The Last House on the Street transports the reader to 1965, which is a period of unthinkable acts of racism and feelings of prejudice. Elle Hockley does something that most people in her town in North Carolina would never consider doing - she starts working with civil rights movements and canvassing to help people with registering to vote. The reader is then brought to 2010, where Kayla Carter is reeling over the loss of her husband and wondering if she should move into the house they designed together in Shadow Ridge Estates. It doesn't help that a strange woman has warned Kayla not to move in. At the forefront of the new housing development stands the Hockley house. Ellie, now in her sixties, has recently returned home after being away for decades. Being home has made the memories of the past all too fresh for Ellie. This small town in NC holds some shameful secrets - some of which are related to the Hockley's and Kayla's new home.

In my eyes, Diane Chamberlain can do no wrong. She has a way of writing that grabs hold of the reader and doesn't let go. Not only that, she isn't afraid to write about uncomfortable topics and address difficult issues. The Last House on the Street was fantastic!

This was quite the page-turner, and I am happy to say while I had an idea of how it would end there was a twist I didn't see coming that made it all the more satisfying.

This book traces the story of two women who've suffered unimaginable loss, and who share a connection they never imagined. Kayla Carter's life turned upside down the day her husband died, leaving her a widow with a young daughter, and the house they designed together finally ready to become a home. As the house was the reason for Jackson's death, Kayla understandably has mixed feelings about moving in. These feelings become even more prominent after a visit in her office from a mystery woman who seems to know a lot about her and her family, and who makes veiled threats about wanting to kill someone.

As the story progresses, we meet Kayla's only other neighbor - the Ellie Hockley and her dying brother & aging mother. At first they are just neighbors but a set of circumstances bring them together in ways no one could have imagined.

Their connection is explained via flashback to the summer of 1965 when Ellie was 20 years old. She is determined to do something to make her life meaningful that summer, and through volunteering for the SCOPE program she ends up getting more of an education than she wanted.

The characters are well developed, the writing flows naturally - even with swapping back and forth between 1965 and 2010. The tension builds easily as new facts come to light, and secrets long thought buried begin to come to the surface. You learn that what you think you know about a person is nowhere near the truth, and that even kind-seeming people are capable of horrific deeds.

It was a relatively fast read, and I am sure re-reading will bring even more nuance out that might have been missed the first time through. I highly recommend this book - it was very well done.

While building their dream home, architects Kayla and Jackson’s life is upended, when he falls to his death in the construction of the stairs. Kayla proceeds to move in with her four year old daughter when the house is ready, but has strange and eerie feelings about the house and the yard. When a creepy old women tells her she shouldn’t live in the house, Kayla starts to wonder about the past occurrences on the land she lives on and digs into researching its history.

Pivoting between 2010 and 1965, The Last House on the Street is a historical fiction thriller full of interesting characters, suspenseful twists, and social injustices of the Deep South. I always enjoy a book takes me places, and the writer definitely took me to the race relations of North Carolina in the sixties.

Although Ellie was raised to be a proper southern girl, she wanted to do something more meaningful than that so despite the displeasure of her friends and family, she chose to spend the summer helping to register black voters. There she met a young black man named Win, and it changed Ellie forever. What happened that summer has repercussions years later when Kayla, the daughter of Ellie's former boyfriend, Reed, moves down the street from Ellie's childhood home, and someone clearly doesn't want her there. This deeply affecting novel is extremely timely and relevant to so many things that are going on today including tense race relations, attempts to suppress voting rights, and the white supremacy, and Black Lives Matter movements. It will make you realize how little has changed in the world and how much further we have to go to attain true equality for all. It is a riveting and absolutely gut-wrenching read.

Kayla Carter’s husband is dead. She and her small daughter are now moving into the dream home that she and her late husband designed and built on the old Hockley Street. Things are painful enough, but when Kayla starts getting warnings about her new home from a disturbing stranger, Kayla must make some tough decisions, and that includes who she can trust. Things seem to get more interesting and complicated when she meets Ellie Hockley and her family, who live in the last original house on the street boarding the new development. When secrets surface, will Kayla and Ellie be able to survive the turmoil that ensues?

