An enjoyable read that sort of meandered along, without any real point. No big plot twist. The drama was minimal.

If you enjoy reading a character driven story with very little drama, this is probably for you.

When Amy Kravitz opts to leave Washington, D.C., behind in favor of a less stressful life in the Philadelphia suburbs, she has a certain kind of house in mind. And on a charming street in a
family-friendly neighborhood, she and her husband Rob find it. It's a perfect brick colonial with plenty of space, a beautiful yard, and great schools nearby. The sellers, Julian and Grace Durant, are eager to make a deal. In an unexpected bonus, the Durants' young son, Ethan, strikes up a friendship with Amy and Rob's introverted four-year-old, Noah.

The Last House on Sycamore Street fell a little flat for me. I was expecting more of a thriller after reading the synopsis. I couldn't relate to Amy at all and I think that's why I couldn't get into the story as much as I wanted. This was my first book from Paige Roberts but I would definitely give her other books a try.

*I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This was a speedy read that was hard to put down once you got going. I was interested from page one. There is no truly shocking scene but overall it was a good read. I liked how well developed the characters were, specifically their interactions with their children.

I loved the complex relationships in this novel (Amy and Grace, Amy and her mother, etc) and read this book in a day. Paige Roberts crafts a novel that made me think about my own relationships and how I would handle the issues experienced by the characters in The Last House on Sycamore Street. I will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. You can get your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Last-House-Sycamore-Street-ebook/dp/B078QVBVG8/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Last+House+on+Sycamore+Street+by+Paige+Roberts&qid=1596111500&sr=8-1
WOAH BABY! I have been reading books by Kensington Publishing for a LOOONG time, but most of the books that I read are romance by them. This is Kensington Publishing’s 46th year in publishing! This book was not the typical book by them. This was straight up fiction with a little twist.
Amy and Rob have been searching for a house in Philadelphia for three months. They have been searching for a house from Washington, D.C. remotely and making weekend trips up to find the house of their dreams. I have moved a few hours away, so I remember drooling over the houses online and then you see them up close and you are like-damn that was a great photographer to capture all the good parts and then you see the backyard is all front yard. The walk-in closet that you loved is balanced out by a kitchen that barely one can fit into or that AMAZING kitchen is all the house had to offer. This house that they are looking at is complete with a cigarette smoke smell, slanted floors, rodents included, musty stinky bathroom and in need of a loving touch. Not quite what they are looking for with their son in tow. While they are looking and encounter said rodent, the agent mentions that there is a four bedroom, two and a half bathroom, brick colonial that is just being listed. The family has a son about their son’s age. The only thing it isn’t completely on the market yet. The address is 120 Sycamore. Normally, when you see a house, the owners are not home, but because Amy and Rob are there on a limited time, the real estate agent manages to get them a showing, but the family is home. They are introduced to the owner, Grace Durant. They get to the son’s room, who has his name ETHAN hung above his bed, in his space themed room. The house was everything that they were hoping for-it felt like HOME, immediately! The sellers were looking to settle as quickly as possible-a little odd since when they saw the home, it actually wasn’t fully on the market at the time. Noah is quite curious for a four-year-old. The two couples ended up sitting across from each other at the signing. Amy and Rob Kravitz and Grace and Julian Durant. They ended up realizing that Grace and Rob grew up around there and are about the same age. Their boys were also brought to the signing and end up playing together. Ethan and Noah end up watching Minions on Ethan’s iPad together. Noah doesn’t normally socialize with other kids. They end up talking Preschools and Amy mentions that they are looking for a place to send Noah. Interesting when new homeowners and old homeowners end up as friends. Doesn’t seem like a bad thing since they have kids the same age. Things start to get a little awkward when Amy and Rob start receiving PAST DUE notices for the Durants. They come off as such well-polished people, why would they receive PAST DUE notices? This is a great question that we soon find out about as the book and mystery unfolds. This was so well written and had me wanting more!

I really enjoyed reading this book. It held my attention from start to finish. Once I started I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend it to others. You are going to love it just as much as I did. Can't wait to read more from this author.

The Last House on Sycamore Street is a engrossing quick read! Paige Roberts has penned a solid sophomore novel!

I was intrigued with the summary and description of The Last House on Sycamore Street and though I was captivated, it was with a slight sense of unsettled frustration. I kept waiting for a big shocking scene or a breakthrough that would bring me to the edge of my seat. But it was a good book and I did enjoy reading it. It flowed easily, the characters were relatable, and the plot and story were interesting, to say the least. Very engaging read!

This book could have been better. The storyline was a good one, characters were well developed, but it lacked something. Couple moves into house, get to know the previous owners who are something else THe wow factor that was lacking could have been wrapped around the previous owners. I thought this book would be a thriller, but to me it was not. OK read, holds your interest. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book this way had no bearing on my review.

I liked this book. I've been on such a cozy streak lately that it was nice to read something a little more involved and intriguing. I liked the characters and the way they interacted with their children. Amy and Rob are moving from DC to the Philadelphia area with their young son to be near Rob's family. They find the perfect neighborhood and home and start to get involved with the selling family. This story covers lots of areas including family loyalty, friendship and drug addiction with resulting aftermaths. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ArC.

This was a quick read that focuses on new friendships. I liked that it delved into how much information you know about a person and how much you should share as you get to know someone. If you are looking for a book to bring to the beach or enjoy with a cup of tea - check this out. I definitely will look into more of this author's work.

When Amy and Rob are looking to move out into the suburbs to bring up their young son they think they have found the perfect house in Sycamore Street and they soon make friends with the couple that are selling the house who also gave a young son of the same age. Everything is going perfectly at first but then they start to realise that everything it's not as it seems!

