Emily and Freddie have relocated from London to a remote country house. As soon as they move in Emily begins to get a strange feeling and is convinced the house is haunted.

We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough has just the right level of creepiness to keep you turning the pages, desperate to know what is going on, but all too prepared to slam the book closed if things get too much. A little bit like watching a scary film from behind a cushion.

Emily is rebuilding her life after an accident in which she almost lost her life. Months in a coma have left her weak and jobless. During the time she was in a coma her husband, Freddie, sold their London apartment and bought a remote house, convinced this was what Emily wanted. Freddie's employer has arranged for his job to be relocated but in the meantime he has a few weeks left to work in the London office. As a result of this Emily is frequently alone in the house during the week.

Strange things begin to happen around Emily, all the classic signs of a haunting; strange smells, noises, objects moving. While Emily is convinced there is a supernatural element at play, no one else has witnessed anything and her husband tries to convince her that it is more likely to be a post-sepsis hallucination. My first thought was that Emily had brought something back with her after being technically dead for a few minutes but I did also consider that this could be a case of gas-lighting.

There is far more to the story than the sinister goings-on within the house. Past residents deny ever witnessing anything and both Emily and Freddie are hiding secrets. You begin to wonder how far they are willing to go to prevent their secret from being uncovered. All of the different threads made for a pacey story.

I felt empathy for both main characters as they tried desperately to deal with the situation they were in. The harder they tried to keep their secret hidden, the worse the situation became and the more drastic the solution seemed. When the secret of the house is finally revealed I loved how it was used by various characters and led to a wonderfully apt conclusion.

This book was so creepy! I read an eARC of this book on Net Galley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

This is my fourth book from this author and this was my favourite I’ve read so far. The atmosphere in this book was incredible and it was a gripping read. This is all set around an ominous house. Two people move there from London, both harbouring secrets and resentments. The house is unnerving, cold drafts and books falling off of shelves, mysterious messages. However for our main character Emily this is all set against a backdrop of not being able to trust her senses. After a serious accident she can’t be sure if she is genuinely experiencing these sensations or if it’s a result of her accident. Not helped by her partner being dismissive of the supernatural occurrences. The house was genuinely creepy. There was something so disquieting about the top floor.

This was an interesting book because none of the characters are particularly innocent. The main couple have their secrets. They’re hiding things from each other. So while the house is creating fear, there’s also huge tension from their relationship and their fears of being discovered in their betrayals. This was quite fascinating as you weren’t sure what the characters would do, they were often quite unexpected and this really added to the suspense of the book.

This was a thrilling and enjoyable read. I flew through this as I didn’t want to put it down!

This book did not go the way I expected but I loved it!

I was expecting a regular thriller but this one had supernatural elements too. It was creepy, and enticing at the same time. I read it in just over a day as I found it hard to stop.

I think I've only read one of her books before but I would certainly read more.

It’s been a tough period of recuperation for Emily after waking from a coma thanks to an accident. She’s lucky to be alive and her husband Freddie wants his wife to feel safe, secure and happy. His solution? Moving out of London to Devon, a fresh start in a new home. Larkin Lodge has plenty to say about it (not all of it good) and Emily cannot shift the feeling that the house is clinging on to its history. Mind you, it’s not just the house that is continuing to hide something, is it? Quite gothic in tone, Sarah’s skill at painting a suitably unsettling tale shows no signs of abating.

I think this is the first Sarah Pinborough that I've read and I really enjoyed it - weirdly not dissimilar to something I read earlier this year. A couple both with secrets and an old house drawing them in. I enjoyed the small cast of characters and learning about the good and bad within their personalities, as well as the ghost like presences in the house which keep you slightly unnerved the whole time. Whizzed through this and will definitely read more of Sarah's work!

