What a fantastic read. The tension just builds and builds as the book progresses. Very clever premise and a FABULOUS ending.

If I were asked to identify three current novels published early in this decade [2020's] that have terrified me, turned me emotionally inside out, and bequeathed me thousands of sleepless nights; and that I honor as worthy descendants to the classics of Horror: THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE and TURN OF THE SCREW, I give you the following inescapably, inexorably, terrifying novels.

2021: MAN, F*** THIS HOUSE by Brian Asman.
2023: THE SEPTEMBER HOUSE by Carissa Orlando.
2024: WE USED TO LIVE HERE by Marcus Kliewer.

These novels are individually and collectively so terrifying that we should all determine to simply give up housing and live in tents in the woods. One's home is supposed to be one's castle: a site of rest, relaxation, family kinship. Of course domestic violence, tragedies, home invasions, natural disasters, bring another level. But in these three particular novels, Home is the most terrifying location possible!

I read WE USED TO LIVE HERE on a bright, sunny, day, surrounded by happy family. That didn't stop the sheer fright from turning my bloodstream to ice, or keep me from looking over both shoulders, or seeking a means of escape from the scenes inside my head.

Would recommend for fans of…
🏚️ Parasite
🏚️ The Strangers
🏚️ Get Out

We Used to Live Here has been getting some (rightfully deserved) traction on booksta lately! The story opens with a man named Thomas showing up on Eve’s doorstep with his family. She and her girlfriend are renovating the house and Thomas just wants to take a final look at his childhood home. Things get tense from that point on and, in my opinion, it’s best to just go with the flow and enjoy the ride.

The novel has been billed as a horror novel, but I think it could also be classified as a suspense or mystery novel, with some supernatural elements. I personally didn’t find it to be that scary but there were parts that were definitely unnerving and creepy. It’s for sure one of those horror novels that creates tension by purposefully disorienting the reader, so be prepared to be a bit confused as well.

My only qualm with this book was the ending. It was FANTASTIC, with a truly shocking moment, but I wanted a little more. Maybe it's from reading so many mystery novels but I love when the ‘why’ behind the story is clearly explained, and unfortunately We Used to Live Here leaves you with many questions, which dampened my enjoyment a little bit.

We Used to Live Here is available now and is a great pick for anyone that is looking to dip their toes in the horror and add a little chill to their summer. Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am excited that Blake Lively will be in this book-to-screen adaptation. Scary, suspenseful, and mysterious books are right up my alley.

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book.

I absolutely loved this book! Not much creeps me out or leaves me wanting to sleep with one eye open, but this book did just that. What I specifically loved about this book is the haunted house theme, found footage/mixed media, and real-life fears and phenomena that make you question your sanity. This is a book best read without knowing very much about it or reading too many reviews. Warning, those who like a neatly tied up ending with no loose ends little to question at the end may struggle with this one. Honestly, I’ve already purchased the audiobook and it is phenomenal as well and I highly recommend it for a great narration.

*Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for allowing me early access to this book in exchange for an honest review* This book is the perfect horror story for those of us who are truly terrified by people that do not leave by 7PM.

This book was such a bop. If this is Kliewer’s debut, we can’t WAIT to see what he does next. Literally had some of the best written horror scenes I have read in a very long time. Books don’t typically put me on edge – I read a lot of horror/suspense – but this one.. Oh, this one. If the book The Shining had a love child with the film Get Out, I think it would result in this book.

There were a few bits that we slow, but honestly I still ravenously turned every page to follow Eve in her descent into madness. Even yet still, I think this is all open to interpretation. I’m pretty sure Eve is delulu, but maybe there was something more sinister going on all along. Truthfully, I love it when books let me decide what happened, although some readers may be frustrated by it.

Still trying to decide on how I feel about the entries between chapters, which seemed to take a journalistic approach and offer the reader “hints” on where we were going. I think I liked them, but I sometimes found them abrupt and wanted to get back to the main story. Hey, I guess it kept the pages turning! I had no idea where this was going to end. I would highly recommend this book to horror readers. For all intents and purposes, this was so close to a five star book for me (so I'm rounding it up).

My thanks to Atria/Emily Bestler books, Marcus Kliewer and Netgalley.
Good god, ya'll! This book was the bomb diggity!
I was totally expecting one thing, "because of the synopsis" but don't expect the usual once you start reading this book. I freaking loved it!
Honestly, if I were to give one piece of advice, it would be to go into this book with no expectations. Don't read lengthy reviews. Just go into it cold. I did, and I'll admit that if I had read some reviews then I'd probably have passed.
Don't let this happen to you, and please read no reviews. This book was kind of special.
The whole damned book was freaking awesome.

So that was creepy.

Moral of the story is never let a stranger into your home. Period.

Eve and Charlie are house flippers and their newest project is a very secluded, very old house in the mountains. One night shortly after the move, a family rings the bell asking to come in for a few minutes. The father of the family grew up in this house and he just wants a chance to show his kids— 15 minutes, tops. Ever the anxious people-pleaser, Eve agrees. Then the youngest kid goes missing and a horrible snow storm is approaching.

I love love love the vibes of this book. I was scared to read it after dark. The idea is so scary and intriguing, I don’t want to say much more about it at the risk of spoilers. 10/10 recommend.

"Get Out meets Parasite" is THE perfect description for the vibes of this title and the storyline in its entirety. I'm generally not one who reads or enjoys much classified within the horror genre, but We Used to Live Here is a perfect blend of thriller and horror pacing and plot points. I burned through this book, ignoring as much of the real world as I was able, and can.not.wait. to see how it translates to the screen when the movie is released. An EXCELLENT debut from Marcus Kliewer--I can't believe I'm hopeful that he writes more in this genre so I can read it, but I am!

My thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for getting me out of my comfort zone (in a few ways!) and allowing me the opportunity to read this title in exchange for my honest opinion.

We Used to Live Here is a haunting horror story about a young couple who has just moved into a fixer-upper. Eve is home alone one night when a family shows up at their door asking to take a look around, as the husband/father grew up there and would like to show his family around while they're passing through town. The family of strangers overstays their welcome and Eve begins to notice bizarre, unsettling, and unexplainable things happening. Eventually, Charlie (Eve's wife) ends up disappearing and Eve is left to figure out what this family's real intentions are.
Let me start by saying this book quite literally kept me up at night! Due to, both, its creepiness and its amazing plot that made it unputdownable! The book was so weird in the best way. One of my absolute FAVORITE aspects of this book is the documents included throughout it. The addition of the documents made the story so much more engaging and immersive. They even made me forget I was reading fiction during some parts! While this ended up being a 4-star read for me, one aspect of the book fell short for me. I felt there were several unanswered questions still lingering at the end. There were various scenes and factors throughout the story that felt disconnected and/or unexplained. However, these scenes still absolutely added to the horror of this plot!
With all of that being said, if Marcus Kliewer were to ever write another story from the other family's POV then I would absolutely read it!!! This book is an amazing candidate for a prequel or a sequel. Thank you so much NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this.

This book was so different than my expectations. In a good way! It seemed like a relatively simple horror story at the first and turned into a conspiracy laden nightmare. Can’t recommend it enough and I want to reread immediately.

This book lived up to its hype - I"m still not sure what happened but was there for the ride. Perfect amount of twisty plot, unreliable characters, and scary and creepy atmosphere. Will be highly recommending it.

I’ve re-entered my horror reading phase.

I was hardcore into it as a kid, reading every Stephen King I could get my hands on. I’m not sure why I ever stopped, but a typical reading month for me is a steady stream of thrillers and contemporary rom-coms.

But I’m inching my way back into this genre, and Kliewer’s debut is one of my first since my return. This novel is based on a short story series that started on Reddit. Horror elements include:

Spooky, old house in the middle of an Oregon forest - so many points for the description of the house itself and the surrounding area and neighbors, I freaked myself out imagining it

Weird kids - I’m sorry, but kids make things all the more terrifying in these types of stories

Shadows and small-town tales that may or may not be true

The book is marketed as Parasite meets Gets Out, which is an accurate description.

How awful is it to have someone invade your house AND possibly not be who they say they are?

I was screaming at the MC - trust your gut! - from the first pages, and turned to my husband to re-confirm our “secret word” if we were ever faced with something similar to her.

Can never be too careful.

Entertaining, suspenseful, and creepy! I couldn’t put this book down. It kept me guessing and scared me at points which is difficult to do. I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time!

I have mixed feelings about this. I am not really a horror fan but this was compelling and creepy. But I guess I don’t really understand what wound up happening? So I Feel more frustrated than satisfied by the end. I think this book is perfect for some readers but I am not one of them.

Wow!! This was an incredible debut. I loved this SO MUCH. This was super creepy, and actually gave me chills during certain parts (the attic scene especially!!). This was very unique and unsettling in the best way. I cannot wait to see what else Marcus Kliewer creates next. If I could give it a million stars I would. I cannot recommend it enough. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I could NOT put this book down until i found out what was happening! this is a psychological horror novel that kept me questioning up until the very end. it reminded me quite a bit of <i>Nightwatching</i> if it leaned more into horror, as the book hinges on figuring out if our protagonist Eve is actually experiencing these events or if it's all in her head. I had a lot of fun with this and really look forward to the movie adaptation!

HOLY SMOKES. This book was so creepy. I'm still trying to figure out what kind of person would let a complete stranger into their home solely because they 'used to live there' but I will be thinking about this one for A LONG time.

There are a ton of positive reviews for this one going around right now and I 100% get it! I was gripped from start to finish with this book.

For starters, it’s really best not to know too much about this one before starting it. I heard that there were some reviews out there that were spoilery, so I basically avoided most of them before digging in. This allowed me to form all sorts of theories about what was happening with Eve as I progressed through the book. There was one theory I had that I was fully invested in, but it was very wrong! This is just the kind of story where you can’t help by questioning everything and leap to wild possibilities.

I’m not sure I walked away from this one with all the answers, but I think that’s the point. The experience of reading it and the constant unease and dread make it worth a few open ended aspects in my opinion.

Fun fact: This book is being adapted by Netflix! I think this has major cinematic appeal and can’t wait to see it brought to life!

What the entire f was this?! Omg my mouth dropped and brain feels so fried. I kinda had a feeling this was going in the direction it was going but it still had me guessing all the way until the end. I love books that make you try to decipher what’s fact and what’s fiction.

First of all I was in my house reading this alone and following with the audiobook and this had me checking the shadows and feeling so creeped out. You have to be a talented writer in order to do this because it takes a lot for me to be scared reading horror. Also the way this author writes is beautiful, the imagery in my head is displayed so great due to the writing.

The only downfall I would say is the fact that the little doc’s between the chapters sometimes have good clues and were interesting and sometimes were very confusing. Otherwise I loved this and can’t wait until the Netflix film.