Book Review: Sign Here

SIGN HERE | Claudia Lux
10.25.2022 | Berkley
Rating: 5/5 stars

Peyote Trip has a pretty good gig in the deals department on the fifth floor of Hell. Sure, none of the pens work, the coffee machine has been out of order for a century, and the only drink on offer is Jägermeister, but Pey has a plan—and all he needs is one last member of the Harrison family to sell their soul.

When the Harrisons retreat to the family lake house for the summer, with their daughter Mickey’s precocious new friend, Ruth, in tow, the opportunity Pey has waited a millennium for might finally be in his grasp. And with the help of his charismatic coworker Calamity, he sets a plan in motion.

But things aren’t always as they seem, on Earth or in Hell. And as old secrets and new dangers scrape away at the Harrisons’ shiny surface, revealing the darkness beneath, everyone must face the consequences of their choices.

Sign Here is the book I didn’t know I needed in my life! My 2023 reading list just found it’s number one read of the year so far! I know it’s only April, but this one is going to be hard to top.

Am I kicking myself for waiting so many months to read it? Definitely! Will I now be forcing it on everyone I know? Duh!

The story kicks off introducing the reader to one of several narrators, Peyote, who just so happens to work in Hell. Yep, that Hell. I loved Pey from the start! Lux gives him a great humorous streak that won me over, but what sold me completely was his true depth of character. I promise, you’ll understand what I mean when you read this one and find out all the details about Hell. Our other narrators are from the Harrison family and let me just say it now…they’ve got some secrets! I loved that Lux let the reader meet several members of the family, allowing you to get to know them all through each other’s eyes, along with their own opinions of themselves.

The story alternates between Pey and the Harrison family’s adventures, which are connected, but also stand alone as two great stories. Even though you know the storylines are connected, they don’t overly rely on one another to progress, which I thought was genius. I was truly able to immerse myself in both without constantly guessing when the connection would be revealed. Lux smartly brings the two back together at the end with a finale that kept me on my toes.

I’m still in awe that this is Lux’s debut novel. The writing and story development felt like they came from an author who has been publishing for quite a while. I’m very eager to see what Lux comes up with next!