I really enjoyed this! Imagine if Stephen King wrote a Goosebumps book. This is the perfect read for spooky season. This is my first book by Jo Nesbo and I plan to check out more this fall!

Much to be appreciated about The Night House - a clever approach to many aspects of horror, highlighting dark corners of dreams vs reality, pretty hefty gore scenes, and an inception-like plot that kept me spiraling. This read like a YA, which I don't mind but I was expecting something different. I was a little confused by the many characters and they seemed to play a different role in each section, which by the end makes sense and can add to the uniqueness of this book. Overall enjoyed!

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a novel to appreciate gradually. Which is to say, for the first 60% or so, it reads like a rather plain and nearly YA story of a not-particularly likeable fourteen-year-old around whom kids tend to disappear in particularly gruesome fashions.
That’s part one. Part two sees the boy as a man returning back to his small town and offers a very fun turn. And then the final and shortest part three really twists things up. So the overall effect is that of cleverness. You just have to get there.
I like these sorts of narratives. I like originality and plot twists and something different from the traditional formula, so this really worked for me.
The writing itself was very plain. Scandinavian plain and then some. No idea how much of it is translator’s fault, besides, I was reading an ARC, so no final judgments there, I suppose. But the book was fun. And it’s always nice to see an author write outside of their comfort zone and stretch out their genre muscles. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

Thank you netgalley for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed the first half of this book, as it was my first Jo Nesbø. A payphone eating a child in the first few pages? Wild. This story is so eery, unique and somewhat twisty. It's kinda short in my opinion for a horror novel. I like the longer ones, but if you're looking for a quick read then this is perfect! I just felt like I needed more out of it, though it was a fun time! I'd definitely give Jo's work another look for spooky season. 3.5 stars!

Okay I have no idea what I just read.. I've never read Nesbo but heard great things, particularly about the Harry Hole books, and the cover and blurb were so intriguing that it seemed like a perfect way to dive into the author's work.

It opened incredibly vividly and I was immediately hooked - until things started to go not only sideways but crosswise and diagonally and then in 57 other directions that only quantum physicists could explain... It got weird. And not good weird, but bizarre, doesn't make sense, feels like things are being thrown in just to get a reaction weird.

That's when it started losing me, and I never felt like I got the threads back under control. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but this time it just didn't work for me. I found myself confused but not really interested enough to figure out what was going on. Despite it's very short length, I started skimming - which is never a good sign - in the hopes of finding my way back into the story, but ultimately never did. This one wasn't for me.

This book was wild.

I'm still not sure what exactly happened. Our narrator, Richard, seemed to be a complicated person. There were many things not as they seem. I did find it compelling enough to keep reading, and I kept trying to figure out what exactly was happening. The pressure was increasing as the book went along. Overall, I'm glad to have read it.

Thanks to Net Galley for the book to review.

I personally stopped after chapter 1. It’s easy to read and easy to follow. I don’t have enough experience in the genre to have a feel for how it compares, but it seems like an easy three/four stars for those who enjoy the genre.

I thought Jo Nesbo wrote mysteries and didn’t notice this was a horror. Horror doesn’t usually move well in our libraries so it’s not generally a good fit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC.

The characters have a small town feel to them which works successfully within the story. The plot is well done and divided into three parts. It does take a bit to catch your attention, but once it’s done, you won’t let go. The author’s style of writing was dark and creepy. Overall, a clever story that camouflaged the surprises quite well.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.

As I've said before I enjoy a dual timeline story and this did not disappoint. Each section was written at a different part of his life, and each felt so different. The writing was told differently if that makes sense. Which is amazing because you will obviously tell and see things differently based on the age you are. I've never read this author before, had only heard things but I'm a new fan

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor- Random House for an advance copy of this horror book dealing with a young boy, the past, a phone booth, and being an outsider in a small town where people keep disappearing

Back in the day I pretty much read anything I could get my hands on. Some of what I read was great, some was life changing, some were fun. I did most of my book acquiring at our local library book sales. Every other month they would have a three day sale, and on the third day a bag of books cost a whole dollar. And I could pack a bag full of books. I didn't bother with hardcovers, something I regret to this day because I loved paperbacks, many of which I still have. And this is how I discovered horror stories. In the 80's there were so many publishers printing anything horror, new works, anthologies, classics, chthonic. Publishers like Zebra, Twilight, even the big ones Avon and Ballantine had a lot of horror. Covers filled with blood, or weird creatures, with huge titles and small text for writers, unless they were getting big. I remember those days with a fondness, as one never really knew what one would get reading these. The Night House by Norwegian bestselling author, screenwriter, musician and more Jo Nesbrø is a salute to that past, of grocery store horror stories that demand to be read under the covers with flashlights in mouths to cover the whimpers of fear.

Readers are introduced to the lead of this novel, Richard Elauved, age fourteen, as he is making fun of a boy's stutter, and drowing Luke Skywalker, all in attempt to make himself feel better, and seem important. Sent to live with his aunt and uncle after a house fire kills his parents, Richard is not having an easy time in the small town he has found himself in. Not wanting to go home yet, Richard dares his friend Tom to make a phone call at the creepy phone booth at the edge of town. And Tom disappears. Richard is sure he saw the phone suck Tom in, but no on believes him at all. Soon a second person disappears and Richard must do what the cops are incapable of, find out what is going on, with only the help of a fellow outsider who seems to like him. Though liking Richard might not be a good thing, as Richard might know more than what he is telling us.

