What an absolutely creepy AF thriller debut by a new Canadian author! When a family of four shows up on Eve's doorstep claiming to be the former residents and wanting to take a look around, Eve is hesitant, especially without her house flipper girlfriend, Charlie being home, but she does let them in only to later regret it deeply. Full of twists and supernatural elements (voices, doppelgangers, weird family secrets and more), this book kept me on my toes from start to finish and was great on audio. I can't for the movie adaptation with Blake Lively! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review! Highly recommended for fans of authors like Riley Sager, Simone St. James or Jennifer McMahon.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.

This book messed with my mind and I loved it.
A psychological thriller at its finest

O.M.G!!!! I can see why this book is going to be made into a movie.

Marcus Kliewer wrote a story based on his own childhood memory of seeing the house where his father grew up and the new owner asking him if he remembered anything strange about the house.

We have a queer couple, Eve and Charlie who have recently purchased a house to flip out in the middle of nowhere in Oregon. Eve is home while Charlie is out when there is a knock on the door. Outside is a family, the father saying that he grew up in the house and would love to show his family around. An old, isolated house and inviting a group of strangers inside? What could possibly go wrong.

This book is so incredibly well written. We have documents interspersed in the pages that are their own hidden puzzle pieces that tie into the story, and I can’t go into much detail without spoiling anything but I will say that I dreamed about this book and was delightfully creeped right out.

We Used to Live Here begins with a knock on the door, as a family wants to come in and look around Eve’s home. The father, Thomas, grew up there and wants to see how it has changed. Eve is deeply uncomfortable but with her anxiety struggles to let them down, so she lets them in, and struggles to get them to leave.

I had no idea what to expect with this book, was drawn in by other reviews and the fact that it will soon be a movie. However, I could not put it down!!!
It is eerie, and uncomfortably confusing in its wielding of horror elements, yet it comes together so well in the end. Chapters are punctuated with news clippings of similar events that lead you to ask constantly, what is going on!?

Thank you to NetGalley for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I highly recommend for any fan of thrillers or horror! I cannot wait to watch the movie, and see how they adapt this story.

I loved this unique and creative take on one of my favorite tropes—haunted houses. There's nothing like a creepy house and this one lives up to my expectations as a massive horror fan. The main character Eve was intriguing. She wasn't exactly brave but then she wasn't terrified and timid either, and she's smart. The cast of secondary characters, including a strange family, also added to the intrigue. I enjoyed how the plot unravelled with fun research snippets from an outside investigator scattered between scenes, giving hints of what might be happening. I think fans of horror and paranormal thrillers will love this one.

The premise of this book and the amazing reviews are what made me pick it up. The beginning of the book was so intriguing, so chilling and eerie. The storyline was great, the writing was great, but there were so many plot holes and unanswered questions that I could not get past. There are so many loose threads that just never connect. Also the FMC is truly annoying, making the worst decisions. The middle of the book is very slow and I did think of not finishing it, thank god for the audio version. The ending was anticlimactic and left me wanting more..

I would first like to thank the publisher and author for the arc i received of this book. We Used to Live Here is a psychological thriller that follows Eve and Charlie. This 30ish couple have just bought an older home in the middle of nowhere and are planning on fixing it up. One day a family stops by and asks to tour the home as, you guessed it, they used to live there. This leads to a series of unfortunate events and twists that they certainly did not anticipate.
This book was SPOOKY!! I very much regret finishing it at 12:30am lol. The twists and turns were so unexpected and the whole premise was just so unsettling. I did finish this in a day so that speaks to its pacing and level of interest. I hadn't read a thriller in some time so this was a refreshing read! Definitely going to need a lighthearted one as a follow up though.
Overall I really enjoyed this book!! I saw it compared to Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware and I will say it gave me similar levels of unease. Would make for a really good read in October for spooky season!

“We Used to Live Here” is an ominous novel of the psychological thriller/supernatural/horror variety with all the creepy vibes from start to finish. To me everything about the first half of this book is a lesson in learning to trust your gut about people, places, and situations that are off. If your spidey sense is tingling constantly to warn you that something is off, then for goodness sakes listen to it and hightail it the other way. I mean, seriously. Also, full disclosure, I am not a fan of horror movies or the horror genre yet I did request this book, which, incidentally is being made into a movie starring Blake Lively (I saw the trailer and was intrigued so requested the book).

With a tense, dark atmosphere, an unsettling, unknown evil at work, and a cast of characters that are not at all trustworthy, reliable, or even all that likeable, this is a book that demands you suspend your disbelief about all the crazy and read on despite the palpable dread and creepiness dripping from every page. There’s no way I would let anyone into my house for a tour let alone feed them a meal, especially after the creepy events that transpire within the first few minutes! I actually put this book down multiple times and walked away from it for several days because of the way it made me feel, which I think is more of a me thing,a reflection of my tastes rather than a reflection of the story or the writing. The last 40% of the book I read in a day and found I really wanted to know what was going to happen.

