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The Woman of the House
A terrifying, twisty, and impossible-to-put-down supernatural thriller that reminds us that houses are never just houses—and secrets never stay buried.
Rose Crawley isn’t the perfect wife—or the perfect woman—that her husband thinks she is. And she isn’t about to let him find that out, ever. She’s finally gotten everything she’s ever a house by the lake, an adoring husband, and a fresh start from the past she’s long tried to outrun.
But the house she now calls home seems to have other plans. She wakes with bloody scratches lining her arms. She sees reflections in mirrors, only to find she’s standing alone. She hears the floors creak under invisible footsteps. And when Rose lies awake in the dark, the air feels heavy, like the house is pressing in on her, waiting for her to crack.
When Rose learns that the previous occupant, a wife and mother named Angela, vanished under suspicious circumstances, she becomes obsessed with uncovering what happened. Drawn deeper into the disappearance by her peculiar and prying neighbor, Rose digs into Angela’s past. But the more she discovers, and as the house's strange occurrences escalate, Rose finds herself questioning not just what happened to Angela, but whether she’ll share the same fate.
Rose Crawley isn’t the perfect wife—or the perfect woman—that her husband thinks she is. And she isn’t about to let him find that out, ever. She’s finally gotten everything she’s ever a house by the lake, an adoring husband, and a fresh start from the past she’s long tried to outrun.
But the house she now calls home seems to have other plans. She wakes with bloody scratches lining her arms. She sees reflections in mirrors, only to find she’s standing alone. She hears the floors creak under invisible footsteps. And when Rose lies awake in the dark, the air feels heavy, like the house is pressing in on her, waiting for her to crack.
When Rose learns that the previous occupant, a wife and mother named Angela, vanished under suspicious circumstances, she becomes obsessed with uncovering what happened. Drawn deeper into the disappearance by her peculiar and prying neighbor, Rose digs into Angela’s past. But the more she discovers, and as the house's strange occurrences escalate, Rose finds herself questioning not just what happened to Angela, but whether she’ll share the same fate.
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First published October 13, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I'm a sucker for a woman whose inner monologue is just one bad decision away from becoming evidence in a criminal investigation, and Kate Mooney delivers. The writing has an engaging flow and a strong, distinct narrative voice that makes the protagonist's increasingly unhinged thought processes an absolute delight - which probably says something about me but you don't have to unpack that right now. But I hate how much I loved her. Like, we're all amateur detectives when it's called for, go off queen. The stalking is maybe definitely a little bit extremely crazy, but I support women's rights and women's wrongs, and she had her reasons, okay? God forbid a girl has a hobby. And she has secrets? Same girl. The story itself is fairly predictable, but in a way that felt more familiar than lazy or underwritten; I enjoyed the ride even when I suspected I knew where it was headed. Still, a few detours into the unexpected to balance out the usual twists could have elevated the story considerably.
The horror works, the suspense is solid, and the protagonist is an unreliable narrator in the most gloriously exasperating sense of the term: a pathological liar who keeps digging herself into increasingly disastrous corners, then seems genuinely convinced that more lying is the obvious solution. Girl. You built the corner. With your lies. Why are we now lying our way out of it?! It's spectacular, unhinged, untrustworthy, unlikeable character writing at its finest. There is something deeply entertaining about a passenger seat access pass to a woman's descent into madness while she's absolutely convinced she's the only person in the room who knows what's going on. I'm always ready to root for a somewhat delusional main character, and this one had me thoroughly invested in her increasingly questionable choices. The whole thing has Best Offer Wins energy, and I mean that as a high compliment.
My biggest disappointment was the ending, which felt lackluster after all that deliciously chaotic buildup. Too many threads seemed unresolved, and the final stretch never quite delivered the satisfying closure I'd hoped for. I wanted the accumulated tension and increasingly unhinged decisions to culminate in something with a little more bite. That said, after going back through my notes and sitting with my overall experience, I'm bumping my rating up. The flaws are real, but so is the entertainment value. The Woman of the House is a twisty, darkly enjoyable read with a compelling narrative voice and a protagonist whose judgment I would never trust but whose next move I crave. I recommend it, I'd read it again, and I will continue to root for women with personalities best described as "Cluster B" and the decision making maturity of three raccoons in a trench coat.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC of The Woman of the House in exchange for an honest review - it is always an honor to receive unpublished work and I look forward to the next reading opportunity.
The horror works, the suspense is solid, and the protagonist is an unreliable narrator in the most gloriously exasperating sense of the term: a pathological liar who keeps digging herself into increasingly disastrous corners, then seems genuinely convinced that more lying is the obvious solution. Girl. You built the corner. With your lies. Why are we now lying our way out of it?! It's spectacular, unhinged, untrustworthy, unlikeable character writing at its finest. There is something deeply entertaining about a passenger seat access pass to a woman's descent into madness while she's absolutely convinced she's the only person in the room who knows what's going on. I'm always ready to root for a somewhat delusional main character, and this one had me thoroughly invested in her increasingly questionable choices. The whole thing has Best Offer Wins energy, and I mean that as a high compliment.
My biggest disappointment was the ending, which felt lackluster after all that deliciously chaotic buildup. Too many threads seemed unresolved, and the final stretch never quite delivered the satisfying closure I'd hoped for. I wanted the accumulated tension and increasingly unhinged decisions to culminate in something with a little more bite. That said, after going back through my notes and sitting with my overall experience, I'm bumping my rating up. The flaws are real, but so is the entertainment value. The Woman of the House is a twisty, darkly enjoyable read with a compelling narrative voice and a protagonist whose judgment I would never trust but whose next move I crave. I recommend it, I'd read it again, and I will continue to root for women with personalities best described as "Cluster B" and the decision making maturity of three raccoons in a trench coat.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC of The Woman of the House in exchange for an honest review - it is always an honor to receive unpublished work and I look forward to the next reading opportunity.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I was really excited for this one, but unfortunately the plot never really develops, and I hated the ending (not enough rationale in my opinion for what happened). Too many missed plot opportunities—bummer because I wanted to love this one so much and gave it all the way til the end in hopes to steer my opinion.
November 5, 2026
I really enjoyed this! If the ending had been better and more fulfilling this could have been a 5 star read. Regardless, this is an author that now has my attention. More thoughts to come!
October 28, 2026
I have loved reading several haunted house books this season. This book started strong. There was some foreshadowing as to what was to come and it really got me excited. I do tend to get a little annoyed with FMCs who are so secretive, they just feel shady to me and I don’t like that. Then Brian is kind of a dingbat. Anyway, Rose starts to go downhill, which honestly was kind of fun because I felt like she deserved it in a way. By the time we got to the ending, it was pretty predictable and that was annoying. I didn’t hate this one, but it wasn’t my favorite haunted house book.
October 17, 2026
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 3 stars ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
"Don't lie unless you're sure you'll be believed."
i was quite excited to read the woman of the house, but it was just an okay experience for me. firstly, it took a while for me to get into the story. thrillers tend to be fast paced but this one felt too slow to me. and i guess my main issue with this book is that there were so many good plot points introduced that weren't followed through for some reason. there was genuinely so much potential! there were also parts of the book that felt really repetitive for me, and yet the ending was rushed which left me confused. things were just left open and it seemed like nothing was actually resolved. i was also questioning brian but especially frances because there were a lot of suspicious things happening. can't say much more without spoiling!
to leave the review on a more positive note i want to say that the writing is pretty good, as i was somewhat entertained throughout the whole book. rose's inner monologue is well written because you sort of experience her thought processes with her. although this wasn't a favorite of mine, i am looking forward to reading future works by this author!
