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Haunt Sweet Home
On the set of a kitschy reality TV show, staged scares transform into unnerving reality in this spooky ghost story from multiple Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author Sarah Pinsker.
“Don’t talk to day about what we do at night.”
When aimless twenty-something Mara lands a job as the night-shift production assistant on her cousin’s ghost hunting/home makeover reality TV show Haunt Sweet Home, she quickly determines her new role will require a healthy attitude toward duplicity. But as she hides fog machines in the woods and improvises scares to spook new homeowners, a series of unnerving incidents on set and a creepy new coworker force Mara to confront whether the person she's truly been deceiving and hiding from all along—is herself.
Eerie and empathetic, Haunt Sweet Home is a multifaceted, supernatural exploration of finding your own way into adulthood, and into yourself.
“Don’t talk to day about what we do at night.”
When aimless twenty-something Mara lands a job as the night-shift production assistant on her cousin’s ghost hunting/home makeover reality TV show Haunt Sweet Home, she quickly determines her new role will require a healthy attitude toward duplicity. But as she hides fog machines in the woods and improvises scares to spook new homeowners, a series of unnerving incidents on set and a creepy new coworker force Mara to confront whether the person she's truly been deceiving and hiding from all along—is herself.
Eerie and empathetic, Haunt Sweet Home is a multifaceted, supernatural exploration of finding your own way into adulthood, and into yourself.
165 pages, Hardcover
First published September 3, 2024
114 people are currently reading
18784 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,106 reviews
August 29, 2025
Thankfully, this quick read intrigued me as a part of the motion picture industry, diving into the production process of a reality TV show based on haunted houses.
I've previously enjoyed two sci-fi fictions by the author, so when I had the chance to read a quick novella themed around haunted houses, I went for it!
First, let's focus on the positive aspects of this book, aside from its short length that makes it easily finishable in one sitting.
The characterization of Mara is well done. She's a relatable character, trying to find her place in the world. She changes her major several times in community college, takes too many gap years, and finally decides on meteorology. She's the mockery of her own crowded family, especially her cousin Jeremy, who hosts a haunted house reality show and has become the shining star everyone admires.
The story opens with Jeremy offering Mara a job as a production assistant, but after a few failed attempts, Mara finally finds a spot on the night crew. She shares a motel room with another daytime production assistant, who snores and kicks her out on weekends, causing a fire in the room with a forgotten hot plate in the microwave. Additionally, her TV star cousin acts like he doesn't know her and ignores her DMs on social media.
Despite this, Mara's job is relatively easy, giving cheap thrills to the house inhabitants. However, things take a turn when she meets another production assistant, Jo, who insists on helping her but ends up making Mara question her entire existence with blunt, mean comments about her life choices. With Jo's help, Mara starts to gain attention from the crew and receives high praises, but she also realizes that her life is slipping out of her grasp as Jo becomes more intimidating. What if she made a terrible mistake by choosing to work on this production?
Overall, it was an easy, quick read that started strong but became repetitive in the last third. Mara's repetitive cycle of scaring the house inhabitants at night, returning to her motel, and eating with the crew turned into a Groundhog Day-like loop that bored me. The twisty part of the mystery was a little too obvious, and the middle parts dragged with no intriguing incidents. While the concept was interesting and the characterization was well-rounded, it was just an okay read for me. I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected, so I'm giving it a neutral three stars.
I'm still looking forward to reading more works by the author in the near future!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group/Tordotcom for sharing this intriguing book's digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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I've previously enjoyed two sci-fi fictions by the author, so when I had the chance to read a quick novella themed around haunted houses, I went for it!
First, let's focus on the positive aspects of this book, aside from its short length that makes it easily finishable in one sitting.
The characterization of Mara is well done. She's a relatable character, trying to find her place in the world. She changes her major several times in community college, takes too many gap years, and finally decides on meteorology. She's the mockery of her own crowded family, especially her cousin Jeremy, who hosts a haunted house reality show and has become the shining star everyone admires.
The story opens with Jeremy offering Mara a job as a production assistant, but after a few failed attempts, Mara finally finds a spot on the night crew. She shares a motel room with another daytime production assistant, who snores and kicks her out on weekends, causing a fire in the room with a forgotten hot plate in the microwave. Additionally, her TV star cousin acts like he doesn't know her and ignores her DMs on social media.
