A Haunting That Starts Off as a Lie
The setup is clever: Lainey and her best friend Adelaide decide to "haunt" Lainey's gaslighting husband into madness so she can gain full custody of their daughter. Sounds extreme? Yes. But also darkly satisfying, especially when you're as fed up with controlling husbands as Lainey is. The early chapters are filled with prankish schemes and a biting sense of justice—until things start happening that Lainey didn’t plan. And that’s when the real haunting begins.

Characters You Love to Hate—and Still Root For
The characters in this book were simultaneously my favorite and least favorite part, which made me realize something important: you can hate a character and still love the book. Every person in this story is layered. Even the characters you're rooting against are written with such realism and nuance that they’re hard to completely villainize.

Lainey, in particular, is a compelling lead. Flawed, desperate, morally murky, but oh-so-human. Watching her navigate the mess she’s created, only to stumble into something far darker than she anticipated, was engrossing.

Atmosphere & Tension
Christa Carmen excels at creating mood. The first half of the book feels almost fun—you’re giggling at the haunted house antics and Cal’s bewildered reactions. But once the story pivots, the atmosphere turns on a dime. Suddenly it’s not fun anymore. It’s claustrophobic. Menacing. The kind of horror that seeps into your bones and makes you want to finish the book before you go to sleep, just to escape the dread.

And while the ending did feel a little rushed, it also amplified the breathless tension that had been building. I didn’t mind—I was too busy holding my breath.

What Makes It Stand Out
A fresh spin on the “gaslighting husband” trope. Instead of the husband manipulating reality, it’s the wife orchestrating the lie. The moral murkiness here is chef’s kiss.
A haunted house story that plays with genre expectations—moving from mischief to malevolence with expert pacing.
Horror rooted not just in ghosts, but in human trauma, regret, and the things we lie to ourselves about.
Multidimensional characters you can’t quite categorize as good or bad.
Themes & Tropes
🏚️ Haunted house (but with a twist)

👻 Gaslighting flipped on its head

🔥 Best friends with questionable morals

🕯️ Paranoia & creeping dread

🧠 Unreliable narration

🩸 Emotional and supernatural horror

🎭 Revenge-turned-nightmare

⏳ Facing your past before it consumes you

Final Thoughts
How to Fake a Haunting is dark, eerie, and deeply human. It’s the kind of story that pulls you in with a devilishly clever premise and then tightens the screws until you’re squirming—deliciously so. This one’s for fans of haunted house stories, horror with heart, and thrillers that don’t play by the rules. If you’re stuck in a reading slump or just want something with bite, this is the prescription.

You’ll laugh. You’ll cringe. You might even check your closet before bed.

Love the idea of a fake haunting. I’m all about supernatural, paranormal and all things witchy. There were some spooky moments in the book and I think everyone wants Callum to get what he deserves. Adelaide is a fun character and I liked her quirkiness and her connection to Lainey. The end, though, seemed drawn out and had Ebenezer Scrooge vibes. It just wasn’t my favorite. Overall, it’s an interesting book but not exactly a page turner for me.

This was really good. Such a great take on a thriller/horror. I loved it. Thank you for granting me access to an arc of this.

What an awesome unique story! If you love spooky, creepy, haunted house vibes then i definitely recommend! Things initially start out as a set up and then actually get scary which is honestly just the best build up!

The book also highlights the hardships of being a woman sometimes but there’s also a nice contrast to the other side of that with beautiful female friendships with some laugh out loud moments and gets you in the feels moments.

What a phenomenal blend of different emotions and themes throughout a spooky read! This is perfect for fall vibes.

Thank you for the gifted copy!

Publishes - October 7

This is such a unique take on a haunted house book! To enjoy this book, you have to be okay with unlikeable characters. All of them (minus Bea) are horrible or make bad decisions consistently. I enjoyed watching Lainey Gaslight, Gatekeep, and Girlboss her way through the story. I wasn't sure I was going to love the direction it took later in the book, but I thought it was done really well. I wasn't a huge fan of the way this book ended, it felt a little rushed and some things were resolved too simply.
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the e-arc!

