Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

The short story collection was a fun read and the different tones from one story to the next kept my attention and kept me wondering what was next. However I feel like the horror aspect was lacking and I would have liked some of the stories to be a bit longer to have the proper impact.

I think of all the stories Hey, Stranger was my personal favourite. Although I could see how it was going to end quite early in I enjoyed the style of the writing and the format. It allowed the story to be told in an interesting way. Also enjoyed the last story Damp in the Walls which had the sort of atmospheric creepy horror I had been looking for through the book.

If you enjoy a variety of short stories all with similar underlying themes weaved throughout, I think you'll enjoy this book and I would reccomend it. I think it just fell a bit short for me to rate it any higher.

Thanks Watertower Hill Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC!

So, this was...interesting. The stores were cool, sometimes creep, sometimes sick, sometimes hopeful. Each one was unique and didn't really seem fit together, but their own creativity made the reader forget. I did really like it, and it gave me an opportunity to try this author out, but I wish there was a bit more horror in it.

Collection of Short stories with weird twisted endings. Its creepy ....non creepy...mixed feelings....go and grab it guys. Good read with your coffee.

Short story collections are always difficult to rate in my opinion. There is always a mixed bag and some will stand out, while others won't. Some of my personal favourites were ‘A Bargain at Twice the Price’, ‘Infested’, ‘Inheritance’ and ‘The Six O’Clock House’.

All the stories centered around one common theme, loneliness. Sometimes it was blatant in your face, such as in ‘A bargain at Twice the Price’ about a widow befriending a neighbour or every now and again the author cleverly concealed it. For example in ‘Poor Billy’ a boy is told that if he leaves his toys laying around then ‘Poor Billy’ will come and take them away. On the surface this seems like a typical urban legend, you may tell your kids to get them to clean up after themselves (after you’ve asked them nicely about 50,000 times!). But in this story Poor Billy is a real entity and he does take your toys. However, what Poor Billy wants most of all is someone to play with.

I believe this was shelved as Horror as per Goodreads, but it doesn’t quite fit that genre in my mind. There was some body horror and creepy vibes going on. However, this book feels like it deserves its own subgenre of horror, ‘quirky-horror’ or ‘alt-horror’, I’m not sure, but whatever it was, I want more of it!

** I received a complimentary copy of this book from Watertower Hill Publishing via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

An anthology perfect for people starting their journey in horror.
The Six O'Clock House and Other Strange Tales presents the supernatural and the very real every day horrors that we find in our day to day lives in a different way. Whilst there are some traditional horrors Cuthburt also provides readers with opportunities to remember that sometimes the supernatural world can provide us with a sense of wholesomeness.
Whilst some of the stories weren't for me since I suppose I prefer something more profound and heavy in terms of horror literature.
I did find a few stories that stood out for me, so if you read this anthology let me know what you think in the comments below:
• Love Sick - this story was one of the more disturbing ones in the anthology.
• Bail and Switch - To me, this story explores a fear of growing old. However, I loved the fact that it was written in second person as it automatically forces you to be a character in the story.
• Bargin at Twice the Price - Captures human nature at its finest, so wholesome.
•Poor Billy - My absoulte favourite story!

Would you sacrifice yourself to save a loved one? Would you sacrifice someone to save yourself? Are you truly a good person, or are the skeletons in your closet deserving of punishment?

The Six O’Clock House & Other Strange Tales is a collection of chilling stories that creep under readers’ skin and burrow there. Rebecca Cuthbert’s style of horror provokes readers to ponder themes of loss, identity, sacrifice, revenge, and redemption.

I thoroughly enjoyed how each story was independent and unique, while also thematically connecting to the overall collection. I found myself contemplating many of the narratives at odd hours in the day, bewitched by the intriguing characters and American Gothic imagery. Some of my favorite tales include “Poor Billy”, “Danger: No Swimming, No Fishing”, “Joiner”, and “Bait and Switch”.

Whether you’re fascinated by alluring bodies of water, ghost guides, or cyclical curses, the stories in The Six O’Clock House & Other Strange Tales will lurk in your mind for all the right reasons.

It's hard to talk about books I like. The urge to say, "It was great, you should read it!" and leave it at that is strong. But I won't. I'll say more, even if it all amounts to the same thing. This is a collection of sixteen stories that range from dark comedy to dark fairy tales and urban legends. With every story that brings you down with heartache, there's another one to lift you up with hope or humor.

