Everything about this book jumped out at me. The beautiful cover, the synopsis... I was excited to get into BUT...

It was just so flat, it didn't do anything for me at all.

I think the main reason for me is that there was no background on the characters, were we already meant to have known who they are? Is this part of a series that I'm unaware of?

Sorry but it's a no from me.

Thanks to netgalley and Avon books for the ARC.

Sam Carrington's The Open House is an enjoyable read with a great premise and plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing along the way. When Amber puts the family house on the market, the sale process does not go smoothly and strange things start occurring. Suffice to say she does not realise what a tangled web she has got herself into! There is an element of suspense throughout with definite creepy overtones - I personally don't know how she could stay in that house with her kids!! The ride does get a bit wild towards the end, however as a reader who loves to fully suspend disbelief when reading (it is my escape from reality!) this did not bother me. Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an advance reading copy.

Someone really wants Amber to leave... but what lengths will they go to to make sure she does?

When recently-divorced Amber is ready for a fresh start for her and her two children, she turns to real estate agent Carl Anderson to help sell her home. When interest proves to be low, she reluctantly agrees to an open house event. Amber is not entirely comfortable with people being in and out of her home in her absence, so she watches live footage of potential buyers going in and out of her home with an app that happens to be linked to her doorbell camera. Amber is disturbed when she counts less people coming out of the house than she counted going in. She and her detective ex-husband both canvas the house, but it seems like no one is left behind. Soon after the open house, unsettling things begin to happen around the house. Things disappear and reappear under the stairs, electricity seems to have a mind of its own and there is a heavy air around the house as if an uninvited guest is taking up residence there...
What an incredible novel to open 2021 with! I really enjoyed the shocking twists and reveals in this book. There were many characters in the book that I found extremely suspicious, and I was delighted to find that I was right to suspect some of them and wrong about others. I also made a lot of predictions while reading but only one of them was truly correct. The Open House was beautifully written and I couldn't be happier to have kicked off my year with this book.

'The Open House' is a pretty good thriller. There are some characters who are realistic, and you can't help liking them - even (most of) the worst things coming out cannot stop that. Others are clearly karikatures to keep the plot rolling. Barb feels that way a lot, but does not go all the way - and I think that is quite a feat, because the Big Bad Mother in Law happens quite a lot in this type of book.

I do think there was slightly too much happening at once at one point, and the plot twists made the truely scary stuff - someone seems to be remaining in your house after an open house - fade to the background too much to my liking. I also think some of those plot twists <i>were</i> pretty obvious for a long time, I was not as surprised as others seem to be.

All in all 'The Open House' is very much worth reading if you like thrillers. It definitely had me on the edge of my seat, and did a great job delivering that scary feeling of 'anyone could be there and do anything'.

The Open House is a 3.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 4 ⭐️
Amber is selling the family home, her and her two boys live there but after Nicks extra marital dalliances they are getting divorced. Amber has met someone else and is going to make a new life for herself and her young boys. The house isn’t selling and her estate agent suggests holding an open house to which Amber agrees but doesn’t want to be there. Thirteen people come but Amber sees on her camera doorbell that only twelve leave but maybe she’s mistaken. Strange things start to occur and to be honest I couldn’t wait to find out what the heck was happening.
This was a decent psychological thriller and would have scored higher but the ending was, I felt, rushed and confused me slightly especially with some of the choices Amber made. Don’t let this put you off though as it’s still a captivating read and I did really enjoy it.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

This is by far the best book i read in 2020! Thank you!

The open house is narrated by Amber and Barbara. Amber is in a new relationship and is wanting to move up north to be with him and is trying to sell her home she once shared with her ex Nick. Barb is Nick's mother and had originally sold her family home to Amber and Nick before she moved into a home more suitable for her needs. Amber Estate agent suggests an open house once its completed Amber has this feeling that someone never left the house. Them wierd things start to happen in the house. Barb is bidding something and something she will keep secret hunting her dying breathe.


There is no real way to explain how amazing this book is without giving away spoilers. Amber character is great and I appreciated her as a lead prognosis. She has great relationships around her and when it starts to hit the fan she befriends local curtain twitcher from across the street., Devina She in my opinion id illustrated so well with the decline of her mental health.
Barb is so funny! I honestly could of read her chapters over and over. The sinister vibe we get from her is great.

