When I dive into a new Diane Chamberlain book I just know to be prepared for an emotional read and this was no exception.

Synopsis: When Kayla Carter's husband dies in an accident while building their dream house, she knows she has to stay strong for their four-year-old daughter. But the trophy home in Shadow Ridge Estates, a new development in sleepy Round Hill, North Carolina, will always hold tragic memories. But when she is confronted by an odd, older woman telling her not to move in, she almost agrees. It's clear this woman has some kind of connection to the area...and a connection to Kayla herself. Kayla's elderly new neighbor, Ellie Hockley, is more welcoming, but it's clear she, too, has secrets that stretch back almost fifty years. Is Ellie on a quest to right the wrongs of the past? And does the house at the end of the street hold the key? Told in dual time periods, The Last House on the Street is a novel of shocking prejudice and violence, forbidden love, the search for justice, and the tangled vines of two families.

I’m usually a fan of dual timelines and I can definitely see why the format was used here but I was much more invested in the 1965 chapters than the 2010 ones. I think overall I was just more connected to Ellie and her story as she worked for voters rights against the wishes of all of her friends and family members. I did both print and audio but was more drawn to the audio, so take note if you’re a listener. Overall a solid read from the author that tackles lots of heavy topics in a respectful and meaningful manner. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to the tagged partners for my copy!

DNF at 44%

I have previously loved Diane Chamberlain’s use of historical fiction as a backdrop for current issues. They somehow have a wholesome spin through the entire book. Also, ending with some kind of life lesson.

For this one however, I struggled at several points to feel any kind of connection with the MC. I felt like she was somehow driven yet flat. Her reasons for what she was doing felt ungrounded.

I wanted this to be a timely recommendation in January but do not in any way recommend.

I do hope it had a little more clarity towards the end although I didn’t want to sit through it to find out.


Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy!

Kayla's architect husband died in a freak accident building their dream house and now that it is complete, someone in the town is trying to scare her off from moving in. The town has a sordid past that many don't want Kayla digging up. Will she find the person who is threatening her and her four-year-old daughter before it is too late?

Along with a great mystery plot, the story goes into a lot of detail about the history of the civil rights movement in the South. The author did a great job of researching and humanizing the conflict.

As is often the case with dual-timeline stories, one of the timelines was much stronger than the other. In this case, the 1965 timeline was definitely the more compelling story, but I was not too disappointed since it still made a good framework for solving the older mystery. It still worked well, but I wish the modern timeline would have been fleshed out a little more.

Beware of potentially offensive content in the form of extreme violence, racism, and child endangerment.

The story was especially strong in telling some lesser-known history of the civil rights movement. Since mysteries and historical fiction are two of my favorite genres, this book was a real treat. It told the history of the Summer Community Organization and Political Education (SCOPE) project which brought northern college students to southern towns to encourage blacks to register to vote. I had not heard of this particular group before, so I feel like I learned more about an important part of US history. This aspect made the book a particularly compelling read for me.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this advance reader copy. This is my unbiased, honest review.

So first of all, I am not sure how this was my first Diane Chamberlain book but if all of her stories are like The Last House on the Street then I will definitely be a fan. This book was amazing! I had all the feels for this one. What a journey this story takes you on.

Publication Date: January 11, 2022

Synopsis:
As architects, Kayla Carter and her husband are excited to build their dream home together in a small town in North Carolina. But, when he dies in an accident building their house, Kayla must learn to love the only piece of him she still has left. She must also stay strong for her four-year-old daughter especially when she is confronted by a strange older woman warning her not to move in.

Ellie Hockley is another older neighbor of Kayla’s who is more welcoming. Ellie’s family has lived in the neighborhood since she was a young girl. Ellie is back home to help her mom and brother for the first time in over forty years. Ellie has many secrets that she is hiding and Kayla becomes curious about Ellie when she realizes her father, Reed, and Ellie have a past neither wants to talk about.

This is only the top layer of a very deep read. This novel addresses social injustice, prejudice and violence, voter rights, forbidden love and historical references set in the 1960s during the Civil Rights movement.

