The story of G and L and S and R - or as they're known, Gillian, Jenna, Sarah/Sadie and Rhiannon. 4 girls who are intertwined by a few secrets, and a women's commune in the desert. I admit I wasn't sure of the direction the story was going in the beginning, but it made a lot more sense once the view of the story was told by someone else half way through. It touches on the hardships of women, IVF, etc yet also on friendship that can grow and come from nowhere. This was a great quick read by Sara Shepard.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I was originally drawn to this book because I have read quite a few of Sara Shepard's books in the past, and throughly enjoyed them. This one was no different. The story itself was so interesting to begin with! I really enjoyed the plot and the main characters Rhiannon and Lenna. Their dynamic was very captivating, and I was eager to learn more about them. Just like every Sara Shepard book, this is loaded with plot twists that you literally will not see coming! I was shocked at some of them!! The epilogue was also intriguing to me, because Lenna goes through a huge character arc that I was not expecting!

At times well-paced, but at other times slow, this cult-based book was intriguing in concept but lacked in delivery. Wasn’t my preference but may have been good for readers who like bizarre situations.

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for the opportunity to read this ARC.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Great premise and setting. I loved reading about a cult for women in the desert. The female friendships that turned toxic was another interesting point. Great plot twists that kept me interested.
I just found it difficult to relate to the characters and wanted a bit more background/development on them.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. The premise was really good, but I wanted a lot more out of the whole setting. I liked the toxic, female friendships, but I feel like I could’ve gotten a lot more out of the story. I feel like the development of this book was lacking a bit and that, it lacked the depth that I wanted out of it.

Suspense/thriller with cult vibes and moms. I really wasn't sure where this one was going when I started it and that definitely keep me interest and made me want to continue to read. Some of it I for sure had to suspend disbelief but all in all I thought this was a pretty good thriller and would recommend. Rated it 3.5 rounded up to 4 I liked the idea of the setting in the desert and the cult/commune vibes though I didn't really connect to the characters and had a hard time always understanding their motivations. Worth the read though and would read more from Sara Shepard. I want to thank NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up. I live in the desert of Arizona and not many books I read are set here. For that reason I was really looking forward to reading Nowhere Like Home. However, there are many inaccuracies which I tried not to let bother me as it is fiction after all. I am more of a plausible person and while the ending did have a great twist, a lot of it just wasn't plausible to me when you know the desert and what it entails. Perhaps for someone who doesn't live here it will be more enjoyable. If one is not as informed the story could be more believable because certain things are quite exaggerated. With that being said, I did enjoy the intriguing cult premise. The multi-perspective narrative kept a good pace. The twists were well executed. It took me a bit to get into the storyline, but when I did I have found myself thinking about this book for days after.

Thanks to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Dutton for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

DNF at 42%

As much as I loved Sara Shepard's YA series, this adult thriller did nothing for me. Although I was intrigued by the premise and even more so by the author's name attached to the book, the cult-ish premise and the odd choice of pacing deeply off-put me. The book got repetitive at times, and I couldn't become attached to any of the characters.

This is a soapy, domestic thriller with cult vibes. It felt like Shepard was trying to do Pretty Little Liars, but with moms. I think it worked for the first half, but the ending lost me a bit. Overall, enjoyable!

I spent too many a night to admit glued to Pretty Little Liars (long past when I should have been in the show's target demographic), so I'm always excited to see a new Sara Shepard novel come out for adults. I enjoyed this, but like other reviewers, I think it delivered less on the cult side of things and spent more time exploring toxic friendships between women outside the compound. It was a good read but didn't give me what I was looking for when I picked it up based on the novel's description.

I'm a big fan of cultish stories- how one becomes part of a community that blindly follows a leader without questioning the red flags around them. How lost does one need to be to leave their whole life behind and start fresh with promises of finding new purpose.

Nowhere Like Home finds a group of broken, damaged, and lost women looking to start new, to leave their secrets behind and start over with people that don't know what has brought them there.
Rhionnan, after abruptly leaves her job and life in NYC without any notice, leaving her best friend Alex to wonder if she is to blame, resurfaces 2 years later recruiting Alex to Halcyon where matriarch Marjorie has created a community of women who only rely on each other in their desert Oasis.
Alex is still reeling 2 ;years after a tragic event, a secret she's been keeping all this time, even from her husband. When Rhionnan comes back and asks her to give Halcyon a try, she figures she has nothing to lose.
However, once at Halcyon, Alex realizes she can, indeed, lose everything.
A story rife with complicated, messy, imperfect women with imperfect lives. There are secrets and betrayals. There are missed signs and ignored red flags. The setting- 5 miles in the desert with only one way out through a locked fence where you need a closely guarded code to open- provides tension on how there is any possibility of escape.
The ending moved into more of an unrealistic scenario. I feel the final reveal could have been just as explosive without an actual explosion (that is not really a spoiler.) However, the overall pace and tension of the story kept me flipping the pages late into the night!

