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Starter House
Her dream home is about to become a house of nightmares...
From the moment Lacey glimpses the dusty-rose colonial cottage with its angled dormer windows and quaint wooden shutters, she knows she's found her dream house. Walking through its cozy rooms, the expectant mother can see her future children sitting on the round bottom step of the house's beautifully carved staircase, and she imagines them playing beneath the giant maple tree in the warm South Carolina sun. It doesn't matter to Lacey and her husband, Eric, that people had died there years before.
But soon their warm and welcoming house turns cold. There is something malevolent within the walls—a disturbing presence that only Lacey can sense. And there is Drew, a demanding and jealous little boy who mysteriously appears when Lacey is alone. Protective of this enigmatic child who reminds her of the troubled students she used to teach, Lacey bakes cookies and plays games to amuse him. Yet, as she quickly discovers, Drew is unpredictable—and dangerous.
Fearing for her baby's safety, Lacey sets out to uncover the truth about Drew and her dream house—a search for answers that takes her into the past, into the lives of a long-dead family whose tragic secrets could destroy her. To save her loved ones, Lacey must find a way to lay a terrifying evil to rest...before she, Eric, and their child become its next victims.
From the moment Lacey glimpses the dusty-rose colonial cottage with its angled dormer windows and quaint wooden shutters, she knows she's found her dream house. Walking through its cozy rooms, the expectant mother can see her future children sitting on the round bottom step of the house's beautifully carved staircase, and she imagines them playing beneath the giant maple tree in the warm South Carolina sun. It doesn't matter to Lacey and her husband, Eric, that people had died there years before.
But soon their warm and welcoming house turns cold. There is something malevolent within the walls—a disturbing presence that only Lacey can sense. And there is Drew, a demanding and jealous little boy who mysteriously appears when Lacey is alone. Protective of this enigmatic child who reminds her of the troubled students she used to teach, Lacey bakes cookies and plays games to amuse him. Yet, as she quickly discovers, Drew is unpredictable—and dangerous.
Fearing for her baby's safety, Lacey sets out to uncover the truth about Drew and her dream house—a search for answers that takes her into the past, into the lives of a long-dead family whose tragic secrets could destroy her. To save her loved ones, Lacey must find a way to lay a terrifying evil to rest...before she, Eric, and their child become its next victims.
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First published October 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 273 reviews
April 29, 2014
2.5
I was talking to a friend the other day about stupid people in ghost stories- The smart ones tend to leave the house behind- which would make for a veeeeeeeery unsatisfying, very short story...The young newlywed walked into the house- fell down the stairs, saw a ghost, and quickly limped out the door never to return. The End...So what a reader is sometimes left with is A LOT of haunted house novels about people doing reaaaaaaally dumb things. THE STARTER HOUSE- in my opinion, is one of those novels.
Lacey and Eric Miszlak are newlyweds expecting their first child, and looking for the perfect home. While searching with their real estate agent- CarolAnna Grey- Lacey thinks she has spotted the perfect one. The price is right, and all it needs is a few finishing touches to make it into the house she has dreamed of all her life.
Ignoring CarolAnna's advice- that this is NOT a house they should be looking at- Lacey barges over and makes a deal with next door neighbor/owner- Harry Rakoczy. Soon The Miszlak's are the proud owners of the cute little starter house on 571 Forrester Lane.
As if moving wasn't stressful enough- Lacey is also having problems with her pregnancy and is told to take it easy...but that is easier said than done when there is...
...a strange angry boy hanging about.
...a haunted staircase- where people keep falling and sometimes dying on,
...and a spooky bathtub that seems intent on trying to drown her.
Eric thinks she is over-reacting to it all- and decides to call his hippy psychic mother-law- Ella Dane- in to help Lacey in her time of need and calm her fears- but Eric questions if that was the right move- as Ella and Lacey start looking into the history and owners past of 571 Forrester Lane.
THE STARTER HOUSE started off great...but unfortunately the scariest thing about this book was the fact that this couple ever got married in the first place.
July 20, 2015
This easily could've been a 3 or 4-star book and I have to give it some credit since I made it all the way through to the end. But while there was lots of potential, the main characters didn't end up making a real connection with each other or the reader. The addition of another main character part way through the book muddles things somewhat as well, although those parts have the strongest writing in the book.
The mystery was strong, but the characters of Lacey and her mother Ella Dane and her husband Eric seemed at a strange disconnect from each other and their situation. Lacey's behavior is often hard to explain.
If you want a haunted house plot-driven book, this is not a bad choice. But if you want something that will try to go above the genre, it wouldn't be my pick.
The mystery was strong, but the characters of Lacey and her mother Ella Dane and her husband Eric seemed at a strange disconnect from each other and their situation. Lacey's behavior is often hard to explain.
If you want a haunted house plot-driven book, this is not a bad choice. But if you want something that will try to go above the genre, it wouldn't be my pick.
January 27, 2014
I think I am going to have to stop gambling on haunted house novels. This is yet another one that fails to deliver any genuine chills - I even helped it halfway by reading it in my own starter house, with my husband out of town, at night! This debut is initially engaging - a newlywed couple with their first child on the way have purchased their first home in South Carolina. But the middle lags and the final confrontation is too fragmented and it ends with an unsatisfying conclusion. In an effort to be original, the supernatural element - though unique - falls flat and fails to even come close to truly making sense. The side story goes completely unresolved and the reconciliation between Lacey and Eric crosses the line into lame.
The relationships between the husband and wife are perhaps the only frightening part of the story. Their resentment based on finances are never properly dealt with, and they seem more like strangers than anything else. Even Lacey’s relationship with her eccentric mother, Ella Dane, feels dishonestly fractured and incompletely repaired. All of the characters lack any real development (except perhaps for Bibbits - he does feel authentic). But as a spooky story, the book really falls flat. It contains all the elements of an episode of “A Haunting” - and none of the special effects. It builds on cliches and the nonsensical “twist” is just plain disappointing.
The relationships between the husband and wife are perhaps the only frightening part of the story. Their resentment based on finances are never properly dealt with, and they seem more like strangers than anything else. Even Lacey’s relationship with her eccentric mother, Ella Dane, feels dishonestly fractured and incompletely repaired. All of the characters lack any real development (except perhaps for Bibbits - he does feel authentic). But as a spooky story, the book really falls flat. It contains all the elements of an episode of “A Haunting” - and none of the special effects. It builds on cliches and the nonsensical “twist” is just plain disappointing.
March 2, 2014
I need to begin this review by admitting that I LOVE A GOOD GHOST STORY! Ghost stories are the oldest and best form of entertainment there is. Huddled around a campfire, hanging at a bar or ancient man in a cave; we told ghost stories. Right now, in the literary market, there are too few good ones to go around. What there are instead are far too many - teenage girl who is a sophomore in high school so she is so wise finds something odd in the old house and yes its a dead teenage boy and he's soooooo cute and they find that love that is forbidden but soooooo romantic and....crap, crap, crap.
The Starter House by Sonja Condit is an old school ghost story with a twist at the end that is as novel as it is groundbreaking. Sonja Condit did not just write another haunted house story, she wrote her own haunted house story. It is unique and refreshing in a stale genre.
"...Is there something wrong with the house?" Eric asked again. Lacey wished he wouldn't. The house was obviously perfect. They could deal with anything-termites, mold, radon-but they could never make an ugly house their true home.
"Yes," Harry said to CarolAnna, "is there?"
"CarolAnna licked her lips, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She looked at the bathtub on the porch and said to it, "People died here."
"People die everywhere," Lacey said, though the words gave her a shiver. Poor house no wonder it was lonely..."
