Member Reviews
Fi comes home to her house in a prestigious neighborhood to find all her belongings gone and another couple moving into her home. Her husband, Bram, is not answering his phone, and she doesn't know where her children are. We soon learn Fi's side of the story through her participation in a crime podcast. We also learn Bram's side of the story from a Word document he is writing with the anticipation that he is going to commit suicide. The story goes back and forth between Fi, Bram and the events that unfolded after Fi found the strangers in her home. I was drawn into the story through the different viewpoints. The story progresses rapidly and kept my interest throughout. The characters are believable and likable even though, as all humans, they are fallible. This would make a great book club selection, and I will be recommending it to friends and family.
The story idea was very, very intriguing. I liked the characters well enough, but some of their traits were irritating, but that's not a bad thing. People in real life can be the same way.
I thought the plot was good, but too slow to get started into what was going on and it wasn't until almost half way through that I really got interested. I am glad I finished.
Fans of Best Day Ever by Kaira Sturdivant Rouda, Twilight Wife by AJ Banner, Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris, and The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena, you need to add Our House by Louise Candlish to your ToPpLiNg TBR! Preorder, it’s THAT good. At 64% in I posted on my blog, I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING!! The setting is an upscale London neighborhood. Fiona and Bram are separated after she finds him shagging another woman in their children's backyard playhouse. They are trying out a birds nest type of custody where they trade time in the family home, so the kids don't have to be uprooted. One day Fiona comes for her time at home only to find a moving van parked outside, strangers moving in, and soon to be ex husband Bram nowhere to be found. I found this whole story riveting. Don't worry there are more surprises in the second half of the book as well, A thoroughly engrossing page-turner.
What would you do if you returned home to find that your house was no longer yours?? That's exactly what happens to Fi. Told in the past and present, with both Fi and her husband's side being told, this story will have you wondering what in the world is going on! I'm usually the person who ruins books for myself and even I didn't get the final twists until the last few chapters. I will definitely look for more books by Louise Candlish!
This story starts out with a bang! Fiona returns home from holiday to find that another family is moving into her house! She lives in a prestigious, high valued, very desirable neighborhood called Trinity Avenue and is shocked to see her belongings have been removed and another family's things are being loaded off moving trucks and into HER house!
Through a series of flashbacks, told by Fiona and her ex-husband, Bram, we learn of how this situation came to be. Fiona's story is told in the format of a podcast, while Bram's is through a Word document sent via email. I do like the modern twist of how the story is told (podcast and email). We also get little bits of Twitter chatter between random podcast followers, which was fun!
Though it was interesting to hear about the house itself, the prestigious London neighborhood and the other families in the area, this book seemed to fall a bit flat. I will admit that I read this quickly, but only because I was sure that something interesting would happen at any second. It never did.
There a twists and turns throughout, but nothing really gripping. When all was said and done it was actually a quite unbelievable story.
The characters are very well written and each had interesting personalities, which I think is what kept me reading. Though interesting, there was not a single character I actually liked or could relate to. The behavior of both Fiona and Bram was just not believable and I rolled my eyes a lot at the things they did and said.
All in all, this book was a quick read and despite the dissatisfying ending I can see this as a summer read for someone on vacation looking to relax.
Our House is due to be released August 7, 2018 here in The States and is available for pre-order now.
Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing group for allowing me an egalley to read and give my honest review. It's was a solid 3 star read for me!
Happy Reading!
4 Our House Was Our House Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free
You buy a house, have a husband and you think you have love.... have children and life should be great. Just like the song that ran in my head when I started this book...
Our House by Crosby, Stills & Nash
I'll light the fire
You put the flowers in the vase that you bought today
Staring at the fire for hours and hours while I listen to you
Play your love songs all night long for me, only for me
Come to me now and rest your head for just five minutes, everything is good
Such a cozy room, the windows are illuminated by the
Sunshine through them, fiery gems for you, only for you
Our house is a very, very, very fine house with two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy 'cause of you
And our la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
Our house is a very, very, very fine house with two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy 'cause of you
And our
I'll light the fire while you place the flowers in the vase that you bought today
Songwriters: Graham Nash
Our House lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group
Wrong- Husband has a drinking issue, the man has secrets and that house.... It looks like someone is moving in... and what the hell-that isn't supposed to be happening...
A mystery - a scary idea and it all plays out.
A gifted copy was provided by Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley for an honest review.
So clever... "Our House, in the middle of our street, Our House, in the middle of our street".. you know the song by Madness circa 1982--really catchy song that never leaves your mind.. Whilst this book is entitled "Our House" I think the British Band's name of Madness suits this tale much better. I LOVED this book. I will now endeavor to find all Louise Candlish books and read them in a flurry. I cannot give enough accolades to this twisted tale--there were left and right turns-- some more obvious than others, but overall I loved the depth the author gave the main characters Fi and Bram. I almost feel like I know them (not necessarily love them). I won't bother to review the plot line-I just want anyone who likes intelligent writing to read this book.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for giving me the chance to read and review this book.
