Wow, this is good. Sticky and seeping, you think you're reading one thing but the real horror unfurls without you realizing it until it's too late. Despite the small cast of characters and the rather slow unfolding of the story, I was riveted the entire time.

I'll start by saying that I enjoy Sarah Gailey's writing, and I've read several of their works before. I was looking forward to this book, but I think I was expecting a thriller and instead I got a Jodi Picoult style drama. I mean, it's fine if that's what you're looking for, but for me it was a slow, slow start and spent so long waiting for the tension to ramp up. I'll read more of Gailey's books, for certain, but this one missed the mark for me. Its a shame because the premise is really gripping. Returning to the childhood home and facing the demons, both present and looming in the spaces around the characters, has so much potential. Sadly I just don't feel like it came together. Lovely writing style though, as always.

Ok, so my whole Bookstagram is about concise, succinct reviews. But it’s really hard not to ramble on about this book - I’ll try my best 😆

This book is SO hard for me to review. First let me say, I do NOT like Sci-Fi AT ALL. I happened to get THE ECHO WIFE last year, not realizing it was Sci-Fi and I LOVED it! So weird, I know… Anyway, since I loved that one so much, I could not wait to read this one.

Here’s the hard part… the book is a brilliant piece of writing. This author’s talent is seriously astounding. She is truly one of the most talented authors I have EVER read. I can’t imagine what it is like living in her mind. Her use of descriptive language, painting what’s in her mind will leave your mouth hanging open.

All that being said… I didn’t like this one as much as THE ECHO WIFE, but ONLY because it is a little more out in the Sci-Fi realm. It is 100% about my personal preferences in reading, NOT about the quality of the story or the writing. I know many of you like a bit (or a lot) of Sci-Fi in your books, and if you do, you will love this one. Gailey is a veritable master at her craft.

I mean this kindly: Sarah Gailey, WHAT THE EFF.

I've read several of Gailey's work of the years; their books have always been fun genre escapes with crisp writing and enjoyable characters. Without really reading the summary, I assumed Just Like Home would be a thriller in the vein of The Echo Wife. Readers, this is hard horror. As a horror veteran, I have high resistances toward gore and disturbing plots. Nevertheless, the depths to which "Just Like Home" dragged me surprised me. Overall, I found this more messed up than truly scary - although there were definitely spooky moments! - and it's a long, slowburning tale about abuse, legacy, and fractured family relationships. I'm not certain that the final twist landed - it was a little abstract for me - but overall, if you're in the mood for a deep, dark, crawlingly-slow, grotesquely layered little haunted house story that functions as a character study, I recommend this one.

I can honestly say I hated the beginning of the book, the way it was written made me feel like I was eavesdropping on a conversation I was meant to overhear about inside jokes and never getting an explanation of them. Everyone you met in the beginning of the book knew the history of the Crowder House and about the Duvall families involvement with Vera's past, but the reader didn't get any of this information. I just felt desperately out of the loop and frustrated.
But, once you are finally let into the circle of information, the book takes off and I absolutely loved it!! It's such a different take on a monster/love story that it held my complete attention almost all the way through, and the ending was absolutely perfect!
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

3.75 Stars, rounded up.

Vera receives a call from her mother asking her to come home. The home where her father had taken lives and she was always scared. Making her way home was difficult. Vera and her mother were not on the best terms but her mom was dying and she felt like she could maybe mend some of that relationship while she was there.

When she arrives home, she realizes her mother has moved someone else in the shed in the back and she also realizes the house has a LOT of secrets hidden.

I thought this book was really intriguing! I was so into the creepy aspects of it and the things she'd hear. the writing was poetic and there is so much symbolism.
The ending was beautiful which is why I rounded up but I did feel that some parts of the book were drawn out or just unnecessary to get the point across.

Overall, I really did enjoy this piece!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC on this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Sarah Gailey is magical because all of their books are somehow a different genre but every single one is riveting and wonderful in different ways. I love every single one of their books and this one is no different. They've done it again, I am floored.

I cannot wait to buy this book in print. And to shove it in everyone's face.

Sarah Gailey's writing style makes my body and mind hum in the best way. This is horror elevated. This is a classic haunted house story. This is an original take on the monster under the bed.

