Piper is a library clerk that witnesses some strange behavior in an eighth grader named Avery. Piper's curious nature drives her to insert herself into the situation that Avery and her mother, Susan, are faced with. Set in the early 2000's, this is a fantastically creepy tech horror that seemed to combine two of my favorite horror movies. I loved the Y2K references and the nostalgia of the dial-up internet days (Napster, The Blair Witch Project, Ask Jeeves, etc). I loved the pacing and I feel like the build-up to the climax was perfect. I'll definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for providing an advanced reading copy!

This author is becoming a new favorite. I appreciate the use of favorite tropes of the genre being used in different ways.I picked up a copy for my home library.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

I couldn’t wait to devour this book! I am always waiting for Juliano to write something new and when they do, I read it ASAP. This book was ALL THE THINGS I hoped it would be and more. This had me sitting on the edge of my chair, sweat palms and heart racing page after page. The 2000’s feel, references and vibes were so good. The suspense and tension in this read could be felt for sure. The way Juliano writes is so vivid that this literally SHOULD BE a movie. The fear in this was real and it wasn’t the cheesy fear scare but the kind that eats at your gut the entire time, gives your the heebie-jeebies and makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. I dare you to read this at night alone.

𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Y2K Nostalgia, Dark Eerie Vibe, Skin Crawling Feel, Dark Secrets, Horror, Small Town, Next Level Ghost Story

Large thank you to our Author, NetGalley as well as PENGUIN GROUP Dutton | Dutton

Much like Dead Eleven, 13 Months Haunted had a cover so good I had to check it out, and much like Dead Eleven, I dug it. This book tells the story of a librarian who unwittingly stumbles into a ghost story when one of the students at the high school gets haunted by a viral ghost. It was a real trip through nostalgia land for me with references to napster and a boatload of old songs I used to listen to (including one I had forgotten about entirely and had to pull up on youtube to listen to after reading this book).

The atmosphere and plot of this book made it a four star read for me. What kept it from being a five star is there were some pacing issues and a few times the characters felt a little flat, but overall I enjoyed reading this. I'm definitely all in on what Jimmy Juliano is writing and I'm happy to add him to the list of authors who are an automatic read for me.

Thanks to Dutton, Jimmy Juliano and NetGalley for sending this my way.

13 Months Haunted was everything my Millenial heart hoped it would be. Although it didn't really feel like a horror book, it was absolutely creepy. The eerie vibes were spot on, the chapters were fast, the characters were well-developed, and the pages were filled with nostalgia.

My only complaint would be that the characters felt a little ignorant at times. Piper seemed clueless a lot of times, yet she's not described as being uneducated in the least.

This was a fun read and I definitely recommend it, especially if you enjoyed the authors first book, Dead Eleven.

13 Months Haunted is a vivid throwback to early-2000s internet culture wrapped in a creeping supernatural mystery. Juliano nails that dial-up, MySpace-era vibe while spinning a story that’s equal parts unsettling and nostalgic.

While the pacing didn’t fully grip me to finish, the atmosphere and concept are strong, making this a great pick for fans of slow-burn, nostalgia-heavy horror. If you dig creepy small-town stories with a tech twist, this one’s worth a look.

Looking forward to seeing more from Juliano.

This is such an interesting book! Creepy, mysterious & full of Y2K nostalgia. Piper Lowery is a new library clerk in a small town. She goes to the school to collect scary stories for a library Halloween contest & comes in contact with Avery Wallace. She’s s a new girl, who’s mother never leaves her side, even at school. Then strange & scary things start happening. The chapters are interspersed with diary entries of Avery & Piper’s online journal/blog. Those were really helpful for getting into their mindsets.

Juliano does a stellar job of giving you the creeps but keeping the novel very grounded. All the millennium mentions really add a lot in terms of vibes. Especially if you remember that time (which I do). Very 90’s/00’s horror. Think The Ring or White Noise. It’s a slow burn at first and seeing Piper get dragged into it more & more as the book progresses was so tense. I had no clue what was going on! It’s very unique, I honestly can’t say I’ve read a book similar to this. If you’re looking for an unusual thriller, I think this would fit the bill.

