**Book Review: The Keeper of the Key by Nicole Willson**
**Rating: 4.5 Stars**
Thanks to NetGalley, Parliament House Press, and Nicole Willson for providing me with an ARC copy of this book.

I absolutely enjoyed *The Keeper of the Key*. It was creepy, atmospheric, and delivered all the gothic fall vibes I was hoping for. The eerie setting and suspenseful narrative had me hooked, and I could easily see this story being adapted into a great movie. There were genuinely scary parts, and the story kept me glued to my Kindle from start to finish.

Did I guess the ending? Yes. Did that take away from the experience? Not at all. Even though I figured out the main twist, there were plenty of surprises along the way that kept me engaged.

While the book is clearly YA, that didn’t bother me. As a mother of teenagers, I occasionally found myself siding with the adults over the main character, but I think that actually helped me connect with the story on a deeper level.

Overall, I’d highly recommend *The Keeper of the Key* if you’re in the mood for a creepy, quick, and fun YA read perfect for spooky season!

When Rachel, a sixteen year old is uprooted from her life to move to an isolated house in the remote town of St Mary, Virginia, she begins to have nightmares or visions that blur reality. Are they a result of the move because she does not like her mom’s boyfriend, and she is away from her fiends, or is there something more sinister happening in the house?
A found the story entertaining, eerie and relatable to my teenage self. I enjoy when an author can envoys feelings that are relatable. You feel for Rachel in her grief, confusion, her desire to be there for her mom, and the excitement of her first love.
I feel that the male characters; Geoff and Nick. old have used more character development, it may have been intentional to create more mystery; however left me with more questions. Or that could be my older self needing more answers.
As a YA, gothic thriller, it is a compelling story that borders on supernatural.

My nerves were shattered by the time I finished this book.

If follows Rachel as she moves from her familiar hometown and friends to a huge spooky house owned by her mums boyfriend.

Creepy goings on, a hot new boyfriend and a stepdad she just can't see eye to eye with all end in a huge twist you'll never see coming.

Really enjoyed this book, was quick passed, had a great amount of mystery that kept you guessing throughout and the ending was both unexpected and amazing!

Thank you to NetGalley and to Nicole Willson for the opportunity to review the ARC of The Keeper of the Key. This book is perfect for October, spooky and twisted in the best ways. To save from spoilers, I want to say that I gave it a four, as some parts were just not quite my thing. But I would read another book from Nicole, and see how I feel! Some characters were better than others, and the twist? I sort of felt like there had been clues throughout the novel, but I just wasn't prepared. 4/5!

Nicole Willson writes a deliciously spooky novel that had me gripped from the moment I picked it up. Haunted house horror is always so chilling to me, the idea that ghosts surround us is both hopeful and horrible. The feeling of being watched, hearing footsteps when no one is home, visions or apparition appearing from thin air! Our FMC is mostly unbelieved by the adults around her, forced to deal with personal trauma, and navigating a horror haunted house with just her wits and little pieces of information. I would rate this a 5-star but unfortunately the ending fell a bit flat for me. However, it does fit into the theme of YA so I won't hold it too much against this book. Overall, it was a thrilling read and I can't wait to revisit it come spooky season.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Nicole Willson for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Keeper of the Key coming out November 12, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own. .

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I’m obsessed with the dark, old house trope. I loved the writing. I thought there was a lot of mystery and suspense. It really held my interest. It was fast paced. I loved Rachel’s character. I thought she was smart and strong. I’d definitely read more books by this author.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys haunted house stories!

very fun and easy to read with a unique premise!! I really loved it and the main character had a strong personality.

I am absolutely blown away by Nicole Willson's "The Keeper of the Key". At first, I really didn't think I would enjoy it. The main character is a 16-year-old who is VERY much a 16-year-old. The novel is incredibly fast-paced and at times I felt like there just wasn't enough attention given to certain events. But I made myself get out of my 32-year-old mindset and quit judging based on my current stage of life. And what a change.


The book follows 16-year-old Rachel who has her life uprooted when her mom decides to move in with her new boyfriend, Geoff. Geoff lives far away from Rachel's old city and friends, isolating her from her old life, and to make matters worse, his house is old and creepy. Rachel has never liked Geoff and once she moves in, her relationship becomes strained, at best. Not to mention, she begins to see horrific things and wakes up trapped in Geoff's basement at night. Rachel's only relief is her new boyfriend but something starts to seem off about him too.


