This story unfolds in a really entertaining, dramatic fashion, with Fi telling her story on a podcast (along with scenes that take place the day she finds out what has happened to her home), and from Bram's perspective as he's writing down his side of the story from afar. We get first person perspective from Fi as the horror of the lies her estranged husband has told her come out, and she experiences the horror of coming home to find new owners in her beloved house. It's fascinating and terrible, but perhaps a little over long with a bit of a lag in the middle. The astounding ease of the crime that results in Fi losing her home is kind of horrifying, and she's the kind of character that is easy to empathize with. In a book world saturated with "domestic suspense", this one stood out with a unique crime and format.

Earlier this year I read The Old You by Louise Voss. In my review I stated the book was special, it made readers really think about what they would do if they were in the lead character’s position. Our House is in this same special category. Our House will challenge readers to evaluate what is really important and what they would do if those things were threatened.

Your house is supposed to be safe place, the place where you can regroup and recover after dealing with the stresses of the outside world. When Fiona Lawson arrives home from a weekend away she finds all of her and her family’s possessions removed from the house and another family in the process of moving in. Fiona’s husband is missing, phone disconnected, and no way of contacting him. The assumption is identity theft but as Fiona learns more and connects the dots with odd recent events, she soon finds herself at the center of a very tangled, twisted, story in which she was an unknowing key figure.

Fiona is the “victim” in Our House, the one readers should cheer for. However I found her quite unlikable. She seems to be a kind, caring, mother and a loyal wife but to me she was preachy and self righteous. Fiona looks for flaws in her husband, Bram (and she finds many) as though anticipating disappointment. When she identifies these flaws she feels validated and then feels better about herself. I found it very hard to connect to Fiona. Instead I was able to connect with Bram, the “villain” of the story. Although Bram has his faults and he does his best to hide them, he was very aware of his short comings. I usually find it disappointing when I cannot connect with the lead character ; this was not the case with Our House. The lack of connection with the lead character made the story more realistic. Our House is a story of two flawed individuals, who make bad decisions and judge others, a much more realistic story than one of a completely innocent victim against a born evil villain.

I have read several books over the last twelve months which included Podcasts as a part of the story line. I love true crime Podcasts so this element is always welcome. The way Candlish has included Podcasts into Our House is the best I have read. In other books, the Podcast element sometimes read like a transcript rather than novel, overshadowing the story and making it a little tiresome. In Our House the story is enhanced by the Podcast, with the subject of the Podcast telling their story rather than a Q & A session.

Creating a story with a house at the center made Our House one of the most unique books I have ever read. The house is not a bone of contention between two parties but more like central point to which all aspects of the story lead back to. The house is just as much of a main character as Bram and Fiona. Its looming presence is felt throughout the entire book like a dark cloud before a storm.

Our House is one of my favorite books of the year. Despite slowing down a little about half way through, the story is consistently compelling. Readers will want to push though to the end and they will be glad they did. Fans of Clare Macintosh and Alice Feeney should add Our House to their list of must reads.



Murder and Moore Rating :
4.5 Stars out of 5

I really enjoyed this book. It’s quite different from anything I’ve read before. The main character, Fi seems to be a bit naïve, but with the shock of returning home only to find a new family moving into her house I can understand it. This book touches on many different subjects, scams, infidelity, neighbors and many others. There are many twists and turns. You think you might have something figured out, but as the story goes on, you are probably wrong. Lots of twists and turns with a really surprising ending!

Also reviewed at B&N under the name IrishEyes430. Tried to review at KOBO but they weren't accepting reviews today.

I read Our House with seven of my Traveling Sisters and we varied with how we all felt about this one.

We all started off drawn into this story and were intrigued right away when we met Fiona who comes home to find strangers have moved into her house and that it has been sold. The tension and suspense rise as we start to see betrayals and secrets spiral.

