The 1st of September marked the start of my yearly autumn reading list. Which is the best time of year to read!
It’s just my favourite thing to do and I honestly love my autumn reading list because cosy, spooky, autumnal reads are just the best kind of books. I flew through loads of books on my list in September, partly helped by a holiday and partly helped by getting my reading mojo back so I thought for the next few months I would share some mini book reviews of all of my autumnal reads.
Just a note to say if you do enjoy bookish content then come and give me a follow on TikTok, I’ve been loving making cosy, slow living and bookish content over there! I managed a huge 9 books in September which is massive for me because I’m not the quickest reader. Here’s what I ticked off of my autumn reading list.
Boys in the Valley
Author: Philip Fracassi | Genre: Horror/Historical | Length: 352 pages
Quick overview: It’s the turn of the century and a boy’s orphanage in a remote Pennsylvanian valley finds itself at the centre of unholy happenings. A stranger arrives at the orphanage badly wounded with occult symbols carved on his body. Soon after the boys found themselves in two groups, those unaffected by the events of that night and those who just might not be themselves anymore. The priests that run the orphanage try to cover things up but when some boys turn up dead, Peter, one of the oldest residents at the orphanage decides to take matters into his own hands.
Review: The first 60% of this book had me totally hooked but the last 40% kind of went a bit off the rails for me. The end actually wasn’t too bad and I did like that the writer didn’t try to give the book a happy ending but by that point, I’d sort of fallen out of interest in the story a little.
It shifts from atmospheric creepiness to plain chaos and it just felt a bit too much and a bit too weird when it did the creep factor so well. It would have been nice if it could have maintained that the whole way through.
I also found one of the main characters to be quite underdeveloped. Although you do learn quite a bit of his backstory eventually it’s like the writer couldn’t settle on whether to make him a good or bad guy. It was quite an interesting concept at first but then it started to feel tiring and too contradictory.
The Watchers
Author: A. M. Shine | Genre: Horror/Fantasy | Length: 336 pages
Quick overview: An uncharted forest in the location for many vehicle breakdowns and Mina is no different. She finds herself stranded with a woman shouting at her in desperation telling her to run to the concrete bunker. Just as Mina makes it, the building is surrounded by unearthly screams. Mina finds herself trapped in the bunker amongst strangers and quickly learns that as night falls the Watchers emerge from underground to observe their captive humans. But who are the Watchers and why do they keep humans imprisoned?
Review: This was a really eerie book and a great concept but for me, it wasn’t quite as good as A. M. Shine’s other novel, The Creeper. It was a bit slow in places and the twist was what really pulled this up another point for me because it did drag in some spots. However, the twist was perfect.
There is a sequel to this being released next month but if I’m honest, I don’t think I’ll bother with it. I’ve a feeling it could be quite repetitive and I quite liked where this book was left without the need to explore the story more.
We Used to Live Here
Author: Marcus Kliewer | Genre: Horror/Mystery | Length: 320 pages
Quick overview: A young queer couple, Charlie and Eve bag a killer deal on an old house in the mountains but quickly learn it’s too good to be true. A knock on the door introduces them to a man and his family. The father claims to have once lived in the house and wants to show his children around. Reluctantly, Eve lets them in. But with the strangers in the house, bizarre things start to happen and the family can’t seem to take the hint to leave. When Charlie vanishes, Eve begins to lose her grip on reality and all is not as it seems with the house or the family.
Review: Where do I even start with this?! I’ve been seeing We Used to Live Here everywhere recently so of course I had to give it a go and wow, what a ride it turned out to be! I actually finished this in a day which is practically unheard of the me but I was totally hooked!
It’s weird and there are points where you don’t really know what’s going on but it just works! I’ll be honest, I’m still not 100% sure about the ending which is intentional and I don’t even care because I loved it!
Books like this can be frustrating but I didn’t find that here, it just worked so well and left me never wanting to answer the door to anyone ever again!
Middle of the Night
Author: Riley Sagar | Genre: Thriller | Length: 384
Quick overview: When Ethan was just ten years old someone kidnapped his best friend, Billy from right beside him while they slept. Thirty years later Ethan has been forced to move back to his childhood home it’s clear he’s never got over what happened to Billy. Being back where it happened triggers lots of mysterious happenings such as Ethan thinking he’s seen Billy again. It prompts Ethan to investigate what truly happened that night and whether Billy is back to haunt him or if someone is playing a cruel trick.
Review: In my opinion, this isn’t the best Riley Sagar book I’ve read. I expected a lot more from it than what it delivered and it was very middle of the road. It felt quite repetitive to begin with but once it got going it did improve. It was interesting enough to keep me reading but the story wasn’t overly original. Worth a read if you’re a fan of the author though.
The investigation into Billy’s disappearance is interesting, though it might not be the outcome some people would want from this book, especially as it goes down quite a supernatural route to begin with. The characters are quite well-written and easy to get along with though.
You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight
Author: Kalynn Bayron | Genre: Horror/Young Adult | Length: 240 pages
Quick overview: Camp Mirror Lake is home to a full-contact terror game based on a classic slasher film. Charity has worked as part of the summer crew for a couple of years and finally has the chance to play the “final girl”. She loves her job and the escape it provides from real life but on the last weekend of the season, things take a turn for the worst. Being the final girl suddenly becomes a reality and Charity must try and survive the night whilst working out who the killer is.