Thoughts:
-I went into this book not reading the synopsis and I just randomly clicked in on NetGalley. This was the best random decision I have ever made. I will continue to think of this story and recommend it over and over again.

-Two timelines that come together. This story is set in 2010 when Kayla is moving into her home and in the 1960s when Ellie was a young girl.

-Two POVs Ellie and Kayla that come together in a heart-wrenching way.

-I listened to the audiobook in one sitting! I could not tear myself away from the story and Susan Bennett does a fantastic job as narrator.

Five big bright beautiful stars for this phenomenal read. Please do yourself a favor and put this on your TBR list!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Last House On The Street by Diane Chamberlain is a riveting novel about a small southern community’s past sins rise to the surface when two women, a generation apart, find themselves bound by tragedy and an unsolved, decades-old mystery. The 1965 story follows Ellie, a 20 year old white woman who joins a civil rights group working to register black citizens to vote in North Carolina. The story in 2010 follows Kayla, a young mother whose husband recently died in a tragic accident while building a new house on the same block as Ellie's family.

I was immediately drawn into the plot and characters. I especially was fascinated by Ellie's story and growing commitment to activism. I didn't always love Ellie and Kayla or their choices, but found them relatable. I was so intrigued by their stories and wanted to know what would happen. The plot was well-crafted and information was slowly revealed in a way that kept me hooked. I listened to the audiobook which was well narrated by Susan Bennett. I really enjoyed this compelling novel!

Thank you St. Martin's Press/Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing this ebook/audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a huge fan of Diane Chamberlain, so I was beyond thrilled to receive an advanced copy and audiobook of her latest historical fiction novel, The Last House on the Street! This is a unique and unforgettable story set during the Civil Rights movement, and it will hold you captive from the very beginning!

What appealed to you the most in this story?

I loved the dual timelines, following the lives of Ellie in the mid 60s and Kayla in 2010, and how their narratives come to connect the tragic past with the present. Ellie was my favorite, and I found myself connected to her story and living right beside her as she stepped into her own shoes and began working towards making the world a better place.

I also appreciate how the sensitive issues including racism, interracial relationships, and activism were approached and written about.

How was the pace?

This book held a steady pace with fast page turning moments.

I was completely captivated by the raw honesty of this narrative from the beginning and found myself caught up in learning about the tremendous obstacles in place to keep Black citizens from registering to vote, along with Martin Luther King Jr’s SCOPE initiative to help them register.

How was the audio version?

I’m so glad I went with the audiobook! Susan Bennett is just a phenomenal narrator and has done another amazing job. I think listening to the story really brought even more emotion to the each of the character’s lives and drew me deeper into their lives. I was in tears by the end, as the 1965 timeline drew to a close.

Did the author do her research?

Yes! Not only did she do a fabulous job bringing history and facts to life, but she also got me to read more history and research SCOPE more too! I love how Chamberlain wrote this fictional story with layers of factual history to educate and inform readers. The fact that this occurred within the lifetime of my parents and so many others still alive today is beyond my comprehension.

Do you recommend this book?

I cannot recommend this unique, riveting and wonderfully written book enough! Fans of Diane Chamberlain and those who have yet to read one of her books should definitely pick it up as soon as it hits the shelves on January 11th!

Thank St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing a gifted ARC in return for my honest review.

Wow. This book took me by complete surprise. I thought this was going to be a full on mystery thriller, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

A story about a forbidden love, betrayal, and secrets, I’d classify this novel as a historical fiction with a touch of mystery. Also, add lots of heartbreak!

Told in dual POVs and dual timeframes, I had a hard time putting it down due to the way Diane Chamberlain captivated me with Ellie’s story. Honestly, if this book was written only from Ellie’s POV, I would have been fine with it because it was such a powerful story that focused on her passion for racial justice and joining the SCOPE program (which was a real program in the 60s that would help Black people register to vote), and the forbidden love she found while canvassing the town.

We hear from Kayla in near-present day (2010) where she’s moved into a house she and her husband were recently building when he suffers a fall that kills him. A mysterious red-haired woman approaches her telling her she shouldn’t move into the house.

