The House

by Christina Lauren

Delilah and Gavin's new love is threatened by a force uncomfortably close to home in this haunting novel from New York Times bestselling duo Christina Lauren, authors of Beautiful Bastard.

His shirt is black, jeans are black, and shaggy black hair falls into his eyes. And when Gavin looks up at Delilah, the dark eyes shadowed with bluish circles seem to flicker to life.

He lives in that house, the one at the edge of town. Spooky and maybe haunted. Something worse than haunted. And Gavin is trapped by its secrets.

Delilah and Gavin can't resist each other. But staying together will exact a price beyond their imagining.

• ISBN10: 1481413716
• ISBN13: 9781481413718
• Publish Date: 6 October 2015
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Joni Reads]

This is the first book by Christina Lauren I have read and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The entire premise of a haunted house that is seemingly alive is so unique and while I was a bit skeptical (I've never been a fan of the haunted house trope before) I ended up being really intrigued by House and the way it interacted with Gavin.

I wouldn't really call this suspense or spooky. Maybe because I'm not into haunted house stories because I seem to be the only person who doesn't consider it creepy.

The issue I had was the combination of romance and suspense. It just didn't work for me. I wasn't invested in the characters because I was more interested in the suspense but the romance kept pulling me out of the creepiness of the book so I wasn't as immersed in the suspense as I wanted to be.

I know I'm making it seem as though I didn't enjoy the story but I honestly did. The writing flowed well, the characters were well developed. I would absolutely read one of their romance novels because without the suspense running alongside the romance I feel like I would really enjoy the story more than I did in this particular book.

[layawaydragon]

Read for free on RivetedLit.com October 2019

Notes from Reading:
>>Okay, no fucks given at first, could take it or leave it. BUT, getting sent away for defending a boy? Pretty cool.
>>Sad pathetic boy & drawing a bloody dagger? You got me for a bit longer.
>>Soooo not a fan of ”Father John said this” nonsense though.
>>Hey, that Father John stuff stopped!
>>Alright no kink shame from me. Nice break from the norm, TBH. 
>>Denial. Slowed down plot for teenage rambunctious.
>>Okay, that’s different.
>>Yep, I’m going to finish it.
>>Magical brown people to save the day, UGH. Going so well, WHY?!? Well, at least they're not the all knowing, all powerful type, I guess....
>>Girl's got an ax. Now we’re rolling.
>>Huh. Not bad. 
>>Did take me awhile to get through since I wasn't in a hurry to get back to it. Just an okay, when I had nothing else to do and it was free, read.

[cornerfolds]

Whoomp! There it is! My first 5 star book of 2016. This book was completely and utterly amazing and totally not what I was expecting at all. Going into The House, I expected a straightforward haunted house story, but that's not what this is at all. The House is a story about love and commitment just as much as it is a horror novel and it's beautiful.

Delilah and Gavin are the main characters in this wonderfully amazing book and the story is told from alternating perspectives. Delilah has had a thing for Gavin since before she left for boarding school and Gavin has secretly wondered if she really liked him, liked him. But then she comes home and stakes claim almost immediately and they begin an awkward friendship that slowly becomes more. They're both super weird kids in their own ways. Delilah is obsessed with horror movies and hauntings and Gavin, well, he lives in a really weird house.

The romance between these two was a huge focus of the book and I was totally okay with that. Their relationship was not insta-lovey at all, despite Delilah going after Gavin so quickly, and the romance between them was believable, natural, and totally swoon-worthy. I completely adored both of these characters, separately and together.

But, hey, this is a horror novel, so where's the horror?? Well, let me tell you. It's there. The horrific elements of The House are slow and subtle and sneakily creep up your spine until you find yourself looking over your shoulder and around corners before realizing how totally ridiculous you're being. Despite the fact that this book does focus heavily on romance, it is one of the best YA horror novels I've read. Period. There was mystery and shock factor and twists that I never saw coming.

If I could find one teensy thing to complain about it would be the over emphasis on descriptors for Gavin and Delilah. Seriously, by the end of this book I was wondering if Gavin was actually Hagrid. He was described as large and long and huge and big and massive and giant and I get it! The guy is really tall! Delilah should really get checked out by a doctor because she has a few kinds of birds, horses, and butterflies in her chest and that probably isn't healthy. All things considered, these are seriously minute issues though.

I truly wish that I could rave and fangirl over this book for awhile longer, but it's a book that I think would be very easily spoiled and so I'm not going to say too much more about it. Suffice it to say that this is a terrifically creepy book with amazing romance and you should totally read it if you like either of those things!

[Cocktails and Books]

This one surprised me. It was totally Monster House meet Poltergeist with a YA love story sprinkled in. Wasn't as frightening as I was imaging it could be when I started it, but still a very solid read. Full review to come.