A beautifully written dual time historical fiction book! The effort for voting rights in the sixties come alive through Ellie's story of working for the SCOPE project in North Carolina. Kayla moving into a newly constructed home brings unexpected questions after strange things begin to happen. The two stories intertwine as answers to long ago questions are revealed. Recommended!

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest novel by Diane Chamberlain, one of my favorites! 5 stars!

Told in dual timelines - in 1965, we meet Ellie, home on summer break from attending college studying to be a pharmacist like her father. She becomes involved with SCOPE, a civil rights organization trying to get Blacks registered to vote, a dangerous venture for a rich, white woman in those days. In 2010, Kayla is preparing to move into her newly-constructed home with her young daughter, Rainie, after the tragic death of her architect husband. She meets Ellie, home from CA to take care of her brother and mother, living next door - the only other house on the street. Kayla's home is the subject of much mystery and lore, with people saying it's haunted ground.

Diane Chamberlain is a master at intricately weaving historical fiction with current times, making the reader see the impact history has on our lives. I learned so much about a time in our nation's history about such dedicated volunteers and the risk they undertook. Unfortunately, racism isn't one of those lessons we learned never to repeat so that makes this book all the more worthy to read.

I alternated between reading the digital copy and listening to the audiobook, wonderfully narrated by Susan Bennett who had a whole cast of characters of both sexes to voice.

What a fabulous book! It is the best book I have read in a long time! It captured my interest in the very first chapter and kept me guessing until the end.

The Last House on the Street covers two different timelines, 2010 and 1965. The 2010 timeline follows the move to a new home of recently widowed, Kayla, and her daughter. The 1965 timeline evolves around Ellie and the period of time before LBJ formally signed the legislature to permit blacks to vote. The two timelines are wonderfully interwoven by the author!

If you are considering reading this book, don’t wait! It is a well-written, captivating read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.

This dual time line novel follows the story of Ellie in 1965 and Kayla in 2010. Both of them are widowed and both of them live- or lived-on the same street but Ellie's story is much more interesting. Ellie worked for SCOPE, fighting for social justice and racial equality, at a time and place where it wasn't acceptable to all. Sometimes, as readers of dual time line novels know, the modern characters is just a lever to the earlier one and that's definitely the case here. That's not to say that the stories don't merge well- they do- just that I would have been happy to just have Ellie's. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good storytelling makes this a good read.

📚𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀📚
3.75/5 🌟

I’m always excited for a Diane Chamberlain book - 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒏 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒈𝒆 and 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝑫𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓 are my two favorites and while I found her upcoming release enjoyable, it doesn’t replace either of those as a favourite.

Chamberlain’s a master of dual-storylines, and in this one, both take place the same town in North Carolina - one 2010 and in 1965, during the Civil Rights movement. Main character Ellie is a key figure in both and my feelings about her really vacillated - part of me admired her conviction and part of me was furious at her selfishness. This book tackles heavy topics including bigotry, intolerance. racial injustice, a taboo love affair, violence and even murder, and while some parts are very uncomfortable to read, Chamberlain does her reader quite a service by exposing things that went on during this tumultuous time.

It’s an enjoyable, enlightening read, but not one that will likely bubble up to the top of my brain when someone asks for a recommendation or what my favorite reads of 2021 were. A solid, good book and if you’re a Chamberlain fan, like me, it’s worthwhile.

This book comes out January 11, 2022
(gotta say, that’s my hubs’ and my 25th anniversary!) and I’m
Grateful to @netgalley @stmartinspress for the advanced copy of this ebook!

This was my first Diane Chamberlain book but it won’t be my last. It was an excellent, though difficult, read. The race and social justice issues felt timely even though the incidents happened back in 1965. I guessed several of the surprises revealed at the end early on in the book, but it didn’t lessen my enjoyment in the story. It was suspenseful without being scary. I would recommend it!

Totally thrilling, and wholly unexpected - a perfect mix of historical fiction and thrilling suspense!

