I absolutely loved this book. One of the creepiest, nightmare inducing books I've read in a long time, and that's saying something since horror is my favorite genre. My wife was making a strange "snoring" noise in her sleep, and I flew out of bed. This book definitely got into my head.

One of the scariest books I’ve read in a very long time. Malerman had me second guessing what I saw in the shadows while going upstairs at night. Some of these scenes will stick with me for a long time. “Incidents Around the House” follows Bela, and 8-year-old who lives with her Mommy and Daddo, and “Other Mommy,” an entity that lives in her closet. The book begins with a punch and the horror begins almost right away, and the tension continues to build and build until your own hair is standing on end. In a world where horror endings can really be a let down, I thought Malerman did a good job wrapping it up. Excellent work and a must read for horror fans.

Wow. Bird Box is always my benchmark for the last horror book that fully creeped me out, that made me hesitant to read it at night. I didn't have that experience here - I wasn't SCARED. But unsettled? Yes. Creeped out? Yes. Desperately yelling at these characters to DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT? Yes. But I have to say, I almost stopped reading b/c of the horrible formatting that I don't really understand. But I pushed through and am glad I did, b/c it definitely, in the end, lent itself to the whole unsettling vibe and the confusion of being a kid in this situation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballentine/Del Rey for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story is told from the perspective of an 8 year of Bela. She is being haunted by Other Mommy in here closet and so the chaos begins when her imaginary friend becomes a monster to her and her family.

The family goes on a journey to eradicate this evil force that has come into there lives and along the way learn some tough adult lessons that may or may not be understood by an 8 year old.

The style of the story was told in a very interesting way. It was written in a way that was fast paced but felt more like a script and I think it would present better as a movie or tv. At times it was hard to connect to the story because we were in the mind of an 8 year old that didn’t understand what was happening around her. That being said I believed this was an 8 year old the entire time for better or for worse.

I will say there are some really creepy scenes. I did fall asleep and woke up to a nightmare because of this book, which never happens to me. I only wish there was more of that. I was expecting possession and more supernatural elements in this book that did not happen. I always want more horror!

I found the ending to be confusing and I was left slightly unsatisfied because of that. I didnt feel tricked by other mommy but she sure did freak the hell out of me!

While I enjoyed the story, for the most part, there was a lot of repetition. The ending fell flat, and parts were just plain confusing. I did enjoy the story being told from the child's perspective. It added to the creep factor.

From the start Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman had me creeped out. As a child with an over active imagination, I always thought there was a monster under my bed or waiting in the closet to sneak up on me while I was asleep. Bela, our 8 year old narrator has exactly that with Other Mommy.

At first Other Mommy appears to Bela as a friend, but gets more harmful as the story progresses. As I said I loved the premise and it does take some adjusting to the novel being narrated by an 8 year old. At times, the story does get a little repetitive which bogs down the narrative and the ending was a little bit of a let down.

Beyond those couple of issues of mine, Malerman's novel is pretty solid and creepy with some WTH moments. Passages of long monologs reveal so much of the inner thoughts of his characters. I said, I found Icedents Around the House to be utterly creepy and a high recommend.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"I look the alligator in the eye. I wonder what he sees. At night. In here. Do things come out of the closets at no gut in the reptile house? Things that climb over the glass and crouch next to him? Things he thinks are friends but then he isn't so sure? Maybe the alligator doesn't know the answer to the questions he's asked at night either."

OMG! This is my favorite horror book since 'Pen Pal.'

Chilling, eerie, spooky, haunting! This ACTUALLY scared me! This is told from a little girl's perspective, and it's done well. Every character is well developed, with the little girl's mind and age. This story dips and sways in the chaos of being haunted. Other Mommy is utterly terrifying. This story had so many levels. This is a compulsive read, once you start you'll be to captivated, intrigued, invested, to put it down.

OH MY GOD THIS IS ALREADY A CONTENDER FOR MY FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR!