Emily had a serious fall whilst on holiday with her husband Freddie and their friends and she almost died, after waking from her coma she agrees to move from their London flat to a country home on the Devon moors, it will help her recuperate and hopefully heal their marriage too. As they arrive at Larkin Lodge Emily is downhearted, it's the middle of winter and the house is surrounded by mist, the inside feels just as bleak and, as she explores the house and sees the empty suite on the second floor, she is convinced that something bad happened there and, when Freddie is working back in London, she experiences some very strange events. Deciding to delve into the history of the house and the people that lived there previously, she discovers that the house is hiding some very dark secrets but then so are Emily and Freddie...

We Live Here Now is the latest thriller by Pinborough, told from the perspectives of both Emily and Freddie, there is also the occasional input from a raven (I know that sounds mad but you have to read this book to understand why). This starts off as a slow burner and, as the story progresses and old secrets are revealed, the pace steps up a few notches. This authors previous novels are excellent, my favourite being Behind Her Eyes, which was adapted into a tv series, both of which were fabulous and, like that one, Pinborough also injects the supernatural element into this one, which I loved. The author weaves a web of deceit and lies throughout this tale and many will think they've worked out where it's heading but, in true author style, she throws in twists which you won't see coming and blindsided me many times. If you love a thriller that will leave you thinking WTF just happened, this is one for you.

I'd like to thank Orion and NetGalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

I was so excited when I found out about this new release since I have enjoyed this author’s work a lot in the past. I’ve also realised I have to catch up with the TV adaptations of her novels but I read more than I watch TV so it’ll take a minute.

Before I talk about the content of the book, I want to point out how stunning the cover is. One of those I know I want on my bookshelf because I adore those colours. While quite simple, it fits with the story of the book and the font used for the title is really pleasing to look at too.

What about the actual story? Huge fan. I was getting worried the closer I got to the ending because I didn’t know how everything would wrap up. There were a few options and I wasn’t sure which one I preferred. Spoiler-free, of course, but I’ll say the ending was a little different from what I thought as one of those options and…it was so much better than my option. Understandable that the best-selling author can write a better ending than I can. And the ending isn’t everything but for a story like this one, it’s very important. A disappointing ending leaves a bad taste we can’t easily get rid of. And we tend to remember that disappointment more than the good time we had reading the rest of the book. However, that wasn’t an issue here. The more I think about the ending, the more satisfying it feels.

There isn’t a huge cast of characters in this book and we mostly focus on Emily and Freddie. I enjoyed the dual POV to really get their thoughts straight from the characters themselves since that made some elements of the house and its influence on people easier to understand. The other characters are more minor and not as fleshed out but we know enough about them. We don’t require more information about them and I actually think knowing more could have made the story worse. We need that bit of mystery.
And mystery there was. From the very beginning, we don’t fully know what’s going on. Is everything happening actually real? Is it Emily’s imagination? What is everyone else hiding? Who can we actually trust?
I very much enjoyed how Emily’s health issues could justify her not being a reliable narrator. It felt different to the usual way in which this is done and I appreciate it. Her character ARC and what she decides to do in the end is also a very interesting choice.

As for the plot, it felt very straightforward at first. Couple moves to a new house but is the house haunted? Nothing groundbreaking here but a kind of story I enjoy nonetheless. However, the explanation for what was happening was very unique. I had never read anything like that and it caught me by surprise. I had plenty of theories, of course. But none were even close to what really happened. And I love that! Because, again, the real story was a lot more interesting than what I imagined.
The reveal made me realise this story was more complex than I expected. And it’s also what made the ending so good, in my opinion. The details of the reveal were used really well to craft that ending I enjoyed so much.

To be fair, it’s hard to find any negatives to mention. The book is pretty short and that surprised me at first. But I feel that’s not a negative but a positive. There’s no filler to complain about which these types of stories often have. The writing is easy to follow and the story moves quickly. So I guess the only potential negative would be if someone wasn’t happy about the ending but that’s not the case for me.

I’ll definitely recommend this novel all year round. But I know people love their seasonal reads so I’ll say this one is perfect for summer (quick read and addictive), for spooky season (for obvious reasons) and for winter (the story takes place during the winter). But as long as people read it, the month or the season when they do doesn’t matter.

