This is like every people pleaser’s worst nightmare. 😅WOW. This one was SO scary! The way it was written was so unsettling and anxiety-inducing! It actually made me paranoid, and I hated reading it at night. 😂 The twists, the anxiety, the uneasiness… it was all so good! One of my favorites of the year so far!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Marcus Kliewer for the ARC! 🤍

Eve and Charlie (Charlotte) have purchased a fixer-upper in the mountains of Oregon intending to flip it. It's fairly remote, but there are a few neighbors within a short walking distance, and there's a small town (not much more than a roadside gas station and motel) a bit further, all of which makes it a bit creepy to begin with. But things get much creepier when a family stops by. Thomas Faust grew up in the house and just wants to show his kids the place before they move to Minnesota. But then one of the children goes missing in the house - just playing hide-and-seek - and before she comes back the weather has deteriorated to the point they are unable to leave. And 'things' start to happen...

This is a pretty creepy book. There are some vivid descriptions that are scary, and for the most part the pacing is good but there were a few times I felt momentum slipping. The "archive" chapters were an interesting touch to give the reader extra information. However, the ending left me with a LOT of questions. I'm fine with some ambiguity, but this was more than just "some." Still, it was an enjoyable read (in spite of quite a bit of profanity, 95% of which was the f-word) and I give it 3.5 GR stars (3 on GR is "good").

I LOVE HAUNTED HOUSES! The highest compliment I can pay this book is that it is like a beginner's level House of Leaves, or a MyHouse. WAD speedrun.

One of the scariest things about the story is that it all starts because the main character (highly neurotic Eve Palmer, who has her own personal brand of anxiety disorder that makes her nervous about Houses) gets herself into a classic anxious people-pleaser type uncomfortable situation - accidentally extending courtesy to someone and then having to find a way to take it back. It could have been anyone's funny-slash-unfortunate anecdote, "hah, I let these strangers into my house and I didn't know how to kick them out!!" and it ended up... well, I won't say how it ended but it was not funny!

Genuinely there were some parts of this that were so scary I was saying out loud, "ohhhh my goddddd," or alternatively, "EW EW EW EW." Trigger warning for ANTS!

I personally appreciate when a mystery, especially a supernatural one, isn't tied up neatly at the end of a horror, because fully understanding something can usually make it less scary in hindsight. I also liked how the data files were used between chapters, and all of them kept my interest despite cutting away from the tension. I do wish some threads were either more interwoven with the main action or left more nebulous & mysterious; Certain elements felt left behind toward the end rather than adding up to the whole.

Overall, it was super fun to read, a definite page turner. I really enjoyed myself!

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Atria for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

✨It was suggested to me that I go into this one blind, and I did. Wow! I thought I was reading a psychological thriller – and maybe I was. Or was it horror? I’m still not completely sure – and that, my friends, is the real thrill here. I finished last night, and I’m still questioning everything…in the very best way. There are unanswered questions – but the questions are the point! The questions are the terror. You must trust me on this. 🫢

✨The author managed to hit on all my worst fears – and unlock some new ones! The fear was visceral. I had to put the book down at bedtime because I was S C A R E D! 😳

✨I loved the alternating narrative and “documentation” chapters. Lord have mercy, @marcus_kliewer, as I have already told you, you have a brilliantly deranged mind. (Thankfully, he took this as the compliment it was intended to be).

✨This book is eerie, unnerving, intense and with an ongoing sense of foreboding that will not let you put it down. A must read for anyone who likes a book that will scare your pants off.

🌿Read if you like:
✨Being utterly terrified
✨Atmospheric, claustrophobic reads
✨Mind benders
✨Isolated settings
✨LGBTG+ rep

Coming June 18. Do not miss this one. Perfect for a hot summer night.

My thanks to @atriabooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book!

Well. This for sure kept me on edge the entire time I was reading it. I finished and I'm still not sure what the truth is. If you want to read a book that has you questioning long after you finish, this is the book. Did Eve exist? Did Emma? Who knows? I would definitely read the next book that this author writes.

Huge thanks to #netgalley and @atriabooks for the chance to read and review the Advanced Reader Copy for this book set to release June 18th, 2024.

WOW. This book gets all the stars from me. As many as I can give it!

Imagine buying an old Victorian style home with your partner and a strange family knocks on the door one day. The father says he used to live here and wants to show his family his childhood home. 15 minutes tops. Reluctantly, you let them in. 15 minutes ends up being overnight, and strange things begin to happen all around the house.

