What do you think?
Old Grove Lake #1
Assisted Living
You’re never to old to be a final girl.
Recent widow Margie Thermopolis just wants to finish her last years of bureaucratic work and retire with her cats, plenty of IPA, and a good game of roller derby. Instead, she's haunted by her husband's medical debt-and his secret bonsai obsession. Sent to inspect a luxury assisted living facility built on the ruins of Old Grove Lodge, Margie is forced back to the site of her little brother's bizarre death fifty years earlier, and dubious memories of a murderous forest witch.
Trapped by a blizzard with a ruthless lumber baron, his dying mother, and nature itself, Margie digs up more than just the secrets of her past, for something ancient is awakening-and it remembers her.
Recent widow Margie Thermopolis just wants to finish her last years of bureaucratic work and retire with her cats, plenty of IPA, and a good game of roller derby. Instead, she's haunted by her husband's medical debt-and his secret bonsai obsession. Sent to inspect a luxury assisted living facility built on the ruins of Old Grove Lodge, Margie is forced back to the site of her little brother's bizarre death fifty years earlier, and dubious memories of a murderous forest witch.
Trapped by a blizzard with a ruthless lumber baron, his dying mother, and nature itself, Margie digs up more than just the secrets of her past, for something ancient is awakening-and it remembers her.
311 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2026
About the author
Gianaclis Caldwell
12 books52 followersA not-so-little old lady fending off the grim reaper with sharpened quill and mostly nimble keyboard skills. Gianaclis’s (gee-on-a-klees) explores the humor and horror of life through writing fiction. She/xe’s been a nurse, artist, farrier, foster-adoptive-birth mom, goat farmer, and cheesemaker. She lives in Oregon with her long-time husband and seriously cute pets xe wishes would live forever.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
4☆
Assisted Living is the first book in the upcoming series, Old Grove Lake Trilogy. Immediately I appreciated Caldwell's obvious reverence for nature. The care she takes to describe the trees and the destruction of Mother Earth is palpable.
Part man made horror and part cautionary tale, Assisted Living teaches that you don't fool with Mother Earth or a human mother's love. There will be consequences.
Initially, when we are introduced to 62 year old Margie, we find a woman in a state of grief over the death of her husband. In her grief Margie has settled into a routine of avoidance to the task of spreading her husband's cremaines, in large part because to follow his wishes she will have to return to the site of her family tragedy from 50 years earlier at Old Grove Lake.
When a work assignment draws Margie to Old Grove Lake things start to feel wrong. Margie experiences the disregard, near distain the wealthy lumber baron has for the old growth trees. Margie also sees a woman and little boy no one else seems to notice.
This novel slowly bubbles with eeriness and tension, and just before the suspense begins to boil the temperature is turned down, only to start bubbling again. I could feel myself reacting to this cycle throughout my reading. Then, the bubbling begins to roil into a hot boiling conclusion.
Caldwell pulls pieces from many cultures to demonstrate that people from all over the world have strong beliefs about the Earth, Mother Nature, Gaia. I wish those pieces had been given more space in the pages.
I received an advance review copy from the author, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Favorite Quote:
"'Our people believe there is great power, old and ancient, in the forest. They believe the only evil, the only monsters, are human-spawned'"
Jackie
Assisted Living is the first book in the upcoming series, Old Grove Lake Trilogy. Immediately I appreciated Caldwell's obvious reverence for nature. The care she takes to describe the trees and the destruction of Mother Earth is palpable.
Part man made horror and part cautionary tale, Assisted Living teaches that you don't fool with Mother Earth or a human mother's love. There will be consequences.
Initially, when we are introduced to 62 year old Margie, we find a woman in a state of grief over the death of her husband. In her grief Margie has settled into a routine of avoidance to the task of spreading her husband's cremaines, in large part because to follow his wishes she will have to return to the site of her family tragedy from 50 years earlier at Old Grove Lake.
When a work assignment draws Margie to Old Grove Lake things start to feel wrong. Margie experiences the disregard, near distain the wealthy lumber baron has for the old growth trees. Margie also sees a woman and little boy no one else seems to notice.
This novel slowly bubbles with eeriness and tension, and just before the suspense begins to boil the temperature is turned down, only to start bubbling again. I could feel myself reacting to this cycle throughout my reading. Then, the bubbling begins to roil into a hot boiling conclusion.
Caldwell pulls pieces from many cultures to demonstrate that people from all over the world have strong beliefs about the Earth, Mother Nature, Gaia. I wish those pieces had been given more space in the pages.
I received an advance review copy from the author, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Favorite Quote:
"'Our people believe there is great power, old and ancient, in the forest. They believe the only evil, the only monsters, are human-spawned'"
Jackie
September 3, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy.
Assisted Living is a bit "cozier" than the horror books I usually read. That is not to say that it doesn't have some supremely creepy moments, because it absolutely does. The author does a wonderful job of creating a tense and spooky atmosphere. She has also created some delightful characters that I really came to care about. Terrible things happen (this is an eco-horror book, after all), but the book was actually kind of sweet. It was a nice change of pace that I thoroughly enjoyed. 4.5 stars
Assisted Living is a bit "cozier" than the horror books I usually read. That is not to say that it doesn't have some supremely creepy moments, because it absolutely does. The author does a wonderful job of creating a tense and spooky atmosphere. She has also created some delightful characters that I really came to care about. Terrible things happen (this is an eco-horror book, after all), but the book was actually kind of sweet. It was a nice change of pace that I thoroughly enjoyed. 4.5 stars
Review of advance copy received from Author
August 28, 2026What? Only 4 stars? For my own book? That's 'cause no book is perfect. I believe most authors could rewrite the same story forever. But the show, or in this case, the series, must go on.
This story is a little bit mystery, a little bit horror. It's for people who want a chill, want to puzzle, and want the bad guy to get their comeuppance. Margie is a character that people tend to either love or hate. She has a large interior life, and, despite her years, is only just learning how to expand into the world.
I hope if you give this story a read, you will one of those who digs her vibe. Happy reading!
This story is a little bit mystery, a little bit horror. It's for people who want a chill, want to puzzle, and want the bad guy to get their comeuppance. Margie is a character that people tend to either love or hate. She has a large interior life, and, despite her years, is only just learning how to expand into the world.
I hope if you give this story a read, you will one of those who digs her vibe. Happy reading!
March 10, 2026
Margie lost her husband to cancer and is just hoping to get through until her retirement. When she has to inspect a new assisted living facility things start to come undone.
Excellent book. Earth horror? Mother Nature horror? Tree horror maybe? It was great whatever kind of horror it is. I enjoyed all the characters and their arcs. The ending was super satisfying even though it was a little sad. Margie was a great main character and I enjoyed reading a book about a woman who is older.
Excellent book. Earth horror? Mother Nature horror? Tree horror maybe? It was great whatever kind of horror it is. I enjoyed all the characters and their arcs. The ending was super satisfying even though it was a little sad. Margie was a great main character and I enjoyed reading a book about a woman who is older.
May 11, 2026
I enjoyed this book and am super excited it’s a series. Margie is relatable and I immediately became so invested in her mysterious story. The symbolism in this novel is beautiful. The characters are diverse and come together in this strange but synchronous setting that leaves the reader feeling each creak of wood to their bones. Highly recommend.
Read
September 18, 2026Margie, honey, you took the bribe. You're a sixty-two-year-old state health inspector with four cats, a freezer full of emergency cheesecake, roller derby on the TV, and a dead husband whose secret storage unit turned out to hold a hundred rotting bonsai and a love note from somebody named Dierdre, and when the lumber baron hands you a vial stuffed with hundreds you put it in your purse, drive home, and pay off the oncologist. I'd follow that woman into any haunted building in Oregon. What I can't do is spend 300 pages inside her head, where a tree root goes clean through a lady's calf and the strongest language available is "heck in a handbag." She says "gosh-darned" fourteen times. I counted. The ghosts are the least of it.
