I was sucked in by the nostalgia aspect of this book but unfortunately the whole thing fell apart for me past that. The whole plot and explanation was just too absurd for me. (Especially the time rules). I really didn’t enjoy any of the characters, except Ridley the dog. And honestly, the forced nostalgia little bits didn’t feel authentic or even realistic for someone who did live through some of that. It just all felt too much like a weird version of The Ring.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

I enjoyed the nostalgia of this book. For me, it dragged a bit in the middle. Though, I've seen others call it a quick read. I am glad Ripley and Avery got happy endings. I don't read a lot of horror, so I wanted a happy ending for Piper, but also applaud the brilliance of that ending. Side note, I couldn't believe Piper lived with this unseen presence for 25 years. My first thought was that she should have watched the video from the file in full so that the cure was also embedded into her. Hopefully she'd then be free after a year like everyone else Who knows, with the book's logic, things could become even more complicated adding on to the small bit she'd already absorbed.

4.25 stars. This was such a clever and disturbing novel! I had so much fun reading it– even though I was filled with fear and a sense of dread the entire time. Maybe it’s because I remember the year 2000 so clearly, but the nostalgia hit hard in the best possible way! I loved all of the references from that era and could practically hear the dial up internet sound every time it was mentioned.

Told through Piper’s perspective, along with web journal entries and diary pages, this story had some really cool elements to it: an unseen evil presence, the dangers of technology, and a complicated and possibly cursed family. I found myself growing attached to all the characters and I was completely drawn into Piper’s terrifying journey as she and Avery faced off against a sinister entity.

If you’re looking for a book that will take you back to the early days of internet culture, with a spooky mystery centered around technology and a twisted tale of possession, definitely consider reading this one!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an electronic ARC of this book!

2.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The premise for this was so cool but ultimately, I felt very meh by the end. I liked that the setting was in 2000, but it felt like Juliano was trying too hard to make references to 90’s pop culture in every possible scene. I did really like the mixed media aspect. I think the fact that it was a story within a story, Piper’s blog entries, Avery’s journal entries, and Sam’s online scraping, brought new perspectives of all the moving parts to the story and it was interesting. Honestly, I’m pretty surprised that I haven’t read a horror novel surrounding those spam chain email threads before and I think Juliano’s take on those threads was really cool. Piper was a great protagonist, she’s inquisitive and compassionate, and was willing to believe the paranormal activity she saw.

It was a quick, entertaining read but felt too full of references to truly create a creepy atmosphere, ending up with a novel that lacked overall tension or climax.

13 Months Haunted by Jimmy Juliano takes place in the early 2000's. Piper is a librarian in the middle school system where she encounters Avery, a young girl who refuses to use any type of technology. As part of a curse Avery insists on being with someone at all times, so she attends school with her mother at her side. After a terrifying encounter with a catatonic Avery, Piper is convinced that the girl is being stalked by something evil, but how to help her? Can Piper solve this problem before it's too late?

Wow, this was a weird one. The way the author set up the early 2000s rung so true. As someone just out of college at the time I remember the frustration of not being able to reach friends because they were tying up the phone line being online (and no one really had cellphones yet either). The noises of getting online, all of it was perfectly rendered. I did find the story a little odd, though it does seem timely that the killer in this horror movie was technology itself. A strange story, but definitely an entertaining one. 2.5 stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via
NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

This book kept me on my toes and made me feel an almost constant sense of dread, never knowing what was going to happen next to the characters that I had grown to love. The ending delivers a satisfying punch, balancing horror with an inevitable sense of escalation. I was hooked on this story, and had no idea where it might go, up until the very end.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.

At first I thought this was just going to be a typical mystery/supernatural thriller but WOW this book was SO much more!

I loved that it took place in the 90's. I felt right at home with the AOL dialup, song references, etc. Fantastic setting and characters.

Loved the storyline and the ending. The whole book was just fabulous and terrifying! What a great book!

This is such a nostalgic read! I grew up in the 90's and early 00's so this book was right up my alley! It's definitely one of those horror books that feels unique and I binge read it because I couldn't put it down! Really liked this one!

I’ve been eagerly awaiting this book since Jimmy’s announcement and it did not disappoint! I absolutely adored the premise and he did a wonderful job transporting the reader back to those heady, lawless days of dial-up internet and Napster, online journals and that almost gleeful, giddy “what-if” while searching online! My heart ached for Avery and her mother and THAT ENDING! I’m saying nothing else but will be shouting about this book to everyone I know!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Jimmy Juliano's “13 Months Haunted” is a gripping, nostalgic, and spine-tingling blend of early 2000s digital paranoia and supernatural horror that will haunt you long after you turn the final page. Set in the tail-end of the Y2K era—when dial-up tones, burned CDs, AOL chatrooms, and Ask Jeeves were part of daily life—this eerie tale turns the relics of a bygone tech age into terrifying tools of dread. It’s essentially an extreme version of chain emails with computer viruses that come alive.