A spooky, dark, kind of gory tale, that would have fit perfectly in a spinner rack at my pharmacy in town. The cover, the title, even the way of righting and atmosphere is all a throwback to the glory days of paperback horror, though now with the Knopf name as the publisher. The story is weird, odd, and icky, with a lot of jumps and changes in where the story is going. The characters can be a little problematic, as none of them are really people one starts to care about. However they do get a little clearer, and more evil in some ways. There is s strong feeling of Satanic Panic around the book too, which gives it a aura of evil and wrongness that really makes the story darker and deeper. A sort of Stranger Things with a lot of In the Mouth of Madness.

Good story, good classic 80's horror feel. This should spook a lot of people. For readers of Robert McCammon, especially Boy's Life and Charles L. Grant and his Oxrun Station series.

This Book: A young teen encounters unexplainable, terrifying events & has to solve the mystery before it’s all blamed on him. This Reviewer: A not-so-young woman finished the book this morning & can’t stop thinking about it.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect with this book & I quickly lost track of how many times I thought, “What the f- is happening?” As the first book by Nesbo that I’ve read, I have no idea how this book compares, but I do know that I very much appreciate it - it was absolutely not what I was expecting (& it’s very difficult to express my full opinion without accidentally spoiling something!). Nesbo has such a way with words, weaving in details that seem to both stick out but seem irrelevant or confusing, until they’re not. And it’s details like these that I love most about horror as a genre.

This was such an interesting & unique story that seemed messy at first but ultimately became something more solid & emotional as the mess of puzzle pieces fall together. It gave me a lot of vibes similar to, “Something Wicked This Way Comes.” I cannot wait to have friends read this book so that we can all spend a couple of hours discussing it!

Thank you to NetGalley & Knopf for sharing this ebook ARC for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book. To be honest in the beginning I didn't know what to expect; I mean, a kid gets eaten by a telephone. There were several instances throughout the book where I had to stop and take in what I had just read. When you get to part two you think "Oh, ok, I see now, makes sense..." but as you continue to read it turns into "WTH is going on!?". Part three wraps it all up in a nice little bow, and I loved it! I will definitely be checking out more books by Jo Nesbo!

This story leads one way and you think you've got it, only to make u turn. This is a unique take on horror and at the end you're turned around again. Is it really the musings of a man in an insane asylum?

I picked up this book because of the cover. It's got that cool old-school horror paperback look.

The first part of the book was fantastic. A payphone literally eats a child in the first few pages. The magicadas (sp?) and Night House are eery and wonderful. However, our narrator, Richard, is unreliable. Keep that in mind from the beginning because things get... twisty. I really like the whole kids on bikes fighting evil thing, and you get that kinda in the beginning, but then things change. It is however pretty short for a horror book, so if you want a quicker read, pick it up and try it out. Jo Nesbo is a great writer, it just left me wanting a little more. Well, maybe a little less so it would be more.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this early!

So I really didn’t know what to expect going in to this and I’m still not sure how to feel after finishing it. This had some body horror with a lot of chaos that made for a twisty psychological thriller. I honestly don’t know how it all fits together or what the ending means. I probably should know, but I either missed some stuff or it’s just not clicking.

The Night House by Jo Nesbo was received directly from the publisher and I chose to review it. I was one of the few who had never heard of this writer before, to the best of my memory goes. Anyway while reading this book, which had its moments and rarely bored me into skimming, I was not sure if I was reading Young Adult materials or if just the writing was like that. As always, I will not go into plot, as most every other reviewer does that. There is a twist ending, so if, you or a person you buy gifts for likes this author. wants to experience his foray into horror, or just want to read a new horror novel, give this one a read.

3 Stars

I LOVE haunted house stories and this cover is AMAZING! This started off really strong. I had to suspend belief, but that's easy for me with this type of book. It got a little strange at about 75%. I wasn't sure what the author was trying to do. It came together in the end, but it was a little rough and hard to follow. I would have liked a smoother ending. Plus some things that happened in the end just didn't make sense based on what I knew about the characters. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early!

This was my first ever Jo Nesbo book. So I went into this blindly knowing nothing about the author's writing style or even what this book was about. I just wanted to try something from an author that I typically heard good things about.

But this wasn't what I expected. There was so much going on here. It just feels that for such a short book that there are so many random things just thrown in here to get a reaction, and I personally just wanted it to stop. I wouldn't say that I found anything to be particularly spooky and at times I even thought it was ridiculous and silly. Which I unfortunately don't think was what the author was going for. I also think this read like it was written for a more of a middle grade audience, and usually, middle grade thrillers or horrors don't really work for me.

I think maybe I wasn't the best reader for this, but I would definitely be interested in picking up other books from this author in the future.

This book had a ton of potential and the first two parts definitely lived up to the hype, I got IT vibes with the kids vs the evil in the world. I don’t think I particularly liked the ending but it was short, quick, and fun. If you’d like to try out horror I think this would be enjoyable and easy to understand!

I cannot begin to express how completely batsh** the Night House is. Like Jo Nesbo has been doing some soul searching and his soul had found some potent acid.

I love this for him.

The book starts innocuous enough. Two boys playing and talking smack. One dares another to a prank call. Then, the unthinkable happens.

You're thinking, oh, someone finds the kids.

No. The ************ phone eats the kid. This is the first chapter. Full on Freddy Krueger. Om nom, chomp chomp. Feed me Seymour.

It keeps just getting weirder from there.

When I say I cannot recommend this book enough to horror fans. I cannot. It's the best kind of weird. I loved every second of it.

The Night House comes out October 3rd and I highly recommend it for Spooky Season yall. I don't do ratings usually, but 1000 out of 10. I loved it. Solely for Magicadas.