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The House of Brides
Jane Cockram makes her thrilling debut with this page-turning tale of psychological suspense in which a young woman whose life is in tatters flees to the safety of a family estate in England, but instead of comfort finds chilling secrets and lies.Miranda’s life and career has been a roller-coaster ride. Her successful rise to the top of the booming lifestyle industry as a social media influencer led to a humiliating fall after a controversial product she endorsed flopped. Desperate to get away from the hate-spewing trolls shaming her on the internet, she receives a mysterious letter from a young cousin in England that plunges her into a dark family mystery.
Miranda’s mother Tessa Summers, a famous author, died when Miranda was a child. The young woman’s only connection to the Summers family is through Tessa’s famous book The House of Brides—a chronicle of the generations of women who married into the infamous Summers family and made their home in the rambling Barnsley House, the family’s estate. From Gertrude Summers, a famed crime novelist, to Miranda’s grandmother Beatrice, who killed herself after setting fire to Barnsley while her children slept, each woman in The House of Brides is more notorious than the next. The house’s current “bride” is the beautiful, effervescent Daphne, her Uncle Max’s wife—a famed celebrity chef who saved Barnsley from ruin turning the estate into an exclusive culinary destination and hotel.
Curious about this legendary family she has never met, Miranda arrives at Barnsley posing as a prospective nanny answering an advertisement. She’s greeted by the compelling yet cold housekeeper Mrs. Mins, and meets the children and her Uncle Max—none of whom know her true identity. But Barnsley is not what Miranda expected. The luxury destination and award-winning restaurant is gone, and Daphne is nowhere to be found. Most disturbing, one of the children is in a wheelchair after a mysterious accident. What happened in this house? Where is Daphne? What darkness lies hidden in Barnsley?
Miranda’s mother Tessa Summers, a famous author, died when Miranda was a child. The young woman’s only connection to the Summers family is through Tessa’s famous book The House of Brides—a chronicle of the generations of women who married into the infamous Summers family and made their home in the rambling Barnsley House, the family’s estate. From Gertrude Summers, a famed crime novelist, to Miranda’s grandmother Beatrice, who killed herself after setting fire to Barnsley while her children slept, each woman in The House of Brides is more notorious than the next. The house’s current “bride” is the beautiful, effervescent Daphne, her Uncle Max’s wife—a famed celebrity chef who saved Barnsley from ruin turning the estate into an exclusive culinary destination and hotel.
Curious about this legendary family she has never met, Miranda arrives at Barnsley posing as a prospective nanny answering an advertisement. She’s greeted by the compelling yet cold housekeeper Mrs. Mins, and meets the children and her Uncle Max—none of whom know her true identity. But Barnsley is not what Miranda expected. The luxury destination and award-winning restaurant is gone, and Daphne is nowhere to be found. Most disturbing, one of the children is in a wheelchair after a mysterious accident. What happened in this house? Where is Daphne? What darkness lies hidden in Barnsley?
389 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 22, 2019
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October 25, 2019
Jane Cockram’s debut was hauntingly atmospheric a perfect fall read. Her descriptive writing style will completely transport you too the creepy Barnsley House. I would not classify this as a thriller it was more of a slow burn suspenseful family drama a little reminiscent of a Kate Morton Book. The beauty of the story was not twists and turns but rather immersive incredible storytelling. Miranda’s life has hit a bit of a bump and she is looking to reinvent herself. When she receives a mysterious letter from a cousin she’s never met Miranda believes it is the perfect time to leave Australia and fly to the UK to find a piece of her pass. Miranda’s mother Tessa was a famous author who died when she was young. Tessa had fled the UK for reasons unknown to Miranda so she ensconces herself in the family as the new nanny. What follows is the unraveling of a web of family secrets and lies.
A creepy house full of creepy characters with a creepy past. The story really drew me in these characters were so vividly drawn, so real to me. I wanted nothing to happen to these children, I wanted to know where their mother Daphne had gone? I needed to know what was up with Max and scary Mrs. Mim. What was Elizabith really up to out on that island? Miranda was a great character and I was right there with her trying to piece all of this together. The ending to this story really surprise me, however there was an abruptness to it that didn’t flow with the rest of the book. All in all this was a captivating debut and I am looking forward to what’s next from Miss Cockram.
This book in emojis: 🌫 📖 🛥 ✍🏻 🏚
*** Big thanks to Harper Collins for my copy of this book ***
A creepy house full of creepy characters with a creepy past. The story really drew me in these characters were so vividly drawn, so real to me. I wanted nothing to happen to these children, I wanted to know where their mother Daphne had gone? I needed to know what was up with Max and scary Mrs. Mim. What was Elizabith really up to out on that island? Miranda was a great character and I was right there with her trying to piece all of this together. The ending to this story really surprise me, however there was an abruptness to it that didn’t flow with the rest of the book. All in all this was a captivating debut and I am looking forward to what’s next from Miss Cockram.
This book in emojis: 🌫 📖 🛥 ✍🏻 🏚
*** Big thanks to Harper Collins for my copy of this book ***
September 10, 2020
4.5 stars! Long hidden family secrets. An old secluded (haunted?) mansion. Unreliable and mysterious characters. Gothic foreboding atmosphere. This book has all the ingredients to satisfy my reading tastes!
Miranda discovers a letter from her estranged twelve-year-old cousin asking for help. Intrigued by her mothers’ dark and secretive past, Miranda starts to dig into her familial background uncovering secrets and long buried stories that make her question her sense of identity.
The writing was excellent! I was completely engrossed from the first to last page and felt as if I were actually there alongside the characters. The thick, eerie atmosphere was palpable and ever-so-enjoyable. The pace and flow were consistently perfect and kept me curious throughout. Miranda was a unique and endearing character who I loved rooting for - I enjoyed following her journey in uncovering her family’s past.
Though there were a few convenient situations that occurred within the pages of this story, they didn’t take away from my love for this novel. The writing, characters, old mansion house, family secrets and foreboding atmosphere were so brilliantly done that I could easily overlook those aspects and stay lost within the story.
This was a phenomenal debut novel and I look forward to reading what this author comes out with next!
Thank you to Edelweiss for the review copy! Thank you to my lovely local library for the loan of the physical copy!
Miranda discovers a letter from her estranged twelve-year-old cousin asking for help. Intrigued by her mothers’ dark and secretive past, Miranda starts to dig into her familial background uncovering secrets and long buried stories that make her question her sense of identity.
The writing was excellent! I was completely engrossed from the first to last page and felt as if I were actually there alongside the characters. The thick, eerie atmosphere was palpable and ever-so-enjoyable. The pace and flow were consistently perfect and kept me curious throughout. Miranda was a unique and endearing character who I loved rooting for - I enjoyed following her journey in uncovering her family’s past.
Though there were a few convenient situations that occurred within the pages of this story, they didn’t take away from my love for this novel. The writing, characters, old mansion house, family secrets and foreboding atmosphere were so brilliantly done that I could easily overlook those aspects and stay lost within the story.
This was a phenomenal debut novel and I look forward to reading what this author comes out with next!
Thank you to Edelweiss for the review copy! Thank you to my lovely local library for the loan of the physical copy!
February 8, 2023
Honestly… This book... Let me just recap the first couple of chapters to get you in the mood...
As an Insta famous social media influencer, Miranda develops a fertility app. Soon, however, the public discovers the app is not only a dud but potentially dangerous and Miranda finds herself with no likes, no income, and… totally the worst… recognised as a fraud in an activewear change room. Never fear, her rich father bails her out and finds her a job. To repay his generosity she leaves his car parked under the tree that will drip sap and bird droppings, decides to ditch the job he’s paid someone else to give her, and steals his credit card details to buy a plane ticket for England and her [late] mother’s childhood home, a mansion which is now owned by Miranda’s uncle, Max.
Arriving at the house, Miranda pretends she's there to be a nanny to Max’s children. Max is pretty cool with that, despite never actually corresponding with anyone called Miranda for the position, and let’s her have the job. He decides it’s best his sister, Elizabeth (Miranda’s aunt), comes to give Miranda the nanny induction.
Elizabeth arrives and decides what Miranda, as the newly arrived nanny, really needs to know is how much the baby!mummy Daphne drinks and enjoys drugs, and that maybe Max is doing the dirty with his housekeeper, Mrs Mins. Not to mention that vitally important information when it comes to childminding, that Miranda’s grandparents and great grandparents were bits of party animals. Miranda cries that she just wants to know about the school run and lunches but Elizabeth’s gotta go. She lives out on an island and no, no one can come visit her because it’s all really rough and scary out on the water.
W.T. actual F.
Meanwhile, Mrs Mins is being all creepy in the garden and talking about the mysterious Mr Mins. Plot twist, Mr Mins turns out to be her brother. And, in 2019, everyone just calls them Mr & Mrs Mins for… effect? It’s obvious Cockram was a big fan of Rebecca (right down to using the name Max and the housekeeper being addressed as Mrs Mins) and maybe even Hitchcock in general, and she was trying to emulate a gothic novel. May I suggest you actually read/watch Rebecca instead of this?
I’m not sure about Cockram’s age but I’m confused as to why Miranda had to be the most immature and ignorant person on earth. Oh, and let’s not forget dramatic.
For most of the book the only real leading man or love interest for Miranda is Max. Yes, her uncle… This makes for a weird incestuous vibe through the book that was probably more creepy than the attempted horror.
Cockram doesn’t understand ‘show not tell’. Pretty much none of the action happened in real time; it’s all óff screen’. Characters tell Miranda what has happened before her arrival at the house, either in person, a letter, a diary entry, the book her mother wrote, and even a bloody recipe book. All conveniently written in great detail by people who witnessed something (which, unless they can see through space and time can’t have witnessed anyway) and who leave their informed scribblings around somewhere that Miranda conveniently finds them.
I read this as an uncorrected proof and I hope - at least - they have amended the glaringly obvious plot inconsistencies. There’s so many examples of contradictions, timeline errors, and generally things being so incorrect that they make zero sense… For example, there's Miranda having an inner thought regarding her uncle’s behaviour (the sentence is something like, ‘it’s just like Max to act like that’) the very night she meets him. I mean… How did she know how he always acted when she’d only just met him for the first time?
