It’s rare for books to scare me at all, but this one managed to. This author was new to me, and I can’t wait to read them again. It’s unsettling, creepy, and perfect for a fall read. The trust at the end really added to the story as a whole, highly recommend.
I will warn you, you might have trouble sleeping after reading this-but it’ll be worth it!

I really enjoyed this book! I've been on a major thriller/horror kick lately in my reading choices and I was so excited about this one!

I was instantly hooked and read a good portion of this book in the first sitting. To be fair, I'm super nosey and I have to know what's going on at all times. This book was perfect to keep me reading all the way through to the big reveal at the end. I did lose some steam around the 60%-70% range just because I was getting impatient and wanted to know what was going on in the house. By that point, as well, I had had enough of Amber's personality disorder and how she blamed everyone else for her problems.

Either way, I devoured this book and loved every second of reading it. I never knew what was going to happen next and the final twist had my jaw on the floor.

These Familiar Walls (C.J. Dotson)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - ARC Review (releasing April 14th, 2026)

I'm so thankful to C.J. Dotson for sending me the ebook of her 2nd ever novel. An absolute nightmare of a book (in the best possible way), These Familiar Walls gave me 3 nights of uneasy sleep and constant anticipation throughout my day so I could return to the story (and the house) to find out what would happen next.

Reviewing this book is very hard without spoiling it, so I will be vague. I mostly read this book at night in my bed, which was both a huge mistake and also accentuated just how creepy Dotson is able to make a house feel. This story is about a woman named Amber who moves into her parents' house with her husband shortly after her parents are murdered. What follows will have you peeking around corners and paranoid of every noise you hear in your house.

I felt the entire story was extremely well written, but I did find some dialogue at the end took a bit of the bite out of the fear factor for me, but overall the story held strong.

If you're into horror/thrillers like me, go ahead and add this book to your Want to Read list on GoodReads. Releasing April 14th, 2026, this one will haunt you long after you're done with it.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It is a very unsettling story that was also atmospheric with great pacing and tension! I was gripped the whole way through

I greatly enjoyed reading it. The pacing was excellent, and I found myself engaged throughout. The story flowed so well that it was easy to get lost in the book, and I truly appreciated the way it had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

If I had one small critique, it would be that at times the characters felt a little two-dimensional. I found myself wanting to know them more deeply because the story itself was so strong. Even so, I thoroughly enjoyed the book overall and I’m excited to see more from C. J. Dotson in the future.

ARC REVIEW -

Unsettling doesn’t even come close to describing this story. It’s a thriller/horror story about a one sided sibling rivalry. It bounces between different time periods so you get a little bit more of the picture each chapter. I sided with characters then yanked that support back so fast, then gave it back so many times. I did NOT expect the plot whiplash so the ending was surprising. I enjoyed the spooky vibes (never staring into a mirror again, thanks), the plot twists and the jumping times. I could not put it down!

This was a great mix of mystery, paranormal and psychological horror. Our main character made me so so angry in multiple points of the story, but I felt like that anger added to the atmosphere of the story. She was written to be despised. The twist in the story didnt surprise me BUT I do think it was very well executed. I liked that we thought we were getting another psychological horror then the author threw in paranormal and uncanny aspects that just made sense and flowed well with the plot. That was a very fun twist I did not see coming. The author has such a beautiful and descriptive prose that made this a solid and easy read. Overall, this was an enjoyable horror with many mixed subgenres that made it a rather unique read that I would recommend to someone looking for a jacket of all trades horror with a little bit of everything. Im also excited to read more from this author!

This book starts with the murder of Amber's parents.
And also with the betrayal of one of those involved.
When Amber, Ben and their children move into her once family home, strange and unexplainable things begin to happen. The ending you don't see coming!

A fantastic way to grip the reader to want to know what the heck happened!! And the twists don't just stop there. They are wound throughout the pages of this book. A definite must read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this arc.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this novel. The premise of this book was really good, with the main character being so unlikable that I was not disappointed with the ending. The paranormal activity had me scared of mirrors & I do not recommend reading this one at night. While I found some of the book to be repetitive and a bit overdone, I still really enjoyed it and look forward to another read by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

Quick synopsis: Amber, her husband Ben and two kids have just moved in to her recently deceased parent’s house. As soon as they move in, strange things begin to happen. Amber starts seeing things within the closets and mirrors. It’s not just things that she’s seeing she also is having other sensory type feelings. There are two timelines one in the present and one in the past revisiting Amber’s childhood. To go any further would involve spoilers so that’s just the basic gist of it.

This book was spooky in the best way. I really enjoyed the authors writing and how the story played out. I also really enjoyed the dual timeline POV to give us background on Amber. The ending had me SHOOK and I can’t wait to read more from this writer.

Wow. I don't call novels "scary" lightly, and this novel is SCARY. 4/5 stars.

