I normally enjoy Jo Nesbo books, having read the entire series in his Detective Harry Hole series. I really enjoyed reading his books involving this complex character.

The Night House is a standalone in the horror/sci-fi genre and at times it felt like I was reading a Stephen King novel. Part 1 was mildly interesting, yet he lost me during part 2. By the time I got to part 3, I was just waiting for the book to end. I finished the book, but did not enjoy the conclusion.

If you're a fan of Jo Nesbo, this book is not what you might be expecting.

Thanks to NetGally, Knopf and Jo Nesbø for the ARC of this book for my honest review.

Jaw Dropping Read!

“Wait, what the heck is going on?” This is the question I asked myself several times while reading this book. There was so much trickery and I fell for it all.

This book is divided into three parts. In the first parts, we meet Richard who is 14 years old and living with his aunt and uncle after the recent deaths of his parents. He hates living in Ballantyne and is having a hard time fitting in at school and making friends. On his first two attempts at making friends, both other boys end up dying horrific deaths. Richard is the number one suspect since he was the last person to see the boys alive and his explanations of what happened are extremely unbelievable. To prove his innocence, he must track down Imu Jonasson in the Night House which is in the Mirror Forest. This journey takes him to meet several strange characters but also brings him closer to his crush Karen.

As part two begins, there is a 15-year time jump and Richard is attending his high school reunion. I soon started to realize that not everything in the first part of this book was as it seemed and thought that it was all making sense now. I was WRONG! The last half of part two is absolute horror, craziness, and chaos. Even after reading the madness of part two, I was not ready for part three of this book. I am not going to give any details about this part of the book because I do not want to write any spoilers. I was so shocked and blown away by the turn of this story. It was a brilliant ride!

The author did a fantastic job leading the reader in so many directions that I felt dizzy. I had no idea where I was being led. The action and horror started early in the book and never let up. This book also had a nostalgia feel to it which I loved. The development of Richard’s character was amazing. He was a bratty kid and sometimes a bully, but I couldn’t help falling in love with him and cheering him on. The last paragraph of the book made me SCREAM OMFG!!! It was SPLENTACULAR!!!

High recommendation for people who like action-packed horror, misleading storylines and characters, and FUN!

I liked it, but holy moly there was alot going on. This was a story within a story within a story. I'm still not sure what was fact and what was fiction. The blurb made it sounds more horror focused, but it didn't turn out that way.

Thank you to Netgalley & Knopf for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you for the advanced copy, NetGalley and Jo Nesbo. Wow. This was a wild ride! I don’t want to spoil all the fun but think horror with lots of unexpected turns. At times it was a bit hard to keep track but still worth the read. Not a STRAIGHT horror… more like horror and thriller mix. I’m not complaining! Can’t wait for my next Jo Nesbo read.

When one of Richards classmates goes missing and his very unlikely witness statement is the only lead the detectives have, the townspeople start pointing fingers at him. Then a second classmate disappears, this statement more unbelievable than the last. This story follows Richard POV and the steps he takes to try and prove his innocence. But…is Richard the most reliable one to tell his story?

This story is broke up into 3 parts. The second part is so intense and really propels the horror as well as a dash of confusion towards the climax of the plot. I don’t want to spoil part three, but boy was I impressed with this story. There were multiple scenes that had me gasp or cover my face in that classic horror novel style and I enjoyed every bit of it. It’s a shorter story, but definitely packs a punch that left me wanting to read more works by Jo Nesbo!

A big thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest interview!

"The Night House" was a wild roller coaster of emotions for me. I think Jo Nesbo offered some truly interesting moments of horror, such as a character being eaten through a phone! I also sort of liked not knowing what was real and what was a dream, but I also didn't like it because sometimes I became a little confused. I am a little relieved how Part 3 ended up, because it helped the other 2 parts make more sense.

In my opinion, I get a little triggered at the easy trope of people being mentally ill being a "monster" or being "the villain." While the finale helped the rest of the book make sense, it also felt like a cheap fix. I also didn't enjoy the characters, and didn't particularly root for them or feel attached to them. I wish there was a little more fleshing out of them so they were more memorable.

