At times this was a hard book to read. Although it is fiction these are the acts that did happen in the 60s in the south. This story kept my interest; it was well written and easy to read and follow. One really felt like they knew the main character, Ellie. It's amazing how people react to something or someone that is different than them. Hasn't changed much in sixty years. Definitely worth reading this book.

This is a great book! One of things I like best about Diane Chamberlain's writing is her novels have two stories of two different eras that in some way are entwined together. This book begins with a young woman who is an architect along with her husband who tragically died in an accident. They had designed and built the house Shadow Ridge where they would live with their little girl. But he never got to, and Ellie's now a widow raising their child alone. This book is part mystery and part drama and I really enjoyed it! I was pulled in from the opening pages where a mysterious redhead comes to visit Ellie in her office and warns her that she should not move into the house; in fact, it will be dangerous to do that. Who was this eerie woman and why was she threatening her? I highly recommend this thriller with its many layers and secrets as an entertaining read!

This book took a while to hook me - I'd say it wasn't until around a quarter of the way through the dual time-line story that I got intrigued but once I did, I was in for the duration. The story in the past of Ellie and her participation in the civil rights voter registration movement really resonated with me - she was a small town girl but with a mind of her own and a true sense of justice in the face of intolerable racism. When the modern-day story finally circled back to her and I say the connections, it was fascinating to read to the end to find out what was behind both what happened decades ago and what was happening in the present day story. No real ghosts or monsters - just human beings behaving in terrible ways to their fellow men. Once again, Diane Chamberlain has tapped into her well of experience and created three-dimensional characters whose story is well worth your time.

This book grabbed my interest from the very start with a creepy first chapter involving a threatening mysterious woman. This is the intro to a very dramatic and emotional story. In 2010, Kayla and her four year old daughter are moving into a new home that she helped design with her architect husband, who tragically died in an accident in the house during building. However, Kayla continually gets threats to not move in and can't figure out why. She befriends a woman down the street, Ellie, who has moved home to care for her elderly mother and dying brother, after living forty years in California. Why did she leave the idyllic community she grew up in and why did she stay away so long?

The reader learns, in a separate timeline, that in 1965 when Ellie was a white college student she wanted to get involved in the civil rights movement and make a difference. She volunteers her summer to join other college students and adults in educating and encouraging black families in North Carolina to register to vote. She steadfastly continues on this quest even though it becomes detrimental to her family, friends, community, herself and the people she is trying to help.

The author, Diane Chamberlain, doesn't shy away from controversial issues in history. Like a few of her other books that I have read, this story is based on a dark period that will make you shudder. Though the characters are fictional, the topic is not, and continues to be relevant in many places in the world even today. Chamberlain is able to demonstrate, in her writing, the horrors of our past but also the possibilities of simple human kindness.

I was captivated by this book and kept asking myself, "What would I do if I was Ellie?" and "What would I do if I was Kayla?". This is a story about courage and bravery and will be popular with fans, like myself, of historical fiction and this author.

My sincerest thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.
Publication date: January 11, 2022.

Chamberlain's latest foray into historical fiction is a great story told in dual timelines--1965 & 2010. The former deals with the voting rights act & the latter is a story of a young widow & her daughter moving into a new home. At first, I didn't see the point of the 2010 story (the 1965 story was soo much more interesting), but the author weaves the them together in an emotional, compelling way.

Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

The Last House on the Street grabbed me from the beginning and still hasn’t let go, even days after I finished it. I loved the twists and turns. One of my favourite Diane Chamberlain books to date.

This was a beautiful story. It broke my heart and then healed it again. The sixties brought blacks and whites to the streets, and it was ugly. The historic ugliness in the book is intercepted with a tender love story that ends with a broken heart. Women grown and still holding onto a piece of the past. But the book ends with hope.
At times I wished the telling of the story would stay in the current era, 2010. The trails down 1965 were brutal at times and I didn’t want to go back there. However, it was necessary. We shouldn’t forget the reality of our history. The story was told well without any extraneous nonsense. This was a serious work about a serious subject.
There were parts that were hard to read, parts I had to skip over. I knew what happened, I was alive in those years I know what the kkk is about. The hard part for many of us is knowing that behind those masks were our relatives, ancestors and neighbors.
Kayla brings healing to the small community many years later. She doesn’t know that’s what she’s doing, by choosing to live in the house she and her husband built. But it was necessary, and her strength was necessary.
It’s a story I won’t soon forget. I’m glad I read it.
I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Chamberlain is a fantastic storyteller! Her ability to weave fiction into the story through a non fiction lens is nothing short of amazing. She wrote about racism in the South with a delicate touch.

