5 absolutely beautiful, devastating stars for this one. No further words needed, just trust me… read this one, give it your full attention even thru the slow parts - don’t give up, feel every emotion. It will leave your heart shattered on the floor but in the best possible way. 🖤

Thank you so much for the ebook in exchange for a review. I am so thankful. Will absolutely be ordering a copy upon release.

I was highly anticipating this release, but I really struggled with the writing - there were quite a few grammatical/typographical errors that I caught, even early on into the book (one of them, as I can recall, was the usage of "society's" instead of "societies" for the pluralization of society). That aside, I loved the story itself. It delivered on exactly what it promised to, and I found the comps to be fairly accurate. But unfortunately, those errors did take me out of the storytelling.

Omg this book was fabulous! I loved all the characters. The way the storey was interwoven between each character was fantastic. The amount of plot twists and reveals had me on the edge of my seat!

Also the ending 😭😭 just tears.

This was my first intro to Ben but I will defo be reading more!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and Ben Alderson for allowing me to review this book.
4.25⭐️

I DNF this book at 40%. There were a lot of grammatical errors that pulled me out of the story. I really liked the concept, but this definitely needs to undergo additional editing.

This book surprised me in the most beautiful way possible. It's everything you could wish from a book. It's heartbreaking, romantic, spooky and mysterious and it has soo many plot twists. If there's one thing I would change about this book is the ending, but at the same time, it made perfect sense to have such a beautiful and heartbreaking ending. I. LOVED. EVERY. SECOND. OF. THIS. BOOK. 100% one of the best reads of 2025 and the perfect read for pride month.

4.5 rounded 5

This book has been on my most anticipated read list since I've seen Ben Alderson promote it on social media. I'm thrilled to have received an early copy. This is one of those books where I KNOW I will need to reread it again because I might uncover new mysteries I didn't pick up on the first read.

It's a very good book. The pacing is intriguing, a mix of present and journal entries from one of the characters from 1939. This is very well done, and until the end, there is 100% no way you can solve it. This is a story of love, redemption, and forgiveness.

Pick it up if you like:
- Ghost stories
- Romance (MM close door)
- Mysteries
- Loads of tears
- and ending that will make you question your existence

An interesting haunting story, playing with a spooky-ish atmosphere, romance (not genre romance but romantic plot line) and history. The book has great gothic elements (roting manor, isolation, grief, tragic past etc.) and does quite a good job shaping the reader's attention. It works well to set some revelations throughout the book, without making us feel like it sprung out of nowhere.

I have to say that beside the atmosphere, I didn't really get the sense of tension coming from the story and the situation the characters are in. Or even their grief. Anger does get through, but for some reason emotions are quite tamed. Even the romantic element is a little dull? Not that it impeded my enjoyment, since it is not the focus of the book (it's a book about love and grief, ultimately). I would have liked a bit more sense of depth from the characters. Their taste, their ties (like family and friends, even if they can't be on page). In the end, they seemed quite alone in the world in a way that didn't heightened the tension, but just felt like there wasn't any thought about other people (besides de deceased partner).

Overall, the plot work and goes in an interesting direction. Classic, in a way, but also nice and tragic. I can't say I was revited, but it was entertaining and worked close to what it wanted to do, I think.

This was good. It had the potential to be great, but the writing is inconsistent. Sometimes I find myself loving the writing style, while other times it feels distinctly amateur. I feel that it definitely needs another edit or two, to deal with spellings as well as words used inappropriately. The characters are rather two dimensional, which is a shame as there were some really good building blocks here

Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot for gifting me this eARC!
~
I am writing this review with tears rolling down my cheeks. This book HURT. I did NOT foresee the PAIN that I would be slapped with. I am, I think, HAUNTED by that ending.
~
Okay, so, I’ll start with the horror. I personally do not get scared reading horror, but the imagery was done really well. I could SEE every scene so VIVIDLY. The pacing and plot structure was great. I was never bored, and I had fun trying to solve the mysteries surrounding the manor. The twists ??? Every time I thought I understood what was going on or could guess what the revelation would be, I was completely SURPRISED. I had so much fun being misled. I will say there are *some* plot holes, but that’s me nitpicking.
~
As for the romance, I think I expected MORE. The little snippets we get of Robert and Teddy from the 1920s did well at establishing a really heart wrenching, passionate romance, but I definitely would have liked to see William and Edward’s relationship more. While there were several moments that tugged at my heartstrings, I felt like there was something missing. I just didn’t find their connection 100% believable with what little time they spent together.
~
Overall, though, I would definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for your next horror romance!
~
Releases September 9, 2025!

This book was so deeply sad but I really loved it. William had so much rage about his situation and my heart really broke for him once everything was revealed.

Spook wise this is a four out of five
👻👻👻👻 this book was creepy right from the start but the picture frame part had me fully cringing! It has very heavy gothic horror feels which I really loved.

I can't say much more about the plot because I feel like it's best to go into this one knowing very little about it but I will say if you enjoyed The haunting of hill house series then you will definitely like this because it has similar vibes.

It's a really beautiful story about loss and about how some love never really dies. If you like MM love stories then this one is definitely worth checking out!

Rating: 3.75/5 stars.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with this story. The eery vibes in the first half were so fun. That took a bit more of a backseat at the plot changed direction, which was a bit of a bummer. But it was still well done while it lasted. I found the haunting scenes to be vivid enough to picture, like seeing it in movie format, which I loved.

For the plot itself, I would say it was engaging throughout the story. It did start to progress in a way that had me losing a bit of interest. But I think that's more a personal desire thing. I was in this for eery vibes, a spooky haunting, and a sweet, encompassing love story. But that's not quite what I got.

Speaking of the romance, I don't think I'd go into this one in the mood for a romance. Neither of them were fully fleshed out. They weren't bad! They just left you wanting more.

I think the multiple points of grief were well done and a good thing to be explored. I liked the different examples of grief as well as showing how people deal with grief in different ways. Same with guilt and shame and fear. But I didn't get personally emotional throughout the story.

I will say, I guessed every one of the plot twists. ✌️😜 But I think that's because I have an overactive imagination and they might truly surprise some other readers. Especially the ending. I smiled when my theory was confirmed, I was so proud. 😂 But it was a good twist on the author's part.

The Haunting of William Thorn is a gothic ghost story about a young man who inherits a haunted English manor.
William Thorn is adrift, his fiancé Archie has recently died in a tragic car accident, William blames himself and his emotions swing between grief, guilt and rage. When he learns that Archie has left him his family’s old manor, the place they had planned to restore and live in, he moves there. The locals don’t want him there and soon he meets Edward, a man with his own ties to the previous occupants. Soon William learns that ghosts can be real and that everything he thought he knew about his previous life with Archie might not be what he thought.
Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity to read and review this book which I am giving 3⭐️.
This book fluctuated a lot for me. At times I was completely drawn in and couldn’t wait to read more, as a person who doesn’t read horror the scenes of haunting had me locked in. Other times the book felt so predictable that I contemplated DNFing it.
I will say that I did not see the ultimate twist that happened at the end coming and it really was like a punch to the gut. Unfortunately, it took too long for this book to really get moving( right around 60%) so I can only give this one 3⭐️ which is firmly in the I likes this but wouldn’t reread it or purchase a copy for my home library.

haunting of william thorn - Ben Alderson - releasing september 9th
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“After all, what was a ghost except the love of a soul clinging onto what they didn't wish to leave behind?”

👻 Ghosts and haunting
🪦 Gothic Horror
👻 murder mystery
🪦 MM romance
👻 Dual timeline (journal entries)

nothing short of remarkable. this book has left a permanent mark on my bones that i don’t think i’ll ever be rid of. it’s hauntingly beautiful and i knew within 100 pages this would be a five star read however i didn’t expect this book to immediately jump to one of my all time favourites. i find myself struggling to find words that feel strong enough to describe how incredible this book was.

When William Thorns recently deceased boyfriend leaves a large manor for him in the cotswolds, william jumps at the option to leave the city for a while to get some clarity and maybe run from his life for a little bit. what william didn’t expect to find in the manor was a murder mystery, self discovery and a haunting beautiful love.

this book had me waiting with baited breath for the next sentence every time. it made me feel so many emotions from terror to joy, joy to heartbreak and everything in between. it had everything you want in a murder mystery with a side of hauntings and i couldn’t have loved this book anymore. as i said, this has now jumped to one of my all time favourites and i see myself thinking about it and william, often.

this book is released on september 9th. please go and preorder and put this book on your radar because you won’t be disappointed!

“it’s not the living i fear, william”

I was really looking forward to this book, but had a very hard time getting into it.

It has some classic gothic elements, including isolation, a decrepit manor with a tragic past, and history repesting itself. Even so, I did not sense the impending doom that the characters seemed to. It created an odd dissonance between the growing dread the story was intended to have and what I was actually experiencing as a reader.

I would also have liked more chemistry between the main characters. It felt like their attraction was more due to proximity than romance

I'm grateful for the chance to check out an ARC of this book and I hope that the final version will improve upon some of these issues.

I know this kind of reaction is way overused, but when it fits, it fits.

