I loved this book. If anything I wanted more of it.
Couple Charlie and Eve have bought an old home at a great price to flip in Oregon. One day a man, his wife and three kids show up unannounced, asking to tour the home. The father, Thomas, said he grew up there and wants to show the kids. But one thing after another takes place and the family just won't leave. Then Eve starts questioning reality, noticing things that weren't there before.
I thought this book was super creepy, scary, mysterious and so much fun. It dives into some elements I enjoyed in All Hallows and Archive 51. I think this book is great to go into blind and it was better than I imagined.
The only negative aspect to me was not getting enough. I wish some parts of the book were fleshed out more. I wanted to know more about Thomas and the secrets of the house. I don't normally do well with huge books, but I wish this one was longer to really dive deeper. I didn't want this story to end.

Okay so this one took me a while to figure out exactly how to review it because I was starting at the wall trying to figure out WTF I just read. Is that a bad thing?? Not at all because I had a TIME with this haunted house horror story. This was very different from the other ones that I’ve read but it also reminded me of ‘The September House’ which is one of my FAVORITE haunted house books ever.

This is the story of a queer couple that purchases an old Victorian house to flip for a killer deal. One day while Eve is home alone, a married couple and their three children come knocking on the door asking for a tour of the home claiming that the husband grew up there. In the midst of an impending winter storm, Eve reluctantly lets them in and realizes that she’s made a terrible mistake. When Charlie suddenly disappears, Eve is thrown into a terrifying alternate reality… or has she been imagining these things all along???

What was so unsettling about this story was the play on real-life occurrences: misplacing small things, being forgetful in stressful situations, debilitating anxiety... This was a deliciously written horror and I promise if you love this genre, you will not have to suspend belief to believe the horrific shit that happens in this story. It is equal parts weird and creepy and the conclusion was wonderful.

We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

☆☆☆☆☆/5


As a young, queer couple who flip houses, Charlie and Eve can’t believe the killer deal they’ve just gotten on an old house in a picturesque neighborhood. As they’re working in the house one day, there’s a knock on the door. A man stands there with his family, claiming to have lived there years before and asking if it would be alright if he showed his kids around. People pleaser to a fault, Eve lets them in.
As soon as the strangers enter their home, uncanny and inexplicable things start happening, including the family’s youngest child going missing and a ghostly presence materializing in the basement. Even more weird, the family can’t seem to take the hint that their visit should be over. And when Charlie suddenly vanishes, Eve slowly loses her grip on reality. Something is terribly wrong with the house and with the visiting family—or is Eve just imagining things?


Friends, I cannot recommend this book enough. I started this last night and finished just now. That’s how good this is. I was sucked in the minute the family entered the house. Being the reader, I felt like I myself was going crazy with Eve, it was such a mind bender. It was creepy and the descriptions that the author would use, I felt like I was watching a live action movie, it felt like I was there. Incredible writing, fantastic psychological thriller. As described “Get Out meets Parasite”. Just don’t read this at night.

Thank you @atriabooks for allowing me to read this ARC through Netgalley and thank you @marcus_kliewer for this incredible book.

Publish date is June 18th

👹🐜🌲🔦🔨

I finished the book with many unanswered questions. I feel Eve had many unanswered questions as well. I wonder if this was deliberately done to have readers feel what Eve felt. Atmospheric, eerie, sinister, and well written. I loved this one!

Wow!!!! Creepy, atmospheric, unnerving, and eerie! This hit everything I want out of a horror novel and more! Kept me guessing until the very end!

Thank you to Marcus Kliewer, Atria Books, and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my unbiased review!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for my early access to We Used To Live Here, in exchange for a truthful review.

We Used To Live Here started so strongly - feeling like Christian Tafdrup's Speak No Evil meets Mark Z. Danielewski's House Of Leaves, but the baby version of both.

Some great characters (I love a people pleaser protagonist), brilliant tension, and atmospheric weirdness all builds to... a veeeeery disappointing ending (for me, anyway - your mileage may vary).

