Jo Nesbo's The Night House was a quick, fun read that had a YA haunted monster house vibe…until it abruptly didn’t, and it cycles through a few of those “…until it didn’t” iterations throughout the story. It was the sort of read that you munch cold pizza and guzzle icy diet cokes with on summer vacation while inhaling as many trashy paperback novels as your part-time babysitting money will buy from the musty beachside bookstore in your town with the amazing horror selection. In this story, 14-year-old Richard goes to live with his aunt and uncle after his parents have died in a tragic fire. Coming from a big city to a small town, Richard is lonely and bored on top of grieving the loss of his mom and dad, and is angrily acting out by bullying his classmates...who then begin disappearing in ways that he can't even begin to explain to the authorities (because they are getting sucked into telephone booths and being turned into cicadas and other such horrifying things.) These disappearances also involve a house deep in the woods and a mentally unstable black magic-wielding individual, and the whole thing feels like maybe the whole town has gone a little nuts, or else the whole thing is happening in Richard's head. or maybe, could it be that all of these things are true at once?

Really enjoyed this story, it kept you guessing and slightly distrustful of our narrator. Loved all the characters, and would recommend this quick read!

From the master of the police thriller comes a truly haunting tale. Richard is just 14 but has been plucked from his home with his parents following a tragic fire to live with his Aunt and Uncle. It is difficult for Richard to fit in so he operates around the periperhy of the popular students. One day he bullies a young boy to make a prank call and unlocks a demon or nightmare that seems to never end.

Great haunted story - quick read with a very satisfying ending! #Knopf #Pantheon #Vintage #TheNightHouse #JoNesbo

This book was really fun- I especially enjoyed the genre and time shifts throughout. Very reminiscent of Stephen King, but with the Jo Nesbo flair I've always loved. Will definitely recommend to my students!

My first book by Jo Nesbo which I found to be deliciously twisted, cleverly crafted & highly entertaining. This is a psychological horror story that brings you on a dark & captivating journey. Written in three parts where no one & nothing are as they appear. Plenty of shock & gore with a satisfying conclusion you won’t see coming.

Publish date is October 3, 2023. Pre-order your copy today. You won’t be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor and of course Jo Nesbo for an ARC for my honest review.

3.5 Stars

Campy and nostalgic, reads like a more modern Goosebumps book or an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark. Broken up into three parts, the story fractures and is remade in what reminded me of when you read all the options of a choose your own adventure book. The first part of the book I loved, the second part I liked, the third part felt unnecessary and phoned in, no pun intended.

Very interesting and super unique story. The dream within a dream within a dream storyline. Hard to determine what’s true and not. That being said, part was was so enjoyable and exciting independent of the “was that real” factor. Just great start to a story.

Thanks to Jo Nesbo, NetGalley, and Alfred A. Knopf for providing me and advanced reading copy.

I really liked the mystery and trying to figure out what was happening. Then the real twist happened and I was floored. I didn’t expect that at all but hey it was a really good plot twist but it kind of disappointed me. I wish the ending had been different but it was still great

"Recollections may vary". In Jo Nesbo's latest, THE NIGHT HOUSE, more than recollections are in question as Richard Elauved, who is hardly the most reliable of narrators spins a harrowing story that is never quite what it seems.

OVERVIEW:
Fourteen-year-old orphan Richard Elauved has only been living in the small town of Ballantyne for a short time. His aunt and uncle are trying but RIchard is an outcast at school and in the community. So when his classmate Tom goes missing, no one is going to give the angry outsider the benefit of a doubt. Particularly when Richard's story sounds like something out of a horror movie.
But Richard knows that there is something happening at the old house in the Mirror Forest, something that is using black word magic to reach out and it's coming not only for him but also for the one person who might just believe him.

