This is a very suspenseful horror
It’s very well written and multilayered.
The pace was slow in the first half but increased in the second half.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

The Home is a spectacular tale of mistakes, families and forgiveness. Nina and Joel haven’t seen each other in twenty years. Mistakes were made, and both blame the other for both their approach to life and what it become. This is a story that will have your heart aching and palpitating in equal measure. At points, it’s not healthy for the readers continuation of life – my favourite type of read!

This one hit home especially hard after having a career in nursing the elderly specialising in neurological disorders. Strandberg’s research was spot on and took me back in time to various nightshifts. It was a story I could fall back in time with.

Joel has returned to a small town in Sweden after trying to make it as a musician in Stockholm. His mother, Monika, has recently suffered a heart attack that resulted in her dying and having her heart restarted. She was alive, but her brain was starved of oxygen longer than anticipated, she now has dementia that is worsening at an alarming rate. He’s home but struggling to manage her care as her guardian. He makes the painful decision to transfer her care to Pineshade, a care home with a dubious rep.

The Home is great at giving us accurate intricates of the pressures and stresses of being a parental carer. We are introduced to Bjorn, Joel’s older brother who is wrapped up work, holidays and his own family obligations and doesn’t find the time to support his brother until much later in the storyline. Joel has had a difficult life to say the least, his brother not withstanding hasn’t helped to make him feel included. He’s had problems with drugs and struggled with his sexuality and coming back to Lyckered has exasperated it all over again.

The Home is a more complex story than just Joel caring for his mum. His anxieties play a major part nothing in this story is plain black vs white. The characters are multi-layered, and you need to strip back the layers of these characters to discover just how grey and unattached they are.

One thing that I absolutely loved about The Home is how Strandberg used the thinly veiled threat of mental illness to distract the reader, you don’t see the horror walking in in plain sight before it’s too late. Be prepared to doubt the things you are reading and seeing. This is a story that at its heart is about putting the past to rest.

Monika doesn’t take to living in Pineshade and during her moments of lucidity seems very worried, the other residents reflecting those worries. Is Monika’s new episodes and rapidly changing behaviour something to worry about or is it just the manifestation of dementia? Is the fact that staff members leaving and residents dying a mere coincidence or is something altogether malignant and sinister happening to Monika?

The Home is an intense and claustrophobic horror. The author excels at humanity and horror, a creeping sense of unease will have you addicted and wanting more.

This book is about friendship and love. It touches on a subject we all know of "dementia" . Its about how it affects the patient, the carer and their families. The story was at a good pace and the characters were interesting.

Dementia has never been an easy topic for me. I hate the thought of how a person loses everything that once defined their identity.
Even though that is not the main point of the story, the disease itself sets the platform for a sad and horrific tale.
The story is a bit slow in its first half, slow; mind you, not at all was boring. In fact, the slow start gives it the perfect aura of a haunted tale. The story shifts between past and present from the perspectives of both Joel and Nina and once in a while a perspective is shown of events brewing at Pineshade.
The story turned out to be a very good one in terms of supernatural horror; howbeit, what touched me the most was the horror that human tragedy is.
One very good aspect of this book is the description of the care home and its inhabitants. The writing is brilliant, crisp; without any monotonous droning.
A very good horror novel I’ve read in a while.
After the crazy ending of the previous book that I read, I was rooting for a decent one from this one.
Mat Strandberg doesn’t disappoint, even though it was a bittersweet ending. This one’s going to stay with me for a bit; not because of the horrors unknown, but for the horrors that lurk just around the corner.

I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

Joel Edlund has made the very difficult decision to put his mother, Monika, in a nursing home specifically for people suffering from dementia. His mother, who lived on her own until a heart attack, has become a danger to herself after the onset of dementia. Joel has his own poor excuse of a life back in Stockholm and he wants to return, leaving his mother in the capable hands of the staff at Pineshade nursing home. But before he leaves he needs to pack up his mother’s house and instruct estate agents to put it on the market. He can’t escape the past as he clears out trinkets and mementoes his mother has kept over the years. Nor when he goes to visit his mother, as his ex-best friend from his teenage years, Nina, works at the home. He hoped he’d never see her again after their friendship broke down so irreparably. But during his strained visits, Joel starts to notice a distinct change in his mother. Her health is worsening, strange things are happening and she’s not the same woman who arrived at the home only a short time ago. Joel isn’t the only one to notice how strangely Monika is behaving. Nina, who used to see Monika as a second mother, is just as concerned. What has happened to make her act in such an odd way? And how does she know the deepest, darkest secrets of the staff at the home?

