Amber wants to start a new life with a man she met online, Richard, and her 2 kids from ex-husband Nick. Hence Amber tries to sell the house she’s currently living in, which was handed down to her my mother-in-law Barb.

What is supposed to turn out as normal open house from her real estate agent, becomes a nightmare when Amber sees 13 people going in and only 12 people coming out from her Ring camera. Bizarre events such as missing and reappearing items begin to take place even though Amber made sure nobody is home. Everyone around her also start acting suspiciously. Could it be annoying Barb? Or her ex Nick? Or the dodgy real estate agent? Ot even her nosy, village gossip neighbor? You’ll have to read to find out!

I really liked the premise of this book. How many books do we read of an open house going South? Unfortunately this book didn’t deliver for multiple reasons. First of all, the book was reaaaaally drawn out. The lead character was very repetitive guessing and second guessing herself creating a vicious cycle of ideas that just made me keep looking at the percentage I needed to finish on my Kindle. The next problem was again the main character. You literally have two nosy people in your life yet you choose to confide to those said 2 nosy people. How do you think that’s going to turn out? Now I LOVE unlikeable characters. But Amber was just downright stupid. Also don’t get me started about running away with kids with an online stranger you know you don’t even get along with. Non-starter there. All in all this book did not work for me. I feel very bad writing this review but it is what it is and I can’t recommend this book.

I’m a big fan of this author and was looking forward to Open House-what a brilliant hook for a book and the premise of less people coming out of a house than going in really appealed to me. The first half slowly built up the tension and then it went completely nuts in the second half with twist after twist until my head was spinning! I wasn’t completely sold on the epilogue which disappointed me a little bit overall a solid psychological thriller.

This was one twisty mystery/thriller! This book had a bit of everything - some ghost story vibes (but is it really a ghost story?), family drama, secrets in the pasts, thrills and chills, and a big mystery of who (or what) is trying to keep Amber from selling their family home. After Amber and Nick's split, they've agreed to sell their house and Amber is going to move with the kids to be near her boyfriend. Nick's mom definitely isn't happy about the situation - her family home gone and her grandchildren moving hours away. But to her relief, even though the house is in a great location, there hasn't been any interest at all. Amber doesn't understand - is someone trying to keep the house from selling?

But when the estate agent suggests having an open house, Amber's worries about having meddling neighbors and tons of strangers in her home turn out to have merit - watching on her video doorbell, she sees thirteen people enter the house, but only twelve people leave. Strange things start happening, stranger than the lack of interest in viewings. Things appearing and disappearing, things moving in the night. Is there someone in the house? Is Amber just being paranoid after what she thought she saw on the doorbell? Is someone now trying to scare them away? What on earth is going on?

If you like suspenseful thrillers, family dramas with lots of buried secrets and resentments that inevitably come to light, and mysteries where people are not who they seem, this is the book for you! The short, quick chapters from different perspectives made the book super engaging and easy to read. I flew through it as the insanity happening in this house built and more suspects were added to the list. There were some voiceover chapters interspersed throughout where an omniscient (but unnamed) character shares their thoughts and regrets about what's to come, foreshadowing the ending. These chapters pulled me out of the story a bit - they felt overdramatized and overly vague and rambling. I could have done without them as there was enough suspense in the story itself without the added foreshadowing. But apart from those chapters, this was a fast and thrilling read that I really enjoyed!

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

When I read the sinopsis from this book I believed that it would be a really good read. This is almost the truth.

In the novel, we meet Amber and Nick, who are divorcing, when we start to read it, due to an infidelity from him. Also, Barb (Mom’s of Nick) is introduced to the narrative too. Amber will be gone to live in another city and needs to sell Nick's family house. She decided to do an open door visit, but she saw that not all of the people that come to the house leave it. This is the premise of the book, but there are a lot of things that make the reader have a several number of plot twists.

In order to talk about the characters, I believe that they are so interesting. The main characters, Amber and Barb have a perfect balance in the narrative.
The first woman wants to live something that she thinks is “the perfect life” with her sons and her boyfriend, Richard. Her personality is something that I like most of the time, but sometimes when she is with Ricard I want to introduce myself in the book and say to her “Please, open your eyes and go out, because he is a bad boy”. By the way, I like her narration part, they are all so mysterious, and keep your attention to know what is happening.
On the other hand, Barb is like a lion, she wants to keep all the things like always and stay with her grandsons forever. Her parts are so agonizing, she made me feel desperate and keen to know what secret she was being hidden.