Eric and Lacey are a young couple beginning their lives together and starting a family. Lacey is pregnant and waiting to have their baby as Eric takes a job working in a law firm for his uncle. Money is very tight and that is something Eric is not used to. They find a home that Lacey loves and Eric thinks is a steal. It is their Starter House.
Soon after moving in Lacey meets a troubled young boy. It is only in time that she realizes, no one else can see him. She begins to research the history of the boy and the house and finds out that more than one instance of death has been associated with her new home. And that there is something even more troubling about the deaths.
"...I'm pregnant, Lacey said. "Twenty-nine weeks."
"How've you kept it so long?" This question took Lacey's breath away. Greeley went on, " I did some research on the house after we moved. There hasn't been a live baby born in that house since 1972. He doesn't like babies."
Madison Grey had known the truth. It eats babies, she'd said. That meant Drew, when he was angry. Lacey saw Ella Dane's room smashed. That could be her baby's room, six months from now. Stuffed animals shredded, cardboard books exploded in confetti, slats of the crib driven like spears into the walls. The corner of a blue blanket showing under the overturned body of the crib-blue satin turning red. And silence..."
Lacey begins to track down all the past residents of her home and one truth is shared by all. The young boy Lacey has met is haunting her house and will not share his new family with any other children. He wants Lacey to be his new mother.
There is so much more to this novel than my brief synopsis will tell but to add more to it would be spoiling the enjoyment of reading Starter House and coming upon them yourselves. Condit starts the tale off slowly and builds and builds, carefully twisting and turning so that what you think is coming is not. What you think is happening is not until she reveals it all toward the end. Wonderfully crafted and a thoroughly enjoyable read.
The Starter House by Sonja Condit is an old school ghost story with a twist at the end that is as novel as it is groundbreaking. Sonja Condit did not just write another haunted house story, she wrote her own haunted house story. It is unique and refreshing in a stale genre.
"...Is there something wrong with the house?" Eric asked again. Lacey wished he wouldn't. The house was obviously perfect. They could deal with anything-termites, mold, radon-but they could never make an ugly house their true home.
"Yes," Harry said to CarolAnna, "is there?"
"CarolAnna licked her lips, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She looked at the bathtub on the porch and said to it, "People died here."
"People die everywhere," Lacey said, though the words gave her a shiver. Poor house no wonder it was lonely..."
Eric and Lacey are a young couple beginning their lives together and starting a family. Lacey is pregnant and waiting to have their baby as Eric takes a job working in a law firm for his uncle. Money is very tight and that is something Eric is not used to. They find a home that Lacey loves and Eric thinks is a steal. It is their Starter House.
Soon after moving in Lacey meets a troubled young boy. It is only in time that she realizes, no one else can see him. She begins to research the history of the boy and the house and finds out that more than one instance of death has been associated with her new home. And that there is something even more troubling about the deaths.
"...I'm pregnant, Lacey said. "Twenty-nine weeks."
"How've you kept it so long?" This question took Lacey's breath away. Greeley went on, " I did some research on the house after we moved. There hasn't been a live baby born in that house since 1972. He doesn't like babies."
Madison Grey had known the truth. It eats babies, she'd said. That meant Drew, when he was angry. Lacey saw Ella Dane's room smashed. That could be her baby's room, six months from now. Stuffed animals shredded, cardboard books exploded in confetti, slats of the crib driven like spears into the walls. The corner of a blue blanket showing under the overturned body of the crib-blue satin turning red. And silence..."
Lacey begins to track down all the past residents of her home and one truth is shared by all. The young boy Lacey has met is haunting her house and will not share his new family with any other children. He wants Lacey to be his new mother.
There is so much more to this novel than my brief synopsis will tell but to add more to it would be spoiling the enjoyment of reading Starter House and coming upon them yourselves. Condit starts the tale off slowly and builds and builds, carefully twisting and turning so that what you think is coming is not. What you think is happening is not until she reveals it all toward the end. Wonderfully crafted and a thoroughly enjoyable read.
September 5, 2014
Loved it. Sonja Condit is soooo good at building a sense of dread. Although very much American, Starter House had a bit of a Little Stranger vibe with just a touch of The Haunting of Hill House thrown in. I really liked how Condit layered Lucy, Eric, Ella Dean, and even Lex, causing me to continually change my perception of each character. At times I was completely on one person's side and then circumstances shifted, I got a peek behind the curtain and suddenly I had to adjust my opinion. Again and again. Nicely done.
I also really liked the 'big bad' in this book. I mean, actually I hated hated hated him, but I liked that it was something I haven't seen done to death. I was worried about the ending but it was a satisfying conclusion and it made me glad I took the time to read this book just based on a summary. When you are trying to sneak a peek at your kindle while sitting at the train tracks waiting for the train to pass, you know you've got a good one on your hands!
And now I want another haunted house book to read, so if anyone has any suggestions...
I also really liked the 'big bad' in this book. I mean, actually I hated hated hated him, but I liked that it was something I haven't seen done to death. I was worried about the ending but it was a satisfying conclusion and it made me glad I took the time to read this book just based on a summary. When you are trying to sneak a peek at your kindle while sitting at the train tracks waiting for the train to pass, you know you've got a good one on your hands!
And now I want another haunted house book to read, so if anyone has any suggestions...
December 29, 2013
Quick summary: Lacey and Eric are expecting a baby and when she is drawn to a particular house, he makes it happen.
They should have kept looking.
Seems bad things happen in this house. People fall down the stairs and die. Kids drown in the tub. Women lose their feet. Moms kill their babies. Husbands go insane. And there's this bratty little boy who appears to keep Lacey company while Eric works all day...but there's something really sinister about him. Is the house haunted? If so, what can she do about him and will the ghost kill her baby?
This book was just plain weird. The characters were weird. The happenings were weird--not scary for a long time, just weird. And at times, the writing was a tad weird. I'd be left feeling confused, as though I'd missed something. What happened to who was not always clear. At one point, I was like, "Wait a minute. She just said she stopped you both from falling down the stairs, so why is that dude going to the hospital in an ambulance? What??"
And the conclusion: also weird. I give it points for not being what I expected, but it's so far-fetched and not explained. I mean, I can understand and fathom ghosts; I can't quite get what it turns out to be.
And since I'm already complaining, let me also add the characterizations are poor. There's a serious lack of emotion and their personalities are inconsistent. It's as though the author could not make up her mind if she wanted this person to do this or that. Or perhaps the characters were intended to come off as confused. If so, that was successful.
BUT despite all that, I found myself intrigued. I read to the very end. I wanted to know what happened. I can't say any of the people grew on me; can't say I cared about any of them--not even the heroine, but I wanted to KNOW what happened, good or bad.
And towards the end, I finally felt some nail-biting fear. "EEEK. What are you gonna do?? OMG. He's gonna get you..."
But it took a long time to get to that point and it's a very slow-moving book. It's not what one expects from a horror.
Full review: http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2013/...
They should have kept looking.
Seems bad things happen in this house. People fall down the stairs and die. Kids drown in the tub. Women lose their feet. Moms kill their babies. Husbands go insane. And there's this bratty little boy who appears to keep Lacey company while Eric works all day...but there's something really sinister about him. Is the house haunted? If so, what can she do about him and will the ghost kill her baby?
This book was just plain weird. The characters were weird. The happenings were weird--not scary for a long time, just weird. And at times, the writing was a tad weird. I'd be left feeling confused, as though I'd missed something. What happened to who was not always clear. At one point, I was like, "Wait a minute. She just said she stopped you both from falling down the stairs, so why is that dude going to the hospital in an ambulance? What??"
