Holly and the Nobodies

Rating: 4/5 Nobodies

An odd little girl living in a strange house befriends you and invites you past the front gates. What could possibly go wrong?

As it turns out, a lot. In Holly and the Nobodies by Ben Pienaar, Holly Anderson, a young girl who is seemingly by herself in her front yard, talks to James, a high school student who is passing by the house. James gets a strange vibe from Holly and continues on to school. When James tells his friend Alex about this strange girl, Alex takes pity on her, thinking she may be lonely or living with abusive parents. But Alex’s decision to be nice to Holly sets off a chain of harrowing events.

Holly and her house have strange abilities. Holly can create beings, called nobodies, to keep her company. But the nobodies can’t come close to real human friends, like Alex and James. Holly knows that if she can lure Alex and James into her house, the house will do the work of keeping them there. Alex and James soon realize that if they want to survive, they need to get away from Holly’s house, but nobodies, the house and Holly want to keep them there at all costs.

Holly and the Nobodies gets readers immersed in the story immediately. Within the first chapter, it’s clear something is off about Holly. Pienaar does a fantastic job setting the scene and gripping readers’ attention immediately. Holly and the Nobodies is compelling and nearly impossible to put down. It is filled with action and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Holly and the Nobodies is creepy, but it isn’t gory. (Which makes sense, as I’ve realized it is considered a YA book. Also, if you’re sleeping on YA horror, stop being silly. Some of my favorite horror books have been YA.) I appreciate the ability to write something odd that puts readers on edge without graphically describing violence.

The action starts right away in this book, which means readers do not know much about the main characters initially. Pienaar expertly provides clues about characters’ backstories while progressing the plot along. Readers learn about James’ negligent father and Alex’s overbearing parents as they are learning about the extent of Holly’s cruelty. It’s this ability to provide exposition while keeping readers’ interest that makes Holly and the Nobodies a fun, entertaining and enjoyable read. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in an exciting scary story.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ebook copy of Holly and the Nobodies for review. All opinions are my own and independent of receiving a free copy.