My absolute favourite is the climactic scene, however. I can’t actually go into details without spoiling (if you’re tempted to read, that is) but it’s such a mess I actually couldn’t stop wondering if I’d get to the end and there’d be a page just saying ‘surprise!’ and an admission the whole thing was some kind of social experiment.
Yes, I did make it to the end (sadly, no ‘surprise!’ page was found). I guess I wanted to see if there was any sort of shock twist that might raise my rating. There wasn’t.
Look, this review is savage, yes, and I've thought about toning it down but this book is not some 99 cent self published piece with a photoshopped cover. And frankly, unless there’s been MAJOR changes from my version to the final version, I am shocked someone had the audacity to publish this, let alone expect me to recommend it. I cannot give it more than 1 out of 5.
As an Insta famous social media influencer, Miranda develops a fertility app. Soon, however, the public discovers the app is not only a dud but potentially dangerous and Miranda finds herself with no likes, no income, and… totally the worst… recognised as a fraud in an activewear change room. Never fear, her rich father bails her out and finds her a job. To repay his generosity she leaves his car parked under the tree that will drip sap and bird droppings, decides to ditch the job he’s paid someone else to give her, and steals his credit card details to buy a plane ticket for England and her [late] mother’s childhood home, a mansion which is now owned by Miranda’s uncle, Max.
Arriving at the house, Miranda pretends she's there to be a nanny to Max’s children. Max is pretty cool with that, despite never actually corresponding with anyone called Miranda for the position, and let’s her have the job. He decides it’s best his sister, Elizabeth (Miranda’s aunt), comes to give Miranda the nanny induction.
Elizabeth arrives and decides what Miranda, as the newly arrived nanny, really needs to know is how much the baby!mummy Daphne drinks and enjoys drugs, and that maybe Max is doing the dirty with his housekeeper, Mrs Mins. Not to mention that vitally important information when it comes to childminding, that Miranda’s grandparents and great grandparents were bits of party animals. Miranda cries that she just wants to know about the school run and lunches but Elizabeth’s gotta go. She lives out on an island and no, no one can come visit her because it’s all really rough and scary out on the water.
W.T. actual F.
Meanwhile, Mrs Mins is being all creepy in the garden and talking about the mysterious Mr Mins. Plot twist, Mr Mins turns out to be her brother. And, in 2019, everyone just calls them Mr & Mrs Mins for… effect? It’s obvious Cockram was a big fan of Rebecca (right down to using the name Max and the housekeeper being addressed as Mrs Mins) and maybe even Hitchcock in general, and she was trying to emulate a gothic novel. May I suggest you actually read/watch Rebecca instead of this?
I’m not sure about Cockram’s age but I’m confused as to why Miranda had to be the most immature and ignorant person on earth. Oh, and let’s not forget dramatic.
For most of the book the only real leading man or love interest for Miranda is Max. Yes, her uncle… This makes for a weird incestuous vibe through the book that was probably more creepy than the attempted horror.
Cockram doesn’t understand ‘show not tell’. Pretty much none of the action happened in real time; it’s all óff screen’. Characters tell Miranda what has happened before her arrival at the house, either in person, a letter, a diary entry, the book her mother wrote, and even a bloody recipe book. All conveniently written in great detail by people who witnessed something (which, unless they can see through space and time can’t have witnessed anyway) and who leave their informed scribblings around somewhere that Miranda conveniently finds them.
I read this as an uncorrected proof and I hope - at least - they have amended the glaringly obvious plot inconsistencies. There’s so many examples of contradictions, timeline errors, and generally things being so incorrect that they make zero sense… For example, there's Miranda having an inner thought regarding her uncle’s behaviour (the sentence is something like, ‘it’s just like Max to act like that’) the very night she meets him. I mean… How did she know how he always acted when she’d only just met him for the first time?
My absolute favourite is the climactic scene, however. I can’t actually go into details without spoiling (if you’re tempted to read, that is) but it’s such a mess I actually couldn’t stop wondering if I’d get to the end and there’d be a page just saying ‘surprise!’ and an admission the whole thing was some kind of social experiment.
Yes, I did make it to the end (sadly, no ‘surprise!’ page was found). I guess I wanted to see if there was any sort of shock twist that might raise my rating. There wasn’t.
Look, this review is savage, yes, and I've thought about toning it down but this book is not some 99 cent self published piece with a photoshopped cover. And frankly, unless there’s been MAJOR changes from my version to the final version, I am shocked someone had the audacity to publish this, let alone expect me to recommend it. I cannot give it more than 1 out of 5.
September 19, 2020
An atmospheric tale of long-hidden family secrets.
Miranda is a failed lifestyle influencer. While dealing with the humiliation of her fall from grace, she returns to her father’s house one night after a family dinner...only to find a letter from her cousin, Sophia. The letter is addressed to Miranda’s mother, who passed away 20 years ago. Sophia is asking for help where she lives at Barnsley House, a family estate in England.
The house has a history, and was made prominent when Miranda’s mother wrote a book about it, called THE HOUSE OF BRIDES. The book is a true story about the women who married into the Summer family, and their notorious ways. With her life in shambles and nothing to look forward to at home, Miranda books a flight to England and to Barnsley House.
Once she arrives at the house, things are not what she thought they would be. The house was recently renovated to include a hotel and fancy restaurant, but those parts of the house are boarded up. Max Summer (her uncle) is the current owner, and lives there with his wife, Daphne, and his three children. Daphne is nowhere to be found, and the only other person Miranda meets on arrival is the housekeeper, Mrs. Mins. Feeling like something isn’t right, Miranda hides her identity...moving into the house to look after the children, and determined to find out the secrets of Barnsley House.
This book is oozing with atmosphere, thanks to the wonderful writing of debut author Jane Cockram. It’s also a slow burn. It starts out very slow until maybe about 50 pages in, and then lightly simmers with suspense. This is a mystery and a family drama...definitely not a thriller. I was intrigued to get to the bottom of this family’s secrets, and it definitely held my attention. The ending is a bit anticlimactic, but the whole story is very well written and wraps up nicely. I really enjoyed it overall, and would recommend it as long as you know this isn’t a fast-paced thriller...and you are okay with that.
3.5 stars.
P.S. A few parts of the book use an odd, cursive font. Prepare to squint your eyes until they get used to it. 👀
Miranda is a failed lifestyle influencer. While dealing with the humiliation of her fall from grace, she returns to her father’s house one night after a family dinner...only to find a letter from her cousin, Sophia. The letter is addressed to Miranda’s mother, who passed away 20 years ago. Sophia is asking for help where she lives at Barnsley House, a family estate in England.
The house has a history, and was made prominent when Miranda’s mother wrote a book about it, called THE HOUSE OF BRIDES. The book is a true story about the women who married into the Summer family, and their notorious ways. With her life in shambles and nothing to look forward to at home, Miranda books a flight to England and to Barnsley House.
Once she arrives at the house, things are not what she thought they would be. The house was recently renovated to include a hotel and fancy restaurant, but those parts of the house are boarded up. Max Summer (her uncle) is the current owner, and lives there with his wife, Daphne, and his three children. Daphne is nowhere to be found, and the only other person Miranda meets on arrival is the housekeeper, Mrs. Mins. Feeling like something isn’t right, Miranda hides her identity...moving into the house to look after the children, and determined to find out the secrets of Barnsley House.
This book is oozing with atmosphere, thanks to the wonderful writing of debut author Jane Cockram. It’s also a slow burn. It starts out very slow until maybe about 50 pages in, and then lightly simmers with suspense. This is a mystery and a family drama...definitely not a thriller. I was intrigued to get to the bottom of this family’s secrets, and it definitely held my attention. The ending is a bit anticlimactic, but the whole story is very well written and wraps up nicely. I really enjoyed it overall, and would recommend it as long as you know this isn’t a fast-paced thriller...and you are okay with that.
3.5 stars.
P.S. A few parts of the book use an odd, cursive font. Prepare to squint your eyes until they get used to it. 👀
October 29, 2019
The synopsis of this one grabbed me from the start. Miranda is a social media influencer who falls from grace when the product she endorses completely flops. Trolls are all over her accounts, and all she wants to do is hide. So, that she does on her family’s English estate.
Once there, Miranda is surrounded by secrets and a dark family mystery. The descriptive writing works so well in this story. The storyline is original, and the pacing kept my thoughts churning. I had a hard time putting this one down.
If you are looking for a refreshing thriller, you should check out The House of Brides. It has Gothic touches making it perfect for fall. Plus, it has an eerie old manse and is full of family secrets and drama.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. Many of my reviews can also be found on instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Once there, Miranda is surrounded by secrets and a dark family mystery. The descriptive writing works so well in this story. The storyline is original, and the pacing kept my thoughts churning. I had a hard time putting this one down.
If you are looking for a refreshing thriller, you should check out The House of Brides. It has Gothic touches making it perfect for fall. Plus, it has an eerie old manse and is full of family secrets and drama.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. Many of my reviews can also be found on instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
September 10, 2020
Well, well, this one surprised me! A lot is going on here with this one, and I had to think a bit about how to describe this story. I would say it's a modern gothic psychology thriller, entertaining family drama with a hornet's nest of secrets and lies and a twist to Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca.
Because I like to make up phrases, I would also call this a surface read. What you read is what you get. I didn't find much depth layered in here to the story or the characters. It's an easy, entertaining read with enough suspense and tension to keep me turning the pages to see how it all comes together. I would say there is some of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca brilliantly layered in well (layered might be a stretch)in the story, and that could be a hit or miss for some readers.
I enjoyed the eerie gothic feel to the story however the modern side of the story with Miranda's character and her fall from social media grace missed that mordern mark for me, and that felt disjointed from the story for me. I found Miranda likable and more a shallow character, and because there wasn't much depth to her, and I didn't deleve into her character like a normally do. For me, it was all about the suspense, and I enjoyed her quest to find those secrets and lies hidden in the house of brides.
I enjoyed the easy feel to the story that didn't require a lot from me, and like Lindsay, it "had all the ingredients to satisfy my reading tastes" and gave that overthinker in me a rest. I highly recommend for an entertaining, light and easy read.
I received a copy from the publisher!