Psychological Thriller meets The Supernatural = Gripping!
Freddie and Emily move into Larkin Lodge. It’s meant to be a new start but they’re both hiding secrets.
Strange things start to happen and Emily soon realises their new home has secrets too.
This was a real heart in your mouth book and I couldn’t turn the pages quick enough to see how it was going to end!
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the gothic feel of this novel. The house is more than a setting; it's a character in its own right.
The exploration of relationships, deceit, and secrets is deftly handled through this mysterious house. Those who live in it are soon affected by it. They soon learn about aspects of themselves they may want to hide from others.
A deliciously dark thriller.

As a fan of gothic horror (particularly in the vein of Shirley Jackson), this sure did keep me up & keep me reading through the night! There were lots of 'breadcrumbs' to follow when plumbing the depths of Emily and Freddie's pasts, and I relished the challenge while also feeling my skin crawl over those ashy footprints... I wish more thriller-writers would turn their hand to including horror elements, it's a genre match made in heaven (or hell...!)

Having a read a few of the author’s books, there are a few similarities to see here.
A strong story bounds the characters nicely, with a familiar refrain of the people’s worst flaws and vices. Once again, possession and souls come into the fray and the descent into darkness begins.

It’s entertaining and yet relentlessly depressing and morose, as you read word after word of the worst elements of humanity as the story darkens and becomes bleaker and breaker, but it creates a story of depth and of interest.
There is no doubt that this is very well written and crafted with skill and passion. As ever, I’m grateful for the publisher for letting me read this before publication.

I grew up watching and reading horror. Devouring it, you might say. From Stephen King, to James Herbert, traditional tomes such as Dracula, or a good old fashioned ghost story - I love them. One of my favourites has to be The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, and that whole theme of ghostly goings on is a theme I will keep coming back to, especially where it is done well.

With We Live Here Now, Sarah Pinborough has done this exceptionally well. From the very beginning you get the spine tingling sense of something very dark emanating from the aura of Larkin Lodge, and I love how she chose to make this sentiment, this enduring and encroaching sense of dread known to us as readers. The symbolism of this early narrator, the fact that they understand and yet cannot articulate it, is just perfect and underlines that gothic essence that feed the story. But, unlike Jackon’s Hill House, whatever it is that walks within the lodge, it does not intend to walk there alone - or at least not for long.

Now from very early on in this book I was put in mind of a particular horror film, which to me absolute shock I have discovered is now 20 years old. I don’t want to name it for fear this may constitute a slight spoiler, but it really drew me deeper into the story, wondering if this could be the force behind the strange and nerve jangling goings on. In a very minor way, I guess I was right, but with a very clear distinction between the two. So if I were to take Hill House and this movie as a starting block, the truth lies somewhere between the two and, for me, they made perfect bedfellows.

Speaking of perfect bedfellows, or rather lack there of, the main protagonists in this book, Emily and Freddie, are just to perfectly imperfect that they make for compelling reading. Neither, in truth, is particularly sympathetic but to say that they seem to bring out the worst in each other is only telling half of the story. At times I felt to drawn to one of them, at other times, the other. But they have a complex history, and a plethora of secrets between them that only serves to stoke and fan the flames of conflict, leading to a deliciously dark descent into marital disharmony.

Sarah Pinborough’s writing is, as ever, absolutely top notch. The pacing is perfect, the imagery strong and chilling, and her ability to draw out the strange and unusual and make the seemingly impossible entirely plausible, at least in terms of this story, is one of the key things I loved about the book. It is not her most dramatically out of left field twist, but it is a brilliant take on some classic tropes, and blended with a sense of the gothic and the ghostly, it had me completely hooked.

If you love a gothic ghost tale, with unreliable,and sometimes unexpected, narrators, or even just a modern spin on a classic ghost story, then I’d definitely recommend this book. A mahossive thumbs (nails) up from me.

