This explored motherhood, with the good, the bad, and the ugly. For mothers who feel their children may be a little different than the others, this one may resonate a little more with you(and myself). While I felt this should have felt a bit eerie at times, it was more dramatic and emotional. I loved and felt for the mother and honestly couldn't stand the husband and his closed off mindset. Those who read the description and are expecting creepiness, this is more mysterious and family drama than anything. The writing was addictive and kept me going when I felt not much has happened a couple of times throughout the first half. Three and a half stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Penguin Group Viking, for this ARC.

I was drawn to Clever Little Thing because of the main character being a mother. Horror isn't my usual genre, but it made me think of The Push by Ashley Audrain and I loved that. I think Echlin did a great job of making the reader question the reliability of the narrator. It was just creepy enough for me. I think fans of horror will really enjoy this one. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

A solid look at postpartum care and ~mothers~ in general. I didn’t love the pacing but the last 3rd was actually really good. Definitely a little weird and the characters were hard to love but, overall a good read. Very slow start and the characterization of some people were a little off but still recommend!

Clever Little Thing is a clever debut. When Charlotte's young daughter Stella, who exhibits some neurodivergent signs, begins acting differently after the death of her babysitter Charlotte is alarmed. Stella reads at an astonishingly high level and is sensitive and anti-social but soon she begins behaving well in school, engaging more and starting to act and sounds just like Blanka-her deceased babysitter. Now pregnant with her second child, Charlotte has become obsessed with understanding what is happening to Stella. Sick from the pregnancy and anxiety, and starting to think Stella may be possessed by Blanka, Charlotte realizes everyone around her thinks this may just be in her head. Told in flashbacks and present day timelines Helena Echlin has written a delicious, dark and twisty novel that will keep readers flipping through the pages. The ending was unexpected (which is a nice surprise), the writing strong and propulsive and I could not put it down. Excited to read what's next by Helena Echlin.

I liked this one. With mystery novels, everything hinges on the twist and the buildup to it. There were some red herons that I really focused in on. It's unfortunate that the answer was the most predictable one-- some of the red heron answers actually would've been more interesting. I enjoyed the writing and the author's depiction of motherhood, especially with a child that's not neurotypical. I can also appreciate an ambiguous ending. Ultimately, I don't think this book does anything wrong. But I just don't know how memorable it is; I don't think it will be a standout at all when I look back on my year of reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed this psychological thriller! It was a bit of a slow-burn, well thought out characters - a possessed little girl and a mother on the verge of a mental breakdown. I will be recommending this one!

Suspenseful novel about a mother's love and family secrets that can destroy. Stella is a very intelligent 8 year old who reads adult books, is interested in science but also has sensory issues and difficulty making friends. Charlotte is Stella's mother and is reluctant to have her labeled but also having difficulties in getting her daughter to fit in at school and the neighborhood. Charlotte's husband Pete feels she is babying Stella and he wants her to do all the things other kids do. Things come to a head when Charlotte becomes pregnant with her second child and Stella's babysitter Blanka abruptly leaves. Stella's personality changes overnight and she begins to act and talk just like Blanka. Is she possessed? What in the world is going on?

Charlotte is a difficult character to like as she makes a lot of mistakes in dealing with Stella's situation and she keeps putting herself and her unborn baby in jeopardy. But something is not right in her household and I really liked the creepy set-up and Blanka's mother Irina who added some common sense and an air of mystery to the story. This also featured one of my biggest fears; getting put in a psych ward against my will. Will Charlotte and Irina help Stella? I enjoyed this novel and found the twists engaging and creepy. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC for review.

If the publishing industry is going to pay close attention to difficult topics, please let the prevalence of peri and post-natal care be one of them. I blew through Echlin’s novel which delves into the devastating, confusing and horrific time mothers can have getting care for themselves when having children. While much of the novel has you second-guessing Charlotte’s inner monologue, it’s the perfect exploration of the stories people tell themselves when a woman doesn’t “embrace” motherhood the way it “should be.” The last line of the novel will stick with anyone who has had a tough time working through the hormone induced hysteria postpartum can trigger. Sometimes, you can’t got back to the way things were, you just have to find a balance.

Enjoyed this psychological thriller. A mother is convinced something is wrong with her daughter, Stella, after the death of their nanny, Blanka. She believes Blanka has taken over Stella's body but can't prove it. It took me a while to get into the book, but then once I did, I was in it. It was creepy and slow with a touch of supernatural elements to it, that I didn't hate. The ending was satisfying and the emotions I felt for Charlotte, that's how you know the author did a good job!

@pameladormanbooks | #partner You know how your mom always said, “If you don’t have anything good to say about someone, don’t say anything at all?” Well, that’s the situation I find myself in with 𝗖𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 by Helena Echlin. This psychological thriller is about a mother who seems to have had some sort of breakdown after the death of her daughter’s nanny AND the fact that her already “different” daughter seems to be taking on characteristics of that nanny.⁣
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All typical psychological thriller fare, right? Readers expect to need to suspend disbelief at times, but constantly? There was almost nothing I could believe about this story and in fact felt a little insulted that I might be expected to. I really tried to like this book, moving from audio to print and then back to audio, but the format changes couldn’t change the overly bizarre plot. I know this is harsh, but 𝘊𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 was a definite fail for me. On the positive side, I did finish it and if you look around you can find reviews from other readers who liked it much more than me. Shannon @thebookclubmom is one such reader.

I had mixed feelings about Clever Little Thing. On one hand, the writing is absolutely stunning. Helena Echlin has a beautiful, almost poetic way with words.

