Why Didn't You Just Leave

by Julia Rios (editor), Nadia Bulkin (editor)

It's the question asked of any story about a why didn't you just leave? But if accounts of people who have stayed in haunted houses are any indication ... it's never that simple.




In this book, you'll find twenty-two all-new stories about the reasons people don't leave scary situations-parents who stay in haunted houses to protect their children, convicts who literally can't leave their prison, retail workers who need a paycheck even if it's from a haunted workplace, trauma survivors suffering from agoraphobia, and more.




Featuring Shauntae Ball, I.S. Belle, Die Booth, Max Booth III, Christa Carmen, Raquel Castro, Alberto Chimal, Gabe Converse, Lyndsey Croal, Victoria Dalpe, Alexis DuBon, Corey Farrenkopf, Cassandra Khaw, Joe Koch, E.M. Linden, Steve Loiaconi, R. Diego Martinez, J.A.W. McCarthy, Suzan Palumbo, Tonia Ransom, Rhiannon Rasmussen, and Eden Royce. With illustrations by Luke Spooner, Yves Tourigny, and Yornelys Zambrano.

Genres: Horror, Anthologies, Short Stories, Adult, Ghosts, Ghost Stories, Fantasy

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 30, 2024

About the author

Julia Rios writes all sorts of things, and edits primarily YA short fiction. Her fiction, articles, interviews, and poetry have appeared in Daily Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, Stone Telling, Jabberwocky, and several other places. Books she's edited include Kaleidoscope: Diverse YA Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories, and the Year's Best YA Speculative Fiction series. She's half-Mexican, but her (fairly dreadful) French is better than her Spanish.

Reviews

[Ange ⚕ angethology · Rating 4 out of 5]

When it comes to people staying in toxic households, people often pose the question "but why didn't you just leave?" This anthology explores this, and the concept of one's attachment to a home — whether they want it or not. The answer to that question appears in various, nefarious stories with either a supernatural undertone, or sometimes full-blown, Amityville-type hauntings. I adore the varied stories as well as styles in the book. Besides the typical notion of a home luring you in, the anthology also focuses on how other places can be home, and how others try to make their place of residence a home despite all the other signs it's not: "There was no place like home. Because it was worse outside. This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but a whimper."

Some of the stories are nostalgic to me and reminiscent of the cathartic horror I used to read years ago, like the choose-your-own-adventure format in "No Joy Exists Anywhere Beyond Your Front Door" by Corey Farrenkopf, which reminds me of Goosebumps. Other stories incorporate a current online subculture such as the final "AITA for Setting My Dad's Trailer on Fire" story by Max Booth III. My personal favorites are "Your Application to Vacata 372 Wicker Avenue Is Still Pending" bySteve Loiaconi, "The Spirit Bed" by Eden Royce, "The Walls in This House" by Lyndsey Croal, and "Mother Nature Knows Best" by Tonia Ransom. Whether toxic relationships, domestic issues, or being under the throes of capitalism, there's a story for everyone that unfortunately might hit home.

Thank you Cursed Morsels Press & BookSirens for the eARC, all opinions are my own.

