I started reading this in the middle of the night and this is one of those "do as I say and not as I do" moments. So yeah, don't read this in the night unless you want to be suspicious of every shadow, the clothes pile on your chair, or the dark abyss of your closet for the rest of the night. As I've mentioned in other reviews, it takes a lot to scare me in a book, but Josh Malerman knows how to write horror, and I read this in less than a day. The story was told from 8 year old Bela's POV and I found this to be unique and well-done. The idea of, and descriptions of "Other Mommy" were absolutely terrifying. Go into this one blind, and enjoy the scare. I loved it and hope it comes to the big screen one day!

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC via NetGalley.

I love love loved this book!!!! Horror is one of my favorites and this didn’t disappoint. I could not put it down. Be prepared for some seriously scary and disturbing scenes! It moves at a fast pace that keeps the story going and I loved that. Definitely on the edge the entire time. The Other Mother was terrifying and I could picture it/her so clearly. I think telling the story from Bela’s perspective was clever and made it scarier. Her parents were very unlikable, especially the mom. I even loved the ending,though by then I wasn’t surprised. Still well done. . I wish I could erase my memory of reading this and read it again for the first time!! Solid 5 star read for me! Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the eARC!

This was gifted by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I started reading Josh Malerman very recently, I loved his previous release which made me curious to check this one out! I was not quite prepared for this book. To be fair, it was my fault. This book hinges on our main character who is a small child, she begins talking about other mother, and soon another dad. The question is, is this innocent, or is there more going on?

This was 100% my fault for not reading the synopsis and just jumping in. I do not like reading horror about possession style stories, especially in little kids. So I don't feel comfortable giving this a rating, as it is not my usual genre or the type of book I would normally go for.

Josh Malerman is going to be responsible for my therapy bills this month because I COULD NOT SLEEP after reading this book. WTF, JOSH?!

Creepy kids doing creepy shit is always going to be a 10x scarier than any other horror trope and I can't really explain why other than... why would they lie about what they see and what's happening to them? So yeah, Bela is creepy and this whole premise is both sad and scary af.

Highly recommend to my fellow horror readers!!

When I read the summary of this book, it sounded terrifying! I am a mood reader, and this one is perfect for when I'm in a creepy-book mood.

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC.

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?” When horrifying incidents around the house signal that Other Mommy is growing tired of asking Bela the same question, over and over . . . Bela understands that unless she says yes, soon her family must pay. Other Mommy is getting restless, stronger, bolder. Only the bonds of family can keep Bela safe but other incidents show cracks in her parents' marriage. The safety Bela relies on is on the brink of unraveling. But Other Mommy needs an answer. Incidents Around the House is a chilling, wholly unique tale of true horror told by the child Bela. A story about a family as haunted as their home.

I have been a fan of Josh Malerman since Bird Box. This book adds to his arsenal of creepy and scary books. I enjoyed this book so, so much, but especially that it is told by Bela.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Ray for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Relentlessly atmospheric, experimental with obvious flaws, Incidents Around the House is unapologetically written for the devoted horror fans; immediate point of reference comes to mind is the 2022 horror film Skinamarink, which utilizes a similar overarching tropes: intentionally obscure narrative through a child's POV. While the novel successfully delivers on scares, tension, and a sense of dread, I can also see it being criticized for being overly vague, lacking a traditional narrative arc, and an inconclusive ending — some of which I actually consider to be the story's strength, while others might be areas where the novel should've gone through a few more rounds of refinement.

One of my favorite Josh Malerman stories is A House at the Bottom of a Lake, and this feels like a continuation of that writing style — where the horror element can be interpreted both literally and metaphorically. With the concept of innocence and parenthood being repeatedly brought up, it is easy to make correlation between these subject matters and the supernatural presence (the writing even encourages it at times). But then there will be outlier scenes where they can only be read as one way rather than open for analysis... The lack of consistency is where I bump into some frustrations with Incidents Around the House's narrative — I wish the author's intent is made a little more clear.

