Thanks to Net Galley for the and Tor/Forge for the advanced copy of this book!

4.25/5

This book presents a very interesting horror genre blend of serial killer/true crime meets haunted house. While this could have been just another scary page turner, what makes this book really work is how it centers itself on family, family dynamics, and how the relationship we have with our parents changes when we get older.

The book follows our main character, Vera, who needs to go back home after years of being away to take care of her dying mother who still lives in the family home, the house her father built. Except her father was a serial killer and as the book goes we get the sense that there might be something else might be in the house too.

The book follows Vera both in the present as an adult as well as through flashbacks of her as a child while her father is still at home. Both sections of the book are interesting and both leave you wanting more when the perspective shifts. I found that the more I learned about younger Vera, the more I wanted to learn about older Vera and visa versa.

This book plays with its genres in a very interesting way. The true crime/serial killer element gets the reader in the mindset of looking for every detail and every implication because we already know Vera's father was a serial killer and are waiting to see just how much the family knew and just how much the book is willing to tell us. In contrast, the haunted house elements are often quick, mysterious, or unexpected. It's a horror genre contrast of methodical progression and sudden strangeness. These are both framed within Vera's perspective and Vera's life. In both timelines you learn a lot about Vera's relationship with both of her parents and as the book goes on, that perspective begins to affect how you approach both genres of horror present in this book.

I did really enjoy this book from start to finish but there were a few things that took its rating down a bit. There is an artist character mentioned in the blurb for this book. I found this character did not feel as well developed or as well used compared to all the other characters. I also found the final few chapters to be weaker for me compared to the rest of the book, specifically in regards to the haunted house aspect of the book. Wrapping up horror novels is always difficult in that way. There is also one other element that seems like it is going to be present throughout the book but gets left behind. I don't want to spoil anything before release so that's as much detail as I'll give.

All that being said, this was a really great read and a really interesting genre blend. I know I will be recommending this one a lot.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693472-just-like-home?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=REoC2MMci9&rank=1

I was initially drawn to this book because of the cover and then the synapsis further solidified my choice - Haunted house? Serial killer? Estranged family? Sign me up. There are so many elements of this book that I love, especially because it is NOT your typical haunted house/serial killer thriller story. Sarah Gailey's talent jumps right off the pages. Just Like Home is brilliant, dark and atmospheric.

"This house, the house her father built, the house where her mother would die - this place was safe. This place knew her. This place was where she belonged."

When Vera returns to her childhood home to take care of her dying mother, strange things begin happening. She hasn't been home in the years since she learned the truth about her serial killer father & coming home to a seemingly haunted house is not an easy decision. To make things worse, a creepy painter/artist is living in their guest house, adding to the tension and possibly responsible for the unexplained, weird things happening around the house. Just Like Home is a story about a house with a secret, the fears that haunt you in the dark, and how the people who love & raise you forever shape your life. But it’s also just fun for any horror lovers out there!

The first half of the book lays the foundation of the story, bit by haunting bit with all the creepiness and tension of a slow burn. The second half goes from 0-100 and turns into a wild ride I didn't see coming. You may think you know what to expect, but you will not be ready for what awaits you in the house that Francis Crowder built. The writing is detailed, dreamlike and surreal and the imagery is tangible. The way in which the Crowder House was personified into a living, breathing thing was perfection. It evoked so many feelings in me - good vs. evil, dark vs. light, love vs. hate -- Can you really experience love without hate? What is the true meaning of family? What makes a house a home? The ending took me by surprise and somehow strangely felt heartwarming as everything came full circle.

**Thanks to NetGalley, TorBooks and Sarah Gailey for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A really great horror read that also has an important theme with generational trauma. I recommend for any readers of horror out there!

This book scared the crap out of me and I don't scare easy. Once I go halfway there were moments where I actually jumped. My swearing became phenomenal while reading this book.

The writing is exquisite. Sarah Gailey has a way of describing something in ways you never thought of before.

Looking forward to reading more of her books. She's written several and I'm looking forward to future ones.

I am, unfortunately, one of those people who is rarely surprised by a book. When you read as much as I do, it takes a heck of an author the get me. Sarah Gailey and Just Like Home absolutely and truly got me. I had thought that this was going to be about the tangled emotions of a woman's relationship with her deceased serial killer father. And it was. I had thought that it was going to be about the grief and trauma of coming home for the first time in years to where her mother is dying, where her father did unspeakable things. And it was. What I didn't expect was the thing that had me staying up far past a sensible bedtime and yelling at my ipad. I will absolutely be tracking down Gailey's earlier work and adding them to my auto buy list.

I've been interested in everything this author has produced, and read and enjoyed several of their titles. I picked this up based entirely on the author name and started reading it without seeing even a hint of a blub. Now I know the author doesn't experiment only in sci-fi and paranormal, but now in horror. Horror is not usually my thing, but I made it through.

It was creepy, which is, as I understand, the point of the genre, so that was a success. I found the ending to be a bit rushed, with several loose ends; it felt like, maybe in the rush of the big reveal, it would be assumed the reader would gloss over these bits that don't add up.

People who actually and intend to read horror will have more useful comments, I'm sure. For readers experimenting in the genre, this isn't a bad place to start.

eARC from NetGalley.

This was a bizarre story about what true monsters are...and whether they live under the bed or not. Vera is a strange main character, who has had to build a shell of protection from just about everyone she encounters.

