This is a really moving historical story about the Voting Rights Act that every white person should read. Though I knew the basics about the Voting Rights Act, this story really brought that era to life and made me consider things in a much more personal way - the way all good fiction does.

I thought this story was written with a lot of pain and heart.! I can't wait to share this with my followers

It’s no surprise that Diane Chamberlain’s newest book The Last House on the Street was another smashing success! I’ve really come to appreciate Chamberlain’s style of writing with dual plots, told both in the present day (2010) and at historical times in history. She solidifies my stance as a life-long fan because she often writes specifically about history that occurred in North Carolina, my home. The attachment I have to this beautiful state only grows when I am able to see it through the eyes of Chamberlain’s characters. The Last House on the Street tells the story of Ellie, raised in a wealthy white family that follows her own heart to the aid of registering black voters in 1965. Ellie defies the segregation that exists in her family, her town and her state, but at what cost? Then there is Kayla, recently widowed and about to move into the home of her dreams with her 4 year-old daughter, only to learn that the plot of land and neighborhood are said to be haunted. Diana does an extraordinary job of weaving the woman’s stories together and allows readers to draw their own conclusions about heavy and controversial matters. I adore the way that The Last House on the Street had my heart hammering; out of frustration for equality, ignorance and arrogance and love and family. I will always be 1st in line for Diane Chamberlain’s novels and The Last House on the Street should not be missed.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set in current times and the summer of 1965, Ellie is a white Southern college student working in North Carolina to help register black voters and do community organizing. Now, Kayla builds a house in a wooded, newly developed area where strange things keep happening. When older Ellie comes to town to care for her family members, the two meet and find their connections.

I really like Diane Chamberlain books, and this one was okay, but not very memorable. I liked the less written about time period and how Ellie worked for civil rights as a white Southerner. I was completely unsurprised by the storylines and how they came together. So, overall, if you like Diane Chamberlain you'll probably like this book but it will not be vying to be your favorite. I would have liked a little more "sparkle" or humor but it was a solid book.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

This is my second book by this author. I have enjoyed both and look forward to reading more by her.

The Last House on the Street is written in two timelines and points of view. In 2010 Kayla is about to move into what was supposed to be her dream house, a contemporary masterpiece set in the woods designed by her and her husband. After an freak accident during the build her husband dies and she isn't sure she wants to live there anymore. Before she moves in a strange woman shows up at her office and tells her not to move in, the land is haunted and bad things will happen.

The other time line is Ellie's in 1965. She tried to emulate her Aunt Carol who was an activist and that summer instead of working at her father's drug store she signs up for SCOPE (Summer Community Organization and Political Education). They were assigned to counties to help Blacks register for the vote and Ellie is assigned to her county but sees a whole different side that she didn't know existed. She is the only white southern girl and isn't entirely trusted at first but her commitment is evident and she becomes close particularly to her partner, Win.

Kayla's story was deliciously creepy with strange things happening at her home, things disappearing, some vandalism and the woods with its strange noises and thick darkness and the very unwelcome lake. Kayla's story and Kayla wasn't nearly as developed as Ellie's but served as a way to reveal the secrets of 1965.

In 1965 the depiction of the fight for the Blacks to even register and the camaraderie of the SCOPE volunteers and the very real threats to their lives. Blacks and whites were absolutely not to mix and if Ellie was riding in a car with a Black man especially she would have to hide if they passed another truck. It was a sad part of our history and unfortunately not that long ago. All the ugliness of her story wraps up near the end but I still had some questions and things left unsaid but I still felt it was a page turner and even though I had an idea of the twists at the end I still enjoyed the reveal.

I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a copy of this book.

DNF at 44%

I have previously loved Diane Chamberlain’s use of historical fiction as a backdrop for current issues. They somehow have a wholesome spin through the entire book. Also, ending with some kind of life lesson.

For this one however, I struggled at several points to feel any kind of connection with the MC. I felt like she was somehow driven yet flat. Her reasons for what she was doing felt ungrounded.

I wanted this to be a timely recommendation in January but do not in any way recommend.

