I was immediately drawn to the premise of the book—a child psychologist and a journalist with a proposition. While tense to read, I was kept guessing until the end.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this story and can't believe I put off reading it for as long as I did. This is a perfect thriller, with creepy, spooky elements. Perfect for readers who enjoy a dark, haunted thriller. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending this advanced copy my way!

Pearce delivers a dark, slow-burning psychological horror that leans heavily into atmosphere. The writing is moody and at times beautifully disorienting, effectively blurring the line between the supernatural and the unraveling mind.

The book’s strongest element is its setting—claustrophobic, decaying, and charged with dread. It’s a perfect backdrop for themes of grief, isolation, and suspicion. However, the pacing occasionally falters, and certain reveals feel either too vague or too rushed to fully land their emotional or narrative weight.

While the ambiguity may appeal to fans of quieter horror, readers looking for a more structured or visceral payoff might find themselves wanting more. Still, the novel succeeds in evoking a sense of lingering unease and delivers a genuinely haunting final act.

A solid entry into domestic horror with a Gothic edge—particularly well-suited for readers who enjoy dread over spectacle.

This book sounded so intriguing, and I love the cover, so I was eager to dive into it. Unfortunately, it felt really slow and dragged out for around 80%+ of the book, with just a few bits here and there that seemed to try to push the plot forward at a faster pace. I found myself skimming at points, just to "hit the highlights," and still felt as though I knew exactly what was going on. The final 20% or so definitely picked up, and I kept turning pages to see how it was all finally going to shake out, most of which I'd already figured out, but it was still nice to see how Mina dealt with it all.

All in all, I would like to read more by this author, but I hope the next one has better pacing.

3 stars

**I received a review copy from Netgalley and am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and comments contained within are my own.**

The book is set in 1989, which works very well because it is a pre-digital world, where facts cannot be checked in the blink of an eye and therefore it’s easier to believe in impossibilities. This book started out well: a teenage girl is allegedly being haunted by a witch, and a child psychologist and journalist have teamed up to find out the truth behind the bizarre situation. The timing of the book is fraught with tension, as the possibility of witchcraft becomes more and more realistic as no other logical explanations materialize. The rural setting is creepy, with suspicious villagers. As the kids say, the whole thing was giving The Lottery.

The denouement, however, was somewhat disappointing after all of that buildup. It all got resolved very quickly, and I was left wanting more because I had been enjoying what I had been given up until that point.

I would recommend Something in the Walls. This book was moody, atmospheric, and kept me guessing and wondering until the very end. I am definitely going to look for more books from Pearce in the future.




I received a digital ARC of this book from St. Martin’s/NetGalley.

What originally caught my attention was the title and description. There was a lot of promise and intrigued and I was very interested and it held my attention at the start. I got about 1/3 of the way through before it started to slow down for me and became hard for me to keep my interest. I found it repetitive at times and I felt like at times there were parts that could be left out to help the story go faster. Towards the end there was a build up to the ending, but I felt a little let down by the ending. All in all it was a good read, but I was left feeling a little underwhelmed.

This was spooky, I was really invested in the beginning and then it started to get weird towards the end. I feel like I am still confused on some parts of the story but overall a decent plot and story line!

Now THIS was an atmospheric and thrilling read! SOMETHING IN THE WALLS kept me on the edge of my seat, glued to every page.

Mina is a just-certified child psychologist who is called to investigate a potential haunting. As she gets to know the Webber family, things get stranger and stranger. Mina can’t help but wonder: is this a scam or is Alice really being haunted? She has to decide what’s real all while navigating her grief over losing her younger brother. I enjoyed all the twists and turns—especially that ending!

Something in the Walls starts off strong. There's a creepy kid, a mysterious town, and just the right amount of unease. I was hooked in the beginning and really thought this one was going somewhere dark and twisty, but somewhere along the way, the tension kind of fizzled out. The ending didn’t live up to the buildup, which was a letdown. Still, it’s got a solid atmosphere and a spooky premise that kept me turning pages for a while.

started off sooo good. the vibes were dark and witchy and a little creepy in the best way. i was flipping pages fast and honestly kinda paranoid while reading

but then it started falling apart

the story just didn’t make sense after a while. like why was the journalist even staying with the family? and why didn’t mina talk to the girl she was supposed to be evaluating? weird choices that didn’t add up. the witchy vibe that pulled me in just disappeared and it turned into something else completely. it wasn’t satisfying and felt all over the place

i really liked the idea of it and was excited to read it but i didn’t connect with the characters and the ending left me with way too many questions. it felt incomplete

great start but it lost its magic halfway through

Late to read this book. Overall it was a fine story but it did fall a little flat for me. I don’t think I’d recommend it.

