I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in September. Dear author: How dare you? That sums up my feelings well. There's a lot of story in this story and this kinda toxic but beautiful mlm story made every bit of it worth it.

An interesting read, not entirely what I expected but worth a go! 3.5 rounded up. Not as creepy as it could have been, and a lot of moving parts to this story, but that’s not a bad thing!

Thanks to Netgalley and Angry Robot for this ARC.

Very unusually for me, this was a DNF. The story sounded great, and I do enjoy a good ghost story. Unfortunately, I did not warm to either of the main characters (William and Edward), and I found their banter quite cringey. I felt there was a lot of superfluous detail that didn't add to the story. If anything, it detracted from it as I found myself getting frustrated.

From reading other reviews, I am in the minority and I'm sure with the right audience, this book will go on to be successful. It just wasn't for me.

Not trying to repeat what so many others have said but I went in expecting a horror book but it ended with tears! I did not see that ending coming. So many times I made a prediction and was dead wrong.

This one had me hooked. A murder mystery with a haunted mansion and secrets of the past in a small town? Plus gay main characters with secrets and a past of their own they’re also running from? Yeah it’s a binge read for sure.
This was a fun popcorn/potato chip read, one of those that you just can’t put down. It covers dark topics and has horror elements in it but at its core there’s a gay love story and redemption and finding acceptance and forgiveness

Ben has become one of my favourite authors and this hauntingly tragic story is just amazing.

From the first page this book had me hooked , the characters are believable and the things they deal with are are very real

The ending had me all kinds of messed up I was crying for hours

Amazing from start to finish!

This had me on the edge of my seat what an emotional roller coaster ride I laughed I cried this is truely a haunting read and that ending had me a grown man sobbing

I gotta admit, this intrigued me immensely and I like and follow the author on Instagram.
They’re a riot and is always receptive of kind critique.

I really enjoyed the concept of a tragic love story being the reason for the haunting (at least as much as I read), but I had a hard time connecting to the MC…

I liked that it read really fast, which is a testament to the authors skills in keeping their audience engaged

All that to say, this ended up not being for me… it was a DNF at around 40%

Well that was a wild ride!

William Thorn had the perfect life in London, that is until he discovers his boyfriend has been cheating. In a fit of rage he kicks Archie out of their home into the pouring rain where a tragic accident occurs and Archie is hit by a car and dies. Archie's last act was to leave a huge country manor to William.

William decides to spend a week at the manor to decide what to do with both it and his life from here. The place is run down and the unwelcoming locals all believe it to be haunted and that William needs leave.

Here's where he meets Edward and together they uncover the tragic past of one of Edwards long, lost relatives and the previous owners of the manor. Only Edward has some secrets of his own.

There are a lot of twist and turns to this story. We go through many stages of both guilt and grief with William as tries to deal with losing the love of his life. He just wants to be alone but Edward persists and worms his way through William's barriers.

There are so many scary, spooky and unsettling moments. I couldn't put the story down as I needed to know what was going to happen next. There were a few things I did find confusing around the end of the story but this did not deter from the overall vibe and enjoyment of the book. My heart was racing through so much of the story and I didn't know what to expect!

The story is heart breaking and bittersweet. Don't read this alone in the dark! If you like a queer haunting story highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished The Haunting of William Thorne, and I’m honestly wrecked. This book completely tore me apart in the best (and worst) possible way. Ben Alderson delivered a story that was hauntingly beautiful, emotionally devastating, and utterly unforgettable.

From the very beginning, I was hooked—but nothing could have prepared me for the rollercoaster this story would take me on. The plot twists? Absolutely wild. Just when I thought I knew where things were going, the story turned everything upside down. It kept me constantly on edge, questioning everyone and everything.

And that ending. I don’t even have the words. It left me stunned, raw, and aching. It was powerful, tragic, and yet somehow still so fitting. I genuinely had to just sit in silence afterwards and process what I had just read.

This book is more than just a supernatural story—it's about grief, trauma, love, and the ghosts (both literal and metaphorical) that we carry with us. William’s journey was painful and beautiful, and I felt every single moment with him.

If you’re looking for a queer gothic tale that will haunt you long after the final page, The Haunting of William Thorne is it. Just... be ready. Emotionally. Because it hurts. And it’s so worth it.

I loved that there was a hint of romance but it wasn’t the main focus of this story—we romance readers all need breaks sometimes, and this story was amazing! I appreciated the emotional depth it gave, and the writing as always from Alderson was phenomenal!

wow... i don't even know what to say, i just finished crying my eyes out... i loved this.

this book follows william, who inherits hanbury manor from his fiance who's died not long ago. on his way there, his taxi driver asks william if he believes in ghosts. william says no.

the prologue perfectly sets the scene for this book, it’s rare that i get chills within the first few pages but Alderson’s writing had me in a grip from the first few pages on.

back in the current timeline we follow William moving into Hanbury Manor, which stood empty for a long time. There he finds the old journal of Robert, someone who lived in the manor in 1939, recounting the days he spent in this house yearning after the manor's gardener.
Battling grief hasn’t been easy for William so after a night spent with a bottle of wine he wakes up to bangs on his front door, which is when he meets Edward.

