This was my first time reading anything by J.D.Barker and it certainly won't be the last!
From the first page I was addicted. I loved the pace of the story, the characters, the story and how it was set in real towns (I Googled them, had a nosey on Google maps and now I want to visit 😀).
This had everything I love in books, supernatural, thriller, horror and being kept guessing 🤣.
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

A mysterious island off the coast of Maine has a history of mysterious happenings. Generations of teens have partied there, disappeared there and when they die, their spirits return there. Who or what is the mysterious "Emerson" who needs to be kept fed? Who set up the "rules" for the island and what price will need to be paid for breaking any of them? Readers will follow this generation's group of teens as they discover the haunting secrets of the island and decide whether or not to join Emerson in exchange for what they desire most.

Switching between the teens narrative and that of the local police chief who is trying to solve a missing person's case, readers will be drawn into a world of "what if"? Could these experiences be real or are we on a journey written by an author who is living in an alternate reality?

This is not my typical reading fare and I did find it a bit predictable in places. I guess if you are a reader of paranormal/horror fiction, this one could be for you.

I thought this was a great horror story! It's a somewhat complicated plot about a haunted island that everyone is just dying to be a part of. The tension was maintained and the teenage characters were likeable, for the most part, with a bit of the usual rivalries and bullying. It captured small town life really well, where everyone knows everyone else's business. I was scratching my head a bit at the quick turn-around of the kid dynamics at the end, especially between the two main characters.

Thanks to Net Galley and the author for an ARC to read and review.

My first thought after reading this book, why did I ever stop reading JD Barker? I loved his 4MK series....such a great series, but I haven't read any of his stuff since. That's what happens with a mountainous TBR.

So I'm back, JD, and oh how I have missed your writing. Something I Keep Upstairs is horror at its finest. I was absorbed in the characters and by the atmosphere of New England and Wood Island. The plot sucked me in right away and the short chapters had me wanting more with every little carrot that was dangled in front of me. The story went places I never imagined and I loved every page of it. This is not for the squeamish, it is damn scary. There are definitely some 'unnatural' things that occur, but I don't want to say any more and spoil it.

It's early in the year, but this one is sure to be on my best of 2025 list.

This banger hits shelves on May 13, 2025. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an eArc. All opinions are my own.

This book wasn’t really my type. The plot felt quite drqgged making it hard to stay engaged. The character development was quite slow, which made it difficult to connect with the story. While the twist was interesting, it didn’t feel impactful enough to make up for the slow pacing. At times, I even had to take breaks because I just couldn’t stay invested. Overall, it had potential, but it didn’t fully meet my expectations.

My Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

DISCLAIMER #1: If you do read this book (or have read this book), make sure you read PAST the author's note at the end as there is actually another chapter of the story that comes after.

This book is ..... interesting, although a bit dull and too long winded at times for my tastes. In fact, numerous times during the first half, I contemplated just marking it as a DNF and moving on with my life. I get it, build up is important to any story, but this one seemed to go out of it's way to either be filled with pointless details that didn't matter to the story as a whole, or repeat information we had already been told. Also, while I know this is just a personal pet peeve of mine, as well as a certain character's "catch phrase", if I ever see the words "Nik nok" again, I might actually make good on my threat to throw my kindle into the street. Those two words were so overused that it started to literally make me rage every time I saw them because they never made sense in any context (and that's even after you take into consideration they are a play on Tik Tok something the character in question supposedly couldn't say as a child and was based off of a book title, but then shouldn't the words have been Nick nock)?

Told between alternating points of view between teenager Billy as he recounts those days spent on the island with his friends and the things that happened there, and Chief Whaley as he is desperately trying to piece together a mystery that few people can comprehend, I sometimes wondered just how (or if) these stories would intersect.

And then at around the half-way mark everything starts to change. At first, I thought this was just another case of teenagers being dumb and getting into things they didn't understand, until it became apparent that they did understand. Or at least, they understood more than they were letting on. And that was when things started to get interesting (and in some cases more than a little disturbing). Now, you would think that at this point the tide would have turned (no pun intended), and I would have been hooked right? Yeah.... not so much. Because you see somehow even in the midst of all of the creepy, paranormal things happening there were still sections of this story that were just.... boring.

To give credit where it is due, there were a few twists that I hadn't seen coming, but even those were not enough to save this novel from being more than two and half stars for me as when the novel ended I was still left with questions. Mainly about the house and how it fared after certain events that took place the night of the storm, and some of the inhabitants of the island and where they ended up after things had concluded (I can't say more than that unfortunately without giving away spoilers).