Still, I commend Josh Malerman for pushing the boundary and writing outside the box, as Incidents Around the House contains some of the more original, grotesque imagery, and genuinely chilling sequences (people you are talking to is not who you think they are never cease to scare me). Yes, while this novel (at least my experience with it) has trouble deciding whether to be metaphorical or literal, and would potentially work better as a novella, it is already one of the more memorable reads of this year!

This is my first Josh Malerman book. I did not find this book utterly terrifying but more so, creepy. I also did want to finish it quickly so it was resolved. A creepy child and demon of sorts and a family trying to find a solution to their haunting. An engaging and intense read. I will be reading more of Malerman! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher/author for their ARC in exchange for my review. If you are looking for a spine tingling, creepy read, this one is for you…but keep the light on

Other mommy has to be one of the creepiest things I've ever read. This book scared the heck out of me. I was reading and alone in the dark on my Kindle and had to get up and turn the light on. Every sound had me questioning if other mommy was slinking towards me in the dark. I can't say enough good things about this book! In the name of review fairness though I'm going 4.5 stars only because the ending felt rushed to me after so much build up. Solid horror story.

I really liked this book which is told from the point of view of a little girl named Bela, who lives with her mommy, daddo and the other mommy, an entity haunting Bela who wants to carnation in Bela (reincarnate). The story was so atmospheric and at times actually scary. Great book.

THANK YOU so much, NetGalley, Josh Malerman, and Random House - Del Rey Books for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Josh Malerman's "Incidents Around the House" is an absolute gem for fans of horror and suspense. The book drips with atmospheric dread, creating a creepy vibe that seeped into my bones from the very first page. Malerman masterfully builds tension, making every turn of the page an exercise in delicious fear.

I loved how the adults in the book were depicted as being more childlike than the actual child in the story. This inversion of roles added a layer of unease and complexity to the narrative, making the adults' actions and reactions even more creep-tastic! Brilliant!

Another aspect that rocked my world was the narrative being from a child's point of view. The grammar and writing structure were creatively aligned with this concept, capturing the innocence and curiosity of childhood while contrasting it with the terrifying events unfolding around the young Bela.

The description of "Other Mommy" as the entity trying to possess young Bela was also incredibly designed. Her exaggerated features and creepy repetition of "Can I come into your heart?" were painted with such detail that I could picture her grotesque form perfectly. Malerman's talent for creating monstrous yet believable characters is fully displayed here.

I highly recommend "Incidents Around the House" for anyone who loves a good possession story and enjoys reading late into the night, preferably while hiding under the covers. Josh Malerman will keep you on edge with this one and make you question every shadow in your room, or in my case, make your husband come turn on a night light for you! LOL! Enjoy!

Oh. My. God.
Incidents Around The House is one of the creepiest books I’ve ever read! It’s the first book I’ve read from a child’s perspective and that certainly added to the freaky factor.

I don’t want to spoil anything but the things that happen and resolution attempts are just bonkers! You really never know what’s going to pop up on the next page.

That ending? Absolutely not what I anticipated!

I love that Josh Malerman writes his books based in Michigan mainly because I am a Michigander myself. He weaves in Goblin within Incidents Around The House.

Incidents Around The House Is a good book. It was not one of my favorites and the mother really really bugs me. For those that love his writing I imagine you will love this as well.

Thank you #Netgalley for the chance to read the EArc of #IncidentsAroundTheHouse by #JoshMalerman in return for a fair and honest review.

This book is everything a haunted house story should be and more. Delightfully creepy, Malerman's prose paints a full picture of Bela's life: her daily routine, her worries for her parents, and the increasingly scary nature of visits by her friend, Other Mommy. Incidents both feeds into tropes and subverts them, creating a story that's sure to please long time fans of the genre. I know I'll be revisiting Incidents Around The House for a good spooky read in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for my ARC of Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman. This book was unique, intense, and suspenseful in the best ways! I've rated it 4.5/5 stars.