Despite this, Mara's job is relatively easy, giving cheap thrills to the house inhabitants. However, things take a turn when she meets another production assistant, Jo, who insists on helping her but ends up making Mara question her entire existence with blunt, mean comments about her life choices. With Jo's help, Mara starts to gain attention from the crew and receives high praises, but she also realizes that her life is slipping out of her grasp as Jo becomes more intimidating. What if she made a terrible mistake by choosing to work on this production?
Overall, it was an easy, quick read that started strong but became repetitive in the last third. Mara's repetitive cycle of scaring the house inhabitants at night, returning to her motel, and eating with the crew turned into a Groundhog Day-like loop that bored me. The twisty part of the mystery was a little too obvious, and the middle parts dragged with no intriguing incidents. While the concept was interesting and the characterization was well-rounded, it was just an okay read for me. I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected, so I'm giving it a neutral three stars.
I'm still looking forward to reading more works by the author in the near future!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group/Tordotcom for sharing this intriguing book's digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
medium blog
January 10, 2025
**3.5-stars rounded up**
Haunt Sweet Home is a Horror novella featuring a Reality TV show, part Ghost Adventures, part HGTV, wherein home makeovers are mixed with the ghosts that live there.
Our MC is Mara, who lands a job on the show as a PA. Her cousin, Jeremy, is the show's host. He knows she's been bouncing between different pursuits, trying to find her path, so at a family function he offers her the job.
Mara being Mara, she doesn't commit right away. It takes some time before all the pieces fall in place. Once she is on the job though, she feels like it's going to work. She feels like maybe she's found her place.
This story follows Mara as she settles into her job, and tags along to the set of a few of the episodes. After a creepy coworker makes Mara begin to question everything though, events truly come to a head.
Due to the length of this, I'm not going to say anything more about the story itself. I loved the idea behind it and getting to be on set of the Reality TV show was a lot of fun.
I also loved the various topics explored, particularly those involved in Mara's character arc. I really enjoyed how the author included excerpts from the show too. I felt like I could picture everything, and yeah, I was picturing Jeremy as Zak Bagans, sue me.
I listened to the audiobook for this and did really enjoy it. I thought the narrator's delivery matched very well with how I was picturing Mara's character. It brought it to life for me.
I would definitely recommend the audio format for anyone who has that option. Particularly with the Reality TV scenes, it just makes sense to hear it play out.
Thank you to the publisher, Tor and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I'm looking forward to reading more from Sarah Pinsker!
Haunt Sweet Home is a Horror novella featuring a Reality TV show, part Ghost Adventures, part HGTV, wherein home makeovers are mixed with the ghosts that live there.
Our MC is Mara, who lands a job on the show as a PA. Her cousin, Jeremy, is the show's host. He knows she's been bouncing between different pursuits, trying to find her path, so at a family function he offers her the job.
Mara being Mara, she doesn't commit right away. It takes some time before all the pieces fall in place. Once she is on the job though, she feels like it's going to work. She feels like maybe she's found her place.
This story follows Mara as she settles into her job, and tags along to the set of a few of the episodes. After a creepy coworker makes Mara begin to question everything though, events truly come to a head.
Due to the length of this, I'm not going to say anything more about the story itself. I loved the idea behind it and getting to be on set of the Reality TV show was a lot of fun.
I also loved the various topics explored, particularly those involved in Mara's character arc. I really enjoyed how the author included excerpts from the show too. I felt like I could picture everything, and yeah, I was picturing Jeremy as Zak Bagans, sue me.
I listened to the audiobook for this and did really enjoy it. I thought the narrator's delivery matched very well with how I was picturing Mara's character. It brought it to life for me.
I would definitely recommend the audio format for anyone who has that option. Particularly with the Reality TV scenes, it just makes sense to hear it play out.
Thank you to the publisher, Tor and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I'm looking forward to reading more from Sarah Pinsker!
October 6, 2024
Mara's cousin, Jeremy is the host of a popular, low-calorie paranormal home show where new owners of old homes discover they're not alone as they start renovations. At a family gathering, he offers her a job as a production assistant which she initially refuses out of pride but then accepts when she realizes it's a pretty good opportunity.
This book combined a few of my favorite tropes:
-New girl on the job
-Paranormal TV shows or podcasts
-Family rivalries
-Home renovations/fixer-uppers
..
