I feel like I start all my Malerman reviews with "Malerman did it again!" But he sure did with this one. What I like most about Malerman is that he never repeats himself. He always finds new ways to work in this genre: unexpected narrators, unexpected premises. It's always new and fresh and quite terrifying.
In Incidents, we have a young child as our narrator. And their naivete brings a delicious edge of fear to this whole tale of the "Other Mommy." The tension slowly builds and I was happy we didn't spend the whole book with no one believing our young protagonist. The parents' frustration and fear in dealing (not dealing?) with this situation is very realistic and compelling. And I like that our narrator is torn throughout as to whether "Other Mommy" is a good or bad thing. The descriptions of "Other Mommy" are bone-chilling.
I can't recommend this highly enough!

Creeeepy! I thoroughly enjoyed this. If you want a spooky read definitely check this one out! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me the chance to read this one!

What. Did. I. Just. Read. 😮 This had me spooked many times, and felt the suspense the entire time. Even though it took a little bit to get used to, I really liked the story told from a child's POV. It all kind of felt like found footage horror, but in book form - which was awesome! The ending left a lot for speculation, and I can't stop thinking about it. If you decide to give this one a read, I would recommend to go into it with little knowledge of the premise and just enjoy the ride.

this book starts off great, so scary i genuinely did not want to pick it back up again. the tension building and tone setting is amazing, and in combination with a young girl’s perspective i was totally spooked. i was loving this until the end :( it just threw me off too much and i thought we were maybe heading towards a happy ending so i was disappointed. i just ended up confused, both in a more literal sense of what was happening, and the overall metaphor the author is trying to convey. there’s some really interesting themes here and it is genuinely scary, but overall didn’t exactly work for me

Honestly, it takes a LOT to make me jump scare and this book was definitely able to do it. I could not get over how creepy this book actually read through the perspective of an eight year old. I would EASILY recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a horror that keeps you wondering until the very end how it will actually go. I stayed up until 3am reading and boy did I regret my dreams that not. 5/5. Highly enjoyed!

Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Incidents around the house was a great creepy read. While I wish there were a few more encounter with “other mommy” and a bit more explanation of where she came from. I enjoyed all of the creepy details. The parents dynamic was interesting, and how they interacted with Bela as well. It took me a while to get used to the use of Daddo constantly. I wish the ending had been a bit more detailed

This book was a masterpiece. NEVER have I been this creeper out by a book or even just the idea of what was going on. The description and scenes in this were enough to make this unforgettable. I kept rooting for what I hoped would be a satisfying conclusion...and we'll The end made me sad, but in a good way. The atmosphere was dreadful, frightening and creepy...although very bleak....this book is so good. I had a hard time wanting to read another book because this was top tier!!

Chilling, creepy, and terrifying .... all in a good way. This is one book that I read WITH the lights on after it got dark. It just grabs you and you find yourself meshed into this world. The characters .... oh, the characters, what can I say? I dunno how many times I found myself engaging in conversation with them. I finished this book over the holiday weekend and STILL I can't let them go. Cannot wait to read Mr. Malerman's next one. Thanks NETGALLEY for allowing me to review this book.

#INCIDENTSAROUNDTHEHOUSE #NETGALLEY #JOSHMALERMAN

Bella is eight years old. She has her own bedroom when she goes to bed one night, her closet door cracks open. At first she just sees eyes peering at her, then slowly the face appears and finally the entity comes out completely. When Bella asks her name, the entity says Other Mommy. At first, Bella and Other Mommy get along fine. However, Other Mommy starts to ask Bella if she can go in her heart? Bella says no. Eventually this makes Other Mommy mad at Bella. When Bella tells her parents about Other Mommy, thy don’t take it seriously. Then one day Bella’s mommy sees Other Mommy and can’t stop screaming. What will Bella’s mommy do? Other Mommy is no loner patient to get the answer she wants Bella. I’ll Bella change her mind and say yes?

The author has written a haunted, terrifying and creepy horror novel. You see and hear through Bella. Bella is so very real in this story. I enjoyed seeing what went on with Bella and her family. Her experience in the novel seemed so realistic, that I couldn’t wait to see what would happen in the next chapter.

Like a lot of readers I enjoyed Bird Box so very much! However I haven't found another of Malerman's books that I enjoyed at all.

CREEPY!! Loved the point of view of a child and did not think it would end the way it did, kept me on my toes for sure

Was I the only one that thought this was weird?

This was disappointing. It was creepy atmospheric but not spooky in the way I couldn’t go to sleep!

After 400 pages I was more confused. What the hell happened? Like it was told by an eight year old and it was so repetitive and no quotations whatsoever.