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Why Didn't You Just Leave' contains twenty-two ghost stories (one, the smartly done opening story, Corey Farrenkopf's "No Joy Exists Anywhere Beyond Your Front Door," is broken up into several parts dispersed throughout the anthology, a pick-your-own-path kind of story). In fact, it'd be better to call them stories about hauntings, and perhaps even better, "lockdown hauntings." The premise of the anthology is simply genius: as the editor explains it, "'Why Didn’t You Just Leave' is a horror anthology about people trapped in haunted locations." Sometimes, this haunted place is a jealous house ("Where There’s Smoke" by Alexis DuBon); a possessive chair (Max Booth III's "AITA for setting my dad’s trailer on fire?"); a demonic bathroom ("Spend-A-Penny" by Die Booth). Other times, however, the haunting is yourself; your own mind, your own body ("The Head Harvest" by Joe Koch); the memory of your missing daughter ("The World Ended There" by Alberto Chimal); even your insanity (Shauntae Ball's "Wolves in the Little Pig’s House"). In all cases, you can't leave, and, if asked why, you cannot really answer. The anthology succeeds brilliantly in its aim: all the stories are brimming with originality and intelligent, clean prose, they offer several instances of creepiness and anxiety, and, what's more important, they deliver. They are genuine horror stories, stories of great ideas, diverse settings, and huge entertainment for all horror fans. I cannot recommend it enough!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a review copy by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Having recently discovered Cursed Morsel Press with "The Nightmare Box and Other Stories", I was incredibly excited to get this ARC in my inbox. I was expecting a great work of diverse horror with stories that would make my skin crawl and explore societal wrongs at the same time and I received that. But I also received a wonderful exploration of the haunted house genre and its themes of family, poverty and trauma. The hauntings are often something different here, from your typical vengeful ghosts, over trauma, possession, loss, mental illness and other people, to a strange disease and the places that are haunted reach from ones own home, a loved ones home, a prison, a hut in the mountains, a bathroom, a bed and an old chair. As you can already tell, there's a wide variety provided here and in general if you enjoy the haunted house trope please read this collection! There will be a story here that you enjoy!
My personal favorite pieces were: Exposure by E.M. Linden, Your Application to Vacate 372 Wicker Avenue is still Pending by Steve Loiaconi, Lamai by J.A.W. McCarthy, She Has Me, She Holds Me, She Shows Me the Emptiness by R. Diego Martinez, To the Moon and Back by Christa Carmen, Good Company by Suzan Palumbo, Tell me your Sins and I'll tell you Mine by Cassandra Khaw & AITA for setting my dad's trailer on fire by Max Booth III. I've bolded them in my short list where I've noted down some trigger warnings (which are also provided in the back of the book!):

No Joy Exists Anywhere Beyond Your Front Door by Corey Farrenkopf - a pick your own adventure type story featuring a nice combination of four fucked up homes, I particularly liked the serial killer floorboards and the house made of skin and most importantly I am so glad I don't live in either, 4/5 tw gore
The World Ended There by Alberto Chimal - a heartbreaking haunting of loss, the world depicted here was bleak and haunting and unfortunately much too realistic, 4/5 tw murder, implied csa
*Fav* Exposure by E.M. Linden - an isolation horror set in a small mountain hut during a snow story, veeeeery good and claustrophobic, 5/5 tw death
Spend-A-Penny by Die Booth - a haunted public bathroom featuring a trans woman MC, spooky and yet with a very sweet ending, 4/5
Kin by Raquel Castro -A hungry haunted house and the family that it devours, fuuuuun!!!! 4/5 tw suicide, infant death
*Fav* Your Application to Vacate 372 Wicker Avenue is Still Pending by Steve Loiaconi - A family desperately trying to move out of a government funded haunted home when the haunting turns out to be a lot more deadly than advertised, wonderfully describes the frustration and horror of the very slow movement of bureaucracy, 5/5 tw: death
*Fav* Lamai by J.A.W. McCarthy - A ghost helps a lesbian get over her unrequited crush, messed up and really fun! 5/5 tw murder, eating non-food, hallucinations
The Spirit Bed by Eden Royce - A haunted bed and a sister delving into dreams to rescue her sister, it's ok and I liked the ghost lore but unfortunately the rest was a bit boring and this story did not interest me that much, 2/5 tw ableism
*Fav* She Has Me, She Holds Me, She Shows Me the Emptiness by R. Diego Martinez - a man escapes from his unhealthy relationship and mental illness by letting a ghost possess him, disassociation swag, fuuuuuun!!!! Tw: self harm, discussion of suicide, emotional abuse, past homophobic hate crime 5/5
Unread Messages by Gabe Converse - a trans man is haunted by his mother that kicked him out after transitioning, heartbreaking and scary, bonus points for a cute cat <3, 4/5 tw transphobic parent, deadnaming
Because It Was Worse Outside by Victoria Dalpe - a woman unable to leave her house under the best circumstances faces a new horror when a terrifying creature starts appearing in her wall, fucky, scary and unfortunately realistic in its horror, 4/5 tw: past rape, past murder, anxiety/panic attacks/trauma
Wolves in the Little Pig's House by Shauntae Ball - three siblings escape from their hoarder mother's house after a fire, but are they truly free? Interesting and messed up, 4/5 tw: physical abuse, murder, abusive family, animal death
Mother Nature Knows Best by Tonia Ransom - a convicted serial killer and a woman exchange letters when some strange disease starts infecting people in the prison, fuuuuuun and it felt incredibly timely considering the way Covid19 was allowed to sweep through prisons, 4/5 tw: death row, epidemic, serial murder, death
*Fav* To the Moon and Back by Christa Carmen - When i started this short story i was confused how the title would work, but it does fit wonderfully, a mother haunted and her concered daughter, made me tear up a bit, 5/5 tw: past covid deaths, past epidemic, past attempted rape, past schoolshooting
*Fav* Good Company by Suzan Palumbo - A migrant caretaker is determined to stay at her place of employment at any cost, even if her employer's ghosts are coming after her, heartbreaking and scary and a very great exploration of the exploitation of migrant labor, 5/5 tw: past child death, strangulation
The Walls in This House by Lyndsey Croal - a young girl and her neglectful mother live in a house haunted by her dead grandmother, fucked up but fun!!!! 4/5 tw: neglectful parent, animal murder, murder
*Fav* Tell Me Your Sins and I'll Tell You Mine by Cassandra Khaw - a woman with a dark past moves into a new place with her husband, he loves her despite her past and she tries to make it work, but their neighbors, his friends, that they moved in with, really don't make it easy! Soooo fucked up, gross and fun!!!! 5/5 tw murder
Where There's Smoke by Alexis DuBon - a house that loves you and hates you and most importantly wants to keep you all for itself, fun and scary, very lyrical and I loved the descriptions of colors 4/5, tw: abusive relationship
Anagen by Rhiannon Rasmussen - very short, about a student moving into a hallway thats pretty much just a toilet and a bathtub, cursed renting experience, but too short to be truly unsettling 3/5
The Head Harvest by Joe Koch - a man returning to his childhood home that he left with his dad telling him to never come back and finding it empty, unfortunately a bit disjointed and not too interesting to me, 2/5 tw animal death
Teeth by I.S. Belle - A lonely person moves into a new places with roommates and hopes to find connection, unfortunately the house is quite possessive, fun! 4/5 tw: unsanitary living conditions, domestic abuse (in a way)
*Fav* AITA for setting my dad's trailer on fire: Max Booth III - A daughter returns to her hoarder dad's trailer after her mom's death to help him clean it before selling it, gross and fucked up and fun!!!!!!, 5/5 tw medical gore, graphic injury, unsanitary, disordered eating

