This book tore me out of my recent reading slump like a blaring iPhone alarm waking you up when you realize you hit snooze and you’re late for work. The pacing was excellent, and the format helped moved the story along nicely. The voice from the perspective of a kid is always a tough one to make feel truly authentic, but Malerman nailed it here. This book will creep you out and make your imagination run amok. You’ll both want to know what’s going on with “Other Mommy” — and be too scared to find out. If you have a kid, this will upend those moments at bedtime where you lay next to them, the shadows playing games on the wall as the closet door sits open a crack.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I'll still be recommending for some of my patrons. However, I failed to get passed the first two chapters. The mother's conversation with her child made me see red.

The parenting and relationships in this book are scarier than Other Mommy.

So many things happen/are said in this book in passing, and around the kid, that are completely inappropriate, and go totally unchallenged by any of the characters. I kept wondering if this was intentional to make us view the adults as bad people, or if the author is just that out of touch with healthy parent/child interactions. In any case, it was icky.

On a different note, I was hooked from the first few pages, but quickly grew bored. The story stagnates from 30% forward. Instead of escalating horror, you get repetition. The same idea was repeated over and over until it totally lost whatever sense of scariness and fun it originally carried.

Telling the story from the perspective of a young child was a difficult task to pull off, and it showed. To inject adult thoughts into the story, the author resorted to an odd tactic by which the parents would speak their thoughts out loud to the child as she pretended to sleep. This setup felt overly contrived and I hated it.

Squeaky door hinges. Creaky floor boards. The story is written from young Bela's perspective and is terror-filled. Other Mommy embodies what children (and some adults) fear. I loved how the family came together when they realized Other Mommy was real. This book is intense and an emotional journey. You will be jumping at shadows and sounds for a long time.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House - Ballatine for the ARC.

A horror story told in a child’s first person POV, “Incidents Around the House” is about Bela and her nighttime closet-dwelling friend, “Other Mommy.” Bela is school-aged and Other Mommy has seemingly always been benignly around but now she’s out of the closet, venturing into more rooms in the house. With Other Mommy becoming more persistent and malevolent, Bela’s parents are getting subtle clues that something is off: movement just outside their peripheral field of vision; strange whiffs of ugly smells; a drunk party guest who sees a tall blue monster. Plus Other Mommy wants to go into Bela’s “heart,” which Bela instinctively knows is a bad thing. It does not help that Mommy and Daddo are obviously in a tense relationship, something that Bela senses.

Reading a story via a child’s point of view takes some getting used to, but the implied innocence and confusion of Bela adds to this psychological thriller. Her parents’ introspective out-loud dialogues (when they think Bela is asleep) gives us a sense of the adults’ mindsets, too. There are no quotation marks to denote who is speaking or when their part has ended (beyond a new indented sentence) and that did cause me to re-read past sentences a lot more than I wanted — I envisioned eventually this more like a screenplay. Yet, the tension steadily builds as the family starts to believe that Other Mommy is real and they start to crumble. What does a family do when they believe an “entity” is stalking their daughter? This definitely was a page-turner and a disturbing one at that. Author Malerman delivers a horror story that will keep you up T night. 4 stars.

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Although it’s a snake with bright green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO All the talk of “carnations” isn’t about flowers…

Thank you to Ballantine/Del Ray and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

A chilling horror novel about a haunting told from the perspective of a young girl whose troubled family is targeted by an entity she calls “Other Mommy,” from the New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box

Very creepy and eerie. I loved it!

This is the third book by Malerman that I’ve read and it’s definitely my favorite. I was going to just read a few pages before bed last night and I ended up reading half of the book. I finished it today. This is a very addictive read and I really enjoyed it.

The story is told from a young girl’s perspective and it did take a little bit to get used to this point of view. The way Malerman wrote this book is really unique and it definitely felt like a child was narrating the story. I think that’s one of the reasons why I flew through this book. I just loved the writing style. The only thing that got on my nerves is the repeated use of the word ‘Daddo,’ which Bela called her father. I think that word is going to haunt my dreams for the next several months.