Overall, it wasn't my favorite book. For me personally, I would recommend it maybe for a young reader trying to dip their toes into horror or a horror reader who just needs a quick read. You can read this in October of 2023!

I’ve been a fan of Jo Nesbø for awhile, having read many of the novels in the Harry Hole series. The Night House is different, very different. It’s kind of three stories in one: full of psych hospitals, kid eating phones, failed high school reunions, magicicadas, and fires.

When Richard dares one of his schoolmates to make a prank call and the kid is eaten by the phone, Richard, the school outcast is blamed for his disappearance. When another schoolmate turns into a magicicada in front of Richard and flies out the window, Richard is blamed for his disappearance too….and so begins a long and twisting road that Nesbø takes us down. This one might leave you scratching your head a few times, but if you stick with it, I believe Nesbø sticks the landing.

Clever, clever, clever. I am a huge fan of Jo Nesbo’s. I never expected this horror, genre-bending book to have me going from horrified to laughing at some of the absurdities to devouring it in a day, It all starts with Richard, a fourteen year old, moving from the city into a foster home in a rural town. He is a bully and a member of the piranha (pariah) caste who is the last person to see two classmates before they disappear. Richard relates a wildly strange sequence of supernatural events that he witnessed to the sheriff and FBI. Obviously, he becomes the true pariah of the town. Can Richard extricate himself? Can he get people to believe him? Is he the next target?

If I say anymore, I will spoil this twisty, strange adventure. Take a chance. I hope you will love it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I literally finished this book just to give a review.

I was really drawn into the beginning of the book and what was happening. It was gruesome and detailed, I couldn’t wait to get into the book. And then it slowed down and the middle of the book was not keeping my interest. I kept putting the book down and picking up a different book.

Part two got my interest again as it started to pick up so I kept on reading but by the end I was bored again and just wanted the book to be finished.

It is a crazy mind messing book where you don’t know what is real and what is not. I just wish the middle was more interesting.

tentative 2.5/2.75 stars

i would provide a description of the night house but i think it is such intense mind fuckery you simply have to go in blind. this book was incredibly fast-paced and the different narratives were not hard to keep up with per say..but enough that you got tired of it and i believe i would have preferred a regular horror novel instead of the plot twists we had here.. i don't think any of the topics in this book were handled with the right amount of care and i dont know. i like unreliable narrators but this was something else, and i'm not sure i enjoyed it!

thank you knopf and netgalley for the arc!

Jo Nesbo's The Night House was a quick, fun read that had a YA haunted monster house vibe…until it abruptly didn’t, and it cycles through a few of those “…until it didn’t” iterations throughout the story. It was the sort of read that you munch cold pizza and guzzle icy diet cokes with on summer vacation while inhaling as many trashy paperback novels as your part-time babysitting money will buy from the musty beachside bookstore in your town with the amazing horror selection. In this story, 14-year-old Richard goes to live with his aunt and uncle after his parents have died in a tragic fire. Coming from a big city to a small town, Richard is lonely and bored on top of grieving the loss of his mom and dad, and is angrily acting out by bullying his classmates...who then begin disappearing in ways that he can't even begin to explain to the authorities (because they are getting sucked into telephone booths and being turned into cicadas and other such horrifying things.) These disappearances also involve a house deep in the woods and a mentally unstable black magic-wielding individual, and the whole thing feels like maybe the whole town has gone a little nuts, or else the whole thing is happening in Richard's head. or maybe, could it be that all of these things are true at once?

Really enjoyed this story, it kept you guessing and slightly distrustful of our narrator. Loved all the characters, and would recommend this quick read!

From the master of the police thriller comes a truly haunting tale. Richard is just 14 but has been plucked from his home with his parents following a tragic fire to live with his Aunt and Uncle. It is difficult for Richard to fit in so he operates around the periperhy of the popular students. One day he bullies a young boy to make a prank call and unlocks a demon or nightmare that seems to never end.

