(I will be sharing this review in a piece for CrimeReads: The inescapable sense of foreboding steeped in these pages led me to tossing and turning all night after starting this book in bed at 11PM. A delightfully spooky mistake on my part. We Used to Live Here is an original and ghastly tale of an old house, its new owners, and a young father who stops by asking to take his family on a trip down memory lane.

I’m giving this book 5 stars because it COULD have been the perfect horror novel. If we get a sequel and answer some of the 100 unanswered questions, it will be hard for anyone to argue that. I can deal with some loose ends but by golly there are so many. The circles??? The hieroglyphics?? The punching himself in the snow??
It does add to the lingering unease this story gives, though so maybe I don’t dislike it.

Regardless, this was GOOD. Really good. It genuinely freaked me out and I can’t wait to see how it’s adapted for film. Generally “haunted house” stories tend to blend to together but this was unique and captivating. I am obsessed with how it ended.

This book is such a great read. I love the LGBT+ representation and thought the relationship between the two women was completely believable. I have a feeling this book will stay with me and I recommend going into it not knowing much. The format with the excerpts of news stories/reports/interviews was super. I found myself looking a few things up they felt so real. It’s a terrifying premise. If you have claustrophobia this may not be the book for you!! I have many more questions for the book and hope the author will consider a second installation.

That was a mind f*ck that I was not expecting, and I loved it. To be totally honest, I'm not sure how much of this book I can talk about without spoiling it, and I feel like going into this as blind as possible will guarantee the best experience.
What I will say is that this was brilliantly crafted. Unsettling in the best way, with multimedia excerpts that make you wonder if this isn't a true story... which is actually crazy.
I was scared, confused, and fully immersed. Couldn't get enough.

There's always a book that surprises me. I don't expect much from many stories but "We Used To Live Here" had me spinning for many days after reading it. I felt blindsided by the main character's journey into meeting a family that just showed up on her door to the plot twist which I didn't expect. Marcus Kliewer has written a story that is going to have me thinking for a long time. Great book from a great author!

This was different, in a mostly good way. Kliewer excels at creating a feeling of paranoia and a creeping unease. I devoured the first half of the book hoping for an ease in the tension and a break never arrived. The last half didn't live up to the first. Suddenly, lots of plot points are introduced, tossing new ideas into the mix and never bringing them to fruition. one thing is introduced to only be cast aside over and over again. The finish felt rushed and not quite as well connected to the stunning first portion of the book. There's lots to like here though and it is a quick read that could provide lots of discussion if you have someone to share the experience with.

This book started off with a bang. A knock on the door. A seemingly wholesome family outside. A father wanting to look around his childhood home… wait, what? That’s where things take an uncomfortable turn. I would never. Especially if I was home alone, but alas, the family enters and what happens next spirals into chaos, madness and confusion. The parallels between fact and fiction with some paranormal activity sprinkled in, made me more lost in the plot. I stayed hooked, but I was lost and stayed hooked with the hope that things that spiraled so quickly into chaos would click back into place. I think it did in the end, but it also left me with questions in the open ending.

📚 PRE-PUBLICATION BOOK REVIEW 📚

We Used To Live Here By Marcus Kliewer
Publication Date: June 18, 2024
Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

📚MY REVIEW:

I'm trying to find the right words to describe the palpable terror I felt the ENTIRE time I read this book, but it's hard to think straight over the sound of my racing heartbeat that still feels like it's about to jump out of my chest. And I finished this book's gripping conclusion nearly an hour ago.

THIS BOOK IS WHAT EVERY THRILLER WANTS TO BE.

Heart-pounding, terror-inducing, anxiety-provoking, edge-of-your-seat thrilling chaos. As I read, the creepiness contained in the pages of this debut work from Kliewer surrounded me like a heavy, black velvet cloak that slowly tightened its string around my neck. I literally could not read this book fast enough -- it might be the fastest I have ever actually read a book, for no other reason than because I was utterly terrified.

