Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! It did fall into the trap of the main character repeating their thought process and questions more than I felt was necessary, but the general tone and plot was well done and kept the pace throughout. All in all an interesting take!

Oh, how much fun I had with this read. Lately I've been consuming a lot of horror books and especially the ones about haunted houses, even if they get a bit predictable with time. Read one and you know all of them, right? Wrong. How To Fake A Haunting is such an unique little story, one that kept me awake at ungodly hours because I couldn't stop reading. I liked how it made me question every scene and every character, how it confused me and made me wonder what was real and what was fake.
That being said, I still felt like something was missing. I'm afraid that Lainey and Adelaide's friendship simply felt shallow to me - whenever they interacted it felt forced, like they were two actors playing the roles of best friends, if that makes sense. I don't know, I just wish there was some more backstory there.
But other than that I enjoyed it and I'm immediately going to look at other books by this author!

Let me start by saying: supernatural thrillers usually aren’t my go-to. But “How to Fake a Haunting” absolutely hooked me from the very first page—and never let go.

Christa Carmen has crafted a chilling, clever, and compulsively readable story that brilliantly blurs the line between performance and possession. The premise alone is genius: a woman who decides to stage a haunting of her own house in an attempt to convince her alcoholic husband that he’s going crazy. What truly makes it stand out is how Christa Carmen plays with perception and illusion, building dread not just from spectral encounters, but from the deeply human motives behind them.

The main character is sharp, layered, and darkly witty—a perfect lens through which to explore themes of grief, exploitation, control and the stories we choose to believe. The atmosphere is saturated with creeping unease, and yet there’s a biting modernity to it all that makes it feel fresh and current. Think The Haunting of Hill House meets Only Murders in the Building, but darker, smarter, and far more emotionally resonant.

This book surprised me in all the best ways. It made me question what was real until the very end, and it reminded me why I love horror that isn’t just about ghosts—but about the things that haunt us.

If you love psychological tension with a supernatural twist, morally gray characters, and a plot that keeps peeling back layers, How to Fake a Haunting is a must-read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the DRC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

"How To Fake A Haunting" by Christa Carmen is a riveting horror story. The story follows our main character Lainey who goes through lengths to fake a haunting in order to drive her alcoholic husband out of her life.

As a fan of the horror genre, I haven't had the opportunity to read contemporary horror stories, so I wasn't sure what to expect when starting this book. I could feel myself getting stressed as I was reading. I thought the story was great and it does a great job at misleading the reader. I spent the first half of the story really thinking Adelaide was going to be guilty somehow. I could tell that an aspect of the haunting was real, but I definitely believed Adelaide was a part of it in some way.

The ghost analogies were really interesting. Manifesting hauntings in figurative ways really helped in building characters and plot. I was really a fan of the Macbeth references as well, immediately understanding the iconic Lady Macbeth washing her hands as soon as it was implied. The plot also progressed very well for me. I thought the build-up and resolve were done very well. The pacing made it so I never felt bored or rushed.

What took me out of it sometimes was the writing. While majority of it is great, I felt myself getting confused in the beginning. I had to reread some parts to try to understand what they were doing like when they first enter the attic. Some of the dialogue also felt very repetitive at times. When Lainey would get mad at Callum, it was often the same speech that was repeated from both of them.

The characters were great in what they represented, but Lainey's really the only one that felt real to me. Adelaide was very exentric in a way that felt very unrealistic. There's something to be said about a best friend of years never telling Lainey about something so integral to her character. Callum as well felt a bit cartoonish. While I get why it was done, it didn't always make sense to me.

Overall, it was a great experience. A quick, but powerful read! I will be looking out for more of Carmen's stories.

I think my biggest takeaway from this book was that I had fun reading it, there were a lot of elements in the beginning I really enjoyed. The storyline was enjoyable and the characters, though unlikable, I was interested in them and convinced to continue reading.

Where this story really fell for me was the ending. However, I think if you're a fan of fun supernatural thrillers with a dash of female rash, you could really enjoy this!

Thank you to Netgalley, Christa Carmen and Thomas & Mercer for an early copy of this!

This was an amazing project for this generation I loved it so much and will recommend for sure thank you for this awesome book it had some very funny parts !! the way this book took a turn and a twist and a jab baby this was the one for me I loved it will say that one again the main character and her friend was crazy to even come up with that idea!!! To say the least !!!!

I sadly did DNF this book. I just could not get into the writing style, nor plot line. Callum was also making me so angry, that I could not get past some of his actions. That is definitely just a personal feeling with the character Callum, and not in any way a dig towards how the author wrote Callum's character.I made it to page 70. I did go ahead and read the epilogue, and the way it seems to have wrapped up was nice to see. Just was not the book for me.

When your alcoholic husband pushes you too far, why not fake a haunting in your house? This is the basic premise of the book, although it ends up going much deeper than that.

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I liked the idea of them having a real haunting happening at the same time as the fake one. I liked it even more that the ghosts they saw were actually impressions of themselves. I wasn’t too sure where the author was going to take the abortion thing, and I was relieved when the act of having an abortion wasn’t deemed at fault for what happened.

What I wasn’t so sure about, though, was the future timeline that saw the wife becoming an alcoholic herself. With how angry she was at her husband’s alcoholism, it just didn’t ring true that she’d go down the same path.

It was interesting to see ghosts that represented their past and future. It was definitely a nod to A Christmas Carol, and it also brought up questions about parallel timelines.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

lainey taylor, in a desperate attempt to get herself and her daughter beatrix away from her husband callum and his drinking problem, agrees to indulge her best friend adelaide and let her stage a haunting in the family house. while driving callum mad, secrets begin to be revealed and lainey witnesses things that no fake haunting could explain. somewhere between paranormal activity and confronting your own past and future, can lainey save her daughter, and most importantly herself?

i really enjoyed this! i liked the characters and their development, the over the top haunted house tropes mixed with the mystery of figuring out wth is happening.

How To Fake A Haunting follows main character, Lainey, and her best friend staging a haunting in order to get rid of her alcoholic husband; I love this concept though I can't say they planned it out very well. She said she wanted to make sure that the daughter wasn't involved at all but there were so many times where the daughter was super close to finding out about the hauntings (ex. what if Callum had thrown the container with the rabbit head rather than just screaming?).

I guess what I'm saying is that it was hard to root for any of the characters, as it felt like all of them were making dumb decisions. At one point, the daughter said she saw a figure in the mirror and when the ghost hunters later bring up the fact that there is suspicious energy surrounding the mirrors in the house, she doesn't believe them. I thought it was somewhat understandable, as it's pretty common for those types of people to be scammers, but she didn't even note the connection or anything.

I did like the ending, though, and thought it was pretty reasonable!

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.

I've only read a few supernatural horrors before but I have quickly learned that love a book with supernatural components so this definitely piqued my interest! Where this book succeeds is it's quick pacing, unique take on the supernatural, and strong characters. I flew through this book and was pleasantly surprised by the revelations at the end. Some of the characters in this story were incredibly unlikeable but in the way that makes you want to read what happens even more. However, if I were Lainey, I would probably be looking for a new best friend.

There were two areas where I struggled with this book. The first was Lainey's "secret" that I felt was dropped kind of randomly into the book and did not really add to the story. The second was the ending which felt very rushed compared to the pace of events happening throughout the book. I would have liked to see this play out for a little bit longer with expanded explanations.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, fast paced supernatural horror perfect for spooky season when it releases in October! Definitely check your trigger warnings before reading though!

