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Happy People Don't Live Here
In this darkly funny gothic tale, a reclusive mother and her saturnine daughter move into a haunted building brimming with eccentrics—and secrets.
Just past the edge of summer, Alice and her daughter, Fern, arrive at the Pine Lake Apartments—a former sanatorium occupied by an ensemble of peculiar neighbors and a smattering of ghosts. Among the the Mermaid Lady, who performs in a nightclub fish tank; the building’s handyperson, moonlighting as a medium; and an awkwardly charming professor of medieval studies. Fern alone is acquainted with the undead, who pass like troubled clouds through the apartments, humanity mostly lost ages ago. For the determinedly private Alice, Pine Lake seems the perfect place at the edge of the world to hide herself and her daughter—until the day Fern finds a dead body in the dumpster.
Intent on solving the mystery of this discarded corpse, Fern eagerly puts her encyclopedic knowledge of detective novels to good use while dodging warnings from her increasingly paranoid mother. She soon comes to realize that within the strange tapestry of Pine Lake residents, nothing is ever quite as it seems. Her investigation digs up long-buried secrets, including her mother’s, that implicate each of her neighbors . . . and conjures a new one from beyond the grave.
The hotly anticipated debut novel from “master of the fantastic” (Roxane Gay) Amber Sparks, Happy People Don’t Live Here is an unforgettable portrait of family—whether by birth or by chance or by choice—and the sometimes dangerous myths we make to keep ours together.
Just past the edge of summer, Alice and her daughter, Fern, arrive at the Pine Lake Apartments—a former sanatorium occupied by an ensemble of peculiar neighbors and a smattering of ghosts. Among the the Mermaid Lady, who performs in a nightclub fish tank; the building’s handyperson, moonlighting as a medium; and an awkwardly charming professor of medieval studies. Fern alone is acquainted with the undead, who pass like troubled clouds through the apartments, humanity mostly lost ages ago. For the determinedly private Alice, Pine Lake seems the perfect place at the edge of the world to hide herself and her daughter—until the day Fern finds a dead body in the dumpster.
Intent on solving the mystery of this discarded corpse, Fern eagerly puts her encyclopedic knowledge of detective novels to good use while dodging warnings from her increasingly paranoid mother. She soon comes to realize that within the strange tapestry of Pine Lake residents, nothing is ever quite as it seems. Her investigation digs up long-buried secrets, including her mother’s, that implicate each of her neighbors . . . and conjures a new one from beyond the grave.
The hotly anticipated debut novel from “master of the fantastic” (Roxane Gay) Amber Sparks, Happy People Don’t Live Here is an unforgettable portrait of family—whether by birth or by chance or by choice—and the sometimes dangerous myths we make to keep ours together.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 14, 2025
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5028 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews
June 24, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Liveright for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A quick mystery full of quirky characters and secrets. Although this is listed as an adult debut this read like a YA novel more suited for my middle schooler. It had great potential but this just wasn’t for me. 2.5 stars rounded up.
A quick mystery full of quirky characters and secrets. Although this is listed as an adult debut this read like a YA novel more suited for my middle schooler. It had great potential but this just wasn’t for me. 2.5 stars rounded up.
October 16, 2025
This is an unusual book, and from the other reviews I can see it's not to everyone's taste, but I loved it.
I can't help feeling many of the other reviewers have missed the point. This is not a children's book. It is a tribute to the children's mystery books many of us enjoyed in our childhood. In my case it was the Three Investigators series, but there are many such fondly remembered books.
It's true that Sparks has made her protagonist a ten year old girl, but this is nonetheless an adult story for adults (though I'm sure many young adults will enjoy it as well). It is of course a mystery, with a satisfying reveal at the end like all such mysteries, but it also brings in supernatural elements and it has a distinctive writing style that gives it an unusual feel. None of the speech has quotes so we are frequently left wondering if the character actually spoke out loud or if we are only reading their thoughts. I found this gave the story a slightly surreal feel, which is appropriate given that it's a somewhat surreal story.
If you enjoyed mystery books as a child then regardless of your age I think you will enjoy this and I wholeheartedly recommend it. If not ... well read it anyway!
I can't help feeling many of the other reviewers have missed the point. This is not a children's book. It is a tribute to the children's mystery books many of us enjoyed in our childhood. In my case it was the Three Investigators series, but there are many such fondly remembered books.
It's true that Sparks has made her protagonist a ten year old girl, but this is nonetheless an adult story for adults (though I'm sure many young adults will enjoy it as well). It is of course a mystery, with a satisfying reveal at the end like all such mysteries, but it also brings in supernatural elements and it has a distinctive writing style that gives it an unusual feel. None of the speech has quotes so we are frequently left wondering if the character actually spoke out loud or if we are only reading their thoughts. I found this gave the story a slightly surreal feel, which is appropriate given that it's a somewhat surreal story.
If you enjoyed mystery books as a child then regardless of your age I think you will enjoy this and I wholeheartedly recommend it. If not ... well read it anyway!
October 13, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of
Happy People Don't Live Here.
** Minor not happy spoilers ahead **
Alice and her precocious daughter, Fern, are recent arrivals at the Pine Lake Apartments, a former sanitorium now a rundown apartment.
The neighbors are quirky and offbeat, not to mention the non-living residents, the ghosts that roam the grounds and complex.
