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Echo
Not yet published
Expected 25 Aug 26I came to Hemlock House to finish my novel.
Six months ago, my son died. My marriage is over, my book is a year late, and I have nothing left to lose. A writing retreat in the Vermont mountains seems like the perfect place to disappear.
Hemlock House is a vast Gothic pile halfway through a renovation. Power cuts. No signal. A hedge maze you can lose an afternoon in, and a work crew who won’t talk about what happened here.
Then the pages start appearing.
Every morning there are thousands of words on my screen that I have no memory of typing. The writing is the best I have ever done. And the story is beginning to happen to me.
My characters know things I don't. About the house. The girl who vanished. The deaths nobody will explain. And about the morning my son died, the morning I have made myself forget.
Is the house trying to warn me? Or is someone very much alive making sure I never reach the final page?
Every novel needs an ending. I'm terrified of mine.
Discover a brand-new psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Riley Sager, Catriona Ward, Sarah Pinborough and Jennifer McMahon.
Six months ago, my son died. My marriage is over, my book is a year late, and I have nothing left to lose. A writing retreat in the Vermont mountains seems like the perfect place to disappear.
Hemlock House is a vast Gothic pile halfway through a renovation. Power cuts. No signal. A hedge maze you can lose an afternoon in, and a work crew who won’t talk about what happened here.
Then the pages start appearing.
Every morning there are thousands of words on my screen that I have no memory of typing. The writing is the best I have ever done. And the story is beginning to happen to me.
My characters know things I don't. About the house. The girl who vanished. The deaths nobody will explain. And about the morning my son died, the morning I have made myself forget.
Is the house trying to warn me? Or is someone very much alive making sure I never reach the final page?
Every novel needs an ending. I'm terrified of mine.
Discover a brand-new psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Riley Sager, Catriona Ward, Sarah Pinborough and Jennifer McMahon.
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Expected publication August 25, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 12, 2026
Review of an advance copy received from Joffe Books
This is a character-driven story covering several topics like death of loved ones, depression, lack of awareness in parenthood, and a couple of other mental illnesses. Some of the mental conditions are not deeply explored, probably because they belong to Justin’s character, who is already dead. Therefore, they are mostly mentioned here and there through his Mama’s narration.
This book also has the most incapable parent on earth. The one and only Henry character. The one who continues to ignore Ally’s motherly instinct every single time she senses something is wrong with their son.
Speaking about Henry, I have to admit that his presence really pulls my claws out in so much fury. He makes me pause from reading and think.
What kind of dad can act like nothing happened when you find out your son sells drugs, skips his medication for months, verbally abuses his mom, and manipulatively frames your wife as a criminal? What kind of husband does not cooperate when your wife is the only one trying to save your son from his own vigilance?
If you want something to spook you, don’t be sad when the self-writing manuscript doesn’t feel enough. Because you can have the darkest part of Ally’s investigation at Hemlock House. She slowly uncovers the biggest crime case in the history of Hemlock House. The mysterious kidnapping case that someone has been trying to hide from the public.
You are also free to take in her discovery of symbolisms that strengthen the rumors about the haunted Hemlock House. And Ally’s nightmares about her own life are so ready to steam up the horror ambience in this book. So don’t worry, you have a handful of things here to make you shiver.
One thing I can’t quite understand is that I can’t reach Ally in some way. I can’t respond to her emotionally.
Look, I can react to Henry with all the annoyance that I have. I can melt into Scott’s sweetness toward Ally. But I just can’t react to Ally herself. I don’t feel her.
Even when things get too much and Ally cries, my heart doesn’t feel anything. But I wanted to, though. I flipped my pages, hoping to get a share of her feelings. I wanted to feel heavy with her too, but I couldn’t.
———
Six months after her son’s death, Ally comes to Hemlock House to finish her novel that is already a year late. Escaping her tumbling marriage and heartbreaking grief, a writing retreat in the Vermont mountains becomes a perfect reason for her to enjoy her hobbies again. Writing novels. Teaching people how to write query letters.
Having a peaceful stay with so much freshness in mind is all she expects, until Ally’s novel suddenly starts writing itself.
Until the house gives her memories she never wants to remember.
Until she feels terrified of both her own manuscript and the house.
Is the house trying to dig into her old wounds?
And as time after time she stays in Hemlock House, is she really safe from the danger waiting around?
This is a character-driven story covering several topics like death of loved ones, depression, lack of awareness in parenthood, and a couple of other mental illnesses. Some of the mental conditions are not deeply explored, probably because they belong to Justin’s character, who is already dead. Therefore, they are mostly mentioned here and there through his Mama’s narration.
This book also has the most incapable parent on earth. The one and only Henry character. The one who continues to ignore Ally’s motherly instinct every single time she senses something is wrong with their son.