The pitch is solid: a rich prick builds a glass nursing home for six geezers on the alpine lake where Margie's little brother died at summer camp in the seventies, and the four-hundred-year-old firs he's clearing to do it have opinions. It's also three books in a trench coat (grief novel, family-graveyard whodunit, eco-horror), plus a sincere but wobbly trans nurse subplot with a section literally titled "The Trans Plant," and somebody should've said no to that. For the first forty percent every scare gets walked back within a page: the bones are mushrooms, the bear is a stack of barrels, the thing in the woods is a lady in a puffy coat. Then the car battery dies, the phone dies, a blizzard parks on the roof, and the book flips a switch and goes completely goddamn feral, and I mean that nicely: an old woman whose skin is starting to look like the trees, an ambulance on an icy hill that made me say "oh no" out loud, and a stump I'm not going to describe. If the whole thing ran at that speed I'd be recommending it. Instead it's a slow half and a crazy half stapled together with typos (one chapter is called "Just About Mignight," and the chef's name is spelled two different ways), and the Also By page lists "a whole bunch of books on cheese and goats and dairy stuff," which honestly tracks: this is a nice lady who knows a lot about mycelium and would like to scream. The sequel's called Vegetative State, which is either a threat or a diagnosis.
The pitch is solid: a rich prick builds a glass nursing home for six geezers on the alpine lake where Margie's little brother died at summer camp in the seventies, and the four-hundred-year-old firs he's clearing to do it have opinions. It's also three books in a trench coat (grief novel, family-graveyard whodunit, eco-horror), plus a sincere but wobbly trans nurse subplot with a section literally titled "The Trans Plant," and somebody should've said no to that. For the first forty percent every scare gets walked back within a page: the bones are mushrooms, the bear is a stack of barrels, the thing in the woods is a lady in a puffy coat. Then the car battery dies, the phone dies, a blizzard parks on the roof, and the book flips a switch and goes completely goddamn feral, and I mean that nicely: an old woman whose skin is starting to look like the trees, an ambulance on an icy hill that made me say "oh no" out loud, and a stump I'm not going to describe. If the whole thing ran at that speed I'd be recommending it. Instead it's a slow half and a crazy half stapled together with typos (one chapter is called "Just About Mignight," and the chef's name is spelled two different ways), and the Also By page lists "a whole bunch of books on cheese and goats and dairy stuff," which honestly tracks: this is a nice lady who knows a lot about mycelium and would like to scream. The sequel's called Vegetative State, which is either a threat or a diagnosis.
September 6, 2026
A diverse eco/folk horror, this has a slow start but accelerated nicely and the reasons we spend so much time in the beginning with what felt unimportant becomes more and more clear as we go along. A lot of the terrors are supernatural, there are ghosts and tree monsters, but they are backed by fears, more grounded in reality about aging, encroaching or possible disability, marital betrayals and regrets. Most of the central characters feel multidimensional, though some of the supporting ones fall a bit flat, the book has maybe one more cranky, entitled, rich old person than it needs, and the writing is descriptive and eerie without overburdening the story.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
“Although not terrifying, Assisted Living can easily be categorised as ‘Goosebumps for adults’ - something I think we all need from time to time!”
Assisted Living is a novel that starts off feeling like a comfy, cosy read about a lovely old lady who’s dealing with the loss of her husband – but very quickly, the author reminds you that this is in fact an eco/psychological horror full of the unexpected. Based mostly in an assisted living facility of Oregon, this character-driven story will have you rooting for Margie from the off - and wincing at every situation she finds herself in!
Plot: 8/10
Although the plot from a far may seem like a bit of a slow burner, it is far from that. A very well written story from start to finish, the author does a great job at making you feel cosy, like you’re settling down for the night, right before you’re made to feel itchy and uncomfortable. An eco-horror plot very well done.
Characters: 8/10
You’ve got to love Margie, and you will! These types of novels can very easily fall flat when it comes to characters, with the focus being on the horror and eerie aspect. But here, you get the best of both worlds – clearly a strong point of the author!
Worldbuilding: 7/10
Not the main point of the book but still very well done. There’s a great sense of remoteness and ‘weird’ which simply comes from the excellent way the surroundings are described throughout.
Writing Style: 8/10
Not something I’ve come across before, but the combination of cosy and horror has been combined extremely well by the author. I haven’t read any of her other works, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s the same vibe – simply a really easy read, utilising a cosy feel mixed with ‘uncomfortable’ language to make to feel a little itchy now and then.
Summary
Although not terrifying, Assisted Living can easily be categorised as ‘Goosebumps for adults’ - something I think we all need from time to time! I’d imagine this book would fit into the world of Jeff Vandermeer, if Jeff was sat with a hot water bottle and a cup of tea on a calm Sunday afternoon. I personally haven’t read a ‘cosy’ eco-horror before, but here it is – and what a great combination it is! Expect the unexpected - and brace for book 2!
Overall rating: 8/10
Assisted Living is a novel that starts off feeling like a comfy, cosy read about a lovely old lady who’s dealing with the loss of her husband – but very quickly, the author reminds you that this is in fact an eco/psychological horror full of the unexpected. Based mostly in an assisted living facility of Oregon, this character-driven story will have you rooting for Margie from the off - and wincing at every situation she finds herself in!
Plot: 8/10
Although the plot from a far may seem like a bit of a slow burner, it is far from that. A very well written story from start to finish, the author does a great job at making you feel cosy, like you’re settling down for the night, right before you’re made to feel itchy and uncomfortable. An eco-horror plot very well done.
Characters: 8/10
You’ve got to love Margie, and you will! These types of novels can very easily fall flat when it comes to characters, with the focus being on the horror and eerie aspect. But here, you get the best of both worlds – clearly a strong point of the author!
Worldbuilding: 7/10
Not the main point of the book but still very well done. There’s a great sense of remoteness and ‘weird’ which simply comes from the excellent way the surroundings are described throughout.
Writing Style: 8/10
Not something I’ve come across before, but the combination of cosy and horror has been combined extremely well by the author. I haven’t read any of her other works, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s the same vibe – simply a really easy read, utilising a cosy feel mixed with ‘uncomfortable’ language to make to feel a little itchy now and then.
Summary
Although not terrifying, Assisted Living can easily be categorised as ‘Goosebumps for adults’ - something I think we all need from time to time! I’d imagine this book would fit into the world of Jeff Vandermeer, if Jeff was sat with a hot water bottle and a cup of tea on a calm Sunday afternoon. I personally haven’t read a ‘cosy’ eco-horror before, but here it is – and what a great combination it is! Expect the unexpected - and brace for book 2!
Overall rating: 8/10
April 27, 2026
This was a fun spooky read! The main character, Margie is so likable and sweet, though anxiety ridden after the death of her husband, and revisiting the place that her brother died when she was a child. When she gets stuck in a lodge with an awful lumber baron who has constructed a luxury assisted living facility for his equally terrible mother and other rich jerks to live.
I would call this book “cozy eco/botanical horror”. At no point was I terrified but I did get spooked enough that I flipped my night light on a couple times.
It did slow down a bit in the middle, but not enough to take me out of the story. I found myself rooting for minor characters, and also wishing for others to get what’s coming to them 😂 The setting was perfect for the story, being from Oregon I know that the scariest place is the deep dark woods and those places “up the road and by the lake” that everyone knows. Add a murder mystery and some witchy vibes and that’s why this book kept me entertained throughout.
Because of the slowing down in the middle and the need for a bit of editing, I gave this 4⭐️. I would definitely recommend this and will also read a sequel.
I would call this book “cozy eco/botanical horror”. At no point was I terrified but I did get spooked enough that I flipped my night light on a couple times.
It did slow down a bit in the middle, but not enough to take me out of the story. I found myself rooting for minor characters, and also wishing for others to get what’s coming to them 😂 The setting was perfect for the story, being from Oregon I know that the scariest place is the deep dark woods and those places “up the road and by the lake” that everyone knows. Add a murder mystery and some witchy vibes and that’s why this book kept me entertained throughout.
Because of the slowing down in the middle and the need for a bit of editing, I gave this 4⭐️. I would definitely recommend this and will also read a sequel.
September 4, 2026
Assisted living is a bittersweet journey through grief, acceptance, forgiveness, and revenge. While I loved the smattering of humor and elderly, midwestern gumption, I was struck by how genuinely invested I was in some of these characters: Margie who is relearning how to exist as a singular person after losing her other half, her boss who genuinely wants to do right by her, Alejandro whose handsome woodsman vibes belie a feral, plant nerd, Conner who has never met a stranger in his life, even the entitled, elderly residents who refuse to see past their own petty discomfort...I loved them all.
