Listen to Your Sister isn’t just a horror novel—it’s a story about family, survival, and the unseen bonds that hold us together. Viel masterfully blends supernatural scares with humor, keeping you both terrified and laughing. This debut is fresh, fearless, and breaks the usual horror rules, exploring both real and imagined monsters. If you want a horror book that makes you feel, think, and laugh, this one’s for you—just maybe leave the lights on

The blurb, promising Jordan Peele "Get Out" vibes. The cover! A cabin in the woods! Siblings! One of the most anticipated horror novels of 2025!

I was all in until I wasn't. This one didn't work for me and I couldn't get into it. I didn't like the characters, couldn't suspend disbelief, and couldn't finish.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC. (Pub date 02/04/25)

I enjoyed Listen to Your Sister, debut novel by Neena Viel but I was not a huge fan of the story - I loved the way the author shares the deepest parts of each of the three siblings at the center of the story so that it didn't feel like the horrific events within were occurring to two-dimensional characters, but the action of the story did not do it for me and I felt horrible for the sister (which is kind of the point) for being villainized in so many ways when, meanwhile, she's the only one who's keeping the family together. I loved the characters, language, and sibling relationship between the three. Overall, three stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio with St. Martin’s Press as well as the author for this audio ARC.
#NetGalley #MacAudio24 #St.Martin’sPress #audiobook #ListentoYourSister #NeenaViel
#bookreview #horror

Title: Listen to Your Sister
Author: Neena Viel
Format: eBook/Audio
Narrators: Eric Lockley, Kristolyn, and Zeno Robinson
Publisher: Macmillan Audio with St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: February 4, 2025
Themes: Family, sibling relationship, paranormal, nightmares, trauma, human monsters, juvenile delinquency, feminism, cabin in the woods
Trigger Warnings: juvenile drug use/possession, juvenile delinquency, nightmares, familial disputes, domestic abuse, death of parents, sibling as guardian,feminism

This is a different one, in the best possible way. This is a weird, mind-bending fever dream and I loved it! This book is about a twenty five year old woman who has been granted guardianship over her two younger brothers following their parents’ death. Her youngest brother, Jamie, is a charming and intelligent sixteen year old who is on a fast track to a life of crime and addiction. Her middle brother, Dre, is supposed to help with Jamie but often can’t be bothered. When Jamie sneaks out of their apartment to go to a protest, things get a lot worse very fast. The siblings end up escaping to a cabin in the woods where nightmares start to become reality.

Before getting into the story, it makes sense to point out how enjoyable this book was as an audio book. Each character is represented by a different narrator in this book. Each does an excellent job adding a personal flair to each character while bringing this unusual story to life, like having it told to me by friends. I highly recommend experiencing this book in this format.

This is quite a debut! This author brings an unusual writing style to this fever dream of a first novel. Her imagery and word choices could almost be described as deliberately unstable. She seems to take great delight in offering each plot point or line of dialogue at a time with the condition that it may be snatched away at any moment. She lends a delightful sense of urgency that way, especially through the second half of the narrative. The characters feel very real and relatable. Calla’s struggle represents the plight of so many. She’s strong and independent as well as likable and relatable.

The first half of the story takes just a little too much time to get through. It dragged just a little bit. Thankfully, the second half makes up for it, moving along at a brisk pace.

All in all, I highly recommend this novel. Hang in there during the first half, it’s worth it.

The cover and description for this book sounded so good. Unfortunately, it just wasn't my cup of tea, and I couldn't really get into it. I ended up not finishing it.

First I want to say that the cover is absolutely stunning, that compared with the summary made this one of my most anticipated 2025 horror releases. Unfortunately it didn’t quite live up to the hype in my mind.

I was very interested in the plot and the dream aspect but it took me forever to get into. I felt like the pacing was a little off. At least to me. I do feel like this will be widely loved as it’s a very interesting and unique concept, it just fell flat for me.

When I finished this book, I sat in silence, trying to process what I had just read. I’m still not entirely sure what I experienced, but one thing is clear: for a debut novel, this was impressive.

I have mixed feelings about the book overall. On one hand, I loved the character development—Calla, Dre, and Jamie were compelling siblings, each distinct and true to their birth order. Calla, the responsible eldest, Dre, the indifferent middle child, and Jamie, the mischievous youngest, all felt authentic and well-crafted. I also appreciated how the story explored the struggles of African American youth, particularly those forced into premature guardianship roles like Calla. The novel highlighted the weight Black women often carry in their communities, a burden Calla shoulders as she fights to keep her brothers safe.

The magical realism and horror elements were intriguing, especially how Calla morphed into different versions of herself during the recurring nightmares. This felt like a clever metaphor for the many roles Black women must assume to keep things together. The book had a historical horror feel, with a touch of humor, reminiscent of Get Out by Jordan Peele.

However, the pacing dragged in several areas, making me wonder if I would have enjoyed it more as a movie. At times, I just wanted to push through to the end, which was frustrating. Still, the book’s core message resonated with me, as captured in this line: “It felt on brand, like of course Calla would sacrifice herself and die to save her brothers.”