And the conclusion: also weird. I give it points for not being what I expected, but it's so far-fetched and not explained. I mean, I can understand and fathom ghosts; I can't quite get what it turns out to be.
And since I'm already complaining, let me also add the characterizations are poor. There's a serious lack of emotion and their personalities are inconsistent. It's as though the author could not make up her mind if she wanted this person to do this or that. Or perhaps the characters were intended to come off as confused. If so, that was successful.
BUT despite all that, I found myself intrigued. I read to the very end. I wanted to know what happened. I can't say any of the people grew on me; can't say I cared about any of them--not even the heroine, but I wanted to KNOW what happened, good or bad.
And towards the end, I finally felt some nail-biting fear. "EEEK. What are you gonna do?? OMG. He's gonna get you..."
But it took a long time to get to that point and it's a very slow-moving book. It's not what one expects from a horror.
Full review: http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2013/...
October 28, 2013
Starter House by Sonja Condit is William Morrow publication and is scheduled for release in December 2013.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Lacey and Eric are a married couple expecting their first child and looking for the perfect "Starter House".
When Lacey sees the house on Forrester Lane she thinks the house "speaks" to her. The real estate agent really tries to talk them out of buying this house and even pleads with the owner not to sell it to them, especially since Lacey is pregnant. But, the owner has no qualms about selling and gives the young couple a good bargain.
Right away Lacey feels like this is "her" house. But, she is also seeing a little boy, that being a teacher, she senses he is trouble. But, she sort of befriends him.
Eric, is a trust fund baby, but now he doesn't have a trust fund. He has a job as the low man on the pole in his uncle's law firm. His first case is a divorce case in which a man that maybe a little slow, who thinks his wife is not caring for their small daughter and wants a custody of his daughter. So Eric sets to work on the case.
But, the marriage become strained when Lacey begins to have trouble with her pregnancy and the money issues start to weigh on Eric. So, Eric calls Lacey's eccentric mother to live with them for awhile.
Things begins to go from bad to worse with Lacey having vivid dreams and spending more and more time with the little boy only she can see.
This is an above average haunted house/ ghost story. Lacey's pregnancy plays a big part in story as does the case Eric is working on.
A feeling of unease starts off slowly, and then builds and builds.
There are some twist that are unique for a ghost story, and obviously a lot of thought was put into it.
I wish this book had been released around Halloween. It would make a perfect holiday read.
Overall this one gets a B.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Lacey and Eric are a married couple expecting their first child and looking for the perfect "Starter House".
When Lacey sees the house on Forrester Lane she thinks the house "speaks" to her. The real estate agent really tries to talk them out of buying this house and even pleads with the owner not to sell it to them, especially since Lacey is pregnant. But, the owner has no qualms about selling and gives the young couple a good bargain.
Right away Lacey feels like this is "her" house. But, she is also seeing a little boy, that being a teacher, she senses he is trouble. But, she sort of befriends him.
Eric, is a trust fund baby, but now he doesn't have a trust fund. He has a job as the low man on the pole in his uncle's law firm. His first case is a divorce case in which a man that maybe a little slow, who thinks his wife is not caring for their small daughter and wants a custody of his daughter. So Eric sets to work on the case.
But, the marriage become strained when Lacey begins to have trouble with her pregnancy and the money issues start to weigh on Eric. So, Eric calls Lacey's eccentric mother to live with them for awhile.
Things begins to go from bad to worse with Lacey having vivid dreams and spending more and more time with the little boy only she can see.
This is an above average haunted house/ ghost story. Lacey's pregnancy plays a big part in story as does the case Eric is working on.
A feeling of unease starts off slowly, and then builds and builds.
There are some twist that are unique for a ghost story, and obviously a lot of thought was put into it.
I wish this book had been released around Halloween. It would make a perfect holiday read.
Overall this one gets a B.
May 6, 2014
Another reviewer, Delee, wrote something like, "the scariest thing about this book was that this couple ever got married in the first place." That about sums it up. I could not get over how much I hated the characters in this book.
Specific to the audio version: the narrator drove me nuts. Every sentence that ended with a word that had a consonant she had to draw out, then over articulate the end - weeeeeee-K and iiiiiiii-T and huuuuuuurrr-T-S.
Specific to the audio version: the narrator drove me nuts. Every sentence that ended with a word that had a consonant she had to draw out, then over articulate the end - weeeeeee-K and iiiiiiii-T and huuuuuuurrr-T-S.
March 26, 2014
If you want a scary story about a creepy little boy and a haunted house, read The Bird Eater by Ania Ahlborn. Not this.
February 5, 2014
For debut author Sonja Condit, STARTER HOUSE is a knock-out, hands down. What starts out as a ghost story, transforms into a mystery--yet, ghosts and mysteries are often inexplicably intertwined, no?
Beautifully written, with care and detail to every word, every sentence, STARTER HOUSE is a story of a young, married couple--he's a newbie attorney and she's a 4th teacher on leave as she prepares for the birth of their first baby. Looking for a home in fictional Greeneburg, S.C. is no easy task. The couple has seen too many to count, none of which have the charm and durablity our protagonist, Lacey is lookin for. We learn she comes from a single-mother household, a mother who is slighy cooky with a penchant for moving around. Lacey wants a permanent place to lay down roots.
Ah yes, the colonial cottage will do! But not so fast. Despite warnings from the realtor and future neighbors, Lacey and her husband plonk down the cash for the cottage--getting the goods at a steal. Yet, strange--cruel--things happen within the walls of this perfect little home. When Lacey "befriends" the young ghost, the story escalates. Blood, fear, unborn babies, trailer-trash law suits, and more ensue as Lacey and her mother--along with a stinky poodle--try to make sense of the starter house. Meanwhile, Lacey's husband is skeptical of these ghostly claims.
Condit does a fantastic job of capturing the newness, the anxiety over a first pregnancy, interjecting sensations and memories I thought were long behind me since my youngest was born 7 years ago.
At times, I found it hard to sympathize with both Lacey and her husband (Eric), and found their marriage to be somewhat of a mess, but since the overall story was focused more on the house--and the ghosts that lie there--take that literally and figuratively--I didn't dwell on the marriage too much.
I found THE STARTER HOUSE TO be a stunning debut and can't wait to read more for Ms. Condit.
Beautifully written, with care and detail to every word, every sentence, STARTER HOUSE is a story of a young, married couple--he's a newbie attorney and she's a 4th teacher on leave as she prepares for the birth of their first baby. Looking for a home in fictional Greeneburg, S.C. is no easy task. The couple has seen too many to count, none of which have the charm and durablity our protagonist, Lacey is lookin for. We learn she comes from a single-mother household, a mother who is slighy cooky with a penchant for moving around. Lacey wants a permanent place to lay down roots.
Ah yes, the colonial cottage will do! But not so fast. Despite warnings from the realtor and future neighbors, Lacey and her husband plonk down the cash for the cottage--getting the goods at a steal. Yet, strange--cruel--things happen within the walls of this perfect little home. When Lacey "befriends" the young ghost, the story escalates. Blood, fear, unborn babies, trailer-trash law suits, and more ensue as Lacey and her mother--along with a stinky poodle--try to make sense of the starter house. Meanwhile, Lacey's husband is skeptical of these ghostly claims.
Condit does a fantastic job of capturing the newness, the anxiety over a first pregnancy, interjecting sensations and memories I thought were long behind me since my youngest was born 7 years ago.
