The Open House by Sam Carrington
Rating 3.4/5
Amber and Nick Miller are the divorced parents of two sons. Amber and the boys still live in the Miller family home. Nick, a devoted police detective has moved into a small flat but has agreed to let Amber sell the house which was previously his parents. The reason for sale is Amber has met Richard who works at the other end of the country and they want to be together. But someone doesn’t want the sale to go through.
Barb, the interfering mother-in-law, Carl, the smarmy estate agent, is it Nick or Richard or the nosey neighbour?
Amber wants to get the sale moving so agrees to an open house. 13 enter but only 12 leave. It’s creepy, both sons are affected as is Amber. What are the spooky noises, who has been in the house? What, if anything has the new development to do with it?
Some things didn’t seem quite as flowing but all in all, a good read, enjoyed “meeting the characters”. Changed my mind on numerous occasions as to “who”and didn’t see the end coming. Does make you think about potential buyers though.
Thank you to Sharon Carrington, Avon UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read The Open House. In return I have written an honest and unbiased review.

this was a solid 5 going in to the end when it rapidly changed to a 3 1/2 .. The ending was...???? Weird. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

I actually put this down for a few months and forgot about it. Maybe it was the holidays or I just wasn't in the mood for it. Who knows! But I went back to it recently and re-started it and I really enjoyed it.
3.5 stars.
The point of views were very intriguing and this was so well written.

This was a great suspense read that had me glued to the story from start to finish. The twist and turns had me guessing the whole way through and completely surprised me at the end. I would definitely recommend this one to friends and family.

I’m a big fan of Sam Carrington so knew that this wouldn’t disappoint, and boy it didn’t!

This is a page turner of a book, one that keeps you guessing and wanting to read what will happen. Full of unlikeable and unreliable characters, you just don’t know who or what to believe!

Whilst this is definitely a theme that other thrillers have covered before, Sam Carrington has a great way with words and sucks you in deep into her books. You don’t feel satisfied until you have finished the book and found out what has happened.

Whilst parts of the ending were a little unbelievable, it definitely does keep you guessing and the twist is a shocker!

Can’t wait to read more by Sam in the future.

This story was super similar to the movie by the same title, but I still really enjoyed the premise and the writing. The pages practically turned themselves as I waited for the big twist.

I was glued to the pages for the first few chapters of this book and then the constant twists and turns really turned this into a bummer book for me.

I normally love twisty books but this was just a few too many and some were not good. The ending of the book definitely sealed the deal with a lower rating.

I love the premise of Sam Carrington's book The Open House; what a great cover and a great tag line: "Your home is for sale. Thirteen people go inside. Only twelve leave."

The thing is, I ended up feeling a bit disappointed or perhaps misled because, while the open house and the missing 13th person are a huge part of the first 50% of the book, everything spins out of control when an entirely new plotline is introduced mid-way through the story. Don't get me wrong; the second storyline is really, really good and the last 20% of the book is an unstoppable roller coaster. But, at the end of the book, I found myself going back to the book's title and the "only twelve leave" bit and wondering how we got so far off track.

One negative for me is that the two storylines really did not fit together, and I felt like I wound up reading two separate stories that both just happened to involve our main character Amber. A second sticking point is that some of Amber's reactions and choices at the book's end seem quite out of character and are definitely hard to believe.

Having said that, though, both storylines are quite twisty, making for a great psychological thriller that winds up being a domestic thriller. I loved not knowing what was coming next, and I certainly did not have the twists figured out. I will absolutely be on the lookout for other Sam Carrington books.

Thank you to Avon Books, Sam Carrington, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for a copy of “ The Open House “ for an honest review.

Another well written, suspenseful book by Sam Carrington..This book had me hooked from the beginning , and each time I thought I’d sorted out what was happening another element was put into the mix.
If I wanted to nit pick I’d say the ending explanation was a little rushed but I’d still recommend this as an enjoyable read.

