I was enthralled the entire book. Incidents Around the HOuse is about 8 year old Bella and her "imaginary" friend who she calls Other Mommy. But other mommy is not really imaginary, and she's not really Bella's friend. We find this out real quick once we learn she keeps asking Bella to go into her heart. At first "nicely" ... if such a thing can be nice ... and when Bella keeps saying no, she gets scarier and scarier. Malerman kept up the tense atmosphere throughout the book and it kept me wondering where he was going next. The ending though! I need to discuss - I'm not sure I liked it, but it left me thinking about it for a long time. I would recommend this book to everyone.

Wow! This book was amazing! It definitely kept me up at night thinking there was something in my closet. It was so eerie and atmospheric, like you were also inside the story & getting haunted yourself. Amazing character development!

A disturbing and terrifying story about Bela and her family and her “Other Mommy.” Other Mommy is her friend and confidant—a lot like Daddo, her father, but Other Mommy, like Bela’s world, has changed. Her friend is no longer satisfied with just being a friend. It wants something from her and is growing increasingly impatient. It, like this story, is relentless. The tale starts out creepy and drags you down rather quickly into this imaginative, little girl’s world. And her world is much more than just a monster-in-the-closet. Those of you who have had small children know how relentless children can be with their questions. We sometimes dismiss what our children tell us—especially when things sound too fantastic. Ignore them at your own peril!

The story is told from Bela’s perspective so it may seem a little difficult at first, but do stick with it. I found myself reading it in a child’s voice. It totally sucked me in and put a real scare into me.

The story, and Bela’s voice, haunted me long after I closed the book.

Told from a child's POV, Incidents Around the House makes you question who or what your kid is creepily whispering to at night. Bela is 8 years old, but to me she feels much younger, more like 5 or 6. Heck, at 8, I was already reading The Exorcist, LOL. I would have been prepared!

The story is an interesting take on haunting/possession/poltergeist/demon activity... and probably more realistic in how family and friends would treat you and how utterly alone and susceptible both stupidity and malintent you would be in such a situation, What I liked most about the story, however, is that like many of my favorite horror tales, there is no happy ending and "they" do not follow rules, peeking under your covers as you try to hide. I may never look the same way at a car's backseat again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Anything with a creepy child is gonna suck me in. But holy crap, this one creeped me out. So well done

I mean, are you kidding me? I have loved Malerman and poured through Bird Box, Unbury Carol, and the like...why should this one be any different?! And anytime you add kids to the mix, like 8 year old Bela, you just knkow it's going to be creepy! I could not read this one at night, at least not without the lights on! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC and please keep 'em coming Mr. Malerman!

Wow…this was incredibly original and unique. The POV from Bela, our 8 year old protagonist sounds tricky and confusing but it flowed so well. I was freaked out beyond belief several times. I love a good possession story and this is the ultimate. A lot is left for the reader’s interpretation which just added to the creep factor. The dread just keeps on building.

I loved the meaning behind the story. The loss of innocence and the way trauma, specifically childhood trauma, can continue to affect you as you age. There are real issues here and they are handled with honesty and care. I don’t want to say anymore because it will ruin it. It’s fabulous and I cannot wait to read all the Malerman novels waiting for me on my shelves.

Thank you Netgalley for my advance copy!

This book actually terrified me. I have never read a book that has haunted me as much as this novel. I did find it difficult to get used to the child's point of view throughout the novel but once I grew a customed to this style it was quite easy to follow. This story will stay with me for quite some time.

Keep your nightlight on!

I found myself getting chills as I read about the mysterious occurrences in the story. The way the author built up the tension and suspense kept me on the edge of my seat. The little girl's innocence and honesty added an eerie contrast to the dark events unfolding around her.

The concept of an "other Mommy" was both fascinating and terrifying. The author did a fantastic job of creating a character that was both familiar and yet completely unsettling. I couldn't shake the feeling of unease long after I finished reading.

