Reviews with content warning for Gore - How to Sell a Haunted House

Rounded up from 3.75 ⭐
I liked this a decent amount.

I found the beginning very slow and I almost dnf'ed but I'm glad to have pushed through the initial chapters. I found the family dynamic very interesting and slightly triggering in how some parts mirrored my own dysfunctional family. Louise's complicated relationships with her mother and brother were very relatable. I think the book did great at portraying grief and the human experience.

The horror elements were overly cliche, I did guess at plot twists before they happened and didn't feel like there was a tonne of creativity. But the author definitely nails suspense and overall creepy vibes.

To be honest I'd probably have enjoyed the book more if it downplayed the horror and focused more on the siblings, their pasts and how they are going through the motions of mending their relationship.

Content Warnings

kaywhiteley's review against another edition

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dark funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Probably one of the most fun books I’ve ever read

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vavocado's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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jessicake1's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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lucakocsis's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is not at all what I expected when I started reading it but regardless I enjoyed it. The characters were well defined so you could predict their actions amongst the mostly unexpected plot twists. However, even thought the book has many horror elements that are bound to be a little nonsensical sometimes, the main theme is grief and messy family dynamics which I do wish it went into a bit deeper at times.

As good as the Joyner family was in the book about avoiding topics they didn't want to discuss, the book itself was much the same.

My main issue was the title itself, I found it quite misleading. I expected to read about the trials of actively trying to sell the house while getting rid of the haunting spirit(s) but it skipped that part altogether. Having read the book the title itself just seems like an attempt to lure readers in, which worked to be fair.
Overall it was an enjoyable read with a nice writing style but I wish it commited more to the topics it wanted to bring up.

Content Warnings

hkrobock's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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nicoletiff's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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