The September House - Carissa Orlando

The September House

By Carissa Orlando

  • Release Date: 2023-09-05
  • Genre: Horror
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 173 Ratings

Description

“Why run from a haunted house when you can stay and ignore the ghosts? Just when you thought you'd seen everything a haunted house novel could do, The September House comes along and delivers an eerie, darkly funny, and emotionally grounded book about the ghosts that haunt houses and marriages."– Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted House

A woman is determined to stay in her dream home even after it becomes a haunted nightmare in this compulsively readable, twisty, and layered debut novel.


When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street—for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price—they couldn’t believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee. 

Margaret is not most people. 

Margaret is staying. It’s her house. But after four years Hal can’t take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he’s not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine—who knows nothing about the hauntings—arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September has just begun, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep.

Reviews

  • Couldn’t put this book down!

    5
    By JM188555
    I read this entire book in less than 24 hours- hooks you immediately. This book is about a haunting, of course but is also a reflection on how humans process trauma and abuse. Some of the twists were predictable if you have been a fan of horror as long as I have, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. This was really the perfect book for me
  • 3.5 Slow start, but nice graphic last 1/4 of the book

    3
    By Leica1991
    The book is very detailed about the characters, almost to a pointless amount. I liked when it came time to being graphic, and it did keep me turning the pages… however the reasons i gave it 3.5 stars was that i felt like the story was a bit predictable, and slow… a lot of the action didn’t come until the ending of the book. I also found the main characters daughter annoying with her so called tantrums or anger issues for a 30 something year old, and well as whenever the main character, Margaret, responded to her daughter she would always end in “dear” it personally drove me nuts. But even though their family was a complete mess when it comes to lack of communication, it was a interesting book, there is layers to the characters, and you will get you going from “that’s nuts.” To “oh, yeah don’t blame you there.”
  • Could not put it down

    5
    By theabchick
    Could not put it down! Absolutely loved it. Read it while doing cardio and it made the time to by so much faster. It keeps you guessing the entire time. ~@theabchick
  • Almost there!

    4
    By JudasTh
    We’ll written and intriguing. Only complaint is tired feminism tropes. Would still suggest it to friends.
  • Great spook!

    5
    By ohmymu
    Absolutely loved this Hill House + Ghosts style novel. A real page turner!
  • Incredible.

    5
    By Sara Cunliffe
    Felt a little campy in the beginning - which to me, is how all ghost stories seem to feel - which transitioned into a mystery story with a sort of M Knight Shyamalan type of twist - and then another twist. The writing was very clever and gripping. The whole story is a work of art in itself and deeply poetic, and when I got to the ending where everything comes in full circle, I couldn’t help but feel emotional. This is the first book I’ve read by Carissa Orlando and I hope to read plenty more. I’m not one for fiction normally but I was truly moved.
  • Fantastic!

    5
    By Lexi xoxo's
    Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I appreciate the unique take on such an important subject and the empowerment found by all of the characters!
  • SO GOOODDDDD

    5
    By Cali2011paradise
    Read it in a day. Loved it
  • I couldn’t put it down

    5
    By Kayy5
    I have a very busy career, with little time for “me time” so I have not read a book fully in quite a few years. I finished this book in two days. I had to know what happened, if this was all real or a delusion, I was eager to learn more about our main character, her past, and all the events in the house. I come from a career in mental health and trauma, so some of the themes in this novel were quite spot on. I’m a huge horror fan but I really liked that this combined horror, drama, true crime, psychology, while also being light hearted and comical at times. This book has reminded me why I used to love reading growing up and all through college. I am so happy to have found this book and rediscover my love of reading.