Nowhere Like Home is an adult thriller by Sara Shepard, best known for her Pretty Little Liars series. This story alternates between timelines and is told from multiple points of view.

Lenna, a new and overwhelmed mother, receives an unexpected call from her old friend Rhiannon, whom she hasn’t spoken to in two years. Rhiannon, now also a mother, invites Lenna to stay at Halcyon, a remote women-only community.

Though hesitant, Lenna agrees, seeing it as a chance to repair their friendship. But once there, she becomes suspicious of Halcyon’s strict rules and isolation from the outside world. Meanwhile, Lenna has her own secrets she wants to keep hidden.

This was my first read by Sara Shepard, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was intrigued given her success with Pretty Little Liars. While the cult-like setting didn’t initially grab me—it felt predictable at first—the story picks up toward the end with more action, though you may need to suspend disbelief. Overall, I’d give it a solid three stars: not my favorite, but a decent read.

Nowhere Like Home by Sara Shepard

Published: February 20, 2024
Dutton
Genre: Women’s Psychological Fiction
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free and leave my review voluntarily.

TICK TOCK CULT OCLOCK. There were so many red flags for me throughout this book. I found parts relatively predictable and a bit juvenile, but the pacing moved quickly, and it held my attention.

I didn’t know Sara Shepard wrote the Pretty Little Liars series, though I never read the books or watched the show. I can see the appeal of her storytelling.

The alternating narrators kept things flowing and the mystery of this “momune” kept the pages turning.

Overall, while I would not fall into this type of life, I can see how and why it appeals to these characters. Several social issues were topics that I found important.

How difficult motherhood can be, especially when your partner isn’t addressing your needs. Bullying among adult women and how catty adult friendships can get.

None of the characters were overly likable, and I didn’t feel any connection to anyone, but I found the writing engaging and the dynamics and power play well coordinated.

Very beautifully written! I was so shocked when I found out who the author was! The ending was a little crazypants 🤣 but I will definitely be reading more by this author!

i had read her other books, which were for younger readers, which was kind of the vibe of this. a thriller for people just coming off of YA and looking for something to sink their teeth into thrillers, but aren't ready to commit to something deeper than that. it was serviceable, but nothing memorable.

3.25 stars, rounded down

A quick, twisty thriller that will leave you wondering what in the world is going on. It was a solid thriller, there just wasn't that wow factor that set it apart from thrillers. To me, it also almost felt more like a domestic suspense for the first 80% of the book then switched to a thriller for the last 20%.

I didn't connect with any of the characters which made it somewhat difficult for me to fully get into. They weren't bad or poorly written, I just didn't connect with them and didn't overly like them.

There was a lot going on in this. Like a lot a lot which I felt took away from the book. I wish there would have been slightly less side plots in this and more time focused on the main plot points and I probably would have liked it better.

Over all, a solid thriller. I would definitely read Sara Shepard's next thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Though this book had a LOT going on, I was into it! A twisty turny read about a pair of friends who lose touch under strange circumstances, an awkward outsider desperate for friendship, and a mysterious commune in the middle of the desert. It was a lot to keep track of with writing that was just okay, but it was a fun and fast suspense novel!

My thanks to Penguin Publishers, Sara Shepard and Netgalley.
After reading a few reviews from this book I had damned near decided to not read it. Thankfully I thought ""to hell with them!" I always take in my friends reviews, but if its something I wish to read, then nobodies bad reviews will.turn me off. Unless Incimimci hated it.. Then? It's iffy!
Honestly? I have zero recollection of this book. I managed to read it at a time when I was sick.
Truth is that when I get at that stage of ill health my memory is often playing tag In a foreign country that I've never heard of and will never find. I did like this story. It gets 3'middling stars from me. But? For some reason I think it deserves 3 1/2 to 4. Whatever. Probably my sick, stupid arse
3 1/2 stars.

