Neena Viel, in Listen to Your Sister, demonstrates remarkable talent with her literary writing in this book, weaving poetic prose and vivid descriptions that captivate readers from the very beginning in how descriptive she is with the unfortunate lives of Calla and her brothers. Moreover, she also excelled at capturing electrifying moments of horror, which often left me breathless with anxiety-inducing moments. These pivotal scenes are gripping and immersive, making the reader feel the dread and suspense at the heart of the story.

However, the novel stumbles with its reliance on excessive retrospective moments. While some backstory is necessary, there were too many instances where the narrative veered off course to delve into the lives of every character, often in ways that felt irrelevant to the central plot. This overabundance of detail disrupts the pacing, climax in the plot, making the book feel unnecessarily long and, at times, arduous to read. At times, I was wondering, “Why is this here?” “What am I reading?” “How is this relevant?”

The blending of horror and fantasy elements adds intrigue, but it also creates confusion about the story’s identity. Is it primarily horror? Is it a dark fantasy tale? This ambiguity becomes especially pronounced after Chapter 21, where the narrative seems to lose its direction. For example, Calla’s brothers became afraid of her as it appeared she was being possessed by some dark force. Then, they were being chased by the “women” that had been following them. Subsequently, the next morning, Jamie was sitting with his sister as she made French toast! Wait! What just happened here…. So, did the sister possess witch-like abilities? The lack of clarity left me needing immediate answers to ensure I could continue reading.

By the time I reached Chapter 23, I found myself struggling to understand the story’s trajectory. The plot became muddled, and the motivations of the characters grew increasingly opaque. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t push past the lack of cohesion in the latter part of the book.

Overall, Listen to Your Sister shines in its moments of literary brilliance and chilling horror, but the uneven pacing, extraneous details, and unclear genre focus detract from its potential. Readers who enjoy atmospheric prose and layered storytelling might still find value here, but patience is required to navigate its more perplexing sections.

I can’t believe this is a debut—Neena Viel’s (Nightmare) world-building and complex characters are incredibly vivid, and I felt completely immersed in this story and the lives of the siblings.

I loved Calla as a protagonist, and I related to her eldest daughter rage (and protectiveness) on several levels. This was a really unique read, and I loved it in so many ways. I’m struggling to review this without getting spoilery. The marketing for this book so far hasn’t really touched on what’s at the heart of the story, so while yes, there’s a creepy cabin, the creepy cabin isn’t really central to the story/its themes. Just be prepared to expect the unexpected and enjoy the ride!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the ARC!

DNF for me, due to the writing. While the premise of this one did sound really interesting to me, I couldn’t get past the overly descriptive, overly flowery writing. I know that some people really do appreciate that, the beautiful and lyrical descriptions, but I don’t. I want a story not a poem. I hope that other readers who appreciate literary writing really like this one, because it does sound good, it just didn’t work for me.

I was excited to read this book because it sounded interesting. However, this was not the book for me. I was not a fan of the writing style and the story just felt too chaotic. I hate giving negative reviews but I have to be honest.

This is very different than I thought it was going to be. I thought it would be more of a horror story. It had gory parts but it wasn’t scary. It was more of a sci-fi fantasy. I was going to DNF it, and I probably should’ve, but I pushed on through.

A main theme of the book was the bond between siblings. I thought Calla and her brothers were interesting characters, but the story was too convoluted. I thought it started off strong, but it eventually became too crazy and my brain started to hurt.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an eARC via NetGalley for review.

Holly heck!! This one right here is one to hold onto. Hold onto for wherever you are sitting at. It’s a WILD WILD ride! Family drama, etc, it’s all in here!!! A good thriller read!

Oh my goodness this was so good! This book immediately sucked me in and I could not put it down. Nothing was predictable and it was a perfect combination of suspense and the supernatural. The characters were well developed and the story line was well fleshed out. All around this was a great read and I'm sad to be finished with it.

This is one of those books, that leaves you wondering what you just read. Tons of heavy subjects discussed throughout as well so if family and child trauma trigger you, please be warned. If you like books that seem like a fever dream, this is up your alley. Overall, I enjoyed it but not one I would want to read again. Thanks, NetGalley for the aRC>

Listen To Your Sister is one of those rare books that manages to be equal parts terrifying and laugh-out-loud funny while still packing a big emotional punch. Calla, already totally overwhelmed by the responsibility of raising her teenage brother Jamie, is basically done with feeling abandoned by their middle sibling Dre—especially since her nightmares about losing them never stop.

When Jamie stirs up chaos at a protest, the three siblings find themselves fleeing to a creepy, middle-of-nowhere cabin straight out of a bad slasher movie. Naturally, that’s when the terror really ramps up. The nightmare visions Calla’s been trying to ignore? They start bleeding into reality in ways that’ll keep you flipping pages way past your bedtime.

It’s scary, it’s hilarious, and at its core, it’s a sweet ode to the messy, fierce bonds of family. If you’re looking for a book that’ll make you gasp, laugh, and maybe even tear up, this one definitely delivers.

