I love a good thriller!
This was tense, suspenseful and a page turner.
If you like thrillers definitely give this one a try

What a surprise this one was. I ended up really enjoying this story but for different reasons than I initially thought I would.

This book truly has it all: suspense, mystery, paranormal aspects, romance, grief, friendship, falling back in love with life again after profound loss. The secluded island with near constant inclement weather made for the perfect setting—foreboding, creepy, and perfectly unsettling.

Elena Taylor is one to watch and I'm already looking forward to her next release.

Publication date 11/04/2025 💫 Thank you to Severn House for the eARC via NetGalley.

Initially I enjoyed the tension and spooky atmosphere evoked by the house, the location, and the mysterious missing Katrina.

I liked the idea of the ghostly nuns and monks but nothing really came of that. It felt like they were mentioned a few times to justify the 'Haunting' part of the title.

The last third of the novel lost its way for me. Gone was the evocative showing and in came a lot of telling.

The last chapter had my head reeling trying to take in who had done what to whom. It was all told rather than built up to and revealed.

A slow quiet haunting story that really eats at you. I was concerned that it started off a little slow, but as I got further into the story and saw that it wasn't just about the mansion and the creepiness therein but also about Emily's past and her trauma. And the ending reeled the whole book in.

It was a fun book. It was a tad slow for me, but the twist was so good! Had me speed reading that section.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book and was excited to read it. Unfortunately it fell flat for me and I found myself struggling to finish it. It was a boring read for me.

While this book is very gothic and atmospheric with good writing, I felt that the actual story didn't quite live up to expectations based on the synopsis. I ended up bored more than once.

The Haunting of Emily Grace is a masterclass in tension and surprise. Every chapter ended with a jolt that made it impossible to stop reading. The atmosphere was electric, dripping with danger and intrigue. I felt like I was racing alongside the characters, my pulse matching theirs. It’s the kind of thriller that leaves you exhilarated and a little haunted long after the final page.

The Haunting of Emily Grace (title is deceiving, to be frank) tells the story of a grieving mother who is attempting to get over a personal death in her life by accepting a job on an isolated island off the mainland of Seattle, Washington. With word that the island, and specifically the part of the island she will be working, is haunted, what should be a step in the right direction for her turns into a terrifying ordeal that puts her life, and the lives of her new friends on the island, on the line.

Ultimately, the story fell flat for me. I feel like the story jumped around quite a bit, especially at the end. The last 10% of the novel had the most action, but we never got a satisfying ending out of that action until it is explained in the last 1% of the book. It would have been AMAZING if the penultimate "fight" gave us the identities of the people involved in the entire ordeal instead of finding out in the last few pages. I think as a parent, I can sympthathize with Emily Grace's personal ordeals involving her daughter, the depression and letting herself go in order to deal, and wanting to get back on her feet, but I feel like she inserted herself into a situation that she didn't belong in - but I guess that's fiction for you?

I gave this one three stars, because I chose the story simply because of the main characters name (Shout out to my own Emily Grace!!!), I was also looking forward to more of a "haunting" aspect. So if you choose this book, a haunting is involved, but it has nothing to do with the main female character of the story, unless you count her personal struggles.

Thank you to Netgalley, Severn House and Elena Taylor for this ARC.

A slow-burn suspense novel that peaks with an action-packed climax. The descriptions are vivid and atmospheric with plenty of gothic elements. I loved that the protagonist was a female carpenter! About halfway through, the plot picks up into a real page-turner. A great, entertaining read.

The title of this book is what really peaked my interest, I do love a good haunting and all, but all in all the storyline and the whole plot was just… eh for me. It wasn’t what I was expecting. Normally a book can grab my attention quickly, but this one wasn’t able to keep my attention.

It was just a 2 star read for me.

Atmospheric and Suspenseful

The Haunting of Emily Grace is an atmospheric and suspenseful read that pulls you in from the very first page. The author does a remarkable job of setting the scene—I could almost smell the salt of the ocean and the damp scent of the Pacific Northwest’s lush evergreens of firs and spruces. The first-person POV makes the story feel intimate and immersive, drawing you deep into the main character’s thoughts and emotions. I found myself constantly wondering what had happened in her past and eager to uncover the truth. A gripping and haunting tale for fans of atmospheric suspense or tales about the PNW (or both!). Thanks to the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Out November 4th, 2025
Emily’s journey begins with a reluctant return to her childhood home—a place steeped in eerie memories and emotional scars. What starts as a practical move quickly spirals into a psychological reckoning. She’s forced to confront not only the strange occurrences in the house but also the unresolved trauma that has shaped her adult life. The haunting isn’t just supernatural—it’s deeply personal, tied to secrets she’s buried and relationships she’s distanced herself from.

As the story unfolds, Emily evolves from a woman paralyzed by fear and uncertainty into someone who actively seeks truth, even when it threatens her sense of reality. Her emotional arc is marked by moments of vulnerability, resilience, and revelation. She begins to question the reliability of her own memories, and through that process, she uncovers layers of her identity that had long been suppressed.

By the end, Emily’s journey is one of reclamation—of space, of self, and of the narrative she thought she understood. It’s a haunting in every sense of the word, but also a healing. Her transformation is subtle yet profound, making her one of Elena Taylor’s most compelling and emotionally resonant protagonists.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Severn House for this ARC!

