Last Updated: 18 October 2021
Makani Young thought she'd left her dark past behind her in Hawaii, settling in with her grandmother in landlocked Nebraska. She's found new friends and has even started to fall for mysterious outsider Ollie Larsson. But her past isn't far behind.
Then, one by one, the students of Osborne Hugh begin to die in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasingly grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and her feelings for Ollie intensify, Makani is forced to confront her own dark secrets.
When There's Someone Inside Your House first came out a few years ago, I heard a lot of negative things about it. Perhaps that's part of the reason why it has sat unread on my bookshelves ever since? However, as part of my plan to finally clear all my outstanding ARCs and unread review copies, I eventually made my way back to this book.
And wow, am I glad I did!
There's Someone Inside Your House is bestselling author Stephanie Perkins' first foray away from romance and towards the slasher genre. This book must have been a challenge to write given how different it is from her usual style, but classic elements of Young Adult fiction are still heavily present in the story. It's got romance, humour, intrigue - and, of course, horror and gore - and all these elements entwine to create one of the standout stories I've read so far this year. Perhaps I shouldn't be too surprised, though, as my review of Summer Days and Summer Nights, the YA short story anthology Perkins edited, was one of my top five books of the year back in 2016!
The book is full of suspense and intrigue, keeping you guessing with unexpected twists and turns even after the killer's identity has been revealed. Once I started reading, I struggled to put it down - always the sign of a great book!
Makani, the main character, is complex yet endearing - a young woman with a hard shell hiding the vulnerable girl beneath. Her love interest, Ollie, is similar in this way, yet he is also an intriguing and well-developed personality in his own right. Coupled together with Makani's strict yet loveable grandma and her friends Alex and Darby, this is a group of principal characters who could each easily fill a book alone!
Of course, the book isn't perfect, and there are a few elements of the story which don't quite meet the high calibre of the rest. However, overall, this is a standout story and one I would happily read again. There's Someone Inside Your House may well have got a lot of bad press and negative reviews when it was released, but I loved it and I can't wait to read more from Stephanie Perkins in the future!
Rating: 5 stars
There's Someone Inside Your House is available to buy now.
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* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Have you read this book? What did you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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