I enjoyed that this story veered off in a more subtle direction. It starts with Episode Thirteen (Craig DiLouie) vibes but then moves into character-driven, relational dynamics between some of the primary protagonists. It almost felt like a slim companion piece to DIAVOLA--riffing on some black sheep tropes and convincing readers that sometimes, paranormal activity is less threatening than family & friends.
..
My only complaint is that I wanted more time on location shooting the show Haunt Sweet Home and less time at the Motel. I could see a novella like this expanding to include more homes and backstage drama before driving inward for all the character interactions/dialog.
Recommending for readers who enjoy:
-On the job locations
-Co-worker dynamics
-Haunted Houses
-Reality TV
-Paranormal shows
-Family drama
-Identity issues
-Ghosts
This book combined a few of my favorite tropes:
-New girl on the job
-Paranormal TV shows or podcasts
-Family rivalries
-Home renovations/fixer-uppers
..
I enjoyed that this story veered off in a more subtle direction. It starts with Episode Thirteen (Craig DiLouie) vibes but then moves into character-driven, relational dynamics between some of the primary protagonists. It almost felt like a slim companion piece to DIAVOLA--riffing on some black sheep tropes and convincing readers that sometimes, paranormal activity is less threatening than family & friends.
..
My only complaint is that I wanted more time on location shooting the show Haunt Sweet Home and less time at the Motel. I could see a novella like this expanding to include more homes and backstage drama before driving inward for all the character interactions/dialog.
Recommending for readers who enjoy:
-On the job locations
-Co-worker dynamics
-Haunted Houses
-Reality TV
-Paranormal shows
-Family drama
-Identity issues
-Ghosts
July 5, 2024
Really interesting take on a haunting! I zipped through it!
August 26, 2024
1.5 ⭐
*meaningless* and *pointless* feel like pretty harsh adjectives to assign to any novella, but at the end of the day, these are hours i will never get back.
*meaningless* and *pointless* feel like pretty harsh adjectives to assign to any novella, but at the end of the day, these are hours i will never get back.
August 23, 2024
This was a fun horror novella on the lighter side! It follows Mara, a drifting young woman who gets a job as a production assistant on the set of a haunted house reality show. She's not sure who she is or what she wants out of life, but she begins working the night shift, helping to scare the owners of these houses. But maybe the scares aren't all pretend after all...
Haunt Sweet Home feels like a story about the ennui of a quarter life crisis and the push and pull families have on us during that stage in life. But it's also an entertaining story about reality television. The audio narration is good. You get a performance of the main character that effuses her lack of interest in most things as the story begins and a dry sense of humor. I received an audio review copy via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.
Haunt Sweet Home feels like a story about the ennui of a quarter life crisis and the push and pull families have on us during that stage in life. But it's also an entertaining story about reality television. The audio narration is good. You get a performance of the main character that effuses her lack of interest in most things as the story begins and a dry sense of humor. I received an audio review copy via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.
November 19, 2024
that was one of the most underwhelming books I've ever read. sad it was my 300th book of 2024):
January 9, 2025
⭐️ Synopsis:
Mara is in her twenties, on your fourth try to community college, and just not feeling comfortable anywhere. Life is technically good for her. She has a place to stay, she doesn’t have to worry about food or clothing, and she is part of a big, loving, successful family.
Blah. And at the same time she doesn’t feel like she fits anywhere. A good example is the fact that she is the only one of her family to NOT have a throne. Yes, I said a throne. Her Oma is an incredibly talented wood worker and sculptor who carved wooden thrones for each person in the family based on who they are as a person. Oma would only make you a throne once you turned twenty because she said that before that she couldn’t tell for sure exactly who you were as a person. Eighteen cousins each have thrones. Mara’s Oma had to stop sculpting because of her arthritis before Mara turned twenty. She is younger than everyone else in her family, she doesn’t play an instrument, and she is not successful.
