I really enjoyed Diane Chamberlain's last book Big Lies In A Small Town. Her latest just didn't grab a hold of my attention the whole way through.

The 2010 timeline following Kayla after her husband's death she relocates her and her daughter into a new house in North Carolina. Her story is more of a mystery genre which crosses over to the historical fiction genre with the 1960's storyline of Ellie who spent her summer as a volunteer for SCOPE a project the helps to register black families to vote in North Carolina. 1960s in NC is filled with hatred and extreme racism topics like this are so heart wrenching and sad since there are too many of the same parallels that are still around in society today.

If you enjoy your historical fiction to be slow building and moving I think you'll enjoy this book. I'm sure I'm in the minority with my rating but as always my reviews are my honest and spoiler free opinion. Historical fiction is not my favorite genre so I prefer this genre to grab a hold of my attention the whole way through unfortunately this one really took it's time on hooking me in.

Thank you to the author & publisher for gifting me a physical ARC & ebook (thanks to NetGalley as well)
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Happy Pub Day to my first 5 star book of 2022! Guys, this book deserves all the hype it can get. Narrated in alternative timelines of 1965 and 2010,
this historical fiction highlights the blatant racism and bigotry of the sixties in the U.S and the extreme sacrifices that freedom fighters endured for social justice.

Both the timelines take place in the same town of North Carolina and the stories are interwoven. There is a little bit of mystery and a beautiful love story. This book will make you upset…angry even. You will also feel dejected and cry…cry for how terribly unjust history has been towards people of color. I seldom cry reading a book. I could literally count in one hand the books that made me cry in the past 2 years. But this book did it because of how realistic the injustices are, even though this book is fiction. Both timelines have plenty of characters but you will have no trouble keeping up because every character has their own personality. Diane Chamberlain’s writing is propulsive to say the least. She’s a brilliant, master storyteller to put it simply.

I kept my review as brief as possible because you’d want to go in as blind as possible to both enjoy the novel and feel shattered at the same time.

I can’t wait to discuss this book with my buddy read friends on Bookstagram!

As always, I love a Diane Chamberlain novel. This split-timeline story, a trope of hers which I love, touches upon racism, forbidden love, doing what's socially just even in the face of danger, and also grief in the modern storyline. I found myself racing through the chapters to see what was coming next. I couldn't wait to see how the storyline tied up from the historical perspective and each chapter had me shocked, horrified, and turning the pages. This was another great read from Diane.

Haunting and heartbreaking I’m still thinking about this one.
Told in dual timelines focusing on Ellie in 1965 and the Civil Rights movement. She is a proper southern girl and shocks her parents when she wants to leave Round Hill and her banker boyfriend behind to spend the summer registering Black voters.
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Meanwhile, in 2010 Kayla, a young widow and her daughter move to the Round Hill house that her and her husband designed before his shocking death. A mysterious woman warns Kayla not to move into the house, rumors of the woods being haunted and threatening notes are being left around, all pointing to the dark history of the land.
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Ellie and Kayla’s uncertain roads lead to each other in this heartbreaking story. This is available now! Thank you @StMartinsPress for an advanced copy.

The Last House On The Street is set in dual timelines and is the story of Kayla and Ellie. But the novel is more than Ellie's and Kayla's story. This book will break your heart into million pieces. Ellie's story makes me cry but her character makes you feel that there are good people in the world. I was more invested in the story of Ellie than Kayla in all honesty. Underlying the fiction the author has highlighted the SCOPE project of 1965 that has given a glimpse of history which always interests me.
A story of love, prejudice, violence, fight against injustice, strength, courage and betrayals this book is a fascinating but very emotional read as well as an eye opener to the past. A must read.

The Last House on the Street caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting to connect with the story in quite the way I did. It was a completely timely look at racism and voting rights in a time in which both seem to be heading backwards.

