JUST LIKE HOME was spectacularly messed up, and I say that with love. The conclusion of this book was so cathartic and so horrifying at the same time, it's definitely going to stick with me.

If you're looking for creepy, this baby delivers. A fantastic Gothic Horror with some haunting, gloomy, disturbing atmosphere. In fact, it's this writing and the creation of an eerie, nail-biting setting that makes the majority of the book.

The character relations are super messed up and really give off a disjointed vibe from the get go. Vera's relationship with her mother is highly disturbing. I couldn't understand how a mother could be so incredibly vicious to her own child. I also found myself irrationally angry at all the people around her, judging her for what happened while she was still so young. Her relationship with her father was likewise weird. He was two totally different people, the gentle way he dealt with Vera was totally off base from what I expected. And his alter ego? Oh boy...welcome to crazy land.

Though I really enjoyed the development of the atmosphere and all the setup, there were some issues with the construction. There is definitely a slow burn to this novel, so prepare yourself for a bit of minutiae as it gets all laid out. The last chunk is a crazy whirlwind that creates an odd balance and kind of left my head reeling. I think I needed a bit more even development. This was particularly an issue with the artist story line. Things seemed to escalate quickly and go a bit sideways with that side plot and it felt a bit awkward...it was an off-putting situation that I really couldn't agree with as it was presented.

A super creepy read with a good hook and worth the time to work through the initial slow pace. It's well-crafted and has great atmospheric quality. It's not perfection, but it sure is a dang good time.

Sarah Gailey uses atmospheric scenes of supernatural horror to explore toxic family dynamics in "Just Like Home."
For me, none of the horrors was actually scary.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC and audiobook.


Description from NetGalley:
“Come home.” Vera’s mother called and Vera obeyed. In spite of their long estrangement, in spite of the memories — she's 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, beneath the house he'd built for his family.

Coming home is hard enough for Vera, and to make things worse, she and her mother aren’t alone. A parasitic artist has moved into the guest house out back and is slowly stripping Vera’s childhood for spare parts. He insists that he isn’t the one leaving notes around the house in her father’s handwriting… but who else could it possibly be?

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.

One of the ways that this was described to me was like The Haunting of Hill House. Now I have not read Shirley Jackson’s book, but I have seen both of the movies that they made based on her work. And I would say that the comparison is probably a valid one. The family dynamic at play here is….tense. I was even sure what to make of Vera or her mother at first. Some of the set up doesn’t hide itself because it is waiting for the big reveal later on. It’s like a spooky thriller. Overall, I enjoyed it. The narrator of the audio was very good.

Overall: 4/5

In general liked the story. It tells the story of Vera who has to return home and deal with the aftermath of what happened when she was a child. What was not of my taste is the end, but the rest was fine.

Just like home by Sarah Galley was a good book, part thriller and part spooky. It is perfect for the Halloween season, and I can definitely see why Once Upon a Book Club selected it for their seasonal spooky box.

Just Like Home started slowly but it was a slow, riveting burn that crescendoed into top-notch creepiness. I had no idea what to expect from this book, plot-wise, and it certainly took twists and turns that kept me reading. I loved the characters, the setting, and the writing. All around a fantastically eerie book -- horror without being too gory, despite the subject matter. I'm a fan!

I read The Echo Wife by Sarah last year and absolutely LOVED it so was thrilled to get the opportunity to read her newest book Just Like Home.

After careful consideration, I’d say that The Echo Wife is still my favourite but I definitely enjoyed this one! It’s creepy, claustrophobic and tense which are the ingredients that make a compelling read for me. I was pretty much drawn in from the beginning and liked where the story took me - as the reader, you learn a lot whilst being carefully led to hidden twists and shocking secrets. There are multiple threads woven throughout the story that all connect and make sense, especially closer to the end. It’s a dark and eerie psychological treat!

Thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge & Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book but I found it very slow and it did not hold my attention. I was not able to finish.

