This is one of those books you have to read in a single sitting. I had to know what happened and I wasn't disappointed with the story telling. Its hard to say too much without giving anything away.

Weaving together different time periods through different chapters isn't usually something I enjoy, but Sally Royer-Derr does it very well. The changing times weave together a story filled with different bits of a puzzle that didn't fit together, it was that disconnect that kept me going to see how it worked out. It was a little frustrating and I do generally prefer a linear story, but I stuck with this one because it seemed unlikely to fit - I just had to know.

The characters were great, well set to their time and their setting. As the two time frames are two different worlds the characters are very different which helps stop the bleeding between the time frames. And then there's Aimee, I really didn't like the lead character and maybe that was the point given everything that happened. However, I found Aimee to be very unlikable and boringly flat which did detract from the story for me. The secondary characters did help make up for her.

Overall a great, quick read that will keep you guessing and second guessing all the way to the wrap up. Grab this book for a twisty tale.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a great read, I was hooked right away. I loved how the plot developed through building up the pace, suspense and tension as we find out dark secrets.

4 stars

I can say for certain that I really enjoyed this book. It's a trope that I haven't come across a lot and it made it very unique. Sally's writing really appealed to me, it was simple and fast paced which I love.

There's not much I can say about the plot without giving it away, but it sure is one fun ride. We follow two timelines. One being Aimee's past and one being the present. All the characters are easy to follow.

There's more and more hints within each chapter, so it's almost like dangling a carrot in front of a rabbit and leading it where you want it. Sally used her creativity to keep the pages turning, but didn't reveal too much until it was appropriate. I think this book was very well written and deserves praise. I definitely recommend it to lovers of psychological thrillers.

Thank you netgalley and Storm for this arc.

This is a fast paced, engaging thriller. Shifting between Aimee's current pov and Dream's past pov. The past and present chapters mesh well and move the story along. The author did a great job at getting you hooked into the story from the beginning. It did give me Lifetime movie vibes.

Overall I really enjoyed this one. There were a few timeline inconsistencies that bugged me, hopefully they are found in the final edit. Just a couple silly things like when talking about the store being closed on Mondays but then at the same time Archie had been at school the day before, but it would have been Sunday so that confused me. Also towards the end in the winter when she was trying to leave John's house she said she had to go open the store...except the store was closed until Spring so not sure what she was opening. Again nothing major to detract from the overall story but they did catch my attention.

The twists were good, but I did figure it out so they weren't shocking to me.

I'll give this one 4 stars because it was entertaining.

This is a story of new beginnings and building a dream life with a haunting past that doesn't want to stay hidden. It's told in a dual timeline with many twists and surprises along the way. I enjoyed the story and didn't guess the plot but the writing style is what kept it from being higher than a 3 star. It took me a while to get into it and written very simply, almost rudimentary.

I would still recommend this if you come across it as a quick thriller!

What an unexpected ending!

Set primarily on the East Coast, Aimee and Archie leave the big city life and move to the country to her ideal home along with enough acreage to run a small farm. Upon arrival, they learn their realtor had just been murdered! This small rural town is shaken by this act of violence. Aimee keeps having a sense that something's not right - someone is watching, been in their home, moving things, etc. But this is the present day timeline.

The other timeline is from several years prior, where Aimee led a completely different life in a commune in what's described similarly to the Hollywood hills. There's a bit of a Manson Family vibe to this part of the story, though not in a sinister way.

Tough to review without spoiling things, or even hinting, but I can absolutely say that I did NOT see this ending coming whatsoever. Wild doesn't even begin to describe it. I stayed up far too late to finish this one!

Thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Sally Royer-Derr for the eARC.

Aimee and Archie have been married for a year after a whirlwind romance. Aimee has recently come into a big inheritance from her aunt, so they purchase a small farm in a little town. This is to be their forever home. However, Aimee has a past- she was in a cult 11 years ago. Archie does not know this about her. "Gifts", notes, and different things keep happening to her in her home. Is this her past catching up to her?

The description really caught my attention. However, I had difficulty liking or connecting to most characters. Aimee seems awful from the opening page. She describes she and Archie as "the golden couple", explains that she is demanding and wants everything to be specific to her liking. When she meets the neighbor who brings baked goods to welcome then, Aimee thinks, "Wow, she really doesn't know when to stop" (this was in reference to Robin asking questions and telling Aimee that she teaches at the school Archie will be teaching at).

