Okay so… if you’ve been following me since the beginning, you should know that I really really enjoyed Stephanie Perkins’ contemporary romance trilogy, it was cute, adorable and well written. So, when I heard she was writing something new, I got excited, no matter the genre, I knew I’d read it. But… this is as far from I expected as it gets. I didn’t enjoy it one bit, it was dull, unexciting and just overall not the kind of horror book I like.

The writing is my favorite part of the book and the only thing that made me read as much as I did, it’s hypnotizing, and in good Stephanie Perkins fashion, the prose is simple and easy to read but still really enjoyable. One thing that is worth mentioning is that at some point through the novel there’s deadnaming and misgendering of a trans character that is called out as bad but still, it’s unnecessary and insensitive, especially coming from a cis writer. Now, it is said that those parts will be removed from the finished copies (I only read an eArc) but I can’t vouch for how good the modifications will be, so, just in case, I’m throwing it out there that they do exist in the arc but will hopefully be removed from the finished copies.

The plot is… I don’t even have words for it. Severly underwhelming. It starts with a bang and just flops. Even though I did not finish the book, I know how it ends and the murderer’s identity as well as their reasons for killing people do not make sense, it just feels random and like something thrown together at the last minute. The build-up to it is a huge problem too because… There is no build-up, I was never scared nor horrified by the events, why you may ask? Because this book isn’t horror in my opinion. It is a romance book with horror breaks every few chapters.

The book is written from Makani’s POV and she virtually knows nothing about the murder, has no link to them nor to most people who die throughout the novel, aside from the fact that they go to school with her. And the way the book is written is Makani and Ollie getting closer, resolving their conflicts and being cute together with a murder happening every few chapters. But here’s the thing, the murder’s might be very gore-y and graphic but they have no element of surprise because the book changes POV suddenly and gets narrated by the person who gets murdered so we know that that person will die before the killer even shows up.

Makani is certainly something. I didn’t like her and it wasn’t her fault. She’s nice enough but the author gave her this heavily secreted backstory that she kept hinting to every other page and it frustrated me. And as expected… that was underwhelming as well when revealed. I just don’t like it in general when a character has a “big secret” and does not reveal it through most of the narration, the narration is in her freaking head, why is she censoring herself?

Also, Makani is black-hawaiian and she felt… very stereotypical to me, I haven’t seen this criticism much (aside from a conversation I had about it with a friend who agrees) but she felt like she was done for diversity point. The only ways it was shown that she wasn’t white is by throwing around hawaiian dishes’ names and sentences that POC say, no real backbone to her being black nor Hawaiian really beside those random things that didn’t sit well with me. Add to that the fact that the author use “half-X, half-Y” to say she’s biracial. Just no. Unless the author is biracial and okay with being referred to that way, this is not a good look. 

Anyway, this wasn’t a book for me and it took me 3 days to get through a bit over 100 pages, which… says a lot knowing that I had no Internet then and could’ve read the whole thing in a sitting. I love Stephanie Perkins’ contemporary romances, but horror just doesn’t work.

Wow, I loved this book so much more than I thought I was going to! Now that makes it sound like I went into reading it with a negative attitude but I have just never read a book from the horror genre before, YA or adult so I was a little worried but boy was this a fab read. Stephanie Perkins just has this way of engaging you in her worlds and getting you to love her characters that works whether it is in the romance genre or in the horror genre. I really loved that this book was a young adult book but it has definitely encouraged me to read a little more into the horror genre!

This book features Makani and the other teens who attend her high school in rural Nebraska. The setting of this novel was perfect for what takes place at the plot unfolds and it was really well described so i could picture myself there in the town with all of them. The storyline is generally fast paced. There is a balance of scene setting and then horror action with Makani takin every other chapter or very 2 our of three chapters so that we really get to know her as the main character, as well as what is going on with the murders.

Makhani was a good choice of the main character because she is easy to like but shed also is a little different from the people in her high school. The fact that she stands out and also that she has some sort of secret to hide made her interesting to read about. I would say that Ollie is the supporting character in this book and I really liked him and reading about him. Him and his brother are not only key players in the novel, but also key players in the town where the novel is set.

