The House No One Sees

by Adina King

Penelope Ross has always felt like a passenger in her mother’s fairytale - until the night of her 17th birthday, when she is forced to enter her own.

After a text from her estranged mother rips her away from a night with friends, Penny is forced into a kaleidoscope of memories locked inside the dark labyrinth of her childhood home. As Penny wanders between present and past—prose and verse—she must confront her mother's opioid addiction to mend her fractured past. But the house is tricky. The house is impossible. It wants her to dig up the dead to escape. And as Penny walks through herself to find herself, she is not sure she has the courage to free the light she trapped inside.

Genres: Young Adult, Poetry, Realistic Fiction, Horror, Addiction, Contemporary, Mental Health

304 pages, Hardcover

First published March 18, 2025

Reviews

[Melissa (Nissa_the.bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

• 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐍𝐎 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐒

1. If you enjoy books written in prose, give this one a go!
2. Books with a spooky premise are some of my faves, and this was no exception!
3. Have you ever had to deal with a parent with an addiction? You’ll understand Penelope’s POV well if so.
4. If you love to read novels full of metaphor and surrealism, this one is for you!
5. Are you a fan of fairy tales? So is Penelope, and it shows throughout the story.

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

Penelope Ross has always felt like a passenger in her mother’s fairytale - until the night of her 17th birthday, when she is forced to enter her own.

After a text from her estranged mother rips her away from a night with friends, Penny is forced into a kaleidoscope of memories locked inside the dark labyrinth of her childhood home. As Penny wanders between present and past—prose and verse—she must confront her mother's opioid addiction to mend her fractured past. But the house is tricky. The house is impossible. It wants her to dig up the dead to escape. And as Penny walks through herself to find herself, she is not sure she has the courage to free the light she trapped inside.

[Jessica Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy heaviness, beautiful and haunting.

Penny is spending her birthday at a fair with her friends when she receives texts from her mom saying that she misses her. Penny races to her childhood home to check on her mom, and instead ends up confronting her own past as she navigates through the house and her own memories. The blend of verse for Penny's memories and prose for the present day is a great choice that adds intense emotional depth to Penny's situation; the verse depicts the emotion and pace of sifting through memory, jumping from one to the next as she moves from room to room in the house. The metaphor of Penny as the house might be lost on some teens, but I don't actually think that's entirely necessary for the message and feeling of the story to come across just as powerfully. It's a story about finding yourself, sifting through things you have experienced and ways people have treated you to see how it has shaped your view of yourself and what you deserve and how you move through the world. Truly heavy and the trigger warnings were helpful, but I think there are a lot of teens who would devour this. I'd hand this to folks who like Kathleen Glasgow's books or Anderson's Speak (there is a direct reference to it in this book) or Shout.

[Valerie Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

"all the things that could make flowers bloom and weeds stand out"

I so badly need a win this year haha I really liked some of the metaphors this one tried to get across especially how the majority of this is through the lens of a child trying to make the best of her situation, but a lot of them were lost on me and while the way the story was formatted to mark the difference between past and present worked well, I was still a bit confused on why the first part of the narrative happened and how we got to the ending scene. I also felt like a lot of the writing just wasn't that strong and really relied on certain shock factors to move the story along

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer]

The House No One Sees by Idina King, it seems like this book was written by someone not well-versed and what a proper noun is instead of Miss Wilson having a dog named Rupert she had a Rupert not only that this book was written in such a weird way it was just a strange book about a girl whose mom did drugs and so she got taken away and sent to live with her grandparents and it was just… Weird… Very weird. When she moved in with her grandparents this is how it went Monday grandpa went downstairs I followed grandpa and sat on the step, Tuesday grandpa went downstairs I followed grandpa and stood in the corner Wednesday grandpa went downstairs and I watched him do magic with the wood, Thursday grandpa went downstairs and I went downstairs with grandpa and he asked me about the orange cat in the yard, Friday grandpa went downstairs and I followed grandpa, Saturday grandpa got in his truck accelerated and left the house, Sunday grandpa got in his truck accelerated and returned home and on and on. There were many times throughout the book I would have to continue reading and use context clues to figure out what they were talking about where they were and what was happening. I did not like this book I’m sorry this is not my type of book I know people will say they love it, they totally got it and kudos to them I am not one of those people. I like books that tell stories and use pronouns, adverbs, other punctuation and words that form sentences that make paragraphs that make chapters that tell a story. The story lacked detail, which intern caused me not to feel invested in the story. It took me three attempts to finish the book and only because I made myself continue reading. I notice everyone is trying to come up with a new and strange way to write stories but I think we should stick with the old way because that works best and has for eons.#NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #TheHouseNo oneSees, #AdinaKing,!