@marcus_kliewer did an incredible job of picking me up from my couch and plopping me down into a terrifying Netflix movie. This all played out in my mind so well that there were moments I would feel like I had to shake away the creeps this book gave me. I HIGHLY recommend reading this book when it comes out in June. I however, do not recommend reading it at night. 😬

Happy Reading friends! 📚 🍻

What did I just read!? This was excellent and I loved every minute of it - thrillers don't often scare me, but this one surely did! I am agog.

After I saw some early really good reviews, I had to read Marcus Kliewer's debut WE USED TO LIVE HERE (publishes June 18, 2024).

Evie and her partner Charlie have moved into a large house in the remote Pacific Northwest. When Charlie is gone one day, a family of five turns up on the doorstep wanting just "15 minutes" for the father to show his family the house where he grew up. Evie is extremely apprehensive about this, but she relents. And then a winter storm shuts down the road, causing this family to stay even longer. Dun dun dun. Things, like you might expect, get weird, and the reader starts to question what's really going on while being constantly unsettled.

The tension is super high in this novel. The novel does have some mind bend-y and horror elements, so it might not be for highly sensitive readers. While this isn't gruesome horror, I think this could definitely invade your dreams, so you might not want to read it before bed. Interspersed between chapters are some mixed media pieces, and I'm not sure I grasped the significance of all of them (looking at you, puzzle!).

The physical setting, other than the house itself, doesn't really come alive in this one. I think the really old dilapidated house would have been better on the East Coast during a winter storm. Also, the narrative says it's a couple months before Christmas (so wouldn't that be Halloween?), and we aren't getting snow in the Pacific Northwest at Halloween.

As much as this novel CREEPED me out, I'm not sure I fully grasped all of it, particularly the mixed media pieces and even some of the plot itself. I would have appreciated some more explanation to fill in some holes.

If you like horror novels, I would definitely check this one out!

I am struggling with writing this review because there is so much I want to say but I think it is best to go into this book with as little knowledge of it as possible. So just know that this is one of the best horror books that I have ever read and I want to shout from the rooftops how much I love this book.

Charlie and Eve are a young queer couple who have just purchased a large old house to renovate. While Charlie is out doing errands one day, Eve answers a knock on the door and finds a family wanting to come in. The husband of the family claims to have lived there several years ago and wants to quickly show his wife and kids around. Eve is reluctant, but she lets them in. As they explore the house, strange things start to occur. Even though Eve wants them gone, the family is reluctant to leave and doesn't quite get the hint that they have overstayed their welcome. As more inexplicable things occur, Eve starts to lose her grip on reality and isn't sure if the old house and the family is causing her distress or if it is all in her head.

*Breathes in* THIS BOOK. This book. Pro tip: don't read this book at midnight in the dark or you will have to sleep with your light on later like I did. If you look up the word for "unsettling" in the dictionary, it will direct you to this book. It's like everything seems normal, but some things are just slightly off and you can't figure out why. It's so unsettling!! For example, a man standing in a hallway. Not really scary. But in this book- CREEPY. I hope this is all making sense because I need everyone to read this book. After I finished it, I just sat in awe thinking about the ending. I think what happens to Eve in this book has to be one of the scariest things that could happen to someone. Have I convinced you to read it yet? DO IT!

Another thing I loved about this book is several of the chapters include Morse code, and it is really creepy/satisfying to translate those words as you read along.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Can't believe I waited so long to read this! This was so good! What an excellent debut novel! Don't wait to pick this one up! Seriously, I'm going to have nightmares.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

I had read the original version of this story on Reddit (subreddit r/nosleep, author username PolterKites) and it was already one of the top stories I’d read there. This full novel version expands on the original story and fleshes out certain aspects of it more cleary, while still maintaining the “WTF”ness the original.

This is one of the few horror stories to genuinely creep me out (both versions) and I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy once it’s released! Now Marcus Kliewer just needs to novelize “The Man in my Basement Takes One Step Closer Every Week,” another story of his that grabbed even more than this one did!

Marcus Kliewer has instantly made himself a go-to author for me. I enjoyed every second of this novel!

I have never read a book that gave me nightmares, but this one might do the trick. I mean…. Holy Horror. I legit had chill bumps and kept looking over my shoulder during that attic scene (iykyk) SO CREEPY! I absolutely loved this book and even though it scared me to death, I need you all to read it, kthx. 🫶🏻

This was such a unique horror story and the way it was told with the mixed media, had me second guessing if this was based on a true story lol and once you read this you will understand how absolutely insane that thought was. Just, bravo! Can’t recommend this one enough!

