My enjoyment of Josh Malerman’s novels has varied, but one thing that’s wonderfully consistent about his work is that he always manages to write something truly creepy and unsettling without resorting to the grotesque and gruesome.

This is the kind of horror I like, the type that’s more show that tell and that is predicated on a sense of menace and creeping dread rather than shocking violence.

This one isn’t quite as scary or brilliantly rendered as Bird Box, but it’s clever and eerily intense, and telling the story exclusively from a child’s perspective is both unusual and effective in making the story even creepier.

The way Malerman can maintain dramatic tension for so, so much of a story without the effect lessening is truly impressive, and I loved how this one ended.

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.

This is the first book to give me goosebumps in a long time. I was on the edge of my seat during some of the more intense scenes. I loved the writing style of this. It was very unique- especially being told from the perspective of Bela.

A satisfyingly scary story that’s a bit predictable and unique enough to keep my attention. Definitely recommend for horror fans of all kinds.

Kudos to Josh Malerman for executing the spine-tingling haunting of our little Bela with such delicious imagery! Wowza! This one will stop you mid read to mentally comment on the eerie scenes crawling through the pages.

Incidents Around The House is shown through the eyes of Bela, a young girl experiencing escalating interactions with an entity she refers to as "Other Mommy." To be perfectly honest, this did take me a bit to warm up to. The writing felt quite simplistic and choppy. As I made my way, however, I came to find that that simplicity was stylistic genius at its finest. The innocence of a child's viewpoint was the perfect juxtaposition to the evil that lurks in the narrative. Less was certainly more in this case, and Malerman pulls it off like a master.

This is one of those books that will pull you in and keep you turning pages until the big finale. Captivating and paced to move, I didn't want to put it down.

The only real disconnect for me was the awful persona of Ursula and the overly obnoxiousness of Daddo. I was not a fan of either of these characters. Flawed, yes, but unfortunately, in the worst of ways. Ursula was a nightmare. I certainly did not love to hate her. I simply disenjoyed each and every moment of her horridness. And please, don't even get me started on Daddo. His oblivious, wishy-washy, beaten puppy syndrome was hard to stomach at the best of times. These two, simply put, were just plain unpalatable. However...once again...this somehow works with the innocence of the narrative. This little girl may not realize the awfulness in which she is surrounded, but we sure do.

Final thoughts? This is the creepy hand that grabs your ankle from under your bed. The mirror you avoid in a dark room. The shower curtain you're terrified to open. Hands down, one-hundred percent...eerie, vivid fun.

Thank you to the author and Random House Publishing-Ballantine/Del Ray for the opportunity to read a digital advanced readers copy via Net Galley. I am willingly leaving my thoughts.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantine for the book #IncidentsAroundTheHouse by #JoshMalerman. Bella’s an 8 year old girl who is being haunted by an entity, Other Mother. This entity wants to enter her heart and be reincarnated. When Bela’s mommy and daddo find out about this, they try and get rid of it. But can they? Is this Other Mommy dangerous?

Easily the scariest book I've read in a while. It's told from the point of view of a child who is trying to make sense of what she's seeing and what's going on around her, and it's done in such an effective way that you go right into the child and experience it that way. It's fast paced and the chills start coming in the first pages and don't let up until the last. I would say this one and Paul Tremblay's Horror Movie are the horror reads of the Summer! I will be suggesting this one to patrons for a long time to come! Thanks NetGalley!!

"CAN I GO INSIDE YOUR HEART?"