I highly recommend for anyone who loves psychological thrillers and love trying to problem solve throughout. I honestly hadn't a clue what was going on to the point I was suspecting everyone! I didn't have a clue who was responsible and that made me continue reading wall through the night. This book is so freaky because it could happen! Plus the last four chapters BLEW MY MIND!! Yes yes yes read this book i loved. The psychological elements were throughout and really kept my mind working. 5plus stars.


Thank you netgalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my free fair and honest opinion x

The most interesting parts of this book - and the reason I decided to go for two instead on just one star - were the italic written parts of the killer. Other than that, this book was very flat and shallow. I think the biggest issue this book had was that the autor seemingly expected people to know the characters already. Is that the case, though? I've looked the author and this seems to be her sixth book of that kind, so - are the books in any relation to each other?
In that case, I wished it would've been mentioned aforehead. It wouldn't be the first time I read a second or even third part of a series by acciedent, but a mention of this in the book itself would have been nice.
However, assuming that this book is a standalone...
The cover was so beautiful. The title and phrases sounded so promising. I had such high hopes for this one... And I ended up very, very disappointed. What exactly was the main character's deal with each other? Why were they at each other's throats all the time? I mean, it's eventually reveiled, but by the time I started this book, I did not know that and I do not think it was such a big deal that the author had to keep it secret the whole time.
The crime itself was... boringly written. If it hadn't been for the little snippets of the killer, I don't think I would have finished it. The killer really saved this book for me, because the other characters was just... way too annoying and - in my unprofessional opinion - snooty.

I received a free copy by Netgalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Their Devon family home is being broken up and sold by Nick and Amber Miller. But the house is not going, considering the attractive location. So far, not a single viewing. So, after her initial reluctance, Amber accepts when their estate agent proposes an open house case. But Amber will have plenty to think about after the case. And in the afternoon, thirteen people visited her house and just twelve left. It started out really great just like every psychological thriller novel but during the middle, a lot of the parts felt missing and out of place and lacked cohesiveness but overall the ending seem intresting

The blurb '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…' Now that is creepy, i once read a true story where this happened eek.

Told from different points of view, this is the story of the separation of a marriage and all the people this affects. Well written with a few good twists - some a little unbelievable but entertaining non the less. i recommend reading this but make sure you have plenty of free time because you wont want to put the book down once you start!
A big thank you to Netgalley, Avon Books UK and the author, Sam Carrington, for giving me the opportunity to read an early copy of The Open House.

First thank you to Netgalley & Avon Books UK for allowing me to review this book! The Open House by Sam Carrington was what I love in a thriller... suspense and more turns than I could even anticipate. Amber Miller is separating from her husband Nick and wants to sell the family home to move her and their 2 boys closer to her new boyfriend. There isn't much interest in the house so their agent suggests he holds an open house. Once Nick had moved out, Amber installed a doorbell camera so she could see who was at the door before opening. She realizes while the open house is going on she can use the camera to see if there's any interest. What she sees is 13 people enter during the hour but only 12 people leave. From there, odd things keep happening in the house and there's so many possibilities of who may be behind it. Is it the super nosy neighbor who always talks about a husband no one ever sees? Is it the development company who wants to buy up the houses on her block? Is it her almost ex-Mother In Law so they can't sell the family home or move away? Or something completely different? I was not at all expecting it to end the way it did and highly recommend this one if you're in the mood for a quick page turner.

Nick and Amber are divorcing and selling their home, but with apparently no interest she decides to have an open house viewing (arranged by a slightly dodgy estate agent, Carl). The trouble is she counts 13 people going in but only 12 coming out via a doorbell video. cam.

The author then leads us on a merry dance with Amber getting caught up in some mysterious happenings Initially, she thought most of the ;trouble' was caused by her meddling mother in law Barb. Great name, by the way, for a mother in law? .

Too much happens, and I don't want to give any spoilers. The ending was a bit complicated after such a great read, but I enjoyed it.

Thanks to Net Galley and Avon Books UK for the chance to read and review.

