
Member Reviews

After the death of her brother, Ronnie uses the unexpected life insurance money to buy an old mansion in serious need of repairs. Luckily, Ronnie is a renovation queen and hopes that by fixing up the old mansion it will also help her grieve and rebuild her life. What she doesn't know is that the house has a different idea! The ghostly presence of forgotten silent film star Venita Rost and the spirit of Inspector Bartholomew Sloan stalk the mansion, each with their own motives and secrets. As if that's not enough to deal with, a stranger with mysterious ties to the property starts to intrude upon Ronnie. What has she gotten herself into?
I'm conflicted with this one. There are definitely some hits but definitely some misses here. The setting, arguably, it's the strongest character in my opinion. Rich and moody vibes and detail, creaking floors and rot, and haunted.. literally. The POVs alternate between Ronnie, former starlet Venita, and Inspector Sloan (1930s noir vibes), but I especially liked Ronnie's voice and Venita's diary entries. All of this to say it didn't fully satisfy me. The pacing drags a bit in parts and I genuinely wanted more frightening horror elements! Overall, It Was Her House First has a compelling premise, but the tension and suspense didn't quite hit for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, Cherie Priest, and Poisoned Pen Press for this eArc! Publication date was July 22nd 2025.

Loved this unique take on a haunted house story! Especially having a POV from the ghosts themselves! A bit of a slow burn but please don’t let that deter you, it absolutely pays off in the end! I loved that the FMC made me feel like she was actually talking directly to me, major kudos to Cherie Priest for her writing style! This was my first book by this author and it will absolutely not be my last. I will 100% be recommending this to anyone and everyone!

After loving The Drowning House last summer, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Cherie Priest’s latest, and It Was Her House First delivered exactly the kind of chilling, shadowy suspense I was hoping for.
This book has everything I crave in a summer supernatural read: a crumbling, ghost-haunted house with secrets in the walls, a cast of deeply suspicious characters (none of whom I trusted, which made it all the more fun), and a steady drip of dread that builds into something unforgettable. Everyone is hiding something, and that web of lies kept me second-guessing every page.
The atmosphere is deliciously eerie, with Priest’s signature Southern Gothic vibes turned up to eleven. And the ending? Absolutely perfect. Twisty without being overdone, just right for the story she built.
If you’re looking for something that feels like a humid, haunted summer night, with ghosts both literal and emotional, this one’s for you.

Grieving the loss of her brother, Ronnie buys a rundown Victorian site unseen. She's using her brother's life insurance funds to purchase and fully renovate the house. What she doesn't expect is that the dead and the living will interfere with her grief process and restoring the once glamorous home.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed the three points of view as they were all brought something different and a new perspective. I found it fun that one of the points of view was a ghost (Bartholomew) and enjoyed the diary voice of Venita Rost. I also enjoyed how the ghosts and the affects of the house being haunted are center stage.
I found the main character a bit bland. The only way she was defined was as a woman suffering grief and trying to restore a house. In the end, it's the ghosts that help her more than she helps them.
The plot was a bit slow paced, and I had a hard time in the beginning. However, I'm glad that i kept going as it keeps getting more and more interesting. By the end, it was hard to put down.
I would recommend to readers who enjoy haunted house books where ghosts pay a more vital role.

It Was Her House First is written with 3 POVs, Ronnie the woman who just bought the house, Bart Sloan one of the house ghosts and Venita the original owner of the house and one of the ghosts, Venita´s POV is in the form of her diary.
Even though this book dealt with a haunted house it was not scary at all and even the ghost elements were not too far fetched, I mentioned this as I have read some books where the deaths are all due to spirits and I did not enjoy that but here was not the case, the ghosts are more of an extra to tell the story of the house and to explain the past.
Overall I enjoyed this book, to be honest I was more into it in the first parts and found it harder to put it down but at the end I felt like it was dragging a bit and made it a bit harder for me to keep reading. However, I liked the ending and found that everything was nicely wrapped up.
Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It Was Her House First was a fun haunted house story! I love books that feature creepy old derelict houses and this did not disappoint. It's told through multiple POVs and dual timelines while tackling themes of grief, loss, guilt and revenge. We follow Ronnie, Bartholomew (a ghost) and Venita (through diary entries) while alternating between the past and present. I’m a huge fan of mixed media so I enjoyed the diary entries and how they slowly revealed what happened in the 1930’s.
Ronnie was a great main character and I loved the fixer-upper aspect of the story with her trying to bring the old house back to its former glory. I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll just say that I really liked the mystery of the past and how everything comes together in the present.
Overall, this was a great read if you enjoy your mysteries with a dash of the paranormal.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!

