Diane Chamberlain is one of the few authors that I don't read the synopsis before I read the book, as I know that I will love it. This book is no exception. Although fiction, its clearly based on true events of that era. Quite gruelling at times but an excellent story

After reading many of Diane Chamberlain’s books years ago I was absolutely thrilled to have been accepted for this new book of hers.

I’m not really sure where to start, it was amazing. I think it’s a book that will stay with me for a very long time. It’s so heartbreakingly beautiful.

Ellie is such a powerful character. She is someone everyone needs in their life. Passionate and kind. Ready and willing to fight for what she believes is right.

The storyline was amazing and I loved how it was told through the past and present. I like how the story, slowly, yet powerfully moved along. To finally reveal the ending. Which I admittedly shed a tear at.

The actual writing was really good and so descriptive and I really felt like I could picture every scene.

Overall a really enjoyable read and I would highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Headline books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I'm a big fan of Diane Chamberlain so was really excited to get a preview of her latest novel. Set between the 1960's and 2020, this book follows two women who end of living on the same street. In the '60s a young white woman in the South has signed up to help the civil rights movement much to the dismay of her family. In 2020 a young widow is moving into her new home on a newly built housing estate. All new homes, apart from the last house on the street that is inhabited by an older, sort of hippy style woman who cares for her elderly mother and brother. As with all Diane Chamberlain books, the writing hooks you in from the start and is full of unpredictable twists and turns. I found this book to be completely gripping and I absolutely adored it!

Two timelines....

In 2010, Kayla Carter and young daughter Rainie are about to move into a newly built property in Round Hill, North Carolina. It’s a house that already has devastating tragedy associated with it as her husband Jackson suffers a fatal fall whilst working there. When malicious and threatening ‘Ann Smith’ visits her she makes Kayla feel even more fearful of moving in than she already is as it seems there is resentment of the building of properties on that particular part of Round Hill.

In 1965 twenty year old Ellie Hockley ,also from Round Hill, takes the decision to join the SCOPE project (Summer Community Organization and Political Education) where white volunteers live with black families and visit others in the vicinity to encourage them to register to vote once LBJ signs the Voting Rights Bill. Two storylines- how do they connect?

First of all, I’ve read quite a lot about the civil rights movement but didn’t know about Scope so I’m really glad to have learned something ‘new’. The novel starts well and I think the 1965 storyline is very good although apart from Scope it doesn’t tell you anything you don’t already know about the situation in the 1960’s. However, this part of the story is written extremely well and it’s very compelling and absorbing. Ellie is very likeable, her motives are good, she’s brave and she has to be as she faces tremendous opposition from family and friends. Her mother, Miss Pat, is something else although several characters hold views that are utterly appalling. As the storyline progresses we learn more about her reasons for volunteering as she confesses all to Win, a fellow volunteer who is one of the stand out characters of the book. These sections are full of danger, it’s creepy, chilling, tense, full of sickening bigotry and physical threats. The narrative takes you on an emotional rollercoaster and makes you feel a whole range of feelings from shock to anger, to wanting to weep with frustration and sheer sadness. Ellie’s story for me is what carries the book and keeps me reading on.

However, I don’t feel the same about Kayla’s story I’m sorry to say. I don’t feel the creep, it doesn’t jump out at the pages and speak to me. Saying something is creepy is not the same as making a reader feel it. I’m not at all convinced by the scare tactics of 2010 as they feel contrived and directed at the wrong person in particular the actions of the Ann Smith character don’t feel plausible. Some of what happens in this timeline becomes predictable, there isn’t much surprise when all the dots are joined and then it’s all sown up too neatly after all that build up. To be honest, I’d have preferred the book without Kayla's story as the same thing could have been achieved by focusing on Ellie in the same date.

Overall, though because the 1965 storyline is a very powerful one that carries the day and is the reason for my four star rating.

With thanks to NetGalley and Headline/Headline Review for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

An enjoyable read - a very different novel to anything I’ve ready before by Diane Chamberlain. It’s a split-timeline set between South Carolina in the 1960s and the present day. I preferred the 1960s sections where the focus is on black rights volunteers and the racial tensions of the times.
The present day section is about Kayla, a young widow with a young daughter who has ties back to someone from the 1960s. Although I enjoyed her story, there were some areas I found clumsy and a bit contrived and unbelievable. I would have preferred Diane to write the whole story about the black rights and voter registration in the 1960s and develop those characters and relationships more fully.

A really great read. When Kakla and her daughter move into their new home after the death of her husband she receives a threat from someone witch really spooks her. After a series of mysterious events take place a person from the past appears and a story eventually comes to light which both shocks her and her family. The story spans over four decades and when the truth is finally revealed about what really happened all those years ago it finally answers a lot of questions. I really loved it

I love this author and have read so many of her books, but sadly I couldn;t get into this one. Despite the intrigue in the opening chapter, and the tragedy lining the story, I just didn't connect with the story or characters. Sorry. It won't put me off this author, but this won't be one for me.

