When teenage Noah emerges from the strange and haunted woods after being missing for three days, his parents, Aaron and Meera, are faced with a son who’s no longer the boy they knew. They had recently moved to Little Crake from London after falling in love with the village and the adorable cottage listed for sale. They had heard superstitious tales of the forest and the mythical beings that inhabited it but they never dreamed there could be an ounce of truth in it. But they couldn’t deny that Noah had changed after being lost.

Upon returning to school, he injures another student badly but says it was just an accident. His good-natured personality has disappeared and his teenage sister is frightened of her previously teasing and protective brother. Since he doesn’t remember what happened to him, his parents don’t know the right way to help him heal. They go back and forth about his behavioral changes, as the trauma of his ordeal could certainly explain his altered personality.

But Meera believes it’s more than that and delves deeper into the supernatural aspect. She finds a local author who claims to have suffered a similar incident with her husband. Her solution? Exorcise the forest spirit out of Noah. Yes, that’s her explanation for the change in him – his body has been taken over by the Gytrash, one of the mythical forest creatures. The tension builds within the family until Noah’s not the only one unrecognizable as their former selves.

For most of the story, I was worried that the resolution would be unsatisfying, due to supernatural elements. All I can say is that you shouldn’t be left with any unanswered questions. The format of the story – a book composed of ‘found footage’ by an intrusive journalist – is an interesting touch. The chapters alternate between the written diaries of Aaron and Uma, voice notes recorded by Meera, and other entries like excerpts from a therapist’s session. It’s great for perspective from both inside and outside of the family. This is a spooky story that you can’t pass up!

I wanted to enjoy this but overall found the story, characters, and plot to be something not what I was longing for or one that I would pick back up.

I requested this proof as I liked the sound of it especially as a mother to a 15 year old son.

Son, 15, goes missing for 3 days, fond in the woods & returns home physically but not mentally the same. Family life turns upside down.

Written in diary entries & voice notes which made it a quick read. There was plenty of twists, turns especially right at the end. Some of it felt a little far fetched almost like Stranger Things at times.

No spoilers. As I was reading it I kept thinking of a village, Eyam I used to drive near on my way to Manchester.

All in all kept me reading until the end as I needed to know the conclusion! If you like mystery, fantasy then this is for you.

Told through a series of diary entries, transcripts and newspaper articles, The Stranger in our House is a terrific addition to the unique take on psychological and domestic thrillers.

Tired of city life, Aaron and Meera relocate to the idyllic village of Little Crake along with their two children, Noah and Uma. They believe it’s a perfect fresh start, until fifteen-year-old Noah wanders alone into the Dark Valley Forest and is found three days later tucked into the hollow of a tree.

Once a studious and gentle boy, Noah becomes a troublemaker, both at home and at school. He sleep walks at night, and draws eerie sketches of the Dark Valley Forest. Aaron tells himself that Noah just needs time to readjust, but Meera believes otherwise - that the boy who came back from the woods is not her son.

The novel was easy to follow and gripping - seriously addictive, as all Sarah’s novels are. It was well-paced, and built up tension through layers of mistrust, paranoia and genuine fear.

In regard to characters, Uma was an easy favourite. She’s level headed and mature for her age, presenting a love for reading and book blogging that I’m sure we can all relate to.

Overall, The Stranger in our House is a must-read; it’s a frightening, yet compelling novel, which not only warps the reality of the characters, but questions just how far they’re willing to go to protect the people they love. I’d highly recommend it!

I was totally captivated by this book! I loved how it was written in different perspectives. Learning about the lure of the town and the “monsters” that lived in the forest really drew you into the story. You can see the struggles of mental health and how they manifest in different people. It’s a truly marvelous story and I was sad when it ended!

First off, I’m obsessed with mixed media books. This book was written using diary entries, voice memos, drawings, psychiatrist notes, and video footage. With all the different media it made this a super quick read.

I loved the mix of folklore and history thrown throughout, and the twist at the end was SO UNEXPECTED. I had to reread it a couple of times for my brain to process lol. It was a little slow at times, but the overall story was great. This will be released next month!

I made it through one chapter and couldn't force myself to continue. The writing was appalling, it reads like a teenagers creative writing assignment. The synopsis had me interested but Denzil is clearly not for me.

