Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer [book review]

Book: Suburban Hell

Author: Maureen Kilmer

Published: August 30, 2022

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Pages: 336

Genre: Horror

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About Suburban Hell

Amy Foster is lucky and she knows it. One day she left the city and moved to the suburbs. She didn’t think she would like it and she figured she would get bored. But she does wind up finding her place with neighbors Liz, Jess, and Melissa. One night during one of their monthly get together they start talking about a she shed. This she shed would be just for them and no kids are allowed. Amy thought it was more of a joke than anything else. But the next day Liz gets started on it. Once the ground gets broken something seems very off. They didn’t expect her new renovations would release a demonic force. Can Amy, Jess, and Melissa save Liz?

What I thought

So, I kind of picked up Suburban Hell as somewhat of a joke. Don’t get me wrong I did think the book sounded good but I kind of went into the book thinking it was going to be a bit of a parody. I didn’t it would be that scary or have many creepy aspects to it.

I don’t think I have ever been so happy in my life to be proven wrong when it comes to a book. For some reason, I figured this was going to be similar to Scary Movie and was going to be laugh-out-loud funny. There are some funny aspects to the story but it is more creepy than anything.

II do have to say that Suburban Hell is a good example of how your first impressions aren’t always right. Because of that this book quickly put me in my place and made me realize that my first impressions aren’t always accurate.

So, why did I pick up this book if that was the case? Well like I said I thought it was going to be more fun with creepy aspects. Not only that but the cover really stood out to me. I absolutely love it. The colors pop out and it’s somewhat simple. Simple covers are the best especially if they still stand out to you.

The Plot

The plot of the story is done very well. There are enough things going on throughout the story that you don’t get bored. The creepiness isn’t overdone to the point where it is no longer creepy anymore. Maureen does a great job building her story and building the creepy aspects of it.

On top of the plot being very well done so are the characters. I loved seeing Liz’s transformation from being sweet, calm and collected to mean and confident. I love that her friends wanted to save her.

Suburban Hell is probably one of my favorite books so far this year. It is definitely a five-star read for me!

If you enjoy books like this then you might enjoy The Southern Book Clubs Guide to Slaying Vampires.