Yeah. No. This wasn't for me. I thought about DNFing a few times before the weirdness fully kicked in and then once it did, I figured I was too far in at that point so I just sucked it up and muscled through.

Was it me or did the writing seem... off? Things flowed really strangely and it felt kind of disjointed at times. It definitely had the rougher edges of a debut novel.

For those of you who haven't read it yet and are expecting a creepy cabin in the woods horror novel, this is not quite that. Part childhood trauma, part sibling survival story, and a huge heaping serving of oldest sister trying to hold everyone's shit together, including her own, this is more psychological horror than anything else. And it's weird. I mentioned it being weird, right?

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with this early copy in exchange for my honest review. What a wild ride! I truly enjoyed this one. I loved that it followed two siblings and that most of the way through you had no idea what in the world was going on. It had Nightmare on Elmstreet vibes and I was here for it. Viel did a great job at keeping the setting and the ambience just scary enough. I also love that I was able to support this author during American black history month.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Listen to Your Sister was an intriguing read filled with familial trauma and creepy horror aspects that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time through. I really enjoyed it and will be looking for more of Ms. Viel's works in the future.

"Gangster shit and stardust."

I saw somewhere that this was noted as a fever dream of a novel and after finishing, I think I have to agree. What starts out as a slow trudge through the chaos of Calla Williams' life quickly becomes a family saga, dipped in nightmares that are fed by love and protection.

I really like what Viel did with this novel and how she effectively portrays the struggle of a sister who gave up her life to be a guardian for her brothers. She effortlessly depicts the toll this took, not only on the MC's mental health but on her career, her love life, and her personal views of herself. It also shows how younger generations who are rebelling and trying to become their own person may not see how they affect the lives of the loved ones around them. Every family has burdens, and each individual person in the family carries their own. Some choose to not help with that lift, which is shown in this novel.

I also don't want to take away from the representation of the riots, police brutality and prejudices depicted in the narrative. The audio is narrated by Eric Lockley, Kristolyn Lloyd and Zeno Robinson, each voice expertly representing one of the siblings. The horror scenes are well depicted, and if you have a good imagination, pretty creepy. The siblings coming together to fight the different aspects of their sister's nightmares was really well done and I liked how it tied into unburdening yourself.

Between both formats, I personally enjoyed the audiobook more. But in any format, I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a slow burn horror novel. True rating 3.5/5.

Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel is a horror novel about family, nightmares, and survival. It follows Calla, a 25-year-old who suddenly has to take care of her teenage brother, Jamie, while dealing with terrifying dreams where her brothers keep dying. Things get even more intense when Jamie gets caught up in a protest gone wrong, forcing them—along with their older brother, Dre—to escape to a remote cabin. But instead of safety, they find something even more dangerous waiting for them. It’s a mix of psychological horror and family drama, perfect if you love eerie, slow-burning thrillers.

A delicious mix of horror, family drama, and social commentary.

It starts a little slow, but picks up quickly. Once you hit the speculative elements, it just ramps up from there. It gets gruesome, borderline gory at times. And gore doesn’t normally phase me, but the injuries were so real here that I was squirming in my seat. That doesn’t happen often for me, so it was a real delight.

Talk about some sibling behavior! All three of them had some of the most realistic sibling dynamics I’ve ever read. And as an eldest sister, this really hit me in the gut and kept punching. It was brutal. I understand Calla and every choice she made, but that doesn’t mean it hurt any less.

Definitely for fans of Jordan Peele, this one is well worth the read!

All opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

3.75⭐️ Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book. This book was definitely gave “fever dream” vibes. I’m not entirely sure what I just read, but I felt so many emotions while reading this book — fear, anger, sadness, happiness. I even laughed at parts. The characters were silly and relatable. Definitely an enjoyable book.

Did you like Haunting of Hill House or any Jordan Peele movies? Then I think you’ll like this one.
At times it was a little confusing but I loved the premise of the book and the overall way it was carried out. It was a little gory at times. I loved the characters and how imperfect they were. I thought it was a very interesting way to process Calla’s grief and her need for control to have these dopplegangers helping extend her efforts. Then to learn they decide to turn on her? It was eerie and heart-pounding to read. Rounded up from 3.5 stars.

OMG! Super original. Edge of your seat. It will keep the most avid thriller reader guessing until the last twist! I will be reading this author's next book!!

