This book was absolutely fantastic! The author wrote a story that was so well written I found myself flying through the pages, unable to put the book down, pondering what would happen next. My favorite piece of this entire story was how believable the characters were.

The writing is clear and clean, and very immersive. The book hums along at a good clip, but the pacing makes sure we're given time to breathe between plot-intensifying moments. The story was absolutely engaging and the work that went into the settings was noticeable and superb. I felt absolutely transported and I'm so incredibly glad I was able to read an arc of this story.

Rating is more of a 3.75 star but i've rounded it up to 4.
This was a quick, eerie, fun read. I think this is a perfect started book for teens who want to explore thriller books. I would of appreciated a bit more though as I feel like there was more to be discovered surrounding the story especially with Austin and I did feel like the ending was left a little open with some questions to be asked. But I did really enjoy the story and the development of Holly realising thingd about herself and finding some secrets within the Manor alongside Sawyer. It was a quick fun read and one I think many teens could enjoy.

It was ok. I really dig the spooky vibes and atmosphere to the story but I think the chapters were overly long and did not have a lot of depth to them.

Holly is always there for others. she lives with her father she never sees her mum. her father has nothing to do with her grandmother .and Holly gets her invitation to stay with her grandmother as she has done with her cousins. Holly decides to go. but Maywood Manor is not all as it seems. Holly needs to uncover the truth before her birthday Iso enjoyed it

Thank you, Osoberry Press for gifting me The Girl at Maywood Manor.

When the past beckons, some doors should remain closed…

Holly May always throws herself into fixing everyone else’s problems. So when her estranged grandmother extends an invitation to her grand, isolated manor for a "birthday blessing," Holly jumps at the chance to bring the family together again.

But from the moment she arrives, something feels off. The manor pulses with strange energy, her grandmother’s behavior shifts from charming to chilling and strange occurrences become increasingly sinister. As Holly uncovers the dark secrets lurking in her grandmother’s past, she fears the so-called blessing may actually be a curse—and there’s no one to help her escape.

Can Holly unravel the truth in time, or will the manor’s secrets claim her too?

The Girl at Maywood Manor is a gothic young adult thriller that masterfully blends suspense, eerie settings, and emotional depth—perfect for lovers of dark and twisty tales.

I will start my review by saying this is just my opinion, and I won't put in any spoilers.

I found the book to start off slow. The MC was far too easily manipulated. Too much of a people pleaser, and it really irritated me. (This does get explained but too close to the end) As I read more and more of the book, I came to the conclusion that it would be better suited as Teen fiction, not Young Adult. However, I would give this book a rating of 3.5 for ease of reading and the fact I wanted to know what would happen next as it was getting closer to the end.

This was fun! The writing was a little simplistic for me, but I think a younger reader would love. I definitely got engrossed in the story & had a great time with all the twists and turns !

The story carries an eerie, spooky atmosphere, perfect for younger readers, though it didn’t quite resonate with me. The chapters felt overly long, and despite their length, the narrative lacked depth and robust world-building.

It’s rare that I’ll DNF a YA book—especially a gothic thriller—but this one lost me almost immediately. The writing felt painfully simplistic and way too juvenile for the genre, like it couldn’t decide if it was aiming for middle grade readers or young adults. Holly didn’t feel like a real person so much as a walking checklist of “family issues” with no actual emotional depth. And if you’re promising me eerie, atmospheric suspense and all I’m getting is awkward dialogue and flat vibes? I’m out.

DNF at 10%—I don’t have the patience to wait for a plot when the prose is already testing my will to live.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book before the release date. I'm giving this book a 3.75 rating. The book held my attention and flowed nicely. The writing was excellent and the premise was interesting. However the ending for me was anti-climatic and I feel the author could have taken it a little farther with a bit more explanation. I will recommend this book. Also to note if you know a reader as young as 12, this book is perfectly acceptable for them to read.

Thank you to the author and the publisher for giving me an opportunity to read and review The Girl at Maywood Manor.

This read like VC Andrews meets Tangled. There's the estranged rich grandparent, a giant mansion with hidden rooms and passages, potential autophagy, and people who just take and take energy and power from those around them.

I liked it, but I really wanted more of Charlotte's backstory and how everything works. I would be really interested in a prequel that explains how we came to the present in this current story.

Goodness me, this was such a good book. Highly entertaining. Would definitely recommend to others, that's for sure!

If you like haunted houses, spooky vibes and plot twists mixed with self discovery, self love and a bit of romance, this book is for you!

The Girl at Maywood Manor is a gothic young adult thriller that masterfully blends suspense, eerie settings, and emotional depth—perfect for lovers of dark and twisty tales.