Will be reading all of Gailey's work with high expectations and getting a copy (or two) for the library collection.

Halfway through this novel, I thought I’d sum it up nicely with the word “nasty.” It has teeth from the beginning and as a reader, you’re being pulled along for a ride you’re not sure you want to go on…then as the final chapters arrived, the word I decided to change to was bananas. Because that’s what this story does. Pulls you along to a point you don’t see coming and becomes completely off the rails bananas.

And I mean that in the best possible sense.

I’ve never read a story like this and I appreciate the summary for not giving any of it away. From the creeping sense of dread, to the body horror, to the narrator who is steadily losing it (or is she??). This book could have been your run of the mill thriller. Instead, it went straight horror. Loved it.

“Come home.” Vera’s mother called and Vera obeyed. In spite of their estrangement, in spite of awful memories, Vera has come back to the home of a serial killer. Back to face the love she had for her father and the bodies he buried there. There are secrets yet undiscovered in the foundations of the notorious Crowder House. Vera must face them, and find out for herself just how deep the rot goes.

First off, I want to say that Sarah Gailey’s writing chops hit elite status. She pens a mean, hard-hitting story. People write off horror as simple genre fiction, but modern horror writers amaze me with their outside-the-box creativity and literary skills. This isn’t the horror of fifty years ago...

The only title I can think to compare Just Like Home to is The Haunting of Hill House. That’s only because, like Hill House, the Crowder House is a character in the story. It has a body; it sees and hears things. I could feel the house's darkness, rage, and desperation.

Initially, the "daughter of a serial killer" angle kept me turning pages. I desperately wanted to know how that trauma impacted MC Vera. And then there is Vera’s vicious mother, Daphne, who withheld love for the entirety of Vera’s childhood. Daphne doesn’t have long to live. Despite their estrangement, Vera returns to her childhood home to help her mother in those final days.

Toss in a host of secrets, a haunted house, and twists that leave you saying WTAF, and this book makes the perfect horror story.

Gailey nailed the pacing, ratcheting up the tension and dread slowly until the last 25% knocks you off your feet. You won’t see the ending coming. It’s a shocker you won’t predict. The story disturbed me in a good way that got me thinking. I can’t say more, or I’d ruin the fun for you. Just Like Home will stick with me for a while because It left me unmoored.

What an amazing book. This is the definition of a thriller right here. I could not stop reading and I could not get enough of what was coming next. You could feel the fear coming out of the book and making you like you’re right there in the house with the protagonist. A truly amazing book which makes you wonder what’s going to happen next.

This is a great book if you love horror. It’s slow going until the last third and there are some great twists and surprises. I did feel a couple of the twists were not quite credible enough but it was still an exciting read.

I have a new favorite book!

"The outside of Vera was shaped like the inside of this house."

This book had everything I love in horror and more! First things first: the writing is BEAUTIFUL. I wasn't expecting to find such rich language and poetic metaphors in a thriller/gothic/horror novel, especially because this is my first time reading a Sarah Gailey book. But yes, Gailey made me highlight A LOT of sentences. If I had the physical copy of it I'd have run out of pink flags. I'll definitely be checking out more of the author's books!

I was hooked from the beginning. I'm a BIG Shirley Jackson fan, so of course I love house-centered stories. The gorgeous gorgeous cover, the blurb that reads "perfect for fans of The Haunting of Hill House" and the first line ("The Crowder House clung to the soil the way damp air clings to hot skin") drew me in instantly. Besides the house, which has a HUGE role in the story (think Hill House, House of Leaves, and other books where the house is almost like a character), I love books with unhinged female characters and weird families, and this book has BOTH.

Vera's relationship with her mom and dad has a significant impact on the story and I loved the way the author developed these three characters. They are very interesting psychologically speaking and they - Vera, her parents, and the house - have a dark, unique dynamic.

I had to make myself read more slowly because I didn't want this to end, but this is easily a binge-able book. It has spooky moments, a struggling protagonist, a duo timeline (Vera in the past, when her father's obscure secret is revealed, and Vera and her mom in the present, dealing with the consequences of her father's actions in their lives and bond), plot twists, and a shocking ending. I kept asking myself where this book was going and I was wondering if all my questions would be answered or if it would have an open ending, but this book delivered closure and unexpected (but very satisfactory) explanations.

