If you're looking for a fast paced thriller about MOMs (I love thrillers like this) then make sure to grab this one. Sara Shepard is a great author and can write both adult and YA novels that all readers will love.

I received an ARC copy of Nowhere Like Home by Sara Shepard from Netgalley.

I really enjoyed this book! I felt like a huge mystery was hanging over the whole story the whole time and i kept wanting to know more! The setting was great, as I am so interested in people who get themselves involved in communes/cults. This book has everything .. from friendships, manipulation, fear, love, hate .. it kept me on my toes the whole time wondering what was going on. I also enjoyed the different perspectives we got because we got to see how the other characters were handling the same situations but from a different point of view and how they all came to be where they were in life.

I would definitely recommend this book (and have already!) to friends and family!

Friends, enemies, betrayals, and secrets is how we meet Lenna, Rhiannon, Gillian, and women in a woman’s compound that lives off the grid.

I didn’t like the thoughts of this compound from the start and wondered why Rhiannon came back into Lenna’s life and talked her into giving the remote commune a try.

Lenna left her husband early in the morning and took their baby without telingl him where she was going. Once Lenna contacted her husband Daniel, he was furious and didn’t understand why Lenna did this.

If he knew what Lenna had done before they met and never told him, he would be more furious.

We follow all the characters and try to figure out what is going on. It is a bit confusing and mysterious until the book gets going and things become clearer.

You won't be able to put the book down as things get intense and secrets are found out.

Don't give up too soon….it is a wild ending. 4/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I initially grabbed this one because of the setup, I loved the idea of a mommune and hadn’t read a book with that exact premise before. I also loved the PLL series so that may have influenced me too, but the authors adult novels have been hit or miss for me and those fell somewhere in the middle. Like I said, a great setup and if you like a slow burn that has a slight literary feel that’s exactly what this one is. I don’t have as much patience with thrillers as I used to, I need something that a bit faster and more gripping but I never contemplated dnfing so there’s something to be said about that. I just feel like things got a little drawn out and convoluted at times and while the ending was more exciting, it was also a bit silly and far fetched so I’m not sure it was totally worth it. Fans of slow burns about toxic friendships and who like stories with cult like vibes may enjoy this one.

Thanks to Dutton and Netgalley for the eARC!

I love Sara Shepard's writing, I really do. That being said "Nowhere Like Home" didn't really do it for me. And I think it's because it would have worked better for me as a YA novel. Some of the motivations are weirdly petty for grown women and honestly, I couldn't really connect with the characters which is strange because Shepard excels at creating protagonists that aren't necessarily the most likable people.

It's not terrible but I do feel it could be better.

#NowhereLikeHome #NetGalley
Awesome. 5 ⭐
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.
Loved it
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for giving me an advance copy.

NOWHERE LIKE HOME was a great story. I thought it was well written and suspenseful. It's definitely a book I can recommend to read.


Many thanks, to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for my gifted ARC!

I wanted to like Nowhere Like Home. I am a new mom myself and thought I would relate more to Lenna, and I did--the fussy baby who can't be soothed, feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated almost all of the time--but I often found her unlikeable. There are a handful of twists in the story that almost seem to intentionally overwhelm the reader rather than have one big, believable reveal, but coming from the author of Pretty Little Liars, I should have expected this.

Overall, an entertaining read, nothing to take too seriously, but its flash-in-the-pan plot makes this a forgettable book.

Unfortunately, I DNF this book at 30%. I couldn’t really get into the story and everyone annoyed me so much. I couldn’t get over Lenna and her husband’s constant complaining that their newborn baby was crying all the time. Well duh! What did you think little babies do – they cry! It was not for me.

Thank you NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited to get my hands on this book because the pretty little liars series was one of my favorites in middle school. Unfortunately I wouldn't say it was one of my favorites. I usually enjoy books about cult culture but I just couldnt get into it the way I was expecting.