Thank you NetGalley for this digital arc! This was a fabulous, unsettling and atmospheric thriller by Marcus Kliewer. When unexpected guests show up on her doorstep, things begin to shift in an all to unsettling manner. Eve's world is twisted, and turned upside down by this new family who arrives and seemingly never wants to leave.

It takes a lot to scare me, and this one did. It’s just the perfect blend of psychological and physical horror to keep me up at night with at least one light on.
We follow Eve, Charlie, and their little dog, Shyloh. (I THINK I spelled that right.) They have just purchased an old, isolated home to flip. One day, a family shows up at their doorstep. The patriarch, Thomas, says that he used to live in the home growing up and would like to show it to his family before they move across the United States. The allotted 15 minutes Eve allows him to view the home turns into hours. One thing after the other keeps happening to extend the time frame and soon… the family won’t leave.
Eve is determined to figure out what exactly is happening. Who are these people? What do they want? And what are those noises in the basement? We are just as confused alongside her, and briefly catch glimpses of what COULD be happening within chapters that include police interrogations, Reddit threads, similar happenings, etc.
Fans of psychological horror will love this, specifically alternate realities.

***SPOILER QUESTIONS***
-What IS Thomas?
-Is Thomas’s family in on it, or just as confused as Eve?
-Wtf is going on with heather, and the other dude in the cabin?
-Is Thomas’s “sister” in on it as well? Did she trade places with Eve to free herself or….? That one REALLY got me scratching my head.
-It is mentioned about Thomas’s “dads” band and the symbol… but we never get a clear answer?
-Jenny… she knows something, doesn’t she?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of these thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is perhaps the most terrifying horror novel I've ever read and I LOVED it! I'm so glad I went in to this one blind and I hope others do as well. I can't wait to see this book come to life on the screen and I look forward to more novels by this author. Thank you for the opportunity to read this e-galley.

Wow.... this book was unlike anything else I had ever read- in the best way possible. After the Faust family arrives at the house Thomas Faust once lived in, but now belongs to Eve and Charlie, ghostly happenings begin. However, this is so much more than "just" a ghost story. Is Thomas some ancient, evil entity capable of bending time and reality? It the "Old House" a portal? Is Eve just losing her grasp on reality, AND her sanity? Are people close to Eve being swapped out with fakes? I read this book in one sitting, which is something I don't think I've done in years. I couldn't put this creepy, mind-bending book down, and I plan to sing its praise to everyone who will listen to me do so! Definitely worth a read, but clear your schedule before sitting down to read it.

Eve just moved into an old house with her partner Charlie. She was home alone when a family knocked on her door. The father Thomas said he grew up in the house and was wondering if he could tour it with his family. Eve didn't like the idea but she let them in.

That's when things got weird! The Faust family take a tour but they definitely over stay their welcome in this snowed in horror novel. I really enjoyed this book!!

Wow okay, this was really unsettling! The book starts right off where a family arrives at a new homeowners door claiming to have lived there years prior.

The father requests a tour of the place for his family as it was his childhood home. Right there you would think red flags would be going off.

The main character is known as a people pleaser, but really just lacked common sense apparently because who in their right mind would be like “oh yeah sure go ahead and enter my home while I’m alone and FAR AWAY from civilization”

After the tour, the daughter of the family plays a fun little game of hide n seek and that’s when the real weird stuff happens.

I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book once published if you enjoy unsettling atmospheric stories. It kept me on edge the whole time and will definitely be a reread for me.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC

Ummm!?!?!! This was scary good! I was sure what to expect but this had me one the edge of my seat. I’m not a huge horror reader but I can appreciate when it’s done right and this one did not disappoint!

WHAT DID I JUST READ?! This may be the most unique and creepy horror I’ve ever read, I’m truly so blown away and need everyone to read this just so we can all discuss it.

The story started with me just being angry at the protagonist for letting strangers into her home but it quickly escalated into something far more twisty and sinister that I never saw coming. This was next-level storytelling for the horror genre!

I still have a handful of questions after finishing this and am tempted to go back and search for hints. The story was so well paced and was so unique, I read it all in one sitting. It deserves all the praise and deserves to be a horror best seller upon its release.