General Fiction (Adult) – Home Sweet Houser

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My, oh my! How I love some Diane Chamberlain! She can seriously do no wrong!

The Last House on the Street was another shining example of Chamberlain’s writing talent. I was absolutely in love with the main character and her work during the Civil Rights Movement in 1965 despite being born and raised in the American South. Despite her family and friend’s disapproval, she carried on with her work to register black voters, and discovered things about herself in the process.

The timeline also shifts to 2010 where a woman has built a house on a piece of land at the end of a street. She continues to receive warnings and threats not to move into the house. But why?

I adored this book from start to finish and would highly recommend.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Diane Chamberlain, and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review.

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General Fiction (Adult), Mystery, Thriller

The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer

December 20, 2020 homesweethouser

The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Out April 20, 2021!

I have such mixed feelings about this book. Here are a collection of my feelings:

1. I though the twist was pleasantly unexpected, which is difficult to do with today’s thrillers.
2. The middle of the story was a little bit slow, and it felt like the characters were having the exact same conversation 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 times, which got a little monotonous as the reader.
3. I typically enjoy stories told from multiple perspectives, but I struggled a bit with it here. Without titling the chapters or being clearer at the outset of each chapter, it sometimes took me a bit to figure out who’s perspective I was reading. And to be honest, the entire perspective told by Jack seemed unnecessary and misplaced.
4. I wasn’t really sure what Jack’s film had to do with anything. It was an odd detail that never really developed.
5. At times, I felt like Grace was being a little overzealous about really small discoveries that she felt might change the course of the case. But to me as the reader, those discoveries were completely insignificant and their ability to impact the case was kind of a stretch.
5. I really enjoyed the concept of multiple personalities and the philosophical question about whether or not somebody should be held accountable to something one of their other personalities did or didn’t do.

Overall, solid 3 star read. I think I’m in the minority here as others seem to have loved it so read it and decide for yourself.

-I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, D.J. Palmer, and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review.-

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Fantasy, General Fiction (Adult), Science Fiction

The Future Is Yours by Dan Frey

December 20, 2020 homesweethouser

The Future Is Yours by Dan Frey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Out February 9, 2021!

Love love love the format of this book. I’m always drawn to books that are written as letters, emails, text messages, and any other format other than typical prose.

I have seen some say that they had a hard time connecting with the characters because of the format, but I had the opposite effect. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters in a different way and seeing how their relationships evolved over the course of the story.

I am always on board for a book about time travel or bending time. It makes my brain hurt in a wonderful way, trying to think through the repercussions, and this book was no exception. It gave me a Black Crouch type of feel which I love.

-I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Dan Frey, and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to review.-

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General Fiction (Adult)

The Dilemma by B.A. Paris

March 11, 2020 homesweethouser

The Dilemma by B.A. Paris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Out June 30th!

First off, let me just say that this book was totally not what I was expecting. I have read everything that B.A. Paris has written and the gal can write a thriller! So when I had an opportunity to read her latest book, I was expecting something in the same vein. The Dilemma deviates from her usual style, written as more of a domestic drama than a thriller.

This story is about the secrets that husbands and wives keep from each other, the dynamic of their marriage, the relationship they have with their children and friends and family, and how they all intertwine.

Typically anything B.A. Paris writes is a page turner for me. And this book was no exception. However, I was waiting for some sort of twist or surprise as the story evolved, and there wasn’t really that moment. To be honest, the ending was a tad underwhelming if you go into the book expecting her typical thriller-like writing. But, if you go into the book expecting a domestic drama, it’s excellent.

I would recommend giving it a try as long as you have the right expectations up front.

-I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, B.A. Paris, and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review.-

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General Fiction (Adult), Romance

An Everyday Hero by Laura Trentham

February 4, 2020 homesweethouser

An Everyday Hero by Laura Trentham

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Last year I read Laura Trentham’s first “A Heart of a Hero” novel called The Military Wife and absolutely loved it! She also did an author Q&A with me on my blog where she announced the name of the second book in the series An Everyday Hero. I was super excited to be the first one to learn the title of this book.

And I was super excited to read it!

An Everyday Hero is a story about broken people and broken families coming together and building each other up. It tells of the struggles that wounded warriors face after returning from combat, challenges that military families face, and ways in which those individuals cope and manage through pretty tough times.

And there’s also a love story. Because there HAS to be a love story!

There was a pretty shocking twist at the end that I was not expecting and did not see coming. It made the story that much sweeter and pulled the characters together for me.

I was really impressed by Laura Trentham’s second book in this series and cannot wait to read more from her in the future. Check out her latest novel, An Everyday Hero, on sale today!

-I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Laura Trentham, and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review.-

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