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Worry Box
Not yet published
Expected 22 Sep 26The Martins need a new home for their growing family. For Alison, Nathan, daughter Dru, and foster child Lailah, it’s love at first sight when they see the house in Tumbling Hills. It even has a cozy attic, which is great for Lailah: she needs a quiet place to be alone when her intrusive thoughts creep in.
(crack an egg into the coffee machine)
The family gets settled. The house is perfect, and so is the timing – Lailah’s adoption will soon be finalized. But as the date approaches, her intrusive thoughts become worse, and bad things start to happen. Lailah fears she’s losing control.
(push your sister down the stairs)
The family is on edge, pointing fingers and taking sides. And even though they love each other very much, the cracks begin to show. Something has got to give.
(burn them alive in their beds)
(crack an egg into the coffee machine)
The family gets settled. The house is perfect, and so is the timing – Lailah’s adoption will soon be finalized. But as the date approaches, her intrusive thoughts become worse, and bad things start to happen. Lailah fears she’s losing control.
(push your sister down the stairs)
The family is on edge, pointing fingers and taking sides. And even though they love each other very much, the cracks begin to show. Something has got to give.
(burn them alive in their beds)
352 pages, Paperback
Expected publication September 22, 2026
About the author
Chris Panatier
29 books256 followersChris lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife, daughter, and a fluctuating herd of animals resembling dogs (one is almost certainly a goat). He writes short stories and novels, "plays" the drums, and draws album covers for metal bands. As a lawyer, he goes after companies that poison people.
Chris's short fiction has appeared in many places. His novels come from Angry Robot, Sobelo Books, and Rapture Publishing. He's a member of SFWA and HWA.
Chris's short fiction has appeared in many places. His novels come from Angry Robot, Sobelo Books, and Rapture Publishing. He's a member of SFWA and HWA.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 14, 2026
This book really scared the hell out of me. Chris made me feel like I was walking on a tightrope never knowing if I was going to fall or make it to the other side. This was a story of a wonderful family I just adored. Nathan the dad, Alison the mom, Dru their 9 year old biological daughter, and Laila their 12 year old foster daughter who btw has intrusive thoughts, and boy are they nasty! They find their dream home which is of course too good to be true, and decide to buy it. After they move in, weird things start happening. Unexplained, horrible things. I have never been so stressed out reading a book in my life! I would finally feel relief, and then boom! He pulls the rug out again! Of course in between all of the stress we get the signature Panatier wit that I have grown to love(some of Dru’s lines were just hilarious!), and damnit the way this book is laid out is just so clever. The claustrophobic feeling you get is incredible. You become just as unhinged as the characters, getting sucked into the same thought process they’re going through. There’s so much sadness in this family it breaks my heart, but the love that’s there is so deep. Chris puts me through a roller coaster of emotions in this one again. He really knows how to make a scene explode in front of your eyes. Making me completely broken by the end, but he always does it with such beauty and intelligence. Panatier is a true talent and Worry Box is not to be missed!!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Currently reading for a future issue of Booklist
Three Words That Describe This Book: steadily escalating unease, foster kids, haunted house titled sideways
So much tension. It grows slowly at first, the haunting twist is revealed before page 100 but even then, that grows as well, in tandem with the story line of the family. We start unease and it build, escalates-- goes from unsettling to unbalanced to ready to burst.
This is also a story of the different ways trauma is internalized and dealt with. And that part was done cleverly. I cannot say more but know it is not just the family members who hold trauma.
The story follows the Martin family as they move into a new home in the primer neighborhood of the Indianapolis suburbs. Allison is the mother, Nathan the father (a former foster kid), Dru their precious, punk rock loving daughter, and Lailah (12)-- older than Dru and their foster kid who they are getting ready to adopt. All four of them have the POV as does "the ghost"
Lailah has intrusive thoughts which are very intense and violent, but she controls them by writing them down and storing them in her "worry box."
The house holds its own trauma. Readers catch a glimpse of it in the terrifying prologue, but they don't know the half of it until later in the book. But that opening scene sets the terrifying tone. YEs the story backs up to the Martins moving in the house and noticing a small in one room and that strange things are happening (on their own) but none of it is nefarious-- at first. And yet, readers cannot shake that terrifying first scene. It is there to remind you that things are not a great as they seem, without hitting you over the head with it.
And it gets worse and worse for the family, the house, and the ghost. I enjoyed the sidewise tilt of the haunted house trope-- it worked very well for this story. How and why the haunting becomes more intense, how the different daily members react, the honest discussion of fostering kids, the way trauma is internalized and the different ways that trauma is dealt with. There are good ways and bad ways to do it. But the discussion is there if readers want to engage with it.
And that's the other thing, this is an enjoyable haunted house story even for readers who do not want to engage with the more thought-provoking aspects. That is a good thing. Especially with library readers-- we want books that can appeal to different readers for different reasons. These are the titles that we love to be able to handout to a wide range of patrons. Worry Box is good for this.
An intense and satisfying haunted house story that will burrow deep into readers and allow them to feel the tension with their entire body. You will feel the build up and be ready when it bursts open.
This is a haunted house story in the vein of The Haunting of Hill House by Jackson or The House Next Door by Siddons. If you have read these, this is a bit of a spoiler, but also that part of the story is revealed before you are a third of the way through and it is not the half of it in terms of spoiling what happens.
It has the intensity of dread escalating to interfere with a family's relationships like The Grip of It Jemc.
Three Words That Describe This Book: steadily escalating unease, foster kids, haunted house titled sideways
So much tension. It grows slowly at first, the haunting twist is revealed before page 100 but even then, that grows as well, in tandem with the story line of the family. We start unease and it build, escalates-- goes from unsettling to unbalanced to ready to burst.
This is also a story of the different ways trauma is internalized and dealt with. And that part was done cleverly. I cannot say more but know it is not just the family members who hold trauma.
The story follows the Martin family as they move into a new home in the primer neighborhood of the Indianapolis suburbs. Allison is the mother, Nathan the father (a former foster kid), Dru their precious, punk rock loving daughter, and Lailah (12)-- older than Dru and their foster kid who they are getting ready to adopt. All four of them have the POV as does "the ghost"
Lailah has intrusive thoughts which are very intense and violent, but she controls them by writing them down and storing them in her "worry box."
