The House on the Cover of a Horror Novel is a Southern Gothic novel that follows Emily and Miles Lawrence through a terrible tragedy that beholds them from the house they purchased. With an amazing job offer for Emily, an unexpected and rough pregnancy and eventually, a terrible tragedy involving their young son, Emily and Miles go through trials and tribulations that no couple should ever have to go through.
EV Knight is able to encompass the horror that many find themselves envisioning when they look at old, Victorian homes. Yes, they’re beautiful but they are also incredibly haunting with their own histories that can be both beautiful and haunting. However, I feel like EV Knight created two main characters that you couldn’t root for. The only time I found myself cheering for both Emily and Miles was through the tragedy involving their young son, Rhett. While I can sympathize with Emily and her potential postpartum psychosis, it was still hard to root for her. Miles, on the other hand, was a dislikable character from the very beginning. Narcissistic, cared for himself more than anyone else, including his wife and son, and was patronizing to what Emily was going through.
Initially, I was prepared to give the story only 1 star. However, the ending of the novel redeemed itself enough for me to give 3 stars. While the story itself was a typical haunted house story that you can read in many other novels, the ending was a bit out there that allowed it to have it’s own genre almost.
Thank you to RDS Publishing, author EV Knight and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. The opinions aforementioned are my own.

I’ve really just started dabbling in the horror/spooky genre but this one is by far my number one. This book legit made me scared at night. I don’t want to give too much away but some of the scenes are written so well they depict some of my worst fears. It gave me that “turn off the light and run to the bed” feeling. Loved.

Thank you, Netgalley, and RDS Press for the arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This little novel packed a punch. While seemingly a classic haunted house novel, I couldn't believe how incredible the look at motherhood, specifically, depression during and post pregnancy was. The contrast between our two leads was unfortunately easily to believe and made the story so rich. I loved the quirk of the horror author and thought it was a good nod to those who feed off of tragedy. This is a very interesting topic to explore with other book friends. When is it OK to use others' pain to create a story?

The setup and detail of the house/surrounding area were excellent. We lost a bit of that as the last third of the novel ramped up and concluded a bit too quickly. Gone were the beautiful details that kept me engaged in the story, and here to stay was Miles' twin with WAY too many awkward dialogue moments where she constantly said, "bro." Like another reviewer said, Miles' calling his wife sleeping beauty and acting so casual after their child goes missing made me dislodge from the story. There were a few other spots like this where the dialogue just felt not in line with the rest of the book nearing the end. Especially in regards to the age of the characters.

I loved the ending. It was risky, clever, and encompassed the outlandish (bordering on silly) lengths a mother would go to for their child. I loved the foreshadowing of the different lullaby verses in regard to both the past family and Emily's. My only complaint is that we get teased with what really happened to the past family, and then it is easily written out in the doctors journal. It was nothing, nothing, everything, and felt too easy. How did the author even get the documents?

Overall, I had a lovely time. A great twist on an old idea. The first 70% was a five star from me and even though I liked the ending the last 30% was only a 3 star as it felt like the writing quality was telling, not showing and the first more than half the book did the opposite and with some absolutely beautiful writing. The last bit sounded more juvenile.

The House on the Cover of a Horror Novel by Ev Knight has everything I love in a horror novel ! Creepy haunted house, a mum convinced she’s hearing voices and a clueless husband who will do just about anything except believe his own wife.

Emily and Miles have been told they’ll never have a baby, and have finally started to accept their childless marriage. Emily is an artist - a painter, and Miles owns a tech company. One day Emily gets a call from none other than best selling author Cooper Yancy who wants HER help to inspire his latest book. Before she can really dive into the opportunity, Emily finds out she’s pregnant and she’s high risk. Thinking he’s making the best decision ever, Miles buys the house Emily has been painting, wanting more room for their family…without asking her. The myriad of strange occurrences begin when they move in and Emily becomes convinced the house is actually haunted.

I really loved this, the premise was an original twist on an idea that's been overdone, I was captivated early on and eager to turn the pages. It was easy to love our protagonist Emily, and to sympathise with her. The opposite was true for Miles, he was just insufferable! I believe this was done on purpose so props to Knight for making me hate this man so much. I was shocked at how little he knew about the functions of woman’s bodies and the toll pregnancy takes! His ignorance continued to astound and annoy me throughout the book. Especially the name drama!
I enjoyed how we didn’t get many scenes from outside the house, and that most were only alluded to, this really helped convey how the house was consuming them; their world revolved round this house and you really get a feel for that as a reader. Brilliantly atmospheric and unsettling.

