I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy of Just Like Home, a stand-alone set in a town called Marion, New York.

Vera’s mother, Daphne, is dying and wants Vera to come home to the house where her father, a serial killer, buried his victims. Vera and Daphne don’t get on and to make matters worse there is an artist in residence who thinks Vera and her pain will add authenticity to his work.

I am always ready to try new authors - who knows what delights they will offer or what direction they will take me - so Just Like Home was a temptation. I plucked it from the crime and mystery selection as I rarely stray from the genre, but I feel in this case that it has been miscategorised and it never really caught my full attention.

I notice that most reviewers categorise it as horror, maybe it is, but perhaps I’m too literal because I didn’t feel any creepy atmosphere and it never got tense enough to put it down for a breather. To me it is a study of madness and too slow burning to have the desired effect.

On a more positive note I like the writing style as it is inviting and easy to read. It starts with Vera’s dread at returning home and the odd situation she finds there. It describes her rootless existence, always moving on when she’s recognised, but, then, she does nothing to hide who she is, so that immediately begs questions about her mentality. As the novel moves on the narrative starts to switch between the 12 year old Vera and her secrets and the present day Vera, spooked by unexplained events. They dovetail well until the ending, which I simply found strange.

Just Like Home is not for me, but I’m sure that more imaginative readers will enjoy it and get involved in Vera’s story.

This was quite a creepy slow burner but I massively enjoyed it. The way the writer slowly built the picture of the Father's crimes and the air of mystery around each of the characters really kept me hooked. I found the ending a bit bizarre and went in a direction I wasn't expecting, but overall really enjoyable read!

Just Like Home bleeds from the core. It’s a meteorite crashing into your orbit and turning your world upside down. Viscerally intimate.

Just Like Home…Jesus Christ on a burning bike! A story that defied the rules of reality, but do you think it cares? Nope, the rule book was torn up and buried. A story with an original plot, strong characters, and a writing style that could cut glass.

Just Like Home is the living embodiment of a house being the keeper of secrets. It sees all, breathes all, and doesn’t say anything. It soaks up the blood and pumps it into the walls, it doesn’t make a mess anymore but it’s there as a constant reminder of the pain and suffering. A house isn’t just four walls, a house is a home, one that has the ability to keep safe or torment, it’s all a matter of perspective. A bleak tale that has you questioning the darker side of the human condition. Get that life jacket because you going to be treading some very muddy waters!

Vera has returned home, home to her ailing mother, home to the only place she’s felt both safe and destroyed, the place she saw her father for the very last time. Memories of her serial killer father fight against the portrayal of a very good father. It’s strange – when we think of Serial Killers, we don’t categorise them as having positive traits. Vera had a very good relationship with her dad, he took her fishing, he made sure she knew the way of the world, and he also made a point that the only way you learn is to watch…well, Vera would take that advice way too seriously.

Vera’s mother, Daphne, Is a wicked woman. The only way I can describe her is like a shark circling, it’s got the slight taste of blood and it’s ready to zone in for the kill. I feel slightly guilty however, I feel it’s a bit unfair on the shark.

The story is told in two timelines which are slotted in perfectly with the solidity of the story. Vera recounts her childhood with the clarity that only age can make clear. We also see the anguish of coming back to her mother, the house, and the new tenant, James Duvall. A creepy little man who thinks he is communing with the house to create art, all he needs is to spend a little time with Vera.

No denying that the family dynamic was toxic as hell – but so many families are. We can see how actions can turn child and parent against one another, jealousy of how different things are for their child, especially a mother and daughter. It’s not right but Just Like Home makes you question, question, question.

There are secrets yet undiscovered in the foundations of the notorious Crowder House. Vera must face them and find out for herself just how deep the rot goes.

In the end I had to DNR this book. There appears to be a lot of repetition the first few chapters and I am not sure if the author did this intentionally and if they did why they chose to do it. I found it made the sentences clunky and drew me out of the reading experience.

I did find it atmospheric in places, the descriptions of the house made it seem claustrophobic and suffocating but this alone wasn’t enough to keep me reading.

Although this novel wasn’t my cup of tea, other people may get on better with the writing style.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC of 'Just Like Home' by Sarah Gailey.

Vera Crowder is called back to her childhood home many years after her mother, Daphne, had thrown her out. Since that time, she had a number of temporary jobs and temporary flats, but she had always been found out and so she is both scared to return and yet eager to return. Daphne is dying, lying in the home that Vera’s father, Francis Crowder, had built for them.

Before long, it is clear that bad things had happened in the Crowder House, which Daphne has made something of a museum to help pay the bills. James Duvall is now the ‘artist in residence,’ keen to commune with the house, which his father, Hammett Duvall, wrote a book about. For men had gone missing in the area and Francis had been arrested for the killings.

