Thanks to Netgalley and Angry Robot for this ARC. I was really looking forward to this story a bit different than my usual reading. But I had to dnf I couldn’t get in to the story and the writing style wasn’t for me.

Arc review

Wow.. I loved this. Spooky horror mystery with such a beautiful love story. Robert and Teddy’s story was heartbreaking!

This book had so many plot twists I couldn’t put it down. I cried and laughed throughout this! The banter and slow burn between the 2 main characters was brilliant and I loved every minute of reading it.

I can’t say anything else without spoilers but the ending?????? Wow.

Prefect autumnal Halloween read!

[4.35 stars] Many thanks to Angry Robot and NetGalley for the eARC.

This book scared the hell out of me, and I loved every minute of it. Except for when I had to read it with every light in the house on and my dog curled up beside me like a furry emotional support ghostbuster. Because wow, Ben Alderson knows how to do atmosphere. Creepy estate in the Cotswolds? Check. Eerie journal entries that spiral into tragedy? Check. Mysterious man who may or may not be flirting while your house is actively trying to kill you? Big check.

William Thorn is prickly, grieving, and emotionally tangled. His voice is sharp, witty, and full of quiet pain. And Edward... well, I wanted more time for their relationship to build, but I still teared up near the end, so clearly my cold little heart got involved, anyway. The dual timeline structure is a highlight. Present-day William’s POV is interwoven with heartbreaking journal entries from the past, and I was completely absorbed by Robert and Teddy’s storyline. Their romance wrecked me in the best way. That said, the pacing at the beginning was a bit slow, and occasionally the plot tried to do a lot. But the second half absolutely delivered. There were twists I guessed and others that blindsided me, and the ending left me emotional, unsettled, and very much haunted.

If you love gothic romantic horror that actually delivers on the horror, a story soaked in grief and secrets, and queer characters at the heart of it all, The Haunting of William Thorn is absolutely worth your time.

The Haunting of William Thorn was everything I wanted and so much more. From past to present was fantastically blended as we learned about Hanbury Manor and the hauntings it held.

William and Edward stole my heart and their ending was both beautiful and tragic.

I’m so fortunate to have gotten this amazing novel as an ARC and can’t wait to be able to purchase the published novel and put it on my shelf. This novel will sit with me for years to come.

Character 3.5| Setting 5| Plot 5| Writing 3.5| Enjoyment 4

Rating: 4.2

Thank you to Angry Robot and to the Author for giving me a Digital Advanced Readers Copy!

This book is pretty slow to start off, but Alderson really does amazing things with foreshadowing in this novel it is beautiful and tragic. There were reveals in this book that you could see Alderson working themes into this work.

I enjoyed William's voice, he had a strong character. He would make little references and jokes, I thought it was rather cute! I enjoyed that aspect of it.

This is an ARC and I hope before it goes to printers for the final edition it gets one more round of grammatical edits. The beginning needs some work, but the later half has such beautiful sentence work and play that I wanted to give the writing a higher rating.

"It will always be easier for anyone else to say the truth and harder for you believe it. Life is unfair, William. It's Horrible and mean, uncaring and evil. But it's one side of the coin. Life can also be beautiful if you look hard enough" I just found this line so beautiful and there was more quotes like this one.

William and Edward's relationship felt a little too fast for me I wish it had more time to ruminate, but that's fine. I liked them both, and they made me cry towards the end.

There were some twists I called, but others I never noticed at all, I think Alderson gave us a lot of haunting mysteries in The Haunting of William Thorn. It made for such a good and creepy read. Absolutely loved it.

"Greif was like that. Ever present, always lurking, looking for moments to strike when the mind was at its weakest"

A haunting tale of dark family secrets and how the love between souls can never be lost regardless of the time that has pass.

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

William Thorn is a man burdened with grief and the unexpected inheritance of his late boyfriend's family manor Hanbury. Deep in the English Countryside, just outside of the village of Stonewell, lay the haunted manor that William escaped too. Within its walls the chill of a mystery scratched at William with only the villagers understanding it's true secrets. As William was exploring his new home, he came across a journal belonging to Thomas Roberts, a man desperate to have the truth of his death and love with Edward "Teddy" Jones to be uncovered. When an unexpected visitor Edward "breaks" into the manor in search of the truth in the disappears of his Great Uncle Teddy, the two of them with great hesitance at first work together to uncover the true mystery that lies within the walls.

