This thriller was twisted and creepy and had me on the edge of my seat. What starts out as a slow burn story all at once catapults you into the mystery of the Crowder House. Told in alternating chapters from the past and the present, Vera’s story is incredibly weird and haunting.

4.5 stars

Sarah Gailey has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I will literally read anything they write, and I love that each time Sarah releases a book it's something new and exciting so you don't quite know what to expect.

In Just Like Home, Vera returns to her childhood home after her mother, Daphne, calls to tell her that she is dying. Reluctantly, Vera stays in her childhood bedroom, forced to confront her estranged relationship with Daphne and the ghosts (both literally and figuratively) of her past. Daphne isn't the only other person in residence - an artist has taken up shop in the cottage out back hoping to find "inspiration" from the mysterious Crowder House, and the murders that took place there.

Part haunted house story, part serial killer, true crime-esque novel, Just Like Home easily kept me engaged and disturbed throughout the entire book. I love how you learn a little bit more about Vera's childhood as the story swaps between the present day and the past, allowing you as the reader to piece together what could potentially be going bump in the night. If you want goosebumps and honestly some truly horrifying descriptions, this horror book is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Vera is going home to take care of her estranged mother while she dies. Home to the house her father built. To the place where he committed his Infamous serial killings. Everything is just like she remembers it. When she starts getting messages from her father and hearing and feeling things that aren't there, everything's a nightmare. What or who is making this happen?
This book seriously freaked me out! It was an anxiety filled, heart pounding attack on the senses that I couldn't get enough of. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. The only slight problem I had was reading some of the graphic violence in it. This is completely a me problem that I'm trying to deal with, but sometimes when I read scenes like that I feel physically ill. Thankfully there weren't too many of them.

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

This book really hits all the marks for a horror novel. Dark, creepy, a bit twisted! I really enjoyed it. I would’ve given 4 stars but it was a bit slow.

This is one of those books that I loved but struggle to explain what it’s about. It was creepy and bizarre, in the best way. The pace was a bit slow, but that worked for this book. The characters were definitely flawed and unlikeable, but still intriguing. So if you are looking for a horror that is not too creepy and gory, but a step up from someone that is just starting to read horror, I would recommend this book.

Okay...but...huh? I'm a tad confused. This book is unsettling (get it? Houses settle) and really disturbing for two reasons. One--Francis Crowder is a sick fuck. Two--Is it the house? This is kind of a haunted house book and kind of a serial killer book but also an unknown entity book. Lots of options. I'll never drink lemonade again.

Wow, what a messed up book! This was the perfect blend of a thriller and horror for me. It’s pretty dark but not really gory or violent. There are two timelines from Vera’s perspective and I enjoyed the past storyline much more. This left me questioning the cause of her father’s crimes but I don’t want to say too much more or it will be too spoilery. This is a unique, gothic story that both thriller and horror fans will enjoy.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

I was excited to get this as an ARC because I'm always looking for good thriller. The book was slow in the beginning,, and tedious at times. But wow! What a great eerie and disturbing read.

The creep factor is high with this book. No way would I ever return to a house where dead bodies were buried.
Vera’s relationship with her mother is very estranged.
It was toward the end of the book that things got really weird. I couldn’t really make sense of the turn of the narrative and it was unbelievable.
I thought it rather ruined the book, at least for me.

- Sarah Gailey takes on the gothic thriller and adds a supernatural twist in JUST LIKE HOME, and I could not put it down.
- Gailey excels at writing unlikable, difficult women, and Vera is no exception. You'll still find yourself on her side even as the story takes darker and darker turns.
- I also loved the commentary on our society's simultaneous disgust and fascination with serial killers.

Wooooaahhh talk about twisted. This unsettling gripping horror is perfect for thriller fans. Totally kept me on the edge of my seat.... I'm new to thriller books so this pushed me to the edge of my comfort zone, it was so well written and very compelling.

The plot moves at a snails pace the the descriptive text goes on for pages and pages. There is actually very little dialog. I have to agree with other reviewers that I'm not sure what I just read.