Sara Shepard is one of the authors I credit with developing my love of reading, back when I was in middle school reading Pretty Little Liars as one of my first series books. So, you can only imagine my excitement when I got an advanced copy of her latest, Nowhere Like Home! Nowhere Like Home focuses on the female friendship of Lenna and Rhiannon, which started when they were younger but the story takes place in present day. In present day, Rhiannon finds a way to reconnect with Lenna and tell her about this commune in the desert where moms all work together to raise their children. Lenna, currently feeling overwhelmed with new motherhood and the secrets of her past, agrees to do this primarily because she feels there's still things her and Rhiannon need to workout from the past. Once Lenna makes it to the desert, though, she realizes that this invitation may not have been entirely innocent... and Rhiannon may of had ulterior motives, too. This was such a fun book and I love when I'm surprised at every turn along the way. Highly recommend!!

This book was very different than my normal genre. It’s about 20 year old moms who live in like a combine and I didn’t love it. I just can’t imagine living like that - all in one big space with a bunch of other moms?

Nowhere Like Home is a thriller about friendships, lies and the cult like commune. This book I enjoyed reading but I could not connect to the characters like I would have liked to and it was just a fun page turning read for me. The author did a good job writing this and I would recommend this to other readers especially if they like thriller books. Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton publisher for this ARC read in exchange of my honest review for this book.

Sara Shepard, known for her masterful storytelling in the Pretty Little Liars series, weaves a suspenseful tale in "Nowhere Like Home." The story unfolds when Lenna receives a startling call from her long-lost friend Rhiannon, who vanished without a trace years ago. Intrigued and hoping to mend their fractured relationship, Lenna embarks on a journey into the unknown, driving into the desert to a mysterious community called Halcyon.

The premise, initially suggesting a utopian escape for new mothers, takes a sinister turn as Lenna's suspicions grow amidst the community's peculiar rules and the padlocked gate. Shepard skillfully builds tension, prompting us to question the true nature of Halcyon and its secretive inhabitants. The sense of unease escalates as Lenna discovers the hidden motives behind her invitation, unraveling a web of secrets and lies that threaten to expose her own haunting past.

The exploration of complicated friendships and trauma adds emotional depth to the narrative, creating a multifaceted story that goes beyond surface-level suspense. Shepard's trademark twists come into play, keeping us on edge and ensuring that the unexpected revelations continue to captivate.

"Nowhere Like Home" adeptly combines psychological intrigue with themes of trust, betrayal, and the impact of past traumas. As Lenna grapples with her own fears and the unraveling mysteries of Halcyon, the novel navigates the complexities of human relationships and the lengths to which individuals will go to protect their secrets.

In true Sara Shepard fashion, this book delivers an engrossing and unpredictable narrative that keeps us hooked until the very last page. It is a compelling exploration of the darkness that can lurk beneath seemingly idyllic facades, showcasing Shepard's skill in crafting thrilling stories with unexpected twists and turns.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a readers copy of this book. My reviews never contain spoilers and are freely given.
The story alternates between present day and pasts of the characters involved, but it’s very easy to follow and understand how the past is impacting the present. The plot centers on 3 women whose friendships are sometimes honest, sometimes deceptive, and often damaging. Circumstances and a tragedy lead them all to a commune called Halycon, which is in the Arizona desert. Someone has brought them together for a purpose. No one is quite as they present themselves to be, and leaving is discouraged, and next to impossible.
I encourage readers to put this one on their TBR pile.

This book is a solid 3 for me. I liked how it was written, with the back story being slowly woven in as you navigated what was happening in real time. But it was so hard for me to believe that the characters were adults; they acted like teenagers. As such, it was hard for me to feel really connected to any of them and I essentially finished the book because I was curious how it would all tie together.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this!

If you're a fan of Sara Shepard's other novels like Pretty Little Liars, I think you'll be a fan of this book. It's got a cast of at least two-sided complex women and a sort of murder mystery at the heart. The other thing I think this book has in common with others Shepard has written is that I don't find any of the characters very likable. Lenna, the main character with the most POV chapters, is kind of like a wet blanket, and her "best friend" Rhiannon is almost a manic panic pixie dream girl.