Despite being a story in which the vast majority of actual monster confrontation takes place in the last 20%, the author did an absolutely solid job of building and maintaining an eerie sense of dread. I keep thinking, surely, the big reveal had be on the next page. Instead, things just kept getting more and more tense.
I thoroughly enjoyed this, and I appreciate the opportunity to read an early copy through NetGalley!
Despite being a story in which the vast majority of actual monster confrontation takes place in the last 20%, the author did an absolutely solid job of building and maintaining an eerie sense of dread. I keep thinking, surely, the big reveal had be on the next page. Instead, things just kept getting more and more tense.
I thoroughly enjoyed this, and I appreciate the opportunity to read an early copy through NetGalley!
September 18, 2026
Assisted Living has me seriously reconsidering how much I should be trusting trees, haha. 👀Honestly, I loved reading an eco-terror story where darkness has permeated something so sacred as an old grove. There's something in that concept alone which won't stop haunting me. Also, the title is a super clever play upon what happens in the story, and I love its multilayered meanings.
The story follows Margie, a 60-something-year-old building inspector, who gets sucked into the horrors besieging an assisted living facility. I find including an older retiree as the protagonist immensely refreshing. Her folksy language is super charming, and her struggling with her dead husband's secrets is heart-wrenching. Caldwell also throws in a host of other lovable, quirky characters that you absolutely do not want to see harmed! 😭
I almost never read (or watch) horror stories, and I greatly enjoyed this one! It's spooky and unsettling without being so overwhelming in gore that you have nightmares. There were a number of twists I didn't see coming, and one of the climatic scenes felt like an outright suckerpunch. I highly recommend Assisted Living if you're looking for an eco-horror that you can't put down.
The story follows Margie, a 60-something-year-old building inspector, who gets sucked into the horrors besieging an assisted living facility. I find including an older retiree as the protagonist immensely refreshing. Her folksy language is super charming, and her struggling with her dead husband's secrets is heart-wrenching. Caldwell also throws in a host of other lovable, quirky characters that you absolutely do not want to see harmed! 😭
I almost never read (or watch) horror stories, and I greatly enjoyed this one! It's spooky and unsettling without being so overwhelming in gore that you have nightmares. There were a number of twists I didn't see coming, and one of the climatic scenes felt like an outright suckerpunch. I highly recommend Assisted Living if you're looking for an eco-horror that you can't put down.
September 10, 2026
This was such a surprise to me, I was drawn to it when it's blurb mentioned it being Agatha Christie meets The Shining so I was instantly interested in reading it. We meet Margie Thermopolis a recently widowed inspector who is dealing with her grief, the medical debt of her late husband while also finding out he had a secret bonsai obsession, she is hoping to ride out her last years of bureaucratic work and the just leave out her retirement with her cats, lots of IPA and watching roller derby.
Her boss sends her to inspect a luxury assisted living facility on the ruins of Old Grove Lodge, even though he knows Margie has some history with the site as it's where her little brother's bizarre death happened, he does offer her a out but Margie goes even though she is afraid, she runs into the Wyelends but also the meets Alejandro a arborist trying to save the trees, but also Jackie and Connor a nurse for mother Wyelend and a chef respectfully. She is bribed by the lumber baron which she didn't actually accept but was to stunned and also just wanting to leave the place to turn it down. She is filled with guilt and shame but is given a opportunity when another chance to look at the site is presented and decides to take, she also hopes to scatter her hubby's ashes and give his bonsai tree to Connor as she isn't sure she would be good at caring for it. In making the choice to go back she will end up trapped in a blizzard and then fighting for her life as it seems like the tree are coming to life powered by a vengeful force. Will Margie make it or will the forest take her.
This was great and I wasn't sure at first as it felt a bit slow at the beginning but once it heats up it just hooks you and knowing it's planned as a series and especially with that tease at the end I really want to read the next one.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Her boss sends her to inspect a luxury assisted living facility on the ruins of Old Grove Lodge, even though he knows Margie has some history with the site as it's where her little brother's bizarre death happened, he does offer her a out but Margie goes even though she is afraid, she runs into the Wyelends but also the meets Alejandro a arborist trying to save the trees, but also Jackie and Connor a nurse for mother Wyelend and a chef respectfully. She is bribed by the lumber baron which she didn't actually accept but was to stunned and also just wanting to leave the place to turn it down. She is filled with guilt and shame but is given a opportunity when another chance to look at the site is presented and decides to take, she also hopes to scatter her hubby's ashes and give his bonsai tree to Connor as she isn't sure she would be good at caring for it. In making the choice to go back she will end up trapped in a blizzard and then fighting for her life as it seems like the tree are coming to life powered by a vengeful force. Will Margie make it or will the forest take her.
This was great and I wasn't sure at first as it felt a bit slow at the beginning but once it heats up it just hooks you and knowing it's planned as a series and especially with that tease at the end I really want to read the next one.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2026
Simultaneously a cozy, Cascadian mystery and eco horror. This story is like walking a long trail in the woods, taking in the sights, only to realize you don’t recognize the path— and it’s getting dark.
Not ordinarily a book I would pick up, but the location and genre were tempting enough to go out of my comfort zone.
Caldwell’s writing is whimsical and clear. Assisted Living examines grief and life after loss in a manner that leaves you feeling lighter at the end of it.
If you find yourself yearning for the heavy boughs of old growth trees and the ominous gray of the midday sky that is so unique to the PNW experience, you’ll delight in this first installment of the Old Grove Lake series. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Absolutely loved it.
Not ordinarily a book I would pick up, but the location and genre were tempting enough to go out of my comfort zone.
Caldwell’s writing is whimsical and clear. Assisted Living examines grief and life after loss in a manner that leaves you feeling lighter at the end of it.
If you find yourself yearning for the heavy boughs of old growth trees and the ominous gray of the midday sky that is so unique to the PNW experience, you’ll delight in this first installment of the Old Grove Lake series. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Absolutely loved it.
October 3, 2026
I am not usually crazy about books that feel this slow but I thought this was amazing. There were a lot of things that worked for me, starting with the setting-- the geography always felt a little off and then the weather blocked them in. Of course, our main character is an older lady, almost retired, dealing with the grief of just losing her husband but also from losing her brother in the same place when they were children.
The other characters were all interesting, even the unlikeable ones, and I enjoyed the consistent feeling of dread. I'm looking forward to the next in this series.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this
The other characters were all interesting, even the unlikeable ones, and I enjoyed the consistent feeling of dread. I'm looking forward to the next in this series.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this
September 1, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Assisted Living by Gianaclis Caldwell
Published by GC Publishing
OUT NOW!!!
Book 1 of the Old Grove Triology
Margie Thermopolis is a widow and she has to inspect an assisted living facility.
She has to return to Old Grove lake where she has a past.
Old mysteries from her past resurface and it turn out a fight for survival.
The new lodge has woke up something ancient and evil and that something wants REVENGE!!!
Thanks to @netgalley and @g.c.publishing_
for my e arc.
I really had a good time.
#netgalley #assistedliving #booksta
#booktok #bookworm
Assisted Living by Gianaclis Caldwell
Published by GC Publishing
OUT NOW!!!
Book 1 of the Old Grove Triology
Margie Thermopolis is a widow and she has to inspect an assisted living facility.
She has to return to Old Grove lake where she has a past.
Old mysteries from her past resurface and it turn out a fight for survival.
The new lodge has woke up something ancient and evil and that something wants REVENGE!!!
Thanks to @netgalley and @g.c.publishing_
for my e arc.
I really had a good time.
#netgalley #assistedliving #booksta
#booktok #bookworm
September 16, 2026
Caldwell creates a quite detailed and unusual world in the first of a series. A world where trees...get revenge. Don't worry, it's fleshed out more than that in the book. I'd say I followed 85% of the logic of it, but it was written well enough that I went along for the ride for the other 15%. We do get a lot of interesting, specific characters (some that we hate, some we love) as we watch this follow of an overly-designed assisted living facility (for only 6 patients!) becomes a pawn in an age-old family battle. I shan't say more for fear of spoilers. The environment is unique and well-thought-out, the characters are believable and warm (or very cold!). Overall, it was an enjoyable ride. I don't know if I liked it enough to see where book 2 takes us, but I'd definitely say to check out this first one.
