This one promised cozy found family, but fell flat for me. I was excited because I saw one reviewer compare it to TJ Klune, but he does it all so much better. The characters here felt snarky in uncaring ways, unlike Klune's lovable snark. As a debut author, perhaps Sinclaire will grow into character development.
The world-building was interesting and the grief was handled well. Overall, however, it just didn't stick with me.

Hmm. I wanted to like this more than I did. It had a great setting and I loved the magic system. But the narration (first person while referring to the reader in second person as if you were the MC's deceased sister) was very offputting and kind of hard to read. The characters all also felt a little...mean...for what was supposed to be a cozy story about found family and grief.

I did relate to Saika a lot in her grief and felt her desperation to be connected to her lost loved one. I think this was a good job for a debut novel, I'd consider revisiting the author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

4.5⭐ rounded to 5⭐

A warm and hopeful story of a lonely witch consumed by grief who discovers a whimsical cast of characters in a magical arboretum—and the healing power of found family.

I absolutely loved this book and feel like it will be one that I will be thinking about for a long time. I do wish however, that the characters' backstories were introduced earlier on in the book instead of getting some of them at the 70%/80% part because I wanted to be invested in the characters' from the beginning and for some of them, that didn't happen until the book was nearly over. It was obvious that they were all there because their grief united them in some way but I wanted to know why from an earlier point, so then I could have been connected and related to the characters so then I would like them more. It made it hard to feel anything truly for them because I felt like I didn't know them enough until I got their backstories. I loved so many of the characters and the fact that this has found family in it, made it a guarantee that I would love this book. Due to how much I loved the characters, I really underestimated at the start how much this book would make me cry and I could relate to all of the characters' journey with grief in some way, which is why I connected with this book so much.

I found the plot to be so interesting. I absolutely loved how it explored grief and especially how the grief of each character was different to one another - I thought that was done so beautifully and it was really refreshing to see that grief can present differently for everybody. I would love to read more books like this that have the ability to make such a heavy topic feel so whimsical and beautiful, with the ability to make so many people feel seen. The way that the world was described made feel like I was in a Studio Ghibli movie and I was absolutely obsessed because it was so vivid, which not only made me more immersed in the book but it also made the book come to life in my mind. I loved how turbulent this world was at times because it really created a sense of urgency at how dire the situation was at certain points of the story, which really helped to push the narrative forward. The atmosphere of not only the world changing but also the characters on a daily basis, was done incredibly. It had the most stunning imagery and I found the whole premise of the magical arboretum to be so symbolic of saying that even though there's death, there is something that can be reborn out of that (like loved ones planting their passed loved ones' ashes, which then grows into a beautiful tree that celebrates their life long after their death).

I adored the writing style and I will absolutely be checking out any future books that Kay writes because I loved this one so much. I knew this book would make me cry but I had no idea how much it would make me cry.

If it wasn't because of the ending and feeling like it was in a rush to tie everything up, I definitely would have rated this 5⭐. I feel like it could have been dragged out a little more, just so it made it more fleshed out. I would definitely recommend this book but I would suggest checking out trigger warnings first as it does cover some quite heavy topics.

Thank you to Bindery Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, in exchange for an honest review.

⚠️ CWs: grief, suicide ideation, mental illness, derogatory language, alcohol use, cursing, vomiting, injury detail, terminal illness, transphobia, child death, abandonment, animal death/cruelty, suicide attempt; mentions death, suicide, sexual assault ⚠️

Late review but review nevertheless 💚
Thank you to Ezeekat Press, bindery books, and Netgalley for the ARC!

Saika is a Music Witch who doesn’t have her powers about her. She is grieving the death of her sister and arrives at Ash Gardens to fulfill Fiona’s wish to be planted at the arboretum there, from which will grow a tree all Fi. Here, Saika is welcomed by Frank, the caretaker of the Gardens, who also happens to be a beast.
Frank sees Saika’s grief - really sees it - and makes her an offer: to live at Ash Gardens as long as she wants to or until she finds it in herself to plant her sister’s ashes. Saika accepts and thus starts the story of found family and love and magic and rediscovery of oneself.

House of Frank is impressive in all the topics that it covers in such a compassionate and eloquent manner. Be it grief and longing or love or interpersonal relationships or understanding that everyone has their own way of dealing with life or that sometimes, when a loved one is drowning in grief, they wouldn’t tell you outright but they would appreciate it if you could make decisions for them, in their best interests.

The way Saika misses and grieves her sister is sharp, as grief often is, and Kay Sinclaire captures the pain of being left behind in a manner that is precise AND all-encompassing.
For those who have loved and lost, House of Frank will be much like an empathetic mirror.

And even though some of the overarching questions can have very obvious answers and can feel a little too removed from one another, it is still a relevant book when it comes to exploring grief and love.

Highly, highly recommend!

80/100 or 4.0 stars

Thank you NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was fun time! I wasn't sure what to expect with this, but it was a nice surprise! I loved this and had a good time. I would check out future works by Synclaire!

This was an interesting read. I thought the concept was fun but this just didn't work for me unfortunately. I struggled a bit with the writing and some of the discussions as they just didn't work

Grieving the loss of her sister - and after years of avoidance - Saika travels to Ash Gardens to plant her sister’s remains. There she will grow in an arboretum of souls. These gardens are maintained by a beast named Frank; everyone in his magical crew is grieving in one way or another. Still struggling to say goodbye to her sister, Saika joins the crew in battling mysterious issues around the house and gardens.