I do hope it had a little more clarity towards the end although I didn’t want to sit through it to find out.


Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for this advanced copy!

This is a richly atmospheric and emotional story that follows two characters; Ellie and Kayla, through two different decades, 1965 and 2010. It’s about love, loss, corruption, racial inequality and injustices in the deep south. I loved how all-consuming this story was, and how easily I became fully absorbed into these characters lives. Diane Chamberlain has written this with a great deal of heart in respect to the racial divides within the storyline.

[1965] Ellie is a North Carolinian who believes in standing up for what she believes in, so she joins a group of northern students to encourage southern Black residents to vote. That ostracizes her from her family and community. Ellie falling in love with a Black student complicates her situation even further. When a horrific, inconsolable act takes place, she moves to California, severing her relationship with family and community for the next forty years.

[2010] Kayla and her husband, who recently died in an accident, has built a new home at the end of Ellie’s street. Kayla moves in with her small daughter, and her home is very quickly targeted by an unknown individual(s).

Ellie is forced to face what happened forty years earlier when she returns to her hometown to care for her sick mother and brother. And Kayla is driven to uncover what happened on her property in the 60’s.

This story, wow, I felt an overpowering of emotions that struck right at my core. This book is so incredibly well done. I loved the twists and turns of it all, and will be reading this again in the future.

I received an arc from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the book "The Last House on the Street" by Diane Chamberlain.

Kayla and Ellie are two women whose lives intertwine over the new house that Kayla has built near Ellie's childhood home. As we follow Ellie's life during the civil rights tension of the 1960s, we gain a growing picture of why someone might not want Kayla to move in to her new home.

This book kept me fully engaged and wanting to know more. There is a lot more depth to the Ellie portion of the story than Kayla's, as Kayla is really just a mechanism to tell Ellie's story. I enjoyed the style of writing a lot!

This has a little language but not much, a moderate romantic scene and some graphic violence (as befits the civil rights setting).

This would make a great book club pick!

The Last House On The Street is the new novel by Diane Chamberlain that you need to put on your radar and it releases tomorrow, Jan 11!

It has two interweaving timelines; 2010 and one during the 1960’s right before the Voting Rights Act was signed. The story is set in North Carolina. Do you see where I’m going with this? This is the south where all the white people claim to not be racist, but also think segregation is the way God intended. This is the south where your super nice next door neighbor, or your best friend’s dad or the nice lady at the hair dresser might actually be involved in the KKK. Our main protagonist, Ellie, is a 20 year old who wants to make a difference.

These heavy topics are handled with fully fleshed out characters and an interesting and occasionally heartbreaking storyline that kept me turning the pages late into the night (well I read a digital copy so I guess I was tapping on my iPad). Both timelines are effortlessly connected. There are themes of social justice, grief (sudden loss of husband, not a spoiler, we learn of this right at the beginning) interracial relationships, and probably many more that I’m not thinking of. In a nutshell, read this book.

Many thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this advance copy.

I've read several books by this author and loved each one. This one is no exception. It's another great one. A very sad book though. A though subject to read about too. So much has changed yet nothing has changed over the years. To much prejudice back then and too much now. Voter suppression then and it still exists today. What happened to black people back in the early to mid sixties was horrible. It is still horrible. All the killings and prejudice. All the things that happened then and a lot of what still happens today. This really needs to change.

This is the story of two women and two time periods. How their lives will intersect. What happened back in 1965 and what is happening now in 2010. Two women of different ages. Different backgrounds but both white women. Both who have empathy for their fellow human beings. Both with lives and loves. Both lost someone so important to them. A story of the horrors of the KKK. The bigots of the south. How one woman tried to make a change and what happened to her. How a town can hide so many secrets and be so cold blooded. And so so many lies. So many lies from a family who claim to love each other.

This book will make your skin crawl. Make you cringe. Make you weep and feel pain like you never thought you would. Things that happened in the sixties and even what happened to Karla in 2010. The extreme someone will go to just to hide the truth. To keep things buried. To keep answers from being revealed. I was both shocked and horrified at what a person with so much hate is capable of doing. And these things really happened back then and even now. How dare a person of color think they are equal or worthy or can possibly have a relationship with a white woman. What a town will do to keep things from moving forward. So sad.

