Jo Nesbo has written a horror book, you say? And with a cover as beautiful as that, I am definitely in!!

But did he do a worthy job of it? Yes, I'd say so! Are you going to love it? I couldn't possibly comment. I think this is definitely going to be one of the big marmite books of 2023.

For me, my feelings about this book are exactly the same as I felt for How To Sell A Haunted by Grady Hendrix - Overall, I really enjoyed it. The horror elements are described brilliantly, the atmosphere works well, but there's just a lot going on that didn't connect in my head completely.

With The Night House, the story is told in three parts. I won't go into them in detail as I don't want to spoil the concept, but let's just say that the first part is a lot scarier than the rest of the book. I absolutely loved these scenes! They were so vivid and gruesome, and I was desperate to know what was going on.

The later parts then follow up with some explanations. But while the overall idea of this jigsaw puzzle feels very clever when I look back on it, the format felt very messy at the time of reading it. It is only 256 pages long so maybe another 50 pages could have been used to tie these parts together with more detail as I just needed it to come together a little stronger.

Would I recommend it still? Most definitely! There are lots of standout moments in this book which I can't stop thinking about, and it will be a great read over spooky season!

DNF. Not as captivating as Nesbo's other books with a confusing opening and a lot of peculiar language choices that sharply drew me out of the narrative.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I own a lot of Jo Nesbo books which I am ashamed to say I have not yet read but when I saw the cover of this one I just knew I had to read it. I really enjoyed this book, it was an interesting concept and from what I understand is not the usual Jo Nesbo style! There were a few good horror scenes and at one point I did question what on earth I was reading but after I had consumed it in its entirety I could appreciate them. I totally get why some people have not liked this one but I myself thought it was very clever, I would like to see more in this genre from this author.

I’ve never read from Jo Nesbo before but I’ve heard good things. Unfortunately I did not pick the right book to start my journey with him. I’ve now come to realise that I don’t enjoy coming of age arcs in books. I also found it to be a too slow for my liking. I will still give the author a second chance

I'm a big fan of Jo's Harry Hole books, as well as his standalones. This one's a standalone, and also a departure, as it's not crime but horror (and therefore perfect reading for this time of year). The beginning has Goosebumps vibes (I loved R.L. Stine as a kid!), and it just gets better from there really – plenty of twists, and Jo's trademark wit. Recommended for an autumn read as the nights draw in!

I've read many Jo Nesbo books and consider myself a fan of his Harry Hole character, so was keen to read a new book of horror rather than thriller. However, this book just didn't work for me. Written in three parts, starting with a YA feel, the whole thing felt like a rambling mish mash, constantly rehashing the same characters in slightly different roles. I couldn't wait to finish it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review of the book.

I ADORED this book and pretty much read in one sitting.

I wasn’t sure what to expect but this is a thrilling, twisty page turner that had me hooked from first page to last.

It starts with a Stephen King style horror opening and then, just keeps giving as an exciting drama about the ramifications of horror in childhood, romantic aspirations, bullying, trauma and so much more.

If you love an excellently written thrilling read, then, this is a must read.

In summary, it endorses my strongly held belief that, if an author is an excellent storyteller, the subject matter becomes almost secondary.

Amazing! Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for the opportunity to preview this 5* fabulous read.

I’ve only read one of Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole novels before, so this was probably less of an adjustment for me than it would be for an established fan. The genre switch is from thriller to horror. A 14-year-old boy, Richard Elauved, is sent to live with relatives out in the sticks after the death of his parents. Low on the pecking order in his new school, he hangs out with other outcasts but doesn’t seem to like them—bar one. Then one of his ‘friends’ goes missing in bizarre circumstances and nobody believes Richard’s outlandish story. When a second boy disappears, Richard is on his own in trying to uncover the truth.

This didn’t work for me. The first section, in terms of setting and plot reads like a Stephen King novel (a bit of swearing takes it slightly off the YA track), and though it becomes clear why that is, I still found the description of the horror elements lacking in impact and I found suspension of disbelief impossible. When the narrative shifts and the plot twists, it just didn’t carry me with it. To be fair, I have this problem with Stephen King, too.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books for an ARC to facilitate this review.