Lenna meets Rhiannon in a department store and is drawn to her. Soon they are inseparable; Rhiannon even gets Lenna a job at the gossip magazine she works at. Then just as suddenly as their friendship seems to begin, Rhiannon disappears. There's a slight time jump, and Rhiannon reaches out to reconnect to Lenna. They're both mothers now, and wouldn't it be great if Lenna could come to this mothers-only commune? Of course, she goes off into the desert with a woman she hasn't seen in years, doesn't tell her husband she's leaving with their 5-month-old son for a desert commune.

Small spoiler: Lenna doesn't die. I genuinely thought she would. The newborn/early baby phase was hard, but leaving in the early morning without telling my husband and essentially kidnapping my own kid? That's a bit much. The novel is told between multiple POVs and jumps between two years ago and present day. I do think Shepard does a good job of building the characters out and allowing us to understand their motivations. They all have good backstories, but their interactions with each other are so bizarre.

Everything happens in an instant. Like Lenna and Rhiannon are instant BFFs. Lenna then latches onto another woman after Rhiannon disappears. For women in their late 20s and early 30s, they are terrible at making friends. When Lenna and Rhiannon reconnect, Lenna instantly distrusts the commune. Which, honestly, is fair. This is where the story starts to reach a climax, and there is a twist that I didn't see coming and I enjoyed.

This is a fun mystery, but the characters to me were unlikable. I didn't really want anyone to be happy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Dutton for the ARC.

ARC REVIEW

No Where Like Home
BY Sara Shepard

Publishing Date 2/20/2024

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Lennas friend Rhiannon vanished from her life years ago. Because of this, she's very shocked to hear from her out of the blue,  and even more surprised when Rhiannon invites her and her baby to stay at a women's only commune.

She decides to check it out in an attempt to heal their friendship, and it seems like a supportive place....at first.  As she learns the harsh rules of the commune (no phone calls, no google searches, no leaving the property without approval), she becomes worried a secret from her past will become unveiled. And when she learns that someone else on the property was a crucial part of  that secret, she's starts to feel as though her arrival to the commune was much more planned/intentional than she thought.

Review:
This was a twisty-turny adventure. It's a dual timeline and also multiple POV. As the story unfolds, we learn how the present is shaped by the past events of the characters' lives.

Personally, I really enjoyed the backstory.  I liked the characters and learning about their interwoven stories. Some of the characters suffered from deep anxiety, mental health, and also difficulty with pregnancy, just an FYI.

BUT the ending twist was an "eh" moment for me. It has several layers to it, but it was not an ending that shocked me. Normally, when the twist of a book is revealed, you have that "AHHH" moment because a character you felt you knew was not who you presumed? When that moment happened here, I didn't care about the character involved, resulting in disappointment.  The buildup to this moment was not worth the payout.

It was an okay read. It started out strong but felt a little drawn out, and the ending was a tiny bit far-fetched. But it's not a bad book!

Of course, a big thanks to @netgalley and @duttonbooks for the opportunity to read the arc early! Always an honor 🎖

The book had a good pace. Lots of twists and turns. It was sometimes far-fetched and not relatable. Definitely something with the cult aspect. Kept me guessing.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for allowing me to read Nowhere Like Home by Sara Shepard in exchange for an honest review. This story follows a twisted friendship between Rhiannon, Lenna, Sarah, and Gillian. Their friendship is laced with lies, betrayal, deceit, and a twisted path. Lenna receives a call from her good fried Rhiannon after these two women have not been in touch for several years and invites Lenna to get away to Halcyon, a supportive mommune. As a new mom, Lenna needs a break from life and would like to reconnect with Rhiannon and talk about their mysterious sorted past. Upon arrival, Lenna discovers there is something amiss at Halcyon.

This book will take you on a wild ride. I really enjoyed reading the chapters from each character’s point of view. The beginning this book started out slow for me but about 60% in it started to pick up. I’m giving this book 4 starts because I did not see the twist coming. I’d recommend this book to others!