I read The Companion by Katie Alender as part of my TBR and because it was one of my most anticipated reads.

We follow Margot whose entire family died in an accident and everyone tells her how lucky she is. But then Margot gets taken in by a wealthy family and finds out the true reason for their kindness: to be a Companion for their daughter with a strange illness. When Margot discovers the secrets lurking in the Copeland Hall estate, she can’t help but wonder: is she lucky?

I had really hyped this book and I’d heard such good things about this. Going into this book, I was expecting a creepy read. However, I didn’t really get creepy vibes while reading. In fact, I was pretty disappointed. Maybe I’ve watched too much ID channel or too many lifetime movies.

So the whole premise of this story is that Margot is always told how lucky she is. When she moves in with the Sutton’s at the Copeland Hall estate, she soon finds out that the house is full of mystery and secrets. Once strange things start happening, Margot is left questioning her luck. I had read an excerpt of this book and was so excited to find out what happens. It seemed so promising and like the perfectly spooky story to get me ready for Halloween. Unfortunately, the execution did not pan out.

The Companion: My Verdict

Described in some parts almost as a living thing, we’re supposed to think of Copeland Hall as a haunted house with untold secrets and overall a spooky vibe. In some aspects of the book this worked well, but for the most part I just didn’t get a general haunted-house-spooky vibe at all. I think that is one of the biggest problems with this book. We’re supposed to be thinking that part of the reason Agatha gets sick is from something in the house. Nothing made me connect the house with her illness or even creeped me out.

There were a lot of things that didn’t have any backstory or “tied ends.” I wanted more on Laura. She made comments and then that would be it. I wanted more information or context; why did she hate the phrase “right as rain?” I understand wanting a complex character but it just felt forced to make for an unstable character. I also didn’t understand Margot in the fact that she questioned things and acted like she knew what was going on but still went along with what was happening. Why make her wary and naive at the same time? I wasn’t exactly sure what Alender was trying to do.

Probably one of the biggest issues I personally had was that it was too predictable. There were no twists in it that I did not see coming. This felt like a lifetime movie I’ve seen more than once.

While I wasn’t a fan of it, it has a high rating on Goodreads. Many do enjoy it and think it is creepy enough and has enough twists and turns for their liking. If you’re into mysterious estates and dysfunctional families with secrets, definitely check it out. Maybe you’ll enjoy it more than I did!