My recent buddy read with @fashionably.late.books confirmed what really scares me. I find the idea of possession terrifying . That is probably why Josh Malerman’s Incidents Around the House is at the top of the list for creepy books that I read this year.

The story is told through the eyes of Bela, an eight year old girl who has a friend who lives in her closet that she calls Other Mommy. Other Mommy has been there for about a year. At first Bela liked her, but she is becoming more insistent and scarier because Bela won’t answer her question. Can she come into Bela’s heart?

This book worked for me on every level. I loved that it was told through Bela’s voice. Her young voice vividly portrays the innocence that is at risk and is the perfect contrast to the diabolical intentions of Other Mommy. Bela doesn’t really understand what Other Mommy is asking but she knows it makes her feel weird. There is something about the preying on a pristine soul that I find terrifying.

This book starts off with a bang that never lets up. The parents here aren’t the stupid people that you so often find in horror films and books. Their behavior seems reasonable as they do everything they can to protect their family. The book moves at a breakneck pace as the terror builds with each scene more frightening than the last. The terror here is visceral and there is one scene involving a dog on the beach that I imagine will haunt me for a long time. And the ending…. It is abrupt and a bit vague and hard to take in, but it gradually dawns on you what has happened and it evokes a quiet and complete terror. Well done Mr. Malerman! Thank you to @netgalley and @delreybooks for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a fun read. I felt bad no one believed the kid at all in this book. The haunted house part did freak me out a bit. Don't I would have kids anytime soon after reading book. It was overall good read I could read over and over again.

Stunning horror. I read this in one sitting and was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

I have never been interested in reading Bird Box but now I want to give it a shot. If Malerman's other works resemble this, I know I will be in for a treat.

QUOTE: "You'll notice, the older you get, that it's the topics people say you shouldn't talk about that get all messed up beyond repair."

Loved the idea of the child POV as it offered a different perspective to a possession story.. Buddy read with a friend and had a good time. Will be recommending to others..

I’m impressed. I wanted to wait to read this around Halloween. As far as haunted house stories go, Incidents Around The House shines with great ideas, excellent timing and execution. I’ve listened to the audiobook, and Delanie Nicole Gill’s narration awed me. It made a great story even more thrilling (and chilling).

Bela is eight-years-old and her family (Mommy, Daddo, Grandma Ruth) is everything for her. But there’s someone else in the house, an entity Bela calls “Other Mommy” who asks her every day if it can go inside her heart. Creepy. To make matters worse, Other Mommy is growing tired of waiting and asking the same question again and again, and starts to put some pressure on the family.

The horror here works on all levels. There’s, of course, a spectral figure haunting young Bela that grows restless and bolder. But there’s also more psychological horror tied to family secrets, lies, and complicated relationships. From the outside, everything looks fine, but dig deeper and the cracks start to show.

The child’s POV is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it gives the narrative a sense of wonder and vulnerability. On the other, it can narrow the lense through which the story is told and limit its complexity and emotional range. For me, Malerman pulled it off; Using Bela’s childlike innocence and naivete made the story even more disturbing and heart-wrenching. Sometimes it’s not about new ideas but about getting an emotional response from the reader. And he got one from me. Bela is convincingly childlike, uncomfortably perceptive, and likable. The adults, on the other hand, lack depth and feel more thinly sketched than her.

In all, Incidents Around The House impressed me. It works with childhood fears, adults nightmares, family drama, and haunted house/ghost story beats. And it all works well. While it may not break new ground, it remains enjoyable and unnerving, and that’s all I want from a good horror story..

Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this arc!

I haven’t read a book that scared me this much since I read Pet Semetary a few years ago! I legit had nightmares. But that’s what I hope for when I read a horror book. The storyline wasn’t my favorite but I liked the formatting and the fact that it was told through the eyes of a little girl. I would recommend this one for anyone who wants a good scare.

Highlights:
✨Narration: Melanie Nicole Gill’s narration gave me chills! Her voice for Bela is spot on! This little girl's voice still haunts me. Fantastic on audio!
✨Perfect Spooky Season Vibe: Haunted House, possible possessions, trauma-riddled horror
✨Ending: This one needs to be discussed!!

Bottom Line: What’s creepier than a ghost asking, “Can I go inside your heart?” If you haven’t read it, please do so this spooky season. Perfect spooky read!! 4.25⭐

This was a wonderfully creepy and fast paced horror novel about a family dealing with a demonic entity. Were aspects borrowed from such films like The Ring, Paranormal Activity, and The Blair Witch Project (just to name a few)? Absolutely! Did this make the novel any less enjoyable? Not at all. Bela's voice was a little grating to read at times-especially written in an almost stream of consciousness format-and her age being difficult to discern sometimes muddled my interpretation of some of the events (at first she read older-maybe 8 or 9 years old? But by the final third of the book I was leaning towards only 5 or 6). But overall this was a really fun horror, and even as I am typing this review I hear a creak in the attic above my head and know that, thanks to Josh Malerman, I probably won't get any sleep tonight!

