The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir is a captivating and powerfully restrained novel. It alternates between chilling and hauntingly relatable moments, offering a thought-provoking exploration of femininity, agency, and self. This book is truly a heart-pounding read that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The night guest. This is a story from Iceland. It’s a very different book. I would love to have people who read it, to tell me what they think

This novella kept my attention from the very beginning! The super short chapters had me flying through this book. I loved the mystery and suspense of it all. It’s definitely an unsettling read not knowing what the heck was going on and why it was happening. The only thing that I didn’t like was the end. I felt like there could’ve been more of an explanation. Overall, I enjoyed this and would recommend!

Thank you @netgalley & @tornightfire for the ARC 🫶🏽

One of my favorite things to do on an evening without plans is to find a short horror film on any of the streaming services, preferably one I haven't heard of, and watch it. My ideal length is 100 minutes or less, a fast pass to the spine-tingling chills and terrors that might keep someone else up but which I fall asleep promptly after experiencing.

Hildur Knutsdottir's The Night Guest is the literary equivalent of the perfect Icelandic thriller I might seek out.

The main character of the story, Iðunn, is exhausted and she doesn't know why. A responsible adult, we meet her at the doctor's office where she's seeking answers. Unfortunately, her symptoms align most closely with depression, not the most helpful of answers for her. Later, at happy hour with her friends, one of them suggests she get more active. Maybe she just needs those endorphins everyone is talking about. So Iðunn goes to the store and buys a Garmin watch, smartly choosing to monitor her progress and get those steps in!

The horror at the core of this novel creeps in as slowly as Iðunn's step count rises, manifesting in an unusual reflection in the mirror, unexplained bruises and cuts, and strange interactions with neighbors. Without spoiling anything, this is a sprint of a novel that I simply inhaled. Knutsdottir's writing is sharp, propulsive, and frenetic and the Night Guest feels like the expertly edited speed horror I crave as a viewer and reader. It will be the perfect fall read for a night where you just want to spend the evening stressed out on your couch with a glass of wine when it comes out in September. I can't recommend it enough.

Definitely check this trigger warnings on this one! This is a spooky novella set in Reykjavik and explores themes of family, sisterhood, as well as the ways that women are sometimes treated as medical patients. I didn't connect so much with the main character, Idunn, but since this was a horror novel, I was mostly just reading for the spooky atmosphere.

🍷🍷🍷🍷/5

Sleep disorders! I didn't know that I liked that trope until now. Ah! The Night Guest is a book you can read in an afternoon. A sweet 200ish pages. It absolutely hooks you in and keeps you there. I loved the premise, the bite sized chapters, the overall tension, but I did feel let down by the ending. I actually wish it was longer to fully flesh out what was going on, but nonetheless, I really enjoyed reading it.

TW: Animal death. That was surprising/I didn't love it, but it's there so just sending out that warning!

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @tornightfire for the ARC! 💕 The Night Guest comes out on September 3rd in the US!

I just absolutely loved reading this book! This author was new to me and was just amazing
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this in advance

The Night Guest is a deeply unsettling incredibly tense novella about a woman who's having trouble sleeping and I loved every second of it, What starts off as a woman going to see her doctor because she's waking up feeling more tired that when she went to bed quickly devolves into some of the most heart pounding story telling i've read in awhile.
For a more in depth review please check out my spoiler free youtube video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsS9nlBAyu8

This book is just creepy and you will read it in one sitting. You will keep flipping the pages to find out what the heck is going on and where the story is going. This was a short novella about a girl named Iðunn, she is waking up each morning tired and feeling like she ran a marathon in her sleep. She tried to get help to find out why she is so tired but the doctors state there is nothing wrong with her and you are left to try and piece together what is happening to her. I was a little disappointed in the ending and felt it wrapped up a bit too quickly. There was a few jaw dropping moments though and I had to reread a few pages to make sure I was getting the point correctly. This author is twisted in such a good way. I would like to see a full story written by this author as they have a very interesting and twisted mindset.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This book grabs you immediately. The premise is straight forward and I am always impressed by authors who can pack a punch in less than 200 pages. Reminiscent of Cassandra Khaw's ability to build a haunting horror novel in a succinct manner while still retaining beautiful prose. This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I devoured it in one sitting. Along with Idunn you will feel drive to uncover the truth behind her mysterious ailments. Trigger warnings for animal cruelty however.

