This was filled with so much derogatory language I didn't finish it. The horror aspect seemed like it was going to be really cool but that just took me out of it too much. There are entire pages where abolish, fatphobia, and other derogatory language is most of the page. The author tries to excuse it by saying that he tries to make people dislike him. Outside of that being incredibly problematic he thinks a lot of these derogatory things to himself. It doesn't make sense. It sounds like an excuse to have a derogatory, bigoted narrator. Its gross and it ruined what seemed to be a good story. Also our narrator doesn't seem to care about anyone around him. While he does have trauma that may attribute to having walls up. it wasn't written well into the book.

There were two things that drew me to this book -

1. It’s written by Jo Nesb0. I’ve been a fan for a long time.
2. The cover. It gave me those nostalgic, old-school horror vibes!

If the cover is any inclination, the contents match perfectly. This short , 256 page novel read like a ghost story that you’d tell around a campfire back when you were a kid.

The book is broken into three parts. I was in a constant state of “what the hell?!” until part three when you get the “aha” moment and things start to make sense. You think.

This was campy and reminiscent of Stephen King stories that I read as a kid. It was a great read.

This isn't what you think it is. Or maybe you already know? It's a horror story in all ways that matter and clearly also very much about trauma. It's got some twists and is a pretty quick read.

The Night House by Jo Nesbo is a modern day Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale. Dark and moody. All the elements are there. An orphan boy. Missing children. A haunted house deep along a wooded path.

Richard Elauved is a young teenager, new in town and cast as an outsider. His one friend, a girl named Karen is a bit of an enigma. Smart and well liked but prefers to be on her own. She’s the only one who believes Richard when spins his seemingly tall tales about the disappearance of his two mates. One eaten by a phone and the other turned into a bug.

The story deepens as the two find out more of the town’s history and Imu Jonasson who was a former resident of the sinister house but got institutionalized years ago. With no one in the town believing his story, young Richard must be his own detective and follow this story to its end.

Of course a fairy tale is often only a reflection of the life and time of the person who penned ir - and that may be even more horrifying.

I found the tale intriguing. It’s a quick read and filled with sinister undertones and things that go bump in the night.

#TheNightHouse #JoNesbo #Knopf #NetGalley #spooky

The cover drew me in and I started reading right away. I have to be honest that I was a little underwhelmed. Sure, this is definitely horror and there was plenty of sinister shenanigans throughout but I felt it was a little far-fetched (yes, yes, I know it’s horror but..) and I just didn’t love the ending. Creepy, yes. Scary, yeah. Just not my cup of tea.

The Night House A novel by Jo Nesbo pulled me in because of the stunning cover. However, after watching reviews and attempting to read the novel I have decided to not check it out. I hope that this book is for someone else, but it is not for me. Thank you for the early copy!

📞 This book wasn’t even remotely what I expected. I should clarify… it was exactly what I expected until the end and then it became a different book entirely. I haven’t decided yet if I am happy about that or upset to be honest. The ending did make me stop and contemplate everything I just read in this book, and then completely reevaluate the entire story from a different perspective. That was a unique experience.

📞 I honestly can’t say much else about this book without ruining it. It is definitely horror and very strange. There are some crazy, weird things going on and some truly disturbing scenes. But it is also way more than just a horror. Honestly, this is the ultimate unreliable narrator book... and it just might be genius.

📞 When I finished the last page, I was thinking that this story is sort of like if The Wizard of Oz was a horror novel. Good luck figuring that one out!

📞 I think purist horror fans may dislike this book more than casual horror readers because it doesn’t follow the typical horror formula at all. But I thought it was quite a ride and I’m glad I read it.

Thank you @NetGalley and @aaknopf for an eARC of this book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Thank you for the advance copy of this but this really wasn’t my cup of tea. I loved her book The Snowman but this read more to me like a Stephen King novel, which are very hit and miss for ‘em.

The Night House was a decent book, but it wasn’t great. I think it’s because the story was set in three different parts, but the twists didn’t really surprise me. This particular type of story has been done numerous times—and the ending was completely ridiculous (even if it wasn’t true, there’s NO way she would have asked him that.)

One thing I did note is that the character of “Fatso,” which never should have been a character’s name, brought together elements of the two fictional books the narrator tried to read. As to calling someone “Fatso,” what we read has an impression on us. If we keep reading books that make fun of people for being fat, that’s what we, as a society, are going to think is okay. Please stop doing this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Not for me. Did not connect with the characters or story. Might be that some aspects were lost in translation. Could work for others if they find the premise interesting.