However, despite the beauty of the writing, I struggled with some aspects of the plot. The twists, though meant to be shocking and unexpected, felt a bit too far-fetched at times. Some plot developments seemed more contrived than natural, and I found myself questioning the plausibility of certain events. While I understand that fiction often pushes boundaries, there were moments where the narrative stretched my suspension of disbelief too thin. The convoluted nature of the twists made it difficult to fully connect the dots,

That said, I did want to find out what was going on. Despite the implausible moments, the mystery at the heart of the story was intriguing enough to keep me reading. There was always a sense of suspense, and I was genuinely curious to see how things would resolve. The emotional stakes were high, and even though I had trouble following some of the developments, I still cared about the protagonist’s journey and her desire to uncover the truth.

In the end, Clever Little Thing left me with a sense of both admiration and frustration. The writing is undeniably beautiful and evocative, but the plot’s increasingly unbelievable twists made it hard to fully embrace the story. If you’re someone who enjoys beautifully crafted prose and doesn’t mind a bit of complexity and implausibility in the plot, you may still find enjoyment in this book. However, if you’re looking for a more grounded, believable narrative, this might be a tougher read to connect with.

LOVED this one! Thank you so much for sharing with me. Recommending to everyone I know! I loved the pace, the twists & the major confusion. It felt fresh and new for a thriller and that’s rare as I read a lot of them.

A cross genre book that will have you confused almost from the start. Charlotte is the mother of a young girl with all the hallmarks of a child on the autism spectrum until the girl's babysitter unexpectly dies. The cause of death is a little murky. Charlotte's daughter begins to display the charcteristics of the babysitter, reversing her own typical behavior. At this point, readers are left to wonder what's going on. Helena Echlin has mixed a few supernatural topics intertwined with some serious mental health questions while stirring in the possibility of someone influencing the girl to confuse her mother. I had to keep reading just to see what would happen next and who was responsible. A different kind of thriller that set Echlin's debut on the road to a top ten.

Yikes! This was a creepy read. Whenever there are kids invoked, it’s even creepier. What if your child changed into someone they weren’t and what would you do? Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Viking for the advanced copy.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. If you are looking for a creepy book that keeps you questioning things, this is one for you!

A truly gripping domestic thriller with a paranormal twist. What is a mother to do when her child becomes a completely different person? Every parent has this fear, and Echlin approaches it through a dark new lens. Hard to put down!

Clever Little Thing is very much in the vein of books like The Push and Baby Teeth. Creepy kids is one of my favorite subgenres and this did not disappoint. Although I had figured out the twist early on I still very much enjoyed the story. The characters were well developed and the story was a unique take on possession that I haven’t read before.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Title/Author: Clever Little Thing by Helena Echlin

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books

Format: I read a digital arc from NetGalley

Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: First time reading

Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/978059365...

Release Date: January 14th, 2025

General Genre: Psychological Suspense Thriller/Supernatural

Sub-Genre/Themes: Domestic drama, neurodivergent children (diagnosis not known), parenting, Armenian people, motherhood, Pre and postnatal depression, mood disorders, paranoia, Postpartum psychosis, nannies, self-harm, suicide, SA, pregnancy

Writing Style: Short chapters, alternating timelines (Then & Now), intricately plotted

What You Need to Know: "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."

My Reading Experience: I love psychological thrillers centered around new mothers and/or pregnancy.
Especially if there's something paranormal or supernatural going on too. I love intimate exposure behind closed doors of marriages and I also love an unreliable, unlikable narrator--you get all of this with, Clever Little Thing.
The most entertaining and compelling aspect of this book was that even though I had a sense of where the story was headed, I never once expected *exactly* how it would get there. One development took me completely by surprise, so props to the author for a solid blindside. Are there some unrealistic elements to the story? Yes.
Did I have to suspend disbelief a few times, also yes. But hear this: We live in a world that proves beyond the shadow of a doubt, that truth is stranger than fiction. I read headlines of real-life situations that make my jaw drop every day. Nothing surprises me anymore. I do not show up to my fictional book expecting reality because nobody could make that up anyway.
So yes, things go off the rails.
The main character is exhausting in the way she leaps to wild conclusions for no reason.
This was fun. I had a good time putting this one together and the author was great at keeping all the important cards close to her chest while allowing a few clues to reveal just enough to keep me hooked.

Final Recommendation: If you enjoy creepy kids, paranoid first-time parents, juicy drama, and unexpected twists and turns, this is for you. Please note my content warnings in the "themes/sub-genre" section

Comps: The Push & The Whispers by Ashley Audrain (elements of both books), Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage, The Changeling by Victor LaValle, Jennifer Hillier thrillers

I liked the story line. There was a creep factor. I was never sure exactly what was going on and what story could be trusted. But it was way too slow of a burn. It also seemed unnaturally formal. Both of these factors made it tough to truly LOVE the book. However, I was invested and engaged in learning what was actually going on and which characters and story I could trust. It definitely had an unsettling vibe - I felt like I was on edge throughout the entire book. Overall, a creepy read, but if you do not enjoy slow burns, it may not be for you.

Stella shows signs of autism, until the death of her babysitter, Blanka. She then begins to mimic her babysitter's behavior. Charlotte, Stella's Mom, has become obsessed and is convinced that Blanka is controlling her child. Pregnant and sick, her husband believes that she is going crazy. But is Stella safe? Who and what is responsible for this change?

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

This was a weird book that didn’t click with me. It started as a psychological thriller and then turned into something completely unrealistic and unbelievable. The supernatural element just made this book messy and confusing. Also the way the main character acted at certain times was so over the top it became completely unrealistic. This one just wasn’t for me.