This book is extremely dark, creepy, and absorbing. No spoilers here because it's in the blurb for the book: Vera Crowder returns to her family home to her estranged, dying mother. The home is also where her father killed and buried multiple victims.

Her mother, Daphne Crowder has preserved the house as it was when Francis Crowder's crimes were discovered - selling tours and offering artist residencies as a way to make money. Upon her return, Vera discovers that the latest artist, James Duvall has been renting the backyard shed in order to "collaborate" with the house to create his installation art. He has also insinuated himself into the house, stealing from Vera's memories and the crumbling house. Vera is tasked with clearing out the house and as she reunites with the house she rediscovers the "something lurking under the bed" nightmares of her childhood. These nightmares are more complicated than the usual childhood fears as Vera contends with the bumps, rot, and secrets that lurk beneath, within, and around her in this house that "knew how to stay quiet."

The book shifts between the present and past revealing memories from Vera's childhood - ratcheting up the tension as glimpses from her past begin to reveal the true nature of the crimes that took place in the house. The sense of dread and foreboding is strong throughout the book, and like the tourists who visit the house I was intrigued to find out WTF happened there?! I don't think of myself as a horror reader, not a fan of bumps in the night, but what this book deftly does is create a multi-layered realistic horror house with unhappy marriages, domestic and emotional abuse. Some of the scariest moments in this book are the emotional carnage that takes place between spouses, between mother and daughter, between father and daughter.

There are also moments of sadness, pain and desperate longing for love. In the midst of the dread and anxiety the book would shock me not with terror but with tender moments as Vera describes that she is looking for "evidence that once, half a lifetime ago, love had lived here too." And my heart would break for Vera. This messy, very complicated, and unreliable protagonist.

Sarah Gailey's writing continues to impress, disturb, and captivate. I was drawn into the suffocating atmosphere of the house and the slowly building terror that exists there.

Let me start by saying I'm definitely in the minority of reviewers with this one. I've also learned after reading this that I am not a horror fan and I need to stop trying to convince myself that I could be. I really liked the Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey so I decided to give this a try and see if I could get into horror. Nope. I can't. If you are a horror fan, however, you may really like this. I just found the ending to be so unrealistic and just downright ridiculous. A talking house? Seriously? That's how we're going to end this? She's going to kill people to protect the house? I just can't understand how this got so many good reviews because the ending just doesn't make any sense to me and it made me like the book even less.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy and exchange for an honest review. I wish I'd enjoyed it more, but I'm sure that others will enjoy it more than I did.

Sarah Gailey does it again. Just like in The Echo Wife, I am THOROUGHLY creeped out after Just Like Home, but I absolutely loved it. Gailey can tell a story that enthralls, spooks, and enraptures. I was cringing reading, but I also couldn't look away. I loved The Echo Wife so much, and this absolutely lived up to my expectations.

This book is definitely creepy. However, very slow. I was hoping for a bit more action in the beginning because it was not holding my attention. I’m a mood reader and this one just didn’t work for me at the time I was reading it.

The nitty-gritty: Gailey's latest is delightfully unsettling, with unexpected twists, dangerous characters and ominous secrets.

Just Like Home was much much weirder than I expected, but I’ve come to realize that Sarah Gailey’s books cannot be easily shoehorned into tidy genre boxes. This is a ghost story, a domestic thriller, a murder mystery, a coming of age story and a twisty psychological horror story all rolled into one. I spent most of the book trying to figure out WTF was going on, and when the answers were finally revealed, they were not at all what I was expecting. The characters are problematic and do upsetting things, and to be honest I didn’t really like any of them. But the story worked its way under my skin, and Gailey’s moody and oppressive setting was creepy and unsettling in all the best ways.

I’m going to keep this as spoiler free as possible (which isn’t easy to do!). Vera hasn’t been back to Crowder House in twelve years, but her mother Daphne is dying, and so she reluctantly agrees to come home and settle her mother’s affairs and prepare the family home for sale. But when she steps foot in the front door, Vera is assaulted by memories from the past. Vera’s mother is camped out in the dining room, subsisting on nothing but lemonade. An avant-garde artist named James Duvall lives in the backyard shed, paying Daphne for the chance to “absorb the essence of the house” to use in his work. And back in her childhood bedroom, Vera is having disturbing nightmares, and something seems to be in the room with her, stealing the covers off her bed at night and even moving the bed.

As Vera makes her way through the house, packing up her parents’ belongings, she comes across odd things from the past that remind her of the year when she was thirteen and the terrible events that sent her father to prison. As the days pass and Daphne continues to cling to life, Vera begins to wonder: is the house trying to get her to leave? Or does it want her to stay forever?

Sarah Gailey does a great job of keeping the reader on edge for the entire book, and this is one of the book’s best elements, the sense that things just aren’t quite right inside Crowder House. Gailey’s descriptions of the house suggest something alive, something that “groans” and “breathes.” Vera discovers strange gouges in the walls that look almost like wounds. Throughout the story she finds smudges of a grease-like substance on her skin, smudges that seem to appear out of nowhere. At night in her childhood room, she hears noises coming from under her bed, but when she looks, there’s nothing there.

Looming over Vera’s return to Crowder House are mysteries from her past. Gailey reveals those mysteries in bits and pieces, the truth dangling just out of reach until the reader is ready to snap. Why are all the surfaces in the house covered with plexiglass? Why did Daphne invite James Duvall to stay in the shed? What happened to Vera’s childhood best friend Brandon? And of course, what did Francis Crowder do and what was Vera’s part in it? We learn that a man named Hammett Duvall (James’ father) became famous after writing a true crime exposé about the horrible events that happened at Crowder House, but we aren’t told exactly what those events are until well into the story. Something bad went down in the basement—and as a child, Vera was forbidden to go down there—but Gailey lets their readers’ imaginations run wild before finally dropping a few shocking revelations. One of my favorite parts of the story involves, of all things, a peephole. And that’s all you’re getting from me! You’ll have to read the book to find out more.

The story is told in alternating timelines—the present, as Vera reacquaints herself with Crowder House, and the past, starting when Vera is eleven and the events leading up to her father’s arrest. I loved this format, which gives us a glimpse into Vera’s mindset and her relationship with her parents. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Francis was a loving and nurturing father, and that Vera adored him. We get to see slice-of-life moments between the two, like the day that Francis taught Vera how to fish, and I loved that these scenes didn’t fit my assumptions about the kind of man Francis should have been. 

A few things didn’t work for me, though. I didn’t really like the whole James Duvall storyline, for some reason. By the end of the book I finally understood why the author included him, but up to that point I was completely confused by his presence. He was a creepy and predatory, and I hated that Vera felt attracted to him. Also, the ending caught me off guard, and I honestly cannot decide whether I liked it or not. Gailey introduces a supernatural element that didn’t quite fit the rest of the story, and it was weird. Still, there is a lot to love about Just Like Home, especially if you’re the type of reader who doesn’t need the author to hand feed you the answers. Horror lovers who aren’t afraid to try something different will find themselves right at home.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

This is the first book by Sarah Gailey that I have disliked. I don't hate it. I just had a really hard time reading it. The characters were all horrible and the setting is bleak and repulsive. I know that is the point, I just had a difficult time finding something to hold on to that would serve the purpose of compelling me to keep reading. Ultimately I respect what the author was trying to do. There aren't nearly enough books with genuinely dark female lead characters. But, and I hate to say it because I respect the author, this one just didn't sit well with me.

I would give this a 3.5. I was a big fan of Sarah Gailey's last book, The Echo Wife, which was pretty polarizing. I was so excited to read this. For 85% of the book, I was with it. I am a FAN of Gailey's writing; it's masterful. The pacing was a little disjointed, but I enjoyed it for the most part. I really liked the chapters that focused on Vera as a young girl. I think the ending threw me. I am not a huge fan of the type of horror that the ending developed into, that the big reveal gave us. But I almost appreciate being able to enjoy 85% of the book, and just being a little let down by the ending. I do think a lot of people will like the ending, but it wasn't fully my jam.

Let me start with a couple positives here - this book was skin crawlingly creepy with some heavy reckoning and exploration of who, how, and why we love. It was a page turner after about 20% of the book.

But honestly … wtf did I just read. Without spoilers, I’ll say that the ending left everything to be desired. The author had a real chance here to play with dark forces and finding oneself and they were 90% missed. Honestly even the main themes were skirted around at the end for something that didn’t fit the character growth or reckoning with the central conflict.

If you’re a fan of horror and true crime, this could scratch the itch. The dedication is for anyone who has ever loved a monster and it did come full circle in a good way in that front.

Overall could make a good movie with a couple tweaks so I’ll be on the lookout but the book missed the mark for me.

✨ Vera moves back home to the locations of her father's serial kills.

💥Vera returns to start packing up her childhood home due to her mother's pending death. But her past begins to haunt her, quite literally. I thought this had a lot of promise and was very creepy. Fast paced, lots of mystery. The ending was not at all what I expected. Also it would have been good to see some minor characters return at the ending.

My face at the end: 🤪

🍪 I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to @Netgalley and Tor Books for allowing me to read this ahead of publication.

