather than the alternating that we actually got. The way the father raised those children felt almost militant and very cultish. This lead to them being so much more mysterious. The fact that even one of those kids ended up some what well adjusted is amazing and is a great view of how much your childhood can mess you up.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperTeen for providing this ARC to me!

This book is all of the great things about Maureen Johnson. A good mystery with slow revealing details. I loved the feeling of the atmosphere in the book. It was like you could tell something was off but you just didn't know what. Slowly getting to know the other members that worked at the house was also really great. I love a slow to reveal mystery!

Rounded up from 4.5! Marlowe is a wonderfully awkward, lovable main character that is thrust into the middle of some major friend group drama during her summer job in a death mansion. Obviously, chaos ensues and the bodies and fires start to stack up. Death at Morning House wonderfully filled the Stevie/Truly Devious mystery sized hole in my heart. This book had many similarities to the Truly Devious series - takes place in an old mansion with secret tunnels, mysteries of the past are layered with new mysteries, teenagers with little to no adult supervision, police that don’t seem to so much of anything, etc. However, it was clearly its own story and had all the twists and turns one would hope for. I also thought Johnson did an excellent job of weaving in LGBTQ characters in an authentic way that accurately reflects the world of teenagers in 2024. There were a couple parts that I wish were better developed or described, hence the half star off, but I read most of it in one sitting, which is the highest praise I can give a book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!