When the family gathers for Thanksgiving her hot shot cousin offers her a job as a night production assistant at his television show. The show is a realty tv hit. Her cousin renovates a couple’s house ~ that also happens to be haunted. Wanting to show her family that she can get and stick with a cool job, Mara says yes to the job, and drives three hours to Western Mass. Once there she finds a whole bunch of spooky things. Some of the spookiest are truths about who she is as a person
⭐️ What I thought of this book:
The beginning scene is so vivid and beautifully done that I wanted to stand up and cheer. Seriously beautiful writing. It made the scene and the whole family come alive At this point the novella was a 5 star for me. The writing sustained his quality until the last third. I just did not feel like the wrap up meshed with the rest of the book. It felt wrong.
Mara is in her twenties, on your fourth try to community college, and just not feeling comfortable anywhere. Life is technically good for her. She has a place to stay, she doesn’t have to worry about food or clothing, and she is part of a big, loving, successful family.
Blah. And at the same time she doesn’t feel like she fits anywhere. A good example is the fact that she is the only one of her family to NOT have a throne. Yes, I said a throne. Her Oma is an incredibly talented wood worker and sculptor who carved wooden thrones for each person in the family based on who they are as a person. Oma would only make you a throne once you turned twenty because she said that before that she couldn’t tell for sure exactly who you were as a person. Eighteen cousins each have thrones. Mara’s Oma had to stop sculpting because of her arthritis before Mara turned twenty. She is younger than everyone else in her family, she doesn’t play an instrument, and she is not successful.
When the family gathers for Thanksgiving her hot shot cousin offers her a job as a night production assistant at his television show. The show is a realty tv hit. Her cousin renovates a couple’s house ~ that also happens to be haunted. Wanting to show her family that she can get and stick with a cool job, Mara says yes to the job, and drives three hours to Western Mass. Once there she finds a whole bunch of spooky things. Some of the spookiest are truths about who she is as a person
⭐️ What I thought of this book:
The beginning scene is so vivid and beautifully done that I wanted to stand up and cheer. Seriously beautiful writing. It made the scene and the whole family come alive At this point the novella was a 5 star for me. The writing sustained his quality until the last third. I just did not feel like the wrap up meshed with the rest of the book. It felt wrong.
September 19, 2024
3.75 rounded up to 4.
I’ve found that the audiobooks that best work for me are those that clock in at 6 hours or less, and that the paranormal stories that actually sustain my attention tend to be shorter, novella-type reads.
Haunt Sweet Home was both, with the added bonus of being voiced by wonderful narrators. This little tale stars your local existential drifter, the ever-relatable Mara, who we accompany as she orchestrates practical effects behind the scenes for her cousin’s reality horror show. But when you traffic in fear and deception, something is bound to give. Especially when the very thing you’re terrified of is your little old self. Pretty clever, tbh. I also really liked how Mara’s POV chapters were interspliced with transcripts of the actual fictional show.
If you’re looking for thrills or something legitimately spooky/scary for the season, best to turn elsewhere. What Haunt Sweet Home offers is closer to a character study packaged as a cozy paranormal mystery. So if that’s something that appeals to you, I think this is worth the shot. I personally did not expect for a little book about a tacky TV series to gently hold my hand and tell me that sometimes I’m the problem, that perhaps I need to stop splashing around in my self-pitying mire and actually work towards my own happiness, but here we are.
I’ve found that the audiobooks that best work for me are those that clock in at 6 hours or less, and that the paranormal stories that actually sustain my attention tend to be shorter, novella-type reads.
Haunt Sweet Home was both, with the added bonus of being voiced by wonderful narrators. This little tale stars your local existential drifter, the ever-relatable Mara, who we accompany as she orchestrates practical effects behind the scenes for her cousin’s reality horror show. But when you traffic in fear and deception, something is bound to give. Especially when the very thing you’re terrified of is your little old self. Pretty clever, tbh. I also really liked how Mara’s POV chapters were interspliced with transcripts of the actual fictional show.
If you’re looking for thrills or something legitimately spooky/scary for the season, best to turn elsewhere. What Haunt Sweet Home offers is closer to a character study packaged as a cozy paranormal mystery. So if that’s something that appeals to you, I think this is worth the shot. I personally did not expect for a little book about a tacky TV series to gently hold my hand and tell me that sometimes I’m the problem, that perhaps I need to stop splashing around in my self-pitying mire and actually work towards my own happiness, but here we are.
September 24, 2024
3.5 rounded up.. I was not expecting a cozy horror type of vibe but I liked it! Perfect for someone who doesn’t love horror but wants that vibe for October!