Louise Candlish does a great job here creating a different angle to a domestic suspense with a plot that revolves around a house. At times the house becomes the center of the story and we start to see just how connected our main character Fiona is to her home. The house itself starts to become a character I started to connect with

Louise Candlish adds just the right amount of drama to leave us questioning Fiona’s actions and creating a little ourselves for her in our discussion. We appreciated that she kept the drama down while still creating enough tension and suspense to keep the story moving forward for some of us. At times we did feel the story slowed down and got a little bogged down and things started to go sideways for me and a few sisters and we started to make our way out of a Coulee. Soon some of us were pulled back down on to a twisty path with twists and turns that kept us turning the pages as fast as we could right to the end.

You need a little patience with this story and the twists are not shocking but twisty leaving some of us quite satisfied in a coulee and for some of us they couldn’t wait to jump on out.

I recommend this Domestic Suspense Thriller to readers who are looking for a safer yet different angle to a thriller with a touch of drama.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and Louise Candlish for a copy to read and review.

This is Traveling Sisters GR Reading Group Review and it can be found posted on our themed book blog Two Sisters Lost In A Coulee Reading.
https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com
Coulee: a term applied rather loosely to different landforms, all of which refer to a kind of valley. Coulee references are symbolic to our reading experience

Our House by Louise Candlish Book Review
You come home & see someone moving into your house. Eyes widen, blood starts to pump, fear & worry set in. What do you do next? Call your partner, right? Well, he is nowhere to be found. Better check on the kids. Well, you can't reach them either. Ahhhhh!

Crime Podcast & Alternating Narrators
Our House uses a unique narration style. Much like one of my faves of last summer, Are You Sleeping? this story features a true crime podcast, The Victim. Fiona, the main female character, tells her side of the story in the podcast. You all already know I'm a true crime podcast junkie, so I love this element as a storytelling technique. Also, bravo to Lousie Candlish for featuring comments on the podcast thread! This makes it a bit more real & adds some drama & judgment, which I LOVE!

Along with the podcast transcripts, readers read a Word Document written by Fiona's husband, Bram. Now, remember, when all the mess goes down with the house, he is nowhere to be found. Readers are left wondering where he is & what if any role he played in the house debacle. Reading his side of the story, we go down a quick rabbit hole of secrets, turmoil & bad decisions. Makes you think, hmmm, How well do I know those closest to me?

Slow Burn Filled With Anxiety
I love that Lousie Candlish switches the narration formats frequently in Our House.  Her style keeps my attention & keeps my intrigue. While this thriller is a slow burn, my lord did it build my anxiety! Sure, murderers hiding in the woods are scary, but losing your home, your family & your security is TERRIFYING! Louise Candlish knows this & THIS is the thrilling element in this read.

THE VERDICT
I am Really Into This book. This is a different type of thriller/suspense novel & I appreciate that. Louise Candlish writes a twisted & believable tale filled with regret, secrets & mistrust. Our House had me clenching my jaw, my stomach did a few flips & I took a deep breath at the end.

Special thanks to Louise Candlish, Berkley Publishing & NetGalley for providing my copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

Our House is a thriller that will hold your attention from the shocking first page to the jaw dropping conclusion of this book!
Louise Candlish told this story of how well does one really know of their spouse through both POVs which was amazing.