Amber suffers from childhood trauma, and also from her parents' murder in their own home, which she now lives in. She's going through a lot. When she moves into her family home after her parents are murdered, she starts experiencing strange phenomenon. Her reflection's eyes are always closed, she hears strange whispers, her children start acting strange, and worst of all, she's not alone in experiencing all of this. She has to figure out what is going on, and quick, before she loses her mind completely.

I reaaaally enjoyed this novel! I felt a connection with the main character Amber, as she portrays symptoms of PTSD and BPD, both of which I personally have experience with. I truly found this novel creepy. I love all things horror, so of course I would read bits of this book right before bed, and it really freaked me out! I say this is going to be an extremely popular novel when it releases!

The author's prose is the perfect heart-pounding pace for a horror novel, and the story itself was so intriguing I couldn't put it down!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was definitely a chilling suburban horror novel. Not only will this book grip you right away it will most certainly scare you to your core. I didn’t expect to feel actual fear from this book but fear is what I got. This was a great mix of mystery, paranormal and psychological horror. I really enjoyed this atmospheric suburban horror! Its a haunting, gut-punch of a story that combines supernatural horror with psychological suspense, leaving you unsettled.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.

From the brutal opening to its chilling finale, These Familiar Walls is a tense, atmospheric read. Amber Hughes returns to her childhood home where her parents were murdered and Dotson blends grief, trauma, and the supernatural into an unsettling story.

The writing is vivid and immersive, with Nathan (the eerie neighbor) and Amber both standing out as well-drawn characters. While the middle section slowed more than I’d hoped, the shocking ending more than made up for it.

Creepy, detailed, and unforgettable, this is a haunting novel that lingers after the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC made available to review! This book is an easy 5 ⭐️ read for me.

Amber and her husband Ben return to live in her childhood home after the tragic loss of her parents who were murdered in that very house. The events of the past start to shape themselves into a terrifying haunting that starts to unravel the calm and sanity of the life Amber so desperately wants to achieve…

Not only will this book grip you right away it will most certainly scare you to your core. I didn’t expect to feel actual fear from this book but fear is what I experienced! The way the writer describes the events along with how being afraid can feel is perfect. I had a constant sense of dread as this story unfolded and the twists were delivered with just the right kind of clarity you expect from a twisty tale.

I highly recommend this book and cannot wait to pick up other titles by C.J Dotson.

Suburban horror never fails to give me goosebumps. It’s so easily frightening. The two different timelines wasn’t something I’d expected, but I enjoyed it a lot. I think the contrast was needed and it gave so much more context. It would be a stellar autumnal read

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read the advanced copy.

At the start of the book, I was excited and pumped to go on this journey, to see where we're lead. By the middle of the story, there were just words and the excitement had fizzled. Then my ADHD took over and there were only letters that made up words. I finished it because I commit to every book I read, but this one, unfortunately, won’t be one I will pick up again.

These Familiar Walls hooked me from the very first page. The novel opens with incredible intensity—Amber Hughes’ parents are brutally murdered in her childhood home, setting the stage for a chilling and unsettling story. Years later, Amber moves her own family back into the same house during the pandemic, searching for normalcy. But unsettling memories and strange happenings quickly blur the line between grief, trauma, and something sinister.

CJ Dotson’s writing is incredibly detailed and immersive, making it easy to visualize every scene. The atmosphere throughout the book is tense and uneasy, with moments that genuinely creeped me out. Nathan—the strange boy next door—was such a haunting and well-developed character, and as well as Amber. The character work overall was a highlight for me.

The ending was shocking and memorable, one that left me reeling. The only part that fell slightly flat was the pacing; after the intense start, the story slowed down more than I expected. While this likely served to build atmosphere and tension, I personally wanted the intensity of those opening pages to continue longer. Also, the use of the word “ghost” felt somewhat underwhelming against the otherwise gruesome, visceral descriptions that Dotson did so well.

Overall, These Familiar Walls is an unsettling, atmospheric, and at times terrifying read. With its graphic detail, strong character development, and shocking twists, it’s a story that definitely haunts you.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
The writing does a great job of building anxiety and atmosphere there were plenty of moments that left me tense, uneasy, and flipping pages faster just to see what would happen. There’s even a surprising little PG-13 spice scene tucked in among the scares.

The ending twists were partly predictable (I guessed some turns), but not everything played out the way I expected, which kept me hooked through the climax. By the final chapters I was fully invested, racing through to see how it all wrapped up.

Overall, I’d recommend this book if you’re looking for a fast, creepy read with ghostly chills, twisted family drama, and a few jaw-dropping reveals.

These Familiar Walls is an EXCEPTIONAL ghost story by CJ Dotson that genuinely unsettled me! The present timeline takes place in 2020 with flashbacks to how it all started in the 90s, NEITHER of the timelines provided much of a reprieve from the breathless chills this book gave me! 😅 Very twisty with an overarching feeling of dread, I highly recommend reading this at night for maximum spook! 🔥

Freaking amazing. The way the Dotson can paint a picture so clear you would think you were there in the story. Kept me guessing to the end.