When Fern discovers a dead body in the dumpster, her investigation unearths her neighbors' secrets, including her mom's and a non-mortal friend.
But it is only through confronting your fears and worries can we make amends and move on with our life, in this world and the next.
I liked Fern, she was smart, courageous and not afraid to think outside the box.
But I wasn't a fan of the story.
First, I found the writing style distracting; it was very stream of consciousness and there are no quotation marks when a character speaks.
The tone is more YA-ish, not adult since Fern's POV dominates most of the narrative.
Second, I'm not sure what this the story is about.
Is it about Alice and her bad childhood and crappy parents that led her to into a relationship with an even worse man?
Is it about the past that always haunts us? Is that what the ghosts represent?
Is it about confronting your trauma and moving on despite your fears and worries?
Is it about how people are never really happy, but we just move on with life because that's what living is?
This is one of many books I've read in which the main character is running from an abusive relationship
I didn't like Alice because she was less developed and a standard trope, and the rest of the neighbors were more interesting like Mrs. Teasdale, Zillah, and Undine.
The ending is more HEA than I expected, but even not happy people deserve happy endings.
** Minor not happy spoilers ahead **
Alice and her precocious daughter, Fern, are recent arrivals at the Pine Lake Apartments, a former sanitorium now a rundown apartment.
The neighbors are quirky and offbeat, not to mention the non-living residents, the ghosts that roam the grounds and complex.
When Fern discovers a dead body in the dumpster, her investigation unearths her neighbors' secrets, including her mom's and a non-mortal friend.
But it is only through confronting your fears and worries can we make amends and move on with our life, in this world and the next.
I liked Fern, she was smart, courageous and not afraid to think outside the box.
But I wasn't a fan of the story.
First, I found the writing style distracting; it was very stream of consciousness and there are no quotation marks when a character speaks.
The tone is more YA-ish, not adult since Fern's POV dominates most of the narrative.
Second, I'm not sure what this the story is about.
Is it about Alice and her bad childhood and crappy parents that led her to into a relationship with an even worse man?
Is it about the past that always haunts us? Is that what the ghosts represent?
Is it about confronting your trauma and moving on despite your fears and worries?
Is it about how people are never really happy, but we just move on with life because that's what living is?
This is one of many books I've read in which the main character is running from an abusive relationship
I didn't like Alice because she was less developed and a standard trope, and the rest of the neighbors were more interesting like Mrs. Teasdale, Zillah, and Undine.
The ending is more HEA than I expected, but even not happy people deserve happy endings.
August 21, 2025
What do they have against quotation marks? They lose a full star over that idiocy! I don't want to have to figure out from context whether someone is saying or thinking something or whether it is the narration. Why are you making it harder for people to lose themselves in the story????
And it is a wonderful, quirky, sort-of-ghost story. It is funny and sweet and intriguing.
And it is a wonderful, quirky, sort-of-ghost story. It is funny and sweet and intriguing.
July 11, 2025
“I’m a kid, I’m not delusional!” The heart of Happy People Don’t Live Here, Amber Sparks’ debut novel, is Fern – a 10-year-old who definitely does not (totally does) believe in fairies and is an amateur sleuth. Dragged around the country by her mother Alice, who is always running from something, they land in Pine Lake Apartments – a former sanatorium that now houses an interesting collection of characters. A mermaid, a woman made of glass (really has a condition where her bones break easily), an award-winning novelist, a medieval studies professor, and a whole bevy of ghosts. When Fern sees the dead body of someone she believes to be a mysterious resident, Detective Fern is on the case. Well, she has to be, because no one believes her.
The narrative is told from the alternating perspectives of Fern and Alice. As Fern starts uncovering the secrets of Pine Lake, Alice, slowly leads the reader through her secrets and why she thinks she is getting threatening mail. Fern, with the help of the handyperson, holds a séance, resulting in another interesting character populating the grounds.
Fern is fully captivating as a central character. We see Pine Lake and its characters through her eyes as she questions them, peeks through windows, and carefully follows the tropes in her favorite girl detective mystery books. What I was hoping for was more development of this cast of characters. Is the Mermaid real or just a performer in a large fish tank? She certainly spends enough time in the tub! Who is the glass lady, and what is she really dealing with? I had expected a full cast of characters, but we only get snippets, which left me wanting more.
That aside, the storyline is interesting and develops well through its two fully-fleshed central characters. Fans of the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley, especially those who also like a more fantastical storyline, may particularly enjoy this book. I look forward to reading more by this author.
Thank you to Liveright and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. My opinions and thoughts are my own.
The narrative is told from the alternating perspectives of Fern and Alice. As Fern starts uncovering the secrets of Pine Lake, Alice, slowly leads the reader through her secrets and why she thinks she is getting threatening mail. Fern, with the help of the handyperson, holds a séance, resulting in another interesting character populating the grounds.
Fern is fully captivating as a central character. We see Pine Lake and its characters through her eyes as she questions them, peeks through windows, and carefully follows the tropes in her favorite girl detective mystery books. What I was hoping for was more development of this cast of characters. Is the Mermaid real or just a performer in a large fish tank? She certainly spends enough time in the tub! Who is the glass lady, and what is she really dealing with? I had expected a full cast of characters, but we only get snippets, which left me wanting more.