Full disclosure: I didn't finish this. I found the writing overwrought and deathly slow... the idea wasn't strong enough to keep me going, unfortunately.

Thank you @torbooks @netgalley for my review copy.

📖When Vera’s dying mother calls her and tells her to come home, Vera finds herself back in her childhood home, haunted by the memories of her serial killer father and his victims.

💭I was so excited when I saw this title because I really enjoyed The Echo Wife. Unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me. I was bored for the first half of the book and decided to dnf it. An interesting concept, but if I’m halfway through and it’s not grabbing me, then it’s time to move onto the next book.

✍️How I rated other books by this author:
The Echo Wife- 4⭐️

Sarah Gailey has a way of creating characters and plots that creep up behind you and lay a shiveringly cold finger on your shoulder.

For fans of the Haunting of Hill House (netflix show!) and other horror that deals with generational trauma, this is like...the perfect book. An engaging and fast read (I read it on the beach, though I definitely would not classify it as a beach read!)

While this book was not for me personally because I just could not vibe with the storyline, I can see many who enjoy mystery/thrillers with a lot of plot twists.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

From the first chapter, Sarah Gailey will make you feel uneasy and like you absolutely cannot stop reading this book. Readers will be hooked from the very beginning of Just Like Home. After loving The Echo Wife, I knew I had to pick up Just Like Home to fall into another thriller world. This domestic horror novel will take you on a wild ride that will have you second-guessing everything. Gailey's writing is so engrossing and chilling. Perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic and A Flicker in the Dark.

The bubblegum pink cover is so eye-catching and just matches the eerie feeling of the novel perfectly.

I really wanted this book to be more. I liked the writing and the characters and he pacing but it kind of fell flat for me at the end.

I usually love a supernatural or paranormal element in books, but it didn’t work for me here. The “there’s something under the bed” scare is easily relatable, but it felt like it was trying too hard for me. I didn’t get that suspenseful dread that I felt in the Prologue of Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt, another scare while in bed, though not of the “under” variety.

However, the physical feature that was actually underneath Vera’s bed from childhood was horrifically fascinating. I really enjoyed the daughter of a serial killer and dysfunctional family aspects of this book. Told in first person in dual timelines, the story follows Vera in the present as she returns to pack up her childhood home (that her father built) as her mother is dying while the former timeline provides a window into Vera’s childhood leading up to her father’s arrest. I was fascinated with the relationship between Vera and her father, that trust that he knew best and could fix everything. Vera’s relationship with her mother, Daphne, was more complicated and entwined with guilt and blame. I also enjoyed watching her awkwardly try to reconnect with her childhood best friend, Brandon, while anticipating what happened that caused their rift. I found the ending abrupt as I wanted to know more about Vera’s plans for the future of the house that her father built. Did I mention that her father built the house? LOL

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Books for a copy provided for an honest review.

Book review :

This book is a CREEPY, BIZARRE, BLEAK, INTENSE, CLAUSTROPHOBIC and EERIE. No words to express what an elusive story.

Vera’s mother is dying, and asks her to come home to the house she grew up in, the house her father built with his own two hands—the same hands he used to torture and murder men in the basement. Vera’s feelings about her father are deeply conflicted, as he may have been a notorious serial killer, but they shared a loving, close relationship. Her mother, on the other hand, was a cold, hard, unloving woman, and even now, near death, her heart has not thawed.

Making matters worse is the fact that Vera's mother has a tenant living on the property, some sort of artist whose interest in the house makes Vera very uncomfortable.

The way the story gets depicted and the secrets starts unravelling was really interesting. I was really intrigued from the first page. The way Veera survives and fights with the circumstances was worth reading .

I loved reading this thrilling story. I am thankful to netgalley for giving me this book to read in return of an honest review.
Happy Reading!

Thanks #netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book. Great buildup and suspense. I loved the creepy aspects of the story even though this isn't my typical read. Highly recommend.