Review by Booklist Review
In the summer of 1987, Mark worked at the local ice-cream stand, where the product was subpar and a wasp's nest hung ominously outside the window. It is the summer he fell in love with the middle Farrow sister, a horror-reading witch, a complex and beguiling girl whose family members are the town pariahs. It is also the summer when a very real ghost began haunting him. Looking back as an adult, Mark spins a vivid tale of the shattered innocence that now defines him. The book is filled with evocative and captivating scenes, strong female characters, and an engaging narration; readers will become engrossed immediately, while the threat and fear at the heart of this story, satisfyingly, sneak up on them. The provocative title, paired with equally intriguing chapter titles, allows the tension and pacing to steadily increase until that titular nest--and all of the consequences from a lifetime of choices--come violently crashing down upon Mark. This spectacular example of the coming-of-age horror novel, the best since Jonathan Janz's Children of the Dark (2016) and Gwendolyn Kiste's The Rust Maidens (2018) and reminiscent of Robert McCammon's Boy's Life (1991), will delight and chill the subgenre's numerous fans.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
It's 1987, and Mark Prewitt has the whole summer looming ahead of him. His only goals are to avoid his father's new wife and spend time with his friends. Before he knows it, however, he and his friends have pulled an awful prank on the town pariahs, the Farrow sisters. Mark regrets it immediately, and when he goes to make amends, he is swept up into the Farrows' mesmerizing world. Mark is especially drawn to George, the middle sister, who dabbles in witchcraft and talks Mark into participating in a séance to contact her dead sister. However, when his friends find out about their blossoming relationship, Mark is ostracized and must choose between the two worlds. McGregor's (Bad Wolf) latest is a hypnotic and hazy tale of long summer nights with no parents (or cell phones) in sight, conveying the spirit of being young, carefree, and reckless. Dan Lawson narrates Mark, a boy on the cusp of manhood as he learns that actions have consequences. VERDICT Full of pop-culture references, satanic panic, and nostalgia, this novel is a love letter to times past. Perfect for fans of Jeffrey Eugenides's The Virgin Suicides or Robert R. McCammon's Boy's Life.--Elyssa Everling
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