What just happened?! This book is an absolute masterpiece of horror! As someone who can usually read or watch anything without flinching, I was honestly blown away by how intense this was. My heart rarely races with horror these days, but this story got under my skin and had me feeling genuine dread. From start to finish, it was a pulse-pounding experience.

The pacing is pitch-perfect, drawing you in slowly but with a relentless build of tension. You can sense what’s coming, but even then, the way the twists hit you feels unexpected and unsettling. This is the kind of horror that sticks with you long after you’ve finished reading, the kind that leaves you looking over your shoulder and reevaluating how much you trust strangers. It taps into that primal fear of the unknown, the threat lurking just out of sight, and does so in a way that’s both psychological and visceral.

I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, gripping the pages like my life depended on it. This book does what so many aspire to but few achieve—it keeps you hooked, scared, and desperate for more. The hype around it is not only justified but necessary because this is the type of horror that reminds us why we love the genre so much.

I would say that this isn’t just a must-read for horror fans—it’s a masterclass in horror writing. Any aspiring horror writer should take notes because this is how it’s done. The balance of atmosphere, character, and tension is immaculate. It’s one of those stories that doesn't just scare you in the moment; it lingers, clawing its way into your mind long after you've turned the last page.

one of my new faves! this was SO creepy and has one of the scariest scenes I've ever read. I loved the addition of the mixed media elements and the morse code at the end of the chapters. it made for such a fun & immersive read. the ambiguous ending won't work for everyone but it really did for me!

While the premise was nice, the writing was... not what I expected. I wanted more from the characters because I felt that what was on the front cover and the front flap was not what we were given.

Now that's a debut novel. The interludes between chapters gave me the same spine tingling sensation that I got from watching the DHARMA videos on the television show Lost. Kliewer creates a very compelling world of mystery that is based in reality, but there is constantly something sinister bubbling underneath. I can't wait to see what Kliewer comes up with next.

Wasn't the right kind of mystery/thriller for me. The characters made very frustrating decisions against their better judgement immediately in the book and it just kept going. I do think that a lot of people would enjoy this mystery/thriller though. The mystery itself is well done and there's a lot to unpack from the book that I think it would really draw in readers who like to solve the mystery along with the book and find small clues to unpack after the fact.

This book was not what I expected-yet exactly what I expected. If that makes sense. A truly creepy book but beyond that-only confusing. Nothing AT ALL is explained. It’s all just a mind fuck?! Okay. So…what? Why? When? How?

This was a thriller that I couldn’t put down. I think it was original and entertaining. I will definitely recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this! We follow Eve and what she experiences after buying a new home and having strangers knock on her door in the middle of a snowstorm saying they used to live there and would like to let their children look around. This gave me House of Leaves vibes a bit, which made me enjoy it more. There was morse code to decipher, and lots of theories online if you check Reddit. Reading about the theories and hearing booktubers discuss the book definitely added to my enjoyment and made me think about things in different ways. I look forward to the next thing Marcus Kliewer writes...and I think I saw somewhere that there might be a sequel!

Marcus Kliewer’s We Used to Live Here is a chilling and atmospheric psychological thriller that masterfully blends suspense with a creeping sense of dread. Based on a viral Reddit NoSleep story, the novel expands on its eerie premise: a couple’s quiet life is disrupted when a group of strangers arrives at their doorstep, claiming they used to live in their house—and refusing to leave.

Kliewer’s writing is immersive, drawing readers into a slow-burning horror that builds tension with every page. The claustrophobic setting and unsettling interactions between the characters create an unnerving experience, making it difficult to put the book down. The psychological elements are particularly well done, blurring the lines between reality and paranoia in a way that keeps the reader guessing.

While the story is gripping, some moments feel stretched, and a few plot points could have been developed further to enhance the emotional stakes. The ending, while effective, may not satisfy everyone, but it certainly leaves a lasting impression.

Overall, We Used to Live Here is a compelling and eerie thriller that fans of psychological horror will appreciate. Kliewer proves himself to be a strong storyteller, delivering a novel that is both unsettling and addictive.

The book was a fun read! It started slow but once it picked up I was hooked and by the end I wanted more! If there was a prequel to this I would read it.

I loved this book! It was uber creepy the entire time with page turning quick chapters that made me not want to put it down. It had a John Marrs vibe. I look forward to next book from this author.

Thank you NetGalley for the Advance copy, all opinions are my own.

I was sucked into the story by the potential... and then the wheels fell off. The ending leaves you with more questions than answers, and while I can support a spooky/supernatural/mystery i do not think the execution was done well enough to be considered a good book.

This book was not for me. But I would pick up something else from this author to test the waters again.

1 Star

This was my favorite spooky book of 2024!! Everything about this book was so good. I loved the little puzzles and hidden information and was even more excited when I found the Reddit page and was able to dive deeper into the book. I didn’t want it to end at all! I am very much looking forward to this world potentially expanding and am still reading the new “old house” information whenever I see something new come up. This will be a book that sticks with me for a long time

This one was so trippy! I really enjoyed it! I didn't really care about the characters, which I'm used to with horror books. I loved the Morse code mixed in this book and it actually made the story even more creepy! The twists were fun and I would love to see this as a tv show!

This book started out strong for me with vivid imagery and a plot that drew me in. At some point the storyline was no longer doing it for me though. I know this book got a ton of hype and I can see why; but it just didn't do it for me.

