About 15 years ago, I watched an episode of the I Survived TV series in which a woman was assaulted by a ninja suit-wearing man who was hiding in her attic. That story has stayed with me as a cautionary tale all of these years, so when I was prompted in a reading challenge to read a book that contained a personal phobia, I knew Andrea Mara’s new novel Someone in the Attic had to be it.

This book is about, naturally, someone in the attic. When a family moves from San Diego to Ireland, they discover that their home has been featured in a viral TIkTok challenge. But when more and more videos show up on TikTok, obviously taken from inside the house, it becomes apparent that they are not alone. There must be someone hiding in their attic, but why can’t they find any evidence of him or her beyond the videos eerily showing the inside of their home?

Someone in the Attic has a stellar premise and starts off so creepily and strong. Attics are unsettling enough, but when you consider a person actually hiding out up there, it’s enough to push anyone over the paranoia edge. I quite enjoyed how this book revealed new plot lines at every twist and turn because I never knew which way to look. However, I did not enjoy the multitude of characters and had a lot of difficulty keeping them and their relationships all straight. Furthermore, the book loses steam in the middle, meandering through less than compelling plot points to reach its not so surprising ending.

Recommend to readers who like creepy suspense set in the UK.

This chilling book will leave you terrified of attic doors. How creepy when TikTok is viral with masked figures dropping from attics. For Anya, it doesn't end well. While she is taking a bath, she sees someone dropping from the ceiling. Thirty seconds later...she is dead.

Anya's best friend Julia, while watching a TikTok video sees her own home and a masked figure dropping out of her attic door. If you think that's not scary enough, keep reading... This is what nightmares are made of. The twists keep coming and the suspect list grows.

"You thought you were home alone."
"You're not afraid of being alone in the dark. You're afraid you're not alone."
I can't wait to see what else this author will write. Fabulous writing that pulls you into the darkness.
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for this fabulous ARC in exchange for my review.

"There's someone in the attic.
Her breath is stuck inside her throat and her body is immobile under water as a dark shape emerges through the opening and drops to the landing floor. A figure all in black. A face behind a mask. There is someone in the attic. And they're—

Thirty seconds later, it's over. Anya is dead."
Someone in the Attic by Andrea Mara

Once I started the first chapter, I was completely captivated by this book! The story revolves around four childhood friends - Donna, Anya, Julia, and Eleanor. After Donna's tragic accident decades ago, only three of them are left, and when Anya dies, it's down to Julia and Eleanor. But things turn chilling when Julia's daughter discovers a TikTok video of their apartment, revealing someone climbing out of the attic. After too many incidents, Julia admits that someone is targeting them.

"Someone in the Attic" keeps you on edge, glancing at your ceiling, imagining noises, and visualizing what's lurking above. The author weaves in plenty of red herrings and subplots, so pay close attention to catch everything. While some moments are shocking, a few felt a bit over the top. I'm not a fan of vague endings, but this ending is too tidy. The epilogue ties up all loose ends. However, it felt like the author was hurrying through a checklist.

Thank you to the author, PenguinGroupViking/Pamela DormanBooks, and Novel Suspects for providing this gifted ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is my first dive into Andrea Mara's writing, and I've added several other books to my TBR list!

#SomeoneintheAttic #AndreaMara #NetGalley #PenguinGroupViking #PamelaDormanBooks #NovelSuspectsInsiders #novelsuspects #HachetteUS

You may think that you are alone; the doors are locked, the windows are closed, and no one is there…at least, you think no one else is there. Anya thought she was alone when she slipped into a relaxing bath, but then someone drops from inside the attic, and its lights out for Anya. Imagine now that there are videos online of your house, a house inside of a gated community, recorded by an unknown person, some of which have been made while someone is home. This is the very scenario that Julia, who happens to be a friend of Anya’s, is facing, and Julia is fearful that she may be the killer’s next target.

This was a novel that went back and forth for me. One thing I really liked was the ending. While it was rather predictable as to the “who” I still found it to fit with the story as a whole and was surprised by the motivations of that character. I did find Julia to be a rather annoying character. To me her reactions were not appropriate for the events and I would not have acted in the same way. She seemed not to care about things that I would have issues with, and overreacted to others. It also seemed to slow down in the middle as it bounced around a little which took me out of the story some; I became an observer as opposed to a participant in the story. There were some good twists and turns and the concept as a whole was spooky–who wouldn’t be freaked out about someone potentially lurking in their attic waiting to strike–but it just fell a little flat for me.

