Member Reviews
Wow! This book was totally not what I was expecting, but it was so much more. Told in dual timelines by two different women, this is a story that grabs hold and won’t let go.
In 2010 Kayla Carter and her husband, both architects, were building their dream home in Round Hill, North Carolina when he fell on the stairs and died. Kayla moved into the house with their young daughter, but there is no excitement only trepidation. The surrounding woods feel claustrophobic and malevolent. A strange woman gives her a mysterious warning and strange things begin happening that cause her to rethink moving into the house.
On the same street in 1965, Ellie Hockley, a young college student struggles to go against the norm. She doesn’t want to settle down and get married; she wants to join the Civil Rights movement against her family’s wishes. When she joins the crusade, her parents disown her, but she continues wanting to make a difference.
When the connection between their two stories is finally revealed it is explosive and heart-wrenching. I won’t kid you, this book touches upon a hard subject and the end broke my heart. However, this is an important story and Diane Chamberlain does an incredible job bringing it to life. It’s one I won’t soon forget.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review. I gave this five stars!
This was a very good story that kept my attention. It had a duel timeline and POV. I much preferred Ellie’s story of her past. To me, that was the main story. I felt the present day storyline wasn’t really necessary except for at the end.
Even though the ending wasn’t necessarily a surprise, it still was delivered with a gut punch and was absolutely heartbreaking.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.
This is a story that will stick with me for a long time. Highly recommend adding The Last House on the Street to your TBR. Looking forward to more books from the author.
Another great book from Diane Chamberlain! I always love more than one POV in a book, and the history was so good. I really enjoyed this!
I was taken with this book from the start. What an emotional narrative with dimensional characters fanning the fire. Chamberlain crafted a story with such feeling you are completely enthralled as well as deeply affected, at least I was. Excellent job on the dual narrative, although I preferred Ellie’s story timeline the best. Social injustice always stirs my feathers and with such an intense storyline I was beyond moved and disturbed. Exceeded my expectations with certitude.
This book was a bit of a slow start for me, but once I got in to it, I was hooked. The character development was very good and I enjoyed the dual storyline which wove together at the end perfectly. I was guessing until the very end at the outcome and was quite surprised at the reveal. Highly recommend. Five stars. Thank you to Netgally for the ARC of the ebook.
Diane Chamberlain has been a long time auto buy author for me. I have met her once and have enjoyed all that goes into her book writing - from research to the plot lines. You can truly tell she goes above and beyond for each book and I always feel like I learn a lot as I'm reading. When I met her she was in the midst of writing this one - from everything she said, I knew it was one I was going to want to read. This proved to be true. This book deals with heavy subject matter and she handled it so delicately and well. I think making up a town was the best bet for this book and yet, I felt like it could have been many towns in NC at the time. Each character was so well developed and their relationships felt so authentic. I have recommended this powerful book to so many people since reading it. As always, I loved it and can't wait for her next one.
Tragedy strikes Kayla's family right before they're supposed to move into their dream home. Kayla is now alone with her 4 year old daughter.. she decides to move into their new home anyway. Life must go on. But a strange old woman delivers a sinister warning.. DO NOT MOVE INTO THAT EVIL HOUSE. Should Kayla brush is off and move on? Or does this warning carry any weight?
This book was received as an ARC from St. Martin's Press through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
The stories of Ellie and Kayla are brilliantly conveyed and constructed by the brilliant Diane Chamberlain. First in 1965 during the Civil Rights Movement, Eliie was on a mission to make a different for her people. Leaving her glamorous life behind, Ellie took a big risk to volunteer to increase black voters and discovered some secrets that unveiled the truth about her family leaving her feeling alone and knowing the truth of the Round Hill community. Flash foreword to 2010 where Kayla stumbles upon Round Hill newly constructing her dream house for her and her husband so they can raise their child. She finds out that her neighbor is an elderly Ellie and Ellie unveils the truth and secrets to Round Hill that turn Kayla's world upside down. The stories of Ellie and Kayla are compellingly addicting unlike anything I have ever read before.
Two lives colliding to unlock the truth and gain the justice they deserve is nothing but a super-compelling story. This book deserves 5 stars.
The Last House on the Street is the third book I have read by Chamberlain and it is my favorite. I think Chamberlain did a great showing the struggles and fears of African Americans during the 1960s trying to get voting rights. It is no surprise that Chamberlain did a fantastic job with the dual timeline but I did find myself wanting more from 1965. I felt 1965 had more of impact on the story even though I did like Kayla perspective.
Thank you, St. Martin and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
I’m a huge fan of Diane Chamberlain and I felt that this book was very well researched and written.
Most of the story takes place in 1965, where race issues and racial tension are at an all time high.
A white young woman joins a protest group who try to persuade more colored persons to vote, but are met resistance and even had violence from other white individuals.
Some of the book is set in 2010, when a widowed woman moves into a house near the family home of the young woman who had joined the protest so long ag0.
I felt like the author really brought the 2 time frames together very well, and really made the book hard to forget. It's nice to read a book without having the author try to sway your opinion one way or the other.
This book was amazing and I truly enjoyed the story! I also learned a lot about the Voting Rights Act movement history and everything that people had to go through in order to make it happen.
In 1965, Ellie is a young college student who has decided to spend her summer working to help Black people to understand the Voting Rights Act and guide them through what it entails. Growing up in North Carolina, Ellie understands the intricacies of race division and civil rights, and she wants to fight for Black people's right to vote even though her own family doesn't think she should get involved in the movement. As she gets to know the other students from other more progressive areas, Ellie falls in love with a Black young man. And as her feelings grow deeper, she also has to face the realities of segregation and living in an area heavily influenced by the KKK. In the present time, Kayla has just moved back to the place her dad grew up in the 1960's. Her late husband had designed the beautiful home in a revamped neighborhood just a few blocks from her father's home before tragically passing away in an accident. But the home she loves so much has also brought her negative attention from someone in the community. This person has threatened Kayla and her daughter and hindered her sense of security at her own house. While Kayla investigates who is behind the threats, she discovers the dark secrets that the community has kept while getting to know Ellie, who has come back to the place that stole everything from her.
I truly loved this book and enjoyed the dual storylines much more than I expected. The story is told from Ellie and Kayla's POVs. Ellie's story is focused on her life as a Civil Rights movement activist and the struggles she faced as a white young woman falling in love with a black man in the peak of this historical political movement. At first, I wasn't clear about Kayla's part in Ellie's story, but as the story progresses it becomes clear how their lives intersect. I was in awe how Chamberlain wrote such an interesting story implementing historical events and writing well-rounded characters, I truly loved this book and can't wait to read more of this author's work.
I know that a lot of people loved this book, but for me it was just ok. I found the historical part with the history of racial injustice sanctimonious and the modern storyline didn't pull me in.
A pretty good drama/suspense book. Kept my interest and the characters were well-developed. Diane Chamberlain is a reliable author and this book is another example of her great work.
This book made me smile and made me cry more times than I was expecting for a Friday night. Once I clicked to open it, I couldn’t put it down. While some of the plot points were fairly predictable, it was an engaging story. The characters stayed true to themselves throughout and were well developed. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this.
I was definitely excited to start Diane's newest book when I was invited by the publisher to read it on NetGalley early. A great read!
In 1965, Ellie works for voting rights of blacks in North Carolina and falls in love. In 2010, Kayla builds a home in a North Carolina small town. These ladies end up with something in common. This is a very good book about “racial “ issues.
This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. The story itself is tough. My heart broke for Kayla having to move into her dream house without her dream husband who died while the house was being built. From there, my heart just seemed to break for every character who came onto the scene after that. This one stuck with me and will for awhile.
I love Diane Chamberlain…. This book was no exception. While it took me a bit to get into, once I did I couldn’t put it down. Ellie’s story fascinated me. Her bravery and persistence in her choices and lifestyle were so admirable. My heart truly broke for her at times and I absolutely love the ending.
Great read
I absolutely loved this book. It was heartbreaking at times but such a necessary topic to speak about now, and I thought the author did an excellent job of creating well-rounded characters who were easy to root for.