Okay..so the cover got me with this one. It’s sooo stunning and it certainly matches the gothic, academia, horror setting. The premise is really good, but I didn’t love the execution. I wanted to dnf it so many times. It’s a pretty short read and felt I needed to see it through.

This book is in no way bad at all. It is good for a certain audience. I think a high schooler would probably enjoy this more than a 30 something. It’s not because it’s YA though. I love YA books. Better Than the Movies and A Good Girls Guide to Murder are some of my favorite reads. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favorite show and while it does get very adult, the earlier seasons set in high school are arguably the best imo.

So what was it then? The banter was maybe just too juvenile for me. At times it felt middle grade style. The romance definitely fell flat. I felt nothing. The climax and horror part of it also fell flat. AND by the end of it, I just was ready for it to be over.

This book does have great atmospheric vibes though!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

House of Hearts by Skyla Arndt is a mixed first and third person dual-POV YA romantic horror. Violet transfers to a prestigious boarding school on a scholarship in order to solve her best friend Emoree’s murder and figure out what happened to Emoree’s boyfriend, Percy. To do that, she'll need to get close to the Cards, an elite group of students that includes Percy’s younger brother, Calvin. But the academy has its own heartbroken ghost and Calvin and Violet find themselves drawn to each other despite their determination to stay apart.

This is fairly fast-paced, moving at an even clip from beginning to end. The chapters are maybe medium length with some diary entries and letters written by Anastasia Hart, the heartbroken ghost of Hart Academy, in between some chapters. This helps the book go by faster as does the prose itself, which leans more towards shorter sentences and paragraphs. There are descriptions, but I wouldn't say it's description-heavy by any means or relying on those descriptions to convey the atmosphere as other cues do that quite well. I'd say this is more voice and character-driven rather than plot or romance-driven and that can help contribute to it feeling faster paced.

I was getting some strong Crimson Peak but set it in an academy vibes. Violet and Calvin are not reminiscent of the main couple in that film, but some of the aspects having to do with Anastasia and the grander plot were. It's certainly not a perfect one-to-one as there are more botanical visuals in House of Hearts and there is a curse that I don't recall being present in Crimson Peak. I think the biggest similarities are how the ghosts are integrated and how connected to love everything is. Because I was getting such strong Crimson Peak vibes, I was questioning if this was a romantic horror or a Gothic or a fantasy dark academia, especially since I'm not entirely sure I understand what Gothic actually is. But I went with my gut that this is more of a romantic horror that is set in an academy.

The romance aspects are often tied to dark fairy tales. Calvin and Violet, Emoree and Percy, and Anastasia and Oleander all have some sort of twist on a classic fairy tale or a general fairy tale reference applied to them at some point. Violet’s POV often mentions classic fairy tales, especially those that have been turned into Disney princess films, and sometimes uses them as a comparison point with Sleeping Beauty being the most referenced and it is applied mostly to male characters.

I would recommend this to fans of Crimson Peak and readers of YA horror who don’t want a full-blown romance, but want a stronger romantic arc

House of Hearts is a wonderful combination of secrets, suspense, and ghost stories.

I really enjoyed how fast-paced this story was. There’s a secret society, curses, and lots of love wrapped up in this book. Violet undertakes more than she signed up for when a decades old mystery is tied into the death of her best friend. Along with a group of her fellow high schoolers, she works to fight against fate. I definitely felt the tension of a typical horror/thriller, but enjoyed the super sweet relationships and a few witty one liners thrown in. The ending was exciting and not fully what I expected, which is always a sign of a great book.

This is the perfect addition to anyone’s fall tbr!

𝐻𝑜𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝐻𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉𝓈 is a YA dark academia-horror-gothic-romance and I really enjoyed it! Violet goes to an elite boarding school to try and find out what really happened to her best friend Em. She goes in expecting to find the real killer, but gets much more than she bargained for.

She has to suspend her disbelief in the paranormal, and has to accept that there may be other forces at work. I loved the ghost story-urban legend aspect of the story.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘣𝘪𝘨, 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯, 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵

I loved that we got to see Violet’s struggle with not being there for Emoree before her death, but also her struggle with always having to be the one who is there for other people.

The story also deals with grief and what loss feels like. These are two of my favourite quotes from the book that I think really captured this topic:

𝘏𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦. “𝘐’𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 . . .” 𝘏𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩. “𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘵. 𝘚𝘰 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘩, 𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐’𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭.”

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴.

I would’ve liked for a few parts of the story and character relationships to be developed further. I loved Calvin, and the banter between him and Violet — I just wish we could’ve seen a bit more of the progression.

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
♥️ secret society
♥️ hedge maze
♥️ ghosts
♥️ family curse

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of House of Hearts.