[Hudson · Rating 2 out of 5]

would not recommend listening to the audiobook it was a bit disorienting wish i read it instead

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this ARC via Netgalley.

There is a house that no one sees, no one except Penelope. After receiving a series of texts from her mother while out with friends, Penelope sneaks off to enter the house, opening the door to years of memories she's tried to bury.

The verse form of this novel helped keep the reader from sinking too deep into the dark shadows of Penelope's memories of her mother's descent into drug use, which led to Penelope's neglect. Even after Penelope is taken from her mother's custody, she struggled to find a sense of self-worth and escape the bullying from her classmates who only saw that she was dirty, wearing hand-me-downs, and stealing food. The thread of fairytales is woven throughout, with Sleeping Beauties and poison apples. This is a story which, unfortunately, will find many readers who can identify with Penelope.

[Stormi Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The House No One Sees
By: Adina King

4 Stars

This story was a web of past and present. Memories mixed with joy and pain. Penelope tells her story with a mix of fairy tales and reality. Having an opioid addicted mother. Being taken away. Pain from bullying. Yet, with all the negative bits of her life, she still has bits of hope. Light in the dark.

This was a very lyrical, poetic, and tragic story. The way it is laid out can, at times, be confusing but still manages to tell a gripping story. It is a story that is all too relatable in the current world. It was a beautifully sad story that felt almost like a peak into a young child's brain. Explaining the facts with an innocence that can only be from a child. Some horrors can be too much for the brain, any brain, but for a child, definitely.

This is a story that uses fairytales and metaphors to tell a very adult story. It was done so beautifully well. It brought me to tears. It's definitely worth the read.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Reviews

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a powerful novel and I was in awe of how it all flowed together to create a compelling story. This book was so heartbreaking and beautiful.

[Miles Kear · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't a happy book. But it is a good book.

[Reegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not want this book to end, the story was captivating and the writing was beautiful. I loved it!

[lucy grace ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

good but confusing writing style

[Lauren ∥ bookedmama · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved the use of prose and verse to show time. this story broke my heart and I think will speak to its YA and adult audiences.

[Nicole Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Children’s for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Adina King’s “The House No One Sees” is an evocative and poetic exploration of trauma, healing, and the labyrinthine nature of memory. Told through a masterful blend of prose and free verse, this book draws you into the fragmented and surreal inner world of 16-year-old Penny Ross, who is forced to confront her past after receiving a desperate text message from her estranged, opioid-addicted mother. Before going into this book review, I do want to provide a content warnings for child abuse and neglect as well as bullying as the story focuses on Penny’s traumatic childhood and her experiences with her mother who continued to relapse again and again as Penny grew up.

The book alternates between Penny's present-day journey through her childhood home and her kaleidoscopic, symbolic recollections of the past. These memories, told in verse, are as haunting as they are beautiful. King’s use of language is both poignant and disorienting, mirroring Penny’s struggle to process years of neglect, abuse, and her mother’s repeated relapses. The verse sections are particularly striking, laced with fairy-tale metaphors and distorted symbols that capture the confusion and heartbreak of a child trying to make sense of an adult’s failures. For example, Penny’s misunderstanding of a drug overdose as “Snow White’s poisoned apple” is one of many moments that underline her innocence and pain.

At the heart of the story is Penny’s relationship with her mother, a deeply flawed figure whose addiction has left lasting scars. The story doesn’t shy away from the darkness of child neglect and abuse, but it balances these heavy themes with glimmers of hope. Penny’s grandparents emerge as pillars of love and stability, providing her with the foundation she needs to grow and heal. Through their support, as well as her own resilience, Penny’s journey becomes one of self-discovery and empowerment.

One of the most captivating elements of the novel is the “house” itself, a metaphorical and almost living entity that represents Penny’s mind, memories, and buried pain. The house forces her to “dig up the dead” in both a literal and figurative sense, pushing her toward confronting her trauma head-on. This surreal element, while occasionally difficult to follow, adds layers of depth and symbolism to the story.

The book also weaves in a symbolic object—a doll—that Penny carries with her throughout her journey. This doll serves as a representation of her pain, growth, and eventual catharsis. King’s choice to tie Penny’s nickname, “Little Doll,” to this object is a poignant reminder of how deeply childhood trauma shapes identity.

While “The House No One Sees” can be challenging at times to understand due to its surrealism and Penny’s fractured perspective, these elements are also its greatest strengths. King’s ability to tell a story through fragmented memories, distorted symbols, and beautiful, lyrical prose makes this book a unique and unforgettable reading experience.

The book concludes on a bittersweet yet hopeful note, leaving you with a sense of closure and possibility. Penny’s final act of facing her pain and reclaiming her light is a powerful reminder that healing is possible, even in the face of profound loss and betrayal.

Overall, “The House No One Sees” is a deeply moving and important story that will resonate with teens and adults alike. It’s a testament to resilience, the bonds of family—however broken—and the power of confronting one’s past.

[Karen Siddall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gutting!

The House No One Sees by Adina King is an eye-opening, gutting revelation of the impact of a mother’s opioid addiction on her young daughter and parents and the community’s response (or lack thereof) to the child’s obvious need for help. The author combines prose and verse to tell the devastating story, which further heightens its impact on the reader. This was one of those stories where you can feel the outcome well before the tale’s end, but, like a trainwreck, you can’t look away nor put the book down.

On her 16th birthday, Penelope “Penny” Ross is beckoned to her childhood home by desperate and ominous text messages from her estranged mother. When she steps across the threshold, the memories of her traumatic life flood her mind and emotions, crippling her with the weight beneath the chaos as she slowly advances through its rooms in search of her mother.

The circumstances of Penny’s past are heartbreaking, stark, and all too real, especially if the reader experienced a similar situation growing up. Penny was emotionally torn apart repeatedly as her family cycled through her mother’s drug use, rehab, premature release, and uneasy reunions, only for her mother to succumb to her addiction over and over again. All the while, Penny is obviously struggling, bullied by fellow students, and leaned on by some school administrators to get her act together and follow the rules and be like everyone else, concepts she’s completely ignorant of and ill-equipped to attain on her own. Her grandparents also struggle to help their daughter and try to keep their granddaughter safe as they work through the sluggish government processes and health systems. Time and again, as her mother relapses, Penny is subjected to neglect, abuse, and danger, at the mercy of the rollercoaster of addiction.

I recommend THE HOUSE NO ONE SEES to young adult fiction readers.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through TBR and Beyond Book Tours.

[Paige V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penelope must confront the ghosts of her past to address her mother's opioid addiction.

Penelope Ross, now 16, was celebrating her birthday at an amusement park with her friends when she received a text from her mother asking for help. This unexpected message compelled her to confront a troubling situation. In that moment, Penelope must face her past to discover the strength within herself and attempt to rescue her mother from her opioid addiction. How will this unfold?

This book presents a beautifully intricate tapestry that masterfully blurs the boundaries between past and present. It navigates seamlessly between prose and verse, creating a rhythm that captures the reader's attention. Some passages are steeped in raw emotion, evoking deep sadness that renders the narrative utterly unputdownable.
Penelope emerges as a profoundly layered character, and my heart ached for the burdens she bore—especially in the shadow of her mother's addiction and how her mother was neglecting her. Her mother, a figure swirling in complexity, oscillates between moments of tender affection and disorienting detachment, revealing the struggle between love and alienation.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who needs a reminder that they can shine as a beacon of hope for those who are lost and in need.

Happy Reading, Paige ❤️ 📚

Thank you @tbrbeyondtours for sending me a copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Rachael Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

First and foremost, I think the theme of this story is heavy and contemplative. I was not expecting the level of trauma we encountered along the way, nor the level of child neglect Penny suffered as her mom went through active addiction.

The House No One Sees, seems to reflect the house in which Penny grew up in with her mom and the various boyfriends the mom would have. On Penny's 17th birthday, after visiting a local fair with her friends, she receives a text from her mother and returns to the house where she suffered when she was younger. The story focuses on the things Penny tried to hide and explain away when she was younger and things she knew but didn't know were wrong. She knew her grandparents tried to help by leaving money or buying groceries until Penny's mother burned the bridge of that relationship and penny found herself going hungry more and more.

There was an echo of a very dark Alice i wonderland, as Penny enters the doorway to the house, it seems to transform into a maze of memories she must confront and work through. The overall theme is fairly heavy and grim but there are some lights of hope such as her grandparents and the teacher that makes sure she has food.

