Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino Review

 Title: Best Offer Wins

Author: Marisa Kashino

Age Group: Adult

Genre: Horror/Thriller

Series: Standalone

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

I was given an advanced readers’ copy of this book from the publisher, Celadon Books. My thanks to the publisher and the author.

I received this book in the mail two months ago, and I finished it a little over a week ago. I never imagined I’d be reading a horror story about the housing market; this book was unlike any I’d ever read before. I’ll be honest, I’m still thinking about it. This book asks the question: How far would you go for the perfect house? The perfect life? Delightfully suspenseful and creepy, Best Offer Wins was chilling, darkly funny, and I couldn’t look away, even as it made me wince and cringe. My heart was racing the entire time I was reading, and I was waiting eagerly for the twisty, disturbing ending. Even as Margo fell further down the rabbit hole in pursuit of the perfect life, I couldn’t help rooting for her. This book was a crazy, wild ride, and I really enjoyed it.

Margo Miyake is on the hunt for the perfect home. After repeated rejections, she is getting desperate. When she finds the ideal home in a beautiful neighborhood, she slowly becomes obsessed with acquiring the house. But her quest for getting her life on track leads her down a dark path. A bit of stalking never hurts. Breaking and entering? Unfortunately necessary. As she infiltrates the lives of the owners, she becomes increasingly unhinged. Losing control and spinning out, Margo needs to get closer to her husband, Ian, and have a baby. How far will she go to make her dreams into reality?

This book was exceptional; I was immediately spellbound by Margo’s clipped, biting, and darkly funny voice. The pacing was immediate; I read half of the book in three days. It was darkly funny, frightening, and shocking; I’m still thinking about that ending, and it’s been more than a week. Despite myself, I wanted Margo to achieve what she wanted to do, even as I cringed, even as I wanted to look away. I normally avoid thrillers; I can usually guess what happens within the first ninety pages, but this book threw me for a loop with each new chapter. It was hard to pace my!self, because I just wanted to read the entire thing in one sitting! Marisa Kashino is a sharp and biting new talent, and I can’t wait to see what she cooks up next! The bottom line: Darkly funny and totally jaw-dropping, I loved Best Offer Wins!