This book was VERY enjoyable! Having the book from the child's point of view was very interesting, with everything she did and didn't understand. It was a very interesting look at how a family might actually react to something being in their house and stalking their daughter. The ways they tried to fight against the entity were really interesting, and the climax and conclusion of the book were stunning.

Y’all!! This book? Absolutely unhinged horror brilliance. Josh Malerman reaches into your chest, squeezes, and asks—can he go inside your heart? Because that’s exactly what Other Mommy keeps whispering to eight-year-old Bela… every single day.

Bela’s world should be full of family dinners and grandma hugs—not shadowy entities with way too much interest in her soul. But when “incidents” start happening (and trust me, they’re nightmare fuel), it’s clear Other Mommy is getting impatient. And if Bela doesn’t say yes soon, her family’s safety might be the next thing to vanish.

Malerman masterfully blends childhood innocence with full-throttle dread. The house creaks with menace, the air practically buzzes with tension, and every “Mommy?” might be the last safe one. It’s creepy, clever, and gut-punch emotional.

Fast-paced, skin-prickling, and wholly original, Incidents Around the House is horror with heart—and teeth. Read it with the lights on. And maybe tell your walls to behave.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey for this review copy via NetGalley for my honest, voluntary review.

#IncidentsAroundTheHouse #NetGalley #JoshMalerman #HorrorFiction

Did not get to read - have way too many books on the shelf. Need to clear some out. Hope to get to this one in the future though.

Started strong with some genuinely creepy, skin-crawling moments as we learn about “other mommy,” who was easily one of the most disturbing and memorable elements of the book. The atmosphere early on was tense and full of dread, and I think the voice of the little girl worked really well.

What I didn't like were those rambling never-ending monologues the parents were saying when they thought their daughter was asleep. Those pages really took me out of the book and bored me.

That said, Malerman still delivers a unique, unsettling experience, and if you’re into horror that leans more psychological and eerie than gory, it’s definitely worth reading!

This was shockingly bad. I was never scared. Creeped out a bit, sure. But there was nothing scary about this book except how bad it was.

What I liked: I enjoyed the narration from the child's POV (the audiobook was done well), Other Mommy was pretty creepy in the way she was described.

What I didn't like: Just about everything else. Not having quotations around dialogue. The stunted dialogue cause it was from a child's POV. Every adult was awful and failed. The ending? No thanks.

If I hadn't read this as part of my book club, I would have DNFd and looked up spoilers. I was so bored.

**Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing/Del Ray for providing this ebook. All opinions are my own.**

Overall I really liked it!! First I’ve read by this author. So creepy and scary!! Can’t imagine being the child or the parent! There was a part towards the end I thought was unnecessary but that’s just my opinion. Adult subject being discussed with child but minor blip. I did like the conclusion. I will read more by this author! Moving towards my horror ERA

NetGalley review: Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman is a creepy thrill ride.

I think that what made it extra creepy for me was it being a horror story written from the pov of an eight year old child. Other mommy gave me the chills. Although I’m not a huge horror fan, there are some horror authors I love (Stephen King mainly), but I’ll be adding Josh Malerman to that list.

If you’re a fan of either ghost stories, possession stories or horror in general, you’ll like this one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to the publisher for providing me a copy of this work. Since it had already come out I was able to also get the audiobook and listen while I read. I have to say that the premise of this book being written from the perspective of the child was very intriguing and the style the book was written in was unique as well.

I spent just two days reading this book as I found myself needing to know more about this family, more about Bela, and then in turn more about the distinction marriage of Ursula and Ross. I felt bad for Ross throughout the book only to understand that it’s rightly so with feeling bad. Nice guys do finish last and that’s all I’ll say about the relationship between the two parents.

I thoroughly enjoyed each time Other Mommy showed up and how she became more and more bold as the book played out. This had great ghost story, monster-like vibes but it wasn’t the best in its execution all the time. You never really know if Other Mommy is at fault or if it’s the imagination that often runs wild, especially in the dark. Lois was a great character addition as she brought some hopeful advice to the couple as did Ruth, the grandmother.

