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addisnow00's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
bronski's review against another edition
2.0
Acknowledging first that the horror genre isn’t my jam, it was tough to finish this book due to the focus on sibling rivalry in the first third of the story. The bickering between the two was stressful, and I forgot that this was supposed to be creepy. There were also strange inconsistencies such as a certain puppet being disposed of, and then the protagonist flipping out when the thing was missing from the garbage days later after the scheduled pick up. About a third of the way through, the story shifted entirely to the puppet which lost my interest. It wasn’t for me!
balonzo1's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There were layers to this book. It had spook and thrill and anxiety plus a deep backstory. I enjoyed it but took away a story because the details felt a little excess at times.
mathman329's review against another edition
4.0
2024 Book Review - Book No. 9: “How To Sell A Haunted House” written by Grady Hendrix, narrated by Mikhaila Aaseng and Jay Aaseng
Date started: 1/31/24
Date finished: 2/22/24
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (would recommend reading if you like “Poltergeist”, sibling rivalry, and Palahniuk-esque absurdity)
Spoiler free review: Though not quite as prolific as horror mainstay Uncle Stevie, Hendrix has put out nearly a work a year over the past decade, and each seems to continue to build on the success of the previous works. “How to Sell a Haunted House” is no exception, though it took a bit longer for me to get into it than his other work I read”The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires”. Despite the slower build, this ultimately proved to have some excellent moments and some others that left me wanting more (or something different?).
In the beginning, Louise learns her parents have both died and she’s called back to her hometown of Charleston to deal the aftermath of their passing and her brother whom she’s not been particularly fond of. On top of this, they’re left to deal with their parents’ home and everything left inside, which includes a giant collection of puppets, dolls, and other homemade crafts that may have been better left unmade. As indicated by the title, dealing with the home and its contents proves to be a challenge.
Once the story finally gets going, there’s plenty to like here. The horror aspects of the novel are great, with possessed puppets, imaginary horrors, and truly brutal physical horrors evincing frights reminiscent of “Poltergeist”, “The Exorcist”, and “The Evil Dead”. Throw in the dynamics between various family branches and slowly revealed secrets, and this novel turns into a runaway train before it crashes to its final frames.
One of the things that stuck out was how quickly it turned from a typical “family dysfunction” procedural to an absurdist work with the flair of some of Chuck Palahniuk’s best works. I mean, a funeral service featuring a full puppet performance? Definitely felt like Chuck’s influence on that one. Maybe the best part, though, was the obvious resolution that I conveniently missed. Had I paid closer attention, I’d like to think I would’ve caught it, but hindsight’s 20-20. The misdirection employed by Hendrix was just enough to keep me from figuring it out too son, and that’s a win in my book. Ultimately, this one worked for me and was a satisfying entry in the horror genre that I’d definitely recommend to others.
Date started: 1/31/24
Date finished: 2/22/24
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (would recommend reading if you like “Poltergeist”, sibling rivalry, and Palahniuk-esque absurdity)
Spoiler free review: Though not quite as prolific as horror mainstay Uncle Stevie, Hendrix has put out nearly a work a year over the past decade, and each seems to continue to build on the success of the previous works. “How to Sell a Haunted House” is no exception, though it took a bit longer for me to get into it than his other work I read”The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires”. Despite the slower build, this ultimately proved to have some excellent moments and some others that left me wanting more (or something different?).
In the beginning, Louise learns her parents have both died and she’s called back to her hometown of Charleston to deal the aftermath of their passing and her brother whom she’s not been particularly fond of. On top of this, they’re left to deal with their parents’ home and everything left inside, which includes a giant collection of puppets, dolls, and other homemade crafts that may have been better left unmade. As indicated by the title, dealing with the home and its contents proves to be a challenge.
Once the story finally gets going, there’s plenty to like here. The horror aspects of the novel are great, with possessed puppets, imaginary horrors, and truly brutal physical horrors evincing frights reminiscent of “Poltergeist”, “The Exorcist”, and “The Evil Dead”. Throw in the dynamics between various family branches and slowly revealed secrets, and this novel turns into a runaway train before it crashes to its final frames.
One of the things that stuck out was how quickly it turned from a typical “family dysfunction” procedural to an absurdist work with the flair of some of Chuck Palahniuk’s best works. I mean, a funeral service featuring a full puppet performance? Definitely felt like Chuck’s influence on that one. Maybe the best part, though, was the obvious resolution that I conveniently missed. Had I paid closer attention, I’d like to think I would’ve caught it, but hindsight’s 20-20. The misdirection employed by Hendrix was just enough to keep me from figuring it out too son, and that’s a win in my book. Ultimately, this one worked for me and was a satisfying entry in the horror genre that I’d definitely recommend to others.
c_marie_writes's review against another edition
4.0
Ahhhh, Grady!
I was so torn on this one by the halfway point, but I stuck with it, because duh, Grady Hendrix. And of course I'm glad I did.
We get haunted puppets, a haunted house, sibling angst, family secrets, and so much more. Like most of his books, of course we had some humor sprinkled in as well.
I think my biggest struggle with the story was that I just didn't click with any of the MCs. I didn't really like or hate any of them, just sort of bleh. But other than that I did enjoy it. I give it a solid 4.5.
I was so torn on this one by the halfway point, but I stuck with it, because duh, Grady Hendrix. And of course I'm glad I did.
We get haunted puppets, a haunted house, sibling angst, family secrets, and so much more. Like most of his books, of course we had some humor sprinkled in as well.
I think my biggest struggle with the story was that I just didn't click with any of the MCs. I didn't really like or hate any of them, just sort of bleh. But other than that I did enjoy it. I give it a solid 4.5.
buffysmawm's review against another edition
3.0
Slow to start, and WOW this did not need to be 400 pages. Several chapters could have just been pared down to one or two pages. But once this one ratchets up, it forces the reader to invest. I’m glad I read it! The characters go through believable development and a few moments really made my skin crawl. If this was edited down significantly it would even be rereadable. But right now, it’s not.
hamahannah's review against another edition
3.0
A fun read/listen! The author did a good job of making realistic main characters (spooky things aside).
victoria_rodriguez's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This was my first Grady Hendrix book, so I don’t know what to expect.
It sorta reminds me of the Chucky movies. Some parts were creepy, some funny, and some just very strange and weird.
The plot seemed to take dramatic shifts a few times, but always found its way back on track.
I did expect the “Uncle Freddie” story to somehow come back in the end, and enjoyed how Hendrix resolved Freddie/Pupkin “going home.” I especially enjoyed the brother/sister dynamic from beginning to end. I didn’t expect Poppy to get involved so heavily, but I can see the parallels the author was trying to draw between all the characters at this point in the story (Nancy to Freddie, Louis to Mark, Louis to Poppy, Poppy to Freddy, etc.)
The middle was hard to get through, but I’m glad I stuck with it!
It sorta reminds me of the Chucky movies. Some parts were creepy, some funny, and some just very strange and weird.
The plot seemed to take dramatic shifts a few times, but always found its way back on track.
The middle was hard to get through, but I’m glad I stuck with it!
dierdredaylewis's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was not prepared for this book! Yes, it’s a story about a brother and sister having to sell their parent’s house - but at the core, this is a story about grief. It’s ugly, all-encompassing, blinding, and hopeless. I loved this story.