The house holds its own trauma. Readers catch a glimpse of it in the terrifying prologue, but they don't know the half of it until later in the book. But that opening scene sets the terrifying tone. YEs the story backs up to the Martins moving in the house and noticing a small in one room and that strange things are happening (on their own) but none of it is nefarious-- at first. And yet, readers cannot shake that terrifying first scene. It is there to remind you that things are not a great as they seem, without hitting you over the head with it.
And it gets worse and worse for the family, the house, and the ghost. I enjoyed the sidewise tilt of the haunted house trope-- it worked very well for this story. How and why the haunting becomes more intense, how the different daily members react, the honest discussion of fostering kids, the way trauma is internalized and the different ways that trauma is dealt with. There are good ways and bad ways to do it. But the discussion is there if readers want to engage with it.
And that's the other thing, this is an enjoyable haunted house story even for readers who do not want to engage with the more thought-provoking aspects. That is a good thing. Especially with library readers-- we want books that can appeal to different readers for different reasons. These are the titles that we love to be able to handout to a wide range of patrons. Worry Box is good for this.
An intense and satisfying haunted house story that will burrow deep into readers and allow them to feel the tension with their entire body. You will feel the build up and be ready when it bursts open.
This is a haunted house story in the vein of The Haunting of Hill House by Jackson or The House Next Door by Siddons. If you have read these, this is a bit of a spoiler, but also that part of the story is revealed before you are a third of the way through and it is not the half of it in terms of spoiling what happens.
It has the intensity of dread escalating to interfere with a family's relationships like The Grip of It Jemc.
July 11, 2026
Thank you Chris and Angry Robot for my free ARC of Worry Box by Chris Panatier — out Sep 22!
» READ IF YOU «
🗳️ ever act on your intrusive thoughts, just a teeny bit
🏡 think houses have memories
👻 want to root for every single character (except the Ragsdales, ugh)
» SYNOPSIS «
The Martins just bought their dream home in Tumbling Hills and are settling in. Alison, Nathan, and their daughter Dru are especially looking forward to foster daughter Lailah’s adoption being finalized. But the move seems to have shaken the girls a little—Dru insists there’s paranormal activity in the house, while Lailah’s intrusive thoughts are getting worse and more violent with each passing day. And…they’re coming true? Is Lailah losing control?
» REVIEW «
Whew, what a book. If you know Chris’s work, you’ll know already that he has a talent for bringing intense emotion to his horror stories, and this one is certainly no exception! I truly didn’t expect to like and root for every single character in this story (with the notable exception of the house’s previous family) but alas, here they all are just trying to do the best they can for each other.
This is my favorite kind of horror story, because it has so much heart. But it’s still firmly horrific! A few times, I physically had to put the book down because what was happening was just…too much. I love when an author can take two seemingly opposed states, like love and terror, and meld them together into a story that’s got real staying power. Chris is great at it.
No spoilers here, I think you should go into it as blind as possible, but Worry Box will definitely make you sweat—the characters are under palpable stress, which is what got me more than once, since I genuinely cared about them. Chris, you know what you did in that one part, with the yeeting—hot damn. Anyway, be mindful if you’re sensitive to animal death, as it’s all technically off-page, but still reeeeally visceral and tough to read. And, who knew molasses could make you shudder?
Do not miss this book in September; grab a copy and head up into a cozy attic to read it, if you’ve got one…
» READ IF YOU «
🗳️ ever act on your intrusive thoughts, just a teeny bit
🏡 think houses have memories
👻 want to root for every single character (except the Ragsdales, ugh)
» SYNOPSIS «
The Martins just bought their dream home in Tumbling Hills and are settling in. Alison, Nathan, and their daughter Dru are especially looking forward to foster daughter Lailah’s adoption being finalized. But the move seems to have shaken the girls a little—Dru insists there’s paranormal activity in the house, while Lailah’s intrusive thoughts are getting worse and more violent with each passing day. And…they’re coming true? Is Lailah losing control?
» REVIEW «
Whew, what a book. If you know Chris’s work, you’ll know already that he has a talent for bringing intense emotion to his horror stories, and this one is certainly no exception! I truly didn’t expect to like and root for every single character in this story (with the notable exception of the house’s previous family) but alas, here they all are just trying to do the best they can for each other.
This is my favorite kind of horror story, because it has so much heart. But it’s still firmly horrific! A few times, I physically had to put the book down because what was happening was just…too much. I love when an author can take two seemingly opposed states, like love and terror, and meld them together into a story that’s got real staying power. Chris is great at it.
No spoilers here, I think you should go into it as blind as possible, but Worry Box will definitely make you sweat—the characters are under palpable stress, which is what got me more than once, since I genuinely cared about them. Chris, you know what you did in that one part, with the yeeting—hot damn. Anyway, be mindful if you’re sensitive to animal death, as it’s all technically off-page, but still reeeeally visceral and tough to read. And, who knew molasses could make you shudder?
Do not miss this book in September; grab a copy and head up into a cozy attic to read it, if you’ve got one…
July 1, 2026
Review originally appearing on FanFiAddict.com
Hello again dear reader or listener, I return after a small reviewing hiatus as I’ve been cajoled – see half dragged – back from several weeks (ok, fine, months) of a total inability to finish any book I started, by a September release that will meet all of your horror needs ahead of spooky season.
So, with a quick thank you to the author for sending me an eARC and my usual promise to you, dear reader, that I’m being honest in my ravings, allow me to tell you why Worry Box by Chris Panatier belongs on your shelves.
I can now say I’ve read most of Panatier’s work (still have a couple to catch up on but they’re definitely on the horizon) and can confidently claim this as my favorite of his wordsmithing. Truly, in my first ever review of his work I said that even though that particular book had not fully been to my liking near the end, I found the tact and grace of his handling of very important themes masterful and his evocative writing worthy of note so I would keep reading him. Three excellent books later including this one, I’m very pleased to say that Worry Box is Panatier at the very top of his game and at his most well-crafted to date. So far that is, as he doesn’t show signs of stopping, and I hope for all of us that he never does!
The only reason Worry Box was a two sittings read was that I started it late at night and hearing the early birds start to sing at 4:30 am really does remind you that you had things to do that morning. And yet I had no regrets, because I didn’t need sleep, I needed answers and the inexorable growing dread and anxiety to come to an end. Not only is this book an exceptionally fresh take on the haunted house but it takes all of your certainties and feelings of safety away. It doesn’t simply play on the idea that bad things happen to good people, it instead crawls under your skin with the terrible realization that good intentions can go horrifically wrong and there is nothing you can do about it but watch it all unfold helplessly and suddenly short of breath.
