I have read all of Diane Chamberlin's books. I have loved them all. I adored this one too. No one writes historical fiction in quite the same way.

This book, "The Last House on The Street," is among my favorites because it also had a good deal of suspense and forbidden love blended in with the history. I also fell in love with the main character, Ellie, who suffered so much all because she dared to try to register people to vote in the deep south. Ellie was put in a situation where she had to choose between her family and what she knew in her heart was right and just. (Many of us can identify with that dilemma in modern times.) Luckily, in the end, everyone is free to choose the people whom they wish to consider "family."

The dual timelines worked flawlessly. Although the two women in each timeline were very different, they shared loss and isolation. And they had much to learn from one another.

This is a book I won't soon forget. In a sense, the subject matter is sad and frustrating. However, exploring this topic is very important. We must acknowledge the problem before we can actually fix it. This book has stayed with me since I finished it. I wish Ms. Chamberlin had a new book coming out tomorrow. Thank you to NetGalley for offering me an advanced copy.

Best book I’ve read all year! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC. This book will haunt me for a lifetime. Diane is one of my very favorite authors and she did not disappoint with this one. The way she weaves her stories with dual timelines is my favorite. This book is no exception. Heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. We need to do better and be better, let our inner Ellie’s shine through!

I completely devoured this book and was drawn in to the characters and stories. It was a powerful book about families and the South. It made me sad and angry but also had some fun and happy moments.
This was my first book by Diane Chamberlain and I will read more!

I was not able to download this title due to known system issues. Despite being given instructions for workarounds, the download still failed.

Let me preface by saying I am a huge Diane Chamberlain fan. This novel is different from her others in that it weaves two plots of different genres together: historical fiction and mystery. Each plot was interesting on its own, but I felt they did not blend well together until the end. In fact, I felt like I was reading two separate books most of the time. It was a slow burn, but at some point near the middle I was hooked. The character development was superb, as was her ability to connect plot points in unique ways. Overall, this is a great book and if not for that disconnect I mentioned, I would have awarded this book 5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC! I couldn’t put it down but that’s pretty much how I feel about all of Diane Chamberlain’s books. This story is told from two different time lines. Present and Past. In the present (2010) Kayla has recently lost her husband while they were building their dream home. Kayla has a young daughter who is 3. She isn’t sure she wants to move into the house after losing her husband in the house. But it was their dream and they designed it together. In the past (1965) the story is all about Ellie Hockley who falls in love with a black man while volunteering to get negroes signed up to vote. I don’t want to give away anything but this story is so good. Eventually the characters intertwine. There is mystery, murder and love in this story. So good!

Diane Chamberlain is one of my favorite authors so I was thrilled when I got to read this remarkable book. She has done it once again by taking a horrible time in our past and written a story with heart as we become involved with all the characters in both timelines. Without revealing too much of the novel, the author paints a picture of the south in the mid 60’s before LBJ signed a bill giving all people the right to vote. The story involves KKK and a despicable act 45 years ago. Finally, in 2010 the truth is finally told which settles all the unanswered questions. Well written and should not be missed by all historical fiction lovers! Diane Chamberlain has done it once again!!! #TheLastHouseOnTheStreet #DianeChamberlain #NetGalley

Another wonderful and thought-provoking read from Diane Chamberlain. Told in alternating timelines - in 1965 and 2010 in Round Hill, North Carolina - this is the story of two women who are challenged to confront their family's history as they try to deal with their own life challenges, beliefs and struggles. Both intense and at times heartbreaking, we see Kayla in 2010 face a personal tragedy while she tries to understand the history of the land on which her new home is built. Meanwhile Ellie in 1965 breaks away from her traditional path as a college coed to fight for civil rights and voting rights in 1965 North Carolina. As they connect the dots as new neighbors in 2010, Kayla and Ellie must both confront tragedy, prejudice and figure out a path forward that is based on a newfound understanding, acceptance and love. I loved both parallel stories and found, as I have in past Chamberlain novels, I learned something new about the current and historical racial struggles in North Carolina. I binged this novel and stayed up late into the night to finish it - couldn't put it down. Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest reveiw.

I have always been a fan of Diane Chamberlain's books, and this one is no exception. What a deep, suspenseful read! It pulled at several emotions for me, from anger, sadness, shock, happiness.
It goes back and forth from two different timeliness. You will meet 20 year old Ellie in 1965 wanting to follow her heart as a Civil Rights activist, against her family's wishes,, and then the 2010 timeline where you meet newly widowed Kayla and her 3 year old daughter, Rainie.
The story deals with love, loss, racism, death and healing. It is very thought provoking and left me choked up in some chapters and angry in others. It is not a light read. It stayed with me long after I finished the last page. What a profound, novel. I highly recommend! Diane's book will not disappoint!!
I'm so grateful to have received an ARC through Netgalley to read and review.