The Night House is a horror story in three parts, a new departure for Jo Nesbo.
The first part features a fourteen year old boy who witnesses a couple of horrific supernatural events and becomes a suspect in the eyes of the police. Suffice to say, in this section, he solves the mystery, survives the evil entity and gets the girl. At the end of this part of the story, I was ready to give up. The whole thing read like YA and there were huge, unexplained gaps in the plot.
However, I soldiered on with Part Two where the writing style changed, there was an explanation for the style of the first part and the horror became more overt with intense detail. The change in style was a bit disconcerting and I felt a bit cheated but, nevertheless, an interesting premise was developing.
The whole thing plummeted to earth with Part Three which was flat, dull and descriptive. Without giving any spoilers, I felt that Nesbo was attempting to emulate Stephen King’s ending to the Dark Tower series but it just didn’t come off, posing more questions than there were answers to.
At times, I found it hard to believe that Nesbo had written this book. He has been a favourite author of mine for a long time. I thoroughly enjoyed most of the Harry Hole series but, recently, his novels have become a bit … odd. Although I have been disappointed a few times now, I will keep reading his books in the hope his plotting will level off again.
I was supplied with an advance reader copy of this book in return for an honest opinion. All opinions are my own.

Having read the majority of the Harry Hole series by Jo Nesbo this short book is very different but most enjoyable. The key to writing this style of book is to produce a very detailed narrative for the reader to create clear pictures in their mind. The translation is excellent and as with all this authors books you are not aware that it was originally written in another language.

Jo Nesbo at his best in this simple/complex/clever story/ puzzle/enigma.
I really enjoyed this latest novel from this storytelling genius.
Many thanks to the author for a great read, and to the publisher for an advanced reader's copy for honest review.

I enjoyed The Night House!
I could not put this book down and as it was quite short i managed to finish it in one sitting.

I thought it was written well and I really like the main character, I thought they were great!
It had some good creepy moments and I really liked the ending!

I definitely recommend it especially with Halloween coming up!
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

📞 REVIEW 📞

The Night House by Jo Nesbø

⭐️⭐️⭐️

A very different book from Nesbø, but nevertheless one worth your time if you’re a fan of mystery/horror stories and coming-of-age narratives.

Here we follow Richard, a fourteen-year-old staying with his aunt and uncle in the wake of his parents tragic death. He quickly gains the reputation as the town bad boy, something that’s solidified when his new friend Tom goes missing. In a supernatural spin, Tom is quite literally sucked into a telephone receiver but no one believes what Richard witnessed that fateful day. Other strange events continue to unfold and with the help of fellow outcast, Karen, Richard must try and solve the mystery of The Night House.

This one ended up being middle of the road for me! A novel of three parts, each section came with its own twists and turns but I must say, part one remains my favourite as I believe it was the strongest. Although parts two and three revealed some interesting twists, I missed both the vibes and general atmosphere of part one, and wished it had continued in that vein.
Nevertheless I had a fun ride as it included various tropes I enjoy: a coming-of-age narrative; supernaturalism meets reality; a spooky house; an unreliable narrator; and a twist you can’t predict!
With shades of Stephen King, Richard Chizmar and Chuck Wendig, this is one might be good for fans of IT, The Boogeyman, and The Book of Accidents. While it may not have been a five-star read for me, there’s still a lot to like about The Night House so go check it out for yourself!

Publication date: 28 September 2023

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @vintagebooks for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Ugh yet another book I couldn’t put down! This story had me strapped in from the start!
Creepy and fantastic!
Thank you to Netgalleyand the publisher for allowing me early access to this title

Wow!!!!!!! This book is absolutely amazing. Very well written and kept me completely hooked. Very reminiscent of Stephen King.

I really enjoyed this short horror novel, I think it will be the perfect recommendation (when spooky season comes around) and people who don't normally read horror ask for a horror book. This reads like a classic old fashioned horror novel, suspend your disbelief and enjoy the horrific ride!