At times, I found it hard to sympathize with both Lacey and her husband (Eric), and found their marriage to be somewhat of a mess, but since the overall story was focused more on the house--and the ghosts that lie there--take that literally and figuratively--I didn't dwell on the marriage too much.
I found THE STARTER HOUSE TO be a stunning debut and can't wait to read more for Ms. Condit.
December 17, 2013
The Good Stuff
Author fabulous at setting a mood. It felt dark and creepy
Fast paced, it kept me reading even thought I disliked most of the characters
Unique idea for a haunting
Good mystery kept me turning the pages just to find out what happened
The Not So Good Stuff
Disliked the main characters. Felt Eric was a self-righteous, self-involved jerk. Lacey was also just plain stupid. Sorta wished both characters had died and the baby would be born and immediately taken to a more worthwhile couple
No Chemistry between the characters - so when it all ends all happy and loving I was irritated
Last 1/4 story felt rushed, confusing and than a happy ending
Felt like this could have been a better story with a bit more character development and characters that quite frankly were even remotely likeable
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"Lex well knew what evidence was. It was what they showed in court, to tell the things you did and make a story of it. The lawyers told the story to each other until the thing that really happened disappeared. When you try to remember, only the story was left, until in the end you told the story yourself, the same story everybody else was telling. Evidence they called it."
"The night had taken a turn into a different kind of time, bubbling out of itself into a circle of nameless hours between three and four."
2.75 Dewey's
I received this from William Morrow in exchange for an honest review
Author fabulous at setting a mood. It felt dark and creepy
Fast paced, it kept me reading even thought I disliked most of the characters
Unique idea for a haunting
Good mystery kept me turning the pages just to find out what happened
The Not So Good Stuff
Disliked the main characters. Felt Eric was a self-righteous, self-involved jerk. Lacey was also just plain stupid. Sorta wished both characters had died and the baby would be born and immediately taken to a more worthwhile couple
No Chemistry between the characters - so when it all ends all happy and loving I was irritated
Last 1/4 story felt rushed, confusing and than a happy ending
Felt like this could have been a better story with a bit more character development and characters that quite frankly were even remotely likeable
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"Lex well knew what evidence was. It was what they showed in court, to tell the things you did and make a story of it. The lawyers told the story to each other until the thing that really happened disappeared. When you try to remember, only the story was left, until in the end you told the story yourself, the same story everybody else was telling. Evidence they called it."
"The night had taken a turn into a different kind of time, bubbling out of itself into a circle of nameless hours between three and four."
2.75 Dewey's
I received this from William Morrow in exchange for an honest review
January 21, 2014
Lacey and her husband, Eric are house hunting. Lacey finds the perfect house. This house has a history, It is known as a murder house. It is evil. Everyone one that has lived here prior has moved. They all have one thing in common. All the women who lived in the house never gave birth to a child. The house feeds on them. Lacey soon realizes why when she meets Drew. Drew is a ghost in the house. He starts to get violent towards Lacey to the point that she fears for her unborn baby's life. She must figure out what happened to Drew before she becomes the house's next victim.
If you are looking for a really good book to read, then you don't need to look any further than Sonja Condit's Starter House. I instantly became enthralled by this book. While I enjoyed everyone who was featured in this book, my favorite parts were involving Lacey and Drew. These scenes were haunting and exciting to read. I was trying to figure out Drew's story before Lacey. I kind of had a clue but had not fully put all the pieces together before she did.
I have to give it up to Lacey however as I don't know I would have stayed in the house as long as she did with a ghost that wanted to harm my baby. Plus you know things are crazy when your mom, who is a bit of a kook herself does not believe you when you tell her that you are just playing a game of chutes and ladders with a ghost. Starter House will have you thinking twice before purchasing a home without knowing its past history.
If you are looking for a really good book to read, then you don't need to look any further than Sonja Condit's Starter House. I instantly became enthralled by this book. While I enjoyed everyone who was featured in this book, my favorite parts were involving Lacey and Drew. These scenes were haunting and exciting to read. I was trying to figure out Drew's story before Lacey. I kind of had a clue but had not fully put all the pieces together before she did.
I have to give it up to Lacey however as I don't know I would have stayed in the house as long as she did with a ghost that wanted to harm my baby. Plus you know things are crazy when your mom, who is a bit of a kook herself does not believe you when you tell her that you are just playing a game of chutes and ladders with a ghost. Starter House will have you thinking twice before purchasing a home without knowing its past history.
April 17, 2014
As a writer myself, I am loathe to 'shred' someone elses' carefully created baby. But honestly...I am angry when I encounter books like this, that are so poorly written, yet they managed to be published. The idea is interesting, but there are so many issues it's hard to know where to start.
The dialogue is probably my biggest complaint. When the heroine's husband bangs down the door of the motel she's staying in and confronts her, she says "Whaaaaat? Why?" NO ONE I have ever met or seen talks like that. This is just one example of the way characters speak-- in elliptical, cryptic, unnatural, odd ways. If you were confronting your Realtor about a ghost in your just purchased home, would you take "I had to leave. I just did." as an answer? Hell no.
I also took issue with the fast and loose way that the identity of the ghost was revealed, and the general sloppiness of the mystery. The best part of a good mystery story is the reader putting the pieces slowly together at the same pace as the characters, or just slightly before. It's hell to see your main character slog through the story unknowing, while you and the rest of the characters are aware of the key facts.
I read the author biography on the flap and I was astonished to see that this author has been given awards and has been published in other formats. I am just...at a loss as to how this happened.
The dialogue is probably my biggest complaint. When the heroine's husband bangs down the door of the motel she's staying in and confronts her, she says "Whaaaaat? Why?" NO ONE I have ever met or seen talks like that. This is just one example of the way characters speak-- in elliptical, cryptic, unnatural, odd ways. If you were confronting your Realtor about a ghost in your just purchased home, would you take "I had to leave. I just did." as an answer? Hell no.
I also took issue with the fast and loose way that the identity of the ghost was revealed, and the general sloppiness of the mystery. The best part of a good mystery story is the reader putting the pieces slowly together at the same pace as the characters, or just slightly before. It's hell to see your main character slog through the story unknowing, while you and the rest of the characters are aware of the key facts.
I read the author biography on the flap and I was astonished to see that this author has been given awards and has been published in other formats. I am just...at a loss as to how this happened.
February 25, 2016
I cannot wait to read this book! I loved "The Thirteenth Tale" and just finished reading "Bellman & Black," the comparisons to these books make me even more excited to read this.
June 30, 2018
It's a real testament to the quality of this story that I finished this book - and in one day. Because I hated Eric and Lacey, the two main characters, immediately. I mean hated. I took the time to write a memo on my phone so I'd remember just how much. They are house shopping, and going to their 108th listing. No, that is not a misprint. 108. They reminded me of the assholes that are always on House Hunters. Yea, you know the ones...
I mean, Eric couldn't have more than a 20 minute commute. Lacey didn't want an anonymous box-like house. And it had to be in a certain school district. And they don't have much money as he just started a new job at his uncle's law firm. But they are buying a house. And did I mention she's pregnant too? Apparently the money situation is so bad that Eric has a hissy fit when Lacey accidentally drops a box of dishes that they paid $20 for. But that doesn't stop him from filling the house with furniture - and good furniture, not IKEA. (Not that there's anything wrong with IKEA, says the girl with 15 IKEA bookcases...)
ANYWAY, once we get past these annoying, immature assholes, we find Lacey entertaining a small boy who seems to think that he lives in the house, and comes and goes as he pleases. There's also a dark presence in the house on the stairs. And by the way, perhaps you should've looked into the background in the house when you were told someone died there BEFORE buying it...
