This is a story that will forever stay with me.
This book is a historical fiction novel. It is about the Scope Project in 1965. Which I had never heard of but now I know alot about. The book goes between two time periods, 2010 and then back to 1965..
In 2010 Kayla and her daughter are moving into their new house which her husband built. Her husband died on site while building their dream home. Kayla is confronted by a woman there telling her that she shouldn't be moving into this house on this property. This then make Kayla very uneasy.
She then meets Ellie Hockley. Ellie is a 65 year old who returns home after years of staying away. Ellie family refused to sell their home to the developers and their home on the only other house on the street.
Back in 1965 Ellie was very involved in the Scope Project against her families wishes.
What kept her away for 45 years? And what does it have to do with the last house on the street?
I could not put this book down. My heart was breaking for what so of these people went through. Diane Chamberlain can really tell a story. I love all of her books. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley foe letting me read this in exchange for this review. I look forward to Diane's next book.

**This review contains spoilers**

3 Stars

One Liner: A social drama with a bit of mystery

2010: Kayla’s Carter lost her husband in an accident when building their dream house in Round Hill. The house is now complete and ready for Kayla and her four-year-old daughter to move in. However, a strange woman walks into the office and tells her not to move in. The meeting leaves Kayla shaken, but she has no choice but to move into the new house.
Kayla soon meets Ellie Hockley, a woman with secrets from her past. Ellie is a lovely lady, but what does Kayla know about her anyway?
1965: Ellie is determined to do something worthy in her life. Marrying her boyfriend and having kids isn’t on her list. When Prez Johnson announces a change in voting registration, the civil rights activities plan SCOPE, a program to convince black voters to register and vote for their rights.
Ellie knows she needs to be a part of the program even if her family and friends don’t see the reason. But life is hardly easy when a revolution is brimming. Ellie’s decision changes many lives, including her own. What had happened back then that Ellie still holds resentment in her heart and maybe even desire for justice?
How do Ellie’s and Kayla’s lives converge with so many decades between them? Why is the house on the hit list? What will happen when the secrets come out in the open?

What Worked for Me:
• The second half of the book, or rather the last 100 pages or so.
• Side characters seemed more defined (with their flaws) and real than the main leads.
• Rounded ending with no loose ends.
• Not a happy ever after but hopeful and assuring.
• The portrayal of racism, KKK, and bigotry.

What Didn’t Work for Me:
• The first 65% of the book is slow and left me wondering what the mystery was and when it’ll be solved.
• Kayla paled when compared to Ellie. Her track didn’t feel emotional or touching despite her apparent sorrow and fear.
• Ellie’s track was the primary focus of the book, and that affected the mystery angle as well as the modern-day Kayla’s story. What saved the story was how the two came together at the end.
• Ellie fights for the cause, against racism, and for black rights. All good. She has better character development than Kayla. But she appears too good, too innocent, and unwilling to believe the worst of those she loves.

**Spoilers**

Ellie was more than ready to blame Reed for the attack on Win, saying he was jealous when he was supportive and understanding (as much as he could in the circumstances). However, when it came to her parents and even Brenda, who openly showed their disgust and hatred, she wasn’t willing to consider them guilty.
Even after almost five decades, she was ready to blame Reed rather than rethink what had happened that night and who all were involved. A classic case of selective blaming and unwillingness to see people for who they are. Being an ostrich when it comes to dear ones doesn’t make her an ally.
**Spoiler ends**

Ellie finds solace in yoga after whatever happens in her life and is a yoga teacher in the present track. She is also vegan and loves Middle Eastern cuisine. Of course, she couldn’t find solace in any other profession (despite being a pharmacologist) or fall in love with another cuisine. Talk of irony! Racism is much more than abusing a race/ culture or burning crosses.
To sum up, The Last House on the Street deals with poignant issues and is more of a social drama than a mystery. Many people loved the book, but some elements didn’t work for me.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.


Note: The spoiler has been added and hidden only on GR. It hasn't been included in my blogpost.

Well, Diane Chamberlein does it again with another heartbreaking and engaging historical fiction. This story of two women in two timelines surrounding the Scope Project in the 1960s, working to get the black vote. The story tells two narratives, Ellie’s in the 60s and Kayla’s in 2010. Kayla’s moved into the home that her recently deceased husband was building for their family, and it turns out there is quite the shushed mystery surrounding the home. And even the street. It was a beautifully spun mystery and story that kept me going, as Chamberlein always does. I especially liked the storyline of the Scope Project, which was something I had—unsurprisingly—never heard of. I always look forward to Chamberlein’s book, and this one certainly delivered

As always Diane Chamberlain's books are so fun to read. I loved the historical component to The Last House on the Street and really enjoyed the interactions between the individuals. The ending was completely unexpected which of course makes a fabulous book. Would highly recommend!