[Books For Decaying Millennials · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a digital of this book from BookSirens in exchange for an honest review

This is Not a Paid Review
-I received a digital of this book from BookSirens in exchange for an honest review

This is Not a Paid Review
-
Young Horror publisher have made a name for themselves within the literary Horror sphere by publishing works of Horror and Weird Fiction that are, to quote their wbesite: "Anti-Capitalist, Anti-Facist and ProQueer". While i have not, as yet, read their complete catalog of titles. I have read, and reviewed No Trouble at All , as well as the forthcoming collection Nightmare Box and Other Stories .

The Title of this anthology Why Didn't You Just Leave? is a common question. Within the Horror Sphere both cinematic and written, that question is often posed to Characters. It's an easy question to ask from the safe perspective of the reader, or as the observer taking an a film. Beyond the scope of the Fictious, that same question " Why Didn't You Just leave?" is a question often posed to people who have suffered great hardship, been the victims abuse, and a host of other circumstances. Why didn't they just leave? It's never a simple answer, never an Easy answer.

Make no mistake, this is a collection of stories of people existing in, and interacting with Haunted Spaces. The editors of this anthology Julia Rios and Nadia Bulkin, have brought together twenty-two instances where the reader is asked to consider "What makes a place haunted?". Topics such as housing insecurity, Abuse and a myriad of other ugly facets of late stage capitalism are woven into their own haunted spaces. The collected anthology leaves the reader with a rich, troubling and thoughtful experience that has the mark of quality one can already come to expect from a Cursed Morsels title. Read this book, consider what haunted spaces you yourself may have occupied. In what ways do they mirror the haunted spaces inside yourself?

[Tom Coombe · Rating 5 out of 5]

As much as I love horror, I don't love ghost stories. But I have loved the other anthologies from Cursed Morsels, so it was a given that I'd pick this one up. While all the stories here deal with hauntings and characters who -- for whatever season -- can't "just leave," there's an incredible breadth of stories on display here.

