Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

House
House
House
Audiobook8 hours

House

Written by Christina Lauren

Narrated by Elizabeth Louise and Deacon Lee

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

About this audiobook

Delilah and Gavin’s new love is threatened by a force uncomfortably close to home in this haunting novel from New York Times bestselling duo Christina Lauren, authors of Beautiful Bastard.

His shirt is black, jeans are black, and shaggy black hair falls into his eyes. And when Gavin looks up at Delilah, the dark eyes shadowed with bluish circles seem to flicker to life.

He lives in that house, the one at the edge of town. Spooky and maybe haunted. Something worse than haunted. And Gavin is trapped by its secrets.

Delilah and Gavin can’t resist each other. But staying together will exact a price beyond their imagining.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 6, 2015
ISBN9781442384880
House
Author

Christina Lauren

Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of longtime writing partners and best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, the New York Times, USA TODAY, and #1 internationally bestselling authors of the Beautiful and Wild Seasons series, Autoboyography, Love and Other Words, Roomies, Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, The Unhoneymooners, The Soulmate Equation, Something Wilder, and The True Love Experiment. You can find them online at ChristinaLaurenBooks.com or @ChristinaLauren on Instagram.

More audiobooks from Christina Lauren

Related to House

Related audiobooks

YA Horror For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for House

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

93 ratings11 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It was totally unexpected and completely unlike anything I've read before. Loved it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What a unique storyline, well written, descriptive and great source of imagination.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Wow... Incredible. Definitely a book not to put down until you've finished!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book would make a creepy movie. A house that is alive, and caring for a child/teen is an interesting premise. There isn't any killing for a real horror movie, and the ending is highly satisfying, so Hollywood probably wouldn't want it. But I don't like creepy books, and I liked this one.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
     So, I really like this cover. That's ultimately why I bought it. I'm a sucker for a good cover. But, I do enjoy reading the odd spooky story. This unfortunatly, isn't all that spooky.

    Now, don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the premise, the idea of the story, but, it took FOREVER to get there. These characters are ridiculous. They are both so incredibly un-relatable. Ugh.

    It felt like, although there was a big scary house they had to deal with, sex was more important. Constantly touching each other was more important then the giant house that wanted to kill people!