This is the story, not only of what happened, but of what happened to Vera in her childhood. To her and her childhood friend, Brandon, of living in the Crowder House, with a loving father and a stern and disapproving mother. In a house without locks and with peepholes…

Overall, this was an excellent read. For me, the ending was somewhat weak, but I was invested up to that point and for that it deserves a good, four stars. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

This was too slow for my taste - but nevertheless, I enjoyed it.
I couldn't sleep in the night for some days if I'm being honest, haha.
Horror is usually not my cup of tea but I'm definitely looking forward to be reading more of Sarah's works in the future.

trigger warning
<spoiler> blood, gore, familial rejection, torture, lethal illness, loss of a parent, torture, domestic abuse </spoiler>

As her mother lies dying, Vera is called back, finally, to the home she has been thrown out of years ago. Things need to be sorted.

When we meet Vee, we don't know why she has been thrown out and what's up with her father. He hasn't been living in this house and then he died. Whatever he did left such a lasting impact, that Vee's mother is able to rent out a shed to artists to get some money, and the whole village seems to hate the family. As if that were not enough, strange things are happening in the house, all centering around Vee's bed and a creature living under it.

We have two timelines: Vee sorting through old belongings, so the house can be sold once her mother dies, and Vee as a young teen girl, finding out about what goes on in the basement and what makes her mother snap.

This story is very atmospheric, and that's how I like my horror. While it is not explicitly queer, we also don't have anything to prove it's not, and since I have read other works by this author I am going to go with the latter. There is no romantic sub plot, which I like a lot.

Full recommendations if you want a creepy haunted house story.
The arc was provied by the publisher.

Thank you to Sarah Gailey and NetGalley for this copy of Just Like Home.

As someone who doesn't usually read horror books, I was immediately drawn to Just Like Home and very excited to read the book. At first, I did find it hard to get into the story and the first 1/4 did feel slower to me but as the book went on I really got into it. I really enjoyed the split between the present and the past as it made me understand Vera better and overall her relationship with her family,

Overall, I did enjoy the book and would recommend it.

Sarah Gailey is proving to be an excellent voice in modern horror. Just Like Home is a genuinely scary and disquieting haunted house novel with real emotional weight and a main character you can both empathize with and be repulsed by. There are plenty of twists and turns in the novel, but none of them seem cheap or gimmicky or there for the sake of having a twist. Along with an engaging plot, the writing is compelling and beautiful. This is a book that I feel will stick with me for a long time to come.

A slow burn thriller with a unnerving protagonist and an atmospheric setting? Yes, please!

Sarah Gailey writes this book with a style that I would describe as enticing. Even when nothing much is happening, I wanted to come back and keep on reading it to see what it had in store for me. Vera Crowder is also such a fascinating character who reveals herself to us in layers.

It's been a few days since I finished reading and I wanted to wait to see what I actually thought of it. A creepy character based tale with surprising insights on parents and how deeply they impact us, this book will stay with me for a long time to come.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the e-copy. :)

Unfortunately, I’m DNFing this book at 60%.

Firstly, I absolutely love the writing style. I suspect this just might not be the right Sarah Gailey book for me and will definitely check something else out.

The concept is really interesting and the setting of the house feels really isolated and creepy, but the book is just too slow moving for me. I feel like I’ve had to force myself to pick it up. I also don’t feel particularly attached to any of the characters and unfortunately the gorgeous writing just isn’t enough to hold my interest.

I will also say that the queer rep is making me a bit uncomfortable. Vera being essentially told by her father that men are demons and she should never let one touch her, and then later being (I think) a lesbian (the term hasn’t been used, but it’s implied) feels a bit like she ‘became’ a lesbian because of her trauma which feels uncomfortable. As I haven’t finished the book, I can’t say if it’s addressed later but I just wanted to mention it as it did put a bit of a damper on my reading experience.

This novel is a complete horror thriller with everything you could ask for. I was actually terrified while reading it, and the emotion lingered long after i finished it. It kept me up all night. This is ideal for the upcoming Halloween season. 5 stars

It took me a while to get into this book but when I did I am glad that I kept reading. It was dark, creppying and haunting and made me sleep with a light on.

The Crowder house was built by Francis Crowder for his family, his wife Daphne and their daughter Vera.
Francis has a secret and it lives in the basement. Vera has her bedroom above the basement and is often woken in the middle of the night by strange noises. This book has horror vibes and a touch of the paranormal or is it something else?? The story starts when Vera is called home as her mother is dying, Vera left the Crowder house when she was eighteen and has never been back until today. The story is told in two time periods then and now. A creepy and dark read and definitely not what I was expecting. I could not put this book down and finally turned the last page in the wee hours. This would have been a five star read but for the ending. I am still trying to get my head round it. Readers must make up their own minds.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

I really liked the synopsis for Just Like Home, as well as the cover art. It looked and sounded right up my street, and to a certain degree, it was. I liked the storyline, although it was a tad slow at times, and I feel like there could have been a little more character-building. It was a good mix of suspense and spooky, and the ending went nowhere near where I thought it was going to go, which was a nice little twist! In the end, I felt like there was just a little something missing, but it was definitely worth a read.

