3.5 Stars

The premise of this book is fairly interesting, a women in an unhappy marriage to the alcoholic son of the most powerful family in town, wants to get out of her marriage and make sure her daughter is safe, so she has to try something a little more unconventional than regular divorce papers. To try to prove that her husbands alcohol problem is a real problem, she decides to fake a house haunting to get him to admit that he needs help.... and then things go off the rails.

I don't want to spoil too much here, but I enjoyed the haunting. There are a couple of really dark points in the story, but that's usually the case with a horror story. There are a lot of characters that I didn't like, but I think that was the point of them, so good job.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC! This was atmospheric, creepy, and definitely not your typical haunted house story. I really enjoyed this unique take, and loved the dimensions of the characters. Multiple times throughout the book I found myself frustrated with the main characters for one reason or another, and it was nice to feel like they had some depth. This book also veered into territory I didn't expect it to, and without giving spoilers, touched on grief, loss, and expectation in relationships. I did find the ending to be a bit rushed, but really enjoyed this fast paced, atmospheric haunting. I'll be continuing to think about this one for a while.

This was sooo much fun!! Perfect for spooky season but I still enjoyed it in the summer! Thank you NetGalley and publisher for early arc

𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧, 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐞. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐦 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫. 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩𝐬𝐞𝐭, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭.

This was one of the most unique, unsettling horror books I've read in quite a while. Any thoughts that this may be campy or littered with dark humor dissolved immediately after the first chapter.

Lainey Taylor has had enough of her husband Callum and his alcohol addiction. Born into a country club family, Callum's family ignores the issue and even encourages social drinking. Lainey is frustrated because his family doesn't know that at home, he's suffering from hallucinations and erratic behavior. She feels certain that it’s only a matter of time before he puts Lainey’s life—and that of their young daughter, Beatrix—in jeopardy. She has no idea what happened to the happy couple who built a home together just a few years before, but she does know one thing: they have reached the end. The problem? They're at an impasse because Callum flat out refuses to give her a divorce and full custody.

After commiserating with her friend Adelaide, the two concoct the absolutely wild plan to stage a haunting in the couple's home that will drive Callum fleeing into the night for good. This is where I thought there would be some dark comedy, but let me tell you, the build-up, the tension, seeing the plan come to fruition and then taking a backseat to the real showstopper was INTENSE.

The women didn't need to go to the trouble of staging a haunting--because a real one is alive and well inside the family home. I wondered how something could be inside a brand new build, and with an increasing sense of dread, everything started to make sense. I was absolutely shocked at the ending and NEVER predicted the direction this wild plot would take. This book will make you think twice about allowing spite and revenge to take up residence in your heart. Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer Publishing for this early copy. Look for this one October 7, 2025.

A supernatural thriller where nothing is as it seems, and the ghosts that haunt you are more real than ever.

Desperate to leave her husband and protect her child, Lainey hatches a plan to haunt her husband out of their house - but not everything in their house is as it seems.

I’m starting to think thrillers with a supernatural twist simply aren’t for me, because while I really enjoyed the premise of this novel - it kind of fell apart for me once the supernatural was brought into the mix. It’s hard to describe without spoiling the “twist” - although this twist was obvious from the very first mention - but I felt that by adding this to the plot it kind of inadvertently made the husband less bad within the context of the novel. Which absolutely did not work for me when in regards to a man who almost killed his wife and child by drinking and driving.

However, I realize I’m in the minority for this so I would recommend anyone who likes atmospheric horror and tense thrillers to read this for themselves.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me this e-ARC.


–
Spoilers after this point:



It really did not sit right with me that the ghost that haunted the wife was about her abortion - which the book desperately tried to convince us was the “right” decision, and yet didn’t even have the courage to say “I got the abortion because my husband is an unstable borderline abusive drunk who I cannot trust with one child, let alone two” and made it be the act that was haunting her. I get the idea - her not telling her husband was “haunting” her, and yet her husband is, once again, borderline abusive and a violent unstable drunk and so she shouldn’t feel any guilt in protecting herself and any further children she could have.

And this is contrasted with the ghost of the husband which is…quite literally nothing. It’s just the moment he smashed the mirror, which makes absolutely no sense. He almost murders his wife and child by driving drunk - something that should haunt him - but it’s this moment instead? Nonsense. Somehow, we’ve decided the wife is the one with the most guilt here despite the husband being the problem.

Also, in the same vein - the ghost of the future for the wife is her doing the exact same thing the narrative decides to forgive the husband for - driving drunk with their child - but for the husband it’s just dying alone. Like, really. Really?

