Oh my goodness!! Something in the walls by Daisy Pearce was such a great read! I loved the characters in this book and felt connected as this is not a book I usually am attracted to! It was creepy and at times felt uncomfortable but loved every second of it! Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This title is published on February 25th, 2025.

I wish I could say I enjoyed this book but I really didn't. I found the pacing to be very slow at times where essentially nothing was happening. The main character transformed from being a vibrant, driven and hungry young woman into a pathetic shell of a person which really annoyed me for a number of reasons. The entire plot, which was rooted in the paranormal, resulted in all the supporting characters becoming even more pathetic. At times, I felt that I had to suspend my disbelief at literally every character's behaviour and interactions with the main character just to progress to the conclusion of this book.

If you enjoy a paranormal tale, you might really like this book but don't expect it to stay true to that premise until the end.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

“Everyone loves to look into the darkness” This was an ominous, creepy, spooky tale that the author reveals at just the right moments. The buildup of the story was intense and had me hanging on the edge. I did not see the twist that was revealed and the ending left me with a lot more questions. Without saying too much, I will be contemplating this one for a while. Definitely recommend this book. Pub Date February 25, 2025. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Daisy Pearce for the opportunity to read this arc for an honest review. 🐝

Something in the Walls is a perfect example of a novel that is good....until the end. The eerie atmosphere and down right scary happenings, really got me tied into the story. The characterization was a little shaky with mindsets and actions not always aligning, but not enough for a negative impact. I loved the historical aspect of lore and tradition and the psychological impacts on a single person, and as a collective group. At times, I could not put it down! As it got closer to the climax, I realized several aspects of the storyline had been glossed over, to make for a tied up ending, and it left me with more questions. I found it frustrating because it really started out good. Others may not find the ending as disappointing, so I would still recommend to lovers of the genre. I would say 2.5/out of 5. #somethinginthewalls #daisypearce #netgalley #goodreads

Wow! This book is going to be all over booktok when it releases because holy crap it was amazing! There were times reading that I had to turn lights on (I read a lot at night in bed) because it was so spooky! The characters are amazing! I really felt connected to all of them in their own way. The descriptions were incredible. It’s a bit of small town folklore, mixed with horror and psychology. Super super good! It’s a must read for sure! Thank you publishers and NetGalley for this arc!!!

I never quite got into this one, although it has all the elements I like: is it real-life problem or a haunting, folk horror, truly scary moments, and it's a fever dream of a book almost all the way through. And yet. It didn't quite click. I don't know if it was me or the book (although there was one thing that annoyed me, but it's too big of a spoiler to mention). Oh well.

Wow! I loved this! I couldn’t put it down and read during every free second I could spare. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Something In The Walls by Daisy Pearce

I enjoyed reading this book so much. It was chilling and scary. The author did an amazing job at creating a haunting atmosphere i myself felt spooked.

I wanted a little more closure on the witch debacle but I enjoyed it none the less. I could actually love to see this turned into a film.

Book cover was so spooky too
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What was done really well was that creepy/something isn't right/dread/foreboding feeling that is present throughout. It felt like after the initial premise was set up it took forever to get going and then I wanted more from the ending.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Daisy Pearce’s “Something in the Walls” is a masterful blend of suspense and psychological intrigue that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The story revolves around Alice, a teen girl tormented by the possibility of witch possession. Enter Mina, a fresh college graduate child psychologist, and Sam, a determined journalist, who arrive in Alice's small town with the intention of uncovering the truth.

While the narrative begins slowly, Pearce's skillful storytelling draws you in deeper with each page. The atmosphere is charged with tension, leaving readers in a state of constant anticipation. Just when you think you've figured out the mystery, the plot twists take you by surprise, leaving you reeling and eager to turn the next page. The character development is rich, providing layers of emotional depth that make you care for Alice and question the motivations of those around her.

“Something in the Walls” is not just a story about potential possession; it explores themes of fear, belief, and the lengths people will go when faced with the unknown.

Overall, this novel is a thrilling ride that is well worth the read. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a psychological thriller that is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC—this one is a keeper!

Whoa. I typically read before going to sleep, but I had to watch some silly cat videos to kind of clear my mind first. The first half of this book is very creepy and really stuck with me during waking hours. Mina, a brand new child psychologist, is roped in by a local reporter to help with a story he's covering. Thirteen year-old Alice is acting strangely and claims she's being haunted by a witch. The small town is quite antiquated in that they believe superstitions and in various folklore in which to ward off witches, such as hanging hagstones from doorways. The experiences they have while trying to help Alice are quite wild. Among those that don't understand why she's even there entertaining the situation is her scientist/researcher husband, Oscar. I don't normally read much with a supernatural-type bend (and things were less nightmare inducing after about the halfway mark), but this was a page turner for sure!

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Daisy Pearce for the eARC.

This is the perfect book to hand to a reluctant reader who loves horror and suspense films like The Conjuring. Pearce does an excellent job of building suspense and a sense of dread as Mina dives deeper into the mystery surrounding Alice and the "witch" in the walls. There are some plot holes and I was left with some questions but overall, this is a satisfying reading experience for those seeking a creepy thrill.

This book spooked me at nighttime for sure! I was kept engaged the whole time trying to figure out what was actually going on. The twists really got me, did NOT see that coming! Wow. Thankful for the chance to read this during the fall time as it felt nice leading into spooky season.

I was excited to read this becase it is marketed like "The Haunting of Hill House". I feel like the story is good and full of detail at the beginning, but at the middle and the end the details fall apart and it's not buttoned up well. So many opportunities to tighten up the story were missed and I saw the darkness of Bert before the author revealed it.
Maybe I read too much of this genre to be surprised? I liked the tie ins to the Riddance and the past witch burnings. But it just fell apart at the end.

This book reminded me of this old movie i use to watch which was about a child psychologist that interviewed a sick girl, and it has some plot of that in this book except the main character goes to live with a family because a girl named Alice who is 13 the family says that she is haunted by a witch. The stuff that family says about her was crazy, throwing up bile, throwing up chunks of hair. It was something from an exorcism, if you like horror or excoriat movies or the haunting of bly manor or the conjuring series this book was really good and for you.

I felt bad for the main character, her husband was cheating it look like they had problems in their marriage her and Oscar and she had something to do after getting out of school as a child psychologist working on her first case with this girl who was haunted. Everyone thought either crazy or haunted she said she saw a witch. I think the fear i had reading this and how creepy it was what the girl said will always sit with me, that she sees her through the cracks her eyes and her face is upside down. That is really spooky line!

The story is a nail-biter, filled with suspense and creepy twists that make it hard to put down. Daisy Pearce masterfully crafts a tale that keeps you guessing, with well-developed characters and a plot that unfolds with perfect pacing. If you love thrillers that keep you hooked until the very last page, this book is definitely for you!

This started out good but then went off in another direction. I wanted a story about a creepy witch. This was a decent read, but not one o normally would have picked myself.

4 stars

What a fun, creepy, witchy story! I went into this with no information and no expectations and was very pleasantly surprised.

Main characters Mina and Sam head to the small town of Banathal to investigate the potential possession of a teenage girl, Alice, and they get way more than they bargained for. Both have lost someone close to them, for Sam it was his young daughter and for Mina it was her brother Eddie. There is superstition, weird townspeople, possession, witchcraft, and seances.

This story was a bit choppy with a few abrupt changes in narrative that took me a bit to catch up to. There was a lot going on here but overall the creepy vibe was definitely vibing and the witchy history of the small town was great atmosphere. The ending left me a little confused, but not in a bad way. There was enough paranormal to play against the non-paranormal goings-on and I stayed engaged from beginning to end.

I would recommend this to readers who enjoy witchy vibes, folk horror, and good for her narratives.

Thrillers can lean cheesy quite easily. This one didn’t. I found myself covering the bottom half of the pages so as not to spoil what was coming. Quite well done.

I was so excited when I was approved to read an ARC of Something in the Walls. The description had totally drawn me in. In the first few chapters, I thought maybe I was set for disappointment, but as the story continued, I was completely drawn in.

It's 1989 and Mina Ellis is still grieving for her brother, Eddie, who had died six years earlier. As she revisits the grief group where she has found support in the past, she meets Sam, an investigative reporter who had also lost his young daughter. Learning that Mina is a newly graduated child psychologist, Sam enlists her help to assist him in investigating the possible possession of Alice, a teenage girl, by a witch.

Upon arriving in the small village where Alice lives, they realize there is a strong historical belief in the existence of witchcraft. However, as they commence their investigation, they discover that things are not quite how they seem. Is Alice truly possessed or is she suffering from a form of mental illness. They discover that Alice is not the first young girl believed to have been possessed. Is there a strong paranormal activity in Alice's village, or is there something else at the root of what is going on?

Throughout the story, there are reflections on the period of witch hunting and the tendency of mass hysteria when there are no clear explanations for what is happening.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read Something in the Walls in exchange for writing this review.