I just recently discovered Diane Chamberlain and she is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. This is the third of her books that I've read and I've loved all of them. Each was very different, but so intriguing.

The Last House on the Street is told in dual timelines, In 1965 we meet Ellie, a young, privileged college student crusading for voting rights for blacks. Chamberlain vividly depicts the civil unrest of the 60's with themes of racial prejudice, interracial relationships, and activism. In current time we meet Kayla, a young mother and architect, who lost her husband tragically, just before moving into their dreamhouse. The tragic past is connected with the present in the dual narratives when the two women meet.

This book was suspenseful, heartbreaking and unforgettable. Thank you Net Galley for the ARC. I look forward to reading more of Chamberlain's books.

Thanks to NetGalley I was able to get an ARC of this book. This was such a hard story to read because the main character was treated so poorly when all she wants to do is make the world a better place during the civil rights movement. Beautifully written and amazing story. I would highly recommend this book.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the chance to review this book.

Author does a great job weaving together a tough topic from the 1960s and present day with the connection. Excellent story and well written. Recommend. Interesting characters.

Absolutely wrecked. This book was perfectly and emotionally written. I don’t think she could have written a better story. Five million stars and all the feels for this book.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. Character development was good. The plot was very interesting. Not a lot of typos.

Diane Chamberlain is one of my favorite authors. She is an exceptional writer and storyteller. This was a compelling turn pager that had me up past my bedtime to finish it as the pieces came together. I appreciated the unveiling of systemic racism and grappling with this nation's racist roots.

That said, while Ellie is a strong ally in the civil rights movement, it was tiresome to me to read about a "White savior." Over and over she puts Black folks in danger to ease her own sense of guilt. And I appreciate her ultimate financial reparations but Chamberlain seems to leave the racist terrorism in the past. Throwing in a Black police officer and some Latino laborers doesn't really indicate the community has become more diverse or less racist.

And while I love a dual timeline, in this context, it felt a bit convoluted.

Spoilers:


Kayla's repeatedly calling the police seems to ignore that the former sheriff was a KKK member. The police department in her little southern town has racist roots that run deep and the author seems oblivious to it.

A town filled with murderous KKK members does not become anti-racist within a generation without a lot of really hard and intentional work.

Instead of creating a historic memorial, Ellie sells the land to developers and Kayla just comes to peace with what happened?

And Brenda just gets away with murder and kidnapping (and the only consequence is not being invited to the bbq)?

I think it's great for White writers to tackle racism, but I think it's very important to go deep and challenge systems, history, and confront current realities. It felt like this book lacked that depth.

This was a great story. I always enjoy it when I don’t figure out the ‘bad guy’ and have to wait until the end. Liked the characters and the flow.

I love books that I learn from and where my life is enriched. This book taught me about race relations and voting rights in the South in 1965 and how prevalent the KKK was. Told in two separate timelines with two different lead characters, the stories intersect near the end of the book, showing how lives are damaged by prejudice and fear. Beautifully written, I loved this book!

I received a complimentary copy of The Last House on the Street from NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Where to begin?! This is another fantastically written novel by one of my favorite authors, Diane Chamberlain. She has an innate ability to allow the reader to connect on a deeper level with her characters. In this book, I found myself especially drawn to the historical part of the dual timeline. Ellie’s love story and the mystery from her youth kept me riveted throughout the unfolding of the entire tangled plot. This is a great book, that I will likely read again soon!

The Last House on Needless Street (Catriona Ward) is confusing at times. Several different points of view, and some back and forth in time are used to tell the story of the house and it's residents. Ted is the "main" character that lives in the house. It is very easy to dislike Ted. I won't put any spoilers in here, but as the pages go by some of our feelings for Ted change. I want to thank NetGalley and Nightfire for an early copy to review.

I received an ARC of THE LAST HOUSE ON THE STREET by Diane Chamberlain. This dual storyline novel blends genres to tell the story of two different woman living on the same street in NC in different decades. Ellie’s story is a historical novel set in the turbulent 60s. She is a NC college student who signs up to work with a civil rights group putting her in the path of violence, bigotry & hatred. Kayla’s story is a contemporary thriller. She is a young widow who moves into a new house with her small child. Strange things start to happen escalating into disturbing vandalism. Ellie and Kayla’s stories converge in this gripping tale that kept me reading into the night. This novel is scheduled to be released January 11, 2022.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Diane Chamberlain’s book “The Last House on the Street”, was a hard to put down novel, that takes the reader back and forth from 1965 to 2010. Ms. Chamberlain does an excellent job depicting life in North Carolina during the 1960’s and the civil unrest and racism that commonly tolerated. I am never disappointed by Diane Chamberlain’s book, and ‘The Last House on the Street” was no exception. Highly recommend this book.