Helena Echlin’s *Clever Little Thing* is an eerie psychological thriller that dives into the messy feelings surrounding motherhood, mental health, and the supernatural. The story focuses on Charlotte, a worn-out, pregnant mom trying to deal with her socially awkward daughter, Stella. After the sudden death of Stella's beloved babysitter, Blanka, things take a weird turn—Stella starts mirroring Blanka's quirks and habits. What seems odd at first quickly becomes unsettling, leading Charlotte to question what's real and whether she's losing her grip on reality.

Echlin's writing creates a tense atmosphere, tackling themes like how society often ignores mothers' instincts and undervalues caregivers. The book keeps you guessing—are we dealing with something supernatural or just a mom's mind falling apart? The suspense builds to a shocking conclusion, making *Clever Little Thing* a highlight in psychological horror and a must-read for fans of *The Push* by Ashley Audrain and *Baby Teeth* by Zoje Stage.

Echlin isn't re-inventing the wheel here. We have seen unreliable narrators, bad seed/possession before. But her execution is above average and the addition of a neurodivergent components elevates the storyline in a thoughtful way. I wish the twist-dependent resolution was more original. But over all, a solid, entertaining debut.

This book was so brilliantly thought out and, dare I say, clever! It held my attention tight from beginning to end and had me speculating a dozen different theories. Although, I truly never knew what was going to happen on the next page. The author brings you between the ‘then’ and ‘now’ periods of the story, and does so in such a way that has them syncing up seamlessly towards the end. My big ‘OMG’ highlight-worthy moment came in chapter 37 and I audibly said ARE YOU JOKING ME?!? Even then, I still wasn’t sure how everything would pan out. Motherhood is the toughest hood there is, and there were lots of relatable moments in this story. I also loved the inclusion of paranormal forces- which I am a huge believer in. This book would be a great book club choice; lots to discuss!
Rating: 4.5 / 5

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this!
Clever Little Thing follows Charlotte, a mother during the middle of her second pregnancy as she comes to grips with how her once very peculiar daughter is now acting remarkably like her dead baby sitter. Told in alternating timelines, we see Charlotte in what is clearly a mental health facility, post second birth and trying to come to terms that maybe its all in her head, and dealing with the initial changes in her daughter Stella.
As a mom, so many things totally hit home for me in this story. The portrayal of Stella's 'uniqueness', and it's potential ties to autism, were informative while being really well executed emotionally. Charlotte's emotions, particularly how she handles friendship, motherhood, and post partum/ prenatal hormones, were almost like looking into a mirror. I also really enjoyed how, at least for most of the book, you were really unsure if this was in Charlotte's head or really a demonic possession story.
Theres a pretty substantial twist at the end I didn't see coming and overall, this really delivers.

I was able to get my hands on this book and it was a page turner. I enjoyed it very much and could definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a gripping popcorn thriller.

What makes a good mother? Is it enabling a child, overlooking red flags, forcing behaviors not natural to the child, or praising the good? Mix of all? The book starts out wondering if this is going to be the premise. Turns out, not so much. This was an interesting book, but I found it somewhat disjointed as it became more about mental health, generational traumas, and marriage issues with a dash of supernatural sprinkled in. I wanted to know how it all ended, but must admit I was bored.

Not much in life makes me happier than a good psychological thriller…. Except possibly the additional trope of a creepy child. This probably explains why I loved my most recent read, Clever Little Thing so much.

Stella is a brilliant, odd and hard to manage little girl. Possibly neurodivergent and prone to tantrums, she is a difficult child who is loved fiercely by her mother, Charlotte who is expecting her second child in a few months. But then Stella’s nanny dies and Charlotte watches her anti-social difficult daughter change. Suddenly, she becomes obedient, wants to hang out with friends, a completely different child seemingly overnight. Stella’s father loves the change in his daughter and attributes it to her growing up, but Charlotte isn’t so sure. What about the fact that Stella is adopting characteristics of the nanny? Her Armenian accent, a craving for meat stew after being raised a vegetarian and then there is the journal…..

I love it when a thriller plays with the idea of the supernatural, in this case possession. The author does an excellent job of making the possibility seem both real and absurd and I was hooked. I had no idea where this book was going and I was surprised by it multiple times. After I closed the book my first thought was, what a well constructed novel.. There were bread crumbs scattered throughout, but they were never too obvious. As they were slowly revealed it all made perfect sense and was surprising at the same time. And while the ending might annoy some, I thought it was perfection. This book was everything I didn’t know I wanted and I can’t wait to read more by this author.
Thank you to @netgalley and @pameladormanbooks for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Stella was a very bright child, displaying all of the characteristics of a genius, yet her behavior was that of a problem child. She refused to socialize with others, including her family and constantly displayed undisciplined and rowdy behavior. Shortly after the sudden death of her babysitter, Blanka, her mother, who was pregnant with her second child, began to see disturbing changes in Stella. She suddenly became quiet and insisted on socializing with her family and friends from school. When she started to take on Blanka’s foreign accent, her mother became worried. Even more puzzling was that Stella, who had always been a strict vegetarian, began to insist upon being served Armenian meat stew.
Charlotte's husband thinks Stella desperately misses Blanka, and her behavior indicates she is just trying to imitate her. But Charlotte fears that Stella has somehow become Blanka, and she has to help her before it is too late. This intense page-turner with a shocking ending will be a story you won’t soon forget.

Charlotte’s eight year old daughter, Stella, comes across to most people as “odd”. Stella has an aversion to random noises, like the sound of water, has trouble forming bonds with those her age, and can not stand to be touched. However, she also is extremely bright, with a huge love of reading and an interest in learning about almost anything.

