A weird, fever dream of a book. I loved the relationship between the three siblings and appreciated their banter back and forth. Lots of witty and laugh out loud moments. I think their interactions made the book.
Listen to Your Sister is a promising debut that has a lot of heart mixed in with lots of “wtf” moments. I look forward to her next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This was a very enjoyable fast paced creepy read! It was so intense and dark. I really recommend this one!!! The writing was excellent and characters were definitely memorable especially Calla.

#listentoyoursister
#netgalley

Warning: this book is intense in how it represents, handles, and processes trauma. The whole book is a trauma in and of itself (or at least potentially). When this is listed as a horror novel it is a true horror novel. Not some surface level one. It might have been gorier but I like that it wasn’t. It didn’t need the gore to shock you or keep you on your toes.

The ultimate question: Did I like this?
Answer: I’m not sure. I didn’t dislike it, but it’s rough in places. Unlike Chuck Tingle’s Bury Your Gays, which was both traumatic, intense, and enjoyable; I found the humour here was not quite enough or just didn’t have me laughing the way others have described. It’s different, unique, clever, and very well written. Yet I’m struggling to figure out if I really liked it or would recommend it. It’s definitely not a book that will be for everyone and not one I would re-read.

My biggest peeve for this dark trauma story is the ending is a bit abrupt. There’s no nice wrap up moment, reuniting everyone and putting them on a clear path forward into better lives or safety. Or at least not overtly enough for my comfort level.

If you want to try something that is very heavy in its use of analogy, metaphors, similes, etc. Listen To Your Sister is a good choice. If you have sibling rivalry or burden to process yourself this is an excellent choice to help you understand from all 3 siblings perspectives why they do what they choose to do. It’s a balanced read, one that lends towards understanding to the only girl and oldest (I’m also the oldest of 3 and can confirm the responsibility representation here is spot on), but also really connects you with a middle child who never feels unique enough, and the baby who just wants things to be better but can’t quite see their role in helping that happen (at first). There are a fair number of excuses produced for drug use, alcohol abuse, and abandonment. As well as a large narrative about what it means to be a guardian and how you give up a lot of yourself to do so. And there’s surely multiple thesis that could be written on the portrayal of selfishness amoungst siblings with useless parents.

If any of that sparks your interest, or might be something you have trauma to still process about then this could be the book for you.
If not, then I’d approach this one with the foreknowledge that it’s intense, doesn’t pullback on punches, and may not be for everyone.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! The fact that this is a debut novel is mind-blowing. Viel comes out of the gate swinging in this terrifying yet heart-wrenching debut novel! I have to admit that I am always skeptical of a new author, but this is definitely an exception! It did take me a bit to get into the story, but once I was in, I was all in. I'm excited to see what the author does in the future!

This book started great - it has an engaging plot, and the writing itself is just fantastic. The author doesn't just tell a story, but paints the story in front of the reader for a richer experience. Unfortunately, this book had so many twists and turns, not just in the storyline, but in the way it was presented. It started as cultural fiction, which I loved. The author weaves subtle comedy into a tale of everyday life for a young Black woman who is raising her younger brother while trying to keep tabs on yet another brother. The stress of this falls on Calla and we see her world unravel. The plot then moves towards the horror genre and while interesting at first, it was hard to comprehend in some spots and this ended up being a harder read for me. I kept reading because I wanted to like it and wanted to get back to enjoying it as I did in the beginning. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

DNF @ 50% 😕

I really wanted to love Listen to Your Sister, the premise pulled me in immediately, and the opening chapters had me hopeful. But as I got deeper into the book, the constant timeline jumps started to wear me down. Every time I took even a short break from reading, I’d come back completely disoriented and had to flip back just to figure out what was happening and when.

I would recommend this book to someone who reads books in one sitting or loves layered timelines, but it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for providing a digital copy for review!

I wanted to love this book, but it was a challenge to get through some of it. WHen I finally finished it - I would say itt was a fun ride and for fans of horror it will be a solid read

This is not an easy book to read. I mean that in the best way possible. The author did such an incredible job capturing real world horrors that I could feel it in my bones. Calla felt so real and I was with her every step of the way. I wanted to beat the shit out of both her brothers for taking her granted. Neither Jamie or Dre seemed to care enough to acknowledge her suffering or show appreciation for her sacrifices. The way the supernatural elements are like physical representations of her trauma, making it all hit so much harder. The added creepiness kept me glued to the page. As tough as it was to read I am so glad I stuck with it. Definitely worth pushing past the discomfort to a satisfying ending.

