Can this book be ANY MORE wild. I was stuck between “letting it go” because I am not a fan of horror and it was getting gruesome, to “I can’t stop reading” because there were so many twists, especially between parts 1, 2 and 3. This book kept me on my toes, and right when you thought you were getting to an end, there was more. We meet Richard, in the beginning who is a teen and is living with his aunt and uncle after the tragic death of his parents, he’s a bully, but then when his friends started to disappear in these CRAZY ways he’s sent away because he’s a suspect, but then he saves the day when he saves the day in some way, its crazy how everything happens, and then part 2 changes how you view part 1 and part 3 seals it all, but then leaves you hanging a little, it’s a wild ride I will say that.

Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Richard is a 14 year old outcast living with his aunt and uncle after his parents pass away. When one of his classmates disappears, no one believes Richard when he tells them that his classmate was eaten by a telephone receiver. Soon more children disappear and Richard fights to prove his innocence.
This book is difficult to review without spoiling, but it was a lot of fun. It is written in 3 parts and is very short overall. The first part has the energy of an 80's horror film, with lots of tension and terrifying imagery. I did not expect the direction this book took and there were major twists. I really enjoyed this one-another spooky read just in time for Halloween! Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This is a quick read, disturbing and unpleasant. It’s an odd combination of “can’t-put-it-down” and “is-it-over-yet”. There’s an unreliable narrator, twists, and stories within stories. It should have been darkly delightful. Instead, for me, it was just unsettling. It’s going to give me nightmares but not because it was a great story. I didn’t enjoy it, but it got under my skin. I could see this working for someone looking for an 80s/90s classic horror film vibe, but it is not something I enjoyed or would recommend to friends. As much as I enjoy Nesbo’s Harry Hole novels and his version of Macbeth, I’m sorry I read this one.

Ebook/Psychological Horror: May contain spoilers of plot. I would like to thank Netgalley for a copy of the book.
I almost didn't finish this book. I was reading through Part 1 and I was getting bored because it was very much like NOS4A2. I had a stopping point right at the beginning of Part 2 and it took me a week to pick it back up. When the events went into overdrive, I figured it out; mostly because I have a sister with the same problem as Richard. My theory was proven correct in Part 3. It's not a bad tale, but makes light of the seriousness of mental health and its treatments.

One of the most ambitious, unique and impressive books I’ve ever read. This one could end up dividing BookTok, but I found myself captivated by the characters, the story and massive swings Nesbo takes with his storytelling. I don’t want to spoil anything, so check it out for yourself!

Fourteen-year-old Richard Elauved was your typical boy teenager getting into trouble and hanging out with his friends. He was a bully of sorts always daring the weaker kids to do things to make himself feel superior. Since his parents died, he went to live with his aunt and uncle in the town of Ballantyne. Every time his guardians turned around he was in trouble, but the biggest issue was yet to come.

One day while Richard was out with his friend Tom, they happened upon an old house up on a hill. Outside the house sat a phone booth. Richard, being the silly kid that he was, decided to goad Tom into picking up the phone and seeing what would happen. Tom wasn’t going to do it, but he decided he would show Richard he wasn’t a punk. In the phone booth was a directory. As they went down the page they saw a particular name come up. Richard dared Tom again to pick up the receiver and call the residents inside the spooky house.

Tom picks up the phone and the next thing you know, Richard is in the police precinct being questioned as to the disappearance of his classmate, Tom. Richard saw what happened to Tom and he advised his findings to the police, but they didn’t believe his story. Tom’s parents demanded answers and the townspeople were up in arms and worried they had some deranged teenager in their midst. Richard didn’t know what to do. The police advised Richard’s guardians that they believed Richard knew exactly what he did to his classmate. All seemed to get a little quiet in Ballantyne, that is until another classmate of Richard’s goes missing. Just what exactly was happening in the sleepy town of Ballantyne? Welp, in order to find that out, you must read further.