This novel by Diane Chamberlain was incredible. It is told in dual time periods which follow both Kayla and Ellie’s journeys. I loved reading about Ellie and her quest to register voters in a time period when there was such injustice and racial wars raging, as it was so enlightening, and was a real event in history. To me, that was the heart of the novel and kept me glued to the story. Ms. Chamberlain tied the story together beautifully and this is a book I will not soon forget. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my advanced readers copy to review in exchange for my honest opinion

This is one powerful story!!
I always know when starting a Diane Chamberlain novel, I am in for a crazy, controversial, heartfelt journey!
"The Last House on the Street" did not disappoint!
It is truly an unforgettable plot that I am still thinking about.
It has suspense, mystery, family, and friendship and is woven beautifully between dual timelines in 1968 and alternating with 2010 in North Carolina.

I can simply say: "You will love it and will not imagine the ending! It is mind blowing and fantastic"!

Diane Chamberlain is a wonderful storyteller, and this book is no exception. Told via dual timelines (1965 and 2010) and viewpoints, young women named Ellie (1965) and Kayla (2010) it takes the reader through a gauntlet of emotions - it's intriguing and mysterious and heartbreaking and infuriating. While reading it, you know something bad must be coming, because the opening chapter or two is full of foreshadowing. But you become invested in the characters and have to keep reading (with more than a bit of trepidation) to find out where their paths will lead them. I was 14 in 1965, and grew up in Georgia (with deep family roots in North Carolina) so I recognized much of what I was reading, both in the descriptions of the locales and the heat of a southern summer, and - for better or worse - in the characters. When the mysteries are revealed, there are definitely some surprises. It isn't always an easy read, but it's an excellent one that I highly recommend.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

As always, Diane Chamberlain's writing is excellent in this book. She draws the reader in to the story - in this case, two stories since there is a dual timeline. The characters are believable for the most part and well-developed. The only part I found a bit less than realistic was the very fast, very intense relationship between Ellie and Win. It seemed somewhat contrived to fit the story. Just my opinion and probably not one shared by many readers.

The feeling of the two time frames felt authentic with some horrible things happening - in both of them. I guessed at some of the eventual revelations - but not all of them. There were a few shocking surprises.

I loved the way Chamberlain gradually wove the two timelines and their characters together to reach a satisfying conclusion. Chamberlain has become one of my favorite go-to authors.

Sometimes the hardest decisions come at the greatest cost.

Ellie is 20 years old in 1965 and lives in eastern North Carolina. Her life has already been planned - a job at her father's pharmacy and a marriage to her high school sweetheart. When she becomes interested in civil rights while at the University of North Carolina things begin to change. She changes while the world she has known shows itself to be darker than she ever could have guessed.

Kayla is a young aspiring architect in 2010. She and her husband have just build a spectacular home in eastern North Carolina although he has accidentally died before they move in. Strange things begin to happen and she begins to fear their dream home. Why does it seem the property is haunted?

This novel with a dual timeline is similar to other Chamberlain novels. Although too melodramatic or saccharine at times, it does show the danger many faced during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Changing a culture is not simple. Changing hearts is only the work of Christ which was not in the scope of the book. Those choices can reach into future decades and continue to cause pain.

The ending tied up many lose ends when hatreds were exposed, but I can't say I enjoyed this novel. Was it supposed to be a thriller? A romance? A moral lesson against racism? Overall it was just sad.

I enjoy dual timeline books and the author has done an excellent job of having you invested in each time period. As someone who grew up during times of racial tension in North Carolina, I could relate to the earlier time in the book. I was impressed by Elli’s sense of justice and her willingness and dedication to the cause of allowing blacks the right to vote. I think we have too easily forgotten the fear the families experienced as they only wanted something that was a right … not a privilege. The present day storyline is also wrought with emotion. The tears were streaming down my face and I found myself gasping in horror and shock. And what a twist at the end. Though not an easy and light read, it is definitely one to put on your to-be-read list.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

I had a hard time getting into this one, while the characters were fine, at times the whole plot seemed very forced, but by the halfway mark, I was very interested to see where the story went. Extremely sad, but good overall.

