I've read a few books by Theo. This one was a middle of the road for me. I feel like in order to be a great thriller, one must have a great plot twist. I just didn't get that with this book. It was just like an "oh...huh" moment for me. The beginning was a little slow but eventually picked up pace. i did like the characters and i did like the plot. I just feel like he could've done so much more with this.

Theo Baxter’s The Dream Home takes readers on a captivating journey of ambition, love, and the pursuit of happiness. The author weaves a narrative filled with rich, complex characters and an emotionally charged plot. The pacing is perfect, and the themes of personal and familial sacrifice are deeply affecting. This is an inspiring read for anyone who has ever dreamed of creating the perfect life, but found that the journey is more complicated than expected.

The Dream Home by Theo Baxter is a dark and thrilling psychological suspense that explores the sinister secrets lurking beneath the surface of a seemingly perfect life. Ashlyn has it all: a beautiful new home designed by her husband, Mason, a successful architect, and a life that looks picture-perfect. But as the story unfolds, Ashlyn begins to realize that her dream life may not be as flawless as it appears.

When a string of women who resemble Ashlyn and her sister, Karina, go missing, Ashlyn’s growing sense of unease transforms into full-blown paranoia. Her fears are dismissed by Mason, who insists it’s all in her head. But when Karina disappears, Ashlyn’s suspicions about her husband’s involvement intensify, especially as his behavior becomes increasingly strange. Mason’s mysterious basement activities only add to the mounting tension and suspicion.

Baxter expertly builds tension as Ashlyn unravels the horrifying truth behind the abductions. The twists and turns in the plot are both shocking and chilling, keeping the reader hooked until the very last page. The novel cleverly explores themes of trust, deception, and the lengths someone will go to maintain control.

The Dream Home is an absorbing and fast-paced thriller, perfect for fans of domestic suspense and psychological mysteries. Baxter’s writing pulls you deep into the darkness of Ashlyn’s world, making you question how well you truly know the people closest to you. With its shocking revelations and heart-pounding suspense, this is a book you won’t want to put down.

When Ashlynn and Mason move into the beautiful house he built for her she thinks her life's complete. But before long her perfect life starts to come crashing down when several women baring a striking resemblance to her go missing and her relationship with Mason begins to sour. Ashlynn begins to believe that Mason may have something to do with the missing women and decides to do some digging but can she make it out alive?

The premise of this sounded amazing but unfortunately for me it fell a bit flat. I couldn't understand why Ashlynn and Mason were together their relationship was so toxic and the twist ending made no sense to me and could've been done much better. I'm really disappointed I didn't love this as much as I thought I would.

The Dream Home just hits differently, now that I'm old enough to really understand the horror of domestic uncertainty. You know that feeling when you've invested years in a relationship, bought the dream house, and then start noticing things just slightly... off? Yeah, this book taps right into those midlife anxieties.

Fair warning before you dive in - Baxter doesn't pull punches with the dark content. There's violence, abuse, and other heavy themes that feel more impactful when you've got some life experience under your belt. This isn't your typical "young woman in peril" story; it's a deeper exploration of trust, long-term relationships, and the secrets we keep from those closest to us.

The protagonist, Ashlyn, thinks she's finally "made it" with her perfect house and successful husband Mason. But when women who look like her and her sister start disappearing, and her husband's behaviour becomes increasingly suspicious... well, let's just say it makes you think about how well you really know your partner after all these years.

The pacing is methodical - maybe a bit too methodical at times. But honestly, at this stage in life, I appreciate a thriller that takes its time building tension rather than rushing from one shock to the next. It's like a good wine - you want to savour the complexity rather than just chug it down.

What really got me was how the story explores themes that resonate more deeply as you age: the vulnerability of starting over, the weight of major investments (both emotional and financial), and the terrifying possibility that you've built your life's foundation on shifting sand. Mason's mysterious basement activities will have you side-eyeing your own partner's "hobby room" or home office, trust me.

The ending packs several genuine surprises that feel earned rather than gimmicky. Baxter proves once again that they understand how to craft suspense that appeals to readers who've been around the block a few times.

Four solid stars - would've been five if some of the middle sections moved a bit faster, but the psychological depth and that knockout ending nearly make up for it. Perfect for reading on a quiet evening when the kids are finally asleep and you can properly appreciate a good psychological thriller.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and easy to read. It reminded me of a Freida McFadden novel which is one of my favorite guilty pleasure authors.

I really enjoyed this one. It was hard to put down. It kept me wanting more. The characters are amazing! And I love the title and the story line. Such an amazing book!

I really enjoyed this book until I was 3/4 of the way thru it. Then it took a turn. I kept thinking another twist was coming, but it didn’t. As someone who loves not knowing it all until the end, I was a bit disappointed. What happens in this book is exactly what you think is going to happen. No tricks! I was a bit shocked she stayed with him. I also hated how poorly he spoke of women, always blaming them for causing themselves to be treated badly. Like what!?! I was engaged in them majority of the book, which was a plus. My biggest complaint is I wish there had been a twist with his story.

The suspense in this thriller was perfectly crafted. The slow build of tension made the final twist even more satisfying.