That aside, the storyline is interesting and develops well through its two fully-fleshed central characters. Fans of the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley, especially those who also like a more fantastical storyline, may particularly enjoy this book. I look forward to reading more by this author.
Thank you to Liveright and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. My opinions and thoughts are my own.
June 10, 2025
Kittentits meets My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry. Quirky little read full of ghosts, odd neighbors, and a whole lot of heart. I saw the vision and could appreciate it, but felt this could have been improved with a bit more editing. Sparks' voice doesn't feel too clear and the narrative meanders without purpose at times.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 19, 2025
October 2025 24 Hour Readathon
This might be the most poorly written and unhinged book I have ever read.
I did not feel it was ambitious or pretensious, but just bad.
Sentences were laughably awful. Streams of consciousness, flashbacks, and thoughts were unhinged and rambling.
Notable quotes/ moments:
“A baby that looked moist…”
“He was a painting..”
Kissing ghosts
Anything with Professor Noel
I originally gave it one star, but in writing this review. It might be entering so bad it is kind of good territory.
This might be the most poorly written and unhinged book I have ever read.
I did not feel it was ambitious or pretensious, but just bad.
Sentences were laughably awful. Streams of consciousness, flashbacks, and thoughts were unhinged and rambling.
Notable quotes/ moments:
“A baby that looked moist…”
“He was a painting..”
Kissing ghosts
Anything with Professor Noel
I originally gave it one star, but in writing this review. It might be entering so bad it is kind of good territory.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook ARC
Ooof, this one was rough. I tried so hard to get into it and only got 30% of the way in. It felt very all over the place and I didn't really know what the plot was? I didn't like any of the characters and even though it was a short book, I couldn't get through it
Ooof, this one was rough. I tried so hard to get into it and only got 30% of the way in. It felt very all over the place and I didn't really know what the plot was? I didn't like any of the characters and even though it was a short book, I couldn't get through it
July 18, 2025
Out October 14th, 2025
There are flashes of brilliance, especially in the way it captures grief, longing, and the surreal edges of everyday life. As a collection, it felt uneven. Some stories dazzled, others drifted. The tone shifts from experimental to intimate, and while that variety can be intriguing, it left me feeling a bit disconnected. I kept hoping for a stronger throughline or thematic anchor to tie it all together.
Still, Sparks knows how to write pain and beauty in equal measure. If you enjoy literary fiction that leans into the strange and the sorrowful, this is worth a read—just don’t expect every story to resonate.
Thank you to NetGalley and Liveright for this ARC!
There are flashes of brilliance, especially in the way it captures grief, longing, and the surreal edges of everyday life. As a collection, it felt uneven. Some stories dazzled, others drifted. The tone shifts from experimental to intimate, and while that variety can be intriguing, it left me feeling a bit disconnected. I kept hoping for a stronger throughline or thematic anchor to tie it all together.
Still, Sparks knows how to write pain and beauty in equal measure. If you enjoy literary fiction that leans into the strange and the sorrowful, this is worth a read—just don’t expect every story to resonate.
Thank you to NetGalley and Liveright for this ARC!
December 11, 2025
Amber Sparks crafts a beautifully eerie and emotionally layered world in Happy People Don’t Live Here. The haunted sanatorium feels alive and breathing, its halls echoing with spectral humor, melancholy, and wit. The quirky ghostly ensemble adds charm and depth, creating a space where grief and absurdity meet in the most unexpectedly cozy way.
Fern, the ten-year-old prodigy with a razor-sharp wit, completely stole my heart. Her blend of intelligence and innocence keeps the story grounded even as the supernatural chaos unfolds. Alice, her mother, provides the emotional weight with her arc of guilt, love, and rediscovery adding warmth beneath the book’s eerie sheen.
That said, the narrative structure occasionally stumbles. The alternating POVs between Alice and Fern could have benefited from clearer transitions. Listening to the audiobook, I often found myself playing detective, trying to guess whose thoughts I was in. While Erin deWard’s narration beautifully captures the tone and atmosphere, the lack of dual narrators slightly blurs the distinction between mother and daughter.
Still, Sparks’ writing shines through with a lush, lyrical, and hauntingly tender. Her ability to weave emotion into the supernatural is what makes this story resonate long after the final page (or chapter) ends.
Would I Recommend it?
If you love paranormal cozy mysteries with clever young heroines, eerie settings, and heart-tugging family themes, Happy People Don’t Live Here deserves a place on your October spooky TBR list. It’s a ghost story with soul. A tale about love, loss, and the strange beauty of what lingers.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
📚 Recommended for Fans of: Ghostlight, The Graveyard Book, Finlay Donovan, and The Spirit Moves by Carol J. Perry.
👻 Ghostly Thoughts
Do you think dual narrators make audiobooks with multiple POVs more immersive? Or do you prefer a single voice to guide you through the story? Drop your thoughts in the comments. I’m dying to add your paranormal favorites to my listening list!
Fern, the ten-year-old prodigy with a razor-sharp wit, completely stole my heart. Her blend of intelligence and innocence keeps the story grounded even as the supernatural chaos unfolds. Alice, her mother, provides the emotional weight with her arc of guilt, love, and rediscovery adding warmth beneath the book’s eerie sheen.
