Diavola

I was strongly considering giving this a four star rating because of the slow start (and slightly rushed ending) but once it got going I was hooked! There were a couple of things that tipped it to a 5 star rating for me.

Anna is the black sheep of the family and I related to her more than I thought I would. Even when she was being haunted, I felt like she handled the entire situation like I would have, scared but also with the “well, this is my life now” attitude with dark humour and snarkiness sprinkled in.

The family in this novel are horribly toxic. Again, I relate to having an incredibly toxic family so that drew me closer to understanding Anna. I'm not sure if others would like her character if they can't relate to her.

I've read another review that said “families are terrifying” and in my case it's true and added another layer to a typical haunting story. No matter how toxic they can be, there's a certain obligation to keep in touch and make efforts, despite the constant passive aggressive behaviour.

I understand the mixed reviews for this, but it did resonate with me - it kept me hooked and wanting to read more. For me, any book that affects me emotionally and keeps me coming back will always be highly rated.

Quoting this from a review by Paige as I couldn't have said it better myself, “Blame is placed where it does not belong. Secrets are shared that have no business being shared. Some things are resolved, a lot of things are not. But I think family is like this. It's not enjoyable, but it's the way family is, and her avoidant personality is exactly how I'd react too”.