This book caught my attention from the synopsis. Friendships gone awry, new motherhood, a community in the middle of the desert, what could go wrong? I dove right in, ready for the intense read to overtake me. Unfortunately, it did not. The characters did not hook me. They all have a form of social anxiety, which makes them struggle with making new friends. Lenna feels lost and completely alone. She has a tiny studio apartment, and she dreams of having her people. She meets Rhiannon and thinks this is it, I have finally found my person. She is excited and willing to go any lengths for this friendship. Leena is completely committed. Rhiannon just vanishes one day. She will not call or text Leena back. Where did she go, what did Leena do?

This book had me running around like a dog chasing its tail. They became attached to each other so fast. As soon as Rhiannon disappeared, the girl that was always staring at them from the corners, took her place. When Rhiannon calls her out of the blue, two years later, to come join her at Halcyon, an all-women's community that is located in the desert. Leena is hesitant at first, since she has a six-month-old baby and a husband. Leena decides to sneak out of her house with the baby and fly to Arizona. To meet up with Rhianna and hopefully come clean about their past. Once she arrives this community is not how Rhianna has described. They are locked in, cannot call any males from inside the commune, some of the women are giving off weird vibes. This is just the beginning...

I could not fully get into this book. I was yelling at Leena about taking her baby to the community, especially without telling her husband. Who does that? At times, the book dragged, and I was just hoping for an exciting ending. It was exciting and it went on and on. Thank you to Sara Shepard and Dutton for my gifted copy.

Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me but I should have looked into premise more before requesting as books about motherhood & cults can sometimes be a difficult read for me, appreciate the opportunity to read though.

This one was interesting. Young Mom Lenna reconnects with old friend Rhiannon, who now has a son. Rhiannon seemingly dropped off the face of the earth years ago. She tells Lenna about Halcyon, an off-grid community made up of Mothers and their children. Lenna packs up her 5-month-old baby and decides to join Rhiannon. She arrives and as if there already weren't red flags, even more pop up, like no way to contact the outside world. Long story short, Lenna soon finds that there was a reason behind her invitation. I had a hard time liking any of the characters and believing anyone would not tell their hubby that they were loading up baby and going to live on a commune with a bunch of other Moms, but that's just me. The twists and pretty decent characterization saved this one for me. The characters, even though I really did not like any of them, had pretty good backstories and I could understand why they were the way they were. I would read another from this author.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Sara Shepard and Penguin Group Dutton for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication.

I initially grabbed this because a mom cult sounds intriguing AND Pretty Little Liars?! Come on!
This is a slow burn and usually I dont mind that but, lately I have been minding my mind wandering while reading them. This felt a but drawn out but overall I liked the drama. Thank you to @netgalley for my copy!

This was a fantastic thriller! It was a perfect blend of characters you love to hate, with lots of twists and turns. I was invested in the story throughout. The time shifts were done well, everything flowed seamlessly. This author is always a win for me and I’ll be recommending this book near release day. Thanks for the opportunity to read in advance!

This was a great thriller! This book had so many twists and turns that by the end, it was difficult to predict the big twist. I found the whole plot really engaging and compelling. I loved the premise of a "mommune," and I would read an entire series just about Halcyon. The characters aren't necessarily written to be likeable, but I actually really enjoyed that component as it added complexity. The book is also a really interesting exploration of healthy vs. unhealthy female friendships and mental health, which I enjoyed engaging in.

I was incredibly excited going into this book upon making the connection that the author was the same Sara Shepard who wrote Pretty Little Liars. Once things got going it turned out really good!

Things started off a little slow as we met the characters and learned about what was happening present day. We meet the main character, who I didn’t love, honestly. She was incredibly naive and gullible. If an old friend who ghosted me showed up after years and invited me and my infant to an isolated commune in the desert there’s no way I’d be leaving my husband to go, but that’s just me.

Things pick up pretty quickly as we learn that strange things are definitely afoot at the suspect commune, bringing the past together with the present and bringing everyone’s lies to light. The twists were great, and absolutely wild in all the ways. I didn’t see many of them coming. I was legitimately uneasy and scared at certain parts.

I was a bit frustrated with all the complicated relationships because they were only complicated due to everyone lying about everything for no reason. All the characters kinda sucked, some more than others though. Also the big twist at the end was a little wildly far fetched, but it still good.

