Listen to Your Sister

Most Anticipated by Goodreads, People, BookRiot, Reactor, Screenrant, and more!

For fans of Jordan Peele’s films, Stranger Things, and The Other Black Girl, Listen To Your Sister is a laugh-out-loud, deeply terrifying, and big-hearted speculative horror novel from electrifying debut talent Neena Viel.


Twenty-five year old Calla Williams is struggling since becoming guardian to her brother, Jamie. Calla is overwhelmed and tired of being the one who makes sacrifices to keep the family together. Jamie, full of good-natured sixteen-year-old recklessness, is usually off fighting for what matters to him or getting into mischief, often at the same time. Dre, their brother, promised he would help raise Jamie–but now the ink is dry on the paperwork and in classic middle-child fashion, he’s off doing his own thing. And through it all, The Nightmare never stops haunting Calla: recurring images of her brothers dying that she is powerless to stop.

When Jamie’s actions at a protest spiral out of control, the siblings must go on the run. Taking refuge in a remote cabin that looks like it belongs on a slasher movie poster rather than an AirBNB, the siblings now face a new threat where their lives–and reality–hang in the balance. Their sister always warned them about her nightmares. They really should have listened.

“A knockout debut." -Ashley Winstead

“Incredibly original and seriously scary.” – Nick Medina

“A brilliant fever-dream of a novel that effortlessly dances between horror, literary, and family saga—sure to appeal to fans of Grady Hendrix, Tananarive Due, Mona Awad, and Stephen King. – Maria Dong

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Published Feb 4, 2025

352 pages

Average rating: 6.94

18 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

The Lady In The Radiator
Oct 16, 2025
7/10 stars
The first part of this book was a WILD ride for me! As someone who lives in the PNW, works in Seattle, has attended large scale protests that encompassed the Cap Hill neighborhood and the East Precinct police station (ACAB, RIP CHAZ) I could picture much of those scenes very well. However, while I overall enjoyed this book I was a little disappointed that I didn't get PNW vibes for most of it...except when specific places were named, I all but forgot it was set there. I got little bit of swampy Florida vibes from the nightmare, but most of the 'real' world felt like it could have been anywhere if different locations had been named. Given that, I wonder why/what the significance or importance was to the author in choosing that. I got my hopes up in the later parts of the book for those PNW vibes as the traveled to a cabin in the Oregon forest, but it still didn't feel like my 'home', maybe because much of the latter part takes place within the nightmare, maybe simply because we are different people with different experiences of the same place. I also realized AFTER I finished reading it that the cover LITERALLY says 'the nightmare is real' but I was not clocking that until Calla had her realization in the cabin, I was definitely interpreting it as metaphorically real, not REAL REAL 🤣 Remember, words mean things!
Bea Melanie
Aug 19, 2025
2/10 stars
The cover description is misleading. The story has nothing to do with the cabin or the protest. It does leave you wondering what’s reality and what’s dream but it’s basically a platform for gore.
datewithathriller
Jan 25, 2025
8/10 stars
Okay book peeps, this is one of those “wtf did I just read” books! Definitely a fever dream mixed with family drama that gave off Jordan Peele film vibes!! 🙌 Am I confused after reading this? Yes. Was I hooked throughout? Yes. Would I recommend this? Also yes. In fact, I recommend going in blind on this one!! 👏 Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Neena Viel for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

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