Vera is called home by her mother. Despite her reluctance she returns to the home where she lived with her parents - before discover that her father was a serial killer and is sent to jail.

A guest house in the back has been rented to a suspicious character. Soon, notes written in her father's handwriting appear around the house and it is up to Vera to get to the bottom of the mystery as well as to discover what the evil in the house is about

A dark gothic thriller. Just Like Home is as unsettling and disturbing as expected, but it's a layered type of horror, one that requires multiple readings to understand and appreciate. On the surface, it's easy to dismiss this book as boring and slow, which are valid complaints, I have issues with the pacing in the beginning and believe there's a lot of side stories and monologues that could be trimmed down. But after the midpoint, the story evolves into a jaw-dropping, heart-racing sprint to the end.
Not only is it genuinely scary, but it's a fascinating study on the lengths we go to protect ourselves from childhood trauma, how the monsters we loved influence us, and accepting that we will never outrun our past no matter how hard we try. It's a well-done mix of thought provoking and chilling, and is the perfect book for fellow psych thriller/horror lovers. I loved it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a totally immersive and so well written. I enjoyed every minute, can’t wait to handsell at work.

I really enjoyed this! It was unlike anything I’ve read before and not at all what I was expecting. At its core, Just Like Home is a story about love and family — the things we do for them and the lengths we’ll go for their acceptance; to shield them from pain, disappointment or failure; and how the course of our lives are influenced by them. It’s a beautiful story wrapped up in a scary, disturbing package.

This is my first book by Sarah Gailey, so I look forward to reading a lot more from her in the future!

Pretty good view on the trauma some families can pass down onto their kids. Spooky, thrilling and intense in some parts. Nicely done.

I've enjoyed other books by Sarah Gailey, so I was really excited to read this. I loved the slow-build creepiness of the first half of the book, but after that it tipped into silliness for me. The ending wasn't satisfying and it just seemed more like a spoof than anything.

WOW! I wasn't sure really what to expect but this book was REALLY good. Spooky. Sad. Bizarre.

Vera is summoned home by her dying mother. She hasn't been home since she was 18 after her mother made it clear that her obligation to take care of her was over and she was on her own. Living with the fact that her mother didn't love her and that her father was a serial killer wasn't easy for Vera. Especially because her mother blamed her for her father going to prison. But, back home she went to clear out the house that she grew up in while her mother lay dying. Throw in a weird artist and a town that hates you and you've got yourself quite a story!

The ending of this book was delightfully weird. Not giving anything away - you've got to read it yourself!

This is an absolutely stunning horror novel exploring trauma and its effects on a family. For those who like descriptive horror and horror that says something, this is for you.

Just Like Home got me hooked on reading again! I was in a real slump and from the first page Gailey had me intrigued. It’s been a long time since I’ve read something unique, and while I didn’t jive with every element in this book, I appreciate it as a work of literature and enjoyed the ride. It is a true slow burn with a mix of horror, true crime, and supernatural all rolled into one.

Gailey’s ability to write shines through with her descriptive language which builds unbearable suspense throughout the novel. I am not a huge fan of slow burns or overly descriptive language, but I still appreciated her skill in both realms. The quality of the writing made it feel like a novel on the syllabus of a university literature class, which is not always the case in the suspense/thriller/horror genres.

I don’t want to reveal too much, but overall it was a provoking and interesting read. The fact that I enjoyed it speaks volumes as I don’t read much in the horror/supernatural genre. Will definitely try another Sarah Gailey book!

Thanks to Tor books and NetGalley for a free digital copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Things were going along quite nicely when, all of the sudden, the was a drastic, nearly cataclysmic, shift at, I kid you not, 90% of the way into this book. The strange thing is it actually really works.

With suspense and secrets, this compulsive page-turner from Sarah Gailey will satisfy your horror, thriller and gothic itch. The story centers on past & present Vera Crowder who is returning to her childhood home. Vera must face the memories and fall out of her father who was a serial killer-- her relationship with her mother, how she is received by residents of her hometown, etc. The Crowder house is essentially a character in itself, with a haunted aspect prevailing over the storyline. This read was a departure from Gailey's previous work but in a wonderfully well-done and interesting way. I'm already anticipating her next release. Highly recommend.

Do not read this book at night, this is not a joke, this book is terrifying, creepy and eerie but also totally engrossing! When Vera is called home by her dying mother after years of estrangement she dreads dealing with her mother but relishes the idea of returning to her family home that her beloved father built. What follows is as dark and disturbed tale as I have ever read and I couldn’t put it down. I can’t say much more for fear of giving it all away but a last minute twist will have you actually yelling WTH and wondering how you got there! A great read!

“𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛.“

This story, built on love, loyalty, despair, and dysfunction, is one that I will be thinking about for a very long time. Told through the POV of Vera Crowder, as both adult and child, we first meet her when she returns to the very special house her father built.

“𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚜𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢, 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢
𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚝.“

This story is incredibly captivating and the writing is absolutely phenomenal. Through lyrical prose and visceral imagery, Gailey is able to evoke so many emotions; everything feeling dreamlike, surreal.

“𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚏𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎‘𝚍 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚣𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚋𝚎, 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚐𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎
𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍.“

The first half of this book reveals itself very slowly, laying breadcrumbs of dread at your feet. The second half goes from 0-60 in seconds and takes you on one wild ride. You will begin this read thinking you know what to expect but, trust me, you have no idea what awaits in the house that Francis Crowder built.