If you love books with cult vibes and messy female friendships, this is for you. I really enjoyed this and reveled in how f***ing messy these women are.

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy to read and review.

This book was bananas. I had to keep reading to see how things were sorted out…but I cannot get over how legit bonkers it was.

I like the plot idea of a cult/commune where it seems everyone has a secret but this novel was a wild ride.

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

I am not quite sure what I thought of this one. This was the first one I’ve read by Sara Shepherd who is quite the writer! This story made me think about people and how you never really know what is going through their minds, causing them to behave the way they do.

The friendship between Lenna and Rhiannon and then Lenna and Gillian is a toxic one from the get go but when Rhiannon disappears, Lenna is beside herself but opens up to Gillian. Then Rhiannon reappears in Lenna’s life asking her to come to a commune where she has been living.

There is a lot of manipulation and lies between these “friends” which made you feel bad for them but wonder why neither one of them could step away from their toxic friendship.

From the authors who brought us Pretty Little Liars. We are taken on a ride of lies.

Lenna has kept a lot of her past a secret from her husband until old friend that comes back from past. Lenna might have to dig up those old secrets.

This novel went by quick! This was go go go from page one of Lenna stepping off the air plane. We are getting three POVs, plus present and flash back timelines but it is easy to keep up with.

You can really feel Lenna’s struggle with the past and with being a new mother.

I didn’t see the twist coming. I thought I did and then it just blew my mind 🤯. I always love a thriller book that doesn’t tie the ending in a perfect but leaves you wondering what if…

In Nowhere Like Home we follow the intertwined stories, and internal guilt, of three women.

One theme in this book is that lies always have a way of catching up with us. Leena met Rhiannon and had an instant connection but when Rhiannon abandons Leena to go take care of something from her past she’s hurt. She turns to a girl who Rhiannon had warned her against, Gillian, and it all goes wrong ending with Gillian’s death.

Years later, Rhiannon and Leena reconnect and the story follows the trauma they’ve gone through, and how truly complex humans and friendships are.

I was on the edge of my seat for more than half of this story. Some things I could easily figure out but most were total wild cards. It was a supremely satisfying mystery/thriller that ties, nearly, everything up nicely at the end.

I’d give this book 2.5 stars. This author wrote the YA series Pretty Little Liars, which this book reminded me of by using initials to talk about characters throughout the book.

This is the story of Lenna, who doesn’t make good choices when it comes to befriending other women. She meets Rihannon who disappears after a couple years only
to pop up and invite Lenna to visit her at the cult-like “mommune” where she lives. In the time Rihannon is missing, Lenna befriends Gillian, another poor choice of a friend.

Lenna decides to go see her old friend at the cult in the desert. Is Rihannon whispering about her? Did someone steal her baby’s diapers? Why is there barbed wire surrounding their property? There are too many red herrings in this book; almost everyone is written so that you’d believe they could be “the bad guy.” No one is really likable. If you enjoy YA fiction you may like this one, otherwise I’d skip it.

I read all of Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars and The Perfectionists series, so I was excited that the Publishers and NetGalley chose me to read her newest thriller book. Nowhere Like Home was a slow burn. Overall I enjoyed it, but it felt really long to me.

Told through alternating povs and timelines, Nowhere Like Home is a story of 3 women whose lives intersect at important parts. For one reason or another they all find themselves in the same place. Relationships between women can have their ups and downs, this book shows that with the added thriller elements.

I have to say a "mommune" sounds awful but it makes for an entertaining book! It was a great backdrop for the book. I did feel like the main character was a little underdeveloped but the story was entertaining enough. I liked the framing of reconnection with an old friend to draw Lenna in. I felt it like could have been tightened up a bit

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Lenna is living in LA and lonely, until she meets Rhiannon. They quickly become best friends until Rhiannon vanishes. After some time passes, Rhiannon reaches out to Lenna and asks to meet. When they meet, Rhiannon convinces Lenna to come visit the women-only community/commune in the Arizona desert where she is living. When Lenna decides to take her up on her offer, she gets much more than she bargained for as her darkest secret is brought to the forefront.

I enjoyed this book. It did get off to a slow start but once it picked up I was really interested. I thought I’d figured out the twist but was wrong, which made it even more unexpected! This book gave cult-y vibes so definitely check it out if you’re interested in that. Add this to your list!