    The last 50 pages were the most interesting, and still the book ended with a sex scene. Unnecessary. 
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I was fonder of the house than the people, so while an inventive story, it also proved a bit of a struggle to get through scenes with only the humans since they rarely felt all that human to me. After years away at boarding school, teenager Delilah returns to her home town every bit as consumed with and protective of the mysterious Gavin as she had been as a kid, the only problem is Gavin’s house, which is very much alive and very much an overbearing parent to Gavin. The house is even more consumed and protective of Gavin than Delilah is and it’s in no mood to share him.The house was easily the most interesting aspect of the book, I loved how it was temperamental one minute, warm and affectionate the next, and all the little details of how it “raised” Gavin were entertaining, too, showing Leave It To Beaver on the television, the way it had milk and cookies waiting, the transportation to school, providing the trampoline and taking it away, in many ways the house felt like a more realistic parent than either of Delilah’s parents did. It speaks to how little attachment I felt to the actual characters that even in the house’s sinister moments, I was more intrigued by what was going on with it, by its next conniving move than I was concerned for the people it threatened.I’m not someone who generally enjoys the villain more than the heroes so this book was an odd experience. I just had a really hard time buying into the characters, the extreme detachment of Delilah’s parents, the instantaneous obsessive feelings between Delilah and Gavin, the way Gavin had spent little to no time thinking about the unusual circumstances of his life including the absence of his parents, and it felt like the few who found out about House had fairly muted reactions rather than exhibiting more of the disbelief, fear, or just plain weirded out responses that you’d think a person would initially have to something so unexpected. Most everything about the characters felt so unreal that a house that’s alive somehow ended up seeming more believable. I had mixed feelings about the ending. I do appreciate it when the heroine is the one required to step up rather than play the damsel in distress, however, the ending seemed a little too easily accomplished, and again, with the unreal characters thing, I thought there maybe should have been more complicated/complex emotions from Gavin after everything. It also surprised me that a certain someone was simply mentioned rather than featured in a scene with Gavin considering the significance it would have had.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Synopsis: Gavin starts dating Delilah and as they grow close he decides to share a secret with her. He has been raised by an animate house. He doesn't know who his parents are or what became of them. Gavin wants Delilah to meet his house but they both quickly realize that House is none to happy to share Gavin with anyone. My rating: 4/5I really enjoyed this book. It was a lot of fun to read. I didn't know what to expect when I started reading the book but I was pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns the book took. I had two complaints about the book but they are fairly minor.Firstly, there are two characters that are important to the ending of the book that didn't really get much development early on. I think that was a mistake and seeing more of them early in the book would have made the role they play at the end make more sense. My second complaint is the ending itself. While obviously there has to be a suspension of disbelief for any book about an animate house, I felt the end was too unrealistic. It just didn't work for me. It wasn't terrible but I really wanted more from the ending. The rest of the book was solid though and I do recommend it to those who enjoy YA and horror. I am really glad I read this. I have read other books by this author and really enjoyed them. I look forward to reading more.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I've got such mixed feelings about this book, but in the end, it wasn't at all what I expected, and I can't say that I'd give the authors another try either, much as I loved the concept and wanted to love this book.First of all, this is a YA book--and there's no indication of that on the cover or in the blurb on the jacket. The ONLY indication is in small print, running sideways on the inside of the jacket, where it says 'Ages 14 up'--but, beyond that, there's no indication at all that this is YA or a book for teens. The author writes both YA and Adult works (supposedly), so that's also no help. Genre is also something of a surprise. This book is more romance than horror, and while it's meant to be a mash-up of the two, it seems clear that the authors were more engaged with the romance aspect than the horror. Considering that the book looks like a horror book and the blurb makes it sound like a horror book... again, it's a surprise. If I'd gone into the book expecting a YA romance enmeshed with a YA horror book, then maybe I would have fallen in love from the start, but instead I was incredibly put off.Then again, I love haunted house stories, and have never had any desire to try a YA romance, so maybe I'm just the type of reader that the marketers wanted to draw in. Well, that be the case or not, I was kind of disgusted and dismayed when I first started the book--it wasn't for me, and I wish the marketing had been on point enough to make that clear from the beginning.The thing is, the concept is interesting, and I wanted to love this book--I kept going, hoping the authors would move more toward horror, balancing things out since the beginning was more focused on romance, but that just didn't happen. I did get more interested in the book as it went on, but the genre never really satisfied. There were some creepy moments, yeah--not scary, certainly, which is what the blurb promised--but that's about it. Making things far worse, the horror element of the plot was wrapped up in one quick chapter that felt like it was over almost as soon as it began, so incredibly easy and happy-ending-ish that it kind of disgusted me... like the writers got to the part of the book that a horror reader would most love to really get wrapped up in, and were either too lazy to write it or just not interested in doing so. I read the last chapter, thinking there'd be more... and it was just an epilogue-ish wrap-up of the romance to ensure that that side of things got its forever-ago predicted happy-ever-after. (And, no, that's not a spoiler because this book is so clearly a romance, from the very beginning, that there's no question at all, ever, that that's where the authors are heading.)I'd also be remiss, considering the romance element, if I didn't mention that I never did get to like the female protagonist. In the beginning of the book, she simply annoyed me, and as things kept going, I got used to her... but I never really cared. I cared about the male protagonist and the horror element of the book, but both of those were given far less attention than the female voice.So, yeah, I didn't enjoy this. I'm giving it two stars only because, if I'd known exactly what I was getting into, I might have felt a little bit more generous toward the romance. Then again, if I'd known it was so much more romance than horror, I don't know that I would have bothered picking it up. And I've never read YA romance, so maybe this is a great, spooky read for that audience. But, for a horror reader, who loves both YA and Adult horror, it just doesn't measure up.I wouldn't recommend it, and I won't be giving the author another try, no matter how spooky r good a book looks or sounds since, quite obviously, the marketing for this book was intent on selling books at any cost rather than actually representing the story written on the pages.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Full review at Southern Bred, Southern Read!

    Before I actually start my review, I want to give a HUGE shout out to the authors Christina Lauren for gifting me an ARC of this book through Edelweiss. I loved that Lauren personally responded to my emails (which, lets me honest, were me basically begging for an ARC) and that she was SO nice. I am definitely a Christina Lauren fan now solely on how interactive they are with their fans.

    So, The House. Where do I even begin? This book was creepy AF. You know those movies you see late at night on the SyFy channel about haunted houses coming to life to plague their residents? Well, here ya go.