I love stories about people moving into/trying to fix up an old house that turns out to be haunted, and this was a pretty solid haunted house story. I enjoyed the ghosts and the supernatural elements. Character-wise I found Ronnie's experiences with anxiety and intrusive thoughts very relatable; as someone who deals with the same thing I found the descriptions of her stress and chronic worry spot on.
Sometimes there was maybe a bit too much talk and jargon about house renovations and that could get a bit boring, and I feel I could've done without the chapters from the pov of Sloan's ghost. Overall, a decent haunting story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read early!
This was a perfect blend of the TV show Ghosts with the murder mystery solving through old diary entries vibes from Haunting Adeline and the authors personal touch.
If you like haunted houses, 1930s glamour and any TV show about renovations this is right up your alley.
I enjoyed the characters and the setting a lot, some parts could’ve been a little faster but I was thoroughly entertained, that’s for sure.
The conclusion to this mystery and also the ending were a bit rushed and lowkey disappointing as it wasn’t well explained but again, it absolutely did what I wanted it to do.

I am just a sucker for a really good ghost story in this fully provided that. It wasn't super fast paced but the story was still captivating enough to keep me reading and keep my attention which is always where I get lost with a slower paced novel. This was beautifully written in a way that you felt like you were walking around the house with Ronnie.
Just getting my general feeling out of that read, this would be a perfect spooky season, enthralling ghost and haunted house story.
Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love haunted homes and I loved Priest’s The Family Plot, so my hopes were high for It Was Her House First. Sadly, it just didn’t work for me. The pacing is slow, to the point where I found myself avoiding picking it back up at times. I wasn’t crazy about our main character, she seemed kind of miserable, the ghosts’ POVs and flashbacks were incredibly boring and our ending peak was more of an ending speed bump for me rather than the build up I would have liked to have seen, especially for how slow the story read. That isn’t to say it’s not good, I have seen many that really enjoyed this. It just wasn’t up to my speed. That being said, I loved The Family Plot so much and it seemed to be out of print by the time I read it and I went wayyyy out of my way to find a physical copy so I would read another from Priest. Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for my eARC.

I have been in a reading slump for almost a month now and this was just the book I needed to pull me out of it. A quick read with dual timelines and a little of the supernatural.. Just my cup of tea. This is my first read from this author but I definitely intend to read more!

It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest is a fun, twisty, and atmospheric haunted house story with all the best gothic vibes. The creepy old mansion, the ghost of a vengeful silent film star, and a new owner who has no idea what she’s walking into all come together in a wild and eerie ride. Ronnie’s renovation dreams quickly turn into a nightmare as she uncovers the house’s dark past and gets caught between a furious ghost and a living threat. I really enjoyed this story, it was twisty, well written, and a great gothic mystery with just the right mix of suspense and supernatural chills.
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for a gifted copy!

This book has some atmosphere, particularly near the conclusion where the tension and mood finally build, but much of the narrative feels overly focused on house repairs rather than haunting. While the premise is promising, it felt like I was reading renovation logistics rather than something emotional or supernatural.
The mystery surrounding Coty is a strong point. His trustworthiness is teased out well and adds needed tension to the story. The protagonist is also consistently portrayed, though her anxiety and OCD feel weakly handled. It felt more a narrative tool than a fully formed part of her character.
I thought including ghost POV chapters a clever twist. However, this book uses diary entries to narrate past events. It stretches plausibility because how can diary entries read like polished prose? This is a huge red flag for me in any book. Putting that to one side, I also thought the emotional depth in the present-day timeline underwhelming. The grief, in particular, doesn’t come through strongly, and the overall emotional tone feels muted.
Overall, this is a middle of the road haunted house story. It has some great ideas, but lacks narrative tension, emotional heft, and gothic tone. A few clever twists and a strong protagonist lift it slightly, but it never quite delivers on the ideas I had from the premise.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