The twists and turns were beautifully done. With dual time periods between the late 1930s and present-day the story unfolds in a dramatic and thought-provoking way. You are able to watch the love of four men unfold and the boundless measure they will go for love and truth. The "horror" element was done perfectly. It had me on the edge of my seat and turning page after page until my eyes drew tired.

Edward swallowed hard, the hunch in his shoulders rightening slightly. " Can I ask something of... you" " Anything" " Haunt me, William Thorn," William smiled from ear to ear, sticky tracks of tears drying on his cheeks. " It would be my pleasure"

The gothic atmosphere and quiet grief really worked for me, and there’s a tenderness to the story that lingers. That said, there’s a tad too much explanation at times, which slows the rhythm and pulls away from the tension. The romance is subtle (maybe a bit too much), but there’s still a lot to appreciate if you enjoy emotional, atmospheric reads.

I’ve only read Ben’s work once before, so I was thrilled when I got approved for this ARC.

OMG. What a book. It haunted me—literally and emotionally. I have no words. From the way it moved between past and present, to the heavy atmosphere and tension… it gave me everything I didn’t know I needed.

It had been a while since I picked up anything gothic or horror, but this was absolutely the right call. It gave me the creeps, it broke my heart, and it left me with all the feels. I was genuinely scared to sleep at night!

And that ending?! I thought I had it figured out. I really believed Edward was the ghost… but how wrong I was. I haven’t shed tears over a book in who knows how long—but that ending broke me.

One of my top reads this year. Truly unforgettable.
Traumatic. Beautiful. Brutal. 10/10.

genuinely can't remember the last time i read a book that left me with so many conflicting feelings. the haunting of william thorn follows william who, faced with great personal tragedy, moves into the notoriously haunted Hanbury Manor. Hanbury Manor was left to him after the untimely death of his fiance, archie thomas. but from the moment he steps foot onto the property, everything goes wrong. further complicating things is the appearance of the mysterious edward, who is determined to stick around.

there were a lot of pieces of this book that i enjoyed, and just as many parts that i didn't enjoy. part of that was the author's writing style and choices; some of the conversations feel like the characters are talking at each other rather than to one another, and in many cases plot that has already been stated to the reader is built up to be a big revelation for william. this just feels like a batting choice because those scenes have none of the impact on the reader that it is written to have on william.

this book also does not trust that its readers will figure anything out on that own. so much feels over-explained for no reason. and yet important plot points are left to the reader's imagination. what was the pant of callum dean in the prologue? he's never even mentioned again and there's no closure for his POV. in fact, none of the questions raised in the prologue are actually answered in any substantial detail.

that's not to say that the book was BAD. it has really good points throughout. robert's journal entries were well done, unravelling the tragic fall of robert and teddy's love had all the solemnity it deserved. edward's truths coming to light had my mind racing to figure out the answers (almost immediately ruined by them over-explaining and arguing about who was more at fault for what happened, sigh). and the last three chapters were the best part of the whole thing, with a perfectly executed plot twist. i loved it.

my experience with this book; when it was good it was really good and when it was bad it was really low. put together, it made for a very average read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Angry Robot for the ARC.

I simply could not put this book down. Ben Alderson’s exploration of guilt and grief and love, and the way those emotions can follow you through time will render you both comforted and crying, so often within a few sentences of each other. It is a beautifully crafted, haunted house mystery with multiple contrasting queer romances that will leave your heart aching for each. I can say for certain that The Haunting of William Thorn will haunt me forever in the best way.

This was my first Ben Alderson book, and it sadly fell way short of my expectations.

The concept of a haunted manor, a mysterious disappearance in the past and two lovers who never found peace is a proven foundation for a solid paranormal novel, and indeed the setting was eerie, the flashbacks to the past kept my interest and the ghost apparitions were chilling.

