Thirteen people came to attend your open house viewing, but you are sure that only twelve have left the house. So where is the thirteenth person hiding out? And what do they want from you? This was such a fantastic premise for a book! I even chatted to my husband about it when I started reading, because the concept of a stranger hiding out in my house totally freaked me out. And once things started going bump in the night, I was totally hooked.

Up to around the 70% mark of the story, I couldn’t put it down. I was wondering who had it in for Amber, and feared for her safety. And then – BANG! The book turned into a total car wreck with pieces flying everywhere. Drowning in a sea of plot twists that churned like the Atlantic in a hurricane, I could no longer see the shore, let alone where the novel was headed. Who, what, where, how????I frantically waved like a swimmer in distress but the lifelines weren’t forthcoming. Some abandoned plot strands drifted gently out to sea, never to be seen again. Whilst the rest was frankly so unbelievable that I felt like flinging the book from me in genuine pain. And when the one person you have been rooting for the whole time betrays you in the end, that is the final nail in the coffin for me.

So how do you rate a book that was 70% riveting and original page-turner, and 30% frustrating beyond belief? Furthermore, written by an author you greatly respect and like? It breaks my heart to write this review because ultimately the ending left a sour taste in my mouth. Worst of all, the story had so much potential to be great. It was all there: the original premise, the captivating writing style, characters who were relatable and interesting, and some moments of genuine tension and danger. I admit that I am not a fan of too many plot twists, so it may work out much better for readers who like their mysteries unpredictable to the extreme and want that final WTH???? moment to finish off the story for them. Sadly that’s just not my cup of tea.

Amber has split up from her husband and is trying to sell her house. She has an open day and counts 13 people going in but only 12 leaving. Then weird things start to happen and she suspects everyone. I got really involved with the characters and was amazed at the ending

Reading the latest novel by Sam Carrington felt a bit like being caught by the Spanish Inquisition. Torture! Before I even reached the halfway point my heart was pounding in my chest and I wanted to shout out, 'Tell me now!', before Sam turned the screw a bit tighter.
You will definitely look at your neighbours, friends and relatives differently after reading this book. Surely the sign of a brilliant writer. The twists at the end come thick and fast and thankfully my heart held out till the final, shocking, totally unexpected reveal.

I've always enjoyed reading Sam Carrington books and The Open House was no different. Amber and Nick are separated and selling their house. As there has been no interest, Amber agrees to an open house, but when she sees one less person come out of the house than went in via her video doorbell, her mind starts to race. Is someone in her house?
There are lots of twists and turns in this book, but it's easy to keep up with as we read the book from Amber's perspective and Barbara's who is Nick's Mum and who also used to own the house.
Barbara is desperate that the house isn't sold to developers who want to rip the house down, after all she raised her boys here.
At times I wasn't sure which way the book was going to take me, leading me in many different directlections, with different suspect characters as well as the other plots happening in the book such as Amber's new life with her new boyfriend that lives hundreds of miles away, and Barbara's missing adult other son, but it all comes together really well at the end and was well worth persevering for the twist at the end.

Sam Carrington is an author I have had on my radar for some time but somehow have never managed to move to the top of my list. Having read The Open House her backlist will now be moving up the order. What a masterclass in building tension and putting almost every character in the spotlight as a suspect! You think you have the plot sussed then just a drip of doubt is all it takes for your whole theory comes crashing down.

The main character Amber Miller is mid-divorce after her husband Nick had a brief fling with a work colleague. Their family home which she shares with their two young sons is on the market - a sore point with soon-to-be-ex mother-in-law Barb. Because the house used to belong to Barb and her husband before he died and it made sense for Amber and Nick to move in and fill the house with a family; until Nick's exploits meant that the property needs to be sold and the equity split between them. But someone is clearly determined that the house is not going to be an easy sell.

Amber arranges with the estate agent Carl to hold an open house event and this is where things really start taking a sinister turn. At first Amber doubts herself, thinks she's imagining things but then her youngest son starts having nightmares about the man who watches him from the end of his bed. Is she really just being paranoid or is there something going on that she needs to be concerned about?

Signing up her nosy neighbour Davina to help keep an eye on the house, whilst running her theories past her friends Jo and Keeley, husband Nick and her new partner Richard, Amber becomes more and more confused as to who could be responsible for the scuppering of her house sale. Each and every one of the people she knows ends up on her suspect list but the truth is way beyond anything her overactive imagination could come up with in the dead of night as she watched the clock tick round. But the biggest question is why anyone would go to such lengths - it all seems a bit extreme for a bitter ex mother in law with a soft spot for the house.

