Member Reviews
The way the story is told was interesting and different. The story itself was really good at the beginning, but then it sort of dragged a little. Then when I got to the end, I tried to flip the page to see what happened next, only to realize it was the end. I did enjoy the book, but it had a cliffhanger feel to the ending.
Very interesting premise that sucked me right in. Great twists, turns and surprises. Lovable characters and diabolical ones. The only problem I had with it was that it got a little drawn out in the middle. There were not a lot of subplots going on, making it feel one-dimensional.
A couple marries and moves into a home they purchase. Years go by and two young children are now part of the family. Both parents work and the house has appreciated in value dramatically. One night she comes home from a meeting earlier than expected and discovers her husband having sex with another woman in the children’s playhouse in their backyard. This leads to a very modern separation. Both will live in the house when it is their turn with the children and will share an apartment when it is the other’s turn. He has trouble dealing with all of this, drinks too much and speeds. In fact he has lost his driver’s license but, naturally, didn’t tell her. One night, after having a couple he is driving home and attempts to pass another car, but the driver of that one will not let him pass. As a result an oncoming car loses control and gets into a horrible accident putting the driver and her young daughter into the hospital. The husband, after seeing that the others car had disappeared, also left the scene. This is merely the start of the novel. It will go on to blackmail, an unbelievable (but very plausible) fraud, disappearance and murder. The story is written from both spouses viewpoints. Parts of it read slowly, but most will capture the reader’s interest. Thanks to Net Galley and Berkeley for an ARC for an honest review.
Fiona (Fi) lives in a very desirable suburb of London in a beautiful house. One day, upon arriving at the house she notices removal vans at what cannot be her house. When she gets closer, she notices that it is in fact her house and someone is moving their things into HER house. She races to try and sort this out, because it has to be a mistake. Her soon to be ex husband, Bram, is no where to be found when she finds out that no, this isn’t a mistake. This is actually happening.
This story is told in a unique way. The present. Fi retelling her story via podcast and Bram via word document. Deceit and naivety are big players in this unconventional thriller. I enjoyed this book and the different twists it took me down. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for allowing me to read this as an ARC.
Advance Review Copy
I hope you have plenty of room on your wish list because this has been a great week for thrillers for me. To put it bluntly, OMG! OUR HOUSE is a real corker!
The writing is different. Engaging and extremely easy to read it's told in two POV's - the husband and the wife's. I liked the aspect of seeing each person's thoughts. I did think it ran a little bit long, but all in all it's worth checking out. It's already been released in the UK and Berkeley has the US release scheduled for early August.
Fantastic book. My first by this Author. Fiona and Bram share custody of their children and house in a posh neighbourhood. Fiona arrives home one day to see another couple moving their belongings into her house. Her husband is missing. Many events transpire in this story that kept me reading to the very end. A most enjoyable book. I think this book should have a sequel. Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.
This book is tough for me to review..The writing was superb and the story is definitely eye opening and I have never read anything like it...Our house is a book that has a few twists and turns especially toward the end, but it just felt like it went on and on...I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was about 100 pages shorter...Not a bad book but not great either..
Man, I wanted to love this book more. I was hooked after the first chapter, and I could feel the tension jumping off the page.
I thought it was a brilliant premise. Fiona pulls up to her house to find a moving van parked out front and strangers moving in! Just the thought of that is enough to make my heart race. Fiona will tell her story through a crime podcast and her husband, Bram tells his side through a typed word document. I really did enjoy both characters.
A wonderful, detailed plot and a good twist was not enough to keep the story from drowning in a repetitive narrative and somewhat tedious pace. I did figure out the twist, but I enjoyed being shocked as soon as I figured it out (if that makes any sense)!
Fell a bit flat for me in the end, but still a good twisty read. Thanks to Berkley/Netgalley for my ARC. Check out my blog for all my reviews https://dressedtoread.com/
I was so into this at first but man did it drag and drag and drag.
Free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a psychological thriller that grabbed you from the beginning and held your attention through to the end. A book that will keep you awake at night. A cautionary tale about how little we know those closest to us and how even the best of people can be taken down by shock and loss. I was hooked, and I wanted more, wanted to see it all play out. A shocking ending for sure.
I really enjoyed this book! I had never even heard of the housing fraud that was committed in this book so it made an interesting in more than one perspective. The characters were believable and well written. At first, I was slightly discombobulated at the multiple narrations of Fi's story, Bram's Word Document, and real time for both characters but I quickly adjusted. There were a few moments in the middle of the text that the story seemed to drag on just a little bit but it picked back up and held my interest. Great read!
I was so taken in by the premise and for the most part the book delivered but it also just felt like there was something missing or not quite as much as I wa shopping for. Then I read the last line and was blown away! That ending took a maybe 3 or 3.5 to a definite 4! Overall a good read but I’ll recommend it just so others can experience that same sharp intake of breath after finishing that I did. I love being surprised and this one did it for me with those final words.
