This book was a fever dream in the best way. I love our cast of characters they are relatable and highly flawed but seeing them face their issues and growing was so satisfying.
The plot is creepy and intense but in an engaging way I couldn’t put this down every twist and turn shocked and awed me

#Netgalley

Listen To Your Sister is a debut novel; I had to let that sink in after reading it. This is such a well-written book, BUT it’s weird as all hell. I really liked it.

Described as “Jordan Peele movies meets Stranger Things, meets The Other Black Girl”, I couldn’t resist giving it a go. There’s a lot of body horror in here, which isn’t my thing at all, but the dialogue is both witty and at times incredibly poignant, so it balances well.

Calla Williams is now her younger brother’s guardian, and it’s a struggle. She has to keep leaving work to sort out Jamie’s many misdeeds in school and spends her nights worrying about him after he sneaks out with friends. Their brother, Dre, was supposed to be helping her look after Jamie, but he’s more concerned with his own life, so lets Calla down time and again.
After an anti-police protest that Jamie attends goes drastically wrong, all three are forced to go on the run.
Unfortunately during all of this, Calla continues to have the same recurring nightmare she’s had for years, where her brothers are in terrible danger but she can’t help them.
Somehow their arrival at a remote Airbnb cabin that looks more like a shack from a horror movie, causes Calla’s dream to bleed into reality. Nothing good can come of that.

This is like walking through someone else’s fever dream; it’s confusing and disorientating at times, but throughout, the relationships between the siblings remains at the core of the story, like an anchor, which makes it readable. Without that, I would have given up on this one; I’m not great with abstract concepts.

Grounding the story in reality further are the many real-life issues the family faces; police brutality against black people (young men especially), drug abuse, abandonment, the death of a parent, lack of opportunities, and childhood trauma.

The horror elements are quite creepy; I’m not squeamish but I wanted to cover my eyes more than once 😅🫣

This is for sure one of the more original books I’ve read recently, it’s not even horror in the traditional sense but something else entirely; a new genre of its own maybe. Definitely worth a read but not a book I would recommend to everyone!

Sorry it’s a DNF at 35% - the narrative is all over the place switching between characters but also between what is seemingly past/present - very difficult to keep up with what’s going on and I don’t care enough about the characters to continue.

Never read anything like this!! It’s like someone shoved jordan peele’s us into a blender and blitzed it with a splash of surreal horror. Did i understand a lot of what was going on? Not really, some parts were very confusing to grasp and I don’t think I still have.
But did i have a good time reading it? Hell yeah. The writing was great, supple without being too purple. The pacing did feel odd, it was super slow then accelerates from the middle till the end and doesn’t let up.

many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for supplying me with an early copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

Neena Viel’s Listen to Your Sister is a gripping fusion of family drama and surreal horror, where the bonds between siblings are tested in a fight for survival. Viel delivers a tense, emotionally charged story with sharp twists that leave the reader reeling.

At its core, the novel is about twenty-five-year-old Calla Williams, who is thrust into a caretaker role after becoming the guardian of her reckless teenage brother Jamie. Calla’s exhaustion and frustration are palpable, making her an incredibly relatable and complex protagonist. Her recurring nightmares of her brothers dying form a chilling thread throughout the story, forewarning the chaos to come.

Jamie, full of impetuous teenage energy, and Dre, the absent older brother whose promises ring hollow, round out the trio. Their dynamic feels raw and authentic, capturing the intricacies of sibling relationships: love and loyalty intertwined with resentment and disappointment.

When a protest gone awry forces the siblings into hiding, the story takes a hair-raising turn. The remote cabin, straight out of a slasher film, becomes the perfect backdrop for the novel’s descent into a reality-bending nightmare. Viel expertly blends the mundane struggles of family life with supernatural elements, creating a setting where the boundaries of reality seem to unravel.

The novel’s strength lies in its relentless pacing and the way it balances horror with heartfelt emotion. The surreal, funhouse-mirror-like threats the siblings face mirror their internal turmoil, forcing them to confront not only external dangers but also the cracks in their relationships.

Listen to Your Sister is an electrifying ride that defies genre expectations. Equal parts heart-wrenching and horrifying, it explores the sacrifices we make for family and the lengths we’ll go to protect the ones we love. Fans of thrillers with emotional depth and surreal horror will find themselves unable to put this one down.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Listen to Your Sister, Neena Viel's horror debut, follows the siblings Calla, Dre and Jamie, navigating their tumultuous relationship and the realities of racism in the USA. The blurb misrepresents it a bit, focusing on the cabin, so I was expecting cabin in the woods type of horror. In reality, we don't get to the cabin till about the halfway mark, and it is very much not the focus of the horror elements of the story.