I honestly found the final third a real slog, and all three of those stars are for the first half. Too many of the concluding set-pieces felt like someone describing a dream to me - I just didn't engage at all.

Needs a sequel to make sense, maybe it'll get one if the Netflix adaptation doesn't suck.

Wow. This book was so gripping and intense that I read it in less than a day. Talk about being creeped out!!! This book was so creepy/spooky/eerie/unsettling and it had me saying "F*** that!" and "NOPE" throughout the whole book. And then the last half of the book had me in shock and confusion saying "Wait, what the heck is happening?!" Talk about questioning reality. The phenomena, the psychological twists and turns, the overall setting - all of it was great.

Now, I truly enjoyed this book and wanted to give it 5 stars, however, there are just too many unanswered questions for me to feel fully satisfied. If there were to be a second book where we get all those answers and everything makes sense, then it would be an easy 5 stars, but as it is I just wish we were given more answers to all the loose threads to give it a little more closure.

That said, this was a well-written book that will have you on the edge of your seat! Definitely recommend picking up this page-turning thriller despite the ambiguity.

Thank you, NetGalley, Atria Books, and Marcus Kliewer for allowing me to read this in advance!

***** There is a typo in this book. Chapter: Family Troubles. Location: 3162. It says "je seethed" rather than "he seethed".

"We Used to Live Here" is a gripping and chilling masterpiece that delves into the realms of nightmares. While I typically shy away from supernatural tales, Marcus Kliewer's writing prowess held me captive, rivaling even the great Stephen King. The eerie ambiance and isolated setting evoked echoes of "The Shining."

Set in the desolate Pacific Northwest, Eve reluctantly opens her home to a family of five while her partner, Charlie, is away. Thomas, the father, claims a childhood connection to the house. However, upon Charlie's return, a spectral presence emerges, shattering the tranquility. Soon, nothing and no one is as they seem, plunging the characters into a relentless spiral of horror.

I wholeheartedly give a four-star rating and enthusiastically recommend it to those who enjoy suspense and supernatural terror.

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for the ARC to read and review.

Many thanks to @atriabooks @atriathrillers and #emilybestlerbooks for my #gifted (free) copy.

WOW! Super chilling and heart racing, this debut novel has already been picked up by Netflix to become an original movie staring Blake Lively. I wanted to throw this book in my freezer a few times like Joey did in Friends because it is scary! This is definitely the best and scariest horror novel I have ever read, so make sure to get your pre-orderes in!

Charlie and Eve, a queer couple, just purchased an old house at an extremely good price. It's definitely a fixer-upper, but that's what they are good at. On a snowy evening, Eve is waiting for Charlie to get home so they can have a relaxing evening together, but Charlie is late, and there is a knock on the door. Outside the front door stands a family of five. The father of the family says they were passing through, and he wanted to stop and show his family the house he grew up in. Eve reluctantly agrees to let them in, but she will soon regret it.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! This story was so unsettling and creepy that I had to read it in the day time. I had a lot of “WHAT DID I JUST READ?” moments but in a good way. There were parts that I wanted to scream at Eve and tell her to stop people pleasing but it helped that the author was able to give some relatable personality traits to her since the story is in her POV for the most part, I thought the extra inserts that split the chapters up was a fun idea. I didn’t expect how detailed the descriptions and the mood was so on point. Great horror book!

I loved it!
I'm so grateful for the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free eARC of this book, because I loved this!
I loved how the writer starts off the story with a bang, making us, the readers, unsettled and terrified of the initial events concerning the strange family who knocks on the door of our protagonist's house.
I loved the structure of this book, being told, in parts, through excerpts of newspapers, articles, interviews and, later on, a documentary script.
Personally, I think it made the reading experience more dynamic.
I'll admit I didn't see that 'plot twist' coming. At all.
At first I thought I didn't like it. That it was a little over the top or too weird for my taste. But now, after a few days digesting the book, I kinda love its weirdness.
Make no mistakes: after 2/3 of the story, this book gets very weird. And I loved it!
I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes weird horror haunted houses, and also to readers who do not mind not getting all the answers to every question they might have, because you won't get all the answers.