That said, the narrative structure occasionally stumbles. The alternating POVs between Alice and Fern could have benefited from clearer transitions. Listening to the audiobook, I often found myself playing detective, trying to guess whose thoughts I was in. While Erin deWard’s narration beautifully captures the tone and atmosphere, the lack of dual narrators slightly blurs the distinction between mother and daughter.
Still, Sparks’ writing shines through with a lush, lyrical, and hauntingly tender. Her ability to weave emotion into the supernatural is what makes this story resonate long after the final page (or chapter) ends.
Would I Recommend it?
If you love paranormal cozy mysteries with clever young heroines, eerie settings, and heart-tugging family themes, Happy People Don’t Live Here deserves a place on your October spooky TBR list. It’s a ghost story with soul. A tale about love, loss, and the strange beauty of what lingers.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
📚 Recommended for Fans of: Ghostlight, The Graveyard Book, Finlay Donovan, and The Spirit Moves by Carol J. Perry.
👻 Ghostly Thoughts
Do you think dual narrators make audiobooks with multiple POVs more immersive? Or do you prefer a single voice to guide you through the story? Drop your thoughts in the comments. I’m dying to add your paranormal favorites to my listening list!
November 12, 2025
Couldn’t connect with the story or the characters.
December 6, 2025
A whole lot of nothing happened until the last 20 pages, you hate to see it
Read
October 13, 2025Delightful.
November 7, 2025
3.5 stars. Kind of like Flavia de Luce combined with Pushing Daisies. Quirky, offbeat, and self-aware, with a poetic sensibility to the prose. Refreshingly devoid of the sort of heavy tropification that annoys me so often these days. I am both slightly more and slightly less forgiving of the lack of quotation marks, having recently read Blood Meridian. If you like precocious child characters and a hint of the supernatural, give this a try--and keep in mind that the cover doesn't quite match the tone.
October 14, 2025
Thank you to the author, narrator, publisher and Net Galley for providing an ALC.
I think my hopes were too high on this one. A mom and daughter moved into an apartment in a building that used to be a sanitorium. When a dead body is found, the daughter decided to investigate and unearths secrets of her mom's and the neighbors. WE have living and non living characters.
The tone is very much a YA book not an adult mystery. The writing style is more stream of consciousness than actual dialog and it was very difficult to sort out what was actual dialog and was was just thoughts.
This felt a lot like many other books I've read recently, I didn't care for the writing style, and was disappointed to have such a YA feeling to the book. For me, this was not a winner.
2 stars
I think my hopes were too high on this one. A mom and daughter moved into an apartment in a building that used to be a sanitorium. When a dead body is found, the daughter decided to investigate and unearths secrets of her mom's and the neighbors. WE have living and non living characters.
The tone is very much a YA book not an adult mystery. The writing style is more stream of consciousness than actual dialog and it was very difficult to sort out what was actual dialog and was was just thoughts.
This felt a lot like many other books I've read recently, I didn't care for the writing style, and was disappointed to have such a YA feeling to the book. For me, this was not a winner.
2 stars
October 16, 2025
Since I can't rate it 3.5.... 3 will have to do it. I think this story has some decent bones but execution was a bit all over the place. For as short as it was...there's a lot going on, dare say too much. I also don't think this is marketed correctly, I would definitely consider this more YA. I really enjoyed the setting and the quirkiness of the neighbors. I think the narrator did well with Fern's character.
I enjoyed it enough to consider reading more from Sparks in the future.
I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.
I enjoyed it enough to consider reading more from Sparks in the future.
I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.
November 10, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I don't know why anybody marked it as horror and I almost didn't read it because of that, because I can't handle that shit, but if they mean there are ghosts, that's as horror as it gets. It's not even remotely scary. The protagonist is a precocious 10 year old named Fern, who I found rather hilarious and endearing. She is quirky, her mother's quirky, the denizens of the apartment complex that used to be a sanatorium are all quirky--it's quirky. It reads like a YA novel, and maybe it would be rated more highly if it were marketed as such. Although every now and again an F-bomb is dropped, so that might be part of the problem. At any event I found it delightful and charming and a thoroughly enjoyable read.
January 11, 2026
3.25★
This has such a fun premise- I waited too long to review it properly and have forgotten many elements of the story. I’d like to reread it and see how I feel a second time around. I generally like a book with a group of random people all brought together in one place as was the case in this unusual apartment building set-up. Plus I always enjoy a paranormal element.
Considering how many things I tend to enjoy are present in this one, I wonder if this would get a higher rating after a reread.
This has such a fun premise- I waited too long to review it properly and have forgotten many elements of the story. I’d like to reread it and see how I feel a second time around. I generally like a book with a group of random people all brought together in one place as was the case in this unusual apartment building set-up. Plus I always enjoy a paranormal element.
Considering how many things I tend to enjoy are present in this one, I wonder if this would get a higher rating after a reread.
September 28, 2025
Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC and the chance to read this book in return for an honest review.
I had a hard time getting into this story and ended up calling it a DNF. I really enjoyed the premise of the book itself and would love to give it another go, however, the dialogue not being marked by traditional formatting was a huge struggle for me.
This is why I am rating it 4 stars, while I did not finish it I enjoyed what I did read even though I struggled. Thank you again to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
I had a hard time getting into this story and ended up calling it a DNF. I really enjoyed the premise of the book itself and would love to give it another go, however, the dialogue not being marked by traditional formatting was a huge struggle for me.