This is such a comforting story of found family, unconditional love, and acceptance. I found myself crying so many times I lost count, but always in an “I feel seen” kind of way. Kay Sinclaire has written grief so well in this debut novel.

Thanks to Bindery and NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a fantastic book, reminiscent of the works of TJ Klune. The pacing is a bit of a roller coaster, but ultimately fans of magical realism and cozy fantasy will love this.

One of my top reads of 2024! Friends have described House of Frank as a “warm hug on your worst day” and that could not be more accurate. House of Frank is an unforgettable novel. It’s one that I have thought about long after I have finished. How the House of Frank explores the different kinds of grief each character experiences is deeply relatable. I cried for all of the characters. Several times!!!

As joyful as the cover looks, this book is about the dark depths of grief and how it affects an individual personally and the people around them. It was a cathartic read for me but this story may cause some readers stress. Especially, if you have recently lost a loved one.

Sweet and comforting, this book reads like a warm blanket. It shows us how people can connect and support each other in a way that so many people are missing these days. it is a beautiful comfort read.

reviewed after assignment for the web newsletter Shelf Awareness. review can be found in full at https://www.shelf-awareness.com/

I wanted to love this story so much, but while the ideas for the characters and the plot were great, they didn’t quite come through on the execution. For example, everyone at the Ash Gardens had very similar backstories, with multiple characters willing to take potentially deadly curses for the same reasons, despite seeing the very clear evidence why that is a very bad idea.

There is a lot of grief and loss in the book, but I didn’t quite emotionally connect to any of it, so it didn’t move me to tears… I was just curious to see how things would turn out, without being deeply invested. Similarly, the cosy found-family vibes were disrupted by some arbitrary nastiness, constant secrets and miscommunications between ‘family’ members, and a lack of follow-through on their alleged care for each other. This meant that while I did get Under the Whispering Door vibes from the premise and set-up, I didn’t fall in love with the story (and characters) the way I did with TJ Klune’s after-death novel.

I generally have no problem with reading first-person narratives, but this one threw me at first, as I struggled with being addressed in the second person, as the main character’s sister. It just took a little getting used to though and stopped feeling as strange after a while.

All that said, I did love the range of the characters – fairies, gargoyles, beasts, dragons, witches, cherubs – and the system of magic, which is divided into types like nature witches but also allows for use of power sources outside of their specialisations. I also love the whole idea of the Ash Gardens and the use of falling stars, and how attempting to change fate or cheat death comes with serious consequences.

And with all of my minor quibbles about some of the plot elements, I did keep reading with absolutely no urge to DNF or pause, and I mostly enjoyed the book, so I would definitely look out for more by this debut author in future. As I said… the ideas here are brilliant!

This book was so sweet. The characters and their depth was amazing, so much emotion. I do think the ending was rushed, but overall I loved the book.

absolute 5 stars, if you loved Bookshops and Bonedust and feel like a cozy found family fantasy, then this will be perfect for you. I loved every moment.

House of Frank by Kay Sinclaire? Absolute banger. This book had me hooked from page one—it’s dark, it’s twisty, and the gothic vibes are immaculate. The family drama mixed with the eerie supernatural elements? Literal chills. Every twist had me gasping like, “Wait, WHAT just happened?”

The characters were so layered, and the writing? Pure ✨chef’s kiss✨. It’s giving haunted house goals, but also, I’d never wanna live there. If you’re into gothic horror with a side of juicy secrets and nonstop suspense, this is a must-read.

Massive thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

4 stars

This is an interesting mix of cozy fantasy and one that takes on the subject of grief. There is an odd cast of characters that are a bit flawed that makes this story stand out. A large portion is told like the main character is talking to her sister. There is a part that really annoyed me with how the rest of the house were (mis)treating a dragon. Besides this a pretty solid read. If you like cozy fantasy and found family you should try this book.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy to form opinions from.

I’ve given this 3 stars but it’s more like a 3.5 or just below 4. Fans of TJ Klune will gobble this up as it has everything a cosy fantasy low-stakes romance could ask for. Readers should know it focuses heavily on bereavement though, and this is the central theme throughout. For me (and this is just personal preference), it takes up a little too much of the plot, and I felt like character depth and inter-personal development pay the price for this as it was somewhat lacking. I really would have liked some more back story for all of the characters, and for the main romantic story to have been fleshed out a little. On that note, I do hope there’s a sequel!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bindery for this arc. This was an emotional read that reminded me of the House of the Cerulean Sea. I’m thankful for the opportunity to have had early access to this novel. Congratulations to all involved.

YAYS
The exploration of grief is so important.
Diversity and queerness.
Nays
Pacing was off. A lot of it was drawn out and slow. Some of the events were discussed too quickly.
Note to self- slipping from first person to second person at random is odd to write.

Thank you to Kay Sinclair and Net Galley for this e-arc!

Such a beautiful read. Honestly hard to believe it’s a debut novel. The story flowed well and all the characters were interesting. At first I was a little worried about reading this with such an overwhelming theme of grief and loss, but in a way it definitely helped some to process complicated grief.