We Used to Live Here is a twisty story about every homeowners worst fear....invasive previous owners who can't seem to let the property go. This book has a mind bending plot that will take you down hidden corridors, through secret doors, and through other dimensions. This book offers a new take on the haunted house trope and warps it until it becomes a suspenseful sci-fi mystery with the creepiest ending that I have read in quite some time. You could also think of this as a locked room thriller, but like the characters you will wonder if it was all in your head.

Homes have a history, and new buyers aren’t always privy to everything. Such is part of the premise behind the upcoming horror novel, We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer, which I just had the pleasure of reading.

When Eve and her girlfriend, Charlie, flip their renovated home they don’t get as much as hoped, and find that the budget for their next project is limited. This leads them to expand their search area, and ends up with them moving to an old home in the middle of the Pacific Northwest wilderness. In fact, this remote home is just one of several located on a mountain pass. Beggars can’t be choosers, though, and it seems like a good flipping project for these hardworking and handy women.

After the women get settled in their new, but presumably temporary, home, something strange happens. While Charlie is away in town (about 30-40 minutes away), Eve hears a knock on the door and opens it to find a family in winter clothing. It’s a father, his wife, and their three kids — two teen boys and one younger girl.

After the shock wears off, Eve finds that the man (Thomas) is asking her a question about whether it’d be ok if his family came in and took a tour. He says that this home was his childhood residence, and that he’d love to show his wife and kids around. They won’t take more than fifteen minutes.

Since she’s a nice person who has a hard time saying no to people, Eve relents and lets them inside. She’s not comfortable with the decision, but knows that Charlie should be home soon. She is overdue after all.

The thing is: Thomas and his family don’t leave when they’re supposed to, and the weather gets so bad that they cannot. Going further, Thomas keeps pointing out strange things and telling odd stories. Then, his young daughter disappears into the cryptic basement.

I’ll stop there, because saying much more about We Used to Live Here would risk spoiling it. Just know that this is an unsettling book where things always feel off, and you’re left wondering what the hell is going on. It keeps you thinking and on your toes, and never fails to be intriguing, interesting or entertaining. It even contains some odd documents about strange phenomena, including old houses that aren’t as they seem.

Eve, herself, is an interesting and likeable main character, who’s written with depth. She’s a good vehicle through which to experience this strange and surreal book.

The writing is also really strong. Author Marcus Kliewer does a good job of describing and setting the scene, and is also great at creating unnerving tension. His prose is impressive, and some of the utilized descriptors and similes are as well.

I truly didn’t know much about this book before I requested it on NetGalley, and don’t remember even reading much of the premise before doing so. That is, even though I’d already placed holds on the book at two local libraries. I’m glad I went in without knowing much, and I’m even happier that I gave this novel a shot. It’s one of the better, and more memorable, horror books I’ve read in a while.

Don’t sleep on We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer!

This review is based on a copy of the book we were provided with.

DNF at 27%. Gave it my best shot but it did not grab my interest enough - fairly unoriginal story, and I especially disliked the numerous instances of being pulled away from the present for an unrelated memory.

Rounding up to 4.5 stars for this one. I was properly spooked for this book! I really liked what the author did here.
The “documents” in between Eve’s story added so much depth to the book. The end had me so confused but then so satisfied.
I don’t read much horror, but I would read something by this author again. For a debut novel it’s really well done!
If you wanna be creeped out, have your mind twisted and an ending that makes you go “whoa!”—read this book.

[arc review]
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
We Used to Live Here releases June 18, 2024

On one winter evening, a family of 5 shows up on the doorstep of Eve and Charlie’s house, soon after they’ve moved in.
The father, Thomas, claims he grew up in the house, and asks Eve if they can take a tour so he can show his kids around before they move out of state.
Just as they’re about to wrap up their tour and leave, the youngest, Jenny, strays off and hides in the basement.
To make matters worse for an already paranoid Eve, the sudden and escalating snow storm causes the remote roads to close, and now this unfamiliar family must stay overnight with Eve and Charlie.

I don’t know what I was expecting with this debut, but it wasn’t this. It was hard to get a clear read on most of the characters and I was quite confused on what was actually going on — if memories were deliberately being misremembered, if they were hallucinating, or if the actual house was changing before their eyes? The lack of clarity really threw me off, and I think more time devoted to the worldbuilding would have been beneficial as I wanted to know what exactly triggered the change in realities — perhaps leaning more on the element of hidden passageways within the house to further explore and feed into whatever cryptic history Kliewer was trying to layer, or adding Charlie’s pov for some more dimension.

