Without giving any spoilers, the execution of the plot is one of the better that I’ve read. I truly didn’t see the twist coming and once things played out everything made sense. The setting was a strong point and definitely creepy. If you like locked room thrillers then this is one not to miss!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

he Other People blends the classic mystery elements of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None with the sinister tension of Saw. Ten strangers wake up in an old house with no memory of how they got there. Each has a mysterious device attached to their wrist, and their only way out is to solve the mystery of a missing girl—before a killer picks them off one by one.

This book takes a little time to settle into, mainly because of its large cast and multiple first-person perspectives. It requires some patience at the beginning, but once you get familiar with the characters, the story picks up fast. Fortunately, the author gives each character a distinct voice, making it easier to follow their individual arcs.

The pacing is brisk, keeping you turning the pages with each new twist. If you love psychological thrillers with strong endings, this one delivers. Just be careful not to read too many spoilers beforehand—part of the fun is uncovering the mystery as it unfolds.

Obviously, the characters who stick around longer get more development, but even those who don’t last have compelling backstories that shape their personalities.

If you're looking for a gripping, fast-paced thriller with an intense and satisfying conclusion, The Other People is a solid choice. I really enjoyed it!

Really wanted to like this one as I love a good locked room thriller! Promise of Agatha Christie and Shutter Island vibes? Sign me up! Unfortunately, this book just did not do it for me.

Overall, a pretty messy read. There were too many characters which made things confusing. Also the promised Agatha Christie vibes were not present. I did like the final twist, but the whole book kinda hinges on it. However, this twist was not enough to make up for the poor beginning of the book.

Oof, I went in thinking I would love this book. It took me awhile to get through it and it was not my favorite.

I absolutely love the premise of strangers sticker together in a manor, having secrets that they would never share gets out. I liked the first half, you have some unlikable characters as expected and the twist was good but I really just felt bored and wasn’t as interested in it anymore.

It I did really try liking but I realize the writing style wasn’t my favorite and I just didn’t care bout the characters anymore.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Mystery Thriller

The synopsis of the book really intrigued me, so I decided to request an ARC from NetGalley. A few of my friends on Goodreads had read the book and didn’t enjoy it, so I had low expectations starting it. Fortunately, the story worked for me! Honestly, not many mystery thrillers get my upvote these days.

The story in The Other People blends Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” with the movie “Saw.” Ten strangers awake in an old house, unaware of how they ended up there. Each of them has a device attached to their wrist! Their only chance to escape is to solve the mystery of a missing girl or risk being killed one by one by a murderer.

This book takes time to get used to. I think the main reason is that there are many characters, and the story is told from multiple perspectives in the first narration style. So, the reader will need some time to get used to them. You need to be patient at first. If you are, then I think this book will work for you because as you progress, you will become more familiar with the characters.

The good news is that the author has given the characters unique voices, which will make it easier to distinguish them from each other. The story moves quickly, so after each chapter, you want to know what will happen next. If you enjoy entertaining page-turners, you will like this one.

This is a psychological thriller, so be prepared for a strong ending that holds up. Just don’t read too much about the synopsis to avoid spoiling the story for yourself. Obviously, the characters who survive longer will have better character development than those who are killed earlier. In all cases, the author has provided the characters with their own backstories, which helps shape their personalities.

If you are looking for something entertaining with a fast pace and a solid ending, I recommend The Other People. I enjoyed it a lot.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.

There are so many things I want to say about this book but also want to be careful not to give anything away. First off, the description of The Other People immediately made me add this to my list of books to read in 2025. Then I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to read an ARC of it, so I didn’t have to wait long. I love locked room/house, Clue style stories, especially ones that are disturbing and creepy. A group of strangers locked in a house with a serial killer, what could go wrong? Oh so much. This is told through the points of view of all of the characters of the book. It took a little bit to keep track of who was who. With each chapter I was able to put together the pieces and did figure out the outcome of what was going on. With the way things were happening I thought it was a brilliant direction to go. There were definitely influences from a couple movies that I love and won’t name because that would definitely spoil the ending. Mark your calendar for March 25th so you can get a copy of The Other People . Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!!

Huh! Well that ended in a way I never would have expected! As far as psychological thrillers go, this changes things.

Ten characters--all with different personalities that are very well developed by the author, C. B. Everett, find themselves locked up together in a house where they are told in order to get out they have to find a young female who will die soon if she is not saved. The action and events kept me glued to the story.

Some of my most pressing questions were never addressed--like how did they all end up in that house? when they didn't know the answer to that question either. And why did the dead bodies keep disappearing? Where did they go? I couldn't figure out what sleight of hand the author could come up with to wrap the book up in a way that made the least bit of sense, and yet, C. B. Everett did.

I saw the book had a bit of a low rating by some people, and I have to say as far as originality goes, this book was well played. I'm giving it 5 stars!

The Other People

Author: C.B. Everett
Publisher: Atria Books
Publish date: March 25,2025

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the e-arc of this book to read and review.

Description:
“A group of strangers gathered at a mysterious country house are in a race against time to stop a serial killer in this twisty, high-concept thriller that combines Agatha Christie with Shutter Island.

Ten strangers.

An old dark house.

A killer picking them off one by one.

And a missing girl who’s running out of time…

And then there was one.

Ten strangers wake up inside an old, locked house. They have no recollection of how they got there. In order to escape, they have to solve the disappearance of a young woman. But a killer also stalks the halls of the house and soon the body count starts to rise. Who are these strangers? Why were they chosen? Why would someone want to kill them? And who—or what—lurks in the cellar?

Forget what you think you know.

Because while you can trust yourself, can you really trust The Other People?”

Review:
To be honest, I don’t know how much I enjoy mystery thrillers that are “self aware”. If that’s your thing you might like this more than me. Some aspects were very interesting, I like the locked room trope, but there were too many POVs for my taste.

I think as far as the description goes it’s fair to compare it to “Shutter Island”. There’s also another movie I could compare it to but I fear that would make this review too spoilery. Also one of the POV’s I was not a fan of. Overall, for me it was okay. 2.5/5

#atriabooks #netgalley #bookstagram #booktok

I actually was really enjoying this book. I liked that the characters seemed different, that the story was weird and twisty and confusing… but the ending didn’t do it for me. I knew there was a twist coming but ultimately I just can’t get behind the demonizing of DID. I get it - it adds drama and flair to say it was all in someone’s head. But really… that’s old news. Come up with a new thing, please!! It’s only getting 3 stars because I was wholly engrossed the whole time and I’d say about 85% of the book was about a 4.5 star read for me. A bit disappointing, but I’m happy I’ve read it!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Welp, this book didn't quite work for me. The premise of The Other Peopleis intriguing - a group of strangers at a country manor with a killer doing what killers do best! I thought this was going to be a great locked room mystery where the strangers must find a missing girl or else! The description dubs this Agatha Christie/ And Then There Were None meets Shutter Island. This pulled me in hook-line-and-sinker. Unfortunately, The Other People failed to hook this reader.

One positive is the twist that was seriously good. The characters are unreliable, unlikeable, and unappealing; at least they were to me. There were times which I thought what-the-actual-f---. But you must keep in mind that this book is a little off the beaten path, a little different, unique, and a little peculiar. Readers get the POV's of the guests along with some input form 'the beast' which moves the book along.

This was an interesting ride, and I felt as if I should have figured 'that out' and 'seen that coming a mile away' but I didn't. This is a book that is going to be polarizing. Many enjoyed this book more than I did, so please read their reviews as well.

Yikes, this was a let down. The concept sounded right up my alley as I LOVE locked room mysteries and stories with that trope are usually a guaranteed good time for me. This one, however, was not.

The plot and pacing felt off to me. After the inciting incident kicks off, the characters sort of move on and forget about it, wandering around through countless chapters that make you feel like you're losing a sense of time. I believe this was intentional, but it made for a strange setting.

The Other People by C.B. Everett was such a wild, intense read! If you love locked-room mysteries with a creepy edge, this one delivers.

Ten strangers wake up in an old house with no memory of how they got there. Their only way out? Solve the disappearance of a missing girl. But things take a deadly turn when a killer starts picking them off one by one. No one knows who to trust, and the secrets buried in that house are seriously disturbing.

This book gave me major Agatha Christie meets Shutter Island vibes—dark, suspenseful, and full of twists. While I saw a couple of things coming, the eerie atmosphere and fast-paced tension kept me hooked. If you’re into survival thrillers with a psychological twist, The Other People is one to check out!

I want to start with the things that I enjoyed with this book. The setting really shines through with a dark and twisting mansion of your nightmares. Feels like the classic Clue, Agatha Christie murder mystery and it totally drew me in. The cast of unreliable narrators did keep me guessing and the shifting perspectives gave the novel a very dynamic feel. I will say the “Beast” breaking the fourth wall was starting to feel very obtrusive and patronizing towards the end. Some of the dialogue felt very clunky and repetitive, with random I could have done without some of the more gory/gruesome scenes, I would say this feels more aligned with a horror than mystery.
Overall, I enjoyed this fast-paced locked-room mystery.
Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books for the free eARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

The Other People is an interesting concept in practice with characters all trying to figure out what is going on but I never connected with the characters or the mystery as I read and felt disappointed with the book as a whole.

I feel like this story has now been told a million times and each time the authors try to put their own spin on it. But here I am, still reading them because overall they are enjoyable. Ten people in a country house and they start to die one by one. This book wasn't horrible but it wasn't great either and that may be because I am always expecting something new and big and that never comes. This did have a few twists I didn't see coming but nothing spectacular. I will continue to read these type books and will also give this author another chance on future books. Thanks NetGalley.

While I did finish reading The Other People to find out how it ended, I unfortunately did not truly enjoy my journey to get there. I had considered dnf-ing around the halfway mark, but read some reviews that said the twist was make or break for them, so I had to find out what it was.

The setting was truly creepy, I think this is where the novel shines. You do feel eerie and on edge, especially with the beast POV even though I didn’t really enjoy the breaking of the fourth wall with them and a lot of the other characters; “you’re probably thinking this…” etc., did not add anything for me and rather made me break out of the story a bit which made it hard to immerse myself again.

The writing was literally repetitive in spots which I can’t tell if it was a style choice or an accident, sentences repeating, “Dodged a bullet didn’t I?” And then at the end of the page “I really dodged a bullet.”

The characters were what really got me, in a not great way, and unfortunately the end twist did not justify the entire development of the plot and their stories for me. It just left me confused and feeling kind of like it was a cop out for lacking depth to them. They all kind of felt the same which… I don’t know, I can’t say anymore about that but it’s part of what made the experience reading them rather wanting. And leaves me in a bit of a rating conundrum.

I did enjoy the horror and the mystery aspect, I wish it had leaned into being fully satirical or a little more puzzle-y or a little more horror-y, it all just kind of felt a half step away from being right THERE, if you know what I mean. I was entertained though. It was a quick read and will be someone else’s perfect cup of tea!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely love love loved this book! I read the physical ARC. The story pulled me in from the start and kept me hooked the entire time. The mystery of why were these characters brought to this house and who brought them kept me turning the pages. All the antics between characters was highly entertaining and I especially loved how the author used chapters that talked to us. They nailed it on thoughts a reader would be having. So fun!

The element of suspense was perfectly weaved throughout the book and was always looming there in the background. It made for a suspenseful and fun read!

Thanks to Atria for the early copy all thoughts are my own!

I think I've said this before, but I really need to stop picking up books that compare themselves to Agatha Christie, specifically And Then There Were None. That book was such a masterpiece and I set my expectations way too high. This book tried to follow in its footsteps and fell way short. It was predictable at times and unbelievable at others. I am actually sad I wasted the time reading this one.

This book sent shivers down my spine. No one has any clue how they got here or what’s going on. They are all trying to escape but slowly they are being picked off one by one. I audibly screamed numerous times while reading. Straight devoured this book!!!

Where am I?

What is going on?

Everyone has been waking up in a room that they had no idea how they got there or why their phones were gone and why they had some wrist band on that they can't take off.

Then the doors unlock and they assemble in the dining room still not knowing how they got there or where they were before they ended up in this house.

Weird things happen with things being locked including their dinner plate covers which once revealed show that each person has a plate of food that is one of their favorite foods.

What is going on and what happens?

How will they get out?

What does the person who did this want?

Find out in this evasive, chilling, locked room thriller/horror with unlikeable characters.

Cleverly done, but a little too out there for me. 3/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my ow