👻

Read if you like:
* Cell by Stephen King
* My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

Spooky. This nad me checking dark corners and closets and seeing things that weren't there. The twist really twisted and I did not see it coming.it was all there in front of me the whole time. The author didn't use any tricks just twists and it was wonderful. I was rooting for every single person, including the small background characters and the villains.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for this ARC!

What a creepy read this was! I loved it so much. 13 Months Haunted is a trip down memory lane with plenty of 2000s Y2K nostalgia. I enjoyed the mixed media with online journal articles and diary entries.

The ending? Amazing!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC of 13 Months Haunted by Jimmy Juliano!

This creepy horror novel is steeped in unsettling Y2K-era nostalgia and eerie tension. Piper, a librarian grappling with personal loss, becomes intrigued by a strange new eighth grade girl named Avery a child who avoids all technology and won’t even touch a computer. As their unlikely friendship grows, it becomes clear that Avery is tied to something much darker… and whatever it is, it comes when you’re alone.

The way Juliano weaves this story is incredible think cracked CD cases, haunted mixtapes, and a creeping dread that slithers in through static. The analog horror vibes are so strong and effective, and the slow build only adds to the tension.

It’s immersive, nostalgic, and deeply unsettling in all the right ways. Some moments drag just slightly, but the payoff is chilling. If Dead Eleven hooked you, 13 Months Haunted is ready to haunt you next.

I’m stuck on a rating for this book and I’m unsure if it was a right book, wrong time situation. While it kept me entertained, I felt like I kept waiting for something WILD to happen and it was more of a slow-burn than I anticipated. I will say that Piper’s character was perfect for this novel.
She’s one of those FMCs that you can’t help but empathize with and you need to see her successfully make it to the end!

This one was creepy and had me on the edge of my seat at times. Other times, I was slightly disappointed with the “twists”. I need to sit with this one a little longer! I’m somewhere at 3.75 because I know that 3.5 stars isn’t enough but I’m not sure that I can give it a 4 star rating either. Dead Eleven was easily a perfect book for me. This one just missed the mark as far as execution.

13 Months Haunted is a truly unique spin on a classic horror trope. I went in blind, which really helped amp up the tension. The story was interesting, full of juicy tidbits to keep the pages turning. The 90's nostalgia really got me in the feels, I was a teenager when all the music and pop culture from the book was happening, so that added to the story for me. I did feel like it would benefit from some editing, maybe lose some of the meandering to keep the pace tight. There was also some repetitive language, and that can take me out of the story. Overall, I found this to be a creepy tale that made me want to stay up late to finish it. 3.75 stars rounded up. Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

This has easily become one of my favorite horror novels!

13 Months Haunted by Jimmy Juliano is a supernatural thriller set in the early 2000s, where library clerk Piper Lowery befriends Avery Wallace, a quiet new eighth grader with a tragic past and a deep fear of technology. Rumors swirl about the deaths of Avery’s father and sister, tied to a mysterious haunted house. As unsettling events begin to unfold—including ghostly visions and unexplained phenomena—Piper is drawn into a chilling mystery. Through hidden clues and disturbing revelations, she uncovers a dark force haunting their town and threatening everyone it touches.

I absolutely LOVED this book! This is my first read from Jimmy Juliano, and it will not be my last! This book was nostalgic, but also somehow modern. Taking place in the timespan of 1999-2000, the rise of dial-up internet and chain mail plays a big role in this supernatural horror novel. This book took all of the best parts of The Exorcist, The Ring, Smile, and Stranger Things, but somehow made them better. Truth be told, I enjoyed this book more than I enjoyed reading The Exorcist 🫢 Much like the characters in the story, I was so entranced and found it hard to look away from my Kindle because I had to know how the story was going to progress. The big twist at the end shocked me, and the final scene of the epilogue was something I probably could have predicted, but was STILL surprised by. That epilogue was like watching a car crash in slow motion; I couldn't stop reading no matter how badly I wanted to stop what was happening in the story!

