The premise sounded so good it hooked me right in! Right from the start, we find that Amber is selling a home she once shared with Nick, a house that he grew up in. An open house takes place and soon afterward strange things begin to happen. There’s a lot of everything going on here that it was tough connecting to a particular character and to follow the many subplots. Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.

This was a rollercoaster! I loved the first 3 quarters of the book- the premise of the open house was so unique and compelling. The ending, however, was difficult to follow- there were so many twists and I felt like it abandoned some of the character development that was set up earlier in the story. Overall, a quick easy read but didn't have any elements that really stood out for me.

I have only read one other book by Sam Carrington - I Dare You - which I loved so much I awarded it 5 stars.
I therefore had high hopes for The Open House. I enjoyed the way the scene was set, a house in the village of Stockwood, on the Apple Grove estate, which once belonged to Barb Miller until she sold it to son Nick and his wife Amber to raise their family in, two gorgeous boys Finley and Leo. The trouble is that is about where the idyll ends for we join the family in the middle of a divorce and a frustrated Amber because the house won't sell. She needs the house to sell in order to move away from Devon and start a new life with the boys and new beau Richard. They are headed for Kent where Richard already lives and works but my heart from the start wasn't in tune with this new relationship, romantic me wanted all to work out for a reconciliation with police officer Nick. He seems to be about the only adult in the novel above suspicion, because this is a tale about people not being who you think they are.
Barb, once a local councillor, is all out to stop any proposed building development going ahead in the village and is desperate to see Amber and the children stay because she doesn't want to lose her grandsons. She has already suffered a huge loss over the years as her eldest son Tim went missing, never to return, at the age of 17 and she is also a widow. This makes the reader empathise with Barb but only to a point as she also seems to be the class mother-in-law from hell, interfering and always knowing best.
Keen to move things along, Amber reluctantly agrees to an open house to prompt suitable buyers to come forward. Carl Anderson is the estate agent at Move Horizon who instigates this initiative and he is the one standing on the doorstep on the day of the event welcoming 13 people into the property.
Amber has the SmartRing app which means she can see who is at the door even though she is not present during the open house. She only counts 12 people coming back out though and that is where the story really begins, one of sinister goings on which unsettle and upset Amber, make her feel unsafe and make her question her sanity. Enter also pretty much the whole cast of the novel as perfectly plausible suspects in this living nightmare and you have page after page of people who could be doing everything they can to either stop any prospective sale from going ahead or prevent the family from moving out. But which is it? And who is it?
Could it be a ghost, poltergeist or real person moving furniture, taking things, breaking the doorbell and standing at the foot of the bed? And why? It is chilling and oh-so-addictively thrilling to read. I often make notes as I read to help me when I write reviews and I got to the point where there were so many crossings out with regards to who I thought was playing a devilishly dark game. I changed my mind so may times. As for working out why, my jottings were indecipherable!
Carrington happily litters the novel with red herrings and a box full of twists. These didn't get packed up when Nick had to move out of the marital home, but once those flaps were lifted, oh my goodness, the twists spewed out all over the place.
There was one right at the end which was pure genius (and leaves a terrible lump in the pit of your stomach) but it is hard to adequately explain why I felt some of the twists should not have been kept, but discarded on the moving-out skip, as I have no desire to spoil the plot for anyone. The trouble is, most of the twists became too many and too implausible. I was heading for a 5 star review and then sadly I feel the ending ran away, spiralling out of control. Yes, there were some brilliantly hidden connections and the novel did keep me on the edge of my seat, but the decisions made by the core characters near the end were monstrous, and just seemed too over the top for what had been, until this point, a dark but believable tale.
It wasn't just the decisions, it was who made them and the consequences after the reader finishes the last page that seemed out of tune with the rest of the story. The genius final twist almost pulled it back for me, but sadly on this occasion, it wasn't quite enough. And this last point is purely personal, but I would have preferred a different outcome in terms of Amber and Nick's family. I therefore award this book 4 stars.
I would still highly recommend this book to others and highly recommend the author to others. It certainly hasn't stopped me from hunting out the Sam Carrington books I have still to read, and placing them near the top of a ridiculously long books-to-be-read list though!
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for this, my honest review.

I don’t understand how this book had 5 stars going for it and then the last 3/4 of the book just went downhill... So many unanswered questions and just overall not even close to a satisfying ending. I felt exhausted reading the last 1/4 of the book because there is just way too much going on and things not making sense. I need answers!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for a free copy in exchange for a review.

What a suspenseful read, "The Open House" turned out to be. I get nervous at the thought of an intruder invading my home, especially at night, watching my children sleep. This alone left me feeling edgy.