This is the part where I would normally put a quick summary of the plot, but this is a collection. So, you're just going to have to feel the vibes while I talk about the cover instead. I believe the artist is, if I'm reading the acknowledgements correctly, is Susan Roddey. I love it. The lush greenhouse that drips like honey feels the same as the stories inside. Like it's all technicolor and thick. Like a humid forest that smells of wet earth and moss that makes you want to lay down and let the fungi and flowers grow over you.

"If you think about it, everyone you know used to be someone you didn't know, until you got to know them, you know?"
– Rebecca Cuthbert, Hey, Stranger

I want to spend more time with (almost) every main character in these stories. (Almost) Every single one feels like someone that could be a friend. I want them to get a happy ending. Some of them get it. Some of them, thank Hades, do not. Some of them break your heart so dandelions can grow in the cracks.

It's difficult to pick a favorite story. The radical self love of Infested is a good contender. Funeral Hats is exactly my brand of humor. The sweetness of Inheritance and A Bargain at Twice the Price is hard to pass up. Rest for the Wicked is a, well, wicked slow reveal. But the title story, Six O'Clock House, is the kind of story that I'm still thinking about, more than a week after reading it. I know it's the kind of story that is going to stay with me. It's the kind of story that digs into your heart like a rabbit– warm and breathing with me.

"The Six O'Clock House is my favorite of the greenhouses, too... Inside, it feels kind of like a chapel, or maybe a cemetery. Private and peaceful and a little sacred, like nothing can touch me. And everything planted there grows."
– Rebecca Cuthbert, Six O'Clock House

I hope you read this. I hope you find the same kind of bittersweet comfort I did in these pages.

🪻5/5 blooming flowers

Each story lingered on my mind, and I kept coming back for more.
This is such a special collection. I love it when horror blends with emotional themes because it adds depth to the fear, making it personal, not just shocking. The best stories aren’t just about what’s lurking in the dark, but about grief, guilt, or loneliness hiding beneath it.
Thank you, NetGalley, for approving me to read and review!

The horror here is subtle, often psychological, and sometimes not horror at all, though always properly eerie and unsettling. These stories blur the lines between human and nature, between the real and the imagined, and lead the reader into regions unknown.

The characters are tangible and knowable, and I was made to care about them, hate them, root for them, or some combination thereof. Cuthbert’s writing is excellent and often adopts a unique clipped rhythm that works just right, an expert no-frills prose experience that pushes the reader effortlessly deep into each story.

My favorites were the title story (Six O’clock House), and the last story (Damp in the Walls). More than half of the stories fell into four star (“I liked it a lot”) territory for me, and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys short stories and strange fiction.

Thank you Watertower Hill Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A note on the cover: though I like the dilapidated greenhouse, the arrangement and font remind me of the pulp horror that I read in middle school in the 90s. The stories here are substantially higher quality than what I would have guessed based on the cover. Netgalley describes this book as “literary/quiet horror and dark magical realism,” which I find 100% apt, and I think the cover undersells that.

🦇🦇🦇🦇 4-Bat Review: Six O’Clock House & Other Strange Tales
by Rebecca Cuthbert

This collection swept me into a series of strange, stirring worlds—each short story delivering its own flavor of heartbreak, eerie beauty, and thought-warping detail. The range in tone, setting, and emotional impact made it feel like traveling through a haunted dreamscape, never quite sure what I’d stumble into next. Some stories stopped me in my tracks, forcing me to pause and really sit with what I’d just read.

While I did go in expecting a bit more horror—something darker and deeper based on the title and cover—I still found myself completely satisfied. These tales weren’t always terrifying, but they were haunting in a more subtle, lingering way. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from Cuthbert.

#SixOClockHouse #RebeccaCuthbert #ShortStoryCollection #DarkFiction #LiteraryHorror #StrangeTales #NetGalley #BookReview #BatRating🦇

Incredibly intelligent, dark, yet quiet horror that makes you wait, tortures and toys with you slowly - making you watch as pain creeps toward you.

I loved this anthology. It was a change of pace for me, as like I said; each story builds the tension and forces you to wait for the killer blow. Sometimes the fatal strike doesn't happen and it's all the more horrific for it. I'm used to instant and bloody gratification but Rebecca Cuthbert has other ideas. This author is way better than that.

Every story is woven through with a fascination in death, in returning to dirt, to existentialism, relationships and revenge or redemption. I adored the cerebral shocks, the ghosts, the crazy, the frogs, the twists. I can't remember reading a collection of stories where every single one was so different, yet so completely captivating.

A fabulous anthology and Rebecca Cuthbert has a new fan. Thank you for the opportunity to read this wonder.

