That yellow door on the cover looked so inviting I had no other choice but to enter this story as one of the people who entered the Open House. As the 13th people who didn't come out of the house, I stayed inside for the most part, but sadly I was shown the exit in the last 20% (in fact, I was kicked my ass out).

Amber and Nick are getting a divorce, so they're selling their house. It is Nick's childhood home and Barb, Amber's monster-in-law, sorry, mother-in-law, is not so happy with this sale. When the estate agent proposes an Open House, Amber begrudgingly agrees and secretly watches from her doorbell cam app who goes into her house. 13 people enter. Only 12 people leave. How could this be? Was it just a misscount or is something more sinister afoot?

I was loving this one from the get go. The creepy incidents inside the house, Barb's antics, the annoying neighbor... It was so fast paced that when I realized I was already halfway through. With so many characters and subplots I had lots of theories in my head.

It was a 4 stars read all along, but then the ending happened. WTF?! I could not have been more disappointed. The first part of the ending, the one about the house, felt so simple and pedestrian I could not believe that was all there was to it. The second part was like being in the middle of a soap opera. It went on for far too long. I kept saying to myself "please, stop there" with every new twist, but no, another twist was thrown in. This book is the perfect example of a story suffering from the "too many twists" disease.

I won't talk about Amber's final decision, but it was so out of character that it kinda ruined all the previous good parts.

Entertaining and fast paced domestic suspense with a not so satisfaying ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn’t resist the look of this book - the cover, the description and the author all drew me in. It’s a compelling story with an interesting premise and is delivered with Sam Carrington’s usual engaging writing style.

There are twists and turns at every corner in this story - which admittedly I did find to be a tad too much at times but some of the juicier, more believable ones do make you want to continue reading to see what will happen next.

The story is written from the POV of 3 characters - protagonist Amber, soon to be ex mother-in-law Barbara and also a mystery third party. I’ve read one other book from Sam and adored her style of writing and she definitely didn’t disappoint with that element in this one either. Toward the end, I did find some of the revelations implausible which I think stopped me from being fully invested but overall, it’s an an entertaining story, packed with lots of detail and should appeal to many thriller fans.

Huge thank you to Avon Books & Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book - The Open House
Author - Sam Carrington
Genre - Thriller Fiction
Publication - Avon , HarperCollins UK.

This book will br published on 10th December 20

🏡 This is thrilling, exhilarating mystery where from the start you don't know what exactly is going to happen and till the end you don't know what twist might come next.

I thank @netgalley, @avon @harpercollinsuk and @samcarrington for providing me advance review copy ❤

🏡 The story is beautifully written with the proper amount of mystery added right from the start. The story moves in chapters.The first being
- Amber , mother of two kids- Leo and Finley who just has separated from her husband Nick
-the next chapter is from Barbs, Nick's mothers point of view where she desperately wants to keep her sons family intact, stop Amber from selling their ancestral home and move out of town with her boyfriend Richard.
-the next chapter is written from the culprits point of view. Where we come to know something bad is happening but not who does it and how. This chapter connects with you , builds the mystery, keeps you intrigued as we all know the house has strange happenings after 13 people enter to view it and only 12 come out.
🏡 The story connects with the reader right from the start and you are kept hanging and praying for the well being of the kids and all the characters. Things move in the house mysteriously so there is a spooky angle as well, so makes up for a nice October Halloween read. The best part is the end. The last 50 pages or is unexpectedly the high point of the book, with so many twists and secrets unraveling that once the book ends you are like OMG!! This was Totally unexpected.
🏡 A must read, spooky, intriguing, neat mystery with no trigger warnings or dark secrets.

Great read. The author really draws the reader into the story. Will definitely read another book by this author.

Oh my gosh! I whipped through this crazy well crafted thriller! Interesting flawed characters drive an intrinsically twisted plot. So many red herrings! The main characters, the mother in law you love to hate, the harried, single mom whose ex is just a phone call away and the wonderfully batty neighbor! And that ending!? Trust me, get your hands on this book and follow me down the rabbit hole!