I am grateful to NetGalley, the Author, and the Publisher for the ARC. Thank you!

Such a fun, suspenseful read, but felt slightly let down in the final act. I think it was great to stay in lead character Mina's POV during her investigation – certainly made the mystery seem creepier – but maybe to the detriment of secondary character development in Sam or Alice. The author does a great job blending paranormal, mystery, and horror elements however, so I'd love to read other novels from her.

I got this book in advance from NetGalley (yes, I’m late in reading it). It held a lot of promise. It sounded really creepy with an amazing cover. It wasn’t bad but honestly not as great as I was expecting. We follow Mina on a journey to prove that a young teenager is not possessed by a witch but rather has a scientific explanation. What she ends up discovering is far more disturbing.

**spoiler**

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Something in the Walls explores the reality of witch trials and how it was often just an excuse to abuse women and young girls. While I appreciate this connection, I’m really frustrated that we don’t find out what Alice’s affliction is. Was she mentally disturbed? Was it psychosomatic? Was she an actual witch?

To be upfront this book took me almost a month to finish. I felt like it had a lot of potential but it never really got there for me. I mean it would create these moments with a horror element, but then we would get just chapters of nothing. They end up in a small town that fully believes in witchcraft to investigate Alice. We watch how the mob mentality of the town shifts as events unfold, but everything is just so slow to take place. I have to say by the time it got to the twists at the end I honestly didn't even care anymore. They were okay but just felt a bit expected I guess. I don't know I just wanted a lot more from this one I guess. I also wasn't a huge fan of the writing style, or really any of the characters.

I wish I loved this more. The cover is fantastic and the pitch was intriguing but it just didn't work for me. The pacing was inconsistent and I found where we stated making no sense with where we ended up. Unfortunately I found certain aspects predictable to a certain extent and the twists were strange. I would be interested in reading from the author in the future and how they grow.

This is a book I tell everyone about that loves thriller/horror books. I literally gasped and had to drop the book down for a minute in a couple places while I processed what I just read. The characters were so fun to read about, especially a teenager named Alice that is haunted by a witch. Bert was a great character too, and not exactly the normal neighbor next door. .The whole town is creepy and you can feel it while reading this book! Anyone that likes to read about witches, witch hunts, and superstition will love this book. This kind of horror book will keep me coming back for more - a little out of my comfort zone, but so much fun. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

This book had so much potential. The summary was perfect for me and the beginning of the book got me hooked, but then it changed. I thought it was going to be haunting and intense like the description stated, but it wasn’t that at all. So I felt underwhelmed. The book was much too slow for me.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Mina dreams of becoming the best child psychologist, but she's still building her experience. That is, until a reporter offers her an opportunity she simply can't pass up. "Something in the Walls" tries to evoke feelings of dread and the supernatural within the ordinary world, but it doesn't quite hit the mark. The story features a large cast of characters, which can sometimes take attention away from Mina, making her feel a bit shallow and less relatable. The plot moves at a slow pace, and at times, it's hard to tell where it's headed. Overall, the story could use a bit more intrigue and deeper character development.

This was an interesting story. A new child psychologist gets invited by a reporter to see if a girl is being haunted or had mental health issues. Thought out the story is hard to tell what is happening. It is interesting and kept me engaged.

Something in the Walls came out of the gate with eerie potential—a creepy kid, an isolated village steeped in folklore, and a psychologist in way over her head. I was ready for unsettling tension and emotional complexity. And it was dark. Definitely darker than I expected. But somewhere along the way, the mood took over the momentum.

The slow build worked at first—dripping dread, glimpses of Alice’s increasingly bizarre behavior—but I kept waiting for it to click. For Mina to feel like more than a reactive observer. For the village to become more than vaguely menacing vibes and whispered superstition. The story wants to say something deep about grief, belief, and fear—but it never quite lands the plane. By the end, I still didn’t have all the answers I was hoping for… and not in a fun, mysterious way. More like, wait, did I miss a chapter? kind of way.

There’s some gorgeous writing in here, and a really intriguing concept. But it left me wanting—more clarity, more payoff, more Mina.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this honest review. Even if I’m still lowkey haunted and confused.