3.75 stars

There is SO much to like about this sinister and horrific novella, but if you are a cat lover, this might be too much for your feline focused fondness.

Iðunn is experiencing a strange and challenging time that includes waking up with sore muscles and other unusual signs. One of the strangest parts is how incredibly tired she is. There's no way she can be sleeping through the night in the typical way, but what IS happening to her? What IS she doing? This author does an exceptional job of setting up exactly the right tone: that women are frequently considered unserious individuals, especially when it comes to their own health and thoughts. Along with the institutional barriers present in this unfortunate reality, Iðunn also has to basically go it alone. Her isolation is a constant issue throughout the work. Her mother asks her EVERY time she's coming to dinner if she eats a different kind of meat, ignoring her vegetarian diet. Her romantic relationships? WEIRD to say the least and certainly not centered on what she brings to the party. Her favorite animals? Well, she's allergic to them and must admire them from afar. And underlying all of this is an unexpected view of another loss in her life. This character is isolated in a crowd, and this is a feeling that in today's world will be, unfortunately, quite relatable to many audiences.

While I wanted more from the ending, I thoroughly enjoyed so much about this. Do be mindful of the cat content if this is a pain point.

I am totally intrigued by this author and hope to read more.

Can you image waking up with weird bruises and super fatigued like you haven’t even slept at ? Lounn goes to the doctor to hopefully figure out what’s going on but she seems to be in perfect health. She tries to do better and gets a smart watch to track her sleep and steps. One more she wakes up and somehow has already walked almost 48000 steps ?!? This just left me feeling uneasy and a little creeped out. I still couldn’t put this book down once I started it.
* check triggers. (Animal cruelty)*

This was great! It’s really quick and the chapters are really short. It reminds me heavily of another book that I can’t recommend you because to do so would be a spoiler for this book.

It’s one of those where you arrive at the conclusion before the main character does, so watching the main character figure it out is its own delicious form of entertainment.

Trigger warnings for: implied/off page violence against animals, also at one time it’s hinted at that a woman’s drink is drug but no SA happens or is implied.

I thought it was sufficiently creepy. The intrigue was high through out- even after you know what’s going on there’s more to uncover about what’s happening at night.

I adored the commentary on women/women’s rights.

I think the only thing that held this back from being a five star read was that the ending was a little unsatisfying? I have no idea how else it could have been wrapped up but it left me wanting something a little more conclusive. Will definitely read more from this author in the future. Shout out to Mary Robinette Kowal for the translation work!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy for review.

There was so much potential here. It was a very nice fast read and I found the beginning very intriguing. The build up was good, but I either missed clues along the way or I really have no idea what happened. There seemed to be some clues (trying really hard not to spoil), but I was never sure where they were going and certainly at the end I was like - hmmmm - I wonder if, maybe, this is kindof sortof what happened? Just kind of felt - meh on the ending - was hoping for some big reveal. I did really like the characters conversations with herself - it is something I know I certainly do (bad angel on one shoulder and good on the other).

I didn't enjoy this one very much. I found the character annoying and hard to relate too. I did not think the plot was particularly interesting and there wasn't the thrill factor I was hoping for.
Iðunn is always tired. She doesn't know why because it seems like she's sleeping fine, but she wakes up feeling like she just ran a marathon and she usually has unexplained bruises. She sees a doctor because she thinks there is something medically wrong with her. Her doctor refers her to a phycologist when all of her test results come back normal. She starts trying to exercise more, she even bought a watch to track her steps. She woke up one morning with it on to see she walked 40,000 steps. What is happening her? How can she stop it if no one believes something is wrong with her?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

Woah! Imagine waking up every morning and seeming to be more tired than you were before you went to sleep. Waking up each day exhausted and in pain. Iðunn has seen doctor after doctor about her symptoms but no one can seem to help her. She can't get any clear answers until one night she falls asleep with her smartwatch on and realizes that she had walked 40,000 steps and continues to go to the same place each night. When Iðunn takes steps to not go out on her night adventures bad things happen.

A fast paced horror novella with an unstable main character where things are not as they seem, The Night Guest is the perfect summer page turner. This can easily be devoured in a day.

This was not as dark as I thought it might be, but trigger warning for off page animal cruelty. This should be added to your summer TBR.

I adored the first 75% of this book. After that, it fell flat for me and got totally confusing. I'm still unsure what happened at the end but perhaps it was lost in translation? Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

The Night Guest is a compelling novella that may provoke a sense of unease and leave you contemplating its content. The main character, Iðunn, grapples with unexplained fatigue and mysterious physical injuries upon waking up each morning. This translated work is easily digestible in one sitting for English readers. However, it's important to note that the book contains elements of animal cruelty, specifically related to cats, which could be distressing for some readers. While I found the book to be an overall enjoyable read, the ending left something to be desired for me.

The Night Guest was a riveting slow burn descent into madness. I loved the unreliable nature of the character and the way she took me down with her. This book made me mad (in a good way) as I was practically shouting at her to get on board and start filming her sleepwalking self. While the cover doesn't scream horror at first glance, I would recommend this to anyone feeling burnt out by psychological thrillers and needing something sinister undertones. I am not 100% clear on the ending of the book, but the journey itself is worth it.