"Being home was pulling something out of her that she didn't want."

If you love gothic, creepy, crazy novels, PLEASE GO READ THIS BOOK AS SOON AS IT COMES OUT ON JULY 19th!

Well, that was a terrifying journey. I admit, I'm a relative newcomer to the world of horror writing and this is my first Sarah Gailey title but WOW, I feel like I have whiplash from all the DARK and SCARY things that emerge through this story.

I see that in some reviews, people are spoiling some of the important details of the story. Here's what I did to go on the trip of all trips through this scary, trauma-filled carnival ride of a story. I didn't read a damn thing about it. I just opened it up after seeing the pretty pink cover and thought, hey! this could be fun. A single, sleepless night with the lights on later, I finished the book and I have been eating Tums and shoving things into all the dark corners of my room in the hope that I stay safe tonight.

I scare easily, so I don't know how this book will affect those of you veterans of the genre but for me -- this one did a number. Wow.

This moved a little too slow for me but if you're in the mood for a creepy/disturbing book, this would be a good choice. Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for an advanced readers edition.

Read if you like:
✔️ House with secrets
✔️ Serial killer father
✔️ Estranged mother/daughter relationship
✔️ One POV
✔️ Supernatural elements

So wow. I want to thank #netgalley for letting me read an eArc of #JustlikeHome by #SarahGailey.
This book is amazing. First off death, murder yes please lol. Vera is a character you can’t decide if you like or not and her father Francis you like right away even after finding so much out about him. Daphne though is something else entirely. This take on a supposedly haunted house is amazing, it was not at all what I expected and I fully plan on adding this book to my collection.

Holy cow. This book scared me. Took me a while to read because I was physically unable to read at night like I normally do because I was so afraid of what was going on. This book was not only well-written, but the perfect thriller to read in October. I believe it publishes in late summer, so it is also the perfect thriller to cool you down on a hot day with the amount of goosebumps that will be covering your skin. Highly recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers

God this was SO good. It feels gothic, but so modern that it makes the reader feel a bit upended -- it feels like it should be older than it is, which makes it such an interesting read. Even if Gailey didn't put forward something interesting and well-written, the vibe it manages to create is SO off-putting that it would work. This is a great slowburn with a great payoff in the final quarter.

“Because I watched it. I watched you eat up his love like a crab eating a seafloor corpse, one pinch at a time.”
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Vera returns to get her childhood home to get things in order for when her estranged mother dies. Strange things are happening in The Crowder House and Vera is determined to find out why!
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I finished this one a few days ago, but I had to sit on it a bit before writing this review. This gothic horror story is eerie and dark. The creepy doom continues to build and keeps you guessing. It had been a while since I’ve read a book where I didn’t call the twist.. but man I did not see this ending coming!

Sarah's books are ones that have been sitting on my tbr for quite some time now. They sound like books that would be right up my alley but I was never sure which one to start off with. Then I decided that this sounded weird enough to be my first experience. I really picked a strange one to pop my Gailey cherry.

I love haunted house stories because it's what I know. This gave me those kinds of feelings as soon as I read the synopsis. Then I read the book. It is so much more than that and it is frightening. Some parts were spooky, spooky enough to where I felt a tad bit uneasy. This was mostly weird, like so very abnormal. Spooky, strange, and weird are the only words I can use to describe this without giving anything away. This is one you'll have to experience yourself.

I love when an author starts with the present and gives us glimpses of the past as we try to piece together the story. I pride myself on piecing things together and figuring out the end of mystery/thriller books. This is a book where you'll never in a million years guess where it is going. My mind exploded into a billion pieces as the truth was revealed. My mind is still thinking about where this went. I had to reread some parts because I couldn't believe what I read. I'm amazed.

Just Like Home was a great book and I've been suggesting it to readers all day. If you love scary, mysteries, the weird, and just plain bizarre reads then this will be for you. Don't be fooled by the pink cover because it's not what you'll get on the inside.

"You can't learn a lesson when there's filth inside of you!"