I would like to start off by saying thank you to Kay Synclaire and NetGalley for this ARC.

This book was such a cozy fall read. There are heavy themes of grief and LGBTQIA+ aspects in here so please be mindful of those as you consider this one.

I absolutely adored this book. There is such a diverse and wide range of characters incorporated into this fantasy read. It took me a couple of tries to get into but once I finally got swept away, the characters lept off the page for me. The magical aspects of this book are what caught my attention initially but I ended up falling in love with the characters and genuinely rooting for them. Personally, I really appreciate a book that handles grief and loss in such a beautiful way. If you are looking for a cozy fall read that will make you feel all of the feels please add this to your short list ASAP.

I might’ve just found one of my favorite cozy fantasy books.
But let me start from the beginning. This book felt like a warm hug right from the first pages. Saika’s arrival at Ash Gardens and how welcoming and caring Frank was made my eyes immediately wet, I knew I’m about to be swept up in a beautiful and emotional story. It is a tale based in a fantastical world of witches, beasts, elves, faeries but it is incredibly gentle at that. We don’t need a bunch of world building or magic systems, it’s just a lot of magical people working together and facing difficult times. Even though it’s cozy it has stakes (quite high by the end) and there is never any feeling of boredom. The cast of characters is diverse and lovable but also flawed, no one is perfect, not even the protagonist, and sometimes they can make you angry or frustrated with their behaviour but it makes them authentic and complex. The story flows at a really nice pace, there is a lot we learn and discover as it progresses and maybe some things can be predicted but it really doesn’t take away from the emotional impact of it. House of Frank is about loss and grief, it goes into it fully and deeply but carries all the difficult emotions with such grace, it literally holds your hand as you face the depths of grief (I’m actually crying writing this). If you ever lost someone, reading this book is like therapy, it really reinforced my belief in the power of storytelling, how it can help us heal and get through hard times.
I went into this book knowing it will be a good time, it wasn’t just good, it was excellent, I cried 5 times and came out of it a little lighter and a little bit more whole. I know I will read it again and again.

Thank you to Bindery Books, Ezeekat Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

This was the cozy, lesbian version of under the whispering door and I ADORED IT!

Saika and Oli were so easy to love and root for and the premise of a magical arboretum that people can come and spread their loved ones ashes. This book is filled with love and grief and all sots of emotion I didn't expect. I still can't believe this is a DEBUT novel! I am in awe.

I will be rereading it soon so I can absorb even more of this story. It has such depth and layer that the readers experience will change depending on where they are in life.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bindery Books for the chance to ARC read this.

I received an ARC from NetGalley.
It's the ideal cosy read for a rainy day, perfect for curling up with a warm drink. This whimsical tale explores grief through the lens of a delightful cast of characters.

A word of warning: the story is told in the first person, which some readers may find a bit jarring at first.

Saika, a witch, is tasked with fulfilling her sister's final wish: to plant her ashes at Ash Gardens. However, Saika isn't ready to let go. She ends up working at a sanctuary owned by a mythical creature named Frank. As she tries to keep her secret hidden, Saika gets to know the residents of the house and may even find love with an elf. But she soon discovers that something sinister is lurking within the house and that Frank may not be all he seems.

My favorite thing about this was Saika's POV and the way she tries to deal with grief, especially in the form of talking to her sister in the actual inner dialogue. That may be kind of hit or miss as there is the use of 2nd person here, as she refers to Fiona as "you" very often. I think it made it more realistic because I would be talking to someone in that way too.

But unfortunately my bigger thing about this book is that I didn't really feel connected with a lot of the characters. While it certainly tried to be cozy and whatnot, I didn't really feel the found family vibes as much as I was hoping/wanting to. For people hoping for another experience close to House in the Cerulean Sea, I'd say to go in with low expectations and you'd enjoy it better that way.

I feel like I would give the author another chance in the future though since there is definitely potential.

First, a moment for this absolutely stunning cover.

This was a beautiful exploration of grief and found family delivered in a cozy package. This book hit some hard themes, but also had sweet moments. I wish the characters were a tad more fleshed out, but overall this was delightful.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Bindery for an ebook in exchange for my review.

Saika travels to the magical and well known Ash Gardens to complete her sister's final wish of having her remains planted. The owner of the gardens is a large mythical beast, Frank. Seeing that Saika is not quite prepared to let go of her sister, Frank invites her to stay and work at Ash Gardens. She finds herself working with a fascinating crew including a ghost and cherub. It soon becomes clear that there is something going wrong with the house and with Frank. Saika must work to overcome her grief and find a way to help save Ash Gardens.

This was a really lovely book that deals with grief and loss in a beautiful way. It is such a healing story. I was completely sobbing by the end. The characters are all so unique. I enjoyed the slow burn romance between Saika and Olivie. This is a perfect fall book. This is a debut novel from Kay Synclaire. I can tell you after reading this book I will be watching closely to see what she does next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.