It was gripping, riveting. As the story unfolded, I didn't know who to believe or what the hell was going on. If you like unreliable narrators, buckle up. You can't trust anybody in this book, and to be honest, you don't want to. Even after the book is done, I STILL don't trust anybody in it. There's paranormal, otherworldly, inexplicably strange occurrences throughout the story - and I definitely got some Twin Peaks-David Lynch vibes at times. And with the book's setting in the Pacific Northwest, I wouldn't have been surprised to read about BOB crawling in a window. #iykyk

I waited and waited to get approved to read and review this book -- and it absolutely, 100%, lived up to its hype! I might be sleeping with the lights on tonight and will probably remain completely creeped out for days to come -- but to me, these are the signs of an incredible thriller!

🔥 A TOP 10 BOOK OF THE YEAR 🔥

Don't miss this one! A huge thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for gifting me this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

#WeUsedToLiveHere #MarcusKliewer #NetGalley #ARC #fivestarreads #bookreviews #bookrecommendations #thrillerreads

Ok, if you like the idea of deep, restful, peaceful sleep, this book is not for you. WE USED TO LIVE HERE gave me major creeps in the best way possible and I might've had a hard time ignoring every small sound while I was sleeping. Did I make sure my back wasn't to a doorway while reading this? Yes. Did I also refuse to look up to the dark tv screen for fear of seeing something in the reflection? Yes. And did I possibly cuddle closer to my husband when hearing creaks in the middle of the night? Also yes. Kliewer's debut had all the creepiness you could want and left me feeling deeply unsettled and freaked out.

An expansion of a story originally posted on Reddit, this book builds and builds on a very strong sense of unease and then spirals into a completely terrifying end. Kliewer is brilliant at interweaving our everyday anxieties into this story - from the small moments of "I could've sworn my phone was right here" to the big ones like strangers showing up on your doorway. And he pushes it even further with introducing ideas like the Mandela effect or sleep paralysis to name a few into this story.

I had so many questions at the end, but the more I talked it out with booksta friends, the more I realized this story's creativity and brilliance - thank you @alymaverinoreads and @jackieo.recs for helping me find closure! I love a book that has you discussing different theories and meanings and makes you dig around on the internet. There's also a (somewhat hidden) message within the book that just adds to the fun and intrigue. With each revelation, I got more and more chills. I really hope the screen adaptation of this follows through because I can already picture of a couple of scenes that would have me hiding behind the covers. If you want something terrifying and unsettling, I'd highly recommend this and then immediately message me after to discuss! [pub date: June 18] 5/5

Went into this one thinking it was a psychological thriller but turned out to be more of a horror novel, which aren’t my favorite. Great suspense, super creepy imagery and I think the premise of this book had a lot of potential but I was left with lots of unanswered questions at the end. Felt like Kliewer created these strange hair-raising scenes and characters without context as to why or how they were happening or who they were.

The creepy vibes started from the moment the Faust family rings the doorbell asking to tour the house they used to live in. People pleaser, Eve, lets them in and hoping her girlfriend Charlie can help coax them out after overstaying their welcome.

There’s something to be said about horror stories that take place in the course of a day or two. It gives that fast pacing like you can’t put it down because you’re right there experiencing and feeling what the characters are feeling.

Chapters are separated by random documents providing exterior information relating back to the story. These background snippets give you a chance to take a breath from the suspense but also create a sense of impending doom.

This one fell short for me and around 80% I felt it wouldn’t wrap up satisfactorily and made me want to quit but had to see it through. I will say I had trouble reading this one after dark. 3/5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for this advanced free copy in exchange for my honest review. We Used to Live Here kept me on the edge of my seat, I absolutely loved it! I look forward to reading more from this author.

This was absolutely incredible! I couldn't put it down from start to finish. And the ending had me shook!! Looking forward to more from this author.

