Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Night Guest by Hildur Knutsdottir is an interesting meditation on grief. The reader follows Idunn as she goes about her daily life, losing hours of her life during her sleep where she's unaware what she's doing.

I enjoyed the novella and it's overall writing, although I found it to be a bit too sparse at times for me. In a shorter book, there is less time to feel connection with the characters, which I feel happened for me in this book. The suspense is built well, and the format of the book alternating between longer and shorter chapters allows for a disorienting, taut reading experience that builds the mood well. I would have preferred it more if the book was a bit longer, so there was more development that would lead to a more impactful ending.

Overall, I think it's a solid thriller with good atmosphere. Hardcore thriller fans will enjoy this title and appreciate the suspense.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very fast read. 208 pages and over 100 chapters, some with just one sentence, so the pacing is incredibly fast.

The story is intriguing enough, and while I enjoyed that "what is going on?" feeling, I don't think I understood the ending.

TW: Animal death/murder. Like.. a lot of it.

I devoured this short read in under 24 hours! I really loved the fast pace of this book and how it kept my attention until the very end. The actually ending however, left a bit to be desired. I was left feeling like some questions went unanswered! Maybe that was the point!

Far too often I find that stories lose something in the translation. This time, every creepy element…all the building of tension and dread…remained firmly intact. For such a short, quick read, the insight into the messy narrator was impressive…and unnerving! Great delivery of some fun summertime chills.

Boy, did I enjoy this one. It sank its fetal little teeth into me and didn’t let go til I was done.

This book is ambient, creepy, quirky, funny (in a dark humor sort of way) and short so basically everything I love in a book.

Binged it in under 24hrs that’s how much of a grip it had on me. I love when books stick to the corners of your mind when you’re not reading them and The Night Guest did just that.

I personally interpreted the ending as having a non ambiguous ending but maybe I missed something. Either way I don’t mind the way the book ended.

If you like weird, horrifying and short stories this is the one for you!

This book started out so strong. The author had some really great ideas, and it felt like a book I had not read before. It starts with some great ideas then runs out of steam and didn’t ever really finish thinking through the climax and resolution. I rarely say that a book could use another 200 pages, but this one could. There were many ideas that could have had a lot more thought put into them to make them great.

This is a great quick horror read where the fear exists in between the lines, it doesn’t hit you over the head. It also speaks to the ongoing issue of women seeking medical aide, only to be left unheard, an issue every woman knows all too well.

I noticed a lot of comments on the abrupt open ending and it’s true, that happens. But it works for this story. I didn’t mind it. The story is jarring and so a jarring ending seems appropriate. None of this is supposed to leave the reader settled or content. No happy endings here.

All in all, a quick, creepy read I’d definitely recommend.

This book was my introduction to a new author and I very much enjoyed the pace and writing style. Throughout the book, I felt the anxiety of the main character and her ability to mix in her cynism in order to appear “okay” to the outside world.

I truly wanted this to be a 5 star read, but the ending left me so confused. I am not against an open-ended story, but I truly don’t understand where to focus and how to make sense of the last couple of chapters.

Overall, it’s a quick read and something I’d recommend, if only to have a discussion regarding theories for the end of the novella.

Thank you netgalley and Tor Publishing Group for the arc.

This book grabbed my attention so quickly and I absolutely devoured it. I loved the format and style, the main character, all of it. Where it missed the mark for me was the ending. It felt very abrupt to me. I wanted more. Maybe an epilogue? It happened so fast I felt like I missed it.

The night guest is a fast paced Icelandic horror novella that will have you on the edge of your seat. I read it in one sitting and could not put it down.

It has a lot of great commentary on the female experience especially in medical and mental health spaces. The writing is quick and punchy yet wildly impactful. Most chapters are only a sentence or two long, but it works in this format. It’s put together so strongly you won’t even realize you’re reaching the end until you get to the final page!

I recommend this read to anyone who loves female rage, dark thrillers and mysteries.

