Okay, this book messed my brain up. I love anything with parallel dimensions, doppelgangers, and alternate realities so as soon as I read the synopsis of this book I knew it was for me. This book was spooky, weird, thrilling, and downright scary at a few points. The overall story is terrifying and it really didn't go like I thought it would; even the ending was a surprise to me. The character development isn't my favorite. The main character Eve is whiny and annoying but the plot is a lot of fun.

This one will be published June 2024. When you can get your hands on it, I HIGHLY recommend it. I couldn't put it down, the scary parts really got me, and I'm still thinking about it. Of course, with my fringe interests, this book easily sent me on a rabbit hole spiral and it could easily have you questioning your reality...

This book is the stuff nightmares are made of! From the very beginning, the creepiness vibes were off the chart! It’ll have you yelling “Why!” “What!” “Nooooo!” and you’ll want to physically throw your book/kindle/tablet across the room at times.

There were points toward the middle where things did get a bit confusing, but that could be attributed to how overwhelming the story is at times. This will be an interesting book-to-movie adaptation for sure!

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria Books for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Book: We Used To Live Here
Author: Marcus Kliewer
Publisher: Atria Books
Pub Date: June 18, 2024

Ya’ll! This book! It gets all the stars! I requested it based on the description, “eerily haunting debut and Reddit hit-soon to be a Netflix original movie starring Blake Lively.” This book for me is what nightmares are made of. Eve begins to slowly lose her grip on reality and the longer you read you’ll begin to lose grip on reality as well. Eve is smart. She appears to be no different than me and you. She named her conscious Mo - he’s an audible voice that gives her advice. A voice of paranoia so to speak. We all have a Mo. This family won’t leave - my pulse raced as the book progressed and at one point I was silently screaming for them to GET OUT! You can feel Eve losing her mind. The build up of tension is unlike anything I have ever read. Everything in this book is so real it’s terrifying. And you’re left not knowing what the heck just happened. Is Eve crazy? Did they drive her crazy? Am I crazy? I immediately went on Reddit and subscribed to Polterkites and began reading his other short stories. (The Man In My Basement Takes One Step Closer Every Week is great!) This my friends is a book well done!

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is June 18, 2024.

This is why I don’t open the door to strangers. Nothing good comes from it.

I am still am not sure what I just read.
Did I also descend into madness while reading? Who knows.

This book is eerie and unsettling and has some truly creepy moments. I liked the “documents” that were inserted throughout with random information that tied into the story.


3.5 stars.

... Holy crap I will be thinking about this book forever. Masterful tension and mystery. Start with the film mother!, throw in some Control/ Alan Wake video game, and sprinkle in the tv show Haunting of Hill House, and you have We Used to Live Here. I will be recommending to anyone who is willing to question reality.

INTRODUCING THE BEST HORROR BOOK OF 2024!!

I know its early into the year, but this book was THAT excellent. I don’t know what other book will be able to top this one.

This tells the story of Eve and Charlie, who are in the process of flipping their old Victorian house when a family knocks on their door, the husband claiming to have lived in the house when he was growing up. From there, this story descends into chaos, riddled with tension and enough “WTF” moments to keep you reading well into the night.

The blurb indicates that this is going to be made into a movie. This book reads like a movie. I seriously couldn’t get enough. This is a one-sitting read. I technically finished this last night but haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.

If you are wanting a pulse-pounding thriller/horror that you cannot look away from, look no further than this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! One of the creepiest books I've ever read! Such a fun and fast-paced book! The book immediately jumps into the eerie plot right from the start and it doesn't let up.
The main character Eve and her partner Charlie have recently bought a rundown house up in the pacific coast mountains, planning to flip it. One night a friendly but odd family show up on their doorstep saying the father grew up in the house and asks if they can come inside for a quick tour for the kids while they're driving through on a move. As soon as they enter the house the strangest and eventually disturbing things happen.
Without giving away any spoilers I can say this book continually went differently than I expected. Even when there was a moment where I felt safe for Eve, the moments don't last long. The pacing was excellent and fast-paced.
The family always feel off but in a way you can't quite put your finger on.
The house itself is a terrifying character. It's hard to tell if it's the house or people are haunted. There are horrifically and chilling parts in the basement and attic that I can't wait to see adapted one day. This is exactly the type of book that would be so fun to see adapted into a movie.
Eve is likable and relatable in her people-pleaser tendencies. I felt constant fear for her and mentally wanting to tell her to hurry and get out of the situations.
I finished this book in a little over a day. I flew through it because it was so fun and I couldn't wait to finish it. I can't wait to read more by this author! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers! I can't recommend this horror book enough

This was perfectly atmospheric. The edge of panic starts early and ramps up at an anticipatory pace, and had me on edge the whole time.

This was all vibes… unsettling at its finest. There wasn’t anything about the way this book plays out that I didn’t think was perfectly done for this particular situation. You’re going along with this story not knowing who, if anyone, you can trust.

Immediately upon starting this, I got an anxious feeling, dread sitting right in my gut. And the feeling progresses throughout. Just a really enjoyable book that mixes home invasion vibes with haunted house horror.

Interspersed with our protagonist’s story, we get these snippets of documents in various forms of the history of house that is the backdrop of the book. We get other accounts of things having to do with the house and the area and I thought it gave more of an authentic feel to the story as a whole.

I definitely recommend this one if you like character driven psychological supernatural thrillers.

I realllly enjoyed this one. Genuinely scared me at some points! Super excited for this to become a movie

Fast read thriller. Super creepy and halfway through I was so confused. I think this book would make a better mini series or book!