THOUGHTS
From the very first page, THE NIGHT HOUSE pulls the reader in with Richard's first person narration of his 'new' life in Ballantyne. The painful memories of his parent's deaths shadowing his steps, his unlikely crush on Karen, a self-possessed golden girl well out of his league, and his hostility at being at the bottom of the middle school social hierarchy. Richard is an interesting protagonist, an unlikable bully on the surface but underneath a boy seeking acceptance and perhaps love. THE NIGHT HOUSE is an absorbing story that keeps the reader guessing. Parts II and III are completely unexpected twists that might have readers, at first, thinking that they've started a new book. But these twists only serve to make the story that much more intriguing and ultimately satisfying. Kudos to Jo Nesbo for delivering a novel with the near perfect mix of horror, mystery, and suspense.

RECOMMENDED - 4.5 Stars

Thanks to Net Galley and Knopf for providing this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

When the voices call, don't answer.

The Night House is my first book from Jo Nesbø and I have to say, I'm impressed. I was foremost drawn to this book because of the incredible vintage looking cover, and the creepy, ominous vibes it gives off. Before even reading the synopsis, you know you're in for a wild ride. And a wild ride it was. Reading this was like riding a roller-coaster with blind turns; You just didn't know what's happening next. The first 2/3 reads as a YA horror, and though it wasn't labeled as such, I didn't mind as I regularly read YA horror. The horror moments were great, the premise was promising, but it relied too heavily on a trope (which I can't reveal lest I spoil the ending) that I just don't enjoy. This is what kept me from giving it 5 stars. It helped to think back on the story as though I watched it as a film, and then the twists weren't as jarring.

I still highly recommend The Night House for those that enjoy your not typical horror, YA horror, or if you've just been curious about Jo Nesbø's work. This book is scheduled for publication October 2023.

Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon Vintage, and Anchor for the e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

CAN I GIVE THIS BOOK A MILLION STARS???? Because that's how I feel, and like yall, don't sleep on this one and get your pre-orders in like YESTERDAY because this book is everything and more, and I never wanted it to end.

So, anyway... I am so thankful to Jo Nesbø, NetGalley, and Knopf for sending me an advanced copy that I dropped everything to read and let me just tell you, in less than 24 hours, I was taken on an absolute TRIP and it served me horror flick nightmares (but like the good kind) and I am petitioning for this baby to get made into a movie ASAP, so I can add it to my list of comfort watches forever and ever amen.

Our MC, Richard, is new to Ballantyne and hates it already. After the tragic death of his parents, he has been taken in by his aunt and uncle and is so bored, but enjoys playing pranks on his friends, or frenemies, per see. One day he dares stuttering Tom to call a man in the phonebook as a crank call, and it doesn't end as Richard foresaw. Tom got eaten up by the phone... and then later on, his pal Jack, or Fatso as he likes to call him, turned into a cicada and flew away... Straight outta a horror movie, yall.

Something sinister is happening in Ballantyne, and it's likely all at the hands of a local serial killer/asylum escapee who lives in The Night House. It's up to Richard and his crush, Karen, to stop the madness and the killings from spawning.

15 years later, Richard returns to Ballantyne after his literary success, inspired by his childhood nightmares, and something about the town isn't quite the same. In fact, something about Richard isn't quite the same, and just wait until Part 3 because I promise you're jaw will permanently hang open as you figure you might have been bamboozled by an unreliable narrator...

Anyway, The Night House hits shelves on October 3, 2023, and take my word for it... pre-order it NOW!

It pains me to rate anything written by Jo Nesbo less than superlative (5 Stars), however, “Night House,” just doesn’t live up to his tense psychological mystery-thriller vibe. Much of this may be due to Neil Smith’s heavy-handed translation that is a like Frankenstein ambling through the village.

TheBookMaven graciously thanks NetGalley, Author Jo Nesbo, Publisher Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for this Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) for review.

I was so excited to get a copy of The Night House. I was in the mood for a slasher horror so couldn’t wait. However, it wasn’t long before I was questioning my choice to pick this one up. The book started out fine and jumped right into the action. I really wanted to like the main character, but I quickly started to dislike him based on how fatphobic he was. He referred to another little boy as “fatso” and then when he finally learned his name, he referred to him as “fat Jack”. How horrible. I get that he is a 14-year-old boy, but this is not acceptable. As I continued with the story it became apparent that there was also some homophobia and misogyny in this book. This is not the type of book that I enjoy reading, and I seriously hope these are not the view of the author.