Summary:
How well can you really know a person? Fi and Bram have a family together and her dream home/ community. She loves her two boys, the gorgeous house and being part of "The" neighborhood- play dates and a good school; active mothers and the feeling of togetherness. Things with Bram aren't perfect, but he's a great father and, let's face it, she still loves him for all his faults.
One night can change so much. After one too many betrayals Fi decides that the marriage is over- she and Bram are splitting. The thing is, for all his faults he's a good dad and she doesn't want to unseat the boys (and let's face it, she's a bit obsessed with that house). She comes up with the idea of having a bird's nest arrangement where the boys were always at the house and the parents took turns either living in an off site flat or the house with the boys. Even though she can't trust Bram as a lover, she can still trust him as a co-parent right?
When she finds that her house- the house she wanted her boys to grow up in- was sold, she has to come to terms with the aftermath. How did this happen? Why would Bram do this? And where the hell is he?
My Thoughts:
I waited a bit before writing this review because I had mixed feelings. There were parts I enjoyed about the book, and parts that I hated (if I'm honest, for the first 30% of the book I was fairly sure this would be a DNF).
The premise was great and I loved the characters. Even when I didn't like them, I loved them. Bram was interesting in his broken way. A study of weakness and harsh edges hidden with charisma. Fi wants to believe the best in people- even when proved wrong. It's easy to see her as someone that this could happen to. It's easy to blame her for not paying enough attention, being too soft.... it's easy to love her for these things too. Now I will say that I had issue with the layout of the book. We have two narrators- a his side/her side of events that would work well, except we have four actual ways the story is told. We have Fi- as things are happening, Fi-talking on a pod cast, Bram-as things are happening, Bram- in a document. It got a bit choppy and convoluted. While this worked in the author's favor sometimes to add an element of drama, for the most part it just confused things. What does this character know now? What information do we have? It made things a bit muddled for me, especially at the beginning. I guess I just felt like the execution lacked finesse. For me, this is a three star book.
On the adult content scale, there's some sexual content, drinking, violence and a lot of language. This book is definitely geared toward adults and older teens. I give it a seven.
I was lucky enough to receive an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Berkley Publishers, and from First to Read. (Apparently I accidently requested the book from both sites.) My thanks.

Let me start by saying that this book took me awhile to get through. It is long, detailed and a slow read. I was trying not to give up because I just HAD to know how it was all going to unroll. Around 60% I was to the point where I was hooked, it even felt like I was reading a bit faster!

Fi is our leading lady, we hear her tragic tale through two different times. One is her telling her story via a popular podcast and the other is her living the story as is unravels. The two intertwine chapter to chapter so you need to pay attention and watch for clues.

Bram is her counterpart. The ex (or soon to be) ex husband that is causing a whole lot of grief for everyone involved. We hear from him in two ways as well. In one version he is telling us his version of the story in a word document and in the other we are following him on his, well…let’s not say as to not spoil the story ;)

The format of the story took me a bit to get used to but then you realize it works really well and leaves you breadcrumbs all along the way. I’m not sure what else to say honestly. There is so much information in the book for you to discover and make your own conclusions. A quote on Louise Candlish’s website states the book perfectly

"[A] superb thriller . . . the ending Candlish has devised is devastating.”

I hope that we will get more of this story one day!

Fi and Bram are an estranged married couple trying out the new "bird's nest" form of coparenting. Suddenly, the plan isn't working out too well when Fi discovers a new family moving into their house- and her husband and children are missing.

The story unfolds in a unique way; Fi's story is told through her podcast and Bram's story is told through a document.

Ready their individual points of view is more intriguing than it is exciting. There are a few dull moments, but as the events unfold I found myself wanting to leave the book alone increasingly less.

But, just as I was beginning to feel let down, the story takes a delightfully dark twist... that you'll have to read for yourself!

Thriller and mystery books have been on my radar since A.J. Finn's The Woman in the Window released at the beginning of the year (review here). And Candlish does not disappoint with Our House, but I would not go to great lengths to compare it with Finn's debut novel.

In short, I give Our House three out of five stars. It was entertaining and suspenseful, just like I like.

OUR HOUSE is a creative domestic thriller, about a wife, a husband, and their obsession with their fabulous and expensive home. When their marriage crumbles, they decide on "bird's nest custody" of their children, where the parents take turns living in the house so their sons' lives are minimally disrupted. Yeah, but wasn't it really about their love of the house?

Anyway, Fiona comes home one day and is shocked to discover another family moving into their house. She can't get a hold of her husband, Bram, and these strangers are insisting they are the rightful owners. Can you imagine having your home sold without your knowledge? What's going on?

This intriguing story is told in a unique way, including Fiona doing a podcast of the dilemma (with comments from listeners), and Bram writing up a document, though we're not sure who for. There's a lot of twisty back and forth about what lead up to the shocking discovery. There were parts that felt slow-ish or repetitive, but overall this crazy mystery kept me hanging on. A fun read, though also unsettling!

Oh, my. This book's ending. I was yelling no, no, no! Don't do it! And then, what comes next? I guess that's up to the reader to decide.