Great haunted story - quick read with a very satisfying ending! #Knopf #Pantheon #Vintage #TheNightHouse #JoNesbo

This book was really fun- I especially enjoyed the genre and time shifts throughout. Very reminiscent of Stephen King, but with the Jo Nesbo flair I've always loved. Will definitely recommend to my students!

My first book by Jo Nesbo which I found to be deliciously twisted, cleverly crafted & highly entertaining. This is a psychological horror story that brings you on a dark & captivating journey. Written in three parts where no one & nothing are as they appear. Plenty of shock & gore with a satisfying conclusion you won’t see coming.

Publish date is October 3, 2023. Pre-order your copy today. You won’t be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor and of course Jo Nesbo for an ARC for my honest review.

3.5 Stars

Campy and nostalgic, reads like a more modern Goosebumps book or an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark. Broken up into three parts, the story fractures and is remade in what reminded me of when you read all the options of a choose your own adventure book. The first part of the book I loved, the second part I liked, the third part felt unnecessary and phoned in, no pun intended.

Very interesting and super unique story. The dream within a dream within a dream storyline. Hard to determine what’s true and not. That being said, part was was so enjoyable and exciting independent of the “was that real” factor. Just great start to a story.

Thanks to Jo Nesbo, NetGalley, and Alfred A. Knopf for providing me and advanced reading copy.

I really liked the mystery and trying to figure out what was happening. Then the real twist happened and I was floored. I didn’t expect that at all but hey it was a really good plot twist but it kind of disappointed me. I wish the ending had been different but it was still great

"Recollections may vary". In Jo Nesbo's latest, THE NIGHT HOUSE, more than recollections are in question as Richard Elauved, who is hardly the most reliable of narrators spins a harrowing story that is never quite what it seems.

OVERVIEW:
Fourteen-year-old orphan Richard Elauved has only been living in the small town of Ballantyne for a short time. His aunt and uncle are trying but RIchard is an outcast at school and in the community. So when his classmate Tom goes missing, no one is going to give the angry outsider the benefit of a doubt. Particularly when Richard's story sounds like something out of a horror movie.
But Richard knows that there is something happening at the old house in the Mirror Forest, something that is using black word magic to reach out and it's coming not only for him but also for the one person who might just believe him.

THOUGHTS
From the very first page, THE NIGHT HOUSE pulls the reader in with Richard's first person narration of his 'new' life in Ballantyne. The painful memories of his parent's deaths shadowing his steps, his unlikely crush on Karen, a self-possessed golden girl well out of his league, and his hostility at being at the bottom of the middle school social hierarchy. Richard is an interesting protagonist, an unlikable bully on the surface but underneath a boy seeking acceptance and perhaps love. THE NIGHT HOUSE is an absorbing story that keeps the reader guessing. Parts II and III are completely unexpected twists that might have readers, at first, thinking that they've started a new book. But these twists only serve to make the story that much more intriguing and ultimately satisfying. Kudos to Jo Nesbo for delivering a novel with the near perfect mix of horror, mystery, and suspense.

RECOMMENDED - 4.5 Stars

Thanks to Net Galley and Knopf for providing this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

When the voices call, don't answer.

The Night House is my first book from Jo Nesbø and I have to say, I'm impressed. I was foremost drawn to this book because of the incredible vintage looking cover, and the creepy, ominous vibes it gives off. Before even reading the synopsis, you know you're in for a wild ride. And a wild ride it was. Reading this was like riding a roller-coaster with blind turns; You just didn't know what's happening next. The first 2/3 reads as a YA horror, and though it wasn't labeled as such, I didn't mind as I regularly read YA horror. The horror moments were great, the premise was promising, but it relied too heavily on a trope (which I can't reveal lest I spoil the ending) that I just don't enjoy. This is what kept me from giving it 5 stars. It helped to think back on the story as though I watched it as a film, and then the twists weren't as jarring.

I still highly recommend The Night House for those that enjoy your not typical horror, YA horror, or if you've just been curious about Jo Nesbø's work. This book is scheduled for publication October 2023.

Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon Vintage, and Anchor for the e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.