The Artist of Blackberry Grange is easily one of my favorite reads of 2025, and has further solidified my love of Paulette Kennedy's writing.

I read a lot of horror. Copious amounts, actually, and it's not often that I encounter a story that I would consider "beautiful" in addition to being a little scary, but that is exactly what I found in The Artist of Blackberry Grange. Set in 1925, it follows Sadie, a young woman who has recently been dumped by her fiancé, and whom is running out of options. Desperate and in need of solution, Sadie flees to the Ozarks to live with her ailing great-aunt, but little does she know that her great-aunt's estate, Blackberry Grange, is as haunted and flawed as she is.

I am a sucker for dysfunctional family systems being represented in literature, especially horror. Horror is the one genre where families are flawed, and it's encouraging to see that happen in more stories. Kennedy doesn't hold back in putting everyone's flaws on full display very early on, and consistently reminds her readers that none of these characters are perfect, nor can they be fully trusted. It seems that everyone's got issues, even the characters who are supposed to be the better angels in the story. It's very...human, and I really appreciate how Kennedy remembered to make these characters as relatable as possible.

Still, I found myself rooting for Sadie, as she was dealt one bad hand after another, and remain largely undeserving. Her great-aunt, Marguerite, is an equally enjoyable character, even though she has her secrets as well, and she quickly becomes very protective of Sadie. I loved their dynamic, how Marguerite understood Sadie perfectly and simply accepted her, and how Sadie admired her great-aunt when the rest of the family had practically shunned her.

As was the case with The Devil And Mrs. Davenport, there aren't many "scares" in The Artist of Blackberry Grange despite its being a haunted house story, but even that part is unique, offering a refreshing take on the haunted house trope.

I very much enjoyed The Artist of Blackberry Grange, and encourage anyone who is up for a relatable ghost story to read it.

Paulette Kennedy is one of my favorite authors and I simply couldn't wait to read The Artist of Blackberry Grange, especially since the setting was my home state Arkansas. Eureka Springs, where the story takes place, is a marvelous city that is unlike anywhere else in the state, known for his eclectic gingerbread houses, more liberal residents, paranormal activity, cold springs and grottoes coming from the ground and mountains. It's simply fabulous.

Kennedy captured all of the wonder of the Ozarks within her telling of this book. What fell short for me was the development of the characters. Sadie Halloran, a single woman during the depression era, found herself on the wrong side of a love triangle with a married man. With no where to turn, she flees to home of her quirky great aunt, Marguerite, an artist living in Arkansas who requires someone to look after as she is either going mad or losing her mind to dementia. Once Sadie arrives, however, it would appear that she, too, may be losing her mind as she begins to see apparitions from the past so real that actually joins them in the past. Or does she? She know longer knows.

In Kennedy's previous novels, I was so drawn to the characters that I empathized with them, felt what they felt, feared what they feared. For some reason, unknown to me, I never quite got there with Sadie and Marguerite. Of all of her books, I really thought this would be "the one" for me and, sadly, it fell just short. That doesn't mean that I don't recommend it because I DO. Even a so-so book by Kennedy is leaps and bounds better than the rest.

What can I say, I loved every bit of this book🤩

We follow Sadie, devastated by her mother's death and a broken engagement. She finds herself drawn to her great-aunt Marguerite, a renowned artist now in the throes of dementia, who needs a live-in companion.

Though her Aunt is fading, she's compelled to paint portraits of old lovers. The painting have any eerie, haunting quality to them and as Sadie settles into life at Blackberry Grange she discovers that reality begins to blur and the portraits are going holding their own truths that need uncovering.

This book has everything Iove!

✨️Gothic mansion
✨️Art
✨️Ghosts
✨️Mystery/thriller vibes
✨️Hidden family trauma

I was completely drawn in by the eerie atmosphere of Blackberry Grange.
Following Sadie uncover the truth behind the paranormal goings-on and her family's shadowed history.
Full of twists, suspense and interesting characters.

The Artist of Blackberry Grange delivers everything a gothic reader could hope for: a haunted manor, dark family secrets, and an eerie, unsettling atmosphere that pulls you right in!

The author crafts a unique and intriguing plot, weaving together the concept of delving into the past through painting—a truly original and captivating idea.
The narrative can be intricate, with several characters and their secrets, manipulations, and dual timelines to follow. While this complexity might be challenging at times, it enriches the story and offers an engaging experience.

