•Helena Echlin’s latest, Clever Little Thing, was eerie, creepy, and definitely contained parts I wasn’t expecting.

•Stella is the daughter of Charlotte and Pete. Stella is very intelligent, has strict self-imposed eating habits, and struggles forming friendships with kids her own age. Because of all of this, and Charlotte’s unexpected second pregnancy, Charlotte and Pete are struggling and begin looking for a nanny.

•Blanka becomes Stella’s nanny and the pair bond quickly. Life is going well, until one day, Blanka suddenly dies. Charlotte and Pete don’t know how to break the news to Stella.

•Charlotte reaches out to Blanka’s mother, Irina, to offer condolences and the two become fast friends. Strangely enough, soon after Irina starts spending more time with them, Stella starts taking on personality traits of Blanka. How is this happening?

•This book was fantastic. It left me wanting more and more. While it starts off slow, it definitely picks up and you won’t predict the ending.

•Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Viking, and Helena Echlin for this ARC. Clever Little Thing will become available on January 14, 2025.

Clever Little Thing is a solid thriller that kept me engaged from start to finish. While it leaned a bit toward the predictable side, the strong writing made up for it, and I found myself eagerly turning the pages. The book's unique take on the genre, coupled with an unreliable narrator, added an interesting twist. Normally, I'm not a big fan of unreliable narrators, but it worked well here, adding layers of intrigue without feeling overdone. Overall, a well-crafted and enjoyable read!

I can't wait for 2025, as I’ve been reading one mind-blowing book after another! Helena Echlin's latest work gives you chills and goosebumps. It can be summed up in a few words: eerie, creepy, yet engaging, emotional, and surprisingly thought-provoking, with its realistic approach to motherhood, mental health, and autism awareness. This twisty, jaw-dropping psychological thriller has so many layers, appealing to a wide range of readers. It explores dysfunctional family dynamics, the heavy psychological and physical burdens of motherhood, grief, cultural identity, child psychology, all wrapped in a mysterious narrative with hints of supernatural horror and fantasy.

The protagonist, Charlotte, is captivating despite her many flaws and mental struggles, having been raised by a chronically depressed, emotionally distant mother who left invisible scars on her soul. Determined to do better for her daughter Stella, who shows signs of autism and high intelligence at 8, Charlotte creates a protective cocoon around her. But Stella's emotional outbursts, rigid eating habits, and difficulties with social interaction test Charlotte's patience, especially while she's pregnant and her husband is largely absent due to work.

When their socially awkward nanny Blanka, who unexpectedly connects with Stella, quits her job and is later found dead, Charlotte becomes alarmed. She forms a bond with Blanka's mother, Irina, who had been living with Blanka until her final days.

As Charlotte grows closer to Irina, she notices startling changes in Stella—she becomes more social, changes her handwriting, takes up new habits like crocheting, and begins eating new foods. These red flags leave Charlotte questioning everything. Why is Stella no longer the brilliant, emotionally volatile child she once knew? Is Charlotte in denial about her daughter’s transformation because of their special bond? Or is something far more sinister at play, as Stella begins acting disturbingly like her late nanny? Could possession be real, or is Charlotte losing her mind under the stress of pregnancy and recent family tragedies?

I absolutely loved this unique story and its clever conclusion. The book starts slow, but it leaves enough breadcrumbs to keep you hooked, and the final third pulls the rug out from under you with shocking twists. It's a blend of twisty paranormal psychological thriller and emotional women’s fiction about motherhood, and the author nails both genres. I highly recommend adding this phenomenal read to your list!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking/Pamela Dorman Books for providing this fantastic thriller's digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I want to start this review by thanking Penguing Group Viking for allowing me to read this book, Clever Little Thing, via Netgalley. All opinions following are my own.

The premise of this thriller is that a pregnant woman named Charlotte has a young daughter named Stella who exhibits very difficult behaviors. With her husband and herself constantly working, they hired a young, Armenian nanny for Stella named Blanka four years prior to the novel's beginning. Despite Blanka's odd personality, Stella and Blanka get along very well. However, Blanka abruptly quits, without explanation, via text one day. Unsure how to tell Stella, who can be overly sensitive, Charlotte avoids the conversation, as she has quit her job to focus on her family anyway. Four days after her mysterious departure, though, Blanka turns up dead. Over the next few months, Charlotte notices drastic changes in Stella's personality, demeanor, and even eating habits. What's even more eery, though, is that Stella develops an Armenian accent. Were Blanka and Stella closer than Charlotte could've ever imagined?