Because I like to make up phrases, I would also call this a surface read. What you read is what you get. I didn't find much depth layered in here to the story or the characters. It's an easy, entertaining read with enough suspense and tension to keep me turning the pages to see how it all comes together. I would say there is some of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca brilliantly layered in well (layered might be a stretch)in the story, and that could be a hit or miss for some readers.
I enjoyed the eerie gothic feel to the story however the modern side of the story with Miranda's character and her fall from social media grace missed that mordern mark for me, and that felt disjointed from the story for me. I found Miranda likable and more a shallow character, and because there wasn't much depth to her, and I didn't deleve into her character like a normally do. For me, it was all about the suspense, and I enjoyed her quest to find those secrets and lies hidden in the house of brides.
I enjoyed the easy feel to the story that didn't require a lot from me, and like Lindsay, it "had all the ingredients to satisfy my reading tastes" and gave that overthinker in me a rest. I highly recommend for an entertaining, light and easy read.
I received a copy from the publisher!
October 28, 2019
EXCERPT: It's easy to remember what it felt like to see Barnsley for the first time. Not in a photograph but in the flesh, the grand house appearing in front of me. The beauty of the limestone is hard to see in a photograph, and harder to explain. The stone is different to that of other houses in the area, softer somehow, and in the summer, Max said, it felt warm for weeks on end. Some days, when the sun was not strong enough to warm Daphne's cold antipodean bones, she would lean up against the wall and hope that the warmth would penetrate through her summer dress and cardigan. That was before my time. It has only been cold, bitterly cold, since I have known it.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: Miranda’s life and career has been a roller-coaster ride. Her successful rise to the top of the booming lifestyle industry as a social media influencer led to a humiliating fall after a controversial product she endorsed flopped. Desperate to get away from the hate-spewing trolls shaming her on the internet, she receives a mysterious letter from a young cousin in England that plunges her into a dark family mystery.
Miranda’s mother Tessa Summers, a famous author, died when Miranda was a child. The young woman’s only connection to the Summers family is through Tessa’s famous book The House of Brides—a chronicle of the generations of women who married into the infamous Summers family and made their home in the rambling Barnsley House, the family’s estate. From Gertrude Summers, a famed crime novelist, to Miranda’s grandmother Beatrice, who killed herself after setting fire to Barnsley while her children slept, each woman in The House of Brides is more notorious than the next. The house’s current “bride” is the beautiful, effervescent Daphne, her Uncle Max’s wife—a famed celebrity chef who saved Barnsley from ruin turning the estate into an exclusive culinary destination and hotel.
Curious about this legendary family she has never met, Miranda arrives at Barnsley posing as a prospective nanny answering an advertisement. She’s greeted by the compelling yet cold housekeeper Mrs. Mins, and meets the children and her Uncle Max—none of whom know her true identity. But Barnsley is not what Miranda expected. The luxury destination and award-winning restaurant is gone, and Daphne is nowhere to be found. Most disturbing, one of the children is in a wheelchair after a mysterious accident. What happened in this house? Where is Daphne? What darkness lies hidden in Barnsley?
MY THOUGHTS: Give me an old house full of family secrets and lies, and I purr like a cat with a dish of cream. Add a dysfunctional family and I am enraptured. Throw in a letter, a hidden notebook, a housekeeper reminiscent of Mrs Danvers, and a missing wife....nirvana!
The writing is hauntingly atmospheric, the characters perfectly drawn, and the plot gripping.
I read this overnight, and even while catching up on the housework today and listening to an audiobook, I couldn't stop thinking about the characters in House of Brides.
One of my favourite passages is: 'The truth is what you make it: add a little here and there, take away what you need. It's a work in progress.'
💖👀💌😯.5
#TheHouseOfBrides #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: Jane Cockram was born and educated in Australia, where she studied Journalism at RMIT, majoring in Literature. The House of Brides is her debut novel.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harlequin Australia via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The House of Brides by Jane Cockram for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
ABOUT THIS BOOK: Miranda’s life and career has been a roller-coaster ride. Her successful rise to the top of the booming lifestyle industry as a social media influencer led to a humiliating fall after a controversial product she endorsed flopped. Desperate to get away from the hate-spewing trolls shaming her on the internet, she receives a mysterious letter from a young cousin in England that plunges her into a dark family mystery.
Miranda’s mother Tessa Summers, a famous author, died when Miranda was a child. The young woman’s only connection to the Summers family is through Tessa’s famous book The House of Brides—a chronicle of the generations of women who married into the infamous Summers family and made their home in the rambling Barnsley House, the family’s estate. From Gertrude Summers, a famed crime novelist, to Miranda’s grandmother Beatrice, who killed herself after setting fire to Barnsley while her children slept, each woman in The House of Brides is more notorious than the next. The house’s current “bride” is the beautiful, effervescent Daphne, her Uncle Max’s wife—a famed celebrity chef who saved Barnsley from ruin turning the estate into an exclusive culinary destination and hotel.
Curious about this legendary family she has never met, Miranda arrives at Barnsley posing as a prospective nanny answering an advertisement. She’s greeted by the compelling yet cold housekeeper Mrs. Mins, and meets the children and her Uncle Max—none of whom know her true identity. But Barnsley is not what Miranda expected. The luxury destination and award-winning restaurant is gone, and Daphne is nowhere to be found. Most disturbing, one of the children is in a wheelchair after a mysterious accident. What happened in this house? Where is Daphne? What darkness lies hidden in Barnsley?
MY THOUGHTS: Give me an old house full of family secrets and lies, and I purr like a cat with a dish of cream. Add a dysfunctional family and I am enraptured. Throw in a letter, a hidden notebook, a housekeeper reminiscent of Mrs Danvers, and a missing wife....nirvana!
The writing is hauntingly atmospheric, the characters perfectly drawn, and the plot gripping.
I read this overnight, and even while catching up on the housework today and listening to an audiobook, I couldn't stop thinking about the characters in House of Brides.
One of my favourite passages is: 'The truth is what you make it: add a little here and there, take away what you need. It's a work in progress.'
💖👀💌😯.5
#TheHouseOfBrides #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: Jane Cockram was born and educated in Australia, where she studied Journalism at RMIT, majoring in Literature. The House of Brides is her debut novel.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harlequin Australia via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The House of Brides by Jane Cockram for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
August 2, 2019
I received an ARC of The House Of Brides and judging from the blurb and cover of the book I thought for sure I would love it... I didn't. I had this feeling of something was "off" the entire time I was reading book and I kept waiting for a full explanation for everything and that did not happen. Added to that, most if not all the characters were a bit unlikeable and I did not care for them.
I felt A LOT was happening in the book, maybe too much and when everything was revealed I felt the justification was so over simplified, maybe even eye rolling.
I really didn't like this one.
I felt A LOT was happening in the book, maybe too much and when everything was revealed I felt the justification was so over simplified, maybe even eye rolling.
I really didn't like this one.
January 28, 2020
3.5 Stars rounded down. This was definitely a mystery and family drama, but in no shape or form was it a thriller. Regardless, I was engrossed throughout, the writing was exceptionally beautiful and atmospheric and I could not put it down! I needed to find out what happened in this family's past, and what secrets this notebook our protagonist discovered would unearth. The disappearance of Daphne was an added mystery element that I appreciated, and I definitely did not see the ending coming. This is a perfect book for those who love slow-burn mysteries, creepy atmospheric manor types of reads, and I'm incredibly impressed that this is a debut novel. I'm definitely a new fan!
May 16, 2019
Add this to your TBR for October!
Jane Cockram captivates with her haunting debut novel, The House of Brides. With echoes of Daphne de Maurier, it examines the inescapable ties of family and what happens when a complex tangle of secrets starts to unravel. Gripping, atmospheric and with an ending you won’t see coming, this book held me in its spell long after the final page. A sure-fire bestseller!
Jane Cockram captivates with her haunting debut novel, The House of Brides. With echoes of Daphne de Maurier, it examines the inescapable ties of family and what happens when a complex tangle of secrets starts to unravel. Gripping, atmospheric and with an ending you won’t see coming, this book held me in its spell long after the final page. A sure-fire bestseller!
October 18, 2019
The House of Brides by Jane Cockram is a bit of psychological suspense entangled in a family drama. The setting in this one takes place in England in an old family estate known as The Barnsley House and is atmospheric and haunting with gothic undertones.
Our main character, Miranda, is just coming into adulthood while still being treated as a child by her family and let’s face it, still making many mistakes along the way. Miranda had become a successful influencer but her fame had gone spiraling downward when she was caught in some lies on her products.
Being at a crossroads in her life Miranda had always wanted to know about her mother’s background and family so when a letter shows up years after her passing Miranda sees it as a sign to head to England for answers. When arriving however she impulsively masquerades as a nanny while she looks to uncover the secrets of her mother’s past.
The House of Brides was a solid enough debut for this author although sometimes along the way it felt as if there were a tad bit of something missing. The setting was done rather well and along with the characters it had a wonderfully creepy vibe that pulled the story along. I’m not sure if I just longed for more depth or perhaps a bit more action to it along the way but it was enough that I’m glad I gave it a go and would pick up another by Jane Cockram.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Our main character, Miranda, is just coming into adulthood while still being treated as a child by her family and let’s face it, still making many mistakes along the way. Miranda had become a successful influencer but her fame had gone spiraling downward when she was caught in some lies on her products.
Being at a crossroads in her life Miranda had always wanted to know about her mother’s background and family so when a letter shows up years after her passing Miranda sees it as a sign to head to England for answers. When arriving however she impulsively masquerades as a nanny while she looks to uncover the secrets of her mother’s past.
The House of Brides was a solid enough debut for this author although sometimes along the way it felt as if there were a tad bit of something missing. The setting was done rather well and along with the characters it had a wonderfully creepy vibe that pulled the story along. I’m not sure if I just longed for more depth or perhaps a bit more action to it along the way but it was enough that I’m glad I gave it a go and would pick up another by Jane Cockram.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
October 22, 2019
An English estate has been home to generations of the women who married into the Summer family.
When one of the daughters gets a letter from a current, teenage relative addressed to her mother pleading for help, Miranda leaves Australia and heads to Barnsley House. The funny thing is that her mother has passed away.