Despite the fact that I hated just about every character in this book, including the dog, I was intrigued by the story and it kept me going until the end.
I mean, Eric couldn't have more than a 20 minute commute. Lacey didn't want an anonymous box-like house. And it had to be in a certain school district. And they don't have much money as he just started a new job at his uncle's law firm. But they are buying a house. And did I mention she's pregnant too? Apparently the money situation is so bad that Eric has a hissy fit when Lacey accidentally drops a box of dishes that they paid $20 for. But that doesn't stop him from filling the house with furniture - and good furniture, not IKEA. (Not that there's anything wrong with IKEA, says the girl with 15 IKEA bookcases...)
ANYWAY, once we get past these annoying, immature assholes, we find Lacey entertaining a small boy who seems to think that he lives in the house, and comes and goes as he pleases. There's also a dark presence in the house on the stairs. And by the way, perhaps you should've looked into the background in the house when you were told someone died there BEFORE buying it...
Despite the fact that I hated just about every character in this book, including the dog, I was intrigued by the story and it kept me going until the end.
February 7, 2014
Okay, so, you know the feeling when you're reading a really, really intense book and you get incredibly annoyed when the people in your "real" life interrupt you with unimportant issues like dinner and laundry and sleep? And then, when you finally put the book down, you realize that your neck and back are sore because you have been sitting so tensely hunched up, holding your breath in suspense?
Well, that's the kind of book Starter House by Sonja Condit was for me. I loved this debut novel, which is by turns beautiful, haunting, heart-breaking, and just plain scary.
Without giving too much away, the basic premise of the story is that newly pregnant Lacey and her husband Eric move into what they think is their perfect "starter house." On the evening that they move in, Lacey lies on the front lawn to this description of the summer evening:
"When the wind brushed her face, the blades rubbed against each other, sharing friendly news. Bees worked the blossoms of the tall purple clover and the short white clover, the small sweet buttercups....Children's voices rang, far off."
Sonja Condit captivates the reader, along with Lacey, with the sense of beauty and welcome that initially surround the house. However, in short order, strange things begin to occur, when Lacey meets a mysterious neighborhood boy named Drew. Lacey's dreams for the future twist into nightmares as she becomes involved with something evil and dangerous in the house.
I loved so many things about this novel. First of all, the writing is gorgeous. This makes for a unique kind of scary ghost story, because the novel manages to be both lyrical and terrifying. Condit's lovely prose gives the novel a unique and haunting quality.
Also, Condit has created compelling characters, especially her main character of the pregnant Lacey. Lacey is intelligent and courageous, and it is interesting to see how she uses her knowledge as a teacher of troubled children in her dealings with Drew.
On top of this, there is definitely an intriguing mystery element to the story. We know that there is something evil in the house, but we, along with Lacey, don't know exactly what it is, why it is there, or what it wants. Lacey's investigation into the tragic history of the house is enjoyable to follow.
And, as mentioned above, especially for the last third of the book, it is almost impossible to stop reading. Starter House is one of the most gripping novels I have read in years, all-consuming in a way that is somewhat comparable to how I felt when I read Gone Girl, although the two books are nothing alike. I marvel at how Condit is able write a story that manages to be both absolutely beautiful, and absolutely terrifying.
There are also a few things in the story that I was less sure about. I had a hard time figuring out Eric, Lacey's husband. He had a lot of unlikeable qualities, and I really wasn't sure whether I wanted him and Lacey to stay together or split up after the traumas that they endured. I felt that perhaps his personality could have been portrayed more clearly (either positively or negatively), because as it was, I felt ambivalent about the way things turned out between them.
Secondly, and this is a tiny, miniscule, thing, but there was one line in the novel, about 2/3 of the way through, which was sexually crude and clashed with the tone the rest of the narrative. The sentence was not crucial to the plot, and I literally read it over several times in confusion, because it seemed so out of place in this story. I will be interested to see if other readers react to it like I did.
What bothered me about the sentence was not its inherent crudeness; I have read plenty of gritty, violent, thrillers, but rather that it seemed to disrupt the haunting tone that Condit had so carefully constructed in this novel, the fine line between beauty and tragedy, which was part of what gave it so much impact.
And finally, Sonja Condit currently lives in South Carolina, but grew up in both Canada and the UK. Starter House is set in a fictitious town in South Carolina, but I often found myself feeling like it was set in Britain. To me, this wasn't a bad thing, because I love stories set in the UK. I simply found it interesting that Starter House had a decidedly British tone, despite its North American location.
All that said, I highly recommend this book. I checked it out from the library, but I plan to buy it, because it is a novel that I want to add to my treasure trove of favorites. And I hope Sonja Condit starts writing her next book right away, because I can't wait to read more of her stories.
Well, that's the kind of book Starter House by Sonja Condit was for me. I loved this debut novel, which is by turns beautiful, haunting, heart-breaking, and just plain scary.
Without giving too much away, the basic premise of the story is that newly pregnant Lacey and her husband Eric move into what they think is their perfect "starter house." On the evening that they move in, Lacey lies on the front lawn to this description of the summer evening:
"When the wind brushed her face, the blades rubbed against each other, sharing friendly news. Bees worked the blossoms of the tall purple clover and the short white clover, the small sweet buttercups....Children's voices rang, far off."
Sonja Condit captivates the reader, along with Lacey, with the sense of beauty and welcome that initially surround the house. However, in short order, strange things begin to occur, when Lacey meets a mysterious neighborhood boy named Drew. Lacey's dreams for the future twist into nightmares as she becomes involved with something evil and dangerous in the house.
I loved so many things about this novel. First of all, the writing is gorgeous. This makes for a unique kind of scary ghost story, because the novel manages to be both lyrical and terrifying. Condit's lovely prose gives the novel a unique and haunting quality.
Also, Condit has created compelling characters, especially her main character of the pregnant Lacey. Lacey is intelligent and courageous, and it is interesting to see how she uses her knowledge as a teacher of troubled children in her dealings with Drew.
On top of this, there is definitely an intriguing mystery element to the story. We know that there is something evil in the house, but we, along with Lacey, don't know exactly what it is, why it is there, or what it wants. Lacey's investigation into the tragic history of the house is enjoyable to follow.
And, as mentioned above, especially for the last third of the book, it is almost impossible to stop reading. Starter House is one of the most gripping novels I have read in years, all-consuming in a way that is somewhat comparable to how I felt when I read Gone Girl, although the two books are nothing alike. I marvel at how Condit is able write a story that manages to be both absolutely beautiful, and absolutely terrifying.
There are also a few things in the story that I was less sure about. I had a hard time figuring out Eric, Lacey's husband. He had a lot of unlikeable qualities, and I really wasn't sure whether I wanted him and Lacey to stay together or split up after the traumas that they endured. I felt that perhaps his personality could have been portrayed more clearly (either positively or negatively), because as it was, I felt ambivalent about the way things turned out between them.
Secondly, and this is a tiny, miniscule, thing, but there was one line in the novel, about 2/3 of the way through, which was sexually crude and clashed with the tone the rest of the narrative. The sentence was not crucial to the plot, and I literally read it over several times in confusion, because it seemed so out of place in this story. I will be interested to see if other readers react to it like I did.
What bothered me about the sentence was not its inherent crudeness; I have read plenty of gritty, violent, thrillers, but rather that it seemed to disrupt the haunting tone that Condit had so carefully constructed in this novel, the fine line between beauty and tragedy, which was part of what gave it so much impact.
