We Used to Live Here: A Novel

By Marcus Kliewer

Get Out meets Parasite in this eerily haunting debut and Reddit hit--soon to be a Netflix original movie starring Blake Lively--about two homeowners whose lives are turned upside down when the house's previous residents unexpectedly visit.

BUY THE BOOK

Published Jun 18, 2024

320 pages

Average rating: 6.86

1,534 RATINGS

|

Join a book club that is reading We Used to Live Here: A Novel!

Final Girls Book Club

Hello! I am aiming to create a space for women who are eager to get more into horror/thriller books (like myself!). 18+ is preferred.

Grim Readers

For those that like the darker side of things.

The Last Book Club on the Left

A book club for women who enjoy a wide range of spooky reads.

Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *We Used to Live Here* is an eerie, atmospheric psychological horror novel praised for its creeping dread, tense mood, and unsettling ambi...

Nikkilopez
Sep 04, 2025
6/10 stars
This was a good book but it was a slow burner and to be honest it'll probably upset you lol. Not that it wasn't good, the people that "used to live there" will definitely get under your skin! 😤
Bea Melanie
Aug 26, 2025
6/10 stars
ok read It was a little confusing to me. They had random news report type articles in between some chapters, some of these seemed pointless and I’m not sure why they were added. Some helped explain the story. But the story itself was ok. It was a page turner, you are anxious to read what happens next. I did not like the ending myself but others may appreciate it.
Thriller Crush
Aug 10, 2025
10/10 stars
Wow where do I start? 🤯📚 Besides mentioning how much I loved this strange and cryptic story, I want to say that this isn't a linear story. There is a lot going on, you get a story within a story and count on it to grow exponentially. It's not the right one if you're looking to binge a quick one. It's one to enjoy, interpret and decipher. This journey begins with vague nostalgia and a revisit into the past. We all (characters and readers) get to question the things that have always been in front of us. ****SPOILER NEXT...**** Once you've read the novel it's up to you to decide if it was a: Ghost story □ Haunted house □ An insanity defense case □ A story on different realities □ A parallel universe □ Another dimension □ A family bloodbath □ An evil spirit □ Twisted reality □ A story on a patient locked in the Greenwood Asylum □ Or Satan hitting the 'reset' button in the middle of someone else's life □ For me, it was all of the above and as it continues to linger on inside my head, it spirals into more and more, transcending into its own living thing. Enjoy, I'm sad the book came to an end.
Kristin Rose
Jun 24, 2025
8/10 stars
WOAH. This book was deeply unsettling. It was not at all what I was expecting. This was definitely more horror than thriller if you ask me, with some sci fi/paranormal elements. I quite literally could not put this book down. I tore through it and now I’m left wanting more. After that ending… WE NEED A BOOK 2! I feel so disturbed by how it ended & I really want a resolution. Took off one star because I felt like the book was a mix up of a few different things? And maybe that was intentional but I felt like the plot was just a little bit disorganized. Overall though, it was extremely well written and entertaining!
BMC
May 17, 2025
9/10 stars
This book has left me speechless. I loved the story, the author's writing style, the between chapter bits, the puzzles. I recently learned about liminal space and it scares the crap out of me, so this book being liminal space adjacent is amazing. My only complaint is I wish the ending was a little more developed/longer, but otherwise this book is incredible.

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.