Can't-Wait Wednesday: Solace House by Will Maclean & Quaint Folk by Bitter Karella

    

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released!

Solace House by Will Maclean

Publication: October 13th, 2026

Grove Press

Hardcover. 512 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"You are about to enter a place of strange genius, possible madness, and timeless love . . .  

“The Secret History meets The Haunting of Hill House . . . rich, thoughtful, terrifying.”—Nicholas Binge, author of Dissolution  

An addictive and brilliant puzzle box of a novel following a group of university students who discover an astonishing secret while clearing out a neglected Victorian mansion  

For Alex Lane’s wealthy university friends, the summer break stretches out before them, full of promise and fabulous plans. But for Alex, broke as usual, going home is not an option. So when the university offers him an unusual summer job clearing out a dilapidated Victorian mansion, Solace House, he jumps at the chance.  

Alex joins an unlikely crew of students, from stoner Clive to uptight, short-tempered Helen, and the extremely peculiar Adam. Alex is particularly drawn to mercurial, red-headed Ella, and as the students begin sorting through piles of old newspapers and magazines, dusty antiques, and esoteric junk, Alex and Ella become enthralled by the elaborate and eerie journals of the house’s former owner, Edwin Flayne. In these diaries, Flayne details his obsession with his missing mother and his belief in a mysterious realm lying parallel to ours, along with coded instructions on how it might be reached.  

As the students gradually uncover the house’s secrets, the rift between those who want to delve further and those who believe they’ve already gone too far grows ever wider."

I love this cover and I love this premise! I love a parallel realm, a mysterious house, and especially comps with The Secret History and The Haunting of Hill House, both of which are favorites of mine (I never except comps to be that accurate, but I'm still caught up in them!). I got approved for this one on NetGalley and I can't wait to read it!

Quaint Folk by Bitter Karella

Publication: October 6th, 2026

Run For It

Paperback. 352 pages.

Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:

"The Wicker Man meets The Twisted Ones in Bitter Karella’s Quaint Folk—a queer folk horror novel that peels back the idyllic veneer of a seemingly perfect island town to reveal the rot beneath.   

From the outside, it looks like Jessica has the perfect life. She's a stay-at-home mom, married to a man with a respectable job, raising a son they adore. Her family is as wholesome as all-American pie. But deep down, Jessica knows there's something wrong with her; she knows she can't escape her past.   

When her husband’s job has them move abroad, Jessica thinks this is her chance for a fresh start. On the remote island of Hasenhurst, the modern world can’t get in. The people there grow their own herbs, make their own jam, and mind their own business. They believe in folk tales and the power of dreams. They tell visitors, we’re a quaint, quiet people. The right sort of family would do well here.  

Jessica is determined to be the right kind of person for a family—and a life—like this. But as she tries to befriend the townsfolk and learn their ways, she soon realizes that beneath the town’s cozy idyll, something sickly-sweet and rotten lays buried..."

I've just received an ARC of this and I am so excited to have a chance to check it out. I was a really big fan of Bitter Karella's Moonflow last year and I've been really excited to read more from them!