The Martins are a good family, a healthy one, helmed by two emotionally mature adults who have dealt with their past demons and are determined to help their kids face their own in the safest way possible. There is acceptance and communication with boundaries, true nurture, fun, and care.
Until there isn’t.
You root for all of them to succeed and be happy because you get all of their points of view, yes, but also because Panatier takes the time to actually invite the reader to be a part of this happy family that has found the perfect new home, whose rooms are always the right temperature. Never mind the dining room that still smells just a little off. You are there with them, comfortable in their warmth and relaxed in their presence.
Until you are not.
If up until a certain point you felt a part of this family and story, you find yourself slowly being inched out of the house and, before you’ve fully realized it, you are now locked outside looking in unable to warn them as all of that previous warmth starts to go chillingly cold. Things start going wrong and unravel, trust starts to fade, characters who you thought wouldn’t possibly crack under pressure slowly and dreadfully reach their breaking point. And that is perhaps the scariest and most unsettling part of this book. You can do everything right, but if the right (or wrong in this case) amount of things start chipping away at you, even you are vulnerable.
Panatier not only strikes the perfect balance between delightfully frustrating and utter uncertainty but he weaves his story and narrators in such a deliciously evil manner that he well and truly makes it impossible for you to know who to trust. Is one narrator being truthful compared to another, are they blocking out or forgetting things that they are responsible of, or is it something or someone else entirely? Who is unreliable and who isn’t?
It was maddening and ominous in the best of ways and I couldn’t get enough while simultaneously suffering in silence, wishing for it to end, willing my eyes to Just. Read. Faster! I already mentioned feeling short of breath but I found myself literally sweating and eventually even holding my breath entirely for a considerable section of the final act. If that doesn’t tell you how much of an impact an author’s words can have on a person! Cause there’s invested and then there’s completely immersed in what you’re reading that you completely forget you’re sat somewhere comfortable and safe and start feeling literal fight or flight within your own body.
Moreover, I mentioned tact and grace and that is in no short amount here as well when Panatier explores topics of parental abuse, intrusive thoughts (the real ones, not the internet’s teehee-I-got-a-funky-outfit-today variety), post-partum, and mental health. His characters are so well developed and fleshed out in ways that preclude any villainization. Especially when it comes to the mother of the family, lesser authors would’ve taken the easy – sometimes subconscious – route of othering her and, through their inflections and writing, allow her to become the “hysterical” and “unreasonable” character you emotionally check out from.
Or, in the same vein, when conflict of this caliber starts breaking loving couples apart and they show their red flags as it were, more often than not something on either or both sides severs the connection you originally felt for them and now, best case scenario, you just want them to go their separate ways and be done with it. Worst, you’re lowkey wishing for the offending party to die a horrible death. While understandable and often explored well, this type of dynamic breakdown has started feeling inevitable if not cliché to me personally so it was so satisfying to see Panatier did not go down that road. This is an author I’ve come to trust and knew he wouldn’t let me down and yet I was still gratified with the way he subverted trope, and my own, expectations.
To me it feels like empathy is the driving force behind this book, both narratively and thematically. What happens when there is too much or too little of it? Do we allow ourselves to be blinded by it or can we learn to discern the right course of action even when it feels callous or cruel? Also, the true empathy you can’t help but feel toward all of the characters – every single one – is what places Panatier on a class of his own for me.
Now, I’ve said a lot while not nearly enough so, in short:
Worry Box is a beautifully written and downright unrelenting narrative that will warm you and scare you in equal measure. It will make you think and ponder, it will make you understand while also giving you no answers until the very end. You will be turning the pages with one hand while peeking through your fingers of the other, afraid of what will happen next but unable to look away.
Believe me when I say, this is a must read for both seasoned fans of horror and for readers who want to give the genre a go for the first time. As for me, it has merely cemented Panatier’s spot on my shelves. I thoroughly enjoyed both his previous works, Shitshow and Daytide, for their own merits, but I believe the more grounded nature of this one truly hit home differently.
Worry Box is out through Angry Robot this September 22nd and you definitely want to preorder it!
Until next time,
Eleni A.E
Hello again dear reader or listener, I return after a small reviewing hiatus as I’ve been cajoled – see half dragged – back from several weeks (ok, fine, months) of a total inability to finish any book I started, by a September release that will meet all of your horror needs ahead of spooky season.
So, with a quick thank you to the author for sending me an eARC and my usual promise to you, dear reader, that I’m being honest in my ravings, allow me to tell you why Worry Box by Chris Panatier belongs on your shelves.
I can now say I’ve read most of Panatier’s work (still have a couple to catch up on but they’re definitely on the horizon) and can confidently claim this as my favorite of his wordsmithing. Truly, in my first ever review of his work I said that even though that particular book had not fully been to my liking near the end, I found the tact and grace of his handling of very important themes masterful and his evocative writing worthy of note so I would keep reading him. Three excellent books later including this one, I’m very pleased to say that Worry Box is Panatier at the very top of his game and at his most well-crafted to date. So far that is, as he doesn’t show signs of stopping, and I hope for all of us that he never does!
The only reason Worry Box was a two sittings read was that I started it late at night and hearing the early birds start to sing at 4:30 am really does remind you that you had things to do that morning. And yet I had no regrets, because I didn’t need sleep, I needed answers and the inexorable growing dread and anxiety to come to an end. Not only is this book an exceptionally fresh take on the haunted house but it takes all of your certainties and feelings of safety away. It doesn’t simply play on the idea that bad things happen to good people, it instead crawls under your skin with the terrible realization that good intentions can go horrifically wrong and there is nothing you can do about it but watch it all unfold helplessly and suddenly short of breath.
The Martins are a good family, a healthy one, helmed by two emotionally mature adults who have dealt with their past demons and are determined to help their kids face their own in the safest way possible. There is acceptance and communication with boundaries, true nurture, fun, and care.
Until there isn’t.
You root for all of them to succeed and be happy because you get all of their points of view, yes, but also because Panatier takes the time to actually invite the reader to be a part of this happy family that has found the perfect new home, whose rooms are always the right temperature. Never mind the dining room that still smells just a little off. You are there with them, comfortable in their warmth and relaxed in their presence.
Until you are not.