Diane Chamberlain is hands down my #1 go to author for a dual timeline book. She masterfully pulls you in to both the modern and historical timelines--there are so many dual timeline books where I prefer one storyline over the other, but she always fully draws me into both. I also love that she adds a mystery element where it isn't entirely clear how everything will tie together immediately. She is an auto-read author for me, and the Last House on the Street confirms that!! An excellent follow-up, with some similarities, to her last book, Big Lies.

I really enjoyed this book - it gave a little bit of all the good things! Some historical fiction, mystery, and romance. I found myself rooting for the main characters and really invested in the outcomes.

The Last House on the Street
by: Diane Chamberlain
St. Martin's Press

I learned, grew, and was incredibly moved by this dual time-line mystery set in North Carolina by gifted writer Diane Chamberlain. From inexplicable happenings on a street and surrounding woods in 2010, to the racial injustices and secrets of a small community in 1965, she completely and profoundly immerses readers by connecting the two stories.
Although her husband died as they built it, Kayla Carter and her young daughter, Rainie, settle into their modern, architecturally stunning new house in Shadow Ridge Estates. A series of unsettling, frightening events unfold, making the move anything but comfortable for Kayla and Rainie. Ellie's life is forever changed when she joins the Summer Community Organization and Political Education Project, known as SCOPE. She has ambitious aspirations, but a dangerous goal to help Black people register to vote during the racially charged mid 1960s.
As I followed these two women's lives, I was captivated but often left speechless and horrified with the happenings in Ellie's journey and how it tied in to Kayla's world. Ellie stood up for equality, and both freedom to vote and freedom to love who one chooses to love. In doing so as a white woman in the South during this time period, danger lurked at every corner. This book is thought-provoking and significant in portraying the darkness of civil rights history, social justice and prejudice. Capturing me from page one, it is not to be forgotten and deserves all of the recognition that I know it will receive.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the advance reader's copy and opportunity to provide my unbiased review.
#NetGalley #thelasthouseonthestreet

This book was everything I expected and more from a favorite author. The 60s were tumultuous years in the fight for civil rights throughout the country, but much more so in many southern states. The small southern town depicted by Ms. Chamberlain in this book was an example of the fear, hatred and bigotry of the times. We are also introduced to one young woman, Ellie Hockley, who went against her family and friends to stand against those things. In two time periods, 1965 and 2010, Ms. Chamberlain tells the stories of Ellie and recent widow Kayla Carter, whose lives intertwine because of the property that Kayla has built her new house upon....a wooded area down the street from the Hockley home, where Ellie's family lives. Rumors are that the area is haunted, and as strange things begin to happen to Kayla at her new house, she becomes more certain that she needs to find out the history of the area, and the past relationship between her father and Ellie. Time-hopping the story gives the reader insight to the the young people who fought for the civil rights of black people, as well as the danger and hatred surrounding those activities. As Ellie develops a deep relationship with one young black man in her group, Win, danger and threats escalate into scenes not uncommon of the times. And in 2010 as Ellie and Kayla become more friendly, stories that Ellie has to tell bring the two time periods crashing together. This was a well-written book defining characters from opposite sides of the movement and how their beliefs bring the story to its conclusion. Definitely a high-recommendation to read. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #TheLastHouseOnTheStreet

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2022/01/11/%f0%9f%8e%a7-the-last-house-on-the-street-by-diane-chamberlain/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

I tried this author's work for the North Carolina settings.  The books I have read are historical fiction and deal with the aspects of racism and mistreatment of minorities, including women.  The characters are well developed whether they are compassionate and caring or angry bigots. I was in suspense as I waited to see what would happen to these people.

<strong>The Last House on the Street</strong> tells its story of two women. Ellie in 1965, from a well to do family. She is studying pharmacology at UNC Chapel Hill. She's in a relationship with a bank manager.  She gets involved with the civil rights movement, which her family and boyfriend would rather she didn't.  She takes a summer job working with marginalized people to educate them on their rights to vote.  She works with a young black man and falls for him.  I could see the dangers and how horrible this could be.