I absolutely loved this horror novel. What I loved about it was the many levels the reader will encounter. Just when you think you understand what is going on, you quickly realize, “that isn’t it.” 😂 You read some more and you think, “ok, I’ve got it now!” And then, boom! You still haven’t quite gotten it right. When an author can scare you, make you think and keep you engaged all at the same time, why you’ve got yourself a recipe for horror. I’m so here for it. I loved this story from beginning to end. What an interesting spin!

Awesome read!!!!

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. I’m really glad Nesbø ventured into the horror genre- this was a fun read! It makes sense, as some of his typical crime fiction can be pretty gruesome. This reminded me a lot of Stephen King, both in writing style and plot points. This didn’t blow me out of the water, but it was fun to read for spooky season!

Very twisty thriller, with good horror elements. Has vibes similar to Stephen King. Not entirely sure what happened but like that it was left open-ended like that, with a circular story and questions of what was real or imagined. Easy, quick read and I'm interested in reading more from the author.

So it's just horror Redshirts but not as interesting, yeah? The first part is fine and then it devolves into what feels like a half-assed writing exercise by someone who thinks they're being really smart.

I'm not usually negative on here, but I found parts two and three tedious. First part was fine though.

I had seen this book being read by many social media people that I follow so I had high hopes but was ultimately let down. It wasn’t bad per se but it wasn’t a favorite either.

Such a great spooky read! I wasn’t sure what to expect from a horror novel written by Jo Nesbo but I was pleasantly surprised! It grabbed me from the beginning and didn’t let me go once. I read this in two sittings! At first I was getting major Stephen King vibes, which I loved, but about halfway through those sort of disappeared and the novel really came into its own. Very twisty and shocking, with well-utilized splashes of gore and the exact right amount of WTF moments. I hope Nesbo writes more in this genre!

I am loathe to read books whose sell copy starts with some teen age person, finds powers, attends arcane academy — But, books from the point of view of a child or children (think "Stand by Me," by Stephen King) are right up my alley vis a vis scare factor and creepiness value. Part one of THE NIGHT HOUSE definitely has the necessary horrify factor.

I often start writing my review while I'm still reading the book. It isn't often that I've been wrong about the general trend of a book. However, I can say that when it comes to THE NIGHT HOUSE, I was totally wrong in comparing it to what I did. Yes, part one involves tween boys — tween middle school and high school. But "Stand by Me" it's not.

Jo Nesbø has penned the same story three times between the covers of THE NIGHT HOUSE and leaves it to the reader to decide which one to believe. Are we to believe the fantastic tale related by Richard Elauved? And what kind of name is Elauved anyway? Are we dealing with true psychopathy or just one boy's vivid imagination?

There are parts of this book that struck the right note of horror for me and others that did not. I'm all for the laughable bit that follows the truly horrific to break the tension felt by the reader. When the dread is missing and the premise borders on the ludicrous it is hard to suspend disbelief. I wonder if something was lost in translation.

The cover is fantastic! Drew me in right from the start, and made me believe, as with the title, that I was going to be reading a horror novel. But this wasn't the case, at least not horror in my eyes. This was more of a horror thriller since there were some horror elements and scenes that blur the lines. So I will review this based on the story itself and not based on the cover. Because when I decided to keep reading past the first part and give this one a chance I was glad I did.

This book delivers in three parts, with the reader being introduced to Richard in part one, a teenage bully who is sent to live with his aunt and uncle after losing his parents. Naturally he is taking his anger out on his fellow classmates. He and a boy from school, Tom, take a walk and come across a phone booth in the middle of the woods. The boys decide to prank call someone and some serious craziness proceeds to happen. So begins this bizarre chain of events that culminates with moving onto parts two and three where we are still with Richard 15 years later. This book needs to be read to be believed because the craziness continues throughout. This definitely has a RL Stine feel to it.

I absolutely love Nesbo's characterization in The Night House. He delivers such eccentric personalities, and I could easily picture each one. All of the characters appear in all three parts with the reader piecing together who is who. The story throws curveballs all over the place and I loved trying to figure things out. Unbelievable and surprising are definitely constant themes throughout.

