I so wanted this to be an atmospheric horror/psychological thriller but it ended up being just drama. The characters and plot development was very poor.

As someone who recently attended multiple open houses before purchasing a new home, I enjoyed the premise of this book. There were many twists and turns along the way that I wasn't expecting. The conclusion was satisfying, and it made sense why certain members of this family wouldn't want the house to get sold to developers! I wish some storylines were explored even further once we got the final reveal of what happened at the end.

I was hooked on the beginning, I love a good thriller and this book had me at the edge of my seat and then, well it just piddled out. The ending felt rushed, thrown together and took this book in my mind from a 5 star down to a 3 star.

I prefer my suspense a bit more plausible, AND I was so disappointed in a decision that Amber makes in the end, that the final rating dropped for me.

I loved other books by the author in the past but I struggled so much to read this one for some reason. In the end I had to give this time.
Will look up for her books in the future but this one wasn’t for me.
Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Like many reviewers have said, ] was taken in by the cover. What lies behind that yellow door? I had never read author Sam Carrington, but I will now be looking for her books. I enjoyed this story and tore through it in a couple of days, intrigued by the non-stop twists and turns.

Nick and Amber Miller are divorcing. Amber is ready to move on with Richard, who she met online, but first they have to sell the family home. Creepy things keep happening, though. Amber suspects her realtor is doing something shady, as he acts very suspiciously. Her mother-in-law Barb also seems to have her own agenda, and she doesn't want the family house sold. Then there's the neighbor across the street, Davinia, who is always peering through the curtains, spying on her neighbors. This was a hard to put down book because there was constantly a new clue or a new creepy happening inside the house.

What I liked about the book:
--I felt like the author did a good job with character development for Amber. At the beginning of the story she seemed a selfish, self-satisfied jerk, but the author skillfully began to reveal softer sides to her personality so that by the end of the book I liked her and was rooting for her.
--I liked the plot and story line. It was inventive and there were so many suspects. I did about two thirds of the way through the book guess the who, but I didn't guess the why.
The one thing I didn't like as much was the last few pages. The author pulled another last minute surprise and there is an action taken which the readers don't see, but just hear about after. This action felt a bit out of step with the rest of the story and the character's previous actions.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will be looking for others from the author. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books, and Sam Carrington for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow what a brilliant book “ The Open House” is such a great read. This is my first by Sam Carrington book and most definitely would buy more from her, actually checking my Amazon account I’ve already bought two titles lol. Now a bit of the story:

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 13 people enter her house that afternoon, and only 12 leave.

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

Actually the blurb doesn’t do it justice it’s so much more, so many things going on twist and turns on every chapter, it keeps you thinking you’re sussed it out but then it takes a 180 turn and then you’re at a loss and that’s what I love about it. One last thing watch out for Burb she’s quite a character.

This story has a menacing thread running through it which intensifies as the suspense builds. The idea of an open house that leaves someone in the house after the event is the foundation of the story, but there is much more going on here.

Told from two viewpoints, both the protagonists are unreliable, and one is unlikeable. There are many suspects and lots of misinformation. The story's many strands are woven together in a mostly believable way. The ending is suspenseful, if not entirely plausible, but it's very atmospheric, easy to read, and original.

I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I was given a copy of The Open house by Sam Carrington by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book by this author I have read. When Amber splits with her husband and had to sell the house the estate agent suggests an open house. On the day of the open house Amber counts in 13 viewers but only 12 leave. Then strange things start happening in the house. A good psychological thriller with lots of twists. A well told novel.

In Sam Carrington's shocking crime thriller, The Open House, this twisted tale is so thrilling and chilling on every page. All Amber Miller ever wanted was to sell her house and start a new life with her new beau, Richard Lock in Kent. But life wasn't what it cracked up to be when her soon-to-be-ex-mother-in-law Barbara wanted her to stay for some reason. And when she decides to put her house on market and have her estate agent Carl arrange for an open house, things took a dark turn for the worse. Ever since then, Carl have been acting strange, Barb had kept a terrible secret, and people have been watching her and giving her son Finlay a nightmare of two. Why? The more she question who wanted her to stay, she asked her neighbor Davina to help it out in a pinch. But did she have a secret to hide too? While her husband Nick wanted a second chance with Amber and looking for clues on what happened to his brother Tim who disappeared 30 years ago in a cold case he's now working on. When a mysterious person had asked for Nick by name, it changed her world upside-down when family secrets and lies have been unleashed from Pandora's Box and the shocking truth behind it will leave you cold all over in the end.

