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.

Loved this weird book I love the narrator. I love the weird marriage and friend dynamics. I loved hating the husband. It was all wonderful.

I received an advance audiobook copy of Make Yourself at Home by Wendy Clarke.

I thought the narrator/narration was great.

What a twisted thriller. If you think you have it figured out, you don't.

I definitely recommend.

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.

Lucy Paterson did a great job of bringing these characters to life, with her clear narration and ability to represent several characters effectively.

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

*ARC Review*

This book was filled with secrets, lies and suspense. It was an easy read that kept me interested with twists and family drama. The narrator’s voice was incredibly engaging and the story progressed in a captivating way. A must read for suspense lovers!

I always look forward to a new Wendy Clarke book and I found her latest offering to be another excellent psychological thriller.

The short chapters and plenty of suspense made me race through this fast-paced audiobook to find out more about the protagonist's past, and what the other main characters were hiding.

What was revealed I could not have guessed. This one is full of twists and turns that'll keep you guessing until the very end!

A mention must be made regarding the narrator, Lucy Paterson, who was fantastic!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ALC to read and review. Make Yourself at Home is available now!

Katherine’s seemingly perfect life unravels when her sister-in-law, Lisa, moves in, bringing with her secrets that challenge Katherine’s trust in her husband, Gary.

This is a total popcorn thriller - fast, easy, and entertaining, and it doesn’t dig too deep. The school was a nice setting and might be a fun thriller for teachers or school staff!

The audiobook was a solid choice - the narrator did a great job, and the English accents made it fun for me.

Katherine is still struggling with her brother’s death, and someone is definitely using that against her. Her self-absorbed husband Gary is of no help and its made worse by their lack of communication. He was apparently once her savior but I couldn’t find one redeeming quality! Bravo for a great villain!

Although it’s not the most original or twisty thriller out there, it’s a quick, fun read - perfect when you need something light between heavier books.

Thanks to @Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for access to this advanced readers copy

Make Yourself at Home by Wendy Clarke
Narrated by Lucy Paterson
Publication Date March 5, 2025

This psychological thriller was a great slow burn! I love how the clues kept coming, leading you to believe one thing, then BAM! There's a twist making you rethink how you feel about each character. All in all, I rate this book a 4, and I am interested in more books by Wendy Clarke as this was my first.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this audiobook ARC.
This was a really good book. Very twisty!
You think you knew, then you didn't!
The narration was excellent!
I will absolutely recommend to all I know!

** received an audiobook copy from NetGalley - honest review spoiler free**

Was absolutely not expecting to finish this so quickly.

First and foremost, the narration was top notch 🎧 and of course that is a major must in an audiobook.
I was just engrossed in the book from the first minute I started it and only put it away because I had to sleep, otherwise, it would have been a one sitting reading/listening.

4.5⭐ and I will be for sure looking out for more book from Wendy Clarke!!

This domestic suspense novel sets up an intriguing premise of hidden family secrets and shifting trust when Lisa, the long-lost sister of the protagonist’s husband, moves in. As tensions rise and buried truths come to light, the story teases at deep betrayals and dark pasts. While the psychological drama had potential, it didn’t fully deliver the tension or twists I was hoping for, making it an engaging but somewhat predictable read.

Title: Make Yourself At Home
Author: Wendy Clarke
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Lucy Pertersen
Publisher: Bookouture Audio
Genre: Mystery
Audiobook Pub Date: - March 5, 2025.
My Rating: 2.5 Stars
Pages: 324

The cover states ~
I welcomed my Sister-in-law in
But can I trust her?
Catherine is a teacher and discovers that Lisa a new member of the staff is currently homeless and camping out in her classroom. When she asks Lisa she tells her that father requested she leave that a working twenty-two year needs to live on her own.
Catherine invited her to stay until she can get on her feet. As they are discussing details, Gary drops in at school. When Lisa sees him she is so pleased she nearly gives him a hug. She tells Catherine that he is her half-brother. Catherine is surprised as he never mentioned a sister!
After Lisa comes to stay Gary starts spending more time outside of the home. He seems to be staying away from Lisa ~ but why?

One day when Catherine is coming home from school, she spots Lisa and Gary in the front window arguing. When Catherine asks Gary says something about Lisa’s father being his step-dad and there is no love between them. Later Lisa whispers to Catherine shouldn’t trust her husband- he told he wants Catherine to leave teaching.

I struggled with this story on several levels.
~ I found most of the characters unlikeable. I have a low tolerance for profanity and these characters had me at my limit.
I worked as a school counselor for over thirty years. I am well aware that teaches as well as students use profanity. But I am always aware
of the students showing respect. I remember students’ apologizing when they used profanity and were not aware I was in hearing range.
To me - a teacher using and allowing profanity in the classroom - is a lack of respect.

- The person responsible for Catherine’s issues at school was not a surprise.

- Story took me awhile to get into it. I am one who always finishes a book I request. Sometimes it turns out that I end up liking it- however, that didn’t happen in this case.

i do want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for granting me the opportunity of listening to this audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 5, 2025.