Rebecca Cuthbert’s Six O’Clock House & Other Strange Tales is a haunting, beautifully crafted collection that invites readers to peer beneath the surface of the everyday—and what stares back is often unsettling, uncanny, and profoundly human. These are stories that whisper to you from the margins of the mundane, where horror and grace cohabitate in eerie balance.

In Cuthbert’s world, the strange doesn’t kick down the door—it creeps in through the cracks in the sidewalk, flickers behind the eyes of a stranger, or croaks from the throats of frogs outside a bartender’s window. The horror is rarely explosive, but always intimate: personal moments of dread and transformation shaped by loss, guilt, trauma, or the faint hope of redemption. The stories veer into the weird and speculative, but never lose their emotional grounding.

Each tale is a small, dark jewel: polished, atmospheric, and full of tension. A woman hears frogs calling her name. A psychopomp appears not in mythic grandeur but amid the soil and sweat of a greenhouse. A young man finds both regret and renewal in the company of a ghost and a grieving neighbor. Cuthbert’s characters are raw and real—sometimes flawed to the point of self-destruction—but they are written with a deep, unflinching compassion.

What sets this collection apart is its careful balancing act between doom and deliverance. The supernatural forces that emerge from the edges of reality are not always malevolent—sometimes they offer clarity, connection, or even a second chance. But Cuthbert never lets you feel too comfortable. The path through her stories is, as she warns, treacherous and dark.

Verdict:
Six O’Clock House & Other Strange Tales is a masterclass in quiet horror and lyrical weird fiction. Rebecca Cuthbert writes with empathy, tension, and an eye for the unseen. These stories will stick with you, whispering from the shadows long after you’ve turned the last page.

These short stories were unfortunately very dark. I don’t even think they were scary, just uncomfortable. I love short stories but these one just weren’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Watertower Hill Publishing and Rebecca for the eARC!

Rating: ✨✨✨

#sixoclockhouse #NetGalley

Books such as this are good for when you have lost your reading mojo..
It is a collection of short stories that are creepy and chilling.

They are slower paced reads which is good as the best bits are saved for the end when they tend to scare and chill.

Perfect for bedtime reading..

Six O’Clock House and Other Strange Tales is a mixed bag of eerie fiction, at times haunting, at other times hollow. Rebecca Cuthbert shows real skill in crafting atmosphere, especially in standouts like Infested, but too many stories end before they truly begin. The collection feels more like a whisper than a scream- perfect for newcomers to horror, but likely too tame and uneven for seasoned readers craving real chills.

6 O’Clock House and Other Strange Tales is a collection of dark, eerie stories that blend everyday life with unsettling twists. I found some of the stories to be slow-paced—at times feeling like they dragged on longer than necessary, but there were also standout moments that captured my attention.

One of the stories I enjoyed was *Infested*, which was genuinely creepy and had a fun, original concept.
Overall, this was an easy read, and I think it would be a great recommendation for new readers dipping their toes into darker fiction. The book serves as a solid gateway into horror and strange tales, offering a mix of chills without being overly intense. If you're just starting to explore the genre, this could be a good place to begin!

Thank you NetGalley and to the publishers for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I recently read Six O'Clock House & Other Strange Tales by Rebecca Cuthbert, and I couldn’t put it down. This collection of eerie and atmospheric short stories is beautifully written, with each tale offering a unique blend of suspense and mystery. Cuthbert has an incredible knack for creating unsettling, otherworldly scenarios while keeping the characters grounded and relatable.

What I loved most was the way each story kept me on edge, with twists and turns that felt both surprising and inevitable. Some stories were deeply chilling, while others had a more subtle, lingering sense of unease. If you’re a fan of atmospheric, thought-provoking tales that explore the strange and uncanny, this collection is definitely worth picking up. It’s a perfect mix of eerie and captivating, and I’ll be thinking about it for a while.

How do I keep finding books to be disappointed in, I'm gonna cryyyyyyyyy.

This is supposed to be a collection of horror short stories. And they certainly are short. These stories are too short to even make a point, it was so weird. You need to tell me something when you tell me a story, these were so flat and boring and nothing happened. As for more about the content of these stories, I do not know who decided this was to be considered horror because these were not scary at all. I would call this great for middle grade age readers if not for the random sexual part.

These stories were too short, I couldn't get invest and there was nothing to get invested in. I wanted some fun little spooky stories and I just got nothing. This was so disappointing. I wanted some spooky story time!

The book as a whole was super short, so there's that.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.