First published 2025
Clio Louise Barnes has built a perfect life as a stylist and influencer, but she keeps one family secret buried. Her mother Alex once claimed their childhood home was possessed by a demon. The courts disagreed when they removed Alex's custody, and Clio's sisters remember things differently. After Alex dies suddenly, the three sisters inherit the house. While her sisters want nothing to do with the place that represents their trauma, Clio sees potential content for her house flipping brand. She starts renovating, confident the demon story was just her mother's mental breakdown. But as Clio strips wallpaper and tears down walls, strange things begin happening. She finally reads the book Alex wrote about their experiences in the house. Memories she had suppressed start returning. The presence her mother described becomes impossible to ignore. Something malevolent lives in these rooms, and it knows Clio has returned. The renovation project turns into a fight for survival as Clio realizes her mother was telling the truth. The demon threatens everything Clio has worked to build, forcing her to confront the ugly realities beneath her polished exterior.
Genres: mystery, horror, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Childhood Home
336 pages · Hardcover · Berkley
Content warnings: anxiety, depression, mental-illness