Fi arrives at her multi-million London home only to find new owners moving in, who insist it is legally their house. Turns out Bram, Fi's husband, (they are separated) has disappeared after secretly selling the house and removing all of the family's belongings. From there the story hinges on the whys and hows this came about, but what makes this a little different is the POVs are from Fi in the form of a podcast (complete with listener comments) and her fugitive husband who is writing his confession in a Word doc. The story continues at a breakneck speed--for a while anyway. The middle seemed to drag and I ended up skimming until the last 50 pages which got me completely caught up on what was going on. But that ending (for my anyway) was a complete gut punch.
This is reminiscent of Kathleen Barber's ARE YOU SLEEPING which also features a podcast as a central part of the story. It's also a good readalike for Catherine McKenzie's FRACTURED and Lapena's THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR.
Thanks to the publisher for the advance reading copy.
I felt like I needed a lot of patience to keep going with this. I was very intrigued at first.. but a quarter of the way through... then halfway through... I am wondering why isn't anything happening! I need more plot!! The book was not bad, I wouldn't go as far as to say I was bored, but I felt like I needed more. Three quarters of the way through is when I got more irritated... it felt "same ol same ol" At that point I really should have been SUCKED IN!!! But I will tell you.... the last ten percent ALMOST made up for it. Fast moving, explaining, everything you want in an end... and the last 1% was a total killer.... as upsetting as it was, it was UNIQUE.... which is GREAT for this genre of book. I think I would recommend this book. I wish I got through it faster, but looking back I am glad I stuck with it. The premise initially drew me - I feel like the blurb and the great reviews up already will draw people - "A woman returns home to find out strangers are moving in!!"
I loved this book! I spent every spare moment reading it and when I wasn’t reading I was thinking about it. I finished it but I’m still wondering about the characters what are they doing? How did things turn out. I cannot wait to read more by this author. Give yourself plenty of reading time as you won’t want to put this book down
I loved this book!! The ending blew me away. By ending I mean the last page left me shocked. This is exactly what a thriller book should be in my opinion. Lots of twists and turns. You think you are reading about a well to do perfect little family...and then all the secrets start coming to light. Great read, I highly recommend it
#OurHouse#NetGalley
Fiona arrives home to find her house has been sold without her knowledge and her soon to be ex-husband, Bram, is nowhere to be found. The story then unfolds in alternating viewpoints between Fi and Bram. I really enjoyed the set up and the twisting story. However, during parts of the books, the back and forth just dragged. The ending I found just ok. The reader can guess what happens, but I really think there could have been a better twist.
This is a dark psychological thriller about very flawed people. Although Fi was likable, her husband was very weak and brought much of what happened on himself. It worried me that the fraud involving the house was carried out so smoothly. In England the sale of real estate involves a lawyer. I always thought it would be harder to scam the system there than here. This book was really different to most I have read recently, much more complicated plot, and yet so simple at the same time.
4.5 for me on this one. The House was a great read.
Fiona comes home and sees someone moving in ; that cant be her house but it is
Thus the story begins. It is told from Fi's point of view using a podcast called The Victim. Bram her husband tells his story using Word Document.
Bram is not the nicest person you will ever meet . Far from it but at times you feel a bit sorry for him
Don't want to give anything away but the ending is what will make you think and say I did not see that coming whatsoever.
Thanks very much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read Our House
Great Book!!!! I did not suspect the ending one bit! It was rather long, the beginning and ending were amazing. The middle was a bit sluggish I almost didn’t make it to the end, but I’m glad I did! Would definitely recommend!
Interesting. Liked the characters, even Bram. Mike not a good person, but comeuppance is a beautiful thing. The book was a tad long but I didn’t like that it was left unsettled. It seemd to be ending swimmingly, and then with the press of a key ...
Would love to know the final outcome.
Loved this book. Didn’t want it to end. Highly recommend.
Love love love. Incredible book. Fabulous book club pick too
This was such a compelling premise but overall it was just okay. I did not get particularly connected to the characters. I enjoyed some of the twists and turns throughout and thought the podcast format was super fun! I felt some things were unrealistic and found myself frustrated by some of the characters' decisions and...overreactions? But I really enjoyed the author's writing style and the opening chapter definitely hooked me.
Fiona Lawson walks down a quiet suburban London street to find strangers moving in to her home. Her estranged husband cannot be contacted to clear up the situation and soon she learns that fraud or not, the beautiful home they've invested all their time and money into now legally belongs to the strangers standing in her kitchen.
The story unfolds in a creative way: Fiona shares the story of the events leading up to the housing scam through a popular podcast she listened to with friends, called The Victim. We read the live tweets shared after segments of her story.
Her husband Bram shares his side of the story in a Word document confession, beginning with his admission he's writing a suicide note.
This is a compulsively readable domestic thriller starting with the lies we tell and secrets we keep from our life partners with the intention of sparing them hurt or hiding our own guilty indiscretions. In the case of this story, a series of small crimes culminate and one mistake creates a tragedy that spirals so far out of control, you won't be able to put the book down!
Our House is an entertaining thriller though the plot itself wasn't exactly original and a couple of the twists were obvious. Readers will either love or hate the ending, there is no in between!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Really enjoyed this one. Good character development, and interesting methodology by which the story was revealed through the viewpoints of the two main characters. The ending left me with an ironic, yet sad smile. If that intrigues you, good. This is a book worth reading!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.