This arc was provided by Netgalley thank you!

This was such a fast paced, quick, fun read. I had so many guesses to where it was going and it surprised me. I found it relatable in ways, at the beginning of the book as a woman. But then it just takes off into this creepy little story.

Creepy book with a disappointing ending

Content warning: animal death

Definitely held my interest, but I read the ending twice hoping I'd missed something.

This book was a quick read. I really enjoyed how unsettled it made me feel and wanting to know what was going on!

The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir starts off innocently enough: Iðunn is tired of waking up exhausted, of seeing doctors that don’t take her seriously, of Googling her symptoms and coming up with nothing. Everyone has an opinion of what she should be doing to get better: eat better, take more exercise, meet more people, buy a smart watch.

Which is fine, until the smart watch begins logging all of the steps she’s taking at night. While she’s asleep. The rest of the tale slowly dissolves into a fever dream of mounting dread and beautifully detailed Icelandic cityscapes.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It’s a quick read—I read it over the course of a few hours, devouring most of it during my lunch break. If you’re looking for a quiet, eerie read, I highly recommend this one.

Wild! I binged this one. I couldn’t put it down. Short chapters! 🙌🏼 This was bizarre, unsettling, and intense. I kept turning the page to find out what happened next. The sense of dread grew as the story progressed, and I loved the ending!
𝘔𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨: 4.25⭐️

Thank you @tornightfire for the #gifted copy! Opinions are my own.

Thank you for the ARC of The Night Guest.

I enjoyed the MC of this novella. I could identify with her and her frustration with Medical experts. It’s so easy to say the symptoms are in your head.

I liked the intensity and how it increased with one sentence chapters. It was intriguing to try to figure out what was actually happening to the MC. The step tracker was the perfect tool to establish what was going on when the MC slept or not.

I believe the ending will not be for everyone but I like endings that make you think.

Overall this is the first time reading from this author and I would love to read more. I enjoyed this nitty gritty psychological horror. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Iðunn is in yet another doctor's office. She knows her constant fatigue is a sign that something's not right, but practitioners dismiss her symptoms and blood tests haven't revealed any cause.Until one night Iðunn falls asleep with the watch on, and wakes up to find she’s walked over 40,000 steps in the night . . .

This book was so addicting! The way it is written sucks you in from the start. I wanted to know what was happening and was constantly trying to guess. The story was fast paced and I couldn't put it down till I finished. I did find the ending a little disappointing because of how ambiguous it was, but overall really enjoyed the story.

The Night Guest was a wild ride of a book! It's short, but it definitely packs a punch.

We follow Iðunn as she wakes up everyday exhausted, no matter what she tries (exercising, eating more, taking vitamins or sleeping pills,...). There's seemingly nothing wrong with her, but after she buys a smart watch and realises she walked 40,000 steps during the night, everything goes downhill. She wakes up sore and with bruises, or with her fingernails ruined and bloody; and she is desperate to understand what is happening to her.

Keeping a brisk pace and told through an unreliable and somewhat detached voice, this is almost a perfect short horror book. I personally thought it suffered from being a tad too short (though I had no problem with the one line chapters-they built the tension wonderfully), I would have liked some more character development; and the ending did nothing for me. I like open endings, but only to a certain point, and this one was past it.

All in all, though, a great quick read if you want some good psychological horror!

Well now, that was a little bundle of weirdness, hiding behind a pretty cover. Highly addictive weirdness though, because once I started reading it, I didn't have the willpower to stop.
The Night Guest practically pulsates with tension and suspense, and I don't think it would be unfair to say it is downright creepy.
The only thing stopping me giving it another star is the abrupt ending. It left me a little confused. A second reading has, I think, clarified things a little.
As I have friends who are cat lovers, I feel that I should warn them that several cats die in this book. It happens off page, but we are made aware of it towards the end.
Thanks to Tor Publishing Group and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this review.