I guess I was expecting a haunting, a ghost story. Monks and nuns and wet footsteps. It left a bad taste in my mouth that nothing supernatural ever happens

The story was fine, the plot made sense but I didn’t like everything happens and it all basically gets laid out in the one month later like a cliff notes.

Creepy, sad, and totally addictive. This is not your typical ghost story—yes, there’s something haunting Emily Grace, but it’s way more emotional than jump-scare. Elena Taylor blends grief, memory, and small-town secrets into something that feels quiet until it isn’t. The atmosphere is thick, the writing is sharp, and the twist genuinely caught me off guard. If you like your hauntings with more heart than horror, this one delivers. Think The Silent Companions meets We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I tore through it in two nights and immediately wanted to reread the ending.

“Welcome to Monk’s Rock and the End of the World. For better or worse, I’m here.”

This line perfectly sets the tone for a story that pulled me in from the start. I was hooked chapter after chapter by the fast-paced, haunting journey Emily Grace navigates as secrets unravel around her. The characters are richly developed, and the hidden architecture of the house adds an eerie, enchanting layer that makes the setting feel like a character of its own. The twist at the end had me speed-reading the final 20 pages - I had to know how it ended!

Oh, The Haunting of Emily Grace, you had me at “haunting,” you sly little minx. I was ready to curl up with a cozy blanket, a glass of sweet tea, and a proper spooky tale to make my heart race. Alas. That didn't happen. It’s like getting all dolled up for a hot date only to find out it’s just your weird cousin showing up with a soggy pizza.

First off, the title is a total tease. The Haunting of Emily Grace sounds like it’s gonna deliver creaky floorboards, flickering candles, and maybe a ghostly grandma whispering cryptic warnings. Spoiler alert (and I’m not sorry): there’s no ghost. Nope. Nada. Zilch. I waited HALF THE BOOK—yes, you read that right, HALF—for something spookier than wet footprints on a floor. Wet. Footprints. I’m sorry, but my kitchen floor after a rainy day is scarier than that. I kept flipping pages, hoping for a spectral jump-scare or at least a creepy vibe, but it’s like the book was saying, “Psych! Let’s just bore you with Emily moping around and being wet blanket in her head with multiple of instances of her thinking comments were inappropriate instead!”

And oh, Emily Grace, my sweet summer child. I wanted to root for you, I really did. You’re all angsty and dealing with this creepy new house, and I was like, “Yas, girl, you’re gonna slay this haunted house vibe!” But instead of slaying, you’re just... wandering. The first 200 pages feel like a slow-motion montage of Emily staring out windows, hearing vague noises, and overthinking her life choices. It’s like the book decided to major in “vague unease” and minor in “making me check my phone every five minutes.”

Then there’s the so-called climax, and y’all... It's a hot mess. Picture this: after dragging us through endless chapters of “is it a ghost or just bad plumbing?”, the big reveal is basically, “Oh, two people are in the house!” Cue Emily running into a storm (because of course there’s a storm), getting hypothermia, and then—brace yourself—the ending is just TOLD to us. Told! Like I’m sitting at a campfire and Elena Taylor’s like, “Yeah, so here’s how it all wraps up, no need to show you.” I felt gaslit, okay? This book should be called The Gaslighting of Emily Grace and Also The Poor Readers because that’s the real crime here.

I will say, there’s a flicker of charm in the writing. Elena Taylor has a knack for painting a moody scene—those stormy nights and creaky glass houses got me all tingly for a hot second, like we're watching Camilla Belle in that creepy house in When A Stranger Calla. But those moments are like finding a single good French fry in a pile of soggy ones. Not enough to save the meal.

In the end, I’m giving The Haunting of Emily Grace 2.5 stars because I’m feeling generous (and maybe because I’m still hoping for a sequel where actual ghosts show up). It’s not a total trainwreck—there’s potential in the atmosphere and Emily’s character—but it’s like the book promised me a haunted house and delivered a damp Airbnb with bad Wi-Fi. If you’re looking for thrills, you might want to scroll past this one and binge a true crime podcast instead. Sorry, Emily Grace, I wanted to love you, but you left me out in the cold—literally and figuratively. 💅

Emily Grace has taken on a project that's supposed to help bring her back to life after a horrible tragedy. She's helping to finish work on a multimillionaire's mansion on an island off the coast of Washington State. The atmosphere of the story is gorgeous and makes you want to jump on a plane and head for the Pacific Northwest. It's a beautiful, secluded island filled with rocky cliffs and forests, and the occasional grave! I thought it was cool that the lead character is a female carpenter who loves architecture and construction (that's my field), so I was immediately drawn in. And of course, once she arrives on the island, she gets a sense from the locals that the place is cursed or unsafe, as everyone warns her to be careful. She tries to ignore it, but begins to feel like she's being watched and sees things that can't be real. Will she discover the source of the creeping unease, or will she be the next cursed victim?

The story is good, but it stretches credibility towards the end when it turns into more of an action thriller than a haunting mystery. And it didn't feel like Emily Grace's character is too developed - there's almost no background provided except for the tragedy, and even that left unanswered questions. Same with Cameron, the owner of the house - you know what happened shortly after he became an adult, but now it's thirty years later. Has he really just been working for all those decades until he met his wife, who recently disappeared? That was less than a year ago, and they had only been together for two years. It felt odd that all that time in between was glossed over. Not just for Cameron, but all the characters, really.

It's still a book I would recommend, especially if you enjoy architecture and/or the Pacific Northwest. Because you'll be reading quite a bit about both!

The Haunting of Emily Grace kept me up all night until I was done with the very last page! If you like remote islands, missing people, old historical landmarks and graveyards, and mysterious things that continually happen around the house, this is the book for you. Once I started, I could not put it down. Which was surprising because it's so different from the genres I usually read. I am overwhelmingly pleased and can't wait to look into the author more and get started on something equally as juicy.

There was nothing I didn't like about this book. I will be recommending it to everyone!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – The Haunting of Emily Grace by Elena Taylor
A gothic escape, a grief-soaked heroine, and one cursed mansion just begging for therapy and sage.

Look, if I’ve learned anything from reading thrillers, it’s this: never trust a rich recluse with an island mansion and a mysteriously absent wife. But clearly Emily Grace didn’t get the memo. And honestly? I’m glad she didn’t—because this slow-burn, eerie little gem gave me everything I wanted in a gothic-tinged thriller with just a whiff of the supernatural.

Emily is raw. She’s grieving, lost, and one wrong look away from falling apart. So naturally, she accepts a job on a secluded island surrounded by angry sea and whispering woods, where the locals are practically throwing salt over their shoulders and yelling “cursed!” every time someone mentions the mansion. And what does Emily do? She packs her emotional baggage and heads there anyway. Respect.

Once she arrives, things start feeling... off. The wife of the eccentric millionaire who hired her? Vanished under some very eyebrow-raising circumstances. The mansion? Gorgeous but with major "murder might’ve happened here" energy. And then there’s the creepy forest, the footsteps when no one’s around, and the slow, unsettling realization that maybe grief isn’t the only thing haunting her.

What I loved most is that this book didn’t go full haunted-house chaos—it stayed grounded in that delicious “is it ghosts or is it trauma?” tension. Think Rebecca meets a Pinterest board for cursed coastal estates. It’s moody, atmospheric, and laced with this aching loneliness that makes you want to hand Emily a blanket, a hug, and possibly a taser.

The romance subplot? Surprisingly tender! There’s a man who appears out of nowhere offering companionship, and while part of me screamed stranger danger, the other part wanted to root for Emily finally getting a win. But let’s not lie—we were all here for the eerie vibes, and the book delivers. Shadowy presences, cursed whispers, and a setting that becomes a character all its own.

Minor nitpick? It’s a slow start, and there were moments where I wanted to shake Emily and yell “Girl, GET OFF THE ISLAND!” But it’s worth it. The suspense builds like a storm rolling in, and when it hits—yep, I was flipping pages and checking the shadows.