Some are darkly funny ("Your Application to Vacate 372 Wicker Ave is Still Pending" by Steve Loiaconi, "AITA for setting my dad's trailer on fire?" by Max Booth). Others are achingly sad ("The World Ended There" by Alberto Chimal, "Where There's Smoke" by Alexis Dubon) and some outright scary ("Exposure" by E.M. Linden, "Good Company" by Suzan Palumbo, "Mother Nature Knows Best" by Tonia Ransom). A worthy addition to this press' already superb line-up.

[Brian Mcclain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the best collections I've read.

The central idea, of placing characters in an uncomfortable or scary situation wherein everything is telling them to get out and them staying instead is a lens through which a lot of things can be explored. Some of these stories are tragic, some are scary or at the very least creepy, and some are weirdly uplifting. But what I can say is that they are uniformly great and that I highly recommend this book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Genesee Rickel]

"I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I love a good haunted house story. But, yeah, I do often find myself asking, “Why didn’t you just leave?” Which is part of why I love this short story anthology. All of these stories illustrate that escaping a haunted house is never as simple as just leaving. Don’t believe me? Read and find out." - Emily Martin, BookRiot horror newsletter

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting mix of stories exploring the haunted house/ghosts idea. They did a great job supporting the question, "Why didn't you just leave?"

Highlights were:

Corey Farrenkopf
Steve Loiaconi
Victoria Dalpe
Joe Koch
Max Booth III

[Erin Crane]

I wanted to be into this! Cool idea, and it won an award. But I was just incredibly bored with most of it. Maybe that speaks to my preference for much weirder stuff when it comes to short stories.

[Dex · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I grabbed the eARC of Why Didn't You Just Leave, I expected a collection of interesting ghost stories. Sure, I figured a few would be unique twists on the average haunted house but honestly, I would have been perfectly content with a good old spookum in the attic to read before bed. What I got was so much creepier, better, and stranger.

Content Warnings are included in the book ranging from death of family members, referenced SA of a child, infant death, animal deaths, transphobia, and more. The CWs are listed by story so that you can avoid or prepare yourselves on an individual level.

First off, there are some traditional haunting stories in this book. Don't go in from what I said here and expect every story to blow your mind. For example, Spend-A-Penny by Die Booth plays with a very traditional eerie haunting situation. The twist is that its in an old cinema bathroom. Even with that, I got very creeped out reading Leila's experience as she tries to face her fears and what that gets her.

What I found truly unique in this book was the choose-your-haunting style story but Corey Farrenkopf. No Joy Exists Anywhere Beyond Your Front Door is told in 5 parts throughout the anthology and each section is more unnerving than the last. I was super impressed at the anthology's inclusion of this story and hope to see more like this gamified horror in future books.

The unique story telling styles didn't end there. AITA for setting my dad's trailer on fire? by Max Booth III was laid out like a Reddit post, complete with throwaway user name and an edit half-way through. This story made me nauseous and so freaked out but I couldn't look away. There was something so morbidly real about the story that it kept me awake, thinking about it. Thanks Max...thanks.

That wasn't the story that got to me though. The one that got to me was Because It Was Worse Outside by Victoria Dalpe. As someone who struggles with anxiety and has agoraphobic tendencies that I have to consciously avoid letting grow into a bigger problem, I related all too much to Ali. It was a story I had to sit with for a while. One of those stories you hold inside of your chest, near your heart. One of those, whether the author realizes it or not, it made you feel seen (even when you don't want to be perceived).

5 Stars for Why Didn't You Just Leave

I highly recommend this anthology for fans of supernatural horror and ghost stories that are looking for something different to sink their teeth into.

[R.J.K. Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I jumped around the reading order a ton with this anthology. I started with Corey Farrenkopf's choose your own path story, which was fun, since it allowed you to click a link tied to your choice of haunted house and follow deeper into your choice or shuffle back to the street and select a different option. Each choice circles around the immersive dark joy of horror the houses present. If anything, I wish there was more of that, but it was satisfying to see how the choices played with its title and theme: No Joy Exists Anywhere Beyond Your Front Door.

