Even Your Bones Would Do

by Claire Schultz

A twisting, lyrical, sapphic haunted house retelling of the Bluebeard fairytale, perfect for fans of Ava Reid’s A Study in Drowning, Roshani Chokshi’s The Last Tale of the Flower Bride, and V. E. Schwab’s Gallant.

April Harker lives a small life. A small life in a small Massachusetts town with small sums for the fairy stories she sells and small pleasures since her parents lost all their money in the 1929 crash. Until, one day, Julius Thackeray arrives. With his unsettling blue-black beard and his shiny, shiny shoes, Thackeray promises to marry April. To take her to his townhouse right outside Boston, make her stories famous, show her the world.

But April should know from her fairy stories that the man on your doorstep promising the world is too good to be believed.

Thackeray’s eyes are cold, his fingers bruising. The home is Thornwood House: a sprawling mansion in the middle of nowhere, with hallways that lead different places on different days and two silent-footed servants as her only company. The servants, her husband—and another presence. One who leaves lipstick-stained teacups in the library. Who can be seen only obliquely in the mirror. Who, on the day that Thackeray deposits a ring of keys in April’s hand as he sweeps off for a business trip, guides April to unlock the very chamber which hides the horrifying secret at the heart of Thornwood House.

The presence who, it turns out, is a woman. A previous wife: with soft hands and a pointed chin and bright eyes. Marie, who must help get April out, out, out, before she too is subsumed by the grim fairytale which traps all the wives of Thornwood House within.

For fans of:

❤️ Tragic lesbian romance

🏰 Gothic haunted mansions

🗡️ “Good for her” Female rage and revenge

👻 Twisted anti-fairy tales

✨ Surreal and lyrical prose

Genres: Horror, Gothic, Lesbian, Adult, Fiction, Retellings, Queer

368 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication January 19, 2027

About the author

Claire Schultz was born and raised in New Jersey, moved to the UK to study children's literature, and now happily calls Scotland home. She holds a BA in English Literature & Creative Writing from the University of Chicago and an MPhil Education from the University of Cambridge. A PhD student by day, she works primarily in the overlap of fantasy, horror, and literary fiction, and also writes young adult fiction as Claire Rose. She lives in Edinburgh with her haunted cats.

Reviews

[bri · Rating 5 out of 5]

If anyone ever asks me for a sapphic gothic book recommendation, from here on out, this will be my go-to suggestion. It sits so snugly and firmly in the genre: complete with rich atmosphere, a sentient house overflowing with ghosts, and doomed sapphic yearning. And while the structure and setting perfectly echoes its gothic ancestors, Schultz leans BONES's writing style towards its fairytale parent/source text with a dreamy, fourth-wall breaking, repetitive voice that trills itself along the story. A magical, haunting, rich debut.

(Also shout out to Ophelia, the author's cat, who has done the lord's work forcing Claire to watch Crimson Peak so many times; the gothic house atmosphere is perfectly encapsulated here.)

Disclaimer: the author is a friend of mine and I was given an advanced copy by her. All opinions are my own.

CW: blood & gore, violence, domestic abuse, murder, fire, homophobia, sexual content, disordered eating, sexual assault, death in childbirth (mention)

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a unique premise! I do wish we could know a bit more about the antagonist, however, the protagonist is well fleshed out. The communication with the dead is creative and central to the plot. Characters stick with you. There is a large family but it was easy to keep track of everyone and the neighbor. The ambiance is quite dark and at times graphic. Great for a read that’ll suck you into the plot!
Thank you in advance to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[BookishKB]

🕯️🖤 Even Your Bones Would Do 🖤🕯️

📖 Bookish Thoughts

My full review will be shared closer to the publication date.

✨What to Expect
• Gothic Horror
• Haunted House
• Creeping Dread
• Sentient House
_ _ _

📅 Pub Date: January 12, 2027
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

[megs_bookrack]

ARC received! Thank you, Berkley!

