I enjoyed the first book of "The Girl at Maywood Manor" series. It is a great pick for the young adult reader in your life who enjoys gothic, thriller, and supernatural elements, but also for any adult reader needing a break from more mature adult themes. I didn't know there was more than one book until writing my review today, and I will be adding the next book to my reading list. I was able to finish this in one sitting and thought the story was laid out perfectly for the reader. I had a feeling about some parts of the story, but wasn't 100% for sure. It didn't make it any less enjoyable for me.
Thank you, NetGalley and Victory Editing, for the opportunity to review "The Girl at Maywood Manor".

3.5 stars

Holly does things for others without thinking of the impact on herself. Her parents are divorced, and she lives with her dad. Her mom, an influencer, barely speaks to her and posted a video that makes it sound as if Holly has died.

Holly's mysterious grandma invites each of her grandchildren to visit over their 17th birthday. She gives them a fancy gift, but doesn't seem to spend much time with them during the trip.

Holly is different, and her grandma seems interested in her. However, Holly starts realizing something is very off with her grandma and the staff in the house.

This is a creepy mystery that will engage teens.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC!

The story ended up falling flat for me after the first few chapters- the characters just didn't gel for me and the writing wasn't up my alley. I don't think I was the ideal audience for this story which was a shame as I am normally a fan of gothic horror in all its elements.
Thankyou to both Net galley and Osoberry Press for an arc of this book.

Holly has always felt inadequate, her mother left her and resented her for staying with her father. In Holly May's family all granddaughters stay two weeks before their 17th birthday at the estranged rich grandmothers manor. Upon Holly's arrival the gothic scenery is set, a crumbling grey manor in the countryside with suspicious characters and a frail grandmother. This is a fast paced mystery with lots of details, I felt halfway thru I was beginning to understand the twist and what was to come. I feel like the ending of the book was dragged out but at the end of the day it was overall a good quick read I enjoyed. You must remember to love yourself even if you don't feel loved.

Initial Thoughts: YA rewrite of the 2005 film "The Skeleton Key" with a small twist at the end.

Reviewer's Suggested Target Audience Age:
13-15 y/o

Overall: 3.5 ⭐
Plot: 3 📍
YA Spice**: ✅

I thought the general premise was pretty decent, but it was missing *something* intangible I can't quite put my finger on.

It was on the edge of being great but was just 'ok' to me, even for a YA mystery/thriller. The main female character came off as kind of bland and I would have preferred her to be just 'more'. There was the start of a teen-level 'love' triangle, but it never really felt like it was believable, even bringing oneself down in age as an older reader.

The [threat] I felt was apparent early on but I'm going to chalk that up to my having read a LOT for as long as I can remember, so maybe I pick up on those plot points earlier than a YA-aged reader would. It's also why I'm more than happy to round up in my view.

A massive thank you to SA Sebuchi, Osoberry Press, & NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
All opinions are my own.

** YA Spice Rating Scale:
I rate this with respect to my idea of YA appropriateness: I believe anything written as YA (defined as audience aged under 18) should have ZERO spice. Maybe a chaste kiss. But nothing else.

❎ - Absolutely nothing. Anything remotely romantic is emotional or internal, but no physical touch. ("My heart fluttered")
✅- Some handholding, maybe a few nice hugs, a sweet kiss (forehead, cheek, maybe lips but not descriptive). Romantic, but nothing suggested.
🔘 - Some slightly suggestive descriptions, but implicitly nothing sexual described. ("The kiss deepened." But nothing past that)
❗- Very suggestive, pushing that "closed door" boundary.
‼️- Yeah, no. Open door scenes, this is New Adult or "higher." Absolutely NOT for Young Adults.

This was a YA short mystery book which was suspenseful and engaging. The ending is very mysterious and is a bit ambiguous but overall this was an enjoyable read!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and S.A. Sebuchi for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Girl at Maywood Manor coming out June 25, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I really enjoy murder mystery type books at spooky manners. This book wasn’t exactly what I was picturing. I was hoping it would be a little more spooky. I was hoping there would be more to it. The characters were good, but I thought it was definitely geared more towards a younger YA. I would check out more books by this author though.

