Ａｕｄｉｏｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
4 ☆
Twenty-five-year-old Calla Williams is struggling since becoming guardian to her brother, Jamie. Calla is overwhelmed and tired of being the one who makes sacrifices to keep the family together. Jamie, full of good-natured sixteen-year-old recklessness, is usually off fighting for what matters to him or getting into mischief, often at the same time. Dre, their brother, promised he would help raise Jamie—but now that the paperwork is finalized, in classic middle-child fashion, he’s off doing his own thing. And through it all, the nightmare never stops haunting Calla: recurring images of her brothers dying that she is powerless to stop.

This is a very thought-provoking story, one that requires careful consideration. Is Calla really seeing things, her fear becoming something real, or is she just mentally exhausted? I enjoyed this story a lot.

The audiobook is good, and I love how there are three narrators for the three characters. They did a good job telling the story and bringing it to life.

Thank you, Netgellay, and MacmillanAudio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This book follows the Williams siblings, Calla, Dre, and Jamie, and is told through all 3 perspectives.

Calla agrees to take legal guardianship of her youngest brother Jamie with the promise that Dre would help. However, Dre is no help, never around. And Jamie is literally the WORST! Jamie skips school, does drugs, and hangs out with a rough crowd.

Calla is overwhelmed and just trying to keep her brothers safe, Calla has been caring for Jamie since he was a baby because their mother was deemed unfit. However, both brothers think Calla is overbearing and make her the butt of all their jokes.

However, Jamie and Dre are in major trouble, and Calla is spreading herself thin to meet her needs, but then her other selves appear, and they are absolute nightmares...

This book was a bumpy road to follow. It shows you the reality of our nightmares and why we do the things we do even when we know it's wrong. As an older sister of two younger brothers, I felt for Calla. She put herself last to take care of them, and she would have gone to the ends of the earth to do anything for them.

Beware, this book deals with some heavy topics: siblings guardianship, abandonment, childhood trauma, and nightmares. With some supernatural elements to the horror.

I would give this book a 4 out of 5 because while it's hard to follow and at times I keep thinking to myself what the fuck, I felt for Calla and her nightmares and for a debut novel @neenaviel did a phenomenal job 🖤

I really liked the overall concept of this book, but the execution really missed the mark for me.

I expected a horror book to be a little more fast paced, but this was just a bit too slow in the beginning for me, which made it hard for me to get into.

Overall, I liked this one, but I didn’t love it.

Wow, this was such a wild ride from beginning to end. Calla was doing her best as her youngest brother's guardian. Jamie is very easygoing and doesn't seem to think about the consequences of his actions. At first, I didn't expect Calla's nightmares to be so intense, but as the story progresses, they get worse and more violent. I was on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. I loved that we got to see situations from the perspective of all three siblings and get a little into their psyche as they faced danger.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the arc and alc!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Calla is in charge of taking care of her younger brother Jamie, with the promising help of her other brother Dre. Though Dre can be unreliable and doesn't follow through with his promises. When Jamie gets into serious trouble at a protest, the siblings go on the run. What they ran to was something out of Calla's nightmares.

It was a bit hard for me to get through the book and I had to push myself. Parts of it felt disjointed, and confusing to follow. The nightmares descriptions were vivid though and something you do expect out of a horror novel. However, the plot felt lacking and I couldn't connect with the characters.

2.5 stars rounded up.

This is one of those awesome concepts but meh deliveries. I loved the idea of the story but getting to the 'alternate reality' was odd? It was incredibly fuzzy but I kind of just went with it. I loved the sacrifices that these characters made for each other and to 'keep trying' for one another. Also the narrator's for this story were great. Overall, I would recommend this to someone who likes alternate reality sort of stories with a good amount of horror!

I was not the audience for this book

Hard to follow and so much racism

I'm sure this is a great read/listen for the right peeps

Listen to Your Sister is an interesting debut horror novel that blends everyday horrors of race and family dynamics with the supernatural. I switched between the ebook and audiobook for this one and highly recommended this book!

Add this to your TBR and read if you enjoy:
🖤 BIOPC POVs
🖤 Complex sibling relationships
🖤 Psychological horror
🖤 Small, funny moments to break up tension in the story
🖤 Audiobooks with a cast of narrators

I was excited to read this book after seeing it was for Stranger Things and Jordan Peele film fans. I am definitely one of those. I did like the first half or so of the book while the siblings were still in the city. Once I got to the halfway mark things got a little too strange and unbelievable. I understood what the author was trying to do and I will see what other novels she comes out with in the future. I very much enjoyed the narration and how they gave each character in the story their own unique voice.

Okay, the narrative in this book is undeniably captivating at its core, offering an intriguing foundation that promised much. However, it quickly becomes apparent that the story suffers from some of the hallmarks of a debut work. Once the initial third of the novel had passed, I found myself adrift, struggling to keep up as the plot spiraled into a maze of confusion. It was difficult to distinguish between what was a vivid dream and what was genuinely happening, leaving me unsure of the reality within the story.

What did resonate, though, was the heartfelt exploration of familial bonds, specifically, the unspoken responsibility of caring for one’s siblings. The portrayal of sibling relationships felt raw and authentic, capturing both the complexity and tenderness that come with those connections.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for providing the ARC which I enjoyed in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so weird and a wild ride through the mind boggling manifestations of the psyche. I was able to listen to the audio of this novel. This book has three POV’s and in the audio they have three different people playing Calla, Jamie, and Dre. All of the narrators are amazing! This horror novel is about the survival of families and indiscernible threads that connect each of us. Even if we fall apart. “Listen To Your Sister,” is a dark and gutsy debut by Neena Viel and it is amazing.

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

This is an interesting horror novel that deals with a lot of deep topics, such as the importance of family bonds, dealing with trauma, women's responsibility in families, and the way the country treats black boys/men. It was as much a traditional horror story, as it was a scathing look at society. Told through three points of view this book will keep you entertained until the end. I especially liked that the audiobook used three different narrators for each of the main characters. That added a wonderful depth to the storytelling.

I was so excited to be approved for an ALC for review. I’m really sad that it didn’t work for me.

The best thing about this audiobook was the narrators. They did a great job of making each character separate and giving a clear indication of whose point of view we are following.

This book deals with very real issues and subjects I’m not well versed in. It was an interesting experience to step outside my comfort zone.

Overall, this book didn’t live up to the premise for me. I found nothing humourous, found the narrative hard to follow and kept getting confused as the narrative felt choppy. While I looked forward to the nightmare aspect, it was difficult to tell what was the nightmare vs what was reality.

While I deeply looked forward to the supernatural horror, I found this to be more of a political and social commentary.

While I knew going in that the beginning of the book would have protesting, I felt like all of the horror was based on racial and political agendas. I’m not a big fan of this type of messaging in my horror reads.

The book was needlessly crass at times. For me, the supernatural horror was not enough. It felt basic and I wanted a lot more.

Overall, I had a hard time finishing this book. I felt like it had a great premise, but not well executed.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. All views are mine and mine alone.

🏚 ARC REVIEW 🏚

LISTEN TO YOUR SISTER by Neena Viel
4.5/5 🌟
Pub Date 🇺🇸: Feb 4th

This book was so great in the emotional heartache sort of way. The storytelling and writing were visceral, and the way she described the characters' experiences was masterful. I really identified with the big sister as both a sister and a mom, though I couldn't imagine becoming a teenager's guardian at 25.

The story follows three siblings who end up going to a rundown cabin in the woods to escape the consequences of the youngest brother's action. Please read if you like the following:

😨 Not knowing where reality ends and the nightmare begins
😨 Chuckie dolls
😨 The hardships of being a guardian 
😨 The Black experience, as told by three siblings whose parents neglected them
 
Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the Advanced Review Copy!

🔖#netgalley #horror #bookstagram #books #booklover #book #bookworm #bookstagrammer #reading #bookish #bookaddict #booknerd #bibliophile #readersofinstagram #booksofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #bookreview #instabook #bookrecommendations #read #bookcommunity #bookphotography #bookshelf #bookaholic #bookblogger #booklovers #booklove #booktok #reader #instabooks

THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT!

This is how you combine metaphor and real life trauma AND bat shit crazy horror that goes there! And holy shit this book goes there HARD.

I cannot believe this is a debut novel. Neena Viel's authorial voice is so developed and impressive and I absolutely love her writing style. Even when truly awful things are happening in this book.....she throws in a tiny bit of respite and I'm laughing. I think I will always hold onto Calla, Dre, and Jamie. These siblings are real and raw and beautiful and impossible not to feel for. The plot and the horror of this story ramp up to a 150 really early on, about 40% in, compared to most that make you wait until the final 10% for any action. I loved that but it did leave you in it for a little too long, I think. Like a break dance that goes on for so long that you are left gasping for air and water by the end. But still, I'd rather there be too much happening than not enough.

I would also implore you.....no, demand of you, to read this on audio! These 3 narrators are so incredibly skilled and impressive, I hope they win awards for this book! Just perfection.

This is a must read. I cannot wait for more from this insanely talented author.

3.5 ⭐️! This was a strange and unique story. Enjoyed the horror aspects. I was confused at first but once I understood the premise, I was all in!

The narrators for this audiobook were fantastic. Sometimes I have difficulty with being able to hear male narrators clearly when I'm driving, but I didn't have that problem with this one.

I did enjoy this book, especially the conflicts that came up with these siblings (subjects with race, the guardianship of a sibling, abandonment, etc). Those were the moments that really held my interest and they were interwoven well throughout the story, even in the Nightmare portions. I felt like the first half was well-paced, though I think others might find it slow.

The second half, though, was so fast-paced I thought I was close to the end of the book. It was a bit jarring and difficult for me to understand what was happening at times when they were suddenly in the Nightmare/dealing with the Nightmare. It did feel like there wasn't a ton of build-up before we're thrown into dealing with the Nightmare. I also didn't find it necessarily scary, but that has to do with my personal preferences in the horror genre.

This was an unusually peculiar adventure, but an adventure nonetheless. However, it was definitely worth the read! Full of family drama that is TV drama worthy and then jump into a paranormal nightmare!
Calla Williams, a 25-year-old woman, is trying to live her life and make ends meet. However, she is also her 17-year-old brother's guardian, trying to prevent him from going into foster care. When a protest turns ugly and the police go to her apartment, her brothers are in trouble. They quickly escape by borrowing a car and going to a secluded cabin.
This is anything but a dream escape, more like a nightmare escape. The nightmares they are experiencing, they have to figure out what in their life and history is causing the nightmares to escape. The author is very talented at writing about hard subjects and showing how everything a person goes through all the trauma and history can cause resentment of people even if you love them.
I read the book first, then received an audiobook copy. I listened to the book, and the narrator fit the story and made it come alive—way creepier than just reading the book alone! If you are an audiobook lover, you should pick this one up! The ebook is amazing as well, but the audiobook is stellar! Thank you, Netgalley, Macmillan Audio,, and St. Martin's Press, for the opportunity to read, listen, to, and review this one!

Being a kid raising siblings has got to be tough. The traumatic upbringing these 3 main characters seeps in every page.

It’s clear that they cannot run away from their past.

Where it fell short for me was the execution. This is a fantastic debut for sure, but I feel like the concept needed longer to get there. The synopsis makes it seem like they have to quickly get out of town, but it took more than 35 percent of the book to leave the city.

The horror is truly a nightmare come alive and I enjoyed the last half of this book and how many one-liners the author put in throughout, such as “Their Family was a collectively formed tongue, smooth and dangerous.” That line just works.

Overall, this was a good time and I enjoyed. It just really needed polishing and some editing to tighten the plot.

This was a wild story! It did not go in a direction that I expected, but I ended up enjoying it. The concepts covered in here were very interesting and I think its best for readers to go into it blind.