The other characters are good and complex too. I feel that Davina is a good companion to Amber, because she helps her to solve some things that are blinded to the main character and her background is amazing too. The male characters are part of the atmosphere to produce a wonderful story, they have different personalities and balance the narration.

The narration is so fluent, simple and got me hooked to read more and more. You can’t say only one chapter, because you need to continue the reading to know the end of the book.

This part, the final, is maybe the portion that I feel that is not so good that I would like. I think that it isn’t my favourite section, I feel a little bit disappointed with it.

To sum up, this book was a really good reading with a lot of mystery, complex characters and an attractive narrative.

I want to express my gratitude to Netgalley and Avon to allow me to read this book.

Everyone’s welcome. But not everyone leaves…

Amber Miller split from her husband Nick a year ago and the house they shared in Devon is now on the market so she and her two boys can go and live with her new boyfriend Richard, in Kent but the house isn't getting any viewings, so when her estate agent suggests an open house viewing, Amber reluctantly agrees. As she's concerned about who will turn up for the viewing, she decides to watch from her friends house on her doorbell app, much to her surprise 13 people turn up and go into the house with the estate agent, but only 12 leave, what has happened to the other person and more importantly who is sabotaging the sale of her house and what do they stand to gain from doing it. Amber is becoming increasingly suspicious of everyone she knows and decides to try and find out, but she may be shocked at what she discovers.

Right from the prologue of this latest book I was intrigued and the intrigue continued throughout, I changed my mind so many times as to who was responsible for the strange goings on at Amber's house but nothing prepared me for the revelations when they came, and oh wow, they came in their droves at the end!! I felt sorry for Amber but I couldn't get a connection with any of the other characters, and didn't trust Richard one bit, he was too shifty for my liking. I loved the short chapters and the way Carrington drip-feeds the plot to you, keeping you wanting more. The story is told from three different perspectives; Amber, Barbara and an unknown person, with the author portraying them all well. Amber doesn't know whether she's coming or going most of the time, Barbara is being the typical interfering mother in law, not wanting her grandsons to be taken away from her, and the unknown person, never giving away any clues to their identity until they had to. This is the fourth book that I've read by this author and, just like her others, is a great read.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books for the approval, I will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads

This book started out well... but it's just A LOT.

A messy-ish divorce, difficult mother-in-law, new virtual relationships, sketchy real estate agents, nosy neighbours with secrets, and, of course, an open house.

This had me rapt for the first bit. I really wanted to know what was going on. Then, I started to think I knew what was going on. Then, I definitely figured out a few of the twists before they were revealed. Then, the whole thing just went off the rails. There's just too much going on. Too many twists. Too many questions raised without believable answers. Too many capricious characters with odd motivations.

The first "explanation" of the things going on in the house is so simple and straightforward, that I found myself shrugging in disappointment. Then, the rest of the twists start to reveal themselves and the whole thing just comes crashing down in a disaster that left me shaking my head and facepalming. When suspense and thrills go from plausible to completely bonkers, I completely lose interest. I'm sad with how my relationship with this read developed. I really had high hopes for it.

Thank you to Avon Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Amber and Nick are getting divorced. Nick has been kicked out of the marital home for cheating on Amber. She finds love online and plans to sell the house. Her new boyfriend, Richard (who lives a few hours drive away) is splitting up with his wife and plans to sell his house whereupon they will move in together in loved-up bliss. So Amber has the open house her selling suggests. She watches proceedings on her doorbell camera app as 13 people enter the house but only 12 leave. Oops!

So the book starts pretty well but the open house is when it all kicks off and Amber finds herself as the proverbial meat in an excrement sandwich! She is being pulled in opposite directions. Her mother-in-law, the very opinionated Barb, doesn’t want her to sell the family home and move away with her grandchildren. But it seems other forces are very keen for her to sell. And then the weirdness starts! It’s all the usual stuff - things that go bump in the night, things being moved around the house, feelings of being watched and so on.