The Night Guest is a short but impactful story about a woman who is endlessly fatigued despite sleeping soundly every night. The writing is a bit manic, which added to the anxiety and perpetually eerie vibe I felt while reading. It felt similar to a Black Mirror episode.

I really liked this novella until... the end 😤

I am all for abrupt endings that make you think and leave you shell-shocked. But this story NEEDED more closure. I ran through a list of 10 different meanings for the final scene and am still unsure what happened. There was too much ambiguity, so I ultimately rated The Night Guest 3 ⭐️'s.

This was a quick, creepy read that kept me on edge the entire time. I will say that I'd wished I'd known about the animal harm in this book when I picked it up. That is one thing I don't like reading about. I was getting inklings as we crept along and then bam! Murdered cats...

For the most part, I enjoyed my time with this novella. It was definitely horrific and anxiety inducing, though the ending was a bit of a letdown. It was very ambiguous, and you never really get confirmation of what exactly was happening. I ended up just being a little confused by it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Tor Publishing Group and Tor Nightfire for the e-arc of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC!

Wow, this was a hyper-fast read. I couldn’t stop and read it in one sitting. Fast-paced story and short chapters make this a compelling horror that will have you glued to the pages or headphones. 96% of this was excellent, but the ending simply did not deliver. Lackluster, vague and abrupt - the ending left me dissatisfied and wanting so much more from what was a great novella up until the final chapter.

This book kept me reading from start to finish. I found the one line chapters odd. It was a psychological thriller about mental health. The animal torture was a bit odd/too much. I'm thankful it wasn't descriptive. I was a bit confused on the ending.

I’ve heard hype surrounding this short novel, so I had to check out The Night Guest for myself. I read it in one sitting, and it was easy to get lost in. The myriad of questions swirling around this poor woman and what is torturing her is absorbing, but it ends so abruptly and without more detail I was left disappointed and wanting more.

The overall manic feeling while also trying to uncover the mystery surrounding Iðunn’s illness was intoxicating, intense, and quite creepy. I love how short and random the chapters are, and I do think there is a great discussion that could he had about mental health and dealing with loss but making it a thriller and the abrupt ending with zero explanation ruined the whole experience. I would’ve preferred a concrete solution to one that is ambiguous and up to interpretation.

I had high hopes for this novel, but it all came crashing down in an instant.

The Night Guest was one of the fast paced books a ever read you will be on the edge of your seat when reading this book thank you NetGalley for the advance copy

This was unsettling and disturbing in the best way. You never quite get your feet underneath you, and I think that was the point.

Major content warning: cats/animal cruelty and death. It happens.

This took me about an hour and a half to read. The chapters are concise, and the story is captivating, escalating quickly. If you have read Come Closer by Sara Gran, where a woman wonders what is wrong with her, this novella gives the same vibes. The health issues and the mentions of women advocating for their bodies and healthcare--not being gaslit or dismissed by healthcare professionals, not being treated like you're "hysterical" because you think something is seriously wrong with your body, are legit. So relatable.
The first 95% or so is premium horror reading.
The last part is a little maddening. I honestly feel a little letdown. Ambiguity is fine but this feels like punishment. I invested, I pushed all my chips in to call the bluff and when the cards were flipped over, it just wasn't enough, I'm afraid. I'm eager to talk to other readers and read more reviews to see if anyone has a theory here that makes sense.
Update:
After discussing this with other fans of the book, we have determined a working theory that has me feeling more satisfied with the ending. Also, take a peek at the original Icelandic book cover, it confirms said working theory.
Enjoy!

Waking up every morning being more tired than when you went to bed. Going to the doctor to get zero answers. Having friends give you their input on how to fix everything. Finally finding out that every night you spend the night (as you are asleep) roaming the town. This was a quick read. I wish the ending would have played out just a little more, but a good book to choose.

This was such a fun and fast read for me. The plot drew me in and I was captivated by page 1! This was creepy and intense, but absolutely recommended!