Augie’s review of We Used to Live Here > Likes and Comments

Perfect review! I am changing my score to a one. I had this on my shelf for months and was greatly disappointed I choose to read this for spooky season. I was bored and mad the whole time. The worst twilight zone episode is better than this slop.

Thanks
For
The review I couldn’t put words into why I disliked the book. It’s seemed to drag, the timid protagonist annoyed me. I quit 40% in

This is exactly how I feel. I don't understand why everyone loves this book and its never-ending rabbit holes. The holes lead nowhere and are empty tunnels. That doesn't make for a great book.

This! Exactly this! Spot on. I cannot understand the hype on this horrible book. The only horror that occurs is the horror of reading it. I did not DNF because I just wanted to see if it would get better. It had to get better? Right?!?!?! No!!!! Absolutely not!!!! What an utter waste of my time It was the last book I read in 2024---Fucking Sucked!!!

I’m going to be honest. I didn’t even make the connection of parallel universes and that Thomas was controlling it until reading your review. I knew it was Thomas that was controlling it all but thanks for making that connection for me 😂 THAT is how bad the writing is and the story is just all over the place. Couldn’t agree more with this review!

Yes the commas! And also… all the… ellipses he uses everywhere

You perfectly explained my frustration with the book as well!!! It’s a puzzle box with no answers and even worse, no emotional connection to the characters or world. The book is begging me to sift through it for crumbs of answers but it also is telling me to fuck off for wanting anything that happens to connect into a bigger picture

Bravo to you for having the patience and taking the time to write such a detailed explanation for exactly why this book is so frustrating.

I also drew these conclusions in my head regarding the houses, parallel universes, etc., but none of it is explained, tied together, or connected with the family or any of the other nonsense babble throughout, so I really didn't credit any of it to the conclusion of the book. All in all, your review is spot on and much more generous than mine!

So well said - the blurb really isn’t accurate!

This is EXACTLY how I felt when I finished this book! So many unanswered questions. I was so confused even up to the end and was like surely this will all be tied together somehow. Then it ended. WHHAATT.

So while I can where you may think those flashbacks were not necessary, they were. They provided us information that we needed to know. Like Charlie was very open and brutal on her disbelief of anything paranormal. To the point that she embarrassed eves uncle proving his experience false by telling him it was an owl. This helps create further confusion when Charlie leaves the house before they stay at the hotel. Her first words back in the truck to eve are “the window is gone” and Charlie while weakly brushing it off seems almost oddly unconvinced it isn’t something more paranormal


This is a big clue that this Charlie that came out of the house is likely not our Charlie, later we are confirmed this theory when this Charlie lacks the tattoo.


While you may not see the purpose behind scenes, flashbacks etc doesn’t mean it’s useless . It all builds this sense of knowledge of people and places that are important for you to know so that lter when things don’t seem right you can compare what you know to what you are now being told.

Vchilling wrote: "So while I can where you may think those flashbacks were not necessary, they were. They provided us information that we needed to know. Like Charlie was very open and brutal on her disbelief of any..."

You seem to assume I do not know why books give the reader information. I understand that an author includes scenes/flashbacks/etc. because the author thinks they contain information readers need to know to effectively tell their story. I disagree that this story was effectively told, because these scenes did not deepen either my understanding of or sympathy for the characters. I did not think the four page digression on a great horned owl was an effective way to convey the (typical, expected, banal) believer/skeptic dichotomy between Eve and Charlie. That scene, and much of the book, left me frustrated, unsatisfied, and bored.

As I stated, I think many of the scenes do not effectively convey the information or tone in the way the author intended, which is why I believe it made a better short story, with less fat that I had to wade through to get to the—in the novel—few and far between interesting parts.

What short story ? Also who’s the author or House of Leaves? I’m looking everywhere and some other books are coming up. I like a book that leave me with questions. I actually did understand all that you said, but I listened to it and I understand better through audio. I thought it aaa fantastic but maybe it was the audio!

Jazmin wrote: "What short story ? Also who’s the author or House of Leaves? I’m looking everywhere and some other books are coming up. I like a book that leave me with questions. I actually did understand all tha..."

The book started as a four-part story on the creepypasta subreddit r/nosleep. Part 2 shows up if you google "we used to live here nosleep" with links to 3 and 4, but it seems like Part 1 has been removed, probably because of the existence of the book and upcoming movie.