And for a while it was all ok. Amber is actually quite a likeable character, she doesn’t act (very) crazy and she is quite feisty. Many of the characters are larger than life stereotypes - the nosy neighbour, the pushy mother-in-law and the shifty real estate agent to name a few. Ok, no worries, I can buy into that but it went too far. There was (at least) one twist too many, and the ending... let’s just say I didn’t like Amber so much after that! Overall, this was a book that I mostly enjoyed. It could have better with a bit more finesse, especially towards the end. Dear authors - you don’t need to throw in the kitchen sink! Sometimes less is more. Still, it was very readable and will appeal to those who enjoy domestic noir, psychological thrillers and lots of twists! Thanks to Netgalley, Avon Books UK and Sam Carrington for providing a copy. My opinions are my own. 3.5 stars rounded down.

EXCERPT: No one will find out.

Those were the words I'd spoken. It was what I'd believed then, that day. The day after. The week after. Every time.

Until now.

Now I knew them to be a lie. I had no idea what would happen though. Everyone makes mistakes. It was just unfortunate that several of them came to light all at one point in time. And the lies, untruths - whatever you want to call them - had a knock-on effect.

One event started it. One I hadn't known about - couldn't possibly have been aware of, even.

ABOUT 'THE OPEN HOUSE': Everyone’s welcome. But not everyone leaves…

Nick and Amber Miller are splitting up and selling their Devon family home. But despite the desirable location, the house isn’t moving. Not a single viewing so far.

When their estate agent suggests an open house event, Amber agrees, even as she worries about their gossiping neighbours attending and snooping around their home.

But Amber has more to worry about than nosy neighbours. Because thirteen people enter her house that afternoon, and only twelve leave.

Someone doesn't want the house to sell, and is willing to do anything to stop it…

MY THOUGHTS: I was wanting sinister and creepy. Instead I got soap-opera.

Amber is self-obsessed, whiny and insecure. I thought Nick should be glad to be divorced by her. But his manipulative mother, Barb, manages to make even Amber look good in comparison. Honestly, the only characters I liked in this book were the children, Finley and Leo. This seems to be a common thread in the last few books that I have read.

The plot of The Open House by Sam Carrington was all over the place. My most recurrent thought was 'wtf?' I couldn't understand Amber's thought processes or decisions. I know that at times of great stress we tend not to act rationally, but this was taking it to the extreme. I really had to suspend all belief at the ending, which just left me shaking my head in disbelief.

The story is told in first person from the points of view of Amber, Barb, and an unknown person. But even then I failed to get the sense of being there. I felt remote, removed from the storyline.

I didn't enjoy this author's writing style. It was repetitive and flat. I wouldn't class this as a mystery, nor a psychological thriller, or any kind of thriller really. Nor did I find it at all suspenseful. So I have settled on a classification of family drama.

On the positive side, the chapters are short, and the book is a quick read. I know that this will appeal to a lot of people, unfortunately I am not one of them.

⭐⭐.5

#TheOpenHouse #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Sam Carrington lives in Devon with her husband, two border terriers and a cat. She has three adult children and a new grandson! She worked for the NHS for fifteen years, during which time she qualified as a nurse. Following the completion of a psychology degree she went to work for the prison service as an Offending Behaviour Programme Facilitator. Her experiences within this field inspired her writing. She left the service to spend time with her family and to follow her dream of being a novelist.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Avon Books UK via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Open House by Sam Carrington for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Talk about a wait and see rollercoaster of a book! This kept me intrigued with the tidbits of info we get throughout the book- and the anonymous third narrator we hear from at times- but at about the 80% mark, it really hits the fan! I read this one on the back of When No One Is Watching, and they had similar vibes for the beginning of the book, but then our mystery gets cracked wide open! It all starts when Amber sees thirteen people go into her open house and only sees twelve come out. She thinks someone is sabotaging her sale and she turns to some unlikely characters for help. A classic whodunnit PLUS a suspenseful modern day thriller. Don't sleep on this one, the ending will seal the deal for you!

The Open House is an entertaining read which certainly doesn’t fall into the category ‘believable’, but is quite good fun nonetheless. Sam Carrington takes a subject that many of us are probably fearful of – the thought that someone could be inside your home without you realising it – and creates a fast-paced read with some really creepy parts.

