Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions within are my own.

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The first thing to understand about this book is that it’s not a romance. Ancrum herself describes it as “Southern Gothic horror… set in Michigan…where the romance is the horror.” And I would agree. Make no mistake, there is love at the beating-heart center of this book. Love that ultimately saves both the main character and the ghost who possesses him. But man is that love a train wreck, full of consent issues (addressed and resolved within the text) and codependence. It works for them, and the characters are vividly-drawn enough that I believe it works for them, but I, the reader, found myself constantly caught in a tug of war between caring and discomfort as I read. The dynamic between Hollis and Walt was definitely an interesting one—I don’t know if I’d ever call it romantic.

Unfortunately, the publishing team would beg to disagree, marketing this book as a romantic thriller, probably on the calculation that it would reach more readers that way. And hey, I’m not a marketing professional. All I know is, I spent about half the book deeply confused. Her previous work clearly showed Ancrum to be a deeply emotionally intelligent writer, more than capable of spotting a toxic dynamic. …But this was a romance?

So yeah. Sometimes (let’s be real, frequently,) authors don’t get a say in how their books are marketed. And mis-marketing can draw in readers who are expecting something altogether different from the book they got, which can leave said readers cranky and un-receptive.

And once it was made clear to me that The Corruption of Hollis Brown was fundamentally a queer horror novel with romantic elements, but not any kind of genre romance, that knowledge allowed me to relax and enjoy the complex, flawed characters and phenomenal atmosphere of the book. Paradoxically, it also made me more receptive to the characters’ love story. Sure, it’s kind of fucked up, but so are they, and here they are, building their own fucked up little nest and making something good for themselves.

Unrelated to any of that, I loved, loved, loved Annie and Yulia, and their relationships with Hollis. No one writes resonant, entangled friendships quite like Ancrum! I loved the setting, and honestly wanted more of Rose Town. Ancrum’s spare, vignette-based prose style works very well for my tastes, deceptively simple, but leaving room for beauty. Big fan of the interspersed recipes, too. I’m going to have to make those gingerbread brownies.

That said, was this book perfect? No. While the voices of Ancrum’s teens sounded distinct and believable 90% of the time, periodically I’d find myself going, “man, those high school students sure got their psych degrees, with a certificate in Non-Violent Communication for extra credit.” This was something I noticed in Darling as well. It wasn’t a deal breaker in either case, but I definitely did notice it.

I also found the climax somewhat anticlimactic, with Hollis, our POV character not present for key parts of it. The book had built up to that scene and I felt robbed.

On the whole, I think I’d give The Corruption of Hollis Brown 3.5 stars, rounded up to a four. It was a fast, vivid read. I already liked Ancrum as an author, and will continue to pick up new books by her (as well as her backlist I haven’t gotten to yet.)

Okay okay this was SO good. Kayla Ancrum really went 'oh you like codependent gays? hold my beer.' because nothing beats the inherent homoeroticism of sharing a body with cohabitating souls.

This was peak yearning. Beautiful and healing. Going feral over Hollis and Walt (and Annie and Yulia). Such a unique setting, beautiful prose, flawlessly structured and executed, obsessed with this book, I cannot wait to buy a physical copy.

Thank you to NetGalley & HarperCollins for the ARC!

When I read Icarus earlier this year, I said it was Kayla Acrum’s best, but I think I might’ve misspoken. The Corruption of Hollis Brown has to be the winner of that title, no question. This book was nothing like I thought it would be. I expected Kayla’s gorgeously heartbreaking prose, which I got, along with a story about a boy held as a prisoner in his own body, which I didn’t get. Not exactly at least. Possession isn’t what’s trapped Hollis, it’s what sets him free.
Ancrum is the ideal author to write a story about possession. Her writing style and formatting lends itself to the subject matter so well. It’s abrupt, it’s blunt, it’s haunting. I feel like I’ve been waiting for her to write something like this. So this is a story about possession, yes, but not in the typical way. It’s different from most stories about the topic because it humanizes the possessor. Walt was a human once, before it all. He was only a boy, no different than Hollis.
Without giving away much, Hollis and Walt’s relationship makes me go absolutely insane. Hollis and Walt individually make me go insane. Everything about Hollis drew me in and the more I learned, the more he broke my heart, and Walt is no different.
I say it in all of my review’s of Anrcum’s books, but damn does she know how to write an impactful character. Every character trait is a deliberate choice. Even just describing a possession as a corruption evokes a specific emotion in me I can’t quite name. You can feel the love that was put into this book. From the recipes to the playlist, this was no small feat. Kayla Ancrum has given her all with Hollis Brown and it is a massive triumph. I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy so I cannot annotate the absolute hell out of it.
Out March 25, 2025, keep an eye out for The Corruption of Hollis Brown. Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for early access to this title.