˗ˋˏ ୨୧ thank you to NetGalley, Berkley, and Kate Mooney for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review! ୨୧ ˎˊ˗
"Don't lie unless you're sure you'll be believed."
i was quite excited to read the woman of the house, but it was just an okay experience for me. firstly, it took a while for me to get into the story. thrillers tend to be fast paced but this one felt too slow to me. and i guess my main issue with this book is that there were so many good plot points introduced that weren't followed through for some reason. there was genuinely so much potential! there were also parts of the book that felt really repetitive for me, and yet the ending was rushed which left me confused. things were just left open and it seemed like nothing was actually resolved. i was also questioning brian but especially frances because there were a lot of suspicious things happening. can't say much more without spoiling!
to leave the review on a more positive note i want to say that the writing is pretty good, as i was somewhat entertained throughout the whole book. rose's inner monologue is well written because you sort of experience her thought processes with her. although this wasn't a favorite of mine, i am looking forward to reading future works by this author!
˗ˋˏ ୨୧ thank you to NetGalley, Berkley, and Kate Mooney for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review! ୨୧ ˎˊ˗
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Unfortunately, this was a pretty big miss for me. The writing itself was solid, and there were definitely moments that were interesting and entertaining, but overall, I just didn’t enjoy this one. The fact that it took me nearly a month to finish probably says everything you need to know.
This is a popcorn psychological thriller about a woman who moves into a new house with her husband and soon begins experiencing some unexplained things. She starts digging into the home’s previous owners and discovers that the woman who lived there before her mysteriously disappeared. Convinced the missing woman’s husband may have had something to do with it, she decides to investigate him. And by investigate, I mean there is a fair amount of amateur detective work with a slight side of stalking. At the same time, we begin to learn that our main character hasn’t exactly been honest with her own husband about her past either.
My biggest issue is that I feel like I’ve read this story many, many times before. Mysterious house? Check. Missing former resident? Check. Suspicious husband? Check. Main character hiding secrets of her own? Also check. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t bring anything particularly new or fresh to the table. I also found it fairly predictable, and the ending didn’t work for me.
There were entertaining moments, and I can absolutely see this working better for someone who hasn’t already read approximately 47 versions of this plot. Sadly, I may have reached my lifetime quota.
⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is a popcorn psychological thriller about a woman who moves into a new house with her husband and soon begins experiencing some unexplained things. She starts digging into the home’s previous owners and discovers that the woman who lived there before her mysteriously disappeared. Convinced the missing woman’s husband may have had something to do with it, she decides to investigate him. And by investigate, I mean there is a fair amount of amateur detective work with a slight side of stalking. At the same time, we begin to learn that our main character hasn’t exactly been honest with her own husband about her past either.
My biggest issue is that I feel like I’ve read this story many, many times before. Mysterious house? Check. Missing former resident? Check. Suspicious husband? Check. Main character hiding secrets of her own? Also check. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t bring anything particularly new or fresh to the table. I also found it fairly predictable, and the ending didn’t work for me.
There were entertaining moments, and I can absolutely see this working better for someone who hasn’t already read approximately 47 versions of this plot. Sadly, I may have reached my lifetime quota.
⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Woman of the House has all of the elements of gothic horror. The house is a gorgeous lakeside home, once decaying and now fully remodeled and then left to decay again. The present day couple who bought it are on shaky ground when the woman of the house starts hearing noises and seeing the figure of a woman. She isn’t sleeping, and her husband fears she is losing her mind. What he doesn’t know is that she is sitting on a mountain of lies. The story is narrated by Rose, the young wife who is slowly coming undone, alone in the house most of the time. Rose is an unreliable narrator, or is she? The book is eerie, and many of the things I thought would be predictable weren’t. Yes. There are plot twists. The book did drag a bit in the middle, but psychological horror sometimes does - and sometimes the reader is so eager to find out what is happening, that they leave patience behind. There are moments when I just wanted to jump into the book and yell at Rose, “Don’t do it!”. There were other times I wanted to shout at her “do it now!” A note: keeping an oxygen mask out of the reach of someone doesn’t kill them quickly. Research, people! Research!
I would like to thank Kate Mooney, Berkeley Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this uncorrected proof. Opinions are my own.
I would like to thank Kate Mooney, Berkeley Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this uncorrected proof. Opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Rose Crawley has spent YEARS carefully constructing the exact version of herself she thinks Brian will love, and then she moves into a lake house where mirrors are showing her extra people and she’s waking up with bloody scratches on her arms. Ma’am. This is not the fresh start you ordered. This is a house looking at your entire fake-it-till-you-make-it marriage and going, “Oh good, another woman with secrets. Put her in the master bedroom.”
And Rose has SECRETS. Not cute little “I told him I liked camping” relationship secrets. This woman essentially studied Brian, figured out what kind of woman he wanted, and became her. Which is already enough information for me to gently set down my margarita and ask several follow-up questions. Brian thinks he married this perfectly content wife who wants the beautiful house, the babies, the whole glossy domestic package. Rose is standing inside that package like somebody trapped her in decorative gift wrap. She wants the security. She wants Brian. She wants the life. She just maybe does not want several of the actual components required to live it.
Then they move into this gorgeous house by the lake and discover the previous family left behind toys, photos, boxes, basically half their damn existence. That alone would have had me on Zillow before dinner because people do not abandon sentimental belongings because the moving truck was full. But Rose starts digging and learns that Angela, the woman who lived there before her, disappeared. And Rose immediately becomes that friend who says, “I’m not obsessed with this,” while spending every available waking hour researching it. The house starts making noises. Photos she put away reappear. Rose starts sleepwalking again and waking up in the boathouse. She’s seeing reflections that should not be there. At no point does anyone in this marriage appear to say, “You know what, maybe we should stay at a Holiday Inn for a week.”
Instead, Rose doubles down. Of course she does. She starts digging through old newspaper records and trying to figure out what happened to Angela because there is absolutely no healthier way to adjust to married life than launching a private investigation into your missing predecessor. Then Frances enters the picture, the peculiar, nosy new friend who keeps pulling Rose further into the whole thing, and I spent a frankly unreasonable amount of time trying to determine whether Frances was a regular person, a ghost, an imaginary friend, or the human equivalent of finding a chair facing the wrong direction in a dark room. Every interaction with her made me less certain about what planet we were currently on.
Brian, meanwhile, is around just enough for me to keep asking what exactly HIS deal is. He wants a baby. Rose very much does not seem to want a baby. Their communication style is basically two people politely acting in the marriage they think the other person requested, which is somehow more stressful than if they would just have one screaming fight in the kitchen and get it over with. Rose is constantly terrified that Brian will discover she isn’t the woman he thinks she is, and Brian keeps responding to every new crack in Rose’s performance like a man who ordered one wife and has received an entirely different model. Their marriage has the energy of two people filling out separate surveys about the same relationship and somehow checking opposite boxes.
And this is what made Rose so fascinating and SO exhausting. I would feel horrible for her because her childhood clearly taught her that love is something you earn by becoming whatever another person needs. Then she’d do something manipulative or wildly questionable and I’d be right back to, “Rose, babe, you cannot keep solving emotional problems like this.” She spends so much of her life terrified that someone will finally meet the real her and leave that she never gives anybody the opportunity to actually meet her in the first place. That landed harder than all the footsteps and mirror nonsense.
Meanwhile, I’m trying to solve Angela’s disappearance while also figuring out whether Rose is haunted, the HOUSE is haunted, Rose is haunting herself, somebody is actively messing with her, Brian is hiding something, Frances exists, and any of these people have considered installing additional lighting. There are enough suspicious little incidents that I kept making theories and then immediately throwing them away. Some things start feeling important and then sort of drift off into the wallpaper, which left me staring at a few details like, wait, are we coming back to the broken glass rattle? No? We are just moving forward emotionally? Fascinating choice by everyone involved.
