This book is weird and I love weird. Mina is a child psychologist who comes to work with a teen named Alice. Alice is a mess but as the story goes on we learn why. I loved the terms she used to describe potential things going on with Alice and I loved the unveiling of the mystery. The narration was wonderful!

I loved that this one is atmospheric and enjoyed the spooky witchy elements. The superstitions and small town mystery was enjoyable to read about and there are some truly unsettling scenes which I liked! The descriptions of the witch in the walls were great. For some reason, I couldn't seem to get fully attached to the characters, which did create a bit of a disconnect for me. Overall, I liked it! 3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4 for this review.

I wanted to like this one, but it ended up being too slow-paced for me. I flew through the first 60% in one sitting, but the last 40% really dragged. Even though it’s being marketed as a thriller, it felt more like folk horror to me.

My only other complaint was the narrator’s voice—it sounded like an elderly woman, even though the main character is supposed to be freshly out of grad school. That might just be me being picky, though!

I think some people will really enjoy this one, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me!

I really enjoyed this. I listened to the audiobook and the author was great, easy to listen to. This was well-written and multilayered! I felt like the characters were engaging and easy to follow, while being realistic. I enjoyed the suspense being built with the heat wave, poverty, and superstitions. Good read with an unpredictable ending.

This one really missed the mark for me. I was looking forward to it, but the characters felt unrealistic and the plot didn't hold my attention. While the setting was appealing, it wasn't enough to make up for the shortcomings of the story. Overall, it was quite a letdown.

Huge thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

Wow- that was a lot! I didn't read the synopsis before diving into this one, so I had no idea what to expect other than what the cover and title led me to believe so I was in for some surprises! I don't know why the cover led me to believe this would be a domestic thriller with someone hiding in someone's walls, but I was thrown for a major loop!

I probably wouldn't have picked this one up had I actually read the synopsis, since witches aren't something that I enjoy reading about typically. That being said, I don't regret reading it, so maybe the cover choice was a great one since it lured me in.

I was hooked right away and very invested in the life/story of the main character and child psychologist, Mina. She was such a unique character, and I had absolutely NO idea where this was going. It definitely surprised me, creeped me out, and had me on the edge of my seat!

I don't want to say much more since I think a lot of the appeal will be the element of surprise in this one.

The audiobook was narrated by one narrator, Ana Clements and she did a wonderful job!

If you're a fan of spooky/witchy reads this one may be for you.

Mina, a child psychologist who is engaged but not really into her fiance, goes to her grief group to cope with the loss of her beloved brother Eddie. There she meets Sam Hunter, a journalist who is grieving his daughter. Sam asks her to investigate a case he’s pursuing about Alice, a 13 year old girl from a small town who claims she is possessed by a witch. Mina and Sam go to the town to figure out what’s really going on.

I loved the writing in this novel. I felt like I understood the main character of Mina and especially enjoyed following her as she got more of a sense of Alice and the small community around Alice. The author isn’t unearthing new territory here, as the beats of the novel felt very familiar to me as a fan of both horror movies and horror novels. The novel does stay out of horror territory for the first 75% of the book, which I liked. A bit of a downside is that I thought the writing pointed to the antagonist before even the halfway point with little to no red herrings, so the novel wasn’t as suspenseful as I wanted it to be. I wondered why the novel was set in the late 1980s (no cell phones?, a time when hauntings were popular?) because the novel felt more contemporary, so when little things were mentioned about the late 1980s, it threw me.

The audiobook narrator Ana Clements had a nice but not distracting British lilt. She did voices well so that the reader knew what was dialogue and what wasn’t. Emotion was present in her voice but not overdone. I’d definitely recommend this novel on audio.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It publishes February 11, 2025.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Ana Clements does an excellent job narrating the story. I highly recommend the audiobook if that is of interest.

I normally do not like to read ghost stories or horror, but I found this story very engrossing and just could not put it down until all the strings were unwound!

