I can’t believe I held onto this ARC for so long before reading it. I kept passing it by for books that I thought sounded more interesting, then I realized that this is about to be published so I’d better get on it. How silly I feel now, because I absolutely loved it. This is really two stories in one, and when they tied together … oh my gosh! Rarely do books bring actual tears to my eyes, but this one got me.

In 1965, a young white girl from North Carolina named Ellie finds herself fighting for black voting rights. Her family and friends think she is crazy, not only for supporting civil rights, but for putting herself in danger. Ellie knows it’s dangerous, but she feels strongly about the cause. She’s the rare southern white girl who actually did have a black friend, who died tragically, and Ellie is compelled to leave her comfort zone. As she begins a summer of volunteer work, she immerses herself into the black communities she used to know nothing about, and her passion for the cause gets even stronger. Even when the KKK violently gets involved, Ellie stands by her convictions and the new friends she has made.

In 2010, Kayla is newly widowed, and is moving into the dream house she and her deceased husband designed. Her husband died in a freak accident while the house was being built, but Kayla decides to move in anyway. The memories and plans they had for the future are always there and always hurtful, but they built this house for their daughter, Rainie, to grow up in, and Kayla wants to at least give it a chance. Soon, strange things start happening, and creepy things on the property are found - an old treehouse, a nasty lake, and a weird circle where nothing seems to grow.

It wasn’t until about a quarter of the way through before the reader is let in on how these two situations are related. Sometimes when tying together stories from the past and present, the connection can get tenuous. This was a great connection, though; I loved how the two stories intertwined. The ending was heartbreaking but beautiful, and so well-written. Reading about civil rights atrocities in 1965 is also difficult, knowing that people are STILL fighting for the same causes that Ellie was. We really haven’t come very far, have we?

This isn’t the typical mystery/thriller that I usually gravitate towards, and I’m glad for that. This was just a beautiful (even when it got horrific) book, with a lot of thought put into it. It’s definitely a mystery book with some thriller aspects, but it was so much more than that. I’m giving it 4.5 stars, rounded up because even if the book was only Ellie’s story, it would’ve been fantastic. Adding Kayla and her daughter in was just icing on the cake.

(Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Diane Chamberlain, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

Such a great read!! This story was told in alternating time lines, which sometimes, one can be more interesting than the other. But definitely not in this book. Whether reading the past or present, each was highly interesting, pulling you in and getting you to turn those pages quicker than you thought possible.
Story was thought provoking, full of suspense and heartbreaking too. Highly recommend for all those who enjoy historical fiction, suspense and mystery. Actually, I think it's a read for everyone.

I was provided a free advanced copy of this by @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Newly widowed Kayla and her daughter are about to move into the house she and her husband designed. There's just one (or maybe a few) problem; there's a strange lady telling/threatening her not to move in, all the trees surrounding it seemed like a good idea at the time now seem suffocating and ominous, weird things keep happening around the house... Oh, and it's where her husband died in an accident during construction. Alongside her story we learn about Ellie (in 1965) as she becomes involved in local civil rights and learns some hard lessons about her friends, family, and her life as a whole. These two women's stories intertwine and develop beautifully. Each storyline feels different (one triller/mystery, one about social justice) but as the story progresses and more and more characters overlap the reader begins to make a lot of connections!
I was captivated the whole time trying to figure out who/what was behind all the craziness in Kayla's life, and felt drawn in to Ellie's struggles as well. I enjoyed learning about a new aspect of civil rights that I haven't seen depicted in stories before. Some of the scenes and events that happened will stick with me for a while.
I have only read two other of @diane.chamberlain.author 's books but I gave them both four stars as well, so I definitely need to add some more to my TBR! This one should be added to your TBR! It is set to be published next Tues (11 Jan), so make sure to look for it then!
#NetGalley

Very interesting story told from two different narrators during two different times.

One is Kayla and her 3yo daughter. Kayla recently lost her husband and is about to move into the home they just had built. That they designed. Then all sorts of weird things start happening. Starting with a red head coming in to Kayla’s work and threatening her. Will she move into the house? Will it scare her away?

The other is Ellie. Ellie lived in the area back 50 years ago.

How do their stories intersect? Do they? Can they help each other?

Such a moving lovely story.