This one I will be thinking about for a while - I’d put this in the same category as Piranesi, where I rotate back and forth from thinking it’s brilliant and that I loved it, to thinking that I am not quite sure what I was supposed to take away. Overall, horror wise, this was perfect - the #horror plot was absolutely brilliantly executed. Chilling, haunting, original, full body chills creepy, unputdownable.

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It was the emotional backstories in the latter half of the #book that took away from this one for me - while they were haunting in themselves and well written, it just seemed a bit rushed, and disingenuous that any parents were having conversations that deep and complexly worded with a child as young as I interpreted the child to be (yes, she is eighth, but I felt the character felt much younger physically, though she was very emotionally mature). I appreciated the theme and the fear of the parents’ mistakes haunting their child, but the pure horror portions of the plot were just far superior to the emotional ones, for me.

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That being said, the one emotional aspect that was absolutely incredibly moving was the child’s fear for her parents and the fear of potential divorce and separation, etc. That was gut wrenching and profound.

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I’ll admit, I’ve never been the biggest fan of #fiction told through a young child’s view (looking at you, Room), but this worked exceedingly well.

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This one focuses in on eight year old Bela, who is haunted in her own home by an evil being desperate to enter her heart and achieve reincarnation. Reminiscent of the bent neck lady in Haunting of House Hill (thinking of the TV series in this context), this terrifying figure goes from an imaginary friend to a force threatening to destroy Bela and her family from the inside out, as she torments and follows them throughout the #book.

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What do you do when your 8 year-old is being haunted by a sinister entity?

Incidents Around the House is my first Josh Malerman book and I liked it! There were some very creepy moments, but it's also sad. I pitied Ursula and Rust (Bela's parents). I also felt so sad for Bela, for the feeling of resignation? that remains even after days of finishing this book.

I ended up listening to this on audio and the narrator is A++

Wow, not sure what I expected with this one. I loved Bird Box so I knew I had to read Josh Malerman’s new book. It’s dark, creepy and thrilling. It kept me at the edge of my seat and I wasn’t sure how it would end. Loved it and plan to read all his books. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publishers for an Arc in exchange for my honest review.

I never knew I was scared of children narrating horror books but here we are. This was such a fast read due to the way it was formatted but wow, it packed a lot into it. The descriptions, the child that creeped me out, all of it wrapped into a great horror book for me. The very first page had me gripped and I can honestly say I never found myself bored while reading this.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group = Ballantine | Del Rey for the gifted copy for my honest review!

I think that this book is somewhat misrepresented as a terrifying book. Maybe I'm an outlier but I wanted to see more action and less back and forth between the parents. Overall I wanted more, and have been left unsatisfied by the author again.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for my advanced readers copy. GET THIS INTO MOVIE PRODUCTION NOW! This had me with literal goosebumps! Told from the point of view of a child just gave it even more creep factor. Oh and better believe my closet door will remain closed at night. I thoroughly enjoyed this!

The audiobook of this book is killer. Please go read it. This entire book is written from a child POV and omg adds to the creepy factor. I loved it.

Despite the fact that I can't watch scary movies/shows in the dead of daylight, I'm a sucker for a great spooky story! From the very beginning, Incidents Around the House had me hooked! It was entirely unnerving from the start. I've never read a story that was told from the point of view of an 8 year old, a fact that, admittedly had me questioning whether the story was actually really scary or if it was just the unique and strange point of view that made it seem so creepy! During the whole book, I found myself scared to turn the page just in case Other Mommy was hanging out on the next page ready to ask if she could enter my heart! The only part of the book that I found a little unbelievable was the conversations that the parents were having with their child. I realize that for most of them, they believed that she was asleep, but still, there were some really deep and reflective conversations happening, especially when you consider the strain that was already shrouding the couple. However, this quirk was easily overlooked in favor of spookiness!
All in all, a fun October read!

The “Other Mommy” has been haunting Bela for years, but it hasn’t been all bad. She used to be friendly and fun, but now she is getting stronger and Bela must answer her only question: can I go inside your heart? The story is told from Bela’s perspective and it works quite well here, although I have heard the audio version is not the way to go. The Other Mommy is creepy as hell and definitely got my hackles up. Grandma is a bad ass and I loved her character. The ending was not a huge surprise, but I still enjoyed the ride. I absolutely tore through this book.

This was such a creepy, fun ride. Oftentimes horror books fail to live up to the hype for me, but this was an exception. Really enjoyed it!

I’m sorry but this was horrible.
I saw so much positive buzz around online I was terribly excited to read it.
However the dialogue is awful. The way the adults talk to the child is embarrassing. I’m not sure they’d even speak that way to other adults. Maybe they’d write in a journal these words?
The perspective of the child makes you feel like you’re reading a poorly written child’s diary.
There were a few generally creepy scenes, that kept me going, but I just wanted to skim the entire book. It was hurting my brain to read.

I have to admit at first I didn't think I would like something written from a child's perspective. However, it added to the creepiness and overall atmosphere of how a child will handle a situation versus adult. Super creepy up until the end I had to admit I was disappointed with the ending, it just fell flat to me.