There are so many good things to say about this book. First, the scenes where Rachel experienced supernatural events were genuinely creepy. It's been a long time since I've read a book that gave me chills but Willson succeeded. Second, Willson's take on hauntings was absolutely unique. It gets boring hearing the same old parlor tricks over and over. Cold spots here. Scratching noises there. This was not the case with The Keeper of the Key and thank goodness for that! It was such a breath of fresh air. My third and final praise for this book is that the plot twist at the end was an actual twist. Not knowing what would happen was such a wonderful treat!


Anyway, I could rant and rave about this book forever. Aside from it feeling a little rushed and sparse in some details, I HIGHLY recommend this book if you want a quick, fun read.

Well, that was an interesting ride!

Rachel is a typical teen, except that she is still mourning her dad's death and now her mom is insisting that they move in with her mother's boyfriend Geoff. There is no doubt that Geoff and Rachel do not get along - the tension is all there. And Geoff, although he wants a family has no idea how to handle an angsty, grieving teen. In fact, Rachel, doesn't fit the mold of what a child should be for Geoff at all - but this has to do with his own background.

Add to it that Geoff moves them into a spooky old house in the middle of the woods where there is hardly any internet (cue the spooky music). A house that doesn't seem to like Rachel at all. And Geoff has a hundred rules - but one is absolute - Do NOT, ever go into the basement! Of course Rachel plays Nancy Drew and snoops out the creepy basement as well as digs up things about Geoff's past.

And of course there is the moody, mysterious boy that comes in at just the right time. Becoming her friend, becoming her listening ear and pressuring her for sex, and once she gives in (fade to black, off page) he has her where he wants her. He professes his love and seems to always support her. But there's something off about him just like with Geoff.

But these dynamics are not the whole situation. Only Rachel can hear the house and the house has a lot to say. Rachel is awakened in the night to someone screaming, crying and calling out. She sees the dead women with open, gaping wounds reach out to her and drag her into the basement. After being found in the middle of the night screaming in the basement Geofff accuses her of making it all. Why is she in the basement anyways? And how did she lock herself in?

The end is interesting.

Characters are interesting. Story plot is good. However, here is my major question - The book is titled Keeper of the Key - I expected more information on this key, for it to play a bigger role. Yes we see it on the "keeper's" neck (I don't want to give away the end). But how did that person become the keeper, and what is that person a keeper of? And I realize that they person was part of the house - or rather the house became that person's heart and therefore the person had to stay close to the house. But I felt like the key was kind of just thrown in there without real explanation. And now someone else has the key - but to what effect? I don't know - I just felt like this element of the story (which was really good) was simply left undone.

Thank you for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book review 📚
The Keeper Of The Key by Nicole Wilson
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Okay so this book is perfect for Halloween season, the spooky vibes that happen throughout are just perfect for this time of year.

Now, I don’t know if Wilson has done any other books, or if this is a debut but I will be finding out afterwards because her writing is PHENOMENAL. I actually can’t fault a single thing about her writing. She had me hooked from page one, she creates such a rich and atmospheric world where every single detail comes to life.

Rachel (FMC) is truly what made this book what it is. She’s only 16, but she’s a mature and sensible 16-year-old. She isn’t bratty, moody, or selfish. How struggles are so relatable and joining her on her journey is truly compelling.

For a YA book, it is absolutely fantastic and it kept me so entertained throughout, with both the good and the bad, along with the spooky!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the ARC for this book!

It was a little slow in some parts, but overall engaging enough to keep my attention to the end - and I’m glad I stuck it out! The twist was unexpected and it ended up being a great story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
I enjoyed this way more then I thought I would. Usually, anytime I see pop culture references it's an immediate DNF, but I decided to stick it out and boy am I glad I did.

This was a fast paced ya gothic horror that I finished in a single sitting. The pacing if phenomenal, there wasn't a single dull or wasted moment. Though predictable, it still gave me a few twists I didn't expect. The setting was creepy and the strange happenings were described perfectly. I enjoyed every moment!

Incredible. Read this in just one day, which is unusual for me. It gave me chills, frustration at boys (again) and made me genuinely curious for whats to come next.

Though the MC is only sixteen, she behaves very mature (very mindfull :)) and I related to her in many ways. I find it harder to read books about younger MC's as I grow older, but Rachel is written a lot more believable and not so childish. Know how you sometimes get ANNOYED when the MC makes an obvious wrong decision in horror novels/movies? Yeah, Rachel didn't do that. And somehow that made the story spookier!

The writing was nice and easy - there were no overly long poetic descriptions of the surroundings, but it did manage to create the spooky vibe very well. I am glad I read this during daytime... Also, the ending's a rollercoaster, and i'm here for it.

A perfect quick but chilling gothic read!

I am grateful to NetGalley for sending me the book's arc. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The narrative of Nicole Willson's "The keeper of the key" centers on sixteen-year-old Rachel, who must leave behind all of her old friends in order to move to a spooky gothic mansion owned by her mom's lover. Following her move, she continues to experience images of deceased women and eventually ends up in the basement, where a dark figure looms every day. However, the boyfriend of her mother has explicitly stated that the basement is off limits. The mother's boyfriend is a control freak who can't stop remarking on how she looks. In the hopes that her mother may decide to move out if she exposes him, Rachel searches for information. I kind of guessed the culprit but I never saw that plot twist coming. This is perfect for a spooky fall read.

The Keeper Of The Key gives spooky vibes and the subtle hints of inspiration from Bluebeard were fun. However, the book didn’t give me the type of goosebump scare that I was looking for. I also struggled to understand where the plot was going because it felt repetitive and like the events were disjointed. Considering it was a YA horror story, the focus on sexual intercourse made me a little uncomfortable, especially since Nick’s age was questionable. It definitely didn’t need to be as much of an emphasis as it was. To end on a bit of a better note, I did like Rachel as a character. She wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself and speak her mind.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc.

First of all wow this was perfect for spooky season! It was haunting and left me with chills. The MC was smart enough to realize something wasn't right with the house immediately and all signs pointed to the step dad so the twist at the end certainly crept up on you. I felt 16 again and feeling the fresh sting of first love. Mind you I didn't live in a haunted house. The familial dynamics was well written. Coming from someone who has a step family the trauma and conversations they all shared and their feelings really hit home for me. The mother daughter relationship was so raw and real. The step father adjusting to a family and navigating those dynamics was really interesting to read. Sometimes I forgot it was a spooky story I was swept up in the family drama.

When things got spooky they sure did. A mix of ghostly with a bit of grotesque horror but it wasn't overwhelming and definitely added to the story.

All in all it was a fantastic read. Highly recommend.

Sixteen year old Rachel lives with her mother. Her father died three years ago- her perfect father who gave them the perfect, completed family. They are very quickly whisked away to mom’s boyfriend Geoff’s gothic manor, Morgan House. No th sooner than Rachel is told she is forced to immediately relocate to Morgan House, where she is instantly met with spooky shenanigans and mysterious footsteps. The creep factor right away puts you in a chokehold- a miserable sixteen year old, forced to leave her school and friends behind, fits so well with the gothic vibes already giving full front display.
Geoff is at times controlling, as he was raised by your typical 80s-90s parents- you must be seen and not heard, you must only dye your hair regular colors, etc. very old fashioned and not diminutive at all.
Nick is the towns “we are the weirdos, mister” and truthfully I found him so loathsome. So stereotypical, and even reminiscent of Geoff’s control issues and egomaniacal abilities. I think i would have rather had a new friend in town, someone to replace Elena’s role.
I liked the pacing- it was very easy to keep up, short chapters, simple enough timelines and character placement (it is a YA, after all). I really did not like the back and forth/ wishy washy nature of the mother making promises such as “we can leave, I don’t have to marry him!” That felt so out of place and just didn’t ring true, with the plot unwinding as it did.
I LOVED the design- cover and chapters- of this book! Truly a stellar job capturing the essence and colors of the spookiest month around. Truly an enjoyable read, and a wonderful place to begin my Ber months line up!

Thank you so much to the Parliament House Press and NetGalley for the Earc.

A decent story with an enthralling atmosphere. At first, Rachel, the main character, felt insufferable, but I got used to her. I wasn’t a fan of the insta-love thing with Nick. Something felt off about this guy, but thankfully, everything resolved just right. The ending was very satisfying, and I enjoyed meeting the ghosts.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was thoroughly entertained by this one. Knowing it was geared a bit more to older YA readers, I adjusted my character experience and fully think Willson did a great job with the FMC. Immediately trusting a cute guy when your life was uprooted as a 16 year old? Sounds about right. I thought the twist was a little easy to figure out but still wasn’t sure how it would all fall into place which made me want to keep reading. Will recommend for spooky szn!