By the final stretch, Rose is unraveling so hard that the question stopped being “Is this house haunted?” and became “Does it even MATTER at this point?” Because whether something supernatural is happening or not, this woman has reached the stage of the evening where nobody should hand her the car keys. The ending goes dark and weird and leaves enough hanging that I finished it sitting there like somebody had turned the lights on at the bar before I was emotionally prepared to leave. I had answers. I also had several new questions and a very strong desire to interview Frances under oath.
Three and a half stars for The Woman of the House. I had a great time being trapped in Rose’s head while she made a beautiful lake house feel like the least relaxing place in Wisconsin. Give me a marriage built on performance, a missing woman, a suspicious house, one deeply questionable new friendship, childhood trauma kicking holes through adulthood, and a heroine who keeps making every situation approximately thirty percent worse by refusing to tell the truth, and apparently I’m staying up late to see which one of them cracks first.
Whodunity Award: For Making Me Investigate the House, the Husband, the Missing Woman, the Neighbor, and Rose Herself Before Finally Accepting That Everyone Here Needs to Sit Down and Explain Themselves
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC. I came for a creepy lake house and left with a missing woman, marital deception, possible ghosts, unexplained scratches, a suspicious boathouse, and enough unanswered domestic questions to make me personally reject any future real estate listing containing the phrase “full of character.
And Rose has SECRETS. Not cute little “I told him I liked camping” relationship secrets. This woman essentially studied Brian, figured out what kind of woman he wanted, and became her. Which is already enough information for me to gently set down my margarita and ask several follow-up questions. Brian thinks he married this perfectly content wife who wants the beautiful house, the babies, the whole glossy domestic package. Rose is standing inside that package like somebody trapped her in decorative gift wrap. She wants the security. She wants Brian. She wants the life. She just maybe does not want several of the actual components required to live it.
Then they move into this gorgeous house by the lake and discover the previous family left behind toys, photos, boxes, basically half their damn existence. That alone would have had me on Zillow before dinner because people do not abandon sentimental belongings because the moving truck was full. But Rose starts digging and learns that Angela, the woman who lived there before her, disappeared. And Rose immediately becomes that friend who says, “I’m not obsessed with this,” while spending every available waking hour researching it. The house starts making noises. Photos she put away reappear. Rose starts sleepwalking again and waking up in the boathouse. She’s seeing reflections that should not be there. At no point does anyone in this marriage appear to say, “You know what, maybe we should stay at a Holiday Inn for a week.”
Instead, Rose doubles down. Of course she does. She starts digging through old newspaper records and trying to figure out what happened to Angela because there is absolutely no healthier way to adjust to married life than launching a private investigation into your missing predecessor. Then Frances enters the picture, the peculiar, nosy new friend who keeps pulling Rose further into the whole thing, and I spent a frankly unreasonable amount of time trying to determine whether Frances was a regular person, a ghost, an imaginary friend, or the human equivalent of finding a chair facing the wrong direction in a dark room. Every interaction with her made me less certain about what planet we were currently on.
Brian, meanwhile, is around just enough for me to keep asking what exactly HIS deal is. He wants a baby. Rose very much does not seem to want a baby. Their communication style is basically two people politely acting in the marriage they think the other person requested, which is somehow more stressful than if they would just have one screaming fight in the kitchen and get it over with. Rose is constantly terrified that Brian will discover she isn’t the woman he thinks she is, and Brian keeps responding to every new crack in Rose’s performance like a man who ordered one wife and has received an entirely different model. Their marriage has the energy of two people filling out separate surveys about the same relationship and somehow checking opposite boxes.
And this is what made Rose so fascinating and SO exhausting. I would feel horrible for her because her childhood clearly taught her that love is something you earn by becoming whatever another person needs. Then she’d do something manipulative or wildly questionable and I’d be right back to, “Rose, babe, you cannot keep solving emotional problems like this.” She spends so much of her life terrified that someone will finally meet the real her and leave that she never gives anybody the opportunity to actually meet her in the first place. That landed harder than all the footsteps and mirror nonsense.
Meanwhile, I’m trying to solve Angela’s disappearance while also figuring out whether Rose is haunted, the HOUSE is haunted, Rose is haunting herself, somebody is actively messing with her, Brian is hiding something, Frances exists, and any of these people have considered installing additional lighting. There are enough suspicious little incidents that I kept making theories and then immediately throwing them away. Some things start feeling important and then sort of drift off into the wallpaper, which left me staring at a few details like, wait, are we coming back to the broken glass rattle? No? We are just moving forward emotionally? Fascinating choice by everyone involved.
By the final stretch, Rose is unraveling so hard that the question stopped being “Is this house haunted?” and became “Does it even MATTER at this point?” Because whether something supernatural is happening or not, this woman has reached the stage of the evening where nobody should hand her the car keys. The ending goes dark and weird and leaves enough hanging that I finished it sitting there like somebody had turned the lights on at the bar before I was emotionally prepared to leave. I had answers. I also had several new questions and a very strong desire to interview Frances under oath.
Three and a half stars for The Woman of the House. I had a great time being trapped in Rose’s head while she made a beautiful lake house feel like the least relaxing place in Wisconsin. Give me a marriage built on performance, a missing woman, a suspicious house, one deeply questionable new friendship, childhood trauma kicking holes through adulthood, and a heroine who keeps making every situation approximately thirty percent worse by refusing to tell the truth, and apparently I’m staying up late to see which one of them cracks first.
Whodunity Award: For Making Me Investigate the House, the Husband, the Missing Woman, the Neighbor, and Rose Herself Before Finally Accepting That Everyone Here Needs to Sit Down and Explain Themselves
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC. I came for a creepy lake house and left with a missing woman, marital deception, possible ghosts, unexplained scratches, a suspicious boathouse, and enough unanswered domestic questions to make me personally reject any future real estate listing containing the phrase “full of character.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I read this pretty much in one sitting, the writing was addictive but the story is a story I feel most horror/thriller readers have probably read before.
There's a untrustworthy mc moving to a new mysterious house that has a history of murder and missing people.
I felt a little let down by the ending, as a lot of things were left open and unaddressed. This is fine for a surface level read but it just doesn't add anything new to the genre.
There's a untrustworthy mc moving to a new mysterious house that has a history of murder and missing people.
I felt a little let down by the ending, as a lot of things were left open and unaddressed. This is fine for a surface level read but it just doesn't add anything new to the genre.
September 3, 2026
It took me a minute to get into this one, but once I did, it FLEW by. Umm… I guess my comps would be Ed Gein meets A Simple Favor meets The Amityville Horror? It’s wild.
Rose is an unreliable narrator, but there is—gods, I hope it’s not just me—a lot to identify with in her. She inspires some sympathy in the beginning, but that sympathy quickly starts to evaporate as she continues making increasingly questionable decisions. Her poor husband, Brian, has to be the most clueless sod in the world.
Without getting into spoilers, it’s hard to explain exactly what happens in this book because Rose builds this enormous house of cards around herself, and every time she has an opportunity to be honest, she chooses to keep another secret. She is desperate to believe that she isn’t wrong about the house, about the missing woman, Angela, about her husband, or about her in-laws. And as things spiral, she comes to rely on a friend who may or may not even be real—and who seems determined to steer her further and further into her own descent.
The trouble is… I don’t know if I would have been able to leave the mystery alone either.
Rose seems doomed to follow this particular path into madness, and I’m honestly not sure how much choice she ever had once they moved into that house. Everything before the move, though? That was very much her own problematic, mother-induced PTSD that she probably should have gone to therapy for.