There are some other diverse characters in this novel, which is great to see because we definitely need to be reading about more diverse characters and more diverse books in general obviously, but I just felt at times that these diverse characters were accepted almost too easily by the town, I would have loved to have known the impact that they had on the community and how they managed to live so freely and be so welcomed by the community in this way.

This book definitely scared me in part and really does compare well to the film suggested in the synopsis. I normally sleep with the window open, but the night that I read this novel, i got up to close the window, not that I was affected or anything! This had some great suspense but also some really storylines about each of the characters that made for a great read. As I said above, this author really knows how to engage an audience, whatever genre she is writing in and i would definitely recommend this book even if, like me, you are not usually a horror reader!

There’s Someone Inside Your House, the latest release by Stephanie Perkins, is much like Ronseal paint. It does what it says on the tin. It is a creepy thriller about a psychopath coming into certain people’s houses and killing them off one by one.

The story focuses on Makani, a relatively new girl to Nebraska. She has managed to make a small pocket of friends and is just trying to keep her head down, graduate high school before she leaves for pastures new. But when she becomes the latest victim of these heinous attacks Makani’s life gets turned upside down.

Having read previous releases by Stephanie Perkins, I can honestly say There’s Someone Inside Your House is very different from the French Kiss series. I liked it but if you are expecting something similar you will be disappointed.

For intensity, surprising twists and breathtaking pacing you really need to read There’s Someone Inside Your House.

There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins is available now.

For more information regarding Stephanie Perkins (@naturallysteph) please visit www.stephanieperkins.com.

For more information regarding Pan Macmillan (@panmacmillan) please visit www.panmacmillan.com.

I was granted a free copy of this from Netgalley in leu of a review and this has not influenced my final thoughts posted on websites.

I am a big fan of Stephanie Perkins, though I was late to finding her as I only read her a few months before, but I was very excited when the same friend who introduced me to her other books told me that a completely different kind of book was going to be published soon. So I began watching out for it to appear on Netgalley and was pleased when I not only found it, but also was granted a free ebook version of it. I unfortunately couldn't immediately sink into it, but once I had a free night so that I didn't have to worry about the consequences of staying up so late, I sat down and began to read.

I wasn't immediately blown away, but after a few chapters I found myself not only getting used to the differences in plot and also the fewer flowery sentences that I particularly enjoy from this author. Once again there is no trap of the main character (Makani Young) immediately becoming popular with everyone desperate to know her or be seen around her, helped by the fact that there have been several months since she first arrived in the town to stay with her grandmother. She has two friends, who are well described with personalties that define them as easily heard through their sentences and actions. There is a great dynamic of Makani still feeling like an outsider even with the two of them, since they have been friends for many years, carefully tinged with an idea that part of it might be due to her own unwillingness to speak of her own past. This mystery that causes the main character to maintain walls between herself and everyone else is a running theme, and has an actual point to this so its completely in tune with the entire theme of the book. It's something I enjoyed, and made sure that nearly everything within the book has a reason to be there.

It's a good way to wrap up the novel, but unfortunately it is at the end, the part where I thought I would find the most enjoyment since this was a brilliant thriller up to then, that it all fell apart. The entire book feels as though it collapses upon the reveal, losing quite a bit of its feeling of danger and heightened suspense since there are only a few chapters left and so it has to wrap up quickly. And it feels like it. There has been brilliant stepping stones to help the reader reach this tipping point, and then I lost interest. My attention wandered as the main character and her friends desperately ran around all of the town, and then just hit rock bottom upon hitting those final pages.

I felt as though I was watching one of those time-wasting movies of suspense, where they want some kind of happy ending. And it hurt that I came to that conclusion, because several of the sudden deaths were of characters that I had liked, had enjoyed every single time they entered a scene. Yet for all of that hard-hitting blows, there's a light left and that glimpse of hope ruined it for me. It's difficult to explain any further, since it would ruin the ending, but for that to remain, after everything, meant I felt as though it had lost all purpose and heart. After all of those pages, I can't bring myself to want to purchase this book, after being really excited to get my hands on it. I am glad I read it, but I'm not sure if I would recommend it for anyone who isn't a fan of the author. Anyone who likes the genre of thriller will probably be just as disappointed as I am about that ending.

