Right off the bat this one wasn’t doing it for me. I think having the entire book from the POV of a young child (the age of which I’m still not clear on) was odd, because not only were there quite a few adult things being discussed but because it made it even harder to tell Bela’s age. It seemed like she should have been around 8-10 but her dialogue seemed much younger than that. But innocence is a big theme here so maybe that was an artistic choice to emphasize the innocence of a child.

I also felt like no progress was ever made in the plot which was super frustrating as the reader. The same things kept happening over and over. I absolutely despised Bela’s mom. And the book ended exactly how I thought it might.

I honestly think if we’d have gotten the POV of the adults and felt their struggle to accept the events when their rational mind is screaming that it can’t possibly be real then this would have rated higher for me.

If you’ve ever read Birdbox, then you know the creepiness that Josh Malerman is such a master of. Incidents Around the House is no exception. Eight year old Bella is being haunted by a ghost in her closet. The ghost. Other Mommy is asking Bela to go into her heart. The longer Bela says “No”, the worse Other Mommy becomes. The story made me feel the walls closing in, the impending doom. It’s as creepy as watching the closet door slowly open. I’ve been telling everyone about this book as I’ve been reading it. I have to admit though, I can’t read it at bedtime. What a creepy, scary ride!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was good, but it didn’t pack a punch the way that some of his other books have. I think if this were any other author I would have liked it more, but I just have such high expectations for Josh Malerman now after some of his other books.

This book was pretty spooky, and it had me guessing the whole time. It just wasn’t executed as well as some of his other stuff is. If you’re looking for spooky, this is spooky!

This book caught me off guard. The perspective of this book is of a young child. Unfortunately we are not told her exact age so it's a bit confusing if this is a very young child around 3 or 4 or if they are supposed to be 6. It also went from kiddish to then some paragraphs seeming much older and with bigger words. The way this book is written gave me a headache. There are zero quotations for when people are talking it's just a space down from the rest and it can be hard to differentiate what is being said and then what is being thought for example:

This book is giving me a headache. I said. The way it is written made it hard for me to read.


That completely made me dislike the book right from the start. Some parts did not feel cohesive. At one point in the book they have to try and get the child to "lose her innocence" to see if that will help get rid of the entity in their house. But the girl has already heard her parents state and do weird things in the beginning of the book so it felt like an odd thing. Also, the ending was very predictable for me. The premise is very good! I did like the plot, but I feel like the execution of it was poorly done. Those are the reasons why it was just a 2 star. If the plot wasn't interesting, it would have went down to 1 star. It just wasn't for me.

This book is uniquely told through the eyes of a child, Bela, which makes it scarier somehow, but essential. The descriptions of Other Mommy were chilling, but I loved the character. Overall, liked the book, but thought the parents did things that most parents wouldn’t do - like oversharing with young children.

I’m usually a fan of Malerman’s novels but this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me. definitely an interesting premise - told from the perspective of an 8-year-old girl who sees a ghost. I found most of the book meandering, repetitive, and not scary at all. it does have a solid ending, and i was more invested in the parents’ storyline than Bela’s

3.5 stars. This starts off creepy and it continues until the end. There’s a small family: daddo (so annoying reading that so often), mommy, and Bela. There’s also Other Mommy who may or may not be a demon or a ghost or some other entity with ill intentions. I disliked both mommy’s. The ending is not clear and I just hated it so much. This is a very fast read and I enjoyed all of it until the last chapter. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

I was very uncomfortable several times while reading this story. It is so unsettling and creepy yet I couldn't stop reading.

Eight year old Bela lives with her mommy and daddo and also her Other Mother, a entity that visits her and wants to go inside her heart. Bela is not sure what the correct answer is. She thought Other Mother was her friend but she is getting too close and Bela is becoming scared. As Bela's family deals with Other Mother, secrets are revealed to Bela that will change the family dynamics forever.

I absolutely loved this book. It is told solely through the eyes of Bela and formatting is very unique. Both of which worked so well and helped me fly through this book. I will be thinking about the ending for a long time. This is definitely one of my top 5 reads of the year and the most horrifying!

I picked up my arc copy of this book again to see how I felt. I was in the mood for such a creepy read. That is exactly what I got. My first review was for a different book by this author I thought I was reading this one. So let me give you my thoughts on Incidents Around the House. I love creepy haunting /possession books. This one delivered. Bela is 8 years old and loves with her Mommy and Daddo. By the way " other Mommy" lives in their house too. She wants Bela to let her in her heart. Other Mommy is so unsettling and terrifying. I like getting Bela's POV because it makes it more realistic. I feel as a child I would have had so e of the same thoughts. You see her parents going through marriage, work, and issues all through her eyes. I found myself rooting for Bela instantly.
After reading Goblin, and The House at the Bottom of the Lake, I didn't know if Josh Malerman would be the author for me. I hope this isn't just a one off, but this book is so good.

This started out promising as Bela describes her interactions with Other Mommy and her parents start to realize there's something more going on than an imaginary friend. But, when it got to the part explaining Other Mommy's origin, it fell apart a bit. Overall, interesting writing and characterizations but lack of follow through. Also, the formatting of the book was a tad hard to follow, as it was told solely from Bela's side of the conversation.

This book had me wanting the throw my kindle against the wall and scream!

This book was told from the perspective of an eight year old girl, Bela, who is being haunted by an entity we know as Other Mommy.