There were some scary ass moments in this book and I don’t recommend reading it before you go to sleep. You may start having nightmares involving creepy entities that want to possess you. Stories with dark entities freak me out and the ‘other mommy’ was a frightening character.

Overall, I thought this was a chilling and entertaining read. I look forward to reading more from Malerman.

If you’re looking for a spine-tingling read, definitely pick this one up.

4.5⭐️

I absolutely loved this book! The entire time I read it I felt nervous and scared not knowing when Other Mommy would show up, or what the fate of the family would entail. We are thrown right into the situation with Bela, as she narrates what's happening as Other Mommy begins to come out of the closet and follow her outside of just the bedroom. This book moves quickly and unlike many horror tropes, Bela's family believes what's happening so the situation becomes more dire as they try to work together to rid whatever is haunting their daughter. Bela's perspective makes this a unique book because we can feel her fear and how those around her attempt to help. I would absolutely recommend this title to anyone who loves to feel creeped out because this is a book you can't put down.

Prepare to fight sleep, just like the traumatized family in this book. They’re moving from place to place trying to figure out how to protect their daughter. The reader is moving from chapter to chapter, captivated, and compelled to know what will happen.
If you like being a bit scared to get up at night and use the restroom. Because the book was just that terrifyingly good. Which I do. This book is for you.
I was given an early release copy of this title on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Josh Malerman is definitely an author I look forward to reading. Ever since Bird Box, of which I'm sure he's tired of it being mentioned, I knew he was a great storyteller, and that has been proven time and time again with each passing book. It's giving Coraline vibes, and I am ALLLLLL here for an "other mother" like story, I can't get enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random-House Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Incidents Around the House. All opinions are my own.

Wow, where to begin. Bela is our main character who is 8 years old. She lives in a house with Mommy, Daddo, and Other Mommy. So yeah, that's odd. Obviously, Mommy and Daddo doesn't know about Other Mommy. Other Mommy wants to possess Bela but needs permission. Here our story unfolds. I don't want to say much to stay away from any spoilers. I'd recommend maybe going into this story blind.

Incidents is a rather short book coming in around 256 pages. Very quick especially considering the style each page is typed for dialogue purposes. Definitely a quick read for me because I really wanted to see how this was going to end. Other characters are introduced throughout the book, some important, and some just passing through. The book is creepy, scary, and thought provoking. Malerman is usually hit or miss with me, but this one is a hit for sure. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 star is the ending. The ending wasn't my favorite, but still a book I would recommend reading to all folks that love a good scary book. If you are a Malerman or horror fan, you should for sure pick this one up. Publication date is June 25th. Happy Reading!

Josh Malerman strikes again! So creepy and spooky! I quite literally don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.

Loved, loved, loved it! Incidents Around the House was so good I read it in one day! Thank you NetGalley and Del Ray for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

The dread and suspense of waiting for the scenes with other mommy were all that got me through this book. I hated Belas parents, they trauma dumped on her and treated her like a therapist. THE MONOLOGUES. OH MY GOD. cut out the monologs and make them shorter.

Talk about a true horror book. This book is legit scary. The imagery of “Other Mommy” was giving me full body chills. I made the mistake of starting this at night and actually had a hard time sleeping that night. I learned my lesson and finished this in the daytime.

Are there small things about this book that I could nitpick? Yes. But I’m trying not to critique it to the point where I convince myself to give it a lower rating because I did enjoy the book overall and it did its job by creeping me tf out.

If you want a quick, easy read that is almost guaranteed to creep you the eff out like a horror movie, then pick this up when it comes out or save it for spooky season!