So, this only gets Two Stars from me. I hope that if the author continues in this genre that the brilliance that shines through the entire novel will last right past the ending, instead of losing its quality at the very last hurdle.

This was somewhat disappointing. While I loved the contemporary books by Stephanie Perkins, this one was not appealing to me at all. The genre mix of romance and horror just didn’t work for me. If it would have been centered about one of these two it would have worked, but now it made for a confusing and little boring read. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan!

As a gory slasher story compared to the likes of Scream, There's Someone Inside Your House delivers exactly what it says on the cover. It wasn't as much of a horror as I was expecting, most of the scare-factor for me was in the moving of things around the house: that heightened the tension and spooked me far more than the murders themselves.

The murders are gory though, the descriptions are vivid and the killer clearly takes some pleasure in deciding how to display each of the mutilated bodies, although we never really find out why this was. I've seen a lot of reviews complain about finding out who the murderer was so early (it's about half way through) but I loved this and I found the second half far more tense and fascinating as we tried to work out why this person was killing their classmates and who they were going to attack next.

I found There's Something Inside Your House to be more of a contemporary romance and story of friendship with a background of slasher-film-style murders, and it's very successful at this. I don't think the romance would have happened in the same way if it weren't for the murders and I loved the way that the murders and the events of the story brought the friends closer together.

The characters are well-written and all interesting in their own ways. Ollie is an outsider, he stands out from others with his pink hair, and this leads to him being suspected at various times by various others in the story. Makani fascinates me: her troubled relationship with her narcissistic mother really struck a chord with me and I wanted her to be happy. We know from the start that she is hiding something and that even her closest friends don't know what it is. When it is revealed, it is horrifying, but not quite what I was imagining.

Stephanie gives her readers some brilliant surprises as the story goes on, there are some real upsets and the ending is every bit as dramatic as you would hope. There's Someone Inside Your House is definitely worth a read, just don't go into it expecting it to be all horror.

This is definitely more a teen romance with a few horror elements - which is fine, just not for me. I'm more into 90% horror, 10% romance, whereas this was the reverse.

Also (SPOILERS AHEAD):
The tension is oddly (by which I mean badly) handled. The killer is revealed halfway through the book, and it's not someone with consequence or relevance to the plot. Then Makani's big secret - the reason she thinks she's been targeted by the killer - is revealed 2/3 of the way through, and it's... not that bad. Nowhere near bad enough to be targeted by a killer, or for her to have so much guilt over it. A lot of it's to do with cutting off a girl's hair, and I don't know if it's just that I have short hair, but I don't see the big deal. She says she ruined the girl's life - I mean, really? I get that it was upsetting, but hair grows. If that's the sort of thing that ruins your life, you have an enviably easy life. It's not a nice thing to do, but it's not like Makani killed or sexually assaulted or physically damaged anyone. So, all in all, a bit of a damp squib.

Best known for her dreamy debut Anna and the French Kiss, popular contemporary YA author Stephanie Perkins turns her hand to horror in There’s Someone Inside Your House, with mixed results. In this book, which sees high school students stalked by a depraved killer, Perkins equates bloody with scary, so while gore scores high, there is little in the way of suspense or tension and not so much as a sniff of a killer twist to catch the reader off guard. As someone who has read and enjoyed much of Perkins’ previous works and is also a fan of the horror genre, it’s no exaggeration to stay that There’s Someone Inside Your House was one of my most anticipated reads of 2017, but the truth is I found this one tough going at times ---and not only because I prefer a slow-burn thriller to a bloody gore fest.

Makani Young has been living in rural Nebraska, where football rules and corn is king, for little over a year when the murders begin. A transfer from Hawaii, Makani moved to live with her grandmother at the height of her parents’ acrimonious divorce. At least that’s the official story. As for the actual truth behind Makani’s arrival in Nebraska, well that’s something so terrible that Makani is willing to take to her grave: sooner rather than later if the high-school slasher has anything to do with it.