Insert Lady Gaga GIF: talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender... because this is exactly how I felt reading this book. I loved Ben Alderson's books before, but this is an instant favourite.

"If loving you is worthy of hell, I go there gladly, knowing it accepts us together"

This was absolutely amazing. A gothic, horror, suspense and dangerous romance which will absolutely break your heart.
When William Thorn inherits a rundown manor in the beautiful backdrop of the Cotswolds, he is eaten up by grief and guilt over the loss of his true love. When he arrives, it is made clear to him by everyone in the village that they want him out and more importantly, they want to manor torn down.
Whilst arriving back at the manor, he meets Teddy, a man laced in mystery but wanting to find out what happened to his relative, a man who seemingly went into the manor only to die in very strange circumstances. It is very clear that they are not the only two people in that house. A restless and angry spirit

This book is a dual timeline book, the journal entries telling of a devastating romance guiding William and Teddy to try find out what secrets have been hidden in this place. I have to say, both doomed romances had a resemblance and longing if the fated Healthcliff/Cathy type of raw yet doomed love

Not only was the suspense and the horror aspect first class, this was absolutely heartbreaking in so many ways.

Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

What an unexpected emotional rollercoaster this was! I was pulled in by the promise of a haunted house and a dual timeline and left with a broken heart. I loved the two queer romances, one told by heartfelt diary entries and the other by William Thorn himself as he finds himself caught up in the creepy manor's histories alongside Edward.

I did find the first quarter or so of the book to be a gradual ramp up, but then came the twists and turns that kept me reading. I think I finished the last third in one day which is quick for me. The writing style is simple and easy to dip into and whilst I love lyrical prose especially in gothic horror, I found the plot engaging enough for it not to bother me. It matches the vibes of the book well.

As well as the mystery and intrigue, there's gore (I visibly grimaced in a few parts), betrayal and lots of yearning. I really ended up enjoying the two main characters. William and Edward are both brimming with guilt, the former lashing out and using alcohol as a crux and the latter masking with humour. They're a mess. I love them.

And don't even talk to me about the end I'm still getting teary-eyed over it.

The profound grief this book made me experience....it's been a long time since a book affected me as much as this one did. It's a beautifully tragic story with a beautifully tragic ending. William Thorn is flawed, but that makes him such an engaging character. Definitely will be thinking about this for awhile. My only critique is that this book needs more editing before pub. Many typos, POV changes, and mixed up character names.

well. i certainly see why this was recommended to fans of the haunting of hill house (and i would argue there’s flavors of bly manor, too). both of them sure did traumatize me!! i really shouldn’t have been surprised, considering the way this book is so tied up in themes of the coexistence of love and grief – man, it still got me. for the most part, i thought i knew where everything was headed, but ben alderson absolutely rocked my shit in the last 5-10% of this. i quite literally said “NO” out loud on my couch before promptly bursting into tears, so do with that what you will.

i liked the idea of the dual timeline with teddy & robert and william & edward a bit more than the execution of it. robert’s diary entries felt a little more overwrought than natural to me, so i didn’t enjoy his perspective quite as much – i’m not sure if this is because the diary as a tool to communicate his point of view just wasn’t as effective for the writing style or what, but it didn’t work for me as much. i still love him and teddy though, don’t get me wrong! the interweaving of their story with william and edward’s was lovely, and man, did the ending destroy me. i’ll be thinking about it for a while!

This might just be my favorite read of the year, and without a doubt, it’s my favorite work from Ben so far. I’ve devoured all of his books, but this one pushed me out of my usual comfort zone stepping away from my go-to romance reads and I’m so glad I did. What I found was something haunting, intimate, and entirely unforgettable.
William and Edward’s nonstop chemistry and witty back-and-forth brought such necessary light into a story that otherwise deals with the rawness of grief and loss. Their banter was a relief between the heavier moment a thread of connection that slowly deepens into something so meaningful. The haunting elements were subtle but chilling, like a quiet dread creeping in at the edges. Watching them both come to terms with their pasts in order to move toward a future together was utterly heartrending. I’m obsessed with the emotional growth they each experienced.

Robert and Teddy’s story broke my heart in a quieter, more tragic way. Pieced together through Robert’s journal entries and William’s scattered readings, it felt like unraveling a ghost’s memory. I was completely hooked from the first mention, desperate to know what had happened to them, aching with every new revelation. The mystery of it all added such depth and gave us a portrait of a man we never fully meet, but who still left a lasting impact.

In short I’m obsessed. As always with Ben’s work. And I truly hope he explores this type of story again. It’s powerful, unsettling, romantic, and achingly beautiful.