The way that Incidents Around the House is formatted and written took me by suprise at first, as it was hard to adapt to. But over time and certainly by the end of the book, I realized it added to the poetic nature of the story in a really beautiful way, as did reading from the POV of a child. This book is intense and suspenseful and reminded me a bit of a Stephen King novel. More than once while reading this, I thought of how it was part Lisey's Story, part Coraline, part something entirely unique and original. The only thing keeping me from rating this book a full 5 stars is at times, the book started to feel a bit redundant along with the ending feeling slightly confusing and a bit rushed. However, I would most likely be rating it a full 5 stars if I began reading knowing the unique poetic writing style and didn't go in completely blind. I highly reccomend this one!

This book was creepy and spine-tingling. There were a couple of times when I almost had to DNF because it was too scary!

I am finding it very hard to decipher how I feel about this book, as well as how to how to rate it. Ultimately I think this will be a great book for someone else but just did not resonate with me.

The Good: This book claimed to be true horror - and they DELIVERED! This book is spooky as all get-out. I realized after the first quarter or so that I was not reading this book at night anymore and finished most of it on my patio in broad daylight. 'Other Mommy' might be the first book character ( monster? ghost?) I have truly been afraid of.

The Not-so-Good: The writing style was a vibe and, unfortunately, it was not my vibe. I think the writing style was supposed to add to the spookiness and I could see how that would work for some. For me, I found the lack of quotations and overall formatting very distracting.

I wanted to LOVE this book, and even though I did not I do not fault the writer. I think the writer had a vision and created it flawlessly. This was a difference in opinions and styles. However, I do plan on trying the audio again sometime in October.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for my advanced reader copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for this arc!

Little 8-year-old Bela has a friend that only she can see . . . until others start to see her friend too. Other Mommy. Bela starts to learn that Other Mommy isn't really her friend. After all, Other Mommy wants to enter Bela's heart. As those around Bela begin to see Other Mommy they embark on a journey to rid themselves of Other Mommy while trying to keep their family and its secrets intact.

This book is a cross of Coraline mixed with Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak. Then as I read further, why don't we throw Paranormal Activity into the mix too? This book gave me the creeps and that's saying a lot since I frequently fall asleep listening to horror stories. Malerman paints a very creepy and horrifying picture of Other Mommy and her desire to get into little Bela's heart.

However, the ending is very predictable and some parts in the middle are a little . . . eh. The whole knife scene (trying not to say too much)? Really guys? Really? You think that's going to work? It gets a little repetitive as our little family is running from house to house in their bid to escape Other Mommy.

But overall, I did enjoy this book and it did give me some good throwbacks to Coraline and Paranormal Activity (the latter I watched frequently as a young teen).

Have you ever read a book where scary things are happening to a child and the adults just don't get it? Your frustration grows and you can't believe how incredibly dumb the parents are and the lack of support towards the child? (I see you Lemony Snicket in Series of Unfortunate Events) Josh Malerman's Incidents Around the House is quite the opposite. Bela is believed and loved and while this may seem comforting to readers the overall premise and plot of the book is the complete opposite.

I found "Incidents" to be eerie, unsettling and downright creepy. Eight year old Bela has someone watching her from her closet. Sometimes it's in her bathroom. The book was fast paced and I didn't want to put it down.

Besides dealing with the monster, young Bela has to deal with her childhood fears of whether her parents will divorce and whether her presence impacts their relationship. I brought to the forefront that no one ever truly knows all of us completely. Not our spouse, nor our parents nor our children. We all have secrets to hide and Bela's parents are no exception.

The moments of darkness and confined spaces in closets and bathrooms added to the creep factor as well as the wind from Lake Michigan. This was a great summer read for me.

I don't think I have ever been this scared while reading a book. It terrified me more and more to the very last word where I almost lost it. Holy crap. This has to go into the House of Horror Fame. A solid five.