When I got approved to read the new Josh Malerman I was on cloud nine! I’m a big Maler-fan (sorry corny), and I don’t think that there have been any of his backlist that I haven’t enjoyed. But y’all this one was an absolute highlight, and dare I say my favorite one yet!! Finally a book that is SCARY. Like I haven’t felt genuinely unnerved like this in such a long time! The premise is fairly simple, a little girl - Bela- (the whole book is told through her perspective) is seeing an entity she calls Other Mommy. As Other Mommy gets more and more aggressive and present in her life, and even more horrifying, other people begin to see her, her parents try and band together to protect their daughter at any cost. This book was so heartbreaking and so well structured, everything we learn as Bela learns it and understands it as Bela understands it. It’s disorienting and so incredibly creepy. I can’t recommend this book enough!

Really wanted to like this book based on the summary but I couldn’t get past it being told by a child. It was hard to read the unfinished sentences and I just couldn’t do it DNF at 40%

I don’t want to go into too many specifics about the plot with this review, because I had such a good experience reading this and I think that going in with minimal information is the way to do it.

So obviously, any novel that claims to be about a little girl haunted by something called "The Other Mommy" immediately makes me think of Coraline, which isn't a bad thing. I love Coraline, and the Other Mother in that story is absolutely horrifying. I can now say that the Other Mommy in Malerman's book is equally frightening but in different ways. Even though I was already a supporter of his work, (I'm a big Birdbox fan), I was a bit wary going into this. The early reviews were SO over-the-top, making this sound like the next Exorcist. Surely, I thought, it can't actually be that creepy. People must be exaggerating. (Turns out, they weren't!) If you are looking for bloody, violent horror, this won't be your thing. But if you want a chilling, thought-provoking story with plenty of spooky imagery then you might just love this one. It's the kind of story that has you jumping at shadows, or locking the closet.

The narrative is told from the perspective of a child, which can be tricky to pull off. It is very effective here, and manages to be both believable and comfortable, never slipping into annoying territory. Bela is very brave considering everything that's happening, but she's also incredibly worried about the fact that her parents are fighting and this book is so real for adding that layer to the horror. Not only is she being pursued by a monster, but her family is going through marital problems simultaneously and this kid is experiencing serious anxiety over all of it in real time. It’s so stressful and heartbreaking. The dynamic between the parents was great and they were good, complex characters. They were real and flawed.

This novel manages to create the elusive literary jumpscare! I was ON EDGE like very few books have managed to do, making me feel like something scary was about to happen at any moment. Because frequently, it did! The buildup of tension was so capable, and it was sustained throughout most of the story. I do want to bring up that there's a bit of “It Follows” in this plot, which I think I also mentioned in my review of Malerman’s book “Daphne.” Maybe he’s very inspired by that movie?

If I have to knock any points off, I wasn’t a huge fan of the big monologues that the parents sometimes had when they spoke to Bela, but even then the dialogue was pretty decent so I can’t complain about it too much. And then, the dread that was building up in the last several chapters...I was thinking, “Malerman, where are you going with this?!” But then, unfortunately, the story ended pretty much how I was expecting it to and I was disappointed. I'm still giving this a five-star rating because the reading experience was so scary and exciting overall. I think there were a lot of deeper things going on here metaphorically about family dynamics that I can't really analyze in detail without getting into spoilers. In fact, aside from being an effectively frightening horror story on the surface, I'm pretty sure the entire thing was also a big analogy. Malerman is a very smart writer and storyteller, and it was an honor to read this early.

Thank you SO MUCH to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for my honest review! All opinions are my own.

What if your imaginary friend isn't so imaginary? Or friendly?

This is what eight-year-old Bela's life has become as her imaginary friend, Other Mommy, goes from friend to fiend by asking the same question over and over: "Can I go into your heart?"

What follows kept me on the edge of my seat and made me regret having to put it down to deal with life as I just wanted to see what would happen to Bela and her parents. How would they deal with Other Mommy? How would it end for everyone?

This was my first Josh Malerman and I am impressed. I have been trying to find a horror novel that made me feel like this one did, and I was actually unnerved while reading it. The descriptions of Other Mommy were disturbing to say the least.

I will say that I wasn't especially satisfied with the ending, however there was an air of inevitability about it, like Other Mommy looming over the reader, waiting to pounce. And though I felt like some of the characters didn't react particularly realistically, and Bela read a little younger than an eight-year-old, I enjoyed it. It was a very quick read and I enjoyed the writing style.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved that this book was told from the perspective of the little girl. It was a very dark and creepy story, an absolutely unique horror story.

I was invested. The outcome felt inevitable, but that didn't stop me from wanting to read the journey.

I thought the perspective on this one was interesting, though I'm still not sure how old Bela was, perhaps a detail I missed somewhere along the way. Telling the story through the lens of a child gives it a certain glossy quality that I found extremely powerful.

I powered through, as I'm sure many will, and I was with it until the last few lines. I'm not sure I understood the where which is all I can say without saying to much.

This book captures my current internal struggle of feeling both trapped in my house and haunted by myself. I am an anxious person who is sick with the flu, if that makes things clearer. I love all of Josh’s books that I have read and this might be one of my new favorites.

I really, really wanted to like this as the reviews really tout it's spooky nature! But the writing style being from a child, I truly couldn't push through. It was suppose to be from the perspective of an 8 year old but read more like a 4-5 year old and it was just too much for me. Sadly I DNF'd.

