The Stranger In Our House by Sarah A. Denzil is a psychological thriller about a family whose son becomes a stranger overnight.  Actually, I may consider this horror.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Aaron and Meera Aiken move to the small village of Little Crake to start fresh.  They both need to get away from London. Their 15-year old son Noah is looking forward to getting away from his old school, but 13-year old Uma is not sure she wants to leave her friends.

Their new cottage is perfect, and looks over the deep forest behind them.  But that forest has a history...as does the village of Little Crake.  It may not be the fresh start that the Aiken's are looking for.

When Noah gets off the school bus one day and wanders into the forest alone, he isn't found for three days.  He is found shoeless and shirtless, with strange cuts on his body.  He was covered with mud, and had hidden in an old tree.  He remembers nothing of his time in the forest.

But Noah has changed.  He withdraws from his family, creates trouble at school, and sleepwalks at night.  His attitude is harsh and cruel.  He draws strange sketches of the forest.

His family is concerned, although Aaron thinks he will snap out of it.  Meera is not so sure.  This boy does not feel like their son.  She begins to think he may be possessed.




My Opinions:
This one hooked me from the first page, and I just held on and enjoyed the ride.  I loved how legend and reality were intertwined.  A little bit creepy added to the psychological suspense.  

As well, I liked the way the story was told, through diary entries, voice notes, news reports, etc.  You knew this may not end well, but it wasn't until close to the end that I realized what was going to happen.  I had somewhat anticipated what/who was behind the event, but was still pleasantly surprised as to who really saved the day....well what could be saved.

The characters were all well-developed, and their reactions to events as they unfolded seemed true.  I didn't particularly like them all, and sometimes the only one I was cheering for was Uma.

As usual, this author delivered another good one!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this ARC! I was super interested after reading the premise and I am friends with Sarah on TikTok. I feel awful giving this book such a low rating but I need to be honest.

This book follows a family after their son returns from the woods after three days of being missing. When he returns he isn’t the same and weird things start to happen. The book is told in diary extracts, news articles and such.

Let’s start with what I liked! Some of the scenes in this book were genuinely creepy and I really enjoyed the local legends surrounding Little Crake. It is clear that the author has done her research and incorporated it well into the book. I also really liked the representation of trauma and how it can literally change a person overnight.

However, I think the writing style would have benefitted from a general first person prose rather than diary extracts as it felt a little disjointed. For example, Aaron will write “someone is at the door, I’ll write later” when in reality you wouldn’t take the time to write that before going to answer the door. The author also included a lot of pop culture references which got a little repetitive and there were just too many, it took me out of the story. The ending was very rushed and it just wasn’t for me.

This isn’t going to stop me from picking up other books from this author though!

Horror, domestic drama, local legend and mental illness combine to terrify the reader in The Stranger in the House, a truly creepy novel about the Aiken family and their unfortunate move to the small Yorkshire town of Little Crake. Told in excerpts from the family’s diaries, in news articles, texts and recordings, the story begins opens when Aaron Aiken and the police find Noah, his fifteen year old, who has been missing in the forest for three days. Noah comes home but…is he really Noah? Why is he suddenly sleepwalking? Or neglecting personal hygiene? And did his younger sister Uma hear him…growling? All questions will be answered by the conclusion of this unputdownable thriller but suspicion, violence, fire and murder will fracture this once happy family.

This is the first book I have read by Sarah A. Denzil and it will definitely not be my last! She skillfully weaves different story elements together. I especially loved the strange illustrations. Most of the folklore is true and Little Crake is based on a real town, a town I never want to visit. Read The Stranger in the House but definitely not if you are alone at night. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and Sarah A. Denzil for this ARC.

Thriller/Horror ARC novel I received from NetGalley.

This book kept me on my toes the whole way through! It was suspenseful, unpredictable, and just a fascinating read.

The Aiken family moved to a small rural, British town, rich with urban legends and history. Not long after their move Noah, their 15-year-old son wanders into the woods and is missing for three days when he has found he is covered in cuts and mud and has a hard time remembering what happened to him. He is not the same boy who wandered into the woods. he is changed. His mom starts to believe the urban legends and she knows that we came back from the woods is not her son.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sarah A. Denzil.
This book seemed very interesting at first. I just couldn't get into in once the talk of possession. I'm sure it's an amazing book but I just couldn't finish it. It was definitely interesting to see all the different forms of communication like the diary entries and forms from the school. Other than the talk of possession I would have probably finished it but it's just not my cup of tea.

The way the tale is told is original with diary entries and various official reports added in. The plot itself is good but because it does go more towards a psychological/horror that’s isn’t my genre of choice.

I'm embarrassed to say this is my first book of Sarah Denzil and it will certainly not be my last! 'The Stranger in Our House' has all the makings of a terrific genre-bending psychological horror/thriller, and it abundantly delivers. The prose flows like water, the plot goes smoothly and reaches beyond being a merely decent story: it keeps you guessing till the end! No wonder Denzil is a bestselling author. The novel ticks all the right boxes, it's fast, twisty, original, and absolutely enjoyable. What's more, it feels like a found footage film: there are diary entries, video footage, and even the notes of a psychiatrist. This multimedia take on a rather tradiotnal horror story -boy gets lost in the woods, comes back as an evil stranger- gave me so much satisfaction that I finished the novel in a day! Denzil has a couple of recommendations for further reading of her books, and I will certainly check them out.

