I couldn’t get through this one. It was written like. A YA novel and a poorly written one at that. It seemed like the author was trying to cram in every single plot aspect in three or four pages. Just not well written. Sorry!

Two families lives will forever be changed when Julie Jones and get daughter, Jess move into Doug and Sandi Dean’s home. They made a deal that Tom Dean could stay in the carriage house for the weekend after Julie moves in. The problem is, Tom doesn’t want to leave which leads to a series of events involving both families.

I honestly don’t know how I feel about this story. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all, and when there were 5 different POVs it seemed over the top to me. None of the narrators are likable except Sandi, but it somehow not liking the characters worked for this book.

I would have loved for this to stick to the synopsis, but there are so many other parts not described included in this story. If I had known about them ahead of time I would have probably skipped this one. However, I did stick it out, and it was interesting to see how the author brought it all together in the end.

I don’t normally share content warnings, but feel this book needs them. Infidelity, Neo-Nazism, prostitution, domestic violence, child abuse, and religion are all included in this story.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Loved this book just like the others I've read by Kaira Rouda! Julie and daughter Jess have just relocated after Julie has decided to end her marriage. But they move into the home formerly occupied by Sandi, Pastor Doug, and son Tom. This family has issues as well and Tom is still living in the carriage house in the backyard. Enough about plot. This novel is about two families in crisis for different reasons, and as they get mixed up with each other, we realize there is little chance of a happy ending for all of them. Secrets, lies, betrayals, bad decisions...the list goes on. We've all been there, but these families get the worst as no one is really thinking clearly in a crisis. So settle in and enjoy...then go hug your family!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This is my second book read by this author and she did not disappoint! This story of Julie and Jess starting a new life billowed into a fast paced thriller right to the end. Many complex characters came together to deliver a story full of interwoven corruption and deceit, proving that money does not solve all problems. As daughter, Jess, deals with her issues and her father, Roger with his legal concerns, Julie must find a way to keep her family safe.

This book was a great read and I am grateful for the opportunity to review this eARC.

I am a huge fan of Kaira Rouda and she is very adept at writing characters you love to hate, but she really went all out with Somebody's Home. The men especially are completely cringeworthy, and even though I wasn't a huge fan of any of the women, they were mostly trying to be better. The synopsis tells you the bare bones of what the storyline is and there are a lot of surprising themes such as Neo-Nazism and religion. I am not a person that needs to know what books are about for the most part, but I think it would have been beneficial to somehow at least hint at these themes, so they didn't blindside readers. Even though it threw me for a loop, I still had a really hard time putting the book down and it makes for a super quick read. There are multiple characters and quite a few viewpoints, and more than enough going on to keep the reader interested.

I thought Rouda did a really good job at keeping Somebody's Home suspenseful throughout, and the chapters are nice and short with some ending on mini cliffhangers which definitely made me want to keep reading. There is a hint of mystery surrounding Julie's husband and what Tom has planned, and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen. The ending gets especially heart-pounding and I don't think there is any way I could have predicted what was going to go down. It did end up being a tiny bit repetitive for me, mainly the use of certain phrases and the word "chill" (i.e., a chill rolled down her spine), but I still found Somebody's Home to be an interesting read, and there are a lot of people who really enjoyed it. It was a bit of a miss for me overall, but I love Rouda's writing and can't wait to see what crazy thing she will think up next.

Thank you to the publisher and Get Red PR for my advanced reader copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Fast-paced, intense, and creepy - Rouda does it again! I really enjoyed the dark humor, family intrigue, and surprising twists in this book.

I hate to say that this was a DNF for me. The characters drove me nuts, and I just couldn’t relate to them. Also, the writing was very choppy and dry.

The pace and action just keep ramping up and up until the explosive ending. Be prepared to drop everything once you start reading this. Kaira Rouda at her very best. Happy reading!

Julie Jones leaves her controlling husband to a new home. One she's paid for herself and she is absolutely in love with it. Her teenage daughter, Jess, is not so keen on this house, she prefers her Dad's expensive mansion and all the luxuries of having a father who makes loads of money. While Julie is unpacking, thinking of her bright future, spending more time with Jess her senior year, Jess is planning her escape from this dreadful house. While Julie's husband has plans of his own to win back his wife.

Tom Dean is the oldest son of the previous owners of Julie's new home. He is not happy about the new owner's. In fact, he's downright angry. He hates his pastor father and his stepmom. Julie having agreed to let Tom stay a few extra days before moving out the carriage house on the property, quickly realizes how much of a mistake it was. Tom has plans for his revenge on his family and anyone that stands in his way.

This was told in multiple narratives, while some don't like that writing style, I enjoy it. I love seeing different people's takes on the storyline as it plays out. Julie and Sandi (Tom's stepmom) play a huge role in showing how far a mother's love will go to save their child. This book was packed with a lot of action, twists and some events that make you think of actions without thought to who it will affect. It all came together in the end for a satisfying ending.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

Unreliable narrators - multiple unlikable narrators.
After years of abuse, Julie decides to leave her husband- desperate to be more than a trophy wife.
Her daughter, Jess, is less than pleased with the massive change. Desperate to escape, she befriends the occupant of their carriage house - Tom.
Tom must move out by the end of the weekend - but he has different plans, punishing his father who just left him behind.
Sandi unpacks but hides her overwhelming resent- she didn't want to leave Tom behind, her stepson.
The narrators move the plot along, suspense up to the end.

