This had so much potential but felt like it didn't really deliver. I loved the premise and the character relationships, but I was hoping for something more based on the description.

I enjoyed this book. The plot was twisty and left me guessing the whole time. The book has everything - a commune, troubled friendships, secret motives, and mental instability. I liked the multiple perspectives and the dual timelines did not distract. The author did a great job weaving uncertainty throughout the book. I was never quite sure who to cheer for. Definitely worth a read.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for an ARC copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Sara Shepard for an ARC of Nowhere Like Home! I think most of us here are coming from following Sara from Pretty Little Liars 🤣 so as soon as I saw her name I instantly requested this book! It’s about Lenna reconnecting with her friend Rhiannon after she disappeared. They both have sons now and she introduces Lenna to Halycon, more or less a cult. Lenna has things she needs to figure out in her life and well, why not? She wants to see her friend and clear the past. That’s where everything starts to go wrong - no cell service, the rules, the padlock on the gate. Overall, it was a twisty fun read, but there are a lot of spelling and grammatical errors that made it a little difficult reading. It could change the whole meaning of a sentence and then you’re rereading trying to figure out what is supposed to be meant here. Overall, I’ll still keep reading Sara’s books!

3.75 stars

An adult thriller by the author of Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game? Teen me is screaming. I had high hopes going into this, just because of how addictive I found her series as a teen. Even when they jumped the shark a little, they were a great time. This one has definite voice similarities and toxic friendship themes, but didn't scratch quite the same itch.

This book follows Lenna, a new mom who feels alone in her struggle, as she reconnects with an old friend she has a complicated history with, Rhiannon. Rhiannon invites Lenna to come stay at the commune aka "mommune" she lives on with other women to get a break from her life and work through the event thats that tore through their friendship several years before. 

This story is told in several parts, and crosses over timelines and POVs. Part one is through Lenna's POV, part two is Lenna and another character (no spoilers), and part three is Lenna and Rhiannon. All parts bounce back and forth between present time and two years ago, and are interspersed with *drumroll* my favorite, mixed media, in the form of Instagram posts.

The commune seems idyllic, but of course has some sinister undertones that Lenna is determined to get to the bottom of. Naturally, it's not a coincidence that she and Rhiannnon have both ended up here, but there's more at play here than either of them realize. 

This was a good time! I would have loved a little bit longer at the commune, and maybe a POV from a certain other character, but Sara Shepard writes complicated friendships so well, and I'll read basically anything she writes. If you're looking for a standalone thriller with a slightly different premise than most, this is a solid pick! Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I am no stranger to Sara Shepard because of her Pretty Little Liars and The Lyimg Game series. I was intrigued to pick up this book for the interesting premise, but I had a tough time getting into this book. The story was an extremely long, slow-burn thriller. This book could have been a lot more interesting if it focused more on the women’s commune-like cult rather than expanding on toxic friendships between the main characters. The toxic friendship plot did not appeal to me, and the ending was not very satisfying. I would still recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGallery and to Penguin Group Dutton for giving me a copy of the book.

3.5 stars

Lenna and Rhiannon each have their secrets. They’ve each been lying. What happens when you mix lies and a mommune together?

Overall, this book started a tad slow for me. While the build up was needed it felt like it took a bit too long compared to the conclusion which came so fast I didn’t even realize I was almost done with the book. I loved the way the book was broken into different POVs it’s always a nice touch to ACTUALLY see what the characters are thinking compared to what one assuming of them.

The twist was nice one that took me a long time to get which I also appreciate in a book like this. Overall a really good read!

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton for allowing me an advanced copy for a review!

Really liked this book. The last 20% was full of surprises. I didn’t realize this was the author who wrote pretty little liars which I loved as a teen. Would recommend this book for others fast paced and something different.

When I get super excited, I sing . Not well, but I sing . The best part ? It’s random and I make up my own words . These are my sudden bursts of self proclaimed creative talent .

Well, I’m singing .

I like big books and I can not lie
You other sisters can’t deny
When a book is before me with a big ole spine
I get sprung …

See? Zero talent.

Anyway , I’m singing bc I just finished another incredible book, my instajail sentence is over and well it’s Wednesday and I love Wednesdays just not as much as I love peanut butter .

