This cheeky little murder mystery, dimension-hopping, graphic novel was a fun look at murder mystery tropes. I thoroughly enjoyed both the mystery and each of the characters. The dog is a particular favorite! Great for a fall day.

Thank you to the publisher for access to review the eARC via the netgalley app.
My opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Haley returns to the Willowweep Manor pocket universe to discover a whole new happening, and this time the interlopers are from another pocket universe with a very different literary influence.

Read this for:
- gothic romance meets murder mystery
- found family expands
- the game is afoot
- sleuthing
- romance bubbles

My thoughts: this return to Willowweep is a fun quick read and filled with nostalgia for the classic Agatha Christie murder mysteries. I had a lot of laughs and whodunnit moments while reading and I picked up the clues as to who was responsible for everything, but I loved how everything was solved and the resolution came to be. I loved how Haley figured everything out, and especially figuring out the other pocket universe literary influence.

Recommend for mystery lovers who don’t mind bending their minds on the ideas of world based on literature genres.

The drawings are amazing, I loved the use of the blank space and the blending of the two universes. The coloration is similar to the first one, but lightened due to the story blending gothic and mystery, which is fascinating.

✨ Review ✨ The Nefarious Nights of Willowweep Manor by Shaenon K. Garrity, Illustrated by Christopher Baldwin

Thanks to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Margaret K. McElderry Books and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

Welp, I didn't realize this was the second book in the series so it sort of starts at a run, but I feel like I more or less caught up quickly. The main character heads off to a pocket universe, Willowweep, that she's apparently already saved once in the first book. This gothic universe collides with newcomers from a mystery-themed universe and a classic whodunit commences.

This was lots of fun and makes me want to go back and read the first one! I loved how it played with genre in a sort of chaotic don't-let-the-universe-collapse sort of way. :)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: mystery meets gothic YA graphic novel
Setting: Willowweep pocket universe
Pub Date: August 12, 2025

Read this if you like:
⭕️ YA graphic novels
⭕️ mystery and gothic styles
⭕️ chaos

A sequel to possibly the funniest graphic novel of 2021! In this one, the Willowweep universe takes in some refugee characters from a cozy 1930s mystery universe—something like if Agatha Christie were collaborating with P.G. Wodehouse. More characters, more genre. Still very funny!

I honestly loved this. It was fun and cute. The dialogue and banter between characters was fun. The art work was perfect and the facial expressions had me cracking up. I loved our heroine too. She knew her limits but kept on moving. I was thoroughly confused when I started reading this but after the guest came in from the other universe and it started playing out like “Clue” I was thoroughly transfixed by the story.

Hayley and Montague are back and they’re heading to the pocket universe of Willowweep. Cuthbert was hit on the head with a message in a bottle. Another universe needs help. So they open a rift. And 5 people and a dog walk through. But who are these people and why can they change Willowweep at will?
Some really neat world building in this one, including how/why Willowweep exists and how Hayley controls the narrative.

Four stars
Willowweep Manor #2
This book comes out August 12, 2025
ARC kindly provided by Simon and Schuster's Children Publishing, and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Fine enough? I don’t think it was as good as the first book. Not bad, just nothing spectacular. So it goes.

This was a dang delight. Even better then the first volume and absolutely sold me on a third. Our heroine Haley return to her beloved Willowweep Manor and soon finds herself in an unexpected genre: murder mystery. Hi-jinks ensue, new best friends are made, and secrets are revealed. I loved the silliness and and the whole-hardheartedness of every character's personalty. Truly so, so fun.

When I requested this book, I did not realize it was the second book. While I don't think I needed to read the first book, and I didn't I do think it would have helped me understand the world a little more if I had.

This book is a bit like clue at times, with a hint of magical powers and interdimensional travel to make it more interesting. The use of the pocket universes makes it so interesting, and as someone who knows very little about it, but I do think if I go back and read the first one, it will make more sense. Our main character of Haley, being from the real world and having traveled to the Willowweep Manor, at times she is learning things about the universe at the same time we are, when it comes to how it works. All of the new characters are exciting and while a little over the top at times, it does make it funny and enjoyable to read.

Overall, I think this is a great storyline, and it can be taken in so many different directions to keep the series going. The interdimensional and world travels are so fun, and the cast of characters, while wacky at times, are so kind and do truly care about each other. The mystery portion of this book does get a little confusing at times with the different characters being from different universes and them having different ideas it does all come together in the end and eventually all makes sense as we learn more about how all these different universes work.