Loved, loved, loved the two main characters and the quirky old house they moved into until the family who used to live there stopped by for a quick visit. Scary, page turner that I couldn't put down!

i'm so deeply in love with this book that it's almost hard to articulate all the reasons why. let's try anyway, shall we? this is a story about a haunted house. about interlopers. about isolation. about sanity. about ancient beings. and most importantly, it's about love — what it means to us, how far we'll go for it, and the ways it changes who we are.

the elements of horror are so seamlessly mixed into those everyday experiences that it makes every instance feel heavier, even truer, like it could happen to any of us. the eerie atmosphere. the creeping dread. the subtleties of things that are not quite right — did i just see movement in the corner of my eye, or was it a trick of the light? the things that make your breath catch as you wonder if that window was always there.

if you've been longing for a spiritual successor to house of leaves, then long no further. the house itself is a character like in danielewski's book, but there's so much more than that. a mixed media collection of artifacts is peppered between the chapters that may or may not provide clarity to the narrative. there are codes waiting to be deciphered throughout (and let me tell you, i was positively giddy when i did). unlike house of leaves' unwavering demand for your attention, this book is unobtrusive, just quietly biding its time until you notice its interactivity and decide to delve deeper into the metaphorical basement.

some might be put off by what they consider an ambiguous ending, but i don't think it's that at all. the book answers every question you have before you even know you have them — you just have to pay attention.

many thanks to atria books and netgalley for so graciously giving me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a WILD horror that had me absolutely hooked. I loved every bit of it and can’t believe this is a debut. Please write more, you have a reader here who will read whatever you put out.
Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

What a creepy story. I still don’t know what part was real and what wasn’t, but isn’t that the sign of a good thriller.

All of the STARS for this debut!! Tightly written, intricately plotted, well developed characters, a sinister story line that grabs you and doesn’t let go until that mind blowing ending! I loved every single word of this one!

Eve and Charlie are house flippers who have taken on a huge new project; an old house in a remote location of Oregon. Eve is home alone one afternoon when a family knocks at the door asking to come in and look around because Dad grew up here. From there, things just get WEIRD and SPOOKY!

This book is being classified as a thriller but I thought it was more horror. I understand why they don’t want to label it horror, as I find that genre problematic. To be specific, I find most horror books to be slow and gory. This story is neither of those things. This read like a GOOD scary movie in my head.

If you enjoyed The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon or read/watched and enjoyed The Haunting of Hill House then you are going to LOVE this one! All I can say is WRITE ME MORE STORIES LIKE THIS ONE PLEASE!! This author is definitely going on my auto buy list for the future, can’t wait to read their next book!

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This FANTASTIC book will be available for purchase on June 18, 2024

Whoa! I could NOT put this book down. This is horror executed in the best way. The kind of eeriness that creeps under your skin and keeps you unsettled. I don’t typically like a series but I HOPE there’s a sequel to this. I want more back stories and explanations…this was all so crazy!

I don’t love the blurb…I wouldn’t compare this to Parasite or Get Out. I thought We Used to Live Here was more in the realm of Slade House and House of Leaves. I can’t wait to read more from Marcus Kliewer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for this ARC!

This is a creepy story and a very intriguing premise, but there are way too many unanswered questions and hanging threads by the end of the story. Thanks to NetGalley, and the publisher, for an advance copy in exchange for review.

HOLY COW! This is a read that I didn't think would be as creepy and horror-driven as it was. The cover and description led me to believe it was going to be a thriller with some spooky elements but don't let that fool you - this is a horror story from start to finish. I'm at a loss for words and I can hardly believe this is a debut novel by Kliewer. The uneasiness and fear were written perfectly from the moment the family knocked on Eve's door. It's been a while since a horror novel has left me, well, scared! The house and its ominous atmosphere did not disappoint (think The Strangers meets House of Leaves).

I can't think of anything that I would change. The story ends with unanswered questions, but I don't think this is a bad thing - the lingering questions add to the unsettling story and leaves me thinking about the story even hours after I've finished. I would HIGHLY recommend this debut novel.