Sarah Pinborough is an auto-buy author for me. She is a master of creating creepy atmosphere and suspenseful, page-turning tales. This one wasn't my favorite of her novels though. Perhaps, I've simply read too many scary old house novels recently. There have been a lot.

Thank you so much @macmillan_audio for this audio book as a part of your influencer program!⁠ 🖤⁠ ⁠
⁠
Oh dear...⁠
⁠
I was really excited for this one. I swore I saw rave reviews and people saying it was SCARY. Either I read the wrong hype or I’ve got an unpopular opinion, because… this book was, for lack of a better word-- boring.⁠
⁠
I went in expecting a haunted house that would have me side-eyeing my own hallways at night. Instead, I got a whole lot of nothing. Nothing scary, nothing suspenseful, and honestly? Nothing really explained like I needed.⁠
⁠
This one missed the mark for me in so many ways. I kept waiting for the story to kick into gear, but it just... never did.⁠
⁠
I wish I had all the time back I spent listening, TBH. Major bummer.

What a spooky read! I loved the dual POVs in this book, it really added to the suspense. I listened to the audiobook and it definitely creeped me out at times. I love books that hint at issues so this was right up my alley. I was on the edge of my seat until about half way through when it hit a lull. In the end it all came together. This book was a unique and interesting concept. I really enjoyed it, the audiobook was well done.

#weLiveHereNow by @sarahpinboroughbooks is the audiobook I listened to over the weekend during my Covid cough I found it was easier to just lie around and listen and so I did, and finished this in one and a half days! This story of a couple finding their "perfect country home" will leave you sufficiently creeped out! This takes on a #hauntedhouse vibe and oh it's haunted alright, but with some very unique type ghosts!!! The ending had my skin crawling at the THOUGHT of it all (no spoilers). If anyone has read this and wants to discuss all the ways in which this horror story horrrrrrriffied you at that ending, please dm me bc I want to scream out NOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
And I might add kudos to Ms Pinborough for such a fantastic premise and twist on the ghost trope that I did not see coming & was just so damn unique - I loved it. This is what I like - a bit of supernatural WTFs in my story!!!! This book was done so great on audio, kudos also to the wonderful narrators @sarahpinboroughbooks #HelenBaxendale and #JamieGlover !!!
This brought me back to #behindhereyes - that level of shock. Loved it, highly recommend!!!
And ever since @bnelsonauthor 's book #RedInside (which will be reviewed next) I've been on a bit of a horror ride. (Yours had me running with characters and checking for spiders everywhere Bridj)
More to come on the #horror !!!

This would be a super bookclub pick. It’s atmospheric and at times a little slow. But overall this is a great read for suspense lovers.

Was able to listen to this audiobook thanks to the publisher and netgalley. It’s an interesting concept and I really think that the author had something amazing when she started. This just fell flat to me. I feel like it could have gone in such a different direction and could have been even better than it already was. That being said still a good listen.

I love a book with a good atmospheric haunted house setting, so this one was a must read for me this year. Even though the book felt slightly slow for me at times, it was eerie and creepy and was the perfect quick summer thriller read for me.

I’m looking forward to getting to Behind Her Eyes and Insomnia by this author. Those two have been on my TBR for ages!

3.5/5 ⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Hmmm I think this had a LOT of potential. There are lots of secrets, a creepy house, troubling relationships and a FMC that some would deem “hysterical”. I did have some trouble getting into this novel though. I’m not sure if it were the characters, which I didn’t necessarily care that much about, or the plot in general. This husband and wife are both running from their pasts and obviously moving into a creepy old house will fix that. Except not really. I think the last 10% or so was very interesting and I wish that I felt that way about the previous 90%. I also didn’t care too much about the birds. I feel as though there needed to be no birds or more of the birds.

The narration was very well done though. I felt as though a lot of emotion was able to be portrayed.

I will definitely read more from this author though. I do think that Pinborough can write twisty stories.

This was such a chilling, atmospheric read! I loved the multiple POV's and how well each person set up the story. This kind of gave me Pet Sematary vibes a bit which I was living for. I breezed through this so quickly and couldn't believe how hard it was to put this down. I felt like Freddie and Emily were both equally sucky characters for constantly nitpicking each other, but I also loved the idea that the house was making them do this. A little bit of an Amityville vibe there which I also ate right up. Overall, I really enjoyed this and had more than enough jaw dropping moments! Thank you for my ALC!

