The Underbrothers by Simon Hacker

I bought The Underbrothers by Simon Hacker because I know Simon in real life! I was very excited that he’d written a book and wanted to read it. BUT it’s a genre I don’t like (young adult ghost story), so I had to be pretty brave to read it. I wasn’t sure whether I would like it and I really wanted to like it – if that makes sense.

The good news is – I really liked it!

The Underbrothers is the story of 15 year old Scarlett, who moves to a remote mansion with her family. Scarlett and her slightly geeky younger brother, Roan, aren’t happy to be forced to leave London.

Scarlett makes friends with Isabel, the girl from the neighbouring farm. Roan sets about reading everything he can find in their new home’s library. And Isabel tells them more about the dark history of Whitecross Hall.

It’s not long before unexplained things start to happen to Roan, then to the rest of the family. And Isabel behaves very strangely sometimes. Is she really ill or is there something else going on?

Meanwhile, Scarlett’s father hasn’t been completely honest with his family about his plans for their new home. Just as they start to settle, will he force them to move again?

The Underbrothers is a really entertaining read. Scarlett and Roan are completely believable teenagers – all of the dialogue and their behaviour is spot-on. I was pleased that it wasn’t ‘just’ a ghost story. There was more to it than that. It was far-fetched, but something about it seemed like it could all be real.

If you (or any teenagers you know), enjoy a haunted house story, I would definitely recommend The Underbrothers.

Will I read another ghost story? Probably not until someone else I know writes one, but it’s nice to step out of my comfort zone from time to time.

You can buy The Underbrothers on Amazon here.