Speaking about Henry, I have to admit that his presence really pulls my claws out in so much fury. He makes me pause from reading and think.
What kind of dad can act like nothing happened when you find out your son sells drugs, skips his medication for months, verbally abuses his mom, and manipulatively frames your wife as a criminal? What kind of husband does not cooperate when your wife is the only one trying to save your son from his own vigilance?
If you want something to spook you, don’t be sad when the self-writing manuscript doesn’t feel enough. Because you can have the darkest part of Ally’s investigation at Hemlock House. She slowly uncovers the biggest crime case in the history of Hemlock House. The mysterious kidnapping case that someone has been trying to hide from the public.
You are also free to take in her discovery of symbolisms that strengthen the rumors about the haunted Hemlock House. And Ally’s nightmares about her own life are so ready to steam up the horror ambience in this book. So don’t worry, you have a handful of things here to make you shiver.
One thing I can’t quite understand is that I can’t reach Ally in some way. I can’t respond to her emotionally.
Look, I can react to Henry with all the annoyance that I have. I can melt into Scott’s sweetness toward Ally. But I just can’t react to Ally herself. I don’t feel her.
Even when things get too much and Ally cries, my heart doesn’t feel anything. But I wanted to, though. I flipped my pages, hoping to get a share of her feelings. I wanted to feel heavy with her too, but I couldn’t.
———
Six months after her son’s death, Ally comes to Hemlock House to finish her novel that is already a year late. Escaping her tumbling marriage and heartbreaking grief, a writing retreat in the Vermont mountains becomes a perfect reason for her to enjoy her hobbies again. Writing novels. Teaching people how to write query letters.
Having a peaceful stay with so much freshness in mind is all she expects, until Ally’s novel suddenly starts writing itself.
Until the house gives her memories she never wants to remember.
Until she feels terrified of both her own manuscript and the house.
Is the house trying to dig into her old wounds?
And as time after time she stays in Hemlock House, is she really safe from the danger waiting around?
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Echo is a beautifully unsettling gothic thriller that blends grief, creativity, and the uncanny into a story that feels both intimate and deeply disorienting. From the moment the narrator arrives at Hemlock House — a sprawling, half‑renovated mansion tucked into the Vermont mountains — the novel wraps itself in a heavy, wintry quiet. Power cuts, no signal, a hedge maze that seems designed to swallow time, and a work crew who refuse to talk about the house’s past all create an atmosphere that feels charged from the start.
The emotional core of the book is devastating. Six months after losing her son, the narrator is hollowed out, her marriage gone, her novel overdue, and her sense of self fractured. The writing retreat is meant to be an escape, a place to disappear, but Hemlock House has other plans. The pages that begin appearing on her screen — thousands of words she has no memory of typing — are such a clever, eerie device. The writing is better than anything she’s ever produced, and the story she’s supposedly creating begins to bleed into her reality with a slow, creeping inevitability.
The tension builds beautifully. Her characters know things she doesn’t — about the house, the girl who vanished, the deaths nobody will explain, and the morning her son died, the one she’s forced herself not to remember. The line between creation and haunting blurs until it’s impossible to tell whether Hemlock House is warning her, manipulating her, or consuming her. The author handles this unraveling with elegant restraint, letting the dread accumulate in quiet, disorienting moments rather than relying on big shocks.
Hemlock House itself is a standout character — vast, cold, and watchful. The sense that someone, or something, is guiding her toward a truth she isn’t ready to face gives the novel a haunting emotional weight. And as the story tightens, the question of whether the danger is supernatural or very much human becomes increasingly urgent.
Atmospheric, grief‑stricken, and quietly terrifying, Echo is a compelling exploration of memory, trauma, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. It’s a gothic thriller with real emotional depth — and an ending that lingers long after you close the book.
With thanks to Christine Lydon, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
The emotional core of the book is devastating. Six months after losing her son, the narrator is hollowed out, her marriage gone, her novel overdue, and her sense of self fractured. The writing retreat is meant to be an escape, a place to disappear, but Hemlock House has other plans. The pages that begin appearing on her screen — thousands of words she has no memory of typing — are such a clever, eerie device. The writing is better than anything she’s ever produced, and the story she’s supposedly creating begins to bleed into her reality with a slow, creeping inevitability.
The tension builds beautifully. Her characters know things she doesn’t — about the house, the girl who vanished, the deaths nobody will explain, and the morning her son died, the one she’s forced herself not to remember. The line between creation and haunting blurs until it’s impossible to tell whether Hemlock House is warning her, manipulating her, or consuming her. The author handles this unraveling with elegant restraint, letting the dread accumulate in quiet, disorienting moments rather than relying on big shocks.