This family has more layers than a rotten onion. The author slowly exposed one layer, only to reveal several layers still needing to be discovered. I am not entirely sure how I feel about the ending. Everything just spirals out of control, then bam, it's eight months later and there's yet another reveal! I wouldn't be opposed to a possible follow up? I would like to know what happens to the characters.

I would definitely recommend. Thanks for such an the entertaining read.

I had really high hopes for this book but I found myself so confused halfway through with how busy the plot became and too many characters to follow.

I wanted more suspense and thrill and I felt the ending just came too quick with so many questions unanswered.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sam Carrington and Avon Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Oh wow this is a great read. Such a clever plot idea and totally and utterly creepy, I loved every second. I think it would be amazing as a film.

This is one of those books which was good in parts but had the potential to be a bit better.
Amber & Sam are splitting up. Amber is moving away with their two children to start a new life with Richard. Sam's Mother, Barb, is devastated and adamant that they shouldn't move away. What lengths will Barb go to? Why isn't the house getting any interest? Who are all the people the estate agent is taking into the house if there is no interest?
I really enjoyed getting into this book. Amber is a nice enough character if a bit scatty and always rushing around. Barb is a great character and so forceful about not letting her grandchildren move away. In fact there are several really good characters in this book.
There is a good build up throughout the book - the suspense of wondering who is moving things and did Amber miscount when the viewers were leaving the house? There are some obvious alarm bells which it was easy for the reader to spot but which Amber failed to so do. Then it all started to fall away towards the end and fell dramatically from a 4 to 3 star book. It all got very rushed & I felt as if I was having a lot of information thrown at me at the last minute. This was information that could have been gently added throughout the book rather than added right at the end. It all felt unplanned, rushed & unlikely. A real shame as it was a good read up until then.
On the whole, even taking into account the rushed ending, it wasn't a bad read. It just needed more planning and structure.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

I’ve just finished reading - The open house,, the question is did I like it or not? The simple answer is I’m on the fence. Don’t get me wrong it’s an ok book but the synopsis of the novel made it sound much more exciting than it was & I found it was lacking the suspense & intrigue that you would expect to build in a book where it states quite dramatically that “13 people entered the house but. Only 12 left” I think the biggest thing was I didn’t really enjoy any of the characters and they all just seemed to plod along with in the story. Nothing grabbed my attention and some of the story I thought was quite predictable, The book I feel would make a better TV series than a novel.

The Open House started really well and I found myself completely drawn into the book.

Amber and Nick are divorcing and in the process of selling their house so they can both move on. The house isn’t selling so when the estate agent suggests an open house, Amber reluctantly agrees. The estate agent is creepy enough and Amber can’t help shake the feeling someone is still in the house even after everyone has left. Add into this an interfering mother in law who doesn’t want her to sell the house and some most neighbours and you have a great book.

A lot happens in this book and I felt it did slightly lose its way in part with a lot of twists and turns but it came back together with a great finale.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and the author for the chance to review.

Wow - what a twisted thriller and then...the ending?!?

The story involves a divorced couple, Nick and Amber. She is moving, with the two children, to a new town a few hours away while he remains in the same town as a policeman. What begins as a fairly amicable divorce agreement, they decide to sell their home, which is Nick's family home where he grew up. As Amber puts the house on the market, the dodgy real estate agent suggests an open house. Amber and her boys go to her neighbor's home to wait while the open house is happening. On a security camera, mounted to her front porch, she watches 13 people enter but only 12 people leave. From this point forward, the story really gets interesting as past crimes and manipulations are brought to life. I was really engrossed in this novel, until the last half, where the suspenseful plot becomes diluted with WAY too many twists, turns, and then a completely unbelievable decision, motive, and ending.

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon Book UK, and Sam Carrington for an advanced eBook in exchange for my honest review.

This was a promising book with an interesting premise. I read it at lightening pace, with constant guesses of who the culprit was and why they were doing what they were. That was until the last quarter or so when, as most other reviewers have said, something totally unbelievable happens, and everything goes a bit off the rails and it feels like the author is trying to be a bit too clever.

This was really original and full of suspense. It kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat throughout. Definitely recommend.