Overall I enjoyed this book! Once it got going I couldn’t put it down and read most of it in one sitting. Sara Shepard does a creepy thriller well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton, and the author for this ARC!
Publication date 2/20/24

Lenna is shocked when she gets a call from her old friend Rhiannon. She disappeared years ago and Lenna has always wondered what happened to her. When she invites her to visit her at the off grid compound she lives at, Lenna lets her curiosity get the better of her and packs up her baby and goes. When there is suddenly no cell service, or a way to easily leave, Lenna begins to get worried about what she got herself into.

There is so much to this story that it’s not possible to get into in a short synopsis. This book is so much more than what is written above. This book has toxic friendships, manipulative friendships, trauma, and twist after twist. This one definitely kept me on my toes wondering what was happening/what was going to happen. I kind of hated some of the characters, and was just ok on the others, but this book kept me invested every step of the way!

Get ready for some classic Sara Shepard drama & mystery with one complicated new focal point: motherhood.

Lenna’s in a postpartum fog when she is contacted by an old friend, Rhiannon. It turns out Rhiannon didn’t just disappear when she dropped out of Lenna’s life: she joined a community living ranch called Halcyon & has a child of her own. Lenna doesn’t immediately jump at the chance to visit Rhiannon’s new home but after thinking it over for a night she decides to be a little impulsive - besides, she could use some more help with her newborn & Halcyon is supposedly all about women supporting women. But once Lenna’s actually there, she starts to get a little suspicious; maybe even a little paranoid, because there are certain parts of her past that she definitely doesn’t want coming to light…

This story was full of hidden agendas, vague Instagram posts, complicated female friendships, & messy motherhood situations. The two timelines kept the story moving while filling in background, & the setting of the secluded community living ranch heightened the intensity of having that many secrets in one place. If you were a teenage fan of Pretty Little Liars & are now a mother yourself, you’ll want to check this book out.

Thank you to NetGalley & Dutton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very intriguing book about toxic friendships that was hard to put down! The author kept me in suspense until the very end; I didn’t know who was lying or being truthful and I really wasn’t sure how things were going to end up. Some events seemed a little too contrived and the main character was a bit too gullible, but I did enjoy this story overall. I’d have loved a longer epilogue, but was satisfied enough by what was provided. I don’t know, maybe a sequel or prequel could be coming.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of Nowhere Like Home. Sara Shepard is a must-read author for me. I devoured every Pretty Little Liars and Lying Game book (but the TV shows were a hard pass). I am still waiting on edge for The Heiresses sequel. The premise for Nowhere Like Home makes it a book that I would not have picked up if Ms. Shepard wasn't the author. In short, this a book about a "mommune" for mothers trying to escape something at home. While I love thrillers, I am growing tired of the moms with questionable friendships. What mother would willingly take a leave of absence from her husband, yet take her infant, to a remote desert property in hopes of rekindling a friendship with someone who was not that great of a friend? I liked the blog chapters, which helped add a much-needed interruption to the back-and-forth of the main characters. I struggled with connecting with and or actually liking any of the characters. I liked that a lot of the relationships were open to interpretation based on how each character perceived events as they unfolded. This book had a fast-paced finish, which was appreciated after a slow start. Sara Shepard will remain at the top of my must-read author list but this book just fell short of my expectations, mostly due to the subject matter.
#NowhereLikeHome #NetGalley

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group, Dutton for an advanced copy of the book. This review is my opinion.
Told in dual timelines there are four main characters:
Lenna suffers from anxiety and OCD
Rhiannon because of her upbringing feels unloved
Gillian suffers from social anxiety
Sadie is desperate to have a baby
These four women’s lives cross each other and they will never be the same. Controlling toxic relationships, secrets, lies, and a slow burn lead to a climatic end.
I had not read any of Sara Shepard previously, but was aware that this was her first adult novel. Unfortunately, I found the characters to be more immature than adult. Also the slow burn was tedious. I was sure something climatic was going to happen, but it just took to long to get there for me. The premise was good. I just was expecting better. 3.75 stars.

Thank to PRHAudio for the ALC and Netgalley and Dutton for the ARC!

New mom Lenna is surprised to hear from her old friend Rhiannon; it’s been years since they spoke and Rhiannon had disappeared without a trace. She is even more surprised to hear that Rhiannon has a son and is living off the grid with another group of women and children called Halcyon. They consider themselves a “mommune” where they all raise their children together and help each other. It really gives new meaning to “it takes a village”. Lenna has been struggling herself, so when Rhiannon invites her to visit, she decides to go for it. Hoping to repair her friendship with Rhiannon, Lenna is also hoping this will be a chance to recharge and find some support. But as she gets closer to Halcyon, her cell phone signal gets weaker and she sees the gate to the community is padlocked. Just what type of place is this and why did Rhiannon invite her here?