September 13, 2024
hmm i genuinely don’t know what to think of this book. the only pro i can find is that it’s quite short and i finished it in one day.
however i don’t think the audiobook was the best route for this: the narrator was so robotic and the writing style was extremely repetitive and just drawled and drawled and took ages to get to the point.
i called the “twist” from a mile away and when it actually came to the reveal it was quite boring as well.
however i don’t think the audiobook was the best route for this: the narrator was so robotic and the writing style was extremely repetitive and just drawled and drawled and took ages to get to the point.
i called the “twist” from a mile away and when it actually came to the reveal it was quite boring as well.
September 20, 2024
“Haunt sweet home” is a twist on the paranormal side of reality tv.
Mara is an outcast drifter. She has changed her mind on what career she wants and what she wants to study and taken many gap years from school, and quite frankly her family seem to have given up having an expectations or aspirations for her.
When her successful cousin offers her a position working as a crew member for his TV show, she has no other options but to say yes.
I enjoyed the plot surrounding the tv show, as the reader we get to see the inner workings and an insider view to production life on a reality tv series. We also get the insider scoop on how they may set up supposed “hauntings” and jump scares on a show that focuses on renovating a ‘haunted home’.
Mara’s job is to hide out and wait for cues to set off smoke machines or scream scares and make sure she is never seen. Mara dives into the job and you get the sense she is finding her footing and discovering something she finally excels at. She is nailing the job and getting lots of praise. That is until a coworker offers assistance and shines far brighter than Mara, stealing her spotlight and scaring the bejeezus out of the show hosts and guests.
I enjoyed the premise of this book, however I also failed to find the point of it. The ending felt a little underwhelming and I thought that all of Mara’s character growth was diminished by the end. This is a book that may be better shown on screen so you get the benefit of the jump scares without the expectation of including any depth to the plot. .
Narrated by Jennifer Blom; Jess Nahikian; Matt Godfrey; Robb Moreira
Thank you to Sarah Pinsker, Macmillan audio and Tor publishing for the EARC / ALC!
Publish date: September 3rd 2024.
Mara is an outcast drifter. She has changed her mind on what career she wants and what she wants to study and taken many gap years from school, and quite frankly her family seem to have given up having an expectations or aspirations for her.
When her successful cousin offers her a position working as a crew member for his TV show, she has no other options but to say yes.
I enjoyed the plot surrounding the tv show, as the reader we get to see the inner workings and an insider view to production life on a reality tv series. We also get the insider scoop on how they may set up supposed “hauntings” and jump scares on a show that focuses on renovating a ‘haunted home’.
Mara’s job is to hide out and wait for cues to set off smoke machines or scream scares and make sure she is never seen. Mara dives into the job and you get the sense she is finding her footing and discovering something she finally excels at. She is nailing the job and getting lots of praise. That is until a coworker offers assistance and shines far brighter than Mara, stealing her spotlight and scaring the bejeezus out of the show hosts and guests.
I enjoyed the premise of this book, however I also failed to find the point of it. The ending felt a little underwhelming and I thought that all of Mara’s character growth was diminished by the end. This is a book that may be better shown on screen so you get the benefit of the jump scares without the expectation of including any depth to the plot. .
Narrated by Jennifer Blom; Jess Nahikian; Matt Godfrey; Robb Moreira
Thank you to Sarah Pinsker, Macmillan audio and Tor publishing for the EARC / ALC!
Publish date: September 3rd 2024.
October 23, 2024
Fun little book 📖 :) It wasn't super scary for me but it was intriguing and a good ghost story.
I wouldn't mind seeing more Jo and Mara (with Jo playing some pranks on Jeremy alsonhehe)
I would call it horror-lite (not a bad thing).
The one twist near the end after certain events was surprising since I thought it was something else. Would have loved to see a short story after expanding more on that.
Would recommend for spooky 👻 season. I'll probably try this on audiobook next time since I heard good things about the narration.
I wouldn't mind seeing more Jo and Mara (with Jo playing some pranks on Jeremy alsonhehe)
I would call it horror-lite (not a bad thing).
The one twist near the end after certain events was surprising since I thought it was something else. Would have loved to see a short story after expanding more on that.
Would recommend for spooky 👻 season. I'll probably try this on audiobook next time since I heard good things about the narration.