The story is told in two timelines. One is Ellie in 1965. She is living in North Carolina and watching her southern town fighting against the invaders from the north trying to help register African Americans to vote. Ellie is honestly shocked by the words of people that she never realized were racists and volunteers to help with SCOPE. She is immediately distrusted by everyone on all sides, being a white southerner having to now live within the community that is both part of and apart from her hometown. I was immediately filled with a sense of dread for everyone involved. Ellie is walking away from the path that was before her up until that point and she has no map to use.

The other timeline is the same town in 2010. Kayla has just lost her husband and is about to move into her new home without him. She is being threatened by a strange woman and she knows something is wrong with the woods behind her home.

I found myself looking forward more to the times with Ellie than with the times with Kayla. It would be strange if in a small town like this these two lives didn’t meet at some point. When they do come together it is not an unexpected, but also not an unbelievable, result. My heart breaks that these people suffered and we haven’t learned those lessons.

This book will make it onto my recommendation list for sure.

I loved The Last House on the Street and have been telling lots of people about it! It's written from a dual point of view: Kayla in 2010 and Ellie in 1965. Both women are fascinating characters who deal with difficult issues and great loss. The two timelines seamlessly intersect in 2010. Of course, the writing is fabulous so you won't want to stop reading.

But what stood out to me the most happened during the time that Ellie spent volunteering. She and the others want to let the black community know that LBJ would be changing the voting registration laws, and the difficult literacy test would no longer be required.

Here is what hit me: The first family Ellie stayed with lived in dire poverty. They had no running water, an outhouse, no electricity. It was then that Ellie realized just how "rich" she was. The things she complained about were so trivial when compared with what these families faced. I wish people would wake up, look outside of their privileged circle, go to places in this country that are still riddled with poverty. If you've got a home, clothes, heat, A/C, a full frig, working plumbing.....you are SO blessed. We've gotten to the point where we've got to create things to complain about. That's not oppression. Read this book! I hope it opens your eyes and makes you think about just how much you've got. It was a really good reminder for me.

And that "lesson" I gleaned from this novel doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of how gripping this novel is. You'll be angered by injustice, yet you'll be reminded that after loss there is still life. I highly recommend The Last House on the Street!

I swear, Diane Chamberlain is the absolute best when it comes to dual timelines connected in some way. She knows how to hook you and hold you hostage to two completely different time periods. The Last House on the Street is yet another masterfully written, somehow interwoven, gripping story.

It's 1965 and LBJ has yet to sign into law voting rights for black citizens. Ellie feels a deep urge to help make a difference in her Carolina county. A white girl, in the south, helping people of color. How do you think that's gonna go? You're not wrong. And Chamberlain puts you in it.

In 2010, Kayla is still mourning the loss of her husband. He passed in an accident in the home they designed together while it was under construction. She's just about to move in when she receives a visit from some weird lady who tells her not to. Odd, right? What does this have to do with 1965?

These two stories intertwine in a perfect storm and you really don't see the truth until the very end. You'll think you know beforehand, but you're probably wrong.

Family, love, racism, friendship...Chamberlain covers it all.

I received an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The most amazing powerful story that I have read in a long time. This is told in a dual timeline and was fascinated by both stories. Ellie's story takes place in the summer of 1965 and Kayla's in 2010.

Ellie had everything going for her, a boyfriend, going to college to be a pharmacist when she decides to spend her summer volunteering for the SCOPE project. That summer changed her for the rest of her life.

Kayla a young widow is moving into her dream house when unusual things begin to happen. It's the same street where Ellie grew up. A friendship develops and hidden secrets come unburied.

This is book that I could not put down, many tears were shed of racial injustice that was there in the 1960's. A story of forbidden love. How one summer changed the lives of so many. I highly recommend this book!

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain is a story told in two different timelines. In one, its 2010 and in the other, its 1965. Two different times, but what is the significance in them? In 2010, Kayla lost her husband in an accident while they were building their dream house. Now Kayla and her daughter are getting ready to move in, but should they? In 1965, Ellie is young and determined to change the world. She joins the SCOPE project against her family’s wishes.

