This one took me a while to finish, but it was seriously incredible. I am horrified and disturbed and have so many questions. I'm such a sucker for family drama—needless to say, this book satisfied that itch perfectly.

This book is the perfect blend of gothic horror and atmospheric prose, giving you a captivating story that will have you wanting to turn the pages as quickly as you can. It is full of family drama, exploration of oneself and identity, and secrets. I loved duel narratives and mysteries shrouded between them. I think the multiple perspectives added the story, allowing the audience to see how each person reacted to Vivian’s death. Though the ending was predictable, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Vivian Yin had been a famous actress in the 80s, and the first Chinese actress to win an Oscar. She faded at the height of her career, and now that she's dead, her daughters expect to inherit her Southern California mansion. But her will gives it to another family, so now both are moving in to stake a claim. Vivian's daughters try to piece together her final weeks, and it seems that they're haunted by more than regrets.

The novel uses dual timelines and covers three generations. Vivian's two daughters had fallen out of touch, but she had also pushed them away. She refused to leave the house, let anyone help her, and wouldn't see her granddaughter. The Deng family had once worked for her, and this is who will inherit the house. From the start, there are creepy things happening, from breaking items, water damage, and odd visual effects. When the truly creepy things begin in the present, we go back in time and see how it began for Vivian and her second husband. The joy in their life eventually soured, and took a terrible turn. In the present, the secrets both families kept over the years have them isolated within the manor house, not even talking with each other.

The secrets of the past threaten the present, and the supernatural elements mean they can't ignore them for long. Ghosts had haunted the property, and we gradually understand why the visions occur, why the garden is so overgrown, and what had happened to Vivian in the end. There's incredible sadness in that, as well as the fears Vivian hid to try to keep her daughters safe. Parents do the best they can, and sometimes the mistakes they make have consequences. I was unable to put this book down, and had to finish it right away.

Avid Reader Press eARC
I'm going to start with that I ended up doing the audio of this, and I should've stuck with the print because it was hard to keep track of everyone in the audiobook. But this was an intriguing and dark novel full of family secrets and regrets. I really enjoyed the format of setting the story up well, then going back in time to give context, and finishing with the present day again. I think this made the book have good layers of suspense. The house here was truly creepy, and I loved the way the author chose to make it her own. If you like haunted houses with complex and richly layered characters, I recommend checking this one out.

The Manor of Dreams is approximately the perfect gothic horror book. It has family curses, a rotting manor, inheritance troubles, plant horror, murder plots, and even lesbians. After the death of movie star Vivian Yin, two Chinese-American families gather in her house to fight over said house. Vivian's two daughters feel that the house should be theirs. Instead, the house has been left to Elaine Deng, the former housekeeper's daughter. Elaine agrees to give the pair a week to sort things out, and if at the end of the week, they have nothing with which to contest the will, they will leave peacefully. Unfortunately, things go downhill super fast, with people starting to see things and tempers flaring and old family sins coming back out. Elaine's daughter Nora and Lucille's daughter Madeline come together to get the answers that neither of their mothers want to give. And the backstory of Vivian and the daughters all unfolds in a dual timeline.
Incredible book. Such good tension, especially in the past storyline, since there's a few dates given, so it feels like a countdown. Actually, the listing of chapters by what day it is in the house also makes the present story feel like a countdown. I don't want to give spoilers, but this book is so full of wild reveals and so much drama and anyways I loved it a lot.

I loved the idea of this book but found it a bit slow to get into. The family drama seemed compelling at first and I wanted to understand what really happened to Vivian Yin. Grief does wild things to people, and it was fascinating to see how everyone responded to the will being changed. I would be interested to teach other books by this author, but this one unfortunately wasn’t for me.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

After years of solitude in her secluded mansion, Oscar-winning Chinese American actress Vivian Yin has died. Her daughters and granddaughter have arrived at their matriarch's home for the reading of the will — and so has the daughter of Vivian's longtime housekeeper, to whom the actress leaves the house. Upset at this unexpected turn of events, Vivian's daughters are determined to keep the house that they believe should be theirs, and all interested parties refuse to leave until the others do. But after just a few days in the house, odd things are happening — strange noises and visions, unexplained injuries and anger, and perhaps most disturbing, plants and soil seem to be growing into the house at a rapid pace, grabbing at the temporary residents and then disappearing again.