Diane Chamberlain does it again with The Last House on the Street. This book was thought provoking, sad, happy, angry, and everything in-between. Told in a dual-timeline between 2010 and 1965, this story was written so beautifully. The characters had so much emotion and I felt like I was right there next to them. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital arc of this title.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC audio. Even though it was only one narrator , I still enjoyed it. This was a heart wrenching story set between 1965 civil rights movement and 2010. How far will you go to be with the one you love? Who is really your best friend? Who can you call your family? Who can you really trust? This book ask a lot of hard questions that you are probably not prepared to answer. Grab a box of tissues and something to throw at the wall while reading this newest book by one of my all time favorite authors!

I am always eager to read the next Diane Chamberlain book and The Last House on the Street was another one that I enjoyed. This book is a historical fiction novel, written in two timelines. One storyline is set in 1965 and shares the story of Ellie Hockley and her involvement in SCOPE, a group that recruited college students to educate Black citizens about their right to register and vote, as well as help them register. Ellie was a proper, white girl raised in well-to-do Round Hill, N.C. I have read books about this time before, but was shocked by the happenings in this book. You never know what the people you live with, your family and neighbours are capable of. In 2010, Architect Kayla Carter and her 3 year old daughter, Rainie, are moving into what was supposed to be her dream house. She and her husband designed it, but he died in a freak accident and she isn't sure if she still wants to live there. Several things happen to scare her off, including a strange woman showing up at her office to warn her off. What happened on that property all those years ago?

The last line of the blurb is a perfect line about this book: Two women. Two stories. Both on a collision course with the truth--no matter what that truth may bring to light

I did not know anything about the Scope Project and learned a lot about it. I did do a bit of googling to learn more. I loved the 1965 timeline the best. Learning about Ellie and what she went through as interesting and at the same time appalling. She was such a strong character, doing what she thought was right, even alienating her family. Win was also a wonderful character, doing what he believed in and helping others. Watching their relationship bloom, was sweet, but a disaster waiting to happen. I have to say, I didn't enjoy Kayla's storyline as much until the end when the two timelines come together. I would have liked a smoother transition between the two times, but I still very much liked this book. The setting was creepy. An overgrown yard, a brackish pond/lake and noises gave me chills at time. This was an emotional read and it punched me right in the gut several times. This was a good read with a strong message about the civil rights that are still being fought for today. I definitely recommend this book.

I love this new book by Diane Chamberlain so much!!!!!!! I have been a huge fan of hers for yrs now and she never disappoints me!! Her books are magical in a way I can't even put into words. If you haven't read any of her books you need to start on that now. I highly recommend this book.

What a great way to kick of my year of reading! Truly a book I didn’t want to put down. If work and life in general didn’t get in the way, I probably would have read this in one sitting. I was just drawn to the main characters, especially Ellie. She was by far my favorite, especially the 1965 version of her. Her drive, compassion, and wish for a better world for others to live in consumes her and then changes her. She’s a person I would want to be friends with in real life.

This story is told in alternating timelines, both taking place in the same county in North Carolina. And as you can imagine, 1965 NC is a much different place than 2010 NC. In 1965, Ellie is drawn to volunteer for SCOPE against her family’s wishes. It was an organization that brought in white college students to help the black communities register to vote – and in Klan territory, that is not a simple task. In 2010, Kayla is a recently widowed single mom, moving into a new house, trying to make a fresh start for her and her daughter. But there is history on the land her house now sits. History that will bring Kayla and Ellie together to find answers to exactly what happened on that plot of land in 1965.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this wonderful book. I had only read one of Ms. Chamberlain’s books prior, although many are on my to-read list. Those books now need to come to the front of that list because I’m sure I’ll enjoy them too.

Ms. Chamberlain beautifully weaves the past with the present not only with the lives of the two main characters but also the property where the one used to live and the other currently does. Ellie is a civil rights activities in the 1960's and Kayla is a successful architect. Ellie left the south for San Francisco after tragic events surrounding the presumed death of her loved one and never returned until her mother's and brother's ill heath brought her back.. Kayla and her husband designed and had built their dream home only to lose her husband in a tragic accident. The story is well crafted and a very good pace. Reading this during the holidays made it difficult as I wanted to keep turning the page plus enjoying the festivities. I should have waited and curled up on the sofa in front of a fire.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an early access copy.

I finished this a week ago. I enjoy books about life in the south and I really wasn’t sure until I started what this book was about. This book is told in 2 different time lines, one 1965 and the other in 2010. Upon reading this all the way through I kept thinking “ How is this going to come together at the end”. I had no idea until I was almost finished.
In 1965 there was a group of young adults that decided to band together and help “ colour folks” vote. In the process, some of these volunteers were white and stayed with black families. As a result, they saw horrors first hand just because of the difference in skin colour. Sometimes because they were living with black families themselves, they too were targeted. There is a terrible event that happens to a coloured boy in the very spot architects couple in 2010 decide to build their new home. Through various strange happenings around the property the story merges together.
I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it! I was told not to retell the book just give highlights and your opinion. I hope this helps readers decide to open this book.