I only had a few grievances with the book - Miles said ‘idk’ on a phone call…and it was written like that, fine for a text but for a phone call the three words should be typed out, it took me out of the story. Also when Miles said ‘Good morning, Sleeping Beauty’ when the pair were going through something horrible, just felt out of place, but perhaps this was meant to show how strange the character of Miles was. I also feel like the book lost some momentum around the last third and felt as though the plot was going in circles for a bit, but it did pick back up towards the end. The ending was totally unexpected and something I haven’t seen done a lot, I was thoroughly impressed.

All in all, an incredible novel, thank you NetGalley and Raw Dog Screaming Press for my ARC.

Overall Rating: 3.75/5
Genres/Tags: Gothic Horror, Hauntings and Paranormal, Psychological Horror

This book follows Emily, who is on a quest to find the perfect muse for a painting commissioned by one of her favorite horror authors. She finds her ideal inspiration in an old Victorian home currently for sale. However, Emily soon faces a medical scare, which turns out to be an unexpected high-risk pregnancy. Misinterpreting her visits to the property and her paintings of the home as more than just artistic inspiration, her husband, Miles, buys the house without her knowledge. As Emily navigates her high-risk pregnancy, she begins to uncover the dark history of the home and observes unsettling changes in her husband's personality.

While the plot may seem somewhat predictable at times, it remains thoroughly enjoyable. Books with multiple points of view can be challenging, but this one handles it well by clearly labeling each chapter with the character's perspective. The writing's pace and tone are easy to follow, allowing me to finish the book in one evening. Occasionally, the writing style felt a bit unedited, but I appreciated the atmospheric descriptions of the house and the eerie details, like the creepy wallpaper and toys left behind.

The characters are engaging and EV Knight, the author, writes from the POV of Emily particularly well. Miles' controlling personality and subtle misogyny stood in sharp contrast to Emily's struggle with pregnancy, postpartum depression and paranoia. The extravagant character of Cooper Yancy offers comic relief, as does Monica, Emily’s sister-in-law and best friend. I enjoyed the backstory of the house and the way the book concluded, although I wished the final chapters were more drawn out to better maintain the story's momentum.

Overall, the plot and characters make for an enjoyable read. However, the last quarter of the book feels a bit rushed, despite an interesting climax and resolution. The author excels at building anxiety and resentment in the main character, but the actual paranormal aspect left me wishing for a tiny bit more "overt" horror. Nonetheless, it is a solid read that I found to be a lot of fun, and I am certain any fan of haunted houses will enjoy this book too!

Note: I would like to extend my gratitude to NetGalley and RDS Publishing for providing me with an advance copy of this book. This does not have any impact on my review or rating of the book.

This book was truly creepy, atmospheric, and downright terrifying at times. It was the perfect 'haunted house' psychological thriller with a lot of suspense and mystery.

“The House on the Cover of a Horror Novel” gave me the creeps in every good way possible. From start to finish you will be engrossed. Everything in this book is what I look for in the horror genre; horror with heart. We grow attached to our small cast of characters and want to see them come out of this unscathed.
The Victorian house in Savannah embodies every creepy house you have ever ran by without looking complete with a graveyard and a swamp. Emily has been hired to design a cover for a famous author ready to write a sweeping Southern Gothic. She finds that in the Leed’s House. Her husband Miles finds the images and decides that this will be the home he surprises her with after seeing her paintings of the house. The couple will soon discover that there is more than “good bones” in the house.

The House on the Cover of a Horror Novel follows Emily, an artist who is commissioned to find a suitable cover image that will inspire a horror novel. But when her husband mistakes her obsession with one house as a love for it, Emily finds herself living in the very house that terrifies her.

An interesting concept, the novel does fall into a very similar rhythm to other haunted house novels with very similar plot points: toys moving on their own, is it a haunting or mental illness etc. However, the story is haunting in a very compelling way, beautifully written from different perspectives and the characters are well fleshed out. This is a solid read and I think is overall worth picking up.

his novel is a gripping blend of psychological suspense and supernatural mystery. Emily Lawrence, an artist, is drawn to a mysterious house she believes hides a dark secret, perfect for a horror novel cover. When her husband Miles unexpectedly buys it, Emily's eerie experiences intensify, leading to a chilling exploration of fear and the unknown.

Knight skillfully blurs the lines between reality and paranoia as Emily battles with her sanity amidst haunting occurrences. Miles' struggle to support his wife adds a poignant layer to the narrative. The story's tension escalates dramatically culminating in a thrilling, unforgettable read.