I was invested.
I was scared.
I was creeped out. Full body chills multiple times.
It affected me in such a way I was paranoid of jump scares in the DAYLIGHT on my outdoor walks.

It moved me on multiple levels.

The POV and style of storytelling was so impactful in the themes of this book.

WOW WOW WOW!
THIS BOOK!!!

I really don't know why I don't read more Josh Malerman books. His concepts and writing are so haunting and unsettling in the very best way. I was very pleased to receive this e-ARC since I previously read and loved The House at the Bottom of the Lake.

Readers who are tired of the usual haunted house story will really appreciate this one. This story is told from the perspective of Bela, a young girl who is being visited by an (entity?) she calls "Other Mommy." The writing style and formatting of this book is incredibly unique. As other reviewers are saying, this one is hard to put down. This is a compulsive read that will have you glued to the page until you reach the ending and finally come up for air.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for proving a digital arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start off by saying this is the scariest book I’ve read in a long time. Not since Malerman’s Pearl have I been this scared while reading a book, but it was also heartbreaking. He masterfully wrote this entire book in the young child Bela’s POV. This made me even more invested, because she just wanted Other Mommy to go away but this was just the beginning of her undoing. Every page filled me with such dread, and the jump scares! Ugh!! Behind all of the scares though lies a beautifully crafted story of a broken family. Josh never fails to pull me into the lives of his characters and make me root for their success, and this book was no exception! I will be shouting about this one all year to anyone who will listen!

Some parts of this were genuinely chilling but it just did not cohere for me. The beginning is so slow and repetitive, mostly because it’s from the POV of a child and therefore doesn’t have much depth or detail. Even when the adults start talking more and it starts being more interesting, there’s just so much meaningless dialogue and it all goes on for a bit too long. I feel like I was waiting for the end to really blow me away and then it fell kind of flat. The premise could have been so interesting and I was definitely on board with what it was doing, it just didn’t come together at all in the end.

This was one fantastically dark novel. I'm a big Malerman fan and this did not disappoint. The story of a family haunted by a possibly malevolent spirit who takes the form of "Other Mommy" to young daughter Bela, constantly asking if she can "go into her heart". At first Bela isn't believed, but soon Mommy and Daddo come to realize there is trouble in the home. This is a slow burn that leads to a hard-hitting finale which stays with you well after the final page is read. Malerman at his finest. Very highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was fantastic! I actually had issues falling asleep one night all thanks to Other Mommy. I loved the way this was written too - from the viewpoint of Bela as a kid.

Character - 7
Atmosphere - 8
Writing - 8
Plot - 7
Intrigue - 8
Logic - 7
Enjoyment - 9
CAWPILE = 3.86

*Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

Let's start by saying that I read this in a day. I absolutely could not put it down. Incidents Around the House is the first book of Malerman's that I've read. A young girl, living at home with her parents, has a friend that lives in her closet that she calls, "Other Mommy". Other Mommy used to be fun, but now all she wants is for Bela to allow her into her heart. She's started acting scary, and her eyes are sometimes on the bottom of her face. Bela and her parents have to find a way to get rid of Other Mommy before someone gets hurt.

The descriptions of Other Mommy were terrifying. I read a lot of horror and don't usually get creeped out, but this one got to me. I highly recommend this one!

INCIDENTS AROUND THE HOUSE SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME!

Josh Malerman is an incredible author. He has frightened me with a murderous telepathic pig named Pearl and a mysterious & vengeful spirit named Daphne. In Incidents Around the House, Malerman created a brand new terrifying figure, The Other Mommy. Our main character, Bela, in this novel, is a young girl who starts to see this creature in her closet. Slowly but surely it gets closer and closer to her until it begins to start asking Bela questions, questions that could mean immediate peril for her. When the Other Mommy starts getting dangerous, this novel takes off at a breakneck pace and it scared me to death.

Incidents Around the House made me afraid to be alone in my house. I was reading this book before bed, for a couple of nights and I was so frightened, that I had to sleep with a lamp on. The scenes in this novel are unlike any other and the writing style will pull you in so deeply that you will feel PART of the terror that is affecting this family. It truly is a harrowing experience. (A testament to the writing powerhouse that is Malerman).

