This was an immensely readable, unputdownable, and suspenseful read.

Following the sudden death of the eight-year-old precocious Stella’s babysitter, Blanka, the once disruptive and anti-social child has become docile and agreeable. What’s unsettling is that she has begun to mirror Blanka’s personality, or so Charlotte, her mother suspects.

I spent most of this book cringing at everything Charlotte was doing, but I have to admit that the characterization was layered, complicated, and incredibly interesting. The plot kept me guessing, and second-guessing, maybe getting one or two of them right, and resulted in a pretty satisfying conclusion. A true psychological thriller, creepy and enigmatic, destined for the big screen. I can try but not unsee Amy Adams as the protagonist.

4/5 stars. This is the author's debut thriller, and it shows. I'd recommend this to fans of Lisa Jewell and Gillian Flynn.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Viking | Pamela Dorman Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to netgalley, and Penguin house publisher for allowing me to read Clever Little Thing by Helena Echlin. IThis book has some psychological aspects a death of a babysitter and the girl she babysits has characteristics of her.. I took a chance on a new author and I was pleasantly surprised. This book was a quick physiological suspenseful thriller that was hard to put down. It was hard to believe this was her first. This author gave me similar vibes to a child being a main character.

"A taut, powerful psychological thriller following a mother who must confront a sudden and terrifying change in her daughter after the abrupt death of their babysitter.

Charlotte's daughter Stella is sensitive and brilliant, perhaps even a genius, but a recent change in her behavior has alarmed her mother. Following the sudden death of Stella's babysitter, Blanka, the once disruptive and anti-social child has become docile and agreeable. But what's unsettling is that she has begun to mirror Blanka's personality, from Blanka's repetitive phrases to her accent, to fierce cravings for Armenian meat stew after being raised a vegetarian.

Charlotte is pregnant with her second child, and depleted and sick with the pregnancy. She is convinced that Blanka herself is somehow responsible for Stella's transformation. But how could Blanka, dead, still be entwined in their lives? Has Blanka somehow possessed Stella? Has Stella become Blanka? As Charlotte becomes increasingly obsessed, she is sure that only she can save her daughter...even though it's soon clear that her husband believes this is all in Charlotte's head.

Helena Echlin's singular, chilling voice holds light to the blurred lines of diagnosis in children and to the vital power of maternal instinct. Kaleidoscopic and tense, pulse-pounding and genuinely creepy, and infused with shades of the supernatural, Clever Little Thing is an ode to motherhood and a nuanced critique of the caretaking industry, a page-turner that will haunt readers long after its epic, surprising finale."

Seriously, when a kid's behavior changes, be suspicious. Be very suspicious.

This was an engrossing and twisty tale about Stella, a once difficult child who undergoes a total behavior shift after her nanny's death.

Once combative and challenging to please, Stella becomes more agreeable and pleasant after her nanny, Blanka, dies. The exact nature of Blanka's demise is a mystery that unravels as the novel progresses.

Stella's mother, Charlotte, is understandably unsettled by the changes in her daughter and worried that her daughter might have something to do with Blanka's death.

Charlotte visits Blanka's mother, Irina, and they become unexpectedly close. Irina ends up coming over frequently to help care for Stella since Charlotte is pregnant with her second child.

Overall, it's a pretty creepy story, but it keeps you interested and guessing until the end. It's a solid four-star read that I would definitely recommend!

Thank you to #netgalley for the ARC of #cleverlittlething

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is such an interesting thriller that moves quickly and keeps you turning the page. Charlotte's eight-year-old, Stella, exhibits signs of neurodivergence, but after her babysitter, Blanka, dies, Stella starts becoming much more docile, vacant, and "normal" - just like Blanka had been. Charlotte becomes convinced that somehow Blanka is possessing Stella, and things go off the rails quickly.

Besides being a fun, creepy story, this novel powerfully explores modern motherhood, generational trauma, the difficulties of parenting a neurodivergent child, the imbalances and abuses of the care industry, and the unequal emotional and physical labor that so often characterizes heterosexual marriage. Stella appearing to be consumed by Blanka feels like a metaphor for the way Charlotte's entire identity becomes subsumed into being a mother, and the way that society glorifies motherhood and maternal instinct but also demonizes people's parenting choices. Seeing Charlotte's own struggles manifest - especially as she reckons more with her own mother's parenting and life - is both heartbreaking and real, and the novel kept me guessing about whether Charlotte's psyche was blurring dreams and reality or there was actually something supernatural or magical happening.

