Really enjoyed this dual timeline historical fiction/mystery involving students with the SCOPE project in North Carolina which was a voter registration civil rights initiative conducted at the time of President Johnson’s 1965 Voting Rights Act. The story is good and well researched and kept me on the edge of my seat. The 2010 timeline was not as riveting, but it does all come together. It is heartbreaking to know that over 50 years after that historic civil rights legislation, there is so much work still to do and the fight is far from over. Recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC - it is available now!

I've read several of Diane Chamberlain's novels and have always enjoyed and appreciated her writing. While some might pass off her novels as merely "women's fiction" or lighter fare, I have so much respect and admiration for the way in which she includes meaningful, significant topics and issues within each of her stories. Her latest, The Last House on the Street, is no exception.

The novel is written in alternating perspectives/voices, and chapters alternate between Ellie's voice, in the mid-60s, and Kayla's voice in 2010. Ellie's story definitely seemed more developed, and was most interesting to me, but Kayla's story adds to the overall plot development and keeps the story moving along at a good pace. I don't think this is my *favorite* of the author's novels, but it is engaging, timely, and examines the lasting effects of racism on our society and the ways in which many continue to move forward, in spite of our nation's damaging past. This is a heavy read at times, so be aware, but recommend to those of you who appreciate stories like these.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Diane Chamberlain for an ARC of this book.
It’s 2010 and Kayla is about to move into her and her husband’s dream house. But tragically, her husband has died while working in the house. A mysterious lady shows up at her office to warn her against moving into the house. Shaken, but not deterred, she and her daughter move in. But a series of eerie events has Kayla wondering if she should have listened to the mysterious lady.
It's 1965, and Ellie, a college girl in the South wants to help with a social project, against the advisement of her parents, her friends, and even the person in charge of the project. But she goes ahead anyways and finds herself in over her head to the detriment of her family and the town she lives in.
This is the second book of Diane Chamberlain’s that I have read. This one was a slow starter for me, with Kayla’s story, but then once Ellie’s story started to hit its stride, I was hooked. If this was just Ellie’s story, I still would have been hooked. It was a compelling, at times nauseating, and sorrowful story. I was not aware of the SCOPE project and took some time to read about it once I finished the book.
Sometimes I struggle when there are back and forth storylines like in this book, but this one meshed seamlessly for me.
Another enjoyable read from Diane Chamberlain and looking forward to reading more from this author.

It's 1965 and the Civil Rights movement set in North Carolina is the backdrop for this tale of two time frames. Ellie is a young white woman of 20 that feels compelled to join the protestors trying to gain voting rights for the Negroes. Her parents are dead set against it, as is her boyfriend and her best friend. Within a month's time Ellie's life will forever be changed and those changes reach far into the future.
Going forward to 2010, a young widow with a small child, moves into her dream house unaware of all the ghosts surrounding her new home. Kayla is a young widow with a small child trying to move into the home she and her recently deceased husband designed and built. A serious of creepy and threatening happenings continue to erode Kayla's desire to be in the home.
The connection between Ellie and Kayla's lives is revealed by the past that's not forgotten; but there are those that want it to stay buried.
This history wrapped up in a mystery pulls at the heart strings and conscience with the story as timely and, more importantly, relevant today as it was in the 1960's.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my early copy. All opinions are mine.

I have been staring at this review for two days now unsure of how exactly to put into words everything that I need to say. This wasn't a bad book by any means, some parts did seem to drag on (specifically the parts taking place in 2010), while other parts (the ones taking place in 1965) kept me glued to the pages.

This also isn't the easiest book to read, so if you're looking for some "light" reading, this probably won't be for you. The events that take place in 1965 focused heavily on the racial injustices happening at the time. Mainly the SCOPE project which went out into prominently black neighborhoods and encouraged them to register to vote once the bill was passed allowing them to do so. It also spoke about some of the peaceful protests that were held at the time, again to bring awareness to the cause. But with the peace comes the violence, so this book also touched on the actions of the KKK, the cruelty they inflected, and just how widespread their reach and influence really was at the time.

