What. A. Rollercoaster.

The beginning of this book- a philosophical, dark piece of artistic excellence.
The middle of the book- the twist we never saw coming
The end of the book- everyone gets what they deserve and they live happily or unhappily ever after

The depths the author went to make this book a unique experience is unmatched- reminded me a lot of the writing in youthjuice. Dark and twisty, yet poetic. The family we stay with throughout is mysterious and we know just enough about them to have the story lead us to the climactic middle. The questions I have were answered until the cliffhanger.

Overall a very interesting and impactful horror/thriller novel!

I wanted to like this a lot. But to med the first part, where we learn about Nate’s family and their constant moves and isolation felt flat — like too much work was being put into Secrecy with a capital S, and so I didn’t care about them because clearly something sketchy was up. The second part was too chaotic to be creepy, and the end felt unfulfilling. Obviously, horror books don’t need happy endings but, like, everyone’s miserable. Maybe the message is that the real horror is the unending trudgery of real life we met along the way?

Anyway, lots of promise here, some nice moments between Max and Nate and with Bella and also some lovely atmospherics with Nate on his walks but this just didn’t do it for me.

Thank you to Vincent Ralph, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

"R.L. Stine meets Urban Legend in the next twisty horror novel by New York Times bestselling author Vincent Ralph".
“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.

First let me say that as a child I was a big fan of R.L. Stine's Goosebumps. This was nothing comparable to the work of R.L. Stine. I think they missed the mark with this comparison and in turn, it was a bit of a letdown because my expectations were high. The premise of "The Hiding Boy" was spooky and intriguing, but the first 3/4 of the book was so slow and boring. We get to learn bits and pieces about Nate and his family and their history with Murder Road, but it wasn't very exciting or enough to hold my attention for very long periods of time and it was hard to figure out it all connected to Nate's current relationship dynamics. Despite not enjoying the majority of the book, the plot twist was really good and made me much more interested in the story and think about all the little details I missed along the way. The twist alone is why I gave this book 4 stars.

It was so hard for me to get into, and that's say a lot because I really enjoyed this author's other works. Something about this book was really hard for me to grasp. It was slow---not the fasted-paced horror novel I was expecting. It took me much longer to get into this than I would have liked, and I had to break a few times so I didn't grow too bored.
This book feel flat. I think the execution wasn't all that great, and the pacing sucked. I debated DNF this, but I ultimately decided to power through and read to the end. I spent so much time with this book, which I never do. However, this book did end up picking up halfway through, which I appreciated, but I would have loved to see earlier in the book since the second half---more like last third---made up for the beginning. Also, never would have suspected that ending.

This book is scary good. Listed as young adult, but I think all age groups would enjoy it. How do you run away from a nightmare, especially when the entire family has the same one? High schoolers looking to prove/disprove local legends get way more than they bargained for. I received this from Net Galley.

I grew up reading Goosebumps and Fear Street; this author's writing style while uniquely his gives that same nostalgic spooky vibe. This was definitely an unputdownable read for me, I binged "One House Left" in a few hours.

I found the premise of this book intriguing, I really enjoy reading horror novels that are centered around Urban Legends. There were portions of this story that's took me by surprise which I really appreciated, especially towards the end.

This is the type of book you pick up with you want a bingeable YA Horror story that's going to keep you guessing until the end. I'd definitely recommend checking it out.

Thank you Vincent Ralph, Net Galley and St. Martin's Press- Wednesday Books for providing me with an ARC of this book!

One House Left is about an urban legend come to life.
Nate's family moves a lot trying to stay ahead of this urban. The family has just showed up in town and Nate is determined not to make friends at his new school. That is until Max. He can't stop looking for her. But Max and her friends like to try urban legends and Nate knows what kind of dangers can lurk behind them.

I didn't love this story. I thought there was going to be more to it but the first part was so slow moving. They only part that saved this was the little twist towards the end..

Thank you to Vincent Ralph, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.

Of course, since I am being honest, it did take me a while to get into this book. I would say the first 75% of the book was easy to follow with the story of Nate and his friends, but also difficult to understand what was going on when it came to the story about the hiding boy and how everything tied together. Nate's story (and his family's) was definitely hard to understand at first, but after reading more of the book, I see that it was better off that way. I did not understand why his entire family had to keep moving around so much, and why his parents seemed to be perfectly fine with it. I did enjoy the plot twist VERY MUCH and it was completely unexpected, which is rare. I feel like in any type of book with a plot twist, I at least have a small idea of what it could be, but this was a fantastic change in pace and story and saved the entire book for me.