I really liked the two strong women featured in this novel.
This book weaves the past of Ellie into the story of Kayla, who disturbs the secrets of Hockley Street when she moves in to her new house. Kayla is struggling to deal with the move after her husband died during its' construction and, following a disturbing visit from a woman who knows too much personal information about her, strange things start to happen that are meant to scare her off. Interspersed with her story is the one of Ellie, joining a group to promote voting rights to poor, rural black households. But this is the 1960's in the south and people aren't ready for change.
A great read with likeable, strong characters.

The Last House on the Street was another great read from Diane Chamberlain. I warmed to Ellie immediately, much more so than Kayla. Kayla’s circumstances led to being far from light hearted and fun loving. Ellie was intelligent, progressive, caring, considerate and brave while also being reckless and headstrong. Unfortunately the reality was portrayed from her story line, a true reflection of what so many who grew up in the south at that time endured. The ending was great, a wonderful climax. Diane Chamberlain has done it again. It’s another unputdownable read.

It’s been a few years since I’ve read one of Diane Chamberlain novels and this did not disappoint . This compelling story is told in dual timelines and we gradually begin to piece together a past that has haunted a community for decades .

Kayla Carter is a young mother of three year old Rainie. Her husband died after a tragic accident a few months before they were due to move into their dream home at Shadow Ridge Estates in North Carolina. When Kayla receives an unwelcome visitor to her office one afternoon warning her not to move into her new home ,she is determined to unravel why someone would threaten her. Is there something about the location of their new home ?

In 1965 Ellie Hockley works alongside her father in a small town pharmacy in a wealthy southern community. When she decides to join a group called SCOPE , an organisation set up to encourage black communities to vote, her perspective from a privileged white background changes forever . It’s a turbulent time during a part of American history where many black communities were persecuted and treated brutality for the colour of their skin. Interracial relationships were forbidden and dangerous. Families were torn apart.

Ellie's character was particularly strong and her experiences depicted how challenging and dangerous it was to encourage families to vote during the civil rights movement. Could love ever survive during these times?

"Getting to know people. Letting them open my eyes to their lives. I tried not to let it show that my heart ached over the poverty in front of me. My pity would help no one" ( Ellie)

This was a compelling read and had me guessing right to the end. Highly recommend. Some stories just stay with you. This will stay with me.


Thank you to #Netgallery for an ARC


#LastHouseBook and #SmallTownSecrets

As per usual Diane pulled out all the stops. This book certainly did not disappoint. Fantastic style of writing as always. It pulled me from the very start and had me guessing all the way through about what would happen between Ellie and Win. The ending was brilliant, even though it was a sad ending for Ellie, she got the closure that she always needed and the readers needed. And it was heartwarming to see Kayla and Rainie get their happy ending. Thoroughly recommend.

A very enjoyable read, another great book by Diane Chamberlain. The story shows life in a southern town both in more recent times and in the tumultuous 60’s. The only thing I found difficult is why you would move into a house that your husband was building and he also accidentally died in. I’m not sure you would bother, regardless of it’s architectural significance.

Excellent page turner. The book moves back and forth between the past and present, interweaving the events to modern day following the lives of Ellie, a civil rights activist and Kayla, a young woman who inadvertently wakes the past. Hard not to give away too much but the main themes are the voting rights of black citizens in the Deep South, the KKK, the fight for civil liberties and the impact on the lives of those involved long after the vote is gained.. It's the sort of book you go to sleep thinking about when you've read the last chapter for the evening! Highly recommend..

This is the most moving and disturbing story I have read by Diane Chamberlain. I have read her novels for years and have now enjoyed and respected The Last House more than any other novel by her.
Kayla is a young widow in 2010 and has designed and built a beautiful house with her now deceased husband. It is the first house to be built on a new estate they designed together. She carries on their work and moves into her new home with their young daughter. However a strange looking woman pays her a visit and tries to warn her off. What on earth is going on?
We then move to Ellie’s story in the 1960’s. This is a moving tale of supporting black Americans prior to their being given the vote. Her family try to dissuade her but she stands firm. Her story is one of bravery and her love of people whatever their colour. Her own love story cannot end well. With the klu Klux Klan building burning crosses and intimidating black and white alike names Ellie mentions suddenly fit in with Kayla’s own story.
In 2010 Ellie has had to move back home to look after her brother and mother. She lives in the only old house left at the edge of the new Shadow Ridge estate. She and Kayla become unlikely friends and Ellie’s story is finally told.
The odd woman who scared Kayla is finally revealed to be a sad and vindictive woman whose husband was killed when Ellie also lost the love of her life. There is a sad justice for Ellie who gets the answers she was looking for at the back of Kayla’s wood and lake.
Ellie can return to her home in California and Kayla and her daughter can live happily in their home at last.
What a moving and life affirming story this is. Love survives death but you can move on to a new life after your loss