I was intrigued by the cover and the premises of this book and I wasn't disappointed. The plot is interesting and I like that it was quite fast-paced and the chapters are short. There are three POV: Amber, Barber and an anonymous. If you like a page-turner thriller full of twists then you should give this one a go!

I was really looking forward to this book. But it wasn't what I thought it would be. The story was great, it was just too slow & repetitive for my liking. But I will try another by Sam Carrington.

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.

A gripping, thrilling read. Mystery is my go to genre, and this. Book didn’t disappoint. At a thrilling read indeed. Your nail beds are going to suffer get ready.

Loved this! So good, so exciting, so gripping and great story. Can't wait to read more by this author - absolutely brilliant. Sam is a genius!

The premise of "The Open House" is a very interesting one: Amber and Nick are splitting up and they want to sell their house, one that holds many dear memories for the family on the husband’s side. The first-person narration alternates between three people: Amber, the mother, who still lives in the house with their two children, Barb, the soon to be ex mother-in-law, who apparently doesn’t want them to move, and a mysterious third person who also seems to have a stake in what happens to the family.

The novel is very readable and runs smoothly, introducing some interesting characters who seem to have compelling secrets to hide. One is the real-estate agent in charge of managing the house sale, and another is the curious neighbor across the street who seems to know everything about everyone. Amber’s fears and concerns seem really well fleshed out, her interactions with other characters believable.

There are some interesting twists and turns that make for an enjoyable read. For instance, I really liked the mysterious happenings around the house, Amber’s interactions with her children, and how realistic the entire subplot of her starting over with Richard was. The only thing I didn’t quite buy was the final resolution and some of the answers given in the third act. I thought it was very bold and inspired in its conception, but unfortunately somewhat rushed and unconvincing in its execution.

Overall, the book is definitely worth a read, and I would love to check out some of the author’s other works as well.

I received an eARC of The Open House by Sam Carrington from Avon Books UK and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
4 stars! This was an enjoyable read. Amber and Nick are getting divorced so they decide to list their home, The suspense begins when thirteen people show up at their open house but only twelve people leave. There is a lot that goes on and doesn't fall short on entertainment.

A pyschological thriller with twists and turns that have you reading on. But, for me, I didn't really like the characters. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

This was not a favorite of mine. After I finished, I realized the book I really wanted was The Open House by Katie Sise. So, I downloaded the wrong book and ended up reading it without realizing I wasn't interested in it.

Oh well.

Firstly the cover art is epic - it drew me and and I couldn't wait to hear the story, it felt like a fresh new topic for a domestic / psychological thriller.

The snooping on the open house is brilliant and a fresh take on the "nanny cam" themes we have seen many times before and it sets the book up like a modern day murder mystery, some of the twists I found predictable and some were like HOLY SH&T really!? And yes from that you can guess there a lot of twists, a confusing red herring path of twists which does take away from what is actually a ripper book.

Overall the abundance of characters and twists knocks this down a star or two so a solid 3/5 from me. Thanks again to Netgalley and the author for the gifted copy in exchange for the honest review.

Actual rating: 2/5 stars

This book has such an amazing premise. 13 people go into an open house and only 12 come out, so where does the last person go? I wish it really stuck to that idea, but this book started adding in so many random plot lines and tried to do too much. It had family drama which included a divorce and a problematic mother-in-law, online relationships, sketchy real estate agents, nosy neighbors, and an open house.

The beginning of this I was honestly interested in but then once all the plot lines started to come in it kind of lost me. Don't get me wrong, I'm here for family drama, but it really made no sense with the original premise and the whole speculating part of this book was drawn on soooooo long. There were also plot lines that were brought in and never wrapped up, and it made no sense for them to even be in there in the first place.

The end, while it did suprise me, honestly made no sense. I don't understand how we got from point A—the premise/beginning of the book—to point B—the end of the book and I literally read it.

Overall it was boring, I don't understand why there were so many unnecessary plot lines thrown in to make things more complex, and I was hoping the original idea was a bigger focus. I didn't hate my experience and I did like parts of the ending, but I wish the original premise just took more of a front seat.

Thank you to Avon Books UK, Sam Carrington, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.