⭐⭐⭐⭐. 7 Stars
Although only my 9th: Diane Chamberlain novel, she is one of my most favorite authors.

This story is told in two time periods 2010 and 1965.

2010: Kayla Carter, her husband, Jackson both architects are excited about the design and construction of their dream home in Shadow Ridge Estates in Round Hill, NC.
However right before completing her husband falls on the stairs and dies.
Kayla debates if she and her young daughter, Rainie should move in as it was their dream house, took seven years to build but she is fearful it will have too many sad memories.

While the construction is finishing and she is still debating, Kayla returns to work.
A woman named Ann Smith stops by the architecture firm without an appointment and states she wants to add on to her home. She immediately knows a lot about Kayla. If fact, tells Kayla she should NOT move into the house. Kayla has concerns about this woman as she is actually scary. Kayla suggests another firm might be better and shows her the door. However, she doesn’t want to leave.
Kayla reports this situation to the police, but there really isn’t anything the police can do.
Although warned not to move into the new home, Layla decides she cannot sell the house and let a stranger move into their dream home. .
Hmm Kayla soon finds out that some tragic things have happened in the area of woods behind her new home and now some strange things are going on.
.
1965: Ellie Hockley is a pharmacy student at UNC and along with many college students takes time off to help register voters in the south. She, of course, experiences a lot of conflict. To say her life changed forever is a mild statement.
Since I am close in age, I can remember the good and bad times in the 60s. The good times of the 60s were the fun summers and yes! Dancing. Of course, the bad times in the 60s were the terrible things that Ellie talked about and experienced.

2010: Ellie returns to Round Hill to help her ailing brother and mother. She and Kayla become friends and we find out that there is a connection between these two.

As we near the end of this story, we know that secrets are going to be revealed!
Surprises, twists, and turns.

One thing we readers can be assured of in reading Diane Chamberlain is that we are in for an emotional ride and she will NOT disappoint! She is a great story teller!

Have to admit since this is an early galley there isn’t any ‘Author notes’; however, delighted to find a Goodreads review from Ms. Chamberlain with the ‘Author Notes’!
Diane Chamberlain’s review of The Last House on the Street | Goodreads
Her comments are a story in itself!!

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 11, 2022

Fantastic! This is not one to start late at night, or like me, you’ll be up all night because you can’t put it down!! This is the first book I’ve read by this author. Wow! Pulls you in from the beginning and doesn’t let you go. Loved everything about it.

This is a must read for the new year! Will most definitely be recommending this book.

Thank you #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this eARC.

Diane Chamberlain has done it again! She tells a story that grips you from the beginning and holds you until the very last page. This novel had dual timelines (which I love) with engaging likable characters. I was not aware of the biting registration issues in the south that she wrote about in the 1960’s. I’m thankful that she gave these issues a voice to be heard in today’s literature. I love Diane’s books as she is one of my favorite authors. Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved it!! 5 stars!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

UGH! So heart wrenching! I love Diane Chamberlain and while this wasn’t one of her novels with the most twists, it was still incredible! It is a poignant tale that touches on race and racism in an excellent way. This is a book that is going to stay with me for a long long time!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Stunning! Written in two timelines, the mid 60’s and 2010, the story takes us back to the turmoil of the Civil Rights movement. It is a powerful story, hard to read but also has love, friendship and warmth.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I read this book at the suggestion of one of my reading groups. This was the first book I had read by Diane Chamberlain. I was not sure what to expect. I was extremely happy that I made the decision to read this.
The writing was very well done. It was easy to read, I finished it in two days. The subject matter and the way the author told the story made me want to find out what was going to happen next. The characters were developed in such a way that I became invested in them. I cared about the central characters.
The story is set in two different time periods, present day and the 1960s. There is no confusion between what time period you are in when reading. The connections between the time periods is slow to develop but in my opinion that helps to develop the story.
Ellie is a white, southern college student who sees an opportunity to make a chance to the racial standing of the 1960s. Little does she know how much her life will truly change by the decision she makes that one summer. Her decision acts as a catalyst to change the lives of everyone close to Ellie, even those 40 years later.
I look forward to reading more works by Diane Chamberlain.