Miranda never was reliable, and after her job disaster and her father's finding her another job she doesn't want, she thinks this letter from a cousin will save her.
Miranda tricks her father into paying for her flight from Australia to England to find out what the letter meant and finds herself being interviewed for a job as a nanny instead of why she came in the first place.
Did Miranda go from a bad situation to a worse one?
She can't reveal why she really arrived, and she doesn't know what really is waiting for her at Barnsley House, but she soon finds out all isn't as it should be
What she finds are three children, their father, a housekeeper, an empty, not well-kept inn, an estate in disrepair, odd things happening, and no visible mother.
Ms. Cockram created the story line in a very creative way. She revealed some of the family's secrets by using a book Miranda’s mother had written that describes the history of the house and the family. Ms. Cockram also used a diary with background information of the characters written by the infamous, "missing" mother.
Everyone and everything seemed to have a secret at Barnsley House. The housekeeper was especially secretive, dangerous, and frightening.
If you enjoy odd characters, old mansions, family secrets, supposed ghosts, a stolen book, and Gothic undertones, you will want to have THE HOUSE OF BRIDES added to your TBR.
HOUSE OF BRIDES has an absorbing, captivating story line you won't want to put down.
Ms. Cockram’s writing style is descriptive and draws you in. A marvelous debut all around. 5/5
This book was given to me by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
When one of the daughters gets a letter from a current, teenage relative addressed to her mother pleading for help, Miranda leaves Australia and heads to Barnsley House. The funny thing is that her mother has passed away.
Miranda never was reliable, and after her job disaster and her father's finding her another job she doesn't want, she thinks this letter from a cousin will save her.
Miranda tricks her father into paying for her flight from Australia to England to find out what the letter meant and finds herself being interviewed for a job as a nanny instead of why she came in the first place.
Did Miranda go from a bad situation to a worse one?
She can't reveal why she really arrived, and she doesn't know what really is waiting for her at Barnsley House, but she soon finds out all isn't as it should be
What she finds are three children, their father, a housekeeper, an empty, not well-kept inn, an estate in disrepair, odd things happening, and no visible mother.
Ms. Cockram created the story line in a very creative way. She revealed some of the family's secrets by using a book Miranda’s mother had written that describes the history of the house and the family. Ms. Cockram also used a diary with background information of the characters written by the infamous, "missing" mother.
Everyone and everything seemed to have a secret at Barnsley House. The housekeeper was especially secretive, dangerous, and frightening.
If you enjoy odd characters, old mansions, family secrets, supposed ghosts, a stolen book, and Gothic undertones, you will want to have THE HOUSE OF BRIDES added to your TBR.
HOUSE OF BRIDES has an absorbing, captivating story line you won't want to put down.
Ms. Cockram’s writing style is descriptive and draws you in. A marvelous debut all around. 5/5
This book was given to me by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
November 14, 2019
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
3.5 stars
With an enticing front cover quote from one of my favourite Australian writers, Sally Hepworth, I was quite ready to be held captive by The House of Brides, written by debut novelist Jane Cockram. This modern day gothic thriller, crossed with a family drama, is a story of loss, identity, career crisis, secrets, tragedy and revelations. An alluring premise set the bar high for Jane Cockram’s first release.
The House of Brides revolves around the lead character of Miranda, a twenty something social media influencer who suffers a career nosedive in the early sequences of the book. This career crisis begins a chain of events that sees Miranda return home with her tail between her legs. Still nursing the loss of her mother, Miranda’s grief is amplified by the loss of her job. A mysterious letter comes into Miranda’s possession at just the right time. This letter comes from Miranda’s cousin requesting help. With a clear absence of information about her mother’s past, this letter may prove to be the key to unlock a whole host of secrets.
The House of Brides has been compared to classic gothic fiction novels such as Rebecca, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Kate Morton also receives a mention on the back cover of The House of Brides and I was excited by this prospect as I am a big fan of Morton’s work. The House of Brides set off to a galloping start, the premise was intriguing and the final cover was absolutely stunning, it definitely seduced me into reading this one sooner than later!
Cockram is clearly very aware of the key ingredients that are required to craft a successful modern gothic fiction novel. Cockram has a tormented lead protagonist, a creepy but magical old mansion, suspect characters, a ghostly presence and a rich tapestry of past secrets to uncover. All the vital gothic fiction elements were very present in this novel, which I appreciated very much.
In terms of the atmosphere, The House of Brides has a swirling, tension filled, edgy and speculative feel. I had plenty of questions about the characters and events of this novel, which held my interest level. Cockram indulges in lots of descriptive passages, that work to situate the reader in the spiralling events of the tale. I particularly felt like the stately home in this book was rendered well, it had a strong presence in the book, making a solid impression on the reader.
Character wise, The House of Brides has an extensive cast. The protagonist set will keep the reader on their toes. Each character is touched by a sense of unease, or mistrust. I wasn’t quite sure who, or what to believe in some instances of the book. Miranda, the prime protagonist, leads the charge in this novel’s case. She is the conductor of the performance, but I found her hard to like and I couldn’t put my finger on why this was the case. However, it does seem like this is the consensus based on a number of reviewers who have already covered this book.
Structure wise, The House of Brides flits between Miranda, the central protagonist’s point of view, along with diary entries, letters, clippings and a book within a book, ‘The House of Brides’, which was penned by the protagonist’s mother. I thought this was a creative move on behalf of the author. However, I will have to be honest and admit that I was often confused by the storyline direction, my handle on the narrative definitely slipped. I also found the script in the notebook sequences hard to decipher. Despite this, I was compelled to stay loyal to the book and I was happy to read until the end of this gothic inspired saga.
The House of Brides is a story of family connections, dark secrets, scandal, complications and disclosure. Jane Cockram’s first novel will be sure to reel in devoted gothic fiction, or family drama readers.
*I wish to thank Harlequin Australia for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
The House of Brides is book #139 of the 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge
3.5 stars
With an enticing front cover quote from one of my favourite Australian writers, Sally Hepworth, I was quite ready to be held captive by The House of Brides, written by debut novelist Jane Cockram. This modern day gothic thriller, crossed with a family drama, is a story of loss, identity, career crisis, secrets, tragedy and revelations. An alluring premise set the bar high for Jane Cockram’s first release.
The House of Brides revolves around the lead character of Miranda, a twenty something social media influencer who suffers a career nosedive in the early sequences of the book. This career crisis begins a chain of events that sees Miranda return home with her tail between her legs. Still nursing the loss of her mother, Miranda’s grief is amplified by the loss of her job. A mysterious letter comes into Miranda’s possession at just the right time. This letter comes from Miranda’s cousin requesting help. With a clear absence of information about her mother’s past, this letter may prove to be the key to unlock a whole host of secrets.
The House of Brides has been compared to classic gothic fiction novels such as Rebecca, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Kate Morton also receives a mention on the back cover of The House of Brides and I was excited by this prospect as I am a big fan of Morton’s work. The House of Brides set off to a galloping start, the premise was intriguing and the final cover was absolutely stunning, it definitely seduced me into reading this one sooner than later!
Cockram is clearly very aware of the key ingredients that are required to craft a successful modern gothic fiction novel. Cockram has a tormented lead protagonist, a creepy but magical old mansion, suspect characters, a ghostly presence and a rich tapestry of past secrets to uncover. All the vital gothic fiction elements were very present in this novel, which I appreciated very much.
In terms of the atmosphere, The House of Brides has a swirling, tension filled, edgy and speculative feel. I had plenty of questions about the characters and events of this novel, which held my interest level. Cockram indulges in lots of descriptive passages, that work to situate the reader in the spiralling events of the tale. I particularly felt like the stately home in this book was rendered well, it had a strong presence in the book, making a solid impression on the reader.
Character wise, The House of Brides has an extensive cast. The protagonist set will keep the reader on their toes. Each character is touched by a sense of unease, or mistrust. I wasn’t quite sure who, or what to believe in some instances of the book. Miranda, the prime protagonist, leads the charge in this novel’s case. She is the conductor of the performance, but I found her hard to like and I couldn’t put my finger on why this was the case. However, it does seem like this is the consensus based on a number of reviewers who have already covered this book.
Structure wise, The House of Brides flits between Miranda, the central protagonist’s point of view, along with diary entries, letters, clippings and a book within a book, ‘The House of Brides’, which was penned by the protagonist’s mother. I thought this was a creative move on behalf of the author. However, I will have to be honest and admit that I was often confused by the storyline direction, my handle on the narrative definitely slipped. I also found the script in the notebook sequences hard to decipher. Despite this, I was compelled to stay loyal to the book and I was happy to read until the end of this gothic inspired saga.
The House of Brides is a story of family connections, dark secrets, scandal, complications and disclosure. Jane Cockram’s first novel will be sure to reel in devoted gothic fiction, or family drama readers.
*I wish to thank Harlequin Australia for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
The House of Brides is book #139 of the 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge
June 27, 2019
I had an uneasy feeling throughout this book, and I don't mean uneasy in the thrilling, suspenseful, engaging way - I mean some thing seemed...not quite right. My eventual conclusion is that it was written by the same computer program that "watched" hours of olive garden commercials and then wrote one of its own. It's almost worth reading the thing so you can see what I mean. Almost.
December 22, 2019
*www.onewomansbbr.wordpress.com
*www.facebook.com/onewomansbbr
**2.5 stars**
The House of Brides by Jane Cockram. (2019).
Miranda has been having a rough time; her successful career as a social media influencer has crashed after the controversial flop of her fertility app. Humiliated, she has moved home and misses her mother Tessa who died years ago. Tessa wrote a bestselling book (The House of Brides) that chronicled the generations of brides in her family, each more notorious and tragic than the last. Miranda doesn't know that side of the family so when a mysterious letter arrives from a young cousin asking for help, Miranda acts. She poses as a live-in nanny but nothing is what it seems. The luxury hotel and world-renowned restaurant created by the most recent bride, Daphne, is gone. Soon Daphne is also gone. One of the children is in a wheelchair after a mysterious accident and the sinister housekeeper Mrs Mins has a dark influence over the master of the house...