Once things really start happening, this book becomes a tumbling katamari ball of bad decisions that just keeps getting bigger and bigger around Rose. And watching her lose control of her own narrative feels like watching six trains crash head-on in slow motion. You know this is going to be a disaster. You just can’t look away.
And the prose gets increasingly unhinged as the story progresses, which I absolutely loved. The further Rose falls, the harder it becomes to separate what is actually happening from what she thinks is happening.
Don’t trust anything you read. Don’t trust Rose. Don’t trust anyone in that little lake town.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC
Rose is an unreliable narrator, but there is—gods, I hope it’s not just me—a lot to identify with in her. She inspires some sympathy in the beginning, but that sympathy quickly starts to evaporate as she continues making increasingly questionable decisions. Her poor husband, Brian, has to be the most clueless sod in the world.
Without getting into spoilers, it’s hard to explain exactly what happens in this book because Rose builds this enormous house of cards around herself, and every time she has an opportunity to be honest, she chooses to keep another secret. She is desperate to believe that she isn’t wrong about the house, about the missing woman, Angela, about her husband, or about her in-laws. And as things spiral, she comes to rely on a friend who may or may not even be real—and who seems determined to steer her further and further into her own descent.
The trouble is… I don’t know if I would have been able to leave the mystery alone either.
Rose seems doomed to follow this particular path into madness, and I’m honestly not sure how much choice she ever had once they moved into that house. Everything before the move, though? That was very much her own problematic, mother-induced PTSD that she probably should have gone to therapy for.
Once things really start happening, this book becomes a tumbling katamari ball of bad decisions that just keeps getting bigger and bigger around Rose. And watching her lose control of her own narrative feels like watching six trains crash head-on in slow motion. You know this is going to be a disaster. You just can’t look away.
And the prose gets increasingly unhinged as the story progresses, which I absolutely loved. The further Rose falls, the harder it becomes to separate what is actually happening from what she thinks is happening.
Don’t trust anything you read. Don’t trust Rose. Don’t trust anyone in that little lake town.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
* thanks to Berkley for the NetGalley review copy (pub date: October 13, 2026)
Loved the premise and the book had a strong start with the secret-keeping protagonist and her dingdong husband, but then it just went on and on and on and on in circles, and it felt like I wasn't getting anywhere. I gave up at about 50% and skipped to the end -- it does seem like things got a little crazy and that it ended on a wild note, so I wouldn't discourage people from reading it, especially if they have a higher slow-burn tolerance than me, but I won't be recommending it either.
Loved the premise and the book had a strong start with the secret-keeping protagonist and her dingdong husband, but then it just went on and on and on and on in circles, and it felt like I wasn't getting anywhere. I gave up at about 50% and skipped to the end -- it does seem like things got a little crazy and that it ended on a wild note, so I wouldn't discourage people from reading it, especially if they have a higher slow-burn tolerance than me, but I won't be recommending it either.
October 22, 2026
This had all the ingredients to be something brilliant, and I was hooked from the start! A creepy lake house with a sinister history, a missing former occupant, wealthy family secrets & an FMC who’s essentially conned her way into her own marriage. There was SO much potential here!
What fascinated me most was Rose. This woman didn’t just meet Brian and fall in love. She researched him, followed him, figured out exactly what he wanted in a partner & then completely reinvented herself to become that woman. The lengths she went to in order to secure her perfect life were borderline Joe Goldberg territory, and I loved that she was far from the innocent, unsuspecting wife she initially appeared to be.
I was hoping for a haunted house meets wealthy family secrets thriller, with Rose’s carefully constructed love trap unravelling spectacularly as the history of their new home came to light. Two seemingly separate stories colliding into one epic mess of lies, manipulation & long-buried secrets. Unfortunately, that wasn’t quite what I got.
Instead, the book kept introducing intriguing plot threads without really following through on them. Angela’s disappearance, Frances and her questionable involvement, Brian’s suspicious behaviour, the previous owners, Rose’s childhood trauma… I kept waiting for everything to connect, but so much of it seemed to go nowhere. Even some fairly significant incidents were seemingly forgotten about altogether.
And then there was the ending. After spending so much time building up these mysteries, and revisiting some of the same situations repeatedly, everything suddenly felt rushed. I don’t need every little detail tied up neatly, and I actually enjoy an ending that leaves me thinking, but there’s a difference between clever ambiguity and being left wondering why half the storylines were introduced in the first place.
I really enjoyed the eerie atmosphere, the genuinely creepy moments & following Rose as her increasingly questionable decisions began catching up with her. It was a quick, engaging read that had me invested in finding out how everything would unfold. I just wish the payoff had matched the build-up, because with all those ingredients, this could have been SO much more.
What fascinated me most was Rose. This woman didn’t just meet Brian and fall in love. She researched him, followed him, figured out exactly what he wanted in a partner & then completely reinvented herself to become that woman. The lengths she went to in order to secure her perfect life were borderline Joe Goldberg territory, and I loved that she was far from the innocent, unsuspecting wife she initially appeared to be.
I was hoping for a haunted house meets wealthy family secrets thriller, with Rose’s carefully constructed love trap unravelling spectacularly as the history of their new home came to light. Two seemingly separate stories colliding into one epic mess of lies, manipulation & long-buried secrets. Unfortunately, that wasn’t quite what I got.
Instead, the book kept introducing intriguing plot threads without really following through on them. Angela’s disappearance, Frances and her questionable involvement, Brian’s suspicious behaviour, the previous owners, Rose’s childhood trauma… I kept waiting for everything to connect, but so much of it seemed to go nowhere. Even some fairly significant incidents were seemingly forgotten about altogether.
And then there was the ending. After spending so much time building up these mysteries, and revisiting some of the same situations repeatedly, everything suddenly felt rushed. I don’t need every little detail tied up neatly, and I actually enjoy an ending that leaves me thinking, but there’s a difference between clever ambiguity and being left wondering why half the storylines were introduced in the first place.
I really enjoyed the eerie atmosphere, the genuinely creepy moments & following Rose as her increasingly questionable decisions began catching up with her. It was a quick, engaging read that had me invested in finding out how everything would unfold. I just wish the payoff had matched the build-up, because with all those ingredients, this could have been SO much more.
October 15, 2026
I really enjoyed the plot, and even though there were moments when I found myself struggling to keep track of exactly what was happening, I genuinely couldn’t put it down!
There were even a few moments that had me feeling a little creeped out, which I absolutely love in a good thriller!
Despite some confusion along the way, the story kept me hooked and wanting to know what would happen next. Suspenseful, unsettling, and just the right amount of creepy.
There were even a few moments that had me feeling a little creeped out, which I absolutely love in a good thriller!
Despite some confusion along the way, the story kept me hooked and wanting to know what would happen next. Suspenseful, unsettling, and just the right amount of creepy.
May 1, 2026
Overall this was a quick, pretty fun read that I enjoyed. I love a haunted house story and the FMC is very interesting. At first this story felt like it had everything: a very flawed main character, a marriage built completely on lies, slightly evil in-laws, a weird small town, a disappearance mystery, genuinely creepy moments. I think a lot of these could have been interesting plot points but unfortunately things weren’t very well fleshed out, and therefore didn’t end up adding much to the story. Parts of this book felt really repetitive only for the ending to be really rushed, and it just left me asking “But why?”. There were a lot of things that happen that end up having no consequence or never coming up again, like the glass rattle getting broken and Rose basically drugging Brian. The epilogue reveals that the deaths of the previous owners weren’t accidental but we learn literally nothing about it. It is implied that the new owners are also having weird experiences in the house.
Rose and Brian’s relationship could have added so much to the story, but Brian ends up being absent for the vast majority of the book. Was he cheating on her? Was he genuinely just at work the whole time? There are several times when he is acting suspicious and it’s implied that he’s also having weird experiences in the house, but we never learn anything about that. Rose made herself into the exact person she thought Brian wanted, but at the end Brian says that he was only doing things that he thought SHE wanted. But he was pressuring her into having a baby? And what was the deal with Frances? For the majority of the book I was convinced that she was not actually real only for her truth to be revealed in the last two pages.
I do think this book has a lot of promise even if many of the plot points fell flat. I especially loved how flawed Rose was, and following her decent into madness. I’ll be keeping an eye out for future books from this author!
Rose and Brian’s relationship could have added so much to the story, but Brian ends up being absent for the vast majority of the book. Was he cheating on her? Was he genuinely just at work the whole time? There are several times when he is acting suspicious and it’s implied that he’s also having weird experiences in the house, but we never learn anything about that. Rose made herself into the exact person she thought Brian wanted, but at the end Brian says that he was only doing things that he thought SHE wanted. But he was pressuring her into having a baby? And what was the deal with Frances? For the majority of the book I was convinced that she was not actually real only for her truth to be revealed in the last two pages.
I do think this book has a lot of promise even if many of the plot points fell flat. I especially loved how flawed Rose was, and following her decent into madness. I’ll be keeping an eye out for future books from this author!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2026
I finished this book with so many questions unanswered! Why, how, what????
The story follows Rose, whose personalization is none - she is a shell inhabiting the personalities of a perfect wife who plays a role in Brian's life., because Rose is obsessed over Brian, she stalked Brian and somehow she was approached by him, then later, they married, and Rose swore to remain the wife that Brian wants, docile and never protests. She lied about her background, her family to appear polished and immaculate, to be worthy of Brian's love. She told Brian that her mother was a teacher volunteering around the world. But we are let know that Rose's mother was a monster, an evil incarnate who had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. This mother was already dead, she died in a mental facility.
Rose and Brian move into the new house with an infamous history. No one wants this house, so it can be bought with a good deal. Rose discovers the disappearance of the previous female owner, Angela and wants to find out more about this, because Rose is experiencing weird noises, strange hallucinations and she has been sleepwalking. This house is trying to intimidating her.
Then Rose befriends with Frances, a loner, a person who is not much welcome in the town. She is weird, somehow enigmatic, and strangely honest, which pulls Rose in. Rose feels that Frances is the only person who doesn't expect any from her, and she can talk honestly with Frances. Rose, who has been lying a lot to her husband and building a perfect version of a dream wife, is relieved to reveal a part of her true self to Frances.
But we realize something is wrong with Frances. She is too mysterious, too obscure and no one mentions her name, as if she never actually existed. Does she have any connection with the house, or the owner?
Throughout the book, Rose slowly descends into a chaotic path when she increasingly experiences strange activities around the house, while talking to Brian gets no help - he only dismisses as Rose's worries when moving into a new house. Brian is simple, uncomplicated, therefore, he expects no complication from his wife. Rose struggles between remaining a listening, obedient women and being able to speak out what she really thinks. It is tiring, particularly, Rose is still being haunted by her troubling past with her mother.
The novel is held back by some issues with narrative direction. Several intriguing plot threads are introduced but ultimately lead nowhere, while Rose’s husband remains largely in the background, seemingly unfazed by her frequent disappearances and increasingly absurd excuses as she investigates the disappearance of the house’s previous owner. Frances remains frustratingly mysterious, with little resolution by the end. Too many loose ends are left untied, and numerous storylines fade into obscurity. The conclusion also feels rushed. I found it irritating that I could never have a clear answer to the mystery of Angela's disappearance (the previous owner), if Angela and her husband had any martial problems, Frances' motive, and yes, Rose's ending is disturbingly rushed.
Despite these shortcomings, the novel has a solid foundation and plenty of potential.
The story follows Rose, whose personalization is none - she is a shell inhabiting the personalities of a perfect wife who plays a role in Brian's life., because Rose is obsessed over Brian, she stalked Brian and somehow she was approached by him, then later, they married, and Rose swore to remain the wife that Brian wants, docile and never protests. She lied about her background, her family to appear polished and immaculate, to be worthy of Brian's love. She told Brian that her mother was a teacher volunteering around the world. But we are let know that Rose's mother was a monster, an evil incarnate who had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. This mother was already dead, she died in a mental facility.
Rose and Brian move into the new house with an infamous history. No one wants this house, so it can be bought with a good deal. Rose discovers the disappearance of the previous female owner, Angela and wants to find out more about this, because Rose is experiencing weird noises, strange hallucinations and she has been sleepwalking. This house is trying to intimidating her.
Then Rose befriends with Frances, a loner, a person who is not much welcome in the town. She is weird, somehow enigmatic, and strangely honest, which pulls Rose in. Rose feels that Frances is the only person who doesn't expect any from her, and she can talk honestly with Frances. Rose, who has been lying a lot to her husband and building a perfect version of a dream wife, is relieved to reveal a part of her true self to Frances.
But we realize something is wrong with Frances. She is too mysterious, too obscure and no one mentions her name, as if she never actually existed. Does she have any connection with the house, or the owner?
Throughout the book, Rose slowly descends into a chaotic path when she increasingly experiences strange activities around the house, while talking to Brian gets no help - he only dismisses as Rose's worries when moving into a new house. Brian is simple, uncomplicated, therefore, he expects no complication from his wife. Rose struggles between remaining a listening, obedient women and being able to speak out what she really thinks. It is tiring, particularly, Rose is still being haunted by her troubling past with her mother.
The novel is held back by some issues with narrative direction. Several intriguing plot threads are introduced but ultimately lead nowhere, while Rose’s husband remains largely in the background, seemingly unfazed by her frequent disappearances and increasingly absurd excuses as she investigates the disappearance of the house’s previous owner. Frances remains frustratingly mysterious, with little resolution by the end. Too many loose ends are left untied, and numerous storylines fade into obscurity. The conclusion also feels rushed. I found it irritating that I could never have a clear answer to the mystery of Angela's disappearance (the previous owner), if Angela and her husband had any martial problems, Frances' motive, and yes, Rose's ending is disturbingly rushed.
Despite these shortcomings, the novel has a solid foundation and plenty of potential.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Are you in search of a spine-tingling page-turner where the house practically steals the spotlight, leaving its residents as mere supporting characters? Get ready, because you’ve just struck gold!
This supernatural thriller follows Rose Crawley and her husband, Brian, as they start a new chapter of their lives by buying a house in the suburbs. However, both the house and Rose seem to conceal dark secrets. Brian remains clueless about the eerie sights and sounds that Rose experiences within its walls. She picks up on strange noises that might be echoes of the house’s long-forgotten past, or perhaps it’s trying to communicate something sinister.
As Rose dives deeper into the mysteries surrounding the previous occupants, she becomes fixated on uncovering the truth. Along the way, she befriends a peculiar neighbor named Frances, and soon, bizarre events start to unfold both in the house and in her friendship. Is Frances real, or just a product of Rose’s imagination? It left me questioning everything, as doubt loomed large throughout the story!
Brian's family isn’t exactly thrilled about Rose; they don’t think she’s a suitable match for their son. Eager to fit in, Rose feels pressured to reinvent herself and conceal aspects of her family history. You could say her obsessive tendencies permeate various aspects of her life, including how she met Brian. There’s so much to uncover about Rose, and her story is intricately woven, making her character all the more compelling.
Set in the quiet suburb of Lake Moss, the atmosphere feels isolated and moody, mirroring the book's cover. The author does an outstanding job of keeping readers on edge with this creepy, tense, and occasionally claustrophobic narrative. I could feel the pressure both inside and outside the house, which added to the chilling experience. I appreciated the unique writing style; it created a truly immersive atmosphere. Well done!