I would like to thank Berkeley for an early copy of Our House. This book was one of the best books I've read in 2018, it kept me so tense, I could not put it down. What a plot!! Just an Amazing book all together, I loved loved loved it!! Thank you to the author Louise Candlish for doing such a great job in writing this novel .

I loved the premise of this book and enjoyed the unique ways in which the author presented the material. The use of podcast scripts and emails kept the story interesting. The book got a bit slow for me in the middle. Still, I cannot resist a good twist which saved the overall book for me. Looking forward to reading other novels by this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, and Louise Candlish for the opportunity to read this intriguing book - I loved it!

This book was written in such a creative fashion that, for me, really added to the enjoyment and mystery. The story is told from the viewpoints of a married couple, Fiona (Fi) and Abraham (Bram). Fi's version of events is told through the form of a podcast, while Bram's story is told through a Word document.

The story begins with Fi coming home from a weekend away to find strangers moving into the family home and Bram and their two boys nowhere to be found. Fi and Bram were trying to be good parents and when they had marital issues, decided on a birds-nest separation, meaning the children stayed in the family home and the parents took turns staying with them.

There are plenty of twists and turns in this one and I just loved the cat-and-mouse tale - highly recommended!

Life is taking some unexpected turns for Fiona Lawson. She and her husband have split up and she intends to divorce him. He’s hoping to change her mind, but she’s determined that won’t be happening. Instead, she comes up with a plan for a bird’s nest custody arrangement. This way their two young sons get to remain in the family home, but Fiona and her husband will alternate their homes between their family home and an apartment.

Imagine Fiona’s shock when she arrives home, after a trip out of state, to discover their home has been taken over by strangers. They insist they bought the home and it no longer belongs to Fiona and her soon-to-be-ex husband, Bram. Fiona desperately tries to find Bram, but no luck. Fiona begins to realize that things aren’t quite what they seem.

This book is filled with suspense. It grabs you from the start. It’s told in the form of a podcast and a real time narrative with point of views from both Fiona and Bram. It’s fast reading. I couldn’t put it down. I had to know what direction this was all going and how it would end. I was at the edge-of-my-seat.

There were times I wanted to shake both Fiona and Bram. The author does a great job of making you feel a part of it all. At one point I did figure out part of the story, but I had no idea how it was going to end. The ending totally took me by surprise. The author does a wonderful job at storytelling and I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.

Both intriguing and mysterious, Our House will have you hooked from the very first devastating chapter. Caught up in what already promises to be an enticing tale of deceit and deception.

Told through the POV of both Fi and Bram and through email and podcast, the tale of how well do you really know the one you are married to will have you hooked and turning the pages as fast as you can.

Brilliantly weaved as the plot slowly unfolded, Our House was a story that kept me entertained the whole way through.

Fiona Lawson is returning home from a short vacation, and notices someone is moving into a house on her street. Or, is that her house? No, she'd know if someone had sold the house...wouldn't she?

Our House centers around this sale of this House, something which occurs outside of Fi's control, and as a result of her estranged (and disappeared) husband Bram's actions. The story is told in bits between a Podcast narrated by Fi about her perspective (with additional twitter comments), real-time flashes of the day Fiona found her house being moved into by Strangers, and Bram's confession. All these things twist and build upon each other, as none understands just quite what the other is up to, leading to circumstances that are almost Shakespearean in their tragicness.

I might be too much of a stickler for the rules like Fiona to really appreciate this novel as I think you're meant to, what with the split narration and all, because right off the bat I was against Bram, a trend which, if anything, only grew more pronounced as the novel went on.

Though it lags a bit in places, and if you're particularly anal about sticking to the rules you may find yourself yelling in rage anytime Bram takes center stage, Our House is a fun read that takes an often unappreciated and yet deeply disturbing crime and makes it the main focus of our story. With twists and turns and an ending that had me yelling, definitely check this one out if you're looking for a thriller (though maybe skip if you're in the process of selling/buying a house).


Our House is available everywhere books are sold.