Told through a mix of traditional narrative and web journal entries, “13 Months Haunted” unfolds in two timelines. In the year 2000, twenty-two-year-old Piper Lowery is working at the small-town library in Clover Creek when she crosses paths with Avery Wallace—a ghostly eighth grader whose intense gaze and reclusive behavior make her the subject of chilling rumors. Piper, feeling drawn to the girl, soon realizes there’s something deeply wrong, and that Avery’s creepy short story submission for a Halloween contest may not be fiction at all. Fast-forward to the present day, where Anders—Piper’s relative—is writing a thesis on viral phenomena and stumbles across her long-forgotten web journal. What begins as academic curiosity soon morphs into a horrifying rediscovery of the viral curse that changed Piper’s life forever.

At the heart of “13 Months Haunted” is an original and deeply unsettling premise: a supernatural computer virus that infects those who view a cursed file. Victims die if they’re left alone, and the virus seems sentient—alive and hungry to spread. Think “The Ring” meets early-internet chain emails, with a heavy dose of digital possession. I really loved the unique aspects of the digital possession, like one scene that involves Avery muttering random, ad-like phrases as if she’s become a human pop-up ad—a haunting and clever metaphor for how invasive digital content can be.

The rules of the virus must be uncovered like a puzzle: Can it be broken? Rewritten? Forwarded to others like a deadly meme? These high-stakes questions keep the pacing brisk and the tension constantly simmering.

Juliano nails the tone of the era. The pop culture references—from The Matrix to Napster, Britney Spears to Walkmans—aren’t just Easter eggs for millennials, but effective tools to ground the horror in a nostalgic setting. The creeping unease of the early digital age is palpable, capturing that weird in-between era before smartphones and social media took over. If you lived through Y2K, this book will hit like a haunted time capsule. The mixed-media format—especially Piper’s web journal entries—adds emotional depth and a sense of realism to the unfolding events. It makes the horror feel like something you could find buried on an old Angelfire site or forgotten LiveJournal post.

Piper is a compelling protagonist—empathetic, curious, and just naïve enough to get pulled into something way over her head. Her bond with Avery is complicated, touching, and increasingly terrifying as the story progresses. Avery, meanwhile, is an unforgettable character: tragic, eerie, and mysterious, with just enough innocence to keep you guessing if she’s a victim or something much worse. And let’s not forget Ripley, the dog—yes, he survives, and yes, he’s a very good boy.

“13 Months Haunted” is a horror novel that knows how to play with dread. It's not just about jump scares or gore—it's about isolation, memory, digital footprints, and the terrifying things we invite into our lives through a screen. It's a chilling reflection on how fast information—and danger—can spread, even before social media dominated the world. The ending delivers a satisfying punch, balancing horror with an inevitable sense of escalation. If the virus ever truly went viral in today’s tech-saturated world, the consequences would be catastrophic—and Juliano doesn’t shy away from showing us just how close we are to that edge.

Overall, “13 Months Haunted” is a nostalgic yet disturbingly relevant horror read that’s equal parts clever, creepy, and compulsively readable. Just don’t open any strange email attachments afterward.

If you're prone to scrolling reels, you've likely seen that early aughts style is back in focus... and in some cases, that is a derogatory statement. But what Jimmy Juliano has given us with 13 Months Haunted is that nostalgia factor in the best way possible. The references to some of technology from that time period are top notch and really work to set the stage of a story set during a time frame where people were just beginning to get hooked on developing social media and virality.

This book was such an incredibly fun binge read. Think of a The Ring meets Blair Witch cocktail, during a time when the first gifs were holding everyone's attention and when chain emails promised nefarious intent without the labor of a simple forward to 10 online contacts of your choice. ((Did they condition us with that? Is that why we all have to share every little thing we see online? Just thinking... ))

Fans of quirky horror and the land of Reddit nosleep- this one is for you! While this isn't aggressively scary horror, it is just eerie enough to get under your skin and poses the question: is our online activity keeping us haunted?

((While the viewpoints shared are my own, I want to thank NetGalley, Dutton Publishing, and Jimmy Juliano for this complimentary copy.))

In search of inspiration for his thesis on viral phenomenon from the early 2000s, Anders decides to interview his third cousin Piper, a woman that is mysteriously linked to multiple deaths. During the interview, Piper takes us back to the year 2000, when Piper was a librarian in small-town Clover Creek tasked with promoting the annual Spooktacular Scary Story Contest. Piper receives a particularly disturbing submission from Avery Wallace, a new 8th grade student surrounded by unsettling rumors and a mother who never leaves her side. After witnessing Avery being tormented by the bullies at her school, Piper feels sorry for Avery and decides to spend more time with her. However, Avery starts exhibiting strange behaviors, causing Piper to question if Avery’s spooky story was really just a story.