I didn't know to expect such a moving story, but it was one that will resonate with me for a while.

[Sami Miz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

This book follows Penelope as she grows up with her mom, who is struggling with addiction. The writing style of this book is interesting because it is structured in a prose/poetry format. The language and writing were captivating and beautifully written, but due to the structure, it was difficult to follow, and I found some of the information to be hard to grasp. I do understand why the story seemed disjointed, as it is supposed to be from Penny's POV as she grows up understanding what is happening. With that being said, the story was sad and hard to read in some places because you can't stop but feel so much sympathy for what Penny goes through. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for something to show what it is like to have a family member who struggles with addiction and how it affects the family unit. The storyline of the House No One Sees is strong throughout the book, as it pertains to no one really understanding what Penny goes through, and her having a hard time feeling like she is being seen.

Overall, it was a great story, but like I mentioned, I feel like some of the impact was lost due to how it got confusing at some points.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Adina King for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lynndell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emotionally cleansing!

Penny relives her childhood when her mother calls her. She leaves her friends without telling them where she’s going. When Penny arrives at her mother’s place and finds her overdosed, she’s thrown back to when her mother was a good parent, before her accident and the opioid addiction that followed. Penny remembers the teasing from classmates when she didn’t have clean clothes or a decent lunch from home. She remembers being taken from her mother and living with her loving grandparents and seeing them giving her mother a chance to do better. Penny’s mother didn’t kick the addiction; it took over her life and Penny’s. Penny learned that she has a light inside that has helped her throughout her life and she meets a kind teen boy and makes good friends. She’s finally seen.

Likes/dislikes: Emotionally cleansing. Hotlines for help of many kinds at the end of the book. Words of affirmation, hope and encouragement.
Mature content: PG for mother using drugs.
Language: R for 53 swears, 21 f-words.
Violence: PG for death by drug overdose.
Ethnicity: White and brown skin mentioned.

[Ren || Reading What I Want · Rating 5 out of 5]

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Length: 287p
Source: Physical ARC - TBR & Beyond, Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: March 18, 2025

➦ I’m going to say this: The House No One Sees is for a targeted audience—an audience of those who were once the children of a parent with an addiction.

➦ I was, unfortunately, one of those children and this story resonated HEAVILY with me. As in, I cried so hard reading this story from start to finish. If you’re this specific audience, be prepared. If you’re not, go in with empathy, my friends.

➦ I think the message that hit me the hardest was realizing people KNEW. They KNEW. And yet they did very little or nothing. And that’s a hard thing to process as you’re healing.

➦ A unique blend of written prose and poetry—The House No One Sees is a raw, emotional, unbelievably moving young adult story that will stay on my bedside table for I don’t know how long—until I break the book? 🤷🏻‍♀️

♡ ya fiction/poetry
♥ childhood neglect/abuse
♡ parental addiction
♥ half book x half poetry
♡ fairy tales and dark memories
♥ targeted audience

[Naomi Figueroa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I've read a book in prose. A House No One Sees is an emotional, haunting, devastating, and heartbreaking story about a girl that grows up with a mother who struggles with addiction. At first, I wasn't sold on the story being told in prose. As it progressed, it seemed like the right choice. As a parent, I struggled reading about Penny and her mom. My fifteen-year-old self would have devoured this story.

The House No One Sees tells an important story. It's fiction, but it could also be anyone's story. It's raw and is loaded with issues including addiction, grief, mental health, neglect, just to name a few. Overall, I recommend the book who appreciates prose and can handle processing such a sad story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing group for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

YA novel from the perspective of the child of an addict. This book follows two timelines. In the present, written in prose, Penelope has responded to a text from her estranged mother and ends up confronting their shared past. Those memories are written in verse. The two different timelines aren't as confusing as they could be. The very different writing styles make it easy to figure out what timeline we're in, and the past sections have a straightforward progression through time. In the present, Penny is obviously very much in shock, and that colors both her present narration and her memories. I felt very protective of Penny almost right away, and it's a relief to see that most of the adults in her life at least mean well. Even though it's quickly obvious where the present narration is heading, the journey is still satisfying to read.