Where the book failed spectacularly is with the main characters and the present timeline: William is frustrating to watch, the dialogues between him and Edward are endless repetitions of the same back and forth trauma-induced insecurities and fears, sometimes the story reads like a therapy script and others like a trauma recovery with setbacks....I found myself eager to get done with several scenes.

I will probably give one of Alderson's other books a try though, in hopes the characters don't share these unfortunate traits.

Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot for the ARC!

I finished this last night, and no lie, felt like crying. How that one twist got me, I'm not sure, but it did, and then the ending, and I can't really say anything about that because spoilers.

Alright, so a bit of a summery: William Thorn inherits a haunted manor from his ex. His ex who died right after William discovered he had been cheating on him and kicked him out of their apartment. So, Willam blames himself for his death, and now he's moving into the creepy old haunted manor. Which, of course, he doesn't believe is haunted, because he doesn't believe in ghosts. Then there's Edward, who shows up, and let me tell you, their first interaction had me shipping them. It was really giving the same vibes as one of my fav ships, so that was fun. The two of them begin to uncover the tragic story of two men from the 1930's and their forbidden love story, which resulted in one of them taking his own life, and thus the haunting of the manor.

If there's one thing I've realized is that maybe I need to read more horror, if it's the right kind of horror, because I have absolutely LOVED the Alex Stern books, Don't Let the Forest In, and now this. I was actually unsure about requesting this ARC at first, but I am so glad I did, because this is probably my favorite book that I've read this month. I was not expecting it to be a five star when I first requested it, but here I am.

The haunted house vibes were excellent, I am a sucker for a good haunted house setting, but this isn't just about a haunted house, it's about grief and guilt, and it's tragic, and I am SUCH a sucker for tragic books. Also, the emotional whiplash this gave me was something.

I will say there were several moments of irreverence towards Christianity, which I'm used to, but as a Christian, not really my favorite, yk?

I've seen several reviews saying that the middle was a bit slow, but it honestly never felt that way to me? I was like thoroughly invested pretty much from beginning to end. And that feeling the ending left me with? That's the sort of feeling I want from finishing a book at least a good portion of the time. A potential favorites list material type of feeling. I'm... not over it lol.

I legitimately loved this so much.

*** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ***

I started reading this book in bed, before going to sleep. By the end of the first chapter… nope! Book had to be put down and returned to in the daylight. I’m not faint hearted when it comes to horror novel but that was unnerving! I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

This is a frightening novel about a secluded home in The Cotswolds. A house that has a dark history and one the locals would rather see town down than inhabited. Our main character William inherits the house and travels there, intending to spend a week. However it’s not long before strange things start to happen, and thanks to a journal, he learns of the tragic past events that occurred in the house. We switch between the records in the journal, and William in present day.

The haunted house was done exceptionally well and there were some genuinely scary moments in this book. The atmosphere was good, the terror palpable. There were some recognisable ghostly tropes here, with some unexpected surprises. The dual timeline and inclusion of the historical timeline was also great. I didn’t see that ending coming either and it was strong.

This book while largely a haunting, also delves significantly into grief. The characters across the decade are joined and paralleled by their losses and their intense hurt. William often comes across as extremely rude, but the more you learn about his psyche, the more you can see why. The hateful attitude from him towards Edward did get a little repetitive after a while, but generally I could understand why he behaves the way he did.

A great, creepy, haunted house story!

Haunting, tragic, and beautifully written. This isn’t just a ghost story—it’s about grief, guilt, and the secrets hidden inside an old, crumbling manor. The hint of romance is subtle, but what truly hooked me was uncovering the heartbreaking past and the chilling twist at the end. Dark, atmospheric, and impossible to forget.

3.5

Thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for giving me this ARC in exchange for a fair review

This book had such great ambiance and vibes however sometimes the plot had holes throughout the middle half that never got resolved which left it feeling a little bit rushed. Overall it was a good book that had a great concept with decent attempts being made.