The mother got on my last nerve. I just didn’t understand everything that went on and nothing was really solved or said. To be honest I wanted to know why the other mother was in the closet.

Another thing that bothered me was the way the mother talked to Bela. The way she let her daughter see things. Like her holding another man’s hand or the fact she was gone half the time and the way she just told Bela about how she had so many affairs.

I really did not enjoy this book.
⭐️⭐️.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Malerman is back with another horror novel that is sure to become a modern classic. The setup seems fairly standard for paranormal horror: something dark is haunting a seemingly family in a suburban home. However, the way this story is told really enhances the creep factor. If you can get past the unconventional storytelling (there are no quotation marks for dialogue and the indentation is different than traditional formatting), this book is going to grab you by the throat and refuse to let go.

It's rare for me to get truly scared by a horror book nowadays - I read over 100 books a year, many of them horror, and so it's rare for a book to give me goosebumps. Incidents Around the House absolutely delivered. Bela, our POV, is an 8 year old child, and the way she narrates this book (and describes "other mommy") is truly effective horror storytelling! Fans of Paranormal Activity are going to love this one - just make sure you read it with the lights on and the closet door firmly closed!

This book!! I have never been so scared by a book in my life. This is my first book by Josh Malerman, but he is gifted at creating a truly horrifying scene through only words. Incidents Around the House is told from the point of view of Bela, an eight year old who lives with her mom and dad. Oh, and Other Mommy, the insanely creepy figure that lives in Bela’s closet. Other Mommy just wants one thing - permission to go into Bela’s heart.
Hearing the events of this story play out from Bela’s POV adds another level to how frightening it is. The author does a great job making her voice sound authentic (as the current parent of an 8 year old girl, I can confirm it’s pretty accurate) and the matter of fact way that she describes some of the scenes is both heartbreaking and terrifying. The plot dragged a little bit around two thirds into the story, but I was so invested by then it was easy to push through. This is a quick read because you will not want to put it down. Just be warned, the next time you wake up in the middle of the night, you will find yourself looking in the dark corners and wondering if you see eyes. And don’t even think about going to the toilet in the middle of the night… IYKYK!
5 stars, and one of my favorite books of the year. Thanks to Netgalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Bela has a secret friend. Her friend's name is Other Mommy. First Other Mommy hung out in her closet. Then she started leaving it and hanging around Bela’s room. Now she’s left the second floor. And did Bela see her at the playground and the zoo? And Other Mommy is asking Bela a weird question that makes her uneasy. Bela's starting to fear Other Mommy...

You’re not sure if Other Mommy is just an invisible friend. Bela's a bit old for that, but she's an only child and doesn't have many real friends, even at school. So it makes sense. At least, it does until Mommy sees her. Him. It.

The entire novel is told from the perspective of Bela, an 8-year-old girl. You wouldn't think it would work, but it just makes the entire book more believable as you see it through Bela's eyes. I don't know if this would have been as good or creepy otherwise, especially when the adults start seeing Other Mommy and freaking out.

Creepy vibes, creepy story, creepy kid. Loved it.

This was my first novel by Josh Malerman and it might not be my last. I loved the overall concept and the writing style, no quotation marks and short sentences. When reading this, I pretty much went in blind and I’m glad I did. The story is told from the point of view of Bela, an eight year old girl who is being haunted by “other mommy”. I thought the first half was fast paced and pretty creepy, but then it slowly started to become repetitive and a bit redundant. The ending felt rushed and after I finished I said to myself, wtf did I just read! I’d definitely recommend but with some warnings.

a good cross between spooky haunted house and an eery possession story. anytime there is a child who is seeing another "mommy" you know it'll be creepy.

Malerman's book, Bird Box, is one of my favorite books, so I was excited to read his newest offering. It did not disappoint! I enjoyed this family story about 8-year-old Bela, her mommy, her daddo, and her Other Mommy ( who happens to live in the closet in Bela's room). The writing was sparse, which I like in an author's writing but not without plenty of chills and suspense. Some of the dialogue was redundant, so I am giving this four stars instead of five. This is a fairly short book and it was a quick read, however, the ending wasn't satisfying to me. Maybe a sequel on the horizon?

Incidents Around the House is horror but it’s also super deep. **Spoiler alert: You will find no happy endings here. This book will leave you feeling deeply unsettled. I love when a horror book creates a profound feeling of dread that unfurls more page after page. If you read this; prepare for this one to stick with you for a long while…and maybe just peek in your closet to make sure other mommy isn’t hiding in there..

This was super addicting! I was thoroughly creeped out, and the ending was so unsatisfying in the best way. I really enjoyed the point of view from the child, it makes it way creepier. I only wish there were quotation marks during the dialogue.