Very engaging thriller. I was certain, at least twice, I knew who the culprit was. I was wrong. Kind of. MC Julia is rather annoying. She's very suspicious and thinks everyone is interested in her. Which is ironic considering her opinion of Anya. And what the heck is the appeal of Gabe?! I don't get it. The drama surrounding their daughter could have been less dramatic with some simple communication for all parties. The ending is super good. I loved how ALL my questions were answered. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

This story was creepy. The author did a really great job of cultivating the atmosphere in the story. This was twisty and turny, and a lot of fun. I really enjoyed this, and I definitely can't wait for more from this author. They had an interesting idea, characters and plot, and they executed it wonderfully!

There is only one way to say this - this book is creepy as hell!! Creepy as in I only read it during the daylight hours and “accidentally” left the hall light on when I went to bed. To be fair, I am easily creeped out but I think this is the kind of story that will have you checking out any odd sounds you hear!

This story hooked me from the start - it’s very fast paced! We have Anya who hears something in the attic and three minutes later is unalived. We have Julia who sees a video on TikTok and then realizing it’s filmed in her house…this is the type of suspense that really weirds me out. Who is filming and posting the videos?

No spoilers here but there are a lot of suspects/red herrings. You’ll find yourself with so many different theories throughout the book. There are some good twists and turns. The story is told in present time and flashbacks.

I liked the Ireland setting and while not all the characters are likeable, I was completely invested in what was going to happen!

4.5 rounded up–I thought this book was a lot of fun! Reading at night was a little creepy and I had the urge to send my hubby up into the attic to check for someone. There was no big gotcha moment, but several times I thought I figured something out and I was wrong every time. That’s the best in my opinion. I loved how everything was wrapped up at the end of the book. I hate books that seem to end with no closure. I can’t wait to read more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader’s copy.

Thank you to Andrea Mara and Pamela Dorman Books via NetGalley for the eARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Halfway through this book I thought I had it all figured out and was dreading having to slog through the next half while knowing the end. I was wrong. I found this book twisty and the ending unexpected (obviously) while still making very clear sense. I liked the main character as well as all of the supporting characters.

However, there is one plot line that I didn’t enjoy. To avoid spoilers I’ll just say it’s the one that runs through the whole book and revolves around Isla. I didn’t like how this plot line resolved. I think this book struggles with having too many liars and villains and trying hard to not have any of the main characters do anything bad ever. I wish that instead it was shown that good people can make mistakes and do bad things! Instead throughout the book the only people to do bad things are objectively bad people to a caricaturish level.

I think people looking for a decent thriller would enjoy this book. I’ll read more from the author in the future!

Thank you to Novel Suspects and Netgalley for a copy!
This book is super bingeable! With the short chapters and fast pace you won’t want to put this one down.
It will have you feeling uneasy and wondering if that creak in your attic or house is something more sinister…
There is past time lines and different sub plots that make you wonder what’s truly going on.
This is my first by this author but definitely not my last

Someone in the Attic is my favorite kind of creepy. After all, is there anything more disturbing than the feeling of being watched? Then add the fact that videos inside the family's home are showing up on Tik Tok, and Andrea Mara's new release is spooky season perfect. I enjoyed the well-placed red herrings, and I suspected almost every character at one point in time, mostly because almost everybody is hiding something. I'm definitely going to be recommending this one to all my thriller-loving friends!

I saw so many reviews saying that this book put them on edge and I just had to see for myself! I saw some reviewers saying that they were afraid to go near their own attics and terrified every time they heard a noises in their house and I was like BRING IT ON!

This book had a lot of relatable themes. The possible voyeur in the attic, mean girls, lies, and plenty of domestic drama.

Julia and Eleanor were likable characters I loved their friendship and how they dealt with everything they’d been through.

Anya was so awful it was hard to care what happened to her

Gabe. Talk about failure to launch. He drove me insane. He was a nice enough guy but the way they were DIVORCED and she still essentially took care of him financially wasn’t an attractive quality to me.

Now let’s a talk about the suspense. I was quite intrigued to know who was posting the videos and who could be holding a grudge. Every chapter was short AND seemed to leave off on a cliffhanger so the pages turned effortlessly and it was easy to keep saying JUST ONE
MORE CHAPTER!

This was a quick, fast-paced easy read and will be great for anyone that likes a little mystery and quick read!

This book definitely starts out strong! I was hooked! I really enjoyed the entire story and all the loops I went through while reading it. It definitely creeped me out when I was reading it late at night home alone with my dog barking at nothing. VERY CREEPY! I really enjoyed all the drama involved in this story too, I am a fan of some added drama!

This book gave me the creeps the entire time. It had me locking all the door and peeking into my crawl spaces. However, the ending was very anti climactic. While I loved this book I wish we got a little more in the ending

Those creaking sounds from up above will get your attention like never before after reading this new title from Andrea Mara. A family has recently relocated to Dublin and videos from inside their house are appearing on Tiktok. Each new video feels more intrusive. Could they be photoshopped from daughter Isla's own videos of their new house? Are they really part of a new on-line fascination with a reality TV show called "The Loft?" Why does son Luka swear someone is watching him sleep? Will Basil the Bunny stay safe? Mom Julia is determined to get to the bottom of it and enlists and old friend named Eleanor to help. The two do their due diligence and report the problem to the Dublin police, but things move quite slowly via official channels.

This was my first read from Andrea Mara and it was riveting. As a very linear thinker I also appreciated how neatly tied up the narrative was by the end. Thank you to Pamela Dorman Books and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to PRHAudio and Pamela Dorman Books for the ALC/ARC!

“I’m not afraid of being in the dark; I’m afraid that I’m not alone”..

The beginning of this book was like something out of a nightmare - Anya hearing creaking sounds in the attic when she thought she was home alone - was enough to give me goosebumps! After the incredibly spooky opening chapter, the perspective switches to Julia, who realizes with an equal alarm that there are videos on TikTok that take place inside her own attic. It’s eerie and unsettling as she tries desperately to find out if what happened to Anya is somehow connected to her own family. I was immediately invested in the attic and whatever was going on up there! As the story progressed, some of the subplots slowed down the otherwise fast pace, but I still really enjoyed this book.

”Someone in the Attic” releases August 20, 2024. ! This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

I’m glad that I’ve never lived in a house with more than crawlspace for an attic. It’s enough picturing what might be hiding in the basement.
Julia is perplexed when her daughter shows her a video she found online. It is the inside of their new house and someone is coming out from their attic. Call me kookie, but I would’ve been gone at once if not sooner! Then of course, there would not have been this creepy story. I am not going to say much about the plot, but I was surprised at the why. I did have my suspicions about the who though. I could not figure out some of Julia’s decisions, but without them, it would not have been a book that kept me guessing. I read this at night, and it had me jumping at every strange noise (it was my cat) that I heard.

Family moves from the States to Dublin and stumbles across an online video of the interior of their new house being filmed by a figure in black that climbs out of their attic. Things progress to creepiness when the videos keep appearing but now their belongings are in the video. Solid thriller with a mystery thrown in.

Who doesn't get chills or experience a bit of paranoia when things go bump in the night. Someone in the Attic with it's just one more page, one more chapter pacing will have you hearing things while checking the vents and doors.
A family that has moved back to Dublin, Ireland after living in the States for many years, settles into a gated community not thinking they were anything but safe. When the young boy of the family starts to believe someone is living in the attic above his room, weird things begin to happen. No one believes the child. Maybe someone should.
Many story lines converge and clash to throw red herrings into what is happening and why. Sometimes a little too much but overall, I felt the need to continue turning pages way past bed time. A delicious popcorn thriller that hits on a common fear of being watched while hearing unexplained noises.

Thank you to Novel Suspects and Pamela Dorman Books for an advanced e-copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Someone In the Attic by Andrea Mara is a dark thriller that you will devour in one day! The book begins with Anya home alone and taking a bath. No spoilers here so read to discover what happens next for Anya. Be aware that the events will affect Anya's lifelong school friends and their families. There is a lot of action that keeps your heart rate elevated as you tear through the pages of this spine-tingling story. Read and enjoy!