It definitely gets a little hard to believe towards the end (even beyond what's going on with Stella and Blanka), but the build is slow, and by the time I got to the end I was just enjoying the ride.

I felt that was predictable. Too much revealed too early on in the novel. Additionally, I felt like the story lacked variety. It felt boring.

This is a chilling and thought-provoking psychological thriller that explores the unsettling transformation of a young girl after the sudden death of her babysitter. With its sharp pacing, haunting atmosphere, and tense portrayal of maternal fear, this is a gripping, unputdownable read that will leave you questioning the boundaries of reality long after the final page. I really enjoyed myself, but struggled to look past the similarities with The Push.

Charlotte’s daughter Stella is sensitive and brilliant, perhaps even a genius, but a recent change in her behavior has alarmed her parents. Following the sudden death of Stella’s babysitter, Blanka, the once disruptive and anti-social child has become docile and agreeable. But what’s unsettling is that she has begun to mirror Blanka’s personality, from Blanka’s repetitive phrases to her accent, to fierce cravings for Armenian meat stew after being raised a vegetarian.

Charlotte is pregnant with her second child, and depleted and sick with the pregnancy. She is convinced that Blanka herself is somehow responsible for Stella’s transformation. But how could Blanka, dead, still be entwined in their lives? Has Blanka somehow possessed Stella? Has Stella become Blanka? As Charlotte becomes increasingly obsessed, she is sure that only she can save her daughter. . . even though it’s soon clear that her husband believes this is all in Charlotte’s head.

This was an odd read for me. I really enjoyed it. It was a unique thriller, but the formal writing style made it less of a page-turner. Psycho kids are freaky. As long as you go into this aware that the formal language slows things down, you'll love this. 4 ⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

I loved loved loved this book. Echlin writes with such subtle foreshadowing and a voice reminiscent of Maxwell Anderson and Alfred Hitchcock. Big Little LIes meets Girl on the Train meets Big Little Lies.

An entertaining and quick read. I do agree to readers of The Push would enjoy it, but it almost seems TOO similar. I was able to quickly guess the few little changes in plot, or light “”twists” of the story. However, I still fully enjoyed my time with this book!

3.5/5. I was really excited to read this book as I had heard such good things. However, I felt like I have read this book 300 times. It is the same theme we see in so many books, oh the wife is just crazy and the husband sucks. At some point it gets too repetitive and I get tired of reading it. I found every character absolutely infuriating. I suppose that was Helena's goal though, so she succeeded in that regard. Overall, I did like the book, it was fast paced, kept me interested, and I was guessing for a majority of the read. The plot was interesting and different when it came to Blanka "taking over" Stella's body. I still don't quite understand how that all came to be. The book did leave some unanswered questions. Overall, it was a good book, not quite sure it would be on my top recommended list though.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Viking | Pamela Dorman Books publishing for providing me an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Helena Echlin’s Clever Little Thing is an intriguing blend of psychological suspense and family drama that keeps readers guessing. The novel’s strength lies in its sharp, witty prose and well-crafted tension, pulling you into a story filled with secrets, manipulation, and unexpected twists. Echlin excels at exploring the complex dynamics between characters, making their motivations and interactions feel authentic and layered.

However, while the plot is engaging, it occasionally dips into predictability, and some revelations don’t quite pack the punch they seem to aim for. The pacing can be uneven, with certain stretches feeling slower than necessary. Despite these flaws, the book delivers a satisfying mix of suspense and emotional depth, with a protagonist who is both clever and relatable.

A solid 3.5-star read that will appeal to fans of twisty, character-driven thrillers. Clever Little Thing is a smart and entertaining ride, even if it doesn’t always hit its mark.

I’m normally not into super natural elements, but this thriller worked to have them included! I was really invested in if it was an unreliable narrator or someone else did it, and I was very pleased with the ending. Clever little read, indeed.

CLEVER LITTLE THING by Helena Echlin

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking | Pamela Dorman Books for the ARC ebook of Clever Little Thing.