Okay so I ended up finishing this book in literally one sitting. I couldn’t stop. You’re telling me Skyla Arndt wrapped up themes of forbidden romance, curses, yearning, a murder mystery, soulmates, and a secret society all in a beautifully packaged, 300 page book?!

“There once was a girl
whose heart was much too big,
much too broken,
so she dug within the garden of her
ribs and ripped it right out
but in those heartless moments
strangely
she missed the pain
missed the splinters of a broken heart
in the empty chasm of her chest she
learned then that she’d rather feel
something than
not at all”

Yeah, I’m obsessed with this book. Admittedly, I was skeptical in the beginning because of how much the plot seemed to parallel Boys with Sharp Teeth. A FMC transferring to an exclusive private boarding school her senior year to seek revenge for her best friend whom she assumes was murdered by one of the school’s students. However this scratched an itch that I wasn’t quite able to reach with BWST: a forbidden (and tragic) romance. I had a great time following along with our main character, Violet, as she learns about the curse that has haunted the Lockwell’s family for generations.

Skyla’s writing style is also so beautiful and atmospheric, adding to the haunting realities that plagued this school and its members. While I feel satisfied with the events of this book, I can’t help but feel like it should have been just slightly longer so the readers could have more time with Calvin and Violet. And that’s literally only because I crave banter and yearning!!!

I will also defend Anastasia until my dying breath, and all my homies hate Oleander.

Thanks to Netgalley for this read. House of Hearts was an enjoyable, spooky urban legend/ghost/curse story. Our FMC is out for revenge for who murdered her best friend at a special boarding school. As she joins the secret society and tries to infiltrate to find the murderer, she discovers eerie truths and a haunting curse. She's smart and cunning and determined to find new ways to investigate the curse. The MMC is rather cheeky and pretends to be some alouf dude, but he's more than he seems. I very much liked the descriptive writing style and the heart-pounding haunts. While the situation between the MMC and FMC was predictable, it was also necessary to move the stakes higher. I would have liked a little more banter, a bit more of the slow burn yearning that we all have grown to love recently; I mean I only highlighted one quote. House of Hearts is a quick read and a standalone, so it's a great book to grab when you're in the mood for a life-or-death, fast-paced, outrun the haunting plotline.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - releasing 9/2/25!

This was a really enjoyable YA horror romance that really demonstrates how the YA genre has some of the best, fast paced, thrilling, and interesting storytelling. Give me gothic boarding school, give me mysterious love interest, give me witchy vibes and secret societies and I’m going to eat it up every time. I enjoyed the spooky mystery aspect of things and found the pacing, plot, and ultimate conclusion to all work really well. There were multiple plot points and twists that really kept me guessing until the very end. I enjoyed this authors writing, and I do so love when a romantic connection can be developed based on yearning and banter! (Give me yearning and banter or give me death) Overall I had a really good time reading this!

Thank you to @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

#books #bookreviewer #bookrecs #bookrecommendations #newrelease #advancedreadercopy # NetGalley

I loved reading Together We Rot by this author so I was thrilled when I was approved for an e-arc of her second book, House of Hearts.

something I love about Skyla Arndt’s writing is how real and intriguing each character and setting feels no matter how fantastical or haunting the story may become. this book I’m happy to say held true!

House of Hearts had what I was searching for that I feel like so many previous stories I’ve read lacked. I went on a bit of a YA dark academia reading binge last fall/winter and I was left disappointed by so many books I had wanted to love. THIS was the book I was searching for!! secret societies, ghostly encounters, elite boarding school, swoon-worthy banter, and gothic horror?!

sign. me. up.

I was fully immersed in this story I loved how real and natural Violet felt. she was really easy to relate to and her motivations, strengths, and weaknesses felt very true for her character. the dynamic she had with her mom revealed even more about her life and provided an interesting contrast between the MMC, Calvin, and his mother.

Calvin—wow. what an absolute blessing of character you created @arndtskyla 🤌🏻✨ he reminded me a bit of Jacks from OUABH and I’m obsessed with him flirtatious, observant, mysterious, and a bit murderous at some points?!🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

I also loved the horror gothic elements and the way grief was explored in this book. there was so much mystery and I loved the friendships and romantic relationships that developed while they uncovered all the dark and twisty secrets of Hart Academy.

my rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ .5
release date: september 2nd, 2025

thank you to @netgalley and @vikingbooksuk for this e-arc of exchange for an honest review.

3.75 stars
This needed to be way longer. I feel like the concept didn’t have the time needed to deliver its potential along with everything else like character development and romance. The pacing was weird and rushed which made this confusing at times. I loved the horror elements, the academy with a secret society, and the mystery of her dead best friend. I also really liked the MMC but since this was so rushed, the romance suffered. They had great chemistry and I liked them as a couple but it just wasn’t slow enough of a burn for me. I also gave this author’s other standalone 3.75 stars so maybe I just don’t click with her writing.