August 15, 2026
I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have no idea what I expected of this book, but it was TERRIFYING.
I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like this book; I do read a fair bit of horror/thrillers, but this one… I was not prepared. I had to stop reading at certain points because I was afraid I would have nightmares. I’ve read several books that people think are scary, but rarely find myself actually fearful.
The book follows Margie as she navigates life after her husband’s untimely death. She is forced to take a job at the location her younger brother died 50 years ago. She relives a lot of trauma on this excursion, and definitely notices something is off. There are so many twists and turns in this one, you’ll be guessing up until the end.
The relationships between the characters are a lot of fun to watch develop. The cast is small, but pretty diverse. Each character has an important role to play, but don’t get too connected with them…
The writing feels a bit formal, but still easy to absorb. This reads similar to an Agatha Christie book, but more modern and with way more horror involved. The tone really sets the mood; it’s very dark and foreboding and draws you in.
This was a solid (and honestly scary) read. It is a trilogy, but it stands alone well. I’ll say if I see the next installment available, I’ll likely pick it up. 4.25⭐️
I have no idea what I expected of this book, but it was TERRIFYING.
I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like this book; I do read a fair bit of horror/thrillers, but this one… I was not prepared. I had to stop reading at certain points because I was afraid I would have nightmares. I’ve read several books that people think are scary, but rarely find myself actually fearful.
The book follows Margie as she navigates life after her husband’s untimely death. She is forced to take a job at the location her younger brother died 50 years ago. She relives a lot of trauma on this excursion, and definitely notices something is off. There are so many twists and turns in this one, you’ll be guessing up until the end.
The relationships between the characters are a lot of fun to watch develop. The cast is small, but pretty diverse. Each character has an important role to play, but don’t get too connected with them…
The writing feels a bit formal, but still easy to absorb. This reads similar to an Agatha Christie book, but more modern and with way more horror involved. The tone really sets the mood; it’s very dark and foreboding and draws you in.
This was a solid (and honestly scary) read. It is a trilogy, but it stands alone well. I’ll say if I see the next installment available, I’ll likely pick it up. 4.25⭐️
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
*Assisted Living* by Gianaclis Caldwell is one of those books that made me say, “Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting an angry tree spirit today.”
The premise is odd: an assisted living facility, a ghost with unresolved issues, nature seeking revenge, and enough eco-gothic atmosphere to make me side-eye every large tree I pass. Caldwell deserves credit for creating a story that is both creepy and surprisingly heartfelt.
The characters were likable, and there were several genuinely funny moments that balanced out the darker themes. I especially enjoyed the mix of horror and humor, it felt like *Golden Girls* wandered into a haunted forest and refused to leave.
That said, the pacing occasionally meandered like a retiree searching for the dining room, and some parts didn’t quite hold my attention as strongly as the premise promised. The story had plenty of charm, but I found myself wanting either a little more horror or a little more comedy.
Overall, this was an entertaining and unique read. Not every day you get senior citizens, ghosts, and vengeful vegetation in the same book. Three stars for originality, atmosphere, and making me reconsider my relationship with oak trees.
The premise is odd: an assisted living facility, a ghost with unresolved issues, nature seeking revenge, and enough eco-gothic atmosphere to make me side-eye every large tree I pass. Caldwell deserves credit for creating a story that is both creepy and surprisingly heartfelt.
The characters were likable, and there were several genuinely funny moments that balanced out the darker themes. I especially enjoyed the mix of horror and humor, it felt like *Golden Girls* wandered into a haunted forest and refused to leave.
That said, the pacing occasionally meandered like a retiree searching for the dining room, and some parts didn’t quite hold my attention as strongly as the premise promised. The story had plenty of charm, but I found myself wanting either a little more horror or a little more comedy.
Overall, this was an entertaining and unique read. Not every day you get senior citizens, ghosts, and vengeful vegetation in the same book. Three stars for originality, atmosphere, and making me reconsider my relationship with oak trees.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
First of all, I need a Tee-shirt that says this first line... You're never too old to be a final girl.🪓
This was such a strange little blast of folk horror. I loved the mix of grief, old secrets, and something ancient waiting in the woods with unfinished business. Margie made this one especially fun to read. She was a great character. She feels worn down and messy which makes he easy to relate to. She is wholely human and completely believable, which just made all the creeping dread hit even harder. A bleak, wintry story with teeth.
This was such a strange little blast of folk horror. I loved the mix of grief, old secrets, and something ancient waiting in the woods with unfinished business. Margie made this one especially fun to read. She was a great character. She feels worn down and messy which makes he easy to relate to. She is wholely human and completely believable, which just made all the creeping dread hit even harder. A bleak, wintry story with teeth.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to GC Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.
Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book. So much that I got to page 211/234 and I called it quits (that's 90%). Described as quiet eco-horror, it's more cozy mystery. My main irritation with this story was what felt like the author telling rather than showing, to the point where it felt like the author was reeaaaallly trying to make sure we understood the buildup of dread that's supposed to be happening, ie:
"her breath quickens. A band of steel cinches around her chest. Her lungs refuse to fully inflate"
or "her skin tightens"
or "Margie feels everything inside her cinching tight"
or "the lump in her stomach roils"
or" knees are suddenly wobbly"
-all of this seems fine when listed in this way but not once did these descriptions actually feel intriguing or ominous; it did nothing to instill dread but rather made me roll my eyes and sigh. Nothing scary was actually happening in these sections except for our FMC's anxiety flaring up. By 17% the repetition was already unbearable I wanted to DNF. At 23% there was word for word repetition within two sentences! But...I persisted nonetheless.
Annddd, I was disappointed again. Really, I just didn't care for our main character. She's got no backbone.
"Surely it would be safety glass, wouldn't it? It darned shooting better be." ----- "She wants away from here, staffing plan be gosh-darned! To heck with her need to balance the scales of justice."
And if you noticed, the quirky, elderly talk? Not for me. Cheesy would be an understatement.
I would say my last straw was at 35% when the FMC is "forced" to go out onto a hill in the forest to make a call, because it was very important to keep the landline clear for emergency services. As she's walking there, she sees the lights of the ambulance. Does she then turn around so she can use the landline or does she continue into the forest where then her phone's battery is quickly dropping from 20%, and she left her reading glasses, and now it's nighttime...? Guess.
Well I'm a sucker for punishment and continue to 90%. I didn't like any of the characters, even the happy-go-lucky cook who felt like a caricature. And even now, as I'm revisiting the story to write this review, I'm getting angry.
At 50% we have: "...gripped by the woman's impossible strength, the scaled, bark-like skin touching hers..."
At 51% we have: "Her palms tingle at the UNEXPECTED dryness of the woman's skin and the raised, gnarled patches. It reminds her of the rough bark of a tree."
UNEXPECTED? Not one page passed where it was described as such.
This is where I leave you: "No, Margie no longer gives a flying fish" to which I wrote a note on my ereader: lol says the pushover.
1.5 star
Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book. So much that I got to page 211/234 and I called it quits (that's 90%). Described as quiet eco-horror, it's more cozy mystery. My main irritation with this story was what felt like the author telling rather than showing, to the point where it felt like the author was reeaaaallly trying to make sure we understood the buildup of dread that's supposed to be happening, ie:
"her breath quickens. A band of steel cinches around her chest. Her lungs refuse to fully inflate"
or "her skin tightens"
or "Margie feels everything inside her cinching tight"
or "the lump in her stomach roils"
or" knees are suddenly wobbly"
-all of this seems fine when listed in this way but not once did these descriptions actually feel intriguing or ominous; it did nothing to instill dread but rather made me roll my eyes and sigh. Nothing scary was actually happening in these sections except for our FMC's anxiety flaring up. By 17% the repetition was already unbearable I wanted to DNF. At 23% there was word for word repetition within two sentences! But...I persisted nonetheless.
Annddd, I was disappointed again. Really, I just didn't care for our main character. She's got no backbone.
"Surely it would be safety glass, wouldn't it? It darned shooting better be." ----- "She wants away from here, staffing plan be gosh-darned! To heck with her need to balance the scales of justice."
And if you noticed, the quirky, elderly talk? Not for me. Cheesy would be an understatement.
