There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins-- Where Was The Twist??

There's Someone Inside Your House

A killer is living in small-town Nebraska.  At first it seems like it could be an isolated incident-- a jealous boyfriend, etc.  But soon Makani and her friends realize that someone is killing off students at Osborne High-- and there seems to be no link between the students targeted.

Complicating things further, Makani has a secret that she'd rather the police not know about.... secrets that might make her look capable of things she knows she'd never do.  As the cops zero-in on suspects, Makani dreads the day they look into her record in Hawaii.

As the killer grows more bold, time seems to be running out for the students of Osborne High.  Will police catch this lunatic before the body count rises?

I have THOUGHTS about this book.   I really enjoyed the overall feel of the book-- and flew through reading it!!-- but it didn't QUITE go the distance as far as surprise thrillers go.

Usually when I rate a book 3.5-4 Stars, I struggle to find words to say other than "I liked it" over and over again, so I'm super happy that I liked this book AND have things to say about it.

So, the main character of this book is Makani-- a girl who grew up in Hawaii and has recently been sent to live with her grandmother in Nebraska.  She's made a few friends, Darby and Alex, but she's not exactly feeling comfortable in her new surroundings.  She's also got a giant secret that she's hiding from everybody.

The Romance:  For a horror, there was a lot of romance.  A lot.  Makani has this giant crush on Ollie-- a guy that she has a sort-of past with.  Also, many people suspect him of being the killer because he's a loner.  When they reconnect, Makani knows it's not possible that he could hurt anyone, but convincing her friends isn't so easy.

As she gets alienated from Alex and Darby, she grows closer to Ollie and there is A LOT of making out.  And while Stephanie Perkins KNOWS how to write a cute coupley scene, sometimes it felt a little icky for them to be making out during such intense and morbid times.  The thing about the romance was that it wasn't thrown in there as an afterthought.  It was a developed relationship in the middle of death and murder.

The Horror:  Oh yes!!  Stephanie Perkins might know romance, but SURPRISE!!  She also knows horror.  Her kill scenes were intense, creepy, and SO GOOD.  The way the killer stalks his/her victims before he/she kills them freaked me out and made me look over my shoulder more than once since I finished this book.  I loved how TSIYH opened with a scene straight out of Scream.  You really can't go wrong with a Scream reference in teen horror.

What I Didn't Love: WHY, OH WHY did we find out who the killer was halfway through the book?? I kept hoping that there was going to be a secondary twist, and it never came.  When I read a horror/thriller like this, I expect for the baddie to be revealed at the end and to be SHOCKED!!  I was not shocked in the least during this book.  I guess the "big twist" was supposed to Makani's secret, but I didn't think that was that big of a deal.

Also, I didn't love Makani or her friends.  There wasn't anything wrong with them, I just didn't feel like they were particularly relatable or likable.  They weren't people that I felt connected to, and in a horror book, I want to be sweating it out for my fave characters.

So, did I like this book?  I really did-- Stephanie Perkins writing is so completely readable and addicting.  I just wished we got a secondary killer and/or the main killer didn't get revealed so early on and/or he/she was someone that was CLOSE to the main character(s).  I felt like it killed the thrill of the book.  It turned this book from a "whodunit" to a "why can no one find/capture this ninja-ghost killer?".

OVERALL:  So impressed with Stephanie Perkins Horror debut!!  She can write a creepy death scene like WOAH.  Also, romance fans??  There's a very developed romance in there for you guys too.  It didn't always feel appropriate, but it was a very significant part of the book.  If I could change one thing, it would be to put a twist at the end with a second killer or SOMETHING.  I would totally rec this book because of the creepy death scenes.  The killer is a genuine psycho who plays with his victims in an awesome/sadistic way.

Date Published: 9/26/2017
How I got this book: Thanks to Penguin/Random House and ALA for providing me with an advance copy to read and honestly review.
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers

Add it to your To-Read List!!

My Rating: 3.5/5

Character: Oliver Larsson
Book: Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

• Ollie likes to read books about travel and spiritual journeys-- and this book seems like it has both.