Told from a dual perspective of Then and Now the book weaved seamlessly for me between the two timelines. The cult had elements of real life - Warren Jeffs/FLDS - with the dystopian feel of Handmaids Tale. It wasn't the typically fast paced thriller I was expecting and in fact that was what I most enjoyed about it. I was taken by surprise at the clever rhythm of the pacing and the time it allowed me to really emotionally invest in Zoe/Catherine's story, Once I started it I just wanted to know what would happen in the end. And it was an ending that was completely satisfying.

Fast paced, thrilling and gripping. I didn't know what to expect from thsi book but it was so much better than I thought it would be.

I love a book that immerses you in a different world so completely that when you look up from the page you're almost surprised to see that everyday life is still going on around you. This is exactly what Steed does in Home, vividly depicting life within a cult that is both extreme and, perhaps more terrifyingly, all too imaginable. The way the story switches between Then and Now has a similar effect, contrasting the main character's life outside and inside the cult. At the end, those two strands come together in a really satisfying way.
The pace is tightly controlled and the language is moving. A first kiss is described as 'Soft, like dropping petals in water' – just beautiful.
I had to read this book with a break in the middle – not by choice but because my daughter, who is in her teens, 'borrowed' my Kindle and didn't want to give it back. She hasn't read a book in ages but devoured Home and loved it. So thank you Cailean Steed for getting her back into books – no mean feat. .
With its subject matter and its intricately woven plot Home packs a punch while also raising important questions about gendered roles, identity, coercion and, ultimately, resistance. A formidable debut.

Zoe used to be Catherine, and Catherine was a member of a cult called Father’s Children. Years after she has escaped she is accosted in her flat by Hand of God, Father’s right hand man. He convinces her to return to the cult.
The book is about what it is that makes her willing to return, what her life was like in the cult and what it has been like since.
It’s a very well written and researched book, with the only drawbacks being the dual POV which is a little irritating after a while and the book ending completely abruptly and not answering many of the questions that I expected to be answered.

Really enjoyed this book.

It has lots of twists and turns in it which I really enjoyed and liked.

This book is well written and it keeps you hooked right to the end.

This is my 1st reading a cult thriller book and it certainly did not disappoint me at all.

I love the written style of the book. I really liked the characters and the plot was so amazingly written.

The minute I started this book I couldn’t put it down as it had me gripped for the 1st page to the last page.

Would highly recommend this book

Home is a novel about someone who escapes a cult, and then ends up going back to try and save their sister. Zoe works in a coffee shop and lives in a little flat, trying to build a life she never imagined. When a man known as the Hand of God appears in her flat, the past returns to her, the cult of the Children she escaped and their compound, Home. What the Hand of God tells her makes her know she has to return, but going back won't be simple.

The narrative is told from a split perspective, one from 'present' day Zoe and one from her past in the cult, as she navigates the horrors of her past and what the cult is still doing. The story is quite slow burn, almost entirely set with the 'Home' of the cult, so you slowly pick up their beliefs and lies. The cult itself is very focused on gender roles and has an almost Handmaid's Tale vibe at times, and there's a few moments in the book that suggest why people are drawn to it, which was quite interesting, particularly as it comes from the perspective of Zoe who was born into the cult.

The book is tense without quite being a thriller, as it is more focused on character and the realities of a cult. Personally, I would've liked to see more of Zoe's life outside of the cult, as most of it is through flashbacks and glimpses, and it would be really interesting to think more about the impact of it on her, but the cult and the physical location it occupies is the focus of the book. The horrors are mostly alluded to rather than shown, so though a lot of the stuff that goes on is quite heavy, through a combination of Zoe's lack of awareness and trauma, you don't see everything, which means the book feels a bit more subtle than using shock tactics. There are some conversion therapy type parts that are quite intense though.

Home has a gripping story that explores a pseudo-religious cult and what happens when an escapee has to go back. I enjoyed the character stuff more than the thriller element and found that the book explores some interesting things. I liked the exploration of gender within the book, particularly how the cult frames a gender binary and then there seems to be a place for Zoe outside of that, but only in what turns out to be a horrifying and manipulative way. The fact that Zoe finds queer community outside of the cult is a nice touch too.

I adored this book, I love a good cult thriller and this one certainly did not disappoint! I was gripped from the first page til the last, really pulls you in.