Archie seemed ok at first, but when Aimee is telling him about things that are happening, and that his new friend Johnny "gives her the creeps", he dismisses her feelings and continues the friendship- even inviting Johnny to Thanksgiving dinner. And Archie and Aimee know nothing about each other- I mean zero! That was a hard thing for me to swallow- most people when they begin a relationship share a lot! I mean even con artists and creeps make up a backstory!

the story is also told between multiple POV's, and there were times when this got confusing. There is also a lot of repetition of thoughts and descriptions. At the last half of the book, Aimee rambles a lot, and so the story dragged.

The ending of the story was rushed and very contrived. There was no build up to one of the characters that was critical in the end scene, and the explanation of why they were there, what motivated them to help the other character. It felt like the author was trying to make a connection for his motives at the last minute.

I encourage you to read other reviews, as this is my personal experience and thoughts on this book but many other reviewers really loved it!

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC. This is my voluntary, honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Aimee and Archie are newly married and making a fresh start in a new town. He is a teacher and she is ooo op ending a fresh produce stall. They live an idyllic life, but someone who knows Aimee’s past threatens to upset that.

Told from the point of view of Aimee in the present and Dream in the past, we slowly learn bits of Aimee’s past.

This was a slow burner, but once it got going I couldn’t put it down. I had a lot of theories as to who the mysterious dream was, but none correct. I enjoyed the drip feed of Dream’s tales and enjoyed trying to relate that to the present.

This was a really good read and I recommend it.

I honestly don't know how to rate or review this book. It's hard to say anything without spoilers. But, here goes:

Brief synopsis: 2 timelines.
The first is in the present where a young couple buy a country home because she loves nature and wants to open a store with fresh products.
The second timeline is about 8 years earlier where the same woman lives in a commune. It was very hard to figure out how the second would become relevant to the first. But, of course, it does.

The first 75% of the story was just ok. The reader gets insight into both lifestyles of the female character. She wasn't particularly likeable in either timeline. Nor, were the men she was involved with. The storylines just sort of meandered along. So far we have a mediocre, aimless story with boring characters. There are a few hints that the past would come back to haunt the present.

Then, the twists started!!! Often the reader has an idea where things are headed. Not this time, not this reader. Huge twists, that just didn't stop. Shocking! I truly had no idea what the reality would turn out to be. One twist after another. And a lot of casualties along the way.

So, I have to give 2 ratings. One for the first 75%, one for the last 25%. 3 stars for the first (it wasn't terrible, just not great) but definitely 5 stars for the last. Any storyline that can shock and surprise me this much deserves that. The final rating is 4 stars.

And, I love the cover!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

Diolch Netgalley a Storm Publishing am y copi cyn cyhoeddi.

Dw i'm yn siŵr lle i ddechrau efo hwn, wrth ddechrau darllen roeddwn i'n eithaf pendant fy mod wedi dyfalu'r trywydd y byddai'r stori yn ei ddilyn, yn gwybod yn iawn pwy oedd yn achosi aflonyddwch i Aimee yn ei chartref newydd gyda'i gŵr Archie. Ond roeddwn i ymhell ohoni, gyda nifer o droeon annisgwyl a datblygiadau nad oedd modd eu rhagweld o gwbl. Roedd yr ysgrifennu yn neidio o'r presennol i'r gorffennol ac yn adrodd yr hanes o safbwynt Aimee yn y presennol a'i chyn-gariad Dream yn y gorffennol. Roedd llif y stori yn gyflym ac yn hawdd ei ddarllen, roeddwn yn teimlo fy nghalon yn curo wrth i Aimee ddarganfod sawl peth oedd yn codi ofn arni yn ei chartref a'i chymuned newydd. Roeddwn i'n amheus o'r cymeriadau anghywir bob tro, gan ddangos dawn Sally Royer-Derr i'n twyllo a'n hargyhoeddi yn ei hysgrifennu. Nofel afaelgar, annisgwyl a llawn dirgelwch!