Good horror is unsettling more than terrifying, at least in my opinion. And that’s precisely what LISTEN TO YOUR SISTER is. This book is about a trio of siblings who have been held together by the oldest sister for far too long - and the burden is beginning to take its toll. Calla has sacrificed her career, her prospects, and her safety for her two younger brothers for their entire lives. She is plagued by nightmares that leave her screaming all hours of the night, constantly in protective mode for her brothers, two young Black men in a world full of violent threats against them. It all comes to a tumultuous head after Jamie, the youngest, is involved in a protest that ends up with a dead police officer in an alley. To escape, the siblings go to a cabin in the woods - but it turns out, the cause of those relentless nightmares follows them.

This book asks how far we will go to protect our loved ones and leaves the reader with an astonishing conclusion. It is chilling at times but still has levity - the banter between the siblings is always perfectly timed. That being said, I struggled conceptually with many of the scenes, and was left with more than a few questions about the events that unfolded. Not every writing style is for everyone, and just because this wasn’t right for me doesn’t mean it won’t resonate for other readers. If you are a fan of Jordan Peele, especially “Us”, this should definitely find its way onto your list.

For me, this was a really weird book. I should have paid more attention to the description detailing how it included speculative horror. Not the genre that I usually read.
Calla Williams is only twenty-five. She has become the legal guardian to her younger brother Jamie. The siblings lost their father to an accident and their mother was not able to adequately take care of them. Jamie is only sixteen and not a follower of rules. He stays out late (if he comes home at all), leaving Calla to contend with her dangerous thoughts as to where he could be and what laws he might be breaking. Dre, the middle brother, wants to help Calla raise Jamie, however, he gets frustrated with Jamie and wants to live his own quieter life.
Jamie is a strong believer to fight for what he believes in. (He also has recurring bad visions). At a protest, Jamie’s behavior gets out of control and forces the three siblings to escape their current living situations. They end up in a creepy secluded cabin trying to stay off the grid. Unfortunately, this is where the horror begins.
Calla has continuing nightmares involving blood and is haunted by nightmares. She believes that her brother Jamie is dying and she has no ability to stop anything from happening.
Trigger warnings for this book include parental abandonment, challenging sibling relationships, childhood trauma, racial politics and nasty language.
Many thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Published on February 4, 2025.

Thank you NetGalley,

I've started and stopped reading this book so many times. I was really interested in the story from the description but I can't get into it. I don't like how the brothers are so mean to their sister. I think I would of liked it better if it was just one pov not multiple. DNF at 20%

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

Overall Rating: 3 Stars

Twenty-five year old Calla has taken on the responsibility to be the legal guardian of her youngest brother, Jamie. Middle child Dre promised his sister he'd help at every turn, but has failed to keep that promise preferring to do his own thing while Jamie is out fighting for things he believes in or causing mischief (or both at once). All the while, "The Nightmare" continues to haunt Calla where her two brothers are dying, and she can't do anything to stop it. She warned them of The Nightmare, but they didn't listen.

Listen to Your Sister is promoted as "a laugh-out-loud, deeply terrifying, and big-hearted speculative horror" but I wouldn't say it's most of those things. There were some witty remarks that had me smirk here and there, but I wouldn't call it laugh-out-loud by far. Deeply terrifying is also an overstatement, as any premise of horror doesn't occur until at least 50% of the way through the story, and I think that's when the story starts to go downhill for me. There are big-hearted moments, especially surrounding Calla, but I didn't find either brother to be very relatable frequently making bad decisions at almost every single turn that I can't help but think "why would you ever do that?"

The first half of the book had me engrossed in the characters; as much as Jamie was not relatable for me, Calla's love and devotion to keeping him safe definitely was. I loved learning about this family that was slowly falling apart at the seams while Calla does everything in her power to keep it together, I loved the flashbacks showing how childhood trauma can affect people differently for better or for worse, there was so much to love in this family dynamic. Then the horror started.

I am a lover of horror/thriller novels and an avid Stephen King reader, but the horror is where I started to lose interest. It was a very sudden change in tone that felt out of place. Not much seemed very scary, the stakes felt low, and the stark shift back and forth from a relatable story about family to supernatural psychological suspense felt very unnatural. The pacing throughout was also odd, and I had a hard time finishing the book after the horror started. The ending did pick things up a bit, and I was pleasantly surprised by it, so I'd definitely give another book by this author a try in the future.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ebook ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I’m sad to say that this one just wasn’t for me. There’s a lot to unpack here: complicated family dynamics, a highly unusual premise, and commentary about race relations. I completely understand if this is a five-star book for someone with different taste.

