What a gripping tale. The story is told from dual points of view. In 2010, Kayla is moving into a home she and her husband designed, but the move is fraught with tension. A mysterious stranger delivers an ominous warning and the deep woods surrounding the new house are now unsettling. In 1965, twenty year old Ellie is driven to become an activist in the civil rights movement. She signs up to spend her summer canvassing and helping organize black Americans in becoming registered to vote. In doing so she is introduced to a whole new side of humanity.
Both narratives are compelling and the story is paced perfectly to keep the reader engrossed in the story.
I love the way Chamberlain weaves the two women’s stories together revealing a haunting mystery.

The Last House on the Street was more than I expected. This was powerful, painful, joyful. Ellie was a likable character and I was rooting for her. The way the 2 different points of view blended together made sense and was well done. There were a few loose ends that didn’t get cleared up, but it wasn’t pertinent to Ellie and Kayla’s stories. This was an incredible book, but should have trigger warnings.

In a tragic accident, Kayla's husband dies in the midst of building their dream home.

Kayla has a four year old daughter and has gone back to work. She gets a very spooky visit from an older woman and Kayla needs to decide if she should move into the home or if she should put it up for sale. Upon moving into the home, odd things happen at the house.

The book switches back and forth between 1965, during the civil rights movement and 2010,

This is a book that will dig deep and is written with such depth.

5 stars

📖Superb storytelling!🤗

This author really knows how to compose a fascinating story with a glimpse into a pivotal past era of American history. The Last House is the tale of two women, a generation apart but with a 45 year social chasm between their troubles and tragic loss. The book moves seamlessly between 2010 and 1965, when the South was bubbling with tension and trouble on the eve of the enactment of the Voting Rights Act.

North Carolina university student Ellie takes a firm stand in support of the Civil Rights movement in the summer of 1965 not realizing how much opposition her actions will face. She's well-meaning and dedicated but naive and she and the man she loves will face the consequences.

Kayla, a young woman recently widowed in 2010 faces odd threats as she and her daughter settle in a wooded property on the outskirts of a North Carolina town. Oblique clues lead her to question why she is so uneasy in her new, custom-designed home.

As the two separate timelines play out, Ellie and Kayla find their stories enmeshed.

I dug in and found I could not pull away from this riveting, bittersweet tale.

Strongly recommended.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

I love Diane's books! She always does a great weaving two storylines together. I really loved the past storyline from the 1960's over the present storyline. I liked the way Diane addressed the racial tension in the south during that time and thought she handled it well. I think people will really enjoy this one!

I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of this gem and I binged it in one day.

Chamberlain’s books always give me all the feels and this was no exception. In fact this one broke my heart into a million pieces.

With dual timelines and two povs Chamberlain gives us heartbreaking interwoven family drama mixed with the backdrop of the old South and some devastating circumstances of what was ‘normal’ back then. It’s actually like a punch in the gut when you realize it’s not as far back as it seems. This book made my blood boil and the tears run yet, it is an epic story I couldn’t stop reading.

I won’t forget this one for a long while.

“Do you want to know what keeps me awake at night?...Thinking. That’s what keeps me awake. Thinking about killing someone.”

That is just the first chapter. The Last House on the Street just gets better from there.

Kayla and Ellie are two women with absolutely nothing in common. Kayla is an architect and a widowed single mother in her twenties in North Carolina. Ellie is sixty-five, never married, has no children, teaches yoga, and has been working with Civil Rights groups for over forty years. She also lives in California. These two women have no reason to cross paths. That is, until Ellie’s brother Buddy gets sick, and Ellie flies back to North Carolina – a place she hates and never wanted to visit again – not even returning when her father died.

Kayla and her husband Jackson designed their very modern dream home. It is the first home completed in a new subdivision being built on the same street where Ellie’s childhood home sits. In fact, Ellie’s childhood home is the only original home left on the street. After Jackson dies, Kayla is not sure she wants to move into the new house with her three-year-old daughter Rainie. Strange things start happening making it clear to Kayla that someone does not want her in that house.