This book is full of deep feelings that will keep you turning the pages. Secrets you will want revealed. You will want to know what happened and why. Who did what. Sometimes things are not as they seem. Sometimes you just can not trust people to do the right thing. Or to be honest. So many lies that tear families apart. Tear communities apart. It's just sad.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #DianeChamberlain, #StMartinsPress for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

5/5 stars and I consider it a job well done. I highly recommend this book. Have a few kleenex handy while reading this one.

Diane Chamberlain has a wonderful way of drawing the reader into a story. In this case, Chamberlain has created a dual time line centering on a young widow named Kayla Carter in 2010 and a college student named Ellie Hockley who gets involved in the civil rights movement in 1965. The story of these two women sends them on a collision course with the truth of what happened one brutal night long ago. I learned a lot about the civil rights movement, in particular the SCOPE program whose goal was to recruit white college students from the North to help prepare African American people in the South to vote once the Voting Rights Act was passed. The book makes you think about how divided the country was in 1965 which I think is relevant to today's world.

The Last House on the Street is my 3rd Chamberlain read. Big Lies on a Small Town definitely put her on my radar as a top writer with important, engaging storylines last year and I was excited to pick this one up. The SCOPE scenes in this story were fantastic and so interesting. You can tell that there was research done to achieve the historical details from the SCOPE training in Georgia to the canvassing and protesting in NC. I appreciated the care with which Chamberlain shared the songs, descriptions of the families, and the struggles that they were going through during that time, but I wanted more from this side of the story. While there were certainly aspects of this story that I found myself enjoying, there were a few bits that I didn't. I found the 2010 story line to be a bit unnecessary for the story. It seemed like parts of this timeline were included purely for shock value, or to add a twist. Most of the twists are in fact very predictable. The staggering differences in tone between the two timelines make the switch between them jarring and confusing from a genre perspective. Ultimately, a deeper dive into SCOPE and expanding on this part of story would have made a more meaningful read. And without getting into too many spoilers... I did not believe in or support the romance that occurs in this story and found it to be used as a tool for writing a horrible tragedy. While things like this definitely did occur, I don't feel like we were given the foundation for it to occur in the context of this story. Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for this eArc in exchange for my honest review!

The Last House On The Street by Diane Chamberlain is a riveting novel about a small southern community’s past sins rise to the surface when two women, a generation apart, find themselves bound by tragedy and an unsolved, decades-old mystery. The 1965 story follows Ellie, a 20 year old white woman who joins a civil rights group working to register black citizens to vote in North Carolina. The story in 2010 follows Kayla, a young mother whose husband recently died in a tragic accident while building a new house on the same block as Ellie's family.

I was immediately drawn into the plot and characters. I especially was fascinated by Ellie's story and growing commitment to activism. I didn't always love Ellie and Kayla or their choices, but found them relatable. I was so intrigued by their stories and wanted to know what would happen. The plot was well-crafted and information was slowly revealed in a way that kept me hooked. I listened to the audiobook which was well narrated by Susan Bennett. I really enjoyed this compelling novel!

Thank you St. Martin's Press/Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing this ebook/audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for a gifted copy of The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain. All opinions are my own.

This dual timeline book alternates between
Kayla in 2010 and Ellie in 1965. Kayla is an architect and a widow. Does she want to live in her newly designed home without her husband? Ellie is a civil rights volunteer. She believes in change and wants to help to make it happen. Eventually as their paths cross a mystery is revealed.

The Last House on the Street delves into the dark and usually hidden side of living in the south in the 1960s. Do you really know your neighbors, friends, and even your family?

Diane Chamberlain has again created an interesting and thought provoking historical fiction. I'm looking forward to her next book.

Mystery & Thrillers
Women's Fiction
Release Date: January 11, 2022

This story is a little bit history and a little bit mystery. It is told from alternating points of view beginning in the present year of 2010 and then from the year 1965.

