3 stars not including the meta. 3.5 stars with the meta.

First of all thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing an advanced copy for an unbiased review.

The Other People has a lot of scenery chewing and lampshade hanging.
It knows where its inspriations come from and it knows the instincts of its intended audience (the typical mystery/thriller reader).
There will be many moments where you eyeroll at certain characters or begin to suspect the game the author is playing, and then shortly after the 'author's voice within the book' will call it out or say "Nope, you are wrong".

Is the meta-analysis callouts enough to make up for stereotypical characters and tropes? I would say not, which is why this is not a 4 or 5 for me.
This would be a treat for a mystery reader who has never had a meta read (think of a horror fan watching the film Cabin in the Woods for the first time - some horror, plenty of meta on the horror).

It also does not help that the structure/twist of the book is very very similar to a 2003 film (which I will not name here), so I had known exactly what was going on very early on, and was not able to be surprised by the twist.

All-in-all, I would say to give this a read if you intend to get it done in one or two sittings so it can have the greatest punch.

I'm not sure why this book has bad reviews. I absolutely loved it! It reminds me of the movie Saw. Which I also loved! I love the multiple POVs and all the details about the characters. It helps everything come together for the twist!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Oooooof this was a let down. The concept sounded right up my alley as I LOVE locked room mysteries and stories with that trope are usually a guaranteed good time for me. This one, however, was... different.

The plot and pacing felt off to me. After the inciting incident kicks off, the characters sort of move on and forget about it, wandering around through countless chapters that make you feel like you're losing a sense of time. I believe this was intentional, but it made for a strange and frustrating reading experience.

The story really hinges on the twist/reveal that you get in the final 10% of the story. That reveal will either make it or break it for you, and for me, I did not love the direction this story decided to take.

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions remain my own.

I have o many conflicting feelings about this novel.
I applaud C.B. Everett's thought process and the unique way the story was written.
There are many characters to follow, all giving thier own point of view and they are all unreliable. As it turns out, the character I most trusted ended up being the craziest one of the bunch. HA!
While original , the writting felt like two different authors. There were two or three chapters that I recall completely enjoying and the rest felt too contrived/convenient. I picked up on a strong anti-christian view - whether projection from the author or simply a character written with strong feelings I could not accurately pinpoint.
I did ike the big reveal /explanation but I also felt everything that happened prior was a huge stretch. However,it did make me ponder the mindset of those who may identify with Charles Boyd and the way his mind works.
In the end, I was left wondering if the mind can truely decive to such a remarkable degree.

3 1/2 rounding up to 4
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster UK for the ARC!

Okay, I don't even know where to start with this. The writing itself wasn't all bad but it felt like the author would rather bombard us with information instead of letting the characters speak for themselves. I love, LOVE a good locked room mystery but this one fell flat. I so badly wanted to like this but it wasn't interesting enough to keep me wanting to read till the end. Even the dialogue fell flat, even when it was just in the characters thoughts. Dark with a body count, it should make a good thriller/horror but sadly this one wasn't a fit.

This was a pretty fun book! I loved the introduction of the characters at the beginning- it made it a lot easier to keep track of everyone. The demon character was really funny as well. The plot twist at the end caught me off guard.

The Other People is a gripping, suspenseful mystery that kept me hooked from start to finish. The characters are complex and real, and the story delves deep into themes of grief and betrayal. The eerie atmosphere and unexpected twists had me on edge, though the pacing was a bit slow in parts. Overall, it’s a psychological drama that stays with you long after you finish. If you love a good twisty mystery, this one’s definitely worth reading.

after multiple attempts at reading- I have decided to DNF. I’m hoping to return to it in the future but right now i’m unable to connect with the author’s writing style.

Ever dive into a book and come out feeling all the things? That’s me right now. This story had me hooked from the start—a dark house, strangers, secrets, and the ultimate whodunit vibes. I mean, how could you not be intrigued? It’s giving Agatha Christie meets thriller-movie chaos, and honestly, I was here for it.

The twists? Pretty clever. The characters? A bit hit or miss. Some of them were like, “Yes, I love the drama you’re bringing!” while others felt kind of... meh. But hey, not everyone gets a leading role, right? Also, there were moments where the pace slowed a bit, but then, bam! Something wild would happen, and I’d be back in.

The ending? It’s one of those where you’re either clapping or side-eyeing the book. For me, it landed just enough to round this out as an enjoyable ride. Definitely one I’d recommend if you like your mysteries a little dark and a little messy.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

First of all, can we talk about how good this cover is? It feels both very current and very timeless, and immediately grabbed my attention. I was also very intrigued by the locked-door setup, but all of the POVs threw me for a loop. I rarely find multiple perspectives that work for me, and unfortunately, this wasn't one of them.