Kayla and her daughter move into the house, but something is not right. Meanwhile, in 1965, Ellie is learning how different and hard life can be. How do these stories intercept? You will be captivated until the very end!

Happy reading!

I adore Diane Chamberlain and have loved her recent books more and more. That being said, this book was not in the same rankings as her previous. She touched on a hard topic and did it well. The development of the story was good, but the present/past time lines didn't work for me. The characters also were just sort of "eh" for me. I didn't especially care about the characters themselves, just the events. All in all, a solid enjoyable read, but not the instant 5 stars Chamberlain usually gets from me.

In this haunting story, time moves backwards to Ellie Hockley’s life in 1965. Ellie lives in North Carolina in the deep south. She is a pharmaceutical student in college, preparing to step in at her father’s pharmacy when her studies are completed. Ellie’s life seems complete. She’s dating a local, will have a good job after she graduates, and her best friend Brenda is getting married. But, after going to a meeting about helping to register black people to vote during the upcoming summer, her life changes forever.

Against her parents, brother and friends wishes, Ellie makes the decision to go fight for black voters and their families. With volunteers coming from all different states, her being a southern girl makes her decision looked upon by other southerners as her being a traitor. Where Ellie is from, there are few black people and there are KKK meetings. Unfortunately, this puts the black families in which Ellie stays with in great jeopardy.

When a group of the volunteers decide to drive to Ellie’s small town, Round Hill to attend a KKK meeting, Ellie is shocked at what is being said and who is in attendance. When Ellie is seen at the meeting, she becomes fodder for the town. As do her parents and brother whose livelihood becomes impacted by her decisions. In the meantime, Ellie finds herself falling for someone she knows she will be unable to be with.

Flash forward to the year 2010 and Kayla Carter, an architect who along with her husband have been building an incredible house in Round Hill. Unfortunately, Kayla’s young husband dies in an accident while the house is being built and she is left a widow with a young daughter. Still uncomfortable about moving into the now finished house without her husband, Kayla is visited by a strange woman who seems to know too much about her and her family. She warns Kayla that someone could be killed if she moves into the house with her child. Although the police think this is just a random crazy person, she is taking the threats seriously. With a lake, woods and a dilapidated tree house on the land and finding out KKK meetings used to be held back there, she is taking no chances and decides a fence needs to be installed. Kayla’s dreamhouse is becoming a nightmare.

Then strange occurrences begin to happen on her property. If it wasn’t for her neighbor next door, Ellie Hockley, who has come back to Round Hill to take care of her ailing mother and dying brother, she does not know what she would do. But Ellie basically keeps to herself and is not opened to talking about the past.

As the two stories which are told in separate chapters, begin to collide Ellie and Kayla discover their lives are deeply intertwined. Decades old shocking secrets will be revealed which will change their lives forever.

Once again Diane Chamberlain has written a powerful thought-provoking story about hate, love and suppression as she has become well-known to be the master. Thank you #NetGalley #St. Martin’s Press #DianeChamberlain #TheLastHouseontheStreet for the advanced copy.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book for my honest review.

Interesting story set in 1960's and 2010 south. A beautiful story of love, loss, fighting spirit and the power to overcome.

In the 1960's Ellie (a born and raised southern girl) works with SCOPE, a group dedicated to racial equality and helping people in poor, rural communities register to vote. SCOPE was a real life organization in 1965 founded in part by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was very interesting and also uncomfortable reading about what African American people had to go through for the same basic rights that the white population don't even think twice about. Unfortunately in 2022 that battle is not over.

In 2010 Kayla and her daughter Rainie have just moved into their dream house. Unfortunately Kayla has just been windowed and when strange things start to occur on her property she has to learn to fight for the truth for her and her daughter's safety.

Two stories that seem separate but come together seamlessly in the end.