If you are a horror fan and enjoy paranormal stories, and are looking for something that's not gory and won't gross you out, I highly recommend this book! Adding it to my favorites shelf on Goodreads as we speak!

I enjoyed the premise and the dialogue. This book felt nostalgic in some ways for me with some of the references that were made. This was such a fun read!

Jimmy Juliano has once again delivered a heart pounding, mind blowing thriller set in the early 2000s. If you loved Dead Eleven, you will love 13 Months Haunted. A librarian clerk Piper notices something strange about an eight year old girl Avery. Avery won't touch anything or even look at any technology. Piper realizes there is something dark in Avery and its spreading....but how? And what (or who) created this? I loved the connection Jimmy made with the dangers of AI in this book and it felt like there was little inspirations of The Ring movie. I love the nostalgia that Jimmy had in Dead Eleven and found it in 13 months haunted as well. 13 months haunted is the perfectly creepy, want to leave a light on at night type of book without the full blown horror. I give this 5 stars. I loved it! It releases August 12, 2025.

You will like this book if you like:
-nostalgia
-Dead Eleven by same author
-The Ring
-Small Town Settings
-Halloween
-Spooky & Creepy

3.5⭐️

"13 Months Haunted" is a supernatural horror novel full of 90s nostalgia. I don't read a lot of this genre, but I enjoyed this book. It was creepy, but not too scary. The premise was unique, but it definitely required the suspension of disbelief. I am not a tech-y person, so a lot of the computer stuff kind of went over my head. The first half of this book was very strong, and I was hooked, but it kind of tapered off in the middle, and then became more action-packed toward the end. But overall, it was an entertaining read. All of the 90s/00s references were so much fun. This will be the perfect book to read this fall during spooky season.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Books for the ARC.

After reading Dead Eleven and being completely freaked out by that final scene, I knew I’d pick up whatever Jimmy Juliano wrote next. That book stuck with me. It was weird, eerie, and totally original. So when I saw this book on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it early and was thrilled when I got approved. I went in hoping for that same creeping dread of Dead Eleven with a hint of 2000s-tinted weirdness, and I wasn’t disappointed.

This book feels like a love letter to early internet culture, filtered through a horror lens. Set mostly in the early 2000s, it taps into the heyday of LiveJournal, Napster, MySpace, and dial-up connections. Juliano nails the nostalgia without laying it on too thick. He doesn’t treat it like a gimmick. Instead, the era becomes an essential part of the story’s atmosphere and structure. You can feel the buzz of CRT monitors and hear the screech of modems as you read (and if you’re listening to the audiobook, you literally do). The format helps, too. While the bulk of the book is told in traditional prose, online journal entries are scattered throughout and they feel real. Not stylized, not exaggerated. Just the ramblings of a woman trying to solve the mystery around a lonely teen girl, her strange mother and the horrifying events that seem to plague them.

That teenager is Avery Wallace, and she’s at the center of a slow-burn, technology-tinged haunting that takes its time pulling you in. Avery is strange, closed off, and for good reason. Her past is a mess of tragedy and dark rumors. Her father and sister are dead. Her mother won’t leave her side (not even during bathroom breaks at school). She won’t use a phone, a computer, or anything else that connects her to the outside world. And she’s not just paranoid. There’s something after her. Something real.

Our point-of-view character is Piper Lowery, a public librarian who’s responsible for liaising with the local middle school. She notices Avery right away. Everyone does. Piper reaches out to her, hoping to help, but that well-intentioned kindness becomes the gateway for something much darker. As Piper gets closer to Avery, the mystery surrounding her unfolds. Is her mother really a witch? Did witchcraft kill her family? What is the thing that’s following her, and why does it seem to be targeting anyone who wrongs Avery?

What I loved most about this book is the atmosphere. Juliano is great at building dread through mood rather than gore. This is a creepy book, not a gory one. It gives off serious The Ring energy, but it doesn’t feel like a copy. It’s more like a spiritual cousin. Instead of a haunted VHS tape, we get haunted technology in general. A ghost story tangled in wires and bandwidth. And while it borrows from familiar tropes, it twists them in ways that feel fresh. There are some scenes that genuinely raised the hairs on my arms. It’s clear Juliano understands how to use the fear of the unknown and how effective horror can be when it’s just one step out of sight.

My only real critique is the ending. It didn’t hit quite as hard as the ending of Dead Eleven. That book left me rattled. This one left me satisfied, but not shaken. I liked where it went, but it didn’t haunt me in the same way. Maybe that’s just a matter of personal taste. It's a minor (and personal) critique that shouldn't deter you because the story itself is incredibly strong. The pacing is solid, the buildup is intense, and the emotional payoff is there. I just wish the final moments had a little more bite.

As for the audiobook, it’s excellent. Valerie Rose Lohman and Nicole Cash do a great job bringing the characters to life. Their performances are distinct without being overdone. There are also immersive sound effects layered throughout, including dial-up modems and eerie ambient sounds that heighten the tension. It adds another level of atmosphere, especially for a story rooted in technology and digital isolation. Listening while reading the ARC made the experience even more vivid, and I’d absolutely recommend the audio version if you’re on the fence.

In the end, this book is exactly what I wanted. It’s nostalgic but modern, scary but thoughtful. It taps into early-2000s culture in a way that feels grounded and unnerving. If you’ve ever feared what’s lurking behind a computer screen or caught yourself feeling off after scrolling too long through old forum posts, this book will hit you in the gut. Creepy, clever, and just unsettling enough to linger after you turn the last page.

Wow.

Calling all Millennials- the sense of dread was made to resonate with you! This is a fully immersive, fantastically written horror novel at the trifurcation of Y2K, The Ring, and The Exorcist. This will be one of my favorites of the year- it is so fantastically executed.

Think chain emails, dial up internet, Napster, AOL, blogs- this book has it all. There is an insidious weight that resonates with you as you turn the pages, you can feel it watching you, hovering just above you, waiting in the corners watching.

After deciding to write his thesis on virility of the internet and its consequences, Anders gets a tip to meet Piper, a girl with a haunting story of her own.

As Piper regales her past, she introduces Avery, a young girl she meets who is haunted, never left alone, always accompanied by her mother. She’s bullied and children say it’s because she’s cursed, crazy, maybe even possessed. When a bully locks Avery in a janitors closet, Piper steps in to help, and forms a friendship with Avery’s mom. Eventually crazy things start happening; Avery’s bully dies suddenly, she starts acting out and shouting crazy things in class, and Piper becomes more concerned as Avery’s mom never seems to let her out of her sight, even to go to the bathroom.

As she digs deeper she unearths things she never thought were possible, sees things she never would have imagined could exist, and watches as the haunted girl becomes more and more unstable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Publishing for the privilege of reading this book in exchange for an honest review.

Nostalgia, family secrets, and urban legends makes this for a breezy read! Would absolutely recommend!

It’s the year 2000, and Piper, a local public library clerk responsible for outreach to local schools, can tell there’s something off about Avery, a new 8th grader. Avery won’t touch any kind of technology, even though her peers are obsessed with it, and her mother never literally lets her out of her sight, accompanying her to school and even to the bathroom. The rumors about Avery’s deceased sister and father fly—they say Avery’s mother is a witch, and that the deaths were caused by a supernatural virus…

I LOVE all things millennial nostalgia, and this is like the holy grail. Walkmans and Napster and web journals, oh my! This was a trip down memory lane in the best way.

This is the perfect creepy-not-terrifying horror tale—the kind that’s perfect for telling around a bonfire at night in the dead of summer. A little Blair Witch, a little The Ring, a little Reddit horror story, this is pure fun.

And because even (or maybe especially?) horror stories deserve the Is The Dog Okay? treatment—Ripley the yellow lab is just fine. 🐶