Ok, the book
Drumroll please …….

Nowhere Like Home by Sara Shepard

Oh, you haven’t heard of her yet ? Well now you have and I promise you, you are going to want to get to know her because this book is destined for success .

These characters come alive and jump right off the page . You feel as though you are watching this story take place right before your eyes . There is no shortage of twists and turns ! This book is oozing with suspense

Do you know the feeling when you hold your breath and your chest gets tighter and tighter ? That is the best way to describe how I felt while reading Nowhere Like Home.

Check out this teaser :

When Lenna gets a call from her old friend Rhiannon, she is startled; Rhiannon disappeared years ago without a trace. But Lenna is even more startled to learn that Rhiannon has a son and that she lives off the grid with a group of women in a community called Halcyon. Rhiannon invites Lenna, a new mother herself, to join them. Why suffer the sleepless nights by yourself? It takes a village, after all.

Lenna decides to go and hopefully repair her relationship with Rhiannon, but as she drives into the desert and her cell service gets weaker, she becomes suspicious. Who are these women and why did Rhiannon invite her here? And that is before she learns about the community's rules (no outside phone calls, no questions about people’s pasts) and the padlock on the gate that leads out to the main road. But Lenna has other concerns, secrets from her past she is terrified will come out. When a newcomer arrives in the community, Lenna’s worst fears are confirmed—she was brought here for a reason.

Nowhere Like Home tackles themes of complicated friendships and trauma but all with Sara Shepard’s expert twists that you don’t see coming.

TW: fertility issues & SA

About the book:

A group of mothers living in a women only commune in the desert all seem to be running from their past. Lenna, one of our FMC’s, joins this commune with her baby when an estranged friend invites her in. She starts to feel like something is off when she realizes she can’t make outgoing phone calls, certain things are blocked on her phone, and nobody knows the gate code to leave. Lenna begins to question everything, including why she was brought here and who these people really are.

My Thoughts:

I had high expectations for this book because I loved this authors YA series, Pretty Little Liars. I think Nowhere Like Home was written like a YA book, which I found a bit disappointing. The drama didn’t really start until about 50% of the way through, so this was definitely more of a slow burn. At one point, I was feeling super annoyed because I was SURE I figured out the ending, only to find more twists and turns that I didn’t see coming at all! There were times when I felt like things were getting a bit far fetched and unrealistic. The ending was perfect, I felt like all the loose ends were tied up perfectly (besides one that will leave you with some questions, but I thought this was done well!) and loved the twisty ending. A solid read if you like cultish vibes, friendship issues, and exposed secrets.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pub date: 02/20/2024

Thank you @netgalley and Penguin Group - Dutton for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC! This book has everything - cults, missing people, motherhood, secrets. Definitely a wild ride, but I liked the cult aspect.

Lenna is a young mother with a small child who seems to cry constantly. She is anxious and distraught. When an old friend, Rhiannon, who she hasn’t heard from in a couple of years, reaches out and tells Lenna of this wonderful “mommune” she lives on and suggests Lenna come for a visit to experience having help for a few days. Lenna thinks about it, and after a couple of days decides to take her son and leave early in the morning to go visit. She leaves her husband, Daniel, a note with not much explanation and never talking to him about it and never disclosing things from her past that affect her decision. As Lenna and her son travel to the commune in Arizona, she realizes how isolated it is and how she’ll be cut off from cell service, etc. Her anxiety is further heightened by the locked gate on the property that requires a code to open and only one woman seems to have the code. The women on the commune appear friendly, but Lenna is wary of the rules and how no one is supposed to talk about their pasts or ask questions of others’ pasts. Lenna desperately wants to talk with Rhiannon, to try and clear the air about their past, but never seems to be able to get her alone to do so. Someone else from Lenna’s past shows up at the commune and Lenna feels strongly that something else is going on here and decides she needs to leave - but can she.?? The story moved along fairly well. It was a quick read and had me interested to see where it was all going. The characters were not very likable, I have to admit it was hard to cheer for any of them. It was difficult to understand the draw different characters had for one another when there were so many red flag moments. I found it especially hard to understand why Lenna would not discuss everything with her husband before taking her son and traveling to another state to see this old friend - it just didn’t ring very true to me. All in all, I enjoyed the book - it was good, but not great in my opinion. I give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

