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.

I'm not completely sure how to describe my feelings toward this book. I did like it as a whole, but I was left confused a lot of the time about what was real or imagined. Part one was my favorite as we follow the weird things happening around Richard a young boy who ends up being a suspect in the disappearance of two other boys. There is a sinister figure lurking in the background of this story that seems to be behind all the horrible things happening, and Richard is trying to stop him before something else happens.
Part 2 made me rethink everything we read in the first part, at least until the end (of part 2) which made me rethink all of what I had just read all over again. The ending I felt while it did explain all of what had been happening kind of made the rest of the story less scary and weird, and I think we could have done without that whole part entirely. The Night House is full of twists and turns. Creepy and Bizarre and I never knew where the story was heading or what was going to happen next.
This is the first book, I have read by this author and I would be interested in reading his other books.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC.

This book is separated into 3 parts. Part 1 starts off strong the whole time I’m trying to figure out what is reality and how could that be actually happening or is it ?

Part 2 fast forward 15 years and reunion and hits you with a plot twist

Part 3 we get answers! I’m glad I actually finished this book because everything was tied in nicely. I’m not sure how I felt about Karen and my heart just breaks for Richard.

First book from this author and I have another one on my shelf that I’ll be giving a try.

I was a little confused by this book. It wasn’t what I was expecting and the writing was also not what I was expecting. It read like an R.L. Stine book- more Young Adult with some hokey aspects that felt very unrealistic. Which is usually not a big deal for me, but since I wasn’t expecting the writing style to be like that, it threw me off a bit.

The translation seemed to not be fully edited, which is to be expected in an ARC along with spelling and grammatical errors. but there were so many that it just really took me out of the book. A lot of sentences didn’t make sense due to the translation not being fully 100%.

Overall, not my favorite book. But I have a feeling once it is fully edited, I will feel differently.

"She’s going to burn. The girl you love is going to burn. There’s nothing you can do about it."

Delicious read that reminded mi a lot of young Stephen King and "his kids" adventures.
When you just think that you are reading a very enjoyable young adult read, the theme twist and turns and you find yourself wondering " What's next?"
A very different book from the author, it will give you chills!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I don't know what I just read, but it was very bizarre. I've read Nesbo before, and this did not feel like a Nesbo book. It was real, but it wasn't real?! I was more confused than not while reading.

Alright so…. I enjoyed this book. It’s divided into three events over the course of the narrator's life, and admittedly the first section is the strongest. It starts with the MC as a kid. He's a bit of a bully, no less, which may make him a little unsympathetic at the beginning. But a couple of kids last seen with him go missing, and his account of what actually happened to them is too bizarre to sound true. Hence, he’s shipped off to an institution for troubled young teens. The bizarre nature of everything that happens because of a connection to a man we never really meet in a house in the middle of a forest (his name is Imu Jonasson) is what really pulls the reader into the story.

Part Two revisits the kid as an adult upon his return home for a school reunion. He proves that, as the kid, maybe he was an unreliable narrator, but he's come to terms with that, and he wants to make amends for his bullying ways. Except things go awry—because of that house again, and maybe he wasn’t as unreliable a narrator as we thought.

Part three flips the narrative again in an interesting turn, though maybe not in the same horrific way that the first two thirds of the book play out. I think some readers might find the ending to be a letdown because maybe it doesn’t hold the same horrific tone. For me though, it was satisfying enough. As far as a character arc goes, it works..

Thank you NetGalley, and the publisher, for the ARC.

I love Jo Nesbo, and was very excited to hear he was writing a horror book. I want to start by saying if you’re imagining Harry Hole style, this is not it. Luckily, I was hoping for a different style, and this coming of age horror shows his range as a writer. I love the coming of age teen horror, and that’s what you’ll get…in the beginning. Then it had several twists that kept me guessing. Just when I thought I had it figured out - I didn’t. For those afraid of gore, I thought this was more horror lite - focused on the characters more than the gore. I really enjoyed it and hope Nesbo continues to branch out!

I loved The Night House's throwback cover so very much. This was my first Jo Nesbo novel and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I'll absolutely be circling back for his other novels.