Behind Kayla’s house, along a trail in the woods that leads to a lake, is a treehouse. Ellie and Buddy played in that treehouse as children. It is also the place to where Ellie would sneak to see the man she loved – a forbidden love her family would never accept. Ellie had the best night of her life in that treehouse. It is also a reminder of the worst night of her life – the reason she left North Carolina with no plans to ever return.

The Last House on the Street is a tragic story of love, loss, and betrayal. Can Ellie ever forgive the sins of the past and put the past behind her? Will Kayla be able to discover who wants her gone and why? And why the stranger who stays awake thinking of killing someone took Rainie? Will they ever be safe in their new home?

Diane Chamberlain tells Kayla’s story in 2010 and Ellie’s story from 1965, when she first started working with the Civil Rights Movement. Chamberlain makes it easy for the reader to transition between the two very different time periods, decades apart, to bring Kayla and Ellie together. The accuracy with which the author describes the Civil Rights Movement in 1965 is so vivid, the reader can easily travel back to 1965 and see the disparity between races in North Carolina. The accuracy of Chamberlain’s descriptions add validity to the story and the author’s skill in using fiction to educate her readers about a very dark time in our country’s history. I commend her for her use of history, and I look forward to reading more from Diane Chamberlain.

I am definitely hooked on Diane Chamberlain books. I am glad my library has some of them so when a new title popped up on Netgalley, I raced to request a copy. This book has many strong themes and I loved the dual timeline, it definitely added to the story. I could not put this down until it ended.

Highly recommended!

Thanks to Netgalley, Diane Chamberlain and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 1/11/22

I have seen so many glowing reviews for this book. But I didn't overly like this book. It was just okay. There are really two stories in one. There is the awful time in the south when blacks were held down and lived a fearful life. A white girl and black boy would cause fear and anger. Young people were going door to door hoping for change. Yet Win and Ellie fell in love. Causing family riff and KKK activity and hate.
The other story is the modern one when Ellie returns home to tend for ailing family. Kayla has bought the land where Win and Ellie met and the KKK gathered. Through the story we learn what happened during the history of the land. Kayla is learning to live in her dream house as a widow with a young child. The stories blend to tell the whole story.
The book is well written but it just was not a book that I enjoyed at all. I was not pulled in, I guess this just wasn't my kind of mystery. I agree the ending was a surprise. I can see why this will be an award winner.

Diane Chamberlain has been a long time favorite author of mine. I have read most of her books and have not been disappointed yet. The Last House on the Street was gripping and powerful. Diane Chamberlain was able to combine the elements of historical fiction with the elements of a thriller in this dual time line novel and brilliantly bring them together in a satisfying and unexpected way. The two female main characters were strong, determined, smart and resourceful. All the characters were well thought out and believable. The Last House on the Street was well written. It explored friendship, bigotry, lies, mistrust, hatred, love and murders.

The Last House on the Street was able to accurately portray the climate and unrest of the country, especially in the south, during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s. The Voting Right Act of 1965 was a priority for President Lyndon B. Johnson. He wanted it to pass but for some people it was taking longer than they had hoped it would take to put it into law.. Ellie Hockley was a college student during that time period and had lived in Round Hill North Carolina her whole life. She could be described as a smart, kind yet naïve and trusting young woman brought up to exhibit proper Southern etiquette and follow the accepted attitudes and opinions of her fellow Southern neighbors and friends and family. Ellie had been greatly influenced and guided by her late aunt’s open mind about equality and truth. Ellie had heard about a student organization that was being formed to educate the black residents of the south about this new voting law. The volunteers for this organization were to be comprised of college students from the north and out west. The volunteers would be expected to canvas potential Black voters and register them to vote and educate them about their right to vote. Ellie was determined to become involved in the mission of this student organization even if it meant going against the wishes of her parents and the disgruntled remarks and advice of her friends and neighbors. Besides wanting to do this for all the right and apparent reasons, Ellie was harboring a long kept secret that was pushing her toward doing this as well. That summer experience would change Ellie in ways that she never could have imagined.

Kayla Carter was a recent widow and mother of a toddler daughter. She and her late husband had both been architects and had jointly designed their new home in a new subdivision of houses called Shadow Ridge in Round Hill, North Carolina. Something about Kayla’s husband’s death did not sit right with Kayla. Then strange and upsetting occurrences began to happen to her and her daughter. The past and the present were about to converge and expose long deserved truths and long buried secrets.

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain told the story of two strong women, both encountering a significant loss and both searching for the truth to set them free. While I was reading The Last House on the Street, I almost felt that Ellie’s story alone would have been enough and would have eliminated another duel time line story. However, when Diane Chamberlain brilliantly made the past converge with the present near the end of her book I was glad she had written it in this format. It was fast paced and quite enjoyable. I look forward to her next book and I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this advanced digital version of The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The Last House on the Street is expected to be published on January 11, 2022.

If you're looking for a book that you won't be able to put down, The Last House on the Street, is definitely that book. It's hands down the best book that I read in 2021, and I literally can't recommend it enough. From start to finish you're on the edge of your seat, and by the end, you will never have expected the truth that is revealed.

Kayla Carter is moving into the dream home she built with her late husband when she has a very disturbing encounter with a stranger who tells her she must not move into her new home.

While Kayla is trying to understand this woman’s motives, the story shifts back in time 50 years and we meet the former inhabitants of Kayla’s neighborhood. What impact do these people have on Kayla’s story?

The Last House on the Street is Diane Chamberlain at her best—realistic, compelling characters, an intriguing and complex storyline, and relevant cultural commentary.

As usual, Chamberlain writes a phenomenal story. I love her books and writing style. Definitely recommend!

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

It is seldom that I find myself having a loss for words. This was definitely one of those times. I had to chew, swallow and then digest what I read before writing and rating this. The Last House on the Street is the latest offering from Diane Chamberlain. Like an onion this story has many layers. It is timely considering the world climate of today. Our author shows sensitivity in her brave approach of this delicate subject matter. This is a book that will stick with you for some time. It will make you ponder over many things.

Kayla Carter is recently widowed and the mother of four year old Rainie in 2010. They are about to move into their newly constructed house in Round Hill, NC. She receives a visit at her place of business from a strange woman who more of less encourages her not to move into her new home. This is not only odd but threatening. Why on earth would she do that?

In 1965, Ellie Hockley, wants to join SCOPE, a voter registration civil rights initiative. She has a strong desire to do so despite discouragement from family, friends and others. How are these connected? What secrets will we learn?

We obviously entertain a dual time line approach this go around. As with many of her books there is a historical fiction component. The author is a master at doing this. I am always drawn to how she brings a certain authenticity when writing about the past. Her maturity and research is apparent. She lived during this period in history too. This likely lent a hand here. I often feel as if I jumped into a time machine finding myself in a former time period. I enjoy having little research projects to do after reading her books. My first in this book was about Kudzu. I was unfamiliar with this plant and it has an interesting history. I was not aware of the SCOPE Project prior to this read either.

I did wonder how this story would hold up in 2021. It was a wise choice that the year 2010 was chosen for the modern day time line. It offered some credibility that was needed to support some events.

This is a stirring and emotional story. It took guts to write and will require guts to read. I highly recommend this book.

My gratitude to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for their generosity in providing me with this ARC.

