I was so looking forward to this book and truly wanted to love it. While I did find it to be suitably atmospheric and suspenseful, the pacing was very slow. I really struggled to get through this one, I’m sorry to say. I wish I had better feedback.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a fast-paced (albeit a bit forgettable) summer thriller, complete with a farmhouse and excess caffeine consumption. This was a good debut, there just didn't seem to be anything that really STOOD OUT as incredible or groundbreaking. Which is absolutely fine! This was a solid book!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press via Netgalley for the ARC.

Coffee, Blood, Teeth, and MORE COFFEE!

The Farmhouse by Chelsea Conradt is a debut like no other. It is full of mystery, intrigue, and suspense. Emily, our heroine, has picked up all of her belongings and moved to the middle of nowhere, Nebraska, with her husband to start over. Their setting is intended to support the locals on the farm, while they can enjoy a quieter life. However, the barn on the property is not quiet.

The mysteries within this story are intense. Readers aren't going to know what is going on. They won't know who to trust, and that is such a thrilling element to this story. However, Condradt doesn't pull any punches. She convinced me to believe in so many scenarios within the pages of this novel. Readers are going to devour this story, and as the twists come to light, the end is an explosive climax that I couldn't put down. Don't miss out on this story!

PS - I am somewhat concerned with Chelsea Conradt's coffee consumption if it is anything similar to that of Emily's.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a little slow in the beginning and I do wish it had a bigger “aha” twist than it did but I still really liked it. I did NOT like Josh and his whole “I don’t believe you” the ENTIRE book. the trope of the disbelieving spouse is one I do not like.

it was a great thriller and a creepy farmhouse is always a fun one to read!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press via Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Emily and Josh buy a farmhouse in Nebraska for a fresh start out of California. Three years before the family that lived there previously their teenage daughter goes missing and soon after her mother mysteriously dies. Emily digs into the farms past and starts to find her sanctuary slipping away as the family’s dark secrets start coming to light.

I really liked this book a-lot. It had an eerie creepiness to it that kept me engaged. Some portions were slow burning, but it wasn’t too much of a slow burn to not keep me wanting to read on and get bored. Emily was a great character I really resonated with her grief and how she felt. The ending had closure which some books like these just sort of end. Overall this is a really good book if you are into paranormal thrillers.

I had high hopes for this one. The storyline seemed intriguing, and it started out decently solid, but by chapter 4 I found myself checking how many chapters/how much I had left, which usually isn’t a good sign for me. The chapters felt repetitive, and it was quite slow paced, with the classic husband thinks wife is crazy trope. It just wasn’t clicking. I think if it was trimmed down and re-edited I might have liked it. If you’re someone who enjoys a slower thriller, this could possibly be for you! Based off reviews, there are people who have enjoyed it.

After the death of her mother, Emily and her husband Josh uproot their life and move from California to an isolated farmhouse in Nebraska. This is the fresh start that Emily has needed after grieving her loss, and she can't wait to throw herself all in to farm life. But soon Emily feels like there is something.. off about the property. The rundown barn especially. Hearing screams, seeing teeth on her porch and her mother's favorite songs coming from the barn, Emily starts to ask questions about the history of her new house. The previous owner's daughter went missing and then the girl's mother wrecked with grief died in a tragic accident. Failing to get her husband to believe her, Emily sets off to figure out just what secrets the farmhouse holds.

This is definitely one of those creeping sense of dread throughout types of stories! Definitely a slow burn, The Farmhouse is loaded with uneasiness and sinister vibes that will keep you at a low level of anxiety throughout. Not only is this book creepy and atmospheric but it also explores how women can easily be seen as hysterical and be made to believe that it's all in their heads. Josh can eff right off at some points and definitely had me giving him the side eye. I really liked the complicated relationship with Emily and her mother that we see the aftermath of. I too lost my mom so at times this was a bit emotional for me to read. Overall definitely a great and compelling psychological thriller and I can't wait to see what Chelsea Conradt does next!

Thank you to NetGalley, Chelsea Conradt, and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC! Publication date is June 17th 2025.

If you love your summer horror with a side of creeping dread and rural isolation, The Farm House is worth the read. Set in a remote Midwestern farmhouse, the story builds a slow, eerie tension that had me questioning what was real right up until the end.