I'm a bit disappointed really because I went into this book thinking I'd really enjoy it but unfortunately it didn't go that way; perhaps my expectations were too high. I think one of the biggest issues is that Miranda just doesn't feel a real person; she is in her mid twenties yet seems to have the attitude and mind of a 16 year old, she is totally impulsive and makes decisions that don't really make sense, she herself admits she is a liar but then she also does things like stealing and tries to justify why when really there is no justification. The other issue I had was that sometimes the chapters felt like they were cut off too soon, like literally in the middle of a conversation and then the same conversation would resume at the beginning of the next chapter - that was a bit strange. I did like the use of having letters, newsletters and diary entries etc make up some of the formatting, but I did struggle to read some of the cursive 'handwritten' sections haha. I was interested enough in what the outcome of the story was but the big reveals just didn't really feel quite satisfying to me.
There are heaps of people out there that have really enjoyed this book so check it out if the synopsis sounds interesting to you.
*www.facebook.com/onewomansbbr
**2.5 stars**
The House of Brides by Jane Cockram. (2019).
Miranda has been having a rough time; her successful career as a social media influencer has crashed after the controversial flop of her fertility app. Humiliated, she has moved home and misses her mother Tessa who died years ago. Tessa wrote a bestselling book (The House of Brides) that chronicled the generations of brides in her family, each more notorious and tragic than the last. Miranda doesn't know that side of the family so when a mysterious letter arrives from a young cousin asking for help, Miranda acts. She poses as a live-in nanny but nothing is what it seems. The luxury hotel and world-renowned restaurant created by the most recent bride, Daphne, is gone. Soon Daphne is also gone. One of the children is in a wheelchair after a mysterious accident and the sinister housekeeper Mrs Mins has a dark influence over the master of the house...
I'm a bit disappointed really because I went into this book thinking I'd really enjoy it but unfortunately it didn't go that way; perhaps my expectations were too high. I think one of the biggest issues is that Miranda just doesn't feel a real person; she is in her mid twenties yet seems to have the attitude and mind of a 16 year old, she is totally impulsive and makes decisions that don't really make sense, she herself admits she is a liar but then she also does things like stealing and tries to justify why when really there is no justification. The other issue I had was that sometimes the chapters felt like they were cut off too soon, like literally in the middle of a conversation and then the same conversation would resume at the beginning of the next chapter - that was a bit strange. I did like the use of having letters, newsletters and diary entries etc make up some of the formatting, but I did struggle to read some of the cursive 'handwritten' sections haha. I was interested enough in what the outcome of the story was but the big reveals just didn't really feel quite satisfying to me.
There are heaps of people out there that have really enjoyed this book so check it out if the synopsis sounds interesting to you.
August 13, 2019
The House of Brides doesn’t come out until October, but when I heard I was staying at the Grand Hotel Praha in Slovakia, I knew I needed to pick it up and read it on my Eastern European adventure.
The main character, Miranda, decides to travel from Australia to England in order to reconnect with distant family at their estate—The Barnsley House (this hotel made me feel like I was in the story!). While there, she goes undercover to find out more about her estranged family. After the first night at The Barnsley House, her uncle’s wife goes missing. There’s a lot of deep secrets in The Barnsley House, but is Miranda ready to uncover them?
The House of Brides is Jane Cockram’s first novel, and it’s definitely going to kickstart her career as a mystery novelist. While the story is more of a family drama than psychological thriller, I felt intrigued to keep digging into the story. The slow building suspense works in this story and really got me questioning everything. I did NOT know how this book was going to end, and that’s always a great thing for a thriller connoisseur, like myself. While the pacing of the novel allowed my imagination to run while, I was a little shocked to see the abrupt stop towards the end. Overall, a solid debut by an author we will all be talking about this fall. RATING: 3.5 stars, PUB: 10/22
The main character, Miranda, decides to travel from Australia to England in order to reconnect with distant family at their estate—The Barnsley House (this hotel made me feel like I was in the story!). While there, she goes undercover to find out more about her estranged family. After the first night at The Barnsley House, her uncle’s wife goes missing. There’s a lot of deep secrets in The Barnsley House, but is Miranda ready to uncover them?
The House of Brides is Jane Cockram’s first novel, and it’s definitely going to kickstart her career as a mystery novelist. While the story is more of a family drama than psychological thriller, I felt intrigued to keep digging into the story. The slow building suspense works in this story and really got me questioning everything. I did NOT know how this book was going to end, and that’s always a great thing for a thriller connoisseur, like myself. While the pacing of the novel allowed my imagination to run while, I was a little shocked to see the abrupt stop towards the end. Overall, a solid debut by an author we will all be talking about this fall. RATING: 3.5 stars, PUB: 10/22
October 23, 2019
“Everyone seemed to be hiding something. There were things that seemed not quite right, parts of the story that didn’t quite ring true. Things only another storyteller would notice.”
After her social media career implodes in a rather spectacular manner, Miranda Courtenay is left reviled and broke. Though her wealthy father has arranged a fresh start for her, a letter from a young cousin she has never met sees Miranda flee Australia to her late mother’s ancestral home, Barnsley House, on England’s west coast.
As the setting of a best selling biography, ‘The House of Brides’ written by Miranda’s mother, Tessa Courtenay née Summers, Miranda has always wanted to visit Barnsley House to meet her estranged relatives, and learn more about the mother she never really knew, but she soon discovers the house is a maelstrom of secrets, resentments, tragedy, and scandal.
I’d describe The House of Brides as contemporary gothic, with what I thought were obvious echoes of genre classics such as Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, with perhaps even a nod to the works of V.C Andrews.
Cockram certainly creates an eerie atmosphere in The House of Brides. Barnsley House is an isolated rambling stone mansion on a cliff’s edge, half shuttered due to the temporary closure of the hotel and restaurant operated by Max Summer, and his bride, Daphne, inhabited by a group of reticent residents. As documented in Tessa’s book, it has also been the site of both triumph and tragedy, especially for the women of the Summers family, and is rumoured to have the ghost of a ‘House’ bride lurking in the East wing.
Unfortunately I really didn’t care much for Miranda. I may have been more forgiving of her character if she was aged closer to 16, rather than 26, as it was I found her to be painfully immature, self centred, and occasionally wilfully obtuse. At times I didn’t understand her behaviour at all, and that made it difficult to connect with her. As for the rest of the characters, they are suitably enigmatic for a gothic novel, most of whom have an edge of menace, or madness, or both.
While overall I thought The House of Brides had a decent premise, I did find it was a little messy and disjointed in places. Some of that, I think, had to do with the poor formatting of the e-arc. With plenty of intrigue, and atmosphere I do think most of the elements were there for a great story, but it didn’t quite all come together for me.
After her social media career implodes in a rather spectacular manner, Miranda Courtenay is left reviled and broke. Though her wealthy father has arranged a fresh start for her, a letter from a young cousin she has never met sees Miranda flee Australia to her late mother’s ancestral home, Barnsley House, on England’s west coast.
As the setting of a best selling biography, ‘The House of Brides’ written by Miranda’s mother, Tessa Courtenay née Summers, Miranda has always wanted to visit Barnsley House to meet her estranged relatives, and learn more about the mother she never really knew, but she soon discovers the house is a maelstrom of secrets, resentments, tragedy, and scandal.
I’d describe The House of Brides as contemporary gothic, with what I thought were obvious echoes of genre classics such as Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, with perhaps even a nod to the works of V.C Andrews.
Cockram certainly creates an eerie atmosphere in The House of Brides. Barnsley House is an isolated rambling stone mansion on a cliff’s edge, half shuttered due to the temporary closure of the hotel and restaurant operated by Max Summer, and his bride, Daphne, inhabited by a group of reticent residents. As documented in Tessa’s book, it has also been the site of both triumph and tragedy, especially for the women of the Summers family, and is rumoured to have the ghost of a ‘House’ bride lurking in the East wing.
Unfortunately I really didn’t care much for Miranda. I may have been more forgiving of her character if she was aged closer to 16, rather than 26, as it was I found her to be painfully immature, self centred, and occasionally wilfully obtuse. At times I didn’t understand her behaviour at all, and that made it difficult to connect with her. As for the rest of the characters, they are suitably enigmatic for a gothic novel, most of whom have an edge of menace, or madness, or both.
While overall I thought The House of Brides had a decent premise, I did find it was a little messy and disjointed in places. Some of that, I think, had to do with the poor formatting of the e-arc. With plenty of intrigue, and atmosphere I do think most of the elements were there for a great story, but it didn’t quite all come together for me.
August 17, 2021
La portada y el titulo me sedujeron desde el primer momento, y creo que ya está. Mis dos estrellas para eso y para el principio que me mantuvo enganchada, el resto del libro no vale para nada. Y no es que escriba mal, es que la historia conforme está contada es un sin sentido.
December 14, 2019
2 Stars
*A decent story ruined by an awful main character*
The House of Brides is billed as a thrilling modern Gothic about a young woman who runs away from her problems by trying to chase down the mystery of her mother’s past.
From the opening lines, it was clear that The House of Brides has a lot in common with Rebecca. It isn’t exactly a retelling, but it is certainly heavily influenced by Daphne du Maurier. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing; if you are going to imitate a book, at least pick a good one. The story does achieve that spooky atmosphere necessary for a Gothic story.
The big problem I had with this book was the main character, Miranda. And since Miranda is the first person narrator for the whole story, her obnoxiousness is unavoidable. Miranda is the quintessential example of why people hate Millennials. I’m technically a Millennial, and I still hate them. Miranda unironically fulfills every insufferable Millennial stereotype. She is a twenty-six-year-old who has never had a real job, who constantly sponges off of her family- taking advantage of them emotionally and financially, who is a pathological liar, who constantly fat-shams herself and everyone else, who pushes her diet, lifestyle, and opinions down everyone else’s throat, who uses the word “hashtag” in conversation, who has zero life skills, and whose “career” as a social media influencer bombed after her narcissism caused her to act unethically.
If the above description gave you the urge to smack someone in the face with their smartphone, then this is not the book for you. This book might very well decrease the life expectancy of a certain generation. Honestly, there was no amount of character redemption that could outweigh how infuriating Miranda was. If this was a horror movie, she is the one who would die within ten minutes, probably in a sexy-turned-gory shower scene.