Going back to my first disclaimer, there is an author's note after it would appear the story ends. In said author's note we learn how they decided against renaming the locations to fictional ones, and instead insist that certain parts of this story are actually true. Now while I went down a rabbit hole of trying to ascertain if any of that was true or not, I did find websites dedicated to legends and ghost stories surrounding Wood Island, but nothing that corroborated anything said in this story as far as bodies being found on the specified dates.

However, in a weird turn of events, there is also another final chapter to this story that I almost missed that came AFTER that, which I found a little odd. Why not put the author's note at the start of the novel to have people wondering throughout which parts might be true (even if most of it sounds farfetched to even those of us who do believe in the paranormal)?

I saw someone say that this book is perfect for fans of Stephen King, and maybe they are right. He is another long-winded author whose books tend to fall short for me while being favorites among others. I may one day give this author another shot, but I do recommend if you like a lot of detailed world-building with a heaping of paranormal activities.

DISCLAIMER #2: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

When I requested this ARC, I wasn't aware that there was a supernatural theme, which is definitely not a genre I typically read. I pushed through, but it was a struggle for me.

If you enjoy supernatural/haunted ghost stories, then this book is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

Thank you for the ARC. This is my first book by this author. I’ve heard his 4MK series was phenomenal so I was hoping this book would be that. It was a big miss for me. It was really slow the first half and I almost didn’t want to pick it up but I pushed through to the end. Nik nok!

I want to start by thanking J.D. Bakrker for trusting me with your book before publication. I very much enjoyed reading it and I will be gushing about you in my review.

This book was so well written. I want more! I want to know what happens when they relite the furnace. I want to know what happens after they light the dyamite, or did they even get it lite? I love the back and forth with the time.

I am not huge on time travel, but it fits well with this story. The historical information is my favorite part of the book. I loved being able to look up Wood Island and it really be there with the house, light house, widows walk and all. I am huge into books that bring in history of places. I now what to travel to New Castel and Wood Island to see it all for myself.

J.D. I love how your brain works. This book will likely be on my top 5 of the year. I started out with a 4 stars but the more I think about the book the more I can't find anything wrong with it.

The twist with Benny.... That was icing on the cake. I didn't see that coming at all. Very well played.
Kira's death was hid so well that I didn't see it until they were in the water and she was trying to save him. That was when it clicked for me.
Emerson still confuses the hell out of me. Was he the house? Was he under the house? Was he something other than then the house? Was he Marson?
Marson, very well written. Was all the Lockwoods just Marson? Was Emerson Marson? Was Marson Emerson? No one will ever know!
Billy MMC was written perfectly. I don't think anyone else could have made him, him.
David, that poor soul. You could see how he didn't want any of this to happen to his friends. He was just a pawn in everyone else's greed.
Alesia was so confusing and just a lost soul used by her mother to also get what she wanted. It was like her mother had her only for that one reason.

This book had me hook line and sinker. I only wished I had read it slower so it would have lasted longer.

It keeps you guessing. I really enjoyed that as the reader you kept constantly adding to the "clues" to understand what was going on in the story. Who was the "bad" guy and who was the "good guy" was often up for debate. It was a coming of age story with a dark twist.

First off, I want to thank NetGalley for allowing me to enjoy this ARC.

After a tragic family loss, David Spivey is told he inherited a house. When him and some friends go to visit the house, they come to realize the house is not at all what it seems.

This is a suspense ghost story. While I did feel like some parts of the story felt long, it wouldn’t be complete without it all. There are so many details throughout the book that come up towards the end that surprised me. It was a great read. I give this book 4.75 stars.

3.5-4 stars. I went into this book somewhat blind thinking maybe only about a haunted house. It was a little bit of a slow start but at the end I was quickly flipping through to find out how it was going to end. Have to admit I had a couple of "Oh, no" or "Awww, man" moments. I may have been a tad bit disappointed at the ending but understand why the main character did what he did. I found it a bit more intriguing after reading the author’s note…. Hmmm. Interesting…
Thank you to NetGalley, Hampton Creek Press, Simon & Schuster, and J.D. Barker for ARC and the opportunity to review.

Something I Keep Upstairs is a chilling, suspense-filled ride from start to finish. Billy and David's summer of carefree adventure quickly turns into a fight for survival as they uncover the island’s dark secrets. The atmosphere is perfectly eerie, and the tension builds as the ancient evil they awaken starts to haunt them. A gripping story about friendship, fear, and the unknown, this is a must-read for fans of supernatural thrillers! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

A haunted house (sort of) tale from Barker with a bit of YA thrown in.