Emily Grace is quite the character- highly skilled in carpentry and finishing work. She’s hired to finish an amazing estate owned by a rich guy whose wife has mysteriously vanished. Then an estranged daughter shows up to stir the pot. Emily G. has to figure out who is trying to get her to leave this job and why they are leaving little clues around the house. Like to see a strong woman doing work that is generally a guys job.

I love a good creepy mystery and this book did not disappoint.
From the beginning the setting is richly described - a remote island surrounded by stormy seas, graves, and forests that breathe. Taylor creates an intoxicating sense of suspense and isolation, and the mystery of Cameron's missing wife combined with the supersitions of the locals and the shadow of grief over both him and Emily Grace immediately puts you on edge.

Phobias and superstitions feature a lot in the book and with the strange occurrences in the house, the tension grows and you begin to wonder if the superstitions may be true, and whether the characters are being haunted by more than just their grief.

The only drawback for me was that I found the climax of the story slightly underwhelming. But overall I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery thriller.

This was the first book I've read by this author, and I quite enjoyed it. There were obvious shades of Rebecca, but not an outright copy or re-write. There were many times I had the briefest of moments of wanting to shake our narrator, but again.... they were brief. All that said, if you've read any books based on the original Rebecca, you'll be able to determine what is going on on Monk's Rock, even if you don't figure out the ending.
Elena Taylor did a wonderful job in her use of descriptions- both of the house and the house's environment. Books like this hinge so much on their atmosphere, so acing that is incredibly important- and Taylor nailed it. This is definitely a slow burn type of book, mysterious with no jump scares but possible supernatural moments. Anyone looking for something that isn't gratuitously full of horror or gore, but still with a tinge of the mysterious, will absolutely enjoy this book. I look forward to reading what Elena Taylor writes next.

The premise of this book is great: creepy things happening in a huge, unsettling house away from civilization, stuck with random people of whom you are suspicious. It starts off really strong and promising, and the author does a good job of building atmosphere.
The plot has a lot going on- the missing wife, the creepy daughter, the suspicious events that seem to indicate ghostly activity and the... nuns and monks??
Some aspects seemed sort of unnecessary to the narrative. What did fighting ghost monks have to do with anything LMAO.
Aside from how busy (and convoluted) the story got, it really did grip me. I was desperate for answers and basically read this in one sitting. As the plot went on and more elements were introduced, I did think the story got a bit bogged down. I wished there was more focus on the story itself- it seems like the author was trying to throw in as much as possible to make the story unpredictable, which left the actual conclusion (and explanation) shoved into the last few pages, abrupt, instead of feeling like we built to it through the story.
Overall, I did mostly enjoy this as a read.

This book was unfortunately a disappointment for me. The title promises a cozy horror, spirits and spine chilling details...nothing..not a single ghost to be seen. It was a total let down of the title. With a title with the word haunting in you'd expect some spitits of some sort but no.
The thing I would say is the author is great at writing a scene, moody and realistic you really feel like you're there.

2🌟 because the plot really wasnt what I was expecting


📚I was able to read an advanced copy of title thanks to NetGalley, Elena Taylor and Severn House📚
📚All reviews and opinions are entirely my own📚

I couldn't put this book down. This story is something I would usually watch on TV so thought I'd try out the book version and WOW I really enjoyed reading it.
There was nothing I didn't like about this book. It really had something for everyone I believe who enjoys mystery and thrills.
The blurb really pulled me in and I really stuck with her throughout the book. Usually I find I tend to go from liking to disliking characters quite easily but not this time.

Elena Taylor is one to watch and I'm already looking forward to her next release.

THE HAUNTING OF EMILY GRACE
By: Elena Taylor
 
Published by: Severn House
 
Release Date: 04.11.25

Emily Grace has gone through the worst imaginable period of her life. So, when she is offered a job to work for a millionaire on a remote island, Emily Grace sees it as a chance to try and get her life back on track.
Cameron has been building a mansion with his wife, but when she disappears under suspicious circumstances, Emily Grace is called to help finish the job.
Locals believe the land on which the mansion is being built is cursed, but Emily Grace will not fall for such rubbish. But suddenly strange things start happening and Emily grace starts to feel unsafe. Are there ghosts on the island? Or is it something even more sinister?
 
Oohh … I enjoyed this one. Big creepy house, isolated on a rock, surrounded by sea. Cut off from civilisation in a storm. Stories of ghosts and curses. A missing woman - suspected dead, lies and secrets.
What is there not to love? This book had my name on it.

The build-up was a slow burn, but it really worked for the kind of suspense being created. The pace allowed the tension to simmer, and so many chapters ended with a reveal or twist that made me want to read on. There are a few characters to get to know adding to the intrigue – did I know who to trust? Absolutely not. But as the story unfolded, I started to get strong feelings about one of them.
 
As I read, I couldn’t help but think this story gave off similar vibes to the book ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne Du Maurier. Not exactly with the whole plot, but with the remote setting, the gothic feel, and the lingering presence of a woman who has died or disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
 
I ate this book up. The tension and all the twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat, and I loved the haunting and uneasy atmosphere woven into the story. But I did feel the ending was a bit rushed. The story had such a big build up, but the resolution felt a little forced. There was also a couple of big events that happened in the story, and I feel that the reaction of the FMC was a little bit muted. However, I still really enjoyed this book and will be looking for more by this author.