ARC Review:

What did I just read? How can a book have humor and be heartfelt at the same time as being a horror?! The author described in detail how things looked and felt so well that it made me gag. Read this book if you want a mindf*ck!!! I took notes while reading to try to solve the puzzle before the end of the book and I still couldn’t have predicted what happened. (I also never take notes!) The climax and falling action part of the book seemed uncharacteristically long, but for good reason. This is a great spooky read if you can deal with gore and believe in the impossible. The beginning of the book is really not similar to the rest of the book, so be prepared!! The only thing I wish the author did differently was change the ending. However, I think most people would like the ending she wrote.

Details: FAMILY, FAMILY, FAMILY, trauma, abuse, alcohol, drugs, shoes, trash, dog poop, hair, poverty, racism, police brutality, rap, Nightmare, sacrifice, guardianship

Questions: What would you be willing to do- to give up- to save your siblings? Would you kill for them? Die for them?

Make this into a movie, now, please and thank you!!!!!

3.5 stars, rounded to 4.

Calla Williams is twenty-five, Black and struggling; she became guardian to her sixteen year old brother Jamie after her parents died/ran off. Jamie is a generally good kid who fights for what he believes in but also runs a bit wild and, therefore, seems to constantly be in some sort of trouble. Their brother, Dre, promised he would help Calla with Jamie but he’s usually nowhere to be found unless it suits him.

Oh, and Calla has a horrible, recurring dream of one of her brothers dying.

Then Jamie gets into a terrible mess at a protest and the Williams siblings have to go on the run. They hide at a remote cabin where they face a new threat…something more horrifying than they could have imagined. Was there a portent in Calla’s dreams?

This may not sound like horror but it certainly is. You only have to read the great first chapter, a scene with the siblings at the silver-tongued Jamie’s school to know that Viel is quite the talent; it’s interesting, engaging and witty. You learn who her characters are and want to know more. The book had my favorite guest line in awhile: “Calla was wearing the wrong bra.” Lord, don’t so many tales of woe begin this way? And also, “Calla was envious of how his bulk communicated clout where hers communicated an affinity for chicken tenders.”

However, the early promise of the book faded somewhat when the family left the city. The plot was confusing. I’m not entirely sure what happened and I definitely don’t know why it occurred, Although, still, “He could not allow himself to be arrested by white dudes in North Face.”

Anyway, as much as I loved the turns of phrase I could not love the book. I hope Viel’s next plot rises to the level of her writing.

This is a really good story of sibling dynamics. There are a lot of content warnings for this book, so I recommend everyone read those first. It deals with childhood trauma and much more. I honestly don't really understand the plot of this book; however, I did really enjoy it. Calla, Dre, and Jamie all love each other despite all of what they've been through. This story, as much as it talks of pain and resentment, is a story or love and hope as well.

Absolutely amazing storytelling! In-depth characters, slow start but it picked up around 30%. Almost gave up on it but glad I didn’t

I am not sure what I just read...
I have to admit I had to push through this one. I almost DNF'd it just because I never knew what was going on or why. I have so many questions!

Were the brothers actually alive? Did Calla have multiple personalities? Did she have entities that would show up when her brothers were in trouble? Was it all true or was it all in her head? Did the childhood trauma mess up all 3 siblings?! I don't know!!!

I can somewhat see the concept of this book, but I have to say, for me, it was very hard to follow. I am very happy I pushed through it though.

This is a 3 ⭐⭐⭐ star for me only because I felt lost all throughout the story.

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

A fast-paced horror grappling with a lot of themes and messy familial dynamics. I found the story compelling and that it found interesting angles to approach a lot of important, relevant topics. While I appreciated the fast paced nature of the book, the writing of the more action heavy sequences were a little muddled and sometimes difficult to follow. With different layers of reality and dreamscape taking place I felt those distinctions could have been clearer at times. Still I enjoyed the novel and found it to be a strong horror entry.

This is a weird, interesting, compelling fever dream of a book that is a beautiful tribute to the power of sibling relationships. And did I mention this was a total fever dream of a book? The imagery was incredibly disturbing and made you feel like you were right there in this nightmare with the characters.

Listen to Your Sister is a genre-bending weird girl fiction tale, centered around family drama, with horror elements. The book is like a fever dream and a rollercoaster ride that's impossible to leave.

Listen to your sister is such a unique and original story. The first half is slower-paced introducing you to the siblings but the second half is full of action. Its darkly funny with plenty of moments that make you think. The book’s biggest takeaway is the monsters inside of us are the most terrifying. Neena Viel has crafted an imaginative debut novel and I see a bright future for her!

Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel will be available on February 4. Many thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the gifted copy!

No notes. Utter perfection. As the eldest daughter with a little brother 10 years my junior, I understood Calla so thoroughly in the way she grew up caring for him and always wanting to protect him.

This book is heavy and filled with a trauma and included the Black experience that I’ll never begin to understand or experience myself. But I have no notes, this book was outstanding.

It reminded why I loved the movie, Split. And other books similar to it.

Thoughts

There is a lot I enjoyed about this book. The social commentary was good. But what really stood out was the natural dialogue. People cuss. People have bad thoughts. People worry. So it was nice to see this in a book. People also get angry and I feel like that is something that isn't shown in books enough Waiting to Exhale is popular for a reason, and that scene in particular. We all feel anger and it is rarely shown in books, at least the ones I read. So it was nice to see it here while they are all grieving.

What didn't work for me was that all three were either having dreams or hallucinations and there were no transitions. It is hard for me when it's one POV like that but with 3 it was really hard to understand what was reality and what wasn't. And I get this is Speculative Fiction and maybe that's the point. Which is why I say it didn't work for me. I do think others will find this enjoyable.

There are parts that are jaw-dropping. So I know this is going to be a hit for some people. And I am excited to read what is next for this author.

I wasn't really sure what to expect with this one. In fact, about halfway through it, I had to stop and re-read the book's summary on Goodreads. It's not that I wasn't enjoying the ride Viel was taking me on, it was that I couldn't even begin to guess where we were going, or even what kind of ride we were on to begin with.

That's what's so cool about speculative horror, though. It's weird and it's fresh and when done well it's unlike anything else you've ever experienced. Listen to Your Sister is all those things and more. Calla Williams, the titular sister, is relatable, likeable, and complex. As the 25-year-old guardian of her reckless younger brother Jamie, she’s constantly juggling her own exhaustion and frustration with the responsibility of keeping her family together. Her recurring, vivid nightmares of losing her brothers—nightmares she can’t control or explain—set the stage for a gripping narrative that is as emotionally charged as it is terrifying.

When Jamie gets caught up in a protest gone wrong, Calla is forced to flee with both her brothers to a remote AirBnb, culminating in an intense night that feels like a fever dream. As they try to escape the terrifying new reality that might be connected to Calla’s disturbing dreams, the family dynamics come into sharp focus—sibling rivalry, love, and sacrifice all collide in the face of impending danger.

This is horror with heart. Viel has created a deeply complex family unit with these three. Though each one is flawed in their own—often frustrating—way, it's easy to see how much they each care about the others. You can't help but root for them as they fight for their lives and try to figure out wtf is happening to them. She's also created a deeply disturbing, nightmarish situation that these characters are forced to navigate through that is unlike anything I've ever read before. There are some Jordan Peele echoes in the best possible way, but this novel is wholly unique. It's scary, heartfelt, shocking, and often laugh-out-loud funny.

I will be on the lookout for Neena Viel's name in the future. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

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.