Dark and twisty in the best way! Reminded me a lot of “The Push”, another maternal thriller that makes you feel uncomfortable throughout. A great unsettling feeling follows you through the chapters, as you question the main character’s sanity and her child.

What a wild ride this book was. This book was so creepy. Books with kids, and things surrounding the supernatural and kids just give me the creeps, but I love reading them. The paranormal elements were fantastic, and I love how they felt real, yet made me question everything. This book kept me guessing and I just devoured it. I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen. This one is full of suspense and kept me on the edge of my seat. I truly couldn’t guess how everything was going to work out, it was so twisty and unexpected. Charlotte was the ultimate unreliable narrator. I was surely questioning her sanity hard at several points in the book. And then her husband, just wow, what a character. The second half of the book is full of twists. I loved how some of them felt like they smacked me right in the face, while a few I felt I knew were coming. I couldn’t put this one down and finished it in a couple hours over the course of an afternoon.

If you are looking for a delightful and entertaining psychological thriller, then you need to read this one.

I’m not usually a fan of psychological suspenses with supernatural elements, but this was really original well written! A little girl takes on characteristics of her babysitter who recently died. There are family secrets that are eventually exposed. This was suspenseful, captivating, and a fast read.

This gave me the chills/creeps in a good way - I was on a move around every day road trip and still fell into it at night despite the exhaustion.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

4.5 Stars rounded up ! This novel was brilliantly twisty and kept me completely at the edge of my seat. I thought the storyline was very unique and I have not read another psychological thriller similar to this one. It was very easy to binge read this one in a sitting or two. I highly recommend giving this one a read if you enjoy a good suspense/psychological thriller, especially if you are a mother.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Viking for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

Clever Little Thing is perfect for fans of "The Push" and "All the Dangerous Things", following the perspective of a mother in grief, confusion, and strength, fighting to protect their children. Clearly, some interesting themes are explored here about motherhood, but also neurodivergence, found families, and the disintegration of the nuclear family. There's also a surprising touch of magical realism and spookiness! This definitely is dark and leaves you guessing, but for me the answers did tend to come way earlier than intended. The pacing was also too slow for my personal taste. Still, be sure to check it out in January!

This was just weird and not in a fun enough way for me to be able to suspend disbelief for its entirety. I think I’m just tired of mommy thrillers that use pregnancy-related depression as a plot device.

Clever Little Thing is sure to be one of the most talked about books of 2025. It's a perfect book club read. I was thoroughly impressed with this psychological thriller that was deeply disturbing and at times heartbreaking.

Charlotte loves her daughter exactly the way she is. So she's very concerned when Stella starts to change after the death of her babysitter, Blanka. Stella's personality and habits do a complete 180 and Charlotte is the only one who doesn't like it. Because Stella is acting just like Blanka.

It doesn't help matters that Charlotte is going through a very rough pregnancy and her husband works a lot. Luckily Blanka's mother Irina is good with Stella. She helps out while Charlotte increasingly worries and her husband dismisses those worries because he likes the way things are now.

There's so many layers to this story. Is Charlotte making a big deal of things because she's under so much strain? This could all just be Stella's way of coping with losing Blanka. Or is she actually possessed by her babysitter?

The tension never lets up as Charlotte stops at nothing to get her daughter back. I never knew what to expect all the way through to the shocking reveal. Comparisons to The Push are valid but Clever Little Thing is it's own unique story. But if you loved The Push like I did, odds are you'll love this.

I recommend Clever Little Thing if you like psychological thrillers with a bit of the supernatural mixed in. Or if you just want to read something different and thought provoking.

Thank you Penguin Group Viking/Pamela Dorman Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book- it was creepy and kept me guessing! The story centers on Charlotte, whose daughter Stella is seen as a difficult child to others, though Charlotte can see no problem. When their babysitter, Blanca, dies, Stella’s personality changes and Charlotte is convinced she is being possessed by Blanka in some way.

I love a story with an unreliable narrator and you get that here, as everyone around Charlotte thinks she is crazy. I went back and forth throughout the book on what was really happening. It was easy to root for her either way due to her fierce loyalty and drive to fight for Stella. There were some great twists in the 2nd half of the book, the biggest which I didn’t see coming at all. There were a couple things that were a bit unrealistic but still fit well with the story and didn’t bother me much. The very end of the book introduces some questions that kept me thinking about it even after I finished reading. I liked the ending overall.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and thought it was creepy and unique. There were some great surprises and it kept me guessing the whole way through. Would definitely recommend to those who like psychological thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley… I really wanted to love this one but I could not finish. It was just too slow paced for me right now.. but I do think I can go back and finish this book and update my review at a different time . It’s not what I’m looking to read right now .

