This was an interesting book from the get-go and I was totally curious as to what it's all about and how it will end. From the firstbpage, I thought this was gpnna be a whodunnit or a thriller sort in which you'll be rooting for when the truth get's out and justice is served.

But no.

It's more like a thrilling drama where the lives of two families become seriously entwined and ended in such a tragedy. Like a sewing needle collided with another and the threads got jumbled. Of all the ways to sort it out, cutting the threads was chosen, in spite of the waste.

What I like most about this book is how it made me look past the surface of each character and realize that they're no different from each other. Their selfish whims are apalling; they carry a lot of hurt; each wants to be loved but doesn't know how to love themselves first. Judgements are unnecessary as no one is better or worse than the other. Just imperfectly human. And in spite of the story being a work of fiction, these do happen in real life, more times than we even care to admit.

I have read other books by this author and have liked them. This one didn't work for me, the characters were so unlikeable to not be believable, I know people like this exist but to have three of them out of six main characters was too much and the other three characters, the women, were victims, superficial, while they showed growth through the book, it still ended up feeling like dealing with characitures not real people It was also hard to see all the racism, misogyny, anti semitism, homophobia etc and while it was in the men that were also entitled, angry and controlling. It was a lot to read over and over about, without a clear reason why so much of it was included

Kaira Rouda is an automatic must read author for me! Needless to say, I was thrilled to dive into her latest thriller Somebody’s Home! Right from the very first page I found this book unputdownable! Kaira Rouda has a unique writing style that works so well with mystery/thriller novels and that actually maximizes the twists and turns. This 5 star read is told through several perspectives which adds to the build up and suspense! Kaira’s novel always consume me and I flew through this gem in just one day!! I highly recommend Somebody’s Home to everyone!

This book started well but by the middle it lost me.I found myself skipping parts to get to the end.
I just didn't enjoy as much as I wanted to.
Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for the ARC

Another fantastic thriller from Kaira Rouda! Extremely fast paced story about two dysfunctional couples experiencing life changing turmoil. Julie has spent years trying to become someone else. With too many plastic surgeries to count, a millionaire husband and mansion on the beach, her life still feels empty. Determined to become closer to her daughter and make changes in her life, Julie moves out and purchases a home that unfortunately comes with a short term tenant who is extremely bitter about leaving. Enter Sandi who is also in a terrible relationship with a philandering mega church pastor who happens to be the father of Julie’s unhinged tenant. Edge of your seat thriller that should not be missed. I believe this is her best book yet.

This was a page turner. It’s about two dysfunctional families in very different ways. Their paths cross ending in an exploding ending. Although I did find it very predictable it was a good read!

Thank you Thomas & Mercer, NetGalley and Author for this advance ebook copy in return for my honest review. i am not sure how others think this is a 5 star book. The beginning is promising, but by the middle, there are so many characters with their own storylines that none of it really makes sense. It all kind of comes together at the end, but not logically. This was not a psychological thriller or even domestic suspense; I'd find it difficult to fit this into a category. I've enjoyed the author's other works, but I will be wary of trying another one.

Kaira Rouda’s best book yet! Engaging from the start with a interesting storyline, well developed characters and a surprise ending. A book that doesn’t read that many you’ve already read.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review - Who could imagine when Julie decides to take her daughter and leave her husband that life would go crazy. She buys a home her daughter hates, and that comes with the baggage of a bitter preachers son living in the cottage. And suddenly the nightmare begins. Can Julie save her family from evil?

I have enjoyed Kaira Rouda’s former novels and this one was no different.

Julie is a rich, very privileged housewife. Her husband, Roger, is one of the richest men in Oceanside, California. The one thing they don’t have is a relationship. Julie realizes that her time with Jess, her 17-year-old daughter, is drawing to a close as Jess will be off to college in a year, so Julie unexpectedly buys 123 Cherry Hill Lane, a modest house on a modest street, and leaves Roger.

Sandi is also a housewife, but if pastor Doug. Doug was recently embroiled in a scandal and has moved to a new church. Sandi, her two elementary-aged sons, and Doug pack up for a new house out of town. They’re leaving 123 Cherry Hill Lane, and Tom, their 23-year-old son is left behind to pack up the carriage house he lives in behind the main house and find his own accommodation.

The story is told from the perspectives of Sandi, Julie, Jess, Tom, and Roger.

I liked the plot and it moved along quickly. I thought the character voices were well-written, particularly Sandi and Jess. I can’t believe how much I enjoyed the characters since I only found one of them palatable! However, I was a bit disappointed in the ending, as I felt it ended with redemptive arcs I didn’t believe the characters deserved. But maybe I’m just a bitter old lady these days!

Spoilers:

-I suspected that Doug had killed Tom’s mother. Did she really run away?
-I kind of hated that the men got their redemptive arcs when I felt they didn’t deserve them one bit.
- I was happy for Sandi but wanted to know more about her life post-Doug’s death.
-What about Julie? Did she eventually become the interior decorator of her dreams?

Somebody’s Home by Kaira Rouda is a domestic thriller with an undertone of unsavory suburban life that usually remains hidden. This exposition of surface values is what I enjoy most about Kaira Rouda’s books of this genre.
Somebody’s Home is told from five points of view in Rouda’s pithy, bite-sized sentence-writing style that propels the pages from the story.
It is a slower char of a narrative compared to some in this genre, and the book contains social themes of religion, have/have-not, parenting, and power/poverty, aside of the suspense.
The six main characters are almost caricatures of personal identities that are only surface-deep: Wealthy, Pious, Tough-Guy, Preacher’s Wife, Plastic Barbie Doll, Spoiled Brat.
The ending provides a satisfying wrap-up, if a bit conveniently so.
I love Kaira Rouda’s suspense stories and I will always read them! Thank you to her and BetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer, NetGalley and Author for this advance ebook copy in return for an honest review!