It’s been a while since I’ve read anything by Josh Malerman but I’m glad I requested this from @Netgalley. Incidents Around The House is told from the perspective of a young child. I feel that it really works to create a spine-tingling story of terror. I don’t want to go into the plot much because I feel like it’s best to go into this one blind and without anything given away. I will say this much about it though only because it’s noted in the synopsis. This is a story about a girl who’s seeing a woman in her closet who she calls “Other Mommy”. I’m not going to lie I was freaked out a few times while reading this at night especially when something would make a noise at night. I really enjoyed this one but there were a few things I didn’t love near the end. This would make a great movie though. This is a solid horror novel that you should definitely read with your lights on.

𝟯.𝟱 ⭐️
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿
𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟰, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰
𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁: 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲

Josh Malerman never disappoints! This was such a thriller. I had my heart beating so fast. This was actually one that I could not read before bed, if I did I made sure to watch something after, before I slept. This is definitely favorite and I bet will be top 5 this year for sure. Definitely going to recommend!

This was, hands down, the absolute creepiest book I have read. It takes a lot to scare me and I usually just roll my eyes at horror books. But this had my heart RACING. The fact that it was from a child’s point of view was so unique and made it incredibly fast paced. Easily in my top 5 favorite books.

I ended up deciding not to finish this read. I want able to look past the POV being done from a child’s eyes. I wish the best of luck to this author in their future endeavors!

This book is wild! Incidents Around the House scared the crap out of me, I'll be sleeping with the closet door closed from now on. I read Birdbox years ago and it still stands as my all time favorite horror book. I've read many books by Josh Malerman since and haven't found one that I would even compare to Birdbox until now. I've found most of them to be weird, but not really scary. Not the case with Incidents Around the House. I was looking for a good scare and it delivered. I'll remember this book for a long time. This book will be published June 25th, 2024, so check it out. Well done!
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Every author has a unique voice that is developed and becomes apparent in their works. Josh Malerman is unlike every author in that if not for his name on the books or some of the references to Goblin, Chaps etc... I would not know it was written by the same person. Every book I’ve read from him has a unique writing style that is unlike his previous works. (I guess he’s unique in that sense haha.) Incidents Around the House is no exception. A truly terrifying and chilling story from beginning to end. A complex and layered story told from a child’s perspective that showcases Josh’s talent in storytelling. There’s scenes in this book that I’m still trying to shake off. Highly recommend this book looking for a good scare.

Genuinely creepy with an interesting POV from a young narrator. Malerman doles out the scares while examining a family disintegrating in real time. Frightening imagery balanced with heartfelt sentiments make this book an engaging page turner.

This was SO good. It was creepy the whole way through and I felt uneasy while reading it. This will probably end up being my favorite book of the year.

Incidents Around the House is nothing short of horrifying. I was shocked and terrified from the first pages of this book. The whole book is told through then perspective of a child and I think Malerman nailed the fear, at fist as a reader you're almost like the parent wondering what is actually real and what's being exaggerated by the child's imagination.
As the book goes on, it just gets worse, and worse. It's so unsettling it gets in the space between your skin cells. I love Malerman's style of writing it's always a unique treat and it's especially so in this book. If you are a fan of being absolutely freaked out, read it. NOW.

Ooo this book!

I’m always looking for books about possession, but let’s be honest there are not a lot of options. The Exorcist still stands as one of my favorite books of all time and I would easily say Incidents Around the House holds a flame to it. I devoured this book.

I literally stayed up late, couldn’t put it down. The atmosphere is absolutely frightening and there were moments I had to look over my shoulder. I recall listening to all the bumps in the night and instantly thinking of this book. It’s scary, it’s creepy, it’s full of surprises. The ending was unexpected and not typical which I adored.

Written from the perspective of a child, Josh Malerman slayed. It’s like Bela is real and I could see a lot of her characteristics and interactions in my own daughters of similar age.

Characters are flawed, perfectly and the interactions between them are organic.

I don’t want to spoil too much about the “entity” so go in blind and let go of every trope you associate with possession/demon books or movies.

Incidents Around the House is a treat for us seeking books about possession and one that will shock and wow you. I expect this book to have a lot of hype and it’s well worth it.

I'll always jump on a new Malerman release as soon as I can. Malerman has a writing voice I can really grab on to, and this was no exception. even if it's different from his previous books. This one is written from the perspective of an eight-year-old girl, a POV Malerman makes very believable in its innocence and curiosity. At times, this book was genuinely frightening and had some of the best literary jumpscares I've yet read. How can you have a jumpscare in a book you read with your eyeballs? I can't tell you how it works, only that Malerman nails it.
The best horror is always about something internal, in my opinion, and Malerman carves away at the heart of what it means to be family in a way that's utterly unsettling.

“You make it sound so frightening, Mommy says.
What?
Innocence.
It is frightening, Lois says.
Because the innocent are targeted first.”

Incidents Around the House is a horror story with heart. It mortified me. I was afraid to go to the bathroom alone. Afraid to keep the lights off. But what surprised me the most was how deep this book was. I didn’t expect to be scared shitless while getting a philosophical lesson on fear and life. This was a fast read, an impactful read, and one that will stay with me for a very long time. I have goosebumps still after finishing it.