Clever Little Thing is bingeable, entertaining, and keeps you guessing until the end. The book has a slower start as it introduces you to the characters but it picks up in the second half.
The book was very well written and easy to read. I enjoyed the paranormal/supernatural elements and the unique premise. Readers of psychological and mom thrillers will enjoy this one.

This book is being compared to The Push and aside from the book being about a mother, Clever Little Thing is completely different (in a good way).

Clever Little Thing by Helena Echlin will be available on January 14. Many thanks to Pamela Dorman Books and NetGalley for the gifted copy!

I love a good creepy child story. I was hooked from page one and simply could not wait to see how it all ended.
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Charlottes daughter Stella is incredibly bright. She’s also a bit introverted and quite particular. Charlotte has a special bond with her daughter and goes to great lengths to protect her well being. When Stella’s babysitter suddenly die's strange things start to happen around the home and more specifically with Stella herself. At first Charlotte chalks it up to hired, but then things become more prevalent that Charlotte can no longer ignore what’s happening.
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This story took me on a ride. I was intrigued, I was invested and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. There were a few parts of the story I found a bit unbelievable, but then I think to read this type of book there must be some suspension of belief in order to enjoy it. I found it clever and really enjoyed it!•
Thank you @netgalley and @pameladormanbooks for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Clever Little Thing lives up to its name - it is a clever read full of questions that Echlin slowly answers for her readers, one surprise at a time. I enjoyed that some of the more supernatural aspects of this story were bound to reality through the actions of each character. Echlin’s style of writing had me feeling connected with Charlotte: I felt her anguish, her confusion, and her desperation to figure out what was happening to Stella. This book is engaging and has a steady pace - I didn’t want to put it down.

The premise of this book intriuged me, although I don't typically like supernatural elements of ghosts/demons etc in my thrillers, i decided to give it a try. This was a pretty quick read for me and i think i enjoyed the last 10-15% of the book the most. Some of the things that came out about the husband were shocking, I cant believe that it was him who assaulted the babysitter. and that he was cheating on the wife for almost their whole marriage.

This is the best psychological thriller I’ve read this year!

It kept me engaged, intrigued and I wasn’t able to guess what would happen

A true thriller.

Strongly recommend

So I didn't love this one, but I didn't hate it either - it was just...unexpected? It's hard to get too into it without giving key parts away, but there was a big paranormal element that I didn't see coming. Echlin had a lot of unique twists to keep things interesting, but I struggled with the pacing - some chapters flew by while others I kind of skimmed to keep things going. I wouldn't have minded more character background as well - I enjoyed the characters, but they left me wanting to know more about them! I sure didn't see this ending coming, but I left with more questions than answers. Thanks for the ARC!

thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review!

getting more into it would be getting into spoiler territory - though honestly, the synopsis is pretty spoilery - so I'll just say this was a really good and tense psychological "mom thriller" that was very let down by an ending that spiraled into silliness

Helena Eschlin’s Clever Little Thing is an intriguing blend of sharp wit and thoughtful storytelling that brings a fresh perspective to contemporary fiction. The novel shines with clever dialogue and a protagonist who is as quirky as she is relatable. Eschlin’s unique voice keeps the narrative engaging, especially for readers who enjoy introspective, character-driven plots.

However, at times the pacing feels uneven, with certain sections dragging while others rush by too quickly. Some of the side characters, though interesting, could have been developed further to add depth to the story.

A quick, intense read. A mother knows best…right? Stella is a unique child. She is loud, stubborn, and wildly intelligent, but Charlotte begins to notice her daughter has changed after recent events with their babysitter. No one believes her. Charlotte risks it all to save her daughter and find the truth, even if the truth is hard to believe. If you liked The Push by Ashely Audrain, definitely check this one out. It’s not quite as dark, but definitely a wild ride.

4 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good psychological thriller. The especially good ones leave you wondering about what is really going on until the very end, and sometimes even after. This book certainly delivers. You start questioning what is real, who is actually crazy, who is just acting, what the characters' goals are, who is being manipulated, and ultimately who is going to come out as the winner at the end. Winner might be the wrong word, but triumphant also seems pretty aggressive.

The main character in this is fairly unreliable, which adds an extra twist to figuring out the entire thing.

I definitely recommend this one.