This was an ok read, not a favourite.. but did keep me a little intrigued for the outcome! Thank you for the opportunity to read for an honest review

From the cover design and title, I thought this looked like an interesting thriller.

The format of the book was interesting. I found it accessible, and I wondered if other readers might appreciate this format too, if it helped them to feel emotionally involved.

Something that surprised me a little was the supernatural element - it was a little bit more spooky, more eerie than I initially expected. It was an entertaining read, and light enough to read in one sitting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

WoW this book The Stranger in Our House by Sarah A. Denzil was so good I ended up reading it in one sitting. This book is told in a diary form and will have you guessing right till the end especially as it had great twists and turns and was creepy in places which I found very interesting, I loved it.

I highly recommend all of Sarah A Denzil's books they have all been excellent. Once you open her books and start reading they will have you hooked

The Stranger in Our House by Sarah A. Denzil is unique in its format of mixed letters, therapy notes, and diary entries, and I found that this style made the narrative more easily digestible than it might have been otherwise.

The Aikers have relocated to Little Crake, hoping for a fresh start in the quaint village. Meera and Aaron and their children Noah and Uma soon begin to question the move, though, when Noah disappears into the woods for three days, only to reappear as an altered version of his former self. Meera knows that this stranger cannot possibly be her son, so exactly what has transpired during his time in the deep, dark wood?

This was a strange, yet interesting read for me, and not at all what I had expected from this author. 3.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing for an ARC.

I liked the premise of this story but found it disappointing. I really liked the format of therapy notes, diary entries and letters, it broke it up and gave it a unique reading experience.

The Aiken family has just relocated to the quaint village of Little Crake. Hoping for a fresh start in a perfect location to raise a family, Meera and Aaron and their two teenaged children, Noah and Uma, soon discover they might have been better off in London. Noah disappears for three days and, of course, returns traumatized. Or is he? The Aiken's grapple with the changes in Noah and the history of Little Crake, with the two becoming intertwined. As the story unfolded my heart was breaking for a family in a uniquely impossible situation, but I was also completely creeped out on multiple occasions. Audible gasps! The format is unique in it's use of diaries and voice recordings from various members of the family and others in the community. I enjoyed the format and, though I read it on my kindle, I think it would be fun as an audiobook as well.

My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5/5 Stars.

Thanks to Sarah and Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op for an ARC of this book!

This one was definitely interesting. I liked that the premise of the book immediately starts off with a child going missing in the nearby dark woods, straight to the point.

As the story progresses, we learn that the missing child; Noah, is found after 3 days and is already being looked at differently by his family, and peers due to a complete personality change, thought to be believed because of trauma suffered while lost in the woods, however; it could be, that something more sinister has had a role to play here.

I really liked the writing style and story/character development/progression, told through a series of Diary Entries from Noah’s Father(Aaron) Noah’s Mother(Meera) and Noah’s sister(Uma). We get a personalized view of what each character is experiencing and witnessing, as time goes on and on, as Noah starts to break down, day by day.

My biggest issue with this book is the almost out of sync ending where we read the climax of the suspenseful-ness of the story and than are thrown into a large time jump where the genre essentially turns into a fictionalization of a documented Family Drama with lots of talks of therapy and journalism that I felt didn’t fit with the rest of the book. That’s only MPO but other readers may agree/see different.

Again, I’m thankful for the arc and hope this review provides a eccentric detailed critique of The Stranger in Our House.

I really enjoyed this book but it was written differently to books I normally read. It’s told as a diary. My first book by Sarah Denzil but definitely not my last. The story telling was great kept me interested guessing and very creepy. It’s got folklore possession and family a very strange but great read.

The Stranger in Our House by Sarah A Denzil is a unique psychological domestic thriller with some horror elements which will give you whiplash from the speed in which you turn the pages. Told in a ‘found footage’ style, where we are treated to diary entries, video transcripts and interviews from individual members of this ill-fated family. The book would translate incredibly well into a movie (fingers crossed that might one day happen). The characters each add something to the plot and it’s hard to know whether to love, hate, despise, feel sorry for or cheer for each of them. The author weaves a delightful story which is somehow both heartwarming and creepy. Get this and read it! I just wish it was longer.

Yet again, this author does not disappoint. So much suspense and twists that keep you guessing. Very enjoyable read

This book was really scary at times and it gave me the chills. Utterly creepy and written in a more unique way to keep the reader glued to the pages. It just came out a few days ago, and I would really recommend reading this!

We follow the Aiken family who move house to live in Little Crake. Tired of the city, they choose an idyllic village near lots of woodland. The village has a terrible history and the family is to find out when their son gets lost in the woods, only to return three days later. But, he is different, somehow changed and he tells a utterly terrifying story. What can they do? How can they help him?

The way this book is set up is quite brilliant, in my opinion. Delivered from the perspective of it being a book compiled of diary entrances by different members of the Aiken family, but mostly from the diary of the father, Aaron. An introduction and ending by a journalist finish this compiled book. That is also the strength of this book - reading about events afterwards combined with the thoughts of characters in detail. Absolutely brilliant and well delivered by the author. The characters were interesting, and because of the form of the book, you understand them much better.

If you like creepy, scary, terrifying stories, read this!

4,5/5

Ms. Denzil has a way in her writing that sucks you right in.. I have enjoyed every novel she has written and this one did not disappoint. I will always look forward to reading more from her.