So, when we meet Makani students are dropping like flies; throats slashed to bits and brains sliced to ribbons. Yum. Initially, Makani and her snarky group of friends are not too concerned about the murders, preferring to gossip about their dead contemporaries rather than showing any type of genuine concern for the victims or their families. Yeah. I guess you could say that I didn’t really warm to Makani and friends. Let’s just say if Makani’s so-snarky-it-hurts friend Alex was next up on the killers’ hit list, it really wouldn’t have bothered me at all. As for Makani, well she’s got other things on her mind, important things like her crush on edgy loner Ollie, who wears a lot of black and has hot pink hair. In rural Nebraska, or anywhere else in the world, Ollie stands out from the crowd - and Makani is hot for that. However, since Ollie is a little different from the rest and has a tragic backstory to boot, Makani’s friends immediately peg him as the serial killer. See, I told you they were a great bunch!

Ollie serves as a very willing love interest but he’s also a source of information as his older brother is a local cop who regularly leaves his case files lying open on the kitchen table. Cue gruesome descriptions of murder victims as Makani and Ollie decide to sneak a peek in between hook-ups. Whatever turns you on! Makani and Ollie might be loved up, but let’s not forget there’s a killer on the loose, and he’s moving in on Makani. That’s right, our girl is next up on the killer’s hit list. But why? Does this have to do with Makani’s deep, dark secret? What is the motive behind the killings? That is the question. Unlike the killer reveal, which comes early on in the story, it’s the motive behind the killings that’s meant to keep readers guessing. The actual motive behind the killings? Well, that was a let-down. The cornfields were creepy, though. You just know very bad things are going to happen when cornfields and horror combine.

I really, really, really wanted to like There’s Someone Inside Your House, but overall I have to say it was a miss for me. If you like gruesome slasher-flicks where gore is everything, then maybe this one is for you. As for me, I was hoping that the ‘motive reveal’ would save this somewhat lacklustre tale, but on that count, this one really didn’t come through for me. Some you win, some you lose, I guess.


P.S: I did think the stop-start romance between Makani and Ollie was cute in a very real and awkward wires-crossed kind of way. I just don’t think that should have been my favourite part of this horror show, y’know?

link to online review: http://daisychainbookreviews.blogspot.ie/2017/10/book-review-theres-someone-inside-your.html

I thought this got off to a great start there was enough tension and mystery surrounding who the murderer was, that I 100% would never have guessed who it was, it was someone I was not expecting and I think that's what made it for me. However I feel as soon as the murderer was revealed it kinda went down hill, it lost some of the tension and I felt like they were just cramming in more murders for the sake of it. The motive behind the attacks felt like a bit of a stretch, I was like REALLY!! It also seemed rather cheesy for me with it being set at Halloween and it reminded me a lot of Scream Queens. It wasn't a bad book, I did find it hard to put down, but not one I would necessarily read again.

I received an e-copy of this book via NetGalley to review!

I started reading this book last night before bed and made it to 90% of the way before I decided to go to sleep, reading horror books before bed is usually a stupid thing for me to do as I usually dream about them but I was so exhausted I didn't even think about it as I drifted off.

We begin this book by diving straight into a murder, before we meet the main character Makani who has a secret for why she has moved from Hawaii to Osbourne, Nebraska, but we don't find out what the secret is until we are somewhere past the half way point of the book.

I wouldn't say that this was your typical horror story at all. In all of the horror books I've read so far, the people who get murdered are usually character's in which you have formed an connection with and part of the main story but in this book it was just people we don't really see much of in Makani's school, I did enjoy this book, it was exciting, intriguing and it was intense and some parts adorable and cute! We also find out who the killer is about half way through, it was a character who had been barely mentioned but I suppose Stephanie might've chosen him because they're one of those 'invisible' people who never get noticed.

I have to say that this was the perfect read for getting into the Halloween spirit! I highly recommend this book if you are also looking for something to read for October/Halloween it's just right, it was fast paced, easy to get into, draws you in straight away with a horrific murder there's even a cute romance in the books as well as a serial killer running around. 

I've never read Stephanie Perkin's other books, Anna and the French Kiss series, I own it but I think I will eventually read it, somewhen, I have an overwhelming TBR of more than 100 books...

