Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This was a phenomenal book. I love gothic novels and this was a perfect gothic horror novel. Well thought out by the author and perfectly executed. This book does not disappoint!

I absolutely loves this book. It was completely disturbing. The characters were dark and twisted and I loved everything about them . You will not be able to put this book down .

A chilling haunted asylum novel with a twist. Fairhaven Falls gives you a real sense of the weight of history borne by a single location, because the action takes place in two timelines. If you're into creepy places uanted by curses and family secrets, this is the book for you.

Quite a refreshing take on haunted house/asylum sort of books. O'Neill cleverly combines hauntings of the psychological and physical. The melding of history and the present makes for a good paranormal read, it has the Gothic type feel with and added sense of doom for the characters that are living in the present. It definitely has some truly creepy moments.

There was a nice tension woven between Connor’s perspective in the past and Robbie’s narrative in present day. The added supernatural horrors escalated the already creepy setting. There are moments of comic relief, too, so things don’t get too heavy. Looking at you, Bekky!

M. T. O’Neill does well to paint the inequality that Samuel faces from the other orderlies, and the betrayal the Lakota tribe suffers from the government, not shying away from the awful treatment many people of color faced in history. Sometimes, a history book is one of the scariest things you could read, and M. T. O’Neill nailed this fact.

I was drawn to Connor’s perspective since he was wading through the tribulations of being a young immigrant in America during a turbulent time, as well as a patient at Fairhaven Falls Lunatic Asylum. He seemed the most whole character and jumped off the page as I read.

There were a few hiccups in the execution. Often, the story from Connor’s perspective would highlight something—an important person or event—and then it would be repeated, in detail, from Robbie’s perspective. It wasn’t overwhelming, but there were a few instances where the pace was dragged down by the intricate details and the regurgitation of information I already knew from earlier in the book. There were also a few places where Robbie’s name was switched to Connor and I was thrown off. But, after rereading the sentence, I figured it was just the wrong name instead of the past bleeding into the present.

Wow, this was one of the BEST gothic horror books I have read.

This book was incredibly immersive and engaging. While I was reading this I felt completely thrown head first into a gothic masterpiece. The author did an exceptional job at creating this uneasy feeling yet beautiful world that engulfed all of your senses and points of reason. Although the truth of insane asylums in history is horrifying in itself, this story did a unsettlingly sobering yet thrilling job of making those very real terrors, even more terrifying.

The characters were well thought out and I felt invested in every single one. The storyline itself constantly kept me guessing and when I thought I knew where this wild ride was going to end up, I was always wrong.

If you like these things in a book, this is for you:
Gothic Horror
Multiple POV
Past and Present Storylines
Horrifying Scenes
Parallels to Real Life
Asylum Backdrop

Oh man what a fun read!!! I love asylum horror stories and this one has everything I like and more. The atmosphere is perfect. The story flows well between past and present and the characters are great too. It's not often lately that I find a story that has all the elements I enjoy.

I especially love when I can easily play out a story I'm reading in my head. There were actually a few times while reading this early in the dark morning, that I was scared by noises because I was so engrossed in the book 😂

Really great one for Spooktober! Highly recommend to those who love spooky reads. This isn't gory either, but does have some aspects that may make some queasy. Tis normal in a good horror book but this one isn't on the cringe side. It's balanced well between spooky and a tad what?! Haha

This gem is out now so grab a copy and enjoy! I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

An excellent read for those who like novels with twists and turns. I read this book quickly because I enjoyed the story so much.

I was lucky enough to receive an arc copy of this book.
I loved the idea behind it. The story was both gripping and scary and a great spooky season read. But and this is a personal preference the writing style just didnt do it for me. I felt like there was to much dialogue and didn't enjoy the time jumps. That being said it was still enjoyable and so atmospheric. And random but I love the cover.

I can not say enough great things about this book! The author nailed the whole creepy gothic vibe, while keeping the story moving along at a good pace. This is totally a spooky season kind of read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own opinions.

I would like to begin by saying, the trigger warning list at the beginning of the book was a great idea.

Fairhaven Falls is a wonderful combination of my favorite horror/thriller genre. History, asylums, the dead, and mystery.

