There were so many genuinely creep moments that gave me goosebumps! The mother in this book was absolutely horrible. I unfortunately did not love the ending. Excited to read more from this author m!

8 year old Bella lives with her mommy and daddo and they are her world. She however also has “other mommy “ an entity that lives in her closet and asks Bella every day if she can go into her heart. When her parents realize other mommy isn’t an imaginary friend and is in fact a real threat to their daughter they must take action to protect her.
Pros: This book is very atmospheric and I like how it tackles the challenges of motherhood, especially when you’re not sure you’re doing a good job. It was a fast easy read.
Cons: Bella is suppose to be 8, but she comes across as a much younger child ( maybe 5). The entire book is from her point of view and although that’s a novelty that works with some books I think this one could have benefited from alternative chapters from her mom Ursula. The style of writing was also very off. Every other sentence was mommy said or daddo said. I also felt the ending was very rushed and honestly confusing. I’m still not sure what happened. This is a solid 3 star, interesting but nothing terribly special. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the E galley. #netgalley #incidentsaroundthehouse #othermommy

This was genuinely creepy af! I loved how bingeable this was, and though I think this 8 year old's narration read a little young, I really enjoyed how accessible it felt and how un-intimidating it was to read because I knew a child was narrating. But man oh man the last 3rd of this book felt completely off for me. Obviously less scary moments and more focus on the family drama. But the family drama? Maybe I'm jaded so my apologies but so what? Lol the "twist" was kind of lame and so overdramatic. At this point in the book a couple of the characters responded in ways that were completely different, including their speech, to how they were set up initially. I thought this would be a cool twist, and one character does have this surprise. But the other ones? Just seemed like last minute frenzied writing which omg sounds so mean so let's move on. LOVED the very end. Perfect ending for this story. And though the mom in here SUCKED SO BAD, it was one of those unlikeable characters I loved reading. I think the author did a great job with that. I wish Lois had slapped her back though lol. One more not-my-fav-thing [sorry] was how many times they tried and failed, tried and failed. Like I get it. And that makes it more "realistic" haha but it did feel a bit too long because of that. But omg loved Kami and Kamael. Over all [overall?] GREAT JOB! *clap emoji*

[My review will be included in my monthly wrap up early November on my YouTube channel. Will link when video posts]

It took quite a while for me to settle into this one and I found the ending rather dissatisfying.

Sometimes the no quotation marks trend works for me. Here it was a miss and I suspect an audiobook might deliver better on the style of writing.

The book is entirely voiced by a protagonist of a discomfortingly indeterminate age, at least as far as the narration goes. Is she four? Is she nine? I had a lot of trouble getting my bearings on this point. The synopsis apparently identifies her as eight, and better upfront context at the start of the book itself would have helped me here.

Some of this ambiguity may very well be purposeful - a child who is perhaps a little immature and sheltered for her age could be useful as a character... but how sheltered is she when she's evidently encouraged to attend frequent house parties surrounded by drunk and stoned adults? I really had to side eye the number of times one of her parents passed out drunk around her or delivered a "man I'm so high" monologue to her supposedly-sleeping form. Is this supposed to be a normal thing parents do? Monologue to their sleeping children about philosophy, regret, life and death, and adult mistakes? I had more difficultly suspending my disbelief on this dynamic than I did for any paranormal creature in the closet.

Speaking of said creature... there are a few decently frightening scenes. But the scare factor was dishearteningly low for much of the book. There were many points in the first half to two-thirds of the story where I felt I was being told "this is so scary" but the feeling was not being successfully evoked.

Maybe I'm missing something. Maybe I've numbed myself with too many other quick horror novels this spooky season. But this hit a very mid note for me.

I worried that a book being narrated by an 8 year old would be too annoying and juvenile but I was so wrong. Bela gave this story authenticity and it was so effective in frightening me to see things through her eyes. Other Mommy is straight out of a nightmare. To see her parents fumble time and time again through this hellscape they now found themselves in really got under my skin. I wanted so badly for them to have a happy ending.

🚪👩‍👧Book Review:
Title: Incidents Around The House
Author: Josh Malerman
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/4 stars

I loved this book!!! Perfect for spooky season! I've read a lot of mixed reviews, but I'm 100% an unashamedly a fan of this creepy, eerie, goosebumped horror novel! Although it was written as an 8 year old child, Bela, it only added to the suspense.

Throughout Bela's childhood, she has made a friend in her closet who has asked to be called, "Other Mother." Eep 🫣! Her parents, Ursula and Russ, have always just blown it off as a typical child's imagination. But Other Mother is as well as they come and she's not a human. She wants to go into Bela's heart (reincarnation) and consume her.

