This book was an absolutely wild ride! To me, it read as part horror, part literary fiction, which was so unique, I’ve never read a horror novel like it. The story centers around themes of family and finding yourself, and the characters are authentic and relatable. What a fantastic debut!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC of Listen to Your Sister in exchange for an honest review.

In complete transparency, I’m sitting here after just finishing Listen to Your Sister, and I’m honestly not entirely sure what I read to some degree. While I can grasp the overarching premise and storyline, there were so many moments where I had to stop and ask myself, “WTF is actually going on here?” because there were just some points where the author just lost me entirely.

The sibling dynamic between Calla, Jamie, and Dre was without a doubt entertaining and also complex as Calla is not only their older sister, but also a parental figure to wayward Jamie, but also keeps her thumb on Dre as well. While I understand the premise behind how the pain/childhood trauma that Calla experiences mixed with the unrelenting need to protect her brothers from all the trouble they seem to find themselves in spawned the doppelgänger Calla narrative, there were so many aspects of The Nightmare that were just so confusing. I have no idea how she just banished her brothers into The Nightmare and just set the other Calla’s free? Even just writing this makes me sound slightly unhinged.

Ultimately, I think what I realized in reading this was that, while I appreciate the story and the feeling behind the book, this genre really isn’t for me. While it is a thriller/horror read, there’s an odd almost supernatural element to it that just didn’t mix well for me because it gets a little too dark at times. While I normally love mystery mixed with supernatural (think Riley Sager here), this one just went too dark and too weird too quickly. There were points that were really good and I was following along well with the story, and other points where I just wanted it to be over already. In reading the description I was anticipating more of a horror story surrounding a creepy cabin in the woods but nope. Not really even part of it at all.

I’m not somebody who will typically just give up on a book, but I came close with this one. Not because it wasn’t well written, I want to be clear about that, but because it just was too far outside of my comfort zone. While it wasn’t my cup of tea, it may absolutely appeal to a different audience.

2.5 stars

Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel
Genres: Horror, supernatural, psychological thriller
Themes: Family dynamics, sibling bonds, generational trauma, sacrifice
Pub date: Feb. 4, 2025

Twentysomething Calla Williams struggles to raise her younger brothers while battling recurring nightmares of their deaths. When a protest spirals out of control, the siblings flee to a remote cabin, where the line between reality and nightmare blurs.

If a book is marketed as being similar to Jordan Peele’s films, then I’m intrigued and locked in. The first few chapters gripped me — so much so that I had to close the book while reading at night because it was a bit too creepy.

Unfortunately, the book unraveled to be confusing and difficult to follow, especially with shifts in perspective, time, and the distinction of reality vs. nightmare. The writing felt choppy, repetitive, like stream of consciousness. I could see this book being better as a movie because so many scenes were difficult to imagine in my head, which took away from my reading experience.

Thank you to #NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader copy of #ListenToYourSister.

wow, this was pretty interesting and at points VERY hard to keep your grip on. it's super interesting and very well done. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this ARC. Unfortunately I had to DNF this about 10% in. I just could not get into the story. While I liked the writing style, the dialogue felt unnatural and the plot didn’t hook me. I may pick it up in the future but for now, it didn’t work for me.

Listen to your sister is different, it’s weird and want not exactly what I was expecting. There is a lot going on,and heavy topics and character working through various types of trauma. Even through everything they experience, the sibling dynamics though frustrating and anger inducing for them is still strong. The characters were well done and I was horrified, confused, laughed and teared up along with them. The plot was wild and out there, there were some points of confusion but Viel’s writing pulled it together. I won’t say too more about the plot to prevent spoilers and going in not knowing exactly where it is going was a good way to experience this novel. There are clear undertones of social commentary mixing supernatural horror with real life horror of being Black in America. This one stayed with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

(3.5⭐️) “For fans of Jordan Peele’s films and Stranger Things”? Sign me up! I didn’t quite love this one as much as I was hoping, but it was still good.

These characters drew me in from the first chapter. They had big personalities that jumped off the page, and I was really into the playful, sarcastic bantering, sibling dynamic between them all. The multiple POV between the three of them gave me a better understanding of their motives and inner thoughts, which came in handy when they acted a certain way that sometimes drove me crazy.

The buildup to the main action took a little while. It wasn’t until about the 50% mark that things kicked into gear, which felt too long for me. I think there definitely needed to be a buildup for what happened, but it could’ve been done in a shorter time IMO.

That said, I loved the twist that happened at the halfway point. I want expecting it at all, and it really made things interesting. The action kept me engaged to the end of the book, and the multi POV added some tension with cliffhangers. I do think the ending was a little anticlimactic action-wise, but the quieter message of it did pack a punch.

I could easily see this being made into a movie (that I would 100% watch). This was a solid debut horror and I’m already interested in what she writes next.

