"Listen to Your Sister" enters the minds and explores the fears of the three Williams siblings: Calla, Dre, and Jamie. After becoming the guardian of teenage Jamie, Calla finds herself playing mom in her mid-twenties and struggling to keep her head above water. Dre is just a couple of years younger than Calla, and instead of participating in raising their little brother, he's off in his own world, living a carefree life she should also be living. On top of that, Jamie is a mouthy, angsty teen refusing to make any of it easier.

Calla pendulates between struggling and bitter-struggling to take on this role she never asked for, and bitter that she is the only one upending her life for the family. Regardless of where she's at on the pendulum, she's terrified every second for the lives of her two young black brothers. She suffers from constant nightmares of them being killed, recurring images of their deaths, knowing she's unable to stop it.

The novel is a slow start, wading through the mundane waters of being a guardian, and quickly escalates when a situation at a protest goes all wrong for Jamie. The trio escapes to a dilapidated AirBnB cabin, and that's where the real nightmare begins.

The story hops into a space shuttle and launches into another galaxy, exploring their innermost fears and traumas. It's a tortuous dream at the gates of hell.

This nightmare cracked the book wide open taking the reader on a dizzying adventure and I won't lie, I wanted to wake up. For me, the read was an avant-garde schizophrenic experience that gave me car sickness, and I needed to pull over and throw up.

With the exception of my personal take on the nightmare sequencing, the core message is crucial and gives a sneak peek into the minds of humans dealing with racism and prejudice every single day. Life is the real nightmare, especially for black and brown people, where safety and freedom are not guaranteed and danger is present and common.

Although I wasn't ready for the frenetic experience, the story is a cool concept and is executed in a unique way. With that being said, the back half of the book lost me, unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Griffin, & Neena Viel for the ARC in exchange for my authentic review.

OK…. So I just finished this one. I’m honestly not sure what I just read!?!

Yes, it’s off the wall crazy gangster stuff.
BUT….it’s also family drama…. Stepping up…. Straightening your kids (or siblings, out, when needed)…. Trying to get your head on straight. Trying to turn into a grown up adult…IN A MINUTE! …. Fighting with every fiber of your being to keep your loved ones safe… and having continuous nightmares about failing! 😮

This. Was. A. Lot!

I will warn you right now,if you’re NOT in a good mental space right now… you may want to press PAUSE on this one for now…and revisit it later… It’s a lot!

Now, that being said….THIS is a DEBUT novel for this author! And yes, I am looking forward to seeing what she’s got up her sleeve next!!

As you can guess from my description,this one revolves around a sister who’s TRYING to raise her two brothers to be good men…. But seems to find obstacles (and flat out ROADBLOCKS!)…. along every step of the way!

And then her dreams start turning into nightmares….

#ListenToYourSister by #NeenaViel and narrated nicely by #ErinLockley, #KristolynLloyd and #ZenoRobinson.

3 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me, rounded up to 4!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Macmillan Audio for an ARC of the audiobook.

This*** is****due **to ** be** released****TOMORROW!! 2/4/25, so look 👀 for it then!

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Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

This is tough. The premise (especially once you figure out what’s going on) is wildly interesting. The execution needed a stronger editor... especially with regard to pacing. I am VERY good with slow... some of my favorite books of all time are slow. But that’s when the characterization work is good or the writing itself is special. This was just slow. I kept watching my progress bar and waiting to be enthralled. The pace finally picked up around the 50% mark, but at 65%, I knew more of what to expect, but didn’t care and was just waiting for the end. The concept is really good, but this needed better plotting/pacing. I think it would be better on film. I will say the audio helped me through.

Some “If you liked” style comparisons: Jordan Peele inspo for sure

Warning: Lots of content warnings here. Look them up if that’s something you need.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for this ARC.

Concept was okay. I just wasn’t really into the book- here’s why.
Characters seemed very one note to me which was too bad. Jamie and Dre were essentially just selfish the whole time that it actually became a bit irritating.
I found it became hard for me to want to finish this book. The writing style was just a bit disconnected for my liking. The imagery however, was really well done- if you are good with gore and bloodshed, it was written very graphically/well.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this ARC.

I’m pretty sure this is a case of it’s not you, it’s me, but I couldn’t develop a connection with Listen to Your Sister. It’s entirely possible that it’s my current mindset, but I gave up at the BLM protest. The violence involving a child was just more than I can do right now.

This book was not really for me, I didn't realize it was fantasy....I'm a realist so I couldn't handle figuring out what was dream vs reality in this book.

What a wild ride!! This debut novel was an intense, humor-filled horror with supernatural elements that kept me on the edge of my seat!

I'm not typically a fan of horror but when I read the description of this one, I was too intrigued to pass it up. It did not disappoint! The narrators really brought this story to life and held me captivated throughout!

This would definitely appeal to fans of Jordan Peele or Stephen King or any fans of horror!

It had so much potential: siblings trying to heal a fractured bond. Calla, 25, suddenly has custody of her younger brother, Jamie, with little support from her other brother, Dre.

Calla is overwhelmed, constantly sacrificing, and her recurring nightmares of her brothers dying only add to the stress. The family goes on the run after Jamie gets involved in a protest and ends up at a creepy cabin. This is where the nightmares reveal themselves as warnings, and the harsh reality of their situation hits hard.

Unfortunately, the story fell apart and felt disjointed. I think the focus ended up too heavily on pushing a political agenda.

The audiobook wasn’t as fluid as I would have liked.

This debut literary horror novel was definitely different and got a little crazy at times. The comparisons to Stranger things and The other Black girl are very apt too! I feel like this one won't be for everyone but would make a great book club pick, sure to spark lots of discussion around family, the burden of being a guardian, the sacrifices women make for the ones they love and so much more.

At the core it is a story about three African American siblings trying to survive together. Throw in some horror elements and a creepy cabin and multiple realities and it becomes one creeptastic read steeped in the stark realities of life in America for the Black working class with limited means.

The audio production was also excellent with a full cast of narrators and I highly recommend listening to this one if you want to try something different! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

This novel was both terrifying and laugh-inducing. Jordan Peele would approve!
25 year-old Calla Williams is the reluctant legal guardian to her teenaged brother, Jamie. Their middle sibling, Dre, is off handling his own issues, and Calla realizes she is losing control over her life. Maybe that's why the Nightmare has gotten so much worse. The labyrinthine dreams always end fatally for her brothers - until Calla wakes up in a cold sweat, screaming.
We get all 3 POVs in each chapter, and the author really digs deep and gets under their skins. Along the way, you will probably laugh out loud, even with all the terror the family goes through.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this digital audio e-arc.*

Twenty-four year old Calla Williams is the legal guardian for her younger brother Jamie because their mother does charming things like send him text messages that say "You're dead to me." But Jamie has not been an easy teen to raise, and Calla has long felt that she has been sacrificing parts of her life for him. She moved to a crappier apartment so that he'd have his own room. She keeps working at her job where she's overlooked. Her dating life is certainly suffering. Her middle brother Dre is supposed to be helping her with Jamie -- said he'd help with Jamie -- but the burden of the eldest sister is to continually sacrifice without recompense.

However, when things following a Black Lives Matter go sideways and it looks like violent acts might get traced to her brothers, Calla abandons her job to hide in a scary Airbnb cabin in the woods to protect her boys. But Calla has long suffered from a recurring nightmare in which she must save one or the other of her brothers. Dre and Jamie dismissed her as overreacting, but as Calla's Nightmare suddenly comes to life, they realize that they should have been listening to their sister.

I really enjoyed this horror thriller. I've seen some reviewers note that it takes a while for the action to ramp up, but I felt like the early chapters were all completely necessary to establishing the relationships between the siblings and some of the later payoffs once the Nightmare does set in. The action in the final two sections can get a bit confusing, but I think that it felt in line with the dreamlike quality that the author was intending.

As a mom and an older sister, I definitely connected with Calla's sense of frustration with her younger brothers. Caregivers can very easily fall into a cycle of self-sacrifice and resentment. I thought that this novel was an interesting examination of the complex relationship a caregiver has with their charges -- especially when they have a shared history of trauma.

I did find that the choice of narrator for Jamie was not quite the right fit. The narrator's voice had a very mature aspect that did not seem appropriate for a sixteen year-old. I often found myself assuming I was listening to a Dre chapter because of the maturity of the voice.

I'm glad I picked this one up and I'm excited to see what else Neena Viel has in store after this amazing debut.

Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel is an excellent debut novel. The story follows Calla who is thrown into motherhood a bit too soon for her liking when she becomes the legal guardian or her 16 years old brother, Jamie. Dre is the next eldest sibling, however he makes it clear that Calla is on her own when it comes to raising Jamie, unless it’s a convenient time for him to pop in. In addition to an already complicated situation, there’s a horror/supernatural element that is surrounding each of the 3 siblings. They are all handling this in their own secret and unhealthy way, as they are afraid to confide in each other, worried that they will sound crazy. Follow these siblings on their journey through real life experiences and supernatural forces that follows them everywhere they go!

Some readers will possibly find it hard to follow during the “read between the lines” moments as it alternates between reality and the nightmare-land.

Overall, a great read and I am interested in more from this author. The full cast narration was amazing!

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I liked how the book started off with calla as the big sister looking after her little brother jamie who's parents became addicts, calla can't sleep knowing Jamie isn't home. Jamie wants to run the streets while calla is trying to keep her job. Her middle brother Dre barley would help with Jamie. I got lost in the middle of this book confused on if it was a dream or if something was real going on with the story line or if it was past or present in the timeline of the story. This book wasn't really for me but I would recommend it to someone who can relate to it. Loved the full cast while listening to the audiobook! Thanks netgalley for the ARC of the audiobook and the publisher

A tale of vindication for the eldest daughter! (Kind of.) The genre-bending plot descriptions really interested me in this book and I fully expected to love it. But I didn’t get my bearings and start feeling like I actually knew kind of what was going on until Chapter 22. And even then, I stalled around 60% understanding for most of the rest of the book. I was actually unsure whether I’d be able to write a review because I had no idea what I’d say. I still don’t really know how to rate it fairly or accurately. From chapter to chapter, we abruptly switch narrators, timelines, locations… everything, really. The reading experience feels like the disorienting moment you wake up while on vacation and don’t remember where you are at first. But for an entire book. (To be clear, I'm sure this is the intention. And Viel does it well.)

One thing I did recognize and enjoy throughout the book was the very real and funny sibling relationship among the three main characters. Jamie’s dialogue is always peak weird little brother energy (“it’s not coke, I just sniffed the bar soap in the bathroom because it looked weird”). Also, the story — whether I was able to follow it or not — was really artfully written. I listened to the audiobook and Calla’s narrator does an especially good job bringing the prose to life. I would definitely put future books from this author on my TBR, especially if they’re narrated by the same team.

So without addressing the plot too much, my other impressions from this experience were:
- The theme of relationships. The main message I took from LTYS is that actions and words have a great effect on the people who care about you who you may take for granted.
- It could be an allegory for mental illness? I found some of it relatable, but then wondered what that says about me.
- Where did Noah go without his car?

Finally, I encourage potential readers to ignore reviews that refer to a “political agenda” or virtue signal their offense to the N words spoken between siblings. A realistic portrayal of a Black family in America isn't inherently political. The book addresses social issues as part of the context of the plot, and there’s a protest scene, but the protest itself is like the least shocking thing about that part. It’s only an “agenda” if your preferred genre is rom-coms with cartoon white people on the cover.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

Wow very powerful! What is happening in this book? I think I finally get what's going on about 60% of the way through. Such good writing but not what I was looking for at this moment in time. Trauma and drama, sibling dynamics, and really rough family situations. The surreal nature of the story makes me question what is happening.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, the author, and the narrator for the opportunity to listen to this engaging, spooky read.

Comparisons to GET OUT and STRANGER THINGS are fairly accurate with this novel. I will say, fans of BURN DOWN RISE UP will also find this book entertaining as it has a similar own voices vibe. The story follows three siblings--Calla, Dre, and Jamie--as they deal with their various traumas, and navigating the world. Calla has taken custody of Jamie, who is 16, and has his own agenda. Dre tries to help out, but ultimately, struggles with his role. All three siblings struggle with a toxic mom, parentifying, and the death of an absent father.

During a protest, everything hits the fan. An old woman steals Jamie's pipe bomb, a little girl eviscerates a cop in front of him, and a girl in a ballgown kills two bookie goons. It is up to Calla to fix everything--as always. The siblings flee to a cabin, but the problems don't stay in the city. I don't want to say too much, because the twist was excellent, but let's just say if you're haunted, you can't outrun it.

I loved the fact this book dealt with not only general spookiness, but grief, racism, trauma, and the responsibility of caring for family. It was laugh-out-loud funny at times, and really put you into the minds of all three characters. The narrators were excellent, and I look forward to the eventual adaptation of this book into a movie.

I would like to start by saying Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I really enjoyed the different narrators for each character. I wanted to enjoy this book but only made it about 30%. I wasn't able to follow what was going on between what was real and what was a dream so the description of a fever dream is 100% accurate. I had to restart chapters because I got lost and then realized I was still lost. i just needed to move on to see if I would be able to piece things together but it didn't help much. I may need to try reading the physical book and give it another try. This book may have not be for me but that doesn't mean others won't enjoy! I'm definitely still going to recommend this to patrons that enjoy this genre.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed the beginning and the turning point at the middle. However, they feel like two different books.

I couldn't connect Calla's nightmares with what was going on with her brothers until it was right in my face, I feel like there were unrealistic reactions to all the horror going on, and I disliked her brothers and how they treated her.

I do like the initial idea of the nightmares and what they represented, but I wanted more lore and foreshadowing. The audiobook also had 3 different narrators, which always makes for an immersive read.

Listen to Your Sister - Neena Viel
Pub Date - 2/4/25
Rating - 2/5 - DNF
Thoughts - Thank you to MacMillian Audio and Netgalley for this advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion. I didn't realize that this book was a horror novel until I started it. I normally do not enjoy horror, which is why I unfortunately had to DNF this audio. This is to no fault of the author-- it's just not for me.

It was hard to rate this book. There are parts that I really like, liked, and others that just confused me.

Our main character is the eldest child in a group of three children. When their mom is no longer able to car for her youngest sibling, she steps in and becomes his guardian.

I loved this concept and the chaos the author gave to the situation because it made it feel real.

When we entered the nightmare I was not sure who was in the nightmare, when they entered, what was in the nightmare or if everything was just memories of the brothers or their own perspective of the nightmare. I feel like that sounds confusing, but those are the thoughts going through my head.

Wonderful debut book. Tackled hard conversations head-on, and I would read from this author again.