I adored the descriptive writing. If this author decides she wants to write a book of poetry one day, I’m here for it. Put it in my hands!

I did not enjoy the story, however, and especially hated the repetitive dream sequences. I’m a fan of weird books, but not every weird book will suit me. Unfortunately, this one didn’t work for me at all.

I am immensely grateful to St. Martin’s Griffin, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for my copies. All opinions are my own.

Calla, Dre, and Jamie are siblings just trying to get through life. Calla is guardian to Jamie, though Dre, just two years her junior has promised to help. He doesn't. When Calla is called to the school about Jamie (again), everything begins to unspool. First, in confrontations between the siblings, then in ever more frightening ways. Fans of horror tinged with humor will love this edge-of-your-seat tale.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martins Press for early release copy of Listen To Your Sister by Neena Viel.

My overall rating for this book is a 1.5 star, there isn’t much that I enjoyed about this book. Calla’s nightmares was an interesting aspect and the ending felt decent but aside from that I really struggled to get into this book, I feel that the only reason this wasn’t a dnf is because I didn’t want to start the year off with a dnf. Right away I didn’t like these characters, they just weren’t that interesting to read about. This story is also heavy when it comes to politics and I’m not big on reading things that involve them.

The story felt a bit ridiculous at times, sometimes I felt like I didn’t understand what was going on. The supernatural aspects were hit and miss with me, the death scenes felt very cartoony, and the bond between the siblings just didn’t do it for me. Calla was a decent character but the brothers just came off as annoying, it was hard to read scenes with Jamie because every serious situation felt like it was being made into a joke.

This was quite the horror story. I love the thrilling and scary parts. That kept me hooked in the end. The beginning was slow and the racial undertones and political agenda crept too much for me. The ending felt rushed after a slow start and the multiple POVs were a struggle because Callas were the most interesting and I struggled to get through the others at times.

3.75 stars

The main words to describe this book are thought-provoking and blackity-black (iykyk). This is true speculative horror and I know I'll be thinking about this book for a while.

Calla is a young adult struggling since becoming the guardian of her teenage brother, Jamie. Their brother, Dre, never helps her and Jamie is a handful. Through it all, The Nightmare never stops haunting Calla: recurring images of her brothers dying that she is powerless to stop. When the siblings have to go on the run, they take refuge in a remote cabin where The Nightmare comes calling.

This is such a character-driven story, which is ironic since I really don't care for any of the siblings. Jamie and Dre were so dismissive of Calla, and never really appreciative of all she did for them. Calla was a pushover and I really was hoping to see her be more assertive with her brothers a lot sooner. I wanted her to not bail them out of a jam all the time, and get her life together so that she could be doing what she wanted to do, and not what she had to do for her brothers. Dre and Jamie's POVs really made me so mad, so I would say all of the siblings were written very realistically.

I enjoyed the back and forth banter and how the plot laid out, but The Nightmare was a true fever dream that I'm not entirely sure I understood. The second half of the book felt very fast, not necessarily rushed, but almost too fast to make sense of it. The plot went off the rails, in a way that was mostly good.

This is a great book for anyone who enjoys speculative fiction and horror.

4.25 rounded down to 4.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm normally wary of books that receive so much hype, however this one did not disappoint and was a fantastic debut novel. The imagery was horrific and captivating; I felt like I was inside of Calla's nightmare. The flashbacks into the lives of the three siblings was heartbreaking, and everything that Calla went through for her brothers, throughout her entire lifetime (which they never really realized or appreciated), was so brave, infuriating, and heartfelt, all at the same time. I had so many emotions while reading this book. I went into this one not really knowing much about the plot, and Calla's struggles and emotional struggles were really depicted in such an intriguing and creative way, I absolutely loved it, and it will stick with me for a long time.

There were parts that I did struggle with a bit, particularly Calla's relationship with her brothers. I won't go into it too much, because I don't want to spoil anything, but Calla was a strong, badass woman to put up with what she did. I'm not sure if it's my upbringing, the fact that I grew up as an only child, or because of cultural differences, but I did not really agree with all the sacrifices Calla made for her brothers, especially when seeing the story through their POVs. She is literally a saint (as a sister). It almost felt like she was expected to do all of this (even though she did do it because she truly loved them), but they were too reliant on her to solve everything. But I also don't believe that family bonds are the most important thing because of blood - if you have toxic family members, it's okay to cut ties, especially if they are bringing you down and negatively impacting your livelihood and mental health. These boys were aware of how toxic their actions were to their sister, and yet they refused to change. When they did try to "fix" things, at the core of it all, it was in a way to make them seem like martyrs, and Calla still would have had to deal with the fallout. I loved Calla so much and wanted her to be successful and happy because she was such a strong, badass, inspirational woman. Like I said, I don't have siblings, or a family dynamic where my family would do anything for me, especially if I was involved in any illegal activities, and I wouldn't expect them to; so for me, Calla's sacrifices were a bit hard for me to grasp.