I would say my last straw was at 35% when the FMC is "forced" to go out onto a hill in the forest to make a call, because it was very important to keep the landline clear for emergency services. As she's walking there, she sees the lights of the ambulance. Does she then turn around so she can use the landline or does she continue into the forest where then her phone's battery is quickly dropping from 20%, and she left her reading glasses, and now it's nighttime...? Guess.
Well I'm a sucker for punishment and continue to 90%. I didn't like any of the characters, even the happy-go-lucky cook who felt like a caricature. And even now, as I'm revisiting the story to write this review, I'm getting angry.
At 50% we have: "...gripped by the woman's impossible strength, the scaled, bark-like skin touching hers..."
At 51% we have: "Her palms tingle at the UNEXPECTED dryness of the woman's skin and the raised, gnarled patches. It reminds her of the rough bark of a tree."
UNEXPECTED? Not one page passed where it was described as such.
This is where I leave you: "No, Margie no longer gives a flying fish" to which I wrote a note on my ereader: lol says the pushover.
1.5 star
Review of advance copy
There are a lot of things which I love about this book. I absolutely loved the main protagonist, Margie.
I love how she is near about 60 and she is fit and functional and at the same time slightly constantly worried about the state of her fitness and functionality … I love how she uses specialized software on her iPad to audit the safety, disability friendliness, and ecological standards of a place, and at the same time she has no idea of what @mushroommystic07 on Insta is.
I love how the ecological awareness and the appreciation for native connection with nature are consistent throughout the book.
I love it that this eco-fiction, whether you classify it as fantasy, horror, or thriller, is narrated from the point of view of someone who is terrified of trees because of having had scary experiences as a child in groves and woods (rather than from the POV of someone who loves trees).
I loved the descriptions of nature and trees, which I actually love, which were at the same time creepy and spellbindingly beautiful.
I loved how certain concepts and certain things, which I had to look up online because they were not very common, were very organically woven into the narrative, like the concept of the festival of Beltane, like the Fungi, the common names of which are Wits' butter and Dead man's foot …
I loved how some really crazy things occur, like what finally happened with Philip and Margie had completely forgotten to remove the snag of plastic material from the passenger side door of her car.
The things which I did not actually love have to do with the fact that this book was ultimately horror and less of a mystery. I knew that this book is horror, but still, the constant jump-scares which the main protagonist Margie was getting eventually started to get on my nerves because I felt bad for her. She is an elderly lady, and life as an elderly lady is in itself pretty difficult. This supernatural paranormal force, for some reason, is intent on making her life hell.
Also, as it happens in horror fiction, innocent people suffer, and the supernatural paranormal forces are incapable of providing specific or particular justice, and nothing happens to the nasty people. That's a very common trope in horror, but this is really the opposite in mystery or detective or crime fiction, in which you actually have some pretense, some modicum of poetic justice .
I get it that it is horror, but I would really have appreciated the entire book to be a mystery rather than horror.
I would definitely want to read the next ones in the series.
The language is easy and simple. The flow is really good. The story does not feel stuck anywhere. For a plot-driven narrative, the character development is pretty good.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I love how she is near about 60 and she is fit and functional and at the same time slightly constantly worried about the state of her fitness and functionality … I love how she uses specialized software on her iPad to audit the safety, disability friendliness, and ecological standards of a place, and at the same time she has no idea of what @mushroommystic07 on Insta is.
I love how the ecological awareness and the appreciation for native connection with nature are consistent throughout the book.
I love it that this eco-fiction, whether you classify it as fantasy, horror, or thriller, is narrated from the point of view of someone who is terrified of trees because of having had scary experiences as a child in groves and woods (rather than from the POV of someone who loves trees).
I loved the descriptions of nature and trees, which I actually love, which were at the same time creepy and spellbindingly beautiful.
I loved how certain concepts and certain things, which I had to look up online because they were not very common, were very organically woven into the narrative, like the concept of the festival of Beltane, like the Fungi, the common names of which are Wits' butter and Dead man's foot …
I loved how some really crazy things occur, like what finally happened with Philip and Margie had completely forgotten to remove the snag of plastic material from the passenger side door of her car.
The things which I did not actually love have to do with the fact that this book was ultimately horror and less of a mystery. I knew that this book is horror, but still, the constant jump-scares which the main protagonist Margie was getting eventually started to get on my nerves because I felt bad for her. She is an elderly lady, and life as an elderly lady is in itself pretty difficult. This supernatural paranormal force, for some reason, is intent on making her life hell.
Also, as it happens in horror fiction, innocent people suffer, and the supernatural paranormal forces are incapable of providing specific or particular justice, and nothing happens to the nasty people. That's a very common trope in horror, but this is really the opposite in mystery or detective or crime fiction, in which you actually have some pretense, some modicum of poetic justice .
I get it that it is horror, but I would really have appreciated the entire book to be a mystery rather than horror.
I would definitely want to read the next ones in the series.
The language is easy and simple. The flow is really good. The story does not feel stuck anywhere. For a plot-driven narrative, the character development is pretty good.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Assisted Living wasn't quite what I expected. In some ways that made it really fun, but in other ways it was frustrating. There are a lot of typos throughout the book, including entire missing words. There are editors listed, so I'm not sure how that's the case this close to the publishing date. There were also some formatting issues, including a skipped line, mid-sentence, in act three.
Most of the characters felt hollow, or like token representatives of minority groups. There were a few times that it gave me pause, and I couldn't tell if the author was actually trying to be inclusive or just make the FMC sound accepting of others. Character accents come and go, with points feeling like the author is trying to remind you that the cast is diverse. There's also a character that extends her vowels, and rather than just say that, you get drawn out words to pair with the typos.
Margie as the FMC was not somebody I liked or rooted for. She centers herself in everything, including the maiming and death of others. She intentionally holds back on information multiple times, causing others to be harmed because they were kept in the dark. She's petty and mean towards her dead husband's ashes of all things, to a point where I can't believe they had a happy marriage.
My favorite thing to dislike about Margie, though, was the way she talks under stress. She does not swear, but says enough replacement words that she may as well have sworn. There comes a point where you don't get credit for "clean" language anymore. There came a point where I started reading some of the lines aloud and someone said "What is this strange aversion to cursing?!"
There are conveniences and plot holes that let the story progress, rather than the characters really growing or succeeding in a believable way. There were also a lot of brand names that made me think of Hyacinth Bucket rather than Miss Marple. The horror was nonexistent and the suspense was absent. The bones of a good story are there, it just didn't quite deliver on its promises.
I'm giving it 2 stars because of all of the issues, but this is the kind of book that I'd still recommend to someone wanting an easy fiction with an older protagonist. I did really enjoy that Margie wasn't a teenager or young adult, she had an established career, and she was settled in her ways. It was very refreshing. I'll definitely read the next book in the series.
Most of the characters felt hollow, or like token representatives of minority groups. There were a few times that it gave me pause, and I couldn't tell if the author was actually trying to be inclusive or just make the FMC sound accepting of others. Character accents come and go, with points feeling like the author is trying to remind you that the cast is diverse. There's also a character that extends her vowels, and rather than just say that, you get drawn out words to pair with the typos.
Margie as the FMC was not somebody I liked or rooted for. She centers herself in everything, including the maiming and death of others. She intentionally holds back on information multiple times, causing others to be harmed because they were kept in the dark. She's petty and mean towards her dead husband's ashes of all things, to a point where I can't believe they had a happy marriage.
My favorite thing to dislike about Margie, though, was the way she talks under stress. She does not swear, but says enough replacement words that she may as well have sworn. There comes a point where you don't get credit for "clean" language anymore. There came a point where I started reading some of the lines aloud and someone said "What is this strange aversion to cursing?!"
There are conveniences and plot holes that let the story progress, rather than the characters really growing or succeeding in a believable way. There were also a lot of brand names that made me think of Hyacinth Bucket rather than Miss Marple. The horror was nonexistent and the suspense was absent. The bones of a good story are there, it just didn't quite deliver on its promises.
I'm giving it 2 stars because of all of the issues, but this is the kind of book that I'd still recommend to someone wanting an easy fiction with an older protagonist. I did really enjoy that Margie wasn't a teenager or young adult, she had an established career, and she was settled in her ways. It was very refreshing. I'll definitely read the next book in the series.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Assisted Living tells the tale of Margie, recent widow and health inspector, who is sent back to the summer camp where her brother died years ago to face an evil capitalist and his questionably evil ancient mother. Along the way, there may be a forest spirit bent on revenge and more moral quandaries than you can shake a stick at.