The atmosphere is the real star here: quiet fields, a crumbling house, and the kind of silence that makes your skin crawl. The paranormal elements were just enough to keep me on edge without going over the top, and the golden girl chickens? Iconic.

My only gripe is the ending; it wrapped up too quickly for me. I wanted more time in the aftermath, more explanation, more fallout. Still, this one is perfect for readers who like their horror unsettling and a little strange, with a haunting setting that lingers after the last page.

This one’s a slow-burn thriller that pulls you in with its moody setting and emotional depth. The farmhouse itself feels like a character—quiet, looming, full of secrets. What I really enjoyed was how the story wasn’t just about what happened in the past… it was about how the past never really left.

If you love a gothic atmosphere, family trauma, and that creeping sense that something is watching from the shadows—you’ll be hooked. I flew through the pages, needing answers but also wanting to savor the haunting vibe.

Huge thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC! This one is perfect for a stormy night and a strong cup of coffee.

3.5 stars. When Emily and her husband move to a farmhouse in Nebraska, she expects a quiet, slow-paced life. Instead, she discovers a creepy barn, a missing girl, and a mysterious death. While the story moved a bit slowly at times, I really enjoyed the mystery and the spooky atmosphere. I wasn’t sure all of my questions were fully answered by the end, and the conclusion didn’t entirely satisfy me, but overall, it was a good read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this advanced reader’s copy.

Thank you @poisonedpenpress for the free digital arc!

Emily and her husband Josh move from California to an isolated farmhouse in Nebraska after the death of her mother. At first the barn on their property just seems creepy, until she realizes something is very wrong…

I loved the premise of this book. The serene and picturesque setting slowly morphing into a nightmare. There were some repetitive scenes and I felt it dragged at some points, but the disturbing history of the house, creepy occurrences, and building unease kept my attention. The ending didn’t hold any surprises and felt a bit rushed.

Rating 3.5⭐️

The Farmhouse by Chelsea Contradt is a  psychological thriller about a couple who buy a farmhouse, and the woman starts seeing the ghost of a woman who died there.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Poisoned Pen Press, and the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
When Emily Hauk's mother dies, Emily and her husband Josh move to rural Nebraska for a fresh start.  Emily is still grieving.

The farmhouse and area is great.  However, Emily is having problems with the barn, which is still being used for storage by the farmer who is looking after the land.  She sees a light going on in the middle of the night.  Then she starts hearing the music her mom used to love, and then she hears screaming.  Josh sleeps through everything, but the farmer claims the screaming was just foxes.  She's not buying it.  When she sees a bloody hand in the bed of one of the farmhand's trucks, no one believes her.

She starts running to clear her head, and that barn seems to be moving.  A nightly visitor seems to be intent on showing her something.  Josh believes nothing she says, chalking it up to sleep deprivation, grief, and the fact she's not taking her pills.  Emily "almost" believes him.

 

My Opinions:
For a debut novel, this was quite good, if a little slow.

This book looked at grief, love, and marriage.  This was all seen through the eyes of a woman who is experiencing strange events that no one believes.

Character-wise, I loved Emily, and could have kicked Josh on a number of occasions.  I like how their relationship changed during the course of events.  I liked Courtney, who seemed to disappear from the pages after she got the flu.

Overall, it was a rather eerie, atmospheric ghost story.

The ending made me upgrade this to three stars, but up until 85% of the way in, this would be a two star read for me. It was sooooo slow and the bulk is just this girls cyclical internal thoughts.

Emily and her husband relocate in this psychological thriller after her mom's death. I gave the book the full 5 stars because I could not put it down! You will not regret reading this one!

After her mother’s death, Emily and her husband, Josh, leave San Francisco behind for a fresh start on a remote Nebraska farm. At first, it seems perfect: wide-open skies, peace, and distance from their grief. But something seems off.

Three years ago, a teenage girl vanished from the farm. Her mother died under strange circumstances not long after. Locals whisper about others before them—women tied to the farmhouse who all met violent or unexplained ends.

Now, Emily hears her mother’s favorite song echoing from the fields. As Emily trains for a marathon, meticulously logging times and steps, the barn appears to shift locations. Additionally, she sees blood in a farmhand’s truck and wakes to screams Josh insists are just animals. But something is watching. Something waiting.