Many thanks to the author and Netgalley for the ARC!

The Stranger in Our House – Sarah A. Denzil

Star rating - 4.25

Thank you NetGalley, Sarah A. Denzil and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a suspenseful and terrifying domestic thriller, that mixed folklore with paranormal experiences. I was absolutely hooked from the first page to the last page. The story takes place through the diaries, articles and case notes of multiple characters. I can honestly say this book felt real while reading it. I appreciated the research that went into creating this story. The ending was shocking and still realistic enough to keep me happy. I will definitely be recommending this book, this writers voice has always been spot on, and she never creates a predictable story.

The story is based on an Aiken family who moves to rural England in an attempt start a life. This small town has big superstitions, and shortly after arriving their son goes missing in the Dark Valley Forest for three days and is found inside a tree. Once he returned home his family starts to notice that he is not the same child he was before he entered the woods, as his behaviour escalates the family starts to feel that maybe he left the woods with more then just some scratches. Throughout the story they included drawings to help bring you closer to the folklore animal they believe is inhabiting their son, these images show the true malevolence of the dark forest and the Gytrash (folklore spirt animal).

Favourite Quote “The sight repulsed me. Yes, he was my son, but he was also a body stuffed in a tree trunk, dirty and strange.”

"A part of me now longs for the time before, because what I saw will haunt me for the rest of my life."

I loved the way this story was told--diary entries, news articles, reports, etc. It gave it a true crime feel and deepened the mystery and lore. However, I didn't enjoy the writing style (I'm American and this is very British) but more crucial was the slow pacing which really bothered me considering the subject. Not bad, not great.

Thank you netgalley for giving me an arc of The Stranger in Our House. I really enjoyed this! This was an easy read and took me two days to read it. I really enjoyed how it was written like diary entries.

Thank you for NetGalley for providing me with this book for review. Wow this book is chilling, I'm left turning over what I have just read, what do I believe, definitely one to read in one sitting.

I have been a fan of Sarah Denzil’s books for a few years now. They are all so unique and her writing style is just perfection. Unfortunately this one fell a little flat for me. Overall, I enjoyed the premise, but I felt like it dragged a little bit in the middle, which for a book that is under 300 pages, isn’t normal for me.

I loved the way this book was told in various diary entries and also the illustrations that were added throughout. It really helped to get in to the minds of each of the characters.

Overall, I suggest to check out this book if you think the synopsis sounds interesting, or just check out Sarah Denzil in general. She’s an amazing writer!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. What a book. I love a good thriller and this didn’t disappoint! Gripped until the end, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Great characters which are likeable and keep you interested throughout. I would definitely recommend.

Creepy, unsettling and loaded with tension. And absolutely terrifying horror novel with and unexpected ending. Can't wait to read more from this author!

The Aitken family leave suburbia to the village of Little Crake. One night, 15 old Noah disappear in the woods and the whole village search for him. He is found a few days later with superficial injuries but it not the same boy he was. Noah, once studious is now causing trouble at school and the family are really concerned about him.
Told through diary entries and journalistic pieces, the tale is fast paced and takes an unexpected turn towards the end. This book will not disappoint!

Pretty good with a high creep factor. The writing style didn't stand out to me, but it was easy and pleasant to read. This was my first by this author and I will consider picking up more in the future.

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Thank you to @sarahadenzil and @netgalley for the #gifted advanced digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Tired of city life, Aaron and Meera decide to move their family to the small village of Little Crake hoping for a fresh start, until their teenage son, Noah, wanders into the Dark Valley Forest and is found three days later, covered in mud and curled up in the hollow of a tree.

Noah, a studious and gentle fifteen-year-old, changes dramatically after the incident. He barley talks, sleepwalks, and begins drawing eerie sketches of the forest. Aaron believes Noah needs time to adjust back to his life, but Meera thinks otherwise and is convinced the boy who returned from the woods is not her son.

Told through a series of diary entries newspaper clippings and sketches, the book was easy to follow and addictive. I loved the use of media telling the story. As with other Sarah A. Denzil books that I have read, this was gripping, well-paced and tense. With layers of suspicion, paranoia and possession it became all the more engrossing.

I found The Stranger in Our House to be compelling, mysterious and enjoyed the addition of potential myths and legends.

All I need to say is - this book was fantastic. It's really hard for me to find a great thriller that keeps me guessing and this one did it for me! This book kept me invested the entire time and I finished it within a day. This book was really enjoyable and I really liked the characters. Thank you for this ARC!

I loved this! It was an intriguing story, which pulled me in and wouldn't let go until I finished! Each chapter comes from a different character's point of view, gradually bringing the threads of the story together. It's dark, creepy, and believable enough to keep you wondering all the way through.

I've read a few of this author's books, and each one is a unique experience. This one is no different! Well written, with great characters and story line that keeps you gripped, I highly recommend The Stranger In Our House.

This was a very unusual book as it consisted of diary entries from all the family . I was a bit unsure what to make of it to be honest . The storyline was different to anything I’ve read before and it was pretty scary not knowing what was going to happen to the family . I enjoyed this book and think I would recommend it to my audience. It’s not quite 5 stars from me though