Violet Harper knows her best friend was murdered and transferring into the elite boarding school Emoree attended is the only way to get answers. However, Hart Academy holds dangerous secrets and the ghosts of the past haunt Violet at every step.

I have never read a Skyla Arndt book and I was delighted with every page. The world building is rich and immersive with just the right amount of mystery, occult, and romance to keep my interest engaged. Violet is an unapologetic, angry high school student swallowed up by her grief and thoughts of revenge. Calvin may appear to be an easygoing flirt but the pressure of living up to his mother’s expectations makes him the most relatable character by far.

The story is mainly driven by the mystery of Emoree’s death and the disappearance of Calvin’s older brother and Emoree’s boyfriend, Percy. Central to the mystery is an elite club called the Cards, made up of the Lockwell siblings and a carefully chosen few. Admission to the Cards requires winning a series of challenges where losing could result in expulsion.

What I really enjoyed about this book is going through Violet’s grieving process with her. She starts angry and is determined to solve the mystery of Emoree’s death. Throughout the story, she finds herself learning how to live a life without Emoree. I also enjoyed the Anastasia chapters as they provided much-needed information about the past without giving away the mystery the Cards are trying to solve.

I wished we were able to have further development on Amber and the Cards as characters. Because the story is told from Violet’s perspective, these people and many key events are limited to what she observes. Unfortunately, this first-person perspective resulted in a clunky middle portion where much of the story is relayed by Violet being told information instead of experiencing it for herself.

Overall, I recommend this book as a spooky fall read for anyone who enjoys a dark academia-style boarding school and an occult mystery. “House of Hearts” is best suited for young adult audiences and those who enjoy first-person storytelling. Fans of “Curious Tides,” “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder,” and “A Study in Drowning” will probably enjoy reading Skyla Ardnt’s latest release.

I received an e-book ARC in exchange for my honest opinion from NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Publishing. A version of this review including spoilers is published on my instagram account. Thank you so much for allowing me to read an early copy of this book!

Thank you Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

what to expect -
- forbidden love
- thriller/horror
- mystery
- elite boarding school
- secret society

Violet transfers to a new school to try to solve her best friends murder and get revenge on the killer. She starts to assume that the killer is her best friends boyfriend.. duh? But it can’t be that easy you’d think? She comes across Calvin Lockwell, who is the younger borther of Perceval. A romance starts to form as they team up to uncover a secret society and unravel the truths within the society and the curse on a bloodline. Also. THERE IS A GHOST THAT ROAMS THE SCHOOL.. must i say more!

The romance in this book was so cute and intense; the banter!! I loved Calvin Lockwell but i do feel like it was kind of instalove which threw me off a bit. It seemed the book was a bit rushed the with romance and even the plot twists. I do think the book should have been a bit longer so i wasn’t trying to keep up with everything thrown at me a reader. But overall, still a fast paced, great read that i would recommend!

I should applaud this book for successfully putting me into deep sleep, when I usually fight off sleepiness while reading at night.

While part of the blame is on me for forgetting this was a horrormance, I still felt it was weakly executed. The mystery and horror elements never really thrilled me, and although the Lockwell family’s curse and the truth behind Emoree’s death intrigued me, these aspects weren’t explored in much depth either. Overall, the storyline felt flat and, at times, confusing.

Tbh I really liked Violet and Calvin’s dynamic, but their interactions didn’t give me the spark I was hoping for 😔 I loved the idea of them being soulmates, but their relationship felt underdeveloped, so when Calvin revealed they were bound by the curse, it felt a little out of place.

At some point, I kept reading mainly out of curiosity about how the curse would be lifted, but honestly, it wasn’t as impactful as I’d hoped.

Anyway, thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing this ARC 🫶🏻

This story starts out with Violet enrolling in a prestigious academy to catch and expose her besties murderer. She quickly befriends her dead friends elite friends and finds out there's an exclusive society-- one her friend had been apart of.

We then find out her friend wants murdered by her boyfriend Percy (who has been missing since her death.) She somehow fell from the tower by accident to save her from the Lockwell family curse-- a curse that the oldest Lockwell cuts out the heart of their soulmate. Many times Great-Grant Aunt Anastasia had her heart broken when her man messed around with her sister. And instead of taking it out on him, she cursed her sister's descendants.

So Percy negated himself from the curse by going all Sleeping Beauty, therefore the curse moved onto Calvin, the next oldest. If the eldest of the generation either fulfills the curse or takes themself out by negating it, the curse should not go on to the next sibling but the next generation. Otherwise, the curse would just go to the next oldest within each generation.

