🐦‍⬛Slow burn horror
🐦‍⬛Haunted house
🐦‍⬛Unreliable narrator
🐦‍⬛Hallucinations

I have loved Sarah Pinborough since reading Behind Her Eyes as a BOTM pick. I was so excited to get an ALC of her newest book We Live Here Now.

I love that the twists have enough foreshadowing that you can guess at an answer, but she still ALWAYS has another twist up her sleeve. Even when I thought I had things figured out, the last page had me laughing!

The audiobook was especially great as I could feel the main character’s paranoia. I didn’t love the male narrator’s voice as much, but the other two POVs (Emily and the raven) were excellent.

I definitely recommend this one if you like any of the tropes above or want a slow burn creepy mystery.

After waking from a coma, Emily moves with her husband Freddie from busy London to the isolated, brooding landscape of Dartmoor. Larkin Lodge is supposed to be their fresh start—but right from the moment Emily sets foot in the house, something feels deeply off. It’s cold, strange, and unsettling… like it’s holding onto something dark.

This book promised an eerie gothic mystery—and in many ways, it delivered. The moody English moor setting, the creaking old house, the raven that won’t leave the chimney—all created an atmosphere full of tension and dread. The house practically breathes with secrets, and the slow, spiraling unease kept me curious.

But as much as I loved the atmosphere, the rest didn’t quite land for me. The pacing was painfully slow. I’m not usually a fan of slow burns, and this one dragged enough that I had a hard time staying invested. The supernatural elements were vague, the characters felt flat and unlikable, and some of the horror tropes (plus all the Poe references) started to feel gimmicky rather than chilling.

There were some twists I didn’t see coming, and the ending gave just enough payoff to keep it from being a total miss—but the journey there was frustrating. Emily and Freddie’s dynamic leaned heavily on gaslighting and emotional turmoil, which made it hard to connect with either of them. And despite the book setting up the house as its own character, we never really get a satisfying answer about why it’s so haunted.

All in all, We Live Here Now is a beautifully written, atmospheric mystery with a few good scares—but the drawn-out plot, repetitive themes, and underdeveloped characters left me wanting more. This one just didn’t fully work for me, though I know it will hit the mark for fans of slow-burning, psychological gothic tales.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

Loved it! This was a great story that was made even better by the fantastic audio. A little bit of a different type of haunted house story with a twist that surprised me. This is the first book I’ve read from this author, but now I will definitely be checking out her other work.

Emily and Freddie start over by purchasing their dream home in the country, Larkin Lodge. Emily is recovering from an accident that left her in a coma and seriously injured. She is still recovering and begins to suspect that the house is haunted. Freddie seems to doubt her suspicions and seems to be hiding something. Emily becomes obsessed with the history of the house. She witnesses many more strange occurrences in their home as her marriage seems to unravel.

This delivered on so many levels—the atmosphere was written with such detail, and leaves the reader with a strong sense of impending doom. You just know something terrible is going to happen. I loved the multiple POVs, I really think that they added to the story. The twists were well written and unexpected. Sarah Pinborough always delivers a unique reading experience that leaves you shaking your head as the conclusion is revealed. This was Pinborough at her best.

4 ⭐️

Emily has just survived an accident that almost killed her. When she and her husband, Freddie, move into the beautiful Larkin Lodge, she hopes for a speedy recovery. Soon Emily begins to suspect that the house is haunted and she is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery of Larkin Lodge. However, Freddie isn't convinced and suspects that Emily might just be losing her mind and maybe he'd be better off without her.

This is my first Pinborough book, and I appreciate her giving us a unique haunted house story. I think that was what I liked best about this book. I didn't expect it to end up the way it did, and while it's not the perfect ending in my opinion, it is uniquely done. Freddie was a deplorable character, and while Emily wasn't the greatest person, she was a bit more sympathetic than Freddie. All in all, I enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Helen Baxendale and Jamie Glover were great narrators and really brought the story to life.

I believe his is the second book I’ve read from Sarah Pinborough, but wow! Just phenomenal! Really makes you wonder… how could that be? And also… where does she come up with these ideas???

