I was a bit hesitant to get into this one after learning that this book was in the perspective of a child. However, this book was genuinely creepy. For the first 2/3 of this novel I was left creeped out and really had a hard time flipping to the next page because of how creeped out I was, but unfortunately I did not like how this book ended which really affected how I feel about the rest of the book. Its so disappointing when you're really loving a book for most of it and then the ending just isn't as strong as the rest. I also didnt love the experimental writing style with the no dialogue quotations and weird grammar.

4 stars.

This book absolutely blew me away. I LOVED that the story is through the POV of a small child and think this decision made the book even creepier. I also loved (but also hated) the parents and how they were pertrayed in the story because we are seeing this story through Bella's eyes. Cannot wait to see what else this author comes up with.

Ugh. I wanted to love this so badly. I didn’t mind the child narration. I did mind the child calling her dad “daddo”. I have never in my entire life heard a child call her father daddo ever in my existence. Aside from this- the story was odd, kind of boring, not scary, and the ending made zero sense.

This was a very disturbing book. The mom was
Annoying and I didn’t like her character. Other mommy was creepy and this story is filled with so much of the pain and loneliness we feel sometimes in life. I felt sorry for Bela. She went through so much at such a young age.

So creepy and o love that this was told from the child’s POV! This book seriously creeped me out. It’s a perfect read for spooky season or for fans of movies like Annabelle or The Conjuring. I’ve also heard it compared to Hidden Pictures which I haven’t read and can’t speak to but overall this was a fantastic creepy read!

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.