We Used to Live Here is a genuinely creepy and speculative horror novel that kept me engaged and guessing until the very end. In the grand tradition of scary books and movies, this starts with the main character making a questionable decision. Alone in the recently purchased and very secluded investment property where she lives with her girlfriend, Eve answers the door when a family of five appears late one evening and consents to let them come in to look around.

Most of what followed was increasingly unsettling and required that I read this book only during daylight hours. It's clear that this house holds secrets and that the intentions of the visiting father, who claims to have grown up in the home, extend beyond a trip down memory lane. Eve suddenly notices differences in the house, has tense interactions with her unwelcome visitors, and finds numerous reasons to never go into the basement again. Interspersed between the chapters are a collection of newspaper articles, internet message board posts, and other media mentions that tangentially correspond to the house and the lives of those who live and have lived in it.

This is a book that I definitely like more the longer I sit with and think about it. I think the reader is able to draw a lot of their own conclusions and I look forward to discussing this one when more people get a chance to read it. Highly recommend!

Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was the first "scary" book I've read, I didn't anticipate it giving me the creeps, but it was just like a movie, only I couldn't turn away to hide my eyes. I had to keep reading to know if everything was okay. I had to laugh at myself as I found myself turning the page and jumping to the bottom to see if I saw any specific names or words to give me a hint.

Overall I enjoyed the book as it turned out to be much further outside of my typical genre. You grow to like Eve and really root for her. You know her character experiences anxiety and sometimes overreacts so the whole time I was kind of waiting to see if it would be true that she was in fact wrong and imagining everything. As the story goes along, I kept thinking in my head, no don't go there, or no, don't do that, but of course she does! Kind of like the brave, but ignorant blonde in some movies. Every time she found something like the locket, the stained glass or even the letter or old photographs I was like this is it, she's going to prove she's right!

In the end I didn't expect Thomas to win out and Eve to be stuck. I was really rooting for a happy end, but now I'm questioning myself, what really was real vs pretend. From the neighbors to the burned down cabin in the woods, does the house or Thomas really change memories or was it all in Eve's own mind? I guess we'll never know!

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book was so scary I couldn't read it at night. I legit had to stop and read something else so I could get it out of my head before turning the lights off - that's a sign of a really great horror book!

Thank you to Netgalley, Atria Books, and Marcus Kliewer for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a very scary story about a couple, Eve and Charlie, who purchase an old Victorian home in the middle of nowhere in the Pacific Northwest. Eve, alone one night, answers the knocking at the door to find Thomas and his family, stating he used to live there and can he bring his family in to see the house for no more than 15 minutes. That is when her life takes a turn. This thrilling and suspenseful novel takes you on a ride of WTFs like no other! Just when you think you're wrapping your head around what is happening, something else happens or something else is said that makes you go back to the drawing board!

Kliewer really runs his readers through the gambit, and even though the novel ends, we're still left with so much uncertainty, and definitely with more questions. Nestled between Internet threads and medical journals, this story is anything but typical. Kliewer has weaved a super original piece of horror for his readers to devour and then attempt to regurgitate to make sense of it all. Thoroughly entertaining and immersive, I really enjoyed my reading experience from the very beginning.

I am hopeful for a sequel and/or prequel as there are A LOT of unanswered questions and plot holes. A sequel could easily answer a lot of questions, and be just as scary and entertaining!

Wowww this is one of the creepiest books I have read! I loved it!!! I was guessing the entire time and I could not wait to find out how the story would unravel and I could NOT have predicted that ending. I will be recommending this to everyone!

Can I just say, I am blown away by how good this book is. At first glance, the premise appears straightforward: Eve, our protagonist, embarks on a journey into an old, fixer-upper house with her partner, only to be confronted by the unexpected arrival of a family with ties to the home's past. With that in mind, I expected this to be your typical thriller story arch. It is so much more than that. Marcus Kliewer presents a novel that to me is very reminiscent of Mark Z. Danielewski’s “House of Leaves”; a complex horror novel with psychological, paranormal, and magical elements. While following Eve’s story, the reader is presented with bits of research from an unknown source, pertaining to a place/phenomenon known as ‘Old House’. This research raises questions for the reader, and allows the story to take many unexpected turns.

I understand the criticism I’ve read regarding unresolved plot threads; however, I find them to be a deliberate narrative choice rather than a flaw. The questions left unanswered serve to provoke thought long after the book is finished, maintaining a lingering presence in the reader's mind, which to me is often what signifies a 5-start read. Moreover, the space for potential sequels is exciting, as it is promising further exploration of the richly layered world Kliewer has created.

