It Was Her House First was a thrilling haunted house story that was hard to put down. Cherie Priest’s style is casual and makes for an easy read, but full of all the dread and emotion I look for in a ghost tale. It Was Her House First is a ghost story - even more than it is a haunted house story because the house isn’t the only thing that’s haunted - so is Ronnie - by her anxiety, by choices made to live with that anxiety, and by memories of her brother.
The story is told primarily from two POVs, beginning with Bartholemew - who introduces us to the house - and to the “her” whose house it was first - nearly 100 years ago and Ronnie today.
Ronnie’s telling us her story in real time, beginning with giving us a tour of the house and illustrated by how she keeps putting off telling us about her brother until she’s ready.
Knowing (in part, at least) some of the earlier events in the house only added to the concern we have for her as she begins renovations - like telling on-screen characters not to go where you know the killer is, but Priest does a good job of telling us just enough to add to that dread but not so much that we’re not reading as fast as we can to learn not only what happens next, but what else happened before?

I really liked this book. I love haunted house stories. It’s my favorite genre. A great story about a creepy house. The story is set in another time. I thought it could’ve been a little scarier. All in all I really really like this book. Thank you, Netgalleyfor providing the advanced copy book to me.

This was an absolutely gripping haunted house tale that I tore through with delight. Such a clever twist on the haunted house trope (that I will never stop loving). From the first few pages, the atmosphere had its hooks in me, and I couldn’t put it down. What really set this book apart was the unique inclusion of POVs from the ghosts themselves, which is a rare and refreshing narrative choice that added a rich layer of depth and eerie insight.

The tone and tension reminded me a lot of American Horror Story: Murder House, so if you're a fan of that kind of dark, twisted, and emotionally charged horror, this one will absolutely hit the mark for you. The pacing is snappy, and the supernatural elements are deliciously creepy without being overdone.

My only complaint (would I even call it that?) is that I wanted more. Just a bit more time with the characters and a deeper dive into the house’s history would have made this a truly unforgettable read. Still, what’s here is smart, scary, and seriously entertaining. A standout addition to the haunted house genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Cherie Priest, and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for access to this eGalley. I hadn't read a Cherie Priest novel before. I love haunted house books and I loved the supernatural spin in this story with Venita and dark magic.

"Ronnie doesn't know it yet, but her fate rests in the hands of the dead.

Silent film star Venita Rost's malevolent spirit lurks spider-like in her cliffside mansion, a once-beautiful home that's claimed countless unlucky souls. And she's not alone. Snared in her terrible web, Inspector Bartholomew Sloan - her eternal nemesis - watches her wreak havoc in helpless horror, shackled by his own guilt and Venita's unrelenting wrath.

Now the house has yet another new owner. This time it's Ronnie Mitchell, a grieving woman who buys the run-down place sight unseen. She arrives armed with an unexpected inheritance, a strong background in renovation, and a blissful ignorance regarding the house's blood-soaked history. But her arrival has stirred up more than just dust and decay. In the shadows, unseen eyes watch. Then, a man comes knocking. He brings wild stories and a thinly veiled jealousy, as well as a secret connection to the house that can only lead to violence.

Venita's fury awakens, and a deadly game unfolds.

Caught between a vengeful ghost and a ruthless living threat, Ronnie's skepticism crumbles. The line between living and dead isn't as sharp as it seems, and she realizes too late that in Venita's house, survival might be just an illusion."

I totally would be a vengeful ghost holding onto my house. But I don't think I could write that anywhere near as well as Cherie does.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book!

This is the kind of story I dream up for every creepy old house I pass on the road. Not enough of those here in the PNW but still. A haunted fixer-upper is always a good starting point for a spooky story.

We start with a likable protagonist who turns out to be a DIY queen, a decrepit estate that I couldn't help picturing as the Carson Mansion, a very unprofessional real estate agent, and a lot of derogatory comments about Seattle's weather (seriously, it's not THAT depressing, especially not in summer). Some readers might think that the book starts too slowly, but I enjoyed being eased into the house and its history, letting the creepy atmosphere build for a while before anything really started to happen. I liked the restoration/salvage operations in this story, similar to the author's other book The Family Plot. and I enjoyed the moments of breaking the fourth wall as well.

SPOILER BELOW

Disappointingly, I didn't get a strong sense from Venita's diaries (or her ghost's behavior) that she was obsessed with her house and no one else owning it, which was heavily implied to be a bigger part of the story. I also didn't find her to be a very vengeful and dangerous ghost, as the summary of this book suggests. In truth, I felt like the concept and the creepy house itself was rather wasted. The only real antagonist in this book is a man who shows up early on and obviously has nefarious intentions from the start. So no real suspense on that front either.

Also, the main character was so dumb towards the end of the book - getting crossfaded and passing out after a guy who you (rightfully) do no trust has indicated he's going to come by your house? Wild choice for an otherwise tough, smart, and responsible character.

END SPOILER

I did spy some continuity errors, questionable historical references (I'm fairly certain that a newly built mansion with wealthy owners in the 30s would have electricity, not gas lamps), and some distracting grammatical errors, but I suspect these issues will be eliminated in the final edition of the book. Overall I did enjoy this quick and easy thriller but I felt let down by the haunted angle of the story. 3.5 stars.

In all honesty, when the book opened with the first chapter set in the year 1932, I was nervous. Not nervous because of the year, but most authors still seem to write too modern for the year they are trying to convey. That being said, Cherie Priest slapped that right out of me. I was hooked from the first chapter. The way that alone was written, perfection.

Now, moving on. “It Was Her House First” was fantastic. The writing was so vivid and atmospheric. It was perfect old Hollywood glam mixed with eerie ghost vibes. The way the multiple POVs were presented was so unique that I couldn’t put this book down.

This was without a doubt a 5 star read from me. HIGHLY recommend grabbing a copy when it is released July 22nd.

I really enjoyed It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest, a modern haunted house story with a gothic-cozy feel.

Our heroine Ronnie Mitchell buys a house to renovate that belonged to silent film star Venita Rost.

A man shows up, claiming to be the great-nephew of a friend of Venita’s who died in the house…he’s friendly, but gives Ronnie the creeps.

This is a fun twist on a haunted house mystery because we have the perspective of the ghosts haunting the house.

I liked the cozy feel, and Ronnie is a wonderful character. Her anxiety is probably the closest I’ve seen to my own weird thought processes in a novel…wild.

Thank you to @Netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for my review copy of this book. This releases July 22nd.

DNF @ 15%

I tried 3 times to get into this. I loved the authors previous book so I hope that at some point in the future I can try again and get back into it.

This was a creative spin on the haunted house trope with a blend of supernatural menace and classic gothic atmosphere. I really enjoyed Bartholomew’s POV, his perspective added a layer of tragic tension that worked well, and Venita’s diary entries were a compelling glimpse into her descent. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as invested in Ronnie’s storyline, which left some of the tension feeling uneven. Still, the concept was strong and the pacing kept me turning the pages. A solid 3-star read!

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

THIS WAS SO GOOD!!! I can’t wait to have a copy to put on my shelf. If you love creepy, cliff side mansion, this is for you!!

4.5 stars!

What a fantastic, captivating mystery! With the pacing and language of a classic film noir in novel form, I absolutely adored the multiple POVs especially in such diverse styles including through diary entries as well as literally from the voice of a ghost who is ever present and watching but unable to communicate with the living residents. Definitely had strong Rebecca and Sunset Boulevard vibes.

The gothic visuals oozed as the soapy stakes revved up. This was the first novel I had read by Cherie Priest, but her writing style sucked me in so much that I finished this up quickly over 2 days and immediately purchased a couple of her other novels. This was a stellar unique haunted house story with layers.

Thanks NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy and opportunity to review before publication.

Ronnie, unexpectedly coming into a large inheritance from her late brother, purchases a dilapidated home with a history of death inside its walls. What starts as a large-scale renovation project takes a turn, because the homes original owner, famed Old Hollywood starlet Venita, is still around grieving the death of her child. A death she blames on her husband's friend — another soul trapped in the house. Everyone who's owned the home has died, will Ronnie be next?

Overall I enjoyed this! I liked the POV of one of the dearly departed interspersed to tell the story of what really happened that night in the early 20th century and how it all came together at the end. It was really slow moving for me for the first half but once we got to that point I could not put it down and raced to the end in one sitting.

Definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a classic haunted house tale with a mystery twist.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I LOVE a haunted house story and liked this different take on it. The book was alternately historical fiction and present day creepiness which was fun and kept me interested. The creepiness never rose to the level of making me want to keep the lights on so if you want to read a book that won’t scare you, you should pick this one up! My toxic trait is that I want my own creepy run down mansion that may or may not be haunted and this book just reinforced that desire!

As a fan of haunted house narratives, I really enjoyed Cherie Priest's it was her house first. The differing approaches to death and legacy and how we remember those who we've lost was really thought-provoking

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced E copy of this book.

This book got me out of a reading slump. Will the slump come back now that it’s done? Who knows.

Ronnie buys a house at an auction…sight unseen. She and Kate explore and she makes plans for what to do. Then a neighbor shows up and has Ronnie on edge. She stumbles upon something that belonged to the former owner and things start to happen. Is she crazy? Is she losing her mind? Or is something more sinister going on?

It grabbed my attention early on and managed to keep it until the end.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for my gifted copy!

The house I grew up in was built in 1920, and had no shortage of ghosts. Each family home on my mom’s side had some sort of presence. I grew up with the pleasant acceptance that sometimes spirits get stuck to places and people, and the best course of action was to respectfully acknowledge them, and ignore them in equal parts. It goes to reason that I always imagined these people of the past floating around their restored homes. This restoration gleaming like a mirage under the reality of decrepitude.

Growing up, we drove north often, nearly every weekend, to stay with family. And still to this day, I do it with my kids. Along the way, there would be homes with shattered windows, caved in roofs, crumbling brick. But always with blooming lilac trees, apple trees, swaying branches and tulips behind the overgrown weeds. These trees helped me see what once was. I could imagine the mom hanging sheets on those snapped and sagging clotheslines. I could see the kids climbing the apple trees. I could see the life lived. Which makes sense why I was obsessed with these paintings my aunt has hanging up in her home. Same premise, a home shimmering with past and present. Falling apart underneath, but a mist of past glory, and friends and family all shimmering around. Carrying pies, flowers, chasing a dog.

That’s what It Was Her House First was. All of that. It was an ode to honoring a house’s history. To respecting what it once was, and trying to make it that way, again. It was equal respect and acknowledgement of the people who came before us, who were simply stuck. We have our own, Josephine. We live in harmony, I respect the home she designed and built, and in turn, she leaves water puddles randomly in the basement that no contractor could ever find the root cause of.

Anyway, I could ramble about this book for a long while. I loved it. I loved it for more than it was. It was a thriller, it had tinges of horror. It was a ghost story. It was beautiful, and it satisfied every part of my brain and heart. Hopefully this all fits in my Instagram caption lol. You need to read this.

"It Was Her House First" is an interestingly layered haunting and tragic mystery. I liked each of the characters. The details in the house laid an excellent foundation of the plot. I was able to imagine some scenes perfectly. I would read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review!

Deliciously creepy. Nice pacing. Perfect amount of anxiety. Definitely yes!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review!
Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 4
Pace: 3
Plot development: 3
Characters: 2
Enjoyability: 3
Ease of Reading: 4

Overall rating: 3 out of 5