A little girl named Bela loves her family, Daddo, Mommy, and Grandma Ruth but what about Other Mommy? Bela had always thought Other Mommy was her friend but lately Other Mommy has been getting more aggressive and appearing in places she never did before and when she gets mad her face changes and Bela is getting a little more scared each day. Mommy and Daddo have always thought Other Mommy was an invisible friend as many children have them in early childhood especially when they're an only child as Bela is. The parents begin to realize that something is wrong with Bela although they can't understand or believe what their daughter tells them since they're two educated and logical adults until.they begin to witness some strange events happening inside their home yet they rationalize all of it away until the night they host a party in their home and all hell begins to break out and from that day forward nothing will ever be the same in any of their lives especially poor little Bela and why won't Other Mommy stop asking her if she can go inside her heart! Maybe Bela should say yes to Other Mommy so all of the bad stuff will stop and they can all be happy again except unknown to sweet little Bela incidious evil has come to roost within their complicated lives


I thoroughly enjoyed this very creepy and scary horror novel mainly told through the eyes and mind of a young little girl who is the essence of innocence and she loves her family so much and just wants all of them to be happy. Every parent should be able to connect with one or more of the problems within this family. My oldest daughter had an invisible playmate when she was very young before her sister was born and I remember checking in with the pediatrician to make sure this was normal and okay to go along with because sometimes it could be quite strange yet very fascinating as well.

I was completely entranced and entertained and literally couldn't put the book down! This story may not appeal to everyone but I highly recommend it to all horror readers or Josh Malerman fans since it truly is just dripping with sinister events and the darkest of secrets that just broke my heart. I loved reading the book from Bela's perspective and how she only wanted to make everyone happy.

I really loved Bela, Daddo and Grandma Ruth but I didn't care for real Mommy at all although I'm sure that was the writer's intentions plus it made for some extremely dark and devastating situations that were great to chew on. I thought this book was very well done and can't wait to read more from this fine horror author in the future!


I want to thank the publisher "Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given this SPOOKY book a rating of 4 1/2 INSIDIOUS AND EVIL 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌠 STARS!!

This book scared the crap out of me! Let me just say, this is no easy feat considering I am a lifelong horror fiend. The terror in this novel is so pure and visceral, I felt like a kid again, reading Stephen King under a blanket with a flashlight for the first time. This is easily one of the best horror novels I’ve ever read, and though be a must-read for any fan of the genre.

Malerman crafts a haunting narrative in the voice of an eight year-old girl, Bela, as she engages with her Other Mother that lives in her closet. She tries to understand whether this thing is friend or foe while her parents navigate their own marital issues. It is a story both moving and deeply disturbing. There are some genuine scares among a constant tension the spans the entire length of the novel. Malerman takes the old trope of the monster in the closet and make feel fresh and altogether new. The text of the book takes a moment to get used to with no quotes, short sentences, and odd paragraph structures. But this adds to the reading experience and makes the reader embed themselves in a child’s mind once more.

Without a doubt this is one of the best horror novels I’ve ever read. It's quirky, fun, and totally frightening.

I will read anything Josh Malerman writes…I don’t care what it is. That being said, Incidents Around the House was fantastic. We follow a little girl named Bela, who has a good mommy and a bad mommy. You need to get used to the POV of a child, but stick with it. One of the best horror stories I have read in a long time!

I love creepy books so I was so thrilled to be able to read this one. Bella is a little girl who lives with her mom and dad, but also has another mother who lives in her closet and comes out at night. When she comes out she asks Bella if she can go into Bella’s heart. This story is really creepy, but in a good way. It kind of gave me Coraline vibes with the other mother aspect, but also like the book hidden pictures where it’s the kid being like possessed.

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman is a creepy and chilling story.
I just love this author!
His writing no matter what is beyond phenomenal.
This one kept me riveted from the beginning. What an insane thrill ride.
Josh Malerman blows me away with everything he writes.

Thank You NetGalley and Del Rey for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Bel is a normal 8 year old girl living a normal life with her parents Russ and Urs, the only problem is Other Mother who lives in her closet and keeps asking her for something. This book is told through the eyes of Abel as she and her family try and deal with Other Mother who is not as imaginary as they thought. This was a good creepy book that caught my attention and didn’t let it go until the very last page.

