This book. It was wild. The Patient has been described as “The Silent Patient meets Stephen King” and yes- that’s fairly accurate. I was a big fan of The Silent Patient and I’ve seen almost all of Stephen King’s movies, so this was a no-brainer for me. While I really enjoyed it, it was a little too much horror for me (but I usually avoid the genre altogether, so I’m not sure what I was thinking). One of the things I LOVED is that this was written as a forum post. This book packed a punch for sure...and it was so short! The ending was super abrupt (which added to the creep factor), but it was so abrupt that I had to consult @morbidsoulbooks to make sure I was understanding what had just happened. Let me tell you- it is quite the ending. If you’re a horror fan, don’t miss this. If you’re on the fence with horror, this one is definitely worth a shot. I’m excited to see what else Jasper DeWitt comes up with!

This one doesn't start out as a horror story. I wasn't convinced that it was going that route until about half way through it. The doctors in the story are somewhat believable. What I really enjoyed was the ending. I don't know what the psychologist is really doing after he sets up his practice. Creepy.

As someone who works with children in the mental health field, I thoroughly enjoyed the creep-factor this novel delivered. I've wondered in the past if calling something "psychotic" makes it impossible for there to be paranormal influence. Sounds like the author and I think alike. Loved everything about this! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Parker H has found himself working at a place he refers to as the Connecticut State Mental Hospital. The young psychiatrist is full of zeal and wants to dig right into his case load. He observes the hands off approach his immediate superior has and is not impressed, especially the mysterious "Joe" that resides well away from the other patients. Seems "Joe" is far from the ideal patient.

Parker begins his journey into madness by asking questions about "Joe". When that isn't enough, he goes to the records department and requests all the records on "Joe" including two cassette tapes. "Joe" has been with the institution from the age of six to present - he is now 40. All of those that have worked directly with "Joe" have either left in a very bad state or have taken their life. There are no explanations. And four years of missing information in his records. What is the Director hiding?

Written as blog posts compiled into book format, The Patient by Jasper DeWitt, is a compelling read. Parker H. becomes the one and only, at great cost. "Joe" is so much more than anyone could ever imagine. Was it worth it? Depends on circumstance. What would you do?

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and Jasper DeWitt for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This book was just not for me. I thought it was more of a psychological thriller and it was more of a horror book. I think this is a good book for any horror fans.

I received a digital arc to review from Netgalley for an honest opinion. Thank you.

Unfortunately, I didn't mesh well with this book at all, primarily with the writing. I know this has good reviews so far and I'm very glad that people are enjoying this book. I unfortunately was not one of those people, and I'm going to chalk it up to, "It's not the book, it's me."

Thanks to the publisher for providing my copy of the book in exchange for my review!

The curse of the overhyped book strikes again for me. I had been hearing how unique The Patient was and was reading comparisons to The Silent Patient which I think led me astray. This title had a heavy sci-fi component at one point which I think was ultimately the dealbreaker for me and it didn't seem like a very new story. This is a very quick read which is probably why I stuck with it but wouldn't ultimately recommend.

So I think this could have been a great book if it was marketed differently. In my opinion this was not a thriller or suspense book. It was not riveting or bone chilling or any of the other quotes in the endorsements. What I think it could have been is a brilliant and scathing satirical humorous take on forum posters. The premise of the book being these forum posts was unique and really well done it seems easy but I think DeWitt did a really good job of capturing the voice of these types of guys. This anonymous poster is full of it and of himself and he's really getting off on this attention from his post. He keeps dragging it out and stopping at hook points "because it's so hard" you don't know if you are supposed to believe him or if he even believes himself or if the whole thing is a joke, a story, a social experiment. His story isn't very good. It's not scary at all, it's super predictable of course it was going to be a possession. And the details were so far fetched it was funny. The way he saw and talked about himself and his supposed oblivion to what was really going on at the end was really well done. It really felt like some schmuck trolling a forum. Now if that had actually been the authors intention then he did a remarkable job and I would have given the book 5 stars. As it stands though I think I'm supposed to read this as an actual horror/suspense novel based on the endorsements and marketing in which case if that was the authors intention. He did a terrible job. As an actual borrow novel I would give this one star. But if he got screwed over by marketing I feel bad for him and his actual writing gets 5 stars. I'd like to know from him what his intentions were.

Parker begins his first job as a psychiatrist at a hospital in Connecticut, and right away he's warned to stay away from a specific patient- Joe. All other patients and staff except for a few select nurses are banned from going in to his room. He's labeled as dangerous and incurable. But this just makes Parker want to know more- and to try and cure him. But then when he gets the chance to treat him, Joe just seems like a normal, sane person, not this crazy monster that they've portrayed him as. What's really going on here? Parker decides that he needs to find out for himself.