This read is a perfect addition to your spooky book list, blending supernatural elements with themes of paranoia. You’ll feel that something’s amiss the entire time. If any of this strikes a chord with you, especially the small-town vibe, then look no further! It explores dark secrets, identity crises, mental health issues, and obsession. After all, some houses are just real estate with trust issues. The moment Rose stepped inside, it felt as if the house had been waiting for her all along. What seemed like a cozy sanctuary turned out to be as secure as a screen door on a submarine. Ever get that feeling like we’re all living in a horror movie, and nobody’s told us where the exits are? Ha!
Thank you, Berkley and NetGalley, for the gifted DRC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This supernatural thriller follows Rose Crawley and her husband, Brian, as they start a new chapter of their lives by buying a house in the suburbs. However, both the house and Rose seem to conceal dark secrets. Brian remains clueless about the eerie sights and sounds that Rose experiences within its walls. She picks up on strange noises that might be echoes of the house’s long-forgotten past, or perhaps it’s trying to communicate something sinister.
As Rose dives deeper into the mysteries surrounding the previous occupants, she becomes fixated on uncovering the truth. Along the way, she befriends a peculiar neighbor named Frances, and soon, bizarre events start to unfold both in the house and in her friendship. Is Frances real, or just a product of Rose’s imagination? It left me questioning everything, as doubt loomed large throughout the story!
Brian's family isn’t exactly thrilled about Rose; they don’t think she’s a suitable match for their son. Eager to fit in, Rose feels pressured to reinvent herself and conceal aspects of her family history. You could say her obsessive tendencies permeate various aspects of her life, including how she met Brian. There’s so much to uncover about Rose, and her story is intricately woven, making her character all the more compelling.
Set in the quiet suburb of Lake Moss, the atmosphere feels isolated and moody, mirroring the book's cover. The author does an outstanding job of keeping readers on edge with this creepy, tense, and occasionally claustrophobic narrative. I could feel the pressure both inside and outside the house, which added to the chilling experience. I appreciated the unique writing style; it created a truly immersive atmosphere. Well done!
This read is a perfect addition to your spooky book list, blending supernatural elements with themes of paranoia. You’ll feel that something’s amiss the entire time. If any of this strikes a chord with you, especially the small-town vibe, then look no further! It explores dark secrets, identity crises, mental health issues, and obsession. After all, some houses are just real estate with trust issues. The moment Rose stepped inside, it felt as if the house had been waiting for her all along. What seemed like a cozy sanctuary turned out to be as secure as a screen door on a submarine. Ever get that feeling like we’re all living in a horror movie, and nobody’s told us where the exits are? Ha!
Thank you, Berkley and NetGalley, for the gifted DRC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 5, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley publishing and Kate Mooney for the chance to read and review this eARC of The Woman of the House.
WOW! What a great fall, spooky season read this was. I seriously had to keep the lights on while reading cause I was so unsettled. It’s like the background music in a horror film, not totally noticeable, but keeping your heart rate elevated throughout the entire story.
I found this very easy to get into, but it is definitely more of “slow burn” thriller as opposed to constant twists and shocking revelations. It was hard for me to put it down some days because I just wanted to know what was happening.
I got a real Amityville horror vibe from this, which honestly used to be one of my favourite horror movies. If you enjoy that story, definitely pick this book up.
Rose, our main character, is found to be unreliable from the start, and honestly, I wouldn’t say any of our main characters are reliable. They have you questioning every move and intention from their first appearance. It’s truly very freaky!
If you’re looking for a refreshing page turner for the Halloween season, definitely give this one a go!
WOW! What a great fall, spooky season read this was. I seriously had to keep the lights on while reading cause I was so unsettled. It’s like the background music in a horror film, not totally noticeable, but keeping your heart rate elevated throughout the entire story.
I found this very easy to get into, but it is definitely more of “slow burn” thriller as opposed to constant twists and shocking revelations. It was hard for me to put it down some days because I just wanted to know what was happening.
I got a real Amityville horror vibe from this, which honestly used to be one of my favourite horror movies. If you enjoy that story, definitely pick this book up.
Rose, our main character, is found to be unreliable from the start, and honestly, I wouldn’t say any of our main characters are reliable. They have you questioning every move and intention from their first appearance. It’s truly very freaky!
If you’re looking for a refreshing page turner for the Halloween season, definitely give this one a go!
October 20, 2026
The Woman of the House was a good story with a creepy, atmospheric setup and a supernatural element that I enjoyed. I’m always a sucker for haunted-house vibes, and that part of the book definitely kept me interested.
Rose was an interesting main character. I felt a lot of sympathy for her because of her awful childhood, but there were also plenty of moments that had me questioning who—or what—I could trust.
My biggest complaint was the pacing and overall delivery. The premise and story worked for me, but it moved slowly, and the suspense never quite reached that edge-of-your-seat level I kept waiting for. There was just a little something missing that kept me from moving from “this is good” to“this is VERY good.”
I was surprised to learn this is Kate Mooney’s debut novel, though, and I think there’s a lot of promise here. I’d definitely be interested in seeing what she writes next.
MY RATING: 3.5★
A full description of my rating key and a link to my Bookstagram can be found on my Goodreads profile.
Rose was an interesting main character. I felt a lot of sympathy for her because of her awful childhood, but there were also plenty of moments that had me questioning who—or what—I could trust.
My biggest complaint was the pacing and overall delivery. The premise and story worked for me, but it moved slowly, and the suspense never quite reached that edge-of-your-seat level I kept waiting for. There was just a little something missing that kept me from moving from “this is good” to“this is VERY good.”
I was surprised to learn this is Kate Mooney’s debut novel, though, and I think there’s a lot of promise here. I’d definitely be interested in seeing what she writes next.
MY RATING: 3.5★
A full description of my rating key and a link to my Bookstagram can be found on my Goodreads profile.
October 21, 2026
This is more of a domestic thriller than a supernatural haunted house tale, but it’s surprisingly entertaining.
I’m generally not a fan of domestic suspense, but the way it blends with the malevolent house here is intriguing, if frustrating at times.
There’s a lot of “women will not be believed” going on here, which is a bit of a tough hang (especially in the current moment), but also real enough to make the story feel particularly eerie.
The idea that if there is anything at all about you or people connected to you that isn’t flawless means you are unlikely to be deemed credible is an all too real problem for women, and this book does a good job of demonstrating that alongside the idea that your past can trap you forever.
The ending is kind of a surprise, and that’s tough to do in a book like this because there are so many of them. It’s also a surprise in a way that doesn’t feel cheap or like a twist for twists sake, and I appreciated that a lot.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
I’m generally not a fan of domestic suspense, but the way it blends with the malevolent house here is intriguing, if frustrating at times.
There’s a lot of “women will not be believed” going on here, which is a bit of a tough hang (especially in the current moment), but also real enough to make the story feel particularly eerie.
The idea that if there is anything at all about you or people connected to you that isn’t flawless means you are unlikely to be deemed credible is an all too real problem for women, and this book does a good job of demonstrating that alongside the idea that your past can trap you forever.
The ending is kind of a surprise, and that’s tough to do in a book like this because there are so many of them. It’s also a surprise in a way that doesn’t feel cheap or like a twist for twists sake, and I appreciated that a lot.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
October 12, 2026
Rose and Brian leave Chicago to start their newlywed life in a beautiful lake house. Almost immediately, Rose feels like something isn’t right with the house. And it turns out that there have been a number of deaths of the home owners over the years. Rose becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to the last home owner, Angela, who went missing.