Despite my neutral feelings, the novel’s themes and execution were commendable, and I’m curious to see what this author does next.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

Was really interested in this based on the synopsis and the concept of what a sister would do to keep her family safe. Horror novels are new-ish to me still and so sometimes I feel like I get lost in the chaos of it all. This one was like a fever dream and I sometimes did not know which way was up.

Listen To Your Sister by Neena Viel
#arc #dnf #listentoyoursister

CW: outdated term for sex workers, family trauma, drug use, death, extreme nightmares, racism, police violence

From NetGalley: Twenty-five year old Calla Williams is struggling since becoming guardian to her brother, Jamie. Calla is overwhelmed and tired of being the one who makes sacrifices to keep the family together. Jamie, full of good-natured sixteen-year-old recklessness, is usually off fighting for what matters to him or getting into mischief, often at the same time. Dre, their brother, promised he would help raise Jamie–but now the ink is dry on the paperwork and in classic middle-child fashion, he’s off doing his own thing. And through it all, The Nightmare never stops haunting Calla: recurring images of her brothers dying that she is powerless to stop. When Jamie’s actions at a protest spiral out of control, the siblings must go on the run. Taking refuge in a remote cabin that looks like it belongs on a slasher movie poster rather than an AirBNB, the siblings now face a new threat where their lives–and reality–hang in the balance. Their sister always warned them about her nightmares. They really should have listened.

My thoughts: this one was not for me and I DNFed at 53%. The first half of the book is very slow. I don’t know if it picks up but it was a bit of a slog. It was getting to the point where reality and Calla’s nightmares were blurring into each other, and I wasn’t interested enough to try and make sense of it. I wouldn’t even call the first half horror, it was more supernatural elements. I think the cover is amazing and I really wish that the execution lived up to the summary.

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the advance copy. (Pub date 02/04/25)

The writing was unique and creative, with sharp wit and dark humor that kept me hooked. Calla’s bond with her brothers, Jamie and Dre, was the heart of the story—a compelling mix of love, sacrifice, and frustration. While the pacing dragged in the first half, the latter part delivered intense, thrilling moments that made it worth finishing.
The horror elements were eerie but sometimes disorienting, blurring the line between reality and nightmare. The creepy cabin setting added atmosphere, though the later sections felt chaotic. While the monsters had potential, the plot twists didn’t fully land for me. Still, the strong family dynamics made Listen to Your Sister a solid debut. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the ARC!

I had heard amazing things about this particular title, but nothing prepared me for the journey I went on reading it.

This may very well be the best book I’ve read in 2025, and it’s February 2nd.

The intricacy of the plot. The depth of the characters. The bond of family, and how their tragedies impacted them…it was breathtaking. I paused and reread lines so many times. The voice is equal parts wit and growling reality.

Highly recommend.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this incredible book. Opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

For every review that calls this a genre bending fever dream, this book is that ten times over. However, for it not being anything like what I expected, I could not stop reading this story however heavy it got.

Calla and her brothers are on their own, Jaime being the youngest that she's in charge of, and Dre being the middle who promises more and delivers less each time. The bond between these three was so reminiscent of each time you sacrifice for your siblings and your family and feel the frustration of them never seeing it, all the while never seeing the sacrifices they've made for you.

Calla in particular is going to stick with me for a long, long while. Her desire to protect the family she has above work, above social life, above other relationships, above EVERYTHING was heartachingly clear, and the anxiety that comes with that is like an unspoken secret thrust into the spotlight for all to view.

This book was gutteral, deep, visceral and will fill you with emotions that might be uncomfortable but are worth facing. I cannot wait to see more from this author, and pick up a physical copy of this as well.

Maybe if horror novels were more my thing, I’d rate this story a 4. While there were some errors that proofreading should have fixed, the writing was solid. I just couldn’t suspend my belief long enough to enjoy the read.

This was a really unique read. From the start there is a complex family dynamic that drew me in. I was immediately empathetic to Calla and the sacrifices she's made and the pressure she felt trying to navigate a new guardianship role and be what she thinks her brothers need. And I really appreciated the multiple POVs in this book to really help the readers connect with and understand some of the brothers' motivations and perspectives.
The horror/creepy elements of the book sort of work their way into the story early and raise questions that really help drive the overall intrigue of the story. There were some really cool/creepy descriptions and scenes that really created a lot of urgency and tension for the novel. I really liked seeing the family navigate their own issues while also confronting the horrors of the novel. There were certain burdens (financial, interpersonal, racial) that are easily and naturally woven into the story and really help create a fully fleshed out world and story. And I loved the ultimate reveal of the story and seeing the siblings have to work through and navigate everything. There were several layers to the story that all came together so well and really made for a compelling read. And I love that the heart of the story really is about their family.

