Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

If you are looking for a “Harry Hole” type novel, than look away. “The Night House” is instead is a brilliantly thought out and intricately woven horror type story. With the deep connections and tie ins that I’ve come to expect from Jo Nesbø. Constantly causing a contemplation on interconnected stories, and endless guessing to the final truth. I will never stop being amazed at the incredible character depths, and hidden facades I try and see beyond. I cannot recommend this book more to any horror or mystery fans. And if you’ve ever enjoyed a Jo Nesbø novel before, then it’s absolute must. What a pleasure, I only wish the story was longer and the characters story could stretch on in part III out of purely selfish interest in the characters story.

What a brilliant mix of psychological thriller, horror, and suspenseful drama to create an absolutely riveting and mind-blowing narrative. Jo Nesbo is at his finest with such a twisty story and I was utterly blown away by the unsettling aura of the characters and the mystery and the ending is pure jaw-dropping awesome!

Full review to be posted on https://www.bestthrillerbooks.com/kashif-hussain

MAN, This was such a good book! I enjoyed it from page one!! This book and the plot and MC was just want I needed right now. I look forward to more from this person!

If I’m being perfectly honestly, I did not start with initially liking this book. The main character was insufferable and the supernatural horror storyline wasn’t captivating enough for me to overlook what I wasn’t enjoying. Well, I feel like a total fool because the book absolutely grew on me! It’s broken up into three parts and each part took the reader in an entirely different direction that made this story so bingey and compelling. I audibly said “omg” multiple times after finishing part 1. Part 1 felt very YA, coming of age, small town horror. Part 2 had my favorite component of coming of age horror, returning to the small town that housed your nightmares many years later. I won’t spoil part 3 but it also featured something I really enjoy in horror.

The Night House read like a fever dream and maintained a level of dread all the way through. I had no idea what was real or fake thanks to the unreliable narrator. I also love books within books and writer characters, so that was really fun! Highly recommend all fans of supernatural, coming of age horror giving this one a shot. And don’t be deterred because it will absolutely grow on you! Trust the process!

Part 1 tells a supernatural horror story where Richard, a boy from the city, bullies kids in the small town he has arrived at and then is blamed for the disappearance of two boys. Part 2 turns to metafiction as we see how the story came to be. Except that Part 2 is actually part of the story and Part 3 is the real metafiction. Nicely structured story as we find out along the way how the pieces fit together to create the horror story in part 1, which itself is deliciously dark and ominous.

Thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf and NetGalley for the chance to read Jo Nesbo's dive into horror with 'The Night House'!

I'd read a couple of Nesbo's Harry Hole series and enjoyed them well enough but not enough to immerse myself in the whole series but, nevertheless, I was intrigued to see how - having dealt with real human horrors - he'd approach the horror genre.

Well, probably unsurprisingly, he's done a fine job with this multi-layered, head-wrecking novel in which we're introduced to Richard (a couple of surnames attached to him).

I'm not sure how much I could write in describing the book without straying deeply into spoiler territory but what I can say is that he dives right into the story - no effort at setup of place or character - and the book is presented in three sections with each one adding more layers to Richard and his story and the inspiration for his experiences.

One of the things I loved about it is that you don't know, geographically, where this is taking place so apart from the horrors Richard and his friends experience it's all quite unsettling in that respect - I suspect that was the author's intention.

Not the finest horror novel I've read but good fun nonetheless.

So, I am really not into horror novels and, at best, this was a rather quirky one.
At 14, Richard Elauved is sent to live with his aunt and uncle at their home in Ballyntine when his house burns down - with his parents in it.
He finds himself an outcast at school and when he becomes the last person seen with a classmate who disappears, he becomes the main suspect.: even though he explains that the boy was eaten alive by the telephone, in a booth..
At this point the story really takes on a life of its own
The story morphs back and forth between reality and an alternate reality - difficult to follow for much of it.
Brilliant writing - being able to keep track of the storyline is a marvel in itself.
Characters are well described - several times and in several different places.
Nesbo is a favorite author but this was definitely not one of my 5 stars.

Thank you to those at Knopf Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me the opporunity to read this story in exchange for my honest opinions. I really enjoyed reading this one. I was hooked from the begining. It was fast paced and mysterious enough to draw your interest. Storygraph feels like it has the best content warnings and there are some you should look into before reading this one. This was my first time reading a book by Jo. I'm a fan for sure. I liked that I wasn't predicting where the story was going so I was glued to the metaphorical page (ebook). A boy who has been orphaned, has been taken in by his aunt and uncle in a small town. The boy becomes a bit of a bully as a way to keep people out and not let himself get hurt. A kid gets killed in front of him and because there is no body, he looks like suspect number one. Continues to do so when it happens again. It's told through first person so you are confined to the same knowledge of what is ongoing. I would definitely reread this one and plan to get a physical copy once it's out in October.

The Night House | Jo Nesbø | ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book took me a while to get into but I am glad I stuck around. There are three parts to this novel and each one had its own unique twists and turns. This is a hard one to review without spoiling anything!!