Joel and Nina haven't spoken in twenty years. They had once been inseparable.

Joel's mother has dementia and he had to return to his hometown to care for her. Monika needs specialist care which means Joel will have to take her to Pineshade Nursing Home where Nina works. Monica's health quickly deteriorated. She has terrifying outbursts, she's violent and she shouts out things she couldn't possibly know. Nina and Joel know Monika well ento see the signs; only by working together they can try and find out the answers to the inexplicable.

This is quite a suspenseful horror story. Tge plotline is intriguing. The story is told from Nina and Joel's perspectives. It's an easy book to read as it's well written and multilayered. Tge characters were believable. The first half of the book the pace was slow but the second half is much quicker.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #QuercusBooks and the author #MatsStandberg for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The first book I have read by this author and it literally blew me away. Atmospheric, gripping and heartbraking all in equal measures. The story is mostly set in a Nursing Home and shows the real human side of the devastating and debilitating disease that is Dementia. How the patients deal with it. How it affects their families and loved ones and the care givers who care for them. If that isn't enough you also have something dark and malevolent lurking just out of reach. This book was not what I was expecting it is so much more. A human/ horror story that will stay with me long after I have turned the last page.
Thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

A creepy and brilliant novel that talks about how we deal with the older people and the horror that can be hidden even in the most nice place.
It's gripping and highly entertaining, it kept me hooked and it made me think.
The character development and the storytelling are excellent and I loved the growing tension and creepy factor.
An excellent story that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

4 Stars
When his mother, Monika, develops dementia, Joel resentfully comes home to take care of her. His decision to admit her to a nursing home (the Pinshade), came with a lot of resentment and dread. 
Once there, Joel is met with more uneasiness when he discovers that his bestfriend, from his teenage years, works as a nurse there. Once inseparable, their friendship was shattered beyond repair, when Nina decided to stay in their hometown and start a family, instead of leaving with Joel and accomplish their dream of becoming famous musicians.
A few days there, Monika's mental and physical health rapidly deteriorates. she refused to eat and became extremely violent and vicious, in contrast to her gentle and docile past self.  
Joel's concerns grew even bigger when his mother started talking about things that she couldn' have knowledge of. Nina, who loved Monika as a mother, was just as intrigued and compelled to help. 

the Home, by Mats Strandberg is an outstanding and suspenseful horror novel, that absolutely caught me out off guard. The plot is definitely interesting, with fresh premises, combining dementia and supernatural haunting, with a common denominator of losing control over oneself.
The narrative is split between the 2 main characters Nina and Joel. I found the writing compelling and very easy to follow. 
the story has many layers and is not only focused on the horror aspect.
I really liked how the authors took care of detailing all the characters, their past the backstories for all the residents in the Pineshade.
The ending was absolutely unexpected and dark.
Many thanks to the author, netgalley and the publishers for my review copy

This is an absolutely brilliant thriller, which I read in a day.

It follows the story of Joel, whom has to make the difficult decision to move his mum into a nursing home. As if that isn't hard enough, he's also struggling with his own vices, all without any help from his brother.

The nursing home is work to a former close friend of his, whom he hasn't seen for 20.years, and brings her many upsets with seeing him and his mother for whom she used to be very close to.

As his mother settles in, she begins to change dramatically, and not the normal changes you'd expect in a dementia patient.

Is everything what it seems, or is something spooky going on?

Enjoy

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for ARC

This is a novel of horror and suspense which is very much rooted in reality and the way we, as a society, treat our elders.
The source of the creeping dead is centred in a residential/nursing home for older people, where the narration is split between Joel-a failed singer who missed his big chance to get out of his home town-Nina-one of the nurses who works in the care home he places his mother in-and the residents.
As Joel faces the reality that his mother is no longer safe to be left to live alone, he reluctantly admits her to Pineshade Home. At this time he has no idea that Nina, a girl he grew up with, works there and their shared history is about to collide.
The home is like any you could name, the location setting in Sweden aside, it has applications that can apply to anywhere a reader is. It has so much that I can identify with and affirm as a nurse who mainly deals with older patients. The lack of enough staff, the constant covering of shifts and juggling the needs of patients and family is often a tricky one, and the guilt that Joel feels is palpable.
Contrasted with this is Nina, who has worked so hard to get her nursing degree and no finds herself in a job which is demanding, gruelling and a million miles away from the future she imagned for herself.
Played against these lost lives, imagined futures and regrest, are the older residents of Pineshade who are noticing that it's not all ok in their home...there are subtle mentions of people who have just moved in-but no one had seen-faces and things happening that are written off as delusions.
And here is the horror , people who are no longer usueful to society, ostracized and contained away from it, forgetting who they are as their families mourn the living death of a person who at once is so familiar and yet so foreign.
There is a darkness to the home, it's subtle and builds slowly, this is not an out and out horror novel, it is a steady exploration of the care system, a lament at the futility of ageing and I really, really enjoyed the slow burn.
The perspectives and characters are built up in layers, the staff at the home and the residents are well realised and fully formed, the details are atmospheric and it's just a great, mindful horror novel that finds the dark spaces in the everyday existence of the common person, then exposes them to the reader.
I look forward to what Mats does next immensely.

Joel has moved back home with his mum, Monika, after she develops dementia. He doesn’t find it easy to look after her. She then starts wandering more,even the police start bringing her home. Joel then decides it’s time for her to have more specialist care and move into a care home. There is only one in Skredsby, Pineshade. It’s been there a while and sometimes there is a wait before you can get a room, Joel makes enquiries. They have gotten lucky, there is a room available so Joel makes arrangements for Monika to move in.

Nina works at Pineshade and she knows Joel and Monika from old. She grew up with Joel but hasn’t spoken to him in years and doesn’t really want to see him now. Elisabeth advises the staff when Monika is arriving and that she is going into room D6. She runs through her medical history and her medication which to Nina proves that if she is on Haloperidol, an antipsychotic, her dementia isn’t great and she’s scared. Could even be violent.

Monika arrives. There is a tour of the place and she arrives at her room, where she isn’t too sure about staying and wants to leave to go home. Sucdi brings Lillemor to meet her, to get them talking and to see Lillemor’s room. Joel leaves but promises to come back the next day. Over the next few days, Monika settles into the home then tells Joel that her husband is back by her side, that he has found her. Joel is a bit confused by this. Other changes happen as well, Vera has seen someone in her bathroom, Monika seems to know things that she shouldn’t know and other strange things start happening at Pineshade….

Nina and Joel manage to work out their differences. They then have to decide what to do about Monika, something is seriously wrong, her health has seriously deteriorated and she doesn’t look very well at all. But it only seems that D wing and its clients have changed. Will their plan work? Can they go through with it?

I enjoyed reading this story as it appealed to the horror fan in me. It was written with a good amount of detail and a great deal of research has been done on the subject as well.
I like the diary style which this was done in so then you know whose account you are reading.

Wow! Started after lunch and just finished. I couldn’t put it down. All the characters were well portrayed and the tension just built
What a treat in store for all who haven’t read it.

"The tiniest loose end could unravel the whole world. The tiniest crack could grow into a chasm."

Joel's mother, Monika, has developed dementia, and must be admitted to Pineshade, an aged care facility for dementia sufferers. When she arrives, it becomes clear to Joel and Nina, his one time best friend, who works there, that something isn't right, and perhaps there is something more to Monika's illness... something unnatural.

The Home by Mats Strandberg was a very enjoyable and hard hitting read. There is not much I can say without spoiling it, so I am going to discuss characters and themes briefly. There were some predictable aspects for me, but all in all, I don't have anything negative to say.

Let's begin with characters. We have Joel, Nina, and Monika as the main characters, and each of them is easy to empathise with in their own ways. Joel is trying to put a mistake filled past behind him while adjusting to his mother's deteriorating health. Nina cares deeply about those in her care at Pineshade, even if she's not sure of the rest of her life. And Monika, of course, must adapt to her dementia and new living situation, when she is lucid enough at least.

The setting of the majority of the story is Pineshade, an aged care facility for dementia sufferers. If you've ever visited a nursing home, then it will look familiar to you. It is typically sterile and elderly friendly. Perhaps even depressing. I worked in a nursing home for a short time when I was younger, and felt intimately familiar with Pineshade and the goings on therein. This setting perfectly amplifies the stress, sadness, and helplessness portrayed in the story.

I feel like it would be important to mention now that the depiction of dementia and all its different effects and symptoms is quite realistic. So, if this is something that may upset you, perhaps step lightly here. This was honestly the most difficult aspect of The Home for me, given that dementia is one of my greatest fears.

On difficult subjects that may upset some readers, I will also mention that there is the depiction of drug and alcohol use and abuse, both on the page and implied.

There was some gay representation in The Home which was nice to see, though for the most part these characters aren't open about their sexuality. This provided an interesting glimpse into the life and societal expectations of a small Swedish town.