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every single second of this book!

When a rich mysterious man asks for April’s hand in marriage she’s not exactly thrilled but it offers her a chance to leave her small town and disinterested parents. Soon, however, she finds that this opportunity exchanges one cage for another and with wild parties and other women being reflected in the mirrors she finds her new husband has more than just a skeleton or two in his closet….

I love the Bluebird story there’s something so haunting about where curiosity can lead you and this was done so well! We hit all the beats building this dread as we inch closer to the locked door and slowly peak back the layers of this horror story and those who weren’t lucky enough to make it out of the house , or marriage alive.

April is such a great character and trying to make the best of the hand she was dealt. With little choices you can see how she could be persuaded to say yes to a man she hardly knows and her love of stories giving her an edge as she finds herself in this dark and twisted tale. The moments are shared with the other wives and their tragic end and knowing they are watching and waiting for her to join them because the hope of her making it has lessened with each new wife. Marie knows exactly how April feels as she lurks finding herself reaching out to comfort and their relationship is beautiful and tragic in its own right.

Their shared story and how they find each other isn’t for the faint of heart but heart is all they have as they reach into the dark to make it so at least one of them has a future and I loved the moments where all of the women come together and you can see what happens when that community rallies behind someone to take on their abuser.

This is a ghost story and a love story and I can’t wait for you all to read it!

**special thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

[Trisha]

Sounds so good and I LOOOOVE this cover! Can't wait to read it!!

THANK YOU For the arc!!

[Stefany Krantz · Rating 4 out of 5]

👻 Book Review 👻

A young woman, never married, accepts the hand of a wealthy stranger who promises to help the woman’s destitute family if she marries him. She agrees, moves to enormous home, only to soon find out that the house is haunted. Not just by any ghosts, by the ghosts of his 6 wives, whom he has murdered. He himself isn’t an ordinary man and Thornwood House isn’t an ordinary house. This was sad, unsettling, atmospheric, with a dash of real emotional fortitude from our MC and the ghost women of the house. If you enjoy gothic horror with a haunted house, add this to your TBR! Release date: January 12th, 2007

Thank you @berkleypub and @netgalley for the ARC!

Summary:

April Harker lives a small life in a small Massachusetts town, with small sums for the fairy stories she sells and small pleasures since her parents lost all their money in the 1929 crash. Until the day Julius Thackeray arrives. A man with an unsettling blue-black beard and excess wealth, Thackeray promises to marry April. To take her to his estate outside Boston, make her stories famous, show her the world.

But April should know from her fairy stories that a man promising the world on one’s doorstep is too good to be believed. Thornwood House is a sprawling mansion in the middle of nowhere, with hallways that lead different places on different days and silent-footed servants keeping house. And someone—something—else. Spectral presences who leave lipstick-stained teacups in the library and drop the temperature in empty halls. Who haunt her nightmares. Who know the truth of Thornwood House.

Drawn to one of these ghosts, a mysterious specter named Marie, April begins to find comfort in their presence. But when Thackeray entrusts April with the keys to a seemingly infinite number of rooms, the horrifying secrets at the heart of Thornwood House come to light. Trapped in a cycle of violence, April and Marie must escape their house of horrors—together or not at all.

#netgalley #evenyourboneswoulddo #bookstagram #gothichorror #bookreviews

[Jaici Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was positively unputdownable and just what I was craving! Summer always has me starting to crave just a little of that spooky season vibe and this book totally filled that craving for me. This is such a lusciously descriptive dark and twisty gothic tale with hints of horror and romance and so much mystery you cannot wait to get to the end. It was a twist on Blackbeard and had so many similarities to some of my favorite creepy movies like Crimson Peak and Ready or Not with the haunted old money manor that’s filled to the brim with secrets and old money that has been built up from the bones of others who entered prior.

April is such a good main character for this role as she’s a little naive but also a little older and has the intelligence and grit needed to continue on even though things seem bleak from the moment she married the man who came calling that she knew nothing about other than he liked her published fairy tales. The artist in her was definitely seeking the attention and recognition that she otherwise was not familiar with due to her parents never acknowledging a single talent she had. April knew she would never care for her husband but she definitely hoped it wouldn’t be a terrible marriage and I loved how selfless she was in making deals so that her family could have some financial security again even at her own sacrifice of ever finding love. Also I loved the dark irony that the reason April attracted Thackery to herself in the first place was the dark fairy tales she had published and then she finds herself in one darker than she could have ever imagined. Truly he was an evil foe and I never knew what he was doing to do or say or what April would discover in the house and reveal from its past. I enjoyed this so much it did drag a little at times but that is my only complaint and it’s very minimal at that. Definitely a great read in its category and I’m thankful to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for the chance to read and review this book early! I’d give it 4.25 overall. So original and tragic and had me feeling all the feels.

[Tami Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Claire Schultz, and Penguin Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Even Your Bones Would Do. It blends gothic atmosphere, romance, mystery, and haunted house vibes into a compelling slow-burn story that kept me invested from beginning to end.

April’s life takes a dramatic turn when a mysterious man offers to save her family’s financial future, but only if she agrees to marry him. From there, the story unfolds with dual timelines, introducing Marie’s perspective and slowly revealing how the women are connected. I especially enjoyed the alternating POVs and found myself rooting for April while wondering if history was destined to repeat itself.

The pacing isn’t fast, and there were a few sections in the middle that dragged for me. However, around the final third, the story found its stride, and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. The payoff was worth the slower build.

I also appreciated how this story balances its haunting atmosphere with themes of love, resilience, and women helping women. Add LGBTQ+ representation, family secrets, and a touch of the supernatural, and you get a unique reading experience that stands apart from a typical thriller.

If you enjoy atmospheric, character-driven, slow-burning gothic fiction with haunted house elements and strong emotional themes, I definitely recommend picking this one up. It was an enjoyable read, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to experience it.

[Kate Emilie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the absolute pleasure of reading a digital ARC for EVEN YOUR BONES WOULD DO by Claire Schultz.

“In this lyrically haunting horror novel, a woman takes her chance to get out of her small town, only to find that her husband’s home has secrets that can’t be locked away.”

This was such an easy book to fall into, full of dark fairytale references and lines so achingly beautiful that I had to put the book down and stare off into space while I let it fully sink in.

Like this, which was one of many stunning quotes in the book:

“My best guess is that this story is an inevitable one, a primal evil. If not him, then another man. If not me, then her. It is human nature, insofar as humans like to trap and destroy pretty things—a butterfly and a beetle and a ladybird mounted in a glass shadow box, their wings pierced with tiny pins. And it is just as much human nature to stare directly in the face of horrors and forget you have ever seen them.”

I mean.. COME ON! 😍😍😍😍

Delightfully and disturbingly good, Claire is an exciting new voice in adult horror, and I cannot wait for readers to get their hands on this one!

EVEN YOUR BONES WOULD DO is coming January 2027.

[Liz Chardon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even Your Bones Would Do by Claire Schultz is a beautifully written gothic horror novel that blends haunted house chills, fairy tale influences, and emotional depth into an atmospheric read. Set within the eerie Thornwood House, the story follows April as she uncovers the terrifying secrets hidden behind her mysterious husband’s wealth and charm, while forming an unexpected connection with one of the house’s ghosts.

The haunting atmosphere and lyrical prose were easily the highlights of this book, creating an immersive experience that kept me invested in the mystery. I also enjoyed the gothic elements, the emotional themes, and the unique take on the classic Bluebeard tale.

I rated this 4 stars because, while I enjoyed the overall story, I felt that several sections were unnecessarily extended. At times, the pacing slowed considerably, and some descriptions and scenes could have been tightened without losing the impact of the story. Even so, the intriguing premise, memorable setting, and haunting tone made it a worthwhile read.
Thank you Net Galley and Berkeley Publishing for the arc.
Publishes 1-12-27

[turnthedamnpage · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is historical horror done right! I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Even Your Bones Would Do.

