Listen to Your Sister is a complex, unique, and intense debut novel about three siblings dealing with their difficult upbringing. The story is told in alternating chapters from the point of view of each of the siblings, which allows the reader to fully get to know each of them. While Calla is ostensibly the main character, her brothers, Dre and Jamie, both get to tell their story, as well.

I was really impressed by this debut novel! It took me a little while to get into, but I couldn't put it down once I did! The characters were realistic and their motivations were believable. I wasn't expecting the nightmares to be so intense, so be prepared for that if you're squeamish. Some parts were hard to follow, but I just kept reading and was able to figure it out.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes psychological horror that deals with social issues, complicated sibling relationships, and alternate realities.

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

Listen To Your Sister was a dark and emotional rollercoaster. It started out very slow and I had a hard time getting into it at first. Calla is the older sister to Dre and Jamie. She has done everything that she can to protect her boys from the evils of the world. They don’t realize just how far she’s gone to protect them until they end up thrown into her twisted nightmare.

Once it picked up, it was easier to read. It was a little repetitive at times. Overall, it was a great story filled with emotion.

Amazing for a debut!

A little disjointed -- I kept being unsure if I was in the real world or imaginary world, but the love between these siblings was so real. You can tell the author has experience with wild younger brothers because holy fuck is this accurately written. The things you do for family....

Parts of this story were genuinely scary and I enjoyed the bird of dark humor tossed in to ease the tension. I kinda checked out about 60% through the story because I got confused about what was happening, but I'm glad I finished this.

I'll be keeping an eye on this author.

Based on current reviews I don’t think I’m going to continue this one, it’s told in a very strange way, not necessarily horror it’s sort of genre bending

If you are into creepy thrillers then this is the book for you. I loved all the twisted and turns that this dysfunctional family had to offer. I can’t wait to see what else this author is able to pull out of their hat.

Thank to Net Gallery and St Martins Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Listen to Your Sister is the deep, rich, emotional story of three siblings working through the impact of their father's drug addiction and death. This would be difficult enough, but Calla, the eldest, has an unusual ability that brings her inner landscape to life in a real and terrifying way. A curse made out of frustration forces herself and her brothers to confront the ways that their traumas and choices have played out in each other's lives.
The book is sometimes funny, sometimes creepy, and always insightful. All three characters are believable and well-defined, but I felt like Calla was especially real and had a lot to say for herself. It can be a hard story to read, but the ending was satisfying, with the sense that an infected wound has been cleaned and can now begin to heal.
I look forward to seeing more from this author.

Okay book peeps, this is one of those “wtf did I just read” books! Definitely a fever dream mixed with family drama that gave off Jordan Peele film vibes!! 🙌

Am I confused after reading this? Yes. Was I hooked throughout? Yes. Would I recommend this? Also yes. In fact, I recommend going in blind on this one!! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Neena Viel for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

Not a bad story overall! A little bit on the slow side, but sometimes the slow burns work really well. This one did it's best. I liked the writing style and the concept of the story. But the execution of the "wow" and "omg" kinda lacked a bit of oomph. But I still enjoyed it!

#NetGalley #ListentoYourSister

I really liked the overall concept of this book, but the execution really missed the mark for me.

I expected a horror book to be a little more fast paced, but this was just a bit too slow in the beginning for me, which made it hard for me to get into.

Overall, I liked this one, but I didn’t love it.

Wow, this was such a wild ride from beginning to end. Calla was doing her best as her youngest brother's guardian. Jamie is very easygoing and doesn't seem to think about the consequences of his actions. At first, I didn't expect Calla's nightmares to be so intense, but as the story progresses, they get worse and more violent. I was on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. I loved that we got to see situations from the perspective of all three siblings and get a little into their psyche as they faced danger.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the arc and alc!!

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advance readers copy. Neena Viel's debut horror novel that blends everyday horrors that sinks its claws into your anxieties fueled by race and family dynamics shaken up with supernatural creep.

As a first born daughter, I very much resonated with the FMC. And there were many paragraphs that hit me right in the gut. I am not usually a horror reader, so this story gave me the CREEPS in the 2nd half. Im so glad i finished this book and will be on the look out for future Viel books, even if i have to sleep with the lights on for a few nights....
3.5 Stars.

The writing style and story execution didn't work for me at all. The content felt contrived and the plot didn't settle. Or maybe it was me. The book and I are simply a bad match.

DNF

In Listen to Your Sister, we follow 3 siblings, Calla, Dre, and the youngest; the one that Calla has guardianship over is Jamie.
I found the first half to be on the slower side, getting all of the backgrounds with the siblings, why Calla feels so protective of Jamie and Dre, and why Jamie is... well the way he is.

I found myself a bit bored during that part, but I was instantly intrigued once we got through to where the Nightmare stuff was going on. At the same time, I found myself confused during that part along with the characters in the story. But it did suck me in with the action, violence, and the emotion we got from the siblings.
I would definitely check out more from this author in the future.

Wow- I am so torn about this title.

Veils use of racism as a central plot of horror is undeniably brilliant. I also love the imagery she paints to drive the horror elements forward. The entirety of the book reminded me a lot of a horror-esque video game based off of Alice in Wonderland called Alice:Madness Returns. (Which I love.) So much so that I wonder if the author took inspiration from it.

I did ,however, really struggle with the prose. I realized pretty late in the book that some of what took me out of the text was meant to be humor- but in spite of there being moments where the humor really worked, there were several places that I found it confusing. The plot is very disjointed and hard to follow. The author uses a lot of wordy similes and extraneous language to describe, on top of a lot of action, and it felt a bit overwhelming. Even though it mostly came together in the end, it really felt like a chore for a large part of the reading experience.

I rarely feel this way about books, but I think I would really love a film adaption of this book because it’s so visual and I think I would love seeing this story more than I liked reading it.

I think the author is brilliant and I will continue to follow her work, but this one was a bit rough going for the pay off.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those awesome concepts but meh deliveries. I loved the idea of the story but getting to the 'alternate reality' was odd? It was incredibly fuzzy but I kind of just went with it. I loved the sacrifices that these characters made for each other and to 'keep trying' for one another. Overall, I would recommend this to someone who likes alternate reality sort of stories with a good amount of horror!

Very, very complex (and down right strange)! Very interesting first half - but that last half was a crazy ride!

I enjoyed the sibling interactions - the will of the sister to drag her brothers through a rough life. But it was rough to read the last part!

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advance readers copy.

This is my first novel from Neena Viel and I was intrigued to read this because the synopsis sounded promising and the story is about siblings.

This is a story about three siblings Calla, Dre, and Jamie. Calla is the oldest and she takes guardianship of Jamie with the intention on Dre helping her along the way. Jamie is a 16 year old who is experimenting with drugs and the streets. Calla has these horrible nightmares that haunt her. She only has these dreams when she begins to worry about Jamie and Dre because they aren’t home and she can’t reach them. The dreams creeped me out at the beginning but then…

I enjoyed the first half of the book, but when I got around the 60% mark I was very confused about what was a dream and what was real. I don’t like feeling like that and I thought about DNFing this so many times.

This book touched a lot of topics im interested in such as sibling relationships, trauma, and healing but in the end it fell flat for me and left me feeling exhausted and confused.

Thank you to NetGalley and to St. Martin's Griffin for the free ebook copy of this book. Full disclosure: I DNFed this book at 59%.

I went into this book ready for an experience; however, I found myself confused and lost even over halfway through. I am no stranger to weird, confusing books - often, they are my favorites. Importantly, though, I like when the confusion is calculated. In the case of this book, the confusion felt messy, disjointed, and not entirely on purpose.

This is not to say that Listen to Your Sister doesn't have its good points. The body horror is delightfully visceral, and many of the images in the book were terrifying. Pages after scaring me, the author had me laughing out loud at the dialogue, which read very realistic. Each sibling's idiosyncrasies made them feel like a fully realized character (although Calla felt more symbolic than real to me at times).

Overall, I think that the author of this book had a lot of interesting things to say about race and family dynamics and how the two impact one another. However, what she had to say got lost in a disjointed, choppy plot that I simply couldn't keep buying into.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this book and give my honest feedback.

Neena Viel’s *Listen to Your Sister* is an emotionally gripping novel that expertly blends family drama, psychological tension, and supernatural thrills. At its heart, it explores sibling bonds and the heavy toll of responsibility through the eyes of Calla Williams, a young woman burdened with guardianship over her reckless younger brother, Jamie. Calla's nightmares about her brothers' deaths symbolize her fears and serve as harbingers of danger, creating an unsettling atmosphere throughout.

Jamie’s teenage bravado and idealism drive the story, particularly when a protest he joins goes awry, leading the siblings to an isolated cabin. Meanwhile, Dre, the unreliable middle sibling, adds tension to the dynamics. As the novel shifts into thriller territory, the cabin setting becomes chillingly vivid, blurring the lines between reality and nightmare. The supernatural elements enhance the stakes without overshadowing the emotional core.

What sets *Listen to Your Sister* apart is Viel’s balance of suspense and heart. The story examines the complexities of family obligations, fractured relationships, and the power of love. Calla’s transformation from exhaustion to determination is both harrowing and inspiring, making her a relatable protagonist.

Overall, *Listen to Your Sister* is a remarkable blend of genres that resonates emotionally while delivering thrilling elements. Highly recommended for fans of character-driven fiction with a twist.

Listen to Your Sister is an interesting debut horror novel that blends everyday horrors of race and family dynamics with the supernatural. I switched between the ebook and audiobook for this one and highly recommended this book!

Add this to your TBR and read if you enjoy:
🖤 BIOPC POVs
🖤 Complex sibling relationships
🖤 Psychological horror
🖤 Small, funny moments to break up tension in the story
🖤 Audiobooks with a cast of narrators