You’ll enjoy #weusedtolivehere by #marcuskliewer if you’re into sinister, horror-esq books. Thank you to #simonandschustercanada #atria #emilybestlerbooks and #netgalley for the digital advance copy of this book. Available now for preorder and on shelves everywhere June 18, 2024.

#bookstagram #bookstagrammer #horrorbooks #psychologicalthrillerbook #bookrecommendations #bookreview #creepybooks #supernaturalbooks #bookgeek #booknerd #booksbooksbooks #reader #trustyourgut #whydotheyneverlearn

I really loved the pieces of "evidence" that were between the chapters and I was really wondering how they were going to tie all in together at the end of the book.

However, by about 80%, I just could not keep reading this book. There were way too many loose pieces. And the paranormal aspect was way too far-fetched for me. I could not finish it. The beginning of the book showed a lot of promise, but it did not pull through for me.

I am sure this book will appeal to certain people, but I was not one of them.

Have you ever found yourself reading a book at a most inappropriate time?
Me - I was making my way through Marcus Kliewer's We Used To Live Here one fine night. By night, I mean the actual pitch dark of very early a.m. With no one else home but the dog. I rather freaked myself out.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for my copy for review!
You see, some of those associated with a house in the woods - 3709 Heritage Lane, specifically - see things that may not be rooted in reality. Previous inhabitants. And current homeowner Eve Palmer.
Eve reluctantly allows the Faust family, headed by patriarch Thomas, into the house she and partner Charlie just purchased to reno and flip.
Thomas used to live in the house. Wants to show it to his wife and kids. Fifteen minutes, tops. (The introverted extrovert in me, meanwhile, inwardly screeching "noooo!")
We Used To Live Here isn't overly gorey or violent - it's fantastic descriptive imagery of our MC's experience, and of the house. Basements with creepy hallways, attics with shadowy figures, mysterious housing contents, unsubstantiated family histories and memories.
And one of my favourite devices, the inclusion of "real documentation" relating to the unfolding plot. (Think book excerpts in Carrie.)
Supernatural, psychiatric, conspiracy, or something else?
Easy five star debut right here - highly recommended!
For release on June 18.

I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down.
I just loved all the characters. I highly recommend this book.

I requested We Used to Live Here after seeing the glowing early reviews and I’m glad that I did! This book was a massive head trip, in the best way possible. I don’t think that I’ve ever said “what’s going on here?” as many times as I did while reading this story😅. This was a highly immersive, creepy read that really got under my skin. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough, desperate to uncover the truth.

Read if you like:

✨Creepy old houses
✨Secluded settings
✨Unreliable narrators
✨Twisted storylines

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this ARC!

We Used to Live Here is a haunted house story that has an exciting premise but is not for the reader that wants all the answers. Eve has recently moved into an old secluded house with her partner Charlie, with the hopes to fix it up and flip it for a profit. The house has unsettling energy, or is it just Eve's looming anxiety and Mo, her beloved childhood monkey, residing in her mind to feed her the worst case scenario? When Thomas and his family show up at the door one night, asking for a quick look around, despite her better judgement, Eve lets them in, and her life is never the same.

I struggle to rate this book because I liked so much about it and also felt unsatisfied with a bunch of it too. I think Kliewer did a great job in the more twisted, surreal moments of the book - I found myself glued to my Kobo, desperate to know what would happen next. However, I think the lore of the world, and the history of the house left me wanting. The inclusion of documents surrounding odd events at the house was a nice touch, but didn't do the heavy lifting of making us understand the "why" of the house to a degree that made sense. I don't mind being left without the "why" of the house, but then I at least need to understand the why of our main character. Eve felt a bit flat to me, and though her anxious thoughts felt familiar, her choices sometimes felt disjointed because she did not feel fleshed out. Still, I would recommend this book to someone who wants a horror novel that makes you lock your door and search for tethers of reality in their own home.

This book dives right into the thick of it, but I think that hurt this story. I knew nothing of Eve or Charlie. Which means I didn’t care about them.

The dog lives, that’s all that matters.

This book was horror with mystery built in. The pacing is fast, the tension is thick, and the creepiness is real. I was creeped out a couple of times reading this. I too run up the basement stairs like a bat out of Hell, and I will continue to do so.

There was also a lot of telling in this book rather than showing. Eves whole personality was told to us and then shown to us after.

There were also things mentioned in this book that were never touched upon or brought up again? Like where was Charlie that morning? What did these two do for work? There was just some things that felt unfinished.

Furthermore the ending of the book is VERY open ended. Nothing is really wrapped up in a nice bow. I just wanted more….

Don’t get me wrong I liked it, but it wasn’t perfect.

EARC provided by Simon and Schuster Canada.

What would you do if you were home all alone and heard a knock at the door, would you answer it??

If you then answered it and saw a family standing on your doorstep, asking to come inside and tour what they claim is the father’s childhood home, would you let them in??

This is the eerie and compelling premise of author Marcus Kliewer’s debut novel We Used To Live Here.

Eve and Charlie have recently bought an old house situated in the middle of nowhere, with plans to renovate and flip it. One evening while Eve is waiting for Charlie to come home she hears a knock at the door. She opens it to find Thomas and his family, who oh so innocently ask to come in for 15 minutes to tour what used to be his childhood home. Eve hesitates and isn’t sure what to do, but ever the people pleaser she decides to let this unassuming family into her home. What follows next is one bizarre and haunting event after event.

I won’t spoil the chills but I will say that this contemporary horror creeps up on you, and I quickly learned not to read it at night, as I was utterly spooked and yet couldn’t put it down. I loved how the author draws you in and keeps the tension strung tight the whole way through. The addition of historical documents and artifacts relating to what is happening to Eve, peppered throughout the book, really had me intrigued and trying to figure out what was real and what wasn’t. This was an incredible debut novel, and I definitely recommend it if you are a fan of horror/psychological thriller’s. It was so close to a 5 star read for me but the ending left me craving a bit more.

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Tension 😬😬😬😬

✨For those who like film/tv adaptations this book has already been picked up by Netflix and the original movie will star Blake Lively.✨

OK WAIT WHAT A NIGHTMARE. Holllyyyyy, this book genuinely scared me, and it’s very unfortunate that I have my WFH setup in my basement, because I never want to set foot in a basement ever again!

This book is twisty, creepy, edge-of-your-seat, paranormal type stuff that you never want to believe exists. SOOOO GOOD, perfect for spooky season!

Thank you to S&S Canada and NetGalley for a review copy…I feel like I’m going to be haunted when I add a physical copy to my shelf, but I mean maybe I’ll be better off than Eve ….

I could’ve finished this book in one sitting had life not gotten in the way. This book is insane! Just for the fact that it spooked me so good (I don’t get spooked easily) that I was actually jumpy in broad daylight!
Way way too good! However, I’m taking a star away because I don’t like all the questions that were left unanswered.

Don’t let the innocent looking cover fool you, this is a horror book through and through. I think the reason why this book is so spooky is because the author has incorporated several very real phenomena that no one can think about for too long without feeling deeply unsettled.

Sleep paralysis demons.
Capgras syndrome (believing someone you know has been replaced by a doppelgänger.) Pareidolia (seeing meaningful things in abstract images - e.g. Rorschach tests.) The Mandela effect.

A lot of these I didn’t even know about. It takes great skill to interlace the horror and paranormal with reality. Marcus kliewar is the new master of this skill!

Thank-you NetGalley and Atria books for my advance readers copy.

Ok, this is a haunting debut that will keep you up at night! “We Used to Live Here” by Marcus Kliewer is a devilishly haunting debut that masterfully weaves suspense, mystery, and horror into a gripping narrative. The tension builds relentlessly as the house reveals its dark secrets, and the Faust family's presence becomes increasingly malevolent.

Meet Charlie and Eve. As a young, queer couple who flip houses, they can't believe their luck when they stumble upon an old house in a picturesque neighbourhood. The killer deal they've snagged seems too good to be true. Little do they know that their lives are about to take a chilling turn.

One day, while working in the house, there's a knock on the door. A man stands there with his family, claiming to have lived there years before. Eve, a people pleaser to a fault, lets them in. But as soon as the family enters their home, strange and inexplicable things start happening. Their toddler goes missing, and a ghostly presence materializes in the basement. Even more bizarre, the family can't seem to take the hint that their visit should be over. And when Charlie suddenly vanishes, Eve slowly loses her grip on reality.

Kliewer's writing is atmospheric and evocative. The remote Pacific Northwest mansion serves as the perfect backdrop for the eerie events that unfold. The Faust family, with their severe looks and unsettling demeanour, adds to the sense of foreboding. As Eve grapples with the inexplicable, readers will find themselves equally unsettled.

What sets this novel apart is its origin. "We Used to Live Here" began as a serialized short story on Reddit, where it won the Scariest Story of 2021 award on the NoSleep forum (which boasts 18 million members). Netflix quickly snapped up the film rights, and Simon & Schuster acquired it for publication before it was extended into a full-length novel. Kliewer's talent shines through in every spine-tingling paragraph.

If you're a fan of psychological thrillers, haunted houses, and unrelenting suspense, this book is a must-read. Prepare to lose sleep as you delve into the twisted world of "We Used to Live Here."

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Goose bumps! This book was absolutely everything and more I could want and dream of! Highly recommended! Need a physical copy asap!

Well, the first thing to say here is that I can't remember the last time a book scared me this bad. We're talking can't go to the basement to get the laundry until someone else comes home. That doesn't often happen!
Eve and Charlie have recently moved into their new home that's kinda in the middle of nowhere and one Friday evening when Eve is home alone waiting for Charlie to return there's a knock at the front door. What she finds is a family of 5, the father claiming that this was the house he grew up in and asking if he can come inside for a few minutes to show his family around.
Despite her better judgment she let's them in and from there things go off the rails in the best, scariest way possible. And that ending! Whew!
For a more in depth (but spoiler free) review, you can check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO_T-PcSP50&t=104s