I am so confused! I don't understand what I read or what happened. Maybe that is a good thing. I don't know.

Eve and Charlie, a young queer couple, are house flippers. They buy a big old house in the forest outside of the town of Yale. It had more issues than they knew so Eve is thinking they should just raze it and build from scratch or scratch the project. While Charlie is not home, a family comes knocking at the door saying that the dad used to live there. Eve lets them in so he can show is wife and three kids the house. Then things start going bonkers. The little daughter runs and hides in the basement, Eve does not like the basement. She sees a lot of things. Eve has a lot of fears. Is she crazy? Is she even Eve? I am not sure. When the daughter doesn't come out, the family ends up staying. They actually end up staying the night and weird things happen. So Eve believes. She begins to think they aren't who they say they are and are some kind of weird spirits.

All the while, we get alternating passages from psychiatric books and police tapes. Some other weird shit I didn't understand.

I have to say it kept me reading. I needed to understand but it didn't scare me, just confused me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria for a copy for review.

Now THIS is how you do a horror novel! This was so good. Kliewer gives us tons of genuinely creepy imagery that I won't forget any time soon and a story that, while it didn't wrap up in a nice, neat bow, totally worked.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!
This book was so unbearably creepy, I had to stop reading once it got dark, because I knew I wouldn’t be sleeping if I didn’t. Absolutely horror at its finest!

If a man comes to your door in the evening (family in tow) and announces he once lived in your house and can he show the inside to his family, do you let them in?
    No! Who invites strangers in to walk around your home that sits in a remote place in the Oregon woods when you're home alone?
  Eve, partner to Charlie, did and then the weirdness starts. The youngest child disappears. The family says this is a game she likes to play but when minutes turn to hours. The search takes Eve to parts of the home she didn't know existed.......REALLY existed. Is this alll in her head?
     The family, now hungry, is invited to dinner by eager to please Eve, which then turns into a late affair and now it's too late and dark to drive. Now what does Eve do? You don't want to know.
    This horror story is full of paranormal activities, psychological issues and is frankly creepy.

Whoaaaa this book will really mess you up.
Do not read this at night and definitely not alone at home.
This was crazy and really makes you skeptical and question so many things.
I wanted the ending to be different and I wanted to see more of the questions that I had be more wrapped up but it was still super good. I cannot wait to see where Netflix picks this up and how they adapt it! Its gonna be amazing!

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this novel!

This book had me reading to all hours. It was suspenseful, eerie, weird, and thought provoking. Kliewer does a fantastic job of taking his main character and pushing her to the brink of insanity and taking the reader along for the ride. I loved the ending, it was perfect for the story line. Will be hand selling this!

This one was creepy as all get out and extremely anxiety inducing in the way a well written horror book should be. However, while the writing was great and I think there was a lot to explore, the book ended up falling short for me. There was so much that was unexplained or went nowhere. I'm fine with an ambiguous ending, but this just wasn't that; it was more just what the hell did I just read. If you're looking for a well written book that will surely frighten you, then this one fits the bill, but there are more unanswered questions than explanations.

This one didn't quite land for me. There's definitely some good stuff here but it's a bit messy (it's a debut so this is rather forgivable). I didn't much like our protagonist and I feel that comparing this book to Parasite is a real marketing misstep. This lacks the depth of societal commentary that is he major draw of Parasite. A bit too much falling action for me.

This book unfortunately didn’t work for me and left me with more questions than when I started it which is one of my pet peeves in thrillers. That being said I really cant wait to watch the movie with Blake Lively!

Spectacular reading! Well written with unforeseen twists!!
Will be following this author and future books releases!
Already recommended to my book friends club!!

I read this book in 24 hours, it was one of my favorite books of the year for sure. I loved how the multiple realities were revealed and when. Being kept in the dark until literally 95% into the book, I was ok with it. I have so many questions and felt like I was losing my mind while reading. I made the mistake of reading it at night and alone and I was so scared. I love that the reader and Eve are essentially left with the same questions and sense of hopelessness.

From the cover to the plot, this book was amazing. It was creepy, it was heartwarming, it was terrifying...I was hooked. While, I would never allow someone in I am glad Eve did! Otherwise there would be no story. The thing that appealed most is the book played on our own thoughts of what if...what if we let that stranger in? What if we answered the door...so many possibilities. I couldn't predict what was going to happen next and I was captivated.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

• psychological suspense + some horror
• atmospheric
• fun red herrings

I was so creeped out reading this. I did have some unanswered questions once I finished - my mind was reeling. This one is a debut, and I look forward to this author's future work.

🗣 Thank you to netgalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

Am I fully sure what I just read here? No. But did I enjoy it? Definitely yes. Wow, this one is so eerie, atmospheric and a mind-f. I fully see this one playing out on a movie screen and just blowing my mind. The details, the level of writing to make me feel like I'm there and scared out of my mind is masterful. Nightmare fuel, but like that's what I asked for haha. This is one I'll be thinking about and discussing for awhile because is anyone exactly sure what was happening? If you liked Imaginary Friend, The Whisper Man, The Troop or The September House, I think you'll also enjoy this one. It also reminds me of a couple horror movies but I don't want to drop which ones in case of spoilers.

