Ｅｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
4 ☆
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 that the paperwork is finalized, 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.

This is a very thought-provoking story, one that requires careful consideration. Is Calla really seeing things, her fear becoming something real, or is she just mentally exhausted? I enjoyed this story a lot.

Thank you, Netgalley and St. Martin Press for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Calla is struggling to juggle her life now that she has custody of her younger brother, Jamie. Without the help that her other brother, Dre, had promised, she could barely keep afloat. That isn't even the end of her problems. With The Nightmare as brutal as usual, Calla also struggles to sleep.

This book was mediocre at best. The plot was interesting.However, it did not meet my expectations. With the bland writing style, the book failed to capture my attention. Overall, it did have a good ending. That was the best part. Not simply because the book was over, but because it actually had a good ending.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Macmillian Publishers for the opportunity to have read this book as an e-ARC.

Listen to Your Sister presents an intriguing premise with emotional depth, but at times, it left me more confused than engaged. Calla Williams, struggling to care for her reckless younger brother, Jamie, is a character that many can relate to, burdened by responsibilities that feel overwhelming. However, the first three-quarters of the book dragged, with long, meandering sections that felt aimless. When the plot finally picked up speed, it was rushed, leaving me wishing for more depth and buildup.
The dialogue between characters often felt disjointed, as if they were having long, rambling conversations with themselves rather than meaningful exchanges with one another. I found myself longing for more substance in these interactions, which sometimes seemed disconnected from the plot itself. Still, the book does create a tense atmosphere, especially as Calla’s recurring nightmares play a bigger role in the story.
Overall, it is a decent, albeit flawed, read. The premise is fascinating, and the moments that hit the mark were captivating. However, there were far too many instances where the narrative veered off course, leaving me feeling lost. With tighter pacing and more focused character development, it could have been a stronger, more engaging read.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC and opportunity to provide an honest review.

I would like to thank St Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

Are you looking for a horror novel that is full of family ties that are deeper and stronger than actual monster that can be found in nightmares? Listen to your Sister by Neena Viel will provide some terror inducing visions filled with the deep love that only trauma bonded siblings can have.

Calla is her brother Jamie's guardian, but she is struggling. Her other brother Dre is supposed to be helping her raise their baby brother, but he finds ways to be absent when it suits him. The siblings have come from a horrible childhood which still seems to haunt Calla, in what she calls her Nightmare. She sees her brothers finding themselves in life threatening situations and must fight and bleed to save them. But what happens when Calla's nightmares start to walk around in the real world?

Viel's book is deeply disturbing and beautifully written. Being incredibly detailed and visual, I could easily see this being turned into a movie. The Black stories of these siblings may be fiction, but there are so man BIPOC people who are living a real nightmare in our world and I hope that more of these stories are lifted up and celebrated the way that they should be.

Listen to your Sister is set to publish on February 4 2025 and will be available at your local bookseller or library

Poor family was going through it. I loved this story. Thank you for letting me read the arc copy. I would rate it five stars. Looking up the author to see what else they have written.

This was an excellent novel, especially for those who love supernatural aspects and family drama. However, when I reached the halfway point of the book, I was thrown off about the pace of the story. The first half is much slower, then halfway it speeds up a lot.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for my copy of LISTEN TO YOUR SISTER. This one publishes Feb 4.

I really wanted to love this book but the pacing lost me. I felt like I was getting sucked in and enjoying myself and then, bam a new chapter with a different perspective (that just didn't hit the same) and it became less fun to read. If I could have gotten past this I would recommend it, but as it is right now I cannot.

4.5 / 5 stars

Twenty-four year old Calla Williams is the legal guardian for her younger brother Jamie because their mother does charming things like send him text messages that say "You're dead to me." But Jamie has not been an easy teen to raise, and Calla has long felt that she has been sacrificing parts of her life for him. She moved to a crappier apartment so that he'd have his own room. She keeps working at her job where she's overlooked. Her dating life is certainly suffering. Her middle brother Dre is supposed to be helping her with Jamie -- said he'd help with Jamie -- but the burden of the eldest sister is to continually sacrifice without recompense.

However, when things following a Black Lives Matter go sideways and it looks like violent acts might get traced to her brothers, Calla abandons her job to hide in a scary Airbnb cabin in the woods to protect her boys. But Calla has long suffered from a recurring nightmare in which she must save one or the other of her brothers. Dre and Jamie dismissed her as overreacting, but as Calla's Nightmare suddenly comes to life, they realize that they should have been listening to their sister.

I really enjoyed this horror thriller. I've seen some reviewers note that it takes a while for the action to ramp up, but I felt like the early chapters were all completely necessary to establishing the relationships between the siblings and some of the later payoffs once the Nightmare does set in. The action in the final two sections can get a bit confusing, but I think that it felt in line with the dreamlike quality that the author was intending.

As a mom and an older sister, I definitely connected with Calla's sense of frustration with her younger brothers. Caregivers can very easily fall into a cycle of self-sacrifice and resentment. I thought that this novel was an interesting examination of the complex relationship a caregiver has with their charges -- especially when they have a shared history of trauma.

I'm glad I picked this one up and I'm excited to see what else Neena Viel has in store after this amazing debut.

That was something else.

Listen to Your Sister is so original and I sure never have read anything like it.

As a fan of thriller and horror books, a lot of times it is recycled ideas with different plots and characters, but as a fan, I could never complain because most of the time, it just works. I picked this book up because the blur has mentioned a remote cabin and books that have a remote cabin as a setting are usually good.

