This is a story that will both hit you in the gut with aspects of social justice, but also touch and warm your heart with the compassion and love in the story.

There is a dual timeline in this book - Kayla is in modern day, dealing with the loss of her husband from a freak accident, and preparing to move in to the new home that they designed together. She is approached by an almost creepy woman who warns her from moving in to her new house, and now her nerves are constantly on edge. There are some secrets hidden in the area, and Kayla has no idea what those are.
The second timeline is focused on Ellie and focuses on her story as a young woman and the work to help register black people to vote, the challenges that she encounters, and how her eyes were opened.

Ellie is back in the neighborhood now caring for ailing family members, and she and Kayla connect, but know that there are untold stories and unknown facts of past events.
I couldn't put this book down!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my review, and honestly, I adored this book. I enjoy most (all?) of Diane Chamberlain's books, they always have great story telling and are engrossing from start to finish. That being said, I was a bit hesitant when I heard the theme of this book, because I often don't find that a white author can successfully tackle this subject matter in a way that doesn't make feel emotionally manipulated. I felt that way (a little) about Jodi Picoult's book 'Small Great Things' for comparison. I feel very differently after reading this book than I did Jodi's. Both were captivating while reading, but this one, I really did fall in love with Ellie and felt all the emotions. I think with Ellie being such a central character and being a white woman, it handles the race issue with a different perspective than trying to authenticate the experience from a lens we might not fully appreciate. It tackles the civil rights issue on both sides of coin with grace, anger, sadness, passion, empathy and a little romance. I admit, I read this right around "Loving Day" and I had recently seen a lot of "Loving Day" celebrations on social media, so the romance part tugged at my heart a bit. Overall, this book was just engaging from start to finish, evoking fury from where we were, and frankly, how far we still have to go. It's well worth reading. Notice the dates are 1960's. That isn't really all that long ago.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review - What a book!! love, violence, prejudice --- a story that will quickly draw you in---
Kayla and her husband build a beautiful house -her husband has an accident and she is left with her little daughter. People say she shouldn't live there - the land is haunted - as tools go missing, garbage all over the yard etc. she wonders why someone doesn't want her living her? Why do they say this land is haunted?
Ellie, who was raised in the house down the road has returned to care for her ill mother and brother. She left when she was young to help with the group helping the blacks get a right to vote. Her parents were so against this. She hasn't been home for years.
As she is paired with Win. a black boy, to canvas - feelings begin - each knowing nothing good can come from this.
As Kayla and Ellie become friends the happenings on the land Kayla has a house emerge....and what a shocking truth it is!

2010: Kayla Carter, an architect and young widow with a daughter, is grieving the death of her husband, He died in an accidental fall while working on the house he and Kayla designed, a breathtakingly modern structure at the edge of a forest. Kayla has felt threatened by a new client and is worried about the move to a new neighborhood in Round Hill, NC.

1965: Ellie Hockley, a college student, is helping her best friend plan her wedding when she reads about SCOPE, the Summer Community Organization and Political Education project. (During a ten-week initiative, the SCOPE Project registered an estimated 49,000 new voters through the combined efforts of the local community and the SCOPE college volunteers, from June 14 – August 28, 1965. In addition, SCOPE educated thousands of citizens in political and voter literacy education classes. Wikipedia) Ellie is a student at UNC and has covered protests so she is drawn to the SCOPE project and becomes the only Southern volunteer. What happens to her and her friends during the summer of 1965 will change her life forever.

How these stories come together makes The Last House on the Street compulsively readable, tragic, haunting and intense. This is a book I could not put down…even though there were many times I wanted to. Diane Chamberlain brings small towns in a small county in North Carolina to life as we see them change over 45 years. Vivid characterizations, especially Kayla, Ellie, Reed and Win pull the reader in. You will care what happens to these young people. You will cry, you will want to rewrite sections and you will want to change history. Thank you Diane Chamberlain for telling this story. If I could rate this with more than 5 stars, I would.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Diane Chamberlain for this ARC.

There is a mystery here that is more explosive than even the synopsis would lead a reader to believe. So, I want to be very careful in my review; I don’t want to give anything away. Author Diane Chamberlain has created a winning tale, carefully building to an ending that is fully deserving of its moment. The characters are believable in both time periods, some inhabit both periods, first as youth and then as seniors, others are their descendants. THE LAST HOUSE ON THE STREET is literal, it reflects a place, but perhaps it is also metaphorical. Something happened there that belonged to a different time, one that should have ended.

This is a very good book, the artistry of which grew on me after I had finished it. I read it all in one sitting. I could not put it down. Diane Chamberlain is a very talented writer. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Diane Chamberlain is one of my favorite writers and her latest novel sustains her reputation. I feel she is unheralded compared to her contemporaries so I shall sing her praises loudly. The Last House on the Street tells the story of two generations of women ,alternating chapters ,between 1965 and 2010. Against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement ,she deftly weaves the plots together as the two women relate their histories. Diane tells the story of the unsung heroes of the movement to desegregate the south and promote voter registration in North Carolina. She also tells of the horrors that ensued due to these efforts. It is a chilling novel realistically drawn by an accomplished artist. Bravo! Don’t miss this one.