I received an advance reader’s copy (ARC) of Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker. Since this version is just a proof and not the final version, I won’t quote directly and will keep my comments general.

In Haunt Sweet Home, Mara isn’t sure what she wants to do with her life. She’s tried lots of things, but never settled, much to the derision of her family. So when her cousin asks her to work as production assistant for the night crew of his home renovation/paranormal investigation tv show, she agrees. Turns out, there’s not much truth to the hauntings, as Mara soon learns as she’s asked to drag fog machines into the woods and impersonate animal shrieks. But soon, strange things start happening on set, and an eerie coworker keeps hanging around her. So Mara will have to face what it all means, and who she truly wants to be.

I love a good novella, and this certainly fits that bill.

Mara makes for a sympathetic protagonist. As the youngest kid in the family, she’s often overlooked by her cousins, parents, aunts, and grandparents, even though she’s also an adult. It’s easy to understand why she hasn’t quite found a path in life yet, when her family isn’t exactly giving her support. So when she joins a work crew that might be a good one, the reader is already invested in seeing her succeed. As well as seeing some good haunted houses.

The settings of this are fun, various old homes with lots of character even before the film crew get their hands on it. I enjoyed viewing these places from the perspective of a show like this, and how they might twist the true narrative of a place into something more supernatural. It’s perhaps not ethically good, but it’s probably how a lot of reality shows work. And then, when the truly strange things start happening, you have to wonder for a moment if it’s just another crew member messing with Mara.

As for the other crew members, I liked them, especially Jo. It’s nice to see how Mara’s bond with her affects her own character development, her desire to be a different person than she’s been. And Jo one her own is intriguing, her snark and tough love combined with a subtle ominous tone at times.

The ending of the story was pretty satisfying too, answering most questions while leaving just enough ambiguity to leave the reader contemplating it after finishing the story. It’s not normally my favorite way to end a story, but it works here.

In the end, Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker is a supernatural, atmospheric story that still manages to feel almost gentle. There are certainly eerie moments, at times with the feel of a T. Kingfisher tale, but at its heart, this is not a creepy story. It’s more like a coming-of-age journey, a contemplative look at finding your way through the adult world, set against a backdrop of truth and lies, reality and otherworldliness. If you want a true horror book, look elsewhere, but if you go into this not expecting serious scares, you’ll have a great time.

Haunt Sweet Home will be published on September 3rd, 2024!