In this one, we meet Emily, who has had a horrific near-death accident, but somehow pulls through… to her husbands and friends surprise.
But, she’s not done. She has a long road to recovery ahead of her…but with help from all her friends and husband, she knows she’ll be ok…

Add to this that they’ve just moved to the home of their dreams…and, well, it can’t get much better than this…

But when Emily comes home from the hospital, she starts to hear, see and feel things that just… CANNOT BE!

And so she starts to investigate… wants to know more about the house and its history… but is she really prepared to know it all?? Might she uncover some things she does not want to know??

🛑🛑 And yes, I’m leaving it right there!! 🛑🛑

If this sounds intriguing to you, you might want to pick this one up!

#WeLiveHereNow by #SarahPinborough and narrated nicely by #HelenBaxendale; #JamieGlover and #SarahPinborough.

5 big, bright, scary ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC of the audiobook.
*** It was released on 5/20/25, so look 👀 for it on shelves now!! ***

You can find my reviews on: Goodreads,
Insta @BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine

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!! 📚⭐️

Creepy and atmospheric We Live Here Now is a horror/ thriller that I could not put down. Emily is recovering from a horrific fall that had her in a coma for months. To make a fresh start she and her husband Freddy buy a gothic manor in the English countryside and move in ready to start anew. However there are unexplainable sounds and cold breezes that both Freddy and Emily begin to notice. Is the house haunted, or something much, much worse. Emily and Freddy both have secrets from each other and as they become more and more entrenched in living at the house these secrets begin to surface, making trust a major issue between them. It's as if the house wants it that way. Spooky and original We Live Here Now will have you turning the pages, or in my case listening with breath held till the very end. The narrators were excellent. Recommended. 5 stars.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for a chance to listen/read an ARC version of this audio book.

I debated not finishing this book initially as it gives ghost vibes. However, I kept going and am so glad I did :) There’s a mystery. This couple moves into an old house and the wife keeps seeing, hearing odd things. Some people that visit also have weird sensations in the house. Great pace overall and good narration.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the eARC.

The audiobook narrators were so fantastic. They did a fantastic job using their voices to show the tension and desperation. This had such a unique twist on the haunted house narrative and I loved the end twist.

Rating: 3ish stars!

The creepy house, with the creepy room, and the creepy things that keep happening had me hooked from the jump. Then it all kind of went down hill from there.. I was getting Stephen King vibes if you know what I mean... Overall its as slightly drawn out "scary" story.

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

3.5 stars

We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough is a quick, intriguing read with a haunting atmosphere and an eerie slow burn that kept me guessing. Emily and Freddie have a highly unusual marriage, and there were moments I genuinely wondered what was really going on behind the scenes. The story unravels with several unexpected twists toward the end that add to its unsettling tone.

While I appreciated the suspense and the vivid descriptions of the house and all its strange happenings, I struggled to connect with the characters, which held me back from rating it higher. I found it difficult to fully invest in their emotional arcs.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced audiobook copy. The narrators did an excellent job bringing the story to life and enhancing the eerie atmosphere throughout.

I have read one other Sarah Pinborough book and unfortunately it wasn't for me, but I saw that this seemed to be a haunted house story so I was interested.
I actually very much enjoyed this one. Following a couple who is recovering from a medical emergency and attempting to reconnect, the have moved to a large old house. But its obvious early on that something isn't quite right with the house.
I liked getting to know our couple. The pacing was well done with the clues and hints as events began to unfold. I will say that both of them were insufferable at a point, but I think it was intentional and it worked with the way the story was told.
The ending threw me for a loop, but in a good way. Overall, it was a good time and I am glad I enjoyed it.
The audiobook was performed by multiple narrators and the production quality was great.

A moody, unsettling psychological thriller that keeps you questioning everything.

Sarah Pinborough delivers another gripping and twisty tale in We Live Here Now. The eerie atmosphere of Larkin Lodge is beautifully crafted—it’s the kind of haunted house story where the biggest mystery may lie within the characters themselves. Emily’s unreliable narration, shaped by her trauma and post-sepsis condition, creates an intense sense of paranoia that had me second-guessing every odd event.