I was really excited for a good thriller for spooky season. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. At 40% into the book I was feeling anxious, but not in a way I enjoy in a thriller. It was because I felt like nothing was happening, and I didn’t know if I should continue. I did, because I wanted to see if it would go anywhere. But I probably should have gone with my gut and DNFed because I didn’t like the ending. There were also plot lines that just felt abandoned or not well developed.
On the positive side, the atmosphere was perfectly eerie for spooky season.
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for providing the ARC, this is my honest review!
I was really excited for a good thriller for spooky season. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. At 40% into the book I was feeling anxious, but not in a way I enjoy in a thriller. It was because I felt like nothing was happening, and I didn’t know if I should continue. I did, because I wanted to see if it would go anywhere. But I probably should have gone with my gut and DNFed because I didn’t like the ending. There were also plot lines that just felt abandoned or not well developed.
On the positive side, the atmosphere was perfectly eerie for spooky season.
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for providing the ARC, this is my honest review!
October 14, 2026
I LOVED THIS ONE!! 😍🏚️👻
Totally NOT what I was expecting, but in the BEST way possible! Give me a creepy house, paranormal vibes, family secrets, and a missing woman? I AM ALL IN. YES YES YES!! 🙌🏼🖤
This gave me all the haunted house vibes I adore, with that eerie feeling that something is VERY wrong and secrets hiding behind every corner. 👀 The atmosphere? DELICIOUS. The mystery? Had me hooked!
Rose finally has the dream life she’s always wanted, but her new home has some seriously creepy plans of its own. When she discovers the previous owner, Angela, mysteriously vanished, Rose becomes determined to uncover the truth. But between the increasingly terrifying paranormal activity and the secrets buried in the house, she might be closer to Angela’s fate than she realizes...
If you love supernatural thrillers that make you side-eye the house you're sitting in, add this one to your TBR immediately!! Because apparently, we can't even trust our own houses anymore. 😭😂🏚️
Totally NOT what I was expecting, but in the BEST way possible! Give me a creepy house, paranormal vibes, family secrets, and a missing woman? I AM ALL IN. YES YES YES!! 🙌🏼🖤
This gave me all the haunted house vibes I adore, with that eerie feeling that something is VERY wrong and secrets hiding behind every corner. 👀 The atmosphere? DELICIOUS. The mystery? Had me hooked!
Rose finally has the dream life she’s always wanted, but her new home has some seriously creepy plans of its own. When she discovers the previous owner, Angela, mysteriously vanished, Rose becomes determined to uncover the truth. But between the increasingly terrifying paranormal activity and the secrets buried in the house, she might be closer to Angela’s fate than she realizes...
If you love supernatural thrillers that make you side-eye the house you're sitting in, add this one to your TBR immediately!! Because apparently, we can't even trust our own houses anymore. 😭😂🏚️
Read
July 5, 2026🏡The Woman of the House🏡
📖 Bookish Thoughts
My full review will be shared closer to the publication date.
✨ What to Expect
• Supernatural Thriller
• Haunted House
• Psychological Horror
• Unreliable Narrator
• Domestic Suspense
• Dark Family Secrets
_ _ _ _
📅 Pub Date: October 13, 2026
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
📖 Bookish Thoughts
My full review will be shared closer to the publication date.
✨ What to Expect
• Supernatural Thriller
• Haunted House
• Psychological Horror
• Unreliable Narrator
• Domestic Suspense
• Dark Family Secrets
_ _ _ _
📅 Pub Date: October 13, 2026
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
November 2, 2026
I grabbed this on PRH audio in desperation to have something playing last night and well… it was meh. It meandered and o couldn’t tell you succinctly what it’s actually about. It’s like in editing something big got removed that disconnected the plot.
The narration was decent though.
The narration was decent though.
November 4, 2026
I really enjoyed the first half somewhere in the middle it lost me.
I was going insane questioning everything and everyone but then the twist happened and I felt like more could've been explained. The ending felt rushed to me.
I was going insane questioning everything and everyone but then the twist happened and I felt like more could've been explained. The ending felt rushed to me.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Rose Crawley has been busy appearing to be the perfect wife. She wants nothing more than to keep her husband happy. They leave Chicago behind to move to lake house in Wisconsin.
Once in the house Rose starts to hear strange sounds. She feels as if someone is watching her. She feels as if she is loosing her mind. She gets obsessed with Angela the woman who use to live in this house and disappeared. She begins to look into the past and figure out what happened to her along with her friend.
The house gives off an eerie presence and wonder if it is haunted? Are the things happening real or imagined? I liked the twisted ending.
Once in the house Rose starts to hear strange sounds. She feels as if someone is watching her. She feels as if she is loosing her mind. She gets obsessed with Angela the woman who use to live in this house and disappeared. She begins to look into the past and figure out what happened to her along with her friend.
The house gives off an eerie presence and wonder if it is haunted? Are the things happening real or imagined? I liked the twisted ending.
Did Not Finish
October 14, 2026ARC from Netgalley
Dnf 25% in
The writing did not capture my attention and I never got interested in this one.
Dnf 25% in
The writing did not capture my attention and I never got interested in this one.
October 15, 2026
Started off promising. Dragged. Got muddled. Then it couldn't seem to focus on a resolution. Too many reasons for the things that were happening.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
“The Woman of the House” by Kate Mooney is one of those slow-burn psychological thrillers where you spend the entire book questioning literally everything, like the house, the town, the husband, the friendships, and especially the main character’s sanity. And honestly? That constant uncertainty is what made this such an addictive read for me.
The story follows Rose, who moves into a new home with her husband Daniel while carrying years of trauma from an abusive childhood. Right away, you can tell Rose is deeply damaged by the way she grew up. She desperately craves stability and safety, which is partly why she essentially manipulated her way into this marriage with Daniel, who is a man who wants the perfect traditional wife and family while Rose secretly wants something very different. Their relationship is uncomfortable in the most fascinating way because neither of them truly understands the other, and there’s this constant tension simmering underneath every interaction.
Rose herself is such a compelling mess of a character. She’s manipulative, unreliable, paranoid, lonely, and emotionally fragile all at once. I spent half the book feeling terrible for her and the other half wondering if she was actively making everything worse. Mooney does a great job making Rose frustrating in a way that still keeps you deeply invested in her unraveling.
And wow, the atmosphere in this book is so unsettling. The house itself feels suffocatingly quiet and isolating without relying on big flashy haunted-house moments. Instead, it’s all strange noises, glimpses of things that may or may not be there, scratches, missing women, whispers from townspeople, and the growing sense that something horrible happened in this house long before Rose arrived. There’s also this constant question hanging over the story: is something genuinely supernatural happening, or is Rose’s trauma and deteriorating mental state distorting reality?
That ambiguity worked incredibly well for me. The story constantly blurs the line between memory, paranoia, obsession, and reality. Rose becomes fixated on the disappearance of a previous homeowner, convinced the woman was murdered even when everyone around her insists she was simply depressed. Her obsession slowly starts consuming her life and marriage, and the deeper she digs, the more isolated and unstable she becomes.
I also really loved Frances, Rose’s mysterious new friend. There’s something deeply off about her from the beginning, especially because she avoids being seen by other people, and every scene with her added this extra layer of eerie tension that kept me hooked.
This book definitely leans more character-driven than action-packed thriller, though. If you’re expecting nonstop twists and chaos from page one, this may feel slower. It’s much more about psychological deterioration, complicated women, buried trauma, and simmering dread. The pacing is very much a “quiet unraveling” type of story.
That said, I do think the ending is going to divide readers. Personally, I thought the final twist completely changed the way I viewed everything that came before, and I loved how dark and disturbing Rose’s spiral became by the end. But I also understand why some readers may feel frustrated because the final stretch moves fast and leaves several details ambiguous or unanswered. There were definitely moments where I finished a chapter thinking, “Wait, what exactly just happened?”