This book follows a couple Eve and Charlie who recently moved into this house that’s more secluded. During a storm a family shows up and the father claims the house was his childhood home and since they were passing by he thought he’d stop and see if he can show his family. Eve hesitant ends up letting them in, from here things get VERY strange around the home. This book was so so so good! It had twists and turns and I felt like it kind of messed with your mind. I found myself questioning so much!! Definitely recommend!

I had a really hard time getting into this book. I loved the idea and thought it would be a home run for me, but something would not click. I know that main characters in this genre aren't always known for doing what's *right* and we are always screaming "WHY" at them but this went a little too far for me. I don't know a single person, even the most trusting and nonconfrontational, that just lets people waltz right into their home when alone.

Now, saying that, the whole thing wasn't bad! The author does an excellent job at pacing and keeps the tension tight until you freefall into chaos. Lots of questions and lots of thrill.

I do really wish I had more positive things to say, but it just did not feel flushed out enough for me. If we ever end up getting the film adaptation with Blake Lively; I will be sure to give it another shot as I do think the story has potential.

This is for fans of Lucey Foley, Ruth Ware, Riley Sager, etc. Wasn't my warmest cup of tea but it was close.

4 out of 5 - We Used To Live Here

The story centers on Eve, an anxiety ridden woman who has recently purchased a home with her girlfriend Charlie in the hopes of flipping it. One day a family arrives at the house, the father claiming he was a prior resident who wishes to show his wife and kids around. Against her better judgement Eve allows the family inside but once they're in will they ever leave? Interspersed with newspaper articles, radio reports, and the cryptic writings of a conspiracy blogger the novel has an overbearing sense of dread throughout.

The build up of tension was incredible - each turn of the page the tension rose and rose until it was almost unbearable. Eve's anxiety disorder heightened the fear factor. How does one trust their own mind when they can't tell if what they're experiencing is truly horrific or a side effect of their own anxieties?

This book is apparently already slated to become a Netflix movie and I'll definitely be looking out for it! Overall, it was a great read and I highly recommended giving it a look, especially before it's turned into a movie!

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and author Marcus Kliewer for allowing me to read an ARC copy of this book.

A lot of people will love We Used to Live Here. It's got all the makings of great mystery — a creepy house, even creepier circumstances, and a narrator who is increasingly overwhelmed. The story itself did get a little and confusing in the middle, but like many other reviewers, I'm very excited to see how it translates as a movie.

This was fantastic and I loved every second. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for providing me this ARC of 'We Used to Live Here'. As soon as I saw this story was being adapted for a film starring Blake Ljvely , I was in. I sped through this book in a day. It was a fun and wild ride not knowing what is real and what isn't. I had no idea where this book was going. I'm excited to see how this story was adapted to film. I also feel like I already need a re-read for things I may have missed on the first read. The only reason this isn't five stars is the ending just wasn't exactly satisfying enough for me. I'm not sure what I was hoping for, maybe just a bit more.

Y'all this book scared the pants right off me !! As soon as I saw this cover I was captivated right away and the fact this book is going to be made into a movie on Netflix starring Blake Lively it was a no brainer !

The entire time I was reading I kept waiting for something to grab me and whisk me away, I felt unsettled the entire time I read We Used to Live Here. I truly felt as if I was casting my eyes on a movie every breathing moment of this read . Marcus Kliewer just gained a new fan, phenomenal thriller !

"Ch- Charlie ?" Eve's voice trembled. Now ,every fiber of her being screamed: RUN. Yet she continued creeping forward, one foot after the other, until she swung the door wide open. Putrid reek wafted out, hitting her like a wall. A stench so powerful, it dredged up flash jolt memory : As a child , walking home from school,, she'd accidently stepped on a dead sparrow . With a wet squelch , her red gumboot burst the bird's stomach open , unleashing a mess of bleach-white maggots onto the sunbaked sidewalk."

This story is not for one who is easily frightened. This is a fast paced horror thriller and I read it in one sitting !

One cold evening , Eve receives a knock at her door of their new house her and her partner Charlie just purchased , an old Victorian style home with the intent to renovate or potentially tare down, when she opens the door to her surprise stands before her a family of five and the father says " We used to live here , may we come in and have a tour " ?

Do you ever get that gut feeling something isn't right , like your spidey senses are on overdrive ? Well Eve had that , she knew deep down something was off , but yet she felt compelled to let them in , " ok just for 15 minutes " ...it is quite clear that she should have listened to that inside voice !

You will question everything you know about this town and this house located at 3709 Heritage Lane , what is really going on up there , is it Insanity , Vengeance or Paranormal ???

I really think fans of Home Before Dark, A History of Wild Places , Rock , Paper , Scissors and The Other People will welcome and devour every moment of this book !!

Thank you Netgalley , Atria Books and Marcus Kliewer for this amazing digital ARC !

I liked the concept. It's really cool that this came from reddit and there is going to be a film adaptation. However...From the beginning til the end, I kept asking myself this question "Why? Just why?" The protagonist was so irritating and did the exact opposite of what she should have done every step of the way. It is creepy, unsettling, and will keep you on the edge of your seat all the way til the end. This was a love/hate read for me, so i'm going to give it 3 stars.

I don’t even know what I just experienced but it was terrifying, entertaining, creepy and kept me guessing until the very end.

I received an ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Well that was interesting, but I need to know more. Look forward to Netflix version, if it ever comes out. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.