This is why I am rating it 4 stars, while I did not finish it I enjoyed what I did read even though I struggled. Thank you again to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
November 17, 2025
1.5 stars
This writing style was like nails on a chalkboard to me. Full stream of consciousness ramblings with no quotation marks and, for me, sense. It was so hard for me to read, and just not enjoyable. If you like that sort of surreal storytelling, I would try this book. Maybe if this was just a short story it would have been a bit more palatable but this felt 600 pages long.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy to form opinions from.
This writing style was like nails on a chalkboard to me. Full stream of consciousness ramblings with no quotation marks and, for me, sense. It was so hard for me to read, and just not enjoyable. If you like that sort of surreal storytelling, I would try this book. Maybe if this was just a short story it would have been a bit more palatable but this felt 600 pages long.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy to form opinions from.
September 2, 2025
A remarkable book - tender and smart and sweet and gut-wrenching and heartwarming all in equal measure, somehow.
September 30, 2025
This could have been better! I wasnt hipped on the little girl she was kinda annoying! I was hoping for more! more like a real ghost story idk wish it was more.
October 7, 2025
Happy People Don’t Live Here is an odd, eerie, and often entertaining read. The setting is a quirky old apartment complex filled with eccentric tenants and a few lingering ghosts, which makes for a fun and slightly surreal backdrop. I enjoyed the strange cast of characters.
That said, while it kept my attention, I didn’t really get the point of it by the end. The story felt scattered, and I wasn’t sure what it was trying to say once the mystery wrapped up. It was entertaining in the moment, but it didn’t leave much of a lasting impression.
Overall, it’s an interesting and well-written story with plenty of weird charm, but one that left me a bit confused about its purpose.
That said, while it kept my attention, I didn’t really get the point of it by the end. The story felt scattered, and I wasn’t sure what it was trying to say once the mystery wrapped up. It was entertaining in the moment, but it didn’t leave much of a lasting impression.
Overall, it’s an interesting and well-written story with plenty of weird charm, but one that left me a bit confused about its purpose.
January 11, 2026
Picked this book at random. Different genre for me. Ghosts, bodies, mystery, romance, etc. A fascinating story read within five days.
October 25, 2025
A dark but witty story about domestic unhappiness wrapped around a paranormal murder mystery that gets you to question everything from the start.
Content Warnings: implied murder (off-page), domestic abuse, grief, depression, suicide, paranoia, death, body horror (ghosts/supernatural).
I put in a request for this ARC from NetGalley because the title and description drew me in. Happy People Don’t Live Here had a dark, intriguing vibe, promising a murder mystery set in an apartment building full of odd tenants and some ghosts, a mix of the supernatural and the unsettling that could bring some unexpected twists.
Fern, a curious 10-year-old, moves into a new apartment building with her mother, Alice. Among the strange tenants, a mermaid girl, a glass girl, a reclusive professor, and alike, Fern soon discovers a dead body in a dumpster, but is quickly dismissed by the adults around her. From there, her exploration into the mystery begins. The story blends mystery with urban fantasy and supernatural elements while exploring complex family dynamics. The audiobook is well performed, though Fern’s young perspective, that's presented through most of this multi-POV book, may not appeal to all readers, as it doesn't make the book feel completely tailored to adult audiences.
Light spoiler warning for this paragraph! Although the book is framed as a mystery with fantasy elements, its heart lies in family dynamics, including unhappiness and abuse. Alice’s troubled past, including suicide and abuse, adds depth but may be difficult for sensitive readers. Fern’s wit and curiosity provide energy and a sense of optimism as she drives the story forward.
The audiobook performance was excellent, and the multi-POV narration was engaging. However, the story occasionally drifts and loses pace, but the characters are rich and the themes were compelling enough for me to read until the end. Overall, the experience was entertaining and thought-provoking, but I found the ending a bit underwhelming.
I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy cozy mysteries with layered family themes and a touch of the supernatural. While it’s suitable for a range of ages, the content warnings around death, suicide, and sickness should be noted, as well that it might be better suited as middle grade or young adult reads, than adults.
The book’s greatest strength is its quirkiness and certain brave originality. I agree with other reviews noting that some readers may struggle to connect at the start or handle the slower pacing at times. The marketing as an adult murder mystery may be misleading, as the story reads more like a middle-grade or YA cozy paranormal mystery. While the story occasionally loses direction, it is still rather well written, entertaining, and unique. It could have benefited from a bit stronger editing process, perhaps.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 3/5 stars
#HappyPeopleDontLiveHere #AmberSparks #ErindeWard #DreamscapeMedia #NetGalley
Content Warnings: implied murder (off-page), domestic abuse, grief, depression, suicide, paranoia, death, body horror (ghosts/supernatural).
I put in a request for this ARC from NetGalley because the title and description drew me in. Happy People Don’t Live Here had a dark, intriguing vibe, promising a murder mystery set in an apartment building full of odd tenants and some ghosts, a mix of the supernatural and the unsettling that could bring some unexpected twists.