Overall, this book was a thrilling creepy and captivating read. It reminded me of how children can see things that adults overlook, and how their honesty can sometimes be more chilling than any horror story. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good scare and a well-crafted psychological horror.

This is my first read from the author. I can't wait to read more! Thank you NetGalley for my ARC copy for exchange of my honest opinion. This review is my own and posted voluntarily.

This book should be on your TBR list!

Other Mommy. That's the name of the malevolence that's descended in 8 year old Bela's house. Her mommy and Daddo blow off her comments at first but then things get weirder and eerier and scarier. What does Other Mommy mean about letting her into Bela's heart. No spoiler from me but horror fans will enjoy this well paced, claustrophobic tale that benefits from Bela's voice. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Bela is a young child who is able to see and hear "Other Mommy," whom she thinks is her friend, until she starts to have doubts about the entity's intentions. It keeps asking to be let into Bela's heart so it can be reincarnated. It used to be that Other Mommy would stay in Bela's closet and only come out to play with her, but now the haunting becomes more intense with time. Other Mommy becomes impatiently bolder and starts to show itself to more than just Bela. No one is safe as it malevolently pursues Bela to let it into her heart.

The story was told from a young child's innocent and often simplistic view, making the reader empathize with Bela. She doesn't fully comprehend the severity of the situation and still heavily relies on the adults in her life for help with things, even though her parents tend to use her as an emotional dumping ground for mature topics her little mind can't quite grasp the meaning to yet. The author did a great job building up plenty of suspense, trepidation, and foreboding throughout the story. The ending was a little anticlimactic for me or maybe seemed not as descriptive, almost rushed. Overall, it was a decent horror story and kept my attention.

“Can I go inside your heart?” 👻

YALLLLL!! I devoured this book! I haven’t read a book this fast in a while. Something about the POV being from an 8 year old just made everything a lot creepier. “Other mommy” was also quite terrifying. I thought this was well written and fast-paced with so much suspense and eeriness throughout the entire book. I absolutely LOVED this book and highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. Incidents Around the House follows Bela and her family as they navigate Bela’s friend, Other Mommy. I had a tough time getting into this book. I believe it may have been the format. It is told from the perspective of Bela.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book officially publishes on 6/25/24!

This book has a unique POV that I don’t believe I have ever seen before. Given the fact that this is classified as a horror book, the POV makes it that much more “creepy”. The pacing in this one felt on par with thrillers, with the first chapter immediately having a “hook” to draw readers in. Giving this one 3 stars overall because the ending did fall a bit flat for me and, although I know what the author was trying to do with trial and error in the context of the plot, it did seem a little redundant at times. This is a fun read though, even if for the POV alone, and would be a good October read.

With Incidents Around the House, Malerman delivers a story as equally heartbreaking as it is horrifying. When you pick up a story this gripping, it becomes nearly impossible to put it down. I devoured this book in 24 hours, and I found myself sad that it was over. I am desensitized when it comes to horror, but Malerman writes scenes in a way that really gets my heart racing and my eyes glancing to the corners of the room. I’m eager to read what he writes next!

Bela lives with her Mommy and Daddo, and even though they fight sometimes, they live a pretty normal life. Except when everyone goes to sleep, Other Mommy comes out of the closet. At first she was kind, but now she won't stop asking Bela if she can go into her heart. Bela keeps saying no- but Other Mommy is persistent, and getting angry.

Ok WHEW this book was something. I'm terrified of Other Mommy and I'm an adult- I can't imagine being a child and seeing her. This book was written from Bela's point of view, so all we have is her understanding and perception of the world. It was VERY easy to binge- except at nighttime when I turned off the light and was worried about Other Mommy being in my bedroom. Still- it read like a movie and I needed to know what was going to happen next- I can definitely see it being made into a movie.

I anticipated a twist that didn't end up happening, but the ending.... I won't give anything away. So that's where I'll end it. But GAH the tension I felt while reading.