The book explores several compelling themes with exceptional depth, including personal loss, healing, compassion, the emotional toll of caregiving, and redemption through breaking cycles of pain.
Kennedy handles these themes masterfully, giving the story both emotional weight and thought-provoking insights.

One of the standout aspects for me was Sadie, the main character, reconnecting with her Aunt Marg while piecing together her family’s mysterious past.
It took some time to warm up to the characters, as some of them made questionable decisions. However, as their histories unravelled and their secrets came to light, I found myself understanding them better and appreciating the complexity of their journeys.

While the mystery and atmospheric elements were enthralling, Sadie’s romantic subplot felt somewhat rushed and slightly forced. I wished the story delved deeper into her love interest to give this aspect greater depth and development.

Overall, this character-driven story is beautifully written, brimming with sweet, tender, and heart-wrenching moments and richly developed characters.
Paulette Kennedy’s captivating writing style continues to amaze me with each book she wrote. I’m eagerly looking forward to exploring more of her work in the future!

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: toxic relationship, grief, infidelity, pregnancy, death, brief mention of sexual content and sexual harassment

I've read every published book of Kennedy's. At this point, it feels like coming home whenever I open a page of a new book from her and The Artist of Blackberry Grange is no different at all. Kennedy's signature style and voice is all here, complete with her fantastic character development and sympathetically flawed character dynamics. This is in many ways a family saga that centers on generational trauma as viewed through a feminist lens and put into a classic haunted house story. The historical accuracy is riveting, as usual, and there's a sense of setting and place that you can't deny. The twists are aplenty and they all work well (and they truly are twists, for that matter, since I don't use that word lightly). A highly recommended read!

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and she is quickly becoming a must read for me! The Artist of Blackberry Grange is a gothic historical fiction mystery/thriller.
It’s the 1920’s and Sadie has made many choices in her life that has people turning up their noses especially her own family. The latest having an affair with a married man. Shes desperate to escape and start over fresh. So after hearing that her great aunt is unwell she picks a bag and heads to great-aunt Marg’s Blackberry Grange once-grand mansion sitting precariously atop an Arkansas bluff , to assist in caring for her as she becomes more and more ill with dementia. When she arrives Sadie once remembers, Marguerite as wonderful free spirited artist but now she’s a shell of her former self. As her aunt becomes more I’ll she paints hallucinatory portraits of old lovers—some cherished, some regretted, and some beastly. All of them haunting. Then her aunt warns her about the “beast” she sees in her house. Sadie does receive warnings from some people in the mansion, that it is dangerous and haunted by ghosts. Sadie finds a particular room that doesn't seem to have been opened in ages . She finds a painting. That painting will introduce her to Marguerite's early days of her youth. And in addition, it will find her in the presence of an enchanting man who holds many, many secrets. She travels back and forth in time by her aunts paintings as she uncovers a secret from her families past and a way to break the family curse.

I tried really hard to get into this book, but it wasn't for me. I love an atmospheric, gothic novel but I took several issues with this read, I found the plot hard to follow from the get-go- and this is not typically something I have trouble with, There were so many characters and references- if I put this book down and then picked it back up after a few days, I was lost. I also didn't really like the main character Sadie. The romance subplot felt a bit messy, and overall it wasn't a super memorable read. Perhaps I wasn't in the right mind space for it but I'm sure there are other readers who will enjoy this book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this earc, I'm not publishing this review socially as I do not feel it is fair to post a negative review prior to pub date just because I personally did not connect with it.

Dark, creative, and mysterious!

The Artist of Blackberry Grange is an eerie, captivating tale that transports you to Arkansas during 1925 and into the lives of two main characters. Sadie Halloran, a young woman who, after the end of an engagement leaves her on the edge of destitution, decides to take on the role of caregiver for her failing, affluent great-aunt, and Marguerite, an elderly woman who, as she nears the end of her life has an abundance of long-buried secrets to share, including a strange and frightening teether to those in the afterlife.

The prose is tight and gritty. The characters are vulnerable, independent, and troubled. And the plot is a menacing tale about life, loss, tragedy, desperation, lies, manipulation, familial drama, secrets, supernatural phenomena, and love.

Overall, The Artist of Blackberry Grange is an intriguing, gothic, tense novel by Kennedy that does a wonderful job of interweaving historical times and compelling fiction into a suspenseful mystery that is deliciously atmospheric and highly entertaining.

I need large gothic estates, intense family drama, and paranormal experiences around every corner. The pages flipped through my fingers effortlessly. Paulette Kennedy has done it again; she had my attention by the first page, and I was enraptured until the end. This story is told mostly through Sadie, with small glimpses into other characters pasts. The premise is perfect, the setting spot on, the descriptions brough me right to Blackberry Grange. Not sure how long I would have lasted in Sadie's shoes.

Sadie has been left by her fiancé. He will no longer be paying her board, and he is staying with his wife. Sadie does not know where to turn or what to do. Her mother's death before this painful breakup was enough for anyone person. She discovers that her great-aunt Marguerite is in need of a caregiver. She has not visited Blackberry Grange since she was a child. Her memories are fond of both the estate and her aunt. Without a second though she hops a train and heads away from her troubles and into her new life. What she finds is her Aunt Marguerite is lucid and clearheaded at times and at other times they have trouble keeping her clothed and away from the cliff. Dementia is a cruel disease and Aunt Marguerite is right in the throes of it. Sadie has seen a man in her room who is writing, the grange has hidden rooms and towers, and the staff has witnessed activity that they themselves cannot explain. Aunt Marguerite's paintings are off a different world. Portraits that seem to move with you, glimmering, changing, with every look. What has Saide walked into?

This was a fantastic twist on a paranormal read. The slipping in and out of people's portraits. Sadie uncovers her family's past through people who have already passed. I loved that Kennedy brought in the character Deidre from Tin Mountain. It always brings a smile to my face when an author mentions a past character. Thank you to Paulette Kennedy, Lake Union, Amazon Publishing, and Over the River PR for my gifted copy of this atmospheric tale!

This passionate, slow-burn gothic mystery is by the same author of one of my favorite books ever, The Devil & Mrs. Davenport and she delivers yet again. This is a story of hope, lingering trauma and the power of revisiting the past. There’s a haunted house, angry ghosts, time travel and a uniquely developed dual timeline. Somehow, she was also able to squeeze in a romance that alleviated the heaviness of the story. This one was complex. It was deep. The trauma was palpable. The writing was exquisite. I loved the characters and the bonds that they built in the face of paralyzing fear. Sadie was deeply troubled but equally lovable and her relationship with Beck in the midst of evil warmed my heart.

4-4.5⭐️

Paulette Kennedy’s words become brush strokes of a layered, atmospheric novel that will steal your breath and leave you guessing until the very end.

When Sadie discovers the family mansion is haunted by not just ghosts, but by a family past she cannot fully comprehend, her mission to discover the truth is inhibited by the danger that surrounds her at every moment.

Highly recommended!

I finished this book in one sitting. I loved the magical realism and the strange events happening at Blackberry Grange. It had great gothic vibes and an eerie feeling. I loved Sadie’s involvement even though I thought she wasn’t making the best decisions at first. Marguerite was misunderstood at first and I felt bad for her circumstances. The representation of being a caretaker for a loved one was well done. The historical elements and family drama, I loved it all.

Thank you @pkennedywrites @amazonpublishing @otrpr for the gifted copy.

Thank you @otrpr @lakeunionauthors #partner for the gifted copy of this book!

This was a first for me by this author and I am happy to report I really liked this one. It ended up being much different than I expected but in such a great way! This book mixes mystery, historical fiction, gothic fiction and one of a kind art. I thought Paulette painted the most beautiful and interesting setting in the English countryside. Adelaide is a distant relative of the owner of the estate and she escapes to the country once she has a set of unfortunate events that happen to her. When she arrives she slowly becomes accustomed to her surroundings, characters and artwork. Let’s just say there is more than meets the eye. 👀 I absolutely adored the hidden history behind the art and of course the mystery behind the estate and its inhabitants. I think this book is perfect for anyone looking for an atmospheric and haunting story with complex family dynamics and a touch of magic!

This book was dazzling! I loved being sent back in time to an era when women had so many more challenges to overcome. The supernatural element made my skin tingle. It was spicier than I expected! But not gratuitously so.
The way the flashbacks were handled was skillful. I would definitely read more by this author!

Liked it . Due to health issues cannot not but will write a proper review at a later time
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I wish I could write a review that comes even close to capturing what The Artist of Blackberry Grange represents. It's a Gothic horror novel, yeah, but it's also a romance, and it's also a historical novel, and it's also a thriller. Its influences are many, but especially steeped in Gothic romances of the past, familiar to readers of the Brontës.

But it's also so much more than just a collection of tropes and roots. It's a book about growing old, it's a book about confronting the truth in complicated pasts, it's a book about love and loss and privilege and classism, a book about finding oneself and reflecting on our vulnerabilities and failings. Although packed with all kinds of strangeness (there's ghosts in here, time travel, hypnotic art, witches and flappers), it is profoundly interested in character, especially women who must deal with prejudices both interior and exterior.

There was no point in reading this one that I felt like the book wasn't trying something new or building nuance into its exploration of the main themes of the book. If it feels hard to boil down, it's because the book feels so committed to trying to unspool all of the tangled threads of a life lived as it just begins and as it ends. I could not stop reading it, and even when I had to for other interruptions, I couldn't wait to fall back into its spell. Coming out of the book was an emotional affair, and I don't think any Gothic novel has ever hooked me quite as easily as this one.

So it's a love letter to the Gothic, but it does so much more with its concepts and its pretenses than many novels like it, wholly committed to its conflicts and its characters and the human lesson at its core: that running from the past cannot resolve anything, and that our future is built on how we confront our selves present and past in making meaning of the world. The book is yet more than that, too, but to explore more would require greater length than a review and might spoil the experience of reading for oneself.

But this is easily a contender for a Top 10 of 2025, and maybe my favorite Gothic novel to date.

Paulette Kennedy is slowly becoming one of my favorite authors! I don't just read her books; I devour them in one sitting!

The Artist of Blackberry Grange is perfectly gothic, and I couldn't get enough of it! I'd love to spend some time in that house as long as Weston doesn't bother me. I love how the author mentioned Tin Mountain, a previous book of hers. I like when authors create a world without it being over the top.

I ordered a copy of Parting the Veil after finishing this one because it's the only one I haven't read yet. I can't wait to read more from the author in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley, Paulette Kennedy, and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity. I have written this review voluntarily and honestly!

This was a unique book that I enjoyed. Sadie, having just been tossed aside by her married fiancé, decides to go care for her great aunt who is an acclaimed artist suffering from dementia. This book touches on generational trauma, caring for loved ones, a bit romance, you’ll meet some ghosts of the past and watch characters evolve. I’d definitely recommend reading this book.

I loved this novel, it has elements for everyone ! The protagonist is independent, multi layered, and is well developed by the author . The book includes complex relationships, secrets, a relative with dementia, entanglements with ghosts, all set in the backdrop of the midwest in the 1920’s.This book had a great vibe that kept me reading way past my bedtime!

THE ARTIST OF BLACKBERRY GRANGE is gothic horror full of generational trauma and complicated families.

This is a tale about three generations of women, focusing mostly on the oldest and youngest generation. It's a tale about romantics, platonic, and familial love, how sisters can love and hate one another in equal measure. It is about loving the older members of one's family and the pain of watching them decline - while fiercely treasuring the time you have left with them.

It is a heart breaking portrayal of dementia and the decline that comes with it. There is so much grief and love bound up in the portrayal of Sadie and her great-aunt's relationship, the inability to remember who someone is at times, the periods of hallucinations. Some of the scenes brought me to tears, remembering similar events with my own grandfather. I loved that her great-aunt was shown to be so much more than her illness, a woman with a life - and secrets - of her own. Not only is that a true reflection of a person, but there is also a dignity in that, not reducing someone down to their illness.

The fleshing out of her great-aunt also came through the inclusion of the other timeline. While much of the book is set in the "present", told from Sadie's perspective, she also falls through time into her great-aunt's life through her paintings. These scenes are non-liner across the late 1870s and early 1880s, and told from a third-person perspective. They really bring the sisters to life, and the danger of Weston Clark.

This tale very much fits into that gothic sense of unease. This is a big, old house. Things move, there are tales of ghosts and chill presences. There is a painting that cannot be destroyed. It slowly builds up the atmosphere, doling out information about the past until the book reaches the point where neither the reader - nor Sadie - can back out.

In all, another brilliantly tense gothic from Paulette Kennedy.