I wanted to say that I loved the ending but I cannot. I figured that’s what had to happen as it was building to it. One of the best aspects of this book, well I should say the audiobook, was the voice actor that read the book. I read many reviews that said the audiobook was terrible and that just isn’t correct. If I were you I would listen rather than read as the voice actor does a superb job.

Overall, I did enjoy the book. I had moments of tense uneasy, so well developed characters, but also so slow points. I understand that the relationship strains were a big part of the book and understanding why this may be happening but I found them to be the weakest.

What a spooky thrill. Had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Thank you for my copy of this book!!

Incidents around the House was just okay for me. Many people are saying how scary this one was for them, and I'm trying to figure out what exactly scared them, because nothing about the story was scary for me. It almost makes me wonder what exactly is wrong with me for thinking that this was a walk in the park. I found the other mom a little creepy, though. I do kind of wish we got more of her, a bit.

I gave this a four out of five stars.

I really enjoyed reading this, it was a pretty fast read. I felt like I would devour this book every time I sat down to read this.

Even though I guessed the ending of this book I really enjoyed reading this!

This is the first Josh Malerman book that I’ve read. I picked a weird one to start with, but by the looks of it, Malerman has a lot of weird in his storylines. This one is fun though. Fun and disturbing with a couple of truly scary spots.

I don’t have many instances where I’ve felt a part was scary in a book and this one had two!

It’s a ghost story, monster story and possession story all rolled up into a family drama with a bit of coming of age rolled up into there, too.

The central character is Bela. She’s eight years old. The story is told in the first person from her perspective. It’s being told from the perspective of an eight year old, so you have to try to puzzle it out as though an actual child was telling you the story.

That part is fun and adds to the mystery.

There’s an entity that Bela calls “other mommy” and she is truly scary. She gets scarier as she develops and more is revealed.

Bela’s mom and dad are also very important characters in the story, but they are my biggest problem with the story. I didn’t like either of them for different reasons and in several instances, they hurt the story for me by making it hard to suspend disbelief.

Overall I did enjoy the book. I’d like to get a nice copy for the shelf if a limited edition is published. I will also read more from Josh Malerman as he wrote a good one here.

I’d like to start by thanking Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for granting me early access to read this book.

That said, I unfortunately didn’t enjoy it. I found myself rushing through just to finish, rather than being engaged in the story. The author’s writing style didn’t resonate with me, and I struggled to connect with the characters.

While this one wasn’t for me, I appreciate the opportunity to read it.

I'll admit it right up front: I rarely read horror. It’s just not a genre I gravitate toward. But I was intrigued by the premise of Incidents Around the House, and I’m glad I gave it a shot—even if it left me unsettled (in the way horror fans probably love).

Told through the eyes of eight-year-old Bela, this book is eerie, disturbing, and deeply psychological. The voice of a child narrator added a unique, haunting layer that made the tension feel even more real. Bela’s interactions with the terrifying “Other Mommy” had a dreamlike, nightmarish quality that kept me on edge throughout.

What worked best for me was the emotional undercurrent—this isn’t just a haunted house story, it’s a portrait of a family unraveling, with a supernatural twist that mirrors the very real cracks in their foundation. I appreciated that depth, even as the horror elements pushed me out of my comfort zone.

While it didn’t fully hit the mark for me in terms of personal enjoyment (mostly because horror just isn’t my usual cup of tea), I can still recognize the craft and the originality here. Josh Malerman knows how to create atmosphere and unease in a way that lingers.

Creepy, imaginative, and unnerving—Incidents Around the House is a solid pick for horror lovers who want something a little different, told from a chillingly innocent point of view.

Incidents Around the House is a beautifully eerie and inventive collection that showcases Josh Malerman’s talent for blending suspense with the strange and unexpected. Each story feels like a little puzzle—sometimes unsettling, sometimes haunting, but always gripping.