In Holly May's family, every granddaughter is invited to their estranged paternal grandmother's house when they are about to turn 17 & usually leave with an expensive present. It's soon to be Holly's turn, but all Holly wants is to fix the rift between her father & grandmother.

When she arrives at the manor house, there are some oddities: her phone doesn't work, the staff seem strangely reticent except for the charming yet obsequious Austin, & her grandmother shifts from being friendly to chilling at a moment's notice. As Holly begins to uncover the secrets about the house & her grandmother's past, she realises she is trapped with no way of getting help.

This is an entertaining YA mystery thriller with some paranormal undertones. I feel that it's aimed at a similar audience to the 'Point Horror' series from the 1990s with a few chills & some light romance but nothing graphic. The characters are ultimately forgettable & I probably won't remember much about this one in a year's time, but it was perfectly readable.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Osoberry Press, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

thank you netgalley anf the publisher for providing me the arc. unfortunately, it ended up being a dnf at 20%

i'm sorry but this book just couldn't hook me, and even though i usually don't dnf books even if they don't hook me, my real issue was the writing style.

i am usually VERY lenient when it comes to stuff like show-don't-tell, simple prose, etc but as someone in the other reviews mentioned (as i already noticed while writing this), the writing style is so rudimentary that there is just nothing there to like. and usually i can give the book grace for lack of tension/plot if i enjoy the writing and vice versa, but unfortunately when it came to the girl at maywood manor i just had neither to grasp at.

and the main character fell a little flat for me because she feels less like a flawed person and more like an exaggerated display of her singular plotline that makes an internal conflict.

that being said, usually i would still attempt to keep going. but because i still have nothing to grasp at and i have maybe a week left of this arc left, i think it's only fair that i'm gonna be honest and put it aside.

I love a spooky thriller – especially if it has a giant, creepy estate in it – so when I saw the cover for The Girl at Maywood Manor, I had to read it. This is a young adult thriller, so if you’re not someone who enjoys reading YA books, this book won’t be for you. However, if you do dabble in YA reads or have a young teen or pre-teen who likes thrillers, this might be for you.

Would I recommend this book to adults? No. Would I recommend it to a middle schooler? Maybe.

I don’t have middle school-aged children yet, and it’s been a while since I was one, so I can’t say for certain that it would resonate with that age either. I will say that I think the writing is too elementary to appeal to high school students, and it’s certainly too rudimentary for adults. Amazon lists this book as being for ages 13-17, and while the main character is in that age range, I think it’s too simple a read for most kids in that age bracket.

The plot is interesting enough, but the book as a whole fell flat for me. I think a lot of it has to do with the characters. The main character is meant to be this overly compassionate, super selfless individual, and the author just really drills that point home. She’s extremely gullible for a person on the verge of adulthood and almost... too good? The other characters aren’t very well-rounded or defined, either. Especially the main character’s best friend, who’s maybe one of the most obnoxious characters I’ve ever read.

Side note: I have read plenty of YA books that are perfectly enjoyable as an adult. This just wasn’t one of them.

It is a fast read, and the plot moves relatively swiftly. If you have a young teen who enjoys thrillers, The Girl at Maywood Manor may be a good pick for them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

3.5 ⭐️
This story flew by. It was well written ander had a good pace. The story is mysterious and makes you wonder about Maywood Manor and all its secrets. I loved most of the characters but I’m still finding KitKat annoying…🙈

The ending, however, felt a bit rushed. I understand why the author choose to write the ending like this, but it could’ve been stretched out a little bit longer. This book has a very unique story, one I haven’t read before. If you’re into gothic and mystery: this is the right book for you!

Big thanks for NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

📖 Book Review
Book Name: The Girl at Maywood Manor
Author: S.A. Sebuchi
Publisher: Osoberry Press
Genre: Young Adult Gothic Thriller
Publication Date: June 25, 2025
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.5/5)

Thanks to @netgalley and #osoberrypress for the ARC.

🎉 Congratulations to @sasebuchi on the upcoming release!
📚 The Girl at Maywood Manor hits shelves *tomorrow – June 25, 2025!
🛒 Pre-order now or grab your copy first thing in the morning—you don’t want to miss this hauntingly beautiful thriller.

