Review: Suburban Hell

Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What do you get when you mix chick/mom lit with horror? You get "Suburban Hell," the perfect melding of both genres. Not too horrifying and not too mom-ish. Just the ideal book for a beach read or when you want something lite!

Four women with the prerequisite toddlers and Kindergarteners -Melissa, Amy, Liz, and Jess want a "She Shed". Well, one starts to get built but unbeknownst to Liz, the mom building it, something horrible is going to be unleashed. And it really isn't pretty!

Now Amy has to take steps to release what has been unleashed. So she reaches out to the others in their little group to stop what has taken over their pal.

I loved this book. The women were so diverse. The author made them come alive for me. I would want these women for my own friends, and the neighborhood was just so perfect. It was like stepping back in time what with the parties that would close off the streets and the school fairs. However, this book also had the feel of the modern what with the kitchen reveal that one neighbor devised.

Frankly, I don't know why I loved this book but suffice it to say that I did, and it is going to go on my 'comfort book' shelf so I can re-read this book for Halloween!

*ARC supplied by the publisher PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons, the author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS:"Bad Moms meets My Best Friend’s Exorcism in this lite-horror-comedy about a group of women in the Chicago 'burbs, whose cul-de-sac gets a new neighbor: a demon.

Amy Foster considers herself lucky. After she left the city and went full minivan, she found her place quickly with neighbors Liz, Jess, and Melissa, together snarking the “Mom Mafia” from the outskirts of the PTA mom crowd. So, one night during their monthly wine get-together, the newfound crew concoct a plan for a clubhouse She Shed in Liz’s backyard – the perfect space for just them, no spouses or kids allowed.

But the night after they christen the space with a ceremonial drink, things start to feel…off. What they didn’t expect was for Liz’s little home improvement project to release a demonic force that turns their quiet suburban enclave into something out of a nightmare. And that’s before the Homeowners’ Association gets wind of it.

Just as Liz is turned into a creepy doll face overnight, cases of haunting activity around the neighborhood intensify, and even the calmest moms can’t justify the strange burn marks, self-moving dolls, and horrible smells surrounding their possessed friend, Liz. Together, Amy, Jess, and Melissa must fight back the evil spirit to save Liz and the neighborhood…before the suburbs go completely to hell. But at least they don’t have to deal with the PTA, right?"