Eve and Charlie who flip houses decide to buy a house at 3709 Heritage Lane. One night a family of 5 (mother Paige, father Thomas, daughter Jenny and two boys) knock on the door. Thomas claims he lived there when he was a boy and asks if he can look around.
While the family is there, one thing after another happens extending their visit and strange things happen around the house.
The story takes you down into madness and confusion. The setting is creepy, the characters are creepy, creepy things occur. You don’t know what’s real or not real.
The ending left a lot of unanswered questions
Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books and Marcus Kliewer for the ARC

Thank you to the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

Honestly, I have no idea how I feel about this one and I don’t know if I ever will. It was confusing, weird and deranged, but I *think* I liked all of that? To some extent, anyway.

I found the main characters compelling - while character study wasn’t central to the plot, the relationship between Eve and Charlie felt realistic and complex. The atmosphere was very immersive and, truthfully, gave me the creeps like no other quite often. On the other hand, I didn’t find the pacing compelling - there was either nothing or far too much happening at any given point.

This is definitely the kind of book that leaves you with more questions than answers and, while that’s not a bad thing, I did feel annoyed at the end - it felt like the story was leading up to something only to never arrive there. But then again, maybe that’s the whole point? Who knows.

TLDR: I’m confused about everything.

3.5 ⭐️

This book was creepy and confusing. I enjoyed this book. I didn’t however enjoy all the hate on religion. Overall good story.

Now this book gives me the creeps! I was genuinely scared reading this but since I have so many questions, I took off a star

I didn’t finish this one. Got 50% in before DNFing. The had me hooked at the beginning but it became convoluted and I wasn’t invested. I think I’m just not the right audience for this because I don’t read many thrillers or supernatural(ish) books. I went into this thinking it was going to be scarier than it was is no fault of the publisher. Based on what I read, you may still like this if you enjoy:
Psychological suspense
Supernatural/sci fi elements
Creepy/haunted house stories.

THIS IS WHAT A HORROR BOOK SHOULD DO TO ANYONE THAT READS IT: leave them feeling so uneasy, so terrified that you read a Colleen Hoover book after…😂🫣

In all seriousness, if you love a good scare, a book that will leave so many unanswered question and such unique twists, look no further. It’s fast paced, eerie and freaking good!

This is by far my favorite book this year. Go in blindly, don’t let anyone spoil it for you, you will appreciate every single page, a “stop your current read & pick THIS one up instead” kind of book.📚

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book.

Okay--this one got me. I have been a gothic and horror buff since forever and teach Gothic Studies today. So I'm always looking for a great read. And--because I have such particular preferences--I often find myself disappointed in new stuff I read. But this one is the real deal. I highly recommend it, I plan to re-read it . . . heck, I think I'm going to teach it.

So what might help you? If you're like me, you might want to know what kind of horror read this is. That's not easy to answer since I refuse to give anything away, but here's what I can tell you. If you like haunted house tales, this will likely be up your alley. An old house in the middle of the woods, a young couple trying to flip it, and an unexpected family who just screams all kinds of wrong from the get-go. There were times while reading this that I became actually unsettled, especially late at night when the nighttime spooks always come out to play. I'm telling you, I felt full-blown anxiety. I had to stop reading it one night because I was feeling so upset about what the protagonist, Eve, was going through.

What worked the best for me was the gradual, increasing sense of dread and paranoia that the reader shares with Eve. She's a totally believable character, and I repeatedly understood why she was doing what she was doing even when her unease was spiking. (So many of us were raised to be people-pleasers, no? And have been told we're blowing things out of portion or overthinking.) So as events become more and more sinister, Eve can't decide if things are really wrong or if it's all in her head. And there are some creepy things happening here.

The end does do something interesting. But it makes you think about what's happening, and if I get it (or even some of it) I found that resolution to be absolutely terrifying. I can see the comparisons to House of Leaves, yes. But, if you read that and found it to be a bit of a slog or just too much work for the payoff, this is not the same. It's fast-paced and, at least until you have to think about how the end works, a pretty straightforward scare fest.

I recommend this a 1000 times. I know horror readers have their own unique preferences, but I can see why so many people are raving about this one.

Charlie and Eve, a lesbian house-flipping couple, are visited by a man and his family while settling into their newest property. The man claims to have grown up in the house, wanting to show his kids his childhood home. As the family overstays their welcome, strange things begin to occur that bend both time and reality.

I loved reading the lost documents and Reddit threads Kliewer interspersed between each chapter. These gave depth to the history of the house and the conspiracies that surround it, tying everything together as the story progressed.

Audiobook Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After seeing countless rave reviews for We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer on Bookstagram, I knew I had to move it up on the list instead of waiting for full-on spooky season. I can hardly believe this is his debut novel, let alone Netflix already picking up the rights to make it a movie. I have a feeling this will be super creepy onscreen if how eerie and disturbing the book was is anything to go by. It kept me on my toes from the very start, and I LOVED the map at the beginning and the various multimedia aspects throughout.