This was so well done as a horror novel, it had that feel that I was looking for and enjoyed the concept of this. The plot was everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the suspenseful atmosphere that I was looking for and enjoyed getting to read this. Neena Viel has a strong writing style and enjoyed the way this was written.

This book started out with a strong premise and strong complex characters. And while I did enjoy the start of the twist at the midpoint, it all started to be a bit confusing to me as they entered the cabin. Perhaps I should caveat and mention that while I love horror stories with nightmare elements, I’m not a huge fan of narratives that take place within dreams/nightmares. and where large parts of the story are essentially dream like sequences with little grounding to reality. I think this is mostly personal preference though, so I would still recommend this book if you enjoy an odd and complicated horror novel about family and sibling ties.

Everything seems to be falling apart for 25 year old Calla Williams. She’s taken over custody of her younger brother, Jamie, and Jamie is full of 16 year old rebellion. When he’s not disappearing until all hours of the night, he’s getting into trouble with drugs and recklessness. Calla’s trying to hold her family together - despite her wages not quite stretching and her middle brother Dre not pulling his weight. And through it all, Calla is plagued with the Nightmares - terrible dreams of one (or both) of her brothers in mortal danger with nothing she can do to save them. When her brothers get into trouble over their heads and need to get away, they run to a ramshackle AirBNB cabin to hide. But no matter where they run, Calla’s Nightmares will find them. They really should have listened to their sister.

From the beginning, this book was not what I was expecting. I thought this was going to be a creepy murder-cabin in the woods type situation, and I was completely wrong. The actual story was so out there that it kept my attention wholeheartedly and made it impossible to put the book down. I won’t dive into too much detail, as I feel like the book is best picked up almost blindly to enjoy the best. I will say that I was very impressed with the lightheartedness the author was able to bring upon certain usually heavy topics involving family trauma and race, and I absolutely smiled way too much for a book that I thought was going to scare me.

Final rating: 4 stars

Recommended if you like: fantasy horror, BIPOC characters, family drama

I liked the concept of this one, focusing on the broken bond between siblings. However I felt the actual plot and narrative to be overly contrived. I found myself questioning the actions and motivations of the characters which always pulls me out of the story. The horror portion of this book is action packed but unfortunately I personally struggled with my own suspension of disbelief.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Listen to Your Sister
I found the characters shallow and the writing disjointed.
The usage of foul language is overdone.
The plot did not develop in a timely fashion.

"Listen to Your Sister" is a refreshing addition to the horror genre, with its unique blend of emotional depth and chilling suspense. Viel's debut is a testament to her storytelling prowess, making her a promising new voice in literature. This book will appeal to fans of Stephen King and Grady Hendrix, as well as anyone looking for a story that challenges the boundaries of horror while delivering a heartfelt exploration of family ties.

For those who enjoy a read that is as thought-provoking as it is thrilling, "Listen to Your Sister" is a must-read. Just be prepared for a few sleepless nights and maybe keep your siblings a little closer.

What did I just read? I am so confused. It was like I was having a weird dream while reading this book. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it wasn’t what I read.

These siblings are each dealing with past trama and other issues .They argue and push each others limits like any other family , but you can see how much they actually care about each other throughout the story. I need to reread it just to understand what I read. I rate the book 3.5 for originality, but I did get bored throughout the story.

If you want an original story unlike any other check it out .

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to arc read in exchange for an honest review .

I don’t like to leave two star reviews but this one was a challenging read to get through and finish. It started off really intriguing and I was anxious to see where the story would go but at the 30% mark it became hard to follow. I had to keep reminding myself who was who…
The plot seemed to get buried with political jargon and I was hoping the “horror” would eventually over shadow it, but no such luck, at least in my opinion!
There was some entertaining parts to this book, but the execution wasn’t all there.

Creative mix of family drama, tension, and horror that brings everything into a focus of reality. The leading family tensions and ultimate bonding for survival gives the unreal a face of reality and a sense of true family ties.

This story was told from the perspectives of three siblings - two brothers and a sister who is constantly trying to save them. I like explorations of sibling relationships and also the different kinds of relationship each has with their parents. I was able to suspend my belief and become immersed in the horror and mystery of this story - I believed these siblings loved and watched out for each other. Although the beginning of this book was slow in pace, it picked up about halfway through and barreled through to the end.

Thanks go to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Very very slow start. I almost DNFed it. I was interested due to the synopsis and description but it didn’t live up my expectations. Perhaps after a reread after some time.

Thanks so much NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC.

This book was incredible! I literally spent a whole day off just reading because I couldn’t put it down! I loved the characters; Calla, Dre, and Jamie were the ultimate heroes and siblings. They made the storyline and I truly adored each one. Major kudos to the author for making Black lives centered. There need to be more books like this. The plot was wild and twisted and electrifying. I couldn’t have seen a single twist coming and that is my favorite kind of book. This one will not disappoint!