It takes a lot to genuinely scare me, but this book managed to do it! The story immediately had me hooked and continued the entire time. This author really knows how to be scary and make you feel all different emotions. The writing is spectacular and the narrator did an amazing job.

4.5★
When The Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy is a horror book best to go in blind so I won't go into it too much except for the vibes.

As someone who never read anything Nat Cassidy and knew nothing about the book besides what was written in the description, this was not what I expected. The best way to describe this books is bonkers (but in a fun and entertaining way not in a bad way.) There is so much body horror as well as psychological horror. It was fast paced and tense the whole time. There were themes of anxiety, fear, and family that I really needed to hear at this time in my life. This novel might be insane, but it was so much more than a creepy book. I will definitely be reading more of Nat Cassidy.

Also, the narrator was top tier! I have to listen to more of her narrations.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Nat Cassidy book, and now after reading this, I'm dying to read his backlist.

Jess is a struggling actress who one weird night finds a terrified little boy hiding in her bushes. As she is trying to help the little boy, his father shows up, but something is ...off. Jess takes the little boy and flees, and a chase ensues. But strange occurrences begin happening and Jess has to find a way to keep the boy safe from whatever it is that's chasing them.

I'd call this one horror with heart. Did I expect to be on the edge of my seat one minute and on the verge of tears the next? Nope, but I was here for the ride! The characters felt so deep to me and it was really easy to connect with them. I also thought the story was really creative and unique, and I loved the author's commentary on family and fathers specifically.

This is not one to miss, and I'd highly recommend picking it up! The audiobook is read by Helen Laser, who is one of my favorite narrators, so go that route if audiobooks are your thing!

When the Wolf Comes Home follows an aspiring actress in LA who works part time at a bar. In the midst of a slight medical scare, Jess returns home to find a scared and traumatized little boy in her yard. And things are basically downhill from there.

I think the narrator for this book, Helen Laser, was amazing. And the author's note in the beginning about TWs was enough of a glimpse into their brain to let me know I would like him as an author. And I was right. This was my first Nat Cassidy book and I can't wait to read more.

Readers coming into this book should know that there's elements of physical and psychological horror that the story is woven around. But the core of the book centers on parental connections and how they can impact a child.

Jess, who has recently lost her father, feels immediately protective of the young boy. Even with the sudden appearance of this wolf/bear creature who attacks her neighbors, she puts the boy's safety first. And that's a constant theme throughout the story even at points where she begins to weigh the risks of protecting him versus herself.

And for me, the more I read, the scarier the story seemed to feel. The small chain reactions that continue to build around Jess and the little boy while running away from the creature chasing them end up having such a big impact, I was really just hoping for certain parts to just be a character's dream.

The closest relationship Jess has in the book is with her mother who can be eccentric and dramatic but man is their foundation strong. Even without knowing all the details of why Jess is on the run, she helps and protects her. There's a moment in the story where Jess learns some new information about her estranged father regarding his absence in her life. I liked the closure she gets from this information, but I didn't think it changed much for Jess and her natural intentions.

She wasn't a parent but understood that the young boy needed protection and was scared. And understanding that as a 5 year old just how scary the whole world may seem to him. As we age, some of those fears fade or go away. And sometimes, they're just replaced by other things.
There's a lot that I can't say without spoiling the book for other readers. So I will just ask this question: who do you think is the villain in When the Wolf Comes Home?

5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Nat Cassidy is quickly becoming a must-read author for me. When the Wolf Comes Home is a fast-paced, emotional, and terrifying blend of psychological and supernatural horror. This isn’t just a werewolf story. At its core, it's about trauma, survival, and the ways fear can shape and destroy us.

The story follows Jess, a struggling actress whose life takes a wild turn when she finds a five-year-old runaway hiding behind her building. As they hit the road together, she realizes his fears aren’t just in his head, they’re becoming real.

Cassidy does such a great job weaving action, emotion, and horror together. Jess is a deeply flawed and raw but relatable character, and her bond with the boy broke my heart in the best way. Cookie, Jess’s eccentric mother, adds even more chaos and heart to the story. The family dynamics are just as intense as the horror.

The writing is vivid and grounded, full of gut-punch moments, dark humour, and metaphors. The creature horror is wild and unpredictable, but it’s the emotional weight behind it that sticks with you.

This was one of the most unique and emotionally resonant horror novels I’ve read in a while. Emotional, terrifying, and totally unforgettable. The audiobook is fantastic too. Highly recommend if you love emotional horror, road trip thrillers, and dark, gritty storytelling.

This was my first Nat Cassidy read, and upon finishing it, I immediately started reading everything in his backlist.

This book was scary. Really effing scary. This book caused the kind of existential dread that kept me up at night. This book messed with my head, and I devoured it. My favorite kinds of horror books are those that truly tap into psychological horror--the fears that eat us up from the inside out. And this book dealt that in spades. And yes, there was also significant violence and gore, and while those elements were definitely scary, it was the ANXIETY of it all that kept me up at night.

This is a book about fear and family and control (or lack thereof). I highly recommend it to anyone looking for emotionally-driven psychological horror.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for my advanced copy.

The plot appears to be about a boy who can imagine things into reality and the scrappy young woman who is thrown into protecting him, and the fate of the world in the meantime. Things get much more complicated. This is a very smart, very slyly funny, and compassionate gorefest that will delight horror fans and any other reader who has the stomach for it

Massive thank you, as always, to Macmillan Audio & NetGalley for the ALC for this phenomenal listen!!

Nat Cassidy really knows how to delve into the details to make you fully immersed in the story and feel like you are truly in it yourself. The audio for this played on those details so well that I thought I was bleeding at one point!! Not really, but it is truly done so well!

This was morbid, different and just truly creepy in the best ways. I loved how this played out. It was emotional, an adrenaline rush, made you feel sympathetic, sad, angry and just all of the things. Definitely recommend picking this one up!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #MacamillanAudio for the book #WhenTheWolfComesHome by #NatCassidy. This book is filled with fear, regret and murder. Jess comes home one night to find a five year old scared and hiding in the bushes. She soon realizes he is hiding from his father who will stop at nothing to find him and destroy everything. The boy seems to have some kind of powers that enable him to his fears into real things. Can she save the boy and survive the wolf?

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an early audiobook of this novel. Here are my thoughts!

Jess is a waitress and struggling actress. One night, a strange attack hits her apartment and while hiding she finds a terrified 5-year-old boy. They flee together but the terrors keep following them. Will they be able to escape or will the violence eventually catch up with them?

This is my first Nat Cassidy book. I own a couple others but haven’t gotten around to reading them and boy am I kicking myself. I loved everything about this book. I expected a gruesome and horror filled read. I totally got that, but what I wasn’t expecting was the heart. The relationship between Jess and the boy, and the other side characters felt so real. I was totally attached to the two of them and wanted all the good things.

Another thing that stole my attention was the messages within. A major one is crappy dads, which is a little more common in novels. The big one that stuck with me is the power of fear and anxiety, and what can happen when it begins to control your life. A few years ago, I was so anxious that I would have panic attacks trying to leave my home. There wasn’t anything particular that was scaring me, but it was crippling. This book captured that uncontrollable and unexplainable fear that we sometimes feel as humans.

There are some devastating twists and turns, I totally cried at work listening to this and I think it’s the fastest I have ever finished an audiobook! This is my first time listening to Helen Laser narrate and she knocked it out of the park! One of my favourite narrators I’ve heard yet. Absolute perfection.

When the Wolf Comes Home is a contender for my top read of the year because it had everything wrapped up with one bloody, gruesome bow. Now I’m going to go read Rest Stop and feel disgusting.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

When The Wolf Comes Homes is one of the most poignant, thought-provoking and creatively ambitious novels that I’ve read. It’s a gory ride, with tender moments, heartbreaking events and a truly madcap scene that tickled my imagination.

What one might assume is a typical werewolf story is truly turned on its head, though the theme of parents being shapeshifters is very apt. It focuses upon fear-it’s very nature and how it affects us and other people, how it changes us and also upon the complex relationships between parents and children.

Jess is a struggling actress who works in a diner and has an unexpected encounter with a five-year-old boy, before her life is upended in the worst ways imaginable. Jess is very relatable, a young woman with flaws, dealing with a situation that she isn’t prepared for and trying her best to ensure that she and her young charge survive.

What initially seems like an effort to escape a monstrous creature becomes something more, as Jess and the boy encounter death and revelations that leave them changed. Jess’ relationship with the boy is a mirror and a contrast to her own relationship with her recently-deceased and estranged father; both of them unsure of what they were doing and yet only one of them able to rise to the challenge presented to them.

Yet even when trying to do the right thing for a child, the wrong choices can still be made and the consequences of the best intentions are no less shattering.

When The Wolf Comes Home does not wrap everything up with a neat little bow and I sat for a few days after reading it, contemplating the ending. The Afterward is also a beautiful glimpse into the author’s life and inspiration for the novel .

The audiobook narration by Helen Laser is amazing. She does such a wonderful job with not only Jess’ voice-capturing the “trying so hard to hold it all together amidst complete chaos” nuances along with the utterly terrified reactions and deep grief-but also in making the boy come across as realistic as she can, as opposed to someone just trying to sound like a child.

The other characters she voiced were also great and Jess’ mother Cookie was a standout. The brief and additional narration was well done and added depth to a particular scene.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for providing access to this audiobook. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This was Nat Cassidy’s fastest, fiercest ride for me yet—and I think it might be his best. It opens with Jess, a struggling actress, finding a lost five-year-old boy in the bushes outside her apartment. One minute she’s comforting him, the next she’s fending off his insanely violent father—and running for her life.

What makes this book stand out is how Cassidy blends raw action with pure creepiness. Just when you think you know where the story’s headed, he pulls out a twisted 2D world sequence that feels like nothing you’ve ever read before (if you know, you know). This unexpected detour is equal parts wild and horrifying, and it kept me glued to my seat.

Jess and the boy have an E.T.-style bond—she’s protective, he’s innocent and scared—and that relationship is at the heart of the chaos. Their journey is a pulse-pounding chase through dark alleys, highways, and landscapes that can shift at any moment. Cassidy doesn’t spoon-feed you answers; he thrives on the unknown, making every shadow and whisper in each chapter feel nightmarish.

The ending sneaks up on you. Just when you think it’s all wrapped up, Cassidy tosses in an extra twist that feels both earned and jarring—in a good way. Fair warning: there’s a tiny plot hole I’m still scratching my head over, but it’s small compared to the story’s highs.

I also loved the author’s afterword in the audiobook, where Cassidy connects the tale to his relationship with his own father. It adds a layer of emotional resonance that lingers after the final page. If Nat Cassidy’s future books are anything like this, consider me officially his biggest fan. Fast, fresh, and frightening—this one’s a must-read.

A few years ago I read this amazing book about two children who catch on fire and they're being cared for by a nanny who was essentially tricked into it. It was one of the best book I ever read. I laughed at that one.
This is like that but it is terrifying beyond belief, even in the humorous moments.
Anyone who had ever had intrusive thoughts will be scared by this one.
I loved every single word. I might not get over it for a while.

Absolute banger of a book! I've been wanting to read Nat Cassidy's work for a good while now, and man, have I been missing out. As soon as the book started, I knew right away that this was going to be one hell of a ride. And the author killed it - this shot straight up to be one of the top reads of this year. I can't recommend this enough!

Jess and Kiddo - great duo in this horror thriller. The development between the two among the craziness of the plot was done so well. Not only did this book just MOVED with excitement and intensity, there were a lot of emotional moments as well. Not to mention the creativity among all of this with the killler cartoon characters and the wolf itself. The author took gutsy turns in the story and it was so brilliantly done. Every chapter just got better and better. I received this as an audiobook and wow - amazing to say the least. Truly - don't miss out on this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an audio copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

*Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for early copy for review*

This was so good! A perfect blend of fantasy, horror and fairy tales. The descriptions of the gore left me squirming. I am truly blown away by this book!

The narrator did a fantastic job conveying the emotions in the characters. I truly felt like I was in a drug induced psychedelic experience.

The themes that this story played on with family and fathers had me thinking about my own relationship with my father.

I just loved this! I want more. I wish I could relive listening to this audiobook for the first time.

4.5

This book was incredible, and the audiobook was excellent. In fact, it was one of the best audiobooks I’ve personally ever listened to. Helen Laser’s narration brought the characters to life, imbuing a perfect amount of panic and fear into the terrifying scenes. The production was also great quality, with the occasional special effects. It was a very fun and engaging listening experience!

As for the actual story, I had such a fun time with it! The characters were so fleshed out and realistic, and Nat Cassidy’s descriptions of gore sent chills down my spine. The novel also explores themes of grief, abuse, alcoholism, trauma, and so much more, in such a masterful way. Cassidy has a talent for blending the horror of the everyday with paranormal and supernatural elements. It makes for a thought provoking and extremely bizarre, entertaining read.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, the author, and Negalley for providing me with an Advanced Listener Copy in exchange for an honest review.

When the Wolf Comes Home follows Jess, a woman returning to her childhood home to confront the dark past that haunts her family. As she uncovers secrets about the supernatural forces at play, she finds herself caught in a battle that forces her to face her deepest fears. The story blends horror with a unique fantasy element, creating an atmospheric, suspenseful read.

This book was excellent. I absolutely loved the narrator, who brought the story to life in such a compelling way, and most of the characters were fantastic. Jess, while not always making the best decisions, was the perfect protagonist for this dark and twisted tale. You don't love every character you meet along the way, but they were all deeply engaging and made this a wild ride. The supernatural aspect was completely unique, and while I wasn’t necessarily scared, it definitely ticked plenty of boxes in the horror genre. There are definite trigger warnings for graphic and gory content, but that’s all part of what makes this a solid horror read. Highly recommend—this one gets all the stars!


When the Wolf Comes Home comes out April 22, 2025. Huge thank you to Tor Nightfire and MacMillan Audio for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting myInstagram @speakingof.books.
Tiktok @speakingof.books
Website: SPEAKINGOF.ORG

Holy “what the” did I just read!?!?

When the Wolf Comes Home is a fever dream wrapped in a Grimm Brothers fairy tale, drenched in blood, grief, daddy issues, and just the right amount of humor to make you laugh while nervously biting your nails.

Nat Cassidy explores the slippery nature of fear—fear of the what-ifs, fear of the unknown, fear of what’s next, and, worse, fear that the fever dream might just be reality. Cassidy doesn’t just walk you through it—he straps you into a roller coaster, cranks up the tension, and plunges into the depths of Jess’s fears.

I paired the audio with the eBook, and Helen Laser ROCKED this narration. Her voice mirrors the steady stream of adrenaline in the story. She nails the heart-pounding action but also captures every ounce of the heartbreak and dread.

No one escapes this story unscathed—not the characters, and certainly not me.
I’m not 100% sure I fully understood the ending, but I am pretty sure my guess is correct. Whether right or wrong, I loved every unhinged minute of it. Congrats, Nat Cassidy! You are officially on my auto-buy author list!

One of the best horror novels I’ve read. If you like Grady Hendrix, I think you’ll love this book. It’s crazy. It’s fast paced and will still leave you thinking at the end. Not only is it scary but the scares are based on some of our innermost fears as children and adults. Don’t stop at the afterword. Please read it. Fantastic read and I highly recommend it!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for this ALC! The audio was done by Helen Laser and absolutely amazing! The afterword read by the author himself was just as wonderful. Add this to your list today!