Fern, a curious 10-year-old, moves into a new apartment building with her mother, Alice. Among the strange tenants, a mermaid girl, a glass girl, a reclusive professor, and alike, Fern soon discovers a dead body in a dumpster, but is quickly dismissed by the adults around her. From there, her exploration into the mystery begins. The story blends mystery with urban fantasy and supernatural elements while exploring complex family dynamics. The audiobook is well performed, though Fern’s young perspective, that's presented through most of this multi-POV book, may not appeal to all readers, as it doesn't make the book feel completely tailored to adult audiences.
Light spoiler warning for this paragraph! Although the book is framed as a mystery with fantasy elements, its heart lies in family dynamics, including unhappiness and abuse. Alice’s troubled past, including suicide and abuse, adds depth but may be difficult for sensitive readers. Fern’s wit and curiosity provide energy and a sense of optimism as she drives the story forward.
The audiobook performance was excellent, and the multi-POV narration was engaging. However, the story occasionally drifts and loses pace, but the characters are rich and the themes were compelling enough for me to read until the end. Overall, the experience was entertaining and thought-provoking, but I found the ending a bit underwhelming.
I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy cozy mysteries with layered family themes and a touch of the supernatural. While it’s suitable for a range of ages, the content warnings around death, suicide, and sickness should be noted, as well that it might be better suited as middle grade or young adult reads, than adults.
The book’s greatest strength is its quirkiness and certain brave originality. I agree with other reviews noting that some readers may struggle to connect at the start or handle the slower pacing at times. The marketing as an adult murder mystery may be misleading, as the story reads more like a middle-grade or YA cozy paranormal mystery. While the story occasionally loses direction, it is still rather well written, entertaining, and unique. It could have benefited from a bit stronger editing process, perhaps.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 3/5 stars
#HappyPeopleDontLiveHere #AmberSparks #ErindeWard #DreamscapeMedia #NetGalley
August 17, 2025
Dnf at 25% this book was hard for me to read because the dialogue wasn’t in quotes or even separated out. It was also a little bit too slow for me.
October 30, 2025
There’s something uniquely disorienting about picking up a book and spending the entire reading experience uncertain about exactly what you’re reading. Happy People Don’t Live Here by Amber Sparks left me perpetually questioning whether I was reading middle grade fiction, young adult drama, adult literary fiction, or some hybrid creature that refuses to be categorized. Honestly? I’m still not entirely sure.
The story centers on Fern, a ten-year-old amateur detective who absolutely, definitely does not believe in fairies (except she totally does), and her mother Alice, who has made a lifestyle out of running from something—or someone. When they land at Pine Lake Apartments, a converted sanatorium that feels less like a residential building and more like a repository for misfits and mysteries, Fern’s detective instincts immediately kick into high gear.
What immediately grabbed my attention was the sheer weirdness of Pine Lake’s residents. There’s someone who might be an actual mermaid (or just really committed to the aesthetic), a woman whose brittle bones make her seem made of glass, a novelist whose best work is behind them, and an assortment of what Fern believes to be genuine ghosts. It’s the kind of setup that promises a full ensemble cast of eccentric characters, each with their own fascinating backstory waiting to be uncovered.
And that’s where my first major disappointment emerged. Sparks introduces these intriguing characters but never quite delivers on their potential. The mermaid spends most of her time in bathtubs—is she really aquatic or just committed to an elaborate performance? We never fully find out. The glass woman remains frustratingly underdeveloped despite her compelling condition. These felt like fascinating people who deserved their own stories, reduced instead to atmospheric background decoration.
Fern herself is absolutely captivating. Sparks captures the particular logic of a ten-year-old who’s been forced to grow up faster than she should while still maintaining that childlike capacity for wonder and belief in the impossible. Her investigation methods, borrowed from her beloved girl detective novels, create this lovely tension between genre conventions and the messier reality she’s actually navigating.
The alternating perspectives between Fern and Alice provide necessary context, though they also contribute to the book’s identity crisis. Alice’s sections deal with adult concerns—new relationships, past trauma, the exhausting work of single parenthood while constantly looking over your shoulder. These chapters feel distinctly YA or even adult in their emotional complexity and subject matter.
But then we snap back to Fern’s perspective, and suddenly we’re firmly in middle grade territory, complete with séances organized by helpful handypeople and detective work that involves lots of window-peeking and careful note-taking. The tonal whiplash became genuinely disorienting at times.
The central mystery—Fern witnessing what she believes is a dead body that subsequently disappears—provides solid narrative momentum. Sparks understands how to create suspense and maintain reader investment in uncovering the truth alongside her young detective. The mystery itself is reasonably well-constructed, with enough twists to keep things interesting without becoming impossibly convoluted.
What drove me absolutely crazy throughout my entire reading experience was Sparks’ decision to eschew quotation marks for dialogue. This stylistic choice, which apparently some literary authors believe makes their work more sophisticated, instead made every conversation harder to follow than necessary. I found myself constantly having to pause and reread sections to determine whether someone was speaking aloud, thinking internally, or if I was reading straight narration.
This isn’t just a minor stylistic quirk—it actively interferes with the reading experience, particularly in a book that already struggles with identity and audience questions. When you’re trying to parse whether a line is coming from a ten-year-old or her adult mother, the absence of clear dialogue markers becomes genuinely frustrating rather than artfully ambiguous.
The setting of a former sanatorium with its own cemetery provides perfect atmospheric potential, and Sparks uses it effectively to create an unsettling backdrop for Fern’s investigations. The building itself becomes almost a character, with its history of illness and death bleeding into the present in ways that feel both literal and metaphorical.