This historical fiction novel told in dual timelines is one I will be thinking of for awhile. Both timelines were so enthralling and take place in Round Hill, North Carolina.
2010 Kayla is getting ready to move into the house of her dreams that she and her husband designed. While building the house, her husband dies in a tragic accident. She is hesitant to move into the house but knows that she can’t let all their dreams and hard work go to waste. Right before moving in she receives a visit from a strange woman who is very cryptic and knows things about herself and her daughter and it frightens her. After moving in she finds more and more warnings and just can’t seem to shake the creeped out feeling she gets.
1965 Ellie is in college and has begun to notice the injustices of the world that is the south. She hears about the SCOPE program and knows this is how she wants to spend her summer. She gets assigned to her county, Darby county in North Carolina. She realizes that she had no idea all the injustices and becomes very passionate the rights of black Americans. She falls in love with one of the other volunteers and things slowly unravel from there. Ending in a heart ache that sends her fleeing NC and not returning until 2010 when her brother and mother are too sick to take care of themselves.
I could not put this book down and I cannot quit thinking about it.
Thank you Netgalley and publishing house for an early copy to review. All thoughts are my own.

This was such an interesting story about two women and how their lives connect through one plot of land.

I enjoyed this story though it is not my favorite book by Chamberlain.

I liked the back and forth between perspectives and time. And I liked how the suspense ramped up a bit towards the end. I do feel like some of Ellie’s past could have been shortened. But I was impressed by that story. I liked seeing how she worked in her community and fought for civil rights.

Overall, enjoyable book and one I’d still recommend. 3.5/5.

I haven’t read a Duane Chamberlain book I haven’t loved. The Last House on the Street kept her streak going. Learning about Ellie and her attempts to help the black community was very enlightening. I never thought about the risks white people took and the problems people had with a black and white person even being friends. I knew the Klu Klux Klan was crazy. I still believe they are. Kayla’s education about the property she bought and her fathers possible involvement in horrible events from the past kept me guessing. This book will keep your brain churning for a long time after the final page.

A community’s past sins rise to the surface in New York Times bestselling author Diane Chamberlain’s The Last House on the Street when two women, a generation apart, find themselves bound by tragedy and an unsolved, decades-old mystery.

1965

Growing up in the well-to-do town of Round Hill, North Carolina, Ellie Hockley was raised to be a certain type of proper Southern lady. Enrolled in college and all but engaged to a bank manager, Ellie isn’t as committed to her expected future as her family believes. She’s chosen to spend her summer break as a volunteer helping to register black voters. But as Ellie follows her ideals fighting for the civil rights of the marginalized, her scandalized parents scorn her efforts, and her neighbors reveal their prejudices. And when she loses her heart to a fellow volunteer, Ellie discovers the frightening true nature of the people living in Round Hill.

2010

Architect Kayla Carter and her husband designed a beautiful house for themselves in Round Hill’s new development, Shadow Ridge Estates. It was supposed to be a home where they could raise their three-year-old daughter and grow old together. Instead, it’s the place where Kayla’s husband died in an accident—a fact known to a mysterious woman who warns Kayla against moving in. The woods and lake behind the property are reputed to be haunted, and the new home has been targeted by vandals leaving threatening notes. And Kayla’s neighbor Ellie Hockley is harboring long buried secrets about the dark history of the land where her house was built.

Two women. Two stories. Both on a collision course with the truth—no matter what that truth may bring to light—in Diane Chamberlain’s riveting, powerful novel about the search for justice.



My Thoughts:

In alternating timelines, we follow the lives and loves of two women in a North Carolina small town. From the sixties to the present day, they each pursue their dreams while struggling with issues that bind them to each other even though they do not even know one another. Until later.

I felt a connection to them each, having grown up in the sixties and fought for civil rights back then, and again in the present day with the country divided along similar lines all these years later.

Who is the strange woman that Kayla meets in the present, someone who is out to terrorize her in her house at the end of the street? Does meeting Ellie in the present day offer clues to what is going on? What connects both Ellie and Kayla to the activities of the Klan?

The Last House on the Street was a captivating story that glued me to the pages and earned five stars.

My e-ARC came from the publisher via NetGalley

I like books that are told in two (or more) different perspectives, at two different points in time. In this interesting book that takes place both in 1965 and 2010, you keep wondering how both stories will connect at some point. Kayla, in 2010, is building the last house on the street, but a series of weird events make her second guess her location choice. Ellie, in 1965, wants to make a difference in the civil rights movement. How come those two have anything in common? You’ll have to read to find out.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of The Last House on the Street in exchange for an honest review.

