Eight-year-old Bela's family is threatened by the presence of Other Mommy, a sinister entity persistently asking to enter her heart. As terrifying events escalate, Bela realizes that refusing Other Mommy's request may endanger her family. When the strain on her parents' relationship grows, Bela faces a difficult choice.

This story is narrated by Bela, which I thought was unique, but it definitely shows in the writing (lacks grammar and punctuation). It’s creepy but also unbelievable… there’s no way an 8-year-old would have kept quiet about or enjoyed visits from Other Mommy, especially given what she looks like. If she presented as a child or a woman it would be more believable. Also, Bela refers to her father as “Daddo” which is rough. The ending felt abrupt but that was probably the point.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I haven't read a book this chilling in sooo long! So good, full of the good cliches. And they start from chapter one! I thought the middle was dragging and the end was boring, but until it got dragging, I really liked it!

This story being told from a child's perspective was a CHOICE but was done perfectly, as I would have expected no less from Malerman. His work is so delightfully creepy and has the ability to immediately get under my skin but make me love it in the process. This was a wild ride and the creeping sense of dread throughout kept me hooked. Definitely recommend for lovers of Malerman's previous work!

Big thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey Publishing for my review copy!

If you can imagine a tiny spider slowly climbing under your shirt and up your spine, you can imagine how I felt for massive periods of the time I spent inside this book.

"Incidents Around the House" is written from the perspective of a little girl named Bela who has a "friend" who "lives" in the closet and requests that she be referred to as "Other Mommy."

As Other Mommy's presence becomes increasingly profound in all areas of Bela and her parents' lives, we begin to learn that Other Mommy is not the ONLY cause of said "household incidents."

The haunting is perhaps related to family dynamics, growing pains, and loss of innocence.

Or maybe it's not.

I friggin LOVED IT.
Malerman had me doing the hokey pokey to shake out the heebie-jeebies with this 5-star banger!

I was looking forward to reading this book, but I found it very disappointing. I never read other reviews only the synopsis to get a general sense of what the story is about. For me, the book was never scary. The demon I have not a clue as to what it looks like other than it can shape shift into other people, that it appears to be melting, crawling or slithering along the floor or wall. The people who have physically seen it are “changed forever” by seeing it. I wanted more details of this demonic creature that wants so badly to be reincarnated.
I felt no connection to the characters. Bela is an 8 year old girl and the story is told by her. Her parents are clueless. Mom is always angry, whining about the injustice of it all, yet she is the one doing unscrupulous deeds behind her husbands back, and mistrusting. Dad, the optimist, is just that. The only character I really liked was grandma Ruth. She’s the hard truthful tell it like it is character we can all relate to.
Then there is the format of the text. I’m not sure why it was done this way, but, it feels more like a manuscript. There are also some confusing holes in the story, such as, what happened to grandmas dog? It was there when they all ran out of the house, they didn’t appear to take it with the group and yet they were gone for a couple days. I could have entirely missed that part.
All of all, this book really wasn’t for me. I wanted so much more scare.

Thank you to #netgalley and #randomhousepublishing for the ARC of Incidents Around the House

This is not a new story, but it’s deliciously scary and I was hooked from the start (even put off finishing it to savor the sublime spookiness).

I wanted to love this because I enjoyed Bird Box. I could not enjoy this at all due to the writing and the way it was told from a child's perspective. A couple of chapters once in a while of this would have been fine, but I could not stand it throughout a whole book. Sorry to say this wasn't for me.

Ugh, I wish I felt better about this book! I think the premise is interesting and I could totally see why some people would really like it because of the themes explored, but it really felt flat for me. I didn’t think it was scary at any point and not only did I end up not liking the narration taking place from a child’s POV, I don’t think the messages can be explored fully enough because it’s a child. You end up getting monologues from the adults to the child and I just didn’t like that.

One of the best horror novels of the 21st century. Josh Malerman has written an instant classic that needs to be brought to the screen. Incidents Around the House is what happens when Sara Gran's Come Closer meets <i>Poltergeist</i>. It's eerie and chilling and "Other Mommy" is unlike the typical malevolent spirits you might come across in novels of this genre.

The ending may surprise some. I was satisfied with it, though others may have expected more of a payoff after all the family goes through to save their daughter and their sanity.

It would be an injustice for this book to not top the bestseller lists this summer.

Man what a wild ride. The story is about a little girl who starts seeing someone called "Other Mommy", and the effects on herself and her parents. The writing was well done, from the viewpoint of a young child, and very compelling. So much so that I legitimately read this in a day. The character development was amazing, making it very clearly something that you could NOT put down unless you absolutely had to! I found myself sneaking off to read a few pages throughout different parts of the day, and I am sure it will be no different for anyone else. I would highly recommend this if you enjoy thrillers or horror, or any of Josh Malerman's previous books.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Incidents Around the House is like a creeping dread that builds to a crescendo. This story follows the main character, a child named Bela who is experiencing a strange and most dreadful haunting. Bela, Mommy, Daddo, and other Mommy are the characters that make this book tick.

Who is other Mommy? And why in the name of all that is good does she keep asking Bela if she can come into her heart for Carnations? Why would Bela have Carnations inside her? Well she doesn't, but that is not what other Mommy wants, this creepy entity wants reincarnation.

As other Mommy becomes a more and more intense and horrifying presence. This story gets scarier and scarier. The family tries to outrun other Mommy but this oozing hairy weird thing won't give up.

It is an addictive read, truly terrifying and the scariness builds in layers. Will they escape other Mommy, or is it all destined to fail? A truly weird, unique, and creative haunting told from the perspective of a child.

Number of times I put this book down because I was too scared and needed a break: 2
Number of nights I laid awake after reading this thinking holy fuck what if that thing is in here: 3
Number of stars I give Incidents Around the House: 5

If you've gotten this far and are reading this review just do yourself a favor and read this book. I think it's worth it.

Thanks NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thanks Josh Malerman for giving me nightmares.

Some of my favorite creepy books involve children and this one is a double whammy as the narrator is eight year old Bela. Watching the story unfold through her eyes really ups the creep factor. I adjusted to the style of narration quickly, but it may be difficult for some. Try to stick with it because it's worth it. I won't rehash the story; just get the book, clear off some time, read, and enjoy! It's a great horror story and you will be thinking of Bela for awhile.

3.25/5

It took me a bit to get into the writing style of this book (everything's written in the voice of a 5 year old little girl) but once I got used to it, I was hooked on this story

Unfortunately, the only thing that lost me was the very end. It kinda broke the suspense and knocked me out of the horror mood :(

thanks… netgalley….
thanks josh….
just over here traumatized
what in the holy hell
this was downright terrifying
the fact words on a page can give so much fear
even the parts about life and parenting and just being a person were scary
i felt so tense reading this
dread in looming form
reminded me of IT in a way
feeding off negative energy
jesus christ this was a heavy and sad book.
was bela only 4? my heart is heavy and no you can’t go in it
highly highly highly recommend

Bela has an invisible friend that she calls Other Mother. Gradually, Other Mother becomes meaner and more desperate, and less invisible. She becomes a problem for the whole family to solve.

I can’t tell if I find the odd formatting annoying or if I just feels that way because I read this as an eARC. I’m also not a fan of the ending. The references to Goblin were fun, though. I was really enjoying it all up until the last few chapters when it became clear that the story wasn’t going where I wanted it to

My first Josh Malerman book and not my last. And not only because I found out he was a fellow Michigander.

Thank you to Netgalley for choosing me to read this arc

Bela is an 8 year old child immersed in a troubled family and one of her only real friends is an entity named "other mother". We follow the family as they deal with their domestic issues as well as deal with the trouble Other Mother is bringing into their home.

"Can I go Into your heart ?"

So this book is great! It very much creeped me out a few times. It is written in Bela's perspective so that took a little getting used to. The book reads fast. I was a let down by the end. It was sort of anti climatic. It made the whole story be set up as a this or that will happen instead of taking the opportunity to put in a fun twist. It was almost like the middle of the story sort of dragged a bit and then the ending was too fast. But overall I will recommend my friends to read the book when it is released this summer

Well, I must be broken because this book did not creep me out at all. The writing style was an interesting choice, not one that I can say I was a fan of. It made me read a little faster but it did nothing to boost the story. I found some enjoyment in the beginning but half way through, I couldn't wait to be done. It was repetitive with almost nothing going on and the little that did happen ended up being a complete waste of time. The adults, specifically the parents, were so dumb and useless. All the mom and "daddo" (I seriously hated that nickname) did was trauma dump on their 8 year old daughter. And the ending? It left a lot to be desired. Perhaps this would be better as a movie than it was a book.

Josh Malerman’s ‘Incidents Around the House’ is genuinely spine-chilling! It stands out as one of the most terrifying haunted house novels I’ve encountered in quite some time.

The story starts with Bela, our narrator and an 8 year old girl, who is being visited by an entity that lives her in closet, who she calls “Other Mommy”. Initially a comforting presence, Bela’s fear escalates as “Other Mommy” becomes more persistent in something she wants from her. Soon both her parents, and other adults, begin to see this entity as well. Malerman’s vivid descriptions, from “Other Mommy’s” dreadful presence to its unsettling scent, left me so unnerved that I’ll forever ensure my closet remains firmly shut at night.

This is hands down one of the finest horror tales I’ve read. The choice of Bela as the narrator added an extra layer of tension and unease, making it exceptionally gripping. Beyond its chilling nature, the narrative also encompasses moving reflections on life, innocence, and parenthood, enriching the story with depth and emotion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey, and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story is told from the POV of Bela, an 8-year-old girl, and the author really leaned into that. The writing style is strange and choppy, the dialogue is stream-of-consciousness with immature grammar and no punctuation, and the adults are basically wallpaper. This made it very hard to focus on what was going on, let alone get scared by any of the horror elements. I only made it about 10% in when I realized I couldn’t finish.
I think this might be just a stylistic preference as most reviewers found this book exciting and scary. I’m bummed I didn’t make it far enough to enjoy it.
Thank you to Random House – Ballantine and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.