And finally, Sonja Condit currently lives in South Carolina, but grew up in both Canada and the UK. Starter House is set in a fictitious town in South Carolina, but I often found myself feeling like it was set in Britain. To me, this wasn't a bad thing, because I love stories set in the UK. I simply found it interesting that Starter House had a decidedly British tone, despite its North American location.
All that said, I highly recommend this book. I checked it out from the library, but I plan to buy it, because it is a novel that I want to add to my treasure trove of favorites. And I hope Sonja Condit starts writing her next book right away, because I can't wait to read more of her stories.
February 22, 2022
...Okay, I've gotta say...
This book gave me SO MUCH ANXIETY that I had to put it down a couple of times.
I just kept thinking to myself over and over that I COULD NOT TAKE IT if the baby died.
Look, man: different people have different "reading problems", I like to call them. There's always that one thing that turns you off of a book and makes you not want to have anything to do with it ever again, even if it was a good book in every way.
For me, it's dead babies.
Okay, so, Lacey is very obviously pregnant for the entire book. THE ENTIRE BOOK. And its a difficult one. Which means that EVERY SINGLE SECOND of the book, you're terrified that something bad is going to happen to that baby.
"A baby hasn't been born alive in that house since before 1972..."
Not an exact quote, but damn if that's not foreboding.
Which means, yeah, you got it: there's precedence for dead babies in this book. Sonja Condit isn't scared of doing the unthinkable.
I just didn't want to have to read through it.
And I don't mean a MENTION of dead babies. I mean like how it is in this book: slowly watching through the book as a baby in danger gets closer and closer to danger before DYING.
I can't handle that. Really. Just can't. It screws with my head.
I don't even have kids, and I don't even plan on having them at this point in my life. But MAN. For some reason. Dead babies, miscarriages, stillbirths...EVERY TIME.
So, yes, I'm admitting that you have to actually care about a baby in the womb for the tense air and, quite frankly, horrifying implications in the book to actually scare you. If the baby before its born is just tissue to you, well, that's your opinion, and you'll probably think I'm a weakling for letting this book freak me out.
But it did. It really did.
...Ugh.
Okay I can't even write anymore about this one right now.
Can't.
This one's gonna haunt me during my insomnia time tonight....
This book gave me SO MUCH ANXIETY that I had to put it down a couple of times.
I just kept thinking to myself over and over that I COULD NOT TAKE IT if the baby died.
Look, man: different people have different "reading problems", I like to call them. There's always that one thing that turns you off of a book and makes you not want to have anything to do with it ever again, even if it was a good book in every way.
For me, it's dead babies.
Okay, so, Lacey is very obviously pregnant for the entire book. THE ENTIRE BOOK. And its a difficult one. Which means that EVERY SINGLE SECOND of the book, you're terrified that something bad is going to happen to that baby.
"A baby hasn't been born alive in that house since before 1972..."
Not an exact quote, but damn if that's not foreboding.
Which means, yeah, you got it: there's precedence for dead babies in this book. Sonja Condit isn't scared of doing the unthinkable.
I just didn't want to have to read through it.
And I don't mean a MENTION of dead babies. I mean like how it is in this book: slowly watching through the book as a baby in danger gets closer and closer to danger before DYING.
I can't handle that. Really. Just can't. It screws with my head.
I don't even have kids, and I don't even plan on having them at this point in my life. But MAN. For some reason. Dead babies, miscarriages, stillbirths...EVERY TIME.
So, yes, I'm admitting that you have to actually care about a baby in the womb for the tense air and, quite frankly, horrifying implications in the book to actually scare you. If the baby before its born is just tissue to you, well, that's your opinion, and you'll probably think I'm a weakling for letting this book freak me out.
But it did. It really did.
...Ugh.
Okay I can't even write anymore about this one right now.
Can't.
This one's gonna haunt me during my insomnia time tonight....
January 1, 2014
Intelligently written throughout, Sonja Condit's Starter House is everything a psychological thriller should be; both tense and suspenseful while maintaining a natural believability that sucks you in despite yourself; makes you believe all is safe and well, while somewhere, deep in the dark recesses of your mind, your prefrontal cortex is frantically trying to puzzle through and dissect the horror that you know is lurking behind a corner. Starter House's storyline somehow manages to be forthright while at the same time, its edges blur into something shifty and unconscionable; duplicitous. An urban legend that knows you by name.
At times I found this title terrifying to the point that I had to consciously relax my body and unfurl my tightly clenched fists. Her characters, from the protagonist, to antagonist and everyone in between each showed unique tenderness and depth of character with a complexity that evolved as the story progressed; they were strangely captivating and singularly deceptive in their seeming straightforwardness.
Full of subtleties that twist the plot, events maintain a level of truthfulness that is disarming, making it easy to doubt the existence of the monsters that most certainly are hiding under the bed, until, too late, you realize they've swallowed you whole.
A lovely story; a touching, terrifying read.
At times I found this title terrifying to the point that I had to consciously relax my body and unfurl my tightly clenched fists. Her characters, from the protagonist, to antagonist and everyone in between each showed unique tenderness and depth of character with a complexity that evolved as the story progressed; they were strangely captivating and singularly deceptive in their seeming straightforwardness.
Full of subtleties that twist the plot, events maintain a level of truthfulness that is disarming, making it easy to doubt the existence of the monsters that most certainly are hiding under the bed, until, too late, you realize they've swallowed you whole.
A lovely story; a touching, terrifying read.
June 26, 2018
Pretty much your average every day haunted house story, but you probably won't figure out the twist before the end. I loved this book for the vivid, complex and relatable characters. It will be hard to let them go now that I'm done with the book - especially Lacey! Minus a star because I wanted more thorough explanations at the end, plus it wasn't really scary. It had its creepy moments but no terror, at least not to me. I feel like it could've been a great book if the house were a bit creepier!
June 3, 2017
Flat characters that I felt no empathy for.
January 15, 2020
I really liked the ghost story part of this book. Listening to it on audio seemed to drag out the plot until I was worried it would snap back and hit me in the face. I frequently lost attention and had to rewind the audiobook.
As for the paranormal element, it was a bit confusing in the end (still not sure I completely understand what happened -- I hope someone can explain it to me). I had to keep reminding myself that the couple in the story, Lacey and Eric, were practically newlyweds. Their communication was so poor and disjointed that it was a wonder they ever made it to marriage in the first place.
Lacey's mother, Ella Dane, was kind of a flake and seemed phoney....but I actually really liked her in the end.
Overall, Starter House wasn't my very favorite ghost story ever, but it was a decent read.
As for the paranormal element, it was a bit confusing in the end (still not sure I completely understand what happened -- I hope someone can explain it to me). I had to keep reminding myself that the couple in the story, Lacey and Eric, were practically newlyweds. Their communication was so poor and disjointed that it was a wonder they ever made it to marriage in the first place.
Lacey's mother, Ella Dane, was kind of a flake and seemed phoney....but I actually really liked her in the end.
Overall, Starter House wasn't my very favorite ghost story ever, but it was a decent read.
January 3, 2014
Thank you to William Morrow & Company for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this novel.
I saw this novel compared to The Thirteenth Tale and books by Joe Hill. That was setting the bar pretty high. The Thirteenth Tale is a gothic tour de force and in N0S4A2 Joe Hill took the most innocent and happy holiday of the year, Christmas, and made it so disturbing that I had nightmares. He has become quite the master of horror, a chip off the old block. This novel was neither gothic nor horrifying. The true test of a superior horror novel for me is whether it gives me nightmares. This story while mildly interesting did not cause the least bit of trepidation while reading.