The novel has been compared to the work of Grady Hendrix, both for better and for worse. Similarly to the best of Hendrix's writing, the core of Viel's novel is the emotional bond between the siblings. It really reminded me of How to Sell a Haunted House, a personal favourite, in the extent to which the horror element is steeped in the interpersonal dynamics of the characters and their family bond. While not as expertly delivered as How to Sell (which is unsurprising, as Hendrix was far from a debut author when he published it), it is still crafted more than competently. The last 20% or so, almost exclusively driven by the siblings' relationship, is a real highlight of the novel, delivering emotional punches and some tense horror scenes.

Sometimes it felt that Viel either tried a bit too hard to go for snarky campy writing someone like Hendrix excels at, at the expense of establishing her own unique voice. She is clearly capable of some wonderful passages and interesting metaphors, especially evident in the Jamie chapters. Although I got a very clear sense of who Calla and Jamie were, I wish Dre was given a little bit more depth to take him beyond the emotionally absent daddy's favourite middle child. The narrative is written to be driven by the relationship between the three of them, but it felt like it relied on Calla's and Jamie's bond at the expense of Dre.

The novel suffers a little bit from pacing issues. The first half or so is the setup, which could have been condensed to about a third. The 60 to 80% mark, the beginning of the true 'horror' story, is an absolute slog, and some of the themes of the narrative get quite repetitive there. It really made me question whether when traditional publishers platform marginalised authors they provide the necessary investment into them to truly set them up for success. For instance, are marginalised authors getting as much editorial support? Many of the issues of the novel could have been resolved by firmer editing. I am glad I persevered with it, as at around the 70% mark I thought I'd gotten everything I was likely to get out of this book and considered DNFing, but it really picked up in the last quarter.

Some of the themes could have been explored a bit further. Viel brilliantly sets up a discussion of control and free will, fundamental to the very the nature of the monsters in the story. A narrative set in motion by a protest in support of Black lives cannot discuss free will without engaging with slavery, and the text sets up that discussion in the central metaphor of Calla, the older sister, as someone enslaved to her brothers' needs (most obviously expressed in one of the monsters calling Dre 'massah'). Calla's own complicated relationship with the monsters hints at this dynamic, emphasising their free will, but it could have been explored a little bit further.

Viel is definitely an interesting and exciting upcoming voice in modern Black horror, and is one to watch.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for a review copy,

P.S. It is absolutely disheartening to see some ARC reviews complaining that there is too much racial politics in the book in the same breadth as being insulted at the use of the n-word in characters' dialogue (Black brothers talking to each other).

I couldn't get on with this book was a DNF for me. Nothing likeable about the characters and was not interesting enough for me to keep reading. Thank you for the opportunity to review

This was a good debut, the premise was fun and unique and I especially enjoyed the first half. The writing style was very vivid and the horror sequences were great and I enjoyed the dynamic between the three siblings a lot.

The second half became a little messy, so much was happening and it got really weird and hard to follow at times. Compared to the slower first half it felt like the pacing was rushed. There was some great body horror though which was fun. Overall I enjoyed this even though it had some flaws and I would definitely pick up other books by this author in the future. If you like speculative horror you should definitely check this out.

Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel is a raw, beautifully crafted exploration of family, trauma, and resilience. From the very first page, Viel’s evocative prose draws you into a deeply emotional and compelling narrative that is as painful as it is cathartic.

At its heart, this book is a story about sisters—their bond, their secrets, and the unspoken truths that define their relationship. Viel masterfully captures the complexities of sibling dynamics, portraying them with a mix of tenderness and brutal honesty. The characters are richly developed, their flaws and strengths making them feel achingly real.

The narrative moves seamlessly between past and present, revealing layers of heartbreak and healing in a way that feels organic and poignant. Viel has a knack for tackling heavy themes—grief, guilt, forgiveness—without ever feeling preachy or overly sentimental. Instead, she invites readers to sit with the messiness of life, making the emotional payoffs all the more rewarding.

The writing is nothing short of stunning. Viel’s attention to detail and ability to convey raw emotion make every scene resonate deeply. It’s the kind of book that stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page, urging you to reflect on your own relationships and the power of unspoken words.

Listen to Your Sister is a profound and unforgettable novel, perfect for readers who crave stories that dig deep into the heart of what it means to be human. Neena Viel is a writer to watch, and this book is a masterpiece. Highly recommended.