If you can make it through the somewhat lackluster events of the 2010's, which I really wish had been better developed overall, it all culminates in a heart-breaking and life-altering conclusion, which while somewhat predictable, was still a hit to the emotions.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Such a well written book about a sensitive subject. The characters just draw you in. The book transitions from 1965 to 2010 seamlessly, filling in gaps with each turn. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

The Last House on the street was a great read. It kept me wanting more and more. I highly recommend this book.

This is another classic Diane Chamberlain novel: educational and entertaining. I am the type of person who loves learning, especially if it’s in the form of a story. In her new book, Chamberlain focuses on the voting discrimination of black citizens in the 1960’s. She has commented on this story being inspired by her own experience growing up during that time, when students doing civil rights work were murdered for registering black voters in North Carolina in a program called SCOPE, which was created by Lyndon Johnson in the months leading up to him passing the Voting Rights Act. In this dual timeline story, we learn the impetus of that tragedy.

One timeline occurs in present day, where an architect wife and husband team builds their dream home on a beautiful wooded lot in a newly developed neighborhood, despite the tragic memories of things that happened there long ago. The other timeline is in 1964, and takes place in the same town and on the very land where the new house is built. A white teenage girl living there takes part in civil rights work, and joins the SCOPE program to help canvas the Black communities to inform them of their right to vote. Her bold actions cause a major rift in the town that is still felt in present day.

It is such a shame that some people are so put out by those who seek to help. I still see this same thing happening in 2022. I often read things like this in the news but struggle to understand. That’s why I read books. Chamberlain writes with such authenticity and captures humanity so well. This story touched me and helped me make sense of how this happens. Each time I read her books, I learn something new and my emotional intelligence grows deeper.

The Last House of the Street tackles voting and civil rights while building a mystery about a dark time in the town's history.

Kayla Carter's husband dies in an accident while building their dream house and after a mental struggle, she decides she should move in. The two of them both architects had created it together and it gave Kayla a part of her husband back. When she and her four-year-old daughter movie though, hateful things start happening. Someone spreads her trash all over her lawn and fills one of the trees full of dead squirrels. Kayla knows she must stand her ground. And is helped by Ellie, a Round Hill native, back to take care of her brother and mother. But Kayla doesn't know Ellie's past. Ellie worked for SCOPE and tried to help black people get registered as soon as the voting rights bill passed. Ellie found herself transformed from this time in her life, both the good and the tragic.

Diane Chamberlain is known for emotional and thought-provoking women's fiction. One of her most used techniques is multiple-perspective, multiple-times intertwining two stories. Typically Chamberlain balances these stories beautifully making the reader feel for both characters and chomping at the bit to see how the stories are related. The balance isn't there in this novel. There is more time spent on Ellie and Kayla is one delusional, and though she had a tragic incident, I wasn't invested in her. Also, her plot made no difference to the story. You could have put some guy named George and the story would have been the same.

I'm not here to tear the author down. There are some wonderful qualities to this book. Ellie's story is all-consuming and demanded a lack of balance. I wonder what would have happened if it was just her perspective in both times? This spunky, brave woman fought for civil rights making sacrifices for what she believed in. She is inspiring. Chamberlain doesn't just make everything frosting. We see Ellie and her privileged and how the world was really like in the 1960s. These sentiments still echo today as voting privileges are being threatened and police brutality has taken the forefront of our minds. Chamberlain has made all these ideas accessible without preaching.

Overall, this book is enjoyable. Is it her best work? No, but it is yet another beautiful, historical tale from the author.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this e-ARC of The Last House on the Street.

This was an absolutely incredible novel, and it’ll be hard to find the right words to describe it!

Told from two perspectives and in two different time periods, the novel revolves around Kayla, in 2010, and Ellie, in 1965. Kayla is a recently widowed wife and mother to daughter, Rainie. Her and her late husband were designing a special home to grow old together in before his untimely death. Now that they are set to move in, an odd woman appears in her office one day with threats against her and her daughter.

Back in 1965, Ellie is finding herself drawn to the Civil Rights Movement and volunteering with a group called SCOPE whose goal is to encourage the Black community to register to vote once LBJ passes the Voting Rights Act. Living in North Carolina, where the Klan is ever present and looming, she and her fellow volunteers face beatings, shootings, and more on a daily basis trying to bridge the gap to true equality.

As the novel progresses, Kayla meets a now older Ellie, and we begin to see how these two women’s lives are inevitably tangled up with one another. Kayla and Ellie’s stories are also bursting with mystery and romance, all leading to a devastating ending.

I loved both of these women’s stories. Kayla’s story is shrouded in mystery. She’s being harassed at every turn by this mystery woman, and Ellie is a young 20 year old growing into an entirely new person, someone she never imagined she could be. I loved learning about each of them. The author does an incredible job of bringing these characters to life. I could see this being an amazing movie. I also loved the historical references and information given to us in this book. I never learned about SCOPE in any of my history classes, so this was absolutely fascinating!

The Last House on the Street is available now wherever books are sold!

Gosh...I procrastinated writing a review because this book was so interesting. I didn't think I could review it adequately. I still don't.

Going between 1965 and 2010, this book is narrated by two different women at two different times. It is haunting and really gives you insight on what it was like in 1965. Racial injustice...gosh just so much. Fast forward to 2010 and secrets abound. In the woods surrounding the new home, there are mysteries.

A spell-binding book that will keep you up late reading!

The Last House on the Street is Chamberlain signature style with a dual time line, alternating historical and current stories. Kayla and her four year old daughter are moving into the dream house her and her husband built. They are moving alone as her husband died in a accident. She is dealing with the loneliness, grief, and a little fear.

Ellie’s story takes place in 1965 in the same town of Round Hill North Carolina. Ellie’s story centers around her involvement in SCOPE, the Civil Rights movement to register Blacks to vote.

There are serious topics within these stories including racism , social injustice,violence, and family dynamics. Somehow Chamberlain manages to add history, mystery and a forbidden love story as well.

The parts involving the Klan and their violence were hard for me as well as the choices made in the name of love. Both were written well and realistic, which is why I like her writing.

In 1965, Ellie Hockley is determined to make her life stand for something. As the daughter of a popular town pharmacist, she herself is going to school for pharmacy and is dating a bank manager. She puts all that aside to spend her summer helping Black people register to vote. In the process, she finds out the true nature of the town she grew up in.

In 2010, Kayla Carter and her young daughter are moving to a house they built in Shadow Ridge Estates, down the street from the Hockley homestead. Right before she moves in, she receives a visit from a mysterious woman cautioning her about the property and the haunted reputation of the woods behind her house. Her neighbor, Ellie Hockley, also seems to have some long held secrets.

💭 Once again, Diane Chamberlain weaves the perfect tale with a clashing of past and present. One of the things I most love about this book was that it was an easy transition between the timelines. I loved them both equally and was always sad for a page or two when switching, until I became re-immersed in the other timeline.

This is almost two distinct genres wrapped in one. Historical fiction in a time of civil unrest and contemporary thriller. The characters, especially those in the 1965 timeline are so powerful. This book wrecked me when the stories finally came together. Such an impressive work. It’s definitely a must read!

The last house on the street

By Diane Chamberlain

5 stars

This is a dual timelines book, for me, it started slow then I couldn't stop reading/ listening I had the privilege to receive both the audio and eBook of this. My First read by Diane Chamberlain and it didn't disappoint at all. This book had me in tears she writes such powerful words and what a lot of people went through back in the day in the south. Usually, when you have dual timelines, one outshines the other in this story, they're both great. I love how it tells Ellie's story and how it also incorporates Kayla, and you find out their connections. This book will make you feel every emotion.

Thank you net galley for the advanced copy.

Kayla is a young widow who is getting ready to move into her dream home she designed with her late husband. Strange things begin to happen, and Kayla finds herself looking to her father and closest neighbor for answers.