If up until a certain point you felt a part of this family and story, you find yourself slowly being inched out of the house and, before you’ve fully realized it, you are now locked outside looking in unable to warn them as all of that previous warmth starts to go chillingly cold. Things start going wrong and unravel, trust starts to fade, characters who you thought wouldn’t possibly crack under pressure slowly and dreadfully reach their breaking point. And that is perhaps the scariest and most unsettling part of this book. You can do everything right, but if the right (or wrong in this case) amount of things start chipping away at you, even you are vulnerable.
Panatier not only strikes the perfect balance between delightfully frustrating and utter uncertainty but he weaves his story and narrators in such a deliciously evil manner that he well and truly makes it impossible for you to know who to trust. Is one narrator being truthful compared to another, are they blocking out or forgetting things that they are responsible of, or is it something or someone else entirely? Who is unreliable and who isn’t?
It was maddening and ominous in the best of ways and I couldn’t get enough while simultaneously suffering in silence, wishing for it to end, willing my eyes to Just. Read. Faster! I already mentioned feeling short of breath but I found myself literally sweating and eventually even holding my breath entirely for a considerable section of the final act. If that doesn’t tell you how much of an impact an author’s words can have on a person! Cause there’s invested and then there’s completely immersed in what you’re reading that you completely forget you’re sat somewhere comfortable and safe and start feeling literal fight or flight within your own body.
Moreover, I mentioned tact and grace and that is in no short amount here as well when Panatier explores topics of parental abuse, intrusive thoughts (the real ones, not the internet’s teehee-I-got-a-funky-outfit-today variety), post-partum, and mental health. His characters are so well developed and fleshed out in ways that preclude any villainization. Especially when it comes to the mother of the family, lesser authors would’ve taken the easy – sometimes subconscious – route of othering her and, through their inflections and writing, allow her to become the “hysterical” and “unreasonable” character you emotionally check out from.
Or, in the same vein, when conflict of this caliber starts breaking loving couples apart and they show their red flags as it were, more often than not something on either or both sides severs the connection you originally felt for them and now, best case scenario, you just want them to go their separate ways and be done with it. Worst, you’re lowkey wishing for the offending party to die a horrible death. While understandable and often explored well, this type of dynamic breakdown has started feeling inevitable if not cliché to me personally so it was so satisfying to see Panatier did not go down that road. This is an author I’ve come to trust and knew he wouldn’t let me down and yet I was still gratified with the way he subverted trope, and my own, expectations.
To me it feels like empathy is the driving force behind this book, both narratively and thematically. What happens when there is too much or too little of it? Do we allow ourselves to be blinded by it or can we learn to discern the right course of action even when it feels callous or cruel? Also, the true empathy you can’t help but feel toward all of the characters – every single one – is what places Panatier on a class of his own for me.
Now, I’ve said a lot while not nearly enough so, in short:
Worry Box is a beautifully written and downright unrelenting narrative that will warm you and scare you in equal measure. It will make you think and ponder, it will make you understand while also giving you no answers until the very end. You will be turning the pages with one hand while peeking through your fingers of the other, afraid of what will happen next but unable to look away.
Believe me when I say, this is a must read for both seasoned fans of horror and for readers who want to give the genre a go for the first time. As for me, it has merely cemented Panatier’s spot on my shelves. I thoroughly enjoyed both his previous works, Shitshow and Daytide, for their own merits, but I believe the more grounded nature of this one truly hit home differently.
Worry Box is out through Angry Robot this September 22nd and you definitely want to preorder it!
Until next time,
Eleni A.E
July 8, 2026
This was such a unique read! The premise was unlike anything I’ve read before, and it kept me on my toes. I finished it in less than 24 hours.
July 5, 2026
What an insanely unique take on a haunted house 😱
The Martins move into a new home with their biological and foster daughters. Lailah, the foster daughter, just wants to be good and loved, but she has extremely violent intrusive thoughts that seem to keep escalating. Dru, the biological daughter, is a little rebel who equally loves her family. The parents, Nathan and Alison, love both girls and can’t wait to adopt Lailah. Nathan is very patient with Lailah and her thoughts, and it is super sweet to see their dynamic. Lailah eventually starts using a worry box to write down and hide her thoughts to help. Unfortunately, the box causes a series of events to unfold that ultimately have the family bonds loosening.
I had zero idea what was actually happening the entire book, and the plot is well laid out. The writing is absorbing and kept me hooked the entire time. The whole book is just very fresh and different. If you liked The September House, The Haunting of Hill House, or Just Like Home, this book is for you.
This book will stay on my haunted house recommendations list. 🏠
Thank you NetGalley, Angry Robot, and Chris Panatier for the ARC! 🫶🏼
The Martins move into a new home with their biological and foster daughters. Lailah, the foster daughter, just wants to be good and loved, but she has extremely violent intrusive thoughts that seem to keep escalating. Dru, the biological daughter, is a little rebel who equally loves her family. The parents, Nathan and Alison, love both girls and can’t wait to adopt Lailah. Nathan is very patient with Lailah and her thoughts, and it is super sweet to see their dynamic. Lailah eventually starts using a worry box to write down and hide her thoughts to help. Unfortunately, the box causes a series of events to unfold that ultimately have the family bonds loosening.
I had zero idea what was actually happening the entire book, and the plot is well laid out. The writing is absorbing and kept me hooked the entire time. The whole book is just very fresh and different. If you liked The September House, The Haunting of Hill House, or Just Like Home, this book is for you.
This book will stay on my haunted house recommendations list. 🏠
Thank you NetGalley, Angry Robot, and Chris Panatier for the ARC! 🫶🏼
May 12, 2026
This book really got under my skin!!
The Martins move into what feels like the perfect home for a fresh start with their biological daughter, Dru, and foster daughter, Lailah. Alison and Nathan are preparing to finalize the adoption of Lailah, while trying to build a stable life for their family. Lailah has a history with intrusive thoughts. Her therapist recommends a worry box. Write those thoughts down and stuff it in the box. As they settle in, her intrusive thoughts become darker, more violent, and harder to control. And then bad things start happening…
The way the intrusive thoughts are woven throughout the story was sooo unsettling. When one appeared, the tension amped up because I didn’t know what was going to happen next. This is a horror you will NOT want to miss.