I am not sure what I was expecting with this book, but I was absolutely floored with how much I LOVED it! The whole idea of moms working together and helping each other raise their children appeals to me (though maybe not to such an extreme!) Lenna and Rhiannon both had interesting back stories, and I was eager to see how they finally converged. I also loved the aspect of the IG posts in between too and trying to figure out how they played a part. There were many moving pieces here, and it could have easily gone wrong but everything worked perfectly - the final twist was one I didn't see coming (and I love when that happens! Lol) If you enjoy twisty, character-driven thrillers, give this one a shot! The audio was also narrated by Brittany Presley, who perfectly captured these characters and brought their crazy story to life.

“Nowhere Like Home” releases February 2024, 2024! This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly.

I did enjoy the cult element as well as the multiple points of view and dual timelines. The storytelling was interesting, and the final twist was clever. However, I did have some difficulty getting into the plot, and I just didn’t really connect with the characters. I enjoyed the read, but sadly not as much as I’d hoped to.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Years ago, I watched Pretty Little Liars and decided to give one of the author's other series a chance f as a read. It went fine, but I wasn't convinced, so I chose this newest one to see if I'd want to read more. Overall, it was good... just didn't pull me in as much as the tv show. I think watching a show first spoils the ability to go back and read a book. That said, the plot here was good, but I kept thinking along the path... go here.... make this happen.... what if this person is actually this other person... and so, it was the kind of books where I enjoyed some but couldn't stay deeply connected. Everything was fine, nothing bad or a turn-off. It was so vague and never really explained why people behaved the way they did, which meant the author was contriving more that creating. I did really like how we thought something was playing out in one scene but then you get the perspective of the other person chapters later and realize key things you were missing. All in all, readable and something to make you think a lot, just not one I'd rush out to grab.

This book grabbed my attention right from the prologue. It gave me a cult vibe and most of the book had this looming sense of doom. However ultimately the way the story unraveled fell a bit short for me, which is why I couldn't quite give it 5 stars.

I enjoyed the multiple povs later in the book, and the alternating timelines. I tend to think that adds layers of complexity and makes for a quicker, more engaging read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nowhere Like Home was interesting. In it, you will meet Lenna who is an okay character. A little too easy to persuade and maybe a little gullible. Then again, people will sometimes do anything to find their person or to be well-liked. It also doesn't hurt that she's going through a sort of depression after having her baby and seeing her husband being a little distant at the same time. So, she did what any normal new mother would do - she leaves and goes to a community filled with other women hoping to find some inner peace and learn how to become a better mom.

Which, sure, sounds great and all but ever since she stepped a single toe in this place, I've been highly suspicious. Between the past and the present point of views, things weren't always adding up and just confused me endlessly. I had so many questions forming and was eager to get a glimpse at any sort of answer along the way.

Eventually clues and reveals came my way. I'll admit that I didn't expect one of the twists but then again, it made sense in a weird way. It's hard to explain at the moment but I'm sure other people might mention it once they read it.

In the end, I'm happy that I got the chance to dive into this. It's just a little sad that I'm not even sure how I feel after reading the last page. Might have to simmer some more on this.

I've been struggling with this book now for weeks and it finally came time to just say I'd DNF it and maybe come back to it in the future. As a reader, I just did not connect with the story or the characters (in particular the motherhood aspect) and the mystery aspect was not compelling enough for me to disregard the total lack of connection I had with the story. I've always enjoyed Sara Shepard's writing - both her YA book series as well as her YA and adult standalones - so I will continue to read her work, but this one just didn't work for me and rather than force it to give it a bad rating, I'll just respectfully say it wasn't for this reader and hope it others enjoy it.

This was a DNF for me. I made it 30% and just couldn’t take it anymore. This is suppose to be an adult but it reads so YA and that’s not my genre.
The three main characters are 28, 29 and 33 and they act like they are 18. Also weak woe is me females just make me grind my teeth. I’m sure there’s an audience for this but it isn’t me.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.2⭐️

"You might be fooling some, but you're not fooling me."

I love author Sara Shepard. She writes great female friendships and the drama that can be laced within them. This story is about friendships - how they can be good or they can be toxic. How it can be hard to start making new friends in your 20's.

The story has dual timelines - so there's a story of before a story of now. Now, they are older - with significant others and kids. Previously, they are new friends to new co-workers. It's a few friendships and it takes a minute to see how they all fit together.

This story did reach a point, however, where I had to suspend my disbelief but I just didn't things would work that way. But it was a nice mystery, an interesting look into these friendships and fun twists and turns.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.