I love how the pace of the book builds alongside the tension. It starts with a mild feeling of dread and cranks up as the pages turn quicker the further through the story you get. Brilliant writing, some great characters (good and bad) and a spectacular finale to put the cherry on the top.

I received a copy of "The Open House" from Avon UK Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and I quite enjoyed the book. It's a thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end. I did figure out one of the twists halfway through the book, but there were enough surprises in the storyline for there to be some unexpected plots.

The story focuses on Amber, her two boys, her ex-husband Nick, her boyfriend Richard, her mother-in-law Barb and the process for selling the family home. Amber arranges an open house through her real estate agent and watches the visitors who enter during the open house through an app. She is almost positive she sees thirteen people enter the house, but only sees twelve leave at the end of the viewing. Amber is then convinced that someone is still in her home.

Strange events start to happen inside and outside the home, and it appears as though someone is trying to sabotage the sale of her house; but who and why? As Amber begins to put the pieces together, secrets are exposed from everyone around her and she doesn't know who she can trust. One thing she knows for sure is that she must protect her children at all costs.

"The Open House" is a gripping thriller that is guaranteed to keep you engaged from start to finish. It offers a good plotline and the characters were enjoyable. Now that I have read "The Open House", I am interested in reading the other books titled "Saving Sophie", "Bad Sister", "One Little Lie", "I Dare You", and "The Missing Wife" written by the author Sam Carrington.

Gripping read!

The story follows main character Amber, who is in a new relationship with Richard and has a meddling mother-In-Law, Barbara, who doesn’t want her to leave the family home! (bit spooked when I first started the read, as in reality my Husband is Richard and Mother-In-Law Barbara!!).

After having an open house, Amber realises that only 12 people left the house, meaning one hasn’t left! And why doesn’t the Estate Agent want to return her key? Then she discovers the camera door bell is smashed! Things are then misplaced or missing and Amber is sure someone is walking around the house during the night.

The characters are well formed and it’s an easy story-line to follow. Thoroughly enjoyed this book – gripping intense mystery thriller that keeps you guessing until the end, with lots of twists and turns, and family revelations!

Highly recommended.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest unbiased review. Thank you NetGalley.
Will add review to Amazon when allowed!

What a great look over your shoulder, check on the kids, and make sure the doors are locked tale. This creepy, spine tingling novel had me reading at night with all the lights on. Ms. Carrington does a wonderful job of inserting enough plot twists and turns to keep the reader guessing and reading.

“Everyone’s welcome. But not everyone leaves…
Nick and Amber Miller are splitting up and selling their Devon family home. But despite the desirable location, the house isn’t moving. Not a single viewing so far.

When their estate agent suggests an open house event, Amber agrees, even as she worries about their gossiping neighbours attending and snooping around their home.

But Amber has more to worry about than nosy neighbours. Because thirteen people enter her house that afternoon, and only twelve leave.

Someone doesn't want the house to sell, and is willing to do anything to stop it… “

From the description I thought this book was going to be a whodunit, but was pleasantly surprised it was not that simple. Amber is a great protagonist, albeit a little confused about her love life. She cares for her kids, her soon to be ex husband, her boyfriend, her friends, her employer and even her nosey neighbor. Bit who has the motive to be scaring her? And are they dangerous? It all starts imo entry enough when she is spying on her open house and realizes more people enter than leave. Who is the mysterious 13th visitor and where are they?

For the most part the book is very believable. Amber worries as we all do, whether she is overreacting or whether things may be a coincidence. The author inserts enough doubt into the story to make it very plausible. There are some parts you may have to give some creative license and allow for some inconsistency, but overall a great solid book that kept me up reading for the conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is one of those books that just kept me flicking on more and more pages. An easy read, which pulled me straight away. Brilliant style of writing switching between characters.

Amber has split up from her husband Nick and is trying to start a new life with her boyfriend Richard, whom she met online, and her two sons.
She needs to sell her house, previously belonged to her mother in law Barb but Barb is determined to stop her.
Davina, her neighbour is strange, like a lot of people in this book.
Amber gets a local estate agent Carl to market the house but doesn’t get any buyers to show interest so suggests an open house viewing, hence the name of the book. Amber is able to watch people going in the house and leaving and notices 13 going in but only 12 leaving - a bit weird.
I enjoyed the most of the storylines but there were just too many and a few of them were unbelievable, to say the least.
80% of the story was enjoyable but the ending was confused, complicated and had too many twists and unbelievable ending.
Still I did enjoy it for the most part.
3.5 ⭐️.
Thanks to Avon books and #Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.

This book seemed so far up my street, I didn't think I could put it down at one point, but then all of a sudden, it's like it ran out of steam.

The story is told by Amber, our main character and her Mother in Law, `the book itself is a good read, interesting with a mix of suspense and its quite tense in places, however the main characters and our narrators, didn't phase me at all, I didn't care about either of them as they were quite annoying and then the other characters, well there are a few so..

There is a lot of story where it is really good writing and then it comes to a halt when the main character floods us with lots of waffle that is neither relevant or interesting in any shape or form. I felt pretty disappointed with this one as it seemed to be a mix of jumbled up story telling and a busy plot line with no actual flow and then a dead end of a flat falling story line.. it took me ages to finish sadly as I kept picking it up and putting it down.

Sadly, this one is not for me, but the blurb was fantastic and really pulled me in, so the concept and plot could be there, it's just the writing.

I received this book as an ARC via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review.
All opinions are my own.

Firstly, how could you resist this book with that cover? There's something so welcoming and satisfying about it and when I got approved by NetGalley to read this I was so excited!
This book started out super strong and I was hooked from the very beginning. Lately, I have read a few books with similar storylines but within the first few chapters, this one had a lot of promise and set the scene for a creepy and thrilling ride.
One thing I will say is that I found the description led me to believe that this would be a creepier story. I really thought it would focus on this 13th person, which it does in a way, but there are also a lot of other factors that fall within the main plot. As I said, the story starts off super strong and you quickly learn there is a lot more to it than this 13th visitor. From missing pictures, to broken doorbells, to inexplicable noises at night, Carrington does a great job at creating an eerie and tense atmosphere that completely hooks you in and makes you want to uncover what is causing all of these strange occurrences.
The characters are great and each play their role in the story super well. From Barb, the disapproving mother-in-law, to Davina the nosy neighbour, they all bring their own side to the story. I found Amber, the protagonist, a little annoying at times but I think that's just who her character is and who can blame her, between a failed marriage, struggling to sell a house and trying to unravel the weird things happening around her, we can forgive her for being a little annoying.
This book was on track to getting a solid 4 star. From the atmospheric writing to the constant new twists and additional elements to the plot, I was flying through it and on the edge of my seat to find out what happens. I had my guesses on what the ending would be but I couldn't have been more off...and not in a good way. The ending did the story a disservice in my opinion. It felt a bit like Carrington was trying to tie up too many things under the one plot twist and it just felt a little forced.
I was between 2 minds of still giving it a 4 because the first 70% of it is really good but a disappointing ending just ruins things for me and I can find it hard to look passed that. Out of 10 I would give it a 7, so it's still a great rating!
Big thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this pre publication and I look forward to reading more from Carrington.

Amber has separated from her husband Nick after his affair. With her two sons, she’s still living in the same house Nick and his brother grew up in and still annoyed by her mother-in-law Barb’s frequent surprise visits. However, now that she’s met Richard, the new love of her life, she needs to sell the house to move closer to him. She hires a real estate agent who arranges an open house. Using a Ring doorbell, she watches thirteen clients enter as the open house begins. Twelve people leave. Yes, only twelve…

And that’s only the beginning. What follows is the stuff of nightmares. Unexplained noises in the night. Furniture moved. Items disappearing. While The Open House is narrated in alternate voices by Amber and Barb, another unknown voice adds a threatening sense of dread. As Amber feels more and more threatened, she’s not sure who to trust. Nick, even through he betrayed her? Richard, who seems to avoid her? Her nosy neighbor? Barb? As events build to an unexpected conclusion, Amber must decide who is on her side…and who isn’t.

The unique premise of the one person left behind propels The Open House into star territory. This would be a 5 star review if it had ended as well as it began. Instead, the conclusion, although surprising, throws in too many complications. The last chapter is not believable and should have been omitted. However, Amber is a strong character, trying to do the best for her boys, and her worries are realistic. The concept provides real suspense. 4 stars.

Thank yo to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and Sam Carrington for this ARC.

The Open House is full of twists and surprises, and I didn't see any of them coming, which is always a plus. This book creeped me out, and since I was always reading it at night, it gave me an uneasy feeling that made me want to check every potential hiding place in my apartment before I went to bed. I'd never read anything by Sam Carrington before, but now I want to read everything she's written. Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for giving me the opportunity to read this book! : )

I’ve read and really enjoyed other books by the author and was really looking forward to this. The blurb intrigued me so I had high expectations for The Open House. I really enjoyed this book. The author does a great job of setting the scene for the location of the house, the perfect remote place for sinister things to happen and developing the character. The owners of the house are Amber and Nick, who are going through an unhappy divorce and the added pressure of not being able to sell the house doesn’t help. I liked the fact you gradually find out the characters are much darker than they initially appear and not everyone is who they appear. The book has a lot of twists and turns and misdirection, exactly as you’d expect from a good thriller. The Open House combines staples of a good thriller with uneasy supernatural aspects, but is something otherworldly going on or is someone playing sinister games and why? The book is quite dark at times.

