What in the Cluck Norris is Going On???

TITLE: Worry Box

AUTHOR: Chris Panatier

PUBLISHER: Angry Robot

PUBLISHING DATE: September 22, 2026

PAGES: 352   

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: The 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)

MY THOUGHTS: Although I planned on picking this book up at some point this month, I sort of grabbed it over the weekend on the spur of the moment. I am really glad I did because although I wasn't in a reading slump, I felt my reading had slowed down, and this book did a wonderful job of picking it right back up!

The Martin's are looking for a new residence to accommodate their growing family.  They are on the cusp of adopting their teenage foster child, Lailah who has been with them for several months.  Adopting is a passion of both Alison and Nathan as Nathan himself grew up in the foster care system.  Lailah is adored but all of the Martin's, especially their younger daughter Dru, but like many foster children, she carries some baggage, so everyone works especially hard to make sure all of Lailah's needs are being met

Lailah suffers from intrusive thoughts, and she works hard to not give in to them.  With the help of her therapist, the family creates a "worry box" where Lailah can write down her thoughts and keep them in a box to help her cope and put them to rest.  When Nathan and Alison have a third, rather unplanned child, Lailah's thoughts continue to spiral.  Eventually strange things start to happen around the home, Alison and Nathan, running high on emotions and a lack of sleep because to question everything and everyone around them, and the family bonds begin to break.  Are the unexplained incidents Lailah's intrusive thoughts finally springing to life, or is there something more sinister going on in the home?

I really did love this book.  For the most part, it was pretty flawless.  The suspense was present, the plot kept getting darker and darker, and the chapters, from Andy, who just happened to be probably the most interesting character and who you will just have to meet for yourself, my favorites.  Working in a foster care adjacent field, I loved the foster care representation and found it pretty realistic as well.  I was sucked in by watching the family spiral and spiral and couldn't get to the ending fast enough.  

However, I did have one major issue - and no, the dog didn't die. There was quite a bit if animal abuse alluded to, especially when discussing the history of the house. The abuse does seem to go into extreme detail, and it was almost too much for me in a few places, so it did bring my rating down a notch.  Although, I feel I must add the author did seem to use it to further the story and plot line and not just for some dramatic, bloody and shock-filled effect. 

If you are looking for a different kind of horror read, then check this one out.  And by the way, when the family settles into the new home, they build a chicken coop for the girls and one of the chickens is named Cluck Norris.  

MY RATING: 4 PAWS