Despite connections with people being hard for Stella, she bonds with her babysitter, Blanca, but when Blanca unexpectedly dies, Stella’s personality completely changes. Stella now is outgoing and friendly, sounds no longer bother her, and her school performance is just average.

Is Stella just reacting to the trauma of the loss, or is something much more sinister going on ?

While this book kept my attention, I wish there was more happening at first. The last 100 pages really made up for the slow drag of the beginning however.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Incidents Around The House, by Josh Malerman, or just generally enjoys slow burn horror novels.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There are few things I love more in a thriller than creepy tales involving motherhood and children. When I saw this book compared to The Push by Ashley Audrain, I knew I needed to read it immediately. This book is a wild ride full of twists and turns. You feel uneasy reading because you never quite feel like you know which way it's going. It is a definite page turner for anyone who loves psychological thrillers!!

Charlotte's daughter Stella has always been a little different; however, after her babysitter Blanca dies suddenly Stella makes dramatic changes. Stella starts to act, write, and mirror Blanca's personality. Charlotte knows something is going on and with the help of Blanca's mother is trying desperately to figure out what it is before her next baby is born.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I had my thoughts about certain characters and definitely went back and forth about what I thought was happening. It was a quick read that kept me going and wanting to know what was going to happen next!

Thank you Helena Echlin, Pamela Dorman Books, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fun and interesting premise, but I wished it had more of a creepy vibe to it. It built up with possession and wrongful death to what should've been epic but fell short in that regard. Very similar to Ashley Audrain's The Push

OK friends, I have got THE psychological thriller for you!! If you love books like The Push, with a creepy child premise, strange happenings after a traumatic event, and a clever thought-provoking ending, then I can assure you that you’ll love this book as much as I did!

As a mom I empathized so much with Charlotte, who while pregnant, is desperately trying to figure out why her once incredibly bright, anti-social, very particular daughter has had a complete alteration of her personality. It was infuriating at times to witness those closest to Charlotte question her ability as a mother and disregard her major concerns. I was on the edge of my seat with anticipation of finding out what was going on with her daughter, Stella!

This is definitely a story about the lengths a mother will go to, to defend and help her child, even if that means questioning her own reality. There are several themes that are exceptionally layered into this story, such as grief, mental health, the nuances of motherhood and pregnancy, family dynamics, and generational trauma. It’s a book that will definitely stick with you but be prepared to suspend a bit of belief. Just go with it and I promise the ending will leave you stunned. If you enjoy audiobooks then I highly recommend that route. The narration was easy to listen to and kept me engaged and eager to continue listening.

•𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 •
+ read if you like other psych thrillers involving complex children, like The Push or Darling Girls
+ an introverted child and the sudden death of her nanny
+ a pregnant mother who’s determined to get answers about her daughter
+ eerie happenings
+ not all is what it seems
+ memorable characters & conclusion
+ Autistic Spectrum Disorder Rep
+ motherhood, pregnancy, mental health rep

𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: January 14, 2025
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Psychological Thriller • Mystery
𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭: Audio 🎧 (11h, 7m)
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: Ashley Tucker
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★★★★★ 𝟓
𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭: Obsessed!

✨Thank you so much PRHaudio, NetGalley, and Pamela Dorman for my #gifted ALC! 🎧

3.5/5 rounded up

Thank you Pamela Dorman Books for the advanced reading copy -- gifted to Thrillers By The Book MKE!

This one started out soooo strong, and while I did end up enjoying it, it lost steam in the middle for me. There were tons of fun twists and turns throughout and I found myself genuinely surprised at a few moments. That said, I just wanted a little more! Felt like we were building up and up and then just kinda flatlined. I still devoured this book and couldn’t put it down, but I left feeling very much like 🤷🏼‍♀️ that was solid — instead of how I wanted to feel 😲🫨🤯

Even still, this book was pretty quick to listen to and definitely entertaining! I think it will make for a great book club discussion this month!

Side note — while the narrator did a great job with the accents and portraying all the characters, I got soooo distracted hearing her swallow/breath/mouth sounds!!!!!! Gotta do something about that production for sure

Wow, I loved this. I wanted to finish it in 24 hours but life got in the way. I loved The Push and this had a similar feel. I don't know if I loved the end, but it was absolutely worth the ride. Oh yes!

Clever Little Things was unique, creative, and kept me extremely engaged to the end. I also found this book to be somewhat on the creepy side!

I didn't like this story. It was creepy but not in a way that I usually enjoy. I almost made it a dnf but decided to trudge on. I wish I had not. It just wasn't that good to me.

Thank you for the ARC.

This story wasn't for me. I didn't like the MC and thought that it was unlikely that she would have been able to have not had some medical person intervene to help her to understand that her child, and likely herself, was autistic.

Such a creepy read! Helena Echlin truly had me questioning myself! Is Charlotte telling the truth, or is she confused? Is Pete just a loving, supportive husband who's worried about his daughter's well-being, or is there something more sinister going on?

I love how the story takes place over a short period of time. The reader is thrown right into the middle of Charlotte's breakdown. We figure things out alongside a mother who knows something is off with her daughter, but no one will listen to her. The subject matter is serious, and the storytelling is riveting. Clever Little Thing is nothing short of a clever little story!

Read this if you like books with:
- ND rep
- mother daughter relationships
- struggles of motherhood
- psychological elements

Thank you NetGalley the publisher and author for the arc of this book.

The first 10% of this book sounded intriguing and kept me glued to the storyline, but it slowly started slipping downhill with the unnecessary backstory and the weird paranormal aspect. The audiobook narrator was bland and put me to sleep. I found myself fast forwarding through most of the book because the story was all over the place. With the far fetched plot, the unlikeable characters, and the drawn out story this book was a fail for me.