Despite Miranda’s contribution to the declining average intelligence, I still thought The House of Brides would be at least three stars for me – until the end that is. I won’t spoil anything, but I did find the ending anticlimactic and hard to believe. After setting the scene so well, I craved a more impactful ending. The actual result was too wishy-washy for my tastes and didn’t fit with the rest of the atmospheric story.
I’m usually more lenient when rating debut books. But the bottom line is that The House of Brides didn’t cut it for me. Nevertheless, I do think that Cockram has talent as a writer. I will probably check out whatever she comes out with next… provided it has a more palatable (and less #TSTL) main character!
RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 1 Star
Plot Structure and Development: 2 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 2 Stars
*A decent story ruined by an awful main character*
The House of Brides is billed as a thrilling modern Gothic about a young woman who runs away from her problems by trying to chase down the mystery of her mother’s past.
From the opening lines, it was clear that The House of Brides has a lot in common with Rebecca. It isn’t exactly a retelling, but it is certainly heavily influenced by Daphne du Maurier. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing; if you are going to imitate a book, at least pick a good one. The story does achieve that spooky atmosphere necessary for a Gothic story.
The big problem I had with this book was the main character, Miranda. And since Miranda is the first person narrator for the whole story, her obnoxiousness is unavoidable. Miranda is the quintessential example of why people hate Millennials. I’m technically a Millennial, and I still hate them. Miranda unironically fulfills every insufferable Millennial stereotype. She is a twenty-six-year-old who has never had a real job, who constantly sponges off of her family- taking advantage of them emotionally and financially, who is a pathological liar, who constantly fat-shams herself and everyone else, who pushes her diet, lifestyle, and opinions down everyone else’s throat, who uses the word “hashtag” in conversation, who has zero life skills, and whose “career” as a social media influencer bombed after her narcissism caused her to act unethically.
If the above description gave you the urge to smack someone in the face with their smartphone, then this is not the book for you. This book might very well decrease the life expectancy of a certain generation. Honestly, there was no amount of character redemption that could outweigh how infuriating Miranda was. If this was a horror movie, she is the one who would die within ten minutes, probably in a sexy-turned-gory shower scene.
Despite Miranda’s contribution to the declining average intelligence, I still thought The House of Brides would be at least three stars for me – until the end that is. I won’t spoil anything, but I did find the ending anticlimactic and hard to believe. After setting the scene so well, I craved a more impactful ending. The actual result was too wishy-washy for my tastes and didn’t fit with the rest of the atmospheric story.
I’m usually more lenient when rating debut books. But the bottom line is that The House of Brides didn’t cut it for me. Nevertheless, I do think that Cockram has talent as a writer. I will probably check out whatever she comes out with next… provided it has a more palatable (and less #TSTL) main character!
RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 1 Star
Plot Structure and Development: 2 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 2 Stars
September 11, 2019
I received an uncorrected proof copy of this novel from HarperCollins.
In the wake of the tragic collapse of her online social media influencer status, Miranda is adrift. When she finds a letter from a young cousin who lives in her mother's childhood home - the great Barnsley House estate - she finds herself fleeing to England to find out more about her mother's family whom she has never met. All she knows about this side of her family was gleaned from her mother's best selling book, an expose of her family's history entitled The House of Brides. Under the guise of being a nanny, Miranda becomes increasingly bothered by the odd vibe of Barnsley: the cold housekeeper Mrs. Mins, her uncle's seemingly disturbed wife who was previously known for her celebrity chef status, her young cousins, one of whom is now confined to a wheelchair, and her aunt and uncle who seem at times cold and distant.
This was a fast read and it did peak my interest to discover the great 'mystery' behind Miranda's mother's estrangement from her family and what secrets Mrs. Mins and Daphne were hiding. But this novel reads like a very rough draft that is lacking in editorial support. There is far too much going on - haunted houses, social media use, sibling tensions, car crashes, house fires, drownings, alcoholism, adultery, a disabled child, marital secrets, and absentee parents. It felt as if the author was just throwing as many different story elements into the storyline as possible in hopes of creating maximum interest but with the unintended consequence of the novel feeling overextended and unbelievable.
So much of the plot felt unbelievable as well and I was left with so many unanswered questions about why so many plot points even happened. There were also several scenes where the descriptions and dialogue were somewhat confusing and hard to follow. For example, the scene where Miranda is trying to watch the Christmas play her cousins are performing in was so poorly written and the interruptions so poorly explained that I still am not sure what the point was. Similarly, it was hard for me to believe that the family would hire Miranda on the spot to be their nanny without any interview or references, particularly considering one of the children she would be caring for was disabled. Furthermore, the realities of caring for a disabled child were almost totally skipped over, which felt totally unrealistic to me.
This novel certainly had many compelling elements and did a great job of building intrigue and interest. However, the lack of a firm editorial hand and sloppy execution severely dimmed by enjoyment for this book.
In the wake of the tragic collapse of her online social media influencer status, Miranda is adrift. When she finds a letter from a young cousin who lives in her mother's childhood home - the great Barnsley House estate - she finds herself fleeing to England to find out more about her mother's family whom she has never met. All she knows about this side of her family was gleaned from her mother's best selling book, an expose of her family's history entitled The House of Brides. Under the guise of being a nanny, Miranda becomes increasingly bothered by the odd vibe of Barnsley: the cold housekeeper Mrs. Mins, her uncle's seemingly disturbed wife who was previously known for her celebrity chef status, her young cousins, one of whom is now confined to a wheelchair, and her aunt and uncle who seem at times cold and distant.
This was a fast read and it did peak my interest to discover the great 'mystery' behind Miranda's mother's estrangement from her family and what secrets Mrs. Mins and Daphne were hiding. But this novel reads like a very rough draft that is lacking in editorial support. There is far too much going on - haunted houses, social media use, sibling tensions, car crashes, house fires, drownings, alcoholism, adultery, a disabled child, marital secrets, and absentee parents. It felt as if the author was just throwing as many different story elements into the storyline as possible in hopes of creating maximum interest but with the unintended consequence of the novel feeling overextended and unbelievable.
So much of the plot felt unbelievable as well and I was left with so many unanswered questions about why so many plot points even happened. There were also several scenes where the descriptions and dialogue were somewhat confusing and hard to follow. For example, the scene where Miranda is trying to watch the Christmas play her cousins are performing in was so poorly written and the interruptions so poorly explained that I still am not sure what the point was. Similarly, it was hard for me to believe that the family would hire Miranda on the spot to be their nanny without any interview or references, particularly considering one of the children she would be caring for was disabled. Furthermore, the realities of caring for a disabled child were almost totally skipped over, which felt totally unrealistic to me.
This novel certainly had many compelling elements and did a great job of building intrigue and interest. However, the lack of a firm editorial hand and sloppy execution severely dimmed by enjoyment for this book.
December 5, 2019
A generous 1.5
While I can appreciate the desire to avoid a Mary Sue situation, it can very much go too far in the other direction: Miranda is beyond unlikable, having absolutely no integrity (or common sense for that matter - I don't know know how many times I shouted, "are you THAT bloody stupid?! Goddamn!"). What turned me decidedly against her (and made me not particularly care if anything terrible happened to her), was not the more egregious matter of the credit card fraud, or the original disgrace that happened before the start of the book, but her walking off her retail job, leaving her colleagues in the lurch, just because she'd been made. To not finish a shift is a total garbage human move, which she then doubles down on by stealing from her father. The "arc" that she becomes less selfish by looking after children doesn't work - looking after kids doesn't automatically and magically make you a better person, especially if there is something to gain from doing so - in this case, having access to the family and its (conveniently, and often literally spelled out) secrets. Not sure if admitting that the rotten apple doesn't fall far from the tree makes it any better.
Overall, this was a poorly written mess of a book, which is only underscored by the lack of competent editing: the epistolary conceit of Daphne's notebook makes no sense and doesn't work as a way to reveal information; the sudden love interest in Meryl's brother comes out of nowhere, and lacks resonance, among quite a few other "does not follow" situations, and general inconsistencies.
What I did appreciate was that even though there was the usual infidelity, overdone love scandal stuff, the real secrets weren't about paternity: But, if that's all there is to recommend it, that isn't saying very much.
While I can appreciate the desire to avoid a Mary Sue situation, it can very much go too far in the other direction: Miranda is beyond unlikable, having absolutely no integrity (or common sense for that matter - I don't know know how many times I shouted, "are you THAT bloody stupid?! Goddamn!"). What turned me decidedly against her (and made me not particularly care if anything terrible happened to her), was not the more egregious matter of the credit card fraud, or the original disgrace that happened before the start of the book, but her walking off her retail job, leaving her colleagues in the lurch, just because she'd been made. To not finish a shift is a total garbage human move, which she then doubles down on by stealing from her father. The "arc" that she becomes less selfish by looking after children doesn't work - looking after kids doesn't automatically and magically make you a better person, especially if there is something to gain from doing so - in this case, having access to the family and its (conveniently, and often literally spelled out) secrets. Not sure if admitting that the rotten apple doesn't fall far from the tree makes it any better.
Overall, this was a poorly written mess of a book, which is only underscored by the lack of competent editing: the epistolary conceit of Daphne's notebook makes no sense and doesn't work as a way to reveal information; the sudden love interest in Meryl's brother comes out of nowhere, and lacks resonance, among quite a few other "does not follow" situations, and general inconsistencies.
What I did appreciate was that even though there was the usual infidelity, overdone love scandal stuff, the real secrets weren't about paternity: But, if that's all there is to recommend it, that isn't saying very much.
August 14, 2019
⭐️⭐️💫 Maybe it’s because I recently read an excellent book about a young woman becoming a nanny at an old manor home where the mother has gone missing, but this one fell a little flat for me.
The House of Brides is Jane Cockram’s debut novel coming this October. After Miranda’s fall from grace as an influencer, she becomes determined to learn more about the secrets of her mother’s past, so she poses as a nanny in her mother’s childhood home. One of the children has been in a mysterious accident, their mother is missing, and their father is not forthcoming about what has really happened in that house. And how does Miranda’s mother fit into it all?