It’s no secret that I love a haunted house. I’m not sure I’ve read a haunted house story told quite like this one. It wasn’t scary but it was a nightmare. It felt…different.

The split POV was excellent. It needs to be said and without giving too much context: There’s something special about a haunted house book told in the way this one is and now that I’ve had it, I need more of it.

The way this story was told, it was so atmospherically rich and hauntingly beautiful. It’s a slow burn with a heavy build. I can’t put into words just how much I enjoyed this blend of horror, romance, and mystery. Every time I had to put it down, all I wanted to do was get back to it.

This book is a beautiful masterpiece that will absolutely have a space on my shelf one day. So very well done.

Mark your calendars, get your wallets ready, add it to the holiday wish list. Release is set for January 12, 2027. You do not want to sleep on this gem.

Thank you Claire Schultz, Berkley Publishing Group, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Even Your Bones Would do.

[R. Ishmael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed reading this work, even while being unfamiliar with the background fairy tale. The differing perspectives were lovely, and frankly, the romance was unexpected but felt natural and another exploration of the characters themselves. Adding a romance subplot to any work should showcase different aspects of the characters involved in the relationship, and I feel as if this novel did that well.

The details--of the setting (primarily the Thornwood House, but also the grounds surrounding it and April's family home in Carter) also told just as much of a story as the plot itself did. And while normally, seemingly-unrelated flashbacks during pivotal moments tend to lose me as a reader and detract from growing tension/events, I think they were excellently done here, adding context without taking away from the action it wanted to add detail for.

I rooted for each of the narrators, and was properly mystified by Thornwood House and all of the secrecy surrounding the antagonist and his past. Thank you for letting me read this work so far in advance of its publication!

[Brittany Wyant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the eARC of this book.

If you like Gothic stories, haunted, sentient houses and the power of love through the veil - then this book is for you! What a haunting debut of a book.
This story was so beautifully written! I loved the POV from Marie (our main ghost) and getting to understand her tragedy and her plight. This is a perfect example of a horror, Gothic love story. It gave me Crimson Peak vibes. A house with a twisted history from its even more twisted creator. Hallways that change, staircases to nowhere. Rooms where there weren't any before...its all too real in this house that poor April is trapped in.
It was reminiscent of stories in the Jane Eyre timeline with Bluebeard vibes, with a bloody, sapphic and Gothic central theme.
Very recommend and written so lovely
I only removed a star as I do wish we knew more about our "bluebeard" captor. I know Marie's POV explains it somewhat - where he might have come from, but it's not quite enough for me, personally.

[L & J Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this grisly updated horror story with romantic sapphic elements that is loosely based on the story of Bluebeard.
Initially set in 1936, April is the oldest daughter of a once wealthy family. She lives with her family and works as a schoolteacher and writes short stories in her spare time. A wealthy man with a full bluish black beard show up at her home, claiming to have learned she is the author of these stories and offers to marry her. If she agrees, he will pay for her sister to attend college and will provide for her family. She agrees but after she arrives at Thornwood House, she is filled with foreboding.
The book switches between April’s narrative and that of Marie, the first murdered wife, who still haunts Thornwood House.
The story is well written, with additional twists based on other fairy tales although it is somewhat slow paced. I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for my review; all opinions are my own.

[rebeccareads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even Your Bones Would Do is Claire Schultz’s entry into the delightful canon of books about how marrying men is bad for women’s health. It's spooky, suspenseful, and full of female rage, with a bittersweet sapphic romance subplot. I enjoyed ghostly FMC Marie's POV chapters, which were stylistically quite distinct from living FMC April's, and it was satisfying to see the women team up to take down this iteration of Bluebeard. That and the sapphic angle provide fresher takes on his much-retold story, but otherwise I didn't find much here to elevate this one above the rest. The writing is repetitive (we get it; his beard is blue-black!) and relies heavily on telling instead of showing, to the detriment of the richness of the world and its characters. The ending also feels like a whimper more than a bang. There are some good bones here - ha! - but the execution didn't really work for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Berkley for the ALC!

