The September House

The September House is one of the most original thrillers I’ve read in a while. This stunning character-driven story is an emotional roller-coaster: shock, humour, fear, comfort…it has it all!We follow the story of Margaret, who lives in a haunted house with her husband, Hal. Or at least she did, until Hal went missing. Throughout the years of their stay in the house, the couple realized that something wasn’t quite right with the beautiful Victorian mansion—what with the walls bleeding, the endless screaming at night and the unwanted ghostly visitors that would literally take a chomp out of your flesh if you gave them a chance. Eventually, the couple’s only choices were to leave the house, or make peace with it and follow the rules of the entity controlling their lives. Margaret chose the latter. When Hal goes missing, their daughter, Katherine, wants to come stay in the house to investigate her father’s strange vanishing incident…only she isn’t aware that the house is haunted, and Margaret will try everything in her power to stop her daughter from finding out.What stood out to me while reading The September House was the amazing character work. The three main characters are Margaret, Katherine and Fredericka:Margaret could be a truly frustrating character at times—but for valid reasons. Her voice was balanced and well developed, with well-placed humour combined with a sad reality of loneliness and trauma. Watching her process her ever-changing environment and the changes in herself was fascinating, making her feel so very realistic. It is especially interesting watching her live in denial, building coping mechanisms that the reader sees straight through:“This house was everything I’d ever wanted. Sure, it wasn’t perfect, but sometimes it actually was. Or at least as close as anything could come to perfect in this life, which admittedly was not very close…I knew how to survive here, and I always had the sense that if…I just played by the rules well enough, I could make it into a perfect home…I loved this house. And you didn’t give up on the things you loved.”(Page 191)Katherine was so annoying—in a good way! She helped drive the plot forward by placing constant conflict in her mother’s life, forcing Margaret to question her beliefs and the lies to tells herself to survive. It was Katherine’s character arc that felt the strongest in the end.Fredericka was my favourite character, adding fun and a good deal of sarcasm to the story. I still catch myself thinking “Needs must when the devil drives” (Page 16) whenever an unpleasant situation that I cannot avoid arises.The story setting was FANTASTIC. Bleeding walls? Victorian décor? Ghosts who snap and love and murder? Hell yes! The setting contributed wonderfully to the overall moodiness and creepy vibes of the book.As for the plot: creative, unpredictable and filled with strong moral codes. I really enjoyed the pace of the story; it built up to an utter wild ride towards the end. Those last few chapters were hectic in all the best ways!What I loved and appreciated most about this book is the theme of finding beauty in darkness:“A leopard cannot change his spots,” she (Fredericka) said before moving into the living room to fluff the pillows.“Can’t imagine why he’d want to,” I (Margaret) thought. “The spots are part of what makes leopards so beautiful.”(Page 106)The September House inspires one to carry on despite difficult situations, but also evokes a warning of becoming too comfortable with the darkness.5 stars and one of my new favourite books!

The September House is one of the most original ghost/ haunted house mysteries that I have read. The FMC is an enjoyable character with the story being narrated by her added depth to the story. It was witty, mysterious, eerieand darkly funny at times, lots of twists and turns.

Let me just say, I’m so glad the house was haunted. I felt the mental illness sway towards the end and was going to be enraged if that was the way it ended. I love that all the survivors were female and that gave a very huge nod towards the domestic violence aspect of the book. Overall, it was a good read!

The book was very descriptive but there was so much inner dialogue on the main character it started to become long winded. However, the book started to pick up midway through and the ending was definitely unexpected! Just hang in there in the beginning because all in all it’s a good read.

This book was exactly what I was looking for this spooky season! An easy read with a great plot and perfectly, horrifically graphic. Thank you so much Carissa!

This book was devine. I loved every minute of it. It was a perfect book to end September. I loved the end aspect where they deemed her crazy until the house had other ideas. It was breathtaking: very well written! Chiefs kiss magnafique.

This book was highly bingeable, with an easily-digestible writing style. I found it difficult to put down once I started reading it. That being said, I don’t think there’s anything particularly novel about this…novel. If you’re a haunted house fan like me, you will probably be familiar with a lot of the content, and the light writing style does not stand out on its own as being exceptional. I also was a bit disappointed with the ending, which felt simultaneously tacked on and too long. But it is a fun jaunt nonetheless, not scary but with some gore. Difficult to provide this warning without providing spoilers, but this book deep dives into victim psychology, which might be difficult for some to read.

I have been trying to find a good haunted house boom for years! This book has it all! I read reviews that say "couldn't put it down" all the time, but I literally had to cut myself off and give myself a limit to how much I could read a day because I was was moving too quickly. I broke my own rules and read more every time! If you are looking for a great fall spooky book, this is it!

Loved it! I personally have a hard time getting the tone right in Horror and I don't know why. This one I read more in a Ghostbusters vibe. That being said it didn't keep me from loving it. Margaret and Fredericka are the real MVPs and I want to have tea with them.I loved the mystery of this one, the silliness of Fredricka and learning how much Margaret goes through to follow the rules. Perfect read for spooky season!

Im a sucker for haunted house stories. Its like my comfort food if i dont know what to read i cant go wrong with a haunted house. Because of that ive basically read it all ... or so i thought. This book surprised me from ghe first page on and kept me in suspense by throwing quite some curveballs. Some may say its a little slow but i appreciated the character development

At multiple points throughout the story, it developed in ways I didn't expect but which always supported and reinforced the pace and pathos, never undermining either. The central character comes to life in a very three-dimensional way, inspiring all at once, sympathy, frustration, trepidation and finally, admiration. A thoroughly enjoyable read

This was such a fantastic horror novel. I found the genuine and sympathetic and her whole situation really worked for me. I was also often genuinely scared which isn't a given when it comes to horror. I loved that the author was able to blend multiple genres in a way that really fit for me and I wasn't surprised to find out that the author has her doctorate in psychology as many of the psychological aspects of the story really rang true. I can't wait for her next book!

It was good , i actually liked it.Being a bookworm and fan of gothic books it was really a good one.