First let me say that Kaira Rouda is an absolute favorite of mine!
I loved The Next Wife and The Favorite Daughter. So when I seen her newest release Somebody's Home... Your girl here jumped all over it!
This amazing domestic suspense novel blew me away! Rouda knows how to keep her reader engaged and wanting more of what she writes. I know that I craved it! Couldn't stop reading
Quick and entertaining read, that once you start, you won’t be able to tear yourself away from. Expertly plotted and perfectly written, Kaira has delivered another addictive and enjoyable read.

Thanks again NetGalley, Publisher and Author for the chance to read and review this amazing book!
I'll post to my Social media platforms closer to pub date!

Please read more than chapter 1 because it is misleading. It gives a hint of a thriller or even a mystery but there is no suspense, no excitement, no twists, no surprises in the rest of this book as if the chapter 1 and the rest of the book were written by two different people. This book is really a family drama that is being told from many first point of views: of a born-again Jewish who is leaving her rich and controlling husband, of the husband who is an asshole but whom the book tries to redeem in the end, of their spoilt teenage daughter, of the obedient second wife of an abusive Christian pastor, and of the pastor's son from his first marriage who has serious anger issues (if I missed anyone, my apologies but it is hard to keep track of all protagonists). I think that there are too many first point of views, and for my taste, there are too many references to a religion.

The book title refers to the chapter 1 that has very little relation to the rest of the book, so the title is also misleading and sets a wrong expectation to potential readers.

I do not mind family dramas so I found the beginning quite interesting but the second half became very predictable. The book is full of cliches. So I skipped through the second half just to see the ending but because of so many point of views, it is hard to invest in one of the protagonists and the ending was not very gratifying.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for the honest review.

I follow Kaira Rouda on Instagram, I’m a big fan of her work! I was so excited to be granted an ARC of her newest thriller, Somebody’s Home. Rich, complex characters drive a multi faceted tale of marital strife, the trappings of privilege and what it takes to find redemption. I love her characters! Most of them are quite unlikeable, but somehow I find myself rooting for them! A fast read, perfect for fans of Layne Fargo or B.A. Paris. This would make a great Netflix movie,

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this arc. This book started out great and I could not put it down. I don't know why I kind of lost interest for a while. Maybe it was the characters- everyone was either all good or all bad. and it got tiresome. I thought the the writing and the story were good. I will try a few more of her books for sure

Julie spent years altering her appearance with plastic surgeries wanting to become someone else. Back when she married Roger she wanted the lifestyle he offered. After some recent soul searching she’s come to the conclusion that the life she created for her daughter Jess isn’t ideal. Julie decided to move away from one part of Oceanside to the other. She found a cute little house with a detached carriage house behind the main house. The prior owners needed a quick getaway. They left behind there oldest son Tom with promises he’ll move out the following weekend after her move in date.
Tom was away when his family sold the only home he’s known. An eviction notice was found stating he had until the weekend to move out. Tom didn’t want to leave choosing instead to stay.
Julie needs this fresh start on life with her daughter. This house is the beginning she needs. Julie had been squirreling away money for years saving it for this moment.
Jess wasn’t as convinced as her mother that they needed to move to this part of Oceanside. She already missed her privileged lifestyle. She knew this was a temporary move for her with college a few months away.
Roger is unconvinced that Julie is serious about divorcing him. He’s always been able to bribe her back with lavish gifts and trips.
Pastor Doug moved his family to a new home after gossip began circulating regarding his involvement with recent divorcées. He has a strained relationship with his son Tom.
Sandi has been a faithful wife having been born and raised a Christian. She was a raised by a pastor and married a pastor. Recently she began to question the man she married no longer recognizing him.

Kaira tells the story using five narratives: Jess, Roger, Tom, Sandi and Julie. The story begins two days before then transitions into one day before concluding on the present day.
I felt like I kept waiting for the story to begin. After Kaira gave a meticulous introduction of each character I still wasn’t sure what she was trying to tell the reader. The concept was finally delivered in the present day chapters, but by this point I was starving for clarity having suffered through extensive character development. I must admit I skimmed through the entirety of this book.

Somebody’s Home was about raising children with morals, faith, and a belief system. Julie felt she failed her daughter Jess by not informing her about her Jewish traditions. Sandi felt she was failing her boys by not setting a better example.
The story takes place in Oceanside a coastal city in California. The reader knows something is about to happen in two days. Meanwhile, Kaira will go to explain the choices these six characters make leading up to the moment.
I wanted to like it more than I did. I appreciate the set up gearing up for this monumental moment but it was too slow. By the time the story reached the second day mark I was spent. I was gearing up for a different type of story.

This was a domestic thriller. It was a slow burn with a steady pace of information. It was an okay read.

Kaira Rouda has another hit! Loved the book from the first to the last page. I was hooked immediately. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read Somebody's Home!

thank you to Thomas and morrow and Net Galley for an ARC copy.

Somebody’s home is a riveting domestic thriller based on a mother daughter duo moving into a new location and the scary guy who lives in its carriage house. the book is full of twists and turns. this is my fourth book read of kaira’s, and her novels never disappoint.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC of Somebody's Home. Kaira Rouda has penned a well-written domestic thriller with alternating points of view. She takes some time at the beginning of the novel to develop the characters and slowly build tension. I enjoyed the family dynamics, as well as the suspense. The January release makes for perfect fireside page turning. I look forward to reading more by Kaira Rouda!

Summary: Two families with overbearing and controlling husband’s find both wife’s looking to escape there power. In the middle is a young son who looks for revenge against his father for all the lies he’s created.

Comments: Rouda again brings out the crazy in crazy and excels masterfully at it. She hooks the reader fast.