I'm not sure where to start with this one, as I started reading I was pretty certain I had guessed which way this story would lead, and knew exactly who was causing all the disturbance for Aimee in her new home with her husband Archie. But I was so wrong, with many unexpected turns and developments that certainly couldn't be predicted. The writing jumped from the past to the present and told the tale from Aimee's perspective in the present, and her former boyfriend Dream in the past. The story was fast paced and easy to read, I could feel my heart beating as Aimee discovered several things that made her fearful in her new home and her new community. I was always suspicious of the wrong characters, which demonstrates Sally Royer-Derr's ability to deceive and convince us in her writing. A gripping, unexpected story, full of mystery!

Finding a forever home is top of the list. Or is hiding your past?
Whichever you choose is this book & so much more. Hidden secrets and some things you can’t hide so well.
Very well planned out & creepy book.

Who thinks of these things?? There’s so many twists and turns in this book that you’ll be hooked from the first page to the last. It’s told in two different timelines - one in the past when a character had a different life and the other now. You won’t want to put this book down and I highly recommend it for lovers of thrillers. Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’m sorry to say that I really didn’t rate this book. I found the plot dull up until halfway through and then after that it became bizarre and unbelievable. The character of Aimee became absurd.

Apologies not to be able to give a positive review, but with thanks to the publisher for giving me access to this ARC in return for an honest review.

Very twisty book which kept me hooked and wanting to read more. Very creepy and interesting read. I liked the dual timelines

2023 - Aimee and Archie , the newlyweds buy their dream home, a farmhouse with acres of land in a quaint town in Pennsylvania. New jobs, new beginnings and hopes of utter bliss, until strange occurrences begin to happen which Aimee is convinced is connected to her past.

2016 - Aimee was known as Sunshine Lotus (sunny) living in a commune, a utopia of sorts known as Listening Lark.

As the chapters flip between both times we learn Aimee is trying to hide something or from someone and we question why her past has been kept such a big secret.

A definite page turner, a little bit creepy and with a lust for uncovering what is bringing the past to the present I read this in one sitting. We’ve got some characters that play pivotal roles in the story and bring it all together to a great ending.

Many thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for my eARC

This story was not what I expected! This was a quick and easy read that had a lot of fun surprises. I thought it was going one way but became unhinged at the end I loved it. I like going in blind to thrillers, but let’s say a new couple moves into their new home/farm to live happily ever after. What could go wrong? Things I could not dream up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review. Recommend if you are looking for a fast and fun thriller!

As a huge fan of thrillers and author frieda McFadden, this book was so good and comparable in the edge it puts you on! It definitely is a slow burn, but it has you in the edge of your seat especially towards the ending! A must read!

Aimee and Archie, a young married c0uple purchase their dream home; a small farmhouse where Aimee hopes they will grow old together.

The story flips back-and-forth to a couple named Dream and Sunny (a.k.a Aimee) who live in a commune. They are so in love with life and each other until something happens that changes it all.

Aimee hopes her past won’t catch up to her but she finds a little clues that start making her think someone is out there to remind her that the past really never dies.

There are many twists and turns in the story. I was quite shocked and did not expect such a climatic ending.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I definitely will be reading more of her books!

Thank you, NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Sally Royer-Derr for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

How I loved this book! 

The writing style is super fluent and the story is utter interesting. 

The author alternates past and present and the story telling is mainly taken care of by 2 characters. 

It's a very easy read and once I opened the book, I just could not stop reading. 

You can run from your past and trying to leave it behind, but it will pursue you and once it catches up with you, it cracks the box where you have carefully hidden your secrets, wide open. The question is, will this pull you down and crush you or will you be crowned the victor?

The book had me completely under it's spell. 5 stars

Thank you

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
The forever home
by Sally Royer-Derr

This is one of the few books I read in under 24 hours. The writing flows effortlessly, the plot is quick and tense and I really fell for the protagonist and her life style.

The plottwist kinda made sense but rounded the story up very well.

This thriller has everything especially thriller-newcomers need. Sally works with three dimensional protagonists, back stories that are plotted greatly and deception and hints all over the story.

The Forever home contrasts, how different your life can develop into something you never saw coming.

I recommend this book to anyone, who wants to get into thriller books and experience cozy farm life, a buddhistic cult, murder, dreaming and love.