I didn't know what to expect going into this because I've never read anything by this author before, but this was good! At first, I was taken aback by this being a mixed-media book, but once I got into it, I was hooked. This is a story about a family and how they react when their son returns home after being lost in the woods for 3 days with a totally different personality. It was super creepy sometimes! I enjoyed the different povs, the stories of the Gytrash (which I've never heard of before, but I'm definitely going to look it up after reading this!), and the mysterious town of Little Crake.

I'd recommend this to fans of mystery, horror, and creepy folklore!

I have loved this author since You Are Invited. And with this book she did not disappoint. I am so grateful to have read this ARC. Its early but this may be one of the best reads of the year.

I received a free copy to review from Netgalley, here is the blurb

"Tired of the city, Aaron and Meera relocate to the idyllic village of Little Crake along with their two children, Noah and Uma. The new cottage looks out over the many miles of woodland beyond. It’s a far cry from their cramped London apartment and the perfect fresh start.

Until fifteen-year-old Noah wanders alone into the forest. For three days, a search party combs the woods. Aaron braces himself for the worst convinced his son is lost forever. Until he finds Noah alive, hiding in the hollow of a tree. It feels like a second chance.

But why doesn’t Noah remember those three days in the woods? And why are there strange cuts slashed across his torso? Why did he cover himself in mud and hide away in an old oak tree?

Once a studious and gentle boy, Noah becomes a troublemaker at school. He withdraws from his family, sleepwalks at night, and creates eerie sketches of Dark Valley Forest. Aaron tells himself that Noah just needs time to readjust. He’ll soon be himself again. But Meera believes otherwise. This new version of Noah is harsh and cruel—a complete stranger.

A mother knows when something is wrong with her child. Aaron may be deluded, but she knows the boy who came back from the woods is not their son"

The chapters in the book in the main are formed from various diary extracts from the family members, transcripts and other sources such as newspaper articles and drawings. It actually works quite well in telling the story. Not sure what else to say, I enjoyed the format perhaps more than the story which was ok.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC! This book comes out on February 7th, and I can’t wait for more people to read this!

REVIEW: The Stranger in Our House

Author: Sarah A. Denzil
Genre: Horror
Format: Kindle
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Summary:

Feeling tired of the hustle and bustle of London, Aaron and Meera decide to move their family to the small village of Little Crake, along with their teenage children, Noah and Uma.

While they are excited for a fresh start, everything gets turned on it’s head when Noah disappears in the woods for 3 days. However, when he is found, he remembers nothing about the past days and he is not acting like himself. He starts withdrawing from his family, acting out at school, and talking to himself throughout the night.

Aaron believes that Noah just needs time to readjust to life after this traumatic experience, but Meera knows her son, and this is a complete stranger. The boy that came back from the woods is not their son.

Review:

I LOVED the format of this book; it included diary entries, voice notes and other article types to showcase each of the characters experience throughout the story. It also is under 300 pages, so this book flies by!

I am a huge mystery/thriller reader, but I haven’t read much horror, so this was new for me! I really enjoyed the story and was constantly wanting to keep reading to find out what was really going on. I highly suggest picking this up when it comes out in February!

Meera & Aaron escape from the city to the picturesque village of Little Crake with their two children Noah & Uma. Initially everything is wonderful but then Noah goes missing & the Aikens life will never be the same again.

The Stranger in Our House by Sarah A. Denzil is quite different to her other novels & has a definite folk law vibe to it, it’s far fetched and a bit bonkers but still very entertaining,

I was not a big fan of the writing style, which presented the plot as a "true story". I really could not get into the story at all.

"The boy I knew isn't there. He's not our son. He is a stranger to me."

The Stranger in Our House is a found media style that gave off Paranormal Entity vibes. I'm not typically into such things, however I enjoyed Denzil's take on the trend.

Positives: The lore is well researched & thought out. Keeping the book & characters relevant to current times is a nice touch. It's very immersive, which is important in found media style productions of any sort, and in terms of this book, it's done pretty well. That being said...

Negatives: Aaron's diary entries, the main way this story is being told, plus a few others, don't always read like a diary entry. They might start and end reading like one, but often times the middle chunks read just like a typical first person POV novel. I understand that a lot of the elements told during these moments are necessary to move along the plot, however, it often took me out of that found media style that this book is supposed to be, as stated in the foreword.

Neutral: The ending was not entirely what I expected. I don't know my feelings on it, even after having time to process it. I do think it wrapped everything up well, though.

Final Thoughts: I highly recommend The Stranger in Our House for anyone interested in the paranormal & folklore. If the found media style isn't your thing, like it usually isn't for me, I still recommend giving this book a try.

Thank you Sarah A. Denzil, NetGalley, and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for allowing me to read The Stranger in Our House in exchange for an honest review.

What would you do if your son became a stranger overnight?
The author has a great gift for characterisation - nuanced, interesting, believable people but created with a lightness of touch. Thanks to a great author we have gripping storyline and emotional intelligence, this book was a huge pleasure to read! Definitely be recommending this one!

I apologize I didn’t mean to request this ARC or it was sent to me in error. . I’m not comfortable reading a story like this.

This is by far my favourite Sarah Denzil book.

📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖

What would you do if your son became a stranger overnight?

Told in diary entries, news articles, and therapy notes, THE STRANGER IN OUR HOUSE chronicles the Aikens' experiences following their son's return. Because they soon realise Noah is not their son anymore...

📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖

The way this book is written is just wonderful! It gives you twists you can't handle, the worst book hangover in the greatest way. I was on the edge of my seat!

Please read this book I'm telling you you will not regret a single page!!


Thank you NG and the amazing thriller author Sarah A Denzil for an advanced copy in exchange for a review

Firstly massive thanks to Netgalley, ARC provided by Victory Editing and Sarah Denzil for letting me read this early!

This thriller/horror story follows the Aaron, Meera, Una and Noah through their haunting move to what they thought was an idyllic village. When Noah disappears the family are distraught but when they find him they’re overjoyed, or are they? What would you do if your son became a stranger that lived in your house?

I thought this book was really good, I was definitely captivated all the way through and this was rare for me as I’m not a huge horror story fan. I think there is so much potential for this book to be incredible! Some of the moments really drew me in, I just wish there had been a little more explanation to them, some of them felt a little rushed and I’d just wanted to pull a little more out of it!

I enjoyed the journaling style and felt this really added more depth to the characters being able to understand how they all felt. However, I wish Uma wasn’t so modernised with booktok etc as this took away from her for me.

I think this book will do really well and for only 99p on Amazon it is definitely worth a read! ✨

- This is the review I have left on Goodreads!
- My Tiktok review will be posted most likely within the next week ( @oliviatg1)

As a parent, I was so intrigued by the premise. However I was terribly disappointed by the narrative style. Told in a series of diaries, therapy notes and messages, the narrative just felt so flat. I'm typically not a fan of these non-traditional formats and this one did not work well. It had a lot of potential but ultimately fell flat.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

A family's nail-biting journey to exorcise the unknown evil that haunts them.

When the Aikens - Aaron and Meera together with their children Noah and Uma come across the Woodsman hut in the village of Little Crake, they believe they have found their forever home. But shortly after they move in, 15-year old Noah goes missing in the supposedly haunted Dark Valley Forest near their home and is found three days later, disoriented and injured, stuffed in the hollow of an oak tree. The Aiken family quickly realize that the person who has returned from the forest isn't their kind and caring teenager but a malevolent version of him. Fearing the worst, they reach out to a local, Larissa Skyes, to help expel the evil in their midst. But will the exorcism work or is it already too late for their family?

A psychological thriller with paranormal undertones, this book begs to be read in a single sitting. The narrative employs a unique nested story device - diary entries, voice notes, transcripts of therapy sessions, letters and newspaper articles compiled into a book, by Little Crake local journalist Cameron Hollis, to piece together what exactly happened to the Aiken family. Religion, superstition, mental health issues and supernatural elements vye for top spot in this bizarre family drama/thriller plot. The downward spiral of the Aikens - from a loving, happy middle-class family to a broken home dealing with an unknown danger - is brilliantly portrayed through the rambling diary entries and voice notes.

Overall, creepy as hell with a satisfying ending. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.