June 14, 2025
This was a very cool concept that was executed in such a mundane and slow-paced way. Bummer for me, and I can’t say I would recommend it to others. I’m not sure who the audience was supposed to be?
September 9, 2024
2024 reads: 249/250
i received an advanced listening copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
on the set of a ghost hunting/home makeover tv show, staged scares become real.
to me, this book was just okay. i didn’t dislike it, but nothing particularly stood out to me. i did like the reality tv show premise, and how this was shown throughout the book, but ultimately, it didn’t pack a punch like i hoped it would. still, i’d recommend this to anyone looking for a quick read for halloween time.
narration: this was narrated by a full cast, and i think they did a great job!
i received an advanced listening copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
on the set of a ghost hunting/home makeover tv show, staged scares become real.
to me, this book was just okay. i didn’t dislike it, but nothing particularly stood out to me. i did like the reality tv show premise, and how this was shown throughout the book, but ultimately, it didn’t pack a punch like i hoped it would. still, i’d recommend this to anyone looking for a quick read for halloween time.
narration: this was narrated by a full cast, and i think they did a great job!
June 27, 2024
This was my first Sarah Pinsker, but it definitely won't be my last! Haunt Sweet Home is a leisurely paced ghost story novella that takes place on the set of a hokey reality TV series that is part historical home renovation and part haunted house investigation.
I loved spending time with the main character Mara, a directionless twentysomething who feels like an outsider in her own boisterous extended family. Sweet but spooky, with lovely empathetic character work and subtly clever turns of phrase. (I'm going to return to this review to include a couple quotations once I can check them against the finished book -- this comes out in the fall).
(FYI, this author is queer but there's no queer content except a passing reference to Mara's cousin being nonbnary)
I loved spending time with the main character Mara, a directionless twentysomething who feels like an outsider in her own boisterous extended family. Sweet but spooky, with lovely empathetic character work and subtly clever turns of phrase. (I'm going to return to this review to include a couple quotations once I can check them against the finished book -- this comes out in the fall).
(FYI, this author is queer but there's no queer content except a passing reference to Mara's cousin being nonbnary)
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April 27, 2025Honestly, if there were a combination haunted house/home improvement show, no matter how fake, I would watch every minute of it. I would kill to see someone trying to put up one of those peel and stick vinyl backsplashes while a ghost keeps ripping it down . . .
*I am not rating books read for the World Fantasy Award.*
*I am not rating books read for the World Fantasy Award.*
January 27, 2025
This was so boring and I would’ve dnf-ed had it not been so short lol
October 20, 2024
This started out promising, as we follow Mara as she starts a new job as part of the night crew on a reality TV show about renovating 'haunted' houses, but quickly got a bit too self aware. It's not particularly scary, preferring to go inward and reflective rather than be genuinely scary. Also wouldn't recommend the audio - the narrator is very monotone. Quick read though.
September 2, 2024
Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker what such a letdown. To start off with the beginning began in a very interesting way but I listen to the audiobook and the narrator reads each sentence as if she is reading a list of sentences as opposed to a paragraph that forms a story. The story was also baffling to me because was it a remodeling show that they purposely caused the new home to be haunted… I mean that seems like a one trick pony in my opinion not to mention the whole screaming cow situation I couldn’t even wrap my head around that. Also I don’t believe there’s enough paranormal activity in the book to consider it a haunted house story. Also for such a short read I got tired of listening to how she didn’t have a chair why she didn’t have a chair I do think the author is a very talented writer I just found Marnie unlikable the story unbelievable and repetitive and also the narrator to be almost a punishment to listen to. She did have a talent for doing the different voices the only problem with that is every voice she did was read robotically and made it hard to listen to.#NetGalley,
September 8, 2024
This could've been an interesting idea if it was properly developed and given time to be a full story.
July 9, 2025
Maybe closer to a 2.5 - I wish this would have been longer to give the plot more time to fully develop. It felt half baked, rushed and super predictable. I also didn’t like the main character (that might have been purposeful though). All of that said, It was a really cool premise/concept and the audiobook was great!