What a good book this one was! It was suspenseful and had some creepy vibes mixed with some horror.

Emily and Freddie are making a new start in the country following an accident that led to a near death experience for Emily. A soon after moving in, Emily starts to ‘feel’ things in the house. It is told in both of their POV’s which alternate and also there are chapters narrated by a raven.

I don’t want to say very much about it in case I spoil it, but if you liked Behind Her Eyes by this Author then I’m certain you will like this one too! It’s due for release on 5th June 2025.

Thank you to. Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'm always very happy about an ARC and being able to give it a review! <3

I was so excited when I got approved for this book — the blurb sounded absolutely amazing, and I knew I had to read it.

And honestly? It did not disappoint. The characters were really well-developed — not overdone, not undercooked, just the right amount to make you feel fully invested in their stories. I caught myself multiple times saying out loud, “WTF?!” or “What is wrong with him?” because wow, Freddie seriously gave me the creeps.

There were parts of the story that were genuinely spooky — I actually had to turn the lights on while reading, which doesn’t happen often! ^^

Unfortunately, the last 20% didn’t quite hit for me. It lost a bit of the momentum, so it’s a 4-star read instead of 5.

Still, I had such a great time with this book — probably the most fun I’ve had reading in a while. Highly recommend it!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Creepy supernatural read

We Live Here Now is a chilling, slow-burn thriller that creeps under your skin and stays there. Some scenes are seriously unsettling, but they add a real, palpable sense of dread that ramps up the tension beautifully. Sarah Pinborough masterfully blurs the lines between psychological suspense and horror, weaving in just enough weirdness to keep you constantly second-guessing what’s real. Every time I thought I had a handle on the story, she twisted the narrative again, and each reveal felt perfectly timed to keep me hooked. It’s dark, uncomfortable at times, and refreshingly unpredictable, which is a massive plus for any psychological thriller fan. Highly recommend if you love your thrillers with a side of eerie unease and clever, layered plotting.

An unhappily married couple move to a historic house in the moors to recover after a terrible accident, only to find the house might be haunted. A fast-paced gothic thriller with a fresh take on the haunted house trope. Tense, atmospheric with a great blend of domestic suspense with horror, in the vein of Mexican Gothic. A fun read.

A psychological thriller with a paranormal element, this is a gripping read. It's spooky right from the beginning, when a couple named Emily and Freddie move from London to a creepy house in a small Devon town. They are hiding secrets from each other and Emily is recovering from a cliff-fall which led to sepsis. Something about the house brings out the worst in their characters. It seems to be haunted, with the couple blaming each other for inexplicable happenings. I won't spoil the twists, but if you enjoyed the direction taken in Behind Her Eyes and Insomnia then I'm sure you'll like this book too. The chapters from the raven's perspective didn't really work for me and I felt that the ghostly events could have been even spookier, but generally I was entertained by this novel and found the ending to be very memorable... haunting, even!

I am a huge fan of this author and was so excited to be accepted to read this.

I can honestly say wow what a story, it was so creepy and the ‘just one more page’ just kept paging lol I couldn’t put it down.

The dual POV was great, as was the storyline which I won’t go into or I might give something away accidentally.

I can’t wait for everyone to read this, the ending was brilliant as was the whole story leading up to the final conclusion.

Highly highly recommend

We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough

When Emily wakes from a coma following an accident that nearly kills her, she finds herself agreeing to move from London to the wild moors of Devon with her husband Freddie. A fresh start is exactly what their marriage needs.

As their car pulls up to Larkin Lodge, their dream country home, Emily's heart sinks. Outside, everything is covered in an icy gray mist. Inside, the air is filled with dust and abandonment..

I loved this book , reading the intro to it I knew this,would be right up my street , and,I wasn't wrong .
The author has wrote a p!it that is spooky , atmospheric and with the right amount of intrigue .
Whilst obviously set in modern times , it certainly had the Victorian heavy , creeping , gothic feel to it and I also felt an almost other worldiness about it .
Excellent.