It was refreshing to find a historical fiction book that was set during a time period that I don't normally read or know much about. The Last House on the Street features a dual story line that flips back and forth between 1965 and 2010. Despite warnings from a mysterious woman and a tragic accident that happened during the building of her new home, recently widowed Kayla Carter and her 4 year old daughter move into the last house on a heavily wooded property in Round Hill, NC. Kayla's weariness about her new move is heightened as other strange things happen to her. One bright spot about the move, however, is that her new neighbor Ellie Hockley seems friendly. Yet, Kayla can tell that Ellie is holding back secrets. Kayla's assumptions are warranted. Ellie does indeed harbor secrets that go as far back as the summer of 1965. The then 20 year old Ellie got wrapped up into the Scope project in which volunteers helped canvass the neighborhoods of the Black community encouraging them to register to vote. It will only be a matter of time before Ellie's past and present converge and old secrets are finally revealed.

In my mind, you can never go wrong with a Diane Chamberlain book. Chamberlain is one of my favorite authors because she has this ability to keep you in suspense as she slowly peels back the layers of characters' motivations and reveals their deepest secrets to you. In this case, I became very interested in Ellie's past and was anxious to learn what happened to her and other characters. I felt like this book was timely as in recent days there has been an upsurgence of civil rights events in the news. This book serves as a great reminder at how far we have come as a nation in regards to equitable treatment of American citizens, but also reminds us that issues of equality have unfortunately not been eradicated. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

It's hard when a dual timeline story has a timeline that is much more appealing than the other timeline. I preferred the 1965 timeline to the 2010 timeline and felt jarred whenever we were taken to 2010. Meeting Ellie and other characters from 1965, in 2010, feels anticlimactic and lessens the tension of the events of 1965. What happens in 1965 is heartbreaking so maybe it's best that the later timeline allows me to stand back from the 1965 events, but that earlier timeline is the one that captured my heart. I do love how Chamberlain has taught me so much about past events that I wasn't aware of, in this book, and other books I've read by her.

Not my favorite Diane Chamberlain book, but certainly not bad. I really wanted the husband's death to be tied into the story in some way. The whole thing with Kelsey being harassed seemed a bit silly , since it was super unlikely that anybody buying that property was going to go digging up the woods. I really enjoyed the story in the past but the Kelsey part seemed contrived, I wish she had been tied into the story in some other way.

What an amazing story with a wonderful narrator. This story has a dual timeline from the point of view of two different female characters. The first is Ellie Hockley in 1965 when she was 20 years old and was a student at UNC Chapel Hill. The second is Kayla Carter in 2010, a recent widow with a young child, and an architect. Both Ellie and Kayla's stories are set in and around a small North Carolina town. This story grabbed me from the beginning and had me on the edge of my seat in both the present and the past. The narrator did a wonderful job of telling the story and building the suspense through her voice. This is the first book that I have read by this author and I will be reading another soon.

I received a complimentary copy of this audio book from Macmillan Audio through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of Diane Chamberlain's new novel, The Last House on the Street. This is historical fiction concerning The Scope Project. If you grew up in the 60's, you may remember some of the events from this time period.
It took me a few chapters to really get hooked, but this is a really enjoyable book!

The Last House on the Street was the first book I’ve read by Diane Chamberlain and it certainly won’t be my last! The story is a fast read although the subject matter is substantial. It is told in dueling timelines with two main characters. I thought the 1965 storyline was more engaging. The ending of the book was very well done.

The Last House on the Street
by Diane Chamberlain

Amazing novel. In depth, captivating and challenging. The story revolves around the civil rights movement and how everyday life is seen by two completely individuals. This was a wonderfully memorable book that I highly recommend.

This book set in North Carolina, is written in two timelines: 2010, when Kayla Carter and her daughter Rainie are about to move into their new designer home in Shadow Ridge Estates in Round Hill, and in 1965, when Ellie Hockley is growing up in the only house on nearby Hockley Road. The stories are vastly different but ultimately connected.