The narrator’s perspective and personality were hard to get through in the first part. While the narrator isn’t a reflection of the author, I will put a warning out for some fat phobia and homophobia warnings. It was almost too much for me multiple times.

The twists were interesting and I might reread this now that I know the ending. If you are a fan of psychological thrills, unreliable narrators, and some old-school vibes, I recommend this novel! It wasn’t always my style, but I can see this being a popular favorite for thriller fans!!

Thank you NetGalley and the author for the ARC opportunity! I love the cover as well!

The Night House by Jo Nesbo. This book was written in three parts, each with a new reality. Initially a boy named Richard, whose parents died, is taken in by his aunt and uncle. Richard has a difficult time fitting in and then something strange happens. A schoolmate disappears and then another. The townspeople blame Richard. The story takes a supernatural turn and so begins the stories of the main antagonist. It’s an interest, thrilling ride. Well written and immersive.

The narrator feels authentic. The concept is a bit Goosebumps-y, but works. The reason I’m only giving this book two stars because reading this books doesn’t feel like Nesbo is familiar with horror outside of a few film tropes, and certainly not like he enjoys or respects horror fiction. This results in the book feeling flat and mocking (and not in a deliberately satirical way). It ruins the mood of the book for me as a reader.

Very well written. Starts slow, but your curiosity keeps you reading. I absolutely adored the realization towards the end and how mental disorders were accurately portrayed based on the severity, the individual, their life experiences/trauma, environment.

Well, that was certainly … unpredictable.

Me reading Part One: This is great – I love the whole “kid fights the Big Bad Evil that adults don't believe in” trope! Wonder why it has such mediocre reviews on Goodreads?

Me reading Part Two: WTF?!

Me reading Part Three: Oh. *Falls asleep ten minutes in.*

So, yeah, overall it was definitely a mixed bag. I really enjoyed Part One even though I felt that the ending was a little weak. If it had stopped there, I probably would have given it a four star rating. Part Two threw me for a loop and I found the change in the plot to be disconcerting, but figured it was going to be an It type of thing, where adults come back home to finish fighting the Big Bad that terrorized them as children. Ha ha ha ha, I'm so naive. Part Three cleared things up but was by far the most boring of the three, and I really did doze off halfway through.

While I can't say that I exactly enjoyed this book as a whole, it definitely had some twists that I didn't see coming and I guess I actually kind of appreciate that it confused the heck out of me? I read a lot of horror and mystery novels, and it's been a long time since a book truly shocked me but Jo Nesbø has managed it with The Night House.

Final rating: Three stars, I suppose? How do you properly rate a novel that's as schizophrenic as this one??

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

This is my first read by Jo Nesbø and I would like thank NetGalley and the author himself for the early copy.
The writing I believe was easy to follow and the use of descriptive imagery was divine. I was able to get in the mind of a young Richard and feel the way he did. I was able to get clear images of things that were happening. I loved this book and could not put it down. It is a short read with a great message in the end that comes full circle.
The Night House follows a 14 year old Richard who comes to live with his aunt and uncle from the city after his parents death. Richard makes few friends and is categorized with the other outcasts in town. While he only has few friends he isn’t the nicest friend to them, he pushes one to make a prank call from a phone booth. The prank call takes a sinister turn that starts a chain of events that Richard cannot escape. Nobody in town believes him except the girl he likes to talk to, he’s eventually sent to a youth center after adults deduce their conclusion and bias about Richard being the last person to see the two children who have gone missing.
While there are more sinister things at work in regards to the missing children and a small town history that nobody likes to talk about. Richard makes an escape back home to help the girl who didn’t give up on him and end the evil that has taken place.

Wow! At first I thought it was a smooth ride and then there was a twist; for the better! I would have never thought the book would end as it did but it was a perfect.

Definitely sharing this with friends!

Jo Nesbo, best known as a Nordic crime writer, puts his talents to use in a horrifying novel of terror. The imagery that he is known for is still there, but the themes and tone are straight up, balls to the wall horror. A must read this fall.

"'The telephone swallowed everything.' Obviously I could hear how crazy it sounded. But what was I supposed to say? The telephone hadn't eaten Tom?"

Richard and his friend Tom search a random name in the phone book to make a prank call. When the line connects, Tom is eaten by the telephone, sucked into the receiver like a bug being eaten by a praying mantis. Once Tom is reported missing and Richard tells authorities what happened, of course, no one believed him. Telephones don't eat people. Right?

This held a unique yet familiar atmosphere: Small town, prepubescent kids, A lurking horror only the youngsters can sense. I loved how Richard grew up and the story tilted. Some excellent twists, definite creep factor, and an unreliable narrator. Pretty decent read.

I could not get myself to finish this, due to the unlikeable nature of the narrator. I found it surprisingly immature and couldn’t get myself to move past 3/4 of the way through the book.

Rating:DNF

This book reminds me of my hero Ray Bradbury. It is full of weird adolescents issues and the creepiest scenarios imaginable. Maybe a little Stephen King's IT too. It is is just so weird and wonderful. It is that creepy kind of beautiful.
This might be the best creepy book I have read all year.
Keep writing Jo Nesbo. I will keep reading.