While I found the premise of learning about the scandalous history of the manor home interesting, the story is a slow burn. And Miranda herself is not an easy character to like, and she comes across as a bit immature. However, I was interested to find out what happened to Daphne, so I kept with it.
Overall, The House of Brides was okay for me but not especially memorable.
For the nanny/old manor house/missing mother mystery, I highly recommend The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan instead. It’s not a thriller, but it is a wonderful read.
The House of Brides is Jane Cockram’s debut novel coming this October. After Miranda’s fall from grace as an influencer, she becomes determined to learn more about the secrets of her mother’s past, so she poses as a nanny in her mother’s childhood home. One of the children has been in a mysterious accident, their mother is missing, and their father is not forthcoming about what has really happened in that house. And how does Miranda’s mother fit into it all?
While I found the premise of learning about the scandalous history of the manor home interesting, the story is a slow burn. And Miranda herself is not an easy character to like, and she comes across as a bit immature. However, I was interested to find out what happened to Daphne, so I kept with it.
Overall, The House of Brides was okay for me but not especially memorable.
For the nanny/old manor house/missing mother mystery, I highly recommend The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan instead. It’s not a thriller, but it is a wonderful read.
January 17, 2020
I enjoyed this, and can’t help but think the ratings for it have suffered because it has been pretty seriously mislabeled regarding the genre it fits into.
This isn’t truly a thriller and it’s definitely not gothic horror. It’s a family saga with some suspense and some gothic elements, mostly pertaining to atmosphere.
I enjoyed the setting and appreciate a gothic-style slow build, even when the denouement really has little in common with your standard gothic fare.
This isn’t truly a thriller and it’s definitely not gothic horror. It’s a family saga with some suspense and some gothic elements, mostly pertaining to atmosphere.
I enjoyed the setting and appreciate a gothic-style slow build, even when the denouement really has little in common with your standard gothic fare.
January 29, 2020
I have heard rather a lot about this book in recent times as it’s been praised by several authors. I quite like the cover so I was pretty interested to give this a go and see what I thought.
It’s obviously (like, really obviously) strongly inspired by books like Rebecca and Jane Eyre and basically anything else where a young woman comes to a mysterious house and discovers that all is not as it seems and there are probably some sinister things going on behind the scenes. I mean the character that owns the house in this book is named Maximilian (Max) Summer. That’s not even subtle. There’s also a formidable housekeeper referred to only by Mrs Mins, a missing wife and a bunch of other weird things going on.
At the beginning of the book, Miranda is a ‘fallen influencer’. Once boasting a following of almost 100,000 followers on social media, she put her name to and her faith in a fertility app and ended up losing everything. Her wealthy father has managed to pull some strings to get her another job but when Miranda discovers a letter from a relation of her (deceased) mother’s begging for help at Barnsley House, the family homestead, she steals her father’s credit card and books herself a business class flight to London, ditching the job and showing up at the household. She’s mistaken for a candidate to be a new nanny and secures that job under false pretenses.
Miranda is horrible. An immature, selfish, self-absorbed bore of a woman who never once takes responsibility for her actions. She is incredibly unlikeable from the time she can’t even be bothered to put her father’s car in the garage as he requests when she drives it to the time she steals his credit card details (do you know how much a business class flight Sydney or Melbourne to London is?!) and right to the end of the book. She’s in her mid-twenties and she seems to epitomise everything people hate about her generation and fits neatly into the stereotype people are trying to break. She’s so entitled and sneaky that when it looked like someone might do her harm at the big family pile, I almost hoped they’d succeed.
Miranda’s mother fled her home and England and penned a book about Barnsley and the remarkable women that have been its mistress, entitled The House of Brides. This is all Miranda really has of her mother and I think it’s fed something of an obsession through her life. She lost her mother at a young age, her father remarried swiftly and had two more children with his second wife. Miranda is seemingly viewed as a disappointment (although from her actions witnessed in this novel, it’s not too hard to imagine why) even though one conversation with her mother as a child makes her believe that she’ll be extraordinary. I think Miranda feels there’s a pretence for escaping to England, by way of checking on the welfare of a family member that she didn’t know existed five minutes before she books a flight the heck out of Australia but I think it was just about escape. She thought she was destined for something spectacular, she built influence on social media, it crashed and burned and then she didn’t want the executive assistant job her father had pulled strings for her to get. She wanted something more, something better, like a palatial pile on the other side of the world.
The mystery isn’t even really that interesting and often information is imparted to the reader in clunky ways. The stuff with the housekeeper is not weird enough to be shocking and Max is like some creepy old uncle you want to avoid at family functions, his behaviour making me wonder if he was trying to hit on Miranda or make her think that he might have murdered his wife/murder her/etc. There’s a large portion of the book devoted to wondering where Max’s wife is (well mostly just Miranda, Max himself doesn’t really seem to care all that much) and then that just fizzles out in a really unsatisfying and lacklustre way. The way in which lack of information forms most of the plot really bothered me – no one will tell Miranda what her duties are, people just wander away mid-conversation or pretend they haven’t heard questions, she keeps looking for Daphne and no one else really seems all that bothered until the very end, something will drop but then it’s just ignored for a large portion of time while other, tedious things are examined or imparted in great detail. People just show up and leave at will without rhyme or reason (perhaps this is all part of the ‘gothic ambiguity’ but instead it was just infuriating and Miranda isn’t anywhere near a forceful enough personality to carry this novel as she just wafts around mostly asking questions in her head instead of grabbing a relevant person, sitting them down and actually asking pertinent questions and getting relevant answers, especially in relation to the fact that she is caretaker for three grieving, impressionable, confused young children). And also Max is supposed to care about his kids but doesn’t know enough about them to even buy their Christmas presents alone.
I feel as though this book needed a much clearer direction and perhaps a stronger edit to bring the ideas together in a more cohesive fashion and cut out a lot of the jumping back and forth and tie the plot points together a bit more, eliminating a lot of the stuff that gets dropped or peters out inexplicably. Unfortunately I cannot say that I enjoyed this one, there’s just too much happening that is of little consequence and the character chosen to lead it all just made me want to put the book down, not become more engaged with it.
***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review***
It’s obviously (like, really obviously) strongly inspired by books like Rebecca and Jane Eyre and basically anything else where a young woman comes to a mysterious house and discovers that all is not as it seems and there are probably some sinister things going on behind the scenes. I mean the character that owns the house in this book is named Maximilian (Max) Summer. That’s not even subtle. There’s also a formidable housekeeper referred to only by Mrs Mins, a missing wife and a bunch of other weird things going on.
At the beginning of the book, Miranda is a ‘fallen influencer’. Once boasting a following of almost 100,000 followers on social media, she put her name to and her faith in a fertility app and ended up losing everything. Her wealthy father has managed to pull some strings to get her another job but when Miranda discovers a letter from a relation of her (deceased) mother’s begging for help at Barnsley House, the family homestead, she steals her father’s credit card and books herself a business class flight to London, ditching the job and showing up at the household. She’s mistaken for a candidate to be a new nanny and secures that job under false pretenses.
Miranda is horrible. An immature, selfish, self-absorbed bore of a woman who never once takes responsibility for her actions. She is incredibly unlikeable from the time she can’t even be bothered to put her father’s car in the garage as he requests when she drives it to the time she steals his credit card details (do you know how much a business class flight Sydney or Melbourne to London is?!) and right to the end of the book. She’s in her mid-twenties and she seems to epitomise everything people hate about her generation and fits neatly into the stereotype people are trying to break. She’s so entitled and sneaky that when it looked like someone might do her harm at the big family pile, I almost hoped they’d succeed.
Miranda’s mother fled her home and England and penned a book about Barnsley and the remarkable women that have been its mistress, entitled The House of Brides. This is all Miranda really has of her mother and I think it’s fed something of an obsession through her life. She lost her mother at a young age, her father remarried swiftly and had two more children with his second wife. Miranda is seemingly viewed as a disappointment (although from her actions witnessed in this novel, it’s not too hard to imagine why) even though one conversation with her mother as a child makes her believe that she’ll be extraordinary. I think Miranda feels there’s a pretence for escaping to England, by way of checking on the welfare of a family member that she didn’t know existed five minutes before she books a flight the heck out of Australia but I think it was just about escape. She thought she was destined for something spectacular, she built influence on social media, it crashed and burned and then she didn’t want the executive assistant job her father had pulled strings for her to get. She wanted something more, something better, like a palatial pile on the other side of the world.
The mystery isn’t even really that interesting and often information is imparted to the reader in clunky ways. The stuff with the housekeeper is not weird enough to be shocking and Max is like some creepy old uncle you want to avoid at family functions, his behaviour making me wonder if he was trying to hit on Miranda or make her think that he might have murdered his wife/murder her/etc. There’s a large portion of the book devoted to wondering where Max’s wife is (well mostly just Miranda, Max himself doesn’t really seem to care all that much) and then that just fizzles out in a really unsatisfying and lacklustre way. The way in which lack of information forms most of the plot really bothered me – no one will tell Miranda what her duties are, people just wander away mid-conversation or pretend they haven’t heard questions, she keeps looking for Daphne and no one else really seems all that bothered until the very end, something will drop but then it’s just ignored for a large portion of time while other, tedious things are examined or imparted in great detail. People just show up and leave at will without rhyme or reason (perhaps this is all part of the ‘gothic ambiguity’ but instead it was just infuriating and Miranda isn’t anywhere near a forceful enough personality to carry this novel as she just wafts around mostly asking questions in her head instead of grabbing a relevant person, sitting them down and actually asking pertinent questions and getting relevant answers, especially in relation to the fact that she is caretaker for three grieving, impressionable, confused young children). And also Max is supposed to care about his kids but doesn’t know enough about them to even buy their Christmas presents alone.
I feel as though this book needed a much clearer direction and perhaps a stronger edit to bring the ideas together in a more cohesive fashion and cut out a lot of the jumping back and forth and tie the plot points together a bit more, eliminating a lot of the stuff that gets dropped or peters out inexplicably. Unfortunately I cannot say that I enjoyed this one, there’s just too much happening that is of little consequence and the character chosen to lead it all just made me want to put the book down, not become more engaged with it.
