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!

"Listen to Your Sister" is a horror novel from author Neena Viel that a tale between nightmares and reality, leaving readers questioning what they have read.

Twenty-five-year-old Calla Williams has struggled becoming the guardian of her younger brother Jamie. Although her brother Dre promised to help her raise Jamie, he is always off doing his own thing. Meanwhile, Calla is overwhelmed and tired of being the only one to make sacrifices to keep the family together, while Jamie is continually getting into mischief. Through it all, Calla continues to be haunted by nightmares of her brother dying, which she is powerless to stop. When Jamie's actions at a protest spiral out of control, the siblings find on the run, taking refuge in a creepy remote cabin straight out of a slasher flick. With their lives and reality hanging in the balance, they realize they should have heeded their sister's warnings about her nightmares.

I appreciated the creepy of the book and found the premise intriguing, especially the relationships between the siblings. However, a strong start, the story fell apart for me. It seemed disjointed and hard to follow at times, and I was put off by the inclusion of racial politics. I was hoping for horror with an interesting dynamic, but it felt more a vehicle for pushing a political agenda. Finishing this book was a struggle.

What a fantastic thriller! This was an amazing story, unlike anything I’ve read before. I really liked the family dynamics between the siblings and how different each one was. What a heartbreaking and haunting tale. The way the kids grew up, the racism, and hardships molded them into the strong individuals you saw at the end. Very well written and hard to put down. I’d highly recommend this to anyone. Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC for my honest feedback.

I'm going to try finishing this book as it has some good reviews. I just haven't found the interest to continue....

This book was fantastic and completely unexpected. I loved the use of horror as a literary device to illustrate generational trauma and racism. The language might be too much for readers in parts, so a trigger warning about the use of racial slurs is necessary.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Netgalley and Neena Viel for the ARC, and MacMillan Audio (#MacAudio2024) for the ALC!

“Hello there angel form my nightmare”…

Part horror, part family drama, this book was unique to say the least. I sympathized a lot with our FMC, Calla, who was exhausted raising her counter brother Jamie. Their other brother, Dre, was supposed to help but his way usually consists of just telling Calla to stop worrying. Both boys seem so lost it really hurt my heart. Throughout it all, reoccurring nightmares are used to illustrate what the siblings can’t say. What I was most impressed with was the author’s ability to weave in family bonds, childhood trauma and racism and show how it affected every aspect of these young people’s lives. A solid horror debut and I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next!!

I received an ARC copy of this book and I was super excited to dig in! At first I was captivated. I loved the idea and the storyline. About 20% in I began wondering what I was reading and getting confused by what was real and what was imagined. I ended up DNF’ing just before 50%. It was too hard to follow and felt like the author was filling the story with descriptive words that didn’t really make sense.
Unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me.

During the course of this novel, we switch between the viewpoints of siblings Calla, Jamie, and Dre. The author does a good job distinguishing between the siblings. They each notice each other's faults while being blind to their own shortcomings, which is all too human. A lot of horrifying things happen during the novel, but there's a lot of funny lines too. I liked that monsters turned out to be different versions of Calla. (This is revealed before the halfway point, so I don't think it qualifies as a spoiler.) Sometimes your worst enemy is your own anxiety. There were a couple parts where I wasn't exactly clear on what was happening, but this could have been my fault rather than the novel's. The relationship between the siblings feels authentic. They love each other, but they also drive each other crazy in the way only family can.

This was definitely an interesting read. Calla has custody of her brother Jamie who is 16 years old and a bit wild. Dre, their other brother said he would help Calla raise Jamie but that doesn't seem to be working out. When Jamie takes part in a protest the siblings go on the run and stay at cabin. Calla has a recurring nightmare that seems to be coming true.
This was a bit of an unhinged read, which isn't a bad thing. It has themes of childhood trauma, reluctant sibling guardianship, abandonment, parentification of a child, death of a parent, guilt, missed life opportunities, and strained family ties. I chuckled at some of the sibling rivalry because it reminded me a bit of my life. I did feel the end was faster paced than the beginning of the novel. I would still recommend this to horror readers who like a fever dream of a family story.

Troubled teenager? Messed up family dynamics? Sign me up.
Get onboard this supernatural thriller/roller coaster of fuckery with Dre, Jamie, and Calla. Have you ever met a character that you want to strangle but you love? That’s Jamie. He’s so incredibly unlovable that also he’s charming. I truly enjoyed every minute of this page turning thriller.
If you’re a fan of Jordan Peele, this is absolutely something to dive into. This could easily be one of his films. I can’t wait to read it over again and see what details I missed in my first read through.