Holly May always throws herself into fixing everyone else’s problems. Holly has been invited to her estranged grandmother's eerie manor but as Holly uncovers the dark secrets lurking in her grandmother’s past, she fears her so-called ‘blessing’ may actually be a curse—and there’s no one to help her escape. Can Holly unravel the truth in time, or will the manor’s secrets claim her too?

A wonderful eerie story for teens and young adults, if you like quick reads, mysteries with
supernatural elements and Disney references then this book will be perfect for you.

For my personal star rating, I have went with ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I feel it’s not as thrilling or as eerie as my usual adult reads but this will be great for younger readers. I personally feel there is space for a little more world building and depth. I was definitely left with questions at the end that I would have liked answered in the book whilst it could have still been left open ended as intended (without adding spoilers).

“𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙫𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣. 𝙏𝙝𝙚”


✦ 𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮:
Holly heads to her estranged grandmother’s isolated manor for a birthday "blessing," but things turn dark fast. The house radiates eerie energy, her grandma isn’t who she seems, and buried family secrets start to surface. What was meant to heal the family might just destroy her instead.🏚️🖤

✦ 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
🏚️ Haunted House / Creepy Manor
👵 Estranged Family
🌫️ Supernatural Mystery
💔 Emotional Void / Inner Healing
⚠️ Found Warnings Too Late
🧠 Gaslighting Adult Figure
✨ Paranormal Romance Elements
🕯️ Dark Family Secrets
🧩 Slow Unraveling Truth
⚔️ Final Girl Energy

✦ 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 (𝘾𝙒):
🧠 Psychological manipulation
💢 Emotional trauma
☠️ Toxic friendship
👻 Paranormal themes / hauntings
🕷️ Mild horror elements (eerie imagery, suspense)
🖤 Death / loss
🫥 Gaslighting by a trusted figure
🌌 Isolation and fear

✦ 𝙈𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨:
This book was dark, mysterious, and honestly... so good. 🖤 I love stories that explore the supernatural, and this one had me hooked from page one. The best part? I had no expectations or theories—I just followed the story with full attention, eager to see where it would lead. 🕯️

✦ 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨:
KitKat really frustrated me at first—how could Holly do something so reckless and naïve just because her friend asked her to? But when the truth was revealed... ouch. It hurt, and I understood. 💔
What I loved most was how Holly filled the void inside her; that was the key to her strength and ultimately, the solution. ✨

Sawyer? I liked him right away. Mysterious and strange, but everything he said just felt right.

And Charlotte (the grandmother) and Austin... oh, no words. Just pure chills. 🧊

✦ 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜: was a little open, which added a psychological tension that lingers—leaving the reader wondering what truly comes next. 🌀

If you’re into gothic thrillers with a supernatural touch and emotional depth, this one won’t disappoint! 🕯️🏚️

Thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for approving me to read this book, I’m rating it 3.75 stars.

This was a short mystery with eerie vibes following our FMC as she tries to figure out her family lineage and why her family is so disconnected. She’s invited to her grandmothers home who she is estranged with and the story unfolds from there.

The story really reminds me of The Bell Witches book and The Skeleton Key film. It definitely kept me engaged and wanting to follow the mystery to its conclusion. The ending felt a little open ended, but this just added to the somewhat dark mystery surrounding the characters and story.

I finished this book in one reading session, the story was so interesting and I wanted to know what was going to happen with Holly and the other characters we met in the book. The plot twists I actually didn't see coming, but they were very well written and I hope there will be a sequel to this book. I bet I'll finish the sequel as fast as I read this one.

Thank you, Net Galley for an ARC of The Girl at Maywood Manor by S.A. Sebuchi!

This novel follows 16 year old Holly on a trip to visit her estranged grandmother that leads up to her birthday. She thought that getting to know her grandmother would be a great way to reconnect with her father and the divorce from her toxic mother and agrees to go. It starts off kind of slow but quickly turns into a mysterious tension building whirlwind of hidden secrets and lies.

I really enjoyed the focus on the fact that Holly ultimately was also trying to figure out who she is in the mix of things. Each chapter will keep you guessing for the ultimate twists and turns. The ending definitely caught me by surprise!

"The Girl at Maywood Manor" immediately pulled me in and kept me hooked from beginning to end.
While the story contains elements of magic—something I don’t usually gravitate toward—I still found it thoroughly enjoyable and engaging. I hadn’t realized this was a teen fantasy novel, which isn’t my typical genre, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I connected with the storyline. I was especially eager to find out what Holly would receive for her birthday, and I truly appreciated the underlying message about self-love.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As much as this book is a young adult thriller, it’s about so much more. Self-love being the main theme which so many people can relate to. Very easy read and finished in one sitting. I enjoyed the story.

finished this book in one sitting. amazing storytelling with great plotwists. in my opinion this book is so much more than just a thriller, it’s abt self love and discovery of themselves. great character development, just would have like to see how hollys friendships became after everything. other than that great book!! 4.5⭐️