An interesting , creepy, suspenseful story. I liked the plot but was disappointed that it was a short read.
Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This story is based in a small creepy town with weird residence. Haunted house and small town secrets lead you to a story that will have you guessing at times where it was going

Without giving anything away, I will say that my main issue with part 3 is that the author unfairly perpetuated a stereotype of a certain mental disorder. The stereotype is that people suffering from this disorder must be institutionalized and cannot function in an everyday setting, which is entirely untrue and offensive.

I have mixed feelings about The Night House by Jo Nesbo. On the one hand, Nesbo's writing is engaging and masterful. The narrative is intricately woven, and the suspense is well-maintained throughout the book. Nesbo created a vivid, chilling atmosphere that added to the overall sense of mystery. However, the supporting characters felt underdeveloped that it was hard to care about them. . As a result, certain plot points and relationships seemed forced, and I found it challenging to connect emotionally with the characters. Overall an interesting premise for a thriller but ultimately left me wanting more from it.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review!

This book was a wild ride. There were quite a few times where I didn’t really understand what was happening, but I really urge you to see it through to the end. I did not see any of these twists coming. I don’t want to say much more so that you aren’t spoiled, so go in as blind as possible. This was the first book I read by this author, and I would be interested in reading some more by him after this!

This is a really rough review for me as I’m not really how to explain how letdown I was by this book, but I’m going to try. This was my first Jo Nesbo book, so I don’t know if this is just the way he writes, but the synopsis and the great cover caught my attention.
This book is broken up into three parts. If I could rate them each, part 1 would be a 4 out of 5, part 2 would be a 2 out of 5, and part 3 would be a 1 out of 5. As you can tell, it went down very fast for me. Explaining why would give away some pretty serious spoilers, and I try to leave any reviews as spoiler free as possible. The first part was this great and weird horror story that had some serious promise. Then Nesbo wanted to throw a twist in with part 2, and another with part 3. The final twist is what ultimately did it for me. Not only did it feel extremely awkward, it almost felt like it was a hail mary move because he couldn’t live up to what he brought in the first part.
This would honestly get one star for my review, however the first part saved it some. If you were to pick this up, I would suggest just stop after that. You might be better off.

The Night House is the Mass Market Paperback 80s version of Shutter Island. A unlikeable protagonist narrates the horrific things going on in his small town that may or may not be happening quite like he tells it.

This felt like a big whiff. By the end I didn't see the point and it felt like a cop out. I didn't find Richard (our narrator) to be as terrible as others have claimed.

It reads fast and is fun in the moment as each part gets more and more outlandish and weird. Then the rug is pulled from under us in part 3. I've just never been a fan of these types of endings.

A killer cover that fails to deliver on its promise.

This book was creepy to before and makes you doubt reality for the characters. I was amused. When I read I submerge myself in the MC place and this is one I would not want to be in.

I just can’t. Tried two separate times and both times I just can’t make it past part two without wanting to just chuck the whole thing in the trash. Sorry not for me. DNF’d

This was a really fun horror book! It was an interesting take on the "haunted house" trope. A lot of people think that it is been there, done that, but I found it a fun book. It didn't scare me, otherwise I would give it a sure enough 5 stars.

This was my first book by this particular author ( I am aware that they write the Harry Hole series which I think I have seen a movie that was based off of one of those books??? Yes, I have The Snowman which was an okay movie with some inc*stual content but nowadays don't all formats contain a little of that for shock value?) But back to my review I didn't really know what to expect going in so I was completely open and unbiased. What drew me in was the prospect of finding a new favorite horror author and I got an okay book so I was satisfied with that. This was not the scariest book I have ever read, but it was interesting enough to keep me turning pages so I could find out what would happen next. I always like a little mystery mixed in with my horror to keep it interesting, and this book delivered on that part. This read more like a YA book but perhaps that was because of the main character's age. Richard our main character is an unreliable narrator and Nesbø really makes you work during this story to discern what is real and what is not. To say much more I think would spoil the book for those who haven't read it yet. So if you like unreliable narrators and plot lines that blur reality, then this book is for you.

I want to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, and the author Jo Nesbo for the arc of this book.

A story in a story scenario that keeps you guessing at which is reality. A teenager is shipped to foster care after the fiery death of his parents. The new town is creepy but then so are residents.

The night house was one of my articulated horror books for this year, the cover is so scary and the synopsis was the selling point. My rating is 3.5 it could have been a solid 4 but it just wasn’t for me, I found some parts really intriguing and some parts sluggish. If I had to compare this book to a movie/ book it would be goosebumps and a little it of the butterfly effect. The night house should be classified and a horror and psychological thriller , I really wanted to love this book but it just wasn’t for me. I finished because I was already invested, the first part was a good build up but it just got fuzzy and a little repetitive during the second part. I’ve seen great reviews so far, so maybe it’s just me maybe you’ll like this book more than I did.

Overall, I enjoyed this as a fun and quick little mystery read. It never really developed into an adult horror story like I was expecting, but I'm not walking away angry about wasted time either, which is a good sign. I think because the MC starts as a teenager, and keeps that same voice throughout, the story felt more YA than I thought it would be, so I didn't love that aspect. I really enjoyed part one, and I audibly gasped when it came to an end and was revealed to be ONLY a part one. What a fun surprise! However, after the second and third parts, I kind of wish we had just kept the story in that first world, although that does make sense in the context of how it relates to the other parts. I liked the explanation in part two for why I didn't buy some of the first part, but then things got a little hairy and my attention waned. By the third part, I was like I get it but I feel removed from it... Like it was hard for me at that point to be invested in what was happening to the main character because I didn't want to keep being tricked. I don't necessarily love how a certain mental illness is treated at the end of the book, but I can certainly understand how the MC's childhood trauma could make it very difficult for him to accept reality. Honestly, I can see this being quite a divisive horror story, where some readers love it and some hate it, so I'm pleased the author made some bold plot choices, even if they weren't quite as effective as I wanted them to be. I'd definitely pick up another book by this author! And the cover art is fantastic.

a coming of age horror/thriller. Has a bit of a YA feel to it, which isn't a bad thing, but readers should know what they're getting into in case that isn't their style. Good twists and turns, engaging plot. Would recommend!

Interesting premise. Creepy and smart. A story about what trauma can do to you. Good twists and turns. Would be happy to read more from this author.

“I’m scared of being so trapped in being scared that I can never find my way out again.”

The Night House follows Richard Elauved after a devastating fire that claims the lives of his parents, he’s sent to live with his Aunt and Uncle in a remote small town. Thus ensues a series of unexplainable events that throw suspicion on Richard as the culprit for the disappearance of another child.

😱 This was such a wild story! Part Haunted House, part creepy small town secrets, part unreliable narrator all lends to a fever dream type horror story that will have you hooked until the last page! I loved the characters, the plot, and the horror elements were so well crafted!

I really hope Jo Nesbo writes more horror!

Well, that was terrible. Garbage. Awful. And my first foray into Nesbo. I won't let it affect my future reads of his because I know this is not his usual...anything. Lol.

This was my first Nesbo title. It started out strong but I ultimately felt pretty cheated by the plot twist surprise ending. The cover is dazzling, the first 60-70 pages electric, but the story falls flat into a cop-out ending.

Wonderfully creepy.
Butterfly inducing and anxiety making.
The perfect horror thriller read.

I at times had no clue what was going on but it added so much more to every part of this WTF book. And I mean WTF in the best of ways.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers and Jo Nesbo for this free read in exchange for my honest review