I received a digital copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Here goes!

Alice is a troubled young girl who thinks she’s being taken over by a witch. Creepy things are happening to and around her. Child psychologist Mina Ellis is called in to assist a reporter, Sam, who is investigating her case. But instead of getting answers, things continue taking darker turns.

The story was a little slow at first but picked up speed just before the halfway mark. I’m not normally a fan of witches and paranormal reads but this one was interesting! I enjoyed reading about Alice’s case and trying to figure out what was happening. I didn’t see the twist coming and I still have questions about what was truly happening with Alice.

Overall I enjoyed the writing, the story, and the characters. I will definitely read more by this author.

I have to say, I really requested this because the cover and the title gave me "The Yellow Wallpaper" flashbacks, and lemme tell ya, that novella scared me so much when I read this. Coming into this book, I didn't know what to think, but I really enjoyed it. It's late 1980's, a small town has gone nuts with a heatwave that's slowly killing people, and there's a possible witch among them. While I saw where some of it was going, it was still a crazy, fun, wild ride.
Highly recommend picking it up for the Midsommer, small town, mass hysteria vibes.
Thank you so much netgalley, the publisher, and author for this ARC.

nothing happened until 93% in the book i swear

basically, a child psychologist is tasked to help a reporter determine if a little girl is possessed/haunted (doesn’t seem ethical). they both stay at this family’s house (weird) and do absolutely nothing. the only thing that’s determined is that all of the men in this book suck — the dad and her fiancé are both absolute assholes for no reason.

nothing is explained on why or how it happened. the main character (child psychologist) is left in the dark and not told anything ever. nothing really happens for majority of the book — the plot just stays stagnant and you’re constantly wondering if the child is actually haunted, or if there’s an explanation, and you never receive it.

the last 30 minutes of the book were interesting, but it definitely wasn’t worth it.

When I first started this book, it wasn't my favorite. It started off pretty slow and just wasn't really grabbing my attention.

I try my best to push through ARCs though, and WOW. I'm really glad I did. As the book went on it just got darker and darker.

All I'll say is that if you're a fan of A24 movies, this book was made for you.

Definitely recommending to my friends who like the spooky shit!

I enjoyed the small-town setting, the spooky scenes, and the themes of mass hysteria and witches. It was a bit more horror than I anticipated, but I enjoyed that too. Some parts were predictable, but the ending went in a slightly different direction than what I first expected. Based on the supernatural vibes, I was kinda hoping for a more interesting ending.

I didn't really care for Mina's personal life; I would've been fine without those storylines. Or maybe if it was written differently. I was also a little confused about how some things happened (why again was Mina chosen? What exactly was her role? It really wasn't clear. If she was a psychologist, why was she not conducting more interviews? Why was she acting like she was in Ghostbusters? Speaking of which, why were there so many ghosts in a book originally about witches?)

Anyway, overall it was a good read for the spooky season, and it's a short enough read that I think it's worthwhile picking up.

Thank you St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

₊ ⊹

Pub Date: 25 Feb 2025
Rating: 3/5

quick kris recap: a child psychologist teams up with a journalist to debunk a small town mystery of wether this young girl is possessed or not. the or not gets kinda crazy.

i kinda have mixed thoughts about this one here. whilst it did take me a minute to get used to the prose, i breezed through the story quickly and enjoyed most of it. some of the scenes shockingly made me shiver which i always enjoy and i always love an is-it-possession-or-hysteria plot.

i think my issue was that by the end of the book i was scratching my head wondering if i missed something. everything wrapped up nicely but i wish the whole witch thing was less ambiguous.
either way, i think this was good but could have been better.

In this haunting tale, Mina, still grieving the loss of her brother, meets Sam at a support group for those coping with loss. Sam, a father stricken by his own grief, enlists Mina’s help to observe a teenage girl named Alice, who seems to be haunted by unsettling supernatural events and the echo of voices in her room. Driven by the hope of connecting with her brother’s spirit, Mina dives deeper into Alice’s eerie world—for better or worse.

This book was an absolutely unnerving, spine-chilling, and suspense-filled experience. Each time I had to put it down, I found myself eagerly anticipating the moment I could pick it back up and delve further into the psychological unraveling of its characters. The suspense was not only woven into each situation but was amplified by the dark, foreboding atmosphere of the isolated town that Mina and Sam explore.

If you’re craving a spooky, atmospheric, and witchy read, this story delivers. It took turns I never expected, scattering Easter eggs along the way, yet the ending still caught me off guard. Though some questions lingered unanswered, the profoundly unsettling ambiance lingered long after I finished reading, making for a truly memorable experience.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley & The Publisher for allowing me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I give this one a 3.5 star rating, rounded down.

The first 80% of the book was beat for beat a Conjuring movie. I'm not sure if its the Conjuring 1, or 2, I just know I could play the whole movie out in my head as I read and it was super boring. Actually it felt almost on the cusp of plagiarizing it was so similar. The stories/histories that they reference feel more like the author reading basic wiki pages on exorcisms or mass casualties. It's slightly infuriating because it feels like a waste of time. I suppose if you haven't seen The Conjuring, this book would hold a lot more value, but still lacks in the horror and suspense the movie provides. I'll take the nun over this witch any day.

We start off in my least favorite timeframe, the 70's, because the only things I gather from media about this timeframe is oppression of women, oppression of POC, and domestic abuse. And frankly, this book fits right in! Our FMC has about 0 personal autonomy both as a woman and as a character, while also generally unrealistic, making her distant and unrelatable. Also, she's supposed to be a child psychologist, but I don't think I ever saw her fit the bill once.