I would highly recommend having a copy of the book but listening on audio as the audiobook was 🔥🔥 Jeremy Carlisle Parker & Corey Brill narrate and while their narration was incredible, the way this audiobook was produced was perfection in general. There are sound effects every time a multimedia element starts and ends which just adds to the spooky vibes of the book itself. I will say Kliewer lost me a bit with the ending, and I needed more closure and clarity, but I did like the final transcript and all that provided. As someone who doesn't like horror movies but generally isn't scared by books, We Used to Live Here kept me on edge and my husband made me jump at one point because I didn't know he was there. You have been warned. 😉

I requested this book because the r/nosleep post it is based on had me by the throat a few years ago - I could not tear by eyes away from the story. The author has done a phenomenal job cleaning up the story and creating a fully fleshed out novel.

It’s scary, gripping, and absolutely dread inducing.

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

One evening, Eve is home alone, waiting for her partner Charlie, when there’s a knock on the door. A man named Thomas, along with his family, request a tour of the house, as he claims this was his childhood home. Despite her best judgement, and the alarm bells going off in her head, Eve allows the family inside. The story quickly takes off and many bizarre events begin to unfold. “Overstaying their welcome” does not even begin to describe the family’s strange behavior and the terror they bring to the house.

At first, I was a bit confused because the book is interspersed with seemingly unrelated “documents” such as Wiki entries on the Mandela effect or advertisements for a rock concert, and I had no idea what any of it had to do with Eve and Charlie’s situation. However, once it all started to piece together the story really started to take off and I couldn’t hardly put this book down. This was a great read especially for spooky season, but would also be a great read for winter with the snowy setting!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for the ARC!

Note to self: If Someone knocks on your door claiming they used to live in your house when they were younger, never under any circumstances do you let them in.

I cannot believe the whirlwind of a house tour this book took me on. Seriously, my jaw is still on the checkered floor tile.

I went into this one thinking it was going to be a home invasion unsettling good time and Kliewer literally said hold my writing pen and watch this. And delivered an absolutely unique spin of what the effs and is this really happening instead. Giving you a whole new experience and definition to home and mind invasion. Absolutely baffling my mind and sending me on a spiral staircase of my own. And I cannot stop thinking about it.

If you dare to enter 3709 Heritage lane prepare yourself, because you will not come out the same as when you went in!

A huge Thank you to @marcus_kliewer @atriabooks and @netgalley for the advanced invitation to We Used To Live Here!

What a riveting and absolutely freaky-as-hell read! This is exactly the kind of eerie, cryptic spookiness I’m looking for when I pick up a horror novel: terrifyingly realistic and mind bending.

Review on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6244177579

I could not put this book down and it was the perfect start to spooky reading season. I had to keep reading to know where it was all going. Lots of twists and turns along with an unreliable narrator (or is she?) to keep you on your toes!

I'm not exactly sure what I just read. I may have to read it again.

I NEED a prequel. Not a sequel, a prequel. And maybe a sequel then, I don't know.

In spite of all that, I loved this book. Some people are gonna hate it and throw it at the wall. I guess I'm just a sucker for something that drags me down the rabbit hole and ties my brain into knots. Off to spend the next few days on Reddit and TikTok and see if anyone else has any ideas about what we collectively just experienced here.

Wow, I am not normally a horror book kind of gal but I was so excited to check this one out.

I cannot explain the emotions this book took me through, it started off as anger. Why would you let a family in your house, no way no how! Then fear took over as I read through the story. I literally could not read this at night, it scared me so much. Then the ending left me confused and with so many questions. I am considering rereading the ending to see if maybe that will answer some of the questions I have.

I rated it 4 stars because it did what it was supposed to do and scared the bejesus out of me but I need answers!

Wow, this was dark and disturbing, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I love horror stories like this that feel surreal and blur the lines between what is real and what isn't. I don't really want to go into the plot because it was so amazing going in blind. All you need to know is that it's creepy and will keep you guessing until the very end.

I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because it seems like it needs a prequel and a sequel just to explain everything. And I sincerely hope these get written. I desperately need to know more.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I love unsettling books, so I had high expectations going in and it did not disappoint! I think I would’ve liked a little more explanation in the end, but at the same time the unknown is always more mysterious/creepy/thought-provoking! Highly recommend for spooky season, if you haven’t read it yet!

Get ready for spooky season, this one is creepy, dark and slow with the drawn out suspense. The author does a terrific job at weaving the mystery in with the mundane making this a horror book that stands out.
As for the end...and unanswered questions... Will there be a sequel?

This book was so creepy and incredible. The characters were well written, the setting and atmosphere was spot on and the story was so weird and intriguing that it was hard to put down.

I will be widely recommending this to everyone.