This book was an easy 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I read a lot of different genres, but thrillers have my heart. I had never read a book by this author but was quickly intrigued by the book's description and other reviews on GoodReads. Since I do read a lot of thrillers, I have become very adept about figuring out the twists, tropes, and endings of these types of books. That's what made this one unique, though! Until about 80% of the way through the book, I was still trying to figure out who the villain was actually going to be. Then, once this was established, I was kept on the edge of my seat whilst trying to figure out how and if the protagonist would come out on top. I was hooked from the first page to the last, and I will definitely be seeking out more books by this author to read in the future!

#CleverLittleThing #Thriller #HelenaEchlin

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book.

This book was creepy and had me second guessing whether the main character, Charlotte, was losing it or if she was being gaslit. For me, it was slow paced until about 60% in but then I couldn’t put it down.

Recommend for people who like the Push by Ashley Audrain.

This was a very thought provoking mystery/thriller. I still find myself thinking about it.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211399781

What a great book! Psychological thrillers are my favorite, and I'd put this close to the top of my list. This story is about a child named Stella who once hard to handle, has become the opposite - agreeable, obedient, the opposite of before. But her babysitter, Blanka is dead and now she is doing a lot of the things she did, speaking like her, even writing like her. Is the mother crazy to think that Blanka has taken over Stella's body? I went back and forth a few times, and this book definitely kept you guessing. Definitely a good fall read with the creepy-factor. This book lives up to the hype!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. there were creepy elements that reminded me of ashley audrain’s novels, which I enjoyed, but at the same time it was very slow, and it took a while to reach the main point. I also just don’t really understand the ending. didn’t feel like we got a real answer or explanation for everything. most of this novel has you questioning the main character’s sanity, and I just didn’t feel I got all the answers I needed in the end.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Thanks to @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of Clever Little Thing by Helena Echlin. This is a very creepy story about a mother and her young daughter. Stella has always been "different", very smart but not social and sometimes violent. Charlotte and her husband struggle with how to parent her. When her babysitter Blanka abruptly quits, and then is found dead shortly after, things start to change even more. Charlotte starts to worry that Blanka has somehow taken over Stella's body. Yes, I said this was creepy! The story kept me reading, but I didn't love it. #cleverlittlething #helenaechlin #netgalley #bookstagram #lovetoread #takeapagefrommybook #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram

I really enjoyed my time reading this one. I would say it’s best to go in with as little knowledge as possible. So this review is going to be spoiler free & vague at times.
The characters of this story really were the driving force of the story. There wasn’t a ton of action plot wise, but the things going on with the characters had me pulled in from the start. The author did a great job of allowing us to slowly get to know each of little by little throughout the whole story. They each had well developed personalities and relationship with one another. It was great.
This story talks a lot about following your instincts as a mother. The plot centers around figuring out why her daughter had a sudden personality transformation. There were twists and turns throughout the story. I wasn’t sure which characters I could trust!
The things going on in the story, created an unsettling atmosphere. It allowed me to easily put myself into the shoes of Characters and live the story right along with them.
I would recommend this one!

As the title state, this book is CLEVER.

Initially this book made me think of THE PUSH, THE PERFECT CHILD & similar books of that genre. As a mom with 2 kids on the autism spectrum, the author did a wonderful job describing Stella and her neurodivergent friend Zach. I could relate to Cherie as a mom with a special needs child.

I don't want to give any spoilers so I will just say the book goes in a few different directions. One or two I expected and one character development was a complete shock.

The book was a fast read and while the end was shocking, I do feel the main story was brought to a strong conclusion.

I rate this 4 out of 5 of those Armenian cookies.

There are a few trigger warnings for those who are sensitive.

This was quite the page-turner! I enjoyed this well-written book most of the way through, and it would have been four stars due to the quick, easy pace. However, I lost patience when the story veered off in a direction from which I couldn't see any plausible recovery. I guess I'm someone who needs believability.

Here you have an overly anxious mother, a perfect dad, and a quirky, gifted child for whom the parents have made consessions beyond the norm. How they manage is the bulk of the book, until some strange goings-on creep in and slowly begin to change the story. Since we see the story through the mother's eyes, perception is everything. The ending, for me, didn't work all that well and left me with questions. That said, I would recommend it for the thrill of suspense that I know readers will enjoy.

Thanks to Penguin Group/Pamela Dorman and NetGalley for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of my most awaited books and I enjoyed every second of it. Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

Admittedly, I was a little put off in the beginning when Charlotte reacted aggressively to another mom’s suggestion that Stella was on the spectrum. Despite the many signs, Charlotte refuses to seek an evaluation for Stella, choosing instead to embrace her quirks. So, when Stella begins to change following the death of her babysitter, Charlotte starts to feel afraid for her daughter.