"We Used to Live Here" is recommended for readers seeking a unique narrative that will captivate them with its blend of horror elements and the challenge of unraveling a complex puzzle of information, ensuring sleepless nights and lingering intrigue.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book had me on the edge of my seat, completely gripped. While the abrupt ending and unanswered questions bothered me, there's no denying this is one of scariest reads I've ever experienced.

We Used to Live Here is unsettling in both a supernatural and real life way. From the beginning there’s a deep sense of foreboding and doom. I recently moved in December and as an anxious person I don’t like anyone knocking on my door. But imagine a man and his family show up and announce “we used to live here” and want to look around for 15 minutes. Would you let them in?

What about when you misplace your phone and remember leaving it somewhere only to discover it somewhere else. You must have just remembered putting it in the wrong place, right? The author plays on common things that can happen and mixes in some super creepy scenarios as well.

Eve is a people pleaser so she does wind up letting the family in. As soon as the strangers enter their home, unusual things start happening. I don't want to give too much away but let's say it will have you questioning reality along with Eve.

After pondering what was going on, I discovered the author's short stories on Reddit so make sure to check those out too. I am really looking forward to the Netflix adaptation of this. If you Didn't know, thEre's some Clues tO decoDe throughout thE book.

Thank you Atria, NetGalley and Marcus Kliewer for the advanced copy. We Used to Live Here comes out June 18, 2024.

this book grabs you right from the start and doesn’t loosen its grip, it had me guessing at every twist and turn and delivered horror i haven’t read in quite some time! 👏🏼
definitely one of my top reads of 2024!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Don’t let the cover deceive you, this book is crazy horror. I had to skim through the back half of it because it was getting to weird and random for me. Overall, while not my jam I can see why people are raving about it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher. Reading about the plot of this book, I was excited but for many reasons I couldn’t stay interested. I didn’t care for the characters or the filler chapters in between.

Charlie and her partner, Eve, have just purchased a house in Yale, Oregon. It’s huge, old house that needs a lot of fixing up, but the women know they can flip it in about a year. One night, while anxiously waiting for Charlie to get home during a snowstorm, the doorbell rings. When Eve goes to answer it (why do people answer their door when they aren’t expecting anyone?) she opens the door to a family standing on her porch.

The father with three children, Thomas, explains that he and his family are moving to Minnesota, and he was wondering if they could come inside. He grew up in the house, and wants to show his wife and children where he came from. Eve hesitates, but eventually lets them in. Her partner should be home any minute, and these people seem normal enough. But then, their little girl hides and it takes forever to find her. Charlie comes home, and that’s when they discover that the only way out of their tiny town is closed due to snow. Not really able to kick the family out, the women reluctantly set them up for the night. Overnight, things get strange. The next morning, they get downright scary…

This book is being made into a movie for Netflix, and I want to see how they develop this story for the screen. It almost veered too far into other genres, as opposed to being a straight horror story. The beginning of this book was fantasticly creepy, but the ending was ambiguous and left me with a lot of questions. Overall, I liked this story and I’ll be interested to see the screen adaptation! 3.5 stars, rounded up for being a debut.

(Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books, Marcus Kliewer and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on June 18, 2024.)

This book was my worst nightmare in so many ways. I loved it.

Eve and Charlie are fixing up a house they just bought when a stranger knocks on the door late at night, with his family in tow, asking to tour the house because he grew up there. Against her better judgement, Eve lets them in. Due to a series of unfortunate events, the family gets stuck there overnight, and things spiral down the weirdness rabbit hole from there.

This book was the perfect mix of thriller, horror, and a touch of sci-fi. It is gore-light, for those who avoid horror for that reason. It more messes with your mind than anything else.

The story weaved all the characters together so well that you can't quite tell who is reliable and who might not be.

Overall, this might be my favorite book I have read this year!

Charlie and Eve fix up houses and can’t believe the deal they got on their recent home. When a family comes knocking claiming they used to live there, Evie let’s them in to look around. As soon as they enter, weird things start happening.

A great spooky, creepy story that I could not put down! The scariness creeps up gradually until you notice how tense you are in real life and it doesn’t let up from there. This is one you’ll want to reread and reread, to pick up more clues and suggestions as to what is going on. I’m off to read the Reddit short now..

“It was a sight that made her feel watched. Made her feel like something might be waiting out there. Something worse than death.”

We Used to Live Here comes out 6/18.

So this book could literally give me nightmares tonight. This is one psychotic, unsettling, unhinged story!
I had no idea going in how mangled my brain would get and how much I wanted things to end in a good way. I won’t tell you if they did; you have to read it - with lights on - please.