    Delilah Blue is back from spending six years away at an all girls boarding school across the country. Now that she is back, she has her eyes set on her long time crush, Gavin. He is just as mysterious and handsome as she remembers, but now she has had six years to build up the confidence to actually talk to him. Gavin and Delilah click instantly. They are both odd, but they work well together. Gavin hasn’t ever had a real girlfriend like Delilah, and he hasn’t ever been to the point in a relationship to bring a girl home. No biggie right? Well, the catch is that Gavin doesn’t have parents. Well, he had parents at one time but they disappeared. Ever since he can remember, he has been living alone in The House. At first House seems almost enchanted like in Beauty and the Beast. However, you start to realize there is something a bit more sinister going on in House than just fun loving moving furniture. Once Gavin brings Delilah to House and they really start to develop their relationship, it is easy to see that House isn’t having it. Like an overprotective parent that doesn’t want their little sparrow to fly, House wants to keep Gavin all to its self. When Gavin pushes back and insists on having Delilah as part of his life, House takes a dark turn and starts to target Delilah outside of the Walls as an extreme form of warning.

    I thought going into this (with the knowledge of Christina Lauren’s other NA books) that this was going to be some super weird/awesome smutty horror book. Let’s just say that if I didn’t know Christina Lauren were the authors, I would have NEVER guessed they were. The romance in the book is very slim. There is a strong emotional (dare I say insta-love.. but y’all know I don’t mind insta-love so I don’t say it as a bad ting) romance between the main characters. As for physical contact, there is some kissing here and there, a few non-descript sex scenes, and that’s about it. I don’t know if they left out all the smutty goodness because the characters are young in this book (17, almost 18) or because they were focusing mainly on the story. They even set it up in the beginning to where you think you’re about to embark on this weird smut fest—they go into detail about Gavin’s manliness and about Delilah’s obsession with medieval torture tools… Either way, it wasn’t what I was expecting. I don’t think all of this is necessarily a bad thing, but you have to clear your mind of what you think this book will be like if you have read other Christina Lauren books. Go in open-minded and thinking of it more as a YA horror novel and you won’t be disappointed.




    My first reaction when I finished (because I did finish this all in less than a day) was disappointment. I was really hoping for some good Christina Lauren- style NA smut, but when that didn’t happen, I was pretty pissed. Now that I have had time to sleep on it, I can actually appreciate the book for what it is. Because of this, I change my rating from barely a 3 to a 3.5/4. The book is really creepy, the characters are funny, and overall the story isn’t bad. There are some big plot holes that I wish were addressed, but I don’t want to get into them because they happen at the end of the book and are spoilers. I think if those plot holes would have been filled, I could have possibly stretched my rating to a 4 star. There are just too many things that don’t make sense at this point for me to, unfortunately.

    I would say definitely give this book a chance. It actually reminded me of Anna Dressed in Blood, so if you are a fan of Kendare Blake’s writing then you probably will enjoy this. It’s finally October so it is the season of creepy books, so when this book comes out on October 6th definitely add it to your list!

    3.5/5 stars
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A somewhat underwhelming story. It did have its moments but the conclusion was where this book shined. it was tense and fraught with a terrifying entity. For most of the book however, the pace was slow and even the sweet romance couldn't detract from that fact. That being said, the ending was fantastic and made reading The House totally worth my time.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one! There is nothing like a unique and twisted book that leaves you in awe! I mean, really. This book wasn't what I expected. After reading the blurb, not only did I know I needed this book, but I anticipated some heebie jeebies. I sure got more than I bargained for!

    The blurb lead me to believe that someone creepy and dangerous lived inside this house that everyone was afraid of. I didn't expect for the house itself to be the creepy and dangerous being. Yes, THE HOUSE. It's alive. It's self-sufficient. It even had feelings and mood swings. Say what? Yes, you read that right. It's almost like the house edition of Mad Max. The original one. Some of you reading this review might be a bit young to know what I am talking about, but anyhow...

    This isn't just a story about a house who is alive. It's about two teenagers who fall for one another, but can't be together... because of house. Okay, so the story really is more about the house than anything. The house is protective. The house is jealous. The house is angry. The house will stop at nothing to keep Gavin in it forever.

    Gavin's mother has been MIA since he could remember. He has never known anything but the house. It takes care of him. It feeds him. It keeps him safe. It calms him when he is upset. It takes care of him when he is sick. Now enters this new female in his life and house is not happy. House will do anything to scare her off; to keep Gavin as its own.

    This story is all kinds of unique and goosebumps. I really enjoyed reading this book. I couldn't seem to put it down. It had all of the feels of eeriness and chills, but still not too spooky that my young teenagers wouldn't be able to read. I really like coming across books that both me and my children can enjoy equally.