Story was okay I did have a tough time getting through certain parts of the ebook. Some felt a bit repetitive but I am thankful for the opportunity. Thank you Netgalley for this arc!

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Pub Date: 2/4
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Listen to Your Sister is a very original story. Told in a multiple POV between the three siblings - Calla, Dre and Jamie. I absolutely loved their bond; I found myself laughing at their banter but also loved how much you could see they really cared about each other. Each of the siblings grew tremendously throughout the story and I really enjoyed watching them grow and really begin to understand one another and the different hardships that each of them went through. Very interesting how the nightmares came to life and how the siblings came together in order to stop what was happening.
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The pacing was a bit odd; it felt almost like it was too slow at points and then became almost too fast that everything became a bit too convoluted. I really seemed to struggle with what was real and what was a part of this nightmare. I love a good paranormal horror but I just found myself having a hard time following which led me to honestly not really care all that much as to what happened.
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I listened to this one via audiobook while reading along with the eBook. Eric Lockley, Kristolyn Lloyd and Zeno Robinson were great. I think they complimented each other perfectly as far as sibling go but there were some super cringe parts when some voices were acted out. Also; this story is so much of a fever dream that I definitely think having both the print version and the audiobook would be helpful.
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Overall, this one wasn't necessarily for me, but that's okay. I think that horror fans will really get a kick out of this one! Be sure to check it out. Huge thank you to NetGalley, Neena Viel, MacMillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for the eARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Listen To Your Sister is a violent fever dream of family trauma and burden made into a nightmarish reality.

Following 3 siblings as they try to navigate life after their parents failed them, Neena Viel’s emotional debut novel intersperses the perfect amount of humor and realness throughout to make the horror sections all the more sinister.

Positing the question, what happens if all those broken pieces of ourselves were to retaliate; Will family history and shared trauma help mend you, or break you further?

Listen To Your Sister is a wild ride from start to finish. 5 ⭐️

I had a very hard time with this book. I felt at times that it was very chaotic and hard to follow. So to be fair to the author I based my star rating solely on Characters, Writing, Atmosphere, Plot, Intrigue, Logic, Enjoyment, and Ending. If I went off these points as well as my personal feelings I think the rating would be much lower. With that said the characters are fantastic, their relationships feel real and heartfelt but also dark. The atmosphere of a “nightmare” was definitely in place, however, sometimes it was very hard to follow. The plot is also great, I don’t think I have seen anything like it and I love that the sister is so aware of how important it is to keep her black brothers whole and alive. The intrigue was there and then I would just want it to be over. There was not a ton of logic to this story. I definitely enjoyed it at times but then there were other times that it just felt too chaotic to follow. Too many Calla’s too many sub plots that would randomly be thrown into the dialogue that it didn’t make sense and throw off the flow. The ending, I understood why Calla wasn’t allowed to intervene but how it was handled again felt off. For the writing I wish there were parts that were addressed deeper (more about the father and the importance of him to all 3 children, the mother- why did she act how she did after the father’s passing) Why does this “nightmare” persist and how? Why do the brothers have to die in the nightmare? And then there was so much information that seemed not to matter to the plot.
I think this story has great potential and maybe it is just me but I wish the story felt more complete to me.

I’ve been excited for Neena Viel’s debut horror novel, LISTEN TO YOUR SISTER, for awhile now, so when my booksta-bestie @shellysbookcorner sent me her copy, I knew it was time to dive in! The story is centered around three siblings—Calla, Dre, and Jamie and the horrors they experience at at a remote cabin.

25-year-old Calla Williams is struggling to raise her reckless teenage brother, Jamie, while their other brother, Dre, phones in his promise to help. When Jamie’s actions at a protest force them to flee to a remote cabin, Calla’s recurring nightmares of her brothers dying start to blur with reality, and the siblings face a threat they may not survive.

This book not only has supernatural horror elements, but touches real life ones as well. All three siblings were the core of why this book worked for me as they really got personal during this journey. This book could be considered a horror-comedy as there were some funny moments as well. My only critique would be the book’s pacing—going from quickly moving to slowly stagnant at times. Otherwise, LISTEN TO YOUR SISTER is a solid horror debut and I’m excited to see what Neena Viel delivers next!

The writing was really repetitive, the plot was taking way too long to go anywhere, the story didn’t make much sense, and I just couldn’t get invested in the characters. I read a couple of chapters each day, but every time I picked up the book, I would feel like I was reading the same text from the beginning (and forget where we were in the real plot). The line between reality and dreams/hallucinations was too blurry and it was taking way too long to get to an explanation for the latter. I don't know if this is just not the right book for me or if it just needed more editing?