Other Mommy was truly terrifying at times. When Bela’s parents, Mommy and Daddo, discover Other Mommy they are determined to find a way to rid their lives and their home of the dangerous entity. They very quickly become desperate and will stop at nothing to get rid of it.

This book is living rent free in my head and I don’t know how to get it out. I loved this novel. It is definitely a horror novel and if you aren’t careful it will suck you in and not let go.

I was feeling so many emotions. Anger, fear, sadness and the list keeps going. I just wanted to wrap Bela up in a tight hug and not let go.

This was a 4.5 star read for me and I will definitely be reading more from this author.

When I read of purported Supernatural events, even though my Suspension-of-Disbelief is immediate, I always query:
1. Is this a psychological disorder, a decompensation of the Psyche?
2. Are these actual Supernatural events?
Reading INCIDENTS AROUND THE HOUSE, I must add a third, or rather, first inquiry:
1. Children imagine: vividly and extensively. Is this ongoing process of events solely a child's imaginative way of looking at the world?

I imagine the answer(s) may vary according to Reader. So I shall leave the conclusions to your imagination.

As kids, many of us would have our parents check under the bed and in the closet for monsters and of course there was nothing there. Not the case in this book. Bela is our 8 year old narrator who has a Mommy and Daddo who she loves very much. We also learn she has someone else in her life, her Other Mother. This story pulls you in from the beginning and keeps it going until the very last page. We learn more about the relationships in this family as the story progresses and how our pasts will come back to haunt us in our future. This story was the perfect mix of creepy and touching all in one. Daddo is my favorite character, he is his daughter's best friend and tries to do any and everything he can to help her throughout this scary journey. This story made me let my guard down at times and then hit me out of nowhere. That was very unpredictable in the best way. This book helped me get out of my reading slump because I needed to know what would happen next. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a quick, spooky read with real life issues intermingled.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Josh Malerman, & Random House Publishing Group/Del Rey for this ARC, it was excellent!!

This was a quick read and really creepy. I flew through the beginning but by the end it did get a bit repetitive. Took off a star for the ending.

“Can I go inside your heart?”

This book was sooooo creepy and I can’t wait to buy a psychical copy so I can foist it upon everyone this upcoming spooky season! Eight year old Bela has a friend nobody else can see. At first Other Mommy only lived in the closet, but now she likes to sit in Bela’s room. And talk to her about (rein)carnation. Soon Bela realizes Other Mommy might not be her friend after all

Josh Malerman did such a great job creating an unsettling environment. Everyone should feel safe in their home, but after reading Incidents Around the House I found myself not wanting to peer into darkened rooms. I felt like I was watching a movie unfold as I read this book that’s how well described each scene was and if you like scary movies I think you will enjoy this quite a lot. I wouldn’t be surprised if Malerman took inspiration from horror movies as this book felt so cinematic and I felt there were a few scenes paying homage to The Exorcist and Paranormal Activity.

And that ending. I’m still thinking about it!

Finally, I’d HIGHLY recommend the audiobook. I tandem read this with the audiobook and the narrator was great!

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for a review copy.

Malerman is a favorite of mine. I’ve read all of his work and have them all. This one is being hailed as truly creepy and I agree. Definitely check it out if you like being creeped out late at night!

Alright, this was definitely a very creepy book, and I was not expecting a child's perspective, which made it even creepier. It's a ghost story, a family drama, a coming-of-age story, a loss of innocence story, and a surprisingly brutal look and love, death, and facing mistakes of the past. It's a lot more than I expected from a horror novel.

So why the 3 stars? Well... A lot of it was repetitive, particularly because of that child's perspective, and there were definitely plenty of sections where I wished the book would move along. As a reader, you understand what's going on more than the main character and, at fist, the gimmick of figuring it out though the eyes of a child is a fresh and intriguing one. But, it quickly gets old, and you're left waiting for the child to figure it out, over and over again. It's also a fairly predictable novel - you may not know the overall arc right away, but you can always tell what's coming next, and especially you can always tell when the spooky stuff is coming (which makes it less spooky). The writing itself, as with previous Malerman books, wasn't anything mind-blowing, though it's to the point and it gets the job done. The ending was... a lot, but after a while I was expecting it.

Weirdly, I think this would be more effective as a novella or a movie because I think the story would benefit from being more condensed. But I would still recommend it to horror fans looking for a family drama driven ghost story.

What I loved: This was scary to me and I am hard to scare! There were some very tense, nail biting moments. I liked Bela and her grandma.

What I didn’t like: the parents are perfect examples of people who should never procreate especially the mom. The last 20% or so felt really long and drug out and the ending was very Blair Witch Project to me and what I mean by that is you know how it’s going to end but the whole time you’re hoping for something different.

Overall it was a great read with some very scary moments. I liked it so much I bought a copy from book of the month even though I got an ARC from NetGalley.

I was so excited to read this ARC but unfortunately this book just didn't work for me. The "unique" formatting in the book made it hard to follow who was speaking, and often resulted in re-reading the same sentences. I've found that child's POV storytelling doesn't work for me as it ruins the writing style and parents came of unrealistic in how they treated and spoke with Bela.

I know a lot of people loved this book but I wasn't a fan.

Josh Malerman is such a talented writer. Incidents Around the House is such a chilling book. An absolutely effective horror novel. HIGHLY recommended to all horror fans!