Not very original work. The twists were explained away too plainly. The suspense built up fades easily when you get to the beast in the cellar. Overall it had some good parts, very thrilling but not enough to recommend this title to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This book took me forever to read. I loved the summary of it and the ideas but the book itself was difficult. Tons of characters to keep track of. Random disappearing and a bit of a supernatural theme too. Or sci-fi theme.
I really wanted to like this book but it just wasn’t really for me.

I love the cover for this one. I also really loved the blurb and the (at first) bizarre seeming description of Agatha Christie by way of Shutter Island. Once I started reading that made more sense - although it was more than a bit of an overstatement to use those two as the comparators. Both Christie and Lehane use a more straightforward linguistic style that cuts to the heart of what they are trying to say, even when they are couching things in red herrings and scene-setting, and this book rambled all over the place aiming to do the same thing - and as a result missed the mark in a number of ways for me.

The characters are really quite odious. I get that that is the point. But still, a lot of the descriptions just felt so melodramatic and over the top, that I felt like I could skip half of what each character said or thought because it was the literary equivalent of villainous mustache twirling in the old silent films... It was overdone and became repetitive and monotonous quickly, and kept pulling me out of the forward momentum of the actual mystery and the Beast storyline, which I found the most compelling from the beginning.

I struggled mightily with this one... It was not a good fit for me.

I enjoyed this. I though the story was interesting and that the cover and premise were unique enough. Definitely started off slow but I enjoyed!

Everett writes a cleverly constructed locked room mystery that will have you questioning everything from start to finish. The guests gather for dinner in an old country house not knowing how they got there. They now have 12 hours to find a missing girl and they’ll be set free. The house comes equipped with its own beast in the basement, that sometimes jumps into the narrative adding to the creepiness of the story. If the guests would quit turning up dead, they might have a better chance of finding the abducted girl. As the time dwindles so do the guests until there’s just two. Will that be enough?? While this was a bit on the graphic side at times, the mystery propels you to turn the pages faster and faster until you reach the satisfying ending. Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Yikes! The second book I’ve read this year that almost takes it’s an entire plot from a film. Here it’s a 2007 movie that I won’t mention because it will spoil the entire book. Sadly, the publisher gives away a huge chunk of the plot by mentioning the book is similar to Shutter Island, what a terrible marketing idea. If you’ve read that book, then you already know everything that’s taking place here. This is also my second book of the year with at least 10 first person narrators, all tell no show. Clunky, inauthentic dialogue, a plot that drags, packed with info irrelevant to the story, dreadful characters and no reason at all to care whodunit.

Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for an early review copy.

10 people wake up in a house and don't remember how they got there. They have 12 hours to find a missing girl or she dies, but they're getting picked off one by one...
Honestly did not love this book until the end. I didn't like the characters very much, didn't find myself rooting for any of them to survive.. but that ending!!!!
The ending saved it! Omg!

I didn't expect this to be so dark and the reveal at the end was shocking. However, I encourage everyone to read the trigger warnings before picking this up. "The Beast" was hands down the best character and those chapters were entertaining. If you are a fan of whodunit books with dark twists and turns, then I think you will enjoy this.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this arc! This book was great at the beginning, fantastic ending, but the middle 75%was TOUGH to get through. Many characters and unclear where the story will go.

This book is a refreshing twist on the classic locked-room mystery, combining a nod to Agatha Christie with a modern, gritty edge. The setup is familiar: a group of strangers, isolated in a locked house, begin to die one by one. But this story takes things further by diving into the distinct personalities of each character, bringing depth to their inner lives and motives. Each chapter alternates between these characters’ perspectives, immersing the reader in their thoughts and fears, which helps keep the characters straight and makes it easy to invest in their stories.

Adding to the intrigue, the book includes commentary from a separate narrator, who seems to oversee the entire event and interjects with clues, hints, and often witty observations. This unique narrative device acts almost like an invisible guide, sometimes teasing, sometimes revealing just enough to keep the reader guessing. It’s cleverly done and adds a darkly humorous touch to the suspense.

As the story progresses, deeper themes emerge, with some characters grappling with existential and spiritual questions that provide layers beyond the mystery. However, the author’s recurring focus on religious themes can feel heavy-handed at times, leaning more toward the author’s voice than the characters’. While this might not resonate with all readers, it does give a sense of the characters’ turmoil and adds dimension to their desperation.

There’s plenty of suspense, and the sense of impending doom is palpable as the characters race against the clock. The plot twists keep coming, and while some sections may feel repetitive, the story manages to pull it all together with an unexpected, satisfying ending. For fans of a thought-provoking mystery with psychological and philosophical undertones, this one delivers a dark, engrossing tale that will keep you hooked until the last page.