This was disturbing in the best way. Stella was deeply attached to her babysitter, Blanka, and begins to mirror her personality after she dies. Her speech regresses, her dietary preferences change, and she becomes a placid and obedient child instead of the fiercely intelligent and unique girl she used to be. Everyone else seems to welcome these changes in Stella, but Charlotte is terrified. Is Stella simply processing Blanka’s death in her own way, or is there something more sinister going on? Has Stella been possessed by Blanka? Charlotte is an unreliable, and often frustrating narrator, but she can tell something strange is going on.

Clever Little Thing explores the complexity of mother-daughter relationships with a supernatural twist. As aggravating as Charlotte could be, I really felt for her as she tried desperately to figure out what was going on with Stella, only to repeatedly be told there was nothing to worry about. Her tentative relationship with Irina, Blanka’s grieving mother, was one of the high points of the book. My heart broke for both Irina and Blanka as I learned more about their situation and their lives before coming to England.

Overall, this was a phenomenal read, one that I didn’t want to put down. Well-written, tense, and creepy in all the right spots. Although it became increasingly stressful being inside Charlotte’s head, the ending was perfectly satisfying.

This was such a good thriller! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I kept trying to figure out who I trusted, who I didn't and what was actually happening. Lets just say I was wrong every time. Great, fast paced read. Ill be looking for more from this author!

𝑶𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆: 𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒋𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅. 𝑬𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒚 𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒔. 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆.

I went into this thinking it would be another creepy kid story, which I love, but it ended up being so much more. Charlotte's daughter Stella is different. Her hair is often matted and wild because the brush hurts, the bath water must be drawn with the bathroom door closed because the noise is too overwhelming--Charlotte has grown so accustomed to her daughter's endless list of accommodations that she thinks nothing of it until a well-meaning friend gently suggests that Stella may be on the spectrum and suggests testing. Charlotte has a visceral reaction that damages the friendship, but she's got more bad news waiting.

Their nanny Blanka abruptly quits, giving no real reason. Overwhelmed, frustrated, and pregnant once again, Charlotte and her husband are bewildered when Stella's personality totally changes soon after they find out that Blanka died. The little girl who once had meltdowns has become docile and timid, she's speaking with an accent, and she has a ferocious craving for Armenian meat stew despite being raised as a vegetarian. When Charlotte finds a diary Stella has been keeping, there is one phrase repeated over and over, and it's written in another language. Every instinct is screaming at her that something is wrong. Could Blanka be possessing Stella? Is Stella manipulating everyone? Could Charlotte's own troubled upbringing be causing her to imagine things that just aren't there?

This was a totally immersive, unsettling read that was downright creepy in some places. I did have a hunch early on that proved to be correct, but in no way did it alter my enjoyment of this book. The underlying message that spoke to me was this--there are so many roles that women play, and being a caretaker is one of great importance. Ironically, a woman playing this role seems to be diminished, relegated to the background to shrink until she becomes a ghost in her own life. The layers to each female character were meticulously crafted, and the author came them a dimension that life often robs them of.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Viking/Pamela Dorman Books for this stunning early read. At the time this review was written, this book was expected to publish January 14, 2025.

This is an engrossing psychological thriller, disturbing in some ways but also ultimately hopeful. It is a story about relationships , about how well do we know the people we are closest to, our spouse, our child. It is a story of a woman, who has to find out the truth when no one believes her, even sometimes us as the readers. And the story of an unusual girl, gifted, different and what is she capable of. 4.5

Sometimes the main character of this book felt very familiar to me as someone with anxiety. A quote I even highlighted was "It's like anxiety is your natural mode." because that is relatable. Clever Little Thing takes you on a bumpy ride with a mother who wants nothing more than to protect her daughter and ensure she can always be herself even if it means she may be a little different. This book touches on topics like post-partum mental health and the role it can play in raising a child, having a village to raise a child, and the lack of diverse learning options. While I caught myself changing my opinions on the mother multiple times during the book by the end I felt like this gave me a much better understanding of the lengths a mother will go to for their child. Make no assumptions in "Clever Little Thing" because you'll find out something new as you read.

What a great surprise this book was. I thought I knew where it was going, felt smug certain plot developments proved me right...and then the author pulled a nifty trick that left me delighted by its, well, cleverness. A real treat that begs for a movie adaptation...perhaps with Kate Winslet as Charlotte?

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC! The book comes out on January 14th, 2025.

This is a book that I will tell everyone about! A must read. Everyone will remember this book for a long time. The writing is superb. I enjoyed all the characters Echlin created. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A creepy story, and very much enjoyed. I read it in two days. Echlin is a talent and I look forward to get future work.