The Place Where They Buried Your Heart

Christina Henry is in the house! Woohoo! She nailed it with The Place Where They Buried Your Heart!!!! This book is gripping, chilling, creepy, and addictive! I had a hard time putting this book down as I just wanted to bury myself in this book. Jessie Campanelli is such a great character – she’s a sister, a daughter, a friend, and a mother. She is also a badass!

Every neighborhood has that one house, don’t. The house that is creepy, maybe abandoned, or where a scary neighbor might live. It was the green house on the street where I grew up. Kids in the neighborhood quaked in fear of it because an old man lived there who would come out and chase kids with his broom. We would all muster our courage and ride our bikes as fast as we could past his house. His was the scary house, but he had nothing on the abandoned house on a quiet street in Chicago in The Place Where They Buried Your Heart.

Jessie Campanelli was watching her younger brother, Paul, when she dared him to enter the abandoned house. The scary house that all parents on their street warned their children to stay away from. Paul took the dare and went into the house and never came out! His friends said the house ate him, but no one believed them. I mean, come on, would you? A house that eats children? Jessie is left with the guilt of daring her brother and ultimately the demise of her family. She goes on to have a son who she loves with her whole being. She continues to live on the street she grew up on, the street with the house that ate her brother. But there are others on the street as well who are also watching, waiting, and hoping that whatever is in the house stays dormant….

I love a good horror book, and this one fit the bill. I loved the thoughts of a creepy and deadly house. Was it haunted? Was it possessed? What is going on???? Haunted Houses scare me almost as much as spiders do – almost! I enjoyed the dread, the spooky and creepy house, the way the neighborhood held their breath while watching and waiting for something horrific to happen yet again. There is something scary about bad things happening to children. It’s horrible and traumatic. I felt that in this book. What I also felt in this book was its heart. Because this book is not just about the abandoned house – it’s about the community on the street. It’s about the friendships and found family of the street residents. They have built close bonds; they look out for each other and support each other. I cared about these characters and worried about their safety.

In short, this book had heart and soul mixed with thrills, chills, and horrific happenings. Christina Henry’s wonderful writing sucked me and didn’t let go until the last page! I did want a little bit more of a dramatic and hair rising scary ending but otherwise, I loved this book.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.