That was such a great atmospheric novella! I absolutely loved the main character despite her issues , her logical thinking despite her state of mind with lack of sleep. This perfect read to devour in one sitting! Really enjoyed it! I craved more!!

I really enjoyed this book!!! A dark and disturbing novella.
This is the definition of losing yourself.

This book drew me in from the very beginning. It is well written with a captivating story line. The characters had depth but the details didn't drag on. I caught the twist about halfway through but since the story was so good it didn't bother me. I enjoyed that the setting is in Iceland. Definitely recommend.

Iðunn wakes up constantly tired and sore, like she ran a marathon each night. Her friends and family give her suggestions that are not truly helpful. She buys a pedometer watch and finds that she's walked thousand of steps overnight and sometimes wakes up with bruises and dried blood.

This book started off so great and it was not until the last two chapters or so that it flopped. I did not really understand the ending. I am not sure if it was lost in translation or I just could not catch the deep meaning. It was a novella, so it was short and sweet. I really liked this book until the rushed ending. Trigger alert for animal cruelty. It is not too in-depth, but there are some scenarios. The book was not filled with fluff, but still left you with a delicate description of life in Iceland that made me feel like I was there. While the ending crushed my hopes for this book, I would try another novel from Knútsdóttir.

The last 4 chapters of this book I reread probably about 5 times before I finally sat this book down and walked away from it. It takes a moment to settle. But once it does, the true horror of an already unsettling tale begins to take root and grips its icy hands around your throat full force.

I’m always truly scared by novels where women will go through great lengths to be complacent members of their own lives until their are FORCED to become ACTIVE participants. And by that point… at what cost…

In a similar vein as Come Closer this book is one that will live in my head for years to come.

Fantastic novella, fast paced read, anxiety-inducing. Really enjoyed following her panic and mystery at what could be happening. Happy with the ending though saw mixed reviews, I don't think it needs more.

Review to be edited for better clarity.

This is the most compelling and harrowing story since the cult classic "COME CLOSER" by Sara Grann. This is psychological horror at its finest. The heroine of the story is walking in her sleep and having complications that no medical science can explain.
As it pulls you along into its cold grip, you feel the paranoia and the unsettling nature of this story cloak you.
The Scandinavian noir element is present here, as well. It adds something to the atmosphere that elevates this from a good read to a great one.

4.5 rounded down to 4.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for an advanced copy of The Night Guest.

Iðunn can't sleep and feels extreme fatigue. When she goes to the doctor and gets tested, they can't find anything wrong with her. As time progresses, she wakes up in weird places, and with injuries she doesn't recall receiving. Is she just sleepwalking, or is something more sinister happening?

This story was very fast-paced (multiple chapters were literally one or two sentences long), which kept me hooked. As a woman, I've had my fair share of experiences with medical professionals similar to that of Iðunn, when doctors don't believe you, or refuse to try to figure out why you're not feeling like yourself. It can be very isolating and psychologically terrifying. Iðunn is basically spiraling out of control as the story progresses, and seems to lose her grip on reality. Because I could relate to this on a distant level, I felt extreme dread and hopelessness while reading Iðunn's journey.

My only gripe was that the ending was super abrupt. It happened so fast I was confused and unsure what happened, and I had to reread the last couple of chapters. Other than that, this story was bleak and terrifying, especially if you're someone who has had similar experiences with medical professionals.

Also, there is mention of animal deaths in this story. It doesn't go into graphic detail but it is fairly disturbing if you're triggered by that.

One of the best books of 2024 kept me coming back to turn its pages all weekend long. A walking nightmare that had me pulling for Idunn, knowing she'd kill for a good night's sleep. Beautifully written and haunting. Loved it!

If you think you would like an Icelandic horror/thriller version of Fleabag, then this is the book for you.

Iðunn keeps waking up bone deep exhausted. She has seen multiple doctors, tried medication, getting drunk, walking 10,000 steps a day... nothing helps. The longer this goes on (and the more she tries to prevent whatever happens while she's sleeping), the more injuries she wakes up with. She has suspicions about what, or more specifically who, could be causing this. But they're dead, right?

The thing that stuck out the most to me while reading this story was how distinct Iðunn's voice was. Her internal monologue was hilarious and reminded me of Fleabag right off the bat. Whenever one of her internal comments popped up in parenthesis, it felt like she was turning and speaking to me directly.

Knútsdóttir built the tension really well as the story progressed. The horror elements were fun, creepy and atmospheric.

I knocked the novel(la) out in one sitting and plan on reading more of her works on my upcoming Iceland trip.

*Cats are graphically harmed in this story, so please keep that in mid before reading *

Thank you NetGalley, Tor Nightfire, and Hildur Knútsdóttir for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was amazingly creepy. I really enjoyed not knowing exactly what “the night guest” was doing with our protagonist’s body during the night hours. And the phone recordings creeped me out. 4.5 stars