When Headmistress Lockhart fulfilled the curse by murdering her soulmate, did her younger siblings also become victims of the curse? She is still living when her children become affected by the curse, and with no repercussions legally. She doesn't even want to save her own children from the curse.

Seems like the only ramification to the curse is someone's girlfriend/boyfriend dies and the murderer just goes on doing their thing without further consequences. The ones cursed are the ones not even in the family.

Calvin and Violet have zero chemistry. Only at 75% into the book do they kiss and it's not even very passionately considering its when they realize they're "soulmates."

Yeah, I really hate the headmistress. She gets worse as the story progresses and never redeems herself. She clearly hates her own children as well as everyone at the school.

House of Hearts had a great premise and a really strong gothic vibe, but the execution fell flat for me. I liked the spooky atmosphere and the setup with Violet trying to uncover her best friend’s death, but the story lost focus once it shifted into the family curse plot.

The characters were my biggest struggle. Violet was fine, but everyone else felt over the top or underdeveloped. The romance jumped straight into insta-love and soulmates without any real build up, which made it hard to take seriously. The friendships also felt rushed, like characters were acting too close way too soon.

The atmosphere and fall vibes were enjoyable, but the pacing, shallow relationships, and predictable reveals kept me from finishing. I think other readers who love gothic YA with quick romance might enjoy this more, but it just wasn’t for me.

📖 House of Hearts – Skyla Arndt
A dark and atmospheric story that blends gothic elements with emotional depth. The writing is vivid and moody, drawing you into the haunting setting right away. The characters feel layered and complex, though the pacing sometimes slows in the middle. Perfect for readers who enjoy eerie, character-driven tales.

“A hot new horror enters the villa” / “the worms lay waiting and writhing”

- I thoroughly enjoyed this YA dark academia horror and here are my thoughts ⬇️
- first, the gorgeous cover is quite misleading as to the tone, most of this book is jaunty high school style banter, punctuated with devastatingly emotional and moving horror
- loved the plot, but the romance itself felt like an afterthought and was underdeveloped
- readable & fun
- side characters were boring
- except when they weren’t and then they were heartbreakingly well done
- absolutely want to read this author again

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Skyla Arndt for the ARC–my opinions are my own.

Synopsis
Violet Harper is sure her best friend was murdered—despite what everyone else says. To uncover the truth, she transfers to her late friend’s elite boarding school, where secrets run deeper than anyone knows. There, she meets Calvin Lockwell, her prime suspect’s brother and heir to a dark legacy. As Violet digs into a mysterious secret society and a possible curse, she finds herself falling for the one person she shouldn’t. Love, lies, and danger collide in a deadly game—and the truth might cost her everything.

Review:
4 Stars

As October approaches, this is the perfect read for anyone wanting a dark academia mixed with a little paranormal mystery with a hint of romance.

This was a very fast-paced read & nothing felt like it dragged on, but I wish some elements were more fleshed out, particularly the family curse and romantic elements. It makes sense since this is a YA book, but I think 100 pages could have added more depth and clarity to some of the plot points. In comparison to the author’s previous book (Together We Rot), I think I enjoyed this book (or at least the main premise) a little more.

Nevertheless, this was a fun read and I would pick up another book of Skyla Ardnt’s again!

This book was such a dark, eerie ride—and I was so into it. From the first few pages, I was hooked. Violet was a total standout—tough, smart, and with a sharp, sometimes hilarious voice that made her feel super real. She didn’t take crap from anyone, whether it was the snobby rich kids or the creepy stuff tied to her best friend’s death. I really admired how loyal and determined she was through it all.

If you're into dark academia with some romance, mystery, and a touch of horror, this is a great pick.

Skyla Arndt is the official curator of spooky vibes, and this ability comes out in full force with the setting choice in House of Hearts. This book has haunted my thoughts ever since starting it. All the characters are extremely likable and easy to root for, especially Violet and Calvin, whose connection I was unsure of at first but soon blossomed into a beautiful garden in my heart. I could picture myself easily getting as lost in the narrative as Violet does, and the mystery was an enticing one to unravel. Together We Rot by Arndt is one of my favorite books, and this new one is definitely making its way up the charts of my mind. Perfect fall read. 4.5 stars!!

Thank you Penguin Random House and Netgalley for this eArc!

The cover is absolutely gorgeous! I won't lie when I say it drew me in immediately to check out this book. I know they say dont judge a book by its cover....but in this case we can! The plot is fantastic. I love the blend of dark academia, murder/mystery, forbidden love and paranormal. This book keeps you guessing. Violet and Calvin's chemistry are to die for.