I struggled with how to rate this book because there were some things I loved, some I enjoyed, and others that, sadly, just didn’t click with me at all.

Things I liked:

- The cover was stunning! It totally grabbed my attention when I was looking for something new to read.

- The description was a solid 10/10. It sounded amazing and got me super excited about the book.

- The prologue was mysterious and intriguing. I was hooked right away. It felt like the book was off to a strong start.

- I enjoyed the banter between the girls and the guys. It was fun.

- I really liked the chapters that included the diary. Those were some of my favorite to read.

- The story gave off some The Midnight Club vibes, which I loved. With the different kids/young adults living there, and the main character trying to understand the mysteries of the house that kept a lot of secrets.

- I liked the book towards the end, it finally picked up the pace and things started happening, which made me want to know what came next.

What didn’t work for me:

- I didn’t like the way Caz was written and couldn't connect with him... at all. I get that we obviously weren’t supposed to know too much about the Bentleys due to the mystery about them, but I really wish we’d gotten more from Caz as a character. Aside from knowing what he was studying and a bit about his family, we didn’t learn much about him. He mostly just described what everyone else was doing, and it left me feeling detached. Like, "why should I care about what you’re going through if I don’t even really know you?".

- As a former theater kid myself (lol), I liked seeing that part in the story, but I felt like it took over too much. The mystery side of the book got kind of buried. There were a few strange and mysterious moments, but most of the story was focused on the play rehearsals, which got repetitive and boring after a while. I kept waiting for something to happen, but it was all about campfires, rehearsals, arguments and relationship drama.

- I didn’t love how the book balanced the mystery and the theater stuff. Every time things started to feel eerie or intense (like with the weird behavior, missing people, or strange events) it would suddenly shift to relationship drama or someone getting in trouble. It messed with the atmosphere and took away from the suspense.

I was really excited for this one... The cover is gorgeous and the premise sounded right up my alley, but unfortunately, it just didn’t fully work for me.