[horryndous · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Berkley for the gifted arc copy!

I'm not going to lie. Romance is not really my thing, but by the stars--this was incredible! It's the sapphic Gothic of your dreams to be quite honest and I could definitely see the influences but they weren't too in your face! I think what really worked for me here was the interiority of April and also the glimpses of Marie that we got, and I was fully invested in them. I, of course, really loved Crimson Peak, so I should have realized I'd love this as well when I saw it was comped to it!

One thing that really stood out to me throughout this entire book was how well Schultz captures the Gothic aesthetic without it being overbearing. And set in the '30s, no less! It's just a true testament to her ability as a writer to really create such an immersive world that I could easily picture as I was reading.

I highly recommend this for fans of the aforementioned Crimson Peak, because it'll definitely hit in the way you want!

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

1936: Our Alice is a 30ish school teacher living with her family in a crumbling mansion with no capital. Things are tough. Her siblings seem okay, but her parents aren't great. She has an out with her bff Nick, but she is not into him. Lucky for her, a rich stranger notices her amazing short story work and wants to lift her out of poverty - if she marries him right now. What a deal. I wonder what could go wrong?

This is a loose retelling of Bluebeard - big man with a blackish blue beard, murdered wives, magical house, great escape. You know it. Here we have a little extra bit: a paranormal romance and revenge plot. Love to see women working together.

I liked it enough. I enjoyed the magical house a lot. A little Gothic. A little tragic. Worth reading if you like this sort of thing.

I was given this book by the publisher in exchange for review.

[Rhiannon Cheyenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even Your Bones Would Do - Claire Schultz

This is definitely mine go to recommendation for Gothic settings or retellings. I love everything about this book. I love the house that seems alive. I love the wives and their stories. I love getting to know more about April and Marie. I even found Julius’s backstory to be very interesting as well. I love the sapphic sub plot between April and Marie.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Out of 5 Stars ⭐️

🫑 / Spice Rating ☀️

# of Pages 🌙 416 Pages

Release Date 🌟 1/12/27

Format 💫 Gifted Digital Copy

Series 🌙 Unknown/Not Applicable

Genre/Tropes ✨ sapphic, retelling, gothic setting, Bluebeard retelling, horror

Favorite Character ☀️ April

Favorite Line 🌟 ‘A matchstick, a fire, then nothing. A matchstick, a fire, and my lover's arms wrapped against my waist, her lips pressed to my forehead.’

[Hailey Kraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Berkley and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

The writing in this book was so beautiful and atmospheric. The descriptions really brought you into the story and you felt like you were in Thornwood House with the characters, which, also, I LOVED that the House was a character itself! The character development for ALL of the characters throughout this book, specifically Marie and April, was immensely moving and so intriguing.

I love that everything was a bit ambiguous and blurry, in true fairy tale fashion. Of course, by fairy tale, I do mean original fairy tales, not the Disney versions.

This book was such a work of art and I cannot wait to read more by this author!

[Breana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even Your Bones Would Do was a solid read. This Bluebeard retelling had a lot of references to fairy tales, a reasonable FMC (not naive and dumb, but not so smart to not make a few mistakes), and an interesting romance subplot.

The writing is beautiful, and really sets the tone for the horror within the story. The unnerving details really come to life with the description.

The only thing I wasn’t a fan of was the pacing. Sometimes the story felt like it was progressing well, and other times it lulled for chapters at a time.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for granting this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Crystal Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great read! Even when I put it down, I found myself thinking about coming back to it. The story was interesting and captivating, and there was even a surprise romance element thrown in. For me, the romance felt a little like an afterthought and was a bit unexpected, but it wasn’t a bad addition. I really enjoyed how this book combined several different topics and theories, which made the story even more intriguing. Overall, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to readers who like a mix of mystery, ideas, and unexpected twists.