MV Rating: 7.5/10
• Based in North Carolina in the sixties and 2010, the story is told from the perspective of Ellie and Kayla respectively
•Kayla just built a house in her small hometown, but strange things -including her husband’s death- have been happening ever since they started work. After a creepy visit from a strange character, she’s determined to get to the bottom of it.
•Ellie joins the civil rights movement, enduring hatred from everyone she holds dear. Quickly, she finds that the cost of her work is terribly high.
•highly suggest this book for fans of Fiona Davis - the story has a lot of the same mysterious and historical aspects.
•How far would you go for love, or equality, or acceptance? How long would you hold out for justice?

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC access!

I received an eARC of The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
5 stars! I never heard of The Scope Project before and I learned a lot. This story is told from dual timelines; 2010 and 1965. Both storylines are powerful. I could not put this book down. What a page-turner!!!

I am a huge Diane Chamberlain fan and although I found this book to be quite different from her other ones it was a great read with a twist that you do not see coming.

I feel so lucky to have received an arc of this wonderful book. I am sure it will be a top bestseller for 2022! A perfect blending of a dual timeline, 1965 and 2010. Same street. Segregation, discrimination, KKK, love, murder. Couldn't put this book down!. DIane Chamberlain is an amazing author who never disappoints. This is one of her best to date.

I did not expect this book to shatter me. I wasn’t prepared for the emotional punch.

This story is told via two timelines: 1965 and 2010. Initially, they don’t seem to have much in common, aside from the location, but that gradually changes as events unfold.

I enjoyed the current timeline, which packed its own emotional punch, with grief and ominous undertones. But the past timeline broke me apart. We step inside racism, hate crimes, and social justice activism. We see love bloom and friendships shrivel. When the timelines converged, I physically felt the upheaval.

Diane Chamberlain is the best kind of writer, in that she steps aside and allows the story to speak to us. I felt none of the heavy-handed preachiness that can sometimes litter this type of book. The realism and honesty allowed me to experience this story every step of the way.

Do yourself a favor before reading this book. Cancel all your plans, order a pizza and find a comfy spot to read. Once you start this book you will not be able to put it down until you read the last page.

this book grabs you on the first page and DOES NOT LET GO. i highly recommend reading blind here if possible, outside of the necessary content warnings. two povs - one in present day, one in 1965, both in the same town and with homes set on the same road. we alternate between these two povs and wait for their timelines to finally be forced to collide and when they do - it's certainly something. highly, highly recommend this one!

tw: racial injustice is heavily discussed and violence against POC is described

Kayla, a recent widow, moves into the dream house she and her husband designed. Except people keep trying to prevent her from moving in. Turns out there are a lot of history in the woods. History people want to keep in the past.

The Last House on the Street is told over two timelines- Kayla in 2010 and Ellie in 1965.

Diane Chamberlain is an instant read author for me. The Last House on the Street did not disappoint. Historical fiction is my absolute favorite and Diane Chamberlain does it so well. I love that she not only tells a compelling story, but she often teaches you something as well. In this case, Ellie is part of the SCOPE Project- a project in 1965/1966 to help register African Americans to vote. I had never heard of SCOPE before, and have since read more on it. I love the history lesson! (Just like Necessary Lies brought life to the eugenics experiments.)

Anyway, if you love historical fiction, you will love this. If you are looking for suspense, it may not be the best choice. While there is a mystery of sorts, it was not hard to figure out. The only frustrating thing about the book was how oblivious some of the characters were, lol. But the rest of the story was so good, it was easy to overlook the minor annoyance.

I listened to the audiobook. The narrator is not one I am familiar with, but she did a good job. Standard narration. No complaints.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Diane Chamberlain's writing flows so smoothly that you find yourself completely engrossed in whatever story she's telling. Told in dual timelines of 1965 and 2010, with a historically accurate recounting of the civil rights era South, The Last House on the Street is a powerful and beautiful story about the search for justice. Historical fiction fans will love this book and it's a perfect selection for any book clubs.