Loved this dual timeline historical mystery. The story follows Kayla, a young and newly widowed mother moving into the house of her dreams, while getting to know Ellie, a 65 year old woman coming back to town to care for her family. The story goes back and forth between Kayla learning the history of her house and the town and Ellie as a 20 year old woman helping canvas Black voters during the civil rights movement. I cared so greatly about the characters, and the mystery within was expertly crafted.

Diane Chamberlain. She’s my gal.

Her storytelling has the power to sweep me away, completely. When I get my hands on one of her books, I spin around in circles like Snoopy doing a happy dance. I did that with her latest, The Last House on the Street, but then a weird thing happened. I set it aside and read dozens of others ahead of it. I just NEEDED it to be so good that I was scared to read it.

Fortunately, it is good. Really good. In true Chamberlain fashion, The Last House on the Street is a dual-timeline narrative set in North Carolina. The contemporary story features a young grieving widow, Kayla, piecing together a new life for herself and her daughter, and the historical story focuses on a 20-year-old white woman, Ellie, in 1965 who goes against her family’s wishes to dedicate her time to SCOPE. The Summer Community Organization and Political Education project was a voter registration civil rights initiative conducted in six southern states. The goal was to recruit white college students to help prepare Black Americans for voting and to maintain pressure on Congress to pass what became the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Typically dual-timeline narratives have one treasure and one turd, but I found both women’s stories equally compelling. Kayla and Ellie are likeable and easy to root for, and it was satisfying to see how their lives intertwined at the end.

As for the inclusion of the SCOPE project as a central plot point, I'm happy this aspect of American history has been brought to my attention. Chamberlain just scratches the surface of it by using it as a backdrop for a forbidden interracial relationship though, thus my desire to learn more about the project will send me to nonfiction resources in the future.

So will The Last House on the Street be recalled as one of my favorite Diane Chamberlain novels? No, she’ll be hard pressed to top Necessary Lies and The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes in my eyes. I will always recommend her books to people looking for page turners though, and this is no exception.

This is a dual timeline novel, set in Round Hill, North Carolina, in both 1965 and 2010. In 1965, Ellie has decided to volunteer for SCOPE (Summer Community Organization and Political Education), which organized students in an effort to help African Americans in the South register to vote. She expected her family to object, but was not prepared for the level of anger aimed her way. In 2010, Kayla has just lost her husband to a tragic accident and is in unbelievable pain, continuing their plans to move into their new house in Round Hill. Then strange things begin happening, and it appears that someone does not want her there.

I enjoyed the description of and research into events in 1965. I was impressed with the character development of Ellie and Win. However, I felt the plot of the 2010 timeline was not fully realized and sort of fizzled out. Although there was a surprise at the end, the plot wasn't completely developed or resolved. So much could have been added to make this a complete novel, such as more representation of the African American community in the 2010 timeline. This was a surprise, as I have loved all of Diane Chamberlain's books prior to this one.

I received a free copy of this book from St. Martin's Press. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

Diane Chamberlain does it again, at least for me. Like most (all?) of the books I've read from her, this one is told from two different points of view in two different timelines and the timelines/POV eventually merge. In my opinion, she does this well and I never become confused about the POV or the timelines and always look forward to the denouement, when they end up merging. What was coincidental for me is that I was reading Black, by Joan Vassar while reading this book, and it was interesting reading about the black struggle from two different points of view. Diane Chamberlain is a white woman, as opposed to Joan Vassar, who is a black woman, but one of the main protagonists in this story is a white southern rich girl from North Carolina who becomes passionate about helping change things for blacks in the 60s by working to get them the vote. She is the lone white voice in her community speaking for the change, and a lot of ugliness is revealed as we explore both the past and the present. The author did a good job of mixing in the past and the present and I really felt the atmosphere of those woods and that lake. I would totally have been creeped out if I had been there. The only reason I did not give this 5 stars is because I predicted much of the ending, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing (usually have a hard time predicting the ending), it was not a surprise to me what happened in the past and what was happening in the future. I would still recommend this book and I will continue to read any Diane Chamberlain book I come across. With her large body of work, it's more about which one I will read next.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

* Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. *
Kayla, who is recently widowed, is moving into her dream house with her young daughter, but the loss of her husband on the property, and additional strange circumstances have her feeling uneasy about their plans.
Ellie, grew up on the same street and her family has thus far refused to sell their house to make room for the new development. She has returned to care for her declining family. Ellie and Kayla’s lives intersect as they discover the things they have in common through family and the land.
We follow both women in a 2010 timeline and Ellie in 1965 when she volunteered for a civil rights group called SCOPE working for equal voting rights. She witnesses racist atrocities in ways she didn’t even know existed and is exposed to an entire new world of inequality and fear without even leaving her county. As the story builds, we see how the events of the past continue to haunt the characters in the future.
Diane Chamberlain writes incredibly rich characters you will care for deeply. There is so much heartbreak in our country’s history, I appreciate authors who share stories of brave, resilient people who faced more adversity than anyone should ever have to. As always,
from this author, we have amazing storytelling that is packed with emotion and heart.

My last book for 2021 was The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain. I finished it New Years Eve before I went to sleep which was before midnight. I've read one or two other books by her and really enjoyed them. This one was good but, I don't think it had the wow factor and maybe the author intended it that way.

This book took place in two different time periods. One was in 1965 and one of the main characters was common to both time periods and stories. Her name was Ellie. Back in 1965 she was from an influential family in a small town in North Carolina. Her father was the Pharmacist in town and owned a drug store. Ellie wanted to volunteer with a group called SCOPE. It stood for Summer Community Organization and Political Education. Their purpose was to take racism out of politics. President Lyndon B. Johnson was suppose to sign the Voting Rights Bill Act which would allow folks to vote without passing a reading test among other things. Ellie wanted to volunteer to work in the black communities to educated and urge more blacks to register to vote. Her parents were against it because she would be canvassing and living in the poor black communities. The other time period was in 2010. Ellie has returned to her hometown to take care of her mother and her brother. The land around the home where she was raised has been sold off to a developer to build a new neighborhood. Kayla and her husband bought the lot at the end of the street to build their dream home. Strange things begin to happen to her family and home. Kayla eventually meets Ellie. The chapters of the two time periods rotate back and forth.

I like both time periods but, I think both of them fell a little short. Let me tell you why.

The time period of 1965 is one I remember well. I was almost 11 years old that summer. I remember moving from North Dakota to Florida a few years earlier. On that trip I remember the first signs that warned Negroes were not allowed to use white restrooms, drink out of the water fountains or eat in the restaurants. As a young child, I did not understand that and remembered asking my mother about it. Ellie had the same feelings I did. I think this was a great story but, would have been just as great on its own.

I felt the time period taking place in 2010 was trying to be Psychological Suspense. So many freaky things started happening to Kayla. I think this coulld have been a story developed into a novel of its own. I understand how they both tie into each other and it could have been an outstanding book. It was good but, I just think it fell a little flat. The 1965 era was an important one and frankly, I think we still have a long way to go. I think this book could have presented that in an easily digestible fashion. Diane Chamberlain has important things to say in this book but, stopped a little bit short.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from #StMartinsPress via #Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received an ARC of this book. A complex story with enough suspense to keep me turning the pages until the end. Very good read, I highly recommend!

Diane Chamberlain is very much a reliable author for me. I know I’m going to get a neighborhood drama, some hidden, mysterious scandal, and a story with friendship and love. That’s exactly what you get here. I usually really like books with dual timelines, but here I had a strong preference for the story set in the 60s - much more interesting time & characters. The present day story was too drawn out and and portions unbelievable. The earlier time period alone makes this a worthwhile read

3.5 stars

The Last House on the Street was an interesting story with a dual timeline. Ellie is a young woman living in North Carolina in the 1960s who decides she wants to join in with the Civil Rights movement, much to the disappointment of her family. Kayla is an architect living in Ellie's hometown in 2010. Moving into a new home, she learns that her new neighborhood is full of secrets from the past.

Typically with dual timeline stories I find myself liking and becoming more invested in one timeline more than the other. That was the case for me in this book. I really found the historical fiction parts of this story set in the 60s to be very interesting, but I was not as interested in the modern day story. I found myself a little bit disappointed when the book moved back to the modern day timeline. I think I would have preferred for this to be just a straight historical fiction novel set in the 1960s North Carolina setting.

However, this was a highly readable and engaging novel. I did enjoy it and I felt like I learned a little bit more about this period of history during the Civil Rights movement. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction!