We Used To Live Here is one of the fastest books I’ve read this year. Seriously, read it in like 2 days. It was beyond captivating and I couldn’t put it down. It was one of the creepiest books I have read and loved the descriptive writing. I highlighted several quotes that made me shiver with disgust because of the image generated in my mind. I was very confused after reading one part but that didn’t last long because the author does a great job leading his reader. The buildup before each climactic moment (yes there were several) was expertly done and I loved it. I cannot recommend this one enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.

Okay, what?????? This book is SO creepy, I did not except how creepy it actually was. I won't give away actual plot because I think you need to go in this with as limited info as possible. Sheeeeesh.

ETA: I still maintain the 4 stars on this because I have so many questions. This book still keeps me up at night.

Wow! This book was like one big fever dream. The entire time i was like "what in the world is happening" but it came together towards the end. If you're looking for a haunted house (ish) story with a creepy atmosphere, this would be a good pick!

Horror is my favorite genre, and I watch scary movies to relax. I'm not easy to scare and I loved this book. Highly recommend going into this one blind with an open mind. The strongest parts are the social horror of the buildup, a thing I love.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

We Used to Live Here is one of the creepiest haunted house stories I’ve ever read! I actually had weird dreams the two nights after I finished this book and of course I’m going to blame Marcus Kliewer for this attack on my subconscious.

When Eve opens the front door one winter night, she doesn’t expect to find a family of five on the other side. They would like a tour, as the father used to live in the house when he was younger. For whatever reason, Eve decides to let them in. Getting them to leave will be a lot more difficult than Eve imagines.

This book was creepy, unsettling, and had me guessing the whole way through. I could not put it down. One of the elements I really enjoyed was all of the mixed media sprinkled throughout. I know this novel began as a series of stories on Reddit and I love that the author incorporated this. I found it incredibly effective for sharing backstory without dragging down the plot. The ending was satisfying, but still left me with so many questions I almost want to go back and reread this at some point.

I think I’ll leave that for when I’ve fully recovered though.

Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for a review copy. I’m so impressed by this debut and can’t wait to read more from this author in the future!

<b>TW/CW: Anxiety, language, bullying, smoking, drinking, gore, death by suicide (mention), violence, blood, gory scenes, homophobia</b>

<b><big>*****SPOILERS*****</b></big>
<b>About the book:</b>
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?
<b>Release Date:</b> June 18th, 2024
<b>Genre:</b> Horror
<b>Pages:</b> 312
<b>Rating:</b> ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

<b>What I Liked:</b>
1. Writing was so good
2. Creepy
3. Had zero idea what was happening

<b>What I Didn't Like:</b>
1. Ending felt too underwhelming

<b>Overall Thoughts:</b>
<b><i><small>{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}</small></i></b>

The moment those people first asked to look around and then asked to wait in the foyer I was freaking out. Speaking as a person who hasn't answered my door in 20 years, yeah - no this whole scenario would never happen in my life.

Okay now I am just mad at Eve. She gets the balls to tell them they will have to leave but as they are all out the door and walking away she calls them them back with a promise of only staying 15 minutes. She doesn't even want them in the house but guilt for people she doesn't even know makes her change her mind. I couldn't even be this level of caring about strangers feelings in my own home.

Thomas mentions having a chocolate lab and then we get this document shortly after that chapter about a chocolate lab meeting to be rehomed because of something that happened with their son. Did Thomas hurt this dog? Is that why they're rehoming him?

Eve sees a flashlight in the distance from the window but she dismisses it being Jenny because it's too far away which brings to question maybe it could be Jenny and there was a secret passage that led out that way. It's mentioned that the bank had a fire and lost the blueprints so we really don't even know the blueprints of the house but weirdly Thomas has them, so he knows more about the house.

I can't believe everything that she was putting up with with these people. This Jenny girl disappears cuz she takes off and then goes down into the basement where she was told not to go. Then they have to go in the basement to find her. Thomas tells her to just grab Jenny if he finds her which is so awkward to a girl you just literally met two seconds before. And now Thomas thinks she's in this crevice and they have to leave her in there and she'll come out on our own. No I think not. I think it's now time to tell them to either get their kid or you're calling the police. This whole scenario would drive me crazy. Him telling Eve what she should do in her own house that she leave the child in there until she comes out is ludicrous.

Charlie has returned and she is safe.

<i>"Charlie shut the closet, looked at Thomas. “So, is it like you remember?”“The house?” Charlie nodded." </i>
Yeah, so that's an odd thing to ask. Like have they all already done this before and Thomas is living the same day over and over?

They finally get rid of Thomas and his family when they finish the meal and Jenny comes out of the basement but of course once they're out of sight they get a text saying that the bridge to their home is closed so that means that Thomas and the family will be coming back.

Thomas going outside in the middle of a snowstorm - creepy. They're not even being able to hear anybody say his name. Also who is Allison?

We've now entered the part of ghost/horror books that I hate <i>the trope of child returns back to home or goes to new house and is now sleepwalking which is something they haven't done since they were a child</i>. Just not a fan of it it always seems so outlandish and convenient for plot purposes.

Allison is Thomas' sister.

Eve is the bravest person ever because there is no way I'd look down the stairs of a basement into the dark. Then if I saw a stranger on the stairs I wouldn't be going back to bed. No thank you.

I can relate to Eve's annoyed feelings at this family that they just came right in and do whatever they want. Like who stops to first make breakfast in someone else's kitchen when they already gave you a place to stay? You leave asap and buy breakfast for your family not eat the hosts food.

Now Charlie is missing and Thomas said she went to town, but odd she left the locket behind and didn't update Eve herself.

Eve can't find her phone so she goes to the neighbors to use theirs she mentions that 3708 is missing. Weirdly enough Heather says that Thomas was stabbed 37 times when he was 8 years old. Are these two things tied together?

Okay what is even happening?

Okay so Eve comes home and those people are annoyingly still there in our house and she has to knock on her own door to be let in. Thomas claims that he was leaving after breakfast but he's still there and he still saying he has to pack up. But now he's saying that he wanted to wait till she came back cuz he didn't want to leave the door unlocked and he wanted to lock up. The dude is insane. You decides that she's over this having run into this weird guy in a weird house in the woods with all the blueprints that she found out were actually stolen not burned. So she goes upstairs to the attic to go get the chains for the tires when she runs into this situation with a 6 ft woman with a shaved down head. It makes you wonder if this is Allison. Only because Heather had said something about Thomas's not sister running out into the woods and maybe being taken to a hospital. It said that she's in a hospital gown and her head is shaved down so it's possible that she's been living in this house or has just escaped. Is she a frogger?

It's Lego brick sets not Legos.

Oh my God what is up with these people. First Paige yells at e for not telling them that there was a person in the basement possibly and now she's sitting in her own rocking chair that Thomas went and pulled from the truck and brought into Eve's house. That is completely weird. Now they're bringing their own furniture into the house.

I can't I can't with this Thomas character. First he says that they can't leave because they don't have chains for the tires and he's not sure if he can drive in the snow since it's accumulated so much naturally then Eve would offer that they had chains which is what made her go to the attic. Thomas upon hearing that Eve has run into somebody goes up to check to see if anybody's there with Paige to remind him to grab the tire chains. When he comes down he does not grab them quoting that they will be fine without them. Why does Thomas not want to leave?

I swear to God not since I read Rosemary's Baby have I felt so mad at what's happening to our main character.

I seriously have zero idea what's happening. The people have finally left the house. Charlie finally came home. Charlie agreed to get Eve out of the house. But really enough they drove to the Kettle Creek motel that was abandoned looking when she walked past it earlier but now isn't abandoned, but Eve thinks maybe she thought it was abandoned. Dude I have no idea what the hell is happening. Oh and Charlie mentions she did in fact tell Eve where she was going that morning

Then we get a random phone call from Charlie's phone that's in her bag saying that the Charlie that went in the house is the one on the phone but the one who came out is the one that's with her and that the dog isn't even really the same dog. I just feel like the house is messing with her or maybe subconsciously she thinks this. I don't know. The house is telling her to not go back to the house and leave the <i>real</i> Charlie behind, but we know this means the opposite. Clearly Eve will return back to the house.

I keep thinking that Eve/Charlie and everyone else is a ghost and maybe stuck in this purgatory. Maybe the person in the attic and the basement is really Eve.

Why are there so many names in this book for a person that thinks there is an imposter of a family member? Another doc talking about it.

Some of the documents translated are pretty gross;
<i>"The patient removed his own nails with forceps. He was convinced that his hands had been replaced with (almost) exact copies. (I have learned that after removing the nails he attempted to remove his own tongue but failed due to intervention.)" </i>

All this weird stuff happening (bars on the windows and locked doors from outside) then she ends up hiding in a room with tons of paintings. Omgosh and then one of the paintings has Thomas as a boy painted in. So was he not even related to them? Does he stay with the house to draw madness among the people that live there??

Eve pretends to go with the flow of things and acts like she is Emma, but once she sees Charlie's locket she loses it and stabs Paige with a corkscrew in the neck. Then then Thomas calls 911 and says the address is 3710. That's not right. The address is 3709 that was Eve's home.

Well <b>I was wrong about everything</b>

<b>Final Thoughts:</b>
The running tagline of this book should be believe nothing and trust no one, because nothing is real in this book everything you read in this book feels like a giant slap in the face.

God so much happens in this book that seriously makes you question what's really happening. I went back and forth over and over wondering what was real.

Sadly the ending was disappointing. I felt as though I was being lead to this climax that had been built up the whole story just to push me to the edge and pulled back. I was underwhelmed. I kept thinking <i>"that's it?"</i> You get this whole creepy element and you're slammed into the wall when everything just stops and now Eve is in jail then the institution. It slows the book down to a crawl that I felt added nothing to the story. I get that we needed this moment to take Eve out of her delusions to show us as readers that she wasn't "crazy" and thst this was really happening to her, but like I said, it pretty much sucked all that tension and creepiness out of the book for me.

<b><u>This book reminded me of;</u></b>
• House of Leaves (book)
• Mother (movie)

<a href="https://www.instagram.com/horrorghoulreads/"><b>IG</a>|<a href="https://bookwordreview.wordpress.com/"><b>Blog</b></a>

<b><small>Thanks to Netgalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Eve and her partner Charlie flip houses for a living. They come across a house that needs extra TLC and move in with their dog Shylo. Charlie runs into town and a family of five knock on their door stating that the house was one that the husband used to live on and would it be possible to have a look around. That was my first WHY WHY WHY when Eve decides to let them in.
This is where the story takes many eerie and ghostly twists and turns. Are they real or imagined. Why is Eve having premonitions and talking to an old toy like an angel and devil on her shoulder. The ending was not expected and it proved to be a very psychotic take on the entire book. I’m not sure still if the ending was Eve’s reality or delusions.
The story telling and characters were believable. The author made her world building so it can be imagined. Overall, this was a good solid read and we may see a sequel explaining more as the outcome has been left with some loose ends.

I love an old house and the idea of numerous people whose stories reside with in it, so I was eager to read this one. Once I got past the idea that Eve lets the strangers into the house (that bugged me), I really liked this one a lot. It had a great sinister atmosphere and I never knew where it would go next. I love psychological horror/suspense and this book did a great job of keeping me on edge. I couldn’t tell what was real and what was only in Eve’s mind and that kept me rapidly turning the pages.And the ambiguous ending, which I’m sure will bother some, was perfection for me. How many things ever wrap up perfectly in life with every question answered? This one may haunt me for a while.
Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for this e-arc.

Eve and her partner Charlie flip houses for a living. They can’t believe their luck when they secure a fantastic deal on a large old house in a picturesque, secluded neighborhood. One day, while Eve is home alone working on the house, a man comes to the door with his wife and three children, claiming he used to live there. He asks for permission to show his family around, 10-15 minutes tops. Eve, always eager to please, agrees to to the quick tour. That is when everything starts to go wrong.

First of all, there is NO WAY I would have let them into my house. But Eve did, and once she did, things got a lot creepier. As I read, I felt a constant sense of unease. Marcus Kliewer did an excellent job crafting a foreboding atmosphere in the house and the unsettling situation Eve found herself in. The story features documents, interviews, and news reports scattered throughout, which I paid extra close attention to, sensing they held crucial clues.

I enjoyed the first half of the book more because it was more cohesive than the second half for me. Some of Eve’s actions were very questionable and unrealistic making it hard to connect with her. The second half and the ending went a bit off the rails and left me with so many unanswered questions. Good debut - 3.5 stars overall. Honestly, I’ve gone back and forth on whether to round up or down, but the first half was quite good so I decided to round up. I will definitely watch the Netflix movie when it comes out since I’m curious to see if this will translate better in that format or to see if any of my unanswered questions get resolved.

Atmospheric and moody. This is an intense thriller straight out of the gothic. Definitely pick this one up! First read by this author.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for an ARC.

Marcus Kliewer’s "We Used to Live Here" is an absolute masterpiece of psychological horror that grips you from the very first page and doesn’t let go. The atmospheric tension and eerie setting are crafted with such skill that you can almost feel the chill in the air as you read.

The story follows a couple who flip houses. Who whilst renovations encounter a family who claim to have to have lived in the house years before. The family bring with dark secrets and a sinister presence.

Kliewer expertly weaves a narrative that is both haunting and deeply emotional, drawing the reader into a labyrinth of fear and suspense. The characters are well-developed and relatable, making their descent into terror all the more impactful.

What sets this book apart is Kliewer's ability to balance psychological depth with supernatural elements. The pacing is perfect, with each chapter building on the last to create a crescendo of dread. The twists and turns are genuinely surprising, keeping you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

"We Used to Live Here" is not just a horror novel; it's a profound exploration of memory, loss, and the ghosts that haunt us all. Marcus Kliewer has crafted a story that lingers long after the last page is turned. Highly recommended for fans of horror and anyone looking for a truly gripping read.

I have so many questions about this book! This was very eerie and haunting. I love the setting being in PNW and the old house. I love the excerpts from the book to give the background of the area and the goings around. It made me question so many things throughout the book and I need answers!

Our fmc, Eve, bought a house sight unseen in PNW with her partner, Charlie. One night, while Charlie is out in town, a family of five shows up in their front door stating that the father used to live in the house and wanted to show his family around.. First off, what? And at night? After debating with herself, she relented and let them in, but once they went in.. awkward things started happening around the house. She was forced to make it known with the family that they need to leave, but they ended up getting stranded due to the weather.

There were some things that I got confused about, but it all tied in together in the end just to be left with more questions. I'm still debating if it's paranormal or an alternate reality that's going on. It made my jaw drop on the floor. I loved this book and I definitely didn't stay up reading because it made me uneasy.

WOAH… what did I just read!? This was… wow. Such a great experience, it left me shocked and speechless at the end. I was not expecting to be so blown away by this story. I could not put this down. A definite must-read horror of the year - it’s actually terrifying. The characters descending into madness, the creepy atmosphere, unsettling sequence of events, a building sense of dread and despair, it has it all. I can’t recommend this nerve-wracking, nightmare-inducing, bloodcurdling book enough. You won't want to read this along in the dark. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the movie adaptation whenever that comes out. I think this story will make a great on screen experience. The only thing I’m not sure about is how they will translate some of the secret codes and messages that are made throughout the text. I found that to be one of the most exciting parts. It made me feel like I was a player in the story, taking an active and engaged part in figuring out what was happening - absolutely brilliant. It was reminiscent (although nothing will ever compare) of my experience with House of Leaves - my favorite book of all time so, really, the highest praise I could give. It might just be in my top ten for the year.

For you if you like:
🏚️ creepy, ominous houses
🧠 psychological suspense
👻 paranormal horror
🤯 metaphysical dread

Eve and Charlie have struck the deal of a lifetime. They have found a perfect fixer upper home for dirt cheap but soon Eve starts to sense that there is more to the house than they originally anticipated. Things soon take a drastic turn when a family shows up on their doorstep claiming that the father grew up in their new home. The father tugs at Eve’s heart strings stating that he would love to show his wife and children his childhood home. But Eve just can’t shake the feeling that something seems off about this family and without Charlie home she is hesitant to let them in. Throwing caution to the wind (what could possibly go wrong) Eve lets them in. What transpires next is nothing you are prepared for. Nothing is real…..everything is real…..could you survive the mystery family or the house?
Overall rating 5/5
THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING!!!!!!!! Creepy, hair-raising, nightmarish, and shuddersome. I would suggest reading the physical copy of this book to spot all the hidden messages brilliantly hidden within the pages. Kliewer has captured the essence of creating fear and anticipation in written form that reminds me of Hitchcock or King. This book will stay with me for a long time, and I will never stop recommending this book!


*Thank you to Marcus Kliewer, Atria Books, and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

What. FANTASTICALLY creepy and chilling book! I read this while on vacation visiting my in-laws in their new home in New Hampshire and as I did much of my reading late at night as the rest of the house slept, the suspense factor was raised, the chill factor ever-climbing as I read in the dark, listening to sounds of a home I was unfamiliar with.

Eve and her partner, Charlie, buy and flip old houses. So when they end up in a century-old home, they set straight to work setting about the process of transforming this creepy old place into a gorgeous remodel for another family to enjoy. Everything starts to unravel, however, when Eve, alone in the house while Charlie has gone on an errand, answers the door to find a man on the other side, claiming this was once his childhood home and considering he and his family are driving through, would she mind if he showed them around. Reluctantly, and too polite to deny this seemingly innocent request, Eve agrees. And that is where everything starts going wrong. One incident after another prevents the family from leaving, strange and unsettling events start occurring, making Eve nervous and scaring her, and Charlie, who has returned home to find the family there, insists that there is nothing strange going on, nothing odd about the family, and that Eve is overreacting. As the story progresses, the reader begins to wonder whether Eve is actually letting her fears cause her to enter a state of hysteria, or whether there is something more sinister going on. Added in are chapters containing interviews, excerpts of books, articles, and blog posts from individuals who have supposedly experienced the supernatural unexplainable and terrifying events that Eve is experiencing. Still, by the end of the book, the reader is left with an eerie unsettled feeling. Reminiscent of old Hitchcock movies and Twilight Zone greatest episodes, one of the best parts of We Used to Live Here is going back over everything in your mind after finishing the book. What was real? What wasn’t??? Hidden messages and clues are sprinkled throughout the book, which I still need to go back and search for. This is a book worth reading again and again to find all the little pieces I KNOW I missed the first time I read it.

It is also interesting to note that this was originally published in parts on Reddit by the author and was picked up by Netflix with Blake Lively supposedly having signing on as one of the actresses. No updates yet on that, but Kliewer’s novel is a fleshed out, more detailed version of the story he initially shared on Reddit, so fans who may be familiar with that were anxiously awaiting this publication!

Many many thanks to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster, and of course the genius Marcus Kliewer for an advanced e-version of this book. Loved loved LOVED every moment of it and desperately looking forward to more novels by Kliewer!

I found myself absolute lost in this book. A captivating tale with unforgettable characters. Strongly recommend. Will pick up her other books.

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.