Thank you to the author and Netgalley for a copy of this book. This was a DNF for me. I was bummed because it sounded exactly like something I would like.

Listen to Your Sister was unexpected. It’s a thriller/supernatural/ family drama all in one. It kept my attention the entire read and was surprisingly deep and heartbreaking at the same time. People are multi faceted and this book showed just that.

The story jumps right into the family drama. Jamie is a bit of troublemaker and has been acting especially reckless since his mother handed guardianship over to his sister, Calla. Jamie is full of personality - equally likable and frustrating. You can easily see how his acting out is tied to trauma and his feelings of abandonment. Calla has been doing everything in her power to protect Jamie from himself and his bad decisions. She has shifted her entire life to care for her brother, but Jamie's acting out has been making it harder and harder for Calla to handle him and keep her life together. On the brink of losing her job and constantly worrying about Jamie, Calla feels overwhelmed and alone. Their middle brother, Dre, was supposed to help Calla care for Jamie, but Dre has rarely been around to help. More focused on his own life and his career as a chef, Dre finds Calla too overbearing and overreactive. When he does show up, he generally sides with Jamie and basically tells Calla to chill out. Calla, however, is plagued by constant nightmares of her brothers dying and is on the brink of losing control.

I loved the family dynamic of this book. I found each character unique and felt like I got a good understanding of each one. I could feel Calla's frustration and isolation wafting off the pages. I just wanted to scream at Jamie and Dre to get their acts together and treat their sister better. But in equal measures, I could understand their own feelings as well. While they took Calla for granted, they had their own resentments and trauma that they were dealing with. The family bond between them was incredibly strong and the author really made her characters come to life.

Now, in all honesty, I struggled initially with this book. I was really interested at first, but as the story progressed it became confusing and hard to tell reality from dreams. I spent at least half of this book having no idea what was going on to the point where I considered DNFing it. But I decided to push through and I'm glad I did. Once we finally get to the cabin, things started to make more sense, and the story really took off from there. At that point, I was really invested and had to know how it ended.

I can definitely see how this book could draw comparisons to Jordan Peele. There is definitely a social and political commentary aspect to this book mixed with spots of humor that works well in this speculative horror. I also got some old school Nightmare on Elm Street vibes from it, which I enjoyed. Overall, I think this was a unique story with characters that steal your heart.

Couldn’t get into this book. Not sure if the writing style or characters. Not sure if I will read more by this author.

Neena Viel’s Listen to Your Sister is a haunting, emotionally charged debut that blends speculative horror with sharp social commentary. The story centers on Calla, a 25-year-old Black woman thrust into the role of guardian for her younger brothers, Jamie and Dre, while grappling with vivid nightmares that blur the line between dream and reality. Viel’s narrative is both unsettling and heartfelt, exploring themes of family, trauma, and resilience. While there are some pacing issues in the first half, the novel's atmospheric tension and compelling character dynamics make it a standout in contemporary horror fiction.

Listen to your sister was an excellent read! I loved the writing and character development. Would definitely read more from this author.

Read If You Like:
• Speculative horror with emotional depth
• Sibling dynamics and family trauma
• Cabin-in-the-woods thrillers with a twist
• Narratives blending humor and terror
• Stories exploring dreams and reality 

Calla Williams, at twenty-five, finds herself overwhelmed as the guardian of her sixteen-year-old brother, Jamie. With their father deceased and mother absent, the responsibility weighs heavily on her. Jamie, embodying teenage recklessness, often lands in trouble, leaving Calla to manage the fallout. Their middle sibling, Dre, had promised support but remains largely uninvolved. Adding to Calla’s stress are recurring nightmares where her brothers face peril, dreams that blur the line between premonition and imagination.  

When Jamie’s involvement in a protest escalates dangerously, the siblings flee to a remote cabin, seeking refuge. However, the isolation brings its own horrors, as Calla’s nightmares begin to manifest in unsettling ways. The cabin, far from being a safe haven, becomes a battleground where familial bonds are tested, and reality is questioned. 

What I Loved:
• The raw portrayal of sibling relationships, capturing both love and tension
• The seamless blend of horror elements with genuine emotional stakes
• A protagonist whose strength and vulnerability are equally compelling
• The atmospheric setting that enhances the story’s suspense
• The exploration of dreams as both a narrative device and a window into trauma

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ARC and ALC!

This one sent me on a wild ride, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. Was it creepy? Yes, in a very weird, almost uncomfortable way. It was definitely a horror genre, but mixed in with childhood trauma, dysfunctional family dynamics, and even a bit of humor. I can see why it was related to a Jordan Peele movie, it gives the same vibes for sure!

Such a fever dream of a book. It touches on some heavy subjects but overall is really good. This book was out there but mostly a good time.

Although this book was suspenseful and interesting, it took me a while to get into the story as it didn't really pick up for me until part three, chapter twenty. The chapters leading up to that section were slow and difficult for me to get through, but once I got to that section I wanted to know what happened next. The line that did it for me was, "they'd think differently now that her terror was interactive." That line made me want to keep reading. The book was dark, gory, and definitely scary. The author does a good job at descriptions, and overall it was well-written. However, I'm not too sure that I feel like the ending had the payoff it should have. It just fell flat for me after all the action of the last half. The ending just didn't feel like an ending to me. And despite the fact that it was well-written, I do feel like it was a bit too long. I think that there were definitely unnecessary chapters in the book that made it slow in the beginning. I would still recommend it to my friends who like horror and suspense, but I would let them know it takes a bit of reading for it to pick up.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin for the digital copy to review.

This was a different horror read, closer to reality, think stressful dreams (or nightmares) which I have from time to time, and I thought it was great. The sibling drama was dark but witty, and listening via audio I enjoyed the banter between them, but there is plenty of fighting which is to be expected when the parents are gone and the older sister has to step in (25 is still young to do so imo). I will also note listening via audio it was difficult to tell when we were in a dream vs. reality at times so that was a little confusing, but it all came together in a wild and crazy ending, and I enjoyed this one overall.

Ummm I can't say that I like this book but I don't DISLIKE it. For a majority of the story, it feels like a weird fever dream and I did not know what was actually happening to the characters or if they were dreaming.
The title drew me in as an older sister, I often feel like my siblings don't take heed to what I say. And I definitely connected with the frustrations that Calla goes through with her brothers... but the story just hits on the edge of weird in a way that I did not like. I really wanted to like this more but I probably would not recommend this book or read it for my book club.

Omg this book made me sooooo angry... As an older sister of two brothers, I related to Calla so hard and I understood why her mind broke.

I LOVED this book. The concept was mind bending and amazing and the creep factor in this book was oh so FUN!

I was on the edge of my seat for this read for the ENTIRE TIME. I can’t wait to read what this author will come up with next!

This was a phenomenal read—at once, frightening, hilarious, and heart-warming.

Contrary to how it's being marketed and reviewed, I wouldn't classify this as social horror. Yes, there are racial elements to the story—police violence against Black boys and men, racial profiling, and microaggressions. However, these are more setting than plot. They are important components when understanding the characters, but I think we should be careful not to sweep all Black experience into a pile of Jordan Peele prototypes.

Rather, it's a story of family trauma, parentification of elder children, and the rage, frustration, and all-consuming love of a parent for their child. I was so impressed by the creativity of the premise:<spoiler>Years of pent-up rage from caring for her younger siblings led Calla to splinter parts of herself at each key moment of sacrifice and these past versions of herself come back to avenge themselves on her brothers.</spoiler> The horror was interspersed with moments of levity; rather than distract, these moments served to deepen the characters and their interrelationships in a meaningful way.

There's certainly a fever dream-quality to the second half of the book (it's a nightmare coming to life, so it's only appropriate), which may be confusing to readers, but it's well worth the trip. I would highly recommend this to fans of Grady Hendrix.

This book has a little bit of everything family drama, trauma, racial topics, horror-- and some appreciated and unexpected humor. Like others, I was engaged for a while, and then I started to lose interest. I think I was getting more confused than scared as things went--particularly by the visions. I appreciated the unique writing and look forward to see what's next for this author.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and St. Martin's Press for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Creepy reads, deep stories, sibling bonds

I liked this. It was so different. The vibes are creepy and the story is unique. I was left thinking what did I just read. I highly recommend this!

I feel like I might have liked this one better if I had eyeball read it. The audio got very confusing on which character was talking which took away from the story

This one was a hard one to review. When it first started I fell in love with the story and the characters, and how their stories were presented. However as the book progressed, I was often confused by the dream sequences, and felt that it was hard to keep track of were the story was going. The writing had great imagry, but often not enough time was spent building suspense and felt repetative. I loved some parts so much, but overall felt a little lost in the craziness of the plot.

Well, this was scary.
Does nobody listen to their elders?
Or geeze, even nightmares?
Gut feelings?
As obvious as they were, this family did not. The sister tried, but as the title may suggest, they did not listen to their sister.

I didn't love the time skips. They were a little disorganized and hard to follow, but other than that, the author's style was unique and entertaining.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, and the author 💚

Fantastic story of three siblings raising each other after their father dies and their mother falls apart. Excellent horror elements as well, highly recommend!