Amber and Nick (with 2 sons) divorce. Barb, Nick's mother, hangs around the house more than a
lot to see her only grandchildren. She is the driving force behind Amber's idea to move hours away.

What is the LIE that started "all this"? The Prologue keeps the reader glued to the book hanging on to see what "lie" is so important - and whose lie it is...

Amber and Nick will split the proceeds from the sale of the house. But it is not selling...

It is then that Amber's real estate agent suggests an open house...

Splendid!

Many Thanks to AVON books, UK and NetGalley for this great read!

Amber and her husband are recently separated and trying to sell their house. Despite it being in a desirable location, nobody seems to be interested. Amber can't figure out why and seems to think her meddling soon-to-be-ex mother-in-law may have something to do with it. When an open house is suggested, Amber is hesitant but decides to go along with it. Unfortunately, that could be a fatal mistake because not everybody who came to the open house left.

There were a lot of twists and turns in this book for sure, but it never really pulled me in. Maybe it's because I didn't care for the characters? Maybe it's because the plot wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be? I can't really put my finger on it, but I just couldn't properly engage in this book. I also found the twists to be for shock value more than to carry the plot. This is particularly true of the final twist. It was meant to be one last gut-punch, but it lacked impact and was unnecessary.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book quickly because it was such a page turner, but the ending just ruined the reading high I was on. It had a twist, and then another twist and then the whole thing just went off the rails and became annoying and maddening. The character we'd gotten to know did something, for lack of a better phrase, out of character and that brought the whole book down in my opinion. Oh well, I enjoyed the ride while it lasted.

Started strong and easy to read. The characters never really developed for me. Interesting storyline — the premise is intriguing. The end feels rushed and like too many things are being thrown in at once.

This was a fun mystery/thriller filled with lots of twists and turns.. I could not put this book down. It's one of those where you just have to know the ending. Definitely recommend. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I like the premise of the book and as the storyline progresses there is some tension and suspense especially in the second half. It is an easy read and entertaining in places.

I did find the beginning of the book slow to start in the first half but stuck with it & was pleasently surprised. Would definitely recommend to others.

Woah. Woah. WOAH. That is the only one I can think of to sum up my feelings about this book.

This book is personally all I feel as though I could ask for in a thriller. The cover is amazing. The description is amazing and was I hooked from the very start? Yes, I was!

Amber has put her house up for sale after splitting up from her husband, Nick and is planning to move her and their two sons away so she could live with her new boyfriend, Richard. But, for some reason, the house isn't selling and Amber has an idea as to why this may be. Then one day, her estate agent sets up an open house event to Amber witnesses 13 people show up, but only 12 leave her house.

I love books that alternate between POV's. This book alternates between Amber's and her mother-in-law, Barb and also the occasional appearance of an unknown third party.

This book was fast paced, gripping, entertaining, dramatic and just all round amazing. I would like to say that I had a feeling I knew what was going to happen at the end but in reality, I had no idea. Which I think is the sign of a good thriller, right?

This isn't the first Sam Carrington book I have read and it most definitely will not be the last. Well done on another amazing read!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book is creepy creepy creepy!
The plot is utterly brilliant and all emulating from a very simple everyday occurrence. It’ll definitely have you looking over your shoulder.

After splitting up with her husband, Amber is anxious to sell her house and move on with her life. Despite the house’s great location, there has been little interest. When her estate agent suggests an open house, she reluctantly agrees. But that afternoon, 13 people enter her house, but only 12 leave… what follows is a series of strange and suspenseful events. Who is the thirteenth viewer? And who can Amber trust? One by one she begins to doubt those around her.. her ex-husband, her stubborn mother-in-law, her new boyfriend, and her nosy neighbor are all hiding something

The premise of this book instantly had me hooked and kept me intrigued throughout the story. The characters were realistic, and there were a few subplots that came together in a satisfying way by the end. The ending was packed full of twists and turns, and I found myself saying “wait, what??” more times than I can count (in a good way!). As soon as you think you’ve figured out what’s going on, something else comes to light that changes everything. This one will really keep you guessing until the last sentence!