💯 For more details on the books we read, be sure to follow me on TikTok (@zaineylaney). I will give you a list of reasons to read! Or listen to our podcast, Elated Geek, wherever you subscribe.

This was extremely creepy! It was my first Sarah Gailey, and I'm very happy I took the leap. Haunted houses and familial trauma are a great formula alone, but Gailey threw in some twists to keep us on our toes. The oddity of it all may throw some off. Although I personally don't love the idea of protecting the house, I understand that sometimes we cling to the little good that bad people give us, especially when they have passed.

This was weaved together very creepily which is a expected given the themes of a haunted house and following the abused child of a serial killer.

I usually don’t like to give such a low rating but this really missed the mark for me. I don’t have a whole lot to say other than I liked the the beginning and middle ok but found the ending to be utterly absurd and finished feeling completely unsatisfied and disappointed. Apparently I am in the minority, as this book has many high ratings, so I urge readers to try it for themselves.

I lost interest in this one pretty quickly, but I held on out of anticipation/hope for something a bit more. Vera's story revolves around childhood trauma, and how memories resurface when she returns to her childhood home. But honestly way too much of the present-day storyline was focused on the (very annoying) house guest or very repetitive "spooky" happenings that I contemplated skipping all of the present-day chapters in favor of getting through the actual plot faster. However, the aforementioned "actual plot" had a whole bunch of holes and skips and leaps.

I was really looking forward to this one after loving The Echo Wife, but it was a miss from me.

I love a good serial killer themed horror novel. This one was wonderful. Just the right amount of creepiness and making you wonder what is going on.

Vera is a compelling character as well. I felt a lot of sympathy for her as a daughter of a known serial killer who obviously loves her father and has wonderful memories, while also having to reconcile with the deeds he did and the judgments from those around town.

She comes home due to her mother dying and has to also deal with a man who's father and him have built up this whole business side surrounding her fathers dealings. I think it was an interesting aspect as there really are people who make money like this and really capitalize on what is the murders of victims and instead sensationalize and make the killers infamous.

But, that's beside the point, I think this book also was full of surprises and took turns and twists I wasn't expecting, which is something I love when I am not able to guess right away what's going to happen.

If you're looking for a good spooky book to get you in the mood for Halloween, or just like to read these sort of books all the time, make sure to pick it up!

Unable to refuse her dying mother's request to return to her childhood home, Vera steps through the door, into a nightmare. I had to keep turning back pages to see what clues I missed when every unexpected event happened, and they happened alot. Holy cow was this a good read!!!!!

Creepy, a little icky, and very unexpected, this story of a daughter returning home to the house where her beloved father carried out serial killings goes in surprising directions, and is a totally engrossing read!

Another DNF this week!

I love Sarah Gailey but this book was way too creepy and slow paced for me!! I tried to stick it out hoping it would get better or at least marginally more interesting but after about 60% I couldn't waste my time any more. Gothic horror just isn't my thing. If you like stories full of creeptastic elements and toxic family relationships this might be for you. Recommended for fans of Catriona Ward's The last house on Needless Street. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book was WAY too weird for me. I was just creeped out through most of it and it wasn't really something I enjoyed for as much I enjoy thrillers.

Vera comes home after over a decade of being away. Here is her hometown, everyone knows everything about her because her father was a serial killer. If that isn't a wonderful enough things to have. she starts seeing things in her bedrooms. Maybe monsters, maybe who knows? At this point I wasn't loving it and was already confused.

Sorry, would have loved to enjoy this as much as I did Echo Wife, but it just wasn't doing it for me.

WOW I really loved this one and was completely enthralled in it from start to finish! I've always been a big fan of haunted house horror and after seeing endless high reviews for this one I was anxious it wouldn't live up to the hype for me, but it definitely did.

Aside from possibly reading the synopsis, I recommend going into this one as blind as possible and just enjoy the very creepy ride. Sarah Gailey's descriptions of not only the atmosphere of the house itself but also the sinister things that occurred within it was chilling and had my imagination going wild throughout. This was my first book of hers but after loving this one so much I definitely plan to pick up more.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Tor Books for my review copy!

What the f**k count: 100000000000

Just like home is perfectly eerie, creepy, dark and so very unexpected!
That blurb did not at all prepare me for what I just read! Honestly I love being totally blindsided. Gailey writing creates a deep unsettling atmosphere, that only intensifies as the story continues. I was always slightly uncomfortable while reading, I never felt true relief or safety until the last word, and to me that’s what makes a great horror.
I’ll be reading anything else Sarah Gailey writes!
Thank you Tor and NetGalley for this ARC