September 2, 2025
Mara, the late-20's loser of her extended family ("I hear she's got a plan to make a plan for her life," jokes one relative) takes a summer job on the TV show her model-cousin hosts, a "reality" series focusing on people moving into old houses that may be -- but mostly aren't really -- haunted. Making them seem spooky is most of Mara's work. But then some unusual, and unplanned, events begin to occur ...It's a good thing this is a novella, because while it was enjoyable, it was also a bit slight. I liked Mara decently well, drifting though she is. And the haunt-y part of the story did start within a page after I grumpily thought, "Something had darned well better happen about now!"
I'm not really sure what to say about this. The story was enjoyable, but also just not much. And I'm not really sure about the ending, and explaining anything to Mara's family. But whatever. It's sweet and good-natured, and took maybe two full hours of my life, so it was a perfectly acceptable use of my time.
November 12, 2024
This is not a horror story at all. But I also don’t understand what the “coming of age” lesson was supposed to be.
April 7, 2025
The MC was such a horrible person as were her family and the people she worked with. The only "person" with any kind of redeemable qualities was the ghost.
October 15, 2024
After sitting with my impressions, this is somewhere around the 3.5 to 4-star range for me. The character work is amazing, especially in the first few chapters, but the integration of the supernatural elements didn't quite click for me.
Mara is adrift in her late twenties, somewhere between adrift and depressed, half-heartedly planning to try community college again for the fourth time and sad not to fit in with the rest of her family. She's the youngest grandchild, somewhat left behind and outside the core group of her cousins in a way that's just beautifully articulated-- she's not bitter, but there's a lot of wistfulness about not being able to change things like her age as the last kid and the only one without a custom-carved wooden chair from her grandmother combined with inertia about things she perhaps could change (learning an instrument to fit in with their musical circles, or committing to career) but hasn't. She reads as someone who's sad and lonely without quite knowing why, sort of having a quarter-life crisis without quite having a big crisis moment. The first few chapters are a meditative character study of sorts and probably my favorite part of the book: it's rare to see this much quiet, non-dramatic background done with such a delicate touch.
When the supernatural elements entered, they did so with such an awkward moment that I picked up on the uncanny happening in the very first paragraph of . Pinsker didn't want to tell a big dramatic story here, and I respect that, but the spooky moments needed a slower build, with hints of strange energy before it takes physical shape, and/or a bigger finish to really work here. She's done amazing horror-atmosphere work in shorter pieces like "Two Truths and a Lie" or "Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather", but this reads more like "In Joy, Knowing the Abyss Behind". That's not a bad story by any means, just one that leans far into literary fiction/ character study work for 90% of the story and is 10% a pinch of speculative element without really following through on the speculative piece beyond "oh hey, that was weird and probably affected me." For this novella, I was really hoping to see more of her best atmospheric work to really bring the conclusion together.
To get into more spoilers for a minute:
The story around all that is fun in other ways, though. One of Pinsker's distinctive strengths as an author is her love of describing how people make art, from wooden sculptures to cheesy basic-cable TV. All the little moments of hard work and craftsmanship and collective vision really hang together. Her research and eye for detail really comes through, and that investment does so much to show why her characters are the way they are and what artistic passions they have. Some of the reality-TV segments where Mara is doing simple production assistant work are slow, but I like immersing myself in people's weird jobs, so that was great for me. If you want to read about a twenty-something finally finding a job that's exciting and challenging for her, I think that career angle is a real plus.
Overall, I think that the best elements here are powerful, and I love the closing note of "tell your own story as you want it told"-- the supernatural finish and pacing towards the conclusion are just on the weaker side. I won't be nominating it, but I wouldn't be mad or surprised to see it on next year's Hugo novella ballot.
//
First impressions: around 4 stars. The character study work here is beautiful, but the supernatural elements are weaker and don't quite blend with their surroundings in a satisfying way. I'd pitch this more as a late-twenties coming-of-age story with a pinch of the supernatural than as a conventional horror story, which is fine, but I was hoping for a little more sharpness in the confrontation and falling action. RTC.
Other recommendations:
- If you like this thoughtful tone, check out Sarah Pinsker's short story collections, Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea and Lost Places.
- If you're mostly interested in the unsettling TV-show background angle, check out Mister Magic.
