“If their new home doesn’t break them, their secrets will…

When Emily wakes from a coma following an accident that nearly kills her, she finds herself agreeing to move from London to the wild moors of Devon with her husband Freddie. A fresh start is exactly what their marriage needs.

As their car pulls up to Larkin Lodge, their dream country home, Emily’s heart sinks. Outside, everything is covered in an icy grey mist. Inside, the air is filled with dust and abandonment.

And then she finds the empty suite on the second floor. A room so bleak, so cold, so void of anything good. Something bad happened in here. Someone dies in here. Why can’t Freddie feel the darkness that stirs within its walls?

There’s something wrong with the house, this strange house, where the floorboards creak at night, the doors rattle, the windows slam shut, the taps turn on and off – and on and off.

But if the house is hiding something, so are Emily and Freddie…”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough. We Live Here Now was published by Orion Books on 5th June 2025 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow. I chose to read a free eARC of We Live Here Now but that has in no way influenced my review.

Emily Bennett nearly died. She wakes from a coma following a horrific accident whilst on holiday in Ibiza. Her injuries will take a long time to heal. So will the psychological scars of her near-death experience. So when her husband, Freddie, suggests they take a break from the hustle and bustle of their London lives and move to a sleepy Devonshire village, Emily reluctantly agrees. But the house they’ve purchased, Larkin Lodge, is nothing like Emily expected. It’s grey and imposing, with thick mist rolling over the moors. It feels cut off and cold. But she’s determined to make the most of their new home. A fresh start is exactly what they both need. Time to leave the secrets and lies behind in London and make a real go of their marriage. But the house has other ideas…

I loved We Live Here Now! Chilling, dark and utterly compelling. A haunted house novel with a difference. Gosh, this was GOOD! Emily and Freddie have been married for a number of years but things aren’t exactly rosy. They both have secrets from each other. Secrets that could easily destroy their marriage. Whilst on holiday with their closest friends in Ibiza, Emily takes a tumble whilst hiking. No one knows if she will pull through. It’s touch and go for a while but she thankfully wakes from her coma with multiple scars to prove she survived. Now walking with a stick, she’s slowly recovering but has a long way to go yet. So when Freddie suddenly announces to his wife that he’s purchased the house she has been eyeing up on her iPad, Emily is a little taken aback. Does she want to move to the Devonshire moors? Will a fresh start cure the problems in their marriage? Well, there’s no harm in giving it a go, is there? It may do them both a world of good to be away from London. The majority of characters in this book are flawed to some degree. They’re not particularly nice or likeable, but I found myself very much on Emily’s side. As things escalate and get stranger, her concerns are brushed aside by Freddie. He begins to convince himself that it’s all part of her recovery, that she’s been mentally and emotionally changed by what happened to her, as well as physically. And because he’s so certain, so incredibly frustrated with her, the reader starts to wonder too…

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. We Live Here Now is a beautifully creepy, dark, gothic thriller with a finely sharpened horror edge. I very much enjoyed the characters who are all exceptionally written and multi-layered. The plot moves at a compelling pace, drawing the reader into the strange world of Larkin Lodge. The setting is vivid, eerie and gets under your skin. The rolling mists of the moor are suffocating and isolating. Larkin Lodge is very much a character in its own right. The big twist was hugely satisfying. It all works so well. I think Freddie will go down in history as one of the most despicable, detestable characters that’s been written. The suspense, the intrigue and the way the story unfolds is masterfully done. I truly loved every second I spent reading this book. All in all, We Live Here Now is a perfectly pitched piece of gothic thriller fiction which deftly crosses over the boundary into horror. I loved all of the elements. I loved the unexpected POV we get fairly early on in the book which then continues in-between Emily and Freddie’s perspectives. I love the cover, it fits the book so well. The setting was chilling. You never know what’s going to happen next. And the characters were outstanding. I loved We Live Here Now. Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of We Live Here Now. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough was published in the UK by Orion Books on 5th June 2025 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Sarah Pinborough is a New York Times bestselling and Sunday Times Number one and Internationally bestselling author who is published in over 30 territories worldwide. Having published more than 25 novels across various genres, her recent books include Behind Her Eyes, now a smash hit Netflix limited series, Dead To Her, now in development with Amazon Studios, and 13 Minutes and The Death House in development with Compelling Pictures. Sarah lives in the historic town of Stony Stratford, the home of the Cock and Bull story, with her dog Ted.