Kayla and her young daughter are finally moving into their new home in Shadow Ridge Estates, a home that she designed with her fellow architect husband Jackson. She has many fears and reservations about living in the house where her husband tragically died in an accident.. Built to become a part of the surrounding forest, now the trees seem ominous and threatening. And the whole town of Round Hill, North Carolina is less than welcoming, even her closest neighbor Ellie Hockley who returned to her family home after almost fifty years to care for her aging mother and terminally ill brother.
In 1965, Ellie was living at home in Round Hill, going to college for pharmacology, and in a serious relationship with the local bank manager. But against her family's wishes, she joins a group called SCOPE for the summer, dedicated to helping register black voters. But when she falls in love with a fellow volunteer, she discovers the terrifying prejudice of her neighbors.
It took me awhile to get into this book but I pushed on and I'm so glad I did. The last part of the story where the truth is revealed is just amazing, emotional, shocking.... just wow! I've loved every Diane Chamberlain book I've read and I'm so glad I got a chance to review this one!
I received a complimentary advance reader copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

I have read many of Diane Chamberlain’s novels and I must say this is probably my least favorite. The story starts off strong, but then it really begins to drag. I did enjoy the 1960’s historical backdrop of the story. It is a sobering reminder of those times. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I also listened to the audiobook. The narrator was excellent.

4.5 Stars

Diane Chamberlain is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, and this book is the second one I read by her this year that has made it into my top list for 2021. What I like about her books is that she successfully fictionalizes serious events in recent history in a way that does not come across as opportunistic but rather as respectful to the memories of the real people affected.

In 1965, white teenager Ellie Hockley is living in Round Hill, North Carolina and joining the Civil Rights Movement, risking everything to help Black people in her community register to vote. Alternating with chapters set in 2010, architects Kayla Carter and her husband are building their dream house in a new subdivision at the end of Hockley Street but after her husband’s accidental death, someone will stop at nothing to keep Kayla from moving in and to keep Round Hill’s racist secrets buried.

I really enjoy books that alternate between two time periods, and I especially liked this one because it wasn’t a big twist that the main person in the earlier timeline is also one of our main characters in the present (Ellie Hockley,) so the author was able to slowly build the suspense about the big twist without the reader being worried that she was killed by the increasing violence against her in 1965.

Knowing what this book was about, though, I was a bit worried how a book about a white girl living in the South during the Civil Rights Movement might be received in the present day. And I’m not absolutely sure that this book is entirely without white savior problems, but I thought that the racial issues were handled honestly for how a naïve teenager in North Carolina in the Sixties might have handled them. I also thought that it was smart of the author to set the modern day in 2010, ahead of the current focus of news headlines (not that there weren’t the same racial issues in 2010 that there were in 2020,) but her way of handling it allowed the reader to come to their own conclusion about how little has actually changed.

And, what seems to be a running theme in Diane Chamberlain books, make sure you have tissues nearby for at least part of this story.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press at NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. It has not influenced my opinion.

Thank you Netgalley, St Martin’s Press and Diane Chamberlain.
This is the first novel I read from this wonderful author and it surely will not be the last.
I was totally immersed into the lives of Ellie and Kayla, these two women showed strength of character, compassion, love, persistence and devotion.
Ellie and Kayla brought forth lots of different emotions, I loved loved this novel.
Please make sure to pick up this novel, I can guarantee you I will go buy my own book to put on myself.
Highly recommend
5 stars

Another powerful dual timeline historical fiction mystery set in the South! In this book we get to know young Ellie as she eschews her expected path in 1965 to join Freedom Fighters in North Carolina, helping Black people register to vote. Of course there's lots of heartbreaking drama involving an interracial friendship, the Klan and disapproving friends and family. Fast forward to the present and we slowly learn what really happened back in 1965 one horrible night that changed Ellie's and a whole town's life forever. I couldn't put this one down it was just so so good! If you loved The Help this one is sure to be a must-read. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy!

This was my second Chamberlain novel. I'm not sure she's an author for me. Her books are too slow and dull. I liked it minutely better than Big Lies in a Small Town but it just wasn't exciting enough for me. It started out interesting enough but then it just sloooooowed down and only picked up again at the end. It wasn't even a wicked long book but it just dragged and I didn't want to pick it up. I may try *one* more novel by her before I give up because I own a couple more.