ARC provided by NetGalley

This was my first Josh Malerman book and to be honest I was a bit underwhelmed. The story is told in an interesting format and the unique POV was entertaining at first, but eventually it all just felt very repetitive. I must say, the ending was worth pushing through.

4.5 stars

There's a character named "Other Mommy." What else do you need to know? This is terrifying.

Transparently, not that much scares me. I have been watching scary movies and reading horror/thriller/mysteries since I was a tiny kid, and I'm the kind of person who can be home alone and night and hear weird noises and think, "I'm ready for this. I've seen or read it all before." This still creeped me out.

Bela has a really unfortunate friend: this creepy entity she calls "Other Mommy" (OM) who apparently lives in her closet. OM doesn't confine herself to the closet, though. Your nightmares are her next stop.

Telling this story from the perspective of a young child could have gone so wrong, but one of my favorite parts of this piece is the structural choices Malerman makes to highlight a child's thought process and perceptions during what is obviously a terrifying ordeal. The creepy factor is high.

I didn't love the final scenes as much as I hoped, but this was still very much worth the read and the many, many goosebumps.

There’s nothing better than getting approved for the latest ARC from your favorite author—except maybe that book being the author’s best release yet. And—saying this as someone whose favorite book has been Bird Box since 2017!—I really, truly think this might Josh Malerman’s best yet. This was the definition of a five-star horror.

I’m extremely picky and difficult to scare, but Incidents Around the House might be the scariest horror novel I’ve ever read. I had a lump in my throat half the time and a bone-deep anxious chill the other, and this book consistently managed to jumpscare me with more efficiency and precision than a movie. I read this in one sitting, and as always, finishing left me both bereft and deeply envious of Malerman’s innate talent for horror. He’s one of the best in the horror game today and just keeps getting better.

Malerman’s skill for horror is evident from literally the first sentence, as we meet our narrator, Bela, a little girl. Child narrators are (in keeping with the tradition of real children) almost always tortuously annoying, or just plain horribly written. This one is neither, which I appreciate because I'm trying to read and enjoy a book, not hang out with an accurate child. She's well-written, still seems her age, and her thoughts, perspective, and motivations all feel real and as realistic as they can be given the situation. The impossible has been done here. Plus, as someone who grew up in a similarly dysfunctional household to Bela, I could actually connect with her as the story unfolded. This was a great change of pace from the way I usually want to throttle the kids in horror novels!

The other thing that stood out to me from the first page is the way Other Mommy was introduced—there was no scary buildup, no promise of how horrifying she would be when we finally saw her. She’s just a part of Bela’s life, this is how things have always been for Bela, and now we’re part of it, and it really just so happens that it's horrifying. No poltergeisty buildup, and it pays off immediately. Other Mommy is easily one of the most unsettling horror monsters I’ve read recently. She has little subtlety, she isn’t afraid of showing herself to people, she comes out during the day and night indiscriminately, she looks scary, and she’s manipulative in a way that preys on the realistic desire children have to please the adults in their lives. Eugh.

I also enjoyed the way the other characters were written, in particular the parents. Despite Bela’s limiting perspective, everybody felt fleshed out and real. Things were very much the way a kid would see them, and in a good way. The parents pay attention to their daughter and how she acts. They act like real parents with real flaws. I think there was a great balance of the characters acting realistically irrational due to living through the events of a horror novel and acting as rationally as you usually have to wish the characters in a horror novel would.

The writing, dialogue, pacing, etc, were all technically solid, and I even laughed a few times in between wanting to remove my eyeballs in fear! One of my favorite things about Malerman’s books is his prose, often something the horror/thriller genre lacks, as well as the ability to consistently execute extremely unique concepts. While I would say this one is probably the closest he’s come to writing a “mainstream” horror with a fairly typical plot on the face of it, it’s also him knocking it out of the park, so I can’t even take points off there.

As for negatives, some people might not enjoy the formatting—the dialogue sort of sits like block quotes, though it is tagged, and it isn’t nearly as obnoxious as the in-the-paragraph-italics stuff that’s been running wild in literary fiction lately. I liked it and thought it helped keep the narrative snappy and realistic for a little kid, but I can see where it might be a turn-off for some folks. To me, it just made it read like more of a horror/thriller mix. This is a faster read than the page count would imply.

Overall, this was scary as hell and incredibly absorbing. Easy 5 stars, and I’ll be buying a copy for release day.

This was a definite quick read for me. Every page had me wanting to know and see more. This novel/story is given through a child's perspective, point of view. Damn it can be terrifying. Just to imagine yourself at this age and being exposed to certain things.
This is my first Malerman book and I am happy I was not disappointed.
I just reviewed Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman. #IncidentsAroundtheHouse #NetGalley

It has been awhile since I've been creeped out by a story while reading a book, but this novel definitely had me spooked multiple times. I love that it was told from the child's POV.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, and the publisher for a copy to read, and review.

This was incredible. I love how it was set in the mind of a child, and It was absolutely terrifying. I myself currently don't have any human children, but I love stories with creepy kids. Although Bela wasn't exactly creepy, what was happening was just that. The whole time I felt unsafe myself from the entity in this book. This will leave you screaming, and wanting to run, but also wanting more. As a horror fan, this was right up my ally. This one will leave you wanting to hide under the covers, and sleep with the light on.