Ellie's story is interspersed with the current story of architect Kayla Carter, who is the daughter of the "bank manager" Reed.  Kayla is a widow with a little girl, and her father has recently lost his wife.   Kayla is moving into a home on Hockley Street, on the other end from where Ellie grew up.  Ellie is back to take care of her ailing brother and mother.  Kayla's home is  one she and her husband designed and built together and then he died in a construction accident.  There are people who don't want Kayla to live there.

Ellie and Kayla meet.  We learn of Ellie's past and the history of the woods and lake behind Kayla's home including a treehouse originally used by Ellie and her brother.  It's a heartbreaking story, for many reasons.  I guess one of the villains easily, but there were many prejudiced people in the town.  Ellie and Kayla become friends and they find the truth about the past.

What a compelling and informative novel with well-developed characters and interesting storylines. I couldn't put it down!
The stories of Ellie and Kayla are told in alternating chapters and different time periods - Ellie in 1965 and Kayla in 2010. Ellie grew up in the small town of Round Hill, North Carolina as the daughter of a pharamacist and librarian. Her high school was integrated, but just barely, and her views of the social climate and conditions of the time were fairly narrow. Ellie's eyes were opened to the civil rights movement while attending UNC, with her oldest childhood friend as her roommate. A lot happens to Ellie over the course of one summer when she decides to volunteer for the SCOPE project, clearly against the wishes of her family, the best friend, boyfriend and much of her community.
Kayla's story begins in 2010, following the accidental death of her young husband in the house they're building. It's in a new development, right next to the house where Ellie grew up, and we quickly learn that someone doesn't want Kayla and her young daughter to move in.
Many parts of the book are disturbing and it was hard to believe the atrocities that took place in the US, on a number of different levels (the racism, violence, horrible living conditions, and duplicity of people who presented themselves as outstanding citizens). The SCOPE project was real and Ms. Chamberlain's research was thorough.
While some elements were a bit predictable, they didn't detract from the story. The Last House on the Street was not an easy book to read, but it is an important and well written one. Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the introduction to Ms. Chamberlain and the opportunity to read The Last House on the Street in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed this historical fiction book with a twist. The two time periods one in present day and the other in the 50s were really appealing and worked well. This was a page turner for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Happy Pub Day!

In my mind, Diane Chamberlain can do no wrong. She is a great storyteller and this novel was no exception.

I had no idea that the SCOPE project was a thing, I thought her subject was very timely considering all of the voter information/abuse that we have seen in the last few years. I learned a lot about the SCOPE project and received the message loud and clear that we need to do more to help the underserved obtain the equity that we all talk about.

I enjoyed the dual timeline (my usual, if a book had a dual timeline it goes in the TBR immediately). I really wish there was more of the 1965 timeline over the 2010 timeline. I wanted more information, I wanted to know how it ended. Did it get better for people of color? I wasn't completely satisfied.

Overall, it was a great read and again, I will read anything by Diane Chamberlain.

This book follows two parallel (and intersecting) narratives - of Ellie's 1965 efforts to help Black residents of her county to register to vote and of Kayla's 2010 moving in to a new house just after her husband died. Ellie's old family home and Kayla's new home are the only inhabited houses on the street, and the narrative unravels old mysteries connecting the past and present as creepy things keep happening around Kayla's new home.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: thriller/mystery with historical and contemporary fiction
Location: North Carolina
Pub Date: January 11, 2022 (TODAY!!)

I really enjoyed this book - I was hooked with the multiple timelines - the 1965 story of how Ellie defies her family to go try to help register Black voters on the other side of her county with SCOPE, a civil rights organization; and the 2010 story of Kayla trying to grabble with her husband's death while moving in the house they designed together. I loved seeing Ellie's and Kayla's stories and lives overlapping and intersecting while I tried to puzzle out what happened in the past and what was happening in the future.

This book is filled with a mix of sadness and hope and will give you all the big feelings; especially as you consider the legacies of race and racism in the South (in the past especially). I wish the racial issues / activism continued into the present a bit more clearly, and I was left with a few unanswered questions, but overall I really enjoyed this read!

Read this if you like:
⭕️ thrillers with multiple POV's and timelines
⭕️ strong family plots
⭕️ books that reflect on race and racism

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and #netgalley for an eARC of this book!