I really enjoyed how the book blurs the line between psychological illness and the supernatural. The tension builds slowly but effectively, and the theme of not being believed—of gaslighting and isolation—is handled with care and depth. Emily is a complex protagonist, and while at times I wanted more development from Freddie, their dynamic kept the emotional stakes high.

It did take a bit to gain momentum in the beginning, and some reveals felt slightly rushed at the end. But overall, this was a haunting and well-paced read that kept me turning pages and eager to see how it all unraveled.

Perfect for fans of slow-burn thrillers with a psychological edge and just a hint of the paranormal.

First of all thank you to Netgalley & MacMillan Audio for the approval of this audiobook. This audiobook had me on the edge of my seat & it definitely kept my attention from start to finish. I thought the narrator did an excellent job portraying all of the characters & the way she was able to tell the story in her spooky voice at times was fantastic. It was freaky, intense & I will absolutely recommend this book to all my followers as well as family & friends that love a good thriller. This will be a great Fall/Spooky read for this season. Definitely recommend both the audiobook & book!!!

This one took me by surprise—I didn’t realize it was a horror story going in. A mix of supernatural elements and emotional depth, the story follows Emily and Freddie, who have moved into a country house after Emily's accident. From the start, Emily feels something is wrong with the house, but Freddie—who’s hiding secrets of his own—assumes it’s just trauma from what she’s been through.

Not one for horror I was surprised at how much I enjoyed This story! It had the right balance of emotional and supernatural. The character development was strong, and I loved the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We Live Here Now is the first book I've read by Sarah Pinborough and I will definitely be checking out her other books. This thriller is full of surprises and is a new take on haunted houses.

“𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁.”

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: 5/20/25

*Thank you @NetGalley and @MacMillan.Audio for sending this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: After a tragic accident that nearly leaves her dead, Emily and her husband buy a dream home and move to a rural town. Soon after, strange things start happening in the home, Emily thinks it may be haunted but her husband Eddie, thinks she is suffering from the trauma of her accident. Who is actually right?

𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
🐦‍⬛ Dual POV/Narrators
🚪 Short chapters
🐦‍⬛ Unreliable narrator
🚪 Houses built on burial grounds

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
My first Pinborough book did not disappoint. Sure it has the cliché “house on a burial ground and creepy things happen” trope, but the outcome I didn’t expect. The short chapters kept me engaged from the start. Given that I was granted a ALC and not the finished audiobook, my critique of the narrators is minimal and would probably be fixed in the final version. The female narrator was decent, engaging. The male narrator was perfect for the character. I was seriously creeped out at certain parts of this story, and enjoyed the ending. It was very poetic.

#WeLiveHereNow

I've read a few others by Sarah Pinborough and felt mixed about them, but I really enjoyed her last book, Insomnia, so wanted to give this one a shot. I really enjoyed it - it was very fast paced and I was really curious what was going on.

I listened to this one and the narrators were excellent - I would definitely listen to more books by them!

I loved the fast pace of this one and the switching between characters -- kept it moving quickly. Neither of the main characters are particularly likable, especially Freddie, but that didn't detract from the story for me.

There were some parts of the ending that I might take issue with, but they really worked for me within this book -- all in a really engaging and unique spin on a domestic thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

We Live Here Now (audio) 5⭐️
Ooh, I enjoy a good haunted house story! This had a slow burn to start, but man, the last 40% really made the whole book for me with the unique twists. This book had wonderful layers: the haunted house, MC’s relationship, the parallel story of the ravens. The story begins with Emily returning to a new home after months in the hospital following an accident. Emily and Freddy have a growing, but outwardly ignored, tension burning between them, making them question the trust and loyalty within their relationship. I’ll be thinking about the background/concept of the haunting for years to come. I really enjoyed that angle and the last chapter had me cackling!

Narration was lovely!

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this ALC.

I was very entertained. Creeped out, fascinated, frustrated and honestly a little bit of every emotion too.

Gave me September House, and American Horror Story vibes - so if you’re a fan of those read this!

Will be reviewing this on the podcast soon too!