I really enjoyed this book.. It is a plot I have never read about before and it was refreshing and interesting enough that I wanted to keep reading it to see where things went.. Some was easy to figure out but the plot twists in there I did not see coming.. Recommend? Yes
~Happy Reading~

This is the second Sam Carrington novel I have read and this was better than the first one I read.
At first, I am still confused with how the plot is going but this one is riveting.

Nick and Amber are separating and selling the house that originally belonged to Nicks parents. Amber is planning to move away with a new boyfriend, taking her boys with her. However Nicks mother really doesn't want them to go. With the house on the market interest seems very poor....is this due to people meddling.
When her estate agent suggests an open house, amber at first is not keen. However, by setting up a small camera she is able to see who attends with nobody knowing. 13 people come for a viewing, 12 people leave.
Amber is convinced somebody is still in her house particularly when strange things happen for no reason.
A brilliant, fast paced book with characters that intertwine and many twists that I didn't see coming.
Highly recommend.

3 stars, but a 5 star beginning! This book really started out so well, gripping, fast paced, and hard to put down, but just sort of fizzled out about a quarter of the way. I did finish, but didn’t love. If it had continued like it began, it would have been one of my top reads this year, but it became very hard to even get through the last 3/4. Did have some good twists and turns, thrills, chills, and even shocks. I would recommend to those who are not looking for a fast paced, unputdownable read, but more of a slow burn, type of read. As. It will start with a bang, but sort of fizzle.

This is the story of Amber, mother of two young boys. Amber has recently separated from her detective husband Nick. She is now in a new relationship with Richard and is anxious to sell the house to be able to move in with him as they are currently in a long distance relationship. Amber’s Mother-In-Law really does not want Amber to sell the house. After a period of no interest the estate agent decides to have an open house. Amber is a bit nervous about having a lot of people parading through her house. Amber watches via her Ring doorbell and counts 13 people go in and only 12 come out.

This book was so much better than I expected. There was so many subplots to this story which made the book very twisty. Every time I thought that I had figured out what was going on something else would happen that would put make me change my mind. There are a couple of things that I felt that I didn’t understand but maybe I just need to reread.

I am sorry but I ended up giving up reading this book. I kept going until 50% but I didn't feel it could make up its mind if it was a paranormal book or a suspense novel. I didn't particularly like any of the characters either. Nothing wrong with the writing per se just the story.

Wow, this is a really complex and twisty thriller! I’m currently selling my house, and did wonder if this was a wise choice of read, but I really didn’t want to miss the opportunity to read it!

There’s a lot going on for Amber, her mother-in-law isn’t the easiest, and it’s clear that she’s got a hidden agenda. There are so many seemingly insignificant happenings that I did wonder if Amber was just being paranoid, but as the book progresses, it does seem that something strange is going on. When the plot is finally blown apart, it was not what I expected at all, there are several plot twists and shocks to be revealed.

It’s very hard to put this book down, it’s a real “just one more chapter” one, as the tension builds and builds. It’s difficult to say too much without giving anything away, but you will probably trust no-one in this book. Superb creepy and atmospheric thriller, very highly recommended.

If you are looking for a thriller family drama that has more twists and turns than you can count, look no further! Nick and Amber Miller are trying to sell their house after divorcing, and they decide to host an open house event to find more prospective buyers. Amber notices that although 13 people entered the house, only 12 leave... this sets off a whirlwind of twists and turns so intense that I got confused a few times trying to follow what was really happening.

I was envisioning an engrossing thriller with a unique premise, but after the first half of the book there was so much happening that I was getting lost. I enjoyed reading this book, and I think I will check out more by Sam Carrington in the future, but it was overload at times.

What I liked:
- unique premise
- the characters and the POV writing style that shows us more than one perspective
- thriller elements

What I disliked:
- Too much going on at times/hard to follow
- Slightly unrealistic. I find I enjoy thrillers that are more believable even if they aren't true stories. This seemed too far-fetched

Overall rating: 3.5 stars, I enjoyed this book and would recommend to other thriller fanatics, but the unrealistic parts and the overwhelming amount of plot twists were a bit much.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

This one creeped me out a little and I guessed some of the ending but it was still a great read!