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

The first half was great and built up a lot of suspense and then the second half was such a let down. It was still a quick and easy read, but wasn't sold at the end. Loved the culty vibes though!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC

This book oozed unease and deception from the first page. I loved the Pretty Little Liars TV show and have read several of the books. All of the things I loved about Sara Shepard’s characters and writing were evident in this book. The characters are unreliable from the start and every time you think you have it figured out, there is a well timed plot twist. I find the setting of a secluded women’s collective in the desert to be terrifying and that unease carried throughout the book. I had a hard time putting this down and it is the best book I have read in a while. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the digital ARC of “Nowhere Like Home” in exchange for my honest opinion.

Nowhere Like Home is a fast-paced thriller full of Shepard’s signature twists. I was pulled in right at the start and appreciated the different narrative styles, especially Gillian’s Instagram posts.

While the characters were all severely flawed, I was invested in how their lives intertwined. The mommune element of the story was the weakest part for me. All the summaries for the book focus on that plot line, but reading the actual story, it actually could be done away with entirely. It serves to press a point about the struggles of motherhood, but otherwise doesn’t add anything significant. I would have liked to see the locale play a bigger role, personally.

Also, the final twist felt disconnected to me in some ways, while also adding the final piece to the puzzle. Not sure how that works exactly but I can’t really say more without spoiling the plot.

Overall, this was a quick read and I was invested in the story’s outcome, but found it didn’t play up its unique element, the mommune, enough to make it stand out from other thrillers.

Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved how this story started off but as I got to about half way I started getting a bit bored. It seemed like some details were being repeated. I always love multiple pov stories but I don’t like when information is repeated by each character. I like a more fast paced thriller that keeps me entertained all the way through. Overall it was an okay read. Not a must read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

I was intrigued with the "mommune" premise since I haven't read many books with that plot.

I enjoyed the multiple POV, past/present timeline, and ending. However, it was a slow burn and I didn't like or connect with any of the characters. The dialogue was weak and did not seem like it was meant for adults. The book dragged on at times.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and ARC of this book. I really liked this book for the most part, I loved the mystery of why Rhiannon invited Lenna to the community since their friendship seemed to fall apart. It seemed like a darkness was over the community, I wasn't sure exactly what was going on. I found this book to be a decent read, the ending was just OK in my opinion, but, it kept me entertained and I did enjoy it.

I'll start by saying, I did not love this book. I was drawn to the commune aspect, the women supporting women. It all felt a bit YA to me except they had babies. I'm struggling on this for a review, but hope some of my reading community can give me a different perspective!

I had high hopes for this book. Sadly, it was a bit disappointing. It took far too long to get to the "issue" that the main character had. Then when this was revealed, it sort of flopped and nothing much happened with it. Meanwhile, a bunch of other things were going on and it just felt chaotic and all over the place. The author tried to do too much and didn't really end up doing it all as well as it could have been done. I couldn't wait to get to the end ... to just be done with it, not because I was at all invested in the ending.

This review was also posted on Goodreads.

I loved Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series, so I was thrilled to receive an ARC of her latest thriller! The story follows four women, Lenna, Rhiannon, Sarah, and Gillian, all of their complicated relationships, and the surprising ways in which their stories intersect. The "mommune" was such an interesting concept and setting, but I particularly enjoyed the themes surrounding toxic friendships, social media, and mental health. I thought Shepard did a fantastic job of setting up the dual timelines, alternating between the past and present. She establishes a great balance between flashbacks and the current day, slowly revealing more twists and turns throughout while also developing the characters and their motivations. None of the characters are necessarily likable, but Shepard makes sure that readers are invested in their journeys nonetheless. And, as always, her writing style is so engaging and compulsively readable! I didn't want to put the book down, and needed to see what would happen next.

However, I did feel a little let down by the ending. There were lots of fascinating layers to it, but I found the twists in the book to get progressively more far-fetched and less believable, culminating in an ending that I thought was a little disappointing and rushed. I also think some of the characters could have used slightly more depth—even with the main characters, it felt like we didn't get a full sense of their personalities and only really got to know them on a more superficial/basic level. While I found Nowhere Like Home entertaining and compelling overall, I did want more from it in certain areas! Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC.