This was a weird one. I didn't like the ending and I thought that the story sort of lost me about 70% through in terms of believability. It had an interesting premise but lacked a good execution.

I wanted to like this one and it definitely sound appealing, but it fell flat for me. I felt like there were parts that weren’t wrapped up nicely and it was also just not as good as it sounded.

I thought this would be a lot darker and more satirical but it felt a bit like it was trying too hard.

The only thing I love more than great storytelling is when that story has something to SAY! If you're the same kind of reader, definitely pick up We Came To Welcome You!

Anything Vincent Tirado writes? I’m reading it—no questions asked. We Came to Welcome You is a brilliantly twisted blend of suburban gothic and psychological horror that had me hooked from the first chapter.

The story centers around Sol and Alice, who move to the seemingly perfect neighborhood of Maneless Grove—a pristine subdivision that gives off Stepford Wives vibes with a sinister undercurrent. Right away, something feels off. The neighbors are too cheerful, the kids too eerie, and the homeowner’s association? Absolutely unhinged. (And yes, Alice and Sol wisely refuse to join.)

Tirado masterfully builds tension with an atmosphere dripping in dread. The house itself is practically a character—alive with secrets and chilling manifestations. Every page offers a new twist, keeping you unsettled and eager to uncover the truth behind the community’s creepy façade.

This book delivers on all fronts: eerie setting, sharp social commentary, and spine-tingling horror. It’s the kind of story that crawls under your skin and lingers long after you’ve finished. If you're a fan of unsettling suburban horror with layers of mystery and otherworldly terror, We Came to Welcome You belongs on your shelf immediately.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me an eARC of this amazing book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Vincent Tirado is an instant read for me. You could read any of their books and you’ll get a perfect Summerween read. Burn Down, Rise Up is a book I recommend to people constantly. It’s scary and emotional and surprising. We Don’t Swim Here is equally good and the mystery element is excellent. We Came to Welcome You is just as good as the previous two books. Tirado, like all great horror writers, takes the time to discuss social issues in the text, and in We Came to Welcome You, Tirado tackles the issues of institutional racism within academia and homeowners’ associations, queerphobia, strained relationships with family members, and the decision to assimilate to get harassed less.

Sol Reyes and her wife Alice Song move into a gated community and the Homeowners’ Association immediately begins badgering them about becoming members. Sol has a lot on her plate while being investigated for plagiarism, dealing with a racist colleague, visiting her homophobic father at his nursing home, and the microaggressions constantly being committed by the HOA. As if that’s not bad enough, things get strange as Sol uncovers the hidden history of the neighborhood and her new house. Sol beings to unravel as the HOA intensifies the request for Sol and Alice to join them. The married couple struggle to figure out the best way to live. Are they better off hiding their cultures for the sake of assimilation and getting along with their new neighbors so their neighbors stop constantly commenting on their differences? Where do they draw the line when it comes to removing parts of themselves? The two start to change as the HOA slowly starts to interfere in all aspects of their lives and Sol is constantly wondering if all this is worth it.

This book is perfect if you’re looking for spine-chilling terror. Tirado’s use of suspense is perfect and leaves readers on the edge of their seats, desperate to know what happens next. If you enjoy horror novels where the main characters uncover horrifying truths of their community’s past and try to figure out how to make things right, this book is for you. If you like horror books with vivid descriptions and a mystery that keeps readers on their toes, this book is for you. If you want a horror story that will make you think, this is for you.

Check out We Came to Welcome You by Vincent Tirado!

5 out of 5 stars

okay i have questions. This ended nowhere near the way i expected it to. While the creepy atmosphere throughout this book was excellent, I did want this book to be able 20% shorter and the pacing was all sorts of wonky. Idk this is one I’m going to have to sit with i think.

rep: Black butch MC, Korean lesbian LI

spice: none

tw: discussion of past suicide, past fire, racism, homophobia

I felt immersed in suburban horror from the very beginning! Yes, it has GET OUT vibes. Fast paced, immersive, creepy! Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley!

this book had so many twists and a "good for her" ending. And even more to the point IT IS GAY!!! Like finally a gay woman of color cult leader!!

this. book was so freaky and I loved every second of it. I hope this author continues to put out incredible, twisty stories.

I'm not sure what I just read. Sol and Alice buy a house in a very united community, where they are very close to each other. Sol is dealing with some issues of her own, like potentially losing her job, so her anxiety is making her see things that are not true. Or are they?

This was very creepy and it's decently executed but I have to say I was very confused by the ending. There was no climax? No redemption? No explanation of the origins of the community? Or maybe this is a series with an upcoming book 2? I wasn't very satisfied with the cliffhanger after spending so much time building up tension. Nevertheless, not a bad book.

🥘WE CAME TO WELCOME YOU🥘 by Vincent Tirado is a suburban social thriller with creepy, nosy neighbors. Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher, @williammorrowbooks for the e-ARC. This book came out last year and is available now.

🥧🥧🥧

Sole and Alice are moving into a new neighborhood. When they arrive, the neighbors are astonishingly welcoming and very pushy about the couple joining the HOA which is "not required, but encouraged." As an introverted, academic, Dominican American woman married to her Korean American wife Alice, Sole is used to being singled out and misunderstood. She is immediately suspect of these new neighbors and their insistence on the couples participation in neighborhood activities, etc which causes arguments with her wife about her growing paranoia. And Sole keeps seeing a young girl named Veronica wandering around the neighborhood but can't seem to ever find her parents. Something is not right in this cookie cutter suburban utopia and Sole's nervous system is electrified with alarm. But with her history, she will have to convince her wife and friends that she is not making it all up.

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This story felt like Jordan Peele's Us and THE STEPFORD WIVES had a baby. The mysteries were intriguing and the underlying story appropriately sinister. I liked the overall plot and the conspiring collective and definitely wanted to know what was up with Veronica, her parents, the other gay couple in town, etc.

The one thing I struggled with was Sole being a drunk, unreliable narrator that is unsure of herself and has a past of mental health problems so is not trusted by their friends and family. This is a personal pet peeve that is not based on Tirado's portrayal of the character herself but my own increasing intolerance for this character type.

I am certainly interested in picking up more of Tirado's work and this is another great option for the #transrightsreadathon which is currently ongoing!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

Super interesting concept that made me never want to live in the suburbs or anywhere with an HOA!

I guess I was expecting more from this book. It started out well, and just fell flat with the ending. It seemed the author just wanted to finish up the book and did so. This for me ruined the whole book, Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest thoughts. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on my review.

I really liked this title. The horror built so slowly and made it much more impactful. Truly, the suburbs are SO scary.

We Came to Welcome You: A Novel of Suburban Horror by Vincent Tirado is a standalone novel. I have to admit, I was not ready for this book! I didn’t think it was going to impact me the way that it did. I was pulled in from the start and held on tight for the ride.

I liked that there was a multicultural as well as lesbian married couple who moved into the house. This was the first time I’ve read a horror book outside of Stephen King and I have to say, I enjoyed it. I completely had no idea what to expect as this is not my usual genre to dive into and I didn’t know how it would make me feel, but I’m glad I took a chance on it because I ended up zooming through it and may or may not have had a heart pounding moment or two mixed with confusion.

I love horror visually, but it’s never been as intense while reading. But maybe this one hits differently because I’m an adult and it’s relatable. Anywho, thanks for this unexpected journey.
If you enjoy some relatable horror, a bit of psychological thrilling, and some crazy HOA neighbors, this is the book for you!

Other books to check out: The Other Black Girl, One of Us Knows

*This was an honest review for a complimentary copy of We Came to Welcome You from Vincent Tirado via NetGalley

We Came to Welcome You is a horror novel about the picturesque horror of suburban life, especially for queer couple Alice and Sol.

When Alice and Sol move into the perfect new home in the perfect neighborhood, life feels short- but only for a moment. Things quickly take a down turn and the neighborhood turns on Alice and Sol, making their life a nightmare.

Horror lends itself to create a commentary of the everyday world, and We Came to Welcome You is a prime example of the horrors that not only queer couples face everyday, but Black and Brown people face as well. The sociopolitical commentary was spot on and essential during these times.

The pacing of the book was off balance, which made reading the story feel a bit lopsided at times,

A queer couple buys a house in what can only be described as a cookie cutter cult. And it’s as white as it sounds.

Sol and Alice are newly married and ready to start setting down roots (ha). This gated community is idyllic, the people are ✨neighborly✨ …in the worst way. The streets are endless and eerie, the children seem to share one mind, and rotting bodies hang in the neighbor’s house. Or…do they?

Sol starts to notice things are amiss, but Alice, the superstitious one, is quick to shut her up in an effort to keep “that kind of stuff” out of the house.

This was a really interesting premise, albeit one that’s a bit overdone, but the same things kept happening and it fell flat really quickly because there was never any sort of explanations for the things Sol was seeing. So much of the plot was undeveloped that I lost interest in the story really early and kind of hate read the last 70%.

I really wanted to enjoy Sol as this flawed main character, but she really didn’t seem to change at all over the story, for the good or for the bad. She’s apparently a molecular biologist at Yale, but I didn’t believe that for a minute. Other than the issues of accused plagiarism she was dealing with at work, it’s never mentioned and she never thinks about it. Which is✨crazy✨ considering the unending stream of word vomit in her head. Her character development happens kind of suddenly towards the end, but it was confusing and unsatisfying. I think she would have been a really great character to read if she had been written more believably.

Ultimately, not my thing. I like horror but this wasn’t it.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Vincent Tirado's latest novel, We Came to Welcome You, opens with Sol and her wife Alice buying a new home in a cookie cutter neighborhood surrounded by too-friendly neighbors who try to pressure the two into signing their Homeowner's Association contract. Sol is already struggling with a probation from her position as a biologist at Yale when the neighborhood, its residents, and even her house seem to be pulling tricks on her. Alice doesn't seem as concerned, however, and continues the assimilate to the neighbors and their new home.

Even though the "Gets Out meet X" genre is a bit overdone these days, I thought this book had something fresh to offer in its commentary on identity and intersectionality. Sol's identity as an LGBT Afro-Latine woman isolates her from various spaces and makes her feel misunderstood even when she's with her own family. Readers can easily see predictable signs that something is not right in the neighborhood she's moved in to, but Sol isn't sure whether what she's experiencing is normal. This is common with people who regularly experience microaggressions—it becomes hard to discern harmful and benign interactions. Eventually, that person starts interpreting most interactions as harmful and stays in a state of stress and anger.

The pacing of the book was lacking—lagging and repetitive in the middle, rushed and unsatisfying in the end—but otherwise, I enjoyed the read. I especially recommended it to fans of The Honeys or One of Our Kind.

Sort of reminded me of Them on Amazon, just not as brutal and violent but still intelligent and terrifying.

Thought it was very successful in communicating its larger sociopolitical thesis without sacrificing the narrative whatsoever. Completely entertaining and engaging.