Still, I kind of think that lingering uncertainty fits the book’s overall vibe. Even the epilogue leaves you sitting there wondering whether the house itself was truly evil or whether Rose’s trauma simply consumed everything around her.
Overall, “The Woman of the House” is a moody, eerie, psychologically messy thriller full of unreliable narration, toxic relationships, female obsession, and slow-building paranoia. If you love books with complicated women, haunted-feeling houses, blurry reality, and unsettling emotional tension, this is absolutely worth picking up.
“The Woman of the House” by Kate Mooney is one of those slow-burn psychological thrillers where you spend the entire book questioning literally everything, like the house, the town, the husband, the friendships, and especially the main character’s sanity. And honestly? That constant uncertainty is what made this such an addictive read for me.
The story follows Rose, who moves into a new home with her husband Daniel while carrying years of trauma from an abusive childhood. Right away, you can tell Rose is deeply damaged by the way she grew up. She desperately craves stability and safety, which is partly why she essentially manipulated her way into this marriage with Daniel, who is a man who wants the perfect traditional wife and family while Rose secretly wants something very different. Their relationship is uncomfortable in the most fascinating way because neither of them truly understands the other, and there’s this constant tension simmering underneath every interaction.
Rose herself is such a compelling mess of a character. She’s manipulative, unreliable, paranoid, lonely, and emotionally fragile all at once. I spent half the book feeling terrible for her and the other half wondering if she was actively making everything worse. Mooney does a great job making Rose frustrating in a way that still keeps you deeply invested in her unraveling.
And wow, the atmosphere in this book is so unsettling. The house itself feels suffocatingly quiet and isolating without relying on big flashy haunted-house moments. Instead, it’s all strange noises, glimpses of things that may or may not be there, scratches, missing women, whispers from townspeople, and the growing sense that something horrible happened in this house long before Rose arrived. There’s also this constant question hanging over the story: is something genuinely supernatural happening, or is Rose’s trauma and deteriorating mental state distorting reality?
That ambiguity worked incredibly well for me. The story constantly blurs the line between memory, paranoia, obsession, and reality. Rose becomes fixated on the disappearance of a previous homeowner, convinced the woman was murdered even when everyone around her insists she was simply depressed. Her obsession slowly starts consuming her life and marriage, and the deeper she digs, the more isolated and unstable she becomes.
I also really loved Frances, Rose’s mysterious new friend. There’s something deeply off about her from the beginning, especially because she avoids being seen by other people, and every scene with her added this extra layer of eerie tension that kept me hooked.
This book definitely leans more character-driven than action-packed thriller, though. If you’re expecting nonstop twists and chaos from page one, this may feel slower. It’s much more about psychological deterioration, complicated women, buried trauma, and simmering dread. The pacing is very much a “quiet unraveling” type of story.
That said, I do think the ending is going to divide readers. Personally, I thought the final twist completely changed the way I viewed everything that came before, and I loved how dark and disturbing Rose’s spiral became by the end. But I also understand why some readers may feel frustrated because the final stretch moves fast and leaves several details ambiguous or unanswered. There were definitely moments where I finished a chapter thinking, “Wait, what exactly just happened?”
Still, I kind of think that lingering uncertainty fits the book’s overall vibe. Even the epilogue leaves you sitting there wondering whether the house itself was truly evil or whether Rose’s trauma simply consumed everything around her.
Overall, “The Woman of the House” is a moody, eerie, psychologically messy thriller full of unreliable narration, toxic relationships, female obsession, and slow-building paranoia. If you love books with complicated women, haunted-feeling houses, blurry reality, and unsettling emotional tension, this is absolutely worth picking up.
October 14, 2026
3.75/5 (contains some spoilers - but they're hidden)
The Woman of the House is a psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator that has you guessing what's real the whole time.
It follows Rose and Brian, a newlywed couple moving into a new house in Wisconsin, after meeting and living in Chicago. What Brian doesn't know is that Rose has lied about much of her life to get the perfect life, and that everything he knows about her is false. When Rose starts seeing a woman in the house and waking with scratches down her arms, she investigates the history of the house - only to discover the previous woman of the house went missing, and Rose is worried she'll be next.
Rose is a really complicated character because you figure out pretty early on that she's mentally unwell. Not only has she been lying to everyone about her past, she also lies about her relationship with her mom which was what fundamentally screwed her up. I love an unreliable narrator and I think Kate Mooney did that almost TOO well, as there are still some questions I have at the end of the book.
A lot of the other characters' true selves are hidden from us because we're only seeing them through Rose's eyes. For instance, she's loathingly describes how everyone is Brian's family hates her and believes that she's not good enough for her. But we're never given any concrete evidence that they are anything but nice, supportive family members. Rose is very paranoid and you see that in just about every interaction she has. Like how very time Brian is even remotely worried about her, she's convinced he's going to think she's crazy and hate her and put her in a mental institution.
Frances is... Well I feel I can't say much about that particular character without spoilers, but I do wonder about a lot at the end of the book. Cover your eyes. JK I've just discovered this Goodreads feature:
Brian is such a blehhhh character. He's basically never home, so he would never be there to experience anything Rose is seeing. So why is he so adamant that she's hallucinating things?
Rose's mother is a disturbing individual. Like pure evil. I liked the murkiness of the waters there where you're wondering how things ended with her and how long it takes to find out. It just all helps feed into the unreliable narrator aspect.
I think the ending could have been explained a little better for dumb-dumbs like me because I still have questions. Unless you're supposed to. Idk.
Overall, this was an intriguing psychological thriller that took me forever to read, but I ultimately did enjoy it and enjoyed guessing what was real and what was Rose.
The Woman of the House is a psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator that has you guessing what's real the whole time.
It follows Rose and Brian, a newlywed couple moving into a new house in Wisconsin, after meeting and living in Chicago. What Brian doesn't know is that Rose has lied about much of her life to get the perfect life, and that everything he knows about her is false. When Rose starts seeing a woman in the house and waking with scratches down her arms, she investigates the history of the house - only to discover the previous woman of the house went missing, and Rose is worried she'll be next.
Rose is a really complicated character because you figure out pretty early on that she's mentally unwell. Not only has she been lying to everyone about her past, she also lies about her relationship with her mom which was what fundamentally screwed her up. I love an unreliable narrator and I think Kate Mooney did that almost TOO well, as there are still some questions I have at the end of the book.
A lot of the other characters' true selves are hidden from us because we're only seeing them through Rose's eyes. For instance, she's loathingly describes how everyone is Brian's family hates her and believes that she's not good enough for her. But we're never given any concrete evidence that they are anything but nice, supportive family members. Rose is very paranoid and you see that in just about every interaction she has. Like how very time Brian is even remotely worried about her, she's convinced he's going to think she's crazy and hate her and put her in a mental institution.
Frances is... Well I feel I can't say much about that particular character without spoilers, but I do wonder about a lot at the end of the book. Cover your eyes. JK I've just discovered this Goodreads feature:
Brian is such a blehhhh character. He's basically never home, so he would never be there to experience anything Rose is seeing. So why is he so adamant that she's hallucinating things?
Rose's mother is a disturbing individual. Like pure evil. I liked the murkiness of the waters there where you're wondering how things ended with her and how long it takes to find out. It just all helps feed into the unreliable narrator aspect.
I think the ending could have been explained a little better for dumb-dumbs like me because I still have questions. Unless you're supposed to. Idk.
Overall, this was an intriguing psychological thriller that took me forever to read, but I ultimately did enjoy it and enjoyed guessing what was real and what was Rose.
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