Malerman’s writing is sharp and atmospheric, pulling you in with vivid details and a strong sense of mood. It’s a perfect pick if you like stories that keep you guessing and love a little darkness with your fiction.

If you enjoy short stories that mix mystery, the supernatural, and a bit of psychological edge, this collection is definitely worth checking out.

I really wanted to love this one—Malerman's concept is eerie and imaginative, and the story of “Other Mommy” absolutely has unsettling potential. Unfortunately, the unique formatting and typographic style made it hard for me to stay engaged. While I can usually handle experimental prose, the persistent use here distracted from the narrative. That said, the horror elements are strong and the premise is chilling. If you're into unconventional storytelling and don’t mind a challenge in formatting, it may work better for you. Solid concept, just not the right fit for my reading style.

Josh Malerman’s Incidents Around the House is a haunting, tightly-wound domestic horror story told entirely through the lens of a child’s eyes. With its eerie tone, it’s a novel that creeps under your skin slowly, but steadily.

The story centers on Bela, an eight-year-old girl who begins seeing an invisible presence she calls “Other Mommy.” At first, it’s easy for her parents to chalk this up to normal childhood fantasy. After all, many children have imaginary friends, until “Other Mommy” becomes more persistent—and more terrifying. Every day, the entity asks Bela the same chilling question: “Can I go inside your heart?” The tension builds from that single line, as we begin to understand that what’s happening to Bela may be far more than imaginary.

What makes this novel so unsettling is its perspective. Malerman’s choice to stick closely to eight-year-old Bela’s point of view gives the book a disorienting quality. It’s a bold narrative style that won’t work for everyone, but for Malerman, it serves the story’s creeping dread incredibly well. I picked this one up in audiobook as well, and let me tell you, Delanie Nicole Gill gives life to Bela in the creepiest way.

This is less of a jump-scare horror novel and more of a slow horrific boil. The horror grows not from gore or violence, but from emotional unease and the erosion of safety in the home. You know it's only a matter of time until it spills over, but you can't look away.

Some readers may find the repetition or ambiguity frustrating—particularly if they prefer clean answers or fast-paced horror—but for those who appreciate character-driven, atmospheric terror, Incidents Around the House delivers. Malerman crafts a tale that is both terrifying and poignant, leaving readers to ponder the true nature of the horrors that lurk within our homes and hearts.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this arc! This book had a few jump scares which i think is incredibly hard to do in writing, but the ending was lacking and I think Bela’s dialogue was very mature for a girl her age. Overall a quick read, and i like how it was set up!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just odd. I was scared at some points with the "other mommy" but most of the occurrences just seemed comical at times. It was also very offputting that this is coming from a young child's perspective and the parents are literally talking to her as if she were an adult and can comprehend complex discussions. There were also a lot of plot holes leading to a choppy conclusion that just didn't make sense.

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman is a chilling novel that delivers a claustrophobic, psychological horror grounded in the mundane. Told from the perspective of young Bela, the story captures the eerie atmosphere of a home slowly being overtaken by an unseen presence. The “creepy entity” that Bela sees—and her parents do not—lurks at the edges of their house, at first ambiguous and unsettling, then increasingly menacing. Malerman plays expertly with perspective, making readers question what is real and what is imagined.

The novel excels in tone and mood. The tension is slow-building, and the child’s voice is authentically rendered, adding a layer of vulnerability. The idea of a malevolent figure quietly “moving in” is deeply unnerving, made worse by the adults’ dismissal of Bela’s warnings.

However, while the setup is gripping, the middle portion becomes repetitive. The narrative relies on similar beats—Bela sees the entity, her parents so see the entity and continue trying to escape it—which dilutes the suspense over time. The lack of escalation or variety in how the threat manifests causes the tension to plateau before the conclusion. Still, Incidents Around the House is a creepy, well-written tale, just one that might have benefitted from tighter pacing or a bit more narrative progression.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley & Del Rey for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!