The premise of this book was unique, I loved hearing about the 'mommune'. I liked that I didn't really know who to trust. As new information was revealed I found that I was shifting alliances alongside the characters, which was fun. I can't say that I really connected to any of them, but they were all enjoyable to read about. I'd read a book about other women at Halcyon, it seemed like they were all well thought out with interesting backstories. Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for this ARC!

I actually didn’t realize that Sara Shepard was the author of the Pretty Little Liar series! This makes some of the dialogue make more sense. I wasn’t in love with the book, but not every book is 5 stars.. if you’re looking for a quick thriller, definitely give this a try! Especially if you’re a fan of Sara!

I had to really sit on this one before I wrote a review. It was…meh. Really deals with trauma, self confidence, and dependency. An interesting concept with the commune, but one it started to get twisty, it started to get a tad messy. Messy in drama as well as execution of the story. I get where the author’s head was at, but there was just too much going on everywhere for me to truly enjoy the story in the end.

Sara Shepherd is known for writing intensely twisting thrillers. This is no different.
I was truly frightened for the characters in the book at some points. The writing is very realistic and made me keep turning pages.
Recommended for fans of thrillers.

I'm really struggling with whether this is a 3-star or 4-star. The first part of the book felt juvenile, with the cattiness and backstabbing and angsty stuff that I would expect of girls in high school where friendship can be a double-edged sword. Once we got into the thriller portion of the book, it improved, but was still a bit lacking. I got frustrated with most of the characters, but especially Lenna. She seemed oddly distracted and uncaring about her child, in spite of professing her care for him repeatedly. The twist at the end did get me. I thought I had it figured out, yet felt that it had been laid out a bit too neatly. Even so, the end felt contrived and forced, without enough breadcrumbs to give the reader a chance.

I believe this one was a solid three star read for me. The plot/storyline was interesting but at times if felt kind of juvenile. It almost seemed as though the characters should have been younger. These didn't feel like lies that would be told by adults of their age. Overall I enjoyed the read but its not one that I would be willing to reread.

Lena is an exhausted new mother who reconnects with her former best friend and is invited to a moms-only commune.
I was hooked by the premise!
I enjoyed the writing and the structure. My favorite bits were the flashbacks, but all along I was just waiting for something to HAPPEN.
The most interesting part of this book was the toxic female friendships. I wish the book would have delved deeper into that.
I can not remember the twist ending, other than I was mildly disappointed.
By the end, I was just “meh” on the whole book.

This was a heck of a ride! Creepy, twisty, and full of suspense.

I didn’t particularly like any of the characters except maybe Gia, and loved how the author left the end.

This made me think about whether I’d ever consider moving to a desert commune, and after the first “remember to shake out your shoes” warning, I think it’s fair to say that I’m a big NOPE.

If you’re looking for a fast read about the lengths a mother will go to save her son while protecting her own secrets, this is the book for you!

Unfortunately, Sara Shepard's "Pretty Little Liars" does not translate to adult novels. At first, I didn't think the story was that bad, but then we really lost the plot about halfway through. By the end, I swear it was "A" all over again with random people coming out of the woodwork in the final few scenes. I essentially only skimmed through the entire book reading the dialogue and a few key paragraphs because there's a lot of fluff and a lot of repeated plot points for no reason. If I'm looking for ridiculous plots that have twists and turns (mostly for no reason other than to have a twist), I'd just rewatch PLL on Hulu.

I had wanted to read this book initially because I had read some other books by the author and enjoyed them. Overall, it was a good story, but the middle dragged on a bit for me. I was between a 3 and 4 star. I will continue to read more books by Sara Shepard and do enjoy her storytelling, but this was personally not my favorite book from her. There were a lot of side characters in this book that made it a little harder to keep track of in the beginning but it did come together as you move through the story.

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This book was pretty disappointing for me. It felt like it tried too hard to surprise readers to the point where it was confusing on who was who. There was a lot of he said, she said, which again, became hard to follow.

I am mixed on this. While I liked the "momune" cult angle. I just didn't connect with the characters. I ended up not caring about what happened to them and found this to be too long to enjoy.