Our house is about newly separated Bram (Abraham) and Fi (Fiona) and the ‘birds nest’ living arrangements with their kids. It’s also about the mess Bram has gotten himself into. Fi finds her home sold out from under her, without the slightest knowledge on her part.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Bram’s mess just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and each of those situations makes me wonder more and more, how in the world is this going to get straightened out. New problems were introduced often, and all of the circumstances are extremely believable.
Sometimes, too many twists and surprises are annoying to me, but not in this book. I found myself fascinated by how credible, how believable – and not irritating – those many twists and surprises were and looked forward to what was to come next. Often, I’d think I’d see something coming, but it would take an abrupt turn instead. How the author kept all the details straight is no minor feat.
The ending. The ending was one more BIG surprise I was in for. Well done, Ms. Chandlish, well done.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. I truly enjoyed it.
Our House is the story of a couple, Fiona and Bram, whose marriage breaks down after Fiona catches Bram having an affair. They agree to share use of their house to keep their two sons happy. However, one day when Fiona comes home she finds someone else moving into the house. Told from both Fiona and Bram's points of view, the twisted saga of how the house was sold unfolds. While the premise of the story was interesting the actual way it unfolded was kind of boring, and the climax seemed underwhelming.
Fi returns home early from a weekend getaway to find people moving into her house. The couple have purchased her home and Fi has no knowledge of this ever happened. As Fi works to piece together how this happened, she discovers her soon to be ex husband has vanished without a trace. Bram's has found his life spiraling out of control and he doesn't know how to stop it. His ex-wife has been more than generous when it comes to co-parenting their boys but is it all a scheme he has set in place?
The book has a great concept and it started out strong. As soon as I started reading I thought this book is going to be one I'm not going to be able to put down. However, somewhere in the middle it got pretty dull. It felt like filler material, nothing really significant happens and it doesn't necessarily enhance the story. Much of it could have been left out and I wouldn't have missed it. The ending picked back up with a nice twist I didn't quite see coming. Then the end felt rushed and left me with many questions. I have never really been a fan of open endings, I don't want to fill in the blanks myself, I want a strong conclusion. The book does give you some idea but not a full picture.
Our House is a slow burn of a domestic thriller. While elaborate, it is something that can be envisioned as events that could actually happen in real life. Our House is one of those books where it almost seems like nothing is happening, and then all of a sudden everything happens! And that last paragraph.........oh my!!!
Our House is the story of what happens when lies are compounded upon lies. Marital arrangements between Fiona (Fi) and husband Bram are unconventional following his (another) infidelity and lay the backdrop for the interwoven story of a neighborhood culture, nail biting accident, and twisty dealings surrounding the "house" in question. While the characters seemed well developed, the novel's voice had me thinking the couple were much older than they were described. That may have been due to the English phrasing or the couple's vintage sounding names. The author used a device of switching between Fi telling her story via a popular podcast, responses via Twitter comments, and Bram's memoirs, which I found unique and very timely. Although I guessed one of the plot twists early on, by the time I got to the end of the book, the story took a turn that had me thinking, "Whoa, I didn't see that coming!" and in the next minute there were several more "What just happened?" moments. The book is a cautionary tale for living our lives in an age of social media, ease of technology manipulation, and information on demand , and while there would have to be a total alignment of bad judgement calls for the whole scenario to unfold in real life, you will pray NONE of the events in the book ever happens to you.
Gripping! A double cross on a double cross! Wait! He sold the matrimonial home out from under his wife and kids and disappeared with the money?! Or did he? So may secrets! What starts out as a fairly simple scam soon spins totally out of control. You will want to pull a sickie to find out what the next twist could possibly be in Candlish's plot line! It's hard to review this book because there are so many opportunities to give spoilers! And the ending! Wow! Totally didn't see that on coming!
An exciting read!
What a ride! In this book, something that goes wrong goes VERY wrong, and it keeps getting even more wrong as the story progresses.
Fi and Bram live with their two sons on a lovely, well-to-do street that’s becoming a more desirable place to live every day. Real estate is booming here, and conversation among the neighbors sometimes centers on how much their properties are increasing in value. What fun to become millionaires if they decide to sell, even though none of them really have the desire to leave, including Fi and Bram.
But the two are not without their marital problems, and Bram, in particular, has been keeping secrets from his wife. Many secrets, that unfold throughout the story. Fi has always been forgiving, but there’s a certain point when enough is enough. The two still want only the best for their children, however, and they work out a separation agreement that will keep the boys feeling secure and will keep them in their lovely home. Until the day Fi comes home and finds all of their belongings moved out and a stranger greeting her at the door.
Unfortunately, Bram has been hiding dark secrets from everyone. Everyone, that is, except a certain couple who know more about him than he realizes. Blackmail ensues, and lie upon lie threatens to topple the couple’s dreams for keeping their home while maintaining a civilized breakup, all leading to a dramatic ending that I never saw coming. It left me saying “Wow!” as I finished the last page.
This is an engrossing thriller about murder, fraud and blackmail told from both Fi’s and Bram’s points of view, although in very different ways.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review. 4 stars!