Juliano’s unique take on possession and supernatural elements had me hooked from the first chapter. This book kept me on my toes and made me feel an almost constant sense of dread, never knowing what was going to happen next to the characters that I had grown to love. The ending of 13 Months Haunted is probably one of the best endings that I have read in a very long time.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"13 Months Haunted" is an eerie, adrenaline-pumping horror novel that flawlessly blends early 2000s nostalgia with spine-chilling supernatural suspense. Jimmy Juliano masterfully weaves an unsettling tale of isolation, technology, and the kind of horror that lurks in the spaces we least expect.

Piper Lowery, a small-town librarian, never expected her job to lead her into a nightmare. But when she befriends Avery Wallace—the strange new eighth grader who refuses to touch technology and whose mother never leaves her side—her life takes a terrifying turn. As whispers of dark family secrets spread and unexplainable events unfold, Piper realizes that something sinister is following her. Something that won’t stop until it finds a new home.

Juliano’s storytelling is immersive, with fast-paced, tension-filled chapters and a clever mixed-media format that makes the horror feel disturbingly real. The book crackles with a creeping sense of dread, balancing psychological tension with moments that feel ripped from a late-night urban legend thread. And let’s talk about the setting—if you lived through the Y2K era, the references to dial-up internet, chatrooms, and pre-social media paranoia will hit you with both nostalgia and unease.

This isn’t just a ghost story—it’s a deeply unsettling exploration of fear, memory, and the digital imprints we leave behind. Fans of The Ring, Stranger Things, and Dead Eleven will devour this one. Just don’t read it alone at night—you’ve been warned.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton | Dutton for sharing this remarkable horror novel's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

A haunting that spreads like code.

13 Months Haunted is a masterfully nostalgic horror novel that captures the jittery unease of the early 2000s and filters it through the flickering lens of supernatural dread. Set against the backdrop of dial-up tones, library card catalogs, and Y2K-era blogs, this eerie story blends a classic ghost tale with tech paranoia and small-town myth.

Our guide through the fog is Piper Lowery, a fresh-out-of-college librarian who stumbles into something much darker than late fees when she befriends Avery Wallace, the unnerving new girl at the local middle school. Avery won’t touch computers. Her mother never leaves her side. And her short stories are starting to feel like prophecies.

What begins as community engagement quickly spirals into an unraveling mystery, one that Piper documents on her anonymous blog as she tries to help Avery—and ends up inviting something ancient and angry into her own life.

Juliano nails the pacing: short, tight chapters that crackle with suspense and unease. The mixed media format—interspersing blog posts, journal entries, and chatroom fragments—makes the story feel like something found, like a digital relic hiding something cursed. It’s immersive, inventive, and just meta enough to be unsettling.

This isn’t just a ghost story. It’s a commentary on fear, memory, and the way technology lets our stories (and mistakes) live forever. For fans of The Ring, Dead Eleven, and Are You Afraid of the Dark? with a modern edge, this is the kind of horror that lingers—like a virus you can't debug. #13monthshaunted #jimmyjuliano #penguinbooks #dutton

In the early 2000s, Piper Lowery finds herself (and her dog) in a new town, where she snags a job as a public library clerk. One of her tasks is to run the library's scary story contest, prompting her to visit the local middle school in order to find kids who would like to enter. There she meets the mysterious Avery Wallace and her mother, Susan, who quite literally never leaves Avery's side. Piper soon learns that something paranormal is going on with them, and what follows is an amazing and nostalgic tale of a haunting. I absolutely adored this book and I couldn't read it fast enough! The story was eerie, creepy, and super interesting. I was hooked from the beginning, and I know my patrons will love this read!

"The Ring" & "Stranger Things" Had A Baby - Introducing "13 Months Haunted".
In the mood for a creepy Y2K thriller? Jimmy Juliano's got you. The author of Dead Eleven has done it again with a eery page-turner that won't let you go.
Enter Piper, a library clerk tasked as a liason for the local middle school. She's immediately drawn to a new student, Avery, whose mother never leaves her side, not even to use the restroom. Unlike the other kids, Avery is withdrawn and never touches electronics, especially computers.
Rumors have swirled since Avery and her mother Susan moved into town. Susan is a witch? Avery's dad and sister died in a supernatural way? A strange virus killed them?
Piper befriends the lonely preteen and quickly realizes it's a terrible mistake. Something is haunting Avery and it's only spreading.
The early 2000s setting was fun to experience in such an ominous way (think of feeling a dark presence breathing down your neck as you wait for AOL to dial up). 
I enjoyed the pacing of this novel as it's pretty quick, with chapters as short as four minutes that you want to eat right up. There were some points where technical details and dialogue slowed the story down but just as it does BOOM! in comes a twist or jump scare.
Without giving too much away, the premise really felt like one of my favorite horror films, The Ring. I'm thinking of the haunting shared experience traveling from one person to another and how utterly intense that may feel.
I regret reading this book in the dark.
"It comes when you're alone…"
This book gets a solid 4.25/5 stars, as it felt just a bit longer than I needed it to be.

13 Months Haunted by Jimmy Juliano is a chilling and atmospheric horror novel that expertly builds tension from the very first page. With an eerie premise and a slow-burning sense of dread, Juliano crafts a story that keeps readers on edge, blending supernatural horror with psychological unease. The writing is immersive, pulling you into a haunting mystery that unfolds with a steady, unsettling rhythm.

The characters are well-developed, particularly the protagonist, whose descent into fear and uncertainty feels raw and believable. Juliano does an excellent job of layering suspense, using small, eerie details to build an overwhelming sense of paranoia. While some moments lean into familiar horror tropes, the novel’s strong execution and creeping unease keep the story engaging. The structure adds to the tension, making it feel like a ghost story unraveling in real time.

The pacing is mostly strong, though a few sections slow down more than necessary before the novel delivers its haunting and satisfying conclusion. 13 Months Haunted is a gripping and unsettling read that lingers long after the final page. A solid 4-star novel—perfect for fans of atmospheric horror with a psychological edge.

Are you pining for the early aughts? Do you miss the days of dial-up internet and NSYNC? Because, if so, I've got the book for you! This book is so early 2000s that it made me want to go put on some low-rise jeans and a Gap tee and pop Jagged Little Pill into the CD player. In the first few chapters alone, there's mention of AOL and “You've Got Mail!” and Napster and web journals and ER and The Matrix and Y2K and Ask Jeeves and Yahoo and Britney Spears and The Blair Witch Project and the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Walkman cassette players and burning music CDs and, well, you get the point. I'm a little surprised that Christina Aguilera herself didn't magically pop out of this book and read it to me out loud.

But, yeah, overall this was an entertaining read. It's creepy but not scary-scary, and it certainly has an original premise. It's perhaps not the most plausible storyline – it definitely requires some (okay, a lot of) suspension of disbelief to accept the eventual explanation for what's happening to Avery – but it's a horror novel so I suppose that's to be expected to a certain extent. It does get rather sci-fi-y toward the end, so that's something to be aware of if you're not a fan of the genre. I'm not entirely sure how plausible the technology-related bits are, but since I was an English major, eh, whatever. It works for me.

I did really enjoy the ending of this book, which is a rarity for me and horror novels – that's where they always seem to fall apart, IMO. I can't say that it wasn't a little predictable, but how else was it going to end, really? Thanks, Obam ... Anders.

Oh, and if you're wondering if the dog lives: (view spoiler)

13 Months Haunted is a supernatural horror of a different sort, and I'm actually surprised by how much I enjoyed it considering the unexpected route it took to its conclusion (for the most part, I am not a sci-fi fan). The premise is clever and the characters (mostly) likeable and Ripley deserves all the pets. 3.95 stars, rounded up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is August 12, 2025.

Anders is writing a college thesis on the “viral phenomenon”: what makes things go viral and the history of the phenomenon, specifically in the ages of the early internet. His research brings him across a relative named Piper and that’s where our story really begins as we flashback the year 2000.

Twenty-two-year-old Piper Lowery is the local library clerk in small-town Clover Creek when she comes across Avery, a young girl who just moved to town. Immediately, rumors about the odd young girl and her family’s past begin to circle. When Piper hosts a scary story contest for Halloween, Avery enters a particularly unsettling story, one that Piper can’t shake. Feeling some pity and amazement toward Avery and her stories, Piper takes Avery under her wing but soon realizes that there is something much darker within the young girl.

Similar to Juliano’s previous novel Dead Eleven, 13 Months Haunted plays out with some epistolary pieces. Rather than a focus on the 90’s though, this time Juliano focused his sight on the early 2000’s, complete with remnants of the Y2K scare, online blogging, dial-up internet, ask jeeves, and illegal music downloads for CD burning.

It’s a fast-paced, easy to consume novel that didn’t feel anywhere close to its 384 pages; combining the horrors of early internet and a fresh, unique twist on the supernatural, plus an ending that is so deliciously satisfying.

Thank you Dutton Books for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Available Aug 12 2025

Great book! Couldn't stop reading it. Thank you for letting me read this in advance. I can't stop thinking about it. Searching more from this author now.