Intense gritty creepy spooky and what i didn't expect on every turn and honestly idk if I was prepared for this book but thankyou for the nightmares

🏠📖🥀We Live Here🥀📖🏠

A domestic mystery thriller with gothic vibes.

I had bought this book before NetGalley approved me for the Audiobook, so when I surprisingly got approval, I immediately did an immersive read, and wow, this was good!

The characters are both kinda terrible people, and honestly, divorce is an option, but with that, we wouldn't have this story.

After a tragic accident where Emily was hospitalized and in a coma and suffering from post sepsis syndrome and the loss of her unborn child, her and her spouse, Freddy, move to a new house to start over and she starts seeing and hearing things.

This has/is

🩸Slow burn
🥀Secrets
🩸Double lives
🥀Domestic drama

The narrators were great, I enjoyed the multiple POV and the horror elements as well at the surprising twists. This is perfect for people who wanna dip their toe into horror.

I would love to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this outstanding thrill of a book!

In true Sarah fashion, she delivers another twisted tale with a bit of horror, thriller, supernatural, and a whole lot of head spinning.

This story follows Freddie and Emily. After a rough go from an accident, they’re hoping for a fresh start in their new home. Weird things are happening which makes us question if Emily is losing her mind or strange things are truly stirring within the house.

You’ll never guess the eery twists and turns of this book, and be ready to feel some frustration and shock towards the characters!

This is perfect for those who crave a gothic atmospheric dark paranormal thriller read. I found this one to be very character driven and slowly you get more of a bigger picture and realize what is happening. A sinister house with very strong Edgar Allan Poe vibes. The narrators, Helen Baxendale, and Jamie Glover narration captured the dark atmosphere very well. I felt like I was walking within the walls of Larkin Lodge alongside the characters. I loved the dark vibes the house gave!

A very special thanks to Netgalley + Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

I really enjoyed this book. It took me a few chapters to get into it- there were a lot of references to previous events that we have no idea about until later chapters, which I didn’t love, but once everything started intertwining I was hooked. Most of this book is told from the view point of Emily and her husband. There is also a few parts dedicated to the ravens living around the home, which was an interesting addition. I loved the twists throughout the book, especially the ending, and would highly recommend to anyone looking for a horror/thriller.

This was one of those books that sits with you—not because it’s packed with jump scares or high-speed action, but because it’s quietly eerie in all the right ways. It follows Emily and Freddie, a couple looking for a fresh start in the countryside after Emily nearly dies from sepsis. They move into Larkin Lodge, a beautiful house that’s definitely hiding something.

From the beginning, Emily feels like something is wrong with the place. Strange things happen—but only when she’s alone. And because of her recent illness and its side effects, no one believes her, not even Freddie. The rest of the story slowly builds around this question: Is Emily losing her mind, or is the house actually haunted?

This was a medium-paced read for me. The tension doesn't fully explode until the final chapters, but it simmers with dread. The gothic elements—an isolated house, creaking floors, cold rooms—are done well. You keep waiting for the moment when everything cracks open. And when it does? That final chapter absolutely delivered. It’s intense, emotional, and surprisingly dark.

One thing that was interesting were the chapters about the ravens—they were meant to mirror the couple, but they didn’t add much to the plot for me. Still, the core of the story, and Emily’s unraveling obsession with the truth, kept me hooked.

This book is less about ghosts and more about the ghosts we carry—our secrets, our doubts, and the things we don’t say out loud. If you like slow-burn haunted house stories with a psychological twist and an ending that punches hard, this one’s worth checking out. Creepy, emotional, and quietly unsettling. Home is where the heart is... or is it?

Many Thanks to @MacmillanAudio for my #gifted copy
. Emily and her husband Freddie move into a new home in the country. Atmospheric and eerie this house gives you the vibes of trouble but I couldn’t pin point what exactly. I love that feeling in books about haunted houses. That dread of the things that are happening to Emily pulls you more into the story. I was getting so frustrated for her, with the way she was being treated just because of her accident. The House of course was a creepy character all on its own. I had a great time with the escalation and fast road to the end! That ending!!!

Emily is out of the hospital and apparently moving to the country. Her husband Freddie thought it would help her recovery. And he found the real estate listing on her iPad, so he knew that she would love it. Larkin Lodge is a large country house in southern England is beautiful, and it will give them a chance to start again.

As soon as they move in to the house, Emily starts to notice things. There are noises coming from the room upstairs, where she can’t get to. The stairs are narrow, and her leg injury makes it very difficult to climb them. There is a foul odor from time to time. And when Freddie is there, he complains about a cold draft and always feels cold. He is still having to work in London for a couple of weeks, but when he makes it down to Larkin Lodge, he accuses Emily of opening the windows, even though she knows how cold he is. Emily had no memory of opening the window.

Emily had fallen off a cliff and broken her leg. While she was in the hospital, she had developed sepsis. As she recovers, her doctors warned her that the sepsis, while long gone, could still interfere with her mental acuity. Post-sepsis syndrome could cause fatigue, anxiety, sleeplessness, pain, and even PTSD. Emily tries to figure out if what she is experiencing is from her sepsis, or if she’s going crazy, or if there is something about the house that is haunting her.

And if that’s not enough for Emily to deal with, she is starting to think that Freddie is keeping secrets from her. And she knows that she has secrets from him.

As Emily starts to make some friends in the small village, she tries to ask questions about the history of Larkin Lodge. She meets a small book club, who gives her a collection of short stories from Edgar Allan Poe. She meets an actress who had lived there previously, who is not happy to see her and refuses to answer questions about the house. A local artist and his wife had lived there, but they say their time at the lodge was uneventful.

Emily doesn’t believe them. She is certain there is something going on in the house, and she’s determined to find it, no matter what the cost. Even if it costs her sanity. Even if it costs her life.

We Live Here Now is a twisty thriller from beloved writer Sarah Pinborough. It tells the story of a marriage where the couple are struggling together but also struggling as individuals, and about the secrets that could bind them together or tear them apart. Larkin Lodge acts as another character in this story, one with a history and an agenda, and learning what is really going on in that house is a true surprise.

For years, I have heard readers rave about Pinborough’s stories, and I read them, and I liked them, but I never felt the same affinity for her as other readers seemed to. I felt there was a little something missing, something I couldn’t put into words. But as I listened to We Live Here Now, I didn’t feel that same misgivings. Maybe I was just waiting for her to grow into the writer I thought she could be, the one I wanted her to be, and I think this time she nailed it. I loved this book, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a book about possible haunted houses and definite haunted people.

I listened to the audio book of We Live Here Now, narrated by actors Helen Baxendale and Jamie Glover, with Pinborough herself lending a voice. The chapters alternate between Emily and Freddie, with an occasional chapter from a local raven, and these voices bring these characters to life masterfully. This is a complex story, with twists and secrets for days, and the narration brought all of it to life so beautifully.

A copy of the audio book for We Life Here Now was provided by Macmillan Audio through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.

I unfortunately couldn't get into this one due to the narrators. They just did not click with me and I couldn't focus. Also, I did not know there were supernatural aspects in this one. I am not a fan of those. I had to DNF.

I enjoyed the atmospheric suspense of We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough, which kept me guessing from start to finish. The story skillfully blurs the line between the supernatural and psychological, leaving me unsure whether the characters were haunted by ghosts or their own unraveling minds—a twist that added to the intrigue, even if it was a bit confusing at times. The narration was engaging and brought the eerie setting to life. Overall, I give this book 3 out of 5 stars for its compelling premise and haunting ambiguity.

WE LIVE HERE NOW by @sarahpinboroughbooks was a unique and disturbing take on the haunted house story. Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher, @macmillan.audio for the audio-ARC.

A haunted marriage; a new house to occupy their time and attempt a fresh start. This story starts out with a familiar trope, but it is not anything ordinary. This is a great one to go into knowing only that.

I am in awe of the incredible and uncanny mind of Sarah Pinborough. Her twists are always bangers for me because of the involuntary tingle of my spine at their reveal. The characters in this were messy and relatable, the atmosphere was chilly and the secrets were dark and deep. I was totally enthralled once I was about a third of the way through. BEHIND HER EYES by this author is one of my favorite thrillers and there is an excellent adaptation as well. I can't decide if I like this one better or not because they were both fantastic!

Highly recommended for a clever and dreadfully satisfying story.