I highly recommend this one for anyone looking for scary... it definitely hit the mark.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC! This deeply creepy tale is my introduction to Josh Malerman's work, but it won't be the last book I read by this author. In it, eight-year-old Bela senses that all is not right between her Mommy and Daddo. To make matters worse, she is visited at night by an entity called "Other Mommy" who emerges from the dark of her closet. Other Mommy says they are friends, that she is there to help Bela, but each night, she asks Bela, "can I go into your heart?" As Bela's uneasiness with this question grows, Other Mommy escalates her otherworldly hauntings, bleeding into Bela's daytime world and threatening to tear her life and her fragile family apart.

As a lover of horror, it takes a lot to scare me in such a variety of ways, but this book did that effectively. Other Mommy's ability to imitate others and make Bela and her parents question their safety and sense of reality at every turn was both surreal and cinematic-I could easily imagine this as an A24 film. There were times in which Bela's personhood became obscured by the marital troubles between her parents, especially her mother, and because of the way the text is formatted, it was not always attributable to a particular character, However, there was something interesting about having so much of the book take place in Bela's interior world, which is under threat, and everything external, like her parent's frequent monologues, are encroaching until it is hard to tell what is real for Bela.

Be warned, this is a very unsettling book that won't leave you feeling good, but it will have you checking all the dark corners of your home in case something is lurking where you can't see.

Here's my honest review of #IncidentsAroundTheHouse by Josh Malerman

I keep reading how unique this book is & how it NEEDS to be made into a movie ...
Ummm has anyone seen Mama from 2013 with Jaime Lannister ??? It's basically the same thing. I'm pretty sure Josh Malerman watched the same movie & tweaked a few things here & there to make this book.
That said it wasn't totally bad but I felt this could have been a YA thriller ?? Not horror ... I was never once scared or even a bit creeped out by this book & I was really hoping to be.
I guess all in all this wasn't my cup of tea 🤷‍♀️


#HonestReview #NetGalley 👻

The only incident around here is that I read this whole book. This is a very short read, and it took me forever to get through this. The choppy short sentences from eight year old Bela were painful to read, and this story was not creepy or scary to me at all! I kept waiting for something to happen, but it never did. I guess the ending is good, but if you can suffer through this to get there, then more power to you. This book is labeled as a horror novel, but I would label it as a children’s book.

Bela, Daddo, and Mommy all live together. Bela sees “Other Mommy”. “Other Mommy” lives in her closet. Now “other mommy” comes out of the closet. (Do you like my second grade sentences? Because this is what you’ll get throughout the whole book). Other Mommy comes to Bela everyday and asks to go inside her heart. Oh no, what should Bela do?

At first, only Bela could see “other mommy”, but now others can see her too. What is happening? How will we ever get rid of “other mommy”? If you’re curious, please read this book to find out.

There are many five star reviews for this book, and others are loving it. However, this book just didn’t work for me. I wanted to be scared, and I wasn’t at all. I would also read a few pages and doze off (which is not a good sign).

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine, and the author for an ARC of this book in which I am leaving an honest review.
Publication date: June 25, 2024.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Other Mommy is the monster in the closet, and everything nightmares are made of. She's been around as long as eight year old Bela can remember, but lately, she keeps asking Bela if she can get in her heart. Bela knows saying no is making Other Mommy mad, and she's starting to wonder if Other Mommy is really a friend. After an incident that proves to Bela that she isn't the only one who can see Other Mommy in the house, Bela is terrified for her family.

Josh Malerman really breathes life into the monster that is Other Mommy. I'm not generally scared by horror, but this one made me jumpy! I think it was a combination of the vividly descriptive writing, the story being told from a child's perspective, along with the adult perspectives that were incorporated throughout the book. There were no quotation marks, and I think that added more anxiety and dread without making it difficult to read. There are so many different layers to this book, all coming together perfectly to make Other Mommy my favorite Malerman monster to be haunted by yet! I did predict the ending to some degree, but it didn't make me enjoy this wild and terrifying ride any less. Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Josh Malerman for the opportunity to read an review an early copy of Incidents Around the House.