This is a well written page tuner that takes you on quite a wild ride! I did not see the ending coming which made this book even better!

Oh Wendy Clarke, you could write the phonebook and I'd be on the edge of my seat!
Cath comes to the rescue of a newly graduated, first job teaching, Lisa. She doesn't realize Lisa is her husband's sister. Actually Cath doesn't realize a lot.
Who is obsessed with tearing her life apart?
Great twists and suspense - I couldn't put it down!

Here is another book by Wendy Clarke that you want to know what is going to happen next. The tension built up in an unbelievable roller coaster way.

The relationship between Gary, his wife Catherine and his half sister Lisa is complicated. Before Lisa stepping in their house, Gary and Catherine were living peacefully and happily. Once Lisa asked Catherine for help to stay at their house, things did change enormously. The loving husband became hiding more secrets. Lisa told Catherine that she should not trust her husband.

Who should Catherine trust?

The secrets, family relationship and their past were addictive. It kept me reading chapter after chapter. I enjoyed the twisty ending and the ending was something that a surprise. The characters played very well in this thriller which I could imagine their faces when I was reading the book!

Many thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and the author for my copy.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Make Yourself At Home' by Wendy Clarke.

OMG!!! Wow!!! I was NOT expecting any of that!! Mind absolutely BLOWN!!!!

Well, well, well Wow!!! What an absolute cracker of a book!!! This book sucked me straight in from beginning to the explosive ending. It was very well written with excellent descriptions which put me straight into the storyline. The blog, title and the cover suited the book perfectly.

This book is yet another huge success by the amazing Wendy Clarke!!! The storyline was very fast paced and filled with secrets, lies, drama, tension and suspense. The prologue had me hook, line and sinker and gives readers something to sink their teeth and imaginations into immediately! A very believable storyline which kept me on edge throughout. I loved all the twists and turns and throughout it kept me guessing what was going on and who was doing what. I would NEVER have guessed at the ending so a MASSIVE WELL DONE to Wendy. I have read many thrillers and it's getting harder and harder for me to be surprised so great job there. There were so many mysteries in this book it just kept getting better and better!!! It was filled with suspense, romance, tension, friendship, lies and deceit and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout!!! My heart was pounding and the hairs on my arms were raised while I was on the edge of my seat biting my nails reading this!! If you pick this up make sure you clear your diaries as you will NOT be able to put it down until the explosive ending!!! I loved the storyline and just loved everything about it. It was all done perfectly!! This would make an absolutely amazing movie!!! In this absolutely gripping book we meet Catherine who works as a teacher in a school with children with challenging behaviours but is determined to become Head Of English. Catherine is married to Gary and has been for 10 years. their lives are happy and they are madly in love. Catherine ends up mentoring Lisa who has just started at the same school and Catherine is surprised when Lisa discloses that she is actually Gary's half sister. When Catherine finds out that Lisa has no where to go she invites her to live in their spare room. However, when Lisa moves in strange things start to happen and Gary does not want Lisa there. Whenever Lisa comes into the same room as Gary he leaves it and he starts to spend more and more time away from the home. What are Gary and/or Lisa hiding? Who is behind the strange events? You'll have to pick up your copy of this amazing page turner to get the answers to this question and more. Wendy's fantastic and evocative writing skills bring the storyline and characters to life and sucks you straight into the book!! Wendy does an amazing job weaving the storyline together perfectly to build the storyline up gripping the reader throughout. I would love to see this absolutely compelling and addictive page turner turned into a movie!!

The characters were fantastic, solid and completely believable, or are they?? Wendy's fantastic evocative skills brings each of the characters to life so they jump out of the pages. It is hard to say too much without giving anything away which I certainly don't want to do. Wendy portrays the characters perfectly and regardless of how you feel about them they all played their parts perfectly. I was constantly questioning and guessing what was going on and who was hiding what just to have Wendy making me think something else time and time again. I had no idea who was telling the truth, who was hiding what or who was behind what was going on. I was completely invested in the storyline and the characters needing to find out the truth and when I did it most definitely was not what I was expecting at all!! So grab your copy of this addictive page turner and get sucked in to Catherine's life to find out more!

Well done Wendy on yet another mind blowing page turner!! This is exactly why you are one of my favourite authors . Here's to your next success 🥂

Overall a compelling, page turning, mind blowing psychological thriller that will keep you up late at night

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4.5 stars rounded up.

Catherine is an English teacher in a school with challenging behaviour, however, she’s very passionate about her job and the children she teaches. She’s been married to Gary for ten years and the couple have no children.

She becomes a mentor to Lisa, a teacher in training. Lisa looks up to Catherine’s way of teaching and her behaviour management strategies. Imagine Cath’s surprise when Lisa confesses that she is homeless and has been secretly sleeping on the school premises. Then, Lisa discloses that Gary, Cath’s husband, is her half-brother!