The Dream Home is an interesting suspense by Theo Baxter. There are a few different themes that run throughout this book: marital strife, family dysfunction and obsession. At it's heart this is a book about a woman, Ashlyn, who refuses to trust herself and listen to her intuition. She basically gaslights herself for the first half of the book. Otherwise it was a pretty good read and I'm glad I finished it.

This is the fifth book I have read by this author and unfortunately also my least favorite. On the positive side, it's a quick read with enough suspense to maintain interest. It also was able to generate emotions as the plot unfolded. I was extremely frustrated with the protagonist and many of her questionable decisions. There was one character who enraged me with their backward thinking and views. I increased my rating from two to three stars based on that reason. I was hoping for more twists at the end but was satisfied with most of the events that led to the conclusion. Thank you Booksprout and Inkubator Books for my copy.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

*The Dream Home* kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! This twisty thriller had me second-guessing everything, and I loved it. Ashlyn’s seemingly perfect life starts unraveling as women who resemble her and her sister, Karina, start disappearing. The suspense builds as Ashlyn's suspicions grow, especially when her sister goes missing, and Mason, her husband, seems to be hiding something. I couldn't stop turning the pages as Ashlyn digs deeper into the mystery. The shocking truth that unfolds is nothing like I expected, and it left me reeling. If you're looking for a thrilling, unpredictable read, this one's definitely worth it!

Ashlyn and Mason are finally moving into their dream home. Mason, an architect, has been working on building them the perfect house and although Ashlyn hasn't been allowed to see the progress, she has picked out everything for the interiors. Now that the house is finally done she is so excited to move in and hopefully start planning for children. The house is far from town and her family, which Ashlyn isn't too keen about, but she trusts Mason and knows he only does what is best for them. Unfortunately, once moved in, nothing seems to be going right. Ashlyn and Mason's relationship is on the rocks and she wonders if she ever truly knew her husband of 5 years. To make matters worse, someone is kidnapping women who look eerily like Ashlyn, and she constantly feels as if she's being followed. Mason scoffs at her concerns and frequently disappears to his man cave for hours at night. When Ashlyn's sister disappears, she begins to wonder if maybe Mason is behind the kidnappings.
The premise of this book was really good, unfortunately the story just didn't come together well. The first half of the book is a repetition of Ashlyn's thoughts and worries about her relationship with Mason, her family, and being followed. It picks up a bit when she starts to suspect her husband, but still fails to move forward. Then all of a sudden, there's some random twists and then the story is over. All the build up seemed to have really led nowhere relevant. The ending had barely anything to do with what went on in the rest of the book. Ashlyn, our main character, was annoying, I felt like reaching in and shaking her for being stupid. The other characters in the book were pretty useless and not even worth mentioning. I hate to say that I actually liked Mason because at least he had some personality, even if it was bad.

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkubator Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The only thing saving this book for me was the twist - and even that was only partly surprising. No matter how shocking the ending was meant to be, I was skimming by this point because I could not handle the blatant red flags being ignored and justified. It’s difficult to root for Ashlyn, who comes off just looking like a flat out spineless idiot. And people do change over time, especially in marriage, but how Mason managed to be amazing for 5 years and then completely change over the course of like a month is unbelievable.

Book Review: The Dream Home by Theo Baxter
Rating: 4 Stars

The Dream Home by Theo Baxter delivers a dark, gripping story with intense themes, including rape, abuse, violence, and blood, so it’s important to approach it with these trigger warnings in mind. Baxter’s writing style is engaging, and the character development is well-crafted, making it easy to become invested in the characters and their experiences.

The pacing, however, is a bit slower than ideal. Some parts seem to drag, which might test the patience of readers looking for a faster-paced thriller. That said, the slower build-up does add a certain tension, and the payoff is worth it. The ending is unexpected, filled with twists that keep you guessing until the final page. Overall, despite the slower pacing, The Dream Home is a solid thriller with impressive twists and well-developed characters, earning a strong 4-star rating.

Thank you for an arc copy of this book! I have started it multiple times and read a few chapters but can’t seem to get into it. I don’t like leaving bad reviews so I haven’t left any.

I appreciate your work and story but it just wasn’t for me. Thanks again!

Interesting read about an architect and his wife and their new home. The prologue made me want to read more. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get into this book and it was a DNF for me.

This book had some interesting plot development, but it took nearly 65% of the book to come together. I found myself wondering when was Ashlyn going to look in the basement!!! (That’s not a spoiler, but was a frustrating point of development. )
Overall, the story let me down and finished with disappointment. The first half didn’t really match the second half.

The Dream Home was a quick read.

The protagonist can’t figure out why her husband has become so cold after moving into a home an hour from the city. She wonders what secrets he holds. There is also a serial kidnapper in the city.

This book has some trigger warnings like: rape, abuse, blood, violence and sexual assault.

I liked the writing style and character development.
The pacing was a little bit slower than I would prefer, at some points it seemed like it was dragging on forever.

The ending proved to be unexpected, with several surprising twists.

Thriller readers would probablly like it and it deserves a fair shot so I do recommend it.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was definitely a different take on one of Theo’s book.

The storyline was there and there were twists and turns but the one thing I struggled with was the repeating of sentences within a paragraph.
About drove me crazy.

I like Theo’s books and have read quite a few but this one was kind of hard at times.