That wasn't my favorite though. My three favorites that made this a five-star read were:

"Your Application to Vacate 372 Wicker Avenue is Still Pending" by Steve Loiaconi. A series of letters from the regional director for paranormal affairs sent to a family that wants to a tenant who wants to be rid of their property but is forced to continue living there due to a contract signed. Great twist on how government bureaucracy and the housing market screwing over a family. Quote: "Additionally, with rents skyrocketing and the unhouses population exploding, GHOST offers a unique opportunity for first-time home buyers with poor credit to develop a track record of financial responsibility."

"She Has Me, She Holds Me, She Shows Me the Emptiness" by R. Diego Martinez - adds extra levels of horror to depression and possession, and there's a barren dark melody to this that clings to you after… be careful. Quote: "Diego, Diego, Diego, says my husband. Useless words from beyond the fishbowl of her Possession. He screams from a million miles in the distance, and I do not care to listen. We sit in the bed, floral and reeking of his cologne, in the master bedroom at the center of the swirling second floor. She's got you again, baby."

"Tell Me Your Sins and I'll Tell You Mine" by Cassandra Khaw - I had high expectations going in as I always do with anything by this author, and I was not disappointed. Really enjoyed how this came together by the end, so I'll avoid any spoilers, just a quote from near the start of it: "But she can't help her trepidation any more than she can help her lack of love. The burgundy shadows of the bar seem to defy causality, appearing where they shouldn't; where they aren't, there is a bloodied, diffused light: rose-kissed, chatoyant, eerie."

I appreciated the inclusion of a variety of real-life issues that engaged me, in particular the mention of the difficulties being poor (The World Ended There), the mention of how news and its fictions about predatory trans women crush real trans women with fear and anxiety (Spend-a-Penny), and of course the housing market and economy that can drag you down forever until death or beyond in Your Application.

One other cool thing about this anthology is the inclusion of haunting black and white art here and there by Luke Spooner, Yves Tourigny, and Yornelys Zambrano. Really added to the mood of those stories, and I found myself revisiting the illustrations to muse on darkness after finishing each story.

There are many more stories I enjoyed within. Some circle around similar topics inevitably, but there was a nice range of hauntings that really balanced out the anthology. Highly recommend jumping in for this unnerving crawl through new haunted house stories, often too close to reality to let go after you're done…

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to editor and Book Sirens for the opportunity.

[Dawn Colclasure · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a good mix of stories here. I didn’t read the stories written in second person POV because I don’t like those kinds of stories, but I read all of the other ones, and I liked them a lot.

Here are my favorites:

"The World Ended There" by Alberto Chimal was such a powerful story. It’s filled with tragedy, sorrow, grief and longing. As a mother, I COMPLETELY understood wanting to stay in a situation like that. I don’t think I would have been able to leave either.

The story “Spend-A-Penny” by Die Booth was awesome. I totally understood how working somewhere creepy can make it hard to do your job. I also understood how coworkers don’t care and want you to do your job anyway! The way this story unraveled was just so spooky.

I also loved the story “Kin” by Raquel Castro. Wow, there’s quite a crowd of ghosts in that house! Natalia should count herself lucky to be able to converse with dearly departed family in that house. At least she can get answers to questions and get the closure she could not before when a loved one passed. Yes, the ghosts reaching out to her to talk to her startles her a little. It even leaves her a bit unsettled. But she realizes what’s going on, accepts it, and then just goes with it. I also found it interesting that a particular ghost shows up sometime after she was thinking of her. This is actually something that really happens; the ghosts of our loved ones can show up just from us thinking about them.

I also enjoyed the story “The Spirit Bed” by Eden Royce. The ending was totally unexpected!

I loved reading “Wolves in the Little Pig’s House” by Shauntae Ball! This story was so dark and disturbing. The sibling relationship is one I understood (I have four sisters) and the surprise at the end really threw me!

“To the Moon and Back” by Christa Carmen was another good story. At first, I didn’t understand the mother’s calmness over the haunting and even the violence happening. But reading more of the story and putting pieces together, I understood the what and why of everything with the house she was living in. Mothers make sacrifices for their children (well, most mothers do, anyway!) and so I understood why she didn’t do anything about the haunting she was living with, or why she didn’t leave that house.