The Martins move into what feels like the perfect home for a fresh start with their biological daughter, Dru, and foster daughter, Lailah. Alison and Nathan are preparing to finalize the adoption of Lailah, while trying to build a stable life for their family. Lailah has a history with intrusive thoughts. Her therapist recommends a worry box. Write those thoughts down and stuff it in the box. As they settle in, her intrusive thoughts become darker, more violent, and harder to control. And then bad things start happening…
The way the intrusive thoughts are woven throughout the story was sooo unsettling. When one appeared, the tension amped up because I didn’t know what was going to happen next. This is a horror you will NOT want to miss.
July 13, 2026
I truly believe this is one of those books where the less you know about the plot, the better. I loved every POV of this story, and how it always switched to one another in the perfect moment. The book was playing like a horror movie in my mind, like crystal clear, and omg the story had me in a chokehold. It was truly haunting, creepy and with a totally unique plot. I’ve really enjoyed it and will be recommending this to anyone who loves haunted house horror books!
Thanks so much to NetGalley for sending me this ARC
Thanks so much to NetGalley for sending me this ARC
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
If you're looking for a haunted house story that starts creepy and somehow just keeps getting worse in the best way possible, “Worry Box” by Chris Panatier absolutely delivers.
The book kicks off with one heck of a prologue involving a decomposing body falling out of a ceiling, immediately letting you know this house has some serious issues. Then we meet the Martin family, who honestly might be one of the most lovable families I've read in a horror story. Nathan and Alison are trying to build a happy life with their daughter Dru and foster daughter Lailah, whom they're hoping to adopt. You can't help but root for all of them, especially Nathan who also grew up in the foster system and wants to give Lailah a loving home and become her forever family, which makes everything that follows hurt so much more.
One of my favorite parts was Lailah. She struggles with OCD and intrusive thoughts, and I thought her portrayal was handled with so much empathy and care. Her "worry box," where she writes down her intrusive thoughts to help manage them, is such a simple but powerful idea. You just want to give this kid a hug. The book also handles topics like foster care, trauma, child abuse, postpartum mental health, and grief with a surprising amount of compassion without ever losing the horror.
And then there's the house.
What makes “Worry Box” stand out from your typical haunted house novel is that the house itself gets a voice. Through chapters from the perspective of "Andy," the sentient spirit of the home, you slowly learn that the house isn't just haunted; it has its own history, its own trauma, and its own idea of what makes a family. Watching those flashbacks slowly reveal what happened to the previous owners was one of the creepiest parts of the entire book.
The horror itself is a slow burn, but it escalates quite a bit. It starts with little unsettling moments, like objects moving on their own, strange smells, weirdly helpful supernatural events, and gradually spirals into something deeply unsettling. Every time I thought the family might finally catch a break, the book somehow managed to pull the rug right back out from under me. The tension just keeps tightening until the final act becomes genuinely nerve-wracking.
I also loved the multiple POVs. Getting inside everyone's heads, including the house's, made it impossible to know exactly what was real, who was reliable, or what was actually causing everything to unravel. It creates this constant feeling of paranoia where you're questioning everything alongside the characters.
Despite all the scares, this is really a story about family, trauma, empathy, and the ways people carry emotional wounds. Even when characters make frustrating decisions, they never feel like villains; they feel like real people under unimaginable pressure. That emotional core made the horror hit even harder.
Fair warning, though: there are some heavy content warnings here, including child abuse, animal abuse in the past, intrusive thoughts related to OCD, postpartum mental health struggles, and violence. Also, it features the “othering” of foster children, which is something that unfortunately occurs quite a bit in real life. Thankfully, for anyone who always worries about this (like me), the dog is safe.
Overall, “Worry Box” is an incredibly tense, emotional, and unique haunted house story that feels just as interested in breaking your heart as it is in scaring you. It balances supernatural horror with deeply human characters, and by the end I was completely invested in this family's survival. Creepy, heartbreaking, and impossible to put down.
If you're looking for a haunted house story that starts creepy and somehow just keeps getting worse in the best way possible, “Worry Box” by Chris Panatier absolutely delivers.
The book kicks off with one heck of a prologue involving a decomposing body falling out of a ceiling, immediately letting you know this house has some serious issues. Then we meet the Martin family, who honestly might be one of the most lovable families I've read in a horror story. Nathan and Alison are trying to build a happy life with their daughter Dru and foster daughter Lailah, whom they're hoping to adopt. You can't help but root for all of them, especially Nathan who also grew up in the foster system and wants to give Lailah a loving home and become her forever family, which makes everything that follows hurt so much more.
One of my favorite parts was Lailah. She struggles with OCD and intrusive thoughts, and I thought her portrayal was handled with so much empathy and care. Her "worry box," where she writes down her intrusive thoughts to help manage them, is such a simple but powerful idea. You just want to give this kid a hug. The book also handles topics like foster care, trauma, child abuse, postpartum mental health, and grief with a surprising amount of compassion without ever losing the horror.
And then there's the house.
What makes “Worry Box” stand out from your typical haunted house novel is that the house itself gets a voice. Through chapters from the perspective of "Andy," the sentient spirit of the home, you slowly learn that the house isn't just haunted; it has its own history, its own trauma, and its own idea of what makes a family. Watching those flashbacks slowly reveal what happened to the previous owners was one of the creepiest parts of the entire book.
The horror itself is a slow burn, but it escalates quite a bit. It starts with little unsettling moments, like objects moving on their own, strange smells, weirdly helpful supernatural events, and gradually spirals into something deeply unsettling. Every time I thought the family might finally catch a break, the book somehow managed to pull the rug right back out from under me. The tension just keeps tightening until the final act becomes genuinely nerve-wracking.
I also loved the multiple POVs. Getting inside everyone's heads, including the house's, made it impossible to know exactly what was real, who was reliable, or what was actually causing everything to unravel. It creates this constant feeling of paranoia where you're questioning everything alongside the characters.
Despite all the scares, this is really a story about family, trauma, empathy, and the ways people carry emotional wounds. Even when characters make frustrating decisions, they never feel like villains; they feel like real people under unimaginable pressure. That emotional core made the horror hit even harder.
Fair warning, though: there are some heavy content warnings here, including child abuse, animal abuse in the past, intrusive thoughts related to OCD, postpartum mental health struggles, and violence. Also, it features the “othering” of foster children, which is something that unfortunately occurs quite a bit in real life. Thankfully, for anyone who always worries about this (like me), the dog is safe.
