The Noise

by Allison A.

Angela Blau has a degenerative bone disease, but she was never warned her mind could deteriorate as well. There’s no other explanation for the footsteps coming from the second floor—footsteps her husband, Jack, never hears. And then there are the ghosts who attack her at night, and the townspeople who dig through the dirt like rabid animals and peer through her windows.

Maybe the ghosts and the townspeople are in her head—it wouldn’t be the first time she’s let her mind wander—but the noise has to be real, and she’d go up there and prove it if the stairs weren’t so rotted that she’d fall right through, Jack says.

Things get worse when Arlo, a lonely old man who lives “somewhere down the street,” reveals a violent crime that occurred on the second floor. Against Jack’s warnings, Arlo indulges Angela’s growing obsession and pushes her to discover the true source of the noise, who exactly the townspeople are, and whether a traumatic incident that occurred four months ago, an incident Angela refuses to talk about, is to blame for all of it.

Genres: Horror

397 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2023

About the author

Allison A grew up in rural Jackson, New Jersey, in a house she and her family believed to be haunted. After seeing her first full-bodied apparition at the age of ten, she realized monsters are in fact very real and worth writing about. She received her undergraduate degree in English, and her Master’s degree in Library and Information Science. The Noise is Allison A's first book.

Reviews

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this haunted house story. Until I start questioning if I’m going crazy or if the woman in the story is going crazy. I also loved how I ended up really hating some characters and wanted to chop their heads off.

You think the book is going one way but it takes off another way. I really enjoyed the last part if the book where the whiplash was happening. It was all worth it in the end.

Thank you NetGalley, Whire Petal Press and the author for a copy of this ebook for an honest review.

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Release October 31
Kindle November 2
Release November 2.

I am so glad I chose to read this novel! Thanks to NetGalley, White Petal Press, and author Allison A. I'm equally glad I read in sunny daytime, not in Autumn's early dark--this novel is seriously scary! [If you love THE SEPTEMBER HOUSE, you'll love THE NOISE too!]

Not only do we get an in-depth rendering of a chronic health condition, debilitating and extremely pain-ridden; but, as in REBECCA, or THE YELLOW WALLPAPER, we witness the travails of a female Protagonist battling to know: are these experiences symptoms of mental debility? Or are these apparitions REAL?

Without spoilering, I want to say that I am glad I read this novel--very glad. I shan't soon forget.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

3.8 rounded up to 4. RTC

[Horror Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a love story disguised as a haunted house book but you won't know that's what it is until the end. And I absolutely loved that.

Our protagonist, Angela, has a rare bone disease that leaves her in terrible pain and she's forced to walk with a cane. Her and her husband, Jack, have bought a home and it's a real fixer upper but it was cheap.

But Angela is seeing things, ghastly apparitions of dead people. She's hearing the sounds of heavy boots walking around the upper floor even though the stairs are rotted and nobody can go up there. She's also seeing and talking to her deceased father.

Jack doesn't see or hear any of this and she's worried that she might be losing her mind or that her medication is causing vivid hallucinations. But Jack seems to really love and support her and it's apparent that he's concerned.

Until Angela starts finding some things. It appears that Jack might be over drugging her, hiding things from her, and not going to work when he should be. But is that real or part of her "delusions"?

While that is the main question we'll be asking ourselves while reading, the truth is something you won't see coming. And this author has done a fantastic job at keeping those secrets until the end. After you finish, you'll realize that she has left literary breadcrumbs throughout the novel, little clues that are easily dismissed as just part of the narrative but in reality, gives us information to put together.

I truly loved that about this book. The supernatural elements are chilling and scary. The tension and sense of dread build up and doesn't slow down. And then, that ending that is bittersweet, beautiful, and heartfelt.

This is a great haunted house book with feeling and I highly recommend it.

[Kera’s Always Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a wild ride!

I could tell early on that there were some things going on that were DEEP under the surface, but I could NOT put this book down. I needed to know.

Angela suffers from some serious medical complications that leave her in constant pain, unable to perform many every day tasks she used to be able to do. Now, she basically sits in the home she shares with her husband, spending the days listening to the strange noises coming from the upper floor. While her husband doesn't hear what she can hear, he really tries to be there for her.

As the days go by, Angela starts not only hearing more and more, but seeing some truly terrifying things in her neighborhood. There are ghosts haunting her almost all the time and it is driving her to madness. She longs to get to the bottom of it all, but she doesn't know if she can trust her own mind anymore.

The way this was written was really unique and fun! You never REALLY know what is going on. Like I said, I had my hunches, and even I was a little off in them. The visual horror in this book was so well done. The things lurking in the shadows, the fear of knowing something is standing right behind you, or hovering over you was palpable.

This was just a really interesting reading experience!

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author describes this book as a horror novel, but also says that at its core it is a book about coping with loss. In some ways I think it could be looked at as a thriller with a bit of supernatural or at least the appearance of such since the main character is constantly seeing and hearing what could be described as ghosts. What else would you call a being that you see and sometimes even talk to, yet no one else sees them? That’s what the main character, Angela, is experiencing, and isn’t quite sure what to make of it.

Figuring out what is going on was an interesting exercise. Let’s just say that it wasn’t all in Angela’s imagination, no matter what others might have thought. But it isn’t quite what Angela thought either. I’ll bet if you figure out the big picture it won’t be until late in the book, regardless of the clues that might have led you to the proper conclusion. I guess figuring what is going on makes this a bit of a mystery too. An interesting and unique read that could easily get you thinking about the big picture of this life and even whether there is a next life and what it might look like.

**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **

[Julie Furlong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please do me a favor and go out and get this book- through the library, Amazon (out now), or anywhere necessary. You might not sleep at night, mostly due to being afraid or not being able to put the book down- But you will thank me for it.

Synopsis: Angela has a degenerative bone disease called AS. Even though the disease isn’t suppose to fog her brain, she has been seeing things that aren’t there. Or are they? Her husband has been helping her get around the house and making sure she takes her medicine like the good spouse he is- or is he? Meanwhile, Angela’s mother calls and calls and won’t leave them alone, and a lonely old neighbor named Arlo comes knocking at the door of their house at odd hours of the day and night.

What is real and what isn’t? It sure was fun to figure out!!! This is book with an unreliable narrator, and who doesn’t love a good suspense with an unreliable narrator??? I know I for one, love them!

Thanks to NetGalley for sending me this eread for an honest review. I will definitely be looking out for more of this author’s books!

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book sounded a bit spooky for me but once I put my fears aside, I devoured this book in one sitting. While this book was definitely spooky, the creepy ghosts were just a part of the equation and I found myself much more distracted by the suspense and mystery of what was happening to Angela. I was turning page after page trying to get answers to the burning questions that I had. The author did a great job keeping me at the edge of my seat and there was an awesome plot twist towards the end. Without giving any spoilers away, by the end of the book, I had tears streaming down my face; the author did an amazing job at evoking strong emotional reactions.

Overall, I loved this book. It was very well written and I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for a book that has elements of the paranormal, a psychological thriller, suspense, mystery, and romance. Find the full review here: https://likelystory.blog/2023/11/25/r...

[Balthazarinblue · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75?

I'm not sure how to rate this. I was hooked from the start. This is a creepy, atmospheric book about a woman suffering from a debilitating chronic illness. She's functionally housebound in the fixer-upper her and her husband bought before her illness progressed. The house is unfinished and dry rot in the stairs makes it unsafe for anyone to go to the upper floors. So why does she hear what sounds like footsteps overhead? And why does her husband insist he hears nothing when she catches him glancing at the ceiling every time the noises start?

While this is well-written and compelling, the underlying message is so depressing, I ended up really disliking the story. How do you rate a book that had you turning pages at the speed of light but left you feeling gross and dissatisfied?

I received this book for free from netgalley in exchange for a review.

[D.E. Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This horror story revolves around Angela and her husband Jack who have recently moved into a house that Jack is slowly renovating. Angela has a degenerative bone disease and relies heavily on her devoted husband and a concoction of drugs to deal with her condition. She is plagued with horrifying dreams and hallucinations but are the ghosts real. What are the noises from above and why can't she go up to the second floor. This is a great chilling horror that builds slowly and provides an ending I did not see coming. Horror fans pick up this book you will not be disappointed.

[Josette Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book not only reads like a fever dream but also makes the reader feel as though they are experiencing the same crazy stuff the protagonist experiences. While I was reading this book, I felt the need to look around the room. I read the book during the night, such a bad idea, and could have sworn I saw an image or two from the corner of my eye.. this book was definitely up there on the spooky, creepy factor!

[Katie Followell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of "The Noise" in exchange for an honest review.

Here's my honest review:

I LOVED this way more than I expected. I spent so much of this book thinking I knew what was going to happen next-- and I was completely wrong. This book ended on a really touching note that left me crying at 3am.

If you like a good ghost story, read this book. If you like a book with a twist, read this book.

A GREAT book to end 2023 on

[Grim-Mama · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was led to this book based on the recommendation of another book friend and it did not disappoint. There are several elements that pulled me into this story - the character, the relationships, the mystery.

It’s a story about the horrors of a degenerative disease wrapped in a ghost story, throw in a twist of love story and a dash of thriller. How scary is a disease that cripples your body? How often do we doubt what we see? How do we know what happens after? Sleep Paralysis - come on - terrifying. I think this is more than a typical horror story and I’d recommend it. A read that I think will stick with me.

[Jamie Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite stories of all time is the Yellow Wallpaper. This is similar, but a lot scarier. Our gal is suffering, isolated, and stuck at home. She isn't able to do the things she wants to do and she is in pain.
She starts hearing sounds in the house. They are so real! Her husband tries to be supportive but he can't fix this.

This was really good!