I was hooked right away and did nothing but read in my free time, The time jumps were fun and made the book interesting subplots.

Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum...may justice be done. Two men, Connor and Robbie, battle across time to fight the legacy of Fairhaven Falls. Connor, an Irishman from the late 1800's, is committed to the asylum by his wife after he admits to being tormented by ghostly visions. Robbie in the present day is similarly plagued from childhood into adulthood. Told from dual POV across two centuries, the men work to expose the horrible injustices that have happened at the Fairhaven Falls asylum.

Fairhaven Falls is the perfect mashup of two of my favorite horror elements, asylums and ghosts. The storytelling is well done. It is impossible not to sympathize with the plights of Connor, his fellow inmates, and Robbie. This book is chilling and heartbreaking in all the right ways. It nails the creepy horror vibe without being too much or overly grotesque, especially when dealing with some sensitive subjects as time. This is the perfect spooky read for the fall!

I really wanted to like this book. Especially because of the name (grew up near a town called fairhaven), but it just didn’t do it for me. I found it really hard to follow along and thought one character was actually multiple different people until I realized it wasn’t. As of right now this is a dnf that may be picked up at later time.

A slow burn build up, with a sprinkling of ghostly goodness, that leads the reader to a heart pounding and most satisfying conclusion. The dual timelines connect characters across history and tell the tale of life in Fairhaven Falls Insane Asylum and its continued influence on the descendants of both those working, and those imprisoned within its walls. A gem of a ghost story!
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an advanced readers copy of this title free of charge. I'm leaving an honest review voluntarily.

Intriguing and atmospheric. I wasn't sure if this would be a good book for me as I'm not a big fan of gothic but love horror; this managed both in equal and haunting measure. Samuel and Connor were my favorite parts.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. It didn't disappoint! Must read!!

Unfortunately, I did not make it very far into this book before throwing in the towel. I was bummed out about that because the premise sounded so good to me, but the writing was very difficult for me to get into, and I could tell that it would just be a chore to push myself to finish this one. It does seem like most people enjoy this one, so maybe take my review with a grain of salt. It just wasn't for me. I also would like to note that in the few chapters I did read, there were quite a few typos/errors which might be worth another proofread before publication date.

Thank you to NetGalley and KDP for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which is available October 2,2023!

This is a creepy as hell ghost story set in 1895 Maine and Present Day Maine. It tells the story of two men who are haunted by the happenings of the Fairhaven Asylum. It is at times poignant and sad and then turns into bone chilling terror and tension. I enjoyed it.

I feel like I wasn’t the preferred audience for this book. I didn’t vibe with the main character and the storyline to me was boring and could use a lot more work. All in all I just didn’t care for it.

* 4.5 stars *
Thank you NetGalley and KDP for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Fairhaven Falls by M.T. O'Neill is set in two times, one in 1895 following Connor Kelly in the Fairhaven Falls Lunatic Asylum, and the other in the present day following his ancestor Robbie Kelly. As Connor Kelly tries to bring the crimes of the Asylum staff to light, Robbie, in the present day, is back in town settling his estranged father's estate when he begins seeing old visions that he hasn't had since he was a child. As Robbie investigates the reasons for these visions, he discovers more about his ancestor Connor Kelly and what he must do to help himself and those long gone.
Where to begin on all the things I loved in this story... the main characters are incredible people that you want justice for. Some parts of this book I will admit were hard to read because the care I felt for these characters made me want justice for them. The author did a very good job at making you feel the injustice of what was happening and the suspense of trying to bring it to light with the characters.
When I went into this story, I expected a horror thriller novel to be creepy and entertaining but what I got from it was so much more. I actually cried reading some bitter sweet moments which I do not do often with novels. The reunions and peace being brought to wronged souls was something that I really appreciated and enjoyed from this book.
The only reason I knocked it down a half a star is from the overt political statements. Politics are normal in all novels, but there was no subtlety in a few of the comments which took me out of the main point of the story. However the majority did relate to the story and built on the ideas conveyed by the other.
I definitely recommend this book to any adult I know that is ok with the darker subjects of this novel. I am going to buy a copy for my husband to read as soon as it comes out!