🔍 Description:
When the past beckons, some doors should remain closed…
Holly May always tries to fix everyone else’s problems. So when her estranged grandmother invites her to a remote, eerie manor for a “birthday blessing,” she hopes it will bring the family back together. But the minute she arrives, the atmosphere turns haunting. The manor pulses with an unsettling energy, her grandmother becomes increasingly chilling, and buried secrets begin to surface. What Holly thought was a healing visit turns into a fight for survival.

💭 My Thoughts:
This is a fast-paced, spine-tingling YA gothic thriller—and I genuinely couldn’t put it down! The eerie mansion, the haunting secrets, and that creeping tension on every page? Chef’s kiss.

I absolutely loved Holly and Sawyer—they stood out with great character depth and chemistry. The story isn’t just creepy; it also explores themes of self-love, courage, and emotional healing, which gave the chills a purpose.

It spooked me in a good way and kept me surprised with its unexpected twists.
A solid thriller with a heart—and a message.

📢 Highly recommend if you love dark mysteries, haunted houses, and strong emotional arcs.


📚 Tags:
#TheGirlatMaywoodManor #SASebuchi #NetGalley #YAGothicThriller #GothicReads #CreepyMansionVibes #SpookyBooks #BookReview #BookstagramIndia #ARCReview #DarkReads #ThrillerWithFeels #HauntinglyGood #ReadWithSuppu

I loved the gothic and eerie vibes in this book and I found myself invested in the family secrets especially as the manor has secrets of its own.

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for ARC copy of The girl at the Maywood Manor by S. A. Sebuchi before publication June 25th.
This was just an OK read for me. Characters Holly and Kat were a bit annoying. Holly total people pleaser and Kat just take take takes and only thinks of herself. Holly does improve and have some self discovery. The story line with her grandmother was very unique I dont think I have read or heard of a similar story line before.
The book just didn’t keep my focus very long and found myself getting easily distracted but not sure if it’s just with this being a YA, one of my little sisters who is 13 would probably love this book.

I think im not the target audience for this
Do not get me wrong it has everything a spooky thriller needs... haunted house, creepy old lady, chills, suspence, it was the writing.
I didn't enjoy the writing as it was clearly YA
However for young adults I would recommend this and if I was younger I'd imagine I'd have loved it.

First, I want to say thank you for giving me this opportunity. This book had so much potential, and the story line itself felt original. The characters on the other hand was detached from the story and I personally felt like, I couldn't relate to them, I could feel there emotions, they were just very bland. When I first opened the book and looked at the table of contents, I had to look and make sure the book was not a book of short stories. although the it was very thoughtful and creative, the names of the chapters were long and slight annoying.

The Girl at Maywood Manor is about Holly who is invited to her grandmother’s manor for her 17th birthday. Every girl in Holly’s family has been invited to spend their 17th birthday with her grandmother and has been sent home with gifts each time. As Holly starts to unravel the mystery of the manor she realizes it’s not as simple as her grandmother inviting her to the manor to give her a present for her 17th birthday.

This was the first book I have read by S.A Sebuchi. I really enjoyed it. It was a quick read and I didn’t think there were any slow parts. The story kept moving throughout the whole book. I thought S. A. did a good job developing the characters throughout the story. This is one of the few books lately where I have not been disappointed by the ending. I would look forward to reading more books by S.A. Sebuchi.

Thank you NetGalley and Osoberry press for the ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

I was immediately gripped right from the start, the author wrote an incredible story that I didn’t want to put down which ended up with me flying through it.

This book has eerie vibes with suspenseful settings, it’s a gothic YA thriller, definitely more one the YA side which would be a good introduction to thrillers for younger readers.

I liked Holly, even though it was kinda annoying how easily influenced she was, that does get explained but I feel like she was a bit too gullible sometimes.

The ending was left a little open, not enough for another book, but definitely enough that it could have had more chapters, it’s left me asking multiple questions that will probably be left unanswered.

Overall, I did like this book, it was a nice short read, eerie atmosphere and very intriguing. I highly recommend this for people that enjoy YA books, especially if you’re a younger reader that wants to get into thrillers.

This was excellent! I was drawn in from the start and couldn’t read quickly enough to see how it all turned out. It was a fun and creepy ride with nothing gory! I absolutely loved it and can’t wait to read more by this author.