What a joy this was to read. Yes i know that seems off for a book about grief. I laughed. I cried. I’ll recommend this to friends :)

TL;DR Review: A deeply emotional, heartfelt, and poignant exploration of loss and grief wrapped up in a cozy story.

Full Review:
I’ll be honest: I don’t quite know how to do The House of Frank proper justice in a review. Words fail me to fully express just how deeply emotional this story was…but I’m going to give it a try.
The House of Frank follows Saika, a witch grieving the loss of her sister, Fiona, carrying out her sister’s final wish to be buried in Ash Gardens, a magical arboretum where planted ashes grow into trees. Even just this setup is wonderful. The notion that we’re not just saying goodbye to a loved one, but through the piece of them we leave behind, something beautiful is born. No silent headstone or grave marker, but a tree, a living, breathing memory of the ones we once loved.
Ash Gardens is home to Frank, a giant cardigan-loving mythical beast (never fully explained, but it doesn’t matter), who keeps alive this homage to his dead wife. In his home, he has gathered other souls as dented and damaged as Saika—from an aging witch who’s lost her coven to a pair of twin cherubs who couldn’t be more opposite, from a speechless ghost in a bowler hat to a half-gargoyle, half-elf witch.
Saika attempts to leave her sister’s ashes, but it’s clear from the first page—when she’s talking directly to Fiona (really interesting use of “second-person” dialogue)—that she’s not ready to let go. Frank invites her to stay as long as she likes, until she is ready to say goodbye. All he asks is that she helps around the house, which is crumbling as such old houses are prone to.
Through her interactions with every member of this eclectic—and eccentric—household, the protective layers Saika has built around herself are slowly stripped away and the truths of her heart and soul laid bare. We learn why she carries so much guilt around her sister’s death and why she feels so alone in a world where she has family, a chance at a prestigious career.
At its core, The House of Frank is a story about grief. The pain of loss, the burden of guilt associated with death, the fear of letting a departed loved one go, the struggle to try and “live life to the fullest in honor of those gone”, and the fight to keep their memory alive as life continues to fly past all around you.
If you've lost anyone—family, a friend, pets, distant relatives, a random person you met one time—this one is going to break you into little bits and pieces. And I say that as a good thing.
As I embarked on this emotional journey along with Saika, it felt like I was given a safe space to face the emotions and feelings I have carried for years over the deaths of two of my brothers (long ago, but still hard to deal with). The character’s struggles mirrored my own, in a way, and the things she came to understand through her interactions with everyone else who had lost someone or something special gave me insight into my own life, situation, and heart. And in the end, when Saika gets her happy ending, I felt a true sense of catharsis, a burden lifted.
As the book makes clear, “The loss remains, but the pain lessens, grows easier to bear.”
Get ready to cry, but it will be a freeing, healing cry, and I promise that when you come out the other side, it will be with a smile on your face and a new lightness in your heart.
With a colorful cast similar to Becky Chambers’ The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, a cozy feel, and a deeply emotional theme, this is a book that anyone who has lost someone needs to read.

I can´t thank enough Netgalley for giving me the oportunity to read this awesome book! I cried at the end. It´s journey through loss teach us, that we must keep living and Fiona though us that. Every character journey was amaizing and I couldn´t stop reading about Olive and Saika´s love. Truly a master piece.

If you’re looking for a found family, cozy fantasy, you’ve come to the right place. Saika is grieving the loss of her beloved sister and finally decides to honor her wishes about being planted as a tree in a place called Ash Gardens. There she finds a job and slowly starts to realize that she’s not the only one with issues. I enjoyed this sweet story! I will say, though, that some of the relationships fell a little flat…they just seemed to develop a little bit quickly for my taste. Still, Kay Synclaire is very talented, and I look forward to her next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ezeekat Press for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

CW: There are a couple of sexual situations in here, but it’s kept relatively clean.

A good story about many kinds of grief, with magic and way too many secrets, ruined by a really off-putting and weirdly written romance. The "romantic" interest is cruel and disdainful, for literally no reason, like a school bully. It's instant and gross; this person is out here negging the main character by belittling her name before introductions are even complete. Literally interrupting the introduction to get in some insults. What a charmer! An enemies to lovers thing is fine, but if the enemies part is just one character hating the other on sight based on their outfit, then purposefully endangering them several times for kicks, I'm thoroughly bewildered by the lovers part. This is not some legitimate grievance, a misunderstanding, or an inital incompatibility that has to be overcome, this is just a deeply unpleasant person with no explanation ever provided.

You guys! This book is such a delight! Anyone who loves cozy fantasy’s like Travis Baldree’s Legends & Lattes or T.J Klune’s Under the Whispering Door will simply adore The House of Frank.