A Mystery Set In An Enigma Hidden Within a Nightmare
The Night House was unusual, eerie, and horrifying. The twisty turny plot kept me reading, but at the end, I can't say I was satisfied. I couldn't help but root for Richard, despite his darkness.
But, I don't think I've ever experienced a more unreliable narrator. I questioned my attachment to him plenty as the story unwound. I don't want to write more because this plot should not be spoiled.
Thank you to author Jo Nesbø; Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor; and NetGalley for the free advance reader's copy. I'm under no obligation to them for their gift, however, and my review is my own opinion. The Night House is a good read.

2.5 stars. I feel like this was well written, but the ending was a complete cop out. I also hate books that use mental illness as the reason for horror. I’m so tired of mental illnesses being vilified and while it may not seem as though this book is doing that at first, it ultimately comes down to people with mental illness being othered. Jo should stick to the Harry Hole series, though it’s been so many years since I read that that maybe I’m missing what could have been wrong with those as well.

I’m honestly having a hard time even figuring out what I just read, let alone how I want to rate it. However, I think I really liked this book but I can definitely see why others do not.

We follow Richard as a kid and then later as an adult. A lot of crazy things happen to him and there’s a creepy night house at the center of it all. This synopsis is really lacking in what this story actually is but saying much else will be a spoiler. Just know that there’s some stories within stories and a lot is revealed along the way that changes the whole story. I would recommend going in blind for this one!

This book was a total roller coaster but I really liked it. It reminded me of a Catriona Ward book, it’s like idk what’s going on but in the end it all makes sense and I enjoyed the ride. The spooky vibes were in full effect throughout the story and I loved the atmosphere. I feel like others won’t like this book but you just have to roll with the punches and go along with it until the end. There were some crazy twists throughout this book and I did not see them coming at all. I’m talking about like major story changing twists. I think you have to be a specific type of reader for this book. If you like weird horror but also being a bit lost throughout the book, I think you would like this book. Also, I absolutely love this cover!

Overall, this book was not at all what I was expecting but I had a good time. I think you just have to roll with the punches with this one and go in blind! Thanks so much to netgalley and Knopf for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book was interesting. The 14year old's perspective is written well. It was definitely creepy and held my attention. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Sometimes there is a fine line in the genre that separates horror from psychological thriller. The Night House is truly a horror story. Translated from the Norwegian, Jo Nesbo’s twisty, spine-tingling tale has 1980s horror film vibes. This novel focuses on 14-year-old outcast Richard Elauved. After his parents die in a fire, Richard is sent to live in a small country town named Ballantyne. Soon after, his classmates start curiously disappearing. In the nearby woods he discovers an evil presence housed in an old, abandoned phone booth. Now his mission is to stop the harmful force that appears to prey on everyone’s fears. Read at your own risk -- it gave me the willies.

Richard’s parents were killed in a house fire, leaving the fourteen-year-old to live with his aunt and uncle in a small town. Richard has a difficult time making friends and even makes some enemies, so when his classmate Tom goes missing, Richard becomes the primary suspect. Worst of all, he really was the one to see Tom last, but no one believes the outrageous tale he tells about what happened. No one but another student who is also a bit of an outsider. Together, they decide to find the truth of what happened, which leads them to a town secret. When another classmate goes missing, Richard knows he must prove his innocence before it’s too late to save himself.

Well, this was a weird one. The story is told in three sections, and each time a new section starts I had to completely rethink the previous part of the book. This was an interesting approach and I quite liked it, especially as it was so unexpected. The sections were not created equally, though. The first was strong and kept me completely immersed, but the second section felt weak in comparison. It had much less horror than the first section and lacked the tension that had been present. I enjoyed the third section even less, though it did tie things together neatly.

There were certainly some gory parts, especially in the first section. The book also becomes quite bizarre rather quickly. There were also many mentions of white word and black word magic, although there was no meaningful discussion of what this meant until well after the halfway mark. I know the concept is relatively clear from its name, but having magic thrown in with no real explanation or reason isn’t something I prefer.

This work was a translation of the original, and the translator did an excellent job. However, the author’s writing style is rather young adult and simplistic, which worked in the first section but felt at odds with the other two sections. I did notice that only one person’s race was mentioned, and it was a blind older Black man who was exceedingly wise and helpful (outdated trope).

If you’re looking for a weird read that’s somewhat gory horror, then you might enjoy this one. My thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for allowing me to read this work, which will be published October 3, 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.