I have not been having luck with YA mystery lately. One House Left was definitely a book that I should have loved. Sadly, I didn't. I probably should have DNF'd it. But I wanted to know what was going on. In a nutshell the writing and pacing was very uneven. The first half was so slow. Then there is a big twist about halfway through and I will admit, I was very confused as to what was happening. I mean I was caught off guard, so there is that I guess. The issue was that I had no idea what the twist meant until toward the very end. Once it all was explained, I thought it was a clever twist. However, the ending ended up being predictable and cliche. So, it ended up being so-so for me. Maybe you'll like it more.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this eARC. All opinions are my own.

This was an enjoyable reading experience.

Welp, I dnf'd this at 7%. I made it to chapter 8 and although I enjoyed the short chapters, I had no idea what this book was about. I was bug confused.

This was a really good story, but I felt a little monotonous.
I loved how it went from Nate's POV to Max's and the rest of the friend group.
When I tell you, my jaw was on the floor! I was not expecting that at all.
Even then, it still felt a little slow.
It also gave stranger things and IT vibes.
If you like urban legends and horror stories, this is for you!

When urban legends become uncomfortably real

This book had me feeling like I was stumbling through fog for the first two-thirds, clutching at story threads that Vincent Ralph seemed determined to keep just out of reach. Nate's family fleeing the cursed Murder Road, the mysterious Hiding Boy legend, his reluctant entanglement with an urban legend-obsessed trio – it all felt deliberately murky in a way that tested my patience.

But here's the thing about Ralph's storytelling: just when I was ready to throw in the towel, everything clicked into place with surprising elegance. Those frustrating loose ends weren't sloppy writing – they were carefully planted seeds that bloomed into something genuinely unsettling. The final act transforms all that earlier confusion into dread, revealing a narrative intelligence I hadn't expected.

What struck me most was how Ralph subverts the typical YA horror formula. No cheap scares or eye-rolling clichés here – just a slow-burn psychological unraveling that actually earns its twists.

Vibes We Are Tracking:
🏚️ Cursed family legacy drama
👻 Urban legends with bite
🤝 Reluctant friendship bonds
🧩 Mystery box storytelling

I ended up DNFing this book about 100 pages in. The characters and events just weren't working for me. I couldn't figure out what all of the tension was about. I think there was probably and effort here to be super vague in order to build suspense, but it ended up losing me.

Obsessed is an understatement! Spooky, fast paced and twisty. I loved how I didn’t know what was coming next and the end had my jaw on the floor. I’m always looking for an original storyline and this gave me that and more! Highly recommend!

Not my style (too YA-feeling) and wasn't exactly RL Stine-esque. Characters felt flat and it read slowly but I can see the appeal for a younger audience.

DNF at 30%

Thank you to the publisher for the #ARC and Wednesday Books for the finished copy!

Unfortunately, I just was not connecting with the story. I felt like at 30% it was all very repetitive: kid wakes up, avoids parents or their breakfast, heads to school, etc etc. It sounded like an interesting premise but maybe this was just a bit too YA for me or too drawn out when it did not need to be.

If you like very YA mystery stories, I think you will enjoy this more!! (Im going to gift this to my middle school sister!)

DNF - I tried for a month to get into this one and I just couldn’t. I couldn’t connect with the characters and seemed a bit repetitive.

So, honest opinion, I don’t really know how to feel about this book. It took me WAY to long to read. I felt no connection with the characters and the only reason I finished this is because I had read so many reviews saying to stick it out, that it got better the last quarter of the book and I agree with that. I did not see that twist coming and I wanted to know how it resolved. But it still didn’t give me enough to truly like this book.

One House Left by Vincent Ralph is a gripping YA horror novel that will keep readers on edge. Blending urban legend with suspense, it follows Nate as he confronts a chilling curse tied to a haunted street. Full of mystery and tension, this story is perfect for fans of dark tales and eerie thrills.

I don’t think I’ve been this bored ever reading a “horror” book that’s suppose to be in likeness of R.L. Stein, who I grew up reading and was obsessed with! I ended up giving this two stars since this book is for young adults and I feel like this is one of those reads that could just truly be out of my age range. Maybe if I read this in middle school when I was afraid of my own shadow, it would have creeped me out lol.

But for a horror, there really were no creepy thrilling parts to me. One or two scenes I was like okay 👀 but then it got boring again. I felt myself dragging through the last half and I’m thankful to be done it to be honest.

I've been sitting on this book for awhile. It's what I do when I finish a book and need to figure out whether I actually disliked it or not.

I liiiiiiive for a good Urban Legend, real* or fictional. And this book circles around a seriously tragic Urban Legend, wherein a family is murdered by an abuser who everyone turned a blind eye to, and the young son will not stop until he has vengeance on everyone even remotely associated with covering up the abuse of his family.

Nate and his family are running from The Hiding Boy. Constantly having to move, having to run, trying to stay one step ahead of, and seemingly incapable of escaping, their fate.

Then the family comes to a new town, and against his better judgement, Nate becomes friends with 3 kids who have their own little club. The Hellfire Club. And what they're into is Urban Legends. They do the research, they go to the locations, they chant the chants. Nothing ever happens, but it's a way to pass the time.

That is, until Nate goes along with them, and the urban legends start coming to life.

Author had me in the first half, not gonna lie. The writing style is off, in a distracting way, but the story beats were good. I was really interested to see where this was going, who was putting the clippings from prior Hiding Boy victims into Nate's locker. I was IN THIS.

And then we hit the halfway point and the script flipped and it just....was a let down. The "explanations" weren't even explained that well? Really? And it just kind of left me with a big donut hole where my "finished the book" satisfaction should be.

