As much as I wanted to love this it unfortunately fell a little flat for me. Although I felt like I was thrown into the middle of a story, I was sucked into this book at first. I loved the horror aspect and I was reading so quickly through the first part. Then the second part came into play. I was confused and it felt a little disjointed but I was still soldiering on, convinced there was going to be a twist. And there was. And it was fine. Everything after the first part honestly just felt clunky and weird. I sped read the third part because I just wanted to get it over with. This is my first book by this author and maybe it’s just not the writing style for me. Such a bummer since I loved the synopsis and the cover. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy

As a horror story, this just didn’t work for me. The situations were too far-fetched, laughable in several cases. However, the structure of the novel was creative and I liked how all of the important people/things reappeared several times throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for the ARC to read and review.

I will not be giving feedback on this title. I apologize but I don't remember asking for this book but if I did, again....I am sorry.

Richard moves in with his Aunt and Uncle after his parents' tragic death. He's instantly an outcast. One of his only friends is reluctant to participate in a prank call but when he does, he's sucked through the phone. When another boy disappears, Richard is in the spotlight as now there are two missing boys. (NOTE: This reads VERY middle-grade)

Cut to 15 years later..... well, no. I'm not going to cut to 15 years later because it would spoil it.

I think that this writer has that something special that is necessary to write horror. While the jump 15 years is a nice element, the first part did read a bit too junior for me. Still, this had everything else I love, creep house included.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel before its publication date.

This was creepy. There were so many layers. I can't explain too much without spoiling all the twists and turns in this horror/thriller. It was such a change from Nesbo's Harry Hole novels, which are also great. I've been a fan of horror for a LONG time, and this one definitely hit the spot!

This was ... so boring. I'm bummed because I was really excited.... but man, I couldn't stay interested for the life of me. It was a short book though, so yay?

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.