The crux of the story is a young couple, Lacy who is pregnant with the couple's first child and her husband Eric, move into a house that seems to have a former occupant. As soon as the real estate agent started saying you don't want to buy this house, people died here, I would have been out of there but to each their own. Of course our hapless couple ignore all common sense and warnings and sink every last dime into the old place with doing so much as a simple google search. The other worldly spirit soon makes itself known but Lacy who is a teacher! has it all under control. The house spirit can be disciplined just like her wayward students. When it comes to ghost boys she's got it covered. Not so much her relationship with her husband Eric who is a piece of work. When Lacey breaks a box full of fifteen dollar dishes he let's her have it. Every penny that she spends has to be constantly accounted for despite the fact that she is the primary bread winner. When dealing with Eric's demands Lacey acts more like a brow beaten fifties housewife than a modern career woman. Lacey and Eric's problems are told against the backstory of one of Eric's law clients, Lex Hall. Lex has hired Eric to represent him in a custody case where his ex is abusing their toddler daughter Theo by over feeding her and neglecting her while she goes out on food binges. This seems like a strange sort of child abuse and Lex is a strange sort of guy. He is the nephew of Eric and Lacey's next door neighbor and may have his own connections to their home.
The relationship I liked most in the book was the one between Lacey and her hippie mom Ella Dane. At first you think Ella was a bad mother because she moved around so much and at times they were homeless when Lacey was growing up. As the story developed and I learned more about Ella Dane she ended up being my favorite character with her dog Bibbits was a close second.
Eventually Lacey realizes that her problems in her new home cannot be escaped and she is forced into a final reckoning with the entity in her home. I did think the tie up was very good, especially regarding who the spirit really was in the house. The author put a bit of a fresh twist on that which I appreciated. This book kept me turning the pages but I just think I had higher expectations for it. Readers who enjoy this book might like a book I read last year, Anne Rivers Siddons, The House Next Door, which is another book about a house that exerts a supernatural influence over it's residents.
I saw this novel compared to The Thirteenth Tale and books by Joe Hill. That was setting the bar pretty high. The Thirteenth Tale is a gothic tour de force and in N0S4A2 Joe Hill took the most innocent and happy holiday of the year, Christmas, and made it so disturbing that I had nightmares. He has become quite the master of horror, a chip off the old block. This novel was neither gothic nor horrifying. The true test of a superior horror novel for me is whether it gives me nightmares. This story while mildly interesting did not cause the least bit of trepidation while reading.
The crux of the story is a young couple, Lacy who is pregnant with the couple's first child and her husband Eric, move into a house that seems to have a former occupant. As soon as the real estate agent started saying you don't want to buy this house, people died here, I would have been out of there but to each their own. Of course our hapless couple ignore all common sense and warnings and sink every last dime into the old place with doing so much as a simple google search. The other worldly spirit soon makes itself known but Lacy who is a teacher! has it all under control. The house spirit can be disciplined just like her wayward students. When it comes to ghost boys she's got it covered. Not so much her relationship with her husband Eric who is a piece of work. When Lacey breaks a box full of fifteen dollar dishes he let's her have it. Every penny that she spends has to be constantly accounted for despite the fact that she is the primary bread winner. When dealing with Eric's demands Lacey acts more like a brow beaten fifties housewife than a modern career woman. Lacey and Eric's problems are told against the backstory of one of Eric's law clients, Lex Hall. Lex has hired Eric to represent him in a custody case where his ex is abusing their toddler daughter Theo by over feeding her and neglecting her while she goes out on food binges. This seems like a strange sort of child abuse and Lex is a strange sort of guy. He is the nephew of Eric and Lacey's next door neighbor and may have his own connections to their home.
The relationship I liked most in the book was the one between Lacey and her hippie mom Ella Dane. At first you think Ella was a bad mother because she moved around so much and at times they were homeless when Lacey was growing up. As the story developed and I learned more about Ella Dane she ended up being my favorite character with her dog Bibbits was a close second.
Eventually Lacey realizes that her problems in her new home cannot be escaped and she is forced into a final reckoning with the entity in her home. I did think the tie up was very good, especially regarding who the spirit really was in the house. The author put a bit of a fresh twist on that which I appreciated. This book kept me turning the pages but I just think I had higher expectations for it. Readers who enjoy this book might like a book I read last year, Anne Rivers Siddons, The House Next Door, which is another book about a house that exerts a supernatural influence over it's residents.
November 3, 2015
There's a humorous "intervention" scene in the Showtime TV series The L Word, in which Bette and Tina, who are going to have a baby, are confronted by three of their friends about their inability to talk about anything else. Suddenly, every conversation with them has started to revolve around things like buying maternity granny panties or gross pregnancy details, and their friends are concerned they are becoming self-centered and boring. Of course, in the show, it's comedic, but if ever a book need a TMI pregnancy intervention, it would be Starter House.
The novel is about a--you guessed it--young pregnant woman, Lacey, and her husband who buy their dream home, only to discover it is haunted. Not that he believes her. But as she is confined to bed rest due to a placental tear, she has plenty of time to get to know the ghost, who appears as a needy child with a bad temper. She learns that no baby has ever survived in the house since horrific events happened 40 years ago, and starts to freak out. Oh, and did I mention she is extremely pregnant? It's all she thinks about night and day. In the Q&A at the end of the book, the author admits that the inspiration for her story was the fear and uncertainty she felt during her own difficult pregnancy. It's not that I was unsympathetic, just that this book started to feel like a trials-of-pregnancy story with a ghost in it, rather than a haunted house story with a character who happens to have a bun in the oven.
As a ghost story, it is so-so. There were some good scenes, and the writing was smooth. I also really enjoyed the character of the Lacey's New Age mother and her vegan poodle, which provided some welcome humor. (Although it's probably not a good sign when the hippie New Age character often seems grounded and down to earth compared to the heroine!) The plot did suffer from a rather obvious fault--if Lacey were that nervous about the house, why wouldn't she have done an Internet search about the history as soon as things seemed off, especially with the plentiful hints she got from others in the neighborhood? Especially since she was bedridden with nothing else to do all day? Why wait until page 300 to look that up?
Recommended if What to Expect When You're Expecting...in a Haunted House sounds intriguing.
The novel is about a--you guessed it--young pregnant woman, Lacey, and her husband who buy their dream home, only to discover it is haunted. Not that he believes her. But as she is confined to bed rest due to a placental tear, she has plenty of time to get to know the ghost, who appears as a needy child with a bad temper. She learns that no baby has ever survived in the house since horrific events happened 40 years ago, and starts to freak out. Oh, and did I mention she is extremely pregnant? It's all she thinks about night and day. In the Q&A at the end of the book, the author admits that the inspiration for her story was the fear and uncertainty she felt during her own difficult pregnancy. It's not that I was unsympathetic, just that this book started to feel like a trials-of-pregnancy story with a ghost in it, rather than a haunted house story with a character who happens to have a bun in the oven.
As a ghost story, it is so-so. There were some good scenes, and the writing was smooth. I also really enjoyed the character of the Lacey's New Age mother and her vegan poodle, which provided some welcome humor. (Although it's probably not a good sign when the hippie New Age character often seems grounded and down to earth compared to the heroine!) The plot did suffer from a rather obvious fault--if Lacey were that nervous about the house, why wouldn't she have done an Internet search about the history as soon as things seemed off, especially with the plentiful hints she got from others in the neighborhood? Especially since she was bedridden with nothing else to do all day? Why wait until page 300 to look that up?
Recommended if What to Expect When You're Expecting...in a Haunted House sounds intriguing.
March 7, 2014
I wanted to like this more but it was a mess. I think the author forgot where she was going during the middle of the book. Having Lex's POVs were annoying too, and nothing was scary.