This is a horror novel that relies deeply on slow-burn character development. If you don't care about Margie, the hints of folk horror and "eco-horror" won't be enough to satisfy you, so the author spends a lot of time developing Margie's inner world. From sudden snow storms to attempted bribery, Margie needs to make a lot of choices, and not all of them will be good or wise. Her coworkers are supportive, but she's just drifting through life right now, stalling on scattering her dead husband's ashes. Then she finds his secret bonsai collection, hidden away in a storage facility and mostly dead because he apparently left no instructions for their care in the event of his death, and he'd told Margie nothing about them.
This begins some of my issues with the book. I love folk horror, and the eco-horror aspects always get me, but there were just a lot of hints in this book that don't always play out very satisfyingly. It is the start of a series, however, so maybe we'll get more information on "why bonsai?" later; until then, it's just a quirk that tangentially ties into the major narrative, but is never really explained.
In all, this book will appeal to people who appreciate older protagonists struggling with a changing world but trying to do their best to be a good person when nothing around them makes sense anymore. Margie has no support network to speak of, so she's on her own and doing the best she can with what she has.
This book will annoy anyone who expects the emphasis to be on horror or gore, or who wants to be scared by anything other than selfishness run amok. There's a lot of predictability in this one, but it's worth reading for the interesting way Caldwell uses the usual "forest strikes back" tropes and a look at how different women (and woman-like beings) approach concepts like "aging" and "family."
I received early access to this book via NetGalley in return for a fair review.
This is a horror novel that relies deeply on slow-burn character development. If you don't care about Margie, the hints of folk horror and "eco-horror" won't be enough to satisfy you, so the author spends a lot of time developing Margie's inner world. From sudden snow storms to attempted bribery, Margie needs to make a lot of choices, and not all of them will be good or wise. Her coworkers are supportive, but she's just drifting through life right now, stalling on scattering her dead husband's ashes. Then she finds his secret bonsai collection, hidden away in a storage facility and mostly dead because he apparently left no instructions for their care in the event of his death, and he'd told Margie nothing about them.
This begins some of my issues with the book. I love folk horror, and the eco-horror aspects always get me, but there were just a lot of hints in this book that don't always play out very satisfyingly. It is the start of a series, however, so maybe we'll get more information on "why bonsai?" later; until then, it's just a quirk that tangentially ties into the major narrative, but is never really explained.
In all, this book will appeal to people who appreciate older protagonists struggling with a changing world but trying to do their best to be a good person when nothing around them makes sense anymore. Margie has no support network to speak of, so she's on her own and doing the best she can with what she has.
This book will annoy anyone who expects the emphasis to be on horror or gore, or who wants to be scared by anything other than selfishness run amok. There's a lot of predictability in this one, but it's worth reading for the interesting way Caldwell uses the usual "forest strikes back" tropes and a look at how different women (and woman-like beings) approach concepts like "aging" and "family."
I received early access to this book via NetGalley in return for a fair review.
September 2, 2026
*Assisted Living* by Gianaclis Caldwell, published September 1, 2026, is the first book in the Old Grove Trilogy. It mixes mystery, folk horror, and eco-horror around a 62-year-old widow sent to inspect a luxury assisted-living facility deep in the Oregon mountains.
Margie Thermopolis has a complicated history with the area. Her younger brother died there decades earlier, and returning brings old memories back alongside some increasingly strange activity surrounding the forest. Between the isolated setting, the legends tied to the land, and the possibility that something in the woods remembers her, the premise has a lot going for it.
The strongest part of the book is the concept. I liked seeing an older woman at the center of a horror story, and the combination of a snowbound facility, creepy forest folklore, ghosts, and eco-horror feels different from a lot of what is out there right now. Margie also has enough going on outside of the supernatural elements to make her feel like more than someone who was dropped into the story just to react to scary things.
Where the book struggles is pacing. It takes quite a while for the horror elements to really start taking over, and the earlier sections lean more heavily into cozy mystery than I expected from the premise. Once things finally begin escalating, there are some genuinely weird and gruesome moments, but I wanted that atmosphere and tension to show up sooner and build more consistently.
I also think the marketing comparison to *The Shining* sets the wrong expectation. This is much more of a character-driven mystery that gradually shifts into supernatural and eco-horror. Readers who enjoy slower stories, unusual protagonists, creepy forests, and horror that crosses over with cozy mystery will probably get the most out of it.
There are some really interesting ideas here, and I especially liked the direction Caldwell takes the forest and folklore. I just wish the horror had been allowed to seep in earlier and given more room to build before the final stretch.
Rating: 3.5/5
Author Note: Thank you to GC Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Margie Thermopolis has a complicated history with the area. Her younger brother died there decades earlier, and returning brings old memories back alongside some increasingly strange activity surrounding the forest. Between the isolated setting, the legends tied to the land, and the possibility that something in the woods remembers her, the premise has a lot going for it.
The strongest part of the book is the concept. I liked seeing an older woman at the center of a horror story, and the combination of a snowbound facility, creepy forest folklore, ghosts, and eco-horror feels different from a lot of what is out there right now. Margie also has enough going on outside of the supernatural elements to make her feel like more than someone who was dropped into the story just to react to scary things.
Where the book struggles is pacing. It takes quite a while for the horror elements to really start taking over, and the earlier sections lean more heavily into cozy mystery than I expected from the premise. Once things finally begin escalating, there are some genuinely weird and gruesome moments, but I wanted that atmosphere and tension to show up sooner and build more consistently.
I also think the marketing comparison to *The Shining* sets the wrong expectation. This is much more of a character-driven mystery that gradually shifts into supernatural and eco-horror. Readers who enjoy slower stories, unusual protagonists, creepy forests, and horror that crosses over with cozy mystery will probably get the most out of it.
There are some really interesting ideas here, and I especially liked the direction Caldwell takes the forest and folklore. I just wish the horror had been allowed to seep in earlier and given more room to build before the final stretch.
Rating: 3.5/5
Author Note: Thank you to GC Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Margie Thermopolis is sixty-two years old, recently widowed, drowning in medical debt she didn't ask for, and discovering that her dead husband apparently had a secret bonsai tree side hustle that rivaled a Victorian gentleman's orchid obsession. That alone feels like enough emotional paperwork for one person. Then she gets stabbed by a tiny bonsai branch, starts having increasingly weird experiences, and ends up back at the exact place where her little brother died fifty years ago. At a certain point I wanted to sit Margie down with a beer and tell her that the universe was very clearly targeting her specifically.
What I liked most about Assisted Living was Margie herself. Horror has finally started realizing that women over forty exist, and thank God because Margie is way more interesting than another twenty-three-year-old who just moved into an apartment with suspiciously cheap rent. She's exhausted, grieving, stubborn, carrying around decades of guilt, and still somehow pushing through bureaucratic inspections because capitalism waits for no widow. Spending time with her felt less like following a horror protagonist and more like hanging out with that one coworker who has seen everything and is permanently unimpressed by it.
The thing is, this book keeps introducing elements that sound completely ridiculous when listed together. We've got a luxury assisted living facility. A blizzard. A dead brother. A forest witch. Angry nature. Ghosts. A lumber baron who practically arrives twirling an imaginary mustache. And somehow it all sort of works because the book commits so fully to its weird little ecosystem. I never questioned why I was reading about elderly residents and vengeful trees in the same story. I just accepted that Oregon was apparently running on different rules than the rest of us.
That said, this is one of those books where the atmosphere showed up an hour before the plot. The forest is creepy. The memories are creepy. The vibes are creepy. Everything is standing around being unsettling. Meanwhile I was occasionally checking my watch waiting for the horror to stop lurking behind a tree and actually do something. The pacing felt a little like being trapped in a snowstorm with someone who keeps saying, "I have a really important secret," and then immediately changing the subject.
I also think the book never fully decided whether it wanted to be a cozy mystery wearing a horror costume or an eco-horror sneaking into a cozy mystery convention. There were moments where I was deeply invested in Margie's personal journey and the relationships she builds along the way, and then suddenly a supernatural tree-related situation would remind me what genre I was supposedly reading. Neither side is bad, but they occasionally felt like two very different books sharing an apartment.
What kept me reading was the emotional core underneath all the strange forest business. Margie is carrying grief from two directions at once. The loss of her husband is still fresh, and her brother's death has been living rent-free in her head for half a century. The book handles that weight well. Not in a dramatic speech kind of way. More in the quiet realization that some wounds don't heal so much as become part of the architecture.
The Oregon setting absolutely understood the assignment. The deep woods in this book have the energy of a place that remembers things. Every time somebody wandered off alone, I immediately thought, "Excellent. Another person making choices that would concern a park ranger." The isolation, the snow, the old legends, all of it creates that specific flavor of dread where you start suspecting every tree has opinions.
By the end, I enjoyed myself, even if I never quite loved it. The ingredients are fascinating. An older heroine, grief, folklore, ghosts, environmental revenge, rich people making terrible decisions, and enough suspicious trees to make Arbor Day feel threatening. I just wanted a little more momentum and a little less wandering through the woods before the story really tightened its grip.
For me, Assisted Living lands at 3 stars. Weird, thoughtful, occasionally creepy, occasionally cozy, and proof that retirement planning should probably include a contingency fund for supernatural forestry incidents.
Whodunity Award: For Making Me Side-Eye Every Bonsai Tree Like It Knows Something
And a huge thank you to GC Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. I came for the haunted assisted living facility and somehow left with trust issues about ornamental plants. That's not a sentence I expected to write this year.
What I liked most about Assisted Living was Margie herself. Horror has finally started realizing that women over forty exist, and thank God because Margie is way more interesting than another twenty-three-year-old who just moved into an apartment with suspiciously cheap rent. She's exhausted, grieving, stubborn, carrying around decades of guilt, and still somehow pushing through bureaucratic inspections because capitalism waits for no widow. Spending time with her felt less like following a horror protagonist and more like hanging out with that one coworker who has seen everything and is permanently unimpressed by it.
The thing is, this book keeps introducing elements that sound completely ridiculous when listed together. We've got a luxury assisted living facility. A blizzard. A dead brother. A forest witch. Angry nature. Ghosts. A lumber baron who practically arrives twirling an imaginary mustache. And somehow it all sort of works because the book commits so fully to its weird little ecosystem. I never questioned why I was reading about elderly residents and vengeful trees in the same story. I just accepted that Oregon was apparently running on different rules than the rest of us.
That said, this is one of those books where the atmosphere showed up an hour before the plot. The forest is creepy. The memories are creepy. The vibes are creepy. Everything is standing around being unsettling. Meanwhile I was occasionally checking my watch waiting for the horror to stop lurking behind a tree and actually do something. The pacing felt a little like being trapped in a snowstorm with someone who keeps saying, "I have a really important secret," and then immediately changing the subject.
I also think the book never fully decided whether it wanted to be a cozy mystery wearing a horror costume or an eco-horror sneaking into a cozy mystery convention. There were moments where I was deeply invested in Margie's personal journey and the relationships she builds along the way, and then suddenly a supernatural tree-related situation would remind me what genre I was supposedly reading. Neither side is bad, but they occasionally felt like two very different books sharing an apartment.
What kept me reading was the emotional core underneath all the strange forest business. Margie is carrying grief from two directions at once. The loss of her husband is still fresh, and her brother's death has been living rent-free in her head for half a century. The book handles that weight well. Not in a dramatic speech kind of way. More in the quiet realization that some wounds don't heal so much as become part of the architecture.
The Oregon setting absolutely understood the assignment. The deep woods in this book have the energy of a place that remembers things. Every time somebody wandered off alone, I immediately thought, "Excellent. Another person making choices that would concern a park ranger." The isolation, the snow, the old legends, all of it creates that specific flavor of dread where you start suspecting every tree has opinions.
By the end, I enjoyed myself, even if I never quite loved it. The ingredients are fascinating. An older heroine, grief, folklore, ghosts, environmental revenge, rich people making terrible decisions, and enough suspicious trees to make Arbor Day feel threatening. I just wanted a little more momentum and a little less wandering through the woods before the story really tightened its grip.
For me, Assisted Living lands at 3 stars. Weird, thoughtful, occasionally creepy, occasionally cozy, and proof that retirement planning should probably include a contingency fund for supernatural forestry incidents.
Whodunity Award: For Making Me Side-Eye Every Bonsai Tree Like It Knows Something
And a huge thank you to GC Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. I came for the haunted assisted living facility and somehow left with trust issues about ornamental plants. That's not a sentence I expected to write this year.
August 25, 2026
Assisted Living follows recently widowed Margi, a sixty something health inspector, as she returns to Old Grove Lake, the site of a terrible tragedy from her childhood. Now a state of the art, no expenses spared care home has been opened for a very selective and privileged clientele.
As Margi begins to investigate, old mysterious from her past resurface, and what begins like any other job for her, save the emotional impact of the location, turns into a fight for survival. Nestled into glorious woods, construction of The New Lodge has disturbed something ancient and evil, something that wants revenge.
Sadly, Assisted Living sounds a much better book than it actually is. Firstly, the positives. Margi is a fantastic main character. She's so unlike anything that you often see in books or films or TV. She's in her 60's, closer to retirement than starting out in her career. But she's not an 'old' sixty something. She feels like a real person in that stage of her life. She's got an innocence and a wholesomeness, without being cloying and saccharine. The loss she has gone through with the death of her husband feels real and grounded, and she is written clearly from a place of love. Margi makes this book. Sadly, not many other characters match that (save maybe Nurse Jackie).
There's an interesting mystery deep down, but seeds aren't sown early enough. There's interesting folk horror, but again, it just takes way too long to actually get to it. I think we get to about 50% of the book before real kick off.
I'm conflicted with this one as I find it frustrating that it is advertised as part of a trilogy. It makes it feel like a lot of the mysticism and world building was left out to expand in the future, but the reality is it just seemed like half formed ideas. I look forward to seeing what the sequel will be about, as I really did like Margi, but time will tell if I pick the sequel up.
As Margi begins to investigate, old mysterious from her past resurface, and what begins like any other job for her, save the emotional impact of the location, turns into a fight for survival. Nestled into glorious woods, construction of The New Lodge has disturbed something ancient and evil, something that wants revenge.
Sadly, Assisted Living sounds a much better book than it actually is. Firstly, the positives. Margi is a fantastic main character. She's so unlike anything that you often see in books or films or TV. She's in her 60's, closer to retirement than starting out in her career. But she's not an 'old' sixty something. She feels like a real person in that stage of her life. She's got an innocence and a wholesomeness, without being cloying and saccharine. The loss she has gone through with the death of her husband feels real and grounded, and she is written clearly from a place of love. Margi makes this book. Sadly, not many other characters match that (save maybe Nurse Jackie).
There's an interesting mystery deep down, but seeds aren't sown early enough. There's interesting folk horror, but again, it just takes way too long to actually get to it. I think we get to about 50% of the book before real kick off.
I'm conflicted with this one as I find it frustrating that it is advertised as part of a trilogy. It makes it feel like a lot of the mysticism and world building was left out to expand in the future, but the reality is it just seemed like half formed ideas. I look forward to seeing what the sequel will be about, as I really did like Margi, but time will tell if I pick the sequel up.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
You’re never to old to be a final girl.
Recent widow Margie Thermopolis just wants to finish her last years of bureaucratic work and retire with her cats, plenty of IPA, and a good game of roller derby. Instead, she's haunted by her husband's medical debt-and his secret bonsai obsession. Sent to inspect a luxury assisted living facility built on the ruins of Old Grove Lodge, Margie is forced back to the site of her little brother's bizarre death fifty years earlier, and dubious memories of a murderous forest witch.
Trapped by a blizzard with a ruthless lumber baron, his dying mother, and nature itself, Margie digs up more than just the secrets of her past, for something ancient is awakening-and it remembers her.
I love love LOVED this novel. I rarely see stories written from the perspective of older generations, and this novel is a testament as to why these kinds of perspectives are rising in popularity and demand. Not only was it intriguing to view the world of horror through an "older" protagonist's gaze, but it was intriguing to see how the mindset of a full-grown adult differed from younger individuals, especially in a setting where it's "do or die". I absolutely loved Margie's character, her quick-thinking and smart decisions (as well as her not-so-smart ones!) throughout the narrative.
I think my favorite part of this novel was how easy it was to read - and how satisfying the conclusion was. Equal parts haunting and lovely, it was a story I'm not soon to forget. I especially loved the cast of older characters and how everyone worked together toward the end. There were a few lines that stuck to me, especially the gruesome ones (ewww, the nose!) and I am thrilled to have received this book from both NetGalley and the author as an ARC. Wonderfully written, and I cannot wait to discover what else this author has scribed!
Recent widow Margie Thermopolis just wants to finish her last years of bureaucratic work and retire with her cats, plenty of IPA, and a good game of roller derby. Instead, she's haunted by her husband's medical debt-and his secret bonsai obsession. Sent to inspect a luxury assisted living facility built on the ruins of Old Grove Lodge, Margie is forced back to the site of her little brother's bizarre death fifty years earlier, and dubious memories of a murderous forest witch.
Trapped by a blizzard with a ruthless lumber baron, his dying mother, and nature itself, Margie digs up more than just the secrets of her past, for something ancient is awakening-and it remembers her.
I love love LOVED this novel. I rarely see stories written from the perspective of older generations, and this novel is a testament as to why these kinds of perspectives are rising in popularity and demand. Not only was it intriguing to view the world of horror through an "older" protagonist's gaze, but it was intriguing to see how the mindset of a full-grown adult differed from younger individuals, especially in a setting where it's "do or die". I absolutely loved Margie's character, her quick-thinking and smart decisions (as well as her not-so-smart ones!) throughout the narrative.
I think my favorite part of this novel was how easy it was to read - and how satisfying the conclusion was. Equal parts haunting and lovely, it was a story I'm not soon to forget. I especially loved the cast of older characters and how everyone worked together toward the end. There were a few lines that stuck to me, especially the gruesome ones (ewww, the nose!) and I am thrilled to have received this book from both NetGalley and the author as an ARC. Wonderfully written, and I cannot wait to discover what else this author has scribed!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
So I think I'll start off listing the good parts of this book: the dark secret behind the camp and the woods was compelling, Maggie's backstory involving the tragic death of her little brother was engaging, and the feeling of creeping dread as the forest starts to encroach closer and closer to the assisted living facility and affect its surroundings is actually quite good. So, in the eco-terror, folk-horror aspect, I thought this book delivered and is the main reason it's at 3 stars and not 2.
Now let's get into the bad: the characters all feel incredibly flat. Maggie is possibly the most fleshed out character, but even she has this odd thing where even in narration, she insists on using words like "hiney" or "oh to heck with it" instead, and when she's introducing herself to complete strangers, she says "I'm a widow and an inspector." I suppose you could argue that's just grief talking, but it did seem off. And all the other characters? They most exist to revolve around Maggie. So much of the cast is immediately open and friendly with Maggie, almost immediately considering her a good friend and forgiving her for any slights. Things work out far too easily, and the plot itself meanders around. It takes a long time for the horror aspects to really come into play, and even then, there's a lot of coincidences to get there.
It's not a bad folk-horror book, but if you're looking for deep characters or story, this isn't it.
So I think I'll start off listing the good parts of this book: the dark secret behind the camp and the woods was compelling, Maggie's backstory involving the tragic death of her little brother was engaging, and the feeling of creeping dread as the forest starts to encroach closer and closer to the assisted living facility and affect its surroundings is actually quite good. So, in the eco-terror, folk-horror aspect, I thought this book delivered and is the main reason it's at 3 stars and not 2.
Now let's get into the bad: the characters all feel incredibly flat. Maggie is possibly the most fleshed out character, but even she has this odd thing where even in narration, she insists on using words like "hiney" or "oh to heck with it" instead, and when she's introducing herself to complete strangers, she says "I'm a widow and an inspector." I suppose you could argue that's just grief talking, but it did seem off. And all the other characters? They most exist to revolve around Maggie. So much of the cast is immediately open and friendly with Maggie, almost immediately considering her a good friend and forgiving her for any slights. Things work out far too easily, and the plot itself meanders around. It takes a long time for the horror aspects to really come into play, and even then, there's a lot of coincidences to get there.
It's not a bad folk-horror book, but if you're looking for deep characters or story, this isn't it.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Assisted Living had me genuinely intrigued going in. Cozy eco-horror centered on an older woman grieving her husband while inspecting a creepy assisted living facility in Oregon? That's a concept with real potential. And for stretches of it, it delivers on that promise.
Margie is easy to root for, and I appreciate that Caldwell chose a protagonist who isn't your typical horror lead. The cozy-to-creepy shift works often enough to keep you turning pages, and the setting does a solid job of creating that specific kind of unease where you can't quite put your finger on what's wrong but something definitely is.
The problem is the eco/tree horror elements feel underdeveloped, like something was missing in the execution. I wanted that aspect to hit harder and feel more fully realized than it did. There's a really interesting story in here about nature and grief and what gets left behind, but it never quite commits to digging into it the way it should.
And the dialogue. Margie's specific brand of squeaky clean, overly wholesome expressions ("flying fish," "be gosh-darned") are supposed to feel charming and quirky but land more often as cheesy and pulled me out of the story more than once. It undercuts the horror atmosphere the book is otherwise trying to build.
Still, I'm curious enough about where this trilogy goes to keep an eye on book two. The bones of something really good are here.
Margie is easy to root for, and I appreciate that Caldwell chose a protagonist who isn't your typical horror lead. The cozy-to-creepy shift works often enough to keep you turning pages, and the setting does a solid job of creating that specific kind of unease where you can't quite put your finger on what's wrong but something definitely is.
The problem is the eco/tree horror elements feel underdeveloped, like something was missing in the execution. I wanted that aspect to hit harder and feel more fully realized than it did. There's a really interesting story in here about nature and grief and what gets left behind, but it never quite commits to digging into it the way it should.
And the dialogue. Margie's specific brand of squeaky clean, overly wholesome expressions ("flying fish," "be gosh-darned") are supposed to feel charming and quirky but land more often as cheesy and pulled me out of the story more than once. It undercuts the horror atmosphere the book is otherwise trying to build.
Still, I'm curious enough about where this trilogy goes to keep an eye on book two. The bones of something really good are here.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I really struggled with this one and I'm not entirely sure why.
Assisted Living follows Margie, a near-retiree whose husband passed away a few months ago. When she's sent to inspect a new assisted living facility in the woods where her little brother died suspiciously many years ago, old memories begin to resurface.
I think my biggest complaint is probably the pace. I got about 60 percent through the book over the course of many reading sessions and just couldn't really get invested in the characters. I was planning on continuing to read and even finish the book until I thought of writing the review afterwards - over halfway through the book and I genuinely didn't know what to say in a review.
I think some of the blame could definitely reside in my own disinterest from the beginning. I just didn't connect with this book and don't believe that there's anything inherently wrong with the book itself. I wish some of the creepy elements were introduced earlier because things were just starting to happen when I made the decision to DNF the book. I still just felt it wasn't the book for me.
It's well-written and I think plenty of people will connect with Margie, but ultimately, I felt it was time to accept that I wasn't super interested and to move on. It's definitely still worth giving a shot because Margie is a complex character that might really resonate with you.
Assisted Living follows Margie, a near-retiree whose husband passed away a few months ago. When she's sent to inspect a new assisted living facility in the woods where her little brother died suspiciously many years ago, old memories begin to resurface.
I think my biggest complaint is probably the pace. I got about 60 percent through the book over the course of many reading sessions and just couldn't really get invested in the characters. I was planning on continuing to read and even finish the book until I thought of writing the review afterwards - over halfway through the book and I genuinely didn't know what to say in a review.
I think some of the blame could definitely reside in my own disinterest from the beginning. I just didn't connect with this book and don't believe that there's anything inherently wrong with the book itself. I wish some of the creepy elements were introduced earlier because things were just starting to happen when I made the decision to DNF the book. I still just felt it wasn't the book for me.
It's well-written and I think plenty of people will connect with Margie, but ultimately, I felt it was time to accept that I wasn't super interested and to move on. It's definitely still worth giving a shot because Margie is a complex character that might really resonate with you.
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