I was super excited for this book and was expecting a creepy horror story but sadly could not get into it. This was my first Jo Nesbo book and I personally was not a fan of their writing style in this book but maybe I would enjoy some of their other books. I am thankful to NetGalley and Knopf for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Night House. I have not read any of Nesbos books. They are not something I avoided but just never read them before.

This is about a young boy who lives with relatives. When a schoolmate goes missing people think he may be responsible for the crime. The boy described the disappearance in a strange way and no one believes him.
As other circumstances that surround the boy continue to be investigated he is sent away. And still strange happenings with a vibe of supernatural Continue to plague his existence.
Not sure how to describe this novel but it was different
2.5

I did not finish this book. I just could not keep reading from this boy's perspective. The bullying, fat phobia, ableism... it was too much for me to enjoy the book.

Ouch. This was not what I expected at all. The writing was clunky and very disjointed, the plot was tiring and felt like it didn’t know what it wanted to be at all. I read it in one sitting, but I wish I hadn’t actually finished it. The whole experience wasn’t satisfying at all.

The Night House initially captured my attention with its incredibly spooky cover. What gorgeous artwork! I hadn’t read a book by this author yet, so I wanted to give it a try.

This book was so unlike other Jo Nesbo books I’ve read but it works and I really liked it. Creepy but in a good way. Thanks for the ARC!

The Night House is difficult to describe without giving it away but it is a three part story that revolves around an orphaned boy named Richard who is new to this small town and terrible/paranormal things start happening to other students when they are alone with him. When he tells adults what happened they think he is crazy and send him to a mental institution where the person he believes really committed these atrocities escaped from. Now he must escape in order to save his friends.

This is definitely a Nordic Noir with twist upon twist. If you are interested in supernatural and/or what our memory does this one might be interesting.

Unfortunately, this was not for me and I couldn't finish it. The tone felt very strange from the beginning and I found the story hard to get into. While I'm sure the bizarre plot and unreliable narrator pay off for some readers, it just wasn't compelling enough for me to keep going. This was a DNF for me. I really struggled to connect with it and it just wasn't what I was looking for. I've heard the book changes dramatically, but I wasn't engaged enough to stick around for the twist. Life's too short to finish a book you're not clicking with. This is the second Jo Nesbo DNF for me. I don't understand how this author is popular.

It is very difficult to rate this book. The coming of age aspects of this book are incredibly well done. The characters are well developed and the first part of the novel I really enjoyed. But the second and third parts of the novel are so very different that I felt like I was reading a different book. I would have loved to to have seen the novel wrap up the story in the same manner as it started.

The Night House by Jo Nesbø is an eerie, atmospheric novel that blends psychological horror with elements of dark fantasy. The premise is intriguing—a young boy named Richard is sent to live with relatives after a tragedy, only to encounter strange, possibly supernatural events in a remote town. Nesbø builds suspense skillfully, and the first half of the book grips you with its creepy tone and unanswered questions.

However, the novel takes some ambitious narrative turns that may not work for everyone. The shift in tone and genre midway through feels jarring, and while the twist is inventive, it undermines some of the emotional stakes built earlier. The pacing also falters in parts, and the characters, especially the adults, can feel underdeveloped or overly archetypal.

Overall, The Night House is a bold, unsettling read that will appeal to fans of horror-tinged psychological thrillers, but its structural risks and uneven execution may leave some readers wanting more. It’s an interesting experiment from Nesbø—just not his strongest.

The first half of this story was so solid. A fairly average, fairly cheesy horror about a kid whose peers are dying in mysterious ways, it had just enough of that Goosebumps, 80s vibe and was fast paced enough that I flipped through the pages pretty quickly, so I was having a good time.
The story then flipped on us, bringing us suddenly into a different situation, and something immediately felt off. This then descended into chaos, while I was still scrambling to work out what was happening in the first place, before then switching up on us again.
This third switch just annoyed me. It was such a basic choice that it could barely be considered a plot twist, and has already been done in a very famous movie, much better. I left feeling that the author had absolutely no idea how he wanted to finish this story, and just threw in the towel.