Alice’s storyline, involving her reasons for constantly relocating and her attempts to build a new relationship while maintaining her emotional defenses, adds depth that elevates this above simple mystery fare. Her sections exploring the exhausting vigilance required to escape an abusive ex-husband ground the more fantastical elements in genuine emotional stakes.
The resolution of the various plot threads feels satisfying if not entirely surprising. Sparks brings together the mystery elements and character arcs in ways that make sense, though I wished for more closure regarding some of the supporting characters who fascinated me but remained frustratingly underexplored.
Happy People Don’t Live Here ultimately succeeds more as a character study of a mother and daughter navigating trauma and uncertainty than as the full ensemble piece it initially promises to be. If you approach it expecting a richly developed cast of quirky apartment residents, you’ll likely share my disappointment. But if you’re content focusing primarily on Fern and Alice’s relationship and individual journeys, there’s genuine emotional resonance to be found.
For readers who like:
Fans of the Flavia de Luce series seeking something with more fantastical elements, anyone who enjoyed The Miraculous or The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, readers who appreciate genre-blending fiction, and those who can forgive stylistic choices that prioritize literary convention over reader accessibility.
Final Verdict
Happy People Don’t Live Here is an ambitious debut that doesn’t quite achieve everything it sets out to accomplish. Amber Sparks has created compelling central characters and an intriguing mystery, but the book’s uncertain identity and underdeveloped supporting cast prevent it from reaching its full potential. The absence of quotation marks will frustrate many readers (myself included), but those who can look past stylistic quirks may find a touching story about family, resilience, and the thin line between belief and imagination. It’s good without being great, interesting without being fully satisfying.
Grateful to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Amber Sparks for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.
The story centers on Fern, a ten-year-old amateur detective who absolutely, definitely does not believe in fairies (except she totally does), and her mother Alice, who has made a lifestyle out of running from something—or someone. When they land at Pine Lake Apartments, a converted sanatorium that feels less like a residential building and more like a repository for misfits and mysteries, Fern’s detective instincts immediately kick into high gear.
What immediately grabbed my attention was the sheer weirdness of Pine Lake’s residents. There’s someone who might be an actual mermaid (or just really committed to the aesthetic), a woman whose brittle bones make her seem made of glass, a novelist whose best work is behind them, and an assortment of what Fern believes to be genuine ghosts. It’s the kind of setup that promises a full ensemble cast of eccentric characters, each with their own fascinating backstory waiting to be uncovered.
And that’s where my first major disappointment emerged. Sparks introduces these intriguing characters but never quite delivers on their potential. The mermaid spends most of her time in bathtubs—is she really aquatic or just committed to an elaborate performance? We never fully find out. The glass woman remains frustratingly underdeveloped despite her compelling condition. These felt like fascinating people who deserved their own stories, reduced instead to atmospheric background decoration.
Fern herself is absolutely captivating. Sparks captures the particular logic of a ten-year-old who’s been forced to grow up faster than she should while still maintaining that childlike capacity for wonder and belief in the impossible. Her investigation methods, borrowed from her beloved girl detective novels, create this lovely tension between genre conventions and the messier reality she’s actually navigating.
The alternating perspectives between Fern and Alice provide necessary context, though they also contribute to the book’s identity crisis. Alice’s sections deal with adult concerns—new relationships, past trauma, the exhausting work of single parenthood while constantly looking over your shoulder. These chapters feel distinctly YA or even adult in their emotional complexity and subject matter.
But then we snap back to Fern’s perspective, and suddenly we’re firmly in middle grade territory, complete with séances organized by helpful handypeople and detective work that involves lots of window-peeking and careful note-taking. The tonal whiplash became genuinely disorienting at times.
The central mystery—Fern witnessing what she believes is a dead body that subsequently disappears—provides solid narrative momentum. Sparks understands how to create suspense and maintain reader investment in uncovering the truth alongside her young detective. The mystery itself is reasonably well-constructed, with enough twists to keep things interesting without becoming impossibly convoluted.
What drove me absolutely crazy throughout my entire reading experience was Sparks’ decision to eschew quotation marks for dialogue. This stylistic choice, which apparently some literary authors believe makes their work more sophisticated, instead made every conversation harder to follow than necessary. I found myself constantly having to pause and reread sections to determine whether someone was speaking aloud, thinking internally, or if I was reading straight narration.
This isn’t just a minor stylistic quirk—it actively interferes with the reading experience, particularly in a book that already struggles with identity and audience questions. When you’re trying to parse whether a line is coming from a ten-year-old or her adult mother, the absence of clear dialogue markers becomes genuinely frustrating rather than artfully ambiguous.
The setting of a former sanatorium with its own cemetery provides perfect atmospheric potential, and Sparks uses it effectively to create an unsettling backdrop for Fern’s investigations. The building itself becomes almost a character, with its history of illness and death bleeding into the present in ways that feel both literal and metaphorical.
Alice’s storyline, involving her reasons for constantly relocating and her attempts to build a new relationship while maintaining her emotional defenses, adds depth that elevates this above simple mystery fare. Her sections exploring the exhausting vigilance required to escape an abusive ex-husband ground the more fantastical elements in genuine emotional stakes.