Eve and Charlie buy a house in a remote location ready to renovate. They got quite a deal. They are young and in love and have a dog named Shylo that is a character herself. These three girls - dog included - are ready to have their dream life.

Charlie goes to work leaving Eve alone when there’s a knock at the door. A man named Thomas and his wife and three children just want to come in “fifteen minutes tops” to see Thomas’s childhood home. They were passing by. Sure you were Thomas.
Eve gets a bad feeling from the start, but they look like a normal family, what’s the harm? Eve should have slammed that door in their faces and said ummmm hell no! But then we wouldn’t have this story.

Just after letting them in, things quickly turn ominous. Weird things start happening when the daughter Jenny decides to go hide in the basement, which according to this weirdo family is perfectly normal. After she finally emerges the family comes up with excuses to prolong their stay. A winter storm has them spending the night and this is when the novel gets batshit crazy!!!

The house takes on a life of its own and nothing is as it seems. The book is told from Eve’s POV with transcripts of people exhibiting strange behavior stemming from the property sprinkled throughout.

Terrifying, sickening, and gruesome this debut scared the hell out of me. Marcus Kliewer is a talented horror writer to watch.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced digital review copy. Soon to be on Netflix starring Blake Lively. I think she will make a perfect Eve.

🫢 what on earth did I just read? From the first page, I was hooked! I love reading scary books and this was just insane. I went in blindly. I’m very happy that I did because it made such a better experience. I can’t believe this was a debut novel. The author did such an awesome job keeping you at the edge of your seat. My advice is don’t read this right before bed!!

Eve is awaiting her partner Charlies return home when a family knocks on the door. He grew up in this house, does she mind if they take a look around? When Eve finally gives in after their avalanche of guilt tripping, their daughter disappears. Apparently she sometimes hides like this and it’s best to wait her out until she comes out. Only the storm outside has gotten worse, and the roads are closed. So now the family is here for the night. That’s when crazy things start to happen…

Ok I have been saying for years I want a book that will scare me. This one didn’t fully fit the bill, but it’s the closest we have gotten! So if you scare easily, this may not be the book for you, or at least don’t read it before bed! This is the kind of book that has you constantly saying “what the f**k is going on.” I saw on @scaredstraightreads review that they are making this into a Netflix show, which is perfect because the entire time I was reading I wanted this be made into a movie or show. If you are looking for a brain bending horror novel, this one is for you!

A 30-something couple, Eva and Charlie, along with their dog, Shylo, just bought an enormous dilapidated home in the middle-of-nowhere Oregon. The goal is to flip the home but it's going to take a lot of time, money, and patience before that pay day comes. Eva worries they may have bit off more than they can chew but the ever confident Charlie thinks this was too great an opportunity to pass up.

Just two weeks after moving in Eva finds herself waiting for Charlie to come home from work. A night of wine and scrabble ahead of them. A perfectly peaceful evening.

Knock, knock, knock....

Who in the world would be knocking at their door this evening? Being off the beaten path and new to the area they definitely aren't expecting visitors. Eva debates not opening the door but after peaking out of the window she see's a family of five. Father, mother, two boys, and a little girl. Okay, so it's not the axe wielding murderer she feared, just a family. What harm can they do? So with an abundance of caution she opens the door.

Father, Tom, claims to have grown up in the house. They're moving out of state and he was hoping he could give his family a little tour. Let them see where he grew up as a boy. Fifteen minutes, tops, and they'll be out of her hair. She really doesn't want to let them in but the people pleaser in her says one word she'll soon regret....Okay.....

"Once they're in, they never leave....

Holy shit, you guys, THIS BOOK is freaking amazing. I'm not kidding. I can't even believe this is a debut novel.

This book managed to do something other horror books don't do. It scared me. Real deal frightening. The dread is literally dripping from the pages and it never lets up. From the first page to the last I was a in a shiver-inducing trance absorbing every chilling word put forth in front of me. The atmosphere of menace, of what the fuck is happening here, had my heart racing. This book is absolutely MY KIND of horror. All the boxes were checked. ✔✔✔

Some readers have been disappointed with the denouement due to many unanswered questions. That wasn't my experience at all. I loved the ending. I love that I still have questions to ponder.

Honestly, I loved EVERYTHING about this book and wouldn't change a thing. I can not wait to see what Kliewer treats us to next. I will be first in line. ALL. THE. STARS!!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for my complimentary copy.

OMG I loved this book it takes a lot to scare me and I couldn’t put this book down for a second. I needed to know what was happening and why everyone was so sketchy. I did take away a half star because there were a lot of open endings but maybe 🤞🏽 a sequel will happen

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.