After his parents' death, teenager Richard Elauved is now living with his aunt and uncle. He's finding it hard to fit in and now one of his classmates has gone missing. Everyone seems to think Richard had something to do with his disappearance, after all what does Richard mean that Tom was sucked in by a telephone at a telephone booth?

Unfortunately the next events become even more bizarre. Unfortunately this book was not for me.

Title: The Night House
Author: Jo Nesbø ( Neil Smith-Translator)
Page Count: 245
Publisher: Knopf
Format: E-Pub ARC
Release Date: Oct. 3, 2023
General Genre: Horror
Sub/Genre- Themes: Grief, childhood trauma
What You Need To Know: 14 year old Richard Elauved is sent to live with his Aunt & Uncle after his parents die in a tragic house fire. Having a hard time making friends and fitting in he is quickly blamed when a classmate named Tom goes missing. He is quickly blamed & quick to tell everyone what really happened. When the police don’t believe him and another classmate goes missing the truth is dark and disturbing. Then again Richard may not be the most reliable story teller….
My Reading Experience: This book is broken up into three different parts, the first and 3rd parts were good and I was not crazy about the second part. It was spooky and I loved parts. But others felt very chaotic and confusing.
Final Recommendation: It was a very unique and interesting take on Richard’s “story” that he tells his psychiatrist. Parts were very well written and spooky but others left me feeling confused and not interested. Overall the entire story kind of fell flat for me and it was personally not my favorite. But please don’t let that dissuade you from reading it! It was very entertaining and original.

I went into The Night House expecting a creepy, twisty horror story—but honestly, it just didn’t work for me. The premise started out intriguing, but things quickly got bizarre in a way that felt more confusing than compelling. One of the early scenes involves a kid getting sucked into a telephone, and from there, it just kept getting weirder without much payoff.

The book is split into three parts, and each shift made the story feel more disjointed. Just when I started to get a handle on what was happening, the tone or direction would change completely. I didn’t feel connected to the characters, and the main character, Richard, was hard to root for. Some of the things he said or thought were honestly uncomfortable to read.

The writing style also didn’t click with me—it felt clunky and uneven, like it couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a YA horror, a psychological thriller, or something more literary.

I didn’t finish this one and don’t feel the need to go back to it. I think some readers might enjoy how strange and experimental it is, but it just wasn’t my kind of book.

Jo Nesbø’s The Night House is a gripping, atmospheric thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. With his signature blend of dark suspense and complex characters, Nesbø masterfully weaves a tale of loss, secrets, and eerie mysteries. The story pulls you into a shadowy world where nothing is as it seems, and the twists will leave you breathless. Fans of psychological thrillers and tense, unpredictable narratives won’t be able to put this one down.

Partially read, mostly listened to the audiobook on this one and it was pretty good! The pacing was good and I was rooting for the main character to have a happy ending which I suppose he ends up with 🤣 this is my first Nesbo book and I’m interested to read more from him!

I really didn't like the mental health rep in this. It's not only inaccurate, but kind of offensive. This also leans heavily on a particular trope and uses language that's very dated - neither of which aged well. On a positive note, there were some scenes that were written very well.

This one didn't do it for me like her other books, though it wasn't bad at all. It just didn't hit like her previous titles. I think it was trying to accomplish too much or maybe it was just wasn't my thing this time.

I've been familiar with the name "Jo Nesbo" for years, and knew he was a popular Scandinavian mystery writer famous for his Harry Hole series. But I'd yet to bite the bullet and pick that series up (mostly because I heard the "hero" was pretty unlikable/could be quite racist). But then I heard about this, Nesbo's first foray into horror, and thought the premise was interesting, so I put in my request.

Ultimately, The Night House -- not to be confused with the 2020 horror/thriller starring Rebecca Hall -- didn't impress me. Nesbo's style of writing/characters just fell flat for me (tho perhaps that was more the translator's fault, to be fair). Doubt I'll be picking up anything else by Nesbo going forward.

Great book! It had all the fears of growing up. Make a choice. Turn the page or close the book. Enter the darkness if you wish!