The resolution of the various plot threads feels satisfying if not entirely surprising. Sparks brings together the mystery elements and character arcs in ways that make sense, though I wished for more closure regarding some of the supporting characters who fascinated me but remained frustratingly underexplored.
Happy People Don’t Live Here ultimately succeeds more as a character study of a mother and daughter navigating trauma and uncertainty than as the full ensemble piece it initially promises to be. If you approach it expecting a richly developed cast of quirky apartment residents, you’ll likely share my disappointment. But if you’re content focusing primarily on Fern and Alice’s relationship and individual journeys, there’s genuine emotional resonance to be found.
For readers who like:
Fans of the Flavia de Luce series seeking something with more fantastical elements, anyone who enjoyed The Miraculous or The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, readers who appreciate genre-blending fiction, and those who can forgive stylistic choices that prioritize literary convention over reader accessibility.
Final Verdict
Happy People Don’t Live Here is an ambitious debut that doesn’t quite achieve everything it sets out to accomplish. Amber Sparks has created compelling central characters and an intriguing mystery, but the book’s uncertain identity and underdeveloped supporting cast prevent it from reaching its full potential. The absence of quotation marks will frustrate many readers (myself included), but those who can look past stylistic quirks may find a touching story about family, resilience, and the thin line between belief and imagination. It’s good without being great, interesting without being fully satisfying.
Grateful to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Amber Sparks for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.
August 2, 2025
Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy of Happy People Don't Live Here.
This was a fun, quirky, and delightfully bizarre mystery that captured the essence of what it feels like to be a child living in an adult world. The characters were engaging and memorable, with Fern and Alice forming a particularly unique and compelling pair. Fern reminded me of the wonder and confusion of that age, constantly teetering between fantasy and reality.
Alice, in contrast, had a presence that felt almost haunting, despite not being one of the ghosts in the story. Her character brought a quiet intensity that lingered throughout the book. I especially appreciated how the ending brought everything full circle, with secrets coming to light that helped resolve some of the deeper emotional challenges Alice faced.
While I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, I’m giving it 3 stars because at times it felt more like a young adult novel than a true horror story. Still, it's an imaginative and heartfelt read with plenty of charm.
This was a fun, quirky, and delightfully bizarre mystery that captured the essence of what it feels like to be a child living in an adult world. The characters were engaging and memorable, with Fern and Alice forming a particularly unique and compelling pair. Fern reminded me of the wonder and confusion of that age, constantly teetering between fantasy and reality.
Alice, in contrast, had a presence that felt almost haunting, despite not being one of the ghosts in the story. Her character brought a quiet intensity that lingered throughout the book. I especially appreciated how the ending brought everything full circle, with secrets coming to light that helped resolve some of the deeper emotional challenges Alice faced.
While I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, I’m giving it 3 stars because at times it felt more like a young adult novel than a true horror story. Still, it's an imaginative and heartfelt read with plenty of charm.
October 25, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Liveright for the advanced copy.
This book is hard to categorize. It is written partly like a middle grade and partly like a YA. It’s a mystery, but if you classify it as middle grade then it could be considered horror too.
Though, even though the majority of the book is through Fern’s perspective, who is 10 years old, there is some of Alice’s perspective, Fern’s mother, who we follow through the beginning of a new relationship with a fellow resident of the apartment building. Hence the jumping back and forth between this book feeling like a middle grade and a YA. Not once did it feel like an adult story.
Alice keeps moving her and Fern around to keep hidden from her ex-husband, Fern’s father. They move to an apartment building in Minnesota that was a former sanitorium, complete with cemetery, quirky neighbors and all.
One day Fern sees a dead body in the dumpster, but by the time she gets anyone out there to see, it’s gone. And the mystery begins.
This is a good middle grade mystery with a bit of a YA drama mixed in. I enjoyed it as that—not as the horror that I went in thinking it was going
https://sarahoverbooked.wordpress.com...
https://youtu.be/BIx-73REYi4?si=iNJoe...
This book is hard to categorize. It is written partly like a middle grade and partly like a YA. It’s a mystery, but if you classify it as middle grade then it could be considered horror too.
Though, even though the majority of the book is through Fern’s perspective, who is 10 years old, there is some of Alice’s perspective, Fern’s mother, who we follow through the beginning of a new relationship with a fellow resident of the apartment building. Hence the jumping back and forth between this book feeling like a middle grade and a YA. Not once did it feel like an adult story.
Alice keeps moving her and Fern around to keep hidden from her ex-husband, Fern’s father. They move to an apartment building in Minnesota that was a former sanitorium, complete with cemetery, quirky neighbors and all.
One day Fern sees a dead body in the dumpster, but by the time she gets anyone out there to see, it’s gone. And the mystery begins.
This is a good middle grade mystery with a bit of a YA drama mixed in. I enjoyed it as that—not as the horror that I went in thinking it was going
https://sarahoverbooked.wordpress.com...
https://youtu.be/BIx-73REYi4?si=iNJoe...
July 6, 2025
I thought this book was unique and quirky, blending elements of a YA coming-of-age story with a haunted house backdrop. The premise had a lot of potential, and the tone was fun in places—but I found myself wanting something a bit more serious or eerie. It walks a fine line between genres, which may appeal to some readers, but personally, I was expecting more genuine suspense or horror. Still, it was an engaging read with a distinct voice.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
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