The Open House by Sam Carrington was sort of a slow burn for me. Nick and Amber are divorcing, and they need to sell Nick's family home. However, Nick's mom does not want this to happen. Strange things keep on happening at the house. Amber is sure someone is preventing the house from selling but is it her mother-in-law or someone else. The end of the story was a bit convoluted and hard to believe and it did take me a while to get through. It did feel a bit open-ended as I would like to know what happened with Amber and her boyfriend. However, In the end, it was entertaining.
Thanks #NetGalley and #SamCarrington for allowing me to read and review #theOpenHouse

A crazy story with a fascinating premise that took me on a wild ride, and I didn't see the ending coming! I read this book in one evening; I couldn't put it down! Amber Miller is selling her house to be able to move in with her new boyfriend, Richard. Her husband, police detective, Nick, cheated on her, and now they are divorcing, which does not sit well with her nosy mother-in-law, Barb. Carl, her real estate agent, is sketchy and isn't doing a decent job selling her house. Throw in the eccentric neighborhood gossip, Davina, and you have a full cast of curious, if not suspicious, characters.

Due to Amber's concern about the house's lack of interest, Carl arranges for an open house. During said open house, she stays at a friend's house down the street and, using her doorbell app, monitors how many people show up and counts thirteen people beside Carl entering the house. Afterward, Amber only counts twelve people leaving the house. She checks the house out carefully before letting her children back in but doesn't find anything suspicious.

Here is where it gets crazy. Strange things start happening. Weird noises, furniture moved in the middle of the night, her children seeing a man in their rooms are just a few of the creepy things that occur. I would have been out of that house so fast, your head would spin! To her credit, Amber is scared, but she sticks it out. I won't go on further because I don't want to give anything away. As I was reading, I was mesmerized, waiting to find out who was behind everything and why. I thought I knew, and I did guess partly, but in no way did I guess the whole wild ending. A lot is going on in this book, but it is not hard to follow, and the suspense is palpable. Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher, Avon Books, UK, for the opportunity to read this exciting book! I gave it four stars!

Well it was interesting enough to finish but that’s about it. I’m not going into detail about the basic plot because you can read that in the description. Little things keep happening to make Amber think someone has been or still is in her house. This should have been super suspenseful. I was excited for it. But instead I found it to be really slow, I was not on the edge of my seat, I was just impatient. I figured out some of the twists but it was A LOT. There either needed to be fewer twists or they needed to be revealed more gradually. The latter would have made for a much better progression. The plot would have moved more quickly and there wouldn’t have just been a big convoluted info dump at the end. I’m giving it 3 stars because I see potential but personally I think it needs editing.

Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars- If you like HGTV... this open house is not like the ones you see on that channel. A divorced couple needs to unload the house, split the profits, and have their lives start over.

An open house is scheduled because they are not having any nibbles. Thirteen people come into the house look around, make all those types of commitments that make you cringe, and then they are supposed to leave. The owners would normally be hoping for some sales action.

Instead, the only thing that seems to be happening is 13 people came in, and somehow, only 12 left. The mystery of this house and all the other elements are the focus.

Thank you to the publishers & author for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Amber & Nick are in the process of divorcing & selling the family home, but there are strange goings on & Amber isn't sure if someone is trying to help or hinder her selling the house.

I really liked the dual perspective of Amber & her soon-to-be ex-mother-in-law Barb. I was intrigued from start to finish by this book, & although I did guess some elements, it didn't lessen my enjoyment of the plot. I thought it was mysterious without being overly frightening. I also enjoyed the fact that nearly every character had a secret of some sort & finding out which ones linked together.

I would definitely recommend this book & I would read more by the same author.

The story started well with a good plot and suspense, but as the book progressed it became twisted to confusing and unbelievable proportions. Some characters are just left off and others brought on suddenly and the core events of the past over which the whole story revolves around is told in a few lines in the conclusion with no explanation. I enjoyed the author’s previous book but this one made me roll my eyes. Sorry 2.5 stars

Thirteen people go in, but only twelve come out.
That’s what Amber notices on her ring camera while spying on her own open house. Did she count correctly? She’s sure she did. It’s this moment she regrets not paying for the subscription with the added features of recording on her home security camera. Where could the last viewer have gone? Is he hiding in her home, waiting for her to come back? As if noting one less person leaving your home wasn’t disturbing enough. Strange things start happening around Amber’s home. Belongings are going missing or turning up in places they weren’t placed, loud noises can be heard through the house, and one of her sons has a reoccurring nightmare. Could all of this somehow be linked? Should she be scared for her and her family or is she imagining these events due to the overwhelming stress she has been experiencing lately?
I absolutely loved this book! I tried so hard to guess the outcome of the story and I failed miserably. I could have never guessed this ending and was loved how flawlessly Sam Carrington pieced everything together. I don’t have a single question left unanswered and am eager to read more work by this author. She definitely has a talent for drawing people in and making them want to know more! I highly recommend this to fellow Psychological Thriller fans.