Now, if you’re a fan of realistic plot lines, this won’t be for you. There were plenty of moments that made me raise my eyebrows, some parts I could see coming from a mile off, and the ending is, quite frankly, ridiculous.

However, the characters are likable enough; I thought Amber was easy to warm to and I liked reading about Nick, though he had his faults. Interfering mother-in-law Barb is a pain in the a*se, but she’s supposed to be, and occasionally the chapters take the reader into her mind.

I think there were just too many twists presented towards the end; I have to admit I love twists that surprise me but I think this was just a bit too much for me. Overall, an entertaining read, but nothing to rave about.

What a nice surprise to realize that I finished this book right on the publication date. I got this book months ago, but didn't start it until recently. This book tells the story of Amber and the strange events that follows after an open house event. After her divorce, and with a new boyfriend, Amber decides to put her house on the market and move to a new city to be close to her lover. However, a series of frightening events shows that something, or someone, is trying to keep Amber in the house, or would it be making sure that she leaves as soon as possible?
The whole situation is very confusing, for Amber and for the reader. The author keeps the reader mostly blindfolded for a good part of the book. The several secondary characters misguide Amber and sometimes the reader, but they lack depth. The narrative is well written, the chapters well organized, the purposeful gaps are well placed and can be easily filled by the reader. But... I feel that many secondary characters and secondary stories are not well explored. If they weren't present, they would not interfere or make any contribution to the main story.
I was going slow on the first half of the book, just like Amber's story. But once the plot twist came, the story resolved itself very quickly and I couldn't put the book down. I must say that I didn't like the plot twist, how the story resolved itself, and maybe I didn't like how the author put it out. In general, I would say this is a good book. I bet lots of people are going to like it, and I would still recommend it. It is not because I didn't like the end of the story that this means it is a bad book.
This is the first time I read this author and I am willing to give another try and read another story.

The Open House by Sam Carrington is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Avon, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

Amber Miller is trying to sell her home and move on with her life after splitting up with her husband Nick.  She has a new man in her life, and she and her two small boys plan to move in with him....as soon as the house sells.

Unfortunately, Amber is running into problems.

Barb, her soon-to-be ex-mother-in-law refuses to accept the breakup, and to make it worse, refuses to accept that the house will be sold, as once upon a time, it had been her home.

Amber's real estate agent Carl seems to be dropping the ball.  When he finally has an open house, Amber notices that of the 13 people that went into her house that day, only 12 exited.

Things are being moved around in her house, and her sons believe there is someone in the house at night.

Nick, her ex, doesn't seem very concerned.

Richard, her new boyfriend lives far away, and isn't really any help at all.

Nosy neighbour Davina may not be as much help as Amber would hope.

Amber just wants it all to stop.  Maybe she should just sell to the big development firm no matter what everyone tells her.




My Opinions:   

This was good.  Not great, but good.  The book is about family, and lies, and secrets.

The story alternates between different points of view - Amber, Barb, and an unknown character.

The characters were okay, although I found Amber very weak, and the decisions she made were terrible.  She just pissed me off, as she always bowed to her mother-in-law, her ex, her real estate agent....  She made excuses for everyone.  Everyone just took advantage of her.  Her last decision was the worst.

As well, although the suspense was great, there were almost too many suspects, too many red herrings.  Everyone had their own agenda.  While I did guess some things correctly, there were certainly others I missed.

The final outcome of the story was just disappointing.

I'll probably be in the minority, but I didn't enjoy this as much as some of her other books, but it certainly won't stop me to jumping on the next one she writes.  I love her style

Not a bad read but there's just too many characters to follow. I found some good qualities in this book and some not so good. Amber is the main person along with her mother in law, who is a bit annoying. Has a suspicious and darkness to her. The story has a lot of things throughout that didn't need to be there. Too much going on at once. Chaotic at times. Something is missing in the end.
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

Amber and Nick are getting a divorce. They are the parents of Finley and Leo. Nick now has his own place and Amber will sell the family home and then she and the boys will move to Kent to be near her new boyfriend, Richard. The house originally belonged to Nick’s mother, Barb, who sold it to them before she moved into an assisted living residence. Amber and Barb have a somewhat difficult relationship and Barb does not want her to move and take her grandsons away from her.

