Having just finished Diane Chamberlain ‘s new book, The Last House on the Street, the only word that comes to my mind is “wow!” This book is Ms. Chamberlain at her very best.

Ellie returns to North Carolina to care for her dying brother as Kayla is learning to live without her husband who has died in an accident. The two meet and their very different emotional journeys are shared as their stories converge to a shared ending. Ms. Chamberlain explores the sins and loves of the past and the consequences of both. Truly a fabulous, eye-opening and heart wrenching story.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced readers copy of this incredible novel!

Th

It was so nice to jump into a new Diane Chamberlain book. The Last House on the Street takes place in 1965 South Carolina with repercussions felt in 2015.

I loved this time period, it's one I don't read often and this book was a definite eye opener. As usual I was drawn to the past story (history geek), I was educated with the SCOPE program and the workings of it. The author vividly showed the prejudices that were front and centre. Ellie has a mind of her own and determination to go against her family's wishes that places her where she never imagined.

The Last House is a well written historical story with authentic characters and setting. It's a story about forbidden love and family, mysterious, it showcases injustices and the ties that bind the past to the present.

I have yet to be disappointed with a Chamberlain book, while I am slowly making my way through her back-list I highly recommend this book...The Midwife's Confession was great also.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press (via Netgalley) for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Well Diane Chamberlain's books are always great so it's no surprise that again she delivers a great read! This book is deep and thought provoking with elements of suspense and thrill. You will definitely not want to put it down!

The Last House on the Street is the first Diane Chamberlain novel that I have read. I was familiar with the history and the efforts to make sure that everyone would get the opportunity to vote. The history unfolded carefully and with dignity. Although I was initially worried that the beginning of the novel seemed slow, I remembered that Chamberlain was a best-selling author, and I expected The Last House on the Street to fully engage my interest, which it did. The dual timelines worked well and did so without disclosing the entirety of the plot. Much of the ending was expected, but what was a surprise was how it unfolded. I would definitely recommend The Last House on the Street. I appreciate that NetGalley does such a great job of introducing readers to authors, whom I have not previously read. I want to thank St Martin's Press and the author for making this novel available as an ARC.

Wow. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e ARC of this book.
Beautifully written. Fascinating story. Interesting characters.

Twists and turns and a reality that jumps between 1965 and 2010... Chamberlain takes readers on a journey with 20-year-old Ellie, working for civil rights in the 60s, alongside 20-something Kayla in 2010, connecting their stories in a way neither one could imagine. The Last House on the Street is a suspenseful tale of heartbreak and resilience with a bit of justice and redemption thrown in for good measure. Fans of Diane Chamberlain will not be disappointed!

It's 1965 and Ellie defies her parents to join in a movement she is very passionate about. It's her actions that set a chain of events that affects her future and the future of many others.

It's 2010 and Kayla is about to move into her dreamhouse, created and built by her and her now deceased husband. And strange things begin to happen and she protects her daughter from an unseen adversary.

It is Kayla who uncovers the truth and all that occurred in 1965, raising questions about the people in your life that you THINK you know.

I enjoyed Ellie's 1965 chapters and learning about SCOPE and voting rights in the 60s. I thought Kayla's 2010 chapters were dull for about 3/4 of the book and they finally picked up when everything came together at the end. It was a sad, but probably accurate portrayal of small town North Carolina in the 60s. The end really did surprise me!

I am clearly in the minority on this one. I have read and loved many of Diane Chamberlain's books but alas this one never connected with me until the very end.

This story is told in alternating timelines, one with Kayla, a single mom who lost her husband in a tragic accident recently, in present day and one with Ellie, an activist who enrolls in a program to help Black citizens register to vote, in 1965. I connected with Ellie a lot more, especially once she was in the program. But, for me, there was something off in the dialogue and the characters from the very beginning. The dialogue felt a little too over the top and disconnected from the characters. Usually with Chamberlain's books, I find myself immersed in the characters' world as if I am there living with them.

In this one, I could not feel that connection no matter how much I tried.

I kept reading because I knew their lives would intersect and I wanted to know how. And there's a mystery at the root of the story that starts in page one, so I also wanted to see how it came together. Near the end, the story's heartbreaking plotlines intersected and I was grateful I stuck with it. I think this was an important story to tell and I am glad I read it, but, to me, it is not one of her best.

I look forward to reading the next one.

with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Racism makes my blood boil. This book made my blood boil at times. It also made my heart break at times, spilling extra blood to boil, I suppose. I chose to read this because the author is one that my Goodreads friends rave over, but I'd never read anything by her so wanted to check her out. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for making this available to me.