Mina is a brand new child psychologist who is engaged to and planning her wedding with Oscar, a scientific researcher. Mina attends a grief group due to the loss of her brother, from which she never recovered. In group, Mina meets a journalist, Sam who offers her her first job. Sam is covering a story of a young girl, Alice, who claims to be haunted by a witch.

Mina takes the job believing that she will have her first real experience in practice, Sam will get the story of a lifetime and Alice of course will be helped. However, the longer Sam and Mina are with Alice in the remote village of Banathel, the more things unravel.

This is a very well written and multilayered tale! The author used everything from the increasing heat wave, the poverty of Alice's family, and the superstition of the townspeople, to slowly build to the suspenseful climax of the story. I loved the characters and their relationships which were realistic. I loved the spooky bits as well even though this one was out of my normal reads. There was so much going on in the story! I also loved the ending which a ultimately I guessed but not until the last minute.

This is a clever tale that publishes Feb 25th and you do not want to miss it! Highly recommend!!!

I read this book in less than two days. It had a great writing style, a creepy atmosphere and great narration. The narrator, Ana Clements, did an incredible job narrating this book. Her dictation, inflections, tone, vocals, and transitions were pivotal to the flow of the story, and she nailed it! The storytelling was great, it had claustrophobic, atmospheric and creepy vibes. I could literally feel the atmosphere. and at times I felt I could actually see the fog brewing in this town.

I initially chose this book based on the cover and title. I have recently been watching programs on phrogging, and the cover and title reminded of that. I love this cover; it has creepy vibes especially with the eye behind the wall. I think the cover definitely represents the creepy vibes of the book.
The book started off strong, the paced slowed in the middle and picked back up towards the end. I quite enjoyed this read. It was creepy, had witchy vibes, a psychological and mystery thriller. I would have like to see more development between Sam and Mina; I felt that Sam was MIA for a good chunk of the book. There were a few things in my opinion, that left a bit of confusion which is why I rate this book 4 stars instead of 5 stars. Overall, it was a good engaging read with great storytelling that was so palpable that I could feel the chill in the air. They say fans of Midsommar and The Haunting of Hill house, would love this book, and I also think fans of A. M, Shine's The Creeper, will also this book. I haven't seen Midsommar, but after reading this book, I want to see it.

Thanks to Macmillian audio, Netgalley, Daisy Pearce for sending me this arc for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.
I had to start and re start this one a few times to really get into it. Once I got into the storyline I enjoyed it. Good narration. Interesting story where you aren’t quite sure if things are what they seem to be. A bit slow moving but good book.

This was a creepy, atmospheric, dark, claustrophobic modern day witch hunt. I was kept on the edge of my seat but found the ending a bit disappointing. I wish it had a bit less of a "Scooby-Doo" ending, which was predictable. 3.5 rounded up.

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Pub Date: 2/25/2025
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…. this book just was not it. This is not at all what I expected. There is so much that happens; there is talk about ghosts and seances and then it switches to ghosts and then there is a deeper malicious vibe.
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This story is told in a singular POV though Mina, a child psychologist. This story was supposed to be set in 1989 but the way that it was written I literally kept thinking that this book was set back in the 1600s. I honestly could not grasp my head around the time period and I think it was mainly the dialogue or maybe just the route the story took.
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The pacing was super slow in this one. I didn’t really connect with many of the characters and I pegged the sinister one right form the start. I am really not sure how all of the plot lines became one book, but it did, I just wish that one path was taken and stuck with to create a truly eerie story.
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I listened to this one via audiobook and Ana Clements did good for what its worth. I struggled to stick with this story. I can honestly say without the audiobook I would not have finished this one. Thankful for Ana Clements narration to at least help me finish this one.
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Overall, this was not for me but I am sure that there are going to be a bunch of people who vibe with this one. There are definitely some creepy parts to it! Give it a shot! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Daisy Peace, MacMillan Audio and St. Martins Press for the ALC and eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This one just didn't grab my attention. It was a real disappointment because I had my hopes set high for this, but I didn't find the characters realistic or the story gripping. The setting was nice, but that wasn't enough to redeem the story for me. It just let me down all around.

Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce is a gripping thriller that seamlessly combines psychological suspense with the paranormal. The story follows Mina, a recently graduated child psychologist, who finds herself at the heart of an eerie and dangerous investigation. After being approached by Sam, a local journalist she met in a grief support group, Mina agrees to investigate the strange behavior of 13-year-old Alice, whose family has reported increasingly bizarre and unsettling occurrences. Together, Mina and Sam are drawn into a small town harboring a dark and terrible secret. What initially seems like a straightforward mission to help a young girl quickly spirals into a fight for Mina’s own sanity and survival as she uncovers a web of dark forces that threaten her existence. This was a good read, the audio was spot on.

Mina is an new, untested, child psychologist who has an interesting opportunity placed in front of her by a journalist ostensibly seeking a story- and gets pulled into a dark and terrifying world of ancient traditions and where witches are a real danger.

I didn’t know what to expect with this novel and was pleasantly surprised by how I was drawn into the oppressive atmosphere of the village. I like how Mina is a realistically conflicted person- she’s absolutely certain the young girl she’s sent to observe is just depressed/crying for attention/insert some other clinical explanation here BUT is also convinced she sees her late brother in recent photos. I think most people have this supernatural vs reason conflict, and it’s used very well here. If you like a creepy slow burn, this book could be one for you!

I received a free audiobook copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review

Something in the Walls was straight up spooky. This book gave me the willies and was written and narrated beautifully - but I was a bit lost at the end as to why all of this was happening. Maybe I missed it because I listened with two screaming kids, but it didn’t seem to be resolved at the end. Besides that, it was a brilliant read and listen.

Woah.
I’m not ashamed to say I picked this book up for the cover alone, but the title does not correctly convey how creepy, atmospheric and dark this book was (all of which were A+ attributes). Truly didn’t think anyone could make me scared of the idea of a witch until I read this book. As the darker themes and answers unfolded, there were some holes for me in the story, but honestly, I was so hooked it didn’t bother me. Great book. I definitely want to read more from this author.

I enjoyed this audiobook, but I do agree some of the plot was disjointed (esp the child psychologist who does not psychology...). I do think that this does remind me of Jackson's The Lottery a bit.

The narrator was ok. Voice was a little too soft--might be nice for sleep stories! And I sometimes had a hard time telling the difference between characters. Pleasant and easy to listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the ALC.

I loved this SO MUCH in the beginning. The story was so dark and atmospheric, and the characters felt so dark because they were having trouble dealing with personal losses. It got creepier and creepier ... and then it just seemed to drag on and on and on while the main character, Mina, talked on and on and on about her feelings. This was an interesting story, but it could have used some tightening up in the middle with less emphasis on Mina's weaknesses. The narration was great, though, and helped me power through to a dramatic ending. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook.

SOMETHING IN THE WALLS, in my opinion, starts out really strong, very atmospheric and promising.
Personally, I'm not a fan of witches and the whole witchcraft lore, but when a book about/with witches is well done, I kind of change my mind.
And this book has a very interesting and intriguing witchy plot. The main character is relatable and easy to empathise with (she still griefs her brother's death and has some traumas from the past) , and the whole mystery regarding what is really behind the walls and how witches are related to it (also, the narrow-minded townspeople and their folklore myths and legends) add some more unsettling vibes to the main plot.

Unfortunately, the author decides to veer directions during the second half of the book and it is no longer about witches and the minimal horror vibes this book was providing before ceases to exist. This is not a long book, but, to me, the second half felt so long and all the empathy I had growing for the main character turned out to boredom and indifference. I just couldn't care anymore for what was happening.
Even though this story has horror elements, I'd say this is much more of a suspenseful story.

I'd recommend this book to readers who usually enjoy witch stories, but be aware that this book is not entirely focused on that.
The audiobook narrator does a good job by voicing all the characters with different tones. I can easily recommend the audiobook.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for allowing me to listen to a free audio copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.