Kayla is getting ready to move into her new home that was built by her late husband who died while working on building their dream home.  The new development in Round Hill, NC has a tragic past and when Kayla is confronted by an older woman telling her not to move in, she almost agrees.  Kayla befriends Ellie, a friendly neighbor who left the town of Round Hill and didn't return for over 50 years.  It's clear that Ellie has her own dark secrets.  Told in dual timelines the story tells a tale of prejudice, brutality, forbidden love, injustice and the search for answers of what happened all those years ago that caused Ellie to run.

My Thoughts:
Chamberlain once again nails it.  This story is haunting, heartbreaking, and beautiful as it tells a piece of history in the south during the mid 1960's when Lyndon B Johnson was to sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law. It shares the violence that happened during the 60's with the KKK and a particular group called SCOPE that was trying to help spread the word about voting to the Black communities of the South. I love Chamberlain's attention to detail and research she puts into her books. This book is relevant in today's world with the many voter suppression laws that state governments are trying to pass in order to prevent certain groups from voting in elections.  It seems we are still fighting the same battles we were in the past.  

I loved the characters and found them believable. The story made me feel almost every emotion imaginable.  Chamberlain was able to craft a story that is authentic and didn't shy away from a difficult part of our nation's history.  She does this with sensitivity and ease.  I highly recommend this one.  

Thank you St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.  Preorder your copy today.  It releases Jan 11th.

Wow. Thank you so much for this advance copy. I devoured this book and know it will be sticking with me. Before I knew it I was so wrapped up and felt like I was right there with Ellie canvassing. This story needs to be heard. Such beautiful writing, as always, by Diane Chamberlain. Heartbreakingly beautiful.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinions. I love all of Diane Chamberlain's books and this one was no exception. Outstanding! This is a hard topic to read but very touching. I don't think she can write a bad book and can't wait for her next one!

Diane Chamberlain is the first author who made me glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried historical fiction. Her characters are well written and I always finish knowing so much more about the time and event that she is highlighting.
The setting for both timelines is North Carolina. In 2010, we meet Kayla, a mother who has recently lost her husband in a tragic accident. In 1965, Ellie is a college student who has her eyes opened to the terrible cost of segregation. What these two women have in common will become clear as the story unfold.
Kayla is between a rock and a hard place. She and her husband Jackson spent years designing and building their dream home. She can't bear the thought of living there with her young daughter without him, but also cannot fathom giving up the place they worked so hard to build. Before she moves in, she receives a threatening visit from a woman who warns her not to live in the house. Kayla is upset but cannot imagine why anyone would want to keep her away from this beautiful location. It seems that the woods behind her house have known tragedy and some secrets that are not meant to be discovered. It is this tainted land that will bring Kayla and Ellie together.
Ellie decides the right thing to do with her summer vacation is to join a group names SCOPE who is working to educate poor African Americans about their impending voting rights. Ellie soon sees the poverty that these good people endure and is determined to make a difference, even though her friends and family adamantly refuse to support her or her mission. Ellie learns a very hard lesson though, as she had no idea how powerful the Ku Klux Klan is even in the town she grew up in. When a horrific act of violence causes her to lose someone she cares for, she leaves her hometown and vows never to return. Her mother and brother's illnesses bring her back to her childhood home, and her newest neighbor, Kayla. Ellie will learn a hard truth, and Kayla will discover who or what is haunting her woods.
While Kayla's story was heartbreaking, it was Ellie's chapters that had my total attention. Seeing this point in history through her eyes was sickening, and gave a real voice and face to the horrors that make up a shameful part of our history. A story that will make you think, take your breath away, and break your heart.

I've read all of Diane Chamberlain's book, and needless to say, I'm a fan. I've loved them all, but this one is different: deeper, darker, and more intense. It shows an author at the height of her powers, and it will stay with me for a long time. I grew up in the South, and I had only a glimmer of the racism that was/is still so prevalent there. This book showed the 1960s clearly, when the Voting Rights Act was about to be signed, and how the white population hated the thought of black people voting and the black residents were beginning to believe they could have power. Two points of view--from the mid'60s to current days--show eastern North Carolina in all its complexity. Brava! A brave, powerful book that will stand the test of time.

Diane Chamberlain's books NEVER fail to keep me in suspense, pull at my heart strings, and make me hope for humanity all at the same time.
I was so enthralled with the story, the struggles of Ellie going against her Southern Family and friends to register people to vote.
I loved the flawed characters, especially Ellie's brother Buddy.
I admit that I had to take a break when we find out about Win...I won't spoil the story, but needless to say, I had to take several breaks and get a box of tissues.
Ms Chamberlain knows how to weave the past and the present together in a seamless fashion. This book is sure to delight and make people think about the hate we have in our own hearts.