[bette perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

thank you netgalley and Berkley publishing for this arc.

stunning. absolutely 100% stunning. from the pacing to the tension to the writing i was hooked by chapter one and devoured this book in a day. the house as a character was a great touch and just helped the chilling atmosphere upping the stakes between bluebeard and his wives. i did like the added twist of a sapphic romance. marie and alice were a nice intermission between all the chaos and murder. this has to go on everyone’s gothic nightmare dressed as a daydream tbr lists.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Gothic atmosphere of Thornwood House was easily my favorite part—the shifting hallways, eerie ghosts, and Bluebeard-inspired mystery kept me interested. I also liked the growing connection between April and Marie. However, the pacing dragged at points, and while I love descriptive prose, I felt like it distracted from the narrative of this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Marissa Loon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received this from NetGalley

I really liked the creepy gothic feel and story telling of Blue Beard. It had a perfect setting for the horror aspect.
The different POV from April and Marie I thought worked perfectly because it gave insight into Marie’s perspective of things.
I will say it is a slower pace book so don’t expect it to be a face pace book.
Some of it did drag out in places, but overall it was a good book that kept me entertained

[Yvette Jarrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

🖤 ARC Review 🖤
Even Your Bones Would Do by Claire Schultz
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Some stories entertain you. Others slowly wrap themselves around you like a dark vine until you realize it’s far too late to escape.

This was that kind of book.

I devoured it in one sitting and felt everything: heartbreak, anger, grief, and a creeping sense of dread that never fully let go. The women of Thornwood will stay with me for a long time.

The writing is hauntingly beautiful, filled with dark fairytale imagery and lines that made me stop and sit with their meaning. Thornwood House felt alive: watching, shifting, almost playing with the people trapped inside its walls. And when the true horror of the house begins to reveal itself, you realize the monster is far more terrifying than you ever imagined.

Marie and April haunted me most: their strength, their grief, and the quiet courage it took to face what was waiting in the shadows. The shifting perspectives and fragments of the past slowly pulled me deeper into Thornwood’s secrets, while the unexpected friendship added a layer of hope to the story.

🖤 Favorite Quote:
“We are so close that I do not notice the century between us; I can almost mistake her breathing for my own. We are one organism. a woman, a ghost, and a piano and we play with the grace of a mostly competent twelve-year-old, and I am happy like I cannot remember.”

Do I still have questions? Absolutely. But maybe that’s the point. Fairytales don’t always give us every answer. Sometimes they leave us wandering in the woods, wondering what was real and what was waiting in the shadows.

Dark. Beautiful. Devastating. Unforgettable.🖤🌿

Available on January 12, 2027. A huge thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for providing this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[sp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely incredible.The gloomy, haunting atmosphere combined with the yearning made this impossible for me to put down.

There was a large cast of characters, but each one had such a distinct voice & personality that it was easy to keep them separate and not get confused. I loved how the house was also a character in itself.

This story includes themes of trauma, resiliency, and family secrets, and Schultz balanced them so well. I really can’t recommend this one enough!

Thank you to Berkley for the advanced copy!
Pub date: 1/12/27

[Claire Schultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this book. I'm extremely proud of it. I also want to make content warnings accessible, because, at its core, Even Your Bones Would Do is a gothic horror Bluebeard retelling, with all the baggage that comes with it (and then some). You can find the list on my site here.

[Megan Dick · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for this one. I loved the creepy gothic feel of this book. I also enjoyed how this was not just a mystery but also a ghost story. The only downfalls for me were how slow paced it is and how overly descriptive it was. With those two things, it seemed to make the book drag in places.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC.

[Brittany Gerberich · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing in this is so beautiful and descriptive. I was hooked from the first page and found myself thinking about the characters when I wasn’t reading it. This book will get under your skin.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this E-ARC