too many characters, not enough development. the thriller genre is not an excuse for everyone and everything to feel 2 dimensional. this fell flat.

I had no idea what this was going in to it. It was very interesting. I enjoyed it. Thank you so much NetGalley and CB Everett.

Admittedly, I was the wrong audience for this book. I was expecting more mystery and less blood, but, I digress. A couple things I did enjoy from this book were the multiple POVs (definitely a favorite of mine) and the twist at the end! I was both right and totally wrong about what was going on. Definitely officially duped!

I’ve seen other people comparing to this to a certain *very famous* mystery author BUT I can’t compare as I’ve never read said “very famous person’s* book. 🫣

When I say every single trigger I can possibly think of was in this book, I’m not exaggerating. It was not for the faint of heart. Also not for me who much rather prefers a HEA.

I think there is a definite audience for this book and I’d be super curious to discuss it with someone who mainly reads thriller and/or horror novels.

a locked room mystery that left me wanting just a little more.

I never quite found my groove with this story. We're introduced right from the start to the characters and then a brief description about who is who by a narrator we know little about. From there, we're introduced to them. I knew right from the start where this was going because so many things only made sense with one solution. From there, I didn't find anyone likable. I struggled to differentiate characters and kept forgetting who did what and had which issues. By the end, the mystery just wasn't pushing me anymore.

But if you like locked room mystery and twists that keep you guessing until the very very end, this one just might be for you!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

University student Kyle Tanner wakes from a terrible dream about being buried alive, only to discover that he is in a room he doesn't recognize. The book he was reading is on the bedside table, and some of his clothes are here, but this is not his room. In fact, he doesn't even recall falling asleep.

A dinner gong sounds and Kyle descends through a large house to find nine strangers who also were surprised to wake here. Their unease deepens when a woman arrives with chilling instructions: they have twelve hours to find a missing young woman before she’s killed. The house has clues that they must unravel and a killer lurks amongst them.

A shot rings out and the mysterious woman falls dead. But hers will be only the first corpse of the night as soon Kyle and the other dinner guests are all picked off one by one. Will any of them survive this horrible game -- and will they find the missing woman?

The Other People is a gritty, high-stakes take on And Then There Were None — a comparison the author invites, given the title’s nod to Christie’s classic. Some plot elements stretch believability, and certain moments were darker than my usual taste, but the mystery kept me hooked. The characters questioned the story’s more outlandish twists as much as I did, which helped ground the narrative, and every revelation proved carefully planted.

While You Are Fatally Invited resonated more with my preferences in this genre, The Other People was a tense, atmospheric page-turner I couldn’t put down. Readers sensitive to darker themes should check content warnings, but for those who love an unsettling, locked-room thriller, this one delivers.

This is one of the weirdest books I’ve ever read, with a very ambitious plot.

The whole story felt like a fever dream - 10 people wake up to find themselves in a locked house, told that they have 24 hours to locate a missing girl and are not allowed to leave until they do. These people have never met and come from all walks of life, ranging from a retired veteran to a baby.

The pacing and atmosphere makes you lose sense of time - whether this is intentional or not, it works for the intended storyline.

However, as the storyline unfolded it became harder and harder to track what was happening. You have to suspend nearly all of your disbelief in order to buy in, and even then the plot is ludicrous. In particular, there are decisions and events that feel like they’re only revealed for shock value.

This got a 3 ⭐️ from me for pure entertainment value as it kept me engaged the entire time, but otherwise it was quite messy and too ambitious.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

I really liked the blurb and premise of this book, a locked room mystery. The ending was good and explained a lot, unfortunately, I spent 90% of the book being very confused by these unrelatable characters and really not understanding what was motivating these people. Ten strangers kidnapped and held in a house, told they had to find a missing girl before they could be released. They of course start getting killed off in very disturbing and unrealistic ways.

Sorry to say that even though the twist at the end explains it all it just doesn't make up for so much of the book not being enjoyable. I prefer mysteries where you can pick up on clues along the way and guess "who done it?", that didn't happen here.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A group of people find themselves locked in a house. They don't remember how they got there are what they we doing just before the woke up in the house. They gather in the dining room and find that it has been set and seats have been assigned. They're interrupted by Amanda who basically tells them what their mission is before she is murdered.

This was a interesting tale and the ending did surprise me.

Wow, this was my first book by this author and I would for sure read more. What a ride! I enjoy the suspense and the pacing throughout.

Okay, my one piece of advice with this one: GO IN BLIND!!! That’s what I did, I really enjoyed this one! 🙌

I guessed part of the twist, but not the full extent of it!!! Some parts I could have done without (I loathe insta love), but the twist towards the end is worth it, book peeps!! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and C.B. Everett for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

TW: suicide, child abuse

The Other People by C B Everett Kyle Tanner is a 22 year-old college student who wakes up in a room that looks exactly like his own, but isn’t. The first thing he sees out the window is someone dragging a body but soon he is distracted by the lightning storm and storms are one of his biggest fears. When he hears the door unlocked, he goes to explore the home,only to find a Mötley Crüe of other people. From a hard nose, business woman who wheels her sexuality like a weapon named Diane, to Sylvia, a homebody who’s not there to make friends, a pedophile named Darwin, a single mom Caris with her baby Monica, a jerk name, Ian, a stripper named Ramona, an older man named Lynn Manville, captain Jim Saint and last, but not least the beast in the seller who is our narrator. while everyone is sitting down to their favorite meal, a woman comes in and says her name is Amanda. She looks nervous and continues to look behind her, but gives them a brief summary of why they are there. She tells them they cannot get out unless they find a kidnapped woman and they have 12 hours to do it! she even shows them the footage of said woman being kidnapped and photographs of three previous women who were kidnapped, but weren’t found in time. I don’t want to say much more because this was one of the most original and then there were one type stories I have ever read. Forget everything you know or anything you’ve heard about this book when you start because everything will be surprising and also interesting to the reader. They do employ a couple of tropes, but OMG it’s done in the most original way and the ending is definitely in mind twist I did not at all see coming. if you love horror stories in a tired of the same old same old then you’ll absolutely be Gaga over this book. I absolutely was and stayed up all night reading it just to know how it ended. I was not disappointed. This is a book I definitely recommend a definite five star read! #NetGalley, #AtriaBooks, #TheBlindReviewer, #CBEverett, #TheOtherPeople,

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

Readers, do not take the publisher's comparison to Agatha Christie to heart. I almost didn't continue reading after the first few pages. That should have been my first clue. It was a fast read, though, so I did finish it, but it was not at all what I expected, and the "twist" at the very end (and I mean the very end - at around 95%?) was a letdown. The story was way more gothic/horror than mystery. Too many characters, all of them awful, and I had a hard time keeping them straight. And they all seemed to accept their circumstances pretty quickly. No one freaked out about not remembering how they got there? No one seemed to want to find the missing girl immediately? Would not recommend.

This book was giving saw because strangers wake up in a place with devices attached to them. It was a bit different because they have to solve a mystery. I found this book interesting and would definitely recommend.

For Fans Of: Agatha Christie, Rute Ware
Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌗
Genre: Thriller
Violence: 🪓🪓🪓🪓
Spice: 🔥🔥
TW: forced confinement, dismemberment, suicide, discussion of rape and child abuse

Synopsis: 10 strangers awaken in a locked house. To escape, they must solve the disappearance of a young woman even as a killer stalks them & the body count rises.

Thoughts: A group of strangers gathers together in a manor home at the machinations of a shadowy host. Giving you Clue vibes yet? But this is far from a comedy, so squeamish readers beware. Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” is a perennial favorite, so I’m primed to love any one-by-one tale. Everett’s take on this trope is certainly unique, and there are some fun nods & jabs at the original. For me, the book’s premise is what both redeems it & fuels the elements that put me off, making me think it benefits from a 2nd, eyes-wide-open, perusal. The challenge with that, of course, is that mystery & thriller fans are impelled to figure out ‘what’s going on.’ And that level of focus can cause readers to snag on clues that may unfortunately read as weaknesses in the storytelling. Like me, they may find a few of the characters compelling while others read as one-dimensional, relying on stereotypes about gender, profession, age, etc. All I can say: power through. The final twist did surprise me, which I think is among the highest praise you can give a writer.

This book was not for me. I thought it would be because I LOVE an “And Then There Were None” retelling, but this one rubbed me the wrong way.

The story was pretty good, but the beast in the cellar chapters really took me out of it. I thought it was so random and added nothing to the story, in my opinion. I couldn’t stand how the beast broke the fourth wall and talked directly to the reader. It also added weird anecdotes that I didn’t think had anything to do with the story.

The whole time I was reading, I was so confused why they cared about this one missing girl if all of them were being killed off. Of course, it made sense in the end, but I couldn’t help feeling like it was such a random plot device until the big reveal.

I will say that the ending was satisfying. Most of my questions were answered and there was a twist I definitely didn’t see coming!

My problem with this book was the constant focus on religion and God. The author talks very negatively about God and is almost blasphemous at times. I read only secular fiction, and I have never come across a book as blatantly hateful toward God and it just made me really uncomfortable. It also added nothing to the story, so I don’t know why all the comments were there in the first place. I know that’s a personal issue, but book reviews are personal, so that’s my two cents.

The Other People has a crack ending, it's just the way it gets there that's the problem.

A serious problem for this reader was the chapters dedicated to "The Beast" This is an unknown narrator. I'm all for that, in theory. It just feels more like the author realizes the reader will be confused and needs a moment for someone to explain it all. It was a distraction. Relationship building in a matters of hours was problematic, as well.

But still I persisted in my reading and was rewarded with that ending. And, once you realize what was happening, it almost made up for the bizarreness that came beforehand. A spectacular premise with some execution of plot problems.

Thank you to Atria Books for a gifted electronic copy via Netgalley

C.B. Everett’s The Other People sets up an intriguing premise: a classic locked-room mystery with a modern psychological twist. The novel promises suspense, misdirection, and a chilling unraveling of secrets. However, while the setup holds significant potential, the execution falls short, leaving readers with a story that feels frustratingly underdeveloped.

At its core, the book presents an isolated setting, a group of strangers bound by hidden connections, and an impossible crime that demands an ingenious solution. The initial tension is gripping, and Everett crafts an eerie atmosphere well. The pacing in the early chapters builds anticipation, making it easy to get swept up in the mystery. Unfortunately, as the plot progresses, cracks begin to show.

The biggest issue lies in the resolution—or rather, the lack of a satisfying one. A locked-room mystery hinges on the clever unraveling of an impossible scenario, yet The Other People stumbles by relying on contrived twists and a final reveal that feels unearned. The logic behind the solution is flimsy, undermining the suspense that had been carefully built. Instead of a satisfying “aha!” moment, the climax leaves more questions than answers, making the mystery feel less like a puzzle and more like a missed opportunity.

Additionally, the characters, while initially intriguing, fail to develop in a way that makes their fates compelling. Instead of deep psychological insights or shocking revelations, much of the novel’s second half feels like it’s treading water, stretching out suspense without truly delivering on it. The dialogue often falls into exposition-heavy territory, making key moments feel more like plot explanations rather than natural interactions.

That’s not to say the novel is without merit. Everett’s prose is crisp, and the initial premise is undeniably engaging. There are glimpses of brilliance in the way tension is built, particularly in the eerie descriptions of the setting. But in a genre that demands airtight plotting, The Other People ultimately fails to deliver a mystery that feels both surprising and fair.

For readers new to locked-room mysteries, there may still be enjoyment in the setup and atmosphere. But for fans of the genre expecting a tightly wound puzzle with a masterful conclusion, The Other People is a case of wasted potential.

Thank You NetGalley and the Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Ten people awaken in a mysterious locked house with no idea where they are or how they got there. They are informed they have 12 hours to find a kidnapped girl and her captor or people will start dying so they band together to solve the mystery. One by one characters start dying, are they any closer to unmasking a killer before time runs out?

I was initially quite engaged by this book but the last third just completely lost me and I really didn’t appreciate the ending. With interesting characters and a great premise, the main twist felt ridiculous and undermined the world the author had painstakingly built. 2.5 stars rounded to 3.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

The Other People, written by C.B. Everett, had all the right ingredients to make for a spectacular read: locked room mystery, ten strangers invited to an island, one by one they die... any Agatha Christie fan would love it. And it delivered on so many levels. I couldn't put the book down for most of the time. As we got down to the final few suspects, things unraveled a little for me. We began to see signs of intentional information being left out which was both crucial to discovering the killer and couldn't be told until the very end without giving the plot away. So, it felt a bit distracting... But, the plot device, once it's fully unveiled, actually has a lot of merit and brought out the mystery fan in me. There were a few dangling threads in the end, meaning... either a red herring / clue was left open-ended or purpose behind some of the plot was murky. As a whole, it totally delivered on suspense and I could see how it would play out as a movie... so kudos to the author!

Thank you to C.B. Everett, Atria Books, and Netgalley for the arc copy of The Other People in exchange for an honest review! Locker room/ one by one thriller! The characters are racing against time to stay alive! This book kept me guessing the entire time! I did not see the twist coming, kept me on the edge of my seat! Why were these characters chosen? & what secrets did they bring with them to the house? What is connection between all of the characters? Read it to find out!!! This book publishes on 3/25/25!