Incidents Around the House is a psychological horror book following a young girl named Bela and her parents Ursula and Russ. The horror elements come in the form of an entity called the “other mommy”, who has attached itself to Bela and wants her to “open her heart”. I had a lot of fun with this book and the familial drama that was slowly revealed throughout, I found both the parents to be unlikable for different reasons and I just felt bad for Bela in this situation. The writing is very unique as it’s told through a child pov (which can be hit or miss for me personally), but the way it was done here was actually clever in conveying this sort of innocent lens to experience the book through. I think the ending was very fitting and I enjoyed the added side characters too.

Ahhh!! Other Mommy gave me nightmares!! Josh Malerman is SO good at a creature feature and Incidents Around the House is no exception.

Ahh!!! Terrifying! Carnations??? I will never look at those flowers the same again. Told from the perspective of eight-year old Bella, I had my doubts. How well can a child convey fear? Turns out, really, really well if it's written by Josh Malerman. I made the mistake of reading most of this at night, in the basement, with the lights off and I love every terrifying second! Thank you for the ARC! I'll be buying a physical copy to share with my friend.

fantastic and spooky horror. i was in as soon as i elarned it was malerman, and the pov just added SO MUCH to the whole thing. thanks for the arc.

First of all, I've read every one of Malerman's books.

THIS IS THE BEST ONE.

Genuinely creepy. You can bank on this one being on all of the horror ballots next year.

Malerman is such a great writer. His books are an automatic read for me. This one was very entertaining,coming from a child's POV. Creepy. Just wanted it longer

This was the creepiest book I think I ever read. Having it told from the child's perspective is a whole new level of unsettling. Something living in the closet, is what will give bad dreams. I sure had to read this in the daylight. This is the first book I read by Josh Malerman but I am sure going to be checking out his back list. A total feel of dread while reading. What a quick, spooky read! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this e-arc
4.5 stars

4.5 ⭐️

What the fuck did I just read…I haven’t been this unsettled and disturbed in a minute. There was no moment during this fast paced read that my heart wasn’t racing.

Josh Malerman does horror right. I don’t understand how he thinks of these plots, but my heart is so happy that he does. I love a horror book that actually freaks me out.

This book is not going to be for everyone. If you enjoy being uncomfortable, disturbed and a bit creeped out, pick this one up when it’s released!

This book follows a family whose daughter is being haunted by a semester being. The plot is mostly from the little girls POV, so keep that in mind as well.

I was so captivated by what was happened and how they’re going to make this mess go away, that I read this in one sitting. This on is a “can’t walk away, can’t put it down” kind of read. And honestly, maybe not one to read before bed. This one will be with me for a very long time!!

My only complain is Malerman left me with so many damn questions! The last chapter was absolutely nuts. My jaw was on the floor. My god. I want to reread this book like I never read it yet. Jealous for everyone to experience it!

I’m so thankful that Natgalley, penguins random house and Josh Malerman for the opportunity to read this ARC early. I will definitely be recommending this to my horror lovers.

Release date is June 25th! Mark your calendars. You don’t want to miss this!

Very fun, cinematic thriller. The child POV gives a new spin to the haunted house story. I couldn't finish it fast enough.

Wow. This was a quick, creepy read. I absolutely could not put it down and if it were to be optioned for a film it would be terrifying! It was interesting reading from Bela's young point of view. Definitely made things seem scarier when you are reading through a child's eyes.

Definitely recommend checking this out when it's released. Will be one to buy for my collection.

This book had me freaked out from the beginning. Something living in the closet that comes out and talks to a child, keeps wanting to “be let into her heart”. I find the fact that the pov was that of a child made it even more disturbing. We see videos and hear stories of kids talking to people no one else sees and it’s always shrugged off at spooky but nothing. This books is a prime example of what it is when it’s not nothing. Josh Malerman has a knack for writing books that make you sit on the edge of you seat, and this book was no different. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this arc I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Wow! I have not been this thoroughly creeped out by a book in a while. I made the “mistake” of reading this at night, in the dark, on my kindle and had to make myself not think about other mommy while trying to go to sleep because I was frightened! There were some long monologues from different characters that dragged on and lost my interest at times. And it took a bit of adjustment to get into the voice of a young child but once I did it really added to the store and the creepy factor. Really enjoyed this story and would definitely recommend!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this amazing ARC!
Incidents Around the House began with a bang and had me hooked within the first couple of pages. I told a friend of mine who had just finished an ARC copy of this himself, “Well, Malerman got off to a creepy start!” And his reply was “And it doesn’t let up!” He was so right. I couldn’t put this down; I read it in two days. Two days! I don’t read books in two days! The characters were well-developed and flawed, just like I like them. And being a child of the 1980s, the character Lois Anderson looked just like Beatrice Straight from Poltergeist in my mind’s eye. The pacing was good and the tension was palpable and ever-present throughout the book. The concept of being “followed” by (insert spooky entity of choice here) has always been terrifying to me. This story grabs this concept and runs with it. Fantastic creep-factor and without spoiling anything, middle-of-the-night bathroom trips will never be the same for me. And if I ever see any skinny, hairy dogs from a distance on the beach, I’m out of there.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. This book was terrifying! It made me put on my lamp more than once to look in my closet!

This was a unique take on a haunted house/demonic possession book because it was told from the child's point of view which made in more terrifying because of the innocence of the character.

The only thing that bothered me were the parents. They were the worst but that's part of the storyline!

I recommend for a quick, spooky read. Good luck sleeping after reading this one!