Good Reads Challenge Book Review: The September House
What’s up, “fam,” and welcome back to the blog.
“What I think is so neat about horror movies,” I said, “is that they shine a light on what we think is scary. Not just ghosts and demons, but what we find really scary.” – Carissa Orlando [The September House]
Hello friends, and how are you? I hope you’re doing well, getting plenty of rest, staying hydrated, focusing on your mental health, and giving yourself grace.
So far, for 2024, I’ve read seven books towards my Good Reads Challenge, and that includes 3 ARC titles (I’m waiting for more to be approved). Today, I’m reviewing The September House by Carissa Orlando, and so it goes.
The Review
Title | The September House
Author | Carissa Orlando
Format | Audiobook [Audible]
Pages/Hours | 13 hours, 32 minutes
Published | September 2023
Genre | Horror, Thriller, Fiction, Paranormal
GR Rating | 3.94
Purchase | Amazon
Short Synopsis
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.
My Rating (3.98)
What to say about September House…plenty. All the damn ghosts.
This story starts out simply. It centered around a devoted couple who got married and struggled like most of us do. After their daughter was born, Hal and Margaret wanted a good home where Catherine could grow up and someplace to call their own.
In some ways, we are all looking for that “white picket fence” …the unattainable, unaffordable dream. But as fate would have it, Hal and Margaret find a stunning Victorian home with good bones that needs a little love. Of course, the price was unbelievably low and came with a few warnings, meaning they were told it was haunted.
Quote from The September House
“Eventually, one has to give up asking questions, just accept that things are the way they are, and act accordingly.”
They pour everything into refurbishing this home, taking care not to destroy the many characteristics that they fell in love with.
Did I say haunted? That would be an understatement. From the housekeeper who takes care of Magaret (Frederika, also a ghost), the ghost that hides in the fireplace with an unlit match, and the ones that snap at you.
Ghosts are just the tip of the iceberg. They have a basement they kept boarded and locked, with Bible scriptures taped to the door. And like the synopsis states, the walls would bleed every September, the hauntings would amp up to the 10th power, and there was nightly screaming.
Quote from The September House
“It wasn’t horrible every single day—so few things ever are—and when it wasn’t horrible, it was almost lovely.”
They pour everything into refurbishing this home, taking care not to destroy the many characteristics that they fell in love with.
Did I say haunted? That would be an understatement. From the housekeeper who takes care of Magaret (Frederika, also a ghost), the ghost that hides in the fireplace with an unlit match, and the ones that snap at you.
Ghosts are just the tip of the iceberg. They have a basement they kept boarded and locked, with Bible scriptures taped to the door. And like the synopsis states, the walls would bleed every September, the hauntings would amp up to the 10th power, and there was nightly screaming.
Quote from The September House
“The walls of the house were bleeding again.
This sort of thing could be expected; it was, after all, September.”
My first thought was…ok, really. Why would anyone want to stay there? But Margaret has clearly stated that this is her house, and she is not leaving. However, her husband Hal felt differently, and after an encounter in the basement, Hal had had enough and left without a trace.
Their [now] grown daughter Catherine was pretty hands-off when it came to her parents, but when her dad [Hal] failed to answer his phone or his messages while her mom kept making excuses, Catherine decided to go home. She hasn’t been to the house since she left for college.
This story masks so many issues under the guise of the constant hauntings. Traumas get buried, and secrets are all contained in the September House. What happens to a house where a brutal murder takes place? Why hasn’t this house had an owner to last more than three years at any period? All will be answered in The September House.
Quote from The September House
“Open hands until, one day, they were closed. Marks on my arms and torso only, places that could be easily covered up with clothing, until, one day, they weren’t.”
This was an audiobook for me, and a long listen came in at just over 13 hours. At one point, I questioned Margaret’s sanity because I got the feeling that she was the only one to see the ghosts, and if that was the case, did they really exist? Her lax demeanor about finding Hal was one thing that I kept questioning.
I also questioned all the tasks Margaret performs in her home to pacify (yes, pacify) the ghost bordered on the insane. I had to wait until the last few chapters to find out what was really happening. Why, her one neighbor and a priest could see the ghost, but Catherine did not.
This was an interesting story and definitely not what I was expecting.
Good Read Challenge Progress
What Moves the Dead (read)
Leslie F*cking Jones (read)
The Cousins (read)
September House (read)
The Echo Wife (read)
Her Lost Soul (ARC read)
The Black Girl Survives This One (ARC read)
CURRENTLY READING: We Lie Here, Rachel Howzell Hall
Reading Next ARC: The Bad Ones, Melissa Albert
For my full Good Reads Challenge list ..check out this post.
Thanks so much for visiting the blog today. Don’t forget to follow and subscribe, as I really appreciate the support. — Peace