What starts out as a classic stranger in the house tale turns completely on its head and is completely 4d and nothing like you’d expect. Eve and her partner Charlie buy an old house in the middle of the pnw and plan to flip. One night, while home by herself, Eve has a family of five come to her door. Being a people pleaser, when the man wants to tour his childhood home, Eve says yes. The descent into madness begins here. This book is so fast paced and keeps you thinking the entire ride. It was so hard to put down. Absolutely four stars and can’t wait to read what the author writes next.

I received a copy of We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. What a spine-chilling read! Surprisingly, it took me a while to finish because reading it at night was simply too eerie. I'm thrilled at the idea of seeing this book adapted into a film.

The premise of the book immediately drew me in: a young couple who flips houses and a strange family that visits their former home. But wow, the twists and turns kept me on edge. I would have rated this book higher if not for the numerous unanswered questions left in the story. It felt like the author should have tied up the loose ends more neatly—unless, of course, there's a sequel in the works.

We Used to Live Here has such a good premise and the execution does it justice. It takes you on such a journey!

It follows Eve, who just bought an old house with her partner Charlie for a great deal. That's the first red flag. The plan is to flip it and resell it, but one day, she gets a strange visit. A man knocks on her door with his family, claiming that was his childhood home and he's wondering if he can show them around. That's the second red flag. Eve doesn't want to invite them into her home at first, but she ultimately agrees, and things start to get stranger and stranger from there.

This is such a good horror/thriller! I really enjoyed this. It's confusing and disorienting, so it creates this looming sense of dread throughout. You just don't know what's going to happen next and that tension adds to the creepiness and eeriness of the story. It's also a bit frustrating because you just want Eve to get out, get out, get out! But she doesn't, she makes decisions that keep her trapped there, but those decisions make sense for the most part, and it makes the story more engaging and scary. It also doesn't provide clear answers to all the questions that come up while you're reading, but it gives you just enough information to come up with your own theories.

The story flowed perfectly, it was atmospheric and unsettling, well-written, and it kept me hooked. This is a new favorite and I think it's the kind of horror/thriller book that can offer hidden details and connection on rereads.

4.5 stars because I would've liked more breadcrumbs for answers, but overall, a great read.

2.5/5 ⭐️

A queer couple, Eve and Charlie, buy a remote house and are fixing it up. One day, Eve answers the door to find Thomas, who claims to have lived in the house when he was a child, and his family. They ask to see the house, and then Eve can't seem to get rid of them. Weird things start happening, which make Eve question everything she knows.

This one was just ok for me. It started out a little slow, got a little spooky by the middle, and I was in! I was like man these creepy people will never leave and will be serial killers. Anddddd then it ended super disappointing for me. There were also some things that just didn't make sense and/or were never answered for me. First, Eve seems like she was pretty wary of people. So why did she let them in the house?? Especially a remote area and her partner was not there. That was more unrealistic to me as a woman than the supernatural elements. No woman in her right mind would do that, especially alone, in a remote area. Additionally, the snippets of online forums didn't really pan out to anything significant that I could see? Except for maybe allowing the last one to happen (which added a twist). Then there was the message in one of the online things of "the old gods see all." What does that mean?? Why is this there as a clear puzzle for the reader to find (it mentions weirdly capitalized letters in one of the online forum posts/articles) but it never is referenced or relevant? Who is the old guy in the cabin?? Then the ending just was so unsatisfactory to me. I think it was supposed to be ~spookier~ but it was just so not it. The 2.5 is for the dog and for the moments of spook from around 20%-50%.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

GOOD LORD, but this was a JOURNEY..Creepy, atmospheric, trippy. It's wild.

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?

It was like reading a fever dream. And the end. Read this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced digital copy. You can read this book now!

Thank you so much Atria Books #partner for the #gifted ARC and Simon Audio for the gifted ALC!
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Eve and Charlie have just purchased a very old, isolated house that needs a lot of work done. One day when Eve is alone, a couple with 3 kids knock on her door and declare they used to own this house, and if they could come inside to take a quick look. Eve, the people pleaser, lets them in. One by one, strange things begin to happen leading to an explosive ending. This is all you need to know going in.

Make sure to reserve undivided attention when you start this book! Even better if you pair both the audio and book. The story has incredibly spooky moments but is also very layered and complex… not your average haunted house book. If you’ve read Catriona Ward’s books, you know her books require a certain level of mental stimulation. I equate this book to that level of intellectual rigor. In my entire history of bookstagramming, this is the only book I’ve had to read twice to fully grasp what’s going on. Pay attention to the special chapters with footage, transcripts and morse codes that further help parse the story. And yes, the ending is going to be interpreted differently for different readers. You’ll most probably want to hop on someone’s DMs to discuss this book because it’s the kind of psychological horror that invites discussion long after you finish the final chapter.

📚Read this book if you:
✔️are into psychological horror
✔️love LGBTQ+ representation
✔️appreciate books that don’t have everything tied up into a neat bow
✔️like to be mindf*cked
✔️Catriona Ward is one of you fav authors

This book is, without a doubt, making into my top 10 books of 2024. Special thanks to the author for discussing the book with us!