Blurb: When Kayla Carter's husband dies in an accident while building their dream house, she knows she has to stay strong for their four-year-old daughter. But the trophy home in Shadow Ridge Estates, a new development in sleepy Round Hill, North Carolina, will always hold tragic memories. But when she is confronted by an odd, older woman telling her not to move in, she almost agrees. It's clear this woman has some kind of connection to the area...and a connection to Kayla herself. Kayla's elderly new neighbor, Ellie Hockley, is more welcoming, but it's clear she, too, has secrets that stretch back almost fifty years. Is Ellie on a quest to right the wrongs of the past? And does the house at the end of the street hold the key? Told in dual time periods, The Last House on the Street is a novel of shocking prejudice and violence, forbidden love, the search for justice, and the tangled vines of two families.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for gifting me an egalley for early review. I definitely recommend this wonderful book. It releases January 11, 2022.

This book is told in dual timelines, amidst the SCOPE voter registration movement in 1965 and 2010.

Ellie is a college student in NC in the 1960s. She comes from a fairly privileged background, her father is a pharmacist, and she is white. Ellie begins working with SCOPE, attempting to register black voters in the South. Through her job, Ellie sees racial injustice in her hometown, a side of her town that she was previously naïve to.

In 2010, Kayla is living in the same town building her dream home with her husband. He dies from an unfortunate accident during the construction of their home. Kayla begins receiving threats and is told that their lot is haunted, etc.

I loved Ellie's story. She was a wonderful character. I love that she was able to stand up for her beliefs and continue working with those who needed her most. Unfortunately things don't always go according to plan and she end up heartbroken. She is faced with the harsh realities of living in the South in the 1960s. Racism and the KKK are rampant. I did not feel as connected to Kayla's story but appreciated it for what it added to Ellie's story and how it all tied together.

I have long been a fan of Diane Chamberlain and this book is no different. It reminds me a lot of Necessary Lies, which I would recommend to anyone who enjoyed this book.

This was so good! 5 stars for a moving, sometimes tragic, heartfelt story of Americas past. I grew up in California and I’ve heard a lot about my families opinions on race. And if I’m honest it all makes me sad. Our part, our future, it’s something we have to decide will be different. We aren’t our parents and we have to choose. I want to see people the way God sees people. And I want that more than ever.
This book was painful and I had those nervous feelings….like something big was going to happen. Like I was being pushed out of my comfort zone and BAM! That’s exactly what happened. Diane Chamberlain’s write is unique and special. She draws me in and asks me, “What would you do?” And then I proceed to struggle and always wonder if I answer honestly. Will you?
I highly recommend this and hope you are better for it, like I am.
Thanks St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

This book is very compelling and deals with racial injustice, which still plagues our society today. Although set during the civil rights movement, unfortunately it could of as easily been set in the present day. In my opinion, that is the message the author wanted to convey.

My first Diane Chamberlain read, but definitely not my last!

This is one of those genre-defying books. Part historical fiction, part thriller--this dual-timeline story packs a lot into it!

The present-day timeline centers on Kayla, who's moving into a house where her husband died while building it. But her property has a bit more history behind it than the new owners were aware of. The past comes into the present through Ellie's storyline, dating back to her roots with the SCOPE movement in the 60s as she worked with Civil Rights leaders to register Black voters in the South.

I was completely enthralled with this book, from the characters, the pace and the revelations. I really did not want to put this down and stayed up way too late just to see how it ended. I know this story will stick with me for some time and I highly recommend reading it!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this and the opportunity to share my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Last House on the Streer:

“She may spend her life around books, but her mind is shuttered closed,” Aunt Carol said. “Think about it. There’s a reason you share what you’re writing for the school paper with me and not with her, isn’t there?”

This book had me yelling WHAT THE FUCK because of how easily the racism just rolled off the tongue. I had to remember this was literally the norm with segregation. It’s still the norm for some people today. It angered and saddened me.

I loved reading Ellie’s story, and I wish I could have loved Kayla’s just as much. I didn’t really feel as connected with her and husband’s death, and wish that could have been discussed more.

Susan Bennett is such a wonderful reader to such a good story. I always kick myself for not reading Diane Chamberlin, but man, I don’t realize she was THIS good. Susan brought the anguish to Ellie and the sweetness to Rainie.

Thank you so much MacMillan for the gifted copy.