The plot was well done, and the story was entertaining. The atmosphere of this book was exhilarating. It’s creepy, and it’s a haunted house full of paranoia for the characters. The pacing was really good and satisfying, keeping me interested and engage. The end did feel a little rushed and I wish it would have been written out more.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this one. I liked the New England setting with the old houses and history and the twist on what/who the haunting actually was.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC of this book!! I had a blast with this one! I have not seen this take on a haunted house story before. The characters were well flashed out for the most part. The plot was interesting and well paced.

I did feel that Callum, the main male character, was portrayed as such a bad guy the he was almost cartoonish. I understand why the author wrote him that way, however, for me it distracted from the story.

Overall this would be perfect for haunted stories, horror in general and thrillers as well!!! I feel this is a perfect prescription for those of you who are in a reading slump, it will get you out of that slump!

I cant wait to read it again !!

4 and 1/2 stars !

How to Fake a Haunting by Christa Carmen is straight-up creepy perfection! I loved the whole concept of staging a haunting - it's genius and so well-executed. The atmosphere is masterfully crafted, giving me all the chills and vibes I crave in a thriller.

The characters are complex and intriguing, especially the main duo who concoct this wild plan. Their dynamic is captivating, and I loved watching them navigate the blurred lines between reality and their staged haunting. The twists and turns are expertly woven, keeping me on the edge of my seat until the very end. And that final reveal? Mind blown.

If you're into dark, atmospheric thrillers with clever plotting, this one's a must-read. Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC - I'm so glad I got to dive into this one early!

This was an incredibly interesting book. It was a mix of thriller, haunting, feminine rage, family drama, and healing journey and somehow it all tied up in a very cool and neat bow. I found all of the characters to be interesting, complex, flawed, and likable even in their most frustrating moments.

There were some truly stunning and scary moments that made me gasp, some utterly incredible prose, and some twists I didn’t see coming.

Very enjoyable even with the darker elements. A total must read is moody is your vibe! .

3.5/5

This was so fun and would make such a funny movie! I need that to happen.

This follows out FMC who is trying to fake a haunting in order to get rid of her husband. That is so funny and also reminds me a bit of a Reddit post I've seen.

The premise is hilarious and I need more things like this.

The pacing was really good and satisfying, keeping me interested and engage. I did find that the ending and wrapping up of the story was a bit quick and unsatisfying, I wish that was done a little more smoothly and slowly. It felt like a rather sudden reveal.

These characters felt like real, flawed and dramatic people AND THAT WAS SO FUN. It was definitely annoying or frustrating at times, but that felt on purpose. You got annoyed alongside the characters, over things that would be upsetting if you had personally experienced them. The characterization was very well done!

Who doesn't love the combination of paranoid people and a spooky house?!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

While I am extremely fascinated by the supernatural on a personal level, I normally go into books about haunted houses with low expectations because I find they can be a little predictable - however, How to Fake a Haunting FAR exceeded my expectations. The story starts with a unique plot line - Lainey and her best friend Adelaide decide "let's haunt my husband so that he goes insane and leaves me so I can get full custody of our daughter." The fake haunting takes a huge turn when Lainey and her husband start experiencing things she can't account for, which she quickly chalks up to Adelaide going rouge.

On the list of many things that Christa Carmen did well, all of her characters had depth and were multilayered. There were characters in this book I was clearly rooting against, but even they felt too life like for me to really "hate".

Another thing Carmen is spectacular at is building the tension. The first half of the book I was giggling along to their pranks and Cal's reaction to each one. Once I got about halfway through the book, I realized I was going to have to finish it before I fell asleep, so I wasn't the one with nightmares.

While the end did feel a little rushed, I didn't mind it because I felt it added to the suspense as the story was happening, which kept me on my toes.

I highly recommend this book if you're looking for something spooky this fall, this is the book for you!

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you for the opportunity on reading a copy of how to fake a haunting! If you enjoy ghosts and fast paced books, I you will enjoy this one

I love books with a hauted house so I was excited to start How to Fake a Haunting. Parts of it were fun, but I disliked the ending.