This is a really solid horror novel! The whole book is creepy and chilling, even more so as we see the events unfold through the eyes of a child. If you're into dark and creepy books, this is perfect for you! Thank you Random House and Netgalley for the arc!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Horror
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞:
📖 373 pages

Unique Child Narrator
Uneasy Family Dynamic
Monster in the Closet

SYNOPSIS; Eight-year-old Bela has been seeing her "other mommy" for years, but always from her closet, until now. Bela begins to isolate herself as her other mommy begins to venture further, and Bela fears for her families safety.

REVIEW; Let me start by saying that any spooky story involving children immediately becomes exponentially scarier. I don't make the rules. The writing style was excellent. I listened to it with my Kindle's read-aloud option and felt uneasy throughout. The narration, being through little Bela's POV, and the eerie atmosphere Malerman created made for a truly terrifying read.

If you're looking for a unique horror and enjoy being scared silly, Incidents Around the House should be your next read!

Thank you so much, Del Rey and NetGalley, for the digital review copy!

he most remarkable incident in my experience with Incidents Around the House was, admittedly, making it through to the final page. Though this is a relatively short novel, I found the reading process slow and, at times, frustrating.

Told through the perspective of eight-year-old Bela, the narrative is filled with intentionally simplistic language and fragmented sentences meant to reflect the voice of a young child. While this stylistic choice may resonate with some readers, I personally found it challenging to engage with. The choppy prose, meant to emulate a child’s thoughts, often made the story feel stagnant rather than immersive.

The plot centers on Bela, her parents (referred to as Daddo and Mommy), and the mysterious appearance of an “Other Mommy” who lives in Bela’s closet and repeatedly asks to enter her heart. Initially, Bela is the only one who sees her, but soon, others begin to as well. While this premise offers potential for psychological tension, I found the execution lacking in both suspense and emotional depth.

Despite its classification as a horror novel, the story did not elicit fear or even unease for me. I repeatedly anticipated a turning point or escalation of tension that never quite materialized. While the conclusion may offer some satisfaction for persistent readers, reaching it felt more like an effort than a reward.

Moreover, the narrative style posed structural challenges. The book frequently shifts between Bela’s childish voice and moments of more advanced narration, which disrupted the flow and made it difficult to remain anchored in the story. The lack of quotation marks for dialogue further complicated this, making it hard at times to distinguish speech from internal thought.

In addition, the portrayal of adult characters through the lens of a child felt disjointed and unrealistic, which made it difficult for me to connect with any of the characters or invest emotionally in their experiences.

That said, it’s worth noting that many readers have given this book high praise, and it clearly resonates with an audience. Unfortunately, I was not among them. As a first-time reader of Josh Malerman’s work, I had hoped for a more gripping and immersive horror experience.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine, and the author for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of this novel. This review reflects my honest and personal opinion.

Very creepy story! A slow burn horror that messes with your sense of reality and keeps the tension building. This author plays with perception, reality, and paranoia in ways that keep you second guessing what’s really going on. Overall a solid, eerie read that I enjoyed, & perfect for fans of psychological and supernatural horror. Thank you Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for this reader copy. All opinions are my own.

This was just an okay read for me. There were some spooky moments, but they were vastly overshadowed by how insufferable all of the adults were throughout the entire book, particularly the parents. I understand that the story was told from the perspective of a child, but by the 500th "daddo," I was ready to call it. That being said, I was intrigued enough to finish so I think this is one of those books that didn't do it for me, but could be really effective for someone else.

Review and discussion here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scarred-for-life/id1481506203?i=1000660580715

But this is the first book I've read that gave me a jump scare. I've never read a novel before that actually made me jump and audibly gasp. The scariest novel I've read in years.

Coraline meets Poltergeist in this spooky read. The ending wasn't satisfying for me and felt a bit abrupt, but the rest of the story and the build up of tension was exciting and fun to read!

I really enjoyed this book for the most part until the end. THE END WHY. Why were we taken in circles over and over again.

This book was definitely one of the scariest books I have read. I think since the narrator was a little girl named Bela, it made it seemed like it wouldn’t be that scary - but, it seemed to make it scarier as you turned the pages because she was being haunted. Bela, Daddo, Ursula, Lois, and Grandma were all great characters that were fun to read about and get to know in the story. Other Mommy kept me from reading this book at bedtime! Daddo and mommy having marital issues but trying to keep it together, all of them fleeing to Grandma’s house for help, being introduced to Lois who is into spirits, were all believable parts of the story and kept me turning pages. I think you have to read this book to understand how creepy it is - I loved it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Thank you, NetGalley for ARC!
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“To eight-year-old Bela, her family is her world. There’s Mommy, Daddo, and Grandma Ruth. But there is also Other Mommy, a malevolent entity who asks her every day: “Can I go inside your heart?”
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Told from the perspective of an eight-year-old, Incidents Around The House follows a family terrorized by a demonic entity named “Other Mommy”.
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Unfortunately, I didn’t find this book particularly scary. Unsettling, sure. But not “keep the lights on” scary. I think the biggest hurdle for me was the formatting. The book is told from a child’s perspective, so we don’t really get all the gory details. More of a vague story line. The book itself is formatted uniquely to fit this (ie no quotation marks). While I do think the concept is pretty interesting, I think it could have been executed much better.

Review posted to Goodreads and TikTok

This book is impressive for what it manages to undertake and accomplish quite well. It is not a read for everyone, but it does work well as a creepy tale about the most elemental of horrors that creep in and around us as children (and return again once we're parents).