★★★★.5
A dilapidated cliffside mansion wasn’t exactly the fixer upper Ronny Mitchell had in mind, but the Seattle housing market is competitive, and her budget only stretched so far. Thankfully, she has a solid understanding of what’s required, and she isn’t afraid to do much of the work herself. In fact, she hopes this project will help her come to terms with her brother’s passing, along with all the grief and regret that comes with it.
Ronny isn’t the first owner, far from it. The house has claimed countless souls, including that of its original owner, Venita Rost, a famous 1930s film star who died under mysterious circumstances. Her husband, Oscar, was eventually executed for her murder.
Black mold and a blood-soaked history aside, Ronny moves in immediately with an airbed, a sleeping bag, and perhaps a little too much optimism. But she isn't alone for long. A stranger knocks at her door… and Venita’s ghost awakens, ready to reclaim what’s hers.
“History doesn't repeat itself, but often it will rhyme. This was a rhyme.”
I love a good gothic mystery novel, and this one hit the spot! Told across two timelines with multiple POVs and mixed media, the pacing and character development were well executed. Occasionally, the 1930s narration felt a bit modern, but I didn’t mind, it helped maintain the flow of the story.
The mystery was well-plotted. I was stunned at first, but as we learned more about the characters, their flaws and desperate actions, I became increasingly engrossed, trying to piece it all together. I’ll gladly admit: I didn’t see the big reveals coming! The ending was wonderful, heartfelt, and exactly what the story needed.
Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Cherie Priest for a copy. All opinions are my own.

I had a lot of fun with Cherie Priest's take on a haunted house. Ronnie has just bought a house, one with a particular past that has had anyone in the town where the house sits know to keep their distance. Ronnie thinks she knows what she's getting into. New roof, new plumbing, new electrical to say the least. And while she jokes at the idea of ghosts, as the last guy to own the house died there, she has no idea what kind of danger the house holds, and if it will let her stay once it wakes up and realizes she's there.
Who knew that the real danger in a haunted house might not be the ghostly residents but something much more sinister stalking the house? I loved the multiple POVs; they added a lot of depth to the characters, and I particularly enjoyed Ronnie and her determination to fix up this major fixer-upper, even after the dearly departed revealed themselves. This was a ton of fun, with the perfect amount of tension and suspension building at the perfect moments, with an ending that had me at the edge of my seat.
This is my first book by Cherie Priest, and I'll definitely be reading more.

I really wanted to like this book and it started out interesting but in the end it fell short. So much time was spend describing the inside of the house and not enough on the plot, a twist, or anything remotely scary.

I really enjoyed this fun take on the haunted house, combined with bad players, both living and dead. The main character, Ronnie, has an interesting backstory with the loss of her brother and her struggles with anxiety. Equally entertaining was the secondary cast connected to the house Ronnie bought with her inheritance. Danger looms throughout the story, maintaining tension throughout as Ronnie unpuzzles the mystery of her new resident ghosts and tries to survive them.

It Was Her House First
Cherie Priest
07/22/2025
Poisoned Pen Press
Cherie Priest is a go-to, auto-buy author for me when it comes to anything horror, and It Was Her House First is another eerie triumph in her growing haunted house canon. Set in a creaking Seattle mansion filled with secrets, this story blends gothic atmosphere with supernatural suspense in all the right ways. What starts as a renovation project quickly morphs into a deadly ghost story, with characters who are as compelling as the house itself. Priest captures the emotional weight of grief, guilt, and buried ambition, wrapping it all in the fog of ghostly mystery that lingers long after you finish the last page.
The timelines and multiple POVs not only made the story move quickly, but also dropped subtle hints and layered backstory that gave each character—living or not—real emotional depth. Ronnie's modern-day grit, Sloan’s haunted regrets, and Venita’s glamour-turned-vengeance (side bar – what about the nod to Venita’s name and the actual font – so clever) unfold like puzzle pieces clicking into place. The atmosphere is thick and deliciously sinister, and the tension builds perfectly from a quiet unease to a full-on spectral showdown.

Cherie Priest creates a great mystery/horror novel in 'It Was Her House First.' Dark and atmospheric, the novel was fun to read. It included diary entries from one of the entities in the house, and input from the main character Ronnie, and the ghost of a former detective. Cherie Priest is an auto-read for me and this book was no exception. 5 stars.