Soon after, these two women’s lives collide and all secrets are revealed, including who the mysterious redhead is…

This is my first Diane Chamberlain book, but I know it will not be the last. A very talented writer, and I felt myself completely immersed in the story with every word I read.

TW: racism, violence, talks about suicide, murder, mentions of rape

A massive thank you to Diane Chamberlain and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. Absolutely well written. South, racial injustice and the consequences of our actions. Plus a little bit of mystery. Greart book

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The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain
The Last House on the Street
by Diane Chamberlain (Goodreads Author)
Read
Read in January 2022
TW: rape(mention), racism, n-word, death of partner, murder, suicide,

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:When Kayla Carter's husband dies in an accident while building their dream house, she knows she has to stay strong for their four-year-old daughter. But the trophy home in Shadow Ridge Estates, a new development in sleepy Round Hill, North Carolina, will always hold tragic memories. But when she is confronted by an odd, older woman telling her not to move in, she almost agrees. It's clear this woman has some kind of connection to the area...and a connection to Kayla herself. Kayla's elderly new neighbor, Ellie Hockley, is more welcoming, but it's clear she, too, has secrets that stretch back almost fifty years. Is Ellie on a quest to right the wrongs of the past? And does the house at the end of the street hold the key? Told in dual time periods, The Last House on the Street is a novel of shocking prejudice and violence, forbidden love, the search for justice, and the tangled vines of two families.
Release Date: 01/11/22
Genre: Historical fiction
Pages: 352
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
• The writing style is beautiful and flows
• The whole story

What I Didn't Like:
• Kind of felt white savior like

Overall Thoughts: I quite enjoyed this book. I thought the characters reacted realistic. I felt for Kayla for losing her husband and now being a single parent.

Ellie kind of gave off this weird white savior vibe; she's trying to help black people get writing votes and she almost saved a black little girl. She wasn't unlikeable. I get that you had to have some white people to help to change things. I was mad at Ellie. She should have left Wen alone. She was always going to survive but he was the one that was going to be punished. It made me mad.

This book had me mad, sad, hopeful, and happy. I went through a range of emotions. I was shocked at things that happened and I seriously did question if Reed was a killer.

Final Thoughts: This was a sad story. So good.

I gave it 4-stars because there were moments I felt like getting to point was kind of drawn out.

It is a terrible thing to grow up white and casually racist. It is worse to grow up black and live in a society where you experience both casual and overt racism. As a native of North Carolina, both from the Piedmont and having gone to middle and high school Down East, Chamberlain’s book resonates. Though my experience was 10-20 years removed from that of one of her protagonists, I was drawn as much into my own memories as I was drawn into this story. Some of us grow in positive directions as we age, but some of us do not.

Chamberlain describes the terror and bravery of growing up black in the South during the ‘60’s civil rights movement. Her descriptions of the difficulties faced by the white supporters of this movement are heart wrenching. She also depicts the ongoing fallout some 40-50 years later. For those who doubt that the events in this book - though fictional - could have taken place, please believe me when I say they could have. “Last House on the Street” rings true to me.

Five stars for an emotional and difficult story told well. Bennett did a great job conveying the feelings of the well-written characters in this 12-hour audiobook. My thanks to #MacmillanAudio via #Netgalley.

This latest book by Diane Chamberlain is fantastic! It is told alternating between the years of 2010 and 1965. The storyline during 2010 focuses on a widow, Kayla and her young daughter. They are about to move in to the dream house that she had designed with her husband. Tragically he has a fatal accident while working on the house. Kayla is left vulnerable, guilty and afraid after she is warned by a strange woman not to move into her the house. Many secrets surround the new home and strange things happen to Kayla and her daughter. Someone does not want her there and will go to great lengths to scare her away. The storyline during 1965 focuses on Ellie a headstrong, compassionate college student that joins the Civil Rights group SCOPE during the summer. The main focus of the group is to help black people register to vote and share the importance that their voice matters. During this time that idea was met with much resistance. This was a terrible time in history and this story depicts all of the injustice and hate during this time that is absolutely heart breaking. Despite all of the bad, there are good people that emerge strong and determined to do what is right regardless of the price they must pay.

This is such a strong powerful story that will leave an impression on the reader. It stays with you for a while. As difficult as it was to read it at times I was hooked. It is written so well and unravels the mystery in such an intriguing way that kept me reading late into the night. The narration of the audiobook was perfect.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audio version in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #LastHouseontheStreet #DianeChamberlain

This isn’t really my usual genre and I thought the synopsis looked ok but I kept hearing such good things that I decided to give it a go. I listened to the audio version and the narrator immediately drew me in with her voice. The storylines were interesting and the interconnection even better. I enjoyed the character development and the author’s writing style. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author!

One of my favorite authors and ultimate storyteller, Diane Chamberlain, returns with her best yet! A moving dual timeline, two women a decade apart, where two powerful stories intersect in THE LAST HOUSE ON THE STREET.

Intricately woven and meticulously researched a spellbinding compelling tale of long-buried secrets which began at the height of the civil rights era and a forbidden love story.

Contemporary: Set in North Carolina in 2010, meet Kayla Carter and her young daughter, Rainie. She and her husband are successful architects, and her husband recently died in a tragic accident while building their new home. Currently, she is set to move into the beautiful home they had designed together; however, she has mixed emotions due to the location of his death. Yet she knew he would want her to be happy there.

As the novel opens, an older mysterious woman approaches Kayla at her office and warns her not to move into the new home. Shortly after that, strange unexplained things begin happening.

A new upscale development, Shadow Ridge Estates —her house is the last one on the street in the middle of thick woods, a lake, and eerie kudzu that looks like monsters. The others are currently under construction. However, one older house across from her does not fit in this development, and rumors are the owners would never sell.

Historical: Set in North Carolina in 1965, we meet Ellie Hockley and her family. Ellie is a college student at Chapel Hill and becomes inspired to advocate for black voting rights even though she is white. She loved her Aunt Carol which has passed on and would approve. Her parents are totally against it.

Ellie comes from a rich well to do southern family, and her dad is a local pharmacist. Her dad, mom, and brother Buddy think she is out of her mind to participate in this project.

Ellie joins SCOPE (Summer Community Organization and Political Education) project. Most of the students are from the northern areas as volunteers to register black voters in the South as part of President Johnson’s voting rights bill act.

This would involve staying with black families and canvassing the area. Most families have no electricity, poor in rural areas, with outhouses. She would also have to be careful of white men in trucks that hate whites with blacks and the KKK.

Ellie chooses to go against her parent’s wishes and soon becomes immersed in the project and soon discovers she adores these families and becomes a song leader. In the process meets a black student which she respects, Winn. She falls in love with him. However, in these times, this is deadly.

Fast forward to 2010 and Kayla moves into the house. Ellie left this town years ago and resides in California. However, Ellie must return to the old house to take care of Buddy and her mom in the house across from Kayla. Kayla and Ellie meet and the dark haunted past comes to the surface and the lies, murder, tragedy, and hatred buried in these woods for an explosive finale.

What a book! A combo of historical, thriller, psychological, domestic, suspense, mystery, literary, romance, southern, and more. These characters linger long after the book ends. I particularly enjoyed the 1965 timeline and Ellie’s character. I grew up in the 60s in the South in NC and can relate to Ellie and this time. Diane’s account is spot on and I became enthralled in both storylines and plowed through it in one day - devouring it. I loved Ellie and Winn and despised her small-minded town, parents, and friends.

After reading the digital copy, I was granted approval for the audiobook narrated by one of my Oh, my! I listened to the audiobook a few weeks later, and Susan’s performance was award-winning! Diane and Susan make for a dynamic duo and one of the BEST audiobooks of the year.

It is sad our horrific history and our country even today. Those who have so much hatred against blacks would kill and destroy lives. In Chamberlain’s winning signature style, the author takes us on a journey where she explores the dark side of humanity. The parallel storylines connect seamlessly for an explosive ending that will have your jaw-dropping.