I also enjoyed reading the story “The Walls in The House” by Lyndsey Croal. I thought the little girl in the story was all sweet and innocent – but she really isn’t! She is dark and disturbing! I was totally surprised by what she did to the bird that injured her pet rabbit and then with her mother. Yikes! This story was really dark and very twisted.

Why Didn’t You Just Leave is a great collection of stories on the theme of being stuck somewhere. I enjoyed seeing how the authors told stories with this theme and some of those stories just really stayed with me. It’s definitely a good anthology of stories that provides creepy and terrifying tales.

[Francesca Forrest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars because it's a comprehensive collection of different types of take on the question, Faced with the fact that your house was haunted, why didn't you just leave?

Some stories examined the question straight up: what keeps people in bad housing situations? In Susan Palumbo's "Good Company," a live-in caretaker accepts supernatural abuse that should go her employer because doing so gets her a visa and an opportunity to save money for her kids. In "The World Ended There," by Alberto Chimal, a mother stays in the family house in a bad neighborhood because her daughter was murdered, and the unquiet dead "have to grab hold of whatever they can, anything from this world, so they don't end up disappearing"--and the mom wants to be that something for her daughter. And several stories feature terrible living situations that people accept--or in one case, try fruitless to leave only to be stymied by bureaucracy ("Your application to vacate 372 Wicker Aenue is still pending," by Steve Loiaconi)-- because housing is so expensive.

In some stories, the house has a personality and tries to hold on to the protagonist. In Alexis DuBon's "Where There's Smoke," the house is like an abusive and manipulative partner, seeking to isolate the protagonist from all others; in I.S. Belle's "Teeth" it's more of a codependent situation. As a reader, you may think the house isn't that great for the protagonist, but also as a reader, you can see why she responds to it.

Several stories feature narrators who start out in situations that might incline you to be sympathetic to them and then gradually reveal themselves to be monstrous. The house and leaving or not leaving feel somewhat incidental for some of these. The most chilling of the uh-oh-this-narrator! stories for me was J.A.W. McCarthy's "Lamai."

I enjoyed unreservedly "No Joy Exists Anywhere Beyond Your Front Door," by Corey Farrenkopf. The concept was fun: a choose-your-own-adventure of different haunted housing situations, with the various options appearing at various points in the book, all done humorously but with the horror of the thing lurking behind the humor.

If the concept of the anthology intrigues you, I think you'll enjoy it very much. As with any anthology, there are bound to be a few stories that don't quite do it for you, but I have to say that in my own case, even being a non-horror reader, even the stories that fell into that category were engrossing and well written.

[Lydia Schoch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Escape isn’t always as easy as it may seem.

The bureaucracy in ”Your Application to Vacate 372 Wicker Avenue Is Still Pending” was simultaneously amusing and scary, especially once I realized why this particular home was included as an affordable option for low-income applicants. Writing it in epistolary form only increased the tension in the storyline as it was easy to imagine what sorts of angry and frightened letters the clerk was responding to as things went from bad to worse.

As much as I enjoyed the theme of this anthology, the stories themselves were uneven. Some of them were excellent while others ended much too abruptly for my tastes. While I wouldn’t expect every loose end in them to be tied up, there were multiple times when I was left hanging and wondering what just happened. ”The Spirit Bed” was one example of this. It showed what happened to two sisters after one of them was attacked by an evil spirit. I was immediately drawn into the storyline but surprised by how quickly it ended and how many unanswered questions I had by the final sentence.

“AITA For Setting My Dad’s Trailer on Fire?” was a memorable way to end this book. It was written in the style of Reddit post by a character who wondered what her ethical obligation was to her parents whose house had become unliveable thanks to hoarding. (You do not have to be familiar with Reddit or the Am I the A**hole subreddit in order to understand this one, but people who do understand the social conventions on that site and that subreddit in particular many find a few extra things to think about). I don’t want to give away spoilers about what else she discovered there, but I loved the narrative flow of this one as additional layers of detail were revealed as she described her parents’ dangerous home without holding anything back.

Why Didn’t You Just Leave made me shudder.

[Timy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Why Didn’t You Just Leave?" by Julia Rios is a captivating anthology that delves into the realm of hauntings—be it haunted houses, objects, or individuals. Initially, I presumed the title referred to the ghosts themselves, anticipating stories that would explore their reasons for lingering in our world. However, as I journeyed through the pages, it became clear that the question is directed more poignantly towards the haunted subjects. These individuals are ensnared by relentless anxiety, fear, and pressure, leading to an erosion of their very essence. What remains is an empty vessel, vulnerable to being haunted anew. Hence... Why didn`t they just leave?