Uno stile scialbo che non riesce a rendere né il dramma familiare della protagonista né la sensazione di minaccia sovrannaturale. Non aiuta il fatto che la voce narrante sia irritante e fondamentalmente priva di personalità, se non quella derivante da una continua lamentela.
Peccato, perché l'idea di partenza è vermanete carina.

This is a unique take on a haunted house story
You have an over-the-top character in Callum.
A very complex character in Lainey - our protective Mother.
And then, our friend Adelaide.
I found myself laughing at some things in the plot, and then feeling incredibly unsettled at other events. It was almost as if my brain wasn't sure what to think at times!
I connected with Lainey and how hard it is to leave certain situations. I like to tell people that you never know what is happening behind closed doors. When people feel trapped, they feel trapped. Especially when the person who is so terrible has an influential family.
Enter Adelaide, Lainey's friend, who has the idea to fake a haunting, so they can terrorize Callum to the point that he won't be around and will leave Lainey and their daughter in peace.
The plot had drama, humor, horrifying moments, grief, blurred boundaries, twists, and moments of realization. The pace was perfect, it goes so quickly. I read this in one sitting.
The characters were well developed for a book that was paced so quickly. You were also able to connect with the characters. Except maybe Callum at times.. he was just everywhere and over the top.
Anyways, this is such a unique take on haunting and trying to get rid of a man. I enjoyed the book.
This is perfect for your Fall/Winter TBR!
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
Happy Reading!

This book was pretty good, I would definitely recommend

~This was given by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review………..

WOW! This was amazing. I was hooked from the beginning but had to pace myself as I didn't want to speed through it and miss anything. Lainey is such a complex character whose dedication to her daughter is admirable and strong. She will stop at nothing to protect her daughter, specifically from Lainey's husband, Callum, who struggles heavily with alcoholism.

I really had no idea what to expect but I was blown away by the haunting descriptions in this book. To see both Lainey and Callum have to face things they never wanted to and be forced to in a way that is absolutely terrifying. I just - wow. this was a good one.

Wow, just wow, really, really good read. Lainey wants out of her marriage to drunkard Callum, but as his family has lots of money, she doesn't see a way out that involves keeping her daughter. Enter Adelaide, who hatches the plan to make Callum leave by faking a haunting at their house... only is it all fake?

Really enjoyed this, very atmospheric and creepy right from the off, even though we know some of the fake haunting methods, we are not totally in on it, so when things get intense we are not sure what's real or not.

Very creepy, and a little sad as we near the end of the book, very well written and definitely worth a read!

This book had me so tensed up and creeped out, flying through the pages to see what would happen next! Honestly, all of the main characters are awful people, but the plot was to die for. This was such a cool concept that was executed really well. Perfect spooky season read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for access to this arc!

This book is proof positive that it's possible to loathe almost every character and still love the book!

This one is definitely unique and a fun ride.

Everything that happens is head-shakingly extra...until it become legitimately scary. Suddenly, instead of just being appalled by bad behavior, you find yourself with that little shiver down your spine.

And the truth behind everything? Horrifying and sad.

This is an unusual read, but a very good one. Glad I read this one!

* ARC via Publisher

I loved this story most of the way through as it was such a unique take on a typical haunted house story. Ellie and her mental state throughout the book were incredibly compelling. The ending, however, was a big disappointment to me. It felt rushed and disjointed.

i just think men shouldn't be allowed to do things. loved the atmosphere. very very creepy. i love me some haunted houses. what i don't love are rushed endings, which is where i feel this book dropped the ball.