Immediately, the circumstances that bring Mina into this family's lives is unbelievable, and questionable at best. We proceed to get a Conjuring retelling, as stated above, and then we get the climax around maybe 85% through? Which I will say, was the most interesting/different part about it, but also completely expected/in line with what you'd see in any cult centric horror movie. She does exactly the thing that makes the reader go "Don't do that!!" lol, as if every horror trope had to make an appearance in some form or fashion.

I will say, it was not a terrible read. It was just "fine". It was passible, apart from the Conjuring knock off-ness, but I'm glad to move on from it. IF you haven't seen the Conjuring movies, you'll enjoy the build up in the book a lot more than me, but consider if reading this for 8 to 9 hours vs. just watching the Conjuring is worth it to you. I will say, I think I like the Conjuring's ending more so. Theres that too.

Overall, 3.5!

This was just okay.

Honestly I found myself skimming because I just didn't really care if I got the full story or not. There was too much detail for certain things that I personally found unnecessary.

3☆ because I did like the way everything tied together in the end.

I have NEVER been more terrified of a book in my life..

That being said, 5 freaking stars!!!! I was screaming, on the edge of my seat, hiding under a blanket while reading this. Not only were the vivid descriptions throughout the book absolutely haunting, but the story was amazingly intriguing.

Mina, an aspiring child psychologist, consults on a story that Sam, an investigative reporter, is writing about a haunted girl that can talk to the dead. Mina’s job is to either confirm or deny the claims.

Reality becomes twisted, symbolisms between the case and her personal life emerge, and you really just never know what’s what until the very end.

This is a book I will be thinking about for a loooong time!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!!

Dear Author,

I couldn't put it down. I didn't know what was real for Mina, for anyone. I held my breath as she investigated, as she experienced. I'm not ashamed to say that I held my breath reading this tense, haunting story. Now that I can breathe, I look forward to more engaging darkness that lives in your imagination.

Sincerely Yours,

J.D. McCoughtry

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martins Press/ Minotaur Books, for the opportunity to read this e-arc.

Thank you Net Galley for the chance to read this book early. I really enjoyed this book. It gave me all of the creepy vibes and chills I wanted for spooky read right at Halloween.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this one! It was the perfect way to round out my spooky season reads. Mina is a child psychologist without much experience, who works closely with a reporter to get to the bottom of a young girl's alleged haunting/possession by a witch. Filled with spooky scenes that will make your hair stand on end, this book takes you on a wild ride of mass hysteria vs the macabre and will keep you guessing until the very end.

AMAZING. This isn't the type of book I usually go for but I'm glad I did! I thought it was so good! That ending was crazy!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I did genuinely have a fun time reading this, though it felt middle of the road to me. It had a lot of the creepy elements to an intriguing story and I’d recommend to anyone newer to the genre.

I read this during Halloween week and it was the perfect spooky book!

I flew through it and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I really enjoyed it. It did leave me with a few lingering questions though and left me unsatisfied with the ending.

Something in the Walls was a fantastic book. Very creepy and edge of my seat moments. Be prepared because as the book goes on, it gets more and more scary. This is a must read for anyone liking thrilling, paranormal, and genuinely scary books.

The MC in this book is a newly minted child psychologist who goes with a journalist, Sam, to find out what’s really happening to a teen girl, Alice. According to the townspeople, she’s got a witch in her. As you can imagine, this doesn’t go well in this small town filled with suspicions and deadly traditions.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

This book was so creepy! This book had me feeling paranoid and Erie while reading it. I didn’t really like the ending so glad to take away from the book for me. I like the way the author built in the suspense and evoked emotion while writing.


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

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Something in the Walls” by Daisy Pearce is a dark, atmospheric journey into a modern-day witch hunt set in 1989. Pearce expertly combines elements of horror and psychological thriller with historical echoes, creating an unsettling yet captivating exploration of grief, fear, and superstition. This book explores the supernatural stories that often captivate entire small towns while also showing the problems with the superstitious small-town mentality.

The story follows Mina Ellis, a recently qualified child psychologist mourning her brother's death. She meets Sam, a journalist grieving his daughter, and through their shared experiences, Sam introduces her to an unusual case in the isolated village of Banathel. Thirteen-year-old Alice Webber is being accused of witchcraft by the locals, who believe a witch haunts the chimney of her family’s home. Mina, eager to gain experience, is pulled into a setting thick with dread, folklore, and a secret that shows that the real monsters are humans.

Pearce’s writing is richly detailed, and her depiction of the oppressive heat and creeping dread in Banathel is both tangible and evocative. The chilling atmosphere and suspenseful setup initially grip you, drawing you right into a plot that balances the supernatural and psychological with tantalizing ambiguity. As Mina tries to help Alice, questions arise: is Alice truly possessed by a witch, or is this all a manifestation of mass hysteria, fueled by the town's deep-seated folklore? The witch haunting felt really distinct and unique, separating it from standard ghost haunting, like with the chimney aspect.

The book deftly tackles themes of fear, mob mentality, and the human capacity for cruelty. In Banathel, tradition and suspicion blend dangerously, leading to actions that echo historical witch hunts. Mina’s quest for closure for her brother’s death and her self-discovery add depth to her character, making her a unique protagonist grappling with both internal and external demons. While “Something in the Walls” starts strong, maintaining a steady tension through most of its plot, the climax takes an unexpected turn as the story focuses more on the horror that is human nature.

Overall, “Something in the Walls” offers an unsettling blend of the supernatural and the all-too-human. This is an intriguing story that sheds light on the darkness lurking in human nature. Pearce’s writing is captivating, and this book is bound to be a favorite among fans of eerie, introspective horror.