It's 2010 and Kayla Carter has recently been widowed when her husband dies while they are moving into their dream home, one day an old woman appears warning her not to move into the house expounding the dread that Kayla was already feeling. But who is this strange woman and why should she not move to her new home? In 1965, Ellie Hockley, joins a "radical" new summer program called Scope where she will live and work inside the black communities helping them to register to vote. She will face raging hate, racisms and injustices from the community and her family. Can this new house on the street hold the key to unlocking Ellie's past and righting the wrongs of so long ago?

As is popular with many historical fictions, the story is told in dual timelines; from both the perspectives of Ellie and Kayla. I, like many other readers, had not heard of the SCOPE project and was interested to learn about a long ago forgotten part of history. The 1965 storyline was more captivating and better developed yet fairly predictable. In contrast, I really disliked the 2010 story. I found Kayla and her events to be lacking and almost a bit unnecessary only there to wrap up the end. I have enjoyed Chamberlain's other works and look forward to reading more from her.

Diane Chamberlain is quite a prolific writer, with over two dozen novels to her name, yet so far, I’ve only read three of her novels. However, with that said — seeing that I’ve enjoyed all 3 of the novels that I’ve read, Chamberlain has quickly become one of my favorite authors and I’m hoping I’ll be able to find the time to explore more of her backlist at some point!

Chamberlain’s latest novel, The Last House on the Street, follows a similar pattern as her previous novels in that it features a dual timeline narrative with two strong yet flawed female protagonists and its center. The first timeline starts off in the year 2010, in the small town of Round Hill, North Carolina, where a young architect named Kayla Carter is trying to piece her life back together after her beloved husband Jackson dies in a freak accident while working on their dream house. Kayla knows that she needs to stay strong for her 4-year-old daughter Rainie, and even though it pains her to move into the house that she feels took her husband from her, she also doesn’t want to throw away all the hard work that her husband (who was also an architect) put into designing it. As she is about to move in though, a red-haired woman repeatedly tries to dissuade Kayla from moving in, and soon, all sorts of strange things start to happen. The story then jumps back in time to 1965, where 20-year old Ellie Hockley, a privileged white girl who lives on a street in Round Hill that is named after her family, decides to join SCOPE, an organization whose purpose is to persuade the black population to register to vote once the Voting Rights Act is signed into law. Raised in the Deep South, in a little enclave that was essentially isolated from the rest of the world, Ellie is shocked to realize how much her family as well as the entire community as a whole opposes her participation in the civil rights movement, but she comes to realize that this is her passion.

The story alternates between the perspectives of these two courageous women (Kayla and Ellie) who couldn’t be more different in terms of personality, but share the common struggle of having to stand up for what they believe in, even with the odds stacked against them. I couldn’t help but be drawn to both women and found myself rooting for them throughout the story, even during those moments when they made decisions that frustrated me. Chamberlain does a wonderful job telling both women’s stories, but what I loved the most was the way the two timelines merged near the end, in a way that was both unique and satisfying. With these types of dual timeline stories, I usually prefer one timeline over the other, but I actually liked both this time around — though character-wise, Ellie was definitely my favorite.

Just as she does with her previous works, Chamberlain once again presents an emotionally resonant story that defies categorization into any particular genre. While there were elements of suspense with the “mystery” that unfolded in Kayla’s timeline, the historical elements were also strong, especially in Ellie’s timeline with the civil rights movement and everything that went on during that time period.

This was definitely a worthwhile read and while I don’t want to say too much so as not to give away the story, I will say that if you liked Chamberlain’s previous book Big Lies in a Small Town (which came out back in 2020), you will probably like this one as well, since both were written in a similar vein (though they cover different time periods). Also, this story is extremely timely given the social justice theme that it covers, though a word of warning that some parts will be difficult to read (especially in Ellie’s timeline given the historical context with the civil rights movement and the injustices that occurred during that time).

I personally can’t wait for Chamberlain’s next book, though of course, there are plenty of backlist options for me to explore in the meantime.

Received ARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley

Told in two different time periods..1965 and 2010 this story flashes back and forth telling a story involving a piece of property that was on a house at the end of the street in South Carolina.
The story starts in 1965 during the time where blacks just got their rights to vote but had trouble registering due to a law in place where they needed to pass a written test. That law was about to be waived by the president but the blacks still needed assistance in how to register. Ellie a young girl decides to join this project called SCOPE where they go out to the black community and assist them in registering. Ellie is met with alot of resistance for that idea and she is faced with alot of anger and danger.