There are lots of documents/mixed media scattered throughout, but I found that the way they were incorporated stilted the pacing of the novel, more often than not.
I’d say the strengths were definitely in having a constant eeriness that lurked in the background, though there’s also a good chance I’m missing something by not having decoded the Morse code as I was reading.
I’ll have to revisit this one at a later date!

What a wild ride! This book was such a thriller, with enough psychological terror to keep me wanting to know what was around each corner.

In this book, Eve Palmer has moved to an isolated home in the Pacific Northwest with her partner, Charlie. The two plan on renovating the house to sell, and have just moved in. One cold afternoon, a family shows up on Eve’s doorstep, stating that the husband had grown up in the home. Against Eve’s growing fears, she lets the family in to tour the home, all while waiting for Charlie to return from errands. The longer the family stay, the more Eve starts to question her growing anxieties with the situation,

This book had me enthralled from the first chapter! I don’t usually read thrillers, but this story was so well written that I couldn’t put it down! Eve’s lingering fears of the family, and then the house itself, makes you wonder about her sanity as much as she questions it herself. The scenes are so vivid in their descriptions that I had to read this with the light on! As spooky as this was, I really enjoyed reading this!

I received an early digital copy of this book from Simon & Schuster, and am very thankful for the eARC! All opinions are my own. 4.5/5

Is this book a victim of an over-eager editor or was the publication rushed? How otherwise to explain huge plot holes and loose threads never finding their place within the whole. There are just too many of them to get easily dismissed. The sag in the middle stands out in particular. When the concept is this good, you are really hoping the execution would rise to the challenge.

I am a big fan of ambiguity in book endings but this one just comes across as weak and rushed.

Given more time and extra TLC this could have been a fantastic read. As it is right now, it is a potential that Netflix will turn into a totally watchable thriller.

ps. Seriously, what is up with this book cover straight out of a real estate magazine. It is all wrong for this book.

Thank you NetGalley for this digital arc! This was a fabulous, unsettling and atmospheric thriller by Marcus Kliewer. When unexpected guests show up on her doorstep, things begin to shift in an all to unsettling manner. Eve's world is twisted, and turned upside down by this new family who arrives and seemingly never wants to leave.

This was horrifying. It was my first read by this author and I can't wait for more. Definitely one to read during the day.

I went into this book with very high hopes. Knowing it was going to be a Netflix movie with Blake Lively as a main character. But I was sadly disappointed. I love a good Horror novel but this one didn’t have me loving any of it. It had a good story line. I enjoyed how a family shows up and just wants to look around, and against her better judgement Eve lets them. But what I didn’t like was there was so many unanswered questions. It just kinda speeds up to the end and then dies right there.
If you enjoy a good horror novel you might enjoy this. But it just wasn’t for me. I will watch the movie if it comes out and see maybe if it is any better
Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy

3.5 ⭐️

I went into this book thinking it was going to be more mystery / thriller, but definitely feels more horror.

Great creepy vibes & some memorable moments to haunt my nightmares. I did find the book a challenge to get through at points and had to make an effort to priortise it - not sure if it was the pacing or just a few too many over-the-top, unconvincing plot points. For some reason it really bothered me that a family of two would have no problem stretching their planned dinner for two to feed an additional 5 surprise guests… sorry, but family of 4 here, and I would be panicking to feed dinner to an additional 5 surprise guests.

Worth the read if you’re looking to try out a new horror-genre author. As this novel already has a Netflix movie-deal, I’m sure we’ll see more books by this author soon. I’ll also probably watch the movie when it’s released, because I’m sure this book will translate well onto screen.

A huge thanks to the Simon & Schuster Canada for an early e-copy of this novel.

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for my ARC copy of this novel.

When a mysterious family shows up at your house, do you let them? Eve learns the hard way the consequences that letting them in can have.

An unreliable narrator, reading this novel the reader has to differentiate real from fiction; whether Eve is seeing what is real or it’s all a figment of her imagination. We Used to Live Here blends the real and paranormal seamlessly, giving way to the idea that what we see with our own eyes may very well not be real.