Bela has always denied Other Mother but, things are starting to happen that Ursula and Russ are now noticing. I can't remember which parent was the first to see Other Mother but, eventually, they both do as well as Rose's grandmother. Multiple times, the family tries to flee their home for safety, but Other Mother always finds them.

The bathroom scene gave me huge goosebumps!!!

Published: June 25th, 2024

Thank you, @netgalley and @randomhouse, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Anyone who believed there were monsters in their closets or under their beds when they were children will relate to this book. Here we meet six year old Bela and her Mommy and Daddo. There is a monster in Bela's closet that only she knows about, at first.
The book is written in Bela's point of view. She speaks of "Other Mommy" as a friend who talks with her at night. Things begin to go South before long and the horror builds to a deafening crescendo. The book gave me the creeps, in all honesty. Malerman plumbs the depths of our deepest nightmares and dredged up a winner of a novel.

3.5 rounding up, more for concept than execution. I found the premise extremely promising and the first half of this really creeped me out. There is imagery from one scene in particular that made me actively shudder. Ultimately, there just wasn't enough of the creepy stuff to keep me engaged, and the book spent way too much time with the "figuring out/planning" of it all. While I like the impulse of having this from the POV of a child, I didn't realize how limiting that is when you're trying to communicate to the reader what is going on. Some of the conversations Bela has with her parents were really repetitive and I think this book could have benefitted from another round of edits. After all the build up the ending feels like a bit of a letdown.

My recent buddy read with @fashionably.late.books confirmed what really scares me. I find the idea of possession terrifying . That is probably why Josh Malerman’s Incidents Around the House is at the top of the list for creepy books that I read this year.

The story is told through the eyes of Bela, an eight year old girl who has a friend who lives in her closet that she calls Other Mommy. Other Mommy has been there for about a year. At first Bela liked her, but she is becoming more insistent and scarier because Bela won’t answer her question. Can she come into Bela’s heart?

This book worked for me on every level. I loved that it was told through Bela’s voice. Her young voice vividly portrays the innocence that is at risk and is the perfect contrast to the diabolical intentions of Other Mommy. Bela doesn’t really understand what Other Mommy is asking but she knows it makes her feel weird. There is something about the preying on a pristine soul that I find terrifying.

This book starts off with a bang that never lets up. The parents here aren’t the stupid people that you so often find in horror films and books. Their behavior seems reasonable as they do everything they can to protect their family. The book moves at a breakneck pace as the terror builds with each scene more frightening than the last. The terror here is visceral and there is one scene involving a dog on the beach that I imagine will haunt me for a long time. And the ending…. It is abrupt and a bit vague and hard to take in, but it gradually dawns on you what has happened and it evokes a quiet and complete terror. Well done Mr. Malerman! Thank you to @netgalley and @delreybooks for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a fun read. I felt bad no one believed the kid at all in this book. The haunted house part did freak me out a bit. Don't I would have kids anytime soon after reading book. It was overall good read I could read over and over again.

Stunning horror. I read this in one sitting and was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

I have never been interested in reading Bird Box but now I want to give it a shot. If Malerman's other works resemble this, I know I will be in for a treat.

QUOTE: "You'll notice, the older you get, that it's the topics people say you shouldn't talk about that get all messed up beyond repair."

Loved the idea of the child POV as it offered a different perspective to a possession story.. Buddy read with a friend and had a good time. Will be recommending to others..

I’m impressed. I wanted to wait to read this around Halloween. As far as haunted house stories go, Incidents Around The House shines with great ideas, excellent timing and execution. I’ve listened to the audiobook, and Delanie Nicole Gill’s narration awed me. It made a great story even more thrilling (and chilling).

Bela is eight-years-old and her family (Mommy, Daddo, Grandma Ruth) is everything for her. But there’s someone else in the house, an entity Bela calls “Other Mommy” who asks her every day if it can go inside her heart. Creepy. To make matters worse, Other Mommy is growing tired of waiting and asking the same question again and again, and starts to put some pressure on the family.

The horror here works on all levels. There’s, of course, a spectral figure haunting young Bela that grows restless and bolder. But there’s also more psychological horror tied to family secrets, lies, and complicated relationships. From the outside, everything looks fine, but dig deeper and the cracks start to show.

The child’s POV is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it gives the narrative a sense of wonder and vulnerability. On the other, it can narrow the lense through which the story is told and limit its complexity and emotional range. For me, Malerman pulled it off; Using Bela’s childlike innocence and naivete made the story even more disturbing and heart-wrenching. Sometimes it’s not about new ideas but about getting an emotional response from the reader. And he got one from me. Bela is convincingly childlike, uncomfortably perceptive, and likable. The adults, on the other hand, lack depth and feel more thinly sketched than her.

In all, Incidents Around The House impressed me. It works with childhood fears, adults nightmares, family drama, and haunted house/ghost story beats. And it all works well. While it may not break new ground, it remains enjoyable and unnerving, and that’s all I want from a good horror story..

Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this arc!

I haven’t read a book that scared me this much since I read Pet Semetary a few years ago! I legit had nightmares. But that’s what I hope for when I read a horror book. The storyline wasn’t my favorite but I liked the formatting and the fact that it was told through the eyes of a little girl. I would recommend this one for anyone who wants a good scare.

Highlights:
✨Narration: Melanie Nicole Gill’s narration gave me chills! Her voice for Bela is spot on! This little girl's voice still haunts me. Fantastic on audio!
✨Perfect Spooky Season Vibe: Haunted House, possible possessions, trauma-riddled horror
✨Ending: This one needs to be discussed!!

Bottom Line: What’s creepier than a ghost asking, “Can I go inside your heart?” If you haven’t read it, please do so this spooky season. Perfect spooky read!! 4.25⭐

This was a wonderfully creepy and fast paced horror novel about a family dealing with a demonic entity. Were aspects borrowed from such films like The Ring, Paranormal Activity, and The Blair Witch Project (just to name a few)? Absolutely! Did this make the novel any less enjoyable? Not at all. Bela's voice was a little grating to read at times-especially written in an almost stream of consciousness format-and her age being difficult to discern sometimes muddled my interpretation of some of the events (at first she read older-maybe 8 or 9 years old? But by the final third of the book I was leaning towards only 5 or 6). But overall this was a really fun horror, and even as I am typing this review I hear a creak in the attic above my head and know that, thanks to Josh Malerman, I probably won't get any sleep tonight!

This one I will be thinking about for a while - I’d put this in the same category as Piranesi, where I rotate back and forth from thinking it’s brilliant and that I loved it, to thinking that I am not quite sure what I was supposed to take away. Overall, horror wise, this was perfect - the #horror plot was absolutely brilliantly executed. Chilling, haunting, original, full body chills creepy, unputdownable.

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It was the emotional backstories in the latter half of the #book that took away from this one for me - while they were haunting in themselves and well written, it just seemed a bit rushed, and disingenuous that any parents were having conversations that deep and complexly worded with a child as young as I interpreted the child to be (yes, she is eighth, but I felt the character felt much younger physically, though she was very emotionally mature). I appreciated the theme and the fear of the parents’ mistakes haunting their child, but the pure horror portions of the plot were just far superior to the emotional ones, for me.

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That being said, the one emotional aspect that was absolutely incredibly moving was the child’s fear for her parents and the fear of potential divorce and separation, etc. That was gut wrenching and profound.

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I’ll admit, I’ve never been the biggest fan of #fiction told through a young child’s view (looking at you, Room), but this worked exceedingly well.

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This one focuses in on eight year old Bela, who is haunted in her own home by an evil being desperate to enter her heart and achieve reincarnation. Reminiscent of the bent neck lady in Haunting of House Hill (thinking of the TV series in this context), this terrifying figure goes from an imaginary friend to a force threatening to destroy Bela and her family from the inside out, as she torments and follows them throughout the #book.

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What do you do when your 8 year-old is being haunted by a sinister entity?

Incidents Around the House is my first Josh Malerman book and I liked it! There were some very creepy moments, but it's also sad. I pitied Ursula and Rust (Bela's parents). I also felt so sad for Bela, for the feeling of resignation? that remains even after days of finishing this book.

I ended up listening to this on audio and the narrator is A++

Wow, not sure what I expected with this one. I loved Bird Box so I knew I had to read Josh Malerman’s new book. It’s dark, creepy and thrilling. It kept me at the edge of my seat and I wasn’t sure how it would end. Loved it and plan to read all his books. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publishers for an Arc in exchange for my honest review.

I never knew I was scared of children narrating horror books but here we are. This was such a fast read due to the way it was formatted but wow, it packed a lot into it. The descriptions, the child that creeped me out, all of it wrapped into a great horror book for me. The very first page had me gripped and I can honestly say I never found myself bored while reading this.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group = Ballantine | Del Rey for the gifted copy for my honest review!