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

TW: Trauma, neglect, drug use, addiction
First off, I would like to start my review by thanking NetGalley and macmillan for sharing an ARC of The House No One Sees, by Adina King, in exchange for an honest review.
This book was absolutely phenomenal. It has so much depth. I love the author’s use of metaphors throughout the story. I was able to envision and feel all of Penelope’s feelings alongside her as I read. I feel that it moved at the perfect pace and I would not change a thing. As someone who has seen and felt the effects of having a loved one who dealt with addiction, this book is completely on par and shows the unglamorous reality.
I adore this book and am grateful I had the opportunity to read it. I would highly recommend this book, being mindful of the trigger warnings.

[Claudiaslibrarycard · Rating 3 out of 5]

The House No One Sees is a young adult novel told in prose and in verse. It took me some time to feel situated with the main character, a teenager named Penny whose mother is struggling with opioid addiction.

Once I settled in to the writing style, I found I liked the poetry much more than the prose that was used to tie it together. And while I did enjoy the poetry, it did lean on some common elements that feel overplayed to me. A few poems towards the end stand out as among the best.

Overall, I found this to be a very middle of the road YA book in verse that does not top my list for this writing style. I hoped for more.

[Shahna (VanquishingVolumes) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hear me out - if you liked the prose and wandering qualities of Pirenhesi and also appreciate focusing on heavier topics such as those tackles in Thirteen Reasons Why, this is a book for you.

Laden in metaphors, poems, thoughts, and intersections of dreams and reality, this book follows a teen girl as she watches her mother fade in and out from her life. Calling her mother “The Sleeper” like a fairy tale princess, she hopes her mother will awaken someday too. Only this tale is based in our world, and there is no magic here.

It was beautifully written but it deviated too all over the place for me to feel the investment I probabaly should have given the subject matter.

[Jesaka Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE HOUSE NO ONE SEES by Adina King is beautifully written, especially in the way it uses a mix of prose and verse (flashbacks). This is one of those rare novels that isn't afraid to let things get dark as main character Penny processes her mother's opioid addiction. This is a hard subject and it includes the many ways a mother's drug addiction affects her child: mainly neglect and abuse, followed by absence when Penny goes to live with her grandparents. THE HOUSE NO ONE SEES is a great for readers who love Kathleen Glasgow's novels as well as those who enjoy more surreal writers like A.S. King.

[Brittany ✨Bookishlyyoursforever✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was so many things at one time: strange, interesting, heartbreaking, difficult to understand. The prose threw me for a loop; I appreciate the vision that the author had, but some of that vision might get lost because it seems like a lot of people were turned off by the way this was written. I did find some of it hard to understand at times and ended up rereading some pages, but overall I'm glad I read this. The story itself will resonate with so many that had a hard childhood, especially those that had to adapt with negligent parents.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A text message plea for help from her estranged opioid-addicted mother finds Penny Ross returning to her childhood home on her 16th birthday and navigating a labyrinth of long-suppressed memories to save the only thing she can: herself. Narration alternates between scenes from Penny's first-person present day life and first-person free-verse memories.

Gorgeously scripted with fairy-tale vibes, this is a beautiful puzzle that I'm still trying to make sense of but really enjoyed reading, though the surrealism sometimes sacrificed clarity.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penelope Ross loves fairy tales and has imagined her mother's life as a very dark fairy tale. On the night of her seventeenth birthday, Penelope receives a cryptic text from her mother and she goes to check on her. The rest of the novel is told in alternating prose and poetry and Penelope comes to terms with her difficult relationship with her drug-addicted mother. A deeply moving, and unorthodox, look at what it means to be the child of an addict, how to break free from addicted parents, and how to let your own light shine.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

A drug addicted mom and a traumatized daughter. Verse and prose. All were checkboxes for me to add this one but it DOES NOT work as an audiobook. I was exhausted by listening to the repetition in a way that I likely wouldn't have seeing it on the page. And the narrative perspective, while purposeful to feel the trauma and nervousness and scared nature of Penny's existence, got exhausting to listen to and not in an empathetic way but a distracting way.

Essentially, the concept worked but the execution didn't. But it's a powerful perspective.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This stunning YA novel-in-verse is the story of Penny whose mother is an opioid addict. While attending the fair, Penny receives a text from her mom. The text is a cry for help and not the birthday greeting Penny was hoping for. When Penny heads to her former house, it feels like the house is talking to her as she revisits her memories of living with an addict. This is an all-too-real look at the trauma and pain of growing up with a parent like Penny’s. A haunting story beautifully-written that will stay with readers long after they finish it.