The book is told in dual timelines with dual narrators. Kayla is our present day (2010) narrator. She's recently widowed with a young daughter. Her husband died while they were building their dream house at the end of what used to be Hockley Street in Round Hill, North Carolina. The book literally begins with a strange, creepy woman coming into her work office to warn her off from moving into the house. This strange woman never reveals her face, has bright red hair, sloppy fingernails, and knows way too much about Kayla and her daughter. The past timeline is set in 1965 in the same town. It's narrated by Ellie, a young woman who grew up in the only house on Hockley Street. She is grieving for her passed aunt and still carries the trauma and guilt from a childhood accident that took her young friend's life. She decides to become a part of the civil rights movement that helps black citizens to register to vote. This ends up becoming a completely life-changing thing.

The main characters are likeable without a doubt. However, I did not feel that they were completely three-dimensional. They both almost feel too good to be true, plenty of virtues but not enough flaws. Given that they are both the narrators and we're seeing things through their eyes, this works alright. Not everyone is extremely self-aware after all. Of the two narrators, I thought that Ellie seemed disproportionately more well-rounded than Kayla. Her story was really the heart of the book, although my interest was piqued by the strange beginning to the book.

The story is interesting. It felt like a quick read. My only complaint with the story itself was that at times it felt disjointed going between narrators. It ends up tying together beautifully, however. This author did a wonderful job of making me feel invested in what's happening, especially with Ellie. It's amazing, and not in a good way, to see how ugly American race history was only half a century ago still - And we still have a long way to go to really turn it around, I think. In that sense it could be an eye-opening read for younger readers. This makes the setting in North Carolina, right between North and South, ideal. The author made a good choice here.

My heart was heavy and sad by the end of the book. The author did a good job of hitting me right in the feelers. The mystery Kayla was experiencing was...necessary to tie the story together. We do find out who the strange, creepy woman is. If it weren't for how it ends up tying the story, I'm not sure I would have even included it, though, to be honest. This woman's reasoning makes sense, but at the same time isn't the brightest.

People seem to really enjoy this author. I did, as well, although perhaps not as much as others. I'd certainly be willing to pick up more books by her, although I don't believe I'll be the devoted reader some others are. For this reason, I'd recommend this book to most readers. People really seem to enjoy her books, so odds are, Reader, that you will too. I'd also recommend it because it's such a good reminder about how we've only just begun to make some strides with regards to racism. What we've accomplished is just a drop in a vast pool.

If you're looking for a powerful, dual timeline story, The Last House on the Street is for you.

The story begins in 2o1o with Kayla Carter when a strange woman enters her office, knowing every little detail about her life, including her daughter and the tragic death of her husband. She warns her not to move into her new home and leaves.

We're then introduced to Ellie in 1965, who longs for more to her life than her classes in pharmacology at UNC and her relationship with Reed. She decides to volunteer for a civil rights group to help encourage voter registration in the black community, and her life changes forever.

To be honest, I can't say much more without some serious spoilers, but this one certainly will leave a mark. It's incredibly powerful and touches on some very hard civil rights and race topics.

Diane Chamberlain's books are ALWAYS good and you can never go wrong with one. Loved this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4/5 stars

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
This was not at all what I was expecting. I thought it would be a police detective, murder mystery. Well the police were involved and there was a murder, this book was so much more. The story is told between two narratives decades apart. The modern narration has a haunting mystery of strange occurrences at her newly built home at the end of the street in a wooded area. It's unsure whether the occurrences are supernatural or caused by someone.
The narrative in the past reads more of a historical fiction. It is told during a time where racial segregation is still prevalent and those standing up for the rights of Black Americans are often under great danger.
I really enjoyed this title. I would recommend it to those that like historical fiction. The added mystery was a fun bonus and brought another level to this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review. I thought this was a really good story. I love the dual timeline. I really loved the character development as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC of this book.

Diane Chamberlain knocks it out of the park with her newest title, The Last House on the Street. Told in alternating times, we learn about Ellie, a rising civil rights warrior in 1965, and Kayla, a newly widowed mother in 2010, and what really happened on Hockley Street and how it ties these two stories tie together.

Chamberlain continues to blow me away with her character development and storyline. I love how she can weave two stories together and center it around small, important (and mostly forgotten about) historical events. 10/10 would recommend this story to anyone who loves Diane Chamberlain or a good historical fiction novel.

Diane Chamberlain is a powerhouse and I think she doesn’t get the recognition she deserves for her ability to mix genres. This book is labeled as historical fiction but also could be categorized as Mystery or Suspense. She expertly weaves a tale that makes you want to read more to find out how it is going to end and that ending does not disappoint.