Two women whose lives will be upended with all the ugliness of the past.

Kayla Carter is a mother to a three-year-old daughter, Rainie, and their lives have been turned upside down. Kayla and her husband, Jackson, are architects and are in the process of building their dream home when Jackson dies following a freak accident in the home they are building. Kayla and Rainie move in with Kayla's father while the house is finished. Kayla has ambivalent feelings about the house where she is worried there are too many memories tied to Jackson and yet, she doesn't want anyone else to live in the house.

Kayla and her daughter move into the new home and for Rainie's sake, Kayla pushes her apprehension away. Things don't stay quiet for long and Kayla runs across items in boxes of her husband's belongings that have her questioning why she was kept in the dark.

Eleanor "Ellie" Hockley is back in Round Hill to care for her brother and mother. Ellie had left years ago to California and is haunted by events from her past.

Back in 1965, Ellie was in college for pharmacology, following in the footsteps of her father and even working part-time for him. Ellie's father reads an article about SCOPE. A program to get black voters registered and Ellie knew she was going to be a part of it.

Ellie after hitting a few bumps in the road found herself as a volunteer. After living a privileged life, Ellie experienced what living in poverty was like while living with a family. She was partnered with Win, and the two of them made a great team. Against the rules, they develop feelings for one another. Ellie's family demand for her to come home and it isn't until during a protest where Win is targeted that Ellie agrees to go home for his protection.

Kayla and Ellie get to know one another but it's not until Brenda brings up Ellie's past that Kayla is shocked to learn the connection between Ellie and her father. Ellie ends up at Kayla's home and confides in Kayla and it's not long before another buried secret will come to light.

I enjoyed how the story unfolded from telling of the present to the past even though parts were hard for me to read knowing that not long ago how much hatred lead to treating others as less than human. To some extent still exists with viewing others as lesser than. I admired Ellie for standing by her principles but was hoping for a different ending for her, although justice finally prevailed.

I received an ARC from NetGalley via St. Martin's Press and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.

What appealed to you the most in this story?

I loved the dual timelines, following the lives of Ellie in the mid 60s and Kayla in 2010, and how their narratives come to connect the tragic past with the present. Ellie was my favorite, and I found myself connected to her story and living right beside her as she stepped into her own shoes and began working towards making the world a better place.

I also appreciate how the sensitive issues including racism, interracial relationships, and activism were approached and written about.

How was the pace?

This book held a steady pace with fast page turning moments.

I was completely captivated by the raw honesty of this narrative from the beginning and found myself caught up in learning about the tremendous obstacles in place to keep Black citizens from registering to vote, along with Martin Luther King Jr’s SCOPE initiative to help them register.

How was the audio version?

I’m so glad I went with the audiobook! Susan Bennett is just a phenomenal narrator and has done another amazing job. I think listening to the story really brought even more emotion to the each of the character’s lives and drew me deeper into their lives. I was in tears by the end, as the 1965 timeline drew to a close.

Did the author do her research?

Yes! Not only did she do a fabulous job bringing history and facts to life, but she also got me to read more history and research SCOPE more too! I love how Chamberlain wrote this fictional story with layers of factual history to educate and inform readers. The fact that this occurred within the lifetime of my parents and so many others still alive today is beyond my comprehension.

Do you recommend this book?

I cannot recommend this unique, riveting and wonderfully written book enough! Fans of Diane Chamberlain and those who have yet to read one of her books should definitely pick it up as soon as it hits the shelves on January 11th!

Thank St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing a gifted ARC in return for my honest review.

This was my first Diane Chamberlain book and it did not disappoint. It will stick with me for a long time. I learned a lot from this as I wasn’t alive in the 60’s. The alternative timeline is my favorite.

5 Act on your Convictions Stars

What a MAGNIFICENT book this was!! I’m never disappointed when I pick up a book by Ms. Chamberlain! This story is one that moved me in so many ways. We flip back and forth between to time periods that were very smooth and kept me enthralled with the winding story that both Kayla and Ellie are telling.

With Ellie’s story we’re taken back to a period of great turmoil in our country and things she does, says and the people she spends time with truly shape her entire life and have long term affects for her family. I was spellbound by these chapters. I felt her convictions on what’s right and wrong; her agony of discovering secrets about her family and friends and her burgeoning love with a man that at this time in our country was not tolerated especially in the South.

Kayla’s story is in modern time and is quite intriguing with the happenings surrounding the building of her new home. And her daughter Rainey is just so precocious and sweet. I love how Ms. Chamberlain made us connect all the dots with Kayla’s family history. I felt her pain with the recent death of her husband and how that one event really sets in motion how these two women enter each other’s stratospheres.

The pace of this book is perfect in how the stories move along and the way they intermingle. There were true moments of “what did I just read” and also the ultimate moment where my mouth was literally hanging open because holy cow!!! The attention to detail that Ms. Chamberlain includes in this story is amazing. I felt like I was back in time with the characters and all their machinations!

This is a not to be missed book!!

I feel like the blurb did not give a very accurate description of this book and it's not one I would normally have chosen to read. I got the impression it was more of a mystery/thriller type of book, which is my preferred genre. It alternates between 1965, which focuses on civil and voting rights, and the more current year of 2010.

The 2010 storyline did have some mystery to it with a crazy stalkerish old lady making death threats and the creepy lot with a haunted reputation where Kayla and her now deceased husband built their house. Strange things begin happening on her property that start to feel like warnings to leave.

The 1965 storyline was more historical fiction involving the passing of the law giving black people the right to vote. Ellie leaves her rich privileged family to canvas the poorer towns in her county encouraging the black community to vote. Along the way she encounters dangerous situations like a cross burning on the front yard of the house she's staying in, KKK rallies, and men shooting shotguns at her trying to run her out of town. The story also features an interracial relationship, which was very dangerous in those times.

Overall, the mysterious ending was satisfying, although I was able to guess most of it. But I enjoyed the story more than I thought I would.

Diane Chamberlain has nailed the difficult task of wrapping a murder mystery around a time of political upheaval. Count yourself lucky if you are too young to have lived then and/or have first hand knowledge of the horrors of the violent racial miasma that ran rampant in the United States in 1965. What am I even saying? It hasn’t gone away - it is in the news every other day - - the shame, the horror of hatred and blatant racism. Chamberlain doesn’t leave it at that, she also typifies the young who feel they have to address the unfairness and become involved, often rushing in with the best intentions while leaving the door open to disaster. Chamberlain makes sure we realize that zealots come in all shapes, sizes, genders, colors and attitudes. While Chamberlain has focused her attention on the near “Deep South” eschewing that the Carolinas are so much more progressive than the deep and dark prejudice and violence of Mississippi, Alabama, etc. those Satan Robes and Hoods are equally deadly in any State, and they existed in many including the Northeast.

Not to detract from the current time line, the past is just so powerful that everything else struck me as just noise and background. This is a really interesting book that looks hard and long at the “then and now” and doesn’t flinch from exposing prejudices that don’t die but become better cloaked in the guise of gentility. The characters are not pencil sketches but deep depictions of those who hate, those who defend, those who churn and those who stand and fight. A powerful, thought provoking book.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy.

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain is a great “whodunit” from the past and the present. This book is made up of two mysteries: one from the past and one from the present. The stories wrap around each other, each revealing more of the characters and the storyline.

Kayla Carter and her husband planned the perfect house to share with their daughter. As the house was almost finished, her husband died in an accident and Kayla has to figure out how to move forward. She has had a weird visitor almost threatening her about their future house. Kayla is spooked, but moves on.

Ellie Hockley is home after 50 years. She came home to help take care of her brother as was dying. The story goes back and forth from when Ellie is young to present day. Each layer opens up another layer of the story.

This book reminds us that prejudice and violence sometimes goes together in the most hateful way. Love does not conquer all, sometimes deep seated hate rules. Eventually secrets and truths are revealed - shocking and unexpected with the vitriol. The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain was a great read.