As the line between grief and madness blurs, Emily must uncover the truth buried in the soil—before the farm claims her like all the women before. She is a woman who suffers from insomnia and a coffee addiction — no doubt connected to some degree. Her husband leaves for business trips and also encourages her to use anti-depressants. Could she simply be falling victim to the combination of everything?

The concept of this book had potential, but it could have used additional editing. It was a slow burn and really didn’t pick up until about 75% in. I looked to establish a pattern between the steps and pace to the barn, for example. It didn’t suggest anything out of the ordinary. While the men in the book were horrible and seemed to play a prominent role, the use of the few other female characters seemed underdeveloped. The waitress at the diner, the reference librarian, and even Emily’s friend in SF did not hold much weight. Nevertheless, the last 25% of the book improved.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press, NetGalley, and Chelsea Conradt for the Advanced Readers Copy. All opinions are my own.

This was definitely a creepy read as you got to know about the darkness of the house and its previous inhabitants.

When Emily Hauk's mother dies, it's time for her and her husband, Josh, to finally leave San Francisco. A farm in rural Nebraska is everything they want for a fresh start: clear skies, low costs, and distance from the grief back home. They should have asked why the farm was for sale.

The Farmhouse was a great slow-burn thriller with a paranormal twist. It’s eerie and I loved rural farm setting.
It doesn’t take long for Emily to notice strange occurrences on the farm - she hears music and sees lights in the barn in the middle of the night. Not to mention, the barn seems to follow her no matter where she is on the property. Josh believes her grief and lack of sleep is causing her to imagine everything and even though there are times you question if it's all in her head, I could not stand him. He’s so patronizing and refuses to listen to any of her worries, even when she is able to prove that something isn’t right. I don’t want to spoil anything so that's all I'm going to say but the ending was very satisfying!

Overall, this was a wonderful debut and I can’t wait to read whatever Chelsea Conradt writes next!

The Farmhouse by Chelsea Conradt is an eerie story which touches on supernatural occurrences. The story follows a married couple, Emily and Josh, who have moved to a farm in Nebraska to have a fresh start. From the moment they step foot onto the farmhouse, Emily notices something is off but can’t explain what it is. As unexplainable things start to occur, Emily turns to Josh for support but he doesn’t seem to believe her.

The major theme throughout the book is that women were not taken seriously in this farmhouse and Emily’s situation is no different. Strange things continue to occur so Emily decides to find out all of the history behind the farmhouse so that she can have an understanding of what she is dealing with. One thing for sure is that she doesn't have her husband's support which is frustrating. She also seems to think that she has to hide things from him so that he won't worry about her. It gets frustrating as a reader because I felt that she worried too much about what he would think of her to the point where she had to lie to him so he wouldn't worry.

Overall, the storyline itself was good. I love a good supernatural story! I will say that the beginning of the story was a bit hard to get into (I think it was the style of writing, I’m honestly not sure!) but once I got past that I really enjoyed the story!

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press. All opinions are my own.

Needing a change of pace, Emily and her husband, Josh, leave the city and buy a farm. Since they don’t know how to manage it, they lease the land back to the previous owner’s family, but that is not the only unknown thing about this farm. While she starts to make herself at home, the barn on the farm starts to reveal itself and the secrets it has hidden, but it leaves her sleep deprived and questioning herself. If she tells her husband, will they face it together, or will he not believe her? As Emily and Josh try to thrive in their new house, their relationship might not be as sturdy as they believed, and she begins to unravel the land’s history. Do they need an escape from the break they wanted? Is the truth being revealed from the past or present? Can they trust the people who come to their house daily, or are they more of a threat than they realized?

"I know women on this farm have been ignored. Don't let it continue."

Emily and Joshua moved from California to Nebraska to their dream farm. Things seem good, quiet, and peaceful until they are not. Emily will start to hear and see things, and she will eventually start to hear rumors about the former owners, The Belkin Family. Her husband disregards her visions and blames it on Emily mourning her mother's recent death. But Emily isn't imagining anything. She does hear things and does have visions, but she just can't figure them out.

Loved the whole story, the slowly creeping of the sounds that aren't there, the visions that don't make sense, and the objects that were vital to the past disappearances of women on the farm. Always believe women!

PS. Loved loved loved what happened in the end between Emily and Josh. Alice Belkin was right.

Thank you, Netgalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC. All opinions are entirely my own.