The terror of this novel is also aligned with the themes of this novel. Family dynamics, dark secrets, and perseverance through evil trials abound in this novel and I think the messages are pretty clear. I think it just paired so well and made this story even more touching (and haunting). Trust and believe that this novel is the latest and one of my new favorites by Josh Malerman! Check it out!

Thanks to Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley for sending this digital ARC of 'Incidents Around the House' by Josh Malerman.

I was delighted to find as I made my way through 'Incidents Around the House' that we're back in the general vicinity of Josh Malerman's portentous Goblin universe for this novel. Malerman writes some of the most unsettling horror I've ever read than this one is no exception.

From the very outset we're flung into the bizarre experiences of little Bela (and we hear them from her point of view throughout) who lives with her quarreling mother and father. Bela sees, speaks and plays with 'Other Mommy' and - as is rote in most of these fictional scenarios - nobody believes her, even her very well-meaning clearly progressive Daddo. One of the things that makes this novel somewhat different, though, is that other people do begin to see Other Mommy and the action centers around how to get rid of this seemingly malevolent entity who wants to move inside Bela's heart.

I would say that there's nothing overly original in the novel - we've seen the trope of the young child and the evil presence, we've seen the bickering parents, the caring grandparents, the 'Ring'-like bizarre 'female' character emerging from unexpected places - but it's Malerman's skill in creating that completely sideways and unsettling universe and the quality of the writing that lifts it out of the 'usual suspects' category into something far, far better.

Can I go inside your heart?

"If there is one thing I could convey to you, one thing that would take root in you just like the need to eat and sleep, it would be this: try to stay kind as long as you can. For all your life. Always be mindful of what others are enduring. And whatever you do, most of all, don't allow someone else's meanness, someone else's cruelty to get inside of you."

Ohhh, Josh Malerman... you did it again! 😭 This was terrifying and haunting but still finds a way to be beautiful and devastating all at the same time. There were scenes that will definitely haunt my nightmares from here on out and passages that will stick with me, always. So, so, so GOOD!

This book was really difficult to finish. Started strong - imaginary friend trying to overtake your life. Good blend of spooky, creepy vibe. Then just went on way too long. Ending was solid which made up for it and moved it to a solid three stars. Usually love mallerman so was kind of disappointed however can definitely see this re written and turned into a show. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Incidents Around the House.

I think a better title would have been Other Mommy but that's just me.

This author is one of those I have conflicting feelings for; on the one hand I like his novel premises, but on the other hand, his narratives leave something to be desired.

It's not easy to write from the perspective of an eight year old and the author doesn't stick the landing here.

I wasn't a fan of the style and format of the narrative; no punctuation or dialogue marks, but it made for quick reading.

Bela is being haunted by an entity called Other Mommy. At first, Bela is charmed by this visitor, enjoying her company but soon the presence takes on a sinister quality and she realizes Other Mommy has other intentions.

It's up to her parents and grandmother to figure out how to fight back and prevent Other Mommy from 'going inside Bela's heart" but will they figure out how to do it in time?

Who doesn't love the typical horror trope of a house haunting? I love it!

Sure, the narrative got repetitive as the family bounces from house to house, trying to avoid Other Mommy, but soon they catch on that the entity is attached to Bela. Whoops!

There's some tension as the family tries to evade Other Mommy, the stress of keeping ahead of something that's always there, but other than that, nothing else happens.

Not once was I scared. I was creeped out at times, but not scared.

Then that ending...which I expected. You don't really expect a happy ending with a premise like this right?

I was hoping for something scary, something like possession or background as to where Other Mommy came from.

It was also hard to believe all this was being narrated by Bela. She doesn't sound 8; at times she sounds even younger.

Spooky eerie and downright terrifying, Incidents Around the House is further proof that this author can do no wrong!

Expertly written with PERFECT pacing, the book will leave you reeling in the best way!