Kayla and her husband designed their new home but Jackson died in an accident at the house during construction so in a way the place has become tainted for her. Then a woman appears at the architectural firm where Kayla works and warns her of dangers of that site, the risks of moving there. She leaves Kayla more unsure of herself and her new home than ever though it also holds the memories of working closely with her husband.

In 1965, 20 year old Ellie is in college, intending to become a pharmacist like her father, and spending much of her time with her boyfriend, Reed, best friend Brenda and her boyfriend Garner. Her life view is altered when she becomes more aware of the voting rights program that will be happening in the South that summer and she questions if she should have a role in it. While she reads of northern white college students coming south to register black people to vote, she begins to think why not a southern white student like me? Obviously this is not an easy question in 1965 North Carolina where black led movements are barely tolerated. Even her family think she is crazy.

The book alternates between Kayla and Ellie’s stories. For much of the book the tension and weight lay with the earlier time, but the stories were brought together well by the author in the final chapters. I recommend this book particularly for its historical fiction look at those summers of the sixties when young people, black and white, worked on voting rights…an issue that remains of such great importance today almost 60 years later.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Diane Chamberlain is a best selling author who knows how to tell an all encompassing story. The Last House on the Street was told in dual timelines - Ellie, a twenty something young woman, fighting for racial equality in North Carolina during the mid 60's and then Kayla, a suddenly widowed mom rebuilding her life in 2010.

Secrets are uncovered and family truths are revealed in this heartbreaking novel about family loyalties and the civil rights movement in the United States.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my copy of this novel.

Diane Chamberlain never disappoints! I always look forward to her new publications. The Last House on the Street is exciting, entertaining, and also educational, informing us of the story of a young girl in the South who helps Black people register to vote. As the story moves from the past to the present and back, she ties together history to a current mystery. Not to be missed!

I honestly can't even imagine not enjoying a Diane Chamberlain book, she's amazing! She is definitely a top author for me and this book is no exception! The storyline in both timelines was so engaging I didn't want to leave either one. the only thing that kept me from a 5 star review is I just didn't connect to the characters quite as much as I have in past books. I just didn't feel as emotional pulled in. But that was fine by me. The story moved fast and I wanted to know how it would all end. Keep writing Diane!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I wish I could have gotten to it sooner but I’m excited to be reading it now.

Wow.
I was surprised how hard it was to “get into” this book, especially since I was interested right away. I think it might have more to do with what’s up in my life, but also as the book progressed I did get more and more interested. And creeped out. And sad.
So much of it was horrifying.
Mostly because of how it seemed so possible based on all I know (and still don’t know) that has happened in the past. And please let nothing like that ever happen again.

First let me start with I thought this book was going to be something totally different. I thought going in this would be a thriller based on what I did read of the synopsis. So at first I was trying to figure out where it all was going. When I let go of my expectations and let myself appreciate the story I found it a story I really enjoyed. While it is a mystery in the present day it is so much more than that. It is also historical fiction and a look into the ugly past of the south at the time of the fight for the black vote.
I enjoyed the older timeline stories and complex relationships more than the modern storyline. I do appreciate the necessity of the modern storyline for the story to be fully fleshed out. This is the type of story that will stick with me, that I will find myself thinking about down the line. This is a perfect example of don't judge a book by it's cover (or your pre-conceived ideas of what it is about).

***I received an ARC from Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for my honest review.***

Diane Chamberlain does it again. She is such a rare gem in that she can hook you into a historical fiction piece so much sooner than other authors. This book has it all; a little mystery and a little history all wrapped up with a pretty little bow. The interwoven story of Ellie and Kayla is one you won't want to miss.

There usually isn't a Diane Chamberlain book that doesn't completely suck me in, but this one was different. I just couldn't get into the plot, and I didn't care about the characters like I have in many other books by Diane.