This book was sent to me on Kindle by Netgalley for review…it is historical fiction about the time I was a teenager…at times, it is horrifying, and at others, I wished the good parts would become prominent…this is not light reading…

I love historical fiction and dual time lines, so this one really spoke to me. Ellie is from the south and when she volunteers to help register blacks to vote, her family and most of the townspeople turn against her. Kayla lives in 2010 in a brand new home she and her fellow architect designed. Many strange things happen to Kayla and her daughter, and their story is woven in with Ellie’s. I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

Diane Chamberlain has written another wonderful book that sticks with you long after it is done. I love the way she writes in two different character’s voices in different times and weaves them together to show how everything is related. Ellie’s story begins in 1965 as a college student who spends the summer with a group of other young people, helping inform African Americans the value of registering to vote. But being in North Carolina, she is met with resistance from family and friends. The summer changes her life forever in many ways. In present times, Kayla, a widow with a young daughter, is an architect who designed her new home with her husband who died in an accident on the property.
After Kayla and her daughter move into their new home, strange things begin happening around the property and she wonders if they should move. As the book unfolds, we see how Ellie and Kayla’s lives intertwine and how things that happened in the Summer of 1965 has repercussions even today. This is another Diane Chamberlain book not to miss.

I enjoyed this book. It had a few twists and turns. It was a quick, easy read. This was the first book I have read by this author.

In the Last House on the Street, Diane Chamberlain takes us back to 1965 in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement. Ellie finds her purpose fighting for the equal voting rights of the Southern black population. Ellie goes against everything she has ever known of her Southern privilege, leaving her family and town with so much disappointment in her. The town turns against Ellie and her family, costing her family money and their good Southern name in the town.
Fast-Forward to 2010, Kayla and her husband's dream home is finally complete and ready to move into. Since her husband's tragic death, Kayla has debated whether or not she could move into this house. That's when the weird things begin to happen.
Diane Chamberlain flips between 2010 and 1965 with her storytelling until suddenly the parallels between the two stories is apparent. The choices one makes in the past, you forever carry with you.
Diane Chamberlain is a fabulous storyteller. The Last House on the Street will have you looking at the Civil Rights Movement in a new light, at least it did for me. Her chapters were clearly marked with the year and I found it extremely easy to go between the two different eras. I will always be on the lookout for work by Diane Chamberlain and will always recommend her work to others. Special Thanks to NetGalley, Diane Chamberlain, St. Martin's Press for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 5 stars for me!

Great, great book! I was expecting to be disappointed after reading summaries of this new title - boy was I surprised. I actually couldn't put it down. In my opinion this is probably her best book yet! I could imagine the characters in several of the scenario's and being right there with them as well as the location of the incidents.

I'm fairly new to Diane Chamberlain, but Dream Daughter was a 5 star read for me so I was thrilled to receive a galley of her latest book.

The novel is a dual-timeline, as many seem to be these days. The 1965 timeline follows Ellie, a young college student in North Carolina, who is drawn to work with the group SCOPE (Summer Community Organization and Political Education project), to help convince black residents to register to vote, prior to LBJ signing the Voting Rights Act..

The other half of the book is set in 2010, when Kayla Palmer moves into the neighborhood to a home that she & her husband designed & where he has died in a tragic accident. Strange things begin to happen at the house that possibly tie back to the neighborhood's past.

Without giving away any spoilers, this book really brings up a lot of emotions & the civil rights section of the book brings up a lot of social justice issues that are relevant to this day. We tend to think of people as either bigots & Klansmen or non-racist, but there is a lot of in-between. This book made me somewhat understand the actions of Southerners who were not outright racists, but who also didn't see why things needed to change.

The book was a quick read with a climactic ending.. 4.5 stars for me. I highly recommend it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own, and not influenced by receiving this book.

In The Last House on the Street, Diane Chamberlain takes us to 1960’s North Carolina; a place and time nor ready to embrace the growing civil rights unrest. In an alternating timeline, we are in the same location 50 years later seeing how the neighborhood has changed along with our central characters.

As the story weaves back and forth, the tone and attitudes of 1960’s is captured perfectly. It was a time when what you did could spell ruin for you and your family in their community— quite a difference from today’s attitudes. Whether it was right or wrong, its reality is depicted with pitch-perfect precision.

Loved this book!