Beautifully written, Diane is a writing machine and one of the best authors out today. I have read every book she has written and am unsure how, but she continues to get better and better if that is possible.

If you have followed my book blog for the last 8 yrs. you are aware, I am a huge fan of the author and her books. Heartfelt, her stories will pull on your heartstrings time and time again.

She writes books that make you feel and think. You are assured of learning something new along the way that will have you googling. Her books are meticulously researched and well written. Her characters are so real you feel like you are experiencing everything they are feeling and seeing. She is not afraid to tackle topics such as racial, abuse, social injustice, and others.

Her settings tend to be set in the South, particularly in NC (I am a native). She takes bits of essential and often forgotten history and re-imagines it. Crossing many genres- SUPERB! Her best since Necessary Lies (my all-time favorite) and Big Lies in a Small Town.

THE LAST HOUSE ON THE STREET my top 3 books of 2022 thus far. This is a must-read and ideal for book clubs and further discussions. Worthy of 10 stars and prime for the widescreen.

A special thank you to #StMartinsPress # Macmillan and #NetGally for an advanced digital and audio copy. I also purchased the hardcover copy to add to my Chamberlain collection.

Blog Review
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins #JdCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 +++
Pub Date: 01/11/22
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Part historical fiction, part mystery/thriller this book was not at all what I was expecting. I went into this book thinking it was going to be a regular thriller (based on how I read the description, the title, and the cover art) and I wasn't expecting the historical fiction aspect at all. But, I ended up liking the historical portion of the book much much more than the thriller portion.

This book was told in alternating timelines between Kayla in 2010 and Ellie in 1965. Ellie's timeline follows her work with an organization called SCOPE, who were helping to register Black voters during the civil rights movement and before the Voting Rights Act had been passed. Both timelines of the book take place in Round Hill, North Carolina (which, I don't think is a real place--at least i've never heard of it as a born and raised North Carolinian--but it seems to be in the eastern part of the state). It was super interesting reading a book set in my home state, especially one that really dived into what was happening during the civil rights movement. I found Ellie's timeline set in 1965 incredibly interesting, engaging, and very well written. I would be angry at her white friends/family, horrified at their actions, devasted for the conditions Black people in the county were subjected to that no one cared about, hopeful because of the work civil rights workers were doing, so annoyed at Ellie's seemingly naivety, and so many other emotions all in one chapter.

But while I really liked the 1965 timeline, I really really disliked the 2010 timeline. Nothing about that timeline made any sense of why or how it fit into the story until the very very end. I figured out that something bad had happened on Kayla's property in the older timeline somewhat early on, but the "mystery" of who was messing with Kayla's house and her daughter and why wasn't made anywhere near clear until the last 10% of the book. I found this incredibly frustrating and really didn't like the chapters about Kayla because they just didn't fit or make sense. The responses to things she was dealing with were really weird too--like she's basically being stalked and harassed and the police officer just keeps telling her to get a big dog...like, what?! Big dogs don't stop crime *eye roll*.

I also did not like the audiobook narrator and I think that really impacted my enjoyment of the book. I almost stopped reading towards the beginning because I disliked the narrator so much. I think if I had read the physical book I may have enjoyed it a bit more. But ultimately for me, this book was fine: 3.5 stars (rounded up the .5 because I really liked the ending and how everything came together).

Told in dual time periods, The Last House on the Street is a novel about social justice, forbidden love, and implicit prejudicial bias in a southern community.

2010: Kayla and her young daughter Rainey are about to move into the home she and her husband, both architects, designed together in the new Shadow Ridge Estates in Round Hill, North Carolina near where she grew up with her father as the mayor. Sadly Jackson won’t be moving in with them, as he died on site as a result of a tragic accident on their stairs. While debating whether she can stand to live in their dream home that took her husband, a strange older woman in a wig and glasses shows up at her office trying to intimidate her into leaving Round Hill. She makes threats and scares Kayla, as she seems to know and awful lot about her personal life. Down the road from her new home, Kayla meets Ellie who has come back to Round Hill after 45 years away, and wonders why she left for so long?