You'd usually get the gist of how the plot of a book is going to be from the blurb, but I couldn't have guessed what happened in the book from the description alone. Sure, it is a story of three siblings, Calla, the oldest sister and her two younger brothers, Dre and Jamie. And yes, they did go to a remote cabin. But everything that came after that? It truly blew my mind.

At times, things can get confusing because something would happen that would make a reader question everything. This stopped me several times, but I have learned to just keep reading and it will make sense in the end. (Or not, because things can get really weird!)

Listen to Your Sister is one of those thriller books that are actually haunting and creepy, but it also tells a story of a raw, beautiful and imperfect family relationship. With all their flaws, Calla, Dre and Jamie always got each other's back.

Reading this book is definitely a whole new experience, and anyone who is interested in this book should just start reading because I don't think a summary of the book would do any justice to the story that is waiting for you.

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

Yes it's a horror novel but the best part about this is actually the relationship between Calla, her older brother Dre, and her rambunctious younger brother Jamie. The three have fled to the woods after a protest gone wrong but they aren't safe. The horror is a little basic and although it' leans into serious issues, it's fun. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Neena Viel’s remarkable debut is one of the most flat out exciting experiences I’ve had with a book in a long time. The relationship between the three siblings is hilarious, heartwarming, and achingly honest. The scares and gore don’t play around and go straight for the throat. And when you realize what is really going on? Mind blown. I loved every word in this beautifully written, shockingly assured first novel. This will be a standout for me this year without a doubt.

2.5.

I think this is a me issue not a book issue. I went into this book thinking they were going to be trapped in a remote cabin and haunted by things out of indigenous legends and was really excited for that. So right away my expectations were wrong. That’s not a complete deal breaker, because I’ve read lots of books where I had the wrong idea and still end up enjoying it. In this case, I just didn’t vibe with the writing or pacing. The writing made me feel detached and I found myself bored for a lot of this.

This is actually a story about calla and her looking after her brothers Dre and Jamie. She’s become their legal guardian. They run to a cabin the woods after Jamie gets in trouble and are haunted by her nightmares. I’m not sure if this one is just me, but the horror felt very juvenile to me. I think the siblings relationship and characters were the strongest part of the book, which is why I’m rounding it up to a 3 on goodreads.

If you’re looking for a strong character-driven story with mild horror elements I would recommend this. My issues with the book was me and not the book itself. this is the authors debut and I think she’s got so much potential, so I’m interested to see where she goes next.

Thank you to Neena Viel, St Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for the arc of Listen To Your Sister! This is a thriller/horror novel that also has very real and raw issues throughout. More of realistic day to day horror people may endure than a fictional horror. It was a slow burn and confusing at times but still kept my interest. I did like the family element and you could really feel the love that Calla has for her brothers. This book publishes on 2/4/25!

Devastating horror with evocative, lived-in sibling relationships. Balances plot and themes deftly, a very affecting read.

Anything that brings up Jordan Peele's horror movies in its description is bound to catch my eye, and LISTEN TO YOUR SISTER definitely has the US vibes as well as the social commentary ones. It's a solid horror story about family, generational trauma, and the sacrifices we make for others and the toll that it can take. I enjoyed the way that Viel examined this very dysfunctional group of siblings, who all have very valid hurts and pain, but who all also lash out and wound each other unnecessarily. When they start being confronted with mysterious figures after running from their home to escape some heat, it all starts to fall apart. I relaly enjoyed the portrayal of Calla, the put upon and loving but very overwhelmed oldest sibling, who also happens to be the oldest sister, a role that comes with so many burdens, and how her anxiety manifested was very effective. I will say, however, that this book did have a bit of a pacing issue for me, with it taking awhile to build and then going full throttle with few brakes, which was a bit jarring. Overall, a fun horror story with some family drama and heart.

Being a kid raising siblings has got to be tough. The traumatic upbringing these 3 main characters seeps in every page.

It’s clear that they cannot run away from their past.

Where it fell short for me was the execution. This is a fantastic debut for sure, but I feel like the concept needed longer to get there. The synopsis makes it seem like they have to quickly get out of town, but it took more than 35 percent of the book to leave the city.

The horror is truly a nightmare come alive and I enjoyed the last half of this book and how many one-liners the author put in throughout, such as “Their Family was a collectively formed tongue, smooth and dangerous.” That line just works.

Overall, this was a good time and I enjoyed. It just really needed polishing and some editing to tighten the plot.

Received an ARC
from the publisher, all thoughts are my own.

I just finished this book, and wow! Four stars from me! This isn't your typical story about childhood trauma. What really impressed me was how Viel portrayed the lasting impact of difficult family dynamics. It wasn't just about the bad things that happened, but how the characters, especially the sisters, coped with it, and how those coping mechanisms shaped their adult lives – sometimes in helpful ways, sometimes not so much. The characters weren't perfect, they were messy and flawed, which honestly made them feel even more human. The writing was solid and kept me hooked, and I appreciated how Viel explored the complexities of sisterhood in the face of adversity. Definitely recommend this if you're looking for a story that digs a little deeper and isn't afraid to tackle tough subjects with nuance. It's not always an easy read, but it's definitely a worthwhile one.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

While the synopsis of this sounds really good, I am deciding to DNF (for now). The first two paragraphs are just about the narrators boobs and this is not giving off a great start. This may be something I look back on once I can download the audiobook from the library, but for now, I can not read another word of this book.

This reminded me of the very raw & horror stories Jordan Peele writes in his films. I had a hard time keeping up and had to reread some parts then put it down for a few days. It’s also been tough to read this month so it could be the mood. Otherwise it had promise.