This book was a juicy little thriller with multiple narrators and I was here for it! Also, all of the characters are horrifying except for one (maybe two, if you’re feeling generous). They all connect to each other in some way and it’s cool to see that unfold and to learn about their pasts, their goals, and their weird (and sometimes scary) quirks.

I’d say the one character that really ties it all together is Tom, a young guy who is just so full of anger. Mad at his mom for abandoning him, mad at his dad for being a horrible person, mad at his stepmom for having more kids, mad at every girl in the world for not…liking…him…

Usually most of the characters in a book have redeeming qualities and there’s one or two villains thrown in there for good measure, but this book was the complete opposite. There really was only one character that I liked (Sandi, Tom’s stepmom), but she still made me mad because she just let everyone walk all over her. Jess (a self-entitled and very sassy teenager) also shows a bit of potential closer to the end.

Overall, I had fun reading this one and I loved the character development. I liked reading each point of view and I was very curious to see how it would all come together in the end. If you’re big on character driven novels, definitely give this one a try!

I enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but was pleasantly surprised by the complexity of the characters. The interwoven events tied together nicely into one solid story. I will recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kaira Rouda, and Thomas & Mercer for an E-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. HOLY POVs! I was not expecting this story to be told from so many POVs but I honestly really liked it. The change in how the story was told kept me flying through the pages. With that being said, why did I dislike so many of these characters? Maybe this was intentional or maybe it's a me thing. This is a solid, quick thriller that I would recommend picking up on 1/18/2022 (Tuesday).

It’s a fast paced psychological thriller about two families & how one person's actions can have a rippling effect with those around them.The story is told from many different points of view but it was easy to follow along! It also gives the reader the chance to learn about each character's relationship with each other! There's a lot going on but it's a quick easy read with plenty of characters and drama to keep you engaged! Happy reading everyone!

I am usually a fan of this author's books, but this book just didn't do it for me. There were too many issues going on ( Julie splitting up with her husband and moving with her unwilling daughter into a house across town, the people who moved out were a disgraced pastor who was run out of his church and his wife and kids and they left behind a grown son in the carriage house who was refusing to move out and wanted to exact revenge, and Julie's ex had legal problems going on she didn't know about). So I felt like there was just too much, and none of the characters were likeable, and they all felt shallow and surface-level. I feel like if the author had just focused the book on one or two of the problems instead of trying to focus on all of them, it could have been a good book. Some people have said they enjoyed it, but it just wasn't for me.

This is a story about 2 families and how each of their actions have a profound effect on others within their social & family circles.

Pastor Doug & his family moved out of their home in a quick sale to newly single mother, Julie and her daughter, Jess. Julie is ready to begin her new life in her new house but Pastor Doug has left something (or someone) behind.

This book takes place over one weekend and is told from multiple perspectives of 2 families. It’s a fast paced psychological thriller that has some cringy moments dealing with bigotry, entitlement & supremacy. The story kept my attention until the end but left me feeling a bit unsettled.

I loved, loved The Favorite Daughter and The Next Wife by Kaira Rouda, wasn't a fan of Best Day Ever at all and unfortunately, Somebody's Home falls into the latter category--a huge disappointment.

The first chapter started off great; it was menacing, dark, suspenseful but the more I got into the book, I lost interest. There was just a lot going in with the characters without there being, to me anyway, any real depth to the plot or characters. They were just there, if that makes sense? And the issues/topics in the book seemed stereotypical in the way they were portrayed with neo-Nazis, religion, violence against women.

There are many, many reviews from readers who enjoyed this book much more than I did, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Mercer Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review posted to Goodreads on 1/15/22

This started out promising, with a gripping opening chapter. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the rest of the book, which turned out to be super dull overall.

I was surprised that the story is told from 5 different POVs. While they were easy to follow, I found all the characters very uninteresting and didn't care what happened to them.

This is a domestic suspense novel but there's hardly any foreboding or tension. I was finding the story quite okay and it wasn't a slog to read at all, until I just suddenly lost interest and felt very underwhelmed. I can't even pinpoint when exactly that happened, it just did. The ending felt too convenient.

Sad to say, my first Kaira Rouda novel is a very bland and forgettable one.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher Thomas & Mercer and Kaira Rouda, the author.
This is the story of two families, one rich and one poor, it doesn’t matter on which side of the tracks you come from, the struggles are the same. It all depends how it’s handled.
I enjoyed this novel, i liked both wives while I hated the attitudes of both males.
Quick read, under 300 pages which I recommend.

Yikes. This book was definitely not for me. The writing was so so clunky. It was torture to read as I cringed through all the POVs.

The POVs were many, and so so unlikeable. Every single person seemed too self absorbed, and just ugly in general. The only nicer person would be Sandi for me, but even her over religious outlook on everything in her life was just over the top for me.

The conversations of these people seemed very unrealistic. What kind of 22 year old man uses "whatever", sounding like a teenage girl. Their characters were ever changing too. Seemed like the ARCs weren't completely set in stone and could have changed based on their surrounding, or to make plot move along.

I don't know. This was just a pain to get through for me. The end was completely unbelievable.

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy. My thoughts are all my own.