*We Used to Live Here* is a chilling psychological thriller that grips readers from the first page and doesn't let go. The novel centers around Charlie and Eve, a young, queer couple who’ve just secured an incredible deal on a fixer-upper in an idyllic neighborhood. As they begin restoring the house, an unexpected visitor knocks on their door—an unfamiliar man with his family, claiming they once lived in the house. Eve, ever the people-pleaser, allows them inside, unaware of the nightmare they’re about to step into.

From the moment the family enters, strange and unsettling occurrences begin to unfold. The youngest child goes missing, and a ghostly presence materializes in the basement. But the eeriest part of the situation is that the visiting family doesn’t seem to acknowledge any of the oddities happening around them—nor do they seem eager to leave. As the disturbances grow more intense, Charlie disappears, and Eve begins to question her own sanity. Is the house truly haunted, or is she spiraling into madness?

What makes *We Used to Live Here* so unnerving is its atmosphere—an ominous sense of dread seeps into every corner, and the line between reality and illusion blurs. The house itself becomes a character, its dark secrets slowly unraveling as Eve's grip on reality slips away. The tension mounts in such a way that readers will find themselves held captive by the story, desperate to know what happens next.

This novel is a masterclass in slow-building horror, and it’s impossible to put down once you start. Its unsettling premise will linger long after you've read the final page, haunting your thoughts. If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers with a supernatural twist, *We Used to Live Here* is a must-read that will leave you questioning what’s real and what’s not.

This was amazing. A complete mindf*** but amazing. I usually don’t like books that are confusing on purpose, but the way this one is set up, it makes it really feel like it could happen in some terrifying other universe 😳 I loved it. It also had sooo many of my favorite elements in horror/psychological thrillers: remote location, getting snowed-in, creepy basements, jump scares, and old houses with a mysterious history. The added mixed-media element was also amazing!!! High rec from me, especially if you want the perfect balance of thriller and horror.

Do. Not. Read. This. Alone. At. Night. It’s like riding a roller coaster at night. Surpassed my expectations and the hype was totally worth it. Not sure what I just read but I am happy I did. This is a hit!

If you’re looking for a haunted house story to really get under your skin, We Used to Live Here is for you. It’s a slow build, but by the end, it was the kind of story that had me seeing things in the shadows of my room at night. We follow Eve, who has just moved into a fixer-upper with her girlfriend, Charlie, with plans of flipping it. While Eve is home alone (Charlie is in town), a family of five knocks on their door. The father, Thomas, explains that he used to live there as a kid, and would she mind if they took a look around?

Even has anxiety, which makes it difficult for her to distinguish between truly unsettling things and garden variety paranoia. She doesn’t want this people in the house, especially not while she’s alone, but she’s also a people pleaser and is easily convinced into this. As they wander the house, she starts to get a bad feeling about them, especially Thomas, but she’s probably just imagining that…

This novel is no doubt influenced by House of Leaves, which is a horror book I absolutely love—and also have some serious issues with. Interspersed between each chapter of We Used to Live Here are documents: interview transcripts, newspaper clippings, the real estate listing of the house, etc. Within this documents are codes, including symbols, morse code, and seemingly random capitalized letters. There are fictional websites that you can actually visit, and an email address that might just reply if you email it. It’s the kind of book that can you send you down a rabbit hole, the kind that inspires subreddits to discuss theories.

Another crucial element of HoL that shows up here is spatial horror: as Eve explores the house, it begins to subtly change. This contributes to the growing sense of dread: even before anything truly scary happens, my skin was crawling. The atmosphere is so strong, and I ended up reading it in a couple of sittings because I had to know what happened next—and I wanted closure so that this story wouldn’t keep haunting me.

Despite all of that, there was something missing for me. It wasn’t entirely satisfying, though it had me hooked. I learned after finishing We Used to Live Here that it began as a serialized story on the No Sleep Reddit forum. I felt like things clicked into place then, because like other creepypasta and no sleep stories I’ve read, it does a great job of freaking me out, but the story doesn’t completely hold together in the light of day.

That criticism might not be fair. Not only did this book drive me to peruse some theories after I read it—always a sign I’m invested—but those also made me realize there are several easter eggs that make sense in retrospect. I suspect it would be a rewarding reread. But on the other hand, going down those Reddit threads also reminded me of moments that don’t fit into the worldbuilding, that seemed to be there just for vibes and didn’t totally make sense.

This is being pitched as Get Out meets Parasite, which I find to be a strange comparison for a book that has nothing to do with race/racism or class/classism. There is a religious element, though: conservative Christianity (and its attendant homophobia) is a looming menace, warping everything around it to conform. That’s an intriguing angle, but I don’t feel like it was fully explored, because there are so many other aspects to what’s happening.

Oh, and one more aside: I was annoyed with Charlie through most of this book, and I’m not sure if that was on purpose or not. I had questions that did not get answers. Do not leave your anxious girlfriend alone with a strange family in her house! Horror genre aside, why would you do that??

As you can probably tell, I am left conflicted. I had a great time reading this, and it is the closest thing I’ve read to HoL, though it is not nearly as intense. I felt like it didn’t completely live up to its potential, but I am glad I read it.

This and Kliewer’s short story “The Caretaker” are being adapted into Netflix movies, with Blake Lively as the star of We Used to Live Here and Sydney Sweeney as the star of “The Caretaker,” and I will be very interested to see how it plays out on the screen.

2.5 stars, rounded up: 2 stars for the story, plus 1/2 star for the creepiness factor

This was such a weird little story. I had no idea what has happening at any point in this story. Nor did I have any guesses about what was going to happen next. I wouldn't mind the second part if it weren't for the first. Ultimately, I think this just wasn't for me. The atmosphere was great.

I think if you don't mind your horror stories super out there, you may enjoy this one more than I did.


A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.