4.5 stars

This book started really well. The plot description pulled me in and I was gripped for the first quarter of it.
The story was narrated by various characters, one of whom was anonymous. After a while, I found Barb, the mother in law, quite annoying. The action did not progress as fast or be as eventful as I would have liked. I know it was titled “The Open House” so maybe I am being unrealistic in hoping for more. However, I found the main characters for the most part unpleasant or unlikeable and the ending was disappointing.
I fully expected to love this book, but sadly I didn’t. However, I am sure many people will love it. It just was not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for the free copy of this book. Sam Carrington is one of my absolute favorite authors. I was so happy to get this book and excited to start reading the story. The first part of the book is a little slow but still entertaining. It kept me interested and curious to see what was going on with Amber's house. Was somebody deliberately trying to stop the sale of the house? If yes, then why? Very interesting premise and as always never disappointing narration style.

Amber Miller has separated from her husband Nick and has met Richard and wishes to move in with him. So, their house goes up for sale but after little interest the estate agent suggests and Open House viewing. From then on her life derails and some unnerving things happen .... The story is told by Amber and her mother in law Barb.

First of all, I like the premise of the book and as the storyline progresses there is some tension and suspense especially in the second half. It is an easy read and entertaining in places. There are some characters that are very easy to picture however, there are far too many to get your head around. I can’t say I warm to either Amber and especially to Barb who is a more than annoying mother in law, in fact she definitely has a dark side and I wouldn’t wish to cross her!! Amber gives us a lot of unnecessary information which gets on your nerves and interrupts the flow of the story. The pace is not quick enough, the plot becomes too busy and I can’t say I especially like the style of writing although that is obviously a personal preference. The end is not very good, it falls flat and the author takes massive jumps to get us there. Some things are unresolved and leave you with questions.

Overall, a mixed experience, there are some really good parts that I enjoy but others that are disappointing. I’m left feeling that there are opportunities that have been missed here as this should have been a cracking read.

With thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for the arc copy in return for an honest review.

My mind is blown. Literally!

"Thirteen people go inside. Only twelve leave." WHAT?! I was hooked by this before even starting the book and new it was going to be good.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters had me gripped throughout and I had n0 idea h0w it was going to turn out and not even the slightest idea of what was going to happen at the end. I definitely didn’t expect that ending, that’s for sure.

The book definitely creeped me out and did make me too scared to leave my room at one point. A thriller where children come out with really creepy stuff definitely turns me into a bit of a wuss but I think that’s what makes it a good thriller. Especially reading it during October, a creepy read was needed on the run up to Halloween.

One thing I know for sure I will never be doing after reading this book is.... never putting my house through and Open House event if it ever goes on the market. NO CHANCE.

I do wish that the ending had a little bit more to it, as the rest of the book was so gripping and made me wanted to read more and the ending didn’t really do that for me after finding out the twist. This knocks a star off from me, however I recommend this book so much.

I very much enjoyed the twist at the end of this book, but sadly I was bored through the rest of it.

I wish there was some more action or more suspenseful things that happened. The plot seemed to move along but there are so many unanswered questions left.

I unfortunately really couldn't form an emotion connection with the characters, their wasn't much depth to them. So I didn't really care what happened to them.

Overall, it was a thriller with a good twist at the end! I just wish getting there had a little more oomph.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publisher and Sam Carrington for an advance copy of this book.

Great start, but give me more! I read a lot of thrillers. I recently read Anxious People and wanted another mystery in an open house! I really enjoyed where it was going but wanted more at the end! I think this was a really good read that kept me interested but could have been great! Great premise and I am excited to see more from Sam Carrington! Thank you so much!