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.

Thanks to Net Galley for an ARC of the THE LAST HOUSE ON THE STREET by Diane Chamberlain. I love Diane Chamberlain's books and this one did not disappoint, it was awesome. This is a dual timeline novel set in 1965 regarding the life of a young, white civil rights activist and 2010 revolving around the life of a young widow and her daughter. As the story progresses the character Ellie appears in both timelines and it is interesting reading though I wish there was more detail about Ellie's life in California.

The switching between the two timelines was excellent and kept me so interested in both storylines, the civil rights one being the most compelling. It kept me guessing as to how their lives (besides being neighbors) were going to intersect-and I totally did not expect it.

I was only 8 in 1965 so, I don't remember a whole lot of the civil rights movement though I have learned some in history class, this book taught me a whole lot more.

I really did not enjoy this one at all. I did not care about the storyline or the characters. I wanted to mark it as DNF but felt bad because I like this author. This was a huge miss.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

After Kayla's husband dies in a tragic accident while building their new home, Kayla decides to stay in the house with her daughter, to keep her husband's memory alive.

Little does she know, several things have happened in the area that her house is built.

This story spans between the past, where the story of her neighbor Ellie lies and the ties she has to the house...street...area.

Great book!!!

I enjoy reading historical fiction. I had never heard of the Scope project. I appreciate a book that will have me on Google afterwards learning more about the past. This is a book that will stick with me. I am moved and saddened. Diane Chamberlain is an excellent storyteller. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

A dual timeline historical fiction of the 1960's and 2010's in the United States. A step up in intensity from a "cozy".

The strength of the novel is definitely the tumultuous 1960's. During this timeline the characters are believable, well drawn and likeable. We as readers are placed right into the voting rights conflict and institutional racism prevalent in the South. I'm shocked by the the number of reviews that mention not knowing anything about this time period, but that's the power of books. Thankfully this one seems well researched.

The "current" timeline seemed off to me. Our main character's husband is murdered in the house they were building and I felt her reaction was unbelievable. I would be a mess and certainly wouldn't have her poise in contemplating whether moving into their home would honor her husband's dream. Also the characters in this timeline seemed less engaging.

I adored this book.  Told from the perspectives of both Kayla and Ellie, this story is emotional and compelling. Although the book is marketed as Women’s Fiction, those readers that enjoy a good mystery or historical fiction will also appreciate it.

I felt connected to both of these protagonists and their individual storylines.  For the most part, Ellie’s life is detailed as a college student in 1965 who signs up to volunteer for a summer spent encouraging black members of the community to register to vote.  This part of the book is particularly moving and the author does a great job of setting the tone of this time in American history.

Kayla’s story is set in 2010 and details the inner conflict she feels with moving into the house that both she and her late husband (both architects) designed together.  The neighbours she meets (including the much older Ellie), provide glimpses into the history behind the property her new home stands on.

As the past and present stories intertwine, the mystery of the history of this land is answered.  The story is memorable and I know this is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time.  Those of you who have read and enjoyed Chamberlain’s earlier books such as The Dream Daughter and The Secret Marriage will be equally as moved.

Two voices tell the story of the haunted forested area at the end of the street. One, Ellie, who once lived on the street, who tells of her time with SCOPE (Summer Community Organization mad Political Education) during the summer if 1965. The other of a young widow who now lives in a newly constructed house at the end of the same street. The chapters are told alternating between the present and 1965.

Ms. Chamberlain has developed a story of activism, love, and tragedy. The format is nicely laid out and easy to follow. I enjoyed how the characters interacted with each other as their story unfolds.

I wasn’t 100% sure about this one when I first started and that feeling remained up until when I stopped reading at 35%. I was never able to fully connect with the story.

This one just didn’t work for me.

According to the recent Goodreads categorization, this dual timeline historical fiction by an admired author, was an interesting read. Set in 1965 and 2015 the overlapping themes of sacrifice, conviction and forgiveness anchor the pages and make it a relevant read as we still face similar challenges in our country.

A fictional community in North Carolina is embroiled with division and violence during the fight for civil rights, and highlights the historic SCOPE (Summer Community Organization and Political Education) program. The mission to educate and register black voters in the south, while awaiting the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, sets the stage for a fascinating look at pervasive current-day injustices.

While the premise is engaging, the pacing of the plot was too slow for this reader, and I frankly came away feeling dejected. I am very thankful to have read the author’s notes which were missing in the ARC, but published on Goodreads, and know it will enhance the reading experience for many.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

I read Big Lies in a Small Town in 2020 and she is clearly convincing me she needs to be one of my favorite authors as of recently!

The Last House on the Street is just mysterious, thrilling and solid that it kept me up late into the night. Y’all know this is the mark of a good book, in my opinion.

This novel follows a dual timeline between 2010 and 1965, covering voter registration in small town Round Hill, North Carolina during the Civil Rights Movement with Ellie (1965) and Kayla’s move to a new home she designed down the road from Ellie’s family home in 2010.

Chamberlain purposefully doesn’t place the whole story on page one, and I appreciate how she weaves it into the story- with you wanting to know more and more of what really happened. I was able to predict many of the connections, but that didn’t detract from the story. It made it suspenseful for me, trying to figure out exactly how characters are connected from the past to the present.

In the novel, Ellie takes part in voter registrations and protests with SCOPE, which I didn’t know about prior to reading the novel. I am thankful Chamberlain incorporated this into Ellie & Win’s storyline, so that I can continue to read more about it after finishing this novel.

This novel does certainly have trigger warnings with Chamberlain’s accurate depiction of voter registration in 1965, the Klan presence, and North Carolinians sentiments about change during that time period. So many times I had tears for the hatred so deeply ingrained in some characters and the pain . You are welcome to message me for more details if you feel some of these events might be triggering for you.

This novel is on sale January 11, 2022 and if you enjoy mysterious, dual timelines woven together, civil rights/historical settings, and dark familial secrets, you will enjoy this novel!

Thank you to @stmartinspress for my #gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

1965
Ellie is a white university student who spends her summers working in her father's pharmacy. When she hears about The Summer Community Organization and Political Education (SCOPE) Project, whose goal was to recruit white college students to help prepare African Americans for voting and to maintain pressure on Congress to pass what became the Voting Rights Act of 1965, she signs up. Her family and friends in her small town try to dissuade her but she feels strongly enough to risk losing her family and friends for this cause. While involved, she experiences violence which only makes her conviction stronger.

2010
Kayla and her husband were building their dream home when he passed away in a freak accident in the house before it was finished so she has a love-hate relationship with house. Kayla and her young daughter move in and strange and scary things start to happen. Ellie has moved back home for a while to take care of her ailing mother and brother and she and Kayla become friends.

I've read many books by this author and thought this one was just okay. In 2010, it is first person perspective in Kayla's voice and in 1965 in Ellie's voice. It bounces back and forth between the two different time periods and the chapters are marked as to what the time period is and whose voice it is. I found the writing slow for most of the book ... it's not until towards the end that it picked up.

When I decided to read this book, I didn't know what it was going to be about. The focus is less on the mystery of why someone doesn't want Kayla to be in the house (which is what I was expecting) and more on Ellie's 1965 story, which was fine as SCOPE was a worthy and interesting cause (I hadn't heard of it before) but there were a lot of details and information which I found slowed the writing down.

Given all that Kayla was going through, with her husband recently passing away and being terrorized to drive her out of her house, she didn't seem overly stress. It seemed like she was more concerned about being loyal to her husband's dream of living in the house than protecting her young daughter, which seemed unrealistic. I found that Ellie, given her privileged white upbringing was just too gung ho about being involved with SCOPE. It was quite a switch in her lifestyle (one house she stayed in had an outhouse and no electricity) and her family and friends disowned her yet she still carried on with the cause.

As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Told in alternating timelines, The Last House on the Street brings us to the 60s, when the SCOPE project was put into motion to help Black people register to vote. It was not a popular program. In fact, for the volunteers, it was often dangerous. Then the story takes us to Kayla in 2010 and what was supposed to be the start of a new life for her and her daughter. How will her story intersect with that of the past?

I read in another review that the reader found the dual timelines jarring. Usually, I am a huge fan of alternating timelines, but I agree with this reviewer. You found yourself comfortable in one timeline, but then you jumped back and forth throughout the book, and they didn’t quite meet until we’re nearing the end of the book. Ellie’s story in the 60s is more compelling than that of Kayla’s. The characters of the past were more fleshed out, more realistic, and their stories really resonated with me.

Overall, this is an incredible story that doesn’t gloss over the racism, oppression, and hatred that was so openly on display even so few years ago. I think I wasn’t prepared for how heartbreaking some moments were going to be, but those moments needed a voice. This story is well-crafted, and I think there is so much benefit to reading this book. Thank you, St. Martin’s Press, for sending this along.

Told from two POVs and time frames, this story actually flowed very well.

A bit of a mystery and heartbreak, this story makes you thankful for the change that has come. There were times I’d catch tears leaking from my eyes.

Quite a political story. You may or may not like the story depending on where you fall on the race line.

I highly recommend this story if you’re open-minded and forward thinking.

This is a dual timeline story, alternating between 1965 and 2010. In the 1965 timeline Ellie Hockley, a student at UNC sgns up for the SCOPE project, against her family and friends' objections. She feels strongly about the cause and she is determined to commit her summer to the project. As they go door to door in the black communities, educating them on their right to vote, and encouraging them to vote once the law is passed, she experiences bigotry she never thought she would see.... crosses being burned, people she knew (or thought she knew) dressed up in Klan outfits, churches and schools being shot at because SCOPE members were inside. When Ellie falls in love with one of the other SCOPE members and people from her hometown discover it, she finds out just how deep hatred and bigotry can run....even in her own family. In 2010, Architect Kayla Carter and her husband designed a beautiful house for themselves in Round Hill’s new development, Shadow Ridge Estates. It should be the perfect place to raise their daughter. But then Kayla's husband dies in a tragic accident before they can even move in, and then a strange woman starts showing up and making veiled threats about the house. Kayla's neighbor Ellie Hockley knows something about the land, but she isn't talking.

This book was so good, but it was so hard to read. It was so disturbing, I think because it was so realistic. It was so timely, as well. You could almost feel the hatred at times. I loved the book and I highly recommend it. I also recommend reading something really happy and uplifting afterwards.

This is my second Diane Chamberlain book and I have to say, she’s quickly becoming a favorite of mine! I was sent this ARC from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, and I was THRILLED to get to read another of her books early.

The story is so real, so sad, and yet so hopeful. It revolves around two characters: Ellie (1960’s) and Kayla (2010). Their experiences couldn’t be more different, but the street they live(d) on and a sordid past brings them together.

I found myself getting lost in Ellie’s story - and wondering how difficult Ellie’s life became when she made a decision to fight for civil rights and not back down until she had no choice. It did get a bit slow at times, but always picked back up.

I felt that I related more closely to Kayla and her fears. I think she was the epitome of all moms in the situation she was in. It was frightening and frustrating at times.

Overall, the story was told very well and in a way that explained and showed how racial tensions escalated as a result of one white woman’s decisions and how it comes to light many years later.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Book releases Jan 11, 2022 Do yourself a favor and read it.

I really liked how these two stories were brought together in the end. Perfect for such a heavy read.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.