The premise of this book instantly drew me in!

For me personally, it quickly fell flat. I guessed the who and why almost right away. Gary, her husband was honestly a horrible character and didn’t seem to care for her at all. I did like Lisa as a character!

The narrator was great, I listened at 1.5x.

The audiobook and story went quick and it did keep me listening, hence the 3 stars. I was just expecting more.

Make Yourself at Home was an engaging and suspenseful domestic thriller. The story follows Katherine and Gary, a typical suburban married couple that spends their days working and evening relaxing or hanging out with friends at the bar. When Lisa, a fellow teacher arrives at Katherine’s school, she feels sorry for her circumstances. Little does she know, Lisa is her husband’s estranged sister and when this is revealed, they invite her into their home as she has had some bad luck.. After she arrives, strange occurrences begin to happen & Katherine begins to wonder is Lisa behind it all and is there more to Gary & Lisa’s story than she realized!

Overall, very well paced, with satisfying conclusion. I never found myself bored from this story and plan on reading more by Wendy Clarke! Would definitely recommend. Lucy Paterson did very well with the narration in the audiobook! Fans of domestic suspense will enjoy this story! Thank you Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for this advanced listening copy. All opinions are my own.

‘Can I trust my husband?’

"Who knows about my past and is targeting me with threatening notes?"

These are the two questions repeatedly asked by the book's frazzled wife/teacher protagonist.

This entertaining thriller was a quick and satisfying read. although it lacked the depth I craved.

I listened to the audiobook, expertly narrated by Lucy Paterson.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have trust issues after reading/listening to this book. I was constantly switching between three different people and who to believe - basically don’t believe anyone because anyone could be lying! There is nothing worse than believing and trusting a character that betrays you later in the story. Around the last 10-15 chapters I was able to put the pieces together so I wasn’t quite as shocked at the plot twist as others seemed to be but I was still satisfied knowing that I got it correct. I listened to it as an audiobook so it was quite fun and there were a few times where I looked up at the invisible camera because a character did something wrong, stupid, rude, bad, etc. The book felt more so like a mystery than a thriller because I didn’t seem to be on the edge of my seat BUT all in all it was a good read and I enjoyed it.

This book wasted no time jumping into things and grabbing our attention and I can honestly say I stayed hooked and fully invested in the story throughout. Following Katherine, a teacher looking to become head of the English department and her husband Gary we see the couple allow trainee teacher and the woman Katherine is mentoring, Lisa, to stay in their home after Katherine discovers she has been struggling for a place to sleep. We find out soon that Lisa is in fact Gary's sister and he is not all to happy about his wife invitation for her to stay in their home. Does he have a reason to be annoyed? Are things changing since Lisa moved in?

This book was full of twists and turns and if you're a fan of authors such as C.L. Taylor and Lisa Jewell this is going to be right up your street. The book was well paced and the back story we had for Katherine drew us in as readers and made you question so much. Throughout I found myself make theories as to what may be coming and it made for a fun and intense read. I did find the final twist to be a little predictable but there were moments of this book I found to be darker than I was expecting it to be. We see secrets exposed, shock revelations and relation ships between characters that run deep and keep you guessing.

The narration on this book was brilliant (narrated by Lucy Patterson) and I was able to get through the book really quickly. This was a fun, intense, and at times dark twisty thriller that I would recommend to my fellow thriller lovers looking for a quick read that will keep you guessing and invested.

Make Yourself at Home had me hooked from the very beginning. This fast-paced thriller tells the story of Katherine, a teacher, and her husband Gary. They appear to be a happy couple until the day Lisa comes into their lives. Lisa is a new teacher at the school who Katherine takes under her wing as a mentee. When she finds out that Lisa's family has kicked her out of the house and she has nowhere to stay, Katherine invites her to stay with them and is shocked to find out that Lisa is Gary's sister. Suddenly things begin to deteriorate between Katherine and Gary, as seeds of mistrust are planted.

While I figured out the ending pretty early on, it was only a theory, so I was still kept guessing until the end. The characters and their relationships were very well developed and seemed so natural. The different plot twists sprinkled throughout drew me in even more. and I could not put this book down until it was completed. This was my first book by Wendy Clarke, but certainly not my last!

I listened to the audio version of this book, performed by Lucy Paterson who did an exceptional job tell the story and bringing the characters to life.

Thank you to Bookouture for the ARC audio version of this book. I very much enjoyed it!

I was lucky enough to receive this as an ARC from NetGalley.

Wendy pulls you in from beginning. Full of secrets, full of twists and turns.

Loved it!

Make Yourself at Home was an audio arc by an unknown, to me, author. I expected a beach read feel, and that turned out true. Not a lot of thinking required. It seemed pretty obvious to me and I'm really not a good guesser.

My ambivalence about the book comes from the fact there wasn't a single character I liked. Main characters, Catherine, Gary and Lisa - Lisa being the newbie in town, sister to Gary, who is husband to Catherine. Sigh. Teachers, a school, past mysteries, everybody does bad things. I never considered DNFing, so that's a plus.