It's an extraordinarily surreal and quirky book that alters reality for a few hours and left me mulling over all of the pieces. Not because I needed to, but because I wanted to - because I wanted to open up the book at the beginning and start over to see how it all fits. This book's third part ends with the idea that it actually could start all over. And I am totally for it.

🏚Ending left me down🙁

3.5-4🌟stars
I have to give this story a mixed review as in large part I enjoyed it but that did not last through to the end.

The first two-thirds of The Night House were original, fast-paced, scary and terrific (in both senses of the word) entertainment and I would have rated close to 4.5🌟 stars. Richard, the teenage outsider in a small town main character, heads a doomed cast of adolescent characters battling a mysterious, evil enemy and there are even secrets found in the small, dusty local library and a fantastic, dilapidated house with a creepy, destructive tree smack dab in its center. I loved their adventures and the hint of romance included; I could have done with more story in this vein.

Maybe that's why the two sections in the last third, and especially the last part, did not click so well for me and brought my rating down. The second section was a bit like a frenetic zombie plot (zombie enthusiasts might love it but I'm not actually a zombie fan) and the finale was too heavy on psychiatric discussion and quite static, plus it left me confused. I think the first two sections will probably appeal to a younger readership gearing up for a fright-filled Halloween.

Thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

This novel is a bit different, perhaps because it's a Norwegian author. It's divided into three parts and, though all have the same characters and a connected plot, each part has a unique feel and makes you question what's really going on. Though it's spread out and can take a few chapters to get to, the horror is imaginative. Part one could have been a standalone horror novella, as could part two (with some details added to establish the situation). But by the time you get to part three, everything turns around. A lot of questions are answered, but some are left hanging. Overall, it's a decent read.

This horror book was divided into three sections. The first section was amazing and if the book had stopped at the end of this section it would have been a solid five star read for me. The second part was strange and the third part was predictable to the point of me wishing I hadn't read it.

I'm honestly not even sure how to respond to this book. Part one reads like an R.L. Stine Goosebumps book and I loved every second of it. The unrealistic but still kind of spooky vibe to it was amazing.

Then part two hits and you start questioning what to believe. You suddenly realize that what was totally fiction may actually be real and all of the lines of reality start to bleed together.

THEN PART THREE HITS. And you're let questioning literally everything. All of it.

I honestly think this was an amazing book, because you don't know what was real and what wasn't. It's creepy in the best sort of way.

Nope not my book, It was just a no, not to many people getting sucked through a phone just hit something I could get into

3.75 stars.

A fast paced twisty super natural horror that will have you thinking “wait, what???”.
I was into this from the very beginning, it lost me a bit at the beginning of part 2 but quickly dragged me back in to its bendy mind f*ck. The horror here is unique and provides great visuals that would be amazing in film. I’m still not sure I know what actually happened, but one thing I do know is it is all connected. I would love to read more like this from Nesbø!

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC (▰˘◡˘▰)

Thank you to PRHAudio for the complimentary audiobook and Knopf Publishing for the ARC!

Richard is a mean, angry fourteen year old kid with only two friends - Tom and Karen. One day, he and Tom are making prank phone calls when the phone literally eats Tom alive. Since Richard was the last one to see Tom, nobody believes his a ridiculous story and when another kid from the town goes missing, Richard is the prime suspect. Fueled by anger, fear and the desire to clear his name, Richard sets out to get to the bottom of what exactly is going on.

And I’m still not sure if I know exactly what was going on 😂 Told in three very different parts, just as the tension was building in each section, Nesbo switched direction and I was slightly jarred going into the next part. But once I got my footing, the second part was just as exciting as the first, then we came into the third where my jaw dropped. On audio, Michael Crouch did an amazing job narrating this unbelievable story and brought Richard perfectly to life. This was one book I had to think on in the quiet for a bit after I finished. Dripping with terror and interspersed with horror, this book needs to be on your fall TBR list!

“The Night House” releases October 3, 2023! This review will be shared to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly.