Do you believe in ghosts?

If you enjoy

• Haunted Houses
• Multi POVs
• Mysterious and suspicious deaths
• Revenge
• Quirky characters

If those are some of your likes then I would be on the lookout 7/22/25 for this spooky summer read. 👻

Synopsis:
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.

It’s 👻👻👻👻 read for me
Thank you @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for the ARC 🤓

Cherie Priest delivers a beautifully eerie tale in It Was Her House First, weaving together atmosphere, memory, and grief into something that feels both ghostly and grounded. Set in a weathered cliffside mansion that once belonged to silent film icon Venita Rost, the novel breathes life into crumbling walls and overgrown grounds, creating a space that’s more than just haunted; it’s grieving.

At the heart of the story is Ronnie Mitchell, still raw from the loss of her brother. She arrives at the estate hoping to bring it back to life, and maybe find some sense of healing along the way. But this isn’t your average haunted house renovation. The past here doesn’t stay silent. As Ronnie works on the house, she’s pulled into strange dreams and unexplainable experiences tied to Venita and Bartholomew Sloan, a long-dead private investigator whose presence lingers like smoke in the corners.

Despite its spectral elements, this novel leans more toward the reflective than the terrifying. The horror here is soft-spoken: a quiet melancholy that seeps in rather than jumps out. Ronnie herself is a deeply relatable protagonist—not a scream queen or a fearless heroine, but someone tired, grieving, and just trying to carry on. That emotional exhaustion is mirrored in the house around her, making the story feel all the more intimate.

The narrative is told through three perspectives: Ronnie’s present-day experience, Sloan’s ghostly observations, and entries from Venita’s old journal. These layers add depth and emotional weight, with Venita’s sections standing out in particular. Her sorrow over losing her daughter is gut-wrenching, and her voice is so human in its unraveling that it’s hard not to feel for her.

While the novel delivers strong atmosphere and character work, I did come away with the sense that some plot threads were left hanging. A few elements hinted at bigger reveals that never quite materialized, leaving me with questions. Still, the journey itself felt worthwhile, and the emotional beats rang true throughout.

In the end, It Was Her House First isn’t just about ghosts; it’s about how loss clings to people and places, how it reshapes what we remember and redefines where we feel safe. If you’re drawn to subtle hauntings and stories steeped in sorrow, this quiet, aching novel is well worth picking up.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Cherie Priest, and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had read and loved Boneshaker, so I couldn't resist this one, and I was right. It was gripping and I was delighted to read a book were alternate povs NEVER break the narration. Although it brings you back and forth through time, you always feel pushed or pulled towards the resolution, hoping the main character will survive the experience. It was very easy to read and once you're in, you're trapped too, till the end.

There’s a delicious symmetry to the two female leads, both grieving but not without agency. The restoration of an abandoned house leads to the uncovering of secrets and lies and hidden strengths. The practical details of restoration co-exist with the “ghosts”, and all the characters are fully realized and utterly believable, even though their perspectives don’t mesh. This was spooky and hard to put down, even if you’re not a horror reader.

Cherie Priest presents a ghost story that seems familiar yet still brings something new to the table. Ronnie, guilt-ridden over the death of her brother, purchases a run-down mansion and starts putting in the work, only to find she is not alone. I thought this was a fun haunted house ride, especially if I didn't think too hard about the mechanisms of how the hauntings worked. I wanted to learn more about Sloan's origins, but that never concluded quite satisfactorily. I did really root for Ronnie and even enjoyed the sections focused on her work with the plumbers and electricians aiding her renovations.

Priest delivers a moody, gothic atmosphere packed into a compact story. The haunting is more than supernatural—it’s deeply personal, tangled in grief, guilt, and the inescapable past. Fans of ghost stories with tragic backstories and cinematic flair will find plenty to enjoy here.

4.5 stars!

IT WAS HER HOUSE FIRST, is the third novel I have read by author Cherie Priest. This time, a derelict house, haunted by the ghosts of its past, is purchased by Ronnie, a woman who wishes to renovate it, after the death of her brother leaves her an unexpected inheritance.