After the twist, thinking back on the book and what had happened so far, it all made so much more sense about what was written and what had not yet been revealed. Of course due to this, the entire first 70% or so of the book was very confusing and at times, boring, but once that plot twist hit, it was an entirely different story. And for that, I commend Vincent Ralph for coming up with a twist so genuinely great that it made me question everything.

I absolutely adore diving into a thrilling young adult novel! The story grabs you with teenager Nate and his family's efforts to escape their chilling past.

Joining an urban legend club in his new town seemed like the fresh start Nate yearned for, but surprises were just around the corner, flipping my initial theories upside down. The narrative is awash with spooky spirits and eerie haunted houses that really make you rethink the characters. While the storyline caught my attention, I have to admit, I didn't find myself deeply connecting with the characters. They came across as a bit on the surface level, not quite letting me feel like I truly knew them.

Nonetheless, they played their parts well enough to keep the story moving along.

This was just boring. And I don’t think it had much horror in it for a horror book. This missed the mark for me.

Nate and his family have moved yet again. The reasons why will slowly be revealed. The one thing Nate knows is that he must keep his head down and avoid making friends. But what exactly is this 16-year-old boy afraid of?
Then Nate lowers his guard when he meets Max. She and her friends have an urban legends club where they attempt to see if the scary stories are true. The more I read the more questions I had about Nate and his family. I did feel that it dragged a bit in the middle, but once the first twist was revealed, I was right back in page flipping mode. About the ending, let’s just say, it fit with the overall tone of the story. 3.5 stars

"One House Left" by Vincent Ralph, and I'm still reeling from the experience. This paranormal thriller had me hooked from start to finish, and I found myself staying up until 2:30 am to see how the story would unfold.

As a fan of R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series as a child, I was thrilled to discover that this book captured the same eerie atmosphere and sense of unease. The plot twists and turns in unexpected ways, keeping you on the edge of your seat and guessing until the very end.

What I loved most about "One House Left" is how it lingered in my mind long after I finished reading. I couldn't stop thinking about the characters, the plot, and the subtle clues that I might have missed the first time around. The ending, in particular, left me with a "WTF?" moment that has me itching to re-read the book just to see what I might have missed.

If you're a fan of paranormal thrillers or just looking for a book that will keep you up all night, "One House Left" is a must-read. Just be prepared to sleep with the lights on afterwards!

Okay, so I will say this book isn't bad. It was a fun horror thriller with an interesting cast of characters and a light read.

But, the mistake the marketing team made is comparing it to RL Stine. I went expecting something mind blowing and honestly I just got decent. Not that it was bad, but I feel like it was oversold. The characters definitely read YA, and not in a good girls guide to murder YA way but in a Harry Potter kind of way. Which again, isn't bad. The story was intriguing and I was able to read it in one setting. I did enjoy it, but the marketing is what made me frustrated because it wasn't what I was sold.

Overall, I recommend it and TBH I will probably read it again, but don't think it should have been compared to Stine.

"One House Left" was a decent book, better than many "horror" novels. I liked that it focused on urban legends and a group of teenagers that enjoy exploring urban legends, sort of wanting them to be true for the shock factor but knowing that they are really just stories. Also, using the exploration of urban legends as a way to temporarily escape their own losses, traumas, or problems. The story does focus on an urban legend, that at least in the book, is "real", although the supernatural being has some very "not supernatural" assistance. The book has some pretty good twists.

One House Left
Vincent Ralph
I was excited to read this book. I found the name enticing and the synopsis was interesting. The synopsis was more exciting than the actual book. This tale has a very slow pace. The characters lacked depth.
A sixty-year-old legend, has it Murder Road is cursed by The Hiding Boy, an evil spirit. Every few years a house/family has something bad happen. Nate and his family are afraid of the curse and are trying to run from it. It seems the curse is hunting them. Nate has made friends with a group of teens involved in urban legends and he becomes involved.
The characters in this book lack development. The characters didn’t have individual personalities. I felt very little connection with the characters or the plot. I don’t like giving less than positive reviews.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a review copy.