YALL… their first encounter already had me cackling. I knew then that I would absolutely love these two. the chemistry between them was already so noticeable and it got even better when the eerie atmosphere of the manor got added into the mix. the atmopshere of inexplainable happenings, scary encounters and growing feelings while they tried to uncover the mysteries of this haunted house and get to the bottom of family secrets had me stay engaged throughout all 400 pages.

i loved that not everything was explicitly spelled out. the author trusts the reader to come to the right conclusions and didn't assume we’d be too stupid to realize what was happening in certain situations.

the exploration of grief and guilt in this book had me in tears. there were so many beautiful, heartbreaking quotes, and my god, i felt with william, and even edward who tried his best to support someone going through some hard times.

by the 50% mark i could not put this book down. every new chapter broke me in a different way and i just desperately needed to see what would happen to the characters i've grown to love over the course of this story. and let me tell you, i loved them. i needed them happy, i wanted them to find peace and even thinking about it now, when i know how the story unfolds, there are tears in my eyes.

if you liked the haunting of hill house, you will enjoy this book. if you like your horror to explore very deep, emotional themes, this is for you. if you want tragic love stories and your heart to be ripped apart by the end of a book, read this.

this book isn’t just a story about a haunted house, it’s so much more.

thank you angry robot and netgalley for this e-arc. i'll just go continue sobbing now.

Honestly, a 5/5.

I was so on board and like yeah, book is going great, and then the plot twist comes.. and just kinda stabs you in the heart with a letter opener.

The intertwined stories coming together were perfect! This was my first book by Ben that I actually have gotten around to reading, and plan to read more!

Lastly. Ben.. If you ever see this review… How dare you. 😩🖤

If you’re into gothic vibes, creepy old manors, paranormal stuff, spooky scenes, tragic backstories, with a little bit of romance—this book is totally right up your ally! my only regret is not reading this in the fall time. excited to read more by this author!

Hanbury Manor: haunted 🏚️
Stonewell: a quaint little English village, straight out of a Hallmark movie, absolutely nothing weird going on here at all 🤭
1939: Robert and Teddy 💔
2024: William and Edward 👥

This is a spine-tinglgingly creepy ghost/horror story. It's quite slow paced, being set over the course of just one week, but it's full of action, discoveries, hauntings, nightmares, mysteries, terror and heartbreak.

It didn't take me long to get sucked into this story to the point where I didn't want to stop reading—at one point, I put the book down to sleep, but couldn't sleep, so I picked it back up and continued reading! The last 120ish pages absolutely flew by and I didn't feel like I was reading at all, and I could so vividly picture everything as it happened.

My heart was pounding. I was creeped out, I was scared for the characters, I was heartbroken for the events of their pasts... And just when I thought I'd predicted something correctly, Ben Alderson threw me for a spin and it was actually something different that I hadn't predicted!

And if you don't cry by the end or this book... You must not have a heart. Seriously. I was wrecked!!! That ending was not one I could have predicted in any way shape or form, and I didn't feel like there were any clues, or if there were, they'd been so cleverly hidden underneath everything else that had happened so that I didn't suspect a thing!!!

Without a doubt, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 from me!!

The Haunting of William Thorn is a haunted house horror book written in third person, and make is spectacularly gay. It takes place in a split timeline between 1939 and 2024.

I went into this completely blind because Ben had been posting about the book on social media and some of my friends had been anticipating its release. I am so pleased to say that it was EVERYTHING and more. The anticipation kept me on the edge of my seat and I loved every minute of it.

I don't want to ruin it for anyone so honestly, if you like thriller, ghost stories, and angst... pick this up. give the guys a chance to make you want to yell and them and also hold your breath in anticipation.

Ben Alderson’s The Haunting of William Thorn is a melancholic, atmospheric blend of gothic horror and queer historical romance that lingers long after the final page. Drawing comparisons to The Haunting of Hill House and The Notebook, this dual-timeline novel explores the weight of grief, the resilience of love, and the ghosts—both literal and emotional—that we carry.

After a devastating betrayal and sudden loss, William Thorn inherits a crumbling manor in a hostile village and soon finds himself entangled in the spectral tragedy of two men from the 1920s. Through haunting diary entries and the guarded presence of Edward, the enigmatic groundskeeper, William is drawn into a mystery that echoes his own sorrow.

Alderson’s strength lies in his immersive worldbuilding: Hanbury Manor is practically a character in its own right, cloaked in shadows, creaking floorboards, and secrets soaked in blood and heartbreak. The romance is subtle but moving, with both timelines steeped in yearning and loss rather than overt heat.

The novel’s emotional core is grief—raw, spiraling, and unrelenting. William’s arc is messy and painfully human, which may frustrate some readers but ultimately lends authenticity to his journey. The pacing wavers slightly in the middle, and some gothic tropes feel familiar, but the payoff is worth it. Twists land with emotional force, and the ending—equal parts devastating and redemptive—cements this as a standout in queer gothic fiction.

Alderson delivers a chilling and tender narrative perfect for readers who crave haunted mansions, historical heartbreak, and character-driven horror that prioritizes emotional depth over cheap scares.

I’ll be honest, I was pleasantly surprised by this! It read as your running the mill haunted house story until the very end and the twist had had me talking about this book for days. Absolutely loved this!

I don’t have a lot to say about this one to be honest. I wanted to love it. It has all of the elements that I usually love, but I just had a hard time getting into it and staying invested in it. Love the gothic elements and I was excited for a queer love story but something about it just was a bit disconnected for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is expected to be released September 9, 2025.

So..should not have been reading this one at work because I’m currently bawling my eyes out.

Ben Anderson has been one of my favorite authors as of recent and the Haunting of William Thorn truly cements that! This book is dark and complex and will leave you crying your eyes out for the foreseeable future.

The amount of emotional states you will shift through will leave you feeling drained and fulfilled because as the story comes to a close you will truly feel the love between our two main characters.

This book has twists turns, gore, and so much more! A great read for anyone who loves horror and thrillers! This book will have you in the edge of your seat throughout its entirety!

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️