Thank you so much to the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review

This was an incredibly good creepy novel that took me completely by surprise..twice! Of course, that's what it's supposed to do and, without giving spoilers, it's a mind bending book that accomplishes that goal.

Our main protagonist is a teenage boy named Richard. He witnesses two of his friends die in the most bizarre and unimaginable ways possible. Nobody believes him because these deaths are, well, unbelievable at best. But what's really going on with Richard?

I can't say anything further because it's something you have to read for yourself and I think it's best to go in blind. It's shocking, surprising, and you definitely won't know where things are going until the end! I highly recommend this novel. It's fantastic!

This book is dark! True horror fans will eat this up! It starts off with gritty horror and it never stops. Great story and characters.
I just reviewed The Night House by Jo Nesbo. #TheNightHouse #NetGalley
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This was an incredibly good creepy novel that took me completely by surprise..twice! Of course, that's what it's supposed to do and, without giving spoilers, it's a mind bending book that accomplishes that goal.

Our main protagonist is a teenage boy named Richard. He witnesses two of his friends die in the most bizarre and unimaginable ways possible. Nobody believes him because these deaths are, well, unbelievable at best. But what's really going on with Richard?

I can't say anything further because it's something you have to read for yourself and I think it's best to go in blind. It's shocking, surprising, and you definitely won't know where things are going until the end! I highly recommend this novel. It's fantastic!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Night House.

I'm a big fan of the author's Harry Hole series so when I saw he has a new book coming out, and it's horror, I had to request it.

I was pretty excited to read something new from the author that didn't have to do with Harry Hole or crime. He's a very talented writer, skilled at character development and world-building.

The novel began strangely so obviously, that sucked me in. I wanted to know more.

You knew something strange is going on, but what?

I wasn't a fan of Richard, and the way he was written, purposely loosely sketched by the author, means something isn't all right with him.

Mr. Nesbo does keep you guessing, and I knew he had a trick up his sleeve.

The thing is, I guessed part of the revelation midway through the book, but that's only because i read a lot of books in this genre so my mind was already going there.

It was okay, nothing earth shattering, though I was hoping for something flat-out horrifying.

What I do like about the author, besides his great writing, is that most of his books end on a hopeful note.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book. I really wanted to like this book but honestly found the "creature" so dumb. I couldn't do it.

The Night House tells the creepy, campy tale of Richard Elauved, a 14 year old boy who has recently lost both of his parents and moved to the small town of Ballantyne. Soon after his arrival, his classmates start to go missing in horrifyingly supernatural fashion, and it doesn't take much for the town to quickly turn on Richard.

I've read and been a fan of Nesbo's writing in the past. His familiar writing style is certainly present here, and he tells a fast-paced, twisted tale from start to finish. It is gory in a very slasher film sort of way, so if you're looking for that sort of book, this might be a good one for you.

For me, personally, the book was difficult to get through and get lost in, because the story was riddled with casual instances of fatphobia, homophobia, and misogyny. For example, our narrator continuously refers to one character only as Fatso (and then Fat Jack, once he bothered to learn the boy's actual name). As one scene between Richard and this character (just Jack) plays out, the constant use of this 'nickname' made me want to put the book down more than once. Maybe this could be attributed to the narrator being a 14 year old boy, but I still did not enjoy it as a reader. I pushed through it and, upon reaching the twist, I'm not sure that it was worth it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book.

I found The Night House a seemingly a Horror Book because it was written 3 different ways and you could chose which one you thought seemed to be the scariest one. Or not, if that is you answer. I read them as if they were in order, they seemed to be. But the main heroine seemed to change in every account. We didn't get the answers to what happened to the characters in the second version, they just appeared. Jo gave us the choice to choose which version we were willing to accept. In the third version he actually had our hero become a writer. He does in all his stories.