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan-Tor/Forge for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

WTF did I just read? I don't even know where to go with this review. This was one of the biggest let-downs of the year.

The beginning moved a little slowly and I struggled to get into it at first. About 15% in, it started to get really good. I mean REALLY GOOD. However, the final 25% of the book was a hot mess. I don't even know if I fully understand what was happening. "The house"? It was a weird twist that took the book right off the rails and into territory that I found almost humorous. The complete 180 that Vera underwent in the last section of the book did not fit with her character throughout. This was just a complete disappointment. The ending completely ruined the book for me and made it so I cannot recommend it. Such potential, but a flat delivery.

Two stars because I did enjoy most of it. With a different ending, it could have been a four star book.

I really wish this book was coming out in October because it's a wonderfully delicious spooky-season read.

A note : you do have go into the book willing to suspend your belief in logic, especially toward the end. Because the twist is a bit strange, but it's also beautiful in its weirdness.

We say houses have memories, but what happens when those memories are violent?..but also sometimes good? This, to me, was one of the themes of this book. How do you balance the positive memories, how do you accept those, while also acknowledging the negative ones?

I love clever writing, and what Sarah Gailey has done with "Just Like Home" is nothing short of that. There is a ton of gorgeous prose and heavy metaphors that do a brilliant job at almost manipulating how the reader feels. It creates an immersive experience which I both appreciated and enjoyed. Gailey also doesn't use a ton of dialogue throughout the book, so when it IS used, it becomes extra important. I'm not normally a person who likes a ton of narration versus little dialogue but it worked for this one. I think mainly because of how smart the author is with visual descriptions and what not.

This entire story -- the house, Vera's mother, Vera's past, the love she has for her father -- is a representation of unhealed trauma, and the complicated relationship between children and their parents. Especially if that relationship is strung together with violence and darkness.

This feels like one of those novels that mystery / thriller readers will enjoy a lot! Especially during a dark, stormy night in the fall.

Let me start off by saying I love a gothic book and I love love love horror. That's why I was so hyped to get my hands on Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey. It was creepy but it also really packed a punch. The strained family relationships I thought were particularly well done and interesting to explore. I would recommend this book to classic horror fans and people who liked The Haunting of Hill House. I would love if this became a movie too!

Vera is moving back to the house her father built . To a history that is less then pleasant, but her mother is dying and she doesn't have anything else going right now. so why not?

I enjoyed the creepy scenes of this one, they gave you that feeling of dread that I love. Theres something about this house but you don't know what it is, but with this houses history you know it can't be good. I did feel like the parts between incidents that it felt a slow. The thing in the house was a pleasant surprise, different from what I thought in the best way. The ending was great, I really liked the way it all came together it wasn't what I was expecting at all.

Thank you to Tor Books and Netgalley for my advanced review copy.

DNF at 45%. It was just too slowly paced and didn't catch my attention. I wanted more of the creepiness and less of it focused on her relationship with her family and the history of the house. It felt very repetitive at parts. I've seen reviews that the horror aspects are very subtle and symbolic, and I was just expecting more out of it.

I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of this book - couldn't wait to get back to reading it each night type of enjoyment. But the last 1/4? Completely off the rails. I literally turned to my husband and said, this book just got real weird, real quick.

The first 3/4 was great. Full of a creepiness factor, and and interesting perspective from the main character. Quite a few suspenseful moments leaving you wondering where the story really was going, and revealing more about the characters slowly.. I loved that.

I guess the ending tied everything together? But still, it was odd.

Even with the ending going the way it did, I would still recommend this book.

This title and genre is a little out of my wheelhouse. I wanted to give it a shot because I enjoyed some of Gailey's other titles. I don't think I fully grasped what has going on in the story. I struggled to understand and identify with any of the characters. I didn't particularly like or dislike them. Overall, I think my lack of experience with this genre left me in the deep dark basement calling out for help.

The writing is strong and descriptive. The genre's just not for me.