Overall, “Worry Box” is an incredibly tense, emotional, and unique haunted house story that feels just as interested in breaking your heart as it is in scaring you. It balances supernatural horror with deeply human characters, and by the end I was completely invested in this family's survival. Creepy, heartbreaking, and impossible to put down.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Worry Box by Chris Panatier will be published September 22nd by Angry Robot
Worry Box is about a family. A family full of wonderful, unique, fleshed out characters. Some who get under your skin, some who you relate with and some you hate. A family who is each doing the best that they know how. Sounds on par for a normal family dynamic if you ask me.
North Shore Pediatric Therapy about worry boxes. A worry box is a cognitive-behavioral therapeutic approach to addressing excessive worry and anxiety in children. This modality aims to take the worry and anxiety off of the child, and places it onto a tangible item such as a box.
Lailah is a foster child, and she has these horrible, nasty, evil thoughts that her therapist and foster dad call intrusive thoughts. Mrs. Lauren, that’s her therapist, suggested a worry box. A place for her to write down the thoughts to get them OUT of her head. Together with her foster parents they decorated a box. They cut a slit on top, added a pad of paper and a purple pen, and Lailah was now armed with a new way to subvert those intrusive ideas. Write them down and stuff em in the box!
This seemed to be going well, as did the new house they moved into. She was sharing a room with her younger sister Dru (biological child of her foster parents) but that was alright because they really loved each other so much. Lailah’s dream that she was scared to dream was about being adopted into the family permanently. But when good things happened to her, intrusive thoughts like creeping in and taking over, so she tried not to be overly happy too often.
Will Lailah’s intrusive thoughts stay buried in her worry box, or will they come out to haunt her and her family.
Chris Panatier has once again, done it! He knows how to write engaging stories that draw you in and hold you close. They make you squirm and bite your nails. They make your stomach churn, and your eyes squeeze tight against the truth on the pages. His characters really come to life; with such individual voices no one feels flat or like a repeat. When I read, I can hear each person’s distinct voice in my head which adds an extra immersive layer to the reading experience.
Worry Box is perfect for new fans of the horror genre and horror fiends who have been around the block more times than they can count. It scratched such a good itch that I didn’t even know I had until I was reading.
Worry Box is about a family. A family full of wonderful, unique, fleshed out characters. Some who get under your skin, some who you relate with and some you hate. A family who is each doing the best that they know how. Sounds on par for a normal family dynamic if you ask me.
North Shore Pediatric Therapy about worry boxes. A worry box is a cognitive-behavioral therapeutic approach to addressing excessive worry and anxiety in children. This modality aims to take the worry and anxiety off of the child, and places it onto a tangible item such as a box.
Lailah is a foster child, and she has these horrible, nasty, evil thoughts that her therapist and foster dad call intrusive thoughts. Mrs. Lauren, that’s her therapist, suggested a worry box. A place for her to write down the thoughts to get them OUT of her head. Together with her foster parents they decorated a box. They cut a slit on top, added a pad of paper and a purple pen, and Lailah was now armed with a new way to subvert those intrusive ideas. Write them down and stuff em in the box!
This seemed to be going well, as did the new house they moved into. She was sharing a room with her younger sister Dru (biological child of her foster parents) but that was alright because they really loved each other so much. Lailah’s dream that she was scared to dream was about being adopted into the family permanently. But when good things happened to her, intrusive thoughts like creeping in and taking over, so she tried not to be overly happy too often.
Will Lailah’s intrusive thoughts stay buried in her worry box, or will they come out to haunt her and her family.
Chris Panatier has once again, done it! He knows how to write engaging stories that draw you in and hold you close. They make you squirm and bite your nails. They make your stomach churn, and your eyes squeeze tight against the truth on the pages. His characters really come to life; with such individual voices no one feels flat or like a repeat. When I read, I can hear each person’s distinct voice in my head which adds an extra immersive layer to the reading experience.
Worry Box is perfect for new fans of the horror genre and horror fiends who have been around the block more times than they can count. It scratched such a good itch that I didn’t even know I had until I was reading.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a review.
A quick, tense read that I ended up enjoying a lot! Nathan, Allison, their biological daughter Dru, and their foster daughter Lailah (who they hope to adopt) move into a new-to-them house that immediately feels like the perfect home. The family's comfort and joy in each other are clear from the start--which makes the sudden shift even more stark as cracks form in relationships and distrust begins to fester. Lailah struggles with violent, dark intrusive thoughts, and initially the support of her foster family seems unconditional. But as she starts to write the thoughts down and put them in a worry box in her attic space, in order to deplete their power over her, dark things begin happening around the house. For the adults there are no logical explanations--but the children are convinced it is a ghost they've experienced, who started out good but has suddenly become very, very bad.
For me the children were better drawn characters than the adults in some ways, although I liked Nathan's extreme dedication to fostering and adopting, stemming from his own rough childhood experiences. The family really read as a true family to me, with each member having their own personality that meshed into the whole. I also found it interesting to explore how they all responded to things like trauma, sleep deprivation, and senseless events--some placed blame immediately, some worked to find a logical solution, and others started to distrust themselves. Several of the twists towards the end brought new emotional weight to the story, and thankfully we didn't get a sweet sappy ending where all issues are resolved, because that's not how real things or real families work. I'll keep an eye out for future releases from this author for sure!
A quick, tense read that I ended up enjoying a lot! Nathan, Allison, their biological daughter Dru, and their foster daughter Lailah (who they hope to adopt) move into a new-to-them house that immediately feels like the perfect home. The family's comfort and joy in each other are clear from the start--which makes the sudden shift even more stark as cracks form in relationships and distrust begins to fester. Lailah struggles with violent, dark intrusive thoughts, and initially the support of her foster family seems unconditional. But as she starts to write the thoughts down and put them in a worry box in her attic space, in order to deplete their power over her, dark things begin happening around the house. For the adults there are no logical explanations--but the children are convinced it is a ghost they've experienced, who started out good but has suddenly become very, very bad.
For me the children were better drawn characters than the adults in some ways, although I liked Nathan's extreme dedication to fostering and adopting, stemming from his own rough childhood experiences. The family really read as a true family to me, with each member having their own personality that meshed into the whole. I also found it interesting to explore how they all responded to things like trauma, sleep deprivation, and senseless events--some placed blame immediately, some worked to find a logical solution, and others started to distrust themselves. Several of the twists towards the end brought new emotional weight to the story, and thankfully we didn't get a sweet sappy ending where all issues are resolved, because that's not how real things or real families work. I'll keep an eye out for future releases from this author for sure!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I recently read Worry Box by Chris Panatier, thanks to the eARC I got from Angry Robot Books via #NetGalley, and let me tell you this is a killer story! The prologue alone is enough to make you say "WTF!"