Kids say creepy things. They regularly have imaginary friends and seem aware of things not readily visible to adults. They wage constant nocturnal warfare at bedtime, battling tooth and nail with nightmares and boogeymen…but what if these invisible monsters somehow became real? What if their once insubstantial, ephemeral grasp on the fabric of reality became corporeal, and they tore their way forth into our side, leaving the veil of separation in tatters? No one would be safe, inside or outside, day or night, awake or asleep.

From the author of Birdbox comes a new spine-chilling horror novel written in the POV of a haunted and hunted 8-year-old little girl named Bela. She’s is a lonely 8-year-old little girl who struggles to make friends and is much too perceptive of the adults around her. Mommy and Daddo appear to have life figured out, but their illusion of a happy family will start to deteriorate, leaving room for evil to slip inside. Bela starts to see the cracks in the foundation of her parents’ marriage, but her parents are too caught up in their own troubled lives to notice how she’s been affected or what’s been visiting her to give the comfort and attention she’s been missing. A demonic presence, known as Other Mommy, has been attracted to the family, and it makes itself comfortable by settling into shadows and dark spaces within the home. Problems between her parents start to gain momentum, creating a veritable feast of negative energy for a demonic entity. Other Mommy makes nightly visits with escalating frequency to befriend Bela and trick her into giving it what it desperately wants: an invitation to be inside her heart. After Bela finally realizes Other Mommy may not really be her friend, she tries to resist the entity on her own, but it only seems to agitate the thing more, making it more aggressive than it was before. She starts to believe she’s the reason her parents aren’t happy, and her Other Mommy is acting different, so she begins to consider letting the malevolent creature into her heart by simply acquiescing to an ostensibly innocent request: Can I go into your heart, Bela? Afterall, they were friends once, and friends do nice things for each other…

Josh Malerman knows how to scare the pants off people! I was absolutely possessed with a desperation to know what happens to this little girl and her troubled family; however, I got the heebs so bad I had to pace my reading, and even that didn’t stop the nightmares from visiting. This horror story mirrors the disturbing tale of Coraline with the presence of Other Mommy preying upon a conflicted and vulnerable young girl who realizes the entity’s true sinister intentions far too late. Coraline’s Other Mommy is believed to be the Beldam, a malicious witch who lures and bewitches neglected children with the end goal of possession and consumption. The Other Mommy in the novel similarly befriends and lulls Bela into a false sense of security and friendship and belonging. This was easily accomplished by preying on her innocence and loneliness. The Other Mommy can be viewed as a supernatural warning for parents who aren’t actively present and invested in their children’s lives; their absence in any capacity can leave a child very vulnerable and may garner the attention of real life evil, going undetected until damage has been done and innocence has been taken. Malerman’s writing is intentionally simplistic, which skillfully conveys a realistic and convincing childlike stream of consciousness. Initially, I was a bit leery about the story being written from a little girl’s POV since I incorrectly thought it would limit how scary the story could really be. If anything, it made the experience more dread inducing and distressing because it limits how much information the reader can get at once, which helps develop a stronger emotional attachment to the little girl by eliciting the same desperation and helplessness she was feeling. I think having restricted doses of information also tremendously intensified the thickening tension, ominous atmosphere, and sinister foreboding within the story. Malerman deftly brushes such vivid and horrifying illustrations into your mind’s eye you will feel like you are watching a horror movie come to life within your own head! Specifically, the way I envisioned Other Mommy manifesting and shifting around the house had my heart beating a lot faster!

Incidents around the House is the first book I have read from this author, and I absolutely loved this supernatural thriller, so I will definitely be reading more from Malerman’s collection of scary stories! I highly recommend reading this book but get ready for a good scare! Horror fans will quickly devour this demonic horror story… but even the most imperturbable could be frightened enough to check under the bed, secure the closet door, and sleep with the lights on…

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House & Ballentine, Del Rey for the ARC and the opportunity to share what I think! All opinions are my own. Publication is June 25th! I have posted this review to my Goodreads account and will wait to post this review to my FB group, The Book Banquet, 2 weeks out from publication.

ter seeing so many good reviews, I knew I had to read this one. The cover alone is creepy and sets the mood for this book. The entire book is from the POV of Bela who’s a kid and being haunted by Other Mommy. It was definitely a unique writing style that I haven’t read before and really added to the creep factor. Let me tell you, the creep factor was high and Other Mommy is something out of nightmares. It jumps straight out of the gate with action, which I love and got me hooked. I found myself laughing out loud at times and being sad for Bela and her family.