A psychological paranormal thriller that follows Charlotte, and her daughter, Stella after the sudden death of Stella’s babysitter, Blanka. Eight year old Stella begins to take on the personality of Blanka in her speech and mannerisms. Charlotte becomes obsessed by this abrupt change in her daughter and believes only she will be able to save her daughter. Charlotte’s husband believes it is all in Charlotte’s head. This is Helena Echlin’s first psychological thriller and my first read of her writing. This started out good for me and as it went on, it fizzled out for me. I will look at other books by her and will be interested to see what she does next.

In my opinion, this isn’t much of a thriller, it’s more of a slow-burn look into motherhood and marriage. The book focuses on Stella, an 8yo girl who is as sensitive as she is brilliant and her mother, Charlotte, a privileged yet deeply flawed mother. After the sudden death of the babysitter, Blanka, Stella’s behavior begins to shift, and it seems Charlotte is the only one concerned. She KNOWS there is something wrong, but she is the only one that seems to see it. Dad seems to think that Stella is growing out of her “weird” phase and becoming the “normal” kid, he wants so much. He goes as far as gaslighting Charlotte at every turn.
The book wants so badly to keep you guessing; is it a supernatural possession, or a way for a neurodivergent Stella to tell her mom what is really going on. If you’re looking for something with a creepy factor, look elsewhere. The twist was predictable, and the resolution feels like it needed to be quickly wrapped up in a bow.
The writing style is a definite upside for me and there is some decent character development as Charlotte confronts her own biases and past traumas, but I’m not sure if that will be enough for some readers.

Clever Little Thing is a quick and twisty read that had me turning pages late into the night. While I did have some points of déjà vu, this was a fairly unique story with a dizzying conclusion.

Be warned that this one is STRESSFUL as the reader follows along inside the mother’s head for the entirety of the story. Watching her unravel as she fears for her daughter was difficult to stomach. Questioning my own sanity is one of my biggest fear’s so this one felt darkkkk for me (in the best way.)

If you enjoyed Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak, I think you will really enjoy this one! Preorder now if you love thrillers, horror, family drama, and twists that don’t stop!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Pamela Dorman Books for the eARC of this twisty title!**

I recently read Clever Little Thing by Helena Echlin, and while it started strong, my initial interest quickly waned as the story unfolded. At first, I enjoyed the writing and was intrigued by the direction it seemed to be taking. This was billed as a psychological thriller, but by the end, it had shifted into something more akin to a supernatural thriller—or perhaps just an implausible narrative. I struggled to grasp the so-called psychological "twist," which may have been a matter of personal interpretation, but I didn’t find it satisfying or believable.

The book is compared to The Push by Ashley Audrain (and even blurbed by her), but I think that comparison is wildly off the mark. Where The Push offered a gripping psychological exploration, Clever Little Thing veered into territory that required too much suspension of disbelief—not in a fun, engaging way, but in a forced and contrived way.

Ultimately, I can’t recommend this book. It didn’t deliver the psychological tension I expected, and the narrative choices left me frustrated rather than intrigued.

Thank you, NetGalley and Pamela Dorman Books for a copy!

This book was really good! It kept me on my toes, and was actually creepy and mysterious! There was so many twists and turns, and there was also depth to all the characters.

I wanted to love this, and expected something along the lines of The Push. Well, I was BORED out of my mind. Nothing happens, absolutely nothing! The characters fell flat, the story fell flat and I just wanted to be done. 2.5 stars.

Charlotte is struggling with a difficult pregnancy and is very worried that something is happening with her daughter Stella. Stella has always been difficult - she is hypersensitive and extremely smart, but after her babysitter, Blanka, suddenly quits and days later dies, Charlotte notices Stella acting differently. Stella is now more docile, begins using phrases Blanka used, starts eating meat (she was vegetarian) and begins speaking some Armenian like Blanka. As Charlotte becomes more convinced that Blanka is somehow responsible, everyone around her begins to think Charlotte is becoming mentally unstable. How can Charlotte save her daughter and herself? The book started out a little slow, but it soon became interesting to see how Charlotte could figure out what was going on with Stella. Mother’s intuition is a strong theme throughout the book, as is strength in your self and fighting for your child. I enjoyed the book. The characters were interesting, not all were likable but the Thor did a good job in describing them so you could picture the annoying moms she ran into at school, etc. I give the book 4 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published January 14, 2025.