Loved this page turner that kept me gripped throughout. There were a number of times where I was sure I'd worked it all out but the author managed to keep throwing in red herrings to put me off. A cleverly written book that is a sure fire hit.

The Open House has an intriguing story that will make you want to check under your bed for intruders before you turn the lights out, and enough suspense that you’ll devour each page.
Thanks netgalley

I was drawn to this book mainly for that captive synopsis. An Open House mystery?! How could I not?

One might feel that the story or the premise aren’t that unique. I agree with you, but the author’s narration and execution of the plot is perfect 👏 The story started off as a slow burn, but kept my interest throughout. It has some intense parts that elevated my impression on this book!

Enjoyable, thrilling & Underrated in my opinion.

Thank you Avon books, Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest opinion.

A very enjoyable read which kept my interest throughout. I recommend this book and look forward to reading more by Sam Carrington.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy of this title in exchange for an unbiased review.

The cover and blurb were exciting but the plot was not. So much potential but slow to get started and a slog to finish.

I am honestly a bit confused with this one. At the beginning it was such a slow burn , without any explanations and expectations about what could be going on, and then at the end so many things happens at once that I needed to sit and think about what actually happened.

Don't know what I was expecting, but it did leave me a bit disappointed in the end.

Wooooooo

My main genre to read are thrillers so of course you get books with similar tropes.
This story isn’t unique.
This plot is not unique.

BUT, this book by Sam Carrington shines out from the many.

Why?
Because it drew me in and spat me out.
Her writing is such that you can’t help but ‘live’ within these pages. You can’t help but get involved with the characters.

Superb premise as it opened up to more dilemmas that added to the already intense feelings I had, the anxiety I had putting myself in the main characters shoes.

Toward the middle of the book I had a short list of names that I should have suspicion over. Reading on......I then cut them down to three likely candidates.

The multiple whammy left my jaw on the floor. WHAT!

They say you never fully know a person, not even if you live with them.
Decisions that had to be made blew my mind, the decisions that some made, rocked my world, when I thought they’d not do this.....they did.

A very good book that I’ll remember for a long time.

A beacon of light amongst similar thrillers.

The ending though did take a star off due to it being a bit unbelievable.

The Open House by Sam Carrington

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

This was a good suspense thriller. Amber really thought she was going crazy. Very different characters. The ending was unexpected, but joyful. Loved this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

Ok so this starts out as a typical whodunnit then you wonder if we have an unreliable narrator then back to what is going on?? The author basically puts you through all the emotions in this book! Amber and Nick are separated and she is trying to sell their home. The real estate agent suggests an open house to get more interest in the property. But after the open house, strange things start happening. Things that creeped me OUT! Are Amber and her two young sons safe in the house? Is Ambers new boyfriend trustworthy? What about the nosy neighbor? What does she know? So many questions and you won’t see the jaw dropping ending coming. I promise. Worth the read!

The Open House has a plot that intrigued me: Nick & Amber are splitting up, and trying to sell their home with no luck. Their real estate agent suggests they set up an open house to assist the process, so they agree, eager to get the house sold & move on from each other.
As the open house happens, Amber watches the guests come & go on her doorbell camera. She believes she sees fewer people leave than entered the home, and afterward some strange events start happening in the home confirming these suspicions.
I enjoyed the twists & altering character chapters that brought the story together!

The Open House, what a book! I thoroughly enjoyed this story, it kept me guessing the whole way through.
Every time I thought I knew what was going on something happened to change my mind.
Amber and Nick have recently separated and Amber is keen to sell up the house to start a new life with Richard her new partner and her 2 sons.
The sale of the house isn’t going well and takes a turn for the worst when the estate agent wants to hold an open house.
Amber also has to contend with Barb her mother in law who doesn’t want Amber and the boys to move away. But how far is she prepared to go to stop them leaving.
This book is one of the quickest books I’ve read in a while as it kept me wanting to read another chapter.
Definitely be looking for more by Sam Carrinton books.
Thank you Sam Carrington, Avon Books UK and NetGalley for an early copy.