I do have to say that I did start dragging on in the later half of the book and I found it started to get repetitive. Maybe it was because of the POV being in a kid’s view? I’m still thinking about the ending and I honestly find myself not really liking it. I don’t really get it and there’s not much closure. It could just be me though.

Overall, I really enjoyed this creepy little haunting book and loved the unique writing style it had. Definitely recommend it for spooky season and anyone who loves a good haunting thriller.

4.5 rounded to 5
OMG this book was soo freaking good and creepy AF. This book was told from 8 year old Bela’s POV and it was so amazing. I had the opportunity to listen to this on audio and even a child narrated this audiobook-let me tell you it was epic. Reading a horror book from a child’s POV was breathtaking. I got to understand Bela’s fears, emotions, guilt, all of it when scary things were happening in her life- other mommy, her parents fighting, etc. it was sooo good!! “Other Mommy” was so creepy- I kept thinking of the movie “MAMA” and that creepy mom character. Josh Malerman is so great at making anything creepy. I love his stories and will definitely be reading more.

This is Malerman at his absolute BEST. Holy smokes, this one scared the living crap out of me, and still managed to be incredibly touching as well!

Alright this was distinctly creepy. Kids kind of freak me out. Demon ghost monster things (whatever the hell this was??) freak me out. Marital instability definitely freaks me out. Overall, this book had great vibes.

While the writing really wasn’t my favorite style, I thought it was very effective to communicate that this is a child narrator. I liked the parts that delved into childhood and innocence and broken family dynamics a ton - my favorite horror books/movies tend to have some sort of realistic grounding, and I thought that was done well here.

I also loved how evocative the descriptions were. The tension/creepiness was palpable, and the Other Mommy was terrifying. This would definitely make a good movie (and I hear it’s being adapted!)

The only thing I didn’t love is that I felt like I was missing something. I understood the events of the ending, but not the overarching message I think. Maybe someone smarter than me can explain it because I’m at a bit of a loss. But that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book as a whole!

Thank you to Random House - Ballantine and Netgalley for the ARC. Incidents Around the House is out today!

Entirely told from the perspective of eight-year-old Bela, this book proves that true horror can be spine tingling no matter who is telling the story. There are underlying issues with the adults in Bela’s life that we get to see through her eyes but the focus is on “Other Mommy” - who she is, what she wants, and how to get rid of her. Bela isn’t the only person to see her which ramps up the creep factor. This entity isn’t easily classified and no one knows how to help. All “Other Mommy” wants is to be let inside Bela’s heart. Is that so much to ask? The more often Bela says no, the more bold “Other Mommy” becomes. Instead of showing herself to only Bela, she begins following her to public places, showing herself to the adults around her, and will stop at nothing until she gets what she wants.

The audiobook is narrated by a child (Delanie Nicole Gill) which I was honestly so excited about. It kept the atmosphere true to the book and she did such a fantastic job! If you love audiobooks, definitely give this one a listen! I was hooked from the first chapter and binged this one in half a day!

I don’t usually get scared from books but this one got me; Other Mommy is horrifying. My heart was racing the whole time.

The story is told from a young child’s point of view and initially that was confusing. Or maybe confusing isn’t the right word— it just took a few chapters to be comfortable with the format.


Bela is a young kid who has a very unusual friend. Her name is Other Mommy and she lives in Bela’s closet. Over time, Other Mommy leaves the closet and eventually Bela’s room too. She only has one request, and really it’s something any good friend would do — can she go into your heart?