I didn't really enjoy this one. It felt hard to follow between the plot to the multiple POV's. After reading other reviews of others who loved this one, maybe it's just not a good fit for me but might be for others.

Got this in my email from NetGalley as available for the next 48 hours. I went on completely blind, which is more my fault than the books. There were tropes I don’t enjoy within the first chapter, drug use, in a school setting, my a minority student. The student is in custody of an older sibling. I am sure this book has a target audience and demographic, but I do not believe I am that audience. I do not enjoy books about real life trauma, horror, or substance abuse. Again, I went into this blind and read the summary only after the fact. For that reason I think it would be incredibly unfair to give the book anything below 3.5 stars

Listen to Your Sister follows three siblings, each getting their own point-of-view chapters throughout the novel, and they all have their own worries. The eldest, Callah, is trying to balance her work and personal life with being the primary guardian of her youngest sibling, Jamie. Jamie is a high-schooler who is trying to balance his desires with his perennial mischief. In the middle, we have Dre, who doesn't want to be in the middle--he wants to be left out of family affairs to go to work, enjoy his time as he sees fit, and play Mortal Kombat with his roommate. These siblings function in a delicate ecosystem of love, obligation, and texts gone unanswered.

But, as must happen, this ecosystem gets completely upended by a series of misfortunes. Violence erupts at a protest Jamie attends, and violence visits Dre at home. Amid all of this, Callah appears to start losing her grip on reality as a recurring Nightmare of hers seems to start having real-world consequences. They run away to an AirBnB cabin in the woods that gives serious Evil Dead vibes, and things only get weirder and worse from there.

I have discovered that I love horror novels that focus on sibling relationships. That dynamic is central to this novel, with each sibling playing a role that you might expect from an eldest, middle, or youngest sibling, but then their decisions will completely surprise you. The character development here has so much depth, with revelations about their idiosyncrasies appearing at times when you least expect it. These revelations are blended so seamlessly into the horror, however, that it only adds to the experience, lending a gorgeous heartbeat to a very dark story. As a middle child, I found myself constantly interested in Dre's chapters in particular because I saw myself in him: the desire to put up healthy boundaries from family for the sake of your mental health without making your family feel alienated or abandoned . . . it's a tough balancing act, especially when your family can be unpredictable.

Dre's cleanliness also just spoke to me on a spiritual level.

I would love to discuss Callah's chapters in more depth as well, specifically the stuff that populates her Nightmare, but that would be venturing into spoiler territory. Suffice it to say that Callah has a lot of depth that you will constantly be discovering as you turn each page.

Another aspect I appreciated about this novel is how cohesive of a vision it is--the writing style and atmosphere drew me in immediately and didn't let me go until I made it to the acknowledgments. Every chapter had something new for me to annotate, whether it was a nugget of wisdom or simple a beautifully penned line. Viel struck a brilliant balance between humor and horror, too; the relationships between the siblings lent themselves well to both!

I hope to see this novel flying off the shelves come February 2024 because this is a great individual read, a great book club read, and just all-around a wonderful addition to 21st-century horror literature.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!

This was such an amazing book! I love the cover and most of all the writing style. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. Just remember to listen to your sister!

Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel is a beautifully crafted and deeply emotional story about the complex bonds of sisterhood, family, and self-discovery. Viel’s writing is heartfelt and nuanced, perfectly capturing the messy, tender, and sometimes painful dynamics between siblings. The characters are so vivid and relatable, I felt like I was sitting in the room with them, sharing their triumphs and struggles.

This book is an absolute page-turner, with its rich storytelling and poignant insights about love and forgiveness. It’s a must-read for anyone who values the power of family and the resilience of the human spirit. Highly recommend! 🌟

Unfortunately this book and I were not a good fit. I found the writing jarring and not cohesive. The story didn't work for me and I was left wanting for more.

It was a slow start at first for me. I also wasnt entirely sure what to expect going it to it. I heard sibling drama and dove head first. It had so much more. It has been awhile since I’ve read something supernatural that didn’t turn me away. Thankfully, this book had Stephen King vibes and kept me going!

I was not a fan at all. It starts off very slow and choppy in my opinion. It was not at all what I was expecting. Not something I would even recommend reading unfortunately

Whew, this was a hard one to finish, and admittedly, I skimmed a lot of the last 1/4 of the book. This started off well and I was enjoying the story, but come about the halfway mark, things got crazy, and for me, not in a good way. Doppelgangers galore, multiple personas, multiple settings, it got really complicated really fast. I did appreciate the love of family evident, but, the individual characters were really hard to root for.

There were some interesting ideas, yes, but it got really confusing and overinflated.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

So, like... I wasn’t sure what I was getting into with this one, but wow. It’s giving chaotic sibling drama meets supernatural fever dream, and honestly? I’m here for it. The vibes? Immaculate. The plot? A twisty, dark spiral of family trauma and existential dread wrapped in very witty dialogue. The whole thing? Weird—but the good kind of weird, you know?