It was a fine read. It felt too cinematic. And sometimes draggy.
I was unable to connect with the characters which was aweful. Though storyline was compelling.

I have to say I only picked this up because I really like Perkins' writing style and characters. Obviously it's very different from her other books and I'm not sure it quite hit the mark. I liked it, it's not my usual genre, but even I could tell it was standard high school slasher. Oh, and I do have to mention definite trigger warnings for gore, as well as severe hazing/mentions of suicide.

Makani was a decent protagonist - her Hawaiian culture was very important to her and very obviously out of place in her new home. She had been shipped over by divorcing parents to her grandmother's, partly so she wasn't involved in the separation and partly so she could have a new start after some horrible incident at her old school. This was mentioned a lot and left me speculating more and more bizarre things that could have happened, but when it was finally revealed - yes it was horrific - it was a little bit of a let down. Her love interest, Olly, was the typical tortured, shy goth boy but he got some very good development and he really was quite sweet.

Overall I liked it, but didn't always feel like a horror story - the crimes were gruesome and there was, for the most part, that sense of someone looking over your shoulder. But it was also very character driven and a surprising amount of romance - which I like in a story but I can understand why others didn't appreciate it.

I ate up this murderous thriller in a few days (I would have been faster if I'd had the time!)

Makani Young is sent from Hawaii to live with her grandmother in Nebraska, but her past is hard to forget. One by one the students of her new high school begin to die in a series of gory murders...

The pace of this novel kept me coming back for more, and the gore (though unexpectedly detailed and gross) heightened the shock factor of this thriller murder mystery!

I found Makani's secret from her past a bit off (but I suppose it is very much an Americanised situation.) And her parent's absence and lack of detail regarding them and the family relationship a bit disappointing.

The romance gets quite raunchy ;) for a teen book. And there are lots of interesting and loveable characters throughout. I predict this will be a hit in my library with the older teens!

I was kindly given a proof of this novel for review, by net galley.

There's a killer on the loose in the small town of Osborne. Before the killer brutally attacks the victims, he messes with their heads, misplaces items around their home and generally fucks with them.

This book is described as YA meets Scream and that's pretty accurate. A teen slasher movie, but written as a YA novel, and I couldn't get enough. It takes a lot to scare me when it comes to visuals, whether it's TV shows or movies, I just don't get scared. However, books are an entirely different story. Somehow, a well-written book can take me inside the story as though I'm there, and Perkins did an excellent job of creeping me out with this one. I loved all of the characters especially Makani, our strong MC, and I even loved the killer in a strange, fucked-up way, meaning I loved the way Perkins wrote him and made someone who was so normal on the outside so messed up and terrifying. With a perfect amount of relationship-building, character history and action, this book is incredible.

I would highly highly recommend reading this book, particularly as it's coming up to Halloween and the book is set in this season. Stephanie Perkins, please write more YA horror!

I’ve been waiting for this book for the longest time. Probably along with the rest of Perkins’ fans, right? There’s Someone Inside Your House had a completely different feel to it than any of Perkins’ contemporary novels. I think if I hadn’t known they were by the same author then I wouldn’t have connected the dots.


There’s Someone Inside Your House is a short book, but it doesn’t lack the classic slasher horror feel that was revived with movies like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Perkins writes some excellent creepy scenes. In the book, the killer messed with people by moving things around the house and leaving cabinets open. While paranormal horror doesn’t tend to get to me, I am always thoroughly creeped out by home invasion stories, and I think Perkins hit the nail on the head here. It was so freaking spine-tingling! Plus, there was a good amount of gore. Like, a huge amount. Don’t read this book if you’re sensitive.

The main character, Mariko, is mixed race, and one of her close friends is transgender. Yay, representation! I feel like the close friend could have had more to do though.

I do have a couple of complaints, though. First of all, there was too much romance. I’m not a massive fan of romance anyway, and if I’m reading a horror/slasher/thriller, I don’t want to be reading about teenagers falling in love and/or getting it on. There doesn’t need to be romance just because it’s YA! The romance in this wasn’t too over the top, thankfully, but I didn’t care for it. Especially because it was such a short book.