I binged this book in a day!
After Kayla's husband passes away in an accident building their dream house, her and her daughter experience odd occurrences. There's also a story line during the Civil Rights movements with voting that has a tie in with the present day. It's much better then I am explaining it,

A chilling and beautiful masterpiece of suspense. One of the most powerful novel that I have read in years.
Loved the characters! The author outstanding…….you will not regret reading this wonderful book!

Another beautiful, heartbreaking story by Chamberlain. Set in 2010 and 1965 in North Carolina, two women are dealing with changes in their lives. One is seeing the world around her change as she fights for equal rights and one is dealing with the loss of her husband. Their worlds are woven together in this powerful novel where they both learned to see the truths around them.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for giving me the opportunity to review this book. I usually love dual timeline books but I found this one slightly confusing. I’m not sure if character names were too similar but I kept having to flip back and make sure I knew what was happening.

Loved this book by Diane Chamberlain.
It’s a great mystery that really keeps you guessing.
Loved the characters.
Don’t miss this!

I couldn’t put this one down. The details are richly envisioned. The plot is relevant and timely. The only detail that I had the tiniest problem with was that a couple of the characters where one dimensional. I’d have liked Win to be a little more fleshed out, as well as Brenda. But.. not my story to tell, just wishful thinking. I really loved this one and have already recommended it through my personal social media.

I look forward to every book this author releases. I was thrilled to be gifted with the ARC to her upcoming release and eagerly started it even though it doesn’t come out for publication until 2022.

However, I didn’t research the novel’s plot lines, and did not realize this was going to be about civil rights and black history voting rights. I wasn’t sure I wanted to get into it after what we have gone through the last year in this country. I am up to here, as they say, with all that has transpired and that I have witnessed in our country of late.

Lately, my choice of reading has been for escapism of the sicknesses, both physical and mental that our country has been going through since Covid and the civil unrest following the Floyd incident.

That being said, this is after all Diane Chamberlain, and if anyone can reel me in through character development it is she, so I dived in. It is told in two timelines, 2010 and back in the 50/60s timeframe when Freedom Fighters for black voting rights were taking place prior to President Johnson’s signing of the Voters Rights bill back in 1965.

The Freedom Fighters mission was to enlighten the black population in the south of how voting rights could change their lives. The main characters are a young black man, Winston and a young white woman, Ellie, who’s zealous passion for equality for all motivated them to get physically involved in canvassing potential voters in poor black communities. Ellie’s white family is firmly opposed to her involvement and how it affects not just her future but all of her family and community who are horrified by what she is doing.

It is also a story of Ellie and Win’s eventual personal relationship, which will tug at the heart strings as Chamberlain’s words inevitably will. I enjoyed the personal story so much and grieved right along with the characters when heart-stopping details were revealed. Happy to recommend.

My thanks to
@St. Martin’s Press
@authorDianeChamberlain and
@NetGalley

… for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own. Get your copy at your favorite retailer on January 11, 2022

This is my first Diane Chamberlain novel. As you know, it is a dual timeline and the 1960s storyline was quite predictable. I don't think of Ellie as an ally, more of a naive white woman trying to overcome her guilt. This is not a light read. It was slow going in the first half and then ramped up to a point that left me incredibly angry.

Oh my goodness!! This is one of the best books I have read in a long time! The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain is a quick read because you can't simply set the book down and come back later. There is no slow point or stopping place. Moving between time periods and storylines, Chamberlain weaves together events that are as relevant today as they were almost 50 years ago. While we would like to think that events in 1965 are just history, we know that in the events happening today, history repeats itself. The story is well written and the characters are true to life. I wish I could give The Last House on the Street more than 5 stars.
I voluntarily received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

AMAZING!!!!!!! Another incredible book by Diane Chamberlain. I couldn’t read this book fast enough. I will recommend it to all my friends! Thank you so much for this advanced copy of this book!

Wow, just wow! I have been a Diane Chamberlain fan for a couple of years, but she hit it out of the park with this book. The Last House on the Street is perfectly intertwined between past and present as Kayla is struggling with the reality of moving into the dream home she and her deceased husband designed together. Not only did he die in the house, but there are several signs that lead her to believe that moving in is not the best option for Kayla and her young daughter.

Meanwhile, Kayla meets her neighbor, Eillie Hockley, who is visiting North Carolina (her childhood home) to care for her sick brother and mother. Diane Chamberlain weaves Ellie's story as a civil rights worker who sacrifices everything to fight for equality. The women become friends, and their stories have so much depth that help each one grow.

This book is brilliant. By far the best book I've read in 2021. If you are a book lover, The Last House on the Street is a book you cannot afford to miss. The characters have so much depth, the plot is brilliantly woven together between past and present, and the story is one we must never forget.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this amazing book!