The anthology boasts an impressive array of authors, each carefully selected to contribute to this mesmerizing collection. Their writing is fluid and beautiful, evoking a spectrum of emotions that pour into the reader's mind like a fine wine. There are no hiccups in the storytelling—no puerile expressions or unfinished business (except where ambiguity serves the narrative purpose).

A delightful surprise is the inclusion of a "choose-your-own-adventure" story at the beginning. However, I felt that the subchapters of this narrative, dispersed throughout the book, did not entirely meet my expectations. Each choice hinted at great potential, but the telegraphic style left me wanting more depth. Despite this minor flaw, it did not detract significantly from my overall enjoyment of the book.

In summary, "Why Didn’t You Just Leave?" is a remarkable anthology that I highly recommend. I give it 4.5 stars and eagerly await the next anthology from Julia Rios. Should there be a new ARC, I would be the first in line to experience another round of her exceptional selections.

[Jacob Mohr · Rating 3 out of 5]

/ I received a physical copy of this book as a benefit of backing the Kickstarter. /

This anthology has some excellent ideas (in fact, it's brightest idea is the premise of the project itself, a collection of stories of hauntings where the hauntee's don't simply GTFO, and tell us the readers why). But over 22 total stories, this bright premise wears thin, and the stories begin to run together.

High points include Corey Farrenkopf's choose-your-own-horror "No Joy Exists Anywhere Beyond Your Front Door," Alberto Chimal's atmospheric "The World Ended There," and EM Linden's excellent ghost story "Exposure," but these are early flashes of brilliance that whittle away the deeper the reader wades. Aside from later entries from the always-excellent JAW McCarthy, Cassandra Khaw, and Max Booth III, this turns out not to be a premise that can extend to quite this many tales.

I'm glad this project got funded, and I'm glad this anthology exists. But it is, like so many of its ilk, uneven in quality and substance, especially compared to the publisher's past efforts (SHREDDED and NO TROUBLE AT ALL). To quote one story title, "...because it was worse outside" can only be so scary for so long.

[Sasha Dumontier · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the strongest anthologies I’ve read in a while. Full of viscerally unpleasant stories (in a good way, of course) and truly inventive takes on what it means for a place or a person to be haunted. I had a slight apprehension towards the stories that seemed a bit “gimmicky” at first but they ended up being just as wonderful—which is a great reminder that ultimately, it’s all about the execution.

If I had to mention a few favorites, I’d go with (in no particular order) : Mother Nature Knows Best by Tonia Ransom, No Joy Exists Anywhere Beyond Your Front Door by Corey Farrenkopf (what a great title), Wolves in the Little Pig’s House by Shauntae Ball (wow!!!) and The Head Harvest by Joe Koch. And I feel a few others might join that strata upon re-reading. No duds.

[Shannon Denaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like most anthologies, some stories are better than others, but all were well written and intriguing. There's a good mix of ideas and the artwork adds some nice atmosphere. A few of the stories cut deep and are quite memorable. I was especially fond of the choose your own adventure style story that was peppered throughout.

My only issue has nothing to do with the content and does not factor into my rating but is worth mentioning. The quality of the book itself is very good. The cover has a nice texture and the pages are heavy but my copy was cut improperly so that the first 30 pages were bound together. I was able to fix this by tearing the pages apart as I read, but I wish I had used scissors in hindsight.

[Spencer Koelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one I didn't finish. At the time I was alternating with another book, and I found myself looking forward more to the other ones.

I think part of it is that, on the whole, this book lacks balance/tonal variety. I know this is an odd thing to say about a horror anthology, but it's overall to bleak and just plain not fun on the whole. Your mileage may vary, of course.

I did like Spend a Penny as an interesting haunting, and Mother Nature Knows Best was a great way of showing the injustices of the carcereal system while still having a completely unsympathetic protagonist as well as generally unsettling.

Mostly though, it was just too much of a downer for me.