Cath offers Lisa the spare room in her house, and that’s when things start to go wrong. Gary doesn’t want Lisa around and he is rude to her. He’s been estranged from his father for years and wants nothing to do with his half-sister.

When Caths’s car is torched, she starts to believe that someone is targeting her…

Is it Lisa? Or is the truth far more sinister?

Oooh, I love Wendy Clarke’s books! You think you know where you’re going and then, boom! The author drops another bombshell.

I read this book in two sittings as I was desperate to discover what happened. I didn’t trust anyone in the story, as each person had a secret/ motive, including Cath.

Expect to be at the edge of your seat and prepare for a twisty ride.

I definitely recommend this book.

Many thanks to Sarah Hardy of Bookouture for the e-ARC and my spot on the tour.

🌟🌟🌟🌟
Love the premise of this book! A mysterious husband, an estranged sister and a ton of secrets!
Katherine is loving her life with her husband Gary. When Katherine befriends Lisa, a new teacher in her school, that’s when things go downhill. Lisa moves in with Katherine and Gary but she turns out to be Gary’s sister. Strange things start happening and the tension was unbearable. I loved all of these twists and turns and the ending had a surprising reveal. Wendy Clarke is a “new to me” author but I look forward to reading more by her. Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#MakeYourselfAtHome #WendyClarke #NetGalley #Bookouture #BooksOnTour #BookLove #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks #NewMystery

I really enjoyed listening to Make Yourself at Home by Wendy Clarke, a new author to me.
It’s been quite nerve-wracking to be deep into the pages of this unputdownable gem.
Twists and turns all over the place, but who can she trust?
After inviting her sister-in-law Lisa to stay with her and her husband, Catherine finds the past haunting her and her life unravelling right before her eyes.

The loss of her younger brother is something that haunts her, she falls into supporting a new troubled student, often acting on impulse to support and nurture him to keep his life on track.

Her friend Ross is also there to hold her hand, even though her husband was friends with him first.

I listened to the audible and couldn’t turn it off. It’s been incredible. You just want to know who and why someone is trying to destroy all that she’s built for herself.

Recommended and I already can’t wait to see what Wendy comes up with in her next novel.

3.5⭐
Genre ~ domestic fiction
Setting ~ UK
Publication date ~ March 5, 2025
Publisher ~ Bookouture
Est Page Count ~ 324 (p+ 44 chapters +e)
POV ~ single 3rd
Featuring ~ secrets from the past

Catherine is living a happy life with husband, Gary, until she invites her coworker, Lisa, to stay with them. Turns out Lisa is Gary’s sister. Say what! Why didn’t Gary ever mention he had a sister?

“…he’s clearly unhappy with the idea. There’s no getting away from the fact that having Lisa in their house will upset their status quo. Maybe she should have asked him first. Made sure he was alright with it.” AHHHH, ya think? I’d be hot if my hub was inviting guests without discussing it first, especially since I'm not a big entertainer to begin with.

As the story slowly unfolds, in a fast paced way, we learn some secrets from the past from all parties involved. There were a couple of nice twists I hadn’t seen coming…jackpot! Didn’t like them per-say, but I liked that I was surprised by them. Overall, enjoyable enough to keep me engaged.

I read this partly on ebook and partly listened to it on audiobook. Best of both.

I’ve read a fair few books by author Wendy Clarke, and have to say she rarely disappoints and really knows how to tell a story and keep readers engaged from start to finish.

This was one pretty gripping story from start to finish. It had me captivated throughout, wondering what would happen next and trying to figure out who was lying, who was being honest and who to trust, there were a couple of red herrings thrown in which certainly keeps the readers guessing about. I thought it was nicely done and really well written.

So another cracking job well done to author Wendy.

I also want to say that the narrator Lucy Paterson did a wonderful job of narrating the story, it flowed well from one character to another.

Katherine is working towards becoming the head of the English department at the local school where she teaches with her friend Ross and is mentoring a new trainee, Lisa, who has just moved to town. Katherine is out of her depth-her marriage is struggling and she is waiting on the promotion so when Lisa asks for help, Katherine sees a chance to do some good and offers to let her come stay at her house. Katherine’s husband then pulls further away as a result and seems to be hiding something. Katherine has secrets in her past that she’s trying to keep under wraps, so when past secrets are exposed and she finds herself questioning if she can trust Lisa and what’s worse, whether she really knows her husband. Can you love someone too much?
While it started out well, as the story progressed it got a bit over the top and most of the twists were predictable. The ending kind of fell flat as well but for a popcorn thriller, it was still a fairly good time.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC!!
This captivating domestic psychological thriller hooks you from the very beginning. With numerous twists and turns, it kept me up late, and I was completely blindsided by the ending!!!

Wendy Clarke is a master at setting a tense scene before sending the reader on a rollercoaster ride of twists!