***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review***
November 29, 2019
This book is such a mess I don't know where to begin. There "might" be a decent Gothic novel in it, but the author and her editors failed to find it. I can't help feeling this book only got published because of the author's background in publishing. And the US edition is going for close to $30. Geeze!
I'm not going to rehash the plot since other reviewers have already done so, but where other readers are complimenting the Gothic atmosphere I must point out that there isn't any. Zero. All the Gothic tropes are present, but the first person narrator's voice treats the whole thing as a lark. For a while I thought it was supposed to be funny, but it's not. The author just doesn't convey any sense of Gothic atmosphere - and atmosphere is part of the joy of these types of stories.
Our heroine poses as a nanny and we get lots of day to day nanny business which doesn't further the plot. To paraphrase Truman Capote, it's just typing to get from one plot point to another without actually servicing the plot. It's all about family secrets but the secrets are Oh! So! Shocking! Give me a break. The author should have gone full VC Andrews - at least then things might have been more interesting.
After awhile, there are so many family members in the past and present I couldn't keep track of them all - especially when the characters from the past are only referenced through journal entries.
Speaking of the "journal entries" - the publisher chose to print these portions in a cursive font which was virtually impossible to read - but read we must since these passages contain clues to the overall mystery. I was taught to read and write cursive but this font was extremely difficult and tiresome to read. As a stylistic choice it only detracts from the narrative.
Final thoughts - I'm getting tired of publishers and book promoters claiming a book is reminiscent of Rebecca (I'm looking at you Death of Mrs. Westaway) just because it has a few Gothic tropes or follows the formula. Things like House of Brides come nowhere near the level of psychological brilliance of Rebecca. Hell, the Marilyn Ross Dark Shadows novels are truer Gothics than this misfire.
I'm not going to rehash the plot since other reviewers have already done so, but where other readers are complimenting the Gothic atmosphere I must point out that there isn't any. Zero. All the Gothic tropes are present, but the first person narrator's voice treats the whole thing as a lark. For a while I thought it was supposed to be funny, but it's not. The author just doesn't convey any sense of Gothic atmosphere - and atmosphere is part of the joy of these types of stories.
Our heroine poses as a nanny and we get lots of day to day nanny business which doesn't further the plot. To paraphrase Truman Capote, it's just typing to get from one plot point to another without actually servicing the plot. It's all about family secrets but the secrets are Oh! So! Shocking! Give me a break. The author should have gone full VC Andrews - at least then things might have been more interesting.
After awhile, there are so many family members in the past and present I couldn't keep track of them all - especially when the characters from the past are only referenced through journal entries.
Speaking of the "journal entries" - the publisher chose to print these portions in a cursive font which was virtually impossible to read - but read we must since these passages contain clues to the overall mystery. I was taught to read and write cursive but this font was extremely difficult and tiresome to read. As a stylistic choice it only detracts from the narrative.
Final thoughts - I'm getting tired of publishers and book promoters claiming a book is reminiscent of Rebecca (I'm looking at you Death of Mrs. Westaway) just because it has a few Gothic tropes or follows the formula. Things like House of Brides come nowhere near the level of psychological brilliance of Rebecca. Hell, the Marilyn Ross Dark Shadows novels are truer Gothics than this misfire.
December 10, 2019
This book was disappointing, especially after reading such glowing reviews. I don't know what I missed but it was a whole lot of nothing. The main character was weak. The story was weak. Nothing much happened. The ending was a convoluted mess.
August 11, 2020
All aboard the hot mess express!
Ugh. Really that could be the whole review right there, just ugh. I did not enjoy my time at Barnsley in the slightest. When I say this book is a mess, it is a capital M Mess. I did read this as an ARC, so it’s possible that some of the issues I had were polished up a little before publishing, but I don’t think any amount of polishing could make this thing shine.
None of the characters are compelling or interesting in any way. Miranda is a spoiled, petulant child who insists on lying constantly and inserting herself into situations where she has no business being. Max swings between having the personality of a raw potato, fits of rage, and being your stereotypical lecherous rich guy. Mrs. Mins is basically that gif of Kim Kardashian poking her head out of a bush, but *sinister*. You get the idea. They all suck.
Awful characters aside, the plot and writing are BAD. I had no idea what the timeline was supposed to be, because the author kept adding in little snippets that I think were supposed to be foreshadowing but done in the clumsiest way possible: “we were going to do x, but little did we know y had already happened!” type of things, where we then jump back and have 5 chapters between the plan to do x and the happening of y. It was disorienting and really pulled me out of a story I was already barely invested in. The character’s moods and personalities are all over the place, and change at the drop of a hat. They’re all so inconsistent but still so surface level with no depth to speak of. There’s nothing redeeming to any of them (except maybe Thomas, the dog. I didn’t have much gripe with him, he seemed fine).
The plot drove me absolutely batty. There’s a letter from Sophia which kicks the whole thing off and then barely gets addressed. Miranda shows up at Barnsley and is immediately taken for the new nanny which like…did they not have interviews? Did they not have a name? No? We’re just willing to accept this random Australian lady with no credentials is here to take care of our children? Cool, makes perfect sense. This does *sort of* get addressed later on but not really. Miranda also spends about 60 pages obsessing over the fact that Agatha uses a wheelchair which…can we just fucking cool it? I’m sure the kid has enough on her plate without this random person just gawking at her endlessly while you can practically hear the hamster wheel in her brain spinning because *MyStErY*. And let’s not even talk about: Miranda’s dead mother; the fact that Max is her uncle; Daphne’s drinking problem; Max and Meryl’s gross relationship even though she raised him; Miranda’s sordid past as a **lifestyle influencer**; Miranda’s random longing for no-bake protein balls…I could go on. This thing has SO MUCH going on and all of it only barely connects back. Seriously, we spend half the novel looking for Daphne only to get a bizarre and very shortlived kidnapping, followed by a near drowning, then everyone is happy, we jump a few months into the future, Barnsley is good oh yeah and okay good talk BYE *END*.
I’m trying really hard to find a positive note to end on, because I do like to throw out some nice comments even in a negative review, but truly, I can’t think of a single redeeming quality this book had, except that it eventually ended.
Ugh. Really that could be the whole review right there, just ugh. I did not enjoy my time at Barnsley in the slightest. When I say this book is a mess, it is a capital M Mess. I did read this as an ARC, so it’s possible that some of the issues I had were polished up a little before publishing, but I don’t think any amount of polishing could make this thing shine.
None of the characters are compelling or interesting in any way. Miranda is a spoiled, petulant child who insists on lying constantly and inserting herself into situations where she has no business being. Max swings between having the personality of a raw potato, fits of rage, and being your stereotypical lecherous rich guy. Mrs. Mins is basically that gif of Kim Kardashian poking her head out of a bush, but *sinister*. You get the idea. They all suck.
Awful characters aside, the plot and writing are BAD. I had no idea what the timeline was supposed to be, because the author kept adding in little snippets that I think were supposed to be foreshadowing but done in the clumsiest way possible: “we were going to do x, but little did we know y had already happened!” type of things, where we then jump back and have 5 chapters between the plan to do x and the happening of y. It was disorienting and really pulled me out of a story I was already barely invested in. The character’s moods and personalities are all over the place, and change at the drop of a hat. They’re all so inconsistent but still so surface level with no depth to speak of. There’s nothing redeeming to any of them (except maybe Thomas, the dog. I didn’t have much gripe with him, he seemed fine).
The plot drove me absolutely batty. There’s a letter from Sophia which kicks the whole thing off and then barely gets addressed. Miranda shows up at Barnsley and is immediately taken for the new nanny which like…did they not have interviews? Did they not have a name? No? We’re just willing to accept this random Australian lady with no credentials is here to take care of our children? Cool, makes perfect sense. This does *sort of* get addressed later on but not really. Miranda also spends about 60 pages obsessing over the fact that Agatha uses a wheelchair which…can we just fucking cool it? I’m sure the kid has enough on her plate without this random person just gawking at her endlessly while you can practically hear the hamster wheel in her brain spinning because *MyStErY*. And let’s not even talk about: Miranda’s dead mother; the fact that Max is her uncle; Daphne’s drinking problem; Max and Meryl’s gross relationship even though she raised him; Miranda’s sordid past as a **lifestyle influencer**; Miranda’s random longing for no-bake protein balls…I could go on. This thing has SO MUCH going on and all of it only barely connects back. Seriously, we spend half the novel looking for Daphne only to get a bizarre and very shortlived kidnapping, followed by a near drowning, then everyone is happy, we jump a few months into the future, Barnsley is good oh yeah and okay good talk BYE *END*.
I’m trying really hard to find a positive note to end on, because I do like to throw out some nice comments even in a negative review, but truly, I can’t think of a single redeeming quality this book had, except that it eventually ended.
October 28, 2019
So disappointing. I thought I was going to love this book since it has so many great themes that I enjoy: creepy old house, creepy characters, family secrets, unreliable narrator, hidden identities, isolation, missing person, gothic vibe. It was none of those things. I ended up almost not finishing it, but since I received an e-ARC in return for a review, I felt obligated to read it and started skimming about 1/3 of the way in. Unfortunately, ALL of the characters are unlikable, and the main character Miranda is also downright stupid. The plot was unbelievable and not suspenseful, and just kind of fizzles out. Since this was an ARC, I’m hoping that an editor at the publishing house will go through this with a red pen and fix it this very rough draft into something better.
Many thanks to NetGalley for an e-ARC in return for a review (and I’m sorry I couldn’t give it a better review).
Many thanks to NetGalley for an e-ARC in return for a review (and I’m sorry I couldn’t give it a better review).
September 19, 2019
This book had a compelling back cover but didn’t grab me. Too often the narrator would veer from the present to say something like “even though I wouldn’t realize later.” It made me think the story couldn’t stand on its own and move along without those hints. The ending was surprisingly but not satisfying on all ends. Those built up as a villain are never given redemption or condemnation. The narrators feelings towards other characters seem quite a leap for the time frame and not fully drawn out. Ultimately it felt like the mix of modern day failed influencer couldn’t mesh with the noir English home.
September 3, 2019
What a ripper! A strong narrative that is a page turner, with reveals all through the novel that are compelling right to the end. I especially loved the sense the reader gets of both Australia and Barnsley house, an atmospheric book that should top your 'to read' list!
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