I'm not sure where to even start in reviewing this book. Much like the rest of K. Ancrum's books, it's just So Much. And while it's not an immediate favourite like Icarus, I also think I'm going to be sitting with it and thinking about it for awhile. I will continue to read whatever K. Ancrum writes.

I really enjoyed the idea of a spirit taking hold of a living person to finish their unfinished business. The concept and execution worked well overall and had that element that I was looking for. The characters were well done and was engaged with the feel of this, it had that thriller element that I was looking for and was glad it worked overall. K. Ancrum has a strong writing style and can’t wait for more.

Think of the grittiness of a small village without any prospect that affects its youth. Darkness looms over Hollis Brown, and he constantly pushes the boundaries. A lonely boy who lets other teens beat him, who doesn’t care, and goes to the train tracks to … well, train hopping and do other things that are not safe. The movie Trainspotting came to mind, even though that story is way different. It’s the atmosphere, I guess.

Kayla Ancrum has a specific way of writing, and I love it. I already said it before: her chapters are short, blunt, and bitten off, and her lyrical writing feels almost like writing in verse. You can’t do anything but surrender, and from the first page on, my heart got stuck in my throat.

Just like Icarus, this story is about loneliness and finally believing in a future. Walt and Hollis were so good for each other. Two boys living in one body, Hollis is angry at Walt, but soon, they start to cooperate as one. Hollis, the one who doesn’t care; Walt, the one who might care too much—two boys who complete each other.

Even though The Corruption of Hollis Brown is an eerie and gritty story, it also warms you on the inside. There’s so much love, and I believe we need books full of love these days. And if you like baking: Kayla included several recipes, especially of bread.

Actual rating: 4.25/5

I don't know what spell ingredients or mathematical equation K. Ancrum used to write her characters, but it just works so well for me. Like Icarus, I came to care so much for Hollis Brown and his relationship with Walt. I was absolutely consumed by the dynamic. I am also head over heels and borderline obsessed with how Ancrum writes touch. As someone who is also so wildly overwhelmed and sensitive to touch in a way that I crave it desperately but am overstimulated once I have it, I devour every description of touch that she writes.

Ancrum's writing style is everything to me. Both the uniquely lengthed chapters and the prose. I honestly can't fully find the words to why their books work so much for me, but they DO. I just can't describe it. Reading their books is such an entirely unique experience. Very character focused, with very little plot, but with fleshed put enough characters and relationships that you can't get enough.

There were two factors that kept this from being a 5 star read for me. The first was the slope to fighting and fear in the dynamic between Hollis and Walt to affection and love and attraction didn't feel like a slope at all. It felt like disassociating while driving. Like coming to and realizing you are in a completely different location than you last remembered. And in a character and relationship focused book, I feel like the build-up and transition of feelings is super important.

The other factor was the anticlimactic climax. I was so excited for us to finally get to the moment of...confrontation and conclusion, only to be locked out of the house.

*Thank you to the Publisher, K. Ancrum and Netgalley for providing me with an E-ARC of "The Corruption of Hollis Brown" in exchange for an honest review *

I love everything K. Ancrum writes and this is no exception. It was twisty and thrilling and I loved it so much.

Wow. I have been a K. Ancrum fan for many years and I've given five stars to every work of hers that I've read. To say I'm surprised that I loved this book would be a lie, because I knew one-hundred-percent that this would end up one of my favorite books of the year. Icarus blew me away earlier this year, and The Wicker King a few years before that. The Corruption of Hollis Brown was at the top of my most anticipated 2025 releases. I am beyond thrilled that I was able to get my hands on this as early as I did. This is about a boy living in blue-collar America and struggling with depression, bullying, self-destructive behavior, and a ghost who happen to have tricked him into possession. It contains wonderfully crafted characters who feel real and whole, despite its paranormal circumstances. Hollis and Walt and every other character was multiply-layered and thoroughly-developed. Another thing I love about this, and the rest of the novels I've read from this author, is the representation. Not only is it diverse, but it's respectful and educational. Mental illness was tacked particularly well in this one. This was brilliantly told, I do love Ancrum's notorious vignette style and lyrical prose. I also happened to realize while reading this that I think I love stories about possession and exorcisms (which sounds about right for my reading tastes). This novel was the warm love story that I had expected it to be, and no vast number of K. Ancrum books will ever make me used to reading this amount tenderness and heartbreak holed up in one small body. I don't know if I can even write coherently how much this book means to me and how good it was, so I will leave it at this: I urge you to pick this up and try it, even if you are on the fence about it. You will find something good in it. I promise you.

k ancrum is not an author i’d read before, and now i feel the need to go through their entire backlist. this is a propulsive, emotional tale that keeps the reader hooked in every page. hollis is a darling, and i’m not ashamed to say there were parts of this that made me sob. a masterpiece of queer storytelling that explores the ghosts we carry with us (sometimes literally!).