This book is original, suspenseful, and with complex characters that spring irresistibly to life on the page! Wonderful….

This book has got it all. Queer representation, breakneck pacing, and an intricate, thrilling storyline. There's so much to this story, layer upon layer of insightful, arresting prose, and I suspect the characters will stay with me for a while.

Some reviewers have complained about the dual POV, but I just love it when two strands come together at once. The ending was incredibly satisfying and every thread was tied up perfectly.

So nearly a great book unfortunately it didn’t “bite” me “
A bit to obvious what was going to happen
Thank you Netgalley & Cailean Stead for an advanced copy.

Really enjoyed this book. Lots of twists and turns and actually kept me guessing. Really well written and keeps you interested right to the very end.

Oh, how I wanted to love this one 😫😫
Such a good premise!! But the execution couldn’t be more off.
This starts with a then chapter and we see a 13-year old girl called Catherine doing chores. She gets into trouble by a sister who has it in for her, and we see Catherine get punished. Unfortunately for the reader Catherine gets punished a lot in this novel. She spends a good chunk of time being locked in isolation room where recollects about nothing really and we’re wondering where is the story going?
Then in the second chapter we follow her now. She works in a coffee shop and refers to herself as Zoe. One night she comes home and finds that the Hand of God is there, and she’s drawn back to the cult she escaped from.
I was about 20% through and not being hooked. I wondered why is this book not working for me, and after much reflecting here’s my reasons:
* From the very first chapter the cult are present as obvious bullies. One wonders why didn’t Catherine escape earlier. So I couldn’t understand how Catherine came to be there. At one point she gets punished for calling someone a bitch. If such language is not acceptable then how did Catherine learn such word especially as she’s never been outside of this cult.
* We are told about Catherine’s and Amy’s relationship (they are sisters) rather than shown. So when present day Catherine decides to risk her life to save Amy it doesn’t feel earned. Catherine is indebted to Amy because she helped her to escape but we haven’t seen how Catherine escaped so again this doesn’t have a hold over the reader’s emotions.
* The Hand of God appears in present day Catherine’s life and asks her to come to save Amy because Amy is now married to father and the elders will kill her. Again the world wasn’t really setup. I wasn’t why they would kill her, why are the elders threatened by Amy? It wasn’t clear to me.
* In the now narrative Catherine is imprisoned really quickly and then we spend much time reminiscing of things, such as how she met her partner. This didn’t really add anything to story, instead it slowed it down.
* There just wasn’t enough suspense to keep me hooked. It was more of a slow burn literary read than a suspense read.
Overall I think my expectations are mismatched. This was more akin to Ghostwall by Sarah Moss than a lacy thriller read.

A claustrophobic read following Zoe, who used to be Catherine. Zoe comes home to find the Hand of God is there, a blast from the past. Many years ago she escaped a cult, but now that her sister needs helps she’s called back but if returns will she ever escape...
This was a decent read. It was good on gendered roles and how gender is taught. Loved the queer rep too. However it wasn’t suspenseful enough to keep me hooked and a bit lacklustre at times. Although the descriptions and setting was vividly intense and claustrophobic.

There were elements of this I really liked, such as the exploration of the gendered aspects of Zoe's life both in and out of the cult. I also love a book with un-trumpeted queer rep!

I wish we had been given more of Zoe's life in between leaving the cult and where the book starts, and/or after the final scene. Actually, what I think I wish is that the book was focused around that post-cult experience, rather than focused around Zoe's time in the cult, both 'then' and 'now'. For me the flashbacks were the more powerful reading experience, if not as dramatic as the cult scenes.

I wasn't blown away by the novel as a whole but Cailean Steed is one to watch.

My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

‘Home’ tells the story of Zoe - a young woman who is rebuilding her life following a childhood dominated by her existence in a cult; the infamous Children of God. But it all comes crushing down when a famous figure in the cult arrives at her kitchen table one day with an offer (or a threat?) she cannot refuse.

The story was very well written and an addictive read - a fast-paced, emotion-driven book. The writing of the effects trauma both big and small was real; I applaud the author for the research they have clearly conducted. The story felt so authentic and not a far-fetched fantasy.

The lone criticism would likely be the use of dual POV chapters - flicking between the past and the present. Whilst important to establish backstory, the chapters of the past frequently became repetitive and a bit of a bore in comparison.

Thank you to netgalley as always for the ARC