The House

The story of Delilah Blue and Gavin Timothy reads like a spooky John Green book. This is meant to be a YA novel but the two teens speak and interact like adults. It worked for me though.
Christina Lauren are two talented authors. The writing is flawless. The story flows seamlessly and the suspense keeps you turning pages.
Delilah has been away from her hometown for years because she protected Gavin from bullies. She has unconsciously been fascinated with him ever since. When she returns they fall into a deep relationship together. Normally I hate insta love but with the creepy backdrop and the paranormal activity happening it lent it some authenticity.
We learn early on that the house is alive. Not in a is it or isn't it? It is a very definite paranormal happening going on and I loved it. I was dying to find out how House became what it was and what happened to Gavin's family. Chilling things happen around ever turn.
Then the climax happens and I liked it, but felt slightly cheated. With such a creative idea and the wonderful writing I was expecting more than the "big reveal." That is the reason behind the four stars. I'd still recommend to both adults and teens. The sexuality between the two isn't too shocking for a YA novel.

“He was Delilah’s form of kryptonite"
Hauntingly suspenseful!
I was on the end of my seat the entire book!
Loved every second of it!!

Quotes
“She was like a firecracker standing too close to a match: all potential energy, still wrapped up so neatly. He wanted to watch her explode. Hell, he was the watch. He wanted to make her explode.”

”The thing is, I’m yours. I don’t belong to anyone but you. I’m scared that you’ll never be mine the same way.”

"What do you want from me, Delilah?"
"I want to be the only girl you look at."
"You already are."

"When I get you to say more than two words at a time, I feel like I've won something major."
"Like a trophy made of chest hair." he teased.
"Like a war."

"Did you want to be my boyfriend?" she asked, eyebrows pulled close together. She looked preemptively mad, as if she were preparing for a fight.
For a war.
As if he could have said no. He nodded slowly. It seem predestined, he realized, that the girl would walk back into this dirty rumbling school with an unending tangle of words and innocence trailing behind her, And that the first thing she would want was him.

This was gripping... I just couldn't put it down and I loved every page...

The book itself, is a great but boring book... The only reason I say boring, is because the chapters are titled Him and Her, I expected that if they are titled that way, it would be told from the characters Point Of View, which is not. I usually like when the story is told by the characters point of view because you see or feel how they feel, in ever step of the book, and when it's told by the Author's point of view, you feel what he is telling you, not what the characters are going through. That is the only down side about the book, that I have, but other than that, the book is really interesting. I find it very unique and House is very interesting how it comes to life an takes care of Gavin.

I loved these characters instantly. They were different and very refreshing. Especially the heroine. The actual story, though, was pretty predictable. But even with that I really enjoyed it. And even though I could guess at the ending, it still had an overall unique feel. I had a hard time putting it down. It was fast paced and I was still on the edge of my seat the whole time. Solid 4 stars.

I started reading this and couldnt put it down until I finished it that day. It's an amazing book full of scary thrilling moments and also very romantic moments! Definitely one of my top favorite books!

3 1/2 STARS

I love the other books I've read by Christina Lauren so I was really excited to see another style of writing for them. This book started out slow to me. it wasn't like slow where you don't know what's going on but slow in the fact that it didn't captivate me right away. At about half way is where it picked up to me. Even though this book wasn't one of my favorite books, I do believe this would actually be a wonderdul movie. Throughout this whole book I find myself hoping they make this a movie so I can watch it. I do think it would be a hit.

With all that said, I do think this was an extremely creative book. The storyline and things they came up with were incredible. Maybe that's why I think it would make it as a movie.

There’s something about the winter months that makes me long for a good scary book! I picked up The House based on a recommendation from a fellow blogger and although it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, I still really enjoyed it.

The story follows Delilah Blue, a high school senior who has recently returned to her hometown after years away in private school. Then there’s Gavin, the boy Delilah’s had a crush on since grade school. No one has actually seen his mom in many years and Gavin carries a secret about the strange house he lives in, the one most people around town call "The Patchwork House". After all these years, Delilah finds herself drawn again to Gavin and the mysterious house he lives in. Delilah’s curiosity and fearlessness calls to Gavin and he can’t help but be drawn to her in return. As their relationship progresses, Gavin realizes he must reveal all the secrets of his life to Delilah. He must tell her about House and the only way to do that is to take her home and introduce them.

I loved that this story was told in the alternating POVs of Delilah and Gavin. There's Delilah’s POV, she's initially fascinated and excited to learn the secrets of Gavin's House and wants to understand and befriend it but is only seen by House as the enemy. Then there’s Gavin’s POV, he’s never received anything but love, affection and nurturing from House, he's always been cared for and never wanted for anything. So he initially doesn’t understand why Delilah is worried or scared and just wanted House and Delilah to get along. The story probably would have been scarier if it was only told through Delilah’s POV but I actually really liked it this way, getting both sides of the story. As for the characters themselves, I loved Delilah and Gavin. They’re different and unique and don’t try to hide that about themselves, they’re comfortable with who they are. I love that we’re seeing more characters like this popping up in YA books!

