This was an incredible story. Chamberlain never disappoints. When the past and present clash in this one it will bring tears to your eyes. The characters feel so real and are written so well, that you feel for them. I enjoyed the back and forth chapters of past and present. I knew the story was leading up to something but I never would have figured it all out. What an ending! Just explosive. I would highly recommend this one and continue to always read her books!

Another great book from Diane Chamberlain. I love it when I find an author that I can always count on for a book that I know I will like.

The story is told in two different time periods.

In 1965 the main character is Ellie. Ellie lives in Round HIll, North Carolina. When Ellie finds out that SCOPE is coming to the south to help get blacks registered to vote, Ellie puts aside her very comfortable life to join them. Against the advice of her friends and her parents, she sets off. It’s very dangerous, the KKK is active and Ellie is one of the few from the South participating.

In 201 the main character is Kayla. Kayla’s husband died in an accident before they could move into the beautiful house that they are having built in Shadow Ridge Estates. When Kayla does finally move in with her daughter, it seems that someone is trying to scare her away.

This is almost like two different stories. The part with Ellie reads like historical fiction and the part with Kayla reads like a psychological thriller. It’s like getting two great stories in one.

I loved the way each story developed and I loved how the author wove them together.

Very intriguing and engaging read. This tells the dual timeline stories of Ellie (1965) and Kayla (2010) and how/why their lives are intertwined. More suspense than thriller, with a lot of historical events thrown in, I was completely engrossed in trying to figure out how and why these two lives came together. The author did a great job of keeping me turning the pages.

Things I loved: I LOVED the characters, I LOVED the setting, I LOVED the back and forth between then and now. I literally could picture myself in this town, in this setting, and as a southerner, I appreciated all of the details given about the land, the colors, the moss, etc.

What I wanted more of: WIN!! I wanted more of them, more of their romance, more of their time together to make the conflicts even more heartbreaking. Give me more Win!

I loved this story and as someone who didn’t even know an outreach like SCOPE existed, appreciate the historical aspect of it and as always, the mysteries she intertwines are the cherries on top!

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain provides a searing and heartbreaking fictional account of the Civil Rights era and circa 2010 in North Carolina.

Centered on a few families, readers follow Ellie Hockley as she recounts her past as a young volunteer working to register Black residents in her hometown to vote in anticipation of the Voting Rights Act and her present returning to that same hometown that she fled after tragedy.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Reading Between the Wines book review #11/135 for 2022:
Rating: 3 1/2 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The Last House on the Street
Author: Diane Chamberlain
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers | Women's Fiction
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: Hope and Sadness. These are just 2 of the feelings I have as I read this book. This book rotates between two timelines and two different perspectives. Ellie, back in 1965, is learning that her feelings for equality does not extend itself to her friends and families. In 2010, Ellie is forced to face what happened all those years ago. And when Kayla realizes that her house and family’s past is connected to Ellie’s then mysteries are solved, and new threats are revealed. I loved the aspects of a suspense-thriller meeting a heart-wrenching fight for equality.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @StMartinsPress for an advanced copy of @TheLastHouseOnTheStreet

#TheLastHouseOnTheStreet #DianeChamberlain #StMartinsPress #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers

Thanks # netgallery for this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed the 2010 story and skimmed most of the story from the 60s. I think I would be able to rate this much higher if the section from the 60s was about 1/3 of the length it is now.

Absolutely love this book so much, I love Diane Chamberlain books a lot because she has a way of writing that pulls you in and makes you feel like family. This book was gut wrenching because the premise of the story is so relevant to what is going on still today. We are all humans and we all deserve love, the twist at the end really gets you!!!! Yet another example as to why Diane Chamberlain is my favorite author.

Read this in one sitting as I was so engrossed with the characters, the setting, and the mystery. This was my first book by this author and the story just flowed with her writing style. Those interested in knowing about the civil right movement in 1965 in North Carolina will feel they are experiencing it in reading this book. A good book club title.

Kayla suddenly becomes a single parent. Also the dream house is done it already holds memories for her. A odd event happens before though that gives doubts about moving in. Enter too elderly neighbor whom is odd also. This holds lots of juicy secrets too. Of course per title that house could have a answer. Want drama and know the answers-turn the pages.

What a roller-coaster of emotions this book was - in the best way possible. If you are anything like me, you will most definitely need a box of kleenex handy because Diane Chamberlain plays her readers' heart strings like a violin in this novel.