I really enjoyed this book and found it a super quick read. I enjoyed it being from Bela’s perspective. The beginning really creeped me out, I was looking at dark shadows for something lurking like the “other mom.” Bela’s story developed well and the ending was very interesting. It was upsetting to see the mom so resentful about her life that it potentially caused this entity to form. I can relate to the guy wanting to see one finally in person with his own eyes even though it sucked for the family he wasn’t there to help. I would definitely recommend giving this book a shot.

incidents around the house is what i'd consider one of my favorite horror books. it was creepy in all the right places and hit all the nerves that it needed to in order to keep me on my toes. the way "other mommy" (the demonic entity that's following the little girl around) is written was so well done and thought out. i felt it was developed perfectly to the point where i didn't have any questions at the end, and it all made sense (in a horror sort of way).

the storytelling is fast paced and engaging, being told from the child's perspective. what i find most creepy about this is the kid doesn't necessarily realize that "other mommy" is bad at first, as she entertains the entity. when the parents finally become aware, i thought, "oh yay, something's finally going to be done about it" only to find out that they can't get rid of it. i didn't really like the parents at first, but they weren't exactly meant to be liked.

i loved this book so much, i've already convinced several friends and family members to preorder it 😂

Definitely creepier than my usual reads, but it pulled me in right away. The concept of “Other Mommy” is genuinely unsettling, and the child’s POV made it even eerier. It kept me hooked throughout, even if I didn’t totally love the ending. Still, I’m glad I read it—dark, weird, and surprisingly emotional.

I wanted to like this book, but I could only get about halfway through before deciding to put it down. The premise is intriguing: creepy things happening around the house, a child being creepy and weird, and the idea of something or someone else is in the house. For some reason though it never clicked. The pacing felt slow, and I kept waiting for something to truly grab my attention. Instead, it just kind of dragged. The idea is there, but the characters felt a little distant, and I found myself wanting to rush through the story or not really absorbing what I was reading.

I might pick this book up in the future, but as for now I have DNFd it. If you love subtle, creeping horror and don’t mind a slow build, it might be worth a try—but this one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this digital book. Unfortunately, this book was not for me, but I do think others will enjoy it. This is the first horror I've read from a child's POV, and I just could not connect to the characters. HOWEVER, If I would have saved and read this book in the fall I probably would have appreciated it more, so that's a me problem.

An interesting read that kept me turning the pages. This was my first Josh Malerman and it read so quickly. However, I had such a hard time with the absolutely atrocious parenting in this book. It took me out of the story a lot.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and Storygraph on April 6th, 2025. Links provided.

Incidents Around the House is a psychological horror novel told form the perspective of eight-year-old Bela, who finds herself haunted by a malevolent entity known as “Other Mommy.” The story explores Bela’s struggle to comprehend the entity, which pretends to be a friend while slowly growing stronger and more insistent in its demand to take possession of her heart. The novel delves into the fragile dynamics of Bela’s family as the supernatural force begins to test their bonds, particularly highlighting the tensions in her parents’ marriage. Written in a way that reflects Bela’s innocent perspective, the narrative employs unique formatting and dialogue, which helps convey the childlike confusion and fear surrounding her terrifying situation. The book weaves together supernatural elements with family drama, creating a chilling atmosphere of dread and impending danger.

I thoroughly enjoyed Incidents Around the House for its unique approach to horror. The story is deeply unsettling, especially as it’s told from Bela’s point of view, which adds a layer of innocence and confusion to the terror. Malerman’s ability to convey Bela’s emotional state through unusual formatting and dialogue was a creative touch, though it might be distracting for some. I can imagine, with the right narrator, it would be even more impactful as an audiobook. What I found particularly engaging was the slow, building sense of dread that came not just from the supernatural presence of “Other Mommy,” but also from the unraveling family dynamic. Bela’s parents, particularly her mother, Ursula, were frustrating at times, but that only made the tension more real and palpable. I was genuinely intrigued by the family drama, even if I didn’t always root for the characters, and I felt deeply for Bela, who was caught in a terrifying situation she couldn’t fully understand. The eerie atmosphere and emotional undercurrents kept me hooked, and I could definitely see this story being successful on the big screen. The main reason it was not a five star read for me was because I felt like it was just a bit too long, with certain parts of the book being repetitive and therefore unnecessary.

Thank you to Random House Publishing - Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read to an ARC of Incidents Around the House in return for my honest review.

Josh Malerman may have just written the best horror book I have read in a long time. It is a narrative from a child's perspective that captivated me from the first page. I was so engrossed in this story with all the characters and their deep secrets. The ghost/demon part was the right amount of scary, I could see it playing like a movie in my mind. As this dynamic family searches for peace from "Other Mother" their secrets come out affecting Bela. The voice of Blea is so truthful as this would be a natural reaction. In the end, I am left questioning so many things, in a good way. I would love for this story to continue. A novel that left me questioning what is our innocence and do the things we do bring us bad karma. Did Mommy and Daddo bring Other Mother upon Bela with their secrets? This may be my first novel by Josh Malerman but it will not be my last. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast-paced roller coaster ride.

I really loved the unique premise of the novel told as a haunting through the eyes of the child being haunted. The fresh perspective and formatting worked so well here. It would be a five star read if not for the abundance of the word "piqued" to the point I thought I was going crazy.