10 stars out of 5!

I loved this book. Another great book by Sarah A. Denzil I love them all.
A well written story of local tales that is well spun and has you believing the storyline. Fantastic

I am a Denzil fan all the way bit this book was just strange. I struggled to finish. The diary and recording etc just got repetitive.

This was an interesting story that entails many different logs from voice memos, diary, psychologist notes etc. Some parts were slow and hard to get into as I lost focus and had to reread it. But overall it was an interesting read.

This book wove together therapy notes, diary entries, letters, and more to create a unique reading experience. Normally I’m not a fan of this style of writing but it worked in this case. The twist was unimpressive to me. I had hoped it was going in a certain direction only to be disappointed.

Meera and her family move from the city to village of Little Crake. Their cottage is surrounded by woods that are part of a disturbing local legend. The family is excited and hopeful for a fresh start. Everything is going great until 15 year old Noah wanders into the woods and goes missing for 3 days. When he is found inside and oak tree, Noah’s family is relieved. The days following the incident Noah is not acting like himself. He is sleepwalking, causing problems at school, and he can’t remember what happened in the woods. Noah may have returned to his home but his mother knows the boy who came out of the woods is not her son.

The Stranger in Our House is available now.

Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Stranger In Our House by Sarah A. Denzil is a psychological thriller about a family whose son becomes a stranger overnight.  Actually, I may consider this horror.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Aaron and Meera Aiken move to the small village of Little Crake to start fresh.  They both need to get away from London. Their 15-year old son Noah is looking forward to getting away from his old school, but 13-year old Uma is not sure she wants to leave her friends.

Their new cottage is perfect, and looks over the deep forest behind them.  But that forest has a history...as does the village of Little Crake.  It may not be the fresh start that the Aiken's are looking for.

When Noah gets off the school bus one day and wanders into the forest alone, he isn't found for three days.  He is found shoeless and shirtless, with strange cuts on his body.  He was covered with mud, and had hidden in an old tree.  He remembers nothing of his time in the forest.

But Noah has changed.  He withdraws from his family, creates trouble at school, and sleepwalks at night.  His attitude is harsh and cruel.  He draws strange sketches of the forest.

His family is concerned, although Aaron thinks he will snap out of it.  Meera is not so sure.  This boy does not feel like their son.  She begins to think he may be possessed.




My Opinions:
This one hooked me from the first page, and I just held on and enjoyed the ride.  I loved how legend and reality were intertwined.  A little bit creepy added to the psychological suspense.  

As well, I liked the way the story was told, through diary entries, voice notes, news reports, etc.  You knew this may not end well, but it wasn't until close to the end that I realized what was going to happen.  I had somewhat anticipated what/who was behind the event, but was still pleasantly surprised as to who really saved the day....well what could be saved.

The characters were all well-developed, and their reactions to events as they unfolded seemed true.  I didn't particularly like them all, and sometimes the only one I was cheering for was Uma.

As usual, this author delivered another good one!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this ARC! I was super interested after reading the premise and I am friends with Sarah on TikTok. I feel awful giving this book such a low rating but I need to be honest.

This book follows a family after their son returns from the woods after three days of being missing. When he returns he isn’t the same and weird things start to happen. The book is told in diary extracts, news articles and such.

Let’s start with what I liked! Some of the scenes in this book were genuinely creepy and I really enjoyed the local legends surrounding Little Crake. It is clear that the author has done her research and incorporated it well into the book. I also really liked the representation of trauma and how it can literally change a person overnight.

However, I think the writing style would have benefitted from a general first person prose rather than diary extracts as it felt a little disjointed. For example, Aaron will write “someone is at the door, I’ll write later” when in reality you wouldn’t take the time to write that before going to answer the door. The author also included a lot of pop culture references which got a little repetitive and there were just too many, it took me out of the story. The ending was very rushed and it just wasn’t for me.

This isn’t going to stop me from picking up other books from this author though!

Horror, domestic drama, local legend and mental illness combine to terrify the reader in The Stranger in the House, a truly creepy novel about the Aiken family and their unfortunate move to the small Yorkshire town of Little Crake. Told in excerpts from the family’s diaries, in news articles, texts and recordings, the story begins opens when Aaron Aiken and the police find Noah, his fifteen year old, who has been missing in the forest for three days. Noah comes home but…is he really Noah? Why is he suddenly sleepwalking? Or neglecting personal hygiene? And did his younger sister Uma hear him…growling? All questions will be answered by the conclusion of this unputdownable thriller but suspicion, violence, fire and murder will fracture this once happy family.

This is the first book I have read by Sarah A. Denzil and it will definitely not be my last! She skillfully weaves different story elements together. I especially loved the strange illustrations. Most of the folklore is true and Little Crake is based on a real town, a town I never want to visit. Read The Stranger in the House but definitely not if you are alone at night. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and Sarah A. Denzil for this ARC.

Thriller/Horror ARC novel I received from NetGalley.

This book kept me on my toes the whole way through! It was suspenseful, unpredictable, and just a fascinating read.

The Aiken family moved to a small rural, British town, rich with urban legends and history. Not long after their move Noah, their 15-year-old son wanders into the woods and is missing for three days when he has found he is covered in cuts and mud and has a hard time remembering what happened to him. He is not the same boy who wandered into the woods. he is changed. His mom starts to believe the urban legends and she knows that we came back from the woods is not her son.