House of Leaves is written by Mark Z. Danielewski. It's considered a modern horror classic and is also a bit infamous for the way the story is structured, with words contorting on the page or needing to be read through a mirror or what have you. I haven't actually undertaken reading it yet, but I know a lot of people like it, so if you enjoy books that leave you with questions and need to be solved like puzzles, you might enjoy it!

it’s the over use of “hm?” for me. why is everyone hmming

I’m glad you wrote this so i didn’t have to. This book was so disappointing.

Exactly this! It was SO highly recommended and just did not hold up

I totally agree!! You said this very well.

Yes! Thank you

Great review! I totally agree. Another thing that bothered me throughout was nobody could understand a question they were asked. Numerous times one character would ask another something like, "what's your name?" And the other character would reply, "My name?" Then the first character would say "yes, your name." It was so tedious.

NAILED IT!

Yes, I didn’t know what the heck was happening. None of the characters were developed well, and the story just rambled. I didn’t get it.

Every character is constantly stuttering and trailing off, why?? I-- I just-- it's s-so annoying to read! All... all of them. Just-- just unable to... to get a-- a whole sentence...

Exactly!!!!!! It was pure dread trying to finish this story.

fantastic review! you said everything I’d say if I could be bothered to put my feelings into words. it was just boring and convoluted and bloated

Thanks for this review. I’m at 64% and can just tell I’m only going to get more frustrated. Gonna skip the rest.

Thank you for saving me the effort of putting all of my thoughts into words. This is exactly how I felt about it.

i didn’t realize how much i didn’t like this book until you put it into words for me

Thanks for this review! I am having a hard time reading it because, honestly, I things it’s a bad book, but I was curious.
Good to know that the book leads to nowhere and I can leave it unfinished.

I just finished this book feeling completely out of sorts because I couldn't wrap my head around what just happened. This review encapsulated every thought I'd had and then some. Thank you.

This review is perfect

So glad I read this review and all the comments. I thought it was just me maybe not focusing on the story. So I checked online comments hoping to clear up some of my questions. But NO, it’s not me. This is a confusing disorganized mess of a book that was stressing me out (and not in a good way). I’m just past 68% and I’m giving up and moving to something that makes sense.

Finished this book, and honestly, this is EXACTLY what I was telling my partners. Also, what is the continuous push for religion? I didn't understand the need, as an eldritch horror / or a haunted house, they wanted to be religious. I thought that there was a deeper meaning, as it was brought up enough but I couldn't find anything.

Thanks for putting into coherent words all the things I felt about this book. A book club friend asked me to read it because she wanted to talk about it. I just hope she disliked it as much as I did. It's full of cheap tricks and leaves virtually everything unresolved.

Thank you for this spot-on take, this is the second time I’ve been misled by rave reviews into reading a No Sleep that should have stayed in short form on Reddit.

Sabrina wrote: "Thank you for this spot-on take, this is the second time I’ve been misled by rave reviews into reading a No Sleep that should have stayed in short form on Reddit."

so true. what was the other one, if you don't mind my asking?

This is a great review.

Oh boy Angie, I couldn’t get myself to read the whole comment/ book that you wrote about this book! I’m very sorry! Maybe next time!

If you want that rules of politeness premise you'll like the movie speak no evil from 2022

I haven't read this book because I was still on the fence about it but now reading your review I already lost interest. I thought this would be a home invasion meets ghosts but when I read "parallel universe" I lost it, how can such an interesting concept can be butchered so fast?!

I was far more entertained by your review than I was by this book! Thank you for your service.

M wrote: "If you want that rules of politeness premise you'll like the movie speak no evil from 2022"

I do! very unpleasant movie to watch (complimentary)! I appreciate you reccing the original too. I enjoyed the James McAvoy remake but it was just too scared to commit to the Bad End.

It's okay, sometimes you have to be a bit more willing to think and try to elaborate your own answers to some questions and not everyone is that smart. And that's okay

eternalsanshine wrote: "It's okay, sometimes you have to be a bit more willing to think and try to elaborate your own answers to some questions and not everyone is that smart. And that's okay "

ad hominem. sorry you read my opinion about a book on a book review website and took it personally.

It's okay, sometimes you have to be a bit more willing to think and try to elaborate your own answers to some questions and not everyone is that smart. And that's okay

ooooooooh i'm a sarah j maas fan and i think that it gives me the right to call someone else stupid. the phone is wringing from inside the house

Does anyone else think that eternalsanshine related too much to the bitchy, passive/aggressive character of Paige in the book

Omg thank you for summing up my feelings on this book!!!!

YES this is such a good review

Thank you! If I'd visited an old house maybe I'd ended up in a universe where everyone got a better book than I did

Perfect review for a VERY meh book.