For fans of atmospheric horror and psychological thrillers, 'The House on the Cover' is a must-read, showcasing Knight's talent for crafting deeply unsettling tales that linger in the mind long after the final page

Creepy atmospheric and mean little haunted house story. Very creepy setting and an extremely bleak ending.

This is a creepy atmospheric novel about a haunted house and motherhood set in Savannah Georgia.

A woman has been contacted by a very successful popular horror author to give him inspiration for a new novel. There's a huge payday in store if she can capture and paint something which leads to his next novel.

She finds a perfect house for sale with a dubious past. But before she can enter the home with a realtor, she experiences blinding pain and starts bleeding. At the hospital her and her husband find out she's pregnant and it's a complicated and possibly dangerous pregnancy.

She has not told her husband about her deal with the author and he assumes she wants to purchase this home and proceeds to do so behind her back.

She doesn't want the home but the deal is done and they move in. It doesn't take long for the house to reveal itself in truly troubling and terrifying ways!

This novel goes deeper into the aspects of motherhood and, of course, no matter what happens, her husband has a good physical reason for it. Their relationship turns contentious as whatever lives in the walls makes her doubt her sanity.

With some twists and turns along the way, we'll witness the terror she endures and the panic when she realises whatever it is wants her baby for it's own.

This is a really good gothic haunted house book with some great supernatural vibes and psychological horror. I recommend it.

Emily Lawrence caught her big break when she was contacted by THE Cooper Yancy to design the cover for his new horror novel. The thing is, he hasn’t actually written the novel yet so he is giving Emily free reign in hopes that she will find the perfect inspiration he needs for his novel. When Emily comes across an old Victorian house, she knows it’s the perfect muse. Emily hasn’t told her husband, Miles, though. She wants to make sure Yancy is good on his word before sharing any good news.

Emily begins sketching and painting the house, filing her studio with pictures of it. When she unexpectedly becomes pregnant and is marked high-risk, Miles thinks the house will be just what they need for their growing family and does what any sensible, loving husband would do—certainly—and buys the house without consulting her first…

Once they move in, Emily begins hearing voices and items move around in the house. Is it all in Em’s head or is something more sinister at play?

Chapters shift back and forth between Emily’s and Miles’s experience which helps readers get a closer look in to each character. The atmosphere is no doubt suffocating, with stuffy air and windows that are painted shut. And every haunted house has to have a good back story right? Well this one didn’t disappoint. However, I found the “scary” scenes—the scenes where there were strange happenings—to be a bit lackluster and actually not very scary at all. In addition, I grew increasingly frustrated with Emily and Miles and the fact that they wouldn’t just TALK TO EACH OTHER honestly. At times, the writing felt clunky and juvenile.

All in all, this story needed a little more workshopping for it to really work.

Thank you Turner Publishing and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Available 09/12/2024!

The Nobel Leeds House is just what Emily Lawrence is looking for. She to illustrate the cover of a horror novel when see first sees the dilapidated Victorian located on the edge of a swamp. Its mysterious aura intrigues her. What she hasn’t yet realized is that Emily Lawrence is just what the Nobel Leeds house has been looking for.

What follows is near confusion, lack of communication, suspicion, terror and tragedy. Mistaking his wife’s sketches for an interest in the house, her husband Miles buys the house as a surprise. She’s newly pregnant with a much wanted baby and finds the house terrifying (as she should.) Neither Miles nor his twin sister, Emily’s best friend Monica, understand Emily’s fears. They don’t see the rolling toys, hear the voices singing, or see the doors slamming shut. After the traumatic premature birth of their son Rhett nearly kills both Emily and the baby, Miles and Monica try to provide all the help they can to her. They believe postnatal depression is causing her hallucinations and visions. It isn’t, but by the time the evil in the Leeds House shows itself and causes a media circus, so much will be lost.

All good horror stories have to be based in reality. Ev Knight so vividly describes Leeds House that you can see it, imagine the wraparound staircases, the zinnia covered wallpaper and the creepy toys. By the time you realize that Emily and the house are horribly linked, you won’t be able to stop reading. And when you finish The House on the Cover of a Horror Novel, don’t look behind you. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, RDS Publishing and EV Knight for this ARC.

Tell me the male main character is autistic without telling me he's autistic and then spend a bunch more chapters making him out to be a piece of shit that is causing all the problems cause men bad. Starts with a cool concept and goes right into "pregnant wife habe hormones can't trust brain." Not a good book and managed to piss me off along with it.