Part historical fiction, part a mystery, this dual timeline story explores some difficult and potentially painful topics by making us care deeply about perfectly imperfect characters. In 2010 recently widowed architect Kayla and her 4 year old daughter are about to move into their brand new home which Kayla and her husband designed themselves but which also happens to be the place Kayla's late husband died. When a mysterious woman warns Kayla not to move into the house and strange things start occurring, it begins to seem that someone does not want Kayla and her daughter living in that house. Meanwhile in 1965, young Ellie decides to stand up for what she believes in and join the Scope project, a summer program for University students helping African American people register to vote. It was difficult not to get emotional about systemic, societal as well as individual racism described, especially in light of current political climate in North America.

This story not only touched me on an emotional level but it really made me think about how racial injustice and segregation is not a thing of a distant past as many would love to pretend. I also cannot imagine forgetting about Ellie's character, she really came alive from the pages of this book.

Very grateful to NetGalley, St. Martin's press and the author for the gifting me an ARC of this beautiful story in exchange for an honest review. I must say one of the biggest perks of reviewing books is noticing which publishers are behind some of my favorite reads and I must say St. Martin's Press is kicking it out of the ballpark for me!

👉 Book Review 👈

#thelasthouseonthestreet
#DianeChamberlin
#NetGalley published 1/11/2022
#historicalfiction
#civilrights

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This story is told through 2 women's timelines. Eliie + Kayla. Ellie was a civil rights worker in the 1960s. Kayla is a widowed architect in 2010. You can actually see how they relate to each other pretty early on in the book. That's not the mystery part of the book. The mystery is why did Ellie leave her hometown and who was the cause of it. That you don't find out until near the end.

The stories were very well written. It helped me learn of some of the things that civil rights workers did besides protest. And it explained how they went about it too. The book also explains about some of the dangers that both black and white workers had to deal with. And all mixed in with a current day story.

I really appreciated the book. I found it an easy book to understand. An easy book to read. But a difficult topic to get through. Especially since I was reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, 2 difficult topics, at the same time. What was I thinking? Not doing that again. I'll pick up Henrietta again when I start reading a lighter book to go with it.

#mystery
#arc
#advancedreadingcopy
#bookstagram #booknerdbookreviews #bookaddict #bookrecommendation #bookreview #booknerdigan #bookish #gottareadthisbook #books #readalot #ilovereading #inkdrinker #librarymouse
#booknerds

This is my first Diane Chamberlain book but will not be my last. This book had me captivated from start to finish. I loved the characters, how their histories intertwined, and the secrets they all kept. The author did a great job of telling a story of racial inequality while putting the reader back in the 1960s. I loved the twists and turns and did not see the final twist coming. I highly recommend this book!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you, Netgalley!

When I began the book I thought it was an ordinary thriller, because it begins with a tense confrontation with a mystery woman. But it is so so much more than that. There are two intertwined story lines, one in 2010 and one in 1965 when SCOPE brought college students to the south to register black voters. I was a sophomore in college in 1965 in the south, so I could understand the pressure on Ellie to go along with her family and community values and not get involved with such a “radical” group. Ellie’s part of the story was incredibly compelling for me, which caused it to slightly overshadow Kayla’s story. But Kayla’s story was absorbing as well, and provided the perfect opportunity to bring the story arc to a conclusion. I have been a little tired of split story lines lately, but this was absolutely the best way to tell this story. As always, Diane Chamberlain did a fabulous job of grabbing my interest and keeping me turning the pages. It is an important book in reminding us of how recently voting rights were compromised for many citizens, and should emphasize how important it is to preserve those rights.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an Arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

This wasn’t one I could really get into. I heard some decent reviews, but I think I must not have been in the right mental space for the back and forth time lines and the set up of the big mystery in the beginning wasn’t compelling to me, for some reason. This was a miss for me but I know many others who loved it.

3.5 rounded up. I've been a fan of Diane Chamberlain for a long time and will always read and recommend her books. I love that they often include dual timelines wrapped around a mystery and tackle some tough subjects. This one also falls into that category. I really enjoyed this one even though it did start a little slow for me and didn't really grab my attention. But I'm glad I didn't give up because the story really unfolds in the second half. It does contain some parts that are difficult to read because of the cruelty but I think it was necessary to the story. All in all, an enjoyable book with an important and thought provoking message.