This book has a haunting and creepy atmosphere that fits perfectly into a haunted-house movie. I loved that aspect of it, and the dual timeline between the present of Vera coming back home and the past where we learn about Vera's father and her own secrets. Vera as a character was unlikeable and I couldn't sympathize with her and her actions, but something I think was relatable is her need to be loved and wanted, which is part of what the story explores. The build up was slow, making the story drag at parts with all the descriptions and little action. It wasn't a page turner for me. I wasn't sure how I felt about the story because I liked the vibes of it but it lacked something. Once the twist in the end hit, it all started coming together. There were minor things left unresolved, yet I enjoyed it pretty much. Like I said, this would be a deliciously creepy horror movie and will satisfy fans of atmospheric, artistic & bizarre supernatural reads!

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC of 'Just Like Home' by Sarah Gailey.

Just Like Home was an intriguing read and a little hard to talk about without spoiling anything, but I will give it my best shot.

Like the very best of gothic horror, the Crowder House is a character all its own. It feels bleak and claustrophobic and uncomfortable. My mind was constantly turning information over in an attempt to figure out what was hiding around the next corner or in the basement or under Vera’s bed. I had a lot of thoughts and theories…some that played out how I expected and some that definitely didn’t.

As for the human characters…the relationships in this book are so interesting. They are front and center in this book (I think it’s more about the family dynamic than any action or plot). Every person is hiding some facet of who they are and not one relationship is healthy or stable. It’s a small cast of characters and none of them are particularly likable (It’s probably a bad sign that the person I liked most was the serial killer).

All of that being said, I don’t really know how I feel about this book. I took a day after I finished it to try to hash out my thoughts and it might take a while to wrap my mind around all of the nuance. This may be one of those books that requires multiple reads, but I am unsure if I will read it again.

It’s a 3 out of 5 stars for me.

This was actually a creepy thriller/horror book that I actually enjoyed reading so much!

Vera reluctantly returns back to her childhood home, known as The Crowder Hall built by her father. But the house itself holds a dark secret--the place where her father who is a notorious serial killer had killed and kept the bodies in the very same house as Vera is reminded of that secret. Meanwhile, her mother Daphne, with whom Vera has a strained relationship has invited a stranger named James Duvall as Daphne and Vera are facing financial difficulties...

I actually enjoyed reading this book. It was slow-paced but despite that, I was completely hooked into the story. Reading this book made me feel like I was watching a horror movie that will put me at the edge of the seat so the author has done a good job with that. There is a Stephen King vibe in this book as well as there are moments of horror stories coupled with the thriller in the book that would leave the reader feel intrigued. There wasn't much gory scenes in the book but there are some parts in the book that completely grossed me out and was too disturbing to read at times. The ending was fantastic and unexpected and I actually did not expect that sort of ending at all! Besides from all the horrors and twisted thriller, this book also talk about strained relationship particularly between Vera and her mother, strained friendship between Vera and her friend Brandon and how Vera is still haunted by the house. The descriptions of the house certainly gives the reader a creepy vibe which will make the reader feel like they are reading a horror story.

If you are a fan of Stephen King, then this book will be the one for you--I give four stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the ARC. The review is based on my opinion only.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

"Hope was a liability at the Crowder House."

This book was an extremely creepy and at times pretty disturbing tale, and I'm unsure whether I'd class it as a thriller or a horror? Maybe a combination of the two.

I love seeing a story that's a little outside the usual formula - instead of focusing on the serial killer and his crimes, this book looks at things years later and how the events affected his family. Things are not what they seem in the house he built, however. His wife is slowly dying, his daughter has been absent for over a decade, and strangers have stripped his former home of all traces of him.

Something secret stalks the halls of the Crowder House, something dark and dangerous. Things are unsettling throughout the book, and even when I began to guess at some of the twists, I was still shocked by them when they happened.

There is some gore and body horror in this book, just as a warning to the squeamish among us.

I'd recommend this read to anyone who fancies something creepy and not quite what it seems.

I personally found this a frustrating read for the first half... things were hinted at, but never actually said about exactly what the father had done. How much the mother had known, the weird relationship between all of them.
It just took slow burn too slowly for my liking.
Yet there were points where something was revealed, and it got me all interested.... up until the last part.

Not quite sure about the last part, it was lime a different type of book.

It wasn't a favourite for me I'm afraid