Fiona (Fi) and Abraham (Bram) own a large home that has grown significantly in value over the years, and are the parents of two young boys. They are currently separated but Fi wants things to be as normal as possible for their sons so they share parenting in the house. Fi stays in the house with the boys during the week and Bram stays on the weekends. They have rented a small apartment that they each stay in when the other is “on duty” in the house. They both have jobs and contribute equally to an account to pay the bills.

Bram has a drinking problem that has aggravated Fi over the years. It was when she caught him having sex with another woman in the boys’ playhouse that she threw him out. Although Fi is unaware of it, Bram has also lost his driving license due to speeding. However, there are times that he has driven illegally. Usually, they both take public transportation and leave the car parked.

Now, Fi has come home after having left Bram with the boys for a weekend only to find her house empty of her own belonging and strangers moving in. Her world shatters. She cannot find Bram. What has he done? Did he sell their house?

I wanted to add more to this synopsis/review to grab the reader’s interest, but to do so would give away the plot. Suffice to say that this is a good read. The story switches back and forth from Fi to Bram each telling the story from their own perspective. I have to say that it dragged out way too much and became almost boring in spots. The ending is quite a doozy though so hang tight for that.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a fast-paced and gripping thriller with characters who seemed flat at first but were well-developed by the end of the novel.

Our House tells the story of a terrible scam that occurred for the main character, Fi. She and her husband, Bram, separated but agree to take turns living in their home with their two boys. When Fi returns home one day, after a weekend away, she finds her house is inhabited by a couple who claim to be the new owners.

The story unfolds through Fi telling her story on a podcast, Bram sharing his side through a Word document, and occasional third person observations.

This was one of those books with morally ambiguous characters, which I love. The story was plausible enough to be absolutely terrifying.

Thank you to Net Galley for the e-book galley to review, and Berkley for the ARC. This book release today.

3.5 ⭐️

LOVED THIS!!! This was a great book. The character development was fantastic, and I loved the ending ;) I will definitely be reading more of Louise Candlish in the future--you have a devoted fan!

4.5 Stars Filled With Madness 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

🎵Father wears his Sunday best
Mother's tired she needs a rest
The kids are playing up downstairs
Sister's sighing in her sleep
Brother's got a date to keep
He can't hang around

Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our

Our house it has a crowd
There's always something happening
And it's usually quite loud
Our mum she's so house-proud
Nothing ever slows her down
And a mess is not allowed
....🎵
-Madness-Our House 1982

Fiona was certainly house proud, but whether or not she liked a mess she certainly found herself in the middle of one... imagine returning home to find someone else has moved into your house... The problem? As far as you know your house was never for sale... and why can you not reach your ex-husband on his phone? Where is your stuff, where are your children? Sounds dreadful, doesn’t it?

The unraveling of this story was quite brilliant... told from Fiona‘s perspective through podcast episodes... Fiona was such a likable generous person who absolutely put her children before all else.... and truly this “bird nest “custody arrangement really played nicely into her house being sold right out from under her... BUT I’m absolutely not going to blame the victim here! We also got Brahm’s perspective through a letter/word doc.... now it was really hard for me to elicit any sympathy for him, he really was a reckless selfish individual.... The one good thing I can say about him is I do think he truly loved his wife and children, he just didn’t know how to go about it.... but what a horrible mess he left for Fiona to clean up!

Along with the podcast and word doc we also got the real time story... this was a TS read and some of the sisters found this to be repetitive.... however, I did not... I really liked getting to see events unfold from both Fiona and Brahm’s points of view... and I felt the use of different medias really kept it fresh....

This book was such a crazy ride! Such a rollercoaster... I got all buckled in and then... that huge hill that starts your heart kmbeating faster and fills you with anticipation... and just when you least expect it you’re headed down that huge hill being turned upside down and then you come to a screeching slamming jarring stop!.... that really is this book so many twists, so many turns, and an ending that will leave you reeling!

Strongly recommend this book to all psychological thriller lovers and I hope you enjoy the ride!

*** many thanks to Berkley for my copy of this book ***