I think she was going for The Shining type of horror novel. I mean, the ghost in the house possessed one of the family and used them to kill the others? Yeah, that's The Shining.
Another huge area of discontent (for me) was the fat phobia. It was quite distressing, to be honest. The only reason that was given, in regards to why Theo's mother wasn't a fit parent, was that her mother was obese. All the bad parenting moments was because the mother was pigging out. She leaves her in the car, and isn't sure if the baby is even missing, because she's pigging out. And then Lex starts bawling about how being overweight is going to kill her and the author goes on and on about him wanting to feed the kid only fresh fruit and veggies.
It was just so ... It just left a bad taste in my mouth. That was the other reason the author gave for why the mother was a bad mother. I'm like, what? Jesus, I get that fat people are scary to some people but grow the fuck up.
I think she was going for The Shining type of horror novel. I mean, the ghost in the house possessed one of the family and used them to kill the others? Yeah, that's The Shining.
Another huge area of discontent (for me) was the fat phobia. It was quite distressing, to be honest. The only reason that was given, in regards to why Theo's mother wasn't a fit parent, was that her mother was obese. All the bad parenting moments was because the mother was pigging out. She leaves her in the car, and isn't sure if the baby is even missing, because she's pigging out. And then Lex starts bawling about how being overweight is going to kill her and the author goes on and on about him wanting to feed the kid only fresh fruit and veggies.
It was just so ... It just left a bad taste in my mouth. That was the other reason the author gave for why the mother was a bad mother. I'm like, what? Jesus, I get that fat people are scary to some people but grow the fuck up.
June 20, 2014
Not quite a 4-star book, but more deserving than 3 stars.
I enjoyed this story about a married couple purchasing their first (haunted!) house. The writing was loose but carefully crafted, like a loom weaving that hasn't yet been combed and tightened. Some of the imagery was really beautiful, but some of it was clumsy and my eyes tripped over it as I read. There were a couple of laugh-out-loud passages that I really enjoyed, like the exchange between Uncle Floyd and Lex Hall, about Lex's estranged wife Jeanne:
"That wife of yours. She was raised by hippos, or what?"
"She lost some weight when we were married, but it's come back."
"Yes, and it brought friends."
I thought I had figured out who the ghost was (I was right), but I was second-guessing myself until the end. It was a fun summer read. Not too scary; just the perfect blend of spooky and intense to bring the creep factor without causing terror-induced insomnia. I felt comfortable enough to let my 14-year-old read it, and she can't put it down.
I enjoyed this story about a married couple purchasing their first (haunted!) house. The writing was loose but carefully crafted, like a loom weaving that hasn't yet been combed and tightened. Some of the imagery was really beautiful, but some of it was clumsy and my eyes tripped over it as I read. There were a couple of laugh-out-loud passages that I really enjoyed, like the exchange between Uncle Floyd and Lex Hall, about Lex's estranged wife Jeanne:
"That wife of yours. She was raised by hippos, or what?"
"She lost some weight when we were married, but it's come back."
"Yes, and it brought friends."
I thought I had figured out who the ghost was (I was right), but I was second-guessing myself until the end. It was a fun summer read. Not too scary; just the perfect blend of spooky and intense to bring the creep factor without causing terror-induced insomnia. I felt comfortable enough to let my 14-year-old read it, and she can't put it down.
March 10, 2014
1.5/5 Stars
When I was in my early teens, I read a book Ghost House by Clare McNallythat scared the bejezzus out of me. In fact, I still have my copy in protective wrap and remember key parts of the book. For over 30 years, I have been looking for a ghost story to have that same effect on me. I had hoped that Starter House would be that book, but it wasn't.
There was absolutely nothing scary to this book. In fact, I found it downright humorous. The writing was superficial and overly dramatic. I would call it light chicklit mixed with even lighter horror. I kept waiting for something to pop with it, as the book jacket promised, but it never did.
I guess my search will continue.
When I was in my early teens, I read a book Ghost House by Clare McNallythat scared the bejezzus out of me. In fact, I still have my copy in protective wrap and remember key parts of the book. For over 30 years, I have been looking for a ghost story to have that same effect on me. I had hoped that Starter House would be that book, but it wasn't.
There was absolutely nothing scary to this book. In fact, I found it downright humorous. The writing was superficial and overly dramatic. I would call it light chicklit mixed with even lighter horror. I kept waiting for something to pop with it, as the book jacket promised, but it never did.
I guess my search will continue.
September 8, 2014
Another reviewer mentioned that ghost stories would be very short if the protagonist did what most intelligent people would do if they realized that their house was haunted by a ghost that was out to kill them and just get the h*ll out, but in this case it kind of made sense that she stayed. First of all, said ghost would apparently just follow her wherever she went (even across the country, as one former victim experienced). Secondly, having grown up practically homeless, she had a strong conviction to fight for her house. Plus, she thought of the ghost as one of her rowdy former elementary school students, who could be loved out of his naughty ways (he really couldn't).
So that didn't bother me. What irritated me was, again, people who could solve their problems so much quicker and with so much less drama if they would JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER. Why would you marry someone you couldn't confide your fears to?
So that didn't bother me. What irritated me was, again, people who could solve their problems so much quicker and with so much less drama if they would JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER. Why would you marry someone you couldn't confide your fears to?
October 29, 2014
Back in February I attended Bookmarks Moveable Book Feast. I purchased Starter House after reading the back of the book. I was accidentally fortunate enough to meet the author. She was interesting and really got me excited to read her book. Because it's a ghost story, I decided to save it and read it this month. Nothing like a good ghost story for October, right?
It's Sonja's first book, so my expectations were a little low. But I must tell you, I was pleasantly surprised. Or rather pleasantly scared, which is what I was hoping for.
It's so hard to write ghost stories involving a house that's being haunted. I mean, why do people stay in the house, right? First sign of ghostly disturbance I'm out of there!So yes, the main character made some stupid choices. But that didn't overly bother me. I was very interested in finding out what happened and why. And honestly, the ending is very different.
It's Sonja's first book, so my expectations were a little low. But I must tell you, I was pleasantly surprised. Or rather pleasantly scared, which is what I was hoping for.
It's so hard to write ghost stories involving a house that's being haunted. I mean, why do people stay in the house, right? First sign of ghostly disturbance I'm out of there!So yes, the main character made some stupid choices. But that didn't overly bother me. I was very interested in finding out what happened and why. And honestly, the ending is very different.
February 26, 2016
- My Description -
Lacey Miszlak thought she had found the perfect house for her growing family.
The most perfect house on the block.
Lacey and Eric are super excited for the upcoming arrival of their first baby.
Everything is perfect.
Things are not always what they seem.
A ghost boy dwells in this "perfect" house.
People have died here...babies have died here.
Will this "perfect" house claim more victims?
- My Review -
I love haunted house stories, so I was thrilled to begin reading this book.
Ummm, something was off about this read. Like when you're eating a dish....and the food would be so much better if it had something else added to it.
I also didn't feel a connection to the characters.
The whole thing was off. It didn't pull me in like quick sand.
June 13, 2014
I'll give a little bit of credit: the whole teacher/child thing, underused and half-baked as it comes off here, was a refreshing idea for a twist on a haunting. For that reason alone, I give it more than a bottom mark. But if you're going to allow your book to be blurbed as "for fans of Heart-Shaped Box", you better bring the juju - and Condit doesn't even come close. I'm not even sure she brought the final draft. It's just an unpleasant mess full of stupid people - nobody should have to shout at the book they're reading as often as I did.
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