Sam, an archaeological entymologist, goes to stay with her mom at her grandmother's former home and is shocked and disturbed by the changes she sees in her mother. Although Sam's mom used to be the polar opposite of her grandmother, a horrible and racist lady who wanted everything to be "nice and normal," her opinions seem to have undergone some sort of shift - either that, or something has her too anxious and afraid to behave the way she normally does. She's also changed the house to look the way Sam's grandmother used to have it, and she's lost a lot of weight.

As Sam tries to figure out what's going on with her mother, she also worries about whatever is going on with the house. There are no insects in her grandmother's rose garden, absolutely none, and yet somehow swarms of ladybugs invade the house. Then there are the vultures that seem to be keeping watch over the house.

This wasn't so much scary as ominous, although the things near the end of the book did make my skin crawl.

I really liked Sam and the way her interest in and love for insects tied into the story. Would I have noticed the complete lack of insects in the garden? I'm not sure, but it was a detail Sam was basically guaranteed to notice.

There's a lot of buried family trauma here. Also, the ending had me wondering if Sam and her mom were going to have to spend the rest of their lives looking over their shoulders. Sam's job, for sure, involved some travel.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) ( )

Started off ok, but then got silly really fast. Sort of Goodebumps for adults ( )

https://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2024/05/2024066-house-with-good-bones-t.html ( )

Sam returns to her family home in North Carolina and bad things begin happening almost immediately. Sam's first "greeter" waiting to welcome her home is a vulture perched on the mailbox. It's watching the house like any good "watchdog" would. Sam hardly recognizes her mother. She's lost so much weight and is unusually anxious, even fearful, about something. The house feels and looks strange. The brightly colored walls of before are now painted a dull white and old decorations from her late grandmother time are displayed all over the house. Sam is worried... but she is determined to find out what is the cause of all this strangeness that now surrounds the house. As a biologist I had to chuckle at Sam’s nerdy opinion on insects and arthropods. It added the balance that was badly needed to offset the dark secrets that she eventually discovers. Sam’s humor also provided a realistic commentary on racism and generational conflict in the "old south".... not bad but rather comical. The main problem with this story and what lost it a half star, is that the main plot twist is glaringly obvious, way to early...almost from the start of the story. Sam herself is also too oblivious to all the glaring clues. Nevertheless, this was a really good story.... especially if you are a horror fan. Sam’s thoughts were interesting and revealing as she uses her scientific training to try to "make rational the irrational". The final part of the book contains enough gory detail to make any horror lover squirm. The final conflict could have lasted a bit longer, especially when it had had such a huge buildup for about 75% of the story. Still, I had a great journey with it. ( )

Samantha Montgomery is worried that her mother is losing it. Sam was looking forward to a nice long visit with her mom while on furlough from her job, but now that she's back home, things seem off. The house has been painted shades of cream and ecru, instead of her mom's chosen bright colors. Gone are the funky art prints her mom favored, and in their places are family photos and the old artwork her grandmother loved. In fact, the whole house looks just like it did back when her grandmother was alive, and Sam's mom has started praying before meals and giving Sam dirty looks when she swears, which she never did before. And then, there's the jar of human teeth that Sam finds buried under a rose bush...

I'm super not into horror, but I'm to the point where I trust T. Kingfisher's writing, and I don't regret it. This book definitely leans into the Southern Gothic, and there are definitely some scary elements, but I listened to it with great enjoyment and no nightmares after. Mary Robinette Kowal does an excellent job with the audiobook narration. I liked the affectionate mother/daughter relationship, and the tiniest hint of possible romance. There's also plenty of humor. Recommended, even for the squeamish. ( )