Initially I was looking for a dark and scary haunted house story, one that would keep me up late into the night with fright but that’s not really what The House is. It’s more of a fun, spooky story that has a great mystery surrounding it; it actually reminded me of the movie Monster House, but geared more towards teens. The characters were fully fleshed out, the spooky parts were perfectly spooky, and everything paranormal worked within the parameters of the story. In the end, I had no lingering questions regarding the story-line because all elements were explained and told in a way that was entirely believable while reading it. To me, that's the sign of a well told and well written paranormal story!

I really only had one issue with the book and I’m sure it’s something that won’t bother most readers at all. While reading, I kept thinking about how much my 12 year old son would love this book and the writing style seemed geared towards younger YA readers at times. I was actually going to pass it along to him when I was finished, until I got to the love scene. Now, I’m totally fine with love scenes in YA and this one was done beautifully, not too descriptive but still coming across in a mature manor. I just didn’t understand why it was needed in a story like this. Leave out the love scene and you have a fantastically creepy haunted house story that can be read by teens, tweens and adults, and I probably would have rated it 5 stars. Put the love scene in and this book is geared towards older teens and adults. This would be fine except the rest of the book, in regards to the writing, then seems too simplistic and juvenile. The story could have been made darker and scarier if it was meant for older readers. So I was really confused by the author’s choice to put in a love scene that really had no bearing on the plot. It only served in eliminating the potential for younger YA readers yet the book was written largely on their reading level.

Overall, The House is a great blend of mystery, suspense and romance; plus I had a whole lot of cover love for this one! There were so many theories swirling around in my head regarding House and why nobody ever saw Gavin’s mom. It was a lot of fun trying to figure out the possibilities and seeing how it would all play out in the end. The story is vividly written with House becoming just as big of a character as Delilah and Gavin. Would definitely recommend this one for mature readers who like a few spooky thrills but nothing to scary or dark!

The House was intriguing concept that I liked, but also fell flat. The start was a little slow and rocky, but the pacing evened out, and I started looking forward to what would happen next. What House would do next!

Delilah is back in her hometown, back in the public high school, after years of being at a girls only boarding school. She still has one friend, and it doesn't take long for her to realize that her childhood crush is alive and well. Gavin is exactly as she remembered. Dark and brooding, tall and lanky, but with a sweet heart and killer smile. And he is surrounded in mystery. As Delilah and Gavin grow closer, that mystery is brought to life. And it is more than Delilah could ever have imagined. At first, she is intrigued by House, delighted. But she soon realizes that the House isn't as benign as it seems. Now she has to prove that to Gavin, and get them away from House.... before they both end up dead.

House... House was the best character in this story. Every element of house was alive. Everything had it's own name. The House cared for Gavin, raised him from a young boy. It fed him, made sure he had money. Took care of him when he was sick. Fireplace lit p for him when he came home. Piano taught him to play, and how to dance. House loved him. But House was darker and more sinister than Gavin ever knew. It watched him, everywhere he went. It could attach itself to any inanimate object that had been inside Gate, and use it to spy on his every move. And House hated Delilah. It hurt her, scared her, as much as it loved Gavin. House was a pretty cool character, and the best part of the story.
Delilah was an okay character, as was Gavin, but neither seemed all that well-developed. It felt like House was where the attention was, where all of the detail and development were, and the other characters were more of an after-thought. The most I really got about Delilah was that she was sort of a Goth. She drew daggers and bloody stuff. She liked horror movies and ghosts. And Gavin had House and loved to draw. The biggest problem was, this was never really shown. Just stated, and that made it almost pointless, and harder to relate to, or care about, either of them. The first half of the book was getting to know Delilah and Gavin and setting up their relationship. I had a really hard time staying involved in the story. There were multiple times I wanted to just put it down. House showed up at the right time!

This wasn't a bad book by any means, even though it might seem like it. Christina Lauren definitely has a good imagination, and I think she has what it takes to write a truly great, spooky story. Unfortunately, there was just too much lacking in The House for me.

Get out of your comfort zones and read The House!! Suspenseful, spooky, and hauntingly romantic.

I am a huge Christina Lauren fan so I was very excited to get my hands on The House! Thank you, Christina for the ARC!

I must admit, unlike the other novels by this amazing duo, it did take me awhile to get into this one. I think it was around 100 pages in when I was finally gripped by the story but after that it was smooth sailing! You couldn't pull my head out of the spines even if you tried!

This story is told from the dual pov of Gavin and Delilah. Delilah Blue returns to her Hometown for her senior year after being away at an all girl private school for the past 6 years. After all these years, she finds herself still drawn to Gavin; the boy who keeps to himself, the boy who lives in "The Patchwork House", whose mother hasn't been seen in a long, long time.

I'm not going to go into details on the plot, it's better to be left surprised :) The House is VERY different from other Christina Lauren books so just get that out of your head right away, but not in a bad way! This duo has done an amazing job here! Their writing is always top notch and they have managed to paint some very vivid imagery.

And in true Christina Lauren fashion, there is some romance mixed in with all the creepiness. Sure it was a little bit of an insta- love going on but hey it worked! It was that sweet, so wrapped up in the other person, first love that everyone can relate to.

I loved seeing the female in the alpha role! Delilah was such a treat. Always the one protecting Gavin and making sure he was okay. And guess what, Gavin is fine with it! I think he secretly loves it.

My one issue with this book is the ending. It did feel a little rushed and unsettled to me. I found myself wanting to know more! But I can look over that.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it to anyone looking for something a little spooky this Halloween!