Deliciously dark and delightful! I inhaled this collection of short stories and I loved each one. I could have kept reading, one more, one more, one more - obsessed! Vanessa's writing style is perfection, evocative yet consise whilst managing to be all encompassing.

The opening story Table Scraps is about a macabre dinner party organised by a deceased man, seasoned with black humour. When I realised what was going on, I gasped!

We then meet Emily, possibly the most unsettling and eerie child I've read about, she gave me goosebumps. The ending was just spine chilling.

In Mouthful a news story appears about a vanished artist. We are given a glimpse into her journal entries describing a monster living in the woods surrounding her home. Claustrophobic and creepy.

We then go off on a holiday in the story Changes to a quaint seaside town that distorts reality, with a dangerous sense of creeping unease.

The stunning titular story Make a Home of Me made is skin crawling in its effectiveness, a haunted house classic with a unique twist. Genius!

I adored As Above, So Below about a lockdown with no internet, soldiers on the streets and strange lights shimmering in the sky. Reminiscent of the pandemic we lived through with a sci-fi element, this one was very close for comfort!

There is also a very real horror story set in the depths of the sea about sisterhood and loss, grief and guilt. I found Riverquick, Saltfresh chilling and emotional.

We wrap up the collection with The Wall, a nightmarish suburban tale about a baby that won't stop crying, and the gradual drop off into helplessness that some parents may find all too familiar.

An absolute stellar little collection of perturbing stories - definitely not one to be missed! I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book - solid 5 stars. I'll be thinking about these for a long time!

What an excellent debut collection! I thoroughly enjoyed these strange, uncanny stories - very reminiscent of Shirley Jackson and The Twilight Zone which I LOVE. My absolute favourites were the opening story, Table Scraps - even though I figured out what was going on pretty quickly, it still had a massive impact; Emily scared the hell out of me - the ending!!!!; Make a Home of Me, the titular story, is this strange, scary and sad sort of a story that I really like; As Above, So Below - a tense and sci-fi-ish tale, excellent!

I’ll definitely read what Vanessa Santos writes next!

I loved the unsettling nature of these short, eerie stories. Easy to read but harder to forget this author is an excellent talent and I will be looking out for more! They will stay with you and make you look over your shoulder!

Thank you for my advance copy!