A good story with interesting characters but I did feel that it was slightly missing something, maybe I was expecting more suspense which just didn't happen, but I still enjoyed reading it.

I really enjoyed Paige Roberts' previous novel, Virtually Perfect, so I was excited to see that she had a new one available. Her sophomore novel is equally, if not more, impressive.

The story was engaging the entire time and always kept my interest. Amy was easily relatable and felt her stress about making friends for both herself and her son. I also would have lost my cool during the same moments she did when her son was being difficult. I cringed during the awkward moments because I could see myself doing the same things sometimes.

The only part that didn't work so well for me was the scene at the urgent care center. It seemed so bizarre and over the top with how unsanitary it was and how unprofessionally the staff acted. I get why it was in the story to begin with, but it felt exaggerated.

I was initially under the impression it was going to be a thriller, but it was more of a domestic drama, akin to Desperate Housewives. There was maybe one part that was scary, but not enough to deter readers who don't like thrillers. The main theme I got out of the novel was friendship. I liked that angle of the story, showing how far some women will go to hold on to a connection with a new friend, even in a potentially toxic situation. I recommended it to the women at Girlfriend Circles, as we're encouraged to share novels about female friendship that we enjoyed. I'll also recommend it right here!

Interesting personal connection: At one point, Amy goes to Rhode Island to visit her family and mentions Autocrat coffee syrup and making coffee milk. A month earlier, some friends from RI bought us a bottle of Autocrat, as it can only be found there. My husband and kids enjoy having coffee milk now. I just found that mention to be funny because of the timing.

With Paige's use of genuine dialogue and characters and locations that are easy to visualize, I am already looking forward to her next novel. She has a strong talent for writing, and it shows!

Movie casting suggestions:
Amy: Amber Tamblyn
Grace: Meghan Ory
Rob: Jason Segel
Julian: Jack Huston
Emily: April Bowlby
Jess: Ari Graynor

Although this book was not the thriller I thought it would be after reading the synopsis, it was well written and held my attention. The characters were well developed a kn d likeable. Thank you netgalley snd the publisher for gifting me the arc in exchange for this honest review

The Last House on Sycamore Street frames up a slice of life as a suburban mom. You’ve got the preschool /playdate social stratosphere, the how-much-should-i-work dilemma, and the keeping up with the Joneses drama. Except the Joneses are the former owners of the last house on Sycamore Street.

I liked this book – I could identify with the mom and her struggle to work but not work too much. I LOVED that she and her husband had a great marriage – something not every contemporary novel ensures. And the kids were cute – their smarts, their antics, and their occasional obnoxiousness.

But the former homeowners. Whew. What a piece of work those two are. And there’s the rub. I thought with a nutty couple like that, there would be bound to be a plot twist or a psychological thriller element. No such luck, and so I was a bit disappointed. (But to be fair, it was an expectation I came up with from thin air!) So… not a very climactic story, but a contemporary look at life in the suburbs from a people-pleasing mom’s perspective.
https://randombookmuses.com/2018/10/28/review-the-last-house-on-sycamore-street-by-paige-roberts/

Good read! Kept my attention and made me want to read it. Was a tad drawn out toward the end but nothing that would make me not want to read it. Good domestic fiction read. Will definitely look for more by this author

When do you say something, and when do you keep quiet? That is just one of the many questions that readers will ponder when reading Paige Roberts' "The Last House on Sycamore Street." Amy and her husband think they've found the perfect first home where they can raise their son. It has everything they want - location, yard, structure, even the home furnishing style of the selling family. When they make friends with the seller's wife and son, a quick friendship builds. Something is off, though. As Amy and her family get more involved with Grace, her son and husband, they all find that things aren't what they seem. Lines have to be drawn, but where? And who will be the first to draw them? Roberts gives us lots to think about in the tense tale of neighbors, family trust and secrets.

I enjoyed this book but I was expecting more of a thriller. I think the pacing and tension was off. It just wasn't a page-turner.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book was kind of a letdown because I'd read the synopsis and it sounded so very good. That's why I requested an ARC. The Last House on Sycamore Street did have a nice, easy flow to it and I enjoyed most of the characters, but while it seemed like this book was going to be tension filled and a fun thriller, it never quite got there.

I'm not sure that I've read anything by Paige Roberts before, but I'd certainly be open to more of her work in the future. There was nothing negative or bad about this book. The writing was good, the author is obviously talented and knows what she's doing. I related to the characters and felt the plot was a good one. Maybe I was just expecting more and that's why I'm a little disappointed.

I struggled with a rating and feel like it's about a 3.5 for me, rounded to 4. Thank you to the publishers, author and Netgalley for an ARC.

I honestly thought from reading synopsis that this would be a thriller. I just assumed which I shouldn't have. When I looked closely at the cover and read the synopsis again after finishing the book today, I was wrong. It was more of a suspense and a literary novel.

This book was well written. I was able to get into it easily. There were some parts which were funny I chuckled. I was able to relate to the main character, Amy, even though I wanted to strangle her at times.
To my irritation, the author chose to use the political correctness words or phrases how drug abuse is a disease. I wanted to scream, it's NOT a disease. When will people understand the word? Before any of you jump all over my case, I DO understand, have seen some of my friends and family suffer from different types of drug and alcohol abuse. So, don't lecture me.

This is is the book of new friends who are learning about each other and discovering secrets and how they're handling it until Amy fully realizes what is going on with her new friend and the family and how Amy chose to handle the whole thing at the end. The is the tapestry of trust, understanding, friendship, love, family, self realization, forgiveness, and moving on with grace.

I'd give it a 3 3/4 stars. I wouldn't mind reading her other books.

I received this ARC from Kensington Publishing Corporation through Net Galley in an exchange for my unbiased and honest review. Thank you.