Calla is that sister who’s doing the most (and probably too much) to keep her brothers alive—literally. Jamie is a hot mess with a cause, Dre is… well, Dre, and together they are the definition of "it’s complicated." Like, the family dynamics are a lot, but you can feel the love underneath all the chaos. Also, can we talk about the cabin? The vibes were giving "someone's about to get axed," and I ate it up.

This book is a rollercoaster of existential horror, dark humor, and heartfelt moments. It’s one of those reads that makes you question what’s real, but you’re too invested in the ride to care. Neena Viel delivers some wild, vivid imagery, and the story doesn’t shy away from heavy topics. Still, it never feels too heavy, thanks to those snarky one-liners that catch you off guard.

Four stars because it’s unique, unsettling, and weirdly heartwarming. Perfect for a cozy night in when you’re craving something unexpected.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion—totally worth the chills.

Well, if this isn’t a complete mind-bang, I don’t know what is. Calla and her siblings are trying to survive, but are they really? I mean, Jamie is teen angst and trouble galore. Dre is absent and unwilling to share the burden. And Calla is left holding the bag in many ways. She loves her brothers, but sometimes? Sometimes she really can’t stand that they let her twist herself into knots to save them.

And then comes The Nightmare. Yeah. Welcome to the party, folks. This is incredibly twisted up with love, loss, jealousy, betrayal, grief, and the truth that some siblings really will do just about anything to save those they love. The strange beings hounding them maybe aren’t so strange. The desire to end it all? Not so odd when the pieces of the puzzle are all put together for once. And the ending? Well, that’s something that has you worried and afraid while hopeful all at once. And honestly, I don’t think this should’ve or could’ve gone any other way.

So... This book sounded really cool, but then I read the first paragraph and then the second one...

I just think this book isn't for me. I'm calling it here unfortunately, but I think the writing itself seems nice. It's descriptive and not full of purple prose, but oy vey. If the first paragraph with the "gopher" didn't kill this book for me the second paragraph definitely did. Maybe if this hadn't been the first impression, I would think it was funny, but right out the gate? It just didn't hit and took me completely out of it...

So yeah not for me. I'll give this three stars to round up from a 2.5 because again, I think the author's language, flow/pacing is really good! However, I just didn't particularly love the hook. (Maybe it's because I back is always broken from my same body parts as the character idk). It just completely turned me off of continuing further...

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this. I'm sorry I didn't gel with it.

This was a perfect debut novel! This author really wrote this and I thought this was her third of fourth book and I was surprised it wasn’t!! Definitely a must read if you are looking for a thriller

Debut author Neena Viel seems to have already mastered the art of subtle scares that will get under your skin and have you keeping the lights on a little longer at night. Fantastic character development allowing me to have a connection with the story and really care about what happens next. Great pace that kept the story moving. An absolutely wonderful debut! Thanks for the opportunity to read in advance!

Listen to Your Sister explodes onto the horror scene as Neena Viel's unforgettable debut novel. At its heart is Calla Williams, a 25-year-old Black woman juggling the intense responsibility of raising her younger brother Jamie while battling forces both supernatural and all too real.

Viel masterfully blends laugh-out-loud moments with spine-chilling terror, crafting a story that feels like a rollercoaster through a haunted house. The novel tackles heavy themes - family bonds, racial dynamics, and personal sacrifice - but never loses its grip on pure entertainment. Think Stephen King meets Tananarive Due, with a fresh voice that's entirely its own.

This fever dream of a story grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go, proving that sometimes the scariest things aren't just the bumps in the night, but the choices we make for the ones we love.

If you're hungry for a horror novel that's equal parts heart and horror, Listen to Your Sister deserves a spot on your nightstand. Just maybe leave the lights on while you're reading it.

An incredibly unique concept, executed well, Listen To Your Sister is a story about family and trauma and the ways the past can (sometimes quite literally) haunt you.
This was a riveting story that I find hard to describe in just a few words.
I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

For a more in depth review, please check out my spoiler free youtube review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03dLNhbWSBc

I have mixed thoughts on this book. First let’s go over the pros. I loved the concept of the book. The feminist storyline, and what is expected of women, is a strong foundation for a story. It is also a really unique concept compared to any horror novel I have read. I can truly see this as a movie.

The negative to me is the second half of the book got a bit choppy and repetitive. Maybe another pass by an editor would have helped? I really feel mixed overall because I did like how unique the story is, but I feel like it had potential to be stronger. Either way, a fun read!

I struggled with this one. It was a slow moving book, I found it clunky and at times confusing. I kept on until just past the midpoint but then I gave up as I wasn't interested in the plot or characters. I wasn't even sure what was going on. This was a DNF for me.

What a strange, strange book!

Incredibly chaotic and very strange. It was like a train wreck you cannot look away from. Not because it was bad, but it just blew my mind.

The underlying themes of family dynamics, love and rage really pulled me in and I surprisingly enjoyed the twisted way the author told this story.

Calla, Jamie and Dre are siblings that have been through hellish experiences together. Calla at only 25 is guardian for Jamie who is hard to control, constantly pushing boundaries. Some dark subjects are covered, but done well. I think it is best to just dive in without much previous knowledge of the story. It will blow you away!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.