An interesting and compelling read which is told in a dual timeframe. In the present day we have Kayla who is moving into a new home that she has designed with her husband. She is met with threats and strange occurrences upon her move into the home. In the past we have Ellie who lived in the same neighborhood as Kayla now does. Ellie joins the SCOPE project in order to help Black people register for their right to vote.

The two women's stories become intertwined when Ellie comes back to her childhood home. Once there, the secrets from her past become known. The story moves at a quick pace as we come towards a resolution. I definitely learned alot about the SCOPE project and the civil rights movement reading this book.

Wow! I really enjoyed this book. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and I know a book has scored a home run with me when I have to look up more information about events/facts found in historical fiction books, IWhen looking up the SCOPE project, I learned so much more about those times and attitudes and that helped me do a better job of understanding story. The author did a great job of interweaving two timelines with the characters. I have not read any books by Diane Chamberlain but after reading this one I will definitely be reading more of her books,

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book and the opportunity to share my honest opinion.

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @librofm for my [gifted] listening copy of @diane.chamberlain.author The Last House on the Street ❤📚
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A slow burn, historical novel told in dual narration(my favorite). 2010: a widowed architect moves into a home she and her late husband designed, but things begin to occur and this house doesn't feel like a dream, but a nightmare. 1965: A white female student works for SCOPE, along with fellow activists in the Civil Rights Movement.
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The two women's lives come together in an emotional ending. A powerful story that was very moving via audio.

A mystery, historical fiction, and a topic I hadn't heard of up till now? Sold.

The Last House on the Street is a dual timeline novel, focusing on the SCOPE project, which I hadn't heard of before the novel. SCOPE involved white students who spent a summer living in the south with black families, helping set up voter registrations, canvassing neighborhoods, etc.

In the novel, Ellie is a SCOPE worker in the 1960s timeline, despite the negative reaction of her own family. In the more present day, she is Kayla's neighbor, Kayla being a single mother who has moved into a new home in the neighborhood Ellie lives in after the death of her husband. Kayla has been warned off moving into her new home, but the why is not yet understood. To get there, the women's stories and timelines converge.

Definitely an enjoyable historical fiction novel and a must read for those interested in voting rights in the 1960s. I think the best part of the novel was learning about a topic I now need to know more about.

The Last House on the Street is told in alternating points of view, in alternating time lines. Kayla's point of view is in 2010, and she is moving into the title house, the Last House on the Street. Ellie is a neighbor (the only other neighbor in the new development) and she has lived in her house since she was in her 20s. Ellie's point of view is told in the 1960s, when she was a Civil Rights activist in her own small county in North Carolina. Ellie begins the story as naive, and a little shy, unsure of herself and what she wants to be. She joins a program, SCOPE, that is helping to register the African American people in the county to vote (for when they are actually given the vote.) She doesn't realize what dangerous work it will be, canvassing and talking to people, when the white townspeople and things like the Ku Klux Klan are beginning to pick up steam. This story tells, from Ellie's point of view, her few weeks in SCOPE before a tragedy occurs that changes the trajectory of her life forever. Ellie comes back to her small town many years later (when she is in her 60s) and meets Kayla, a newly widowed woman that has just built the only other existing house on the street. When strange things begin to happen to Kayla, and she is warned off by many people about living in her house, she begins to investigate the history of the land and the area, and finds out a lot of questions that need to be answered.

This story, to start with, was definitely not what I thought it would be. I was expecting a psychological thriller, based on the title of the book and some of the description of the book. Instead this is a book really about Civil Rights, and almost a "social commentary" on that topic. That is not to say that it wasn't good-- it just wasn't what I thought I was going to be reading. I did like the characters of Ellie and Kayla. Ellie was strong, even when she thought that she wasn't, and bravely did her own thing when everyone was telling her not to. She learned a lot in her few weeks with the SCOPE program, and it shaped the way that she would live her life going forward. We should all strive to have a little more "Ellie" in us. This book does contain a mystery (several layers of mystery, actually) but it wasn't the psychological thriller that I was expecting.

Thank you to the author, narrator, publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.