My other issue was that the “big reveal” was a bit crap. I was expecting it to be better, or at least for there to be more to it. If you’re expecting There’s Someone Inside Your House to be a really intelligent and twisty tale, then you should probably lower your expectations. Go into it expecting a gory horror novel, but it’s definitely not full of twists and shocking reveals.

That said, I’d definitely be interested in reading other thrillers or horror novels written by Perkins. This wasn’t a bad book by any means, it just wasn’t as hard hitting as I had hoped.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book, unfortunately I was unable to finish it.

Overall a good story but not nearly as horror chill inducing as I was expecting or what was promised. It was an OK read - a bit predictable. 2.75/5 stars.

This isn’t quite the scary horror story I was hoping for but it’s definitely an enjoyable read.

I have to confess I had my doubts when Perkins announced that she was writing a horror story. She’s my go to author for light and fluffy contemporary romance, so how could she possibly switch over to dark and scary horror. It was going to be either brilliant or terrible.

Having now devoured it in more or less one sitting, I would say it probably falls somewhere in between. There are more than a few problems with the horror side of the story (so it’s not brilliant) but there is a lot to love about it which goes some way to make up for any shortcomings. There is plenty of diversity, our main character is a POC with a friend who is trans, there are wonderfully real family relationships and none of the characters are perfect.

Main character Makani possibly wasn’t the most likeable character in the beginning but she did grow on me through the story. The romantic interest is probably not making my book boyfriend list but there is something kinda sweet (and also mysterious) about him, and the other characters, while not being particularly well fleshed out, are very believable and after only a few pages you get a real sense of them.

The story itself is very Scream-esque, beginning with the brutal murder of a girl from their school, followed by more sudden and seemingly unconnected slayings of their fellow students. Speculation over who the killer could be is rife and with no pattern in the victims anyone could be next. It’s classic horror and is absolutely packed full of all of the horror tropes and themes, something I absolutely loved.

Unfortunately however it lacks the tension and sense of danger to make it a really scary read. The characters who are bumped off are for the most part pretty minor so it’s difficult to care about them, Makani spends most of her time obsessing over a boy (there’s a LOT of kissing) and worrying the dark secret from her past is going to come out and the killings are a little ridiculous at times. I also think too much is revealed too soon and some of the characters motivations and secrets just don’t make sense or aren’t properly fleshed out.
Despite these problems however, I did find it quite an addictive and enjoyable read, although I have to confess that was probably more for the romance than anything else.

It is a book that seems to be getting some very mixed reviews at the moment but I would recommend you give it a go, and if horror is not your thing I promise, it’s not that scary.

Oh my goodness. Where do I begin with this book?

I really enjoyed this book. I'm not usually the type who likes scary things. I hate horror for the sake of horror (i.e. movies that make you jump just to scare the pants off of you), and I think of myself as more of a thriller kind of girl. So I'll admit I was a bit hesitant about reading There's Someone Inside Your House. But, seeing as though I've always loved Stephanie Perkins' books, I decided that I was going to read this one regardless of my initial thoughts. I'm glad I did.

This book got right into the action in the first chapter, which I loved! There's nothing worse than a book that drags on with a slow burn. Also, I definitely was not terrified by this book. It has some great horror elements, but it didn't keep me up at night. That being said, there was one evening where I was reading this book rather late in the night, with all of the lights out (it was an e-ARC), and I heard some noises in my house, which set my heart pounding. I later found out it was my mom doing some weird things in the house, but boy, was I a little nervous. I even got up to double-check the house for anything suspicious.

I think if you go into this book expecting a full-on horror novel, you will be disappointed. But if you keep in mind that Stephanie Perkins is a contemporary writer, I think you will be very happy with this book. There's plenty of romance within this book to appease those who want more of Perkins' swoon boys, but it doesn't feel like it's too much for the genre. That's not to say that there isn't a lot of intrigue and mystery going on surrounding the killer.

I gave There's Someone Inside Your House 4/5 stars.

I feel like this book was more concerned about all the romance than the you know, murder that was going on...