*Also, a warning: this book is being marketed as "The Turn of the Key meets Parasite". Don't fall for it! It's a lie, really. We Used to Live Here is nothing alike The Turn of the Key, and it has a very weak, a very feeble resemblance to the movie Parasite. Don't go into this book expecting some sort of The Turn of the Key or Parasite 2.0, because you will feel disappointed.*

Thank you Atria Books for the gifted copy!

I could not put this book down! It's such an excellently written horror novel. The entire time I was reading I had such a deep sense of foreboding and the actual scary scenes were legitimately terrifying. I should not have read this at night!

The ending weirdly terrified me the most!? I don't want to say too much so I don't spoil it, but it really sat with me for awhile.

This is currently in the works to be adapted by Netflix (starring Blake Lively!!!) and I literally cannot wait. It will make such a scary movie.

I hope Kliewer continues to write horror, I will be (im)patiently waiting whatever he comes up with next!

Pub date: June 18

Wowee. Flew through that one! I just couldn’t put it down.
Now why I would choose a horror book about an old house as I sit in my 100 year old house .. I can’t say, but I was totally creeped out! Also I don’t usually read horror. I’ve come to realize I can handle it though. It’s much different than a movie, which I’ll pass on.

The story here was intriguing and I loved the way the internet posts and other supplemental information was mixed in. There’s also Morris Code. There’s a few notes in another language (I google translated them). And there’s probably other things I missed! The way it all came together was surprising. The ending was perfect. I’m left with questions and I know I’ll be thinking about this one for a while.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance reader copy .. now I have to check and double check that the door to my basement is LOCKED… so I can hope to get some sleep tonight.

This is the kind of slow-burn that makes literary horror unique. A subtle kind of scare that creeps into your mind and takes root. Multi-faceted characters and good pacing drive this novel home.

When I first started reading "We Used to Live Here" by Marcus Kliewer, I was immediately hooked by the spooky and eerie atmosphere of the first half. It had me on the edge of my seat, anticipating each turn of the page. The suspense had me jumpy, and I couldn't wait to see where the story would take me.

But, as I read more into the second half, my excitement turned to confusion and frustration. Instead of unraveling the mysteries and tying up loose ends, the plot seemed to veer off course, leaving me with more questions than answers. I found myself scratching my head, trying to make sense of the disjointed narrative and unresolved plot points.

As someone who loves a good mystery, I couldn't help but feel let down by the lack of closure in "We Used to Live Here." It's clear that Kliewer has a knack for creating tension and setting a haunting atmosphere, but without a satisfying resolution, the story ultimately falls flat.

This book was a fast read that delivered in scares and tension. Pick this one up if you're looking for an absorbing thrill ride.

This was absolutely chilling and left me with a sense of dread from start to finish. This is billed as a thriller, but make no mistake this has horror written all over it! Read in one sitting, you won't be able to look away once this train leaves the station.

A sense of dread lingers throughout this well-paced pageturner. The events that occur will feel a bit frustrating, and details matter, but by the end we descend into madness and it feels like it all kind of comes together (though a bit rushed). I'm going to predict the ending ends up polarizing.

If you're looking for a unique (haunted house type) story with spooky vibes-- give this baby a shot.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

We Used to Live Here has to be one of the most heart-stopping horror stories I've ever read!

When a couple moves into an old house in remote Oregon looking for a quick flip and big profit they quickly realize they're in over their heads and the price of a profit could be paid in blood. When a family knocks on Eve and Charlies door asking if they could take a quick peek because they used to live there things quickly go wrong.

This book is so atmospheric and unsettling I had to read it with a light on. Not for the faint of heart by any means!

This one was absolutely chilling and beyond creepy. I think it would translate really well on screen someday. This is a book you can easily devour in one sitting and keep you guessing.