When schoolteacher Catherine takes pity on Lisa, a young teacher in training, she certainly isn't expecting to discover that Lisa is her husband's sister. But Gary is clearly unhappy that Lisa is there and the tension between them is palpable.

As the horrifying truth about the tension between Gary and Lisa emerges and Catherine receives threatening notes, she starts to question who she can trust.

This is a fast paced read. with plenty of action and some shocking twists. I enjoyed the plot; I felt it lacked the depth that Wendy's books usually have, but still an excellent read that I recommend to anyone who loves a brilliant psychological thriller.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Wendy Clarke and Bookouture for an ARC in return for an honest review.

The beginning was extremely slow and I started to wonder if I would finish the book or not. I’m glad that I was able to push through because around the 20% mark the book really started picking up. So many twists and turns and questions of “who dun it.” Several of the characters had questionable behavior which kept me engaged because I wasn’t sure who the suspect was. I was a little disappointed in the ending, but overall it was a decent thriller/mystery that some readers may like.. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing this ARC for review consideration.

I absolutely loved Wendy Clarke's, "Make Yourself at Home"! From the very first page, I was completely drawn into the suspenseful and gripping storyline. The characters were so well-developed, each with their own unique quirks and secrets that kept me guessing until the very end. The way Clarke weaves together multiple plot lines is truly masterful, leaving me constantly on the edge of my seat. Not to mention, her writing style is incredibly engaging and immersive - I couldn't put this book down! It was a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish, filled with unexpected twists and turns that kept me hooked throughout. If you're a fan of thrillers that will keep you guessing until the last page, then "Make Yourself at Home" is definitely a must-read!

Wendy Clarke’s Make Yourself at Home is a gripping psychological thriller that expertly weaves suspense, secrets, and deception into an electrifying narrative. From the outset, the novel introduces us to an idyllic marriage between the protagonist and her husband, Gary—a relationship seemingly built on love, routine, and unwavering devotion. But when Gary’s estranged sister, Lisa, unexpectedly moves in, the cracks in their perfect life begin to surface, exposing a web of lies neither the protagonist nor the reader is prepared for.

Clarke masterfully builds tension as Lisa’s presence disrupts the household, leading to unsettling changes in Gary’s behavior. The protagonist—initially warm and welcoming—soon finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew about her husband. As secrets unravel and loyalties are tested, Clarke keeps the reader on edge, delivering unexpected twists that challenge our assumptions about trust, family, and the lengths people will go to protect their own.

What makes Make Yourself at Home so compelling is its psychological depth. Clarke creates complex, layered characters with hidden motives, ensuring that no one is entirely innocent. The novel’s pacing is relentless, with every chapter pulling the reader further into an intricate mystery that keeps unfolding until the shocking finale.

Fans of domestic thrillers with dark family secrets—such as books by Lisa Jewell and B.A. Paris—will find Make Yourself at Home impossible to put down. With its expertly crafted suspense and unpredictable twists, this novel is a must-read for anyone who loves a story where nothing is as it seems.

Another amazing thriller by a favorite of mine!!!!
Make Yourself at Home by Wendy Clarke was another excellent book. I was hooked from the very beginning till the end.
Wendy has a way of telling a story that will just have you hooked almost immediately.
The story began relatively slow really setting the scene with twists and turns along the way.
Wonderfully written, with amazing character development made the story much more intriguing and engaging! Her storytelling is captivating.
A clever and suspenseful thriller that will keep you totally absorbed and turning the pages all night.

I thought Catherine, for all of her secrets was pretty naive and gullible.
I wouldn’t have accepted Lisa’s word on who she was at face value.
Gary was a jerk and I had reservations and suspicions about his good mate too.
If you can’t stand the hear don’t play with fire as flames are symbolic in the story.
Catherine dies manage to finally put the fire out.

This is a great domestic psychological thriller that will grab you right from the start. Lots of twists and turns that kept me reading into the night. I didn’t see the end coming.

Bad things started happening right after Lisa came to teach at Cath's school. Even though Cath agrees to take her on as her mentor, her husband, Gary, wants nothing to do with Lisa. But if Cath can get Lisa to open up, she can find more about Gary's estranged family. The only problem is - Cath has secrets of her own!

There is a long build before the reveal and as typically happens, the secret isn't so bad. But what's been happening to Cath gets a whole lot worse! Is someone trying to sabotage her job? Her marriage? Or is it just all a coincidence?

You'll go back and forth trying to guess who's taunting Cath. The characters are fully developed and you will have a lot of empathy for Cath's situation, even as you're screaming at her to ask the questions she needs to ask!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for inviting me along on this Books on Tour!

"You don't really know your husband" whispers Cath's sister-in-law. After all they have taken her in when doubts begin to creep in from all sides. Suspenseful and tense psychological thriller that you will race through!