The Last House on the Street is told by two women who grew up in different times but end up meeting when one of them later moves to the same street the other one grew up on. Ellie Hockley grew up in Round Hill, North Carolina during the 1960's. Right about the time Linden B. Johnson was about to sign into law the Voting Rights Bill, giving African Americans the right to vote. She joins a program called SCOPE which works to educate the African American population about the soon to be law and how to register to vote. Being a young white girl from a Southern state makes Ellie's cooperation in this project a lot more dangerous, especially with the KKK being prominent in the area.

Later, in 2010, Kayla has just lost her husband to unfortunate events and she and her daughter, Rainie, are moving into a house at the end of Hockley Street. As soon as she moves in, strange things start happening and she feels there is something amiss about the property. It's also here that she meets Ellie, who is now much older and taking care of her ill brother and elderly Mother. Events in the 1960's caused Ellie to move away and she hasn't been back to her home until now, nearly 40 years later. Told in alternating timelines, we learn of the things that lead Ellie to leave her hometown and how Kayla's new house and property are related to these events.

I enjoyed this story a lot. It was very eye opening and heartbreakingly interesting to learn about the oppression of the African American race and the obstacles they had to overcome to really become a part of society as we know it now. The story was set up perfectly to pull on those heart strings as well as weave in a 40 year mystery that kept me engaged and guessing the entire time I was reading. I really love stories that weave in a bit of history and a bit of mystery.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martins Press for the advanced eARC and allowing me to read and review this title.

This book tells the stories of Ellie and Kayla.

Ellie's story starts in 1965 where she is 20 years old and a college student in North Carolina. She decides to join SCOPE, an organization that canvasses neighborhoods to convince black folks to register to vote. She will live with black families while working with SCOPE. Her parents do not want her to do this but she does anyway. She meets a lot of people doing this, especially Win, and they fall in love with each other. However, Win is black and Ellie is white so they cannot act on their feelings.

Kayla's story starts in 2010 when she and her daughter move into a home she designed with her husband. Sadly, her husband passed away before they moved in so Kayla doesn't really want to be in the house. Then, weird things start happening and she begins to wonder if the house is cursed. She meets Ellie, who has moved back home to care for her mom and brother, and they form a casual friendship. After a while, Kayla finds out her dad was Ellie's boyfriend before Ellie joined SCOPE.

There is an underlying mystery to this story which is not solved until the very end. My first book by this author and I will be checking out more of her books in the future.

Diane Chamberlain is a masterful storyteller, and she’s done it again with The Last House on the Street. By weaving two seemingly different stories together, the author created an eye-opening, immersive reading experience that left me humbled, emotional and in awe. I feel like my eyes couldn't move fast enough as I devoured these pages. I savor her books. They're so captivating, raw and emotional, and this one did not disappoint.

The historical novel is told in dual timelines, in present day in the small community of Round Hill, North Carolina and back to the Civil Rights Movement in 1965. In present day, Kayla Carter is a successful architect, newly widowed and caring for her three-year old daughter while trying to move into her dream house developed by herself and her late husband. A visit to her office by a mysterious red-haired woman leads Kayla down a long and twisty path to learning about the place she struggles to call home.

Chamberlain juxtaposes this storyline by taking us back in time to 1965, introducing us to Ellie Hockley, a college student who strongly desires to become a part of the Summer Community Organization and Political Education (SCOPE) Project, a voter registration initiative in the South. Ellie’s naivete and drive to make sense of the world around her will eventually lead to devastating consequences. And it is in Ellie that readers can bridge these two seemingly different stories together.

The way in which the author educated her readers on this important civil rights movement was so powerful, and, unfortunately, it is still timely all these years later. I felt so invested in the stories of both women, and their unwillingness to back down and to stand up for their beliefs was a breath of fresh air. I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Diane Chamberlain for this unforgettable advance reader copy. Run out and get a copy for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

Oh my what a book! Diane Chamberlain is such a masterful weaver of stories, Each plot aspect gets woven in from one timeline to the other; nothing is left hanging or unexplained. I enjoyed the characters and the way some of them interconnect. It was a very serious story and it was hard to be confronted by the reality of the hate that existed in Ellie & Win’s timeline mixed with the awfulness of how that hate moved forward into Kayla’s timeline. Diane Chamberlain is becoming a must read for me.

Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the chance to read this amazing story.