Review: I loved the 80s slasher vibes that this started out with and it would have been great if it had stuck to that but it did take a weird turn towards the end with some bizarre cult. It was a complete departure from how the book started out and felt like a mashup of two different styles. The cult itself wasn’t even particularly well done so I’m glad it wasn’t a predominant feature in the book to start with.
For a short novel, it was fine, it didn’t need to be any longer than it was. I would have loved to have seen a full-on slasher novel though.
Brother
Author: Ania Ahlborn | Genre: Psychological Thriller | Length: 336 pages
Quick overview: The Morrow family live miles away from any town or road and for good reason. When girls go missing it isn’t the Morrow’s door that they knock on which is a good thing considering what happens in the backyard. Their youngest son, Michael wants a normal life though. He isn’t like the rest of the family and he dreams of the day when he sees beyond West Virginia. When he meets Alice, it seems like all his dreams might finally come true and he feels himself falling in love. But his brother, Rebel is close by to remind him exactly who they are and what they do.
Review: I don’t even know where to start here because this was such a good book! I don’t want to give away too many spoilers either. I will see that I went into this believing it to be an extreme horror book due to some other reviews I’d seen. It’s not extreme horror. It’s a psychological thriller. It’s not overly graphic either but if you are sensitive I’d advise checking the content warnings.
All I will say about this book is that Michael is going to absolutely break your heart. It’s definitely not a happy book and you’ll need a palette cleanser after but it’s hands down one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve ever read. I can’t wait to read more of Ania Ahlborn’s books now!
I’ve seen mixed opinions on whether people thought the ending was a twist or not and I will say for me that it wasn’t really. However, it didn’t take anything away from the book because I do think you’re sort of meant to see what’s coming in a way that Michael doesn’t. I’m firmly in the camp that believes it isn’t meant to be a twist at the end but if it takes you by surprise then it’s a little bonus!
Goosebumps: Scariest. Book. Ever
Author: R.L. Stine | Genre: Children’s Horror | Length: 160
Quick overview: House of Shivers is the latest series in the Goosebumps franchise promising all-new monsters and frightening tales. Scariest. Book. Ever. gets things going with a bang. Betty and Billy are twins who go to stay with their uncle who they last saw when they were babies. They don’t know anything about him but in a rush to get to the airport for work, their parents leave them on his doorstep. Chaos ensues as the twins face hybrid creatures and monsters in a strange forest and attempt to help their uncle. Or at least, the man they believe is their uncle!
Review: I love books like this for my autumn reading because they’re fantastic palette cleansers in between heavy-going books and horror novels. While I didn’t quite enjoy this as much as the original Goosebumps series, it was a fun idea and served its purpose after reading Brother.
The Goosebumps books are a fantastic introduction to horror and cover a lot of different tropes so they’re good for the age category that they’re aimed at but I do think they have a place on adult reading lists especially if you read heavy books at this time of year like I do!
Incidents Around the House
Author: Josh Malerman | Genre: Horror | Length: 384 pages
Quick overview: Eight-year-old Bela lives with her Mommy and Daddo but there’s also Other Mommy who comes to Bela at night and asks “Can I go inside your heart”. Bela has said no so far but Other Mommy is growing tired of being refused and soon goes beyond the confines of the house. Her parents try to keep her safe but the cracks in their marriage could be just the thing that Other Mommy needs to get the answer she wants.
Review: This pains me to write this but I really did not enjoy this book. I have been seeing this everywhere with people saying that it’s really scary and a brilliant book but I didn’t find it in the least bit frightening and it wasn’t even that great of a story.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the story being told by a child so it was already off to a bad start but I just couldn’t connect with the characters. The mom is insufferable at best and the dad is the biggest sap going. The ending was so predictable and something that you could see coming right from the beginning of the book. I don’t mind a lack of twists sometimes but it was a mediocre story to get to the ending so it didn’t even feel worth it. For me it completely lacked with a horror story should have, there was no eerieness or creepiness to it.
I wish I’d DNF’d this now but I stuck with it because of all the good reviews. I think I must have read a different book to everyone else!
Stephen
Author: Amy Cross | Genre: Horror | Length: 316 pages
Quick overview: Beryl Seaton is 20 years old and all she’s ever known is life in a convent. When she leaves, she accepts a position as governess for the Brooks family. The remote house is holding a secret though, one that shocks Beryl and leaves her questioning whether she’s up to the job. She wants to help the family but she has questions. What happened to the last governess at Grangehurst? What happened to Stephen, the little boy she’s struggling to care for? As the truth unfolds Beryl wonders if she’s ever be able to leave.
Review: Well this turned out to blow my mind a lot more than I thought it would. Before anyone reads this I would recommend checking out trigger/content warnings though I don’t think this book was quite as bad or extreme as some people made out. This was a gothic horror novel with lots of other crazy things thrown in and the end result was absolutely brilliant. There is a twist in this book that I did not see coming at all and I actually shouted out loud when I got to it, it was just perfect! After the disappointment of Incidents Around The House, this was everything I wanted in a horror novel.
I will definitely be reading some more Amy Cross novels to see if they’re all as wild as this!
And that wraps up my reading for September. What a month! I don’t think I’ve ever had one quite like it. I would definitely like to replicate it in October but I don’t know if it will be possible.
Have you read any of these books before? What was your favourite book in September? Let me know in the comments!
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