Mysteries written in the first person naturally leave out a lot of information and in many ways, that's what can make or break a thriller like this. How much does the narrator tell the reader? How much do they hold back? No one likes a book that ends with "The butler did it" when there was no butler in the story until the last chapter.

This novel sucked me in with the writing and kept me guessing for a long time. Too long? Maybe. I think I would have liked some answers about the Hiding Boy, about the family's strange behaviors, about the reason they move, a little earlier. Or maybe a reason we *can't* know the truth?

Readers of RL Stine's YA books will enjoy this. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc to review.

A group of kids obsessed with urban legends is the foundation for One House Left, this spooky YA thriller. Nate is new to town and falls in with a group of kids obsessed with urban legends. It isn't long before the group realize that Nate is a conduit to the other world. I loved how atmospheric and chilling story set in a small town. I was invested from the beginning and needed to see how this one would play out. The ending was unexpected and took me by complete surprise. I love a good ending and this book truly delivered. I recommend this one for YA horror lovers.

Book: One House Left
Author: Vincent Ralph
Rating: 2 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Wednesday Books, for sending me an ARC. I loved Secrets Never Die by this author. I read it last year and thought the horror elements of it were well done. I was super excited when I got offered an ARC for this one. However, it ended up being a miss for me and I am very sad about it. I do hate it whenever I end up not enjoying a book.

In this one, we follow Nate, who grew up on Murder Road, which is exactly like it sounds. It is said that the street is cursed by an evil spirit called the Hiding Boy. Every couple of years for the past sixty years, a house is chosen and something bad happens. Once your house is chosen, there is escaping it. He and his family have been running for a long time. They fear the curse and have to get away from it. Nate has learned that it is best not to put down roots because the curse always finds them. Everything seems okay in this new town. Nate has even made friends, which is something that he normally does not do. However, these new friends are the local urban legend club and he quickly finds himself sucked into it. Now, it seems that what he has been trying to get away from has found him or is it just another story?

Vincent does a great job at setting the scene and this is no different. We are given this story about Murder Road, then we are transported into Nate’s world. We don’t have a full understanding of what is going on. We know Nate’s family is running from some big secret. We don’t know if it’s supernatural or not, but something is very wrong in his family. I love it whenever books hide things from their readers. I know a lot of readers do not like this, but I find that it does add to the story. It adds a sense of mystery and unknownness to the book.

I had a very difficult time connecting to the characters. I know that I just said that I like it whenever we don’t know everything. However, I like having enough to connect with the characters. I felt that the characters were a bit underdeveloped. They all blended. Now, Vincent did try to give them all a voice and their personality, but I just didn’t mesh with them.

The plot is slow. Normally, I don’t mind a slow book, but the pacing didn’t fit with the story. This setup does require a bit of a faster pace. I get having a slower pace to set up the world and the premise, but I don’t know. I found that it didn’t work for me. It made the whole thing, again, seem underdeveloped and flat. I thought that the start of the book did set up the story wonderfully, but it felt like it didn’t advance beyond that. It’s hard to put this into words without spoiling the story too much. Just know that it didn’t work for me.

Overall, this was a miss for me. I am interested in reading more by this author because I did enjoy another book by him.

This book comes out on August 27, 2024.

One House Left by Vincent Ralph is a captivating blend of paranormal thriller and horror novel that left me with mixed emotions. This gripping story combines elements of coming-of-age, family trauma, and terrifying supernatural encounters that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a thrilling and chilling read.

"R.L. Stine meets Urban Legend" - say no more...

"One House Left" has all the ingredients for the perfect YA horror novel. If you're looking for a break from your usual reads, this book offers plenty of urban legends to capture your interest and enough eerie elements to give you chills.

The story follows a dysfunctional family constantly on the move due to a dark secret that makes them act strangely and suspiciously.

When the new kid quickly befriends a group at school, they share all the urban legends and ghost stories surrounding the town. As these tales begin to intertwine with the ones Nate's family is trying to escape, the question arises: can he and his family outrun their past this time?

This was an enjoyable read, and I highly recommend it if you're in the mood for an adventurous paranormal thriller.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, Vincent Ralph, and NetGalley for the EARC!