Yes, the amazing cover is a completely accurate portrayal of this cozy story about grief, healing, and found family! The author has depicted a magical world that includes a colourful cast of magical characters: different types of witches, a fairy, and a ghost to name a few - plus Frank, a beast, who is the caretaker of the house (as per the title of course). Saika, a witch with no powers, has come to Ash Gardens to fulfill her sister’s wish of having her ashes planted in the magical arboretum. Thus we follow Saika’s emotional journey as she mourns her sister while getting to know the supportive characters who live and work at Ash Gardens.

The writing is fine, very clear and descriptive, though the there were a few too many incidences of slow paced miscommunication for my taste. I didn’t always connect with the main character's first person point of view and found some of her inner angst repetitive (constantly being inside someone’s head for all of this telling-not-showing sad content did weigh on me at times). The other characters are diverse and have some depth: I wanted to read on to find out more about them, their magic, and how their relationships would develop. The author kindly included content/trigger warnings and a pronunciation guide at the start, and in addition to the heartfelt coziness sprinkles of humour throughout. My issues with the point of view aside, this really is a very sweet book.

Overall, I liked this story and its message and found the characters interesting even though I didn’t connect with the main character’s voice. If you like cozy, emotional, magical stories, and/or you enjoyed Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune or The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, then this book might be for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bindery Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"House of Frank" is a beautiful debut novel by Kay Synclaire, in which our protagonist Saika is confronted by grief and experiences healing and forgiveness in found family and community. This book is wonderfully thought out, the characters are compassionate, and even though there is no true villain, those who are perceived to be a bit "mean" are treated with empathy. This is a gentle and cosy fantasy filled with bittersweet love from the first page to the last. It wraps you in magic and feels like a warm hug.

A big hearted, grief heavy, queer, cozy fantasy that was made with so much love and care it felt like the book itself was a gift crafted by Hilde. I can't wait for this to come out so I can pass it along to my fellow readers. I'll be recommending this to any cozy fantasy fan, but especially those who loved Sangu Mandanna's "The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches" , Emma Mills's "Something Close to Magic" or T. Kingfisher's "Nettle and Bone"

House of Frank is a cosy fantasy about grief and love and I adored this warm hug of a book so so much.

Saika is grieving the loss of her sister, and travels to Ash Gardens to lay her to rest in the magical arboretum, but struggles to let go, and is invited by Ash Garden’s caretaker Frank (a big fluffy monster who wears knit cardigans!) to stay for as long as she needs, helping around the house, finding a new family and maybe even falling in love. :’)

I loved all the characters, especially Evette and Oli, and thought the pacing and reveals were super well done. I read this book over the span of a couple of days and every time I wasn’t reading it, I was just thinking about how much I wished I was.

I would recommend House of Frank to any fantasy/cosy fantasy readers, and especially to fans of The House in the Cerulean Sea, Legends and Lattes, and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Bindery Books for the ARC!