I also just wasn’t a fan of the hauntings being real - or at least real in the most cop-out “we’re haunting ourselves” way. Or, that by including this, the book just absolves the husband of the absolutely horrific decisions he’s made throughout the book. Sorry, but I will never get over him driving their car into a spiked fence and almost impaling his wife and child, but bringing a crooked cop to investigate the scene so he isn’t punished because he was drunk. And I especially can’t forgive the book for a) not making that be the horrific thing haunting him and b) making that exact scenario be the horrific thing haunting the WIFE instead.

Personally, I think this book would have been better if they had actually succeeded in driving the husband to madness and getting him out of their lives. I really don’t like how doing just that would - somehow - lead to the wife making the same decisions as the husband when getting him out of their lives would be the absolute best thing for both her and her child. No, sorry, but some things are unforgivable and some people need to be absolutely cut from your lives.

Finally, this doesn’t mean anything, but I didn’t like the inclusion of the ghost hunters, or the constant reference to the Warrens in comparison. Like, trying to tell me the wife is genuine in her belief and wanting to help, and then directly comparing her to a pair of scam artists is sure a decision. I also just didn’t like how this validated the haunting as something “real” that’s happening - I much prefer ambiguity for this kind of thing.

“Open your eyes . . . See what’s right in front of you.
“There are ways to see what’s hidden in the dark . . .”
📚
Lainey Taylor’s husband, Callum, has a drinking problem, and she’s desperate to find a solution to his erratic and dangerous behavior before it threatens her life and that of their young daughter, Beatrix. After Callum makes it known that a divorce and full custody will never happen, Lainey turns to her friend, Adelaide, who comes up with a risky but ingenious idea: together, they’ll stage a haunting so believable, it will terrify Callum right out of Lainey and Beatrix’s lives.

They start slowly, employing tactics like eerie noises, noxious smells, and swarming insects, preying on Callum’s hallucinations and drunken night terrors and pushing him closer to the brink with each subsequent scare. But when the haunting takes an inexplicable and nightmarish turn, Lainey and Adelaide realize they’re no longer in charge. And as events continue spiraling, it becomes clear that the only way out may be for Lainey and Callum to join forces, before it’s too late.

Pulsing with fear, bitterness, and wrath so intense they’re actually palpable, How to Fake a Haunting is a phenomenal, edge-of-your-seat page-turner that offers a fresh perspective on the haunted house. Underscored by high stakes and spattered with deliciously dark, supremely terrifying scenes, it’s a chilling chronicle of one woman’s attempt to maintain control amid the chaotic remnants of her existence, producing a heart-pounding tale of regrets and disappointments, secrets and lies, decisions and sacrifices, specters and portents, and vulnerability and rage — one where disappointed hopes and shattered dreams expose buried truths and incendiary realizations.

Thank you to Christa Carmen and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this forthcoming title, which releases via Thomas & Mercer on October 7th. It’s a fantastically disquieting, wonderfully sinister story sure to wow a wide range of horror fans.

Oh, a fake haunting to get a woman away from her husband who has a drinking problem with not-so-great behavior? And her best friend is helping? I was absolutely sold on this book. I did not expect to appreciate the friendship of a female to help through rough times. I did expect things to go awry, which they did in a very creepy, eerie way! This was absolutely an awesome summer-ween vibe (and even better that it is being released in the fall!).

On paper, Lainey Taylor’s life is perfect. She is married to wealthy businessman Callum, lives in a beautiful home they built, and has an adorable daughter Beatrix. However Lainey’s marriage has turned toxic – Callum is an alcoholic and is surely drinking himself to death. Lainey is struggling to keep life normal for Beatrix and wants a divorce, but Callum flatly refuses. Lainey is seething with a cold, murderous rage at Callum and confides in her best friend Adelaide. Together they concoct a diabolical plan to “haunt” Callum, destroy his mind and help Lainey to escape this marriage. In the process, they have unleashed something frightening and unholy in their home which threatens them all.

It is very difficult to review this creepy domestic thriller without introducing spoilers, so I won’t be able to say much. All I can definitely say is that it is not your typical ghost story. This is not a creepy old house with cobwebs and spectral ancestors. In essence, it is a modern-day morality tale with a powerful allegory about human relationships.

The haunting in this atmospheric novel has a physicality and invokes a feeling of visceral horror. I thought about it for days after I finished it. Thank you to Christa Carmen for sharing this uniquely creepy novel with me. I definitely recommend it.

Wow, this book was intense! What starts off as a really creative and elaborate fake haunting turns into something much darker. This was the perfect choice to kick off my series of Summerween reads as it definitely got me in the spooky spirit! There was a really unique take on a haunting that I really appreciated and enjoyed.

Not all hauntings are caused by spirits. Sometimes we haunt ourselves. Any more details will give away too much of the driving force behind this offbeat and touching thrill ride of a ghost story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me access this book!

I love a good haunting and haven’t seen many fake hauntings to scare someone out of a house so figured this was right up my alley. The characters were interesting and the mystery unraveled at a good pace. One dislike, however, is that the main character drove me a little crazy sometimes as she wrote off everything odd thing that happened (even after all the evidence that there was more going on than they planned). I know she doesn’t know she’s in a horror novel, but I live my life assuming things can and will go wrong, and keep an eye out for anything that seems off.

I also loved that it’s set in Newport and talks about the mansions! I live in Rhode Island and am quite familiar with the mansions and Newport proper so it was fun to see landmarks and references to places I’ve been and that others can easily explore.

I really enjoyed this book. At around 40% of the story I was actually so terrified, I had to stop reading ( I made the mistake of reading it late at night). I continued to read the rest of the story during the daytime only.
I've read alot of horror books but this one has scared me the most. It's definitely in the writing that made me feel the amount of terror I felt. Because at first it's sort of fun . A prank , a fake haunting. And even while it was fake , there were moments of uncertainty and things started to become very real. (Too real)

Besides being scary , this story had alot of depth. The extent a mother would go for her daughter. Being unable to escape from her marriage. And then confronting their own ghosts .
I found the book to be unique and overall fantastic. I think in October spooky season every one is going to be excited for the launch of this book.

Super solid story here and will absolutely be a hit for fans of the spooky genre. My only issue was I didn’t love the characters here as much as I hoped. Which was odd considering how much I typically love stories especially revolved around mothers, being one myself. I loved the concept and everything but it didn’t land like I hoped. Definitely worth a read though!

Christa Carmen’s How to Fake a Haunting is a chilling psychological horror novel that delves into the lengths a woman will go to escape an abusive relationship. Lainey Taylor, desperate to protect herself and her daughter from her volatile, alcoholic husband, Callum, devises a plan with her best friend to stage a haunting in their home, hoping to frighten him into leaving. However, the fabricated terror soon escalates into something far more sinister and real.

Carmen masterfully blends elements of gothic horror with psychological suspense, creating an atmosphere thick with tension and dread. The pacing is relentless, keeping readers on edge as Lainey navigates the escalating horrors she has set in motion. The novel explores themes of control, fear, and the haunting consequences of deceit, all while maintaining a gripping narrative that is hard to put down.

How To Fake A Haunting has such an interesting start. The main character, Lainey, desperately wants to leave her alcoholic husband but is stuck. Callum comes from a rich family with connections and Lainey knows he’d share custody of their daughter- which she does not want. Callus is extremely dangerous and reckless because of his drinking. Lainey’s friend, Adelaide, then suggests they fake a haunting since Callum is already sensitive to horror related things and is prone to hallucinations. As the hauntings escalate, Lainey comes to realize that the house may actually be haunted…

There were several times throughout the novel where I felt such intense anxiety reading the actions of these characters. The author really has a way of drawing forth that emotion and just had me on the edge of my seat! I thought the haunting- real or fake- were very effective and written in a way I could imagine so clearly. I really did enjoy the imagery of this. It gave such a strong image that I was able to feel chills at times.

There were a couple parts that I really disliked. Lainey is so quick to blame her friend when something goes wrong and it just felt so annoying. I genuinely felt bad for the friend with the way Lainey kept going at her and blaming her for some things. It’s like Lainey thought everyone was out to get her and wanted to see her fail even though Adelaide was losing sleep to help her with her marital problems??

I also just became so burnt out on the repetitiveness of Callum being a drunk asshole and Lainey screaming at him. While I totally understand the flawed characters, it does become a bit much after a while. Especially when Callum keeps flinging her secret in her face in such a vile way. It took me out of the story and by the end, I’m not even sure if it all was worth it as the ending felt rushed.

Overall, I give this a 3/5. I think there was a lot of good parts of this story but there were also a lot of parts I did not like at all. I am just interested enough to try the next work by this author because I really do see the potential for me to enjoy more.

If you like haunted houses and character driven stories, give this a shot. I think it’s a unique little take on a haunted house and could be really great for someone else!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I am grateful to get an ARC for this book. I don’t like giving 1 stars because I understand that a lot of work goes into a book. However, this book was just so boring. I thought the plot of this would have been so interesting to get someone so scared they seem mentally unstable in a divorce. I kept reading even though it was painfully slow and the characters were so uninteresting. I understand that you need to make the husband unlikeable so that it believable why a wife would leave, but this guy had nothing to him. He had a rich family that were a bunch of assholes, he gaslights his wife and he drinks a lot. There was nothing else to him. I wanted to like this book, but the further I got in the more irritated I got about how boring the story was progressing. There were times where I thought it would pull me back in but unfortunately it did not. I do not recommend this book.

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