I do think some of the horror elements of the story didn't seem consistent with what is, ultimately, revealed. Both brothers have a creepy/gorey experience early on that is never really explained. And there is an overall level of confusion with the story and lack of clarity about how the nightmare manifests. And this lack of clarity was only heightened (in my opinion) by everyone's blind acceptance of everything.
I also felt like there were strong personality traits from each of the characters that I wish would have been developed and explored more. Especially when it came to their interactions with one another. I had a hard time understanding why Jamie and Dre both pulled Calla into everything just to immediately try to ice her out to "spare" her? It felt more like a plot convenience than a natural progression of the story.
And even with the ending, the resolution is quasi time-warpy but also inconsequential and more of an emotional resolution than physical one, even though so much of the story has been very physical (though as a consequence of heavy emotional burdens).
I'm also a bit unsure how to feel about the very end. I feel like we could have entirely cut out the scene with the police and just left it as an unsolved case rather than drag Jamie to an interview and then end.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s for providing me with a digital review copy of this story in exchange for an honest review

Maybe 3/3.5

The concept of this book was excellent. An older sister, doing whatever it takes to keep her brothers safe. A never ending Nightmare that becomes far too real each time, a sign that the boys are in danger. Evil doppelgängers. But I found myself having to force myself through it the further in I got.

Jamie and Dre are really, really annoying. They’re both so selfish that I found it laughable that Calla would still want to protect them. Even Calla annoyed me a few times throughout this book.

However, the nightmare and what it contains were extremely captivating to me! The author’s writing style is very vivid and very graphic, which can be seen as either really good or really bad depending on how sensitive to gore you are.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy in exchange for this review!

i couldn’t get into this one, which was a disappointment since it was repeatedly named one of the most anticipated horror releases of 2025. unfortunately, it felt too predictable for my taste. i made it to 20% before deciding to dnf.

This feels so mean to say, but to be frank, this was one of the my least favorite horror novels I’ve ever read. Don’t get me wrong, this was a really well written debut. And it definitely was genre defying. However, it only took me about 10% into this for me to realize this book was not my thing. It was too slow to get going, it was filled with an unnecessary amount of vulgar language (I’m no prude but after a certain level, it’s just annoying and feels trashy when it’s this overboard), gave me no urgency to want to keep reading despite being a horror novel, and most of all, it just plain wasn’t scary.

First off, this kind of content is triggering in today’s political climate, and I do not want to dwell in that when I read to escape, not to be reminded about the lack of empathy that is happening into this country right now. It made me uncomfy and not in the fun way horror does, when it provides scares in a safe, controlled, fictional environment. The scary part of this book wasn’t even the attempts at horror, but the real life horrors of the social commentary events at the beginning, which in today’s political climate, could very well play out similar to this irl, and that’s terrifying. That’s not something I want a reminder of right now.

Secondly, if you’re looking for horror that is scary, this isn’t it. It’s less scary and more…social commentary mixed with trippy? It’s well written and nothing about the way this was written screams novice or debut author, but it’s also not the type of writing style I personally vibe with. This was just so boring lol.

In Listen To Your Sister, Calla, the oldest child, is the parental figure for her 16 year old Jamie while Dre, the middle child, is off doing his own thing, despite promising to help raise Jamie. Aside from raising a teenager on her own, Calla is haunted by reoccurring images of her brothers dying, something she calls The Nightmare. Eventually, Dre and Jamie start having these nightmarish visions too. I’m talking, streams of blood coming from nowhere that no one else sees. But is there any truth at all to those visions, or are they really just nightmares? Add in them eventually ending up on the run and hiding in a remote cabin, and now you’ve got the atmospheric tension of a horror novel setting thrown in too. I will say there is some stock to the publisher’s Jordan Peele comparisons, it’s very much a, you don’t know what’s reality and what isn’t.

Another minus for this book….it takes FOREVER to get going. They don’t even get to the cabin until you’re basically almost halfway through. The entirety of part one is setting up the story and nothing really happens that you don’t already know from the synopsis. That is probably my biggest book pet peeve and I’ve talked about this a lot…..books that are so boring until the last 30%. I really appreciate it when books hit the ground running and are engaging from the first page, and this was not one of them. By the time the action starts I stopped caring because I had lost motivation by that point and just skimmed the rest.

I can acknowledge good writing when I see it. But, I was so not into this. If this weren’t an arc, I would’ve dnf’d it, but due to my refusal to never not finish an arc, I pushed through knowing that I wasn’t going to enjoy it. I planned to give this a 2 star rating but if I were being completely honest in how I felt about it, it would be a 1. I do have to rate based on my personal feelings and while I can acknowledge this was not a badly written book, I also have to acknowledge that I did not enjoy this whatsoever. Sorry?

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

I’m pretty sure this is a case of it’s not you, it’s me, but I couldn’t develop a connection with Listen to Your Sister. It’s entirely possible that it’s my current mindset, but I gave up at the BLM protest. The violence involving a child was just more than I can do right now.

I found this book really slow . For me it dragged on and I couldn’t connect to any of the characters. There was too much time spent being descriptive instead of providing more character background.

Listen to your sister was an interesting horror read . The plot moves at a medium pace and does not feel like any part is dragging. The book deals with racism, drug use, absentee and unfit parents and older siblings raising younger siblings. I enjoyed the book and callas journey is quite interesting. Liked the nightmare aspect.