1965: Much to the dismay of her family Ellie Hockley has decided that she wants to spend her summer of her sophomore year of college with the Scope Project. This group is made up primarily of Northern and Western college students spending the summer in the south canvassing Black homes trying to encourage families to consider registering to vote—no easy task in the South in the ‘60s, while the country waits on The Voting Rights Act to pass. While working with Scope, Ellie tows a fine line between her privileged past in the same county she is canvassing and her current job of staying safe while working with Win, a black man, door to door. Win and Ellie quickly find they make a great team while working for Scope, and unfortunately begin to draw the attention of the local chapter of the Klan.

Diane Chamberlain once again tackles tough topics with grace, showing how some parts of the country are not so far removed from their dark racial past, and the importance of educating the public about civil rights. This was an excellent read, though I found the historical timeline more engaging. Out next Tuesday, January 11, 2022–add this one to your TBR pile. Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and of course Diane Chamberlain for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I have always loved Diane Camberlin's books and this one was no exception. What really drew me in was the theme of the story, the detailed history and the characters. The characters were relatable and well defined through out the story. The narrator was perfect on all characters, both male and female. I myself could not imagine the conclusion, but then I was thoroughly impressed by the book.

This was my first book, but definitely not my last. It opens with a bang. Kayla Carter’s husband dies in an accident and they have a young daughter. They were in the middle of building their dream home. Everything was wrapped up in building this home. She goes to live in the home, but obviously it’s difficult since her husband died in the home.
A strange women warns Kayla about the home and telling her to stay away, and Kayla is mystified, in why this lady is trying to “warn her” and what connection does she have to this women or possible her husband. On the flip side she has a new welcoming neighbor Ellie who has her own secrets. Do these women have something to hide from Kayla?

Dual timeline which holds entangles the past and the present. Prejudice, forbidden love, secrets, this novel has it all. What is the Last House on the Street trying to tell Kayla….

I requested this book because I loved Chamberlain’s, Big Little Lies. Having finished The Last House on the Street, I now plan to read all of her books. I alternated listening to and reading this and enjoyed both equally. Susan Bennet narrated and was excellent.

This story is told in dual timelines.
1965 Ellie Hawkley decides to spend the summer working with the SCOPE project. I’ve never been good with history, or American history other than the basics, so I hadn’t heard of this before and had to look it up to see if it was real or part of the story. For those of you like me, wiki explains it better than I could, “The goal was to recruit white college students to help prepare African Americans for voting and to maintain pressure on Congress to pass what became the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Dr. Martin Luther King announced the project at UCLA in April 1965, and other leaders recruited students nationwide.”

2010 Kayla Carter, recently widowed, has moved into her new home on the same street that Ellie grew up in and strange things keep happening.

While the story leans more heavily toward Ellie and her past, the more you read the more you begin to piece together how their lives intersect. This is not an easy read. Chamberlain does not shy away from how the black community was treated during that time. There were a few times where I had an idea of what was going to happen, and I had to just stop reading for a bit because I wasn’t ready. I know this is technically historical fiction, but really, 1965 is basically yesterday, which makes this book even more heartbreaking in my mind.

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the ALC and @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC.

This was a painful, heartbreaking book to read. The hate that people can harbor, yet still be fully functional as real adults is shameful and sad, both then and now.

As with all of Ms. Chamberlain's books that I've read, the story was engrossing, engaging, and kept me interested throughout the entire book. The relationships between the characters seemed real, the storyline was believable, and the historical information was interesting. I found myself researching the SCOPE project and real-life civil rights events from that time period.

While I was proud that Ms. Chamberlain knew that pork roll is practically a delicacy in New Jersey... in northern Jersey, we call it Taylor ham... as a kid I wouldn't have even known that Taylor ham was actually pork roll. LOL

All in all... 5 stars!

This book is a historical fiction novel. Its about the Scope Project which I never heard of before, and I learned a lot from it. Her storytelling has the power to sweep me away, completely. When I get my hands on one of her books, I spin around in circles like Snoopy doing a happy dance.