Creepy, tragic, and just a little romantic—The Haunting of Emily Grace is for fans of coastal gloom, gothic mysteries, and women who walk into cursed houses like it’s a Tuesday.

Would recommend. Just maybe don’t read it while you're alone in a creaky house. Or near the ocean. Or if you’ve recently lost a pet and are feeling emotionally fragile. 🖤

Thank you Netgalley, Severn House and the author for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you so much @severnhouseimprint @elenataylorauthor @netgalley for this ARC!

What could possibly go wrong in an unfinished (rumored to be cursed) mansion built into the stormy side of a cliff on an island only accessible by ferry or helicopter? This gripping story was leaden with the tension of grief and foreboding dread. But as the plot progressed, so did the FMC’s character. She started out consumed and haunted by her past. But her innate strength and resilience slowly fortified, driving the story forward to its twisty conclusion. Equal parts heartwarming, inspirational & suspenseful, this is easily 5 stars!

Wow! This was a page turner. I was unable to put it down. The characters are phenomenal and the entire book is very well written. So many twists and turns make this book impossible to figure out.

I absolutely loved this book. Emily Grace’s story pulled me in from the first page grief-stricken, isolated, and trying to rebuild her life on a windswept, eerie island filled with secrets. The atmosphere is haunting, the suspense slowly creeps in, and the emotional depth is just as gripping as the mystery. It gave me chills in the best way. A perfect blend of gothic vibes, subtle romance, and a twist of the supernatural. I couldn’t put it down.

THE HAUNTING OF EMILY GRACE is set on a tiny remote island off the Pacific coast, separated from the rest of a larger island by a bridge that is frequently impassable during high tide and heavy storms. Emily Grace is a carpenter who is hired to finish building a house after the last carpenter is injured.

The owner of this unfinished house is millionaire Cameron, whose wife, Katrina, disappeared seven months ago. There’s some mystery surrounding his wife’s disappearance, and rumors are the house is haunted.

The plot and scenery are richly detailed, making you feel you are right there on the island.

While the pacing was a bit slow in the beginning, it was never lethargic. After the halfway mark, the plot was so compelling that I didn’t want to put this book down.

The title of this book is both metaphoric and literal. Emily Grace is haunted by her own personal trauma, as well as by strange happenings while working on this home. The setting was creepy and a bit unsettling, but in a very good way.

I ended up enjoying THE HAUNTING OF EMILY GRACE very much. I can’t wait to read what this author has in store for us next!

🌟Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.🌟

The Haunting of Emily Grace has everything I look for in a cozy thriller — a moody and dark atmosphere, mysterious and unsettling events, and warm and affable characters. I felt transported to the Pacific Northwest coast throughout this book and now desperately want to visit the areas around San Juan Island. Taylor’s architectural descriptions of a modern house on a cliffside were also detailed enough for my imagination to picture an amazing seaside house without being overly detailed.

I thoroughly enjoy books where I’m trying to guess the ending and this was a perfect book that kept me guessing until the last chapter. I wish the final chapters were a bit longer but altogether I appreciated that every thread was wrapped up by the end of the story. Would highly recommend to others, including anyone looking for a suspenseful book to read in the colder months.

Absolutely loved this book, a gripping thriller/ spooky book that kept me guessing until the very end. I would definitely read more books from this author

Emily Grace is given the opportunity to finish a custom home set on Monks Rock. Having over the edge, the house seems one with sea and sky, but locals think the area to be haunted and not to be built upon. The wealthy owner, Cameron, is still reeling from the disappearance of his wife, when Emily Grace arrives. With his estranged daughter arriving next day strange things start to happen and Emily wonders what she’s gotten herself involved with.

This book put me in mind of the gothic romances I used to read. A young woman takes a job in a creepy house on a remote island with a mysterious employer whose wife has disappeared. Great nostalgic fun

Awesome read. Had me guessing up until the end. I had to read it in one setting. I would definitely recommend this book and read another book from the author