Wow, what a book! This was a non-stop ride from the very first page- it didn't let up until the end, either. What initially was almost like a War of the Rose's type situation quickly morphed into a novel with some genuinely creepy moments, and had me questioning a lot of what I was reading. Do we make our own ghosts and demons? Are our actions, our secrets, dangerous enough at times that we create the very things that haunt us? Not just in our minds, but eventually, physically, as well? It would be far too easy for me to continue here, but I would probably end uo giving away far too much. This is definitely a book that the less you know going in, the more you'll appreciate it. If, at first, you get a little frustrated with Adelaide's decisions, don't give up hope- stick it out. It's absolutely worth reading to the end. 10/10, will recommend.

fake it til you make it!
This is all I kept thinking while i was reading this.
Maybe you should not try to fake a haunting you will piss off the ghosts

Lainey Taylor has had enough of her alcoholic husband putting their daughter at risk with his drinking, but doesn't know how to get away with his threats and rich and enabling family. Her friend helps her hatch a plan to capitalize on his superstitions and haunt him into abandoning them. In the heat of the haunting, Lainey begins to suspect that there is something real happening within their fake haunting.

The set up was very well done. I was invested in Lainey and her daughter as soon as it began, and the story kept me engaged and rooting for them the whole time. I kind of saw where it was going, so nothing really surprised me, but it was done so well I didn't mind. Definitely a great time that I would recommend for the spooky season. 

I rated it 4.25/5 stars rounded down to 4.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC!

Yes, yes, YES! This was so freaking good. There was just something in here, a combination of writing, character believability, spook-factor, and plot twists that scratched an itch in my brain. I loved this book so very much.

When Lainey is left with no options in her marriage to her alcoholic husband, Callum: she fears for their daughter and knows that she would never be granted full custody with his influential family calling the shots, she turns to her friend, Adelaide. Adelaide has an idea… something that could fix Lainey’s situation. They will fake a haunting in their home and Callum will be so terrified he will leave them in peace.

With every next move they make, they pull Callum deeper into his fears, and one step closer to his departure. When the fake haunting starts to feel very real, Lainey must start pivoting, lest her daughter get caught in the crossfire.

I absolutely loved the spinning the gaslighting husband trope on its head. It was gratifying while at the same time Lainey and the reader knows its wrong. Then you get to the aspects of the haunting itself! I am a firm believer in hauntings coming in different forms. There doesn’t have to be some tragic past held onto by a home… people can attract energies, too. I found the way this book plays out in its entirety to be one of my favorite depictions of a haunting I have ever read… and I have read a lot because it is my FAVORITE trope.

I highly recommend this book. I will be reading everything this author has ever written now!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'm always very happy about an ARC and being able to give it a review! <3


Okay, so this book? Absolute gold. Finally, we get a woman who's not just running from ghosts or solving murders—no, no. She's the one doing the haunting. Iconic behavior. I was living for the whole "let me fake a haunted house to mess with my husband" plot. We love a main character with vision and just the right amount of chaos.

The writing style? Super easy to get into. Like, one chapter in and you're fully in haunted-house-mode, popcorn in hand, ready to ruin a marriage (just kidding… kind of). The characters were nicely done—interesting without being so complex that you need a spreadsheet to keep track of who's who. Shout-out to the author for weaving in the topic of alcoholism too. It didn’t feel forced, and let’s be honest, it’s something that needs to be talked about more seriously.

Now, was it spooky? Surprisingly, yes. I definitely had a few moments where I was like “hmm… maybe don’t read this alone at night.” I do wish they had thrown in a few creepy photos of the "real" hauntings—just to amp up the creepy factor. Imagine flipping the page and BOOM: ghost in the hallway. Missed opportunity, honestly.

The ending? Ehh, not totally my vibe. But everything else was so fun and creepy and deliciously unhinged that I didn’t even care. This story is going to stick with me for a while (and I’ll probably side-eye every creaky floorboard from now on).

The plot was unbelievable, the characters were not likeable and their motivations weren’t clear to me. I liked the general premise but ultimately it failed to me.