Mmmrpmh.

This was such an interesting twist on urban legends. We follow a teen boy who's family has been escaping an real urban legend, only to wonder if they really can escape.

I didn't know who to trust from the beginning, but the amount of twists and betrayals made this a great haunting read. I read this entirely at night and some scenes really creeped me out. You will constantly be questioning who and what to trust.

If you're a fan of Urban legends, local folklore, and/or hauntings then I think this would be a fun read for this month, or any dark and windy night!

This book was a pleasant surprise.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, as it was a quick read and a good time.

One House Left
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Vincent Ralph

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: “Ready or not. Whatever you do. The Hiding Boy is coming for you.”

Sixteen-year-old Nate Campbell grew up in the shadow of Murder Road – a street cursed by the vengeful spirit of the Hiding Boy.

Every few years, for nearly six decades, a different house on that street has been the scene of a tragedy.

Nate and his family move to a new town as they try to outrun the curse once and for all. But, when he is pulled into his new friends’ urban legend club, new ghost stories merge with old until there is nowhere left to run.

My Thoughts: This is paranormal meets horror and united with psychological thriller for a new spin in the genre market. This was confusing until the last third of the book, however, it was intentionally designed this way. I had a hard time connecting the hiding boy, the family running away, the multiple mysteries occurring at once, and the obsession by the group of kids with the urban legends. For me, the story would have been further enriched with a little more character layering and depth. Usually I can connect with at least one character, but I struggled connecting with any of them. This was a slow burn style read. I am not sure it worked here.

We have our trio of main characters: Max, Tyler, and Nate. Max cared for the couple next to him, the poor woman with dementia and the husband who has devoted his being to taking care of her. Tyler’s family has absurdly high expectations for him that he struggles to live up to. Finally, Nate, the presumed hero in this story, his entire family struggles with insomnia, a bit dysfunctional, and seems to be running far away from murder road. The road earned its name by having several murders occur in different houses on the street. The characters were developed, but not layered with depth, they were mysterious, secretive, and intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, suspenseful, some twists, unique, and engaging, mostly. The unique writing spin was refreshing and I really look forward to how this author develops their craft going forward. Sometimes, the thriller genre market gets inundated with the same type of twists and the reads bleed together, but when you get something unique and fresh, it leaves an impression.

The last 30% is where things heat up, grips your attention, making for a compelling and captivating read. It fills most of the plot hoes up and answers a lot of questions in my head. The conclusion matches where the book was going, even if it was a bit annoying. I have read a lot of thrillers and can most of the time guess who the murderer is or where the plot is heading, but the main plot twist was out of left field and unpredictable, raising my rating another ⭐️. Go pick up this book today!

Okay, so let me be honest—reading this book, I had no idea what was going on for the first half of the book. Like, at all. But, I loved it. It's one of those books where, even though I was utterly confused, I couldn't stop reading because the pace, background, and characters were gripping.

Nate Campbell, the loner with a mysteriously screwed up background, grows up under the ominous shadow of Murder Road. This road is cursed, haunted by the vengeful ghost of a boy who seems to pop up every few decades to wreak havoc and murder innocent people. After something clearly happened, Nate’s family decides to pack up and move to a new town, hoping to escape this ever-present curse...multiple new towns, until they end up in one that feels like it can finally be normal. But—surprise!—things aren’t exactly calm in their new home, and suddenly, Nate’s pulled into an urban legend club where ghost stories collide with dangerous reality.

The characters were okay. Nate was pessimistic and too secretive for me to enjoy, I constantly just wanted to know what in the world happened that this whole family is depressed, and the new friends he made were alright, besides Max. She was the real star of this story and I'd love another book all about her. But what really got this one four stars was the twist. That twist?!?! I screamed. I literally gasped. My jaw was to the FLOOR! This book had me so tangled in its web of ghostly folklore and teen drama that when the twist came, it was like being hit by a freight train of “no way, WTF?!” I mean, I love me a good twist, but this one? Chef’s kiss.

I gave this book four stars because, while I was occasionally lost in the chaos, the suspense, pacing, and shocking plot turn totally made up for it. And let's be real—sometimes, it’s just fun to enjoy a story where you’re as clueless as the main characters, riding the rollercoaster until you get smacked with a plot twist that leaves you reeling.

So, if you're in the mood for something fast-paced, eerie, and full of surprises, One House Left is a spooky read that will keep you turning the pages—even if you have no idea where it’s going! My review is late as this was released in August but pick it up this year for spooky season!

*Special thanks to NetGalley, and the publisher Wednesday Books, for sharing this eARC with me in exchange for an honest review. I can't wait to read more of Vincent Ralph's books!

🏠It’s another YA book that really is for teens. I really enjoy Ralph’s writing and everything was going well until the twist, and that was so entirely ridiculous that I really struggled with it. But if you ignore the implausibility of the actions of the adults in this one, it’s a really clever story! Again, I’m not the target audience here, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

🏠Nate moves around a lot and tries not to make friends, because he’ll have to leave them soon. But he can’t help it and gets in with some kids obsessed with urban legends. But they aren’t all legends. Some are true.

🏠Thank you @netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for the advanced digital copy. All opinions are mine.

I love Vincent Ralph!!! I just love his books. I read them so quickly because they're so hard to put down & so fun. This was a great YA thriller. The twist towards the end of the book was so mind blowing I think i just sat staring at my kind with wide eyes for a minute or 2. Although his books are compared to RL Stine....i feel like Vincent puts such a sick spin on his thrillers that i always look forward to unlike RL Stine.