Diane Chamberlain has always been a must-read author for me, but "The Last House on the Street" has cemented her position as one of my favorite authors. She is the master of the duel timeline technique. I was completely engrossed by the stories from both timelines and was kept guessing until the very end as to how those timelines would merge. Like all of Diane's books, this one has vivid and realistic characters that come to life to the reader. This book does not shy away from hard topics and doesn't whitewash or sugarcoat the ugly parts of United States' history. Part historical fiction and part mystery, "The Last House on the Street" has something for every fiction reader. It's a story that will stick with me for a long time.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this fabulous book in exchange for my honest review. Five stars!

This was the first book I have read by this author. I was surprised by the book. For a long time I wondered where it was going; it seemed to switched back between the two women but the purpose was unclear. During the second half of the book, it really took off and became a lot more compelling. There is a lot to contemplate and was a hard book to put down.

It's great to read about white women reckoning with their role in racism through dual timeline. Some parts didn't work for me, but overall, I think all white women read this book.

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain is the story of two women, a generation apart, find themselves bound by a small town and a decades old mystery. In 1965, Eleanor “Ellie” Hockley grew up in the well-to-do town of Round Hill, North Carolina. Raised to be a proper Southern lady, she enrolled in college and is practically engaged to her bank manager boyfriend. Inspired by her late aunt, Ellie decides to spend her summer break as a volunteer with the SCOPE project helping register black voters. Forty five years later, Kayla Carter prepares to move into the dream home she and her husband designed in the new Shadow Ridge Estates development. As she moves in, a mysterious woman warns her against living there as the woods and lake behind the house are rumored to be haunted. Soon she’ll learn the dark history of the land and a long buried secret that someone will do anything to protect.
Diane Chamberlain is known for her intense dual timeline stories. She often features the dark and difficult racial history of the South and The Last House on the Street does not disappoint in that realm. Ms. Chamberlain does not shy away from the horrific, evil and vile acts done against the black community. It is a story that slowly builds to the climatic last chapters as the events seem to build and unravel at a fast pace. As I began to read, I was drawn more to Kayla and her story than Ellie. While I admire Ellie’s commitment to helping the black community gain their civil rights, I felt she was very naïve and even selfish. She was so determined in her desire to help that she plays down the potential violence and even the actual violence doesn’t open her eyes that she’s walking a dangerous line. Overall, I enjoyed the story. If you are a fan of Diane Chamberlain, you may enjoy The Last House on the Street.

The Last House on the Street is available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook

Historical fiction isn't usually something that I read but I think I will be looking into the genre. This is also my first book by Diane. I will be reading more. I highly recommend you getting this book. It came out yesterday.

This book is so good. It is sad, heart warming, and shocking. This book hurt me. It's a horrifying and painful story. Keep some tissues handy. I cried more than once.

There is a dual timeline. We are going between 2010 and 1965. 1965 is right in the middle of segregation and the KKK was going strong. Ellie is right on the middle of it. Ellie in 2010 is still dealing with some of the pain from 1965.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC! ❤

What a thought provoking thriller!
Alternating between the timelines of modern day south and the 1960's civil rights movement, an intriguing plot unfolds as the narrative connects the two stories.
The historical portions are well researched, and each chapter moves fairly quickly keeping the suspense building and tension mounting.
A gripping tale of secrets, betrayal, romance, hatred and hope.
*Thank you St. Martin's Press, Diane Chamberlain and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

In dual timelines from 2010 back to 1965, The Last House on the Street is part historical fiction and part mystery, with some romance thrown in. When Kayla’s husband dies in a freak accident during the construction of their dream home, she’s rightfully apprehensive about moving into it. When she receives threats from a random woman telling her not to move in, she’s even more nervous. But what could be so bad about the last house on the street?

Wow. This is one heck of a book! Ellie’s time working with SCOPE to educate and register Black voters during the Civil Rights Era was absolutely fascinating. I loved her strong, principled, resilient character. She’s an idol. I wasn’t sure how Ellie and Kayla’s timelines were going to connect, but it was heartbreaking and perfectly overlapped. This is a really unique read - it was compulsive and distressing but also lovely, touching on an important period of history and showing how pervasive racism was and still is today. Absolutely worth the read.