This was a delightful haunted house story. I enjoyed how the author slowly gave me pieces of the story…..I just wanted to keep reading and I love that. The multiple viewpoints used throughout the book helped add depth to the story. I have been reading lots of books with multiple POVs and have been loving them.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an e-Arc.

This was such a great and fun haunted house story! I love reading about ghosts trapped in a creepy & decrepit house! I read this book in one sitting and i want more

This was kind of a unique haunted house book for me because there were multiple ghosts, and they know of each other. Cherie Priest sets the scene with a tragic backstory for Ronnie, whose brother just died and now she wants to invest her money and energy in fixing up this house.
She's staying in the house by herself, even though it's insanely terrible shape, but clearly there is danger from humans and the supernatural. I really liked the ending.

First and foremost, thank you to the publisher for providing an e-ARC of this title. I absolutely love this author—her storytelling never fails to pull me in. The horror in this book was masterfully done; it felt like a bug crawling just beneath my skin—unsettling, inescapable, and impossible to ignore. That creeping dread is exactly what makes her work stand out in the genre. A haunting, immersive read I won’t soon forget.

★★★★☆

Ronnie is a young woman haunted by grief and anxiety who buys a run-down house with the intention of renovating it. The house once belonged to Hollywood starlet Venita Rost, whose daughter died there, a tragedy that sparked further misfortunes casting a shadow over the house that never quite lifted.

Switching between two timelines, the present day and that once-glamorous past where everything went wrong, we gradually uncover the story of the house, which is filled with lingering presences, not all of them supernatural.

The novel flirts with several genres like thriller and horror, but I’d say it never fully embraces any of them. It never becomes truly scary, nor does it make good use of its ghosts, even if they roam freely through the pages. At first, it seems like a mystery is being set up to carry us through to the end, but that’s not quite the case. The direction of the plot becomes clear early on, and the tension loses a lot of its bite.

On top of that, several chapters focus heavily on the house renovation, to the point where it feels like watching a home makeover show. I suppose this could have been used to add to the unease, to show that even the ordinary hides something that doesn’t sit right, but in the end, it just feels rather bland.

There were enough elements here to make something truly unique, and the beginning sows enough seeds for that to happen, but everything slowly loses momentum.

I also have to say that none of the characters really stood out to me. Sometimes you get a glimpse of motivation or inner conflict that could have made them compelling, but it's never fully explored.

The story isn’t bad, and the author doesn’t do anything terribly wrong, but the novel isn’t particularly memorable either. And maybe that’s the worst thing you can say about a ghost story: that it doesn’t linger.

his was an intriguing and unique style of book compared to what I have read before. The story incorporates several different media styles, which kept it engaging and fresh! I love a good ghost story, and this one delivered. With multiple POVs, we get Ronnie's perspective as she recently bought a home and is grieving. I enjoyed Ronnie's chapters. Bart's chapters, however, were rather dull and sometimes moved at a snail's pace, although they did have some spooky moments, albeit toned down. Lastly, Sloane's chapters were the highlight. I loved getting inside the ghost's mind and that aspect was fascinating!

The beginning of the book was a bit of a struggle, but if you push through, the ending is strong and absolutely amazing! If you're looking for a different kind of ghost story that includes revenge and various intriguing aspects, then you should pick this one up. Just remember to stick with it for that ending—it makes the book! Thank you, Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley, for the opportunity to read and review this one. It was definitely a spooktacular experience!

This book was a great read kind of scared the shots out of me lol because ghost are scary to me it was a great read and I’m sure that it will be talked like some of the greats middle of the night or the only one left etc this will be a page turned and of course I will recommend to everyone

I love a haunted manor, but this take on the haunted house felt refreshing? It was spooky yet glamorous in an old Hollywood way, and still eerie and atmospheric, but my absolute favorite thing was getting 2 different ghosts’ povs, and them being one in ‘real time’ and the other through old diary entries, but they’re both in the past and the present, was brilliant, which I felt just added so much depth to the story, and what a story!

Everyone who has lived in this house dies. You follow the new owner, Ronnie who is coping with her own grief by trying to salvage this house with a disturbed history that once belonged to a Hollywood actress in the 1930s, whose ghost that will charm you to death, still haunts it due to the horrors that took place there and as her own way of coping with her grief, that’s tied to another ghost in residence. Both ghosts still at war with each other and themselves because of it, leaving more parties to deal alongside them with the aftermath of one’s fury, the other’s guilt, and of the horrors of it all.

The portrayals of grief and anxiety were so realistic. I found myself relating to Ronnie’s anxious train of thoughts too much. And couldn't help but feel for Venita and her grief.

I loved the parallel of both Ronnie and Venita dealing with their grief differently yet finding that sort of understanding between women, even when we haven’t lived the same experiences.

Sloan’s chapters were my favorites. Getting his perspective as a ghost and some insights on his understanding of his paranormal realm and other ghosts, was so interesting.

It was such a gripping and fun read too, yes I know it’s horror but not only was Ronnie a fun narrator, but I stayed up late two nights in a row because I was so invested. I do wish there had been less construction information and more depth into Sloan’s deal, what happened to Priscilla and some sort of final confrontation between Venita and Sloan, as well as some closure for Venita with Priscilla, whose whereabouts are left in the open, but sometimes the wondering is good. And this book was really good.

Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Cherie Priest for the ARC, it was a fascinating read!

What a fun haunted house story! A great, fallible main character, a creepy, decrepit house that she wants to restore, and a couple of ghosts, trapped together for nearly a hundred years, tied together by a child’s tragic death. I whipped through this in less than 24 hours. Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC.

This book was didn't have the pacing that I needed in order to be really developed into the story. The premise was good, it just fell flat and took so long for things to happen.

Imagine your fate resting in the hands of the dead?! That’s what’s happening to Ronnie but she doesn’t know it yet.

I couldn’t put this book down. I love getting to read the ghosts POVs. Venita was my favorite character! She’s very relatable. I also struggle with my anxiety so I’m always trying to find ways to distract it. I really enjoyed this story and thought it was a nice easy read!

Thank you NetGalley, Cherie and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC!

Publication Date: July 22nd 2025
Rating: ✨✨✨✨

Ronnie recently lost her brother and with her inheritance money from him she bought a old run down house that needed a lot of work. Ronnie got more than a house when she purchased it, she got all the history and…..residents with it. This book is filled with lines that will make you laugh out loud, shock you, and maybe even spook you!
Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for selecting me to read this ARC!

**Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press/Sourcebooks via Net Galley for allowing me access to read and review this ARC.

I may have had too high of expectations for this book as thriller, suspense, and horror are all my genres of choice. I love a thought-provoking haunting storyline. The beginning of the book started out strong with a great plotline and I loved that it was told in multiple POVs.

For some reason, the middle portion of the book just waxed and waned in the storyline and I was waiting for something climactic to happen - it didn't. I found this book easy to put down and harder to pick up. Usually it does NOT take me this long to finish a great suspense novel. At times I got vibes from the TV show Ghosts and even some hints of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, but found that the execution just was not there.

The ending did pick up and felt like a bit of a fever dream. It had a justifiable ending, but it was predictable. I missed a twist in this one that I thought could have been there. I gave it 3 stars since it just didn't quite hit the mark for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my e-ARC of It Was Her House First!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
🏚️ have ever renovated an old house
👻 believe in ghosts
📓 would read someone’s private diary
☔️ live where it always rains

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

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.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

I blew through this book at record speed! It was so good, and the writing kept me turning the pages (figuratively, this was an ebook) and I couldn’t get enough of the story. I loved that it had 3 different POVs - this made it more enjoyable to read. Ronnie, or Veronica, was a force to be reckoned with, and I liked that the ghosts hardly even spooked her. Bart was probably my favorite character, but I wanted a little more from his story. I wanted to know exactly what kind of deal he had made and what happened to Priscilla. Sadly we didn’t get the full and complete story, simply because nobody knew it. This is one that’ll have you flying through the pages at breakneck speed as it reads very fast. If you enjoy paranormal reads or live in the wettest city around, Seattle, pick this one up!

really enjoyed the dialogue and how easy it was to get into this story. The multiple viewpoints used throughout the book helped add depth to the story.
My one but of feedback is that certain plot elements (Bart’s secret and Coty’s background interest) could have been developed more deeply. Overall the story felt rather surface level but enjoyable nonetheless.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the EARC.

A little spooky with a dash of Hollywood glam and a splash of malevolent hijinks. What started out as a mildly inconvenient Seattle-home restoration project took a turn into a ghost story with hints of magic and other-worldly beings. The MC was a bit frazzled and an absolute beast at times, but she had her reasons and they were relatable so I really enjoyed her chapters. The ghosts and their historically romantic timelines, volatile histories, and unresolved angst were all unsettling yet charming, especially the cat…who doesn’t love an ethereal house pet spirit?

I did remove a star because a part of the story I was absolutely fascinated to understand more about was never really explained. I need an entire book about the sinister mirror incident, apparently.

Many thanks for the ARC, NetGalley. As always, Cherie Priest brings the haunts.

It Was Her House First is a chilling blend of psychological horror and supernatural suspense, weaving past and present into a tense, atmospheric narrative. The decaying house at its center hums with eerie energy, and the characters—both living and dead—are equally compelling. The execution is sharp, and the writing is rich with unsettling beauty. A gripping read for fans of haunted house stories with a psychological edge.

Well, this was a delightful haunted house story. I don't know if home restoration horror is its own microgenre, but it should be. Priest has now written two books (this one and the excellent The Family Plot) about hauntings in decaying houses being tackled by salvage crews/home restorers. It's such an excellent, logical premise for a haunted house story and the wealth of detail in her work reveals how much she's researched the profession.

It Was Her House First was a fun read, light on the scares and heavier on the mystery and hijinks. I enjoyed the homage to Golden Age detective fiction and, though I guessed some of the mystery, I still had a great time watching it unfold. I have some minor quibbles with the different narrators--the diary was great, the ghost-narrator a little corny for my taste-- but I had an excellent time reading this. It's definitely the perfect read if you're looking for a horror-lite romp through 1920s Seattle.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

It Was Her House First was absolutely fantastic! The author wrote a story that was so well written I found myself flying through the pages, unable to put the book down, pondering what would happen next. My favorite piece of this entire story was how believable the characters were.

The writing is clear and clean, and very immersive. The book hums along at a good clip, but the pacing makes sure we're given time to breathe between plot-intensifying moments. The story was absolutely engaging and the work that went into the settings was noticeable and superb. I felt absolutely transported and I'm so incredibly glad I was able to read an arc of this story.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. I loved the story and plot of this book. Venita was a very likable character and it was overall creepy and a fun read.