Unfortunately, I found the writing a bit choppy and convoluted. At times, it was hard to tell if we were in reality or a dream space. Perhaps this feeling of unreality was intentional, but I personally dislike a “fever dream” writing style.

I think this book relies on its readers’ connection to all three of the central characters, but I only found one to be likeable. Calla was treated so abysmally by her brothers that it was a struggle to read Jamie and Dre’s chapters.

The audiobook was excellent! Each narrator did a terrific job at converting the differing personalities on the three siblings. I would certainly recommend it, if you think this book is for you.

Calla has a new responsibility, her brother, Jaime. Her other brother, Dre, promises to help - but alas he is no help, off doing his own thing. Three siblings try and navigate this life together. Calla constantly has nightmares of her brother dying. Jaime acts out at a protest which forces them all into hiding at a AirBNB. Will they survive it?

I had checked this off on wanted to read Goodreads before I even received a copy of the arc, so this was perfect timing for me! The only issue I had with this book was the pacing of the words. At times I felt it was slow and had it not been a thriller, I potentially may have DNF'd it. Thrillers are always my game though, so I kept going. I love the cover. It's incredible and really draws readers to the book.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

After 100 pages, I had to DNF this book. It was not for me.

And i really hate to DNF a book, but I tried. I just could not get into it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Neena Viel for allowing me to read this ARC.

Looking for a moldy, mushy, more horrifying and gory black narrative alternative to Coraline and the bigotry of Neil Gaiman? Hell yeah brother, this book is a swampy, moldy, grotesque parade of feels. This book reminds me of Wendel and Wild in its charm and the way I pictured the certain characters (I can’t say much about it but part of CeCe reminded me of the main girl in Wendel and Wild) The wit, excellence, and depth of this writing had me absolutely blown away. My jaw was dropped for multiple reasons; be it profundity, the pure sarcastic audacity of the characters, or the graphic gore. Neena Viel is an author whose books you should be stalking on the shelves of your local bookstore. Depicting the importance of familial trauma and its effects, this book is a favorite of mine that I will be recommending to anyone I can.

Thank you for my early copy of Listen to Your Sister. It was good. I love this book. Thank you again.

I am a lover of horror books so was really looking forward to reading this one. But, it was truly a struggle. I made it to about 50% and just could not continue. I found the book to be very slow and also very confusing. I felt like things were all over the place and constantly switching to the point where I was really struggling to keep track of what was going on.

This book is about a girl, Calla who takes care of her brother Jaime who tends to get in a bit of trouble. It seems like he has some good to him but also likes to do things he should not. There are some horror elements that really start after the 40ish% mark.

I do think that this could be cleaned up and turned into an amazing creation! Shorten the chapters, each chapter relates to one setting or clearer information on the setting and some background of what’s happening. More action and horror throughout the book. Clarity around scenes and less politics.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/Griffin and Neena Viel for providing me with a copy of this book. This is my honest review.
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“This was reality, too: the light in Calla's eyes when she saw him, the multitudes of her love, the easy affection of Dre pinching a raspberry on his cheek, and the answering beat of Jamies heart. The trust between them, gangster shit and stardust.”
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Listen to Your Sister is one of those books that swallows you whole and doesn’t let go. I was expecting a classic cabin in the woods scenario, but Neena Viel very quickly tucked me in and told me to strap in for a traipse through nightmare central. Equal parts imaginative, hilarious, and soul-shredding, Listen to Your Sister is horror’s new ode to the love between siblings and the obstacles that love allows us to overcome.

What makes this book truly haunting is how apt its portrayal of sibling dynamics is and its unabashed discussion of how generational trauma informs those dynamics. The struggle of loving someone so deeply while also battling the bone-deep rancor life has planted against them is one that siblings everywhere know well. It made my heart stutter and clench and burst in equal measure. To have siblings is to fight tooth and nail for someone against all odds. To have siblings is to grow beyond the reach of someone’s embrace with the knowledge that that’s okay. To have siblings is to roast someone even on the brink of death.

A must-read for fans of speculative horror and gut-wrenching storytelling, Listen to Your Sister was an impeccable debut and hopefully only the beginning for Neena Viel.