I had heard such great things and couldn't wait to read this, so I was so excited when I got approved for the ARC. The story is told through online blog entries years after everything has happened, which makes for such a fun way to find out what happened and to really hear the struggle that Parker had at different parts of it- and how hard it is for him to even write about it. The book overall leans a little more to horror rather than your typical thriller, which I love! But the book is very short- only a little over 200 pages, and I think because of that, it almost felt a little rushed to get to the good parts. I felt like I was left wanting more when I finished it, so it didn't get as high of a rating as I would've hoped. Still a really unique story, and would absolutely recommend to horror fans!

The Patient by Jasper DeWitt
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Parker H. has a terrifying story to tell on a Reddit-esc message board. Told in installments, Parker explains his time as a young psychiatrist at a particularly run-down psychiatric hospital in New England. The patients are run-of-the-mill, except for Joe. Joe was checked in as a six year old boy and never checked out. His symptoms rapidly changed, making him challenging to treat and impossible to diagnose. Now as a 40 year old man, Joe is kept in isolation with very limited staff interaction and no therapy. Every single psychiatrist who has tried to treat Joe has met an untimely end, either through the loss of their minds, the loss of their lives, or both. Confident Parker is ready to throw his hat in the ring and treat Joe... but what he discovers is more terrifying and reason-defying than he can imagine.

I’m so sad to write this review because I should have loved this book. It has been described as The Silent Patient meets Stephen King, after all! And parts of this story I did enjoy, namely that it is fast paced and draws you in immediately. My first problem is the length. At just over 200 pages, this story is FAR too short and as such feels underdeveloped. Reading it on an e-reader added to this... I looked down at the percent read and gasped when I saw that I read about 45% of the book in an hour. My second problem with this story is that the protagonist arrived at the “twist” too abruptly. Without spoiling anything, I had a hard time believing that a psychiatrist could make such a ridiculous jump. The ending also didn’t do it for me. I’m giving this one three stars because the first half was really enjoyable, and I couldn’t put it down. The Patient would have benefited from at least 150 more pages of plot development, and left me feeling wistful for what could have been. Thank you @houghtonmifflinharcourt and @netgalley for my advanced reader’s copy! The Patient is out on 7/7.

Despite knowing that I have a hard time appreciating books that fall under the Horror genre, I thought the synopsis for The Patient sounded too intriguing to pass up. Unfortunately, it was just another book that proved this genre isn’t for me.

I just found the story really boring. I was not, at any point, even the smallest bit freaked out or spooked by what I read. I thought at the very least there would be a creepy atmosphere around the hospital, but I didn’t really get that. I thought the mystery surrounding Joe seemed interesting, but it was approached in such a clinical way at first, that it never felt scary. Even when the story morphed into something that was obviously supernatural, I was still just kind of bored with it. It did sometimes have some graphically gross descriptions, but gore doesn’t really make up for lack of suspense or thrills for me.

I also thought there was a real missed opportunity in the formatting of the story. Parker is supposed to be sharing his story in multiple online forum entries. He makes reference to people’s comments to his posts, but we don’t actually ever see those comments. I felt it would have lent some credibility to the format to include those. As it was, other than the date that begins each chapter and Parker explicitly stating at the beginning of each entry that he’s writing this on the internet, there’s nothing about the storytelling that makes it any different than a normal narrative.

Overall, The Patient was a letdown for me. It didn’t live up to it’s intriguing premise and I didn’t really understand the narrative choices. However, you should keep in mind that this isn’t really my genre and maybe die hard Horror fans will think differently.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 2 Stars

**Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for a chance to read & review an E-ARC of this novel!**

I was very much looking forward to this read & I really enjoyed it until things took an unexpected turn. Please find my extended feedback below...along with some spoilers (beware).
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Things I Liked:
-the focus on the healing power of therapy & the promotion of mental health
-I liked the creepy aspects of the story...the unexplained that helped build the plot
-the blog style of the writing was a fun way to tell the story
-the way the characters
-I liked the length & pacing of the novel. It helped me stay hooked on part of the story I enjoyed.

Things That Didn't Sit Quite Right With Me:
-the plot twist...the paranormal explanation...I just really didn't like it. It felt like a let down to me. But, that's just my style...I prefer that stories have logical explanations. Other people may really enjoy that plot twist.
-the ending felt rushed or out of place...it didn't fit the story to me. I felt like the open ending left it unresolved in a way that was supposed to be creepy...but just fell flat to me.