Hemlock House itself is a standout character — vast, cold, and watchful. The sense that someone, or something, is guiding her toward a truth she isn’t ready to face gives the novel a haunting emotional weight. And as the story tightens, the question of whether the danger is supernatural or very much human becomes increasingly urgent.
Atmospheric, grief‑stricken, and quietly terrifying, Echo is a compelling exploration of memory, trauma, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. It’s a gothic thriller with real emotional depth — and an ending that lingers long after you close the book.
With thanks to Christine Lydon, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
Review of advance copy received from Author
When the Book You're Writing Knows More Than You Do... 4/5 Stars
This one pulled me in fast and kept me guessing right up to the end. I love a good thriller with an isolated setting, and Hemlock House delivered on every spooky, claustrophobic level—think no signal, power cuts, a sprawling hedge maze, and a work crew that clearly knows more than they're letting on.
The premise is what truly hooked me: a grieving writer retreats to the Vermont mountains to finish her novel, only to wake up every morning to thousands of words on her screen that she has no memory of typing. And the worst part? The manuscript is predicting real events, dropping hints about a past disappearance, and dragging up memories from the morning her son died—the exact trauma she tried to bury.
The psychological tension here is fantastic. Christine Lydon does a brilliant job keeping you constantly questioning the narrator's sanity. Is Hemlock House genuinely haunting her laptop, or is she having a break from reality? Or is someone in the real world orchestrating a terrifying mind game?
If I have one minor gripe, it's that a couple of the mid-book reveals felt a little convenient, but the sheer momentum of the plot and that lingering sense of dread easily made up for it. I flew through the final chapters needing to know how it was going to end, and the climax did not disappoint.
A tight, atmospheric, and deliciously creeping psychological thriller. Highly recommended if you love stories where the line between reality and obsession gets completely blurred!
This one pulled me in fast and kept me guessing right up to the end. I love a good thriller with an isolated setting, and Hemlock House delivered on every spooky, claustrophobic level—think no signal, power cuts, a sprawling hedge maze, and a work crew that clearly knows more than they're letting on.
The premise is what truly hooked me: a grieving writer retreats to the Vermont mountains to finish her novel, only to wake up every morning to thousands of words on her screen that she has no memory of typing. And the worst part? The manuscript is predicting real events, dropping hints about a past disappearance, and dragging up memories from the morning her son died—the exact trauma she tried to bury.
The psychological tension here is fantastic. Christine Lydon does a brilliant job keeping you constantly questioning the narrator's sanity. Is Hemlock House genuinely haunting her laptop, or is she having a break from reality? Or is someone in the real world orchestrating a terrifying mind game?
If I have one minor gripe, it's that a couple of the mid-book reveals felt a little convenient, but the sheer momentum of the plot and that lingering sense of dread easily made up for it. I flew through the final chapters needing to know how it was going to end, and the climax did not disappoint.
A tight, atmospheric, and deliciously creeping psychological thriller. Highly recommended if you love stories where the line between reality and obsession gets completely blurred!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5 ⭐
Some minor spoilers ahead.
Some really good bits in this, but weirdly, for me, the most compelling part was the unravelling of Ally and Henry's son.
The dynamic of the household as it happened.
The sheer nerve of Henry to suggest it wasn't happening .
Hemlock house follows the well worn path of an old house with a lot of history, and a lot of current issues
I admired Allys determination to find out what was going on both now, and in the past.
There's some spooky stuff for sure.
I was not convinced by the character of Scott. Too nice, too soon?
The ending felt a bit rushed, or I missed some pages. Felt like I blinked and we were done
But if that's my only complaint, then it's a pretty good book.
Thanks to netgalley for the free digital copy
Some minor spoilers ahead.
Some really good bits in this, but weirdly, for me, the most compelling part was the unravelling of Ally and Henry's son.
The dynamic of the household as it happened.
The sheer nerve of Henry to suggest it wasn't happening .
Hemlock house follows the well worn path of an old house with a lot of history, and a lot of current issues
I admired Allys determination to find out what was going on both now, and in the past.
There's some spooky stuff for sure.
I was not convinced by the character of Scott. Too nice, too soon?
The ending felt a bit rushed, or I missed some pages. Felt like I blinked and we were done
But if that's my only complaint, then it's a pretty good book.
Thanks to netgalley for the free digital copy
August 5, 2026
“Echo” by Christine Lydon was crazy in the best way! From the very beginning, strange things kept happening with no explanation, and I had to keep reading to figure out what was going on. The mystery and suspense had me completely hooked, and the twists just kept coming. It kept me on edge from start to finish, and I couldn't put it down. If you enjoy eerie, twisty stories that keep you guessing, this one is definitely worth picking up!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews