We Live Here Now delivers a relentless, atmospheric experience driven by its taut prose and haunting tone. The writing is sharp and unflinching—each sentence feels measured, deliberate, and laced with quiet dread. The author builds tension not through explosive moments, but through an eerie stillness that lingers like fog. There's a psychological intensity in the language, a kind of whispered urgency that keeps the reader braced. It’s a masterclass in restraint, where the mood does as much storytelling as the words themselves. This is a thriller that doesn’t shout—it stares.

Reading in Between the Wines book review #56/125 for 2025:
Rating: 2 🍷🍷
Book: We Live Here Now
Author: Sarah Pinborough
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: When I saw that Sarah Pinborough had a new book out, I squealed with excitement. All I could think about was the book hangover I had when I read Behind Her Eyes back in 2019. And then again, when the Netflix movie came out. I had high hopes for this book even though I am not a paranormal fan at all. I really wanted to like this book, but it just was not for me. With that said, I think people who like this genre may really enjoy it. It definitely kept my interest, and I loved the mystery behind it, but I wanted my flabbers gasted, and they just were not this time around, but I will look out for a future release.

Cheers and thank you to @Netgalley and @MacmillanAudio for an advanced copy of @WeLiveHereNow.

#WeLiveHereNow #SarahPinborough #MacmillanAudio #NetGalley #ARC #advancedreader #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bokreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

This one is a slooooooow burn. I actually think the concept is super intriguing, but the amount of time it took to get to the meat didn't work for me.

DNF at 60%

Every plot point in this is so old and tired and lazy. I've never yawned so much while listening to an audiobook. Bad marriage, affairs, pregnancy, secrets... is this all thriller authors can come up with? Embarrassing.

This is an eerie gothic tale about a married couple named Freddie and Emily. After an accident Emily has some health challenges and losses her big promotion. Emily and Freddie marriage also has challenges since Emily’s accident and she feels as though he does not want to be around her and that he is hiding something. Freddie talks Emily into buying a house away from all her friends in a strange town. Emily feels that the home is haunted and tries to figure out what is going on. The ending was not what I expected p, but this book is a slow burn.
Thank you to Macmillan audio and Netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

This was a spooky and atmospheric gothic thriller with an intriguing mystery told through the perspectives of a husband and wife as well as a crow. I loved how the mystery of the haunting unraveled at a slower pace with bizarre incidents and building tension. The audiobook has an interesting cast who do a fantastic job bringing the story to life. Fans of spooky thrillers will enjoy this book.

This was such a weird story. I enjoyed it but man some of the things I was not expecting. The characters are definitely interesting, and you wonder why they are together. The house is almost like its own character and entity, the house adds mystery to the story, and it would be interesting to find out even more about the house. The twist at the end had me rereading to make sure I heard it correctly. Overall if you're looking for something weird and mysterious I think this book is one for you.

Emily and her husband move to a creepy old mansion in an attempt to start anew after a tragedy. What ensues are creepy events experienced only by Emily as her life and mind begins its downward spiral. There is a strong backdrop of Poe, with a personified raven part of the storyline, in addition to the dark metaphorical blanket that shrouds the house and everyone in it. It is a very well done dark thriller and very different from the haunted house story I was expecting, Bravo, Sarah Pinborough! Many thanks to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough is a tense, twisty psychological horror that hooks you from the start and doesn't let go. After a traumatic accident, Emily and her husband move to a remote house for a fresh start—but the house has other plans. Strange occurrences, buried secrets, and unraveling trust build to a terrifying climax. The suspense is thick, the horror creeps in slowly, and the final chapters are like a car crash you can’t look away from. A true page-turner for fans of dark, atmospheric thrillers.

Sarah Pinborough once again proves her mastery of psychological suspense with WE LIVE HERE NOW, an unsettling and immersive ghost story that lingers long after the final chapter. The audiobook is particularly effective—narrated with just the right amount of tension and unease. I found myself listening late at night while the house was still, and more than once I had to remove my headphones, gripped by the creeping feeling that someone (or something?) was watching me.

The novel excels not only as a supernatural tale but as a layered meditation on marriage, intimacy, and the haunting truths we live with in close relationships. Pinborough explores themes of gaslighting and manipulation, common territory in psychological thrillers, but avoids falling into cliché. Instead, these themes feel earned, sharp, and painfully real.

There’s a richness to the lore and ghost story that grounds the narrative, making the horror feel both personal and mythic. Highly recommended for fans of literary horror with emotional and psychological depth.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy. All opinions are entirely my own.

I liked the narrators, but the story fell flat for me. Both of the main characters were incredibly unlikeable. I'm not sure if that's the point, but I usually want to root for one or the other in these types of thrillers.

We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough is an atmospheric novel that intrigued me with its dark themes and eerie tone, but ultimately left me feeling a bit underwhelmed. While the author’s signature blend of psychological suspense and unsettling mystery was present, the plot felt somewhat scattered, and the multiple perspectives made it hard to follow at times. Though the writing was evocative and the premise promising, I found myself wishing for more cohesive storytelling and stronger character development to fully engage with the narrative. A solid read, but not quite as gripping as I had hoped.

We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough was an okay listen—right in the middle for me. The narration was fine, and the story had a few interesting moments, but overall, it just didn’t grab me. I didn’t dislike it, but I also didn’t feel particularly invested in the characters or plot. It was one of those audiobooks that passed the time, but I wasn’t excited to finish it. I did, however, enjoy the ending, which didn't play out the way I expected it to.

If you’re looking for something to fill a few hours, it does the job, but it isn't the kind of book I can see most people wanting to read (or in my case "listen to") twice.

I really enjoyed this audiobook version of We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough. We are introduced to Emily and Freddie, who move into Larkin Lodge, an old and menacing house built on a graveyard for people who committed suicide (hence menacing) after an accident that had Emily fighting for her life. This was definitely a little bit of a gothic thriller, and I was here for it. The multiple POV had me questioning a little bit of narrator reliability and it was interesting to see 2 (and a half) different views, which all meshed pretty well together. Emily feels that there is a malevolent presence in the home and her husband tends to disagree, but the farther along we get in the book, the more mystery there was.

This was a fairly fast-paced thriller, that had me putting my headphones in because I didn't want to stop listening. I had to know what was going to happen next. I was on edge and second guessing everyone's actions, and trying to figure out the ended. I think that it was ominous but there were some lulls where things were a little quieter and I felt the dragged on a bit too much, but overall this was a great read (listen) and I would recommend it if you're looking for a haunted, gothic thriller/horror! The ended was good but not mind-blowing, and the supernatural elements were there, but not fully there. It all comes together in the end and it was an enjoyable book. Solid 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Sarah Pinborough for the eALC of We Live Here Now in exchange for an honest review. We Live Here Now, by Sarah Pinborough (narrated by Helen Baxendale, Jamie Glover and Sarah Pinborough) was published this week, 27 May 2025.

A haunted house with a magical upstairs room??? yes please. I feel like like sometimes the haunted house thriller can be overdone but this has a hint of magical realism that makes it so much different. Emily and Freddie are struggling in their marriage. When Emily has an accident that leaves her in a coma and almost dies it put a huge strain on their marriage. When she wakes up they decide to leave the city and buy an old house out in the countryside. Once they move in strange things start happening. Can Emily get to the bottom of what is really going on in this house??

This was a cleverly crafted and deliciously eerie haunted house story. The atmosphere was thick with tension, maintaining an unsettling, ominous tone from start to finish.

I’m always drawn to an unreliable narrator, and this one pulled me in right away. I appreciated the fresh twists on domestic suspense and the constant stream of surprises that kept the plot engaging.

That said, despite the shocking finale, the pacing occasionally felt sluggish. While I understand why this is a favorite for many, I sometimes find it difficult to fully connect with paranormal thrillers—suspending disbelief doesn’t always come easily for me, which can affect my immersion.

However, switching to the audiobook made a difference. The narration was excellent—well-paced and compelling—making it an easy listen to finish in a single day.

3.5 stars rounded to 4 for Goodreads

This audiobook was addicting!! It has short chapters filled with intrigue that makes you absolutely devour the book. So many secrets and agendas and non-communication that contributed to the ending. The storytelling from both the author and narrator was absolutely masterful. I absolutely loved hating these characters and lived for the horror that befell them. A+ 10/10. Get it as an audiobook, you will not regret it.

Emily and Freddie move into Larkin Lodge, an old house, built on an unconsecrated graveyard for people who've committed suicide. Emily thinks there is a hostile presence in the house. She is recovering from an accident and still not herself. Freddie writes off her concerns as just post-traumatic stress. He has his own problems to worry about anyway. He's gambled away most of their money and is worried about paying it back.

The two even invite their friends for a weekend get together to try to become acclimated to the house. The visit doesn't go well and the house continues to bother Emily, who is hoping to become pregnant again. She lost a baby in the aftermath of the bad fall she took hiking. Books move about on their own. A mysterious nail keeps popping back up on the landing, and some crows seem to be haunting the place.

This book is a bit of a mashup of Beetlejuice and Gone Girl, with strange twists and turns that will make you laugh and question the institution of marriage. Anyone who enjoys a bit of Gothic horror will enjoy this one, as well as those who are devotees of Poe.

Narrators Helen Baxendale and Jamie Glover do an admirable job of voicing each of the characters. Recommended.

This book was fast paced, gripping, and drenched in unease from the very first page. There’s a creeping sense of dread that builds with each chapter, wrapping tighter and tighter until you're practically holding your breath. The atmosphere is thick with paranoia, and I found myself constantly on edge, second guessing everyone and everything. Every chapter made me more uneasy, more suspicious, more convinced that something was terribly wrong. And I loved every second of it.

What really stood out was the ominous tone through the entire book. There’s no relief, no lull — just a steady, pulsing sense that something terrible is coming. The last hour of the book had me feeling such dread. And the ending left me haunted, sitting in stunned silence long after the audiobook ended.

If you're looking for a dark, atmospheric thriller that knows exactly how to get under your skin and stay there, this one is a must read.

Wow, this audiobook had me completely hooked and hanging onto the author’s every word from the moment I started listening!