As the story unfolds we meet the Martins, parents Nathan and Alison, their 9 year old daughter Dru and 11 year old foster daughter Lailah. The Martins hope to adopt Lailah, even as they help her cope with her intrusive thoughts, which often encourage her to commit dangerous or violent acts.
It's not long after they move into the perfect home in a desirable neighborhood that... unusual... events begin to happen. These inexplicable occurrences seem welcoming and even helpful at first, but soon take on a darker tone. The girls believe a ghost is responsible, while the parents feel one, or both, of the girls are involved, playing pranks that get out of hand. Both girls deny any involvement even as events escalate, and Lailah comes under extra scrutiny because of her intrusive thoughts.
Each of the chapters is written from a different character's perspective, so we get to experience each one's hopes, dreams, worries and fears. This shifting perspective highlights the Martin's confusion, concern, panic and horror, as weird events continue to occur within the house.
Worry Box is a master class in building tension and terror amid shifting family dynamics. As events spiraled out of control I found it more difficult to put the book down, and raced through the final third of the book to find out what happened and who was responsible.
Worry Box publishes September 22, 2026.
As the story unfolds we meet the Martins, parents Nathan and Alison, their 9 year old daughter Dru and 11 year old foster daughter Lailah. The Martins hope to adopt Lailah, even as they help her cope with her intrusive thoughts, which often encourage her to commit dangerous or violent acts.
It's not long after they move into the perfect home in a desirable neighborhood that... unusual... events begin to happen. These inexplicable occurrences seem welcoming and even helpful at first, but soon take on a darker tone. The girls believe a ghost is responsible, while the parents feel one, or both, of the girls are involved, playing pranks that get out of hand. Both girls deny any involvement even as events escalate, and Lailah comes under extra scrutiny because of her intrusive thoughts.
Each of the chapters is written from a different character's perspective, so we get to experience each one's hopes, dreams, worries and fears. This shifting perspective highlights the Martin's confusion, concern, panic and horror, as weird events continue to occur within the house.
Worry Box is a master class in building tension and terror amid shifting family dynamics. As events spiraled out of control I found it more difficult to put the book down, and raced through the final third of the book to find out what happened and who was responsible.
Worry Box publishes September 22, 2026.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Worry Box authored by Chris Panatier
Published by Angry Robot
Chris Panatier is a chameleon. I amazes me how fluidly he can switch between genres. Worry Box is like nothing of his I’ve read before and I love it! It has the weirdness of Shitshow (toned down a bit) and the heart of The Redemption of Morgan Bright.
The story begins with some truly horrific scenes that grossed me out (no mean feat as I am a diehard King fan and adore LaRocca). It then switches the focus to a young family and the incredible trials they face that threaten to tear them apart and the spectrum in machina who plays god. It is very well-written crazy-ass story that continues to get weirder by the page. A must read for those who already love or want to fall in love with Panatier’s writing.
My thanks to Angry Robot for allowing me the pleasure of reading this ARC.
Published by Angry Robot
Chris Panatier is a chameleon. I amazes me how fluidly he can switch between genres. Worry Box is like nothing of his I’ve read before and I love it! It has the weirdness of Shitshow (toned down a bit) and the heart of The Redemption of Morgan Bright.
The story begins with some truly horrific scenes that grossed me out (no mean feat as I am a diehard King fan and adore LaRocca). It then switches the focus to a young family and the incredible trials they face that threaten to tear them apart and the spectrum in machina who plays god. It is very well-written crazy-ass story that continues to get weirder by the page. A must read for those who already love or want to fall in love with Panatier’s writing.
My thanks to Angry Robot for allowing me the pleasure of reading this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
What. A. Ride.
I read this in less than 24 hours, I could not put it down. Heartbreaking, horrifying and SUCH an interesting take on Haunted Houses. The flow of this book is perfect and kept me wanting "one more chapter."
I very rarely get so emotionally invested in characters but I was tearing up at the end of this book. Not only because of the ending but because it was over.
I love being made to question the decisions I've made about characters and I did this throughout. Every time I thought I had worked out what was going on, it changed again and kept me on my toes until the very last page. It was a raw, unfiltered look on mental health, family dynamics and what "family" really means.
5 star read and can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy in September!
I read this in less than 24 hours, I could not put it down. Heartbreaking, horrifying and SUCH an interesting take on Haunted Houses. The flow of this book is perfect and kept me wanting "one more chapter."
I very rarely get so emotionally invested in characters but I was tearing up at the end of this book. Not only because of the ending but because it was over.
I love being made to question the decisions I've made about characters and I did this throughout. Every time I thought I had worked out what was going on, it changed again and kept me on my toes until the very last page. It was a raw, unfiltered look on mental health, family dynamics and what "family" really means.
5 star read and can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy in September!
July 9, 2026
One thing I wish I had done before diving in was check the trigger warnings. As someone with OCD and intrusive thoughts, parts of this book hit a little harder than I expected. There’s also mention of animal abuse, which is another trigger for me, so I wanted to mention that for anyone who may have those triggers as well.
Worry Box has been a unique read. I spent so much time thinking it was going to go in a different direction, but the ending was satisfying.
This one definitely got under my skin but if you’re a horror lover who enjoys eerie haunted houses, creepy kids, unsettling vibe, I’d recommend adding this to your TBR.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!
Worry Box has been a unique read. I spent so much time thinking it was going to go in a different direction, but the ending was satisfying.
This one definitely got under my skin but if you’re a horror lover who enjoys eerie haunted houses, creepy kids, unsettling vibe, I’d recommend adding this to your TBR.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Quietly sinister and deeply unsettling, this is the kind of horror that creeps in softly before refusing to let go. The tension is constantly escalating, tightening its grip with every chapter until I found myself bracing for what was coming next. As fear, guilt, and love become impossible to separate, even the most ordinary moments feel dangerous. Equal parts family tragedy and nightmare, this is a story that burrows under your skin and stays there.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for providing me with a digital ARC prior to publication in exchange for an honest review.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for providing me with a digital ARC prior to publication in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you Netgalley for the arc!
As a horror lover, I was super excited to get a copy of this book to read and I read this on one of the hottest days of the year so far. I ate it up in about a day or two. I really enjoyed the family and the emotional roller coaster this book put me through. I ended up feeling super invested in the characters and the events of the book (no spoilers!) gave me whiplash lol. Overall, I had a blast reading this. I've been in a horror mood lately so this definitely hit the spot for me.
As a horror lover, I was super excited to get a copy of this book to read and I read this on one of the hottest days of the year so far. I ate it up in about a day or two. I really enjoyed the family and the emotional roller coaster this book put me through. I ended up feeling super invested in the characters and the events of the book (no spoilers!) gave me whiplash lol. Overall, I had a blast reading this. I've been in a horror mood lately so this definitely hit the spot for me.
July 12, 2026
Thank you Angry Robot for providing me with this ARC of Worry Box for review via NetGalley.
Worry Box by Chris Panatier is one of the most unique haunted house books I have read. The entire concept is well thought out and expertly crafted.
The Martins are certain they have found their perfect forever house. Just right for their family and in a well established neighborhood. But as it turns out, this house is different and when paired with the traumatic issues of their foster daughter they face challenges no one could have predicted. It may cost them the family they cherish above everything else.
Chris Panatier has created a solid psychological horror story that pulls the reader along and holds your attention throughout. The family dynamics are written so well, it feels more like watching a movie than reading a book. The scares are more cerebral than physical and that adds so much to the depth of the story.
I would recommend this book to not only horror fans but also dark thriller fans who enjoy the works of authors like Lucinda Berry and Riley Sager.
I want to encourage readers to check trigger warnings on this book. Animal cruelty. I have taken .25 stars off of what I would have rated this as this portion of this book almost made me DNF it.
Worry Box by Chris Panatier is one of the most unique haunted house books I have read. The entire concept is well thought out and expertly crafted.
The Martins are certain they have found their perfect forever house. Just right for their family and in a well established neighborhood. But as it turns out, this house is different and when paired with the traumatic issues of their foster daughter they face challenges no one could have predicted. It may cost them the family they cherish above everything else.
Chris Panatier has created a solid psychological horror story that pulls the reader along and holds your attention throughout. The family dynamics are written so well, it feels more like watching a movie than reading a book. The scares are more cerebral than physical and that adds so much to the depth of the story.
I would recommend this book to not only horror fans but also dark thriller fans who enjoy the works of authors like Lucinda Berry and Riley Sager.
I want to encourage readers to check trigger warnings on this book. Animal cruelty. I have taken .25 stars off of what I would have rated this as this portion of this book almost made me DNF it.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This opens with a bang, ends with a bang, and just doesn't hit those heights in between for me.
I mean, it was a decent story,I just don't know that I'd say it was horror.
I liked the different view points, one in particular.
Also the challenges facing the process of adoption from fostering.
The character of Alison slightly annoyed me, but as a whole, I think they're all fully rounded and believable.
Interesting idea, and enjoyable read.
Thanks to netgalley for the free digital copy.
I mean, it was a decent story,I just don't know that I'd say it was horror.
I liked the different view points, one in particular.
Also the challenges facing the process of adoption from fostering.
The character of Alison slightly annoyed me, but as a whole, I think they're all fully rounded and believable.
Interesting idea, and enjoyable read.
Thanks to netgalley for the free digital copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a thriller.
A young girl waits impatiently to hear the news of her impending adoption being approved, or the devastating dread of going back to live with her indifferent aunt and uncle. She has intrusive thoughts and writes them down and puts them in a Worry Box in order to stop thinking about them. In my opinion, she should have shredded or burned them, because anyone and anything, can read them.
A young girl waits impatiently to hear the news of her impending adoption being approved, or the devastating dread of going back to live with her indifferent aunt and uncle. She has intrusive thoughts and writes them down and puts them in a Worry Box in order to stop thinking about them. In my opinion, she should have shredded or burned them, because anyone and anything, can read them.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you Netgallery for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book before release day!
”Worry Box follows a family preparing to adopt a troubled foster child whose ritual of placing fears into a “worry box” begins to blur the line between psychological trauma and something far more sinister. As unsettling events escalate, the family must confront secrets, fear, and the possibility that some worries refuse to stay locked away.”
It was an interesting read, and I could see the author’s vision for the story. Sadly, I felt underwhelmed most of the time while reading this and did not quite find the dialogues very intriguing or interesting.
Thank you again for the ARC!
”Worry Box follows a family preparing to adopt a troubled foster child whose ritual of placing fears into a “worry box” begins to blur the line between psychological trauma and something far more sinister. As unsettling events escalate, the family must confront secrets, fear, and the possibility that some worries refuse to stay locked away.”
It was an interesting read, and I could see the author’s vision for the story. Sadly, I felt underwhelmed most of the time while reading this and did not quite find the dialogues very intriguing or interesting.
Thank you again for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I absolutely loved this book! One of my favorite types of haunted house books are where the house itself is a character. Reminiscent of The Haunting of Hill House. This is one of those with the best possible plot. Deeply unsettling and as afraid to turn the pages as I was, I just couldn’t stop. Chris Panatier hits all the right notes with Worry Box. If you like books with haunted houses, kids in perilous situations and genuinely being creeped out by a book, this one is for you. Definitely the most unnerved I have been by a book this year.
Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to angry robot publishing and Chris Panatier for this ARC .
I loved this book. Wondering what was going to happen next kept me hooked! The action pops off from the opening chapter and keeps going .
I loved this book. Wondering what was going to happen next kept me hooked! The action pops off from the opening chapter and keeps going .
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Unfortunately this was a DNF @ 25% for me. The writing style was very robotic and clunky and nothing interesting enough was happening for me to want to push through. Loved the concept, just not really jazzed by the execution!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
July 3, 2026
This book was such a fucking burden to read I feel like I was in fight or flight the whole time. 10/10 would and will read again.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bad Robot for the ARC
Thanks to NetGalley and Bad Robot for the ARC
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I REALLY wanted to like this more - the concept was interesting and creepy, but something about the author's writing style just didn't work for me.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Sinister, intimate, and deeply unsettling. Worry Box stakes its place among the pantheon of iconic family-centered suburban hauntings. It descends into the fragile space where love becomes denial with suffocating tension. “Buckle up,” sure, but I promise you: it won’t be enough.
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