Based on the description of this book, it felt like it should be a spooky gothic horror novel, full of generational trauma and atmospheric creepiness. Unfortunately, while it had a lot of the ingredients, it didn't seem to be fully mixed and baked. With rare exceptions, the five modern characters were kinda bland and hard to distinguish, though the flashbacks to Vivian's youth were more vibrant and compelling. It was also lacking in the uneasy atmosphere that's necessary in horror novels, especially gothic haunted house tales. So the idea and the individual elements were good, but the execution was just OK.

I loved The Manor of Dreams. Lots of family drama/horror, sibling angst, forbidden love and tragic endings.

I loved the characters of Nora and Madeline. They are of two opposing families and literally know nothing of the family history. They become friends and then something more. As far as the other older family members, they are all flawed and by design, I didn’t like them.

There were two timelines and many characters. Sometimes I got a little confused but was able to find the thread eventually.

Gothic, haunting horror. Trigger warnings for spousal abuse.

Dangle a Gothic horror novel in front of me, and I'm sure to grab it nearly every time. With its well-manicured lawn and beautiful garden, this luxurious manor was the site of many dinner parties with renowned Hollywood guests, and the families within it full of hopes and dreams for their futures. Years later, it's a crumbling mansion filled with chilling occurrences and a garden you'd best avoid - if you want to stay alive. In this case, the manor itself is a character.

This novel has a lot going on, and it tackles many issues - sibling rivalries and jealousies, strained parent-child relationships, domestic violence, generational trauma, Hollywood drama, and exploitation of Chinese immigrants during the Gold Rush to name a few. The characters (and there are many) aren't very likeable, but that didn't stop me from wanting to know their fates.

The story alternates between the 70s when Vivian is a young mother, wife, and actress to present day when her will is read and the chaotic week that follows. After both families move into the mansion, everyone endures disturbing experiences such as hallucinations, apparitions, and attacks. It's creepy and full of conflict, but I wouldn't categorize this as a horror story. For me it was more of a suspenseful family drama with a few paranormal occurrences tossed into the mix.

Recommended for fans of generational family drama, thrillers more than horror, and slow-burn reads.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Overall I really enjoyed this read! The beginning was slow but things ramp up and get very intriguing once Vivian's story line begins. It was a tad hard to keep all of the characters straight and would sometimes need to start the chapters over. I really enjoyed the themes and gothic atmosphere! *Thank you Net Galley for the advance copy.

I love a haunted house novel add in a death and family secrets and I’m in!! I flew through Manor of Dreams, by Christina Li.

Manor of Dreams tells the story of a family history, a death with a bewildering bequeathment, and how generations often carry the burden of untold long held secrets.

Vivian Yin is dead, the first Chinese woman to win an Oscar left the spotlight and hermited away in a once beautiful estate. Her daughters plan to sell the home and solve their problems. But when the will is read, the home is left to their old live in housekeeper. Two generations of the families descend upon the house, refusing to leave, and uncover the truth behind grief they’ve never dealt with.

The story is structured through dual timelines and the trauma generations have passed down to one another.

What’s your favorite setting for a novel? I honestly can’t say no to haunted hour books.

Quotes from the book:
We inherit their history.
Whether they know it or not.
Whether they want us to or not

When what is false is taken for truth, true becomes indiscernible from false.

Maybe we were all haunted by different things.

3.5/5
I really wanted to like this one more than I did. 😮‍💨 It has all the elements - Gothic manor, Hollywood starlet, family drama - that should work, but The Manor of Dreams just fell short for me.

I loved the behind-the-scenes on 80s Hollywood. I loved the glitz of Yin Manor and a rising "it" couple. I liked the air of mystery surrounding Vivian Yin's death, and I reveled in the spookiness of the family home.

However, I wanted more background on Vivian's husband. There's a particular storyline that was introduced and then kinda dropped? It was intriguing, and I would have loved to see that more fleshed out.

Overall, I was all in for the first half but felt unsatisfied with how The Manor of Dreams ended.

Read this if you like:
• LGBTQ rep
• Family drama
• Betrayal and ambition
• Gothic tales
• Dual timelines
• Stories with Chinese American families
• The Haunting of Bly Manor vibes

I really wanted to like 'The Manor of Dreams' more than I did. The haunting elements and the descriptions were visually stunning. I just couldn't get into some of the characters. I had a hard time reading about Lucille's plot to destroy the Deng family. I'd rather have more of the haunting and supernatural elements. 3 stars.