Amber has an estate agent named Carl who has yet to bring a prospective buyer to her in two months. She has given him a key to the house and now she wishes she hadn’t. When she calls to get it back from him, he suggests she have an open house. While she isn’t comfortable with that, she agrees. Watching the open house on her cell phone from her neighbor’s house, she counts 13 people enter the house, but only 12 leave. Feeling she must have miscounted, she can’t help but think someone is still in her house.

When things seem to disappear only to reappear later, Amber wonders if it’s just that she is so busy that she may be confused. But she Leo wakes saying someone is at the foot of his bed but she finds no one there, she is convinced something sinister is going on.

As she gets to know her neighbor, Davina, things begin to fall into place. But what is really going on?

Wow! At first, I thought this was going to be a simple little mystery but it certainly did grow into something much bigger. I would never have imagined what happened here and feel that the author has certainly outdone herself. Enjoy!

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

A great paced book that kept me hooked and guessing throughout! Towards the end I couldn’t stop reading though I did start feeling confused at one point where it seemed like nothing could possibly fit together, my theories were thrown out the window and I didn’t guess the ending at all, even when you think you know it, you’re thrown another twist! I loved that there were more parts to the story than I guessed and that my thinking changed with almost every chapter as to who could be behind everything!

I really loved the main character, Amber, and felt for her in the stressful situation she was in and all the shocking revelations she discovered. I loved the short chapters and the drip-feed of information and clues that keeps you hooked for more. I’d definitely recommend this book to thriller fans!

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @avon_books for the ARC

Nick and Amber Miller are separating and selling their Devon family home. But no one has come to view their home despite it's desirable location. The Estate Agent suggests holding an open house event. Amber agrees even though she's worried about nosey neighbours showing up. But Amber had more to worry about! Thirteen people entered her house that day but only twelve leave.

This is a well written, gripping and twisted thriller. The suspense and tension build throughout the book. The pace is fast and you will keep turning the pages needing to find out more. There were times when I was on the edge of my seat. The story is told from Amber and her mother-in-law perspectives. It's full of twists and an ending I didn't see coming. A quick and easy book to read.

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

After separating, Amber and Nick Miller are having to sell the family home which is not without its problems as Nick’s mother, Barbara, isn’t keen on Amber taking her grandchildren to start a new life in a different town. Amber is eager to start a new life but the problem is that the house just isn’t attracting any interest. When her estate agent suggests that an Open House event Amber isn’t keen on the idea but, against her better judgement, is talked into it.

Amber’s worst fear of strangers looking through her private space is only the start of her troubles as watching the event surreptitiously on her phone, she counts thirteen people entering her home ...but only twelve people come out!

What then follows is tense psychological thriller which takes you on a roller coaster of a ride as Amber gets drawn further, and further, into a mystery of epic proportions. There are so many twists and turns in this complicated plot that I had difficulty in keeping up with what was happening, whilst at the same time I was absolutely gripped by the lengths that someone was going to in order to keep Amber’s house from being sold.

I’ve really enjoyed this clever psychological thriller, and whilst there were times when I had to suspend belief, especially with the ending, this is fiction after all, I decided to just roll with the conclusion and take it for what it was, an entertaining, and thought provoking family drama.

I enjoyed this book, it definately kept me guessing throughout and the ending shocked me but in a good way! I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good thriller!

The story started well with Nick and Amber splitting up, the reasons of it were hinted at, and the mother-in-law opposing the split. The house was put up for sale and no bites. That made the MIL happy as she was hiding something which was kept in shadows until the end.

The estate agent suggested an open house to build up interest. 13 people entered and only 12 left. Where was the last one? The children soon complained of someone watching them at night.

What can I say about this book?! Author Sam Carrington started the story with a bang, building up the intrigue in every page.

The plot line appeared strong and exciting

Until

The ending spoiled it all. It was so unbelievable

I read and enjoyed most parts of it. I wished it kept to the same vein it started out with. The last few chapters left me way out of the ballpark which might be a good thing for some.

Read it to believe it!!

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon Books UK and the Author, Sam Carrington for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a suspenseful psychological thriller with many shady characters who all or none could have something to do with the creepiness going on in the main protagonists house.
I found myself repeatedly thinking "if only" the protagonist did this or that in regard to all of her thoughts and instincts. None the less a great fast paced read. My second read from this Author and won't be my last.