I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. Thank you!
The synopsis immediately caught my attention. The setting is Barcelona, and it's a pretty creepy escape room theme. The protagonists, Joe and Helen, visit the house mentioned in the title the day after they meet, hoping they can solve the mystery of the nine rooms and win the cash prize. Initially, they view the tasks with skepticism, but when it becomes clear that the stakes are the salvation of their own souls, events start to escalate rapidly. I liked how the characters' past secrets are gradually revealed, and the secrets of the rooms are also very creative. And the ending… A real wow! I kept pondering afterward about what reality might have been.
Why I gave 3,5 *? Because there was a part in the middle with which I was really struggling... A bit boring and a bit confusing :/

*this ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

The No-End House had some really cool moments, but overall, it left me feeling a little mixed. Right from the start, the scene around the plane was intense and set up a promising, eerie tone. But as the story went on, it veered into more fantastical territory, which wasn’t really my thing. The concept behind the house and how the rooms are created was actually really interesting, and Helen’s backstory? Incredible. I almost wish we got more of that because it was one of the strongest parts of the book.

That said, the narrator was kind of an ass, which made it tough to really connect with him. And the moth? Of all the unsettling imagery throughout the book, that choice felt a little underwhelming. The twist near the end had me completely hooked—I was genuinely excited to see where it would go. But then it twisted again, and honestly, I was just disappointed. It felt like the story was building toward something huge, only to fizzle out at the last second.

While some of the imagery was striking and there were moments of great tension, the book as a whole felt a little disjointed, like it wasn’t entirely sure what kind of horror it wanted to be. If you like stories that lean into the surreal and don’t mind a bit of weirdness, this one might work for you. But if you prefer your horror with a clearer direction, it may not hit the mark.

Readers who enjoyed The House Next Door by Darcy Coates, Kill Creek by Scott Thomas, or We Need to Do Something by Max Booth III might find The No-End House an intriguing read. They all explore eerie, shifting environments with a creeping sense of dread—though for me, The No-End House didn’t fully stick the landing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I was definitely left feeling disappointed by this one. I had expected a hard horror novel with deep psychological twists, but instead got a short story that had been turned into a novel, with overtones from both internet and literature that were so heavy they just got to be too much.

The main characters, Joe and Helen, were not the kind of people that can be easily supported or gotten behind. They were very run-of-the-mill, and I found myself simply not really caring about what happened to them. They had very little character growth, and I felt a bit cheated by the lack of development.

Next, we come to the house itself. It is not, in fact, ‘no-end’, but rather laden with pop culture references and abject silliness. There was very little threat in this novel, unfortunately, and I was definitely left disappointed.

I enjoyed this book a lot. Reading this literally made it so realistic as if I am watching a horror movie.
Gruesome ,vivid, suspenseful living nightmare of trials.
However, who would have gone for this in the first place if you didn't need the money? Selling your soul to possibly not make it out ever?
This is what made it a 3 star for me. I over all enjoyed the story, but any person in their right mind would have turned this away, this is the only thing that was unrealistic for me and helps me relate to characters in such ways.

I was really excited about this book but felt disappointed by the end. It had a lot of promise with potential for tense and disturbing moments. Instead, it started to feel rote. I felt a lot of the characters were just a compilation of character traits rather than whole people. And see, that'd be fine as I was excited about the book because of the plot but even that felt like it petered out near the end. Also I was thrown by random derogatory language. Can we please stop using fatness as a synonym for disgusting or villainous? Thanks

There were some strengths to the book including an unfolding narrative and strong writing so I would definitely read more from this author.

started reading: 27 Feb | stopped reading: 27 Feb

I only requested this book since the blurb/hook is "In the tradition of Saw and Eli Roth’s Hostel ...", so I was expecting something horrifying, blood and guts, something fun and maybe even dumb. But I got nothing like that at all, all I got here is dumb things.

This just kept me awake at night, reading and reading hoping that the next chapter was interesting, horrifying, anything but boring but it didn't change. I stopped at chapter 11/12 and skipped to the end of the book where they're at the last room and I was a bit surprised at how it changed, I was at room 4 before skipping ahead.

(removed ending spoilers) The last room is interesting, but it's a little bit trope-y, from the challenge to the outcome, But I could see what the author attempts to do, but I did not care for the characters, partially because I skipped most of the book. I also find the ending just super cliche, especially for a horror novel.

WHAT?! Reading The No-End House was like a massive trip. The trials were all insane (in the best way.) I wasn't sure about it at first, but once you enter The No-End House, you will not be able to this one down! A must-read horror!

Thank you so much, Kensington Books and NetGalley, for the digital review copy!

⚠️ mild gore, horror elements, mentions of kidnæpping/child abuse, occasional language

This book did not live up to what I expected. Several of the other room experiences were so vague I didn't even know they were challenges at all. And there is so much walking around, and sitting around in between. Hours of it, dragging the story terribly. I would have liked it to be more of a escape room type with the horror element.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

Absolutely terrifying and addictive I couldn’t put it down and the suspense is edge of your seat worthy! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for the ARC!

I read a lot of horror, and this was not one of my favorites. It dragged a bit for me and I found the characters unlikeable.

This book had a really good premise and was paced extremely well, I didn’t care for the characters all that much and found it hard to connect with them, however I had a good time with this one even though it may not have fully resonated with

WOAH! I loved this horror book! I was questioning reality throughout the entire book and questioning my own ability if I were in the characters place in this book. I do not think I would have made it though the No-End house. I am eager to read more from Jeremy Bates!

3.5 stars

Two strangers enter a challenge for their lives.

I never really liked either of the main characters. They were pretty flat and unlikeable to be honest.

But once the revelations start revelating I was pretty into it. Unfortunately you have to get to about 70% of the book.

The end almost made it a 4 star but honestly the beginning was kind of drag so 3.5



Thanks Kensington Publishing for giving me the opportunity to ARC read this title.

I'll be generous and not give this one star, giving it the benefit of the doubt that maybe this book is not just for me. I had a different expectation for horror but this was not the traditional "horror". The rooms themselves were not scary, i'd definitely classify this book as more on the weird side. Characters were not likeable but that was not a knock against the book, however I did not enjoy the dialogue between them. The good news is the book will let you know if this book is for you or not because it maintains the voice and tone throughout, So if you enjoy it early you'll probably like the book, if you dislike it from the start it won't change your mind halfway.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this ARC. I’m an avid thriller/horror reader and this book didn’t work for me ! The book was compared to the movies Hostel and Saw movies and I couldn’t disagree more this book did not have the feels of a horror book at all, it was more a dark fantasy read for me. It started out well, but I started to lose interest within the story. The characters had immature dialogue for their age in the book, the situation were not terrifying/scary at all and kind of confusing and the ending was extremely predictable. I put the cover of this book was beautiful, and I really like the beginning of the story, I Will try this author again at another date if he writes another book ,thank you so much!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Two tourists enter an escape room-type challenge but get more than they bargained for in Jeremy Bates’ “The No End House” - with a creepy premise and some pretty imaginative scenes, there is definitely a ton of variety for spooky book lovers to dig into here.

For readers who prefer a slower burn or longer building of tension, there might be too much variety - as the title suggests, there’s a lot more than a standard haunted house to the story, and the settings change really quickly.

Apart from some standard spooky scenes, there’s not much content worthy of a warning, so I could see even an older teen reader enjoying this.

I would have liked to see more character development - while the main character Joe is doing his best to recover from a personal tragedy, the plot kicks off so quickly, there isn’t much of a chance to go deeper. However, if you’re looking for a shorter read, this might be up your (haunted) alley.

4.5 stars. This was a heck of a dive into imagination! This gives horror meets psychological thriller. Another reviewer described a fever dream, and that’s a perfect description because I imagined an “Alice in wonderland” ish but creepier breeds with an escape room wherein your humanity as well as your soul is on the line. What would one do to save their own soul only to leave them questioning whether his/her soul was ever in fact in tact to begin with?! Wow! 🤯

Characters were multilayered. Unpredictable, actioned-packed, clever plotting. Setting was dark and mystical with vivid descriptions. Content warnings: grief, violence.

This title comes out in June of 2025 so be sure to add it to your TBR! You will not be disappointed! Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to arc read this book in exchange for my honest review!

This book just dragged from begging to end, I kept reading thinking it would get better but it didn’t. Very disappointed, I had high hopes.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. This is my first read of a Jeremy Bates novel and I must confess hopefully not my last. The No-End House was a delightfully scary read and I did not want the story to end. Both main characters were well fleshed out and the plot was original. A quick read of about 4 to 5 days. Highly recommended.

I went into this thinking I was going to get a Saw remake and this was just not that. I mean it had “challenges” and “rooms to escape” but that was the only similarity. I really felt like this book was one giant fever dream… I was confused, lost, and just never knew what was coming next.

A lot of the challenges just felt soooo random. Sure, Joe and Helen tried to explain them afterwards but by then it was too late. I didn’t feel like any of the scenes were actually scary- just bizarre and random? Then skipping ahead to the ending…once again… WTF? The random story dropped by the police officer??? Or was it truly all just what Joe thought??? Honestly, the scariest part was the questioning of reality. Gave me mind-simulation scaries.

At this point, I don’t know what to rate it. Part of me wants to give it two stars and part of me wants to give it four stars simply for the fact that I’m left speechless. Like, maybe that’s a sign of Bates’s genius to give me this feeling? So in the end I’ll settle on the middle. I will read another Bates book because I’m intrigued to see if this was an isolated incident or not