Overall though, this book was an extremely solid debut novel and really didn't hold back at all on the family dynamic, and even other social issues such as racism and police brutality. If you love horror, this is one to check out for sure.

3.5 stars rounded up

While this book didn't entirely work for me, I think it's a promising debut in the horror genre and there's a lot to like here.

One thing to note is that this book is being compared to Jordan Peele and The Other Black Girl, therefore you should expect that it is a book dealing with race! I see some reviews that didn't like that element, but I think it's pretty clearly baked into the marketing so I'm not sure why they chose to review it if that was going to bother them. Personally I think horror is a great genre for exploring issues of race relations and that element of the book was done well with complex, nuanced characters.

I also appreciated the theme of what it means to be an older sister who is parentified too young. I could really relate to that, even if my experience was milder. Even this thing of having nightmares about trying to save a younger sibling from harm? Yep, been there. It does a great job of building this emotionally painful situation between three siblings who are struggling, including a woman in her mid-twenties serving as guardian to her 16 year old brother who keeps getting into trouble. The early part of the book sucked me in, but kept upping the creep factor.

Where it kind of lost be a bit was in the execution of the final part of the book leading up to the ending. I felt it went a little off the rails and there wasn't enough scaffolding built for where we end up. I get what it was trying to do, and conceptually it was interesting. But for me the reading experience really lost steam just when it should have been ramping up. That said, I would try something else from this author in the future because there were elements to this that really worked. The audio narration is great with a different narrator for each sibling perspective. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

This book grabbed me from the beginning. Great writing and kept me looking forward to the next page the whole time! The characters had great depth and I felt I was in the story.

This was an interesting book and I am stuck on how I feel about it. It should be scary but I found myself laughing at parts just based on what was happening. Older sister Calla has a nightmare every time one of her two brothers are in trouble. The two brothers are basically selfish and get into different sorts of trouble all the time. When something serious happens and the three flee to a remote cabin in the woods, the nightmare is truly unleashed. This is where is get super weird and once I was done reading......I wasn't sure what I actually read. The author to me is trying to forge some family drama with pure scariness and the three have to work together to fix things. I don't want to say too much as I think you just need to read it for yourself and decide what you think.

The book was written well and I have read other books form this author in the past and enjoyed them. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an ARC in return for an honest review.

3.5 Stars rounded up!

This debut novel has a lot to offer, even if the pacing didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The story of Calla Williams and her brothers is packed with real-life horror—issues like racism and family sacrifice—that feels both impactful and heartfelt. Calla’s exhaustion and sense of duty are deeply relatable, and Jamie’s recklessness adds plenty of tension to their dynamic.

While much of the book leans on real-world struggles, the supernatural element introduced later in the story was a welcome addition! The pacing felt slower than I prefer, and the ending seemed a tad rushed.

That said, the book is undeniably a solid debut. I’m excited to see what this author does next, as their skill is clear! If you enjoy horror that blends societal issues with supernatural thrills, this is worth a read.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this book! I enjoyed being able to move between the e-book and audiobook, which I don’t often get the opportunity to do with advanced copies!

The entire first page was a description of the main character’s boobs in her poorly fitting bra and it didn’t get any better after that.

I’m a big dialogue person when it comes to books. If it’s not flowing in a realistic way, I just can’t do it and this book suffered from major robot dialogue syndrome.

Also the way Calle described how hot her brothers were really weirded me out.

What I Liked:

Flawed but relatable characters.
Funny.
I enjoyed the supernatural horror aspect of the story.
The twist caught me way off guard and I have to the cliche I didn’t see it coming line.


Issues:

I felt the pacing was off at times.
Ending felt a little rushed as well.

Overall this was a solid debut by Neena Viel and I’m excited to read more books by her in the future. I alternated between the book and audio and to my audio loving readers this book was so good. There are three narrators Eric Lockley, Kristolyn Lloyd and Zeno Robinson and they did a great job with the characters!

Calla Williams is twenty five and most definitely not living the dream. She is guardian of her brother Jamie who is constantly in trouble at school and soon gets in real trouble with the police. Her brother, Dre, promised to help take care of Jamie and he is conveniently nowhere to be found when Calla needs help. Calla is trying her best to hold what remains of her family together and try to live her own life. Calla is also plagued by vivid nightmares that seem all too real. Those same nightmares come horribly to life when she and her brothers are forced on the run.

The first half of the book is an introduction to Calla and her brothers. All are sympathetic in their own way. They are also well written and realistically evolve as the book progresses. The harsh domestic/political climate for people of color, which is the horror in the first part of the book. The horror in the second part of the book comes in the form of family secrets and long held sibling resentment. Calla’s nightmares come alive in horrific ways and physically threaten to wipeout what family she has left.

A well crafted story about families and the generational trauma that can follow them.

Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel is an ambitious blend of family drama and suspense, with supernatural undertones that add an intriguing twist. The sibling dynamics are the story's heart, and Viel captures the complexities of familial love and sacrifice with authenticity. Calla’s struggle as a young guardian, Jamie’s spirited rebellion, and Dre’s frustrating absence make for compelling, occasionally frustrating, characters.

The premise of nightmares becoming reality is fascinating, and the tension ramps up effectively as the siblings fight for survival. The setting of the eerie, isolated cabin adds an atmospheric touch that keeps you turning the pages.

However, the book suffers from pacing issues, particularly in the first half, where the build-up feels slow compared to the rushed, chaotic resolution. While Calla’s inner conflict is well-explored, the supernatural elements sometimes feel underdeveloped, leaving more questions than answers. Similarly, Dre’s character could have been more fleshed out to balance the sibling dynamic.

Despite its flaws, Listen to Your Sister is a decent read for fans of thrillers with a touch of the paranormal. It has moments of brilliance but leaves you wishing for a tighter narrative and deeper exploration of its themes.

Calla, caretaker of her younger brothers, is forced to escape with those brothers. Without spoiling too much, things get weird. Recommend for readers looking for a family drama with a great sense of humor.

Listen to Your Sister wasn't quite the horror novel I expected, but it's definitely worth checking out!

I’m not going to lie, this book was hard to get into. You follow three siblings who had a rough upbringing and continue to struggle from day to day. Calla is the oldest, and is the sole caregiver for Jamie, her 16 year old brother, and Dre is the middle child who kind of backs off and doesn’t give much help to his sister.

Things went from weird to crazy real damn quick. By 50% I was unable to put the book down. The way this author wrote the story was so bizarre but in the best way. This book is heavy on BLM and growing up as a black family. The struggles with the police and their way of life. It really gave me a lesson in understanding and I appreciated that while reading.

I can’t explain the weirdness without giving things away. Let’s just say that the sister has nightmares and has had them since she was younger. These nightmares become a reality and they need to figure out what to do. It also brings to light what actually happened all those years ago when their father passed away.

I was captivated by the darkness that this book took a turn towards. There’s violence, graphic descriptions and death throughout the book. Keep that in mind before reading this one.

I wish I was able to connect with the characters, but I just couldn’t. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if I had.

“Listen to Your Sister” is a bold debut for Neena Viel, whose writing is blurbed as “Jordan Peele meets Stephen King.” If there is a sub-genre for African American horror novels written by women (think Oyinkan Braithwaite’s “My Sister is a Serial Killer,” Nicola Yoon’s “One of Our Kind,” Rachel Howzell Hall’s “These Toxic Things,” and Zakiya Dalila Harris’ “The Other Black Girl”), then author Viel fits right in. The notable difference in these Black horror stories is the big part that social horror plays, along with the supernatural.

Calla is the 25 year old main character, trying to do right with her 16 year old trouble-making rebellious brother Jamie. Jamie is in chronic pain since his father died and can’t think far enough ahead to visualize consequences of the stupid things he’s doing as an adrenaline junkie. Calla supposedly has shared-custody of Jamie with her 23 year old brother Dre, but Dre shucked most of that responsibility, to live a comfortable separate life. Calla has also long been suffering “The Nightmare,” a repeating night terror of seeing one of her brothers horribly murdered.

“The Nightmare” is becoming a lucid daytime dream now and with good reason: both of her brothers are in deep trouble — not only from the police but from avenging female wraiths (grandma with a stabbing yellow umbrella for Jamie and a hot pink strapless dress girl with a skewering spike heel for Dre). Jamie was caught up in a Black Lives protest when he drove the van that contained weapons; Dre was mistaken for his cheating roommate Roberto. Both were about to be unalived by bad people when their unbelievable avengers stepped in to slaughter their adversaries. Both brothers end up running to their overwhelmed common sense sister, whose secret superstition that “The Nightmare” only happened “when sh*t was about to go down with her brothers.” This time, Calla hears an eerie inner voice: “Don’t let this happen. Whoever did this to them—can f*****g die. Keep them safe”. So when they flee Seattle, where do they go? To a little cabin in the woods, decorated with taxidermy and crucifixes. Even they know they’re walking into a cliché horror story.