DNFed at 29%

I tried. I tried several times. Unfortunately, I only found one out of the three perspectives to be interesting - and that just wasn't enough to keep me engaged... I really LOVED Calla's voice and story - both in book and audio formats. She resonated with me. Her snark and humor, despite her obviously overwhelmed state, drew me in completely. When the POV shifted to Dre and Jamie though, I struggled. I just couldn't find my way into their voices, and their components of the overall story felt distracting rather than like they were moving the story forward. Ultimately, when things shifted to the woods, they just got too weird for me and the combination of that and my struggles with the character shifts meant I kept losing the threads... This one wasn't a good fit for me.

DNF at 15%
I have a rule: if I go more than two days without picking up a book, it’s a sign it’s not pulling me in. Rather than force myself to finish something that isn’t holding my attention, I DNF it, no matter how far I’ve gotten. I had high hopes for this one—the premise sounded so promising, and the comparison to Jordan Peele immediately caught my interest. Unfortunately, what I read just didn’t have enough substance to keep me engaged. It’s no fault of the author, but the plot simply wasn’t compelling enough for me to continue.

Not for me. This is more of a political book than psychological horror. And the language is offensive and made me uncomfortable. The cover art is terrific. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

While I’m not sure I was the right audience for this book, the plot of this book immediately hooked me. Set in a very atmospheric grungy Seattle setting, we meet a sister who has been prematurely tasked with taking care of her delinquent little brother. She seems plagued by these recurrent nightmares that seem to be bleeding into her normal day-to-day activities. Although when both of her brothers begin to experience aspects of her nightmares, things start to get weird. This is where the book started to lose me, as the imagery was very well written, but the plot lines became confusing, and I ended up losing track of what was real and what wasn’t. Perhaps that was the author’s intention. I’m not sure it was for me, however.

This story is of three siblings who follow their birth order personalities to a tee. Of course it’s about more than that, but we see a different and beautiful family dynamic here. Calla is the oldest, and thus is used to taking on responsibilities and caring for others. After their father died in a car accident and their mother was declared unfit, Calla took her youngest brother, Jamie, into her guardianship.

Jamie isn’t a bad kid overall, but as the youngest children tend to do, he pushes boundaries and is prone to give in to pressure. The middle child, Dre, is supposed to be helping Calla and giving Jamie a good male role model, but he lives out of the house and isn’t reliable enough to depend on, so the responsibility almost all falls on Calla. This doesn’t help her problem, the Nightmare. She has recurring dreams about being back in their hometown of Hollywood, Florida, and seeing her brothers die (probably the psychological manifestation of the pressure she’s under), and the dream is where a lot of this book takes place.

After Jamie has a run-in with police at a protest, Dre has a run-in with two men who ended up dead, and Calla has a run-in with a telephone pole, they go on the run and end up at the creepiest Airbnb in the world: a cabin that is falling apart and has a terrifying vibe. That’s when this story fell apart for me, as the siblings are tossed into the Nightmare and Calla becomes several versions of herself. That part got a bit strange, but then the ending was good and helped make up for it.

My thoughts on the rating were all over the place when reading this book - it started great, the middle got a bit too spectral, but then the very end turned out nicely. The writing was spectacular, that was another plus. I’m giving this a 3.5, rounded up for being a debut and me wanting to support Black horror authors!

(Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin, Neena Viel and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on February 4, 2025.)

For the first quarter of LISTEN TO YOUR SISTER, I will admit that I wasn’t entirely sure if I was going to enjoy it. Buuuuut, I held on and the ride got WILD.

LISTEN TO YOUR SISTER references Freddy Krueger & NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET a few times & that is for /very/ good reason; if you’re into the concept of nightmares & having to fight through them, this could very well be up your alley! A lot of the horror was genuinely terrifying, but there was a lot of LOL moments. LISTEN TO YOUR SISTER was good at balancing the serious factors with the silly & I, personally, love silly.

My favorite part of LISTEN TO YOUR SISTER was not really the horror though but instead the relationship of the siblings. It was heartbreaking at times but also heartwarming at others. I absolutely adored the characters & how they played off each other.

I’m not going to lie to you & tell you this was a favorite; I did almost DNF it because, as mentioned before, I didn’t think I was going to enjoy it in the beginning. The plot started off a bit meh. However, I’m glad I held on because it does end up getting wild & the siblings’ relationship is so easy to fall in love with!

This book embodies sibling relationships, especially with the parents out of the picture and twenty-five-year-old Calla taking responsibility for her handful of a brother Jamie. The middle brother Dre promises to help, but then fades out of the picture and stays busy with his life. The three are eventually forced to flee to a cabin in the woods where Calla's deep-rooted reoccurring nightmares come to life and the story takes the creepy turn I was hoping for. If you're into unique horror, this is a great read. I particularly enjoyed the full-cast audiobook which brought the story to life.