There are several things I especially loved about this one. The first is Ronnie's character--she suffers from OCD, extreme anxiety, and has mentally come to terms with what she "should" say to people so that they don't question her sanity. I felt she was so "real" in terms of how we sometimes hide our true feeling/actions if they are not "mainstream", for fear of being singled out. Second, the mystery of the ghost's "reasons" for being there, and how they came about their untimely deaths. (This timeline was a particular favorite of mine!) Venita Rost was once a film star actress, later married to her husband, Oscar, with a beautiful daughter, Pricilla. A friend of her husband's, Bartholomew Sloan, is the key to setting events in motion that resulted in tragedy. Third, the way that the past events were blended in with the present circumstances really held my attention, and kept me wanting to read on.

Enter a human factor with his own agenda, and Ronnie has a malevolent haunted house on one hand, and potential "live" danger on the other.

The very beginning was a little slow to kick in, but as soon as the spirits began making their "appearances", and Ronnie's character started fleshing out, the novel was all uphill, fascinating backstories, and a great pacing/balancing of past and present.

"I suppose we get the ghosts we get, not necessarily the ones we want."

Overall, a very unique haunted house novel, one that had me thinking about it even when not reading. The characters (living and "dead") were especially well done, and I was emotionally invested in all of them. The ending was not what I expected, but actually even better than one I had imagined.

Recommended!

*I received an e-Arc from the publisher and NetGalley. These opinions are uniquely my own.*

interesting and engaging horror. it definitely kept me hooked and the multiple POVs felt different without one taking from the other. everything worked really well both as individual elements and as a story whole. definitely my favorite cherie priest so far!

ARC REVIEW

Rating:- ⭐⭐⭐.5/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Okay, so I've never read a horror book before. This was my first time and the reason that I picked this book was because of the author. I read her book, 'I am princess X' in school and I thought that it was a really good book and I started liking books written by this author.

Now, while the princess X book was a bit childish, probably for kids, this one was a bit mature, more like a young adult or made for teenagers.

Now, as I said, this was my first horror book and starting with a book like this, was a good start cuz I really liked it. I mean, this book not only had the POV of Ronnie (the new owner of the house) but it also had the POV's of two ghosts who lived in and haunted the house.

If you're looking for a book that is paranormal that you can read like, in a day or two, you should definitely give this book a try!

It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest was a fun read. This book is told from multiple POVs, following new homeowner Ronnie Mitchell, inspector Bartholomew Sloan, and silent film star Venita Rost. This is also told in a dual timeline going back and forth between the past and present. I really enjoyed Venita's diary entries. Ronnie wins an auction and buys a house completely unseen, a house that needs a lot of repairs and renovations and is haunted by the ghosts that have died there. This was a mix of an HGTV fixer-upper show and a haunted house. I found this book to be enjoyable.

I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

3.5⭐️ This is a decent haunted house/ supernatural story. Told from multiple POV, historical timeline and present day. I did find it quite slow towards the end. and not really all that frightening. Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for ARC.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

If you love a haunted house / ghost story, this is a great option for you. A woman buys an old house to renovate and gets the creepy ghosts and their stories along with it.

This had atmosphere, a dual timeline, diary entries, and a ghost cat! A fun haunted house story for those looking for something creepy but not too scary.

4 stars

There's just something about Cherie Priest. I first came to this author through two related cozies, _Grave Reservations_ and _Flight Risk_, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed. I was thrilled to see this haunted house opportunity haunting my arc TBRs next!

This is not a cozy, but it does have some of the lighter hearted banter and great characterization that one might more often expect to find there than in a typical mystery/thriller, and for me, that WORKED. Three characters share perspectives here: the new owner of this wild haunted house, the original owner of the house (the titular "her" - now a ghost!), and a second ghost who was formerly an inspector. These characters make for some wild experiences and offer intriguing insights, and their interactions are priceless. There are other characters who also add to the chaos, but these three control the magic in their own ways.

I found this creepy, interesting, engaging, amusing, and creative. The entire experience made me really happy to be back spending more time with this author and very hopeful that Priest will produce more like this (and, I'm hoping a return to Leda's world, too)! I'm looking forward to listening to the audio version of this when it becomes available and continuing to read what Priest gives us next!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC.
Being told from 3 perspectives gives this story an interesting blend of past and present.
I especially enjoyed Venita's diary entries.
The volume of detailed old house restoration information felt a little too much, not always adding to the story. I had wished I could get a better picture in my head of the house and grounds. The interior layout was well described, but the position of the house and ridge confused me.
Overall, this was a well done haunted house story with somewhat of a twist. The last 30% or so was captivating and had a satisfying ending with no loose ends.

Ronnie plans to renovate an old Seattle mansion once owned by Venita Rost, a seductive silent film star. While the house is haunted by Ronnie’s guilt and actual ghosts, she may have more to fear from a man who has become obsessed with the house.

The story is told in the first person perspectives of Ronnie and Bartholomew Sloan, a man connected to the house, and through Venita’s diary entries. Priest does a fantastic job of showing Sloan and Vernita’s different perspectives and reactions regarding a tragedy from the past.

Ronnie is an engaging and relatable protagonist. I particularly like how her mental health struggles are portrayed and their significance to her characterization as well as to the plot. She is strong willed and determined, and walking away from the house when things become tough is simply not an option for her.

Kate, Ronnie’s friend and almost sister-in-law, acts as both a support and a source of conflict.

The haunted house is so well developed, it’s practically a fully-fleshed character.

For me, this book is a 4.5 star read, rounded up to 5.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press, an imprint of Sourcebooks, for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.

I do love me a good haunted house story, and this one has such a great down-to-earth yet darkly tragic energy. A story that contains both the nitty gritty dirty details of fixing up a really old, really dilapidated house AND a 1930s ghost + sinister bargain + aging Hollywood starlet story? Priest is a wonderful writer that hooks you with her characters and the way the story is anchored in the landscape and the real details of life and house renos. And then she slips in the ghosts and terrible deeds and cranks up the tension, suspense, and drama. Grief, anxiety, and greed are woven into the tale as well, and I loved every bit of it.

Loved the atmospheric vibe of this book. The house was haunted or it had buried secrets. Written in dual timelines and has multiple perspectives. Both the timelines gripped me. Something unusual happened in the house. Then it was sold. There were so many secrets, truth, and shocking revelations. Loved that they found letters and the book blurred the line between living and dead and delivered a suspenseful atmospheric story.

Thanks to the Publisher

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a complimentary early release copy of It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest.

It was her house first is a slow paced read, a good majority of the book at least until you get to the half way point is descriptive bits about the houses condition and how Ronnie is going about repairing things. Once the half way point is met the story starts to introduce the haunting aspects of the house, the story picked up for me once these elements were introduced. I liked how the story went about introducing the spirits, it was slow but the way it was written made me want to keep turning the pages to figure out what was going on. The way the book went about revealing things and just the spirits aspects in general were written in a really unique way.

I enjoyed Venita’s diary entries the most, I always love when a book includes a mixed media kind of element! Venita has to be my favorite character from It Was Her House First, I just loved the way Venita carried herself and her glamour. I liked what she had brought/added to the story and I’m happy with how things had tied up with her.

After finishing the book i’m aiming at a high 3 star rating, while I did enjoy many aspects of the book I felt that things could have happened just a bit more sooner. I didn’t completely mind the descriptive house bits but they had gotten a bit repetitive after about the 30 percent mark. The book is told in first person which I don’t mind but the main character does do a talking directly to the reader bit a few times which just isn’t an aspect that I liked.

This wa a very nice read! I loved the plot and it felt a little bit original, whick is nice when you read a lot of horror books. Looking forward to reading more by Priest.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not only is the cover art gorgeous, the story is great too. I’m happy I was able to read this, and I look forward to more works by Cherie Priest.