I also liked that there was some criticism within the book about the aged care industry, and how the elderly are sometimes treated. This provides another layer of realism to an already intense story.

I wish I could say more, but spoiling this story would truly be a shame. All I have left to say now is that if you enjoy hard hitting, mature stories where everything is not what it seems, give The Home a read when it releases!

I chose to read and review an eARC of The Home but that has in no way influenced my review.

The Home is a compelling, immersive piece of quality fiction and it absolutely broke my heart. As a contemporary horror novel it also made me very uneasy and gave me chills. It ticks all the boxes in that respect. But this isn’t a fast-paced thrill ride featuring the same old, same old we’ve all seen time and time again. Oh no. It’s a beautifully written tale featuring some of the most exquisitely drawn characters I’ve had the pleasure to meet in fiction. A very memorable read and one I relished spending time with.

Joel Edlund has made the very difficult decision to put his mother, Monika, in a nursing home specifically for people suffering from dementia. His mother, who lived on her own until a heart attack, has become a danger to herself after the onset of dementia. Joel has his own poor excuse of a life back in Stockholm and he wants to return, leaving his mother in the capable hands of the staff at Pineshade nursing home. But before he leaves he needs to pack up his mother’s house and instruct estate agents to put it on the market. He can’t escape the past as he clears out trinkets and mementoes his mother has kept over the years. Nor when he goes to visit his mother, as his ex-best friend from his teenage years, Nina, works at the home. He hoped he’d never see her again after their friendship broke down so irreparably. But during his strained visits, Joel starts to notice a distinct change in his mother. Her health is worsening, strange things are happening and she’s not the same woman who arrived at the home only a short time ago. Joel isn’t the only one to notice how strangely Monika is behaving. Nina, who used to see Monika as a second mother, is just as concerned. What has happened to make her act in such an odd way? And how does she know the deepest, darkest secrets of the staff at the home…

I always get excited about a book when the characters stand out from the page for me, and this is a wonderful example of some truly beautiful creations. The characters in The Home are everything. They broke my heart, they made me smile and they scared the bejesus out of me. I became completely involved in their day to day lives. So much so, I think I may have fallen a little bit in love with some of the residents of Pineshade. But please don’t get me wrong. This is a dark and frightening tale of losing ourselves and of losing control. Our main characters, Joel and Nina, were also very well-written and I enjoyed seeing them begin to relate to one another again after so much time apart.

This isn’t a thrilling, high-octane read but a slow meander through the very different, but fascinating, lives of a group of interesting people who all end up, for one reason or another, under the same roof. The pace suited the book perfectly and I was more than happy to lose myself for a few hours in Pineshade and Skredsby. The Swedish setting was something a little different and I lapped it up. I’m a fan of translated fiction which meant The Home gained another big tick from me!

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. If you’re considering reading horror fiction for the first time I think The Home would be an excellent place to start. It’s creepy and unsettling, with bucketloads of eerie and I loved it. When I knew where the story was heading (this was quite near the end) I could tell what the final twist was going to be but that didn’t take anything away. I really enjoyed reading The Home and it’s going to stay with me for some time to come. I think I’m still a little bit in love.

I chose to read and review an eARC of The Home. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

**4.5 stars out of 5 rounded up for Goodreads, Amazon & Waterstones**

I enjoyed The Home, it was an interesting premise to have something unknown invading a residential nursing home. The very symptoms of dementia mean the residents could display a severe change in character or behaviour and that would not necessarily cause alarm. In itself, the erosion of ourselves because of dementia is already a horror story.

Some of the reviews have criticised its slow build at the beginning of the story, but I didn’t find this at all. It didn’t seem a slow build and I wasn’t bored, although I have marked it down a star as I found myself less enthralled after about half way. I thought it lost things a little but then picked back up.

Intriguing blurb but actually this was more like a b-list movie... The first half is very slow, the second all a bit silly and not scary at all. The writing doesn't compensate for the cliches. Just not for me, I'm afraid.

I am not normally a reader of the horror genre, but reading the blurb it sounded more like a psychological suspense, so thought I would give it a go. I wasn't disappointed at all. Some reviewers here said they found the beginning tedious and too drawn out, though I have to disagree. Yes, the first part of the book is slower than the last half but I felt it gives the reader a good chance to really become emotionally involved with the characters, so as the tension builds, the reader is much more invested in what happens to them. I also liked the setting and the underlying story to the main one of the humanity of the characters in the nursing home and the possible ending we all face no matter what we have achieved or been throughout our life. Very good and will definitely recommend to others.