What readers say
We've all heard the horror stories of a Mother in law who believes that no one will ever be good enough for her son. Chelsea Conradt took that to the next level and said here, clean out her house and find a secret attic full of creepy dolls while you're at it! After just experiencing a loss as a couple, Addison is trying to navigate her own grief while supporting her husband, Luke through the loss of his mother, Barb, who has never liked her. Addison takes full control of sorting the house while compartmentalizing her own emotions and swallowing her disdain for her late Mother in law to be a supportive wife to Luke. After going through Barb's room, creepy things start taking place. Addison uncovers a secret attic full of boxes with women's names on them, porcelain dolls with life-like eyes that seem to follow her, and weird vines that somehow grow into the house? The atmosphere was quite creepy. The pacing was a little off for me personally. I'm unsure if that was just my preference, or if that was to be intentional of the "fever dream" Addison could be experiencing in the house. I really enjoyed Conradt's writing style, and I did fly through this book in a day racing to get some of my theories proven right or wrong. Unfortunately at the end we are still left with quite a few things unanswered. I don't mind an ambiguous ending, but this felt too rushed. Even an epilogue, or an extra POV from Barb or Luke would have changed my experience with the book. Luke is a horrible person and no matter how much Addison described her devotion to him or how amazing he was, that just solidified how much of a crap bag he is. Conradt did nail the "infuriating husband in a thriller" trope. Trust a murder of Crows before you trust a Mama's boy! (or your evil Mother in law) Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this early. All opinions are my own.