The story of a group of friends in their last year in high school before heading to college. When one inherits a house on an island a quarter mile off the coast of his hometown from his grandmother, they go and visit and party but things aren’t what they seem with the house and indeed the island.

I enjoyed this overall but it did feel a bit all over the place with its ideas, pacing and character development. Some parts were pretty clever and creepy while others felt tacked on and unnecessary(I’m looking at you sherrif and missing girl story arc).

I thought I was enjoying the book more than I was. It’s overly long and really inconsistent with its story telling.

Still there was enough there to keep me entertained overall. It’s just not one of Barkers better efforts.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

Let me begin by saying I'm a huge J.D. Barker fan. I've read everything he's authored, as well as the books he's co-authored with James Patterson.

This is the first one I can't give five stars to. Sorry, J.D.

I'll readily admit I'm not a fan of ghost stories and supernatural adventures. With that admission on the table, let me add that this book goes about 70 pages too long. It exhausted me . . . . not in a good way. Whereas I usually am disappointed when a Barker book ends, this one seemed like a giant weight had been lifted. Sorry, J.D.

On the positive side, J.D. continues to be a master of the adjective. He describes scenes like no contemporary author. His words are precise and alive. He captures tension and wrings it dry. (I'm almost convincing myself this is worthy of 4.5 stars). Sorry, J.D. I can't go higher than four.

Holy freaking crap! I literally stayed up all night to finish this. I LOVE this author and this book was absolutely mind blowing. The characters were phenomenal. The story like was both fast paced and creepy as hell. My heart was pounding through all of this one. The paranormal side of this story was impeccable and gave me literal chills. Amazingly well written. I was so sad when I reached the end, this is one of those rare books you wish you could read again for the first time.
This one would get a bonus star from me. A MUST READ!

Would you like to own a beautiful island? All you have to do is die to get there.

AS usual, J.D. Barker writes a very spooky scary tale involving a group of young people "enjoying" their last summer before college. Sun, sea, boats, freedom, and adventure are on their score card. However, what they get is a tad different from their expectations.

Billy Hasler and David Spivey are good friends. When David inherits an island and a home from his eccentric grandmother, it seems like he has hit the jackpot. Little do David "Spivey" and his friends know that the island is a bewitched place and that grandma has a list of unusual rules that guests must follow. But it is all in fun right, until it's not.

One of their friends is into the occult and as they delve into legends, spells, and incantations, they awaken an evil spirit and are required to feed this spirit, named Emerson.

J. D. Barker is always able to raise the hair on my neck with his tales that weave lots of eeriness and creepiness and this one certainly does not fail at those things.
If you read this tale, do not skip the author's note for it too will send those shivers up your spine once again!

J.D. Barker delivers a masterclass in atmospheric horror with Something I Keep Upstairs, a chilling tale of friendship, secrets, and the dark forces that linger just beyond our comprehension.

Seventeen-year-old Billy Hasler and his best friend David Spivey expect an unforgettable summer of freedom when David unexpectedly inherits an old house on a secluded island. But their adventure takes a sinister turn as they uncover the island’s disturbing past—and awaken an ancient evil that refuses to stay buried.

Barker expertly blends supernatural horror with psychological suspense, crafting a story that feels both timeless and fresh. The eerie setting, slow-burning dread, and escalating tension make this a must-read for horror fans. With its spine-tingling moments and deeply unsettling atmosphere, Something I Keep Upstairs will keep you up long after you’ve turned the final page.

I really enjoy this authors books so was excited to read this one....it did not let me down!

J.D. Barker's "Something I Keep Upstairs" is a masterful blend of supernatural horror and coming-of-age narrative that captivates from the first page.

Barker's talent for creating atmospheric tension is evident throughout the novel. His vivid descriptions and nuanced character development draw readers into a world where the line between reality and the supernatural blurs. The haunted house, a central character in its own right, is portrayed with chilling detail, making it a memorable and haunting presence in the narrative.

Barker has crafted a story that is both terrifying and thought-provoking, solidifying his place as a standout author in contemporary fiction. This novel is a must-read for fans of horror and suspense, promising a reading experience that will linger long after the final page is turned.


📚I was able to read an advanced copy of title thanks to NetGalley, J D Barker and Hampton Creek Press / Simon & Schuster | 📚
📚All reviews and opinions are entirely my own📚

Thank you NetGalley, Hampton Creek Press, and J.D. Barker for this advanced copy.

This book was very different from the previous Barker books that I loved. But, I still really enjoyed this one! It was a creepy ghost story that kept me wondering what would happen next.

The Author’s Note was so interesting and yes, I started my searching immediately.