2010 Kayla just lost her husband right after purchasing this beautiful house in a Southern community. She is for some odd reason. getting alot of resistance to her moving into the house although she has no idea why.

I loved these two stories and how they weaved together. I have read this author before and have loved everything she has read. This was a great and enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Well, I didn’t see that coming at all. This is another brilliant novel by Diane Chamberlain and it’s brilliant. We first learn about the beautiful new home built in an up and coming neighborhood. It’s start is marked by tragedy through which we are taken on a journey to discover the areas past. In classic Chamberlain style, it is a well written piece with vivid imagery. Grateful to NetGalley for the early read- put this on your to read list.

In Diane Chamberlain’s latest novel, The Last House on the Street, she tackles the history of racism in the south through a dual timeline story of a civil rights volunteer in the mid-1960’s and a present day architect facing challenges as she moves into a home in a new subdivision.

I was fascinated to learn about the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states and the obstacles faced by the volunteers trying to canvas the black communities to assist with voter registration. Chamberlain does a great job weaving this history into her suspenseful story.

I thought this book was well written, thoughtful, and relevant. This would be a great book club selection! I was immediately drawn into the story and felt invested in the characters. This was my first Diane Chamberlain book, and I now understand why she is such a popular author. I look forward to reading more of her books!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I partially read this book and mostly listened to this on audio.

The character development and emotion of the book is outstanding. The narrator really did a good job in portraying the characters. I particularly enjoyed how suspenseful her voice sounded near the end of the book. I was riveted and couldn’t stop listening by that point.

That being said my only criticism is that this story was pretty predictable of the old south during the civil rights movement. It’s been done so many times in books and movies. I enjoyed the book and the writing, but have already learned and read a lot on this subject.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this audio and book.

The story is told in the voice of Kayla and Ellie. Ellie tells the story from her perspective as a civil rights worker in the 1960’s and what her life looks like currently as a 65 year old woman. Kayla is a woman in her twenties who is newly widowed and is about to move into what was to be their dream home. This is a well written story. The characters are wonderful and the setting is great. The lives of the two women intertwine across the years and provide healing and friendship.

Told in dual timelines, this book goes back and forth from 2010 to 1965 in a series of flashbacks. Ellie's story spans that timeframe, and it's her story that is told in the earlier time. It was volatile back then as Martin Luther King pushed to get black people registered to vote through the SCOPE Project. Ellie is white, but her beliefs in equality put her in the middle of the frey as she struggles to do her part. Kayla's story occurs in 2010. She and her late husband had designed and built a beautiful modern house at the edge of a huge expanse of trees where secrets are residing. She is warned by a stranger that she shouldn't stay there, but she has no idea why she and her small daughter aren't welcomed. I struggled to get into this book, but after the first third or so, I was hooked and finished it in record time. I couldn't stop. I had my own suspicions of how it would end, or I thought I did. I was wrong. There are twists and turns that I sure didn't foresee, and the slow build in Ellie's story fired anticipation. As did the suspense of Kayla's story. When everything tied together in the end, I was left thinking hard about the situation then and how much it still matters today. Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy. Highly recommended.

In 2010, Kayla Carter and her young daughter move into the house where her husband died. The two of them designed their dream house together, at the edge of a new development. The large is huge, filled with trees that now seem oppressive and foreboding. She's heard that the woods are haunted and something about the lake behind the house frightens her. Even before the vandalism starts, Kayla is nervous.

In 1965, Ellie Hockley defies her parents' wishes to spend the summer volunteering as a civil rights worker, helping to register black voters. She's been thrust into an unfamiliar setting and is starting to discover just how sheltered her life has always been.

Chapters alternate between the two women and I definitely found Ellie's story more interesting.
This book is nothing like the other domestic thrillers I've been reading. It packs a heartbreaking emotional punch and I stayed up hours later than I should have because I couldn't bear to put it down and not know (even for a few hours) how it was going to end.

I loved The Last House on the Street - I finished late last night and can't stop thinking about it today! Diane Chamberlain is a master at creating two timelines that seem to have nothing to do with one another then she manages to blend them together in such an amazing way. I have been a fan of this author since The Dream Daughter (one of my all time favorite books ever) and this one is just as good. I look forward to reading her backlist titles that I haven't read and will certainly read anything she writes in the future!

The Last House on the Street has a lot of the elements of a book that I enjoy! Filled with family, tragedy, suspense and hope, this book is a must read for Diane Chamberlain fans!