Amber is selling the family home because of a divorce. The home had been her husband's family home. Amber watched the Open House from the view of her doorbell camera. She watched thirteen potential buyers go in but only twelve came out! Where is number thirteen?
This story is told from the viewpoint of Amber, her future ex mother in law and an as yet to be revealed mystery person. This was a great story that kept me up all night trying to figure out the mystery and an ending that still has me intrigued!
Thank you NetGalley, Sam Carrington, and Avon Books UK for a chance to read this for an honest, fair review.

Amber is ready to move on; move on from her unfaithful soon to be ex-husband, from her overly involved mother-in-law, and move on from their long time family home and start anew far away with a new man. With the house on the market, things should be finally moving in the right direction..wrong. A shady real estate agent and a meddling mother-in-law may just sabotage Amber's plans for a new life.   Or does the past have other plans? 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I very much enjoyed the first 3/4 of this book. The storyline is very intriguing, making it a very quick read. But the last 1/4 really threw me for a loop, there was so much happening all at once! I did end up agreeing with the ending and it was finally nice hearing the backstory of why the characters acted so strange at times. It's definitely a good thrilling read with just enough suspense to keep you guessing!

Thank you Sam Carrington, Avon Books UK amd NetGalley for this ARC being published on Dec 10, 2020!

This book really surprised me! I always love a good thriller especially when it has a bit of psychological thriller involved. The first bit of this book I had chills and was looking over my shoulder in my tiny apartment expecting to see someone in my house who didn't belong. It made the idea of ever having an open house of my own absolutely not happening! Then it started to slow down a bit, and I felt like the words were just taking up space to get to the end. I was still interested enough to keep reading, but I didn't feel like I couldn't put it down. When I got to the end, I was blown away again! I loved how it came at you hard and fast, but had there been a bit more answers sprinkled throughout, I would have definitely given it a five star. I encourage anyone who picks up this book to hang in there because it is definitely worth it!

Nick and Amber Miller’s marriage has been over for nearly a year. Nick, who was caught having an affair, has moved out to a small rented flat while Amber has stayed in the house with their two young sons. The separation has been amicable and Nick and Amber have shared parenting but now Amber has met someone else and wants to move on. However, first they will need to sell their house so she can start afresh with her new partner.

So far there’s been little interest in the house. It could be that Carl, the creepy real estate agent (the only one in the village) is useless, or that the proposed development in the field behind their street is putting people off, but more and more Amber suspects that someone might be meddling with would be buyers.

In desperation Amber allows the real estate agent to organize an Open House inspection to stimulate interest. Watching remotely on the front door camera she’s pleased to see thirteen people go into the house but is puzzled when only twelve leave before the real estate agent locks up and leaves.

From there events start to become quite creepy. Amber wonders if the thought of an intruder being in her house is making her become paranoid and imagining weird noises and happenings in the house. She’s also not sure who she can trust. The real estate agent definitely seems to be up to something and Amber’s mother-in-law Barb isn’t above interfering to prevent her grandsons moving away.

Narrated alternately from Amber’s and Barb’s points of view interspersed with occasional comments from an unknown person, the plot is a slow boiler skillfully building up the intrigue steadily with weird events while keeping us in the dark about what really is going on with Amber’s house. The main characters, Amber and Barb are well portrayed, with Amber always slightly on edge and jumpy, trying to protect her sons and Barb the noxious and interfering mother-in-law, trying to make Amber see that she should get back together with Nick and stay in Devon.

The ending when it comes is unexpected with shocking secrets and revelations, taking the plot in a different direction to where it seemed to be heading and may seem too sudden a change and somewhat overdramatic for those enjoying the slow build up of the creepy atmosphere. While I didn’t love the ending, it was certainly plausible and explained all the weird events and I did very much enjoy the unique plot and atmospheric tension in the build up.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Open House is a novel with so much potential to become a best-seller. Definitely, a plot driven read with tension and suspense.

But, I still struggled with a few of the writing choices. Moments throughout the novel with skipped over while others were drawn out.

While this read may not have been my cup of tea, I would recommend it to anyone who loves a little mystery.