*Keep in mind, this book is told from the perspective of an 8-year-old so it reads that way and is formatted very uniquely because of it. You get used to it, but fair warning.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
It is very rare that a book actually scares me…but bravo to Malerman, because this one scared the crap out of me! This is the definition of spine chilling, creepy, and terrifying. I love a good supernatural horror book, and this one exceeded my expectations. I will admit, I was unsure I would enjoy this book at first as it is from the POV of a child, but it is far from anything juvenile or childish. Malerman does a fantastic job with the storyline from a child’s POV, yet delivering the reader scare, screams, chills, and thrills😱 From the plot, the characters, the dialogue, the creepy atmosphere, and the amount of chills this one gave me…it exceeded my expectations and I have officially added Malerman to my list of auto-buy authors! If you enjoy horror movies such as Insidious and Paranormal Activity definitely pick this book up, but my suggestion to you is not to read it alone late at night like I did😱 No other book or author has been successful in scaring the living daylights out of me, or building up the anxiety and tension- so that in itself is a huge accomplishment! CONGRATS TO YOU JOSH for writing such a phenomenally creepy, spine chilling horror novel that I will never forget.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗘𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
✦Horror movies- think Insidious and Paranormal Activity
✦Excellent plot, characters, dialogue, and a creepy atmosphere
✦Plenty of spine tingling moments
✦A book that scares you and gives you anxiety 😱


𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5

That was wild! Talk about creepy! Never really got into the haunted house type books but this was really worth it! Thank you NetGalley for publisher for the arc!

WOWZA! Josh Malerman has a horror masterpiece on his hands with Incidents Around the House! I was fully invested, sitting on the edge of my seat, turning the pages, and wanting more, more, more!

Eight-year-old Bela lives with Mommy and Daddo Russ until one day when 'Other Mommy' comes out of her closet and to spend time with Bela. At first Bela believes that she and 'Other Mommy' are friends but when 'Other Mommy' keeps asking her “Can I go inside your heart?” , Bela gets uncomfortable.

During a party that Daddo and Mommy are having, 'Other Mommy' makes an appearance, and things kick into high gear. This book oozes tension and dread. As Bela narrates, it becomes evident that things between Bela's parents are strained and don't get me started on their adult conversations and the way they each use Bela as their sounding board/confidant.

As the family tries to find a solution to their "Other Mommy' issue, the book gets creepier, more chilling, spookier, and more tense! The characters fear and anxiety jump off the pages. Bela is the narrator of Incidents Around the House, and readers get information from a child's perspective. I thought this was a fantastic idea. I remember looking under my bed and in my closet as a child to make sure nothing was lurking there. I felt for Bela as her closet door opened and her anxiety mounted.

As I mentioned, I felt for Bela the entire book but there were times I really felt for her as she heard discussions that certain adults in her life had in her presence. I did like her relationship with Daddo and her grandmother.

This is another book that I can see being made into a movie. Malerman wowed and terrified me with Bird Box and has once again delivered an eerie, chilling, creepy, unsettling, and pulse pounding read!

Atmospheric, creepy, chilling, and wonderfully horrific.

Typical Malerman. Too much hype. This book did not live up to the hype at all. I see why people liked it but it fell flat for me.

1. The MC is a little kid. The book never states her age and the way she behaves is wildly conflicting. One minute she's immature and baby-ish, the next minute she's too mature. It's all very confusing. Apparently she's supposed to be 8, I really thought she was like 6 or younger. My niece who is 8 with two younger siblings acts and talks more mature and is able to communicate better. Just saying. Girls ALWAYS mature faster mentally. My best friend's 4 yr old daughter is able to better communicate than Bella.

2. This is from the POV of this child, and it reads like it. I blew right through this book because how juvenile the language is. I feel that if the MC were observed in 3rd person throughout the book, the author could have worked in more mature language, better imagery, etc. This literally read like a special needs kid who is on the spectrum and doesn't know 'right from wrong', wrote it. Someone with a low IQ.

3. This book should have been a much shorter novella. Half the book was Bella just babbling the same few sentences over and over in her head. We really didn't need THIS much of it.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy.

This may be the scariest Malerman yet. What’s really weird, is the book is from a child’s perspective and is mostly dialogue. How can a book be this scary with the setting being a huge part of it? All of his books are totally atmospheric and rely heavily on setting. It’s why I love his books. Instead of a creepy town, we get scary closets and dark corners. Omg and they are terrifying.
Is the child haunted or is the house haunted? This story is a mash up of traditional a ghost story and a haunting of the heart. I don’t know which is more uncomfortable. Facing indiscretions and bad intentions, or facing a dark demon who wants into your body.. the child is losing either way. We should always protect the children.
Terrifying but addicting. I read it in one sitting. I may of had nightmares. Oh and now I’m making sure my closet door is always closed.