This is the first book I've read by Diane Chamberlain and it definitely won't be the last. It's a stunning, powerful , emotional and immersive read that covers an important and pertinent topic. It is told in dual timelines of 1965 and 2020. In North Carolina in 1965 Ellie, a white student volunteers for a civil rights group to increase voter registration in the South and falls in love with a young black activist. In 2020, Kayla a young widowed architect is moving into the house she designed with her late husband on the street where Ellie grew up. Chamberlain is a powerful storyteller and I could not put this book down. Highly recommended
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review a digital ARC.

Diane Chamberlain's latest haunting novel resonates so strongly with our contemporary realities where once again widescale attacks are taking place on what every citizen should be able to take for granted, the basic right to vote. In a dual line narrative, the author takes us back in time to 1965, a turbulent period of American history, to the dangerous and courageous fight for civil rights and efforts to increase voter registration within black communities in the hostile and racist American South. Architect Kayla Carter is a widow, mother to a young 3 year old daughter, Rainie, she and her husband, Jackson, designed their dream home in the beautiful Shadow Ridge Estates in North Carolina. However, Kayla is in two minds when it comes to moving in, Jackson died in an accident whilst working on their home, and the house will always hold memories of his tragic death.

She is left feeling uneasy and threatened when a odd older woman, who seems to have far too much knowledge about her, tells her not to move into the house, but why? Kayla then meets her neighbour, 65 year old Ellie Hockley who has come back, after a 45 year absence, due to family circumstances. At first the two women get on well until painful memories from the past are reawakened in Ellie after she learns more about Kayla. In 1965, privileged white student Ellie was home for the summer, best friend Brenda is pregnant, planning to marry Garner Cleveland and Ellie for four years has been with Reed Miller. Inspired by her late Aunt Carol, Ellie shifts her life in a completely different direction that is destined to reshape her and to have lifelong repercussions. Despite advice to the contrary, she becomes a civil rights activist and volunteer for the Summer Organisation and Political Education (SCOPE) project.

The dual narratives come to connect the tragic past with the present, Ellie with Kayla, in this enraging, suspenseful, and unforgettable story of race, family, love and horrifying brutality. Whilst it is a blend of fact and fiction, Chamberlain does take some liberties with history in her vibrant retelling. She immerses the reader in the riveting and timely narrative with her wonderful characterisations that bring the 1960s battle for civil rights vividly alive. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

This was a very original and fascinating read although I’m afraid I did scan geo,or,threechapters where Ellie was heavily involved with SCOPE. The descriptions of Kayla and Jackson’s house were wonderful, you could admire the splendour and yet at the same time,, menace of the woods surrounding the house they built, of mostly glass. To be honest I think I would have sold it once things became difficult, it sounds as though it was a huge house for just Kayla and Rainie to live in on,their own. I could imagine all the excellent characters but funnily enough not Kayla as no proper description was given. A superb ending for me, little spoiler alert, would have been for Ellie to telephone her son or daughter to say that she was on her way back home, so that some part of Win lived on. I honestly expected that to happen and was disappointed when it didn’t, it would have given satisfactory closure.

I was looking forward to reading this book as I have enjoyed several of Diane Chamberlain's other books and, as usual, I was quickly drawn into the story and compelled to keep reading. The book weaves together events from 1965, where a student, Ellie, becomes involved in a civil rights campaign to encourage black people to register to vote, and 2010, where Kayla, who has recently been widowed prepares to move into her new house and it seems that someone doesn't want her there.
The two timelines are woven together skillfully with the connections gradually being revealed. Some parts of the book depict scenes of racial violence and are difficult to read, but it is an important reminder of what attitudes were like in the 1960s.
All in all, another excellent read!

Yet another triumph for Diane Chamberlain. The story is told in two timelines. The first is the story of Ellie who lives in North Carolina in 1965. She is twenty years old and gets involved in the race conflicts of the time - she joins a group of young people from the Northern states who are trying to get votes for black people. The racism is quite shocking. In 2010, Kayla, a young widow, meets Ellie who has come back to to look after her aging mother and sick brother. The two families are connected and their stories come together in a tragic way. This is a powerful story with strong characterization.

Wow. Loved this book, but then again, I love all her books!! Love how there's 2 stories at the same time, both interlinked. The issues were well researched and certainly highlighted racial issues and how it affected many lives, many many years down the line. Loved how the characters were described. They certainly were very likable and you could relate to them. Would definitely recommend this one.