I loved the way it was written and I thought the main character was brilliant and carried the novel well! And the side characters were very easy to remember and the parts they played felt integral to the plot. Honestly this book made me ready for Halloween

14 year old Richard’s friend gets eaten by a phone and then another one gets turned into an animal. He gets blamed for their disappearances. There’s a spooky house in the woods. Whas gon on…

I’ve never read any Jo Nesbo before but I’m familiar with his name - he was part of that wave of Scandinavian crime writers that followed the success of Stieg Larsson - and I’m a sucker for haunted house stories so my curiosity was piqued. Would a bestselling crime writer be able to pull off a horror novel?

The answer is a definitive FUCK. NO. The Night House is awful.

I loved RL Stine’s Goosebumps books when I was a kid. The Night House might be an homage to Stephen King and Ray Bradbury but it has much more in common with Goosebumps, although it’s not even close to being as good as any of those books. This is just crap, unimaginative YA pseudo-horror.

The story is dreary, the twists aren’t shocking but somehow manage to make the story less interesting, and they keep coming too - not that they add up to anything. Suffice it to say, there’s nothing remotely scary about this book besides the frightening amount of boredom it consistently elicits.

Some of the features of the story are plain annoying - words that sound like nonsense are obviously spelled backwards or convey clear codes. It’s amazing that amateurish crud like that made it to the final edit - Nesbo’s either a dimwit for thinking details like this are clever or this really is aimed at very young readers.

Nesbo’s prose is totally unremarkable but maybe his storytelling is better with his Harry Hole crime stories - I don’t know and I’m not fussed about finding out either. Regardless, he absolutely isn’t a good horror storyteller and The Night House was a complete waste of time. Reader beware - abandon all hope of an interesting read, all ye who pick this rubbish up!

4.5 stars

If you’re expecting a crime Harry Hole type novel then think again as one of my favourite authors takes us in a different direction here.

After his parents tragically die in a house fire, Richard Elauved is sent to live in rural, remote Ballatyne with his aunt and uncle. Richard becomes an outcast amongst his classmates though it’s fair to say that he doesn’t help himself. When fellow student Tom goes missing no one believes the strange and horrifying tale that Richard tells, except for Karen. This is just the start of some dark and destructive happenings with Richard become increasingly desperate to prove his innocence. Richard narrates the story which is split into three parts.

Wow! This is a shortish novel at 224 pages but it sure packs a punch and that punch differs in each of the sections with the style of writing altering too. This is one of several clever elements contained within these pages. Some of the images especially in Parts 1 and 2 are so vividly surreal they jump off the pages as if they are a horror film and there are some great film references to support this. This novel has everything you would want from a horror story, from dark forests to local legends to creepy haunted houses - the Night House of the title and which the excellent cover replicates so effectively. There are some yukky, gruesome incidents in places with a moody, spooky, eerie, secretive, sinister and evil tone which induces fear. To say there is atmosphere in abundance is an understatement. It’s chock full of tension and suspenseful moments with those horror Stephen King like vibes centre stage.

In Part 1 the story is pure horror which is when Richard is aged 14 and Part 2 is fifteen years later and several times in this section I almost shout ‘Whaaattt?’ or words to that effect. My mind blows and then I think I’m starting to make sense of it and then Jo Nesbø bends your mind again and there’s a mind blow that almost sends me into orbit. In Part 3, everything unlocks, it starts to slot into place, we learn things, we grow in understanding- or do we???? I love the way the author keeps you guessing right to the end with the final twist and the rest is up to you.

Overall, this is a very well written and compelling novel that has the reader asking a multitude of questions and there are some little breadcrumbs to follow along this very different and twisty journey. Here is proof that you don’t need 400+ pages to deliver a punchy wow factor and often less is more.

This publishes in the UK on 28/9 and would make an excellent spooky season choice.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House UK, Vintage for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

The Night House is a bit of a departure from a normal Nesbo novel. It reads like an early Stephen King, with horror and the supernatural blended effortlessly to create a fast paced and interesting novel.

Its so cleverly constructed into 3 parts, which brilliantly bring the story together towards its gripping conclusion. It’s a fun, slightly creepy read, and as a short book, its quite easy to get through in one sitting.

This wasn't really what I was expecting. It felt like more of a young adult vibe but was still a quick fun read. It started off with a bang but then it drifted off a bit and didn't really keep up the horror like I expected. Readable but doesn't really rate as an adult horror