We listened to this on a little family road trip to tour a university--the perfect short audiobook for a 2 hour drive. We discussed what worked and didn't work when we finished. There was a shared appreciation for the mother/daughter relationship and the set up with the new house. We liked the slow process of grieving the loss of a loved one while trying to go on living. The smart house technology was fun and we enjoyed the creepy element of the dolls/puppets/creatures.
I felt like the dual narrative was unnecessary. I preferred Scout's (the daughter) POV more than the mother's (Jules). The dark academia element with the daughter and her character arc was so much more dynamic.
We all felt that the story was a little predictable and unrealistic.
The boyfriend needed more of a backstory.
Still, an enjoyable and entertaining audiobook experience for making the time go by in the car