[Faith Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first i was just expecting your average ghost stories, but this book definitely surprised me in the best way. The stories contained here were creepy, scary, some of them sad, but all of them were amazing reads. I would definitely read another work by Julia Rios. *I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*

[Kajsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Fun concept. I really loved the first stort where you could choose your own path. The other 21 stories are almost all nice quality. You have everything in this collection: horror, ghosts, love, tears and creepy environments. I really recommend it!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book of short horror stories was really good. Each story was unique and different from each other even with the common theme of haunted house. I would read more like this in the future and would suggest this to someone looking for an interesting horror read.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Thesincouch · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories that I really liked I REALLY liked or loved but there were some duds, like usual. The kind of anthology you can read without dipping in and out as they are quite different takes around the same take of why didn't you just leave. A lot of them are about haunted houses but like I liked that.

[Kathryn Grace Loves Horror · Rating 4 out of 5]

The concept of this one is a winner. The title is a question often asked of horror characters. If the house is haunted, if a serial killer stalks a location, if a monster lives in the lake...why don't you just leave? The stories in this book attempt to answer that question, while remaining effective horror tales.

Highlights include:

AITA for setting my dad's trailer on fire? by Max Booth III - I have quickly become a big fan of Booth, and this somewhat stomach churning, really pretty disgusting story got under my skin. The narrator tries to help her hoarder father move out of the trailer where he lived with her mom until the mother's death. This one gets really gross, and by the time you get to the end, you'll agree, emphatically, that the narrator is Not the Asshole.

Your Application to Vacate 372 Wicker Avenue is Still Pending by Steve Loiaconi - Legitimately funny and clever story told via letters to a family stuck living in a haunted house. The family have moved in as part of a government plan to place people with haunted houses in exchange for affordable living spaces. Pokes fun at government buracracy in an amusing manner.

Mother Nature Knows Best by Tonia Ransom - Found footage type story, told through letters, prison incident reports, news, etc. about a fungal infection that takes over a prison, killing both inmates and guards. I really liked the ideas behind this one and the style in which it was told.

Tell Me Your Sins and I'll Tell You Mine by Cassandra Khaw - Khaw is really hit or miss for me usually, but this is probably my favorite thing I've yet read by her. A sociopathic woman with an almost obnoxiously kind husband puts up with her husband's former fling coming to stay with them in their new apartment. Unfortunately for all involved, the building's got some secrets that the woman's husband has been keeping from her.

To the Moon and Back by Christa Carmen - This one was beautiful. Marlena does everything to make her daughter's life easier. Via magic, she has taken on all of her daughter's pain over the years, everything from the effects of COVID to school shooters. Heartwrenching tale of a mother's love.

Where There's Smoke by Alexis Dubon - The story of a woman in an abusive relationship with her house. It's not as silly as it sounds and is a really great metaphor for abusive relationships between people.

The Spirit Bed by Eden Royce - Eden Royce is an excellent author that everyone should be reading more of. In this story, Gia goes in to the dream world to "save" her sister, Lahna, who has been asleep in the title bed for days. But Lahna has fallen in love with a handsom spirit and doesn't want her sister's saving.

[Jamie Zaccaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid collection of outside-the-box haunting horror. My faves were:
- The World Ended There
- Exposure
- She Has Me, She Holds Me, She Hands Me the Emptiness
- Unread Messages
- Where There’s Smoke
- TEETH

[Melia Foote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great anthology! Some stories fit the (intriguing and clever) theme better than others, and a few of the stories are quite similar, but it was an enjoyable read with some great ideas and spooky descriptions. A quick and recommended read!

[Emily Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories explore why you would stay in a haunted house. Creepy tales of ghosts survival and what if.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of the writers in this anthology did an excellent job at writing horrifying stories about hauntings and the people who stay because they don't want to leave, or can't leave.

[bookishpadawan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. it was creepy, horrific, scary and sad, it is an anthology that contains twenty-two ghost stories with variety of theme, some are scary and touching, scary that give you goosebumps, and uniquely creepy. My favorite is the first story where the reader can make your own plot of the story according to what you choose. recommended!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. thank you to editor and Booksirens for the eARC

[Venneh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of haunted house stories, with some absolutely great hard hitting authors submitting quick, gorgeous slices to the throat with their stories. Throughout the story is a framing device of a choose your own ending story. Highly recommended library read.