This book was great - as the reader, you're really not sure if the narrator is reliable, or truly slipping into insanity. This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through, and I cannot wait to recommend it once it's out!

✨CLEAR YOUR CALENDARS for January. You will be doing nothing but devouring this absolutely breathtaking page-turner of a book.

✨It’s a heart wrenching look at motherhood in the trenches with a hint of supernatural and is an absolute roller coaster of a thrill ride. Think THE PUSH – on steroids.

✨The author has masterfully written a layered and intriguing story that will keep you guessing and second guessing throughout. I could not put this one down

🌿Read if you like:
✨Mom noir
✨Psychological thrillers
✨Hints of supernatural
✨Stories of neurodivergent children

This book was a surprising up and down and twisty ride. Each time I thought I knew the plot, I was blindsided until the end. I had to stay up til late at night to read the ending.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes being surprised and those who like mother-daughter stories.
Thank you Netgaley and Penguin Group Filing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book

I could not put this book down! The book begins with Stella, a precocious child, and her mother Charlotte going to the beach with another child from school and her mom. Stella spends most of the time with her hands over her ears, while the other mom tells Charlotte that Stella’s babysitter Blanka has died. Almost immediately afterward, Stella begins to change and mimic her babysitter’s mannerism. Is she possessed? Or, is Charlotte losing her mind?

The book is very well-written and incredibly tense all the way through. Charlotte is not a particularly likable character: privileged with a vapid job and a constant ball of anxiety, but utterly unable to self-assess. She does gain some insight into herself and her privileges in the course of the book. That’s what elevates this book from others like it: Charlotte is not likable, but she is trying to do the best she can and is clearly the product of her upbringing in more ways than one. The book ends exactly the way it should, which is satisfying but also dispiriting because it makes the reader confront the limits of the domestic thriller genre.

Despite that, hours after having read the book, I can’t stop thinking about it and feel compelled to review it. Echlin is clearly a talented writer, and I look forward to reading her next book. 4/5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for letting me read an ARC of this book.

“Clever Little Thing” by Helena Echlin was a thrilling and imaginative mystery that I could not put down! The story revolves around an eight year old girl who is somewhere on the spectrum in an unusual way. Her babysitter dies suddenly and the child suddenly takes on all the characteristics of the babysitter’s personality to the extreme degree. The Mom knows something is not right, but because the child was so difficult before taking on the babysitter’s characteristics no one else sees it! The twists and turns are propulsive and I truly had no idea where this story was going. It’s a mystery, a thriller and ventures into the paranormal. Clear your calendar because it’s unputdownable! Loved it!!

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Viking for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This novel blew me away. Absolutely loved the uncanny/weird kid vibes that kept me guessing throughout the entire story.

The plot relies heavily on the psychological aspects of raising a child that has more brilliance and imagination than average. And when that child begins changing in alarming ways, her mother will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of it.

Great page turner that would be perfect for mystery lovers looking for something a little different.

I apparently really enjoy books about messed up kids. There’s something so interesting about the concept, and this one was even wilder because it had the whole “is this supernatural?” aspect to it.

I definitely loved the back and forth with the main character, wondering if everything was really happening or if they were an unreliable narrator. I won’t say it was super twisty- the author definitely had a lot of clues pointing to what was happening, and I guessed the thing with the “villain” way early on.

However, it was pretty good read. It kept me entertained, and it was an interesting and unique story. I wanted to see how everything worked out in the end.

Overall, I would recommend if you want a quick, engaging read that focuses on mental health with a paranormal twist!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was interesting! The start worried me a little bit, but as it picked up it started to gain it's footing. The husband became a little cartoonishly evil, but all in all the pacing was good and kept you going right til the end

This was a fantastic read! I really enjoyed it from start to finish. The storyline was propulsive and mysterious. The characters were relatable and well done. This book kept me guessing until the very end. I am looking forward to much more from this author.

Ashley Audrain's The Push made waves a couple of years ago with its tale of a mother questioning the seemingly nefarious motives and intentions of her young daughter, and now Helena Echlin has arrived on the literary scene to deliver a gripping story in a similar vein, Clever Little Thing. However, where Audrain's The Push brings into question nurture vs. nature, Echlin's Clever Little Thing is less black and white.

Charlotte knows and accepts that her eight year old daughter Stella is "different." Obsessed with complex scientific theories, the anatomy of dead birds, and whatever else strikes her fancy, Stella is a child unlike other children. She has difficulty making and keeping friends or relating to other people, and prefers to keep to her own company. Her parents can't even appease her, walking around on tiptoe for fear of prompting Stella to launch into "freak out" mode, which results in Stella throwing a screaming, crying fit with no ability to soothe.

However, this all changes after the death of Stella's former babysitter, Blanka. Stella transforms from a rigid, intolerant child, to one who is placid and amenable ... not unlike Blanka herself. When Stella starts repeating some of Blanka's former phrases, acquiring a taste for foods Blanka loved, and even writing in her diary in Armenian, Blanka's first language, Charlotte is convinced her daughter's body has been taken over by Blanka's spirit. But is this a case of possession, or one of a mother seeing things that are just not there? As Stella becomes less and less like her former self and more like Blanka, Charlotte is convinced she must act or else lose her daughter forever.

Prepare yourself to trust no one as you read the aptly titled Clever Little Thing! Author Echlin cleverly layers this haunting story to keep the reader guessing throughout its chilling journey. I wavered back and forth as I read this book, never quite sure if Charlotte's perception of the world was reliable and true. My inability to commit to a conviction made for an engaging read, and I must admit that I was fully taken by surprise by Clever Little Thing's unexpected ending.

Clever Little Thing explores the complex, often complicated, mother-child relationship, as well as a mother's sometimes inability to be taken seriously by her spouse, friends, and peers. Who better knows a child than her own mother? But what if no one else is able to see what said mother sees? Is the mother right? Or just delusional? Read Clever Little Thing to find out!