Highly recommend for a quick graphic novel read.

I haven't read the previous book in the series, but I had no issues following the story.
The book played around with different genres and tropes, which I found really interesting.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.

Adored how creative the premise was and this narrative is ripe for many, many installments! The cast of characters is so diverse, leaning into genre stereotypes yet never feeling boring. There's so many different personalities and dynamics at play here. I did find it a bit difficult to keep track of them all once the other universe's cast joined theirs, though. There's a perfect blend of mystery and comedy that keeps you engaged throughout. A genuinely fun narrative coupled with an inviting art style that will keep readers wanting more from this universe.

When I was granted this book from NetGalley and the publisher, I realized it was the second book in the series, so I paused to read the first and I'm so glad I did!

This is a fantastic series and the second installment is perfect. I loved all the characters and found myself identifying with Haley. I love a girl who reads!
I especially enjoyed the use of different book subjects in each installment as the context for the story (gothic romance in the first and mystery in the second). It has me hoping there will be more in this vein (westerns? sci-fi?).

I will definitely be looking out for more by this author!

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I wish I knew that this was a number 2 because I feel like I was missing some context and some character building. The world was easy enough to jump into, and the illustrations added to that ease, but I missed a lot about who people were and what their roles are.

I think because of that I was taken out of the story a bit. I was a little confused by the dynamic. But I think that was a "me" thing versus a story issue - because there is a book one.

But the premise of the story, the quirkiness, and the plot were so fun. I love the mystery of it all. I loved the book as a parallel universe. I need to go back to read the first because I think I would enjoy it.

The illustrations, as mentioned, were spectacular. I think that where there wasn't speech, the art filled in the story. And that is truly what I look for in a graphic novel.

Thank you Simon Teen for the advance copy! This was such a delight to read not only for the story, but also for the illustrations. I loved the humor, the gothic vibes and the murder mystery. The story had me engaged and it’s a perfect read for younger readers too. I’m going to be recommending this!!

This is the second installment of the Willowweep Manor series and I hope we get more! I really enjoyed the mashup of genres combined with the play on all the standard tropes that come with a mystery book. This was a really fun and engaging story. Also, who doesn't love a dog as a featured character?

I LOVED The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor but assumed that it was a stand-alone book. I was so excited to read this sequel! A new genre has come to Willowweep manor and now the gothic universe is embroiled in a mystery which, if unsolved, would mean the death of the universe. The whole cast of the original is back as well as a lot of new faces. I will admit, I did like the first one better, but it was so fun to revisit this world. I hope there's a third installment in the works!

Imagine my surprise to find out that this is actually book 2 in a series!! Thankfully, this book still read as a standalone and was enjoyable as is. I liked the setting, the mystery plot, and the characters were fun. I look forward to reading book 1 and gaining more context around Willowweep Manor and the "gasket universe".

I enjoyed reading this way more than the first book. Mystery genre much more to my liking than the gothic romance. Easy to read and picks up right where it left off. Newcomers arrive and ta da of course a murder mystery begins. along with a suddenly disappearing willowweep manor and strange happenings along the way this is a fun, more adventurous graphic novel but enough suspense to keep you reading to find out who did it. Also for anyone that needs to know, the dog doesn't die. if there is a 3rd one I will definitely be reading it .

Since The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor, Haley has been becoming a bigger nerd and keeping in touch with Montague. When she’s back for a visit, something strange has happened, again. There’s another pocket universe residents seeking shelter because theirs has imploded. Sybil opened a portal for them to go through, and 5 person + 1 dog came in.

The visitors brought a new genre to the universe, so Willowweep manor isn’t gothic anymore. Suddenly there’s a murder, new rooms stared to appear in the Manor, the original residents went missing one by one, and the universe was slowly disintegrating.

Another problem: Haley is unprepared for the change.

This was just as chaotic & funny as the first book, if not more. Weirdly, I was hooked. Though IMO there’s still many things that could be improved here, overall I enjoyed it. I presume there’d be another book in the future from this series? I’d definitely read it if there is.

While I ADORED the first book, this was fell flat comparatively. I love the characters, the vibes are great, it’s just really the plot of this one that had me not super focused.

I would be interested in more books in this series or just seeing these characters again. This volume however did not live up to the first book.