The supernatural action is interrupted with sly humor, but the family drama and sibling rivalry is the top concern tearing the trio apart . In the second half of the book things get, well, weird. Calla’s Nightmare is becoming real and there are times when the plot gets muddied. But, overall, a great debut for Neena Viel. 4 stars.

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO No green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Just the scary woods (although not populated with murderous beavers as Dre insists).

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

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

Neena Viel’s “Listen to Your Sister” is a genre-bending debut that masterfully blends horror and family drama while also establishing some dark humor throughout into a deeply unsettling yet heartfelt tale. By focusing on the ties that bind siblings together, Viel delivers a story that is as emotionally impactful as it is eerie.

The book follows 25-year-old Calla Williams, who has taken on the weighty responsibility of raising her two younger brothers, Jamie and Dre, after their mother abandoned them. As their reluctant guardian, Calla grapples with overwhelming guilt, recurring nightmares of her brothers dying, and the strained dynamics of their family. When Jamie’s involvement in a protest takes a disastrous turn, the siblings flee to a remote cabin in the woods. But their supposed refuge quickly morphs into a nightmare, as Calla’s vivid dreams begin to bleed into reality, and the line between the supernatural and psychological becomes terrifyingly thin. The trio must confront not only the mysterious force haunting them but also their fractured relationships and unresolved traumas.

Viel excels at creating a richly atmospheric and deeply personal horror story. The cabin-in-the-woods setting lends itself to classic horror tropes, but Viel subverts expectations by grounding the terror in family dynamics and internal struggles. The siblings’ banter and complicated relationship are brought to life with sharp wit and emotional authenticity. Calla’s sardonic humor cuts through the tension, offering moments of levity amidst the escalating dread.

The omniscient third-person narration provides insight into all three siblings’ perspectives, creating a layered portrayal of their individual struggles and shared history. Calla’s relentless protectiveness, Jamie’s rebellious nature, and Dre’s aloofness are all explored with nuance, making their bond both relatable and compelling.

Viel’s writing style is clever, blending poetic eloquence with cheeky humor. The book often feels dreamlike, oscillating between moments of surreal horror and raw emotional realism, which can sometimes make it a little difficult to figure out what is exactly going on in the story. However, this deliberate disorientation mirrors Calla’s mental state, pulling you deeper into the story’s fever-dream quality. While the book’s dreamlike quality is one of its strengths, it can also make the plot feel disjointed at times. The pacing is a bit uneven, with a slow build in the first half and a frenetic rush in the second.

At its core, “Listen to Your Sister” is a story about trauma and its ripple effects on family. It explores the weight of parentification, the sacrifices siblings make for one another, and the lingering scars of childhood neglect. Viel’s ability to balance these heavy themes with moments of humor and hope makes the book resonate on a deeper level.

The horror is both external and internal, with the mysterious force threatening the siblings’ lives serving as a metaphor for the unresolved pain and guilt they carry. Viel challenges you to consider how trauma can distort reality and relationships, and how healing often requires facing the monsters within.

Overall, “Listen to Your Sister” is a bold, imaginative debut that refuses to conform to traditional horror conventions. Viel’s knack for blending supernatural terror with sharp family drama and dark humor makes this book a standout. It’s unsettling, heartwarming, and undeniably original—a story that will leave you both haunted and hopeful.

Calla the oldest sibling has custody of her youngest brother Jamie, who is 16. He is, shall we say, a handful. Dre, the middle child promised to help, but his idea of help leaves Calla basically alone to figure out how to pay the bills and stop Jamie from making horrible choices.
What starts out as a gripping family saga turns into something…… Horrific.
Jamie gets involved in a situation that is much bigger than he imagined. While Dre is just home at the wrong time. Could the nightmares Calla is suffering from mean more than just bad dreams? When they sneak out of town to stay at an isolated cabin, things get very weird, very quickly.
I don’t have siblings, but if I did, I would hope that we were like the Williams family. Well, maybe without the horror and wondering constantly if someone was going to die. It was scary, funny, weird, and I raced to the end to find out how this story would come together.

Parenting is a trip and this book captures it, in all its horrifying, heart-felt, gut-wrenching glory. Calla was such a relatable character. I loved the many sides of her. The story was very intense and real until about 100 pages in where things so strange and oh-so good! I really enjoyed this one.