The Manor of Dreams is an eerie, haunting story of generational trauma and unhealed wounds. The story is told through multiple timelines and perspectives. There were elements of gothic fiction, botanical horror, and family dynamics that made me eat this book up. There were some elements I found difficult to read such as domestic abuse and homophobia, but both of those were key to the plot and weren’t gratuitous in my opinion. I enjoyed the generational stories intertwining and how the ending healed the hurts of previous generations. I will be recommending this book to my gothic loving or horror loving friends for sure! Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy

"Mexican Gothic meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" is accurate!

For a fairly short novel, this one is packed with a dual timeline, multiple generations, secrets, old Hollywood, a crumbling mansion of a former star... and two Chinese American families fighting to inherit.

The story is woven together so perfectly... I simply couldn't put it down, and I really didn't see that coming!

While I read this one with my eyes, I have heard the audio is also fantastic and really leans into the creepy house factor.

Put this one on your TBR!

Thank you to Netgalley, Avid Reader Press, and the author for my advance copy.

This was a little too slow for me. There were too many characters, and I found it overly violent. The ending was unfinished, and it left me with unanswered questions. Thank you, NetGalley.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avid Publishing - Avid Publishing - Simon & Schuster for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and read it in one day. I loved the characters and the storyline. I thought the characters had great growth. I would definitely recommend this book.

Read If You Like:
🏚️ Crumbling Houses with Haunted Vibes
⏳ Dual timelines (1970s and present day)
🤐 Family secrets
🎥 The dark side of Hollywood fame
🏳️‍🌈 Queer romance
🇺🇸 Chinese-American Immigrant Experience

Manor of Dreams is such an atmospheric story with depth of emotion added to the story telling that makes the story so well rounded. The story blends old Hollywood with the haunting story of what it was like to be a woman and an Asian immigrant to boot.

When the iconic actress and one time Oscar winning Vivian Yin dies, her family is shocked to learn that she left her crumbling Los Angeles estate to the daughter of her former housekeeper. This spurs the forced proximity into an uneasy cohabitation, with locked room vibes of both families who must confront decades of resentment, betrayal, and unanswered questions about Vivian’s past and the layers of how the story transcends her family.

The story moves between Vivian’s rise to stardom in the 1970s and then quick drop off in her career and her tumultuous personal life and the impacts of her race, gender, immigration and more on her career.

As strange visions and eerie phenomena begin to manifest in the manor as the two families are stuck there together. The story slowly reveals a deeper truth: that the house itself has been shaped by buried grief, silenced voices, and the generational consequences of assimilation and sacrifice making it another character in the story.

The story explores themes of cultural identity, immigration, exploitation of women in Hollywood, women as subservient to their husbands, and the cost of ambition.

The inclusion of a queer romance adds layered tenderness and complexity to a narrative already brimming with secrets.

Thank you so much to Simon and Schuster for my gifted audiobook and Avid Readers Press for my gifted physical ARC.

A thriller that creeps up on you when you least expect it. When Vivian Yin dies, she leaves behind a considerable estate and numerous heirs with mixed emotions on what they were meant to inherit. After a long estrangement, the story winds through the lives of three generations and their interactions with Vivian......and the house they all think is theirs. The story could almost be called women's fiction until the memories claim them all. This book was not what I expected; it's better.

Vivian Yin is dead. The first Chinese actress to win an Oscar, the trailblazing ingénue rose to fame in the eighties, only to disappear from the spotlight at the height of her career to live out the rest of her life as a recluse. Now her remaining family members are gathered for the reading of her will, and her daughters expect to inherit their childhood home: Vivian’s grand, sprawling, Southern California garden estate. But due to a last-minute change to the will, the house is passed on to another family instead—one that has suddenly returned after decades of estrangement. In hopes of staking their claim, both families move into the mansion. As Vivian’s daughters race to piece together what happened in the last weeks of their mother’s life, disturbing visions and bizarre behaviors start to take hold of everyone in the house, forcing them to realize they are being haunted by something far more sinister and vengeful than their regrets. After so many years of silence, will the families finally confront the painful truth behind the house’s origins and the last, tragic summer they spent there—or will they cling to their secrets until it’s too late? What are their secrets?

The novel is told in dual timelines, spanning three generations, and brimming with romance, betrayal, ambition, and sacrifice,. The story is a thrilling family nňi8kmmmgothic that examines the true cost of the American Dream—and what happens when the roots we set down in this country turn to rot.

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