DNF ~3 chapters in, when I saw an incorrect ‘your’.
First of all, I struggle to believe this book has been edited. I came across a fair few grammar issues, most of which felt like the sort anyone makes occasionally, and should be caught by an editor. If it had been particularly compelling, I might have been able to continue, but the writing was lacking too.
Now, I actually don’t think the writing in this is horrible - at least, it has very good potential. There are some nice pieces of prose and descriptions, but it all falls apart when the author actually has to convey any plot, or have characters communicate. The dialogue is stilted, and when characters think about their motivations, or plot hooks are mentioned, they feel like placeholders - like the author wrote them as a ‘this gets the point across, and I’ll come back and work it in properly later’.
I think this book has potential, and I don’t think the author is a *bad* writer - I just think this needs more time in the oven.

The plot twists just keep coming. Right up to the last page you’re griping the book, tensing your jaw, and hunching your shoulders. You can’t help but fall in love with and root for the characters the whole time. If you enjoy a good haunting with a lot of heart, do yourself a favour and read it. The ghost of it stays with you for days after.

This book took me by surprise, this is not my usual genre HOWEVER this book destroyed me!!
It had me in shambles at the end, SHAMBLES I TELL YOU!!! I went into this knowing I would be scared and honestly a few parts, I was, but I did not expect the twist at the end, the tragedy, the heartbreak, the emotional destruction! I was sobbing and I honestly think this book will haunt me for a while, but damn, I LOVED IT!!!

I'm coming back to this, because when I finished this book at 12.30am I had just enough willpower left to go, "I need to mark this book as near-perfect IMMEDIATELY" before I let the void take me. This was just an incredible read.

The Haunting of William Thorn was a stunning combination of horror and queer romance, with the eerie setting of Hanbury Manor so beautifully underscoring the grief, growing dread, and queer longing that spills out across the pages of the book. The characters had me hooked and on their side from page 1, and the haunted house elements were incredibly well done. This had me jumping at every bump in the night - reading it while it was storming outside might not have been my smartest move!

It would be hard for me to describe this as anything other than a compulsive read, considering I read it in one (mildly interrupted) sitting - I couldn't get enough, and I had to know what happened next.

If you love haunted houses and queer longing, this is the book for you!

got this arc from netgalley!

this was a dnf less than 10% in for me, because i realised at that point i would be unable to give it a fair review. if i am already spending all my time just picking the book apart and i haven't even made it through chapter 1, i am not the right match for the book. and that's what i was doing here, to my dismay (i am extremely dismayed). so, i can't believe i'm saying this, but i think this book had too many words?

essentially, one of my main book turn-offs is when i feel that the book thinks i'm an idiot. i don't need everything over explained, i can use my brain. i can read between the lines. actually, i can just read the lines and figure out what they are telling me without everything being laid out like an instruction manual. unless it's ikea instructions, in which case i am an idiot.

my faith in the author's faith in me faltered right from the very beginning. the prologue opens with a death notice, and then two pages later when the inspector man picks it up he has a "sinking feeling of knowing exactly what he was holding" because "it was a notice of death." give me a break. also when one inspector man says to another that "evidence is going to help put this all together" because that's literally the point? do you think i don't know what evidence is? anyways, that sort of thing just kept up, right into the first chapter when i had some of the most excruciating exposition of my life via overly chatty cab driver.

it got to the point where i was just ripping it apart, writing notes about how obviously personal spotify playlist would be personally crafted? and wondering if the author knows that spotify lets you download music to listen to even when you don't have service.

and then the previously mentioned cab driver says to william, "a man of your spritely age being tied down to a thirty-plus year mortgage doesn't sound so exciting, does it?" and i'm sorry but does he think being tied to a lifetime of paying rent is a thrill? does he not know you can sell a house? i would love a mortgage, tbh.

when william started describing how back in his day (i think this man is in his twenties??) boys weren't supposed to play with dolls but william had parents who "encouraged him to play with whatever he desired" and described himself as an "anomaly" i think i lost the plot a little. i do not need gender roles described to me. i live in the world.

from the other reviews, lots of people seem to love this book! i, unfortunately, am not one of them. it would be unfair to the haunting of william thorn, to me, to my coworker paul, and to all of my friends who have to listen to me talk for me to continue reading it. alas! hopefully my next read will treat me with more kindness and intelligence.