Oh. My. Goodness. I'd forgotten just how good a writer Nesbo is. This is the best mystery / horror book I've read in a very long time. Love the main character, love the evil entity, love the premise. IMHO, Jo Nesbo is every bit as talented as Stephen King, and the e-book is almost impossible to put down, even to sleep. Hollywood, this would make a GREAT movie!

I love Thrillers, I also am learning that I really like Horror. But I just feel like I was expecting more from this. In the end I got 50 percent in and it just wasn’t holding my attention any longer. I found that I was getting angry because while disappearances happened in the book that were outlandish for the adults and they even gave the 14 year old a LIE DETECTOR TEST that the events that were happening around it just didn’t seem plausible to me. I felt that there wasn’t as much adult interaction from the kids guaridan and in the end it just wasn’t for me. I will give Jo Nesbo another chance becuase I have heard good things about him.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

I was BLOWN AWAY by Jo Nesbo's The Night House, and I greedily consumed the words, like the treasured treat they comprise!

Honestly, when I saw my favorite mystery author had just penned a horror novel, well, are you familiar with the term to "jump the shark" or "jumped the shark"? If not this phrase harkens back to The Happy Days, a. VERY POPULAR TV series in the United States, which I grew up watching in the 70's.

However,
I was BLOWN AWAY by Jo Nesbo when I saw that my favorite mystery novel author had penned a horror novel.

Well, are you familiar with the term, "jump the shark" or "jumped the shark?" ? (this term harkens back to Happy Days, when Fonzie, the ever popular and cool rebel without (very sexy icon played perfectly by Henry Winkler). The episode that was definitely a bad decision on the part of network exes, it heralded the END of the series, as in the last or one of the last episodes Fonzie dons a pair of swimming briefs (added to, not replacing) his legendary ever present leather jacket, and he travels to the ocean where he jumps over a shark (using a ramp) with his motorcycle...

Much as I love Jo Nesbo, I must admit "oh no, I hope Nesbo didn't jump the shark"I ran through my mind when I saw he had written a horror novel (don't know what to say about his " fart" books, attribute those to a new papa trying to elicit a smile from his kid:'s faces).

Trust the master! Jo Nesbo deliver an amazing mind-bender of a new classic with his new novel,, The Dark House, and this book cannot be easily classified or identified using the standard genres.

Until next time, dear readers, I have indicated this book is definitely worth reading, for those from ages 15-100, It WILL surprise you (and it will run you through the gauntlet of your emotions).

Time for you to pick up a copy, read it, and post a review of your own! 😀

For Harry Hole fans (and you all know who you are) I wanted to provide clarity regarding the name of the main character in ALL OF Jo Nesbo's police procedurals series. The name's translation,, Harry Hole, has, um somewhat negative connotations in the English language. however, the Swedish pronunciation of "Hole' is pronounced "HoleA" (whole"A") which is a soft " h" followed by "Ole!" (think of the sound a matador makes when enraging or "teasing" a bull).

Well, I hope this tips help pull your mind out of the gutter. Before I learned this tip, I hated the instant vision that would pop into my mind, every single time I read that man's name! Personally, I trained myself long ago to read this name as: "wholeA" removing the ugly american connotations produced when those of us reading English translations of Nesbo's novels encounter Mr. Hole:s unfortunate moniker given to the ever present "reluctant hero" if you will of Nesbo's series.

Trust the masterfully talented Jo Nesbo, to deliver an amazing mind-bender of a read, with with his new novel The Night House that cannot be easily classified or identified..

This story is packed full of fun, including a disappearing/reappearing house,, and an evil spirit which is rapidly consuming the young man's friends, as they meet dire ends such as being sucked up in a phone's handset or turned into an insect with a short "shelf life". You have to grab yourself a copy of this book!

As an attribute to other treasured icons, I rate this book: 5 stars, AND (drum roll please) two big thumbs up, a tilt to the head, and a loud, long, and somewhat self_deprecating Fonzie "Aaaaaayeeee". (what can I say, watch an early to mid series episode of the American 70's standard, "Happy Days" to understand this and the shark reference in detail).

Until next time, dear readers, I have indicated this book is definitely worth reading, for those from ages 15-100, It WILL surprise you (and it will run you through the gauntlet of emotions).

Time for you to pick up a copy, read it, and post a review of your own! 😀😉

The Night House follows fourteen year old Richard, an outcast who lives with his aunt and uncle after his parents tragic deaths in a fire. One day Richard bullies his friend into making a prank call, and as a result, sees his friend eaten by the phone. Everyone thinks the disappearance is Richard's fault, and nobody believes him. Unfortunately for Richard, the craziness is just beginning.

In general, I thought this book was fine. Its premise is certainly unique, but I didn't find anything particularly compelling about it. I also think that once the book reveals its hand, the story feels a bit deflated and predictable (I don't want to use any spoilers, but when you get to Part II you'll understand). The horrific elements of The Night House lie in the strangeness of what occurs; if you need gore, violence, or super shocking moments, this book may not be your favorite.

Despite this, I still enjoyed reading the book. The characters are very likeable and for how short the book is they're well-rounded; nobody feels inserted into the story without a reason. The way the story manages to come full circle was satisfying when it was all said and done.

This was my first horror and while I wasn’t completely enamored with this book, I still had a good time in its world. I specifically enjoyed a lot of the ideas in this book and the more psychological, unreliable narrator aspect present throughout, but I also found it to be a bit too jumbled and seemingly random at times. This very well may have been a conscious choice so that readers can really experience Richard’s mental state first hand or it could’ve been more of a translation issue, I’m not sure. I still enjoyed a lot of the foundation of this story and think there was a lot of potential here. Would definitely recommend to people who enjoy a twisty story, slightly meta story, especially with a spooky house and some childhood trauma thrown in!!

***I received an ARC from Knopf Publishing and Netgalley for free and am leaving an honest review***

This is the first book by Jo Nesbo that I’ve read so I was very excited to start it. It is difficult to review due to avoid spoilers but here goes. Richard is a 14-year-old living with his relatives in a small rural town. He moved there after his parents were killed in a fire. Mysterious things happen. Can’t say much more than that without spoiling the plot. I was very disappointed and bored with the amateurish writing, but there is a reason it is written this way (can’t explain due to spoilers). However, I do wonder if something was lost in translation as well. It quickly became a slog to get through this book due to the writing style, and although there was a shocking twist, I also didn’t appreciate this particular trope for many reasons. I would suggest looking up content warnings. Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Jo Nesbo. I love the Harry Hole series and have also enjoyed several stand-alones that I have read. Therefore, I hate to say that I didn't love this book.

I wanted to be fair and give some thought as to what it was about The Night House that didn't resonate with me. I came to the following conclusions:

- The teenage boy narrator didn't work for me at all. I couldn't make any connection with this character and he annoyed me on many levels. Furthermore, this voice made me question whether I was reading an adult horror novel or a young adult book.

- The story was too disjointed for me. While I appreciated the story being broken up into 3 sections, it took me until the very end to understand how they complimented one another to make a whole.

- I felt like character development was lacking and what was there created characters that weren't very likable. Part of me wondered if some of the nuance got lost in translation.

With that said, I did enjoy a few things:

- I liked the overall idea of the story. The Night House is creepy and some scenes (like the telephone booth one) are pretty intense and grabbed my attention.

- The ending was a surprise. I didn't see it coming at all!

- The cover is awesome.

While this wasn't a favorite Nesbo book of mine, I will continue to be a fan and look forward to whatever comes next!

This was my first book by the infamous Jo Nesbo. I have to say, I was surprised. I really liked this book and thought I could predict the ending. However, I did not at all. I think it was really engaging and fun to read, but brought things back to an impactful place in the ending. Well done!

Book : The Night House
Author : Jo Nesbo
Pub Date : 03, Oct 2023

Thank you NetGalley, Knoph, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf, & the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This cover is incredible so we can start off by talking about that old school cover which I live for and love collecting. IN LOVE. This is one of my first books I’ve read from Jo Nesbo and it didn’t disappoint. It was exactly what I thought it was going to be. We follow MC Richard who is taken in by his aunt and uncle after the death of his parents. While living in this small town he finds completely boring—he tries to entertain himself with jokes, pranks and 14yr old boy shenanigans. Quickly enough though, strange things start happening and kids that he has been the last to see or hanging out with start disappearing and the people of the town are starting to point fingers at him.

Through this book we are introduced to this creepy house int he woods called the night house and the secret that this little town has been keeping very hush hush. This book for me was a whole entire mood. I devoured up with book just as quickly as that payphone sucked up Richards friend. I can not wait for October when this book releases! If you haven’t pre-ordered or stuck this book on your TBR quit waiting and do so now. You will not be disappointed.

The Night House was a horror book that I was not expecting! Wow! I went in completely blind, just requested the ARC based off of the cover. I would recommend going in blind too to have the best experience. There’s some pretty gruesome scenes to start off and an unreliable narrator. For a good 60% of the book I had no idea what was going on in the best way possible. It keep me intrigued but also questioning everything. The final twist at the end was shocking and tied up the book nicely. It was so fun connecting all the dots and having that final “ah-ha” moment. I feel like it was the right amount of horror and thriller! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed The Silent Patient or those who love horror in general!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book for free and give my honest feedback and review.