Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

I am obsessed with the relationship between Hollis and Walt. I went into this wondering how the romance would be pulled off; I mean, how does a relationship develop between you and the guy possessing you? But I should never have doubted for a second, because WOW!

Of course Hollis and Walt have their initial animosity, but having to live with each other forces them to be beyond vulnerable in a way that was SO GOOD. I love when characters are forced to expose their deepest, darkest selves to each other, like get unconditionally loved bitch!!! The physical aspects of their relationship differ from the norm, given, y'know. Not to give too much away, but the tension and dynamic that stems from this is so intense I was losing my mind.

I also love how Hollis' friendship with Annie and Yulia are portrayed. I was worried that the friendships would get sidelined in favour of the romance, and while the romance is the focal point, Hollis' friendships integral to his character.

I have to note, however, that at times it was a little confusing to differentiate when it is Hollis or Walt talking. Italics are used to indicate when one of them is speaking mentally in Hollis' head. When they have conversations together, they transition in and out of speaking verbally and mentally, and there are only paragraph breaks to indicate when the speaker switches, if that makes sense? There were also instances where some of the dialogue was not italicised at all, but my copy is an eARC, so maybe that's just a formatting error that will (hopefully!) be fixed in the published version. Otherwise, it's pretty easy to tell which one of them is speaking, when speaking verbally.

This book is full of such tenderness and I'm so glad that teens will have it, especially the recipes woven throughout the story. I thought that the recipes as a resource for kids in situations similar to those in Hollis's town was such a nice touch in a story about community, and how survival depends on having a community around you. Hollis and Walt are both deeply sad in ways that terrify each other, but it's also why they work. They understand each other in ways no one else does because they also mirror each other.

I unfortunately discovered that possession horror and the particular flavor of romance within this book isn't my cup of tea. That doesn't change the fact that Ancrum is one of my favorite authors, and I'm so excited to read whatever she writes next, though I doubt anything will be able to top the way Icarus made me feel seen as someone with EDS. Her books are filled with so much love for the teenage experience and the particular challenges it brings, that even though I'm out of my teens, I find myself coming back to her characters and books, and the messy, real, tender ways her characters interact with the world. I'm not sure that I'd reread Hollis's story, but I'm glad his story gets to be told.

The Corruption of Hollis Brown was endlessly fascinating. This book was so unique and the format felt a lot like reading poetry. K. Ancrum has such a way of storytelling, I'm always hooked by the first page. I will be thinking about this book for a long time to come.

I love K. Ancrum's works so much. I didn't think anything could top The Wicker King but this is trying to give it a run for my favorite. I loved Hollis. He was an imperfect character but that made it so easy to relate to him. His friends were also relatable in their own ways. I didn't want to out this down to sleep because the short chapters just made it so easy to fly through this book. I'm going to be recommending everyone to read it.

Content warning: bodily possession, physical violence

So I'm not entirely sure how to rate this one. If this was in Adult fiction, it would be a solid 5 star read. But given some of the very mature and intimate content within the pages I don't know how I feel about this being published as a YA (and I say that as a Teen Services Librarian). I'm glad I've read it personally (because I really enjoyed it), but also professionally because now that I know some of the content... which the synopsis does not allude to, I'll be better prepared when talking to teen patrons about this. It's definitely not for younger teen readers.

Ancrum's prose is stunning at times and everything involved with Walt possessing Hollis is powerful and fascinating. Overall, this was a very interesting concept and engaging reading experience. I loved the fierce friendship between Hollis, Annie, and Yulia.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's Books, and HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review.

“The wind kicked up dust, the windows were dark, and it was cold and dreary as it always was. But the buildings at Rose Town weren’t hollow anymore.”

Hollis Brown, after bouts with bullies in an inescapable town, finds himself in a chance meeting with an enigmatic stranger named Walt. Hollis succumbs to a deal with Walt, only to find that he is a ghost and Hollis has just given him possession over his body. While Hollis is terrified at first, he comes to understand and care for Walt as they share a host body and discover the pleasures of one another’s company. Soon Hollis’ only friends, Yulia and Annie, uncover the truth, posing a threat to the bond that has grown between the boys. Despite the growing love between them and the dread of a possible exorcism, there are still mysteries to unravel in the cursed town in which they reside. Intimate and odd, K. Ancrum writes a queer love story that will leave you wishing that you too were possessed.

The Corruption of Hollis Brown was a fun read, though I do think it is more of a romance than a horror story. The romance between Walt and Hollis is really endearing, and I loved the growth between the two as they peeled back more layers of each other. While I initially had some issues with how consent was portrayed, especially since Hollis is basically falling in love with his possessor, I found that Ancrum was able to find a solution to this issue by the end of the novel. In addition to emotionally complex characters and relationships, the writing and style of this novel is something entirely different from what I have come to expect from YA romance. The novel is told through succinct chapters, often broken up with baked goods recipes, courtesy of both Hollis and Walt. The one-to-five-page chapters really helped with the pacing of this novel, and the pages with only a few lines felt like poetry rather than prose. The atmosphere of this novel is dark, but I never felt like I was reading paranormal fiction. The romance and topics in this book certainly aren’t lighthearted, but the book does read more like a contemporary romance, which left me a little disappointed due to the unsettling nature of the plot. Ultimately, it was Walt and Hollis’s connection and their unwavering yearning that kept me invested. Despite its lack of spookiness, this is an excellent queer romance that I think a lot of people will be able to relate to, especially with the characterization of the small town.

Falling for the spirit that has begun to cohabitate your body? Not like other love stories. Hollis is a teen who after an incident finds his body being possessed by Walt, a guy who has been jumping from body to body for a hundred years looking for someone to let him settle into their body. Walt and Hollis have to learn to work together but they each have their own baggage.. and to keep the act up before someone else begins to notice. Yet the more time they spend together the more a bond begins to grow between them...can their love survive? This was definitely an interesting read and I can see the Venom x Eddie fans eating this up, but for me, I sadly just never got really hooked into the story. I wish I did, I love the idea and as a huge Venom fan, this should have been perfect for me, but I guess it just didn't work for me. I found myself getting a bit bored and a bit disconnected while reading it. I do think this book is a fun read for others, but it just was a miss for me. I think if you love a queer romance with a unique premise, you should definitely give it a go!

Release Date: April 22,2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperCollins for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

If you are in the market for an intense and unique love story look no further. I was weirdly charmed by the love story between Hollis and Walt as it was so interesting to watch them navigate their romance.

Going even deeper than that, this was a story about 2 very lost soul (one being an actually soul) trying to find their place in this next phase of life. This book also had such an amazing open that really set the stage for the whirlwind of emotion that is Hollis.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collin’s for the early chance to review and appreciate this love story.

Thank you for the ARC!

I'm going to start by saying I think this book wasn't written for me as the audience. I kept waiting for something to happen and when things did it just was over and that was that. No suspense, no drama, just "ok it's done". It reads like an adult general fiction book and that's largely why I didn't like it.

I kept reading hoping for a twist a turn SOMETHING but it was just the most flat and boring possession story I've ever read. Even falling in love with his possessor wasn't interesting.

The short chapters were annoying, why were there RECIPES?! and good Lord if I didn't forget which girl was which about 89 times.

I wish this author the best but the summary did not match the vibe at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

I am a certified K Ancrum Stan and this was one of my most anticipated of the year.

I just knew that the experience of being possessed by a ghost would be romanticized in a way that would be amazing and I was not disappointed. I loved this book. Hollis and Walt were so sweet together. K Ancrum is a master of writing romantic angst and pining/longing. How do you love someone inside of you? Someone you can’t really touch? This was so beautiful. I also love how the author writes friends in all of their books. This should be how everyone should be friends in my opinion. I also love the nods at mental health issues and how people deal with them in unhealthy ways. Walt’s life was so sad and I felt so bad for him. It was interesting how everyone interacted with him and how he was perceived. Walt was a sweetheart and then finding each other was fate and I always love to see it.

i always find it hard to muster the words for a k ancrum book review. whether that’s because i’ve flown through the space driven narrative of ‘the weight of the stars’ or i’ve had my heart healed and torn apart and mended and loved over and over by ‘icarus’ or if it’s been torn apart AGAIN by the incredible storytelling and atmosphere of ‘the wicker king’ and now whether ive been shoved into the chest of someone that knows you deeper than anyone ever could alongside ‘the corruption of hollis brown’.

k ancrums books feel so different and on such a grander scale than most of the stories i read and not in a ‘these books are written better’ way but in a ‘i didn’t know it was possible for a book to make Me feel this way for the entire 300 pages of it’ way. but they’re also just so fiercely imaginative yet realistic and tender.

the stories are full of platonic admiration, highlights of queer platonic relationships (even when they’re not explicitly given that name) and how much devotion and gentleness gets interweaved with never knowing peace and never letting yourself feel joy. how you can unweave the two, how you can have gentleness and peace if you fight for it. if your chosen family shield you, hold you, love you.

the mc’s in every book are realistic and flawed and resemble the parts of yourself you think are broken but these protagonists are not just loved anyway but loved because of the flaws. these stories are so tender and gentle and so so healing. there is something that is just full of love in every line and on every page and this isn’t actually a review of hollis brown at all but a review of each book all together because they feel so different but so connected.

and maybe that’s because they’re connected to me and k ancrum writes as if she knows me, as if she’s sucked all my desires and hopes and reluctance to fight for my own joy and put it in these stubborn characters who end up fighting and bleeding but who find a peace they’ve chased anyway.

every k ancrum book ive ever read has made me feel like i deserve to be alive, like i deserve a chance to fight for my joy, and what more could you ever ask from a book than that?

anyway i liked this book :)

A certain degree of suspension of belief is a requirement with all of K. Ancrum’s novels, yet despite knowing that I find myself still quite on the fence with this one. Some parts of it, namely the tenderness between Hollis and Walt, I really enjoyed. There was so much of the book, however, that I just can’t fully wrap my head around. Maybe I’ll need some time to ruminate on it or maybe I never will, and that’s okay too.

Nevertheless, one thing’s for sure: I would love to take a look inside K. Ancrum’s brain, if I could (and I mean it in the best possible way!) Everything she comes up with is so unique, and her writing is so beautiful, that I couldn’t stay away even if I wanted to.

The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Ancrum was a very fun and adventurous read. I fell in love with this style of writing with Ancrum's other book Icarus and I was very pleased to see it again. The characters are frustrating and lovable (the way most teenagers are honestly) and I love love loved the inclusions in this one. I found myself relating to not only Hollis and Walt but Hollis's best friends as well. It's emotional, it's psychological, and cuts a little deeper into what goes on inside of us really, despite what we show others, and how we all just want someone who can see us for who we are without all of the walls we put up. I've already recommended it to some of my friends.

Thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the ARC!

Ahhh I loved The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Ancrum so so much. Zero Complaints! Therefore I'll just highlight my favorite things about the novel. K. Ancrum's writing is captivating and brings to life this Queer YA thriller with a wonderful cast of characters. I absolutely love Hollis and his two best friends! While the chapters are short, which is normal for Ancrum's writing, they still pack a punch. I loved that Hollis' baked for his friends and that the book actually included recipes for the things he made. I have no doubt I'll be trying out the sweet potato bread and the gingerbread brownies . 🤤 The star of the show for me was Hollis and Walt. They take a moment to adjust to their new situation but they find in each other a shared loneliness and a friend. They know one another in a way no one else possibly could. {{Sigh }} they were just precious.🥰 I was all up in my feelings with this one and I didn't want it to end.

I found a new favorite ghost story in the corruption of Hollis Brown. Not since summer sons have I read a story that mixes love, ghosts, and codependency so well. And not since the wicker king have I read a K Ancrum book that was so good. (And I just read Icarus by Ancrum and LOVED it.) With the mini chapters, deceptively simple setups, and the ability to bring out big emotion, Ancrum is a master of contemporary fairytales.

This was highly readable, which is no small feat these days. I fell into the story easily and remained engaged throughout. While the short chapters kept me reading, I found myself wishing for a little more depth and characterization. I think this might be a personal preference thing though, and I'd guess that the pace and length would be very appealing to YA readers. There's still plenty to swoon over and get emotional about. I didn't find the characters super realistic, but I did find them compelling and was interested to know what would happen with them. I especially liked the important roles the side characters played. I'd definitely recommend this to YA readers who want a quick and engrossing read.

80/100 or 4.0 stars

The atmosphere that Ancrum creates is fantastic. It gives me the same vibes of Radio Silence by Alice Oseman, if that makes sense. (That statement is meant to be a compliment, of course). A great inclusive LGBTQIA+ story that to me feels like it will resonate with so many teen and YA readers, and they will love this book for that. The characters are complicated and interesting, and I liked what what happening with the world and with Hollis and Walt's relationship.

This is my first book by Ancrum, but it will definitely not be my last!

Rating: 2.5

I liked this at first, but it went downhill fast. I liked that there were short chapters. It made getting through the book a lot easier. I didn't mind Hollis but I didn't care about Walt at all. His introduction and the development of their relationship felt very abrupt.

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

K Ancrum returns with a YA queer romantic thriller in The Corruption of Hollis Brown. Titular character Hollis is stuck going no where fast in a worn down small town with few options. A dash of possession adds a bit of interest to his days after he inadvertently strikes a crossroads deal with Walt Eidelman, who died at age 17 in 1931. Walt is a local guy and is shocked to learn that his home is haunted and might be tied to the circumstances leading him to share a body with Hollis. But so much time together with no true barriers between Hollis and Walt leads to stronger feelings and Hollis' friends are certain that something is off with him. Hollis has to save the town from whatever is cursing it while not accidentally getting Walt exorcized.

This is K Ancrum's writing a la The Wicker King and Icarus, and it is so much fun. Content warnings for mental health discussions and suicidal ideation as well as descriptions of violence. This story is basically exactly as described in the synopsis. The actual journey to achieving those things and the execution of the plot points is what makes this story successful. As with previous Ancrum books, chapters that are very short are used to push the action forward at a steady, driving pace. This book adds in some fun recipes as well.

I would happily recommend this to anyone interested based off of the synopsis and look forward to whatever Ancrum puts out next.

This was such a fun book. I enjoyed the small-town setting and how the author wrote about small-town culture. The characters were well written overall, although sometimes it did seem as though they were a little flat. I fell in love with the main characters quickly. I do feel the ending was a little rushed. I would have liked more closure with Hollis's family.

I initially liked the short chapters, but sometimes, the book would cut off right in the middle of something happening, pulling me out of it.

Overall, it is a well-written book.