The characters are all magical, diverse and oh so charming. I just love our girl Saika as a main character, and her sapphic romance with Oli is ridiculously cute. Franks house with its special aboretum for a setting was truly the perfect cozy fantasy setting. Yes, this story is all cozy wozy but it’s also filled with grief of loss of loved ones.

This is a wonderful debut from Kay Synclaire and I highly recommend to anyone who ever wished for a pet dragon.

I did not expect to have my heart completely shattered and put back together when I began this book.

The author beautifully covers many types of grief and the many ways one can cope with these experiences. Throughout the story the characters all slowly open up and share more of their personal lives with the reader making you actually feel like you’re becoming friends with them. By the end you are actually feeling a little grief yourself knowing you have to let the characters go.

The found family and healing that comes in this story is some of my favorite I have ever read.

3.5 Stars! 🌟
House of Frank was a beautiful story of love and grief. Set in a magical cozy setting with an eclectic group of characters Saika learns how to process her grief and acknowledge her emotions before finding direction and purpose.

Thank you Kay Sinclaire, Net Galley, Ezeekat press and Bindery for the digital arc.

3.75 ⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bindery Books for the opportunity of reading this before release date <3

This book has a very interesting premise. If you are looking for a book that takes you on a journey of self love, grief, cozy somewhat low stakes fantasy, found family and some action, this is for you.

I really loved how Saika finds people who treasure, love but also hold her accountable for her mistakes and her bad decisions. I really loved the whole concept of having a community of people who give you a space to grief and say goodbye to your loved ones. I think we all need support and kindness in the moments where grief is touching our door and, the exploration in this book was beautiful although at times it can be heart wrenching. I love the diversity of the characters and how each story was presented to us in order to understand each background and personality, how they arrived at Ash Gardens. The whole fantasy aspect was very interesting and kind of new into the genre. I really hope this author has more in store because this was promising. I didn’t connect MUCH with the characters and felt it a bit dragged out but, overall, it was very enjoyable and different.


COMES OUT ON OCT 15, 2024 ❤️‍🩹

House of Frank is an exploration of grief, the lengths we will go to honor our loved ones, and what we would do to bring them back. The story follows Saika on her journey to fulfill her sister’s burial wishes. It’s about the people she meets when she arrives at Ash Gardens, their stories of grief, and how they support each other.

The book is set primarily on an old property where families visit to bury their loved ones' ashes and transform them (through magic) to trees in their memory. The cozy narrative offers a comforting backdrop for Saika's grief journey, and she finds comfort and new beginnings within a welcoming community.

This beautifully written debut novel captures the subtleties of grief and the healing power of relationships. If you appreciate stories that delve into the themes of loss and renewal, House of Frank is a must-read. It is an excellent debut novel.

This follows a witch named Saika and her journey to find peace after the death of her sister.
Her sister's last wish was to be put to rest at Ash Gardens. It has taken Saika two years to make herself go there. She's just not ready to say goodbye.

Ash Gardens is not what she expected. She will find so much more than a place for her sister to rest.

This is somewhat cozy, has found family elements and some very interesting creatures.
I liked it ok, but it felt really drawn out to me. I found it too repetitive at times.

Saika a witch who has lost her powers travels to Ash Garden to plant her sister's ashes. But she had difficulties with doing this. Frank, the owner of the Garden, gives her job until she is ready to plant the ashes.

I was really looking forward to this book. There were also glowing reviews that made this book seem to be just what I wanted too. It has the trope of found family which is my favorite but even that couldn't save this book for me.

Saika is the MC who we are supposed to be for but she is not a likable person. I know she is processing her grief and so we are not seeing her at her best but she is judgmental and self-centered. She had a very co-dependent relationship with her sister and now that she is dead Saika can't live her life. She also can't admit that an action she did in the book wasn't right and hurt Frank.

Then we get to the found family who feel more like a disjointed group than a family. Characters make comments that are supposed to be teasing but feel mean spirited. one of the characters Phil is a ghost who cannot speak but no one in the house helps find a way for him to communicate. Then they also don't seem to know things about each other that they should know since they have lived with each other for years.

Now to the setting, where in time is this story taking place. There are moments where the story feels modern then there are others that makes it feel old. It can be very disconcerting for some.

I do like the concept of Ash Garden, a place to turn loved ones Ashes into living trees. It is a sweet concept. I also like that magic is just casual in the world. It's not strange and mysterious.

Overall, the book was not for me after all. That is not to say that others may enjoy it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bindery for an ARC for House of Frank.

Nothing wrong with it, just not for me.
I think it's time to accept I'm no longer in my cosy era. We had a good run, but now I'm looking for something different.
For a reader who is firmly IN their cosy era, this would be perfect. It has gentle pacing and a lovable cast of characters.
The prose felt a little stilted to me at times, which I think impacted pacing for me, and the character voices felt a bit same-ish to me.
If you're looking for a book that carefully explores grief in a safe environment, I suspect you'll get a lot more out of this than i did.