Ella, a co-Ed at UNC Chapel Hill who decides to spend the Summer of 1965 encouraging negros in her county register to vote. This allows Ellie to see a different side of her town, and the family and friends she thought she knew. She returns home after being away for 45 years, to take care of her mother and brother. While home, old wounds are opened as she meets her new neighbor, Kayla.

This was an amazing story about the civil rights movement in 1960’s NC. The characters are well developed and the plot kept me turning the page long into the night.

Thank you to Diane Chamerlain, #netgalley, #stsimonpublishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book is a beautiful, heartbreaking story by Chamberlain. Set in 2010 and 1965 in North Carolina, two women are dealing with changes in their lives. One is seeing the world around her change as she fights for equal rights and one is dealing with the loss of her husband. Their worlds are woven together in this powerful novel where they both learned to see the truths around them. I couldn't put it down! It was beautifully written. Diane Chamberlain writes such mesmerizing stories and characters! Loved!!

Heartbreaking and still full of hope, Diane Chamberlain's The Last House on the Street is a compelling tale that will stay with me for a long time.

THE LAST HOUSE ON THE STREET by Diane Chamberlain was a great entry back to suspense for me. It covers two different timelines told by female narrators and wraps up with just enough surprise to make you flip back and see what you missed. It also introduced me to the SCOPE Project tied to the 1965 Voting Rights Act that I knew nothing about. It’s well written, fast paced, and I was totally invested. I really like Chamberlain’s writing style and this was another winner for me.
I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Confession: Until right this moment, I have never read a Diane Chamberlain novel. That’s a mistake that I’ll spend the next several months correcting.

As I write this review, I’m sitting in stunned silence. I have not been this deeply moved by a story in a long time. This is a book that demanded to be written, and it will stay with me for years to come.

Other reviews will focus on a synopsis, so I’ll skip that. Instead, I’d like to honor the writing. It deserves its due praise. Dual timelines are often attempted but rarely executed with this level of mastery. To be able to enthrall readers with multiple storylines is a rare talent. Chamberlain executes this to perfection.

She also manages to hit every emotional button without ever seeming to manipulate those emotions unfairly. She simply tells her story naturally, and the reader naturally experiences the feelings she so skillfully evokes.

I am filled with awe at what she has accomplished here, and I’m grateful that I have more of her works to discover.

Pick this one up. You won’t regret it.

2010: Newly widowed Kayla Carter is preparing to move with her young daughter into the dream home she and her husband had been building when an accident claimed his life. She receives an ominous visit warning her against moving in, and a series of strange things happen on the property.

In an alternating storyline set in 1965, Eleanor Hockley learns about SCOPE, a program that will be bringing in white students from the north in an initiative to register Black voters in the days surrounding the passage of the voting rights act. Eager to participate, Eleanor is quickly faced with the realities of racism and white supremacy in her family and in her community.

I was pleased to see that Chamberlain avoided engaging in a narrative of white saviorism here: Despite Eleanor's motivations to work with SCOPE, her participation puts others at risk, and there's open conversation around the limitations of her involvement. Chamberlain openly discusses racism and white supremacy throughout this narrative, including the wide-reaching impact of the KKK in North Carolina.

Chamberlain created a historical fiction novel here that also feels at times like a thriller, and her storytelling and characterization made me care deeply about her characters. Unfortunately, while the 1960s storyline kept me engaged (and ripped my heart in two), the modern storyline fell flat for me. Kayla’s story often felt only like a way to wrap up the storylines from the past.

While I questioned early in the book whether this was Chamberlain’s story to tell, I felt like her author’s note made me better understand why she chose to tell this particular story. As a white reviewer, there are certain aspects of the representation here that I can’t comment on. While I would encourage all readers of this book to pay attention to the content warnings, I particularly encourage readers with lived experience of racial trauma to consider the content of this book before picking it up.

I switched back and forth between listening to this on audio and reading it physically, and I think that Susan Bennett did an excellent job with the narration. I was always able to follow where I was in terms of POV, and her narration made me feel engaged and invested.

Thank you to St, Martin's Press for an ARC via netgalley, and Macmillan Audio for an ALC. All opinions are my own.