The Last House on The Street goes back and forth between 1965 and 2010 and touches on so many important topics like racial injustices, prejudice but is also a story about love and loss and redemption. This was an excellent novel and one that should be read in this day and age.

The Last House on the Street was such a great, unexpected book. I’m not sure what I expected going into this but it blew all expectations out of the water. It follows Ellie and Kayla, and starts with 2 separate timelines that end up merging. This book talks about racism in such a way I haven’t seen in a book. It’s heartbreaking while also somehow ending up hopeful. I loved this story and the characters. Wonderful heart wrenching read.

Another heart wrenching story by this author. I love all of her books. She has a way of blending history and emotion. This book is a dual time line. 1965 - Ellie, white and privileged, joins the SCOPE program during her summer break at college, as a civil rights worker in North Carolina. There, she meets Win, a black co-worker, fighting for the right to vote. Their budding friendship combined with her dedication to help the black community, has devastating consequences in her home community. 2010 - Layla, an architect, recently widowed and now a single mother to her 4 year old daughter, has just moved into the dream home her and her husband were building before his accidental death. They are the first home of an up-and-coming development called Shadow Ridge. Unknown to Layla, her home sits in the middle of a dark history, which is re-ignited and threatens her own family’s wellbeing.

I absolutely loved the 1965 timeline. The history was so rich with detail and emotion. The relationships felt so real. The characters brought to life so vividly! The 2010 timeline was more of a grounding plot in which the older timeline came to life. However, it also had a mystery of its own that tied up nicely in the end. Definitely a must-read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction and interested learning more about black civil rights in the 1960’s, and in particular, the SCOPE project.

I was thrilled to get an ARC from Netgalley and #stmartinspress in exchange for an honest review.

I love historical fiction and Diane Chamberlain always does a good job in bringing events to life. This book did not disappoint! The author has e has crafted another intriguing family drama laced with mystery and set in an important historical era. It was hard to put it down!!

Set in two separate timelines (which is not normally something I like) but this worked. Set in 1965 and 2010 - we read about the work to get the Voting Rights Act passed and then today's happenings in the town of Round Hill.

It is hard say this was a good read because it's painful, awful and heartbreaking. The characters are very real and and I wanted to see them developed a little more!

The subject matter deserves to be read and it was a gripping tale that I flew through thanks to Ms. Chamberlain's immense talent.

Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read.

Unfortunately, I felt frustrated by this book. This was a dual timeline story. The subject matter for the 1960s timeline was amazing and engaging and tense, but the current timeline was disjointed, didn’t seem relevant to the 1960’s story and felt slow.

All in all this book has so much going for it. An amazing writer, an interesting, historical and relevant subject and characters that I did care about. However, the jumping back and forth between the two timelines which seemed unrelated was difficult for me to toggle.

I would still call this book a very engaging and relevant book. I absolutely loved the 1960’s timeline story and the background into the SCOPE program. I was so thankful for the dedication that Ellie showed, especially when everyone in her life was against her decision. She was a character that was easy to connect to. She was a small-town, Southern, white privileged girl who never realized just how privileged she was until she entered the SCOPE program.

The SCOPE program brought Northern college students together to canvas more rural black communities to discuss their right to vote and get them to commit to register once Lyndon B. Johnson signed a voter’s equality bill into action. Ellie had to fight to be part of the program as Southerners were seen as inflammatory to the black community, and rightfully so. Once accepted into the SCOPE program, Ellie realized that she finally found what made her “tick.” Making a difference for the next generation, for a subset of the population who were not given the same opportunities as others, and to engage in building a better future. But behind every turn was someone trying to dissuade her and attempt to scare her out of the program.

I loved how the author brought historical relevance to the story. The hardships and battles that these rural black families faced were monumental. It was easy to hate the characters that were small minded and self-righteous and easy to cheer for those trying to rise above the constant injustices and pave the way to a better future for their families. The last 1/4th of the book was just mesmerizing. Finding out finally how the two timelines interjected and who did what in the 60’s was horrifying. I didn’t quite buy that Ellie wouldn’t have figured out some of that on her own, but I guess she wanted to believe the best about some people.

Overall, a compelling read. The timeline differences in this one just didn’t work as well for me as I would have liked.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy to read and review. Pub date: 1.25.22

The Last House on The Street is one of the best books I have read in awhile in that it has the ability to take events from the past and make it relevant in the present of the story. It never seems forced. This book seamlessly weaves the characters from both time periods and in a manner that is never confusing. As in all of Diane Chamberlains books, the characters are all very well developed. I love that there was a bit of a mystery thrown in for good measure.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.