Overall, I gave this novel 2 stars. It was a great read for about 75%, but then it went downhill for me. I just don't enjoy the paranormal aspects. I think it would be a great read for those interested in reading novels with themes paranormal themes, thriller aspects, creepy vibes, & books with mental health messages.

In a series of online posts, Parker H., a young cocky psychiatrist, writes about his time working at a mental hospital in New England. While working there he seriously underestimates a dangerous patient and shit gets REAL fast! ( and by real...I mean NOT real but freaking weird).

When I started reading this story I had different expectations to where it would lead me . I thought this was more of a psychological thriller but as I read it warped into a supernatural or horror like read. The entire story is told from one perspective, it is actually written as if it came from an online blog post. I appreciated the concept but because it was so one dimensional it fell flat. I would have enjoyed reading the "response posts" to the blog entries. They are repeatedly hinted at but never in detail.

Overall the novel was unsual and gripping but it felt lacking to me. The turn from thriller to supernatural was unexpected and I didnt care for where it took me. Prior to that happening I was fully engaged and enthralled in this book and really wish it hadnt changed course.

I recieved a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley im exchange for an honest review.

This is a short book but oh so good. The story took off and sucked me in. The end felt rushed but it’s still a fun quick read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with the digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a WOW factor book for me.
Kind of made me feel like I was reading a Stephen King novel.
Creepy, supernatural, horror read.
The plot the story line, Was amazingly written!

Thank you to NetGalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and the author for the ARC of The Patient in return for my honest review.

This book was not what I expected---in a good way!! This psychological horror novel has a very dark subject matter with a supernatural twist. The author tells the story through an online forum thread post which makes for a very interesting and different read.

This book kept me turning the pages, although I did guess where the story was going I really enjoyed Jasper DeWitt's character and writing style.

Step out of your typical reading style selections and dive into this twisty and intense read!

Let me set the scene: it’s 2008, your girl is orange as she spends all her time in tanning beds (the future world leaders on The Jersey Shore don’t say it’s bad for you), it’s time for bed so I pull out my computer...I want to keep myself awake with horror stories...it’s Creepypasta time....hello Reddit....enter The Patient.

Parker is on his first real assignment as a psychologist. His first big patient has never been properly diagnosed, he seems to evolve over time. Every doctor that has worked with this patient, Joe, has left the field or committed suicide, but Parker is determined, smart, and young. He’ll risk everything to help Joe....he just didn’t realize how sick Joe is.

Told through a series of online journal posts, this book is the “found footage” of books. I’ve always loved this concept in movies, and I enjoyed it in this book. Creepypasta is a 2000’s phenomenon, think Slenderman here, and The Patient is the epitome of what it was. A first person narrative dealing with a paranormal entity or local urban legend. I love for stories like this.

This story is described as The Silent Patient but make it horror and that’s the perfect description. There is an atmospheric, creepy vibe from the first page. I really wanted more character development. I didn’t really feel anything for the characters, I was mainly riveted by the mystery of what was wrong with Joe.

I read this book in a day, it’s not very long. I haven’t finished a book in under 12 hrs in a long time. If you’re a horror fan, I recommend you check this one out on July 7th. Thank you to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for my review copy.

This book really held my attention and was really enjoyable in a dark sort of way. Was easy to read in a day and I really enjoyed the journal entry type style writing.

This will keep you hooked and guessing till the very end! An excellent read

Obviously these last couple of NetGalley Arc's I have choosen have not been very good choices!

The Patient, by Jasper DeWitt sounded like something I would enjoy & it certainly began that way & continued for about 45% of the book. A new young dictor beginning to work in a Mental Institition and discovering an almost 30 year old patient who had been there since he was 5 or 6 years old. This patient receives no visitors or any type of interaction with doctors or therapists. Quite intriguing to the new hot shot doctor!

This was the point where it started to read like an outline of a story that had not had all the details fleshed out and it continued like this through the end.

I guess I can't quite tell you to not read it as it is somewhat fascinating and different, along with the fact it is quite short, so does not take a long time to finish. Just be aware that you will probably have wished for a bit more. It is supposed to be made into a movie, so maybe wait for that in hopes of there being more background included in the film.

Wow! What a disturbing read. Joe has been in an institution since he was 6. Many psychiatrists have tried to cure him but no one can really diagnose his condition.
Thirty years later, Parker, a new psychiatrist thinks he can figure it all out. Is Joe an innocent man being kept locked up or is he really an evil being causing lots of harm to others around him.
This is a very interesting read, the pincers grabbed me and kept me reading til the very end.