Mara is adrift in her late twenties, somewhere between adrift and depressed, half-heartedly planning to try community college again for the fourth time and sad not to fit in with the rest of her family. She's the youngest grandchild, somewhat left behind and outside the core group of her cousins in a way that's just beautifully articulated-- she's not bitter, but there's a lot of wistfulness about not being able to change things like her age as the last kid and the only one without a custom-carved wooden chair from her grandmother combined with inertia about things she perhaps could change (learning an instrument to fit in with their musical circles, or committing to career) but hasn't. She reads as someone who's sad and lonely without quite knowing why, sort of having a quarter-life crisis without quite having a big crisis moment. The first few chapters are a meditative character study of sorts and probably my favorite part of the book: it's rare to see this much quiet, non-dramatic background done with such a delicate touch.
When the supernatural elements entered, they did so with such an awkward moment that I picked up on the uncanny happening in the very first paragraph of . Pinsker didn't want to tell a big dramatic story here, and I respect that, but the spooky moments needed a slower build, with hints of strange energy before it takes physical shape, and/or a bigger finish to really work here. She's done amazing horror-atmosphere work in shorter pieces like "Two Truths and a Lie" or "Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather", but this reads more like "In Joy, Knowing the Abyss Behind". That's not a bad story by any means, just one that leans far into literary fiction/ character study work for 90% of the story and is 10% a pinch of speculative element without really following through on the speculative piece beyond "oh hey, that was weird and probably affected me." For this novella, I was really hoping to see more of her best atmospheric work to really bring the conclusion together.
To get into more spoilers for a minute:
The story around all that is fun in other ways, though. One of Pinsker's distinctive strengths as an author is her love of describing how people make art, from wooden sculptures to cheesy basic-cable TV. All the little moments of hard work and craftsmanship and collective vision really hang together. Her research and eye for detail really comes through, and that investment does so much to show why her characters are the way they are and what artistic passions they have. Some of the reality-TV segments where Mara is doing simple production assistant work are slow, but I like immersing myself in people's weird jobs, so that was great for me. If you want to read about a twenty-something finally finding a job that's exciting and challenging for her, I think that career angle is a real plus.
Overall, I think that the best elements here are powerful, and I love the closing note of "tell your own story as you want it told"-- the supernatural finish and pacing towards the conclusion are just on the weaker side. I won't be nominating it, but I wouldn't be mad or surprised to see it on next year's Hugo novella ballot.
//
First impressions: around 4 stars. The character study work here is beautiful, but the supernatural elements are weaker and don't quite blend with their surroundings in a satisfying way. I'd pitch this more as a late-twenties coming-of-age story with a pinch of the supernatural than as a conventional horror story, which is fine, but I was hoping for a little more sharpness in the confrontation and falling action. RTC.
Other recommendations:
- If you like this thoughtful tone, check out Sarah Pinsker's short story collections, Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea and Lost Places.
- If you're mostly interested in the unsettling TV-show background angle, check out Mister Magic.
September 6, 2024
A great start to spooky season!
Definitely pick up the audio for this one, it’s super short (less than 4 hours) and the narrator brought it to life. I did think at first maybe it was a bit monotone but the more I learned about the main character, Mara, it was so fitting and she brought her to LIFE 👏🏻
A haunted house makeover show and Mara is the new overnight manager in charge of making sure the new homeowners are spooked.
Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for my ALC! This one is out now.
#MacAudio2024
Definitely pick up the audio for this one, it’s super short (less than 4 hours) and the narrator brought it to life. I did think at first maybe it was a bit monotone but the more I learned about the main character, Mara, it was so fitting and she brought her to LIFE 👏🏻
A haunted house makeover show and Mara is the new overnight manager in charge of making sure the new homeowners are spooked.
Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for my ALC! This one is out now.
#MacAudio2024
October 22, 2024
Review coming soon.
December 6, 2024
Really interesting premise that just didn’t hit home for me! Was disappointed the direction this one took
September 23, 2024
This novella is perfect for #SpookySeason
It's truly one-of-a-kind, blending a behind-the-scenes reality TV feel with a cozy paranormal tale that also has a touch of light horror. It's unique as it intertwines a journey of self-discovery within a horror-filled, atmospheric setting.
I loved how it manages to be slightly satirical while still delivering a chilling and haunting experience!
It's truly one-of-a-kind, blending a behind-the-scenes reality TV feel with a cozy paranormal tale that also has a touch of light horror. It's unique as it intertwines a journey of self-discovery within a horror-filled, atmospheric setting.
I loved how it manages to be slightly satirical while still delivering a chilling and haunting experience!
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