I struggled with the voice in this one -- reading it I felt a bit disconnected, like I couldn't figure out quite what was going on. I really had a hard time connecting with the characters and the humour didn't land for me. It's unfortunate because I typically love social horror and books dealing with racism, and I think Listen to Your Sister will have readers that really connect and love it. I wound up deciding not to finish it at about 30%.

⭐️⭐️💫

i really wanted to like this book, but it was unfortunately not a hit for me. i really didn't care for any of the characters and absolutely despised each of them. i did not care about any of them if i'm being honest, except for maybe calla a bit. i related to her oldest sister trauma, but she still irritated me.

in terms of horror, it was an interesting concept. i thought the twist was okay, but i didn't understand the ending to it. it felt kind of rushed & didn't quite make sense to me, but at least it had a happy ending.

I just couldn’t get into this book whatsoever. I will pick it up and start reading a few pages and I would lose interest and then I would find another book to read instead I tried for a solid week before I just gave up altogether. Just not a Book for me.

DNF @ 25%

I’m sorry, but I felt misled on this book, thus it wasn’t for me. The description states it is a laugh out loud horror book, but I read a quarter of the book and that is not the case at all. This book was a racial political piece and nothing happened during the first quarter of the book. The first so many pages said racism about 20 times. When I read a fictional mystery thriller, I am reading to escape the world. So I was bummed this didn’t work out since the premise sounded perfect.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Very interesting story. I enjoyed it, and would recommend it to a friend. It was hyped up, and it met with the hype!

This one has been described as Jordan Peele meets Stranger Things and I would say that I agree with that. Calla had to take care of her younger brother after their father dies. Dre, another brother, said he would help, but is he really? Overwhelmed by this responsibility, Calla has nightmares. The three siblings have to flee the city for a bit after Jamie attends a protest that gets out of control. They stay in a cabin in the woods and are they in the woods or Calla’s nightmares?

There is some really great moments of dark humor in this one. And overall I liked it. The pacing is rough though, having to trudge through the first half and then racing through the second. And in the same vein, there’s A LOT of description, enough that it makes the action clunky. But it was still a decent read and one I enjoyed more or less.

An intriguing blend of horror and family drama. I liked the eerie atmosphere and unsettling imagery, however the pacing felt a little off at times. I didn’t get all of my questions answered. Still a good read.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Did not read. Have way too many books on my shelf - need to cut back. Hoping to get to it in the future though.

Fresh, fierce, and full of heart! Listen to Your Sister is a bold and empowering read that explores sisterhood, identity, and finding your voice. With wit and warmth, Viel delivers a powerful message wrapped in sharp storytelling that sticks with you long after the final chapter. Way to go!

This story was so well done and I really enjoyed it. I enjoy reading from this author and I'm looking forward to the next book. The plot was really well explored and I enjoyed the overall story. The characters were great and I was able to dive myself into this book. It was well done and I highly recommend.

Thankyou to NetGalley and the publisher access to this eARC. All opinions are my own.

Listen to Your Sister is a wild horror ride about what it means to be the oldest sister and the parts of us we lose, gain, and make, in order to keep our siblings safe. Call is 25 and thrust into the position of mother when her youngest brother is forced into her care. Her other brother, Dre, is 20 and he’s not helping much when it comes to taking care of their little brother.

Calla has these nightmarish dreams that completely ignore the rules of wake and sleep and reality. Whenever Calla has one of them, she knows her brothers are in danger and prays for them to be kept safe. Little does she know, those prayers really are being answered.

There was a level of cosmic horror to this for me that I adored.

Calla’s youngest brother is, to put it lightly, an entire asshole. Jaime uses drugs, ignores his sister’s rules and is hurting to much that he only knows how to do one thing: lash out. He’s also an activist in his own way.

The sibling relationship is the book was great. I absolutely understood Call’s drive to fix everything while also wanting her life to go back to normal. Love can take a lot of forms and it can also do a lot of harm when everyone is forced into a position they aren’t ready for.

Honestly, this book was a thrill ride that had me feeling all kinds of emotions as an older sister. The way I was nodding along and screaming as I read lol y’all I was a mess. This book is fantastic piece of work and I highly, highly recommend everyone read it.

Also, if you can get ahold of it on audiobook, do so. It is a fantastic experience to listen to, it’s almost like a theater piece.

I give this a 5 star rating, would be higher if I could.

Wow! This one was really well written and had a really ominous and creepy undertone throughout the entire book. Not many books give me that feeling and this was one of them! I wish I could read it again all over again.