A twisty, do you know who your friends really are thriller from the famed writer of Pretty Little Liars, Sarah Shepard. Nowhere Like Home follows Lenna as she follows her friend Rhiannon into a desert commune, desperate for help with her spiraling, ‘I’m a bad mom’ thoughts and her non-stop crying son. Except, Rhiannon and Lenna haven’t been friends in a couple of years and Lenna is hanging onto a secret. As Lenna tries to settle in, her paranoia takes us into the past where we learn about her friendship with Rhiannon, Gillian, and the ever-obsessive Instagram thoughts of Gillian, who is nothing like the girl they know in real life.

I love cult-like thrillers and Shepard’s first chapter sucked me in instantly. The friendship between the girls, the insecurities and desperation, is so relatable. Of course, everyone has secrets, and the ones these women hold onto are terrifying. Similar to Shepard’s prior works, there’s a sinister other that amps up the fear, the characters are left questioning each other and even their trust in themselves. While it’s not entirely original, it’s fun to read, and ultimately ended unexpectedly for me. I wish the commune life had been more fleshed out, as well as the secondary characters’ pasts, but ultimately enjoyed this one.

Quick synopsis: Lenna has a best friend Rhiannon who gets in contact with her a few years after they abruptly stopped talking. R has found a “community” of women/mothers who need help getting pregnant or with their children. She recruits Lenna, but Lenna has a husband. Unsure, Lenna goes with her baby and leaves her husband at home. Why did R bring her here? Is something more sinister going on?

This book constantly had me stressed. There are SO many secrets to uncover! I do recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery/thriller. If you have a new baby… I don’t recommend this one. I definitely had some nightmares 🙈

I did also listen to this one. Brittney Presley is the narrator and she did a fantastic job at changing her voice for the different characters and keeping the listener engaged in the story. Her inflections and reading were spot on. I definitely want to listen to more books that she narrates.

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

It didn’t keep my interest super well and I felt like twist was a little out of left field, and didn’t make much sense. But it definitely gave off pretty little liars vibes so that makes sense.

SYNOPSIS
- Lenna has always been a bit of a loner & somewhat anxious. One day, she hits it off with a woman, Rhiannon, and they become friends. At some point, Rhiannon went MIA and they stopped being friends.
- About two years later, Lenna is married to Daniel, and they have a baby boy. Out of the blue, Rhiannon reaches out to Leena and invites her to coffee. Rhiannon explains that she also has a son now, and she has joined an all-female community named Halcyon located in a remote location. Rhiannon asks Lenna to join her at Halcyon. Initially, Lenna declines, but she has a change of heart, and she ventures out to Halcyon with her baby.
- When Lenna arrives at the location, it is in the middle of nowhere, and there are lots of rules. There is also a barbed-wire fence and a locked gate.
- As she continues to stay, she wonders why Rhiannon wants her to come here. There also is clearly some underlying tension and unspoken past event that lies between Rhiannon and Lenna.

MY THOUGHTS
- Overall, this felt very juvenile to me. I can suspend belief for a lot of things, but there were way too many unbelievable aspects to this book.
- None of the characters are very likable, and I wasn’t a fan of the ending.
- I liked the different timelines and POVs, but ended up not being the book for me.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️juvenile. reads more like YA. way too many unbelievable aspects to this book.

Thanks to Penguin Group Dutton and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is out now.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked how this story was presented as a momune of women helping women. Nothing is as it appears to be when friends reunite after losing contact years before after a traumatic event. I really enjoyed hearing from all the main female characters point of views and loved the twists that I didn’t see coming! The characters are all complex and the scenes built to make you feel like part of the story. I would recommend to anyone who likes psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this e-ARC! I do my reviews on my social media platforms. I am currently working on getting through my reviews so stay tuned! Leaving a rating as a placeholder for me and to not effect the books rating in order to post this. Thanks again!

When Lenna receives a call from an old friend, she is invited to join a community of new mothers... just the support she is needing. She's hoping to repair her friendship with Rhiannon and enjoy time away, until she learned about the rules she must follow and the locks keeping her inside. Why are they here? Who can be trusted? If you are a fan of locked-rooms and cult stories, you will enjoy this book!

Mommume, mom community with lots of secrets. Not really cult vibes for me.

Told in two characters perspectives from the past and now timelines. Easy to follow. No issues there.

It’s a bit over the top with the social anxiety push and the characters behaviors. Also had to believe some unbelievable things to make this story work. Lots of references about not judging others with certain characteristics but then weaves it some of its own judgemental agenda.

Not sorry i read it, wouldn’t read it again.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin group for my advanced electronic reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I learned that Nowhere Like Home was written by Sara Shepard, author of the Pretty Little Liars series, I knew that it was going to be dramatic and twist-filled. I was not disappointed in that regard. This women-centric suspense novel follows a group of ladies who get wrapped up in a “mommune” - that is, a commune for moms. As they form a feminist community and learn to rely on each other for their needs, secrets from the members’ pasts start to come to light. It quickly becomes apparent that even those pulling all stops to escape their past too often find it catching back up with them, as we see in the dark and dangerous Nowhere Like Home.

I was wholly surprised to see middling ratings for Shepard’s Nowhere Like Home. I, fortunately, did not take as much issue with this novel as others apparently did. I found that it is a great fit for the modern suspense genre, and was a tightly woven and gripping tale. I appreciate the work that Shepard put into the three main women’s backstories, providing them with unique distinguishing characteristics and giving them each their own authentic voice. However, when it came to the mommune characters, a lot of these women melded together for me, which is my greatest issue with this book - I don’t like to be introduced to a lot of characters who I can’t tell apart.

Wholly focused on the modern day female experience, Nowhere Like Home examines motherhood, career, and friendships, and will speak to women from all walks of life. Throw in some juicy gossip and twists, and you have a page-turning suspense thriller on your hands!

This book was a reminder on how people can be drawn into something they don’t need to be in when they are feeling alone

When Lenna reconnects with an old friend she finds herself living in a gated community that is a “mommune”. Here she is trying to figure out who these women are and why she was invited to live in the desert with them. She is not allowed to take outside phone calls or ask anyone about their pasts. But as time goes on, Lenna is more convinced there is something sinister going on in this community.

This book was a solid 3 stars for me. I didn’t love everything, but I didn’t hate it either. I found I was hoping Lenna would be stronger and make different choices. I also found that I didn’t connect at all to the characters so I had a hard time getting into it at some times (however I believe others may have the opposite thought!). I did want to know the truth so it kept me interested til the end. I did enjoy the end but had some questions still!

Overall if you are looking for a thriller with a culty vibe, you might like this. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for a copy in exchange for my honest review

This was a GREAT book. The relationship dynamic between Lenna and Rhiannon was so intricate and interesting. I loved the commune dynamic- especially the mystery of the identities of the residences. The ambiguous ending allows the reader to decide how they think the mystery ends on their own, which often isn't executed well but this was excellent.

Nowhere Like Home
⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Author: Sara Shepard

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and 
Penguin Group and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: 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.

My Thoughts: When I requested this book, I knew it had some mixed reviews. But I know that reviews are subjective and the premise (and cover) was interesting to me, so I took a chance. Lenna is surprised when she gets a call from her old friend, whom went missing years ago, Rhiannon. Rhiannon has a son and has invited Lenna to come to her community with the adage saying, it takes a village. Lenna decides she needs a getaway and decides to visit. Lenna starts to become suspicious when she has no cell service, the strict community (aka seems very much like a cult) rules, and the padlock on the gate. The community is called Halcyon Farm and they live off the grid. Lenna becomes even more hyperaware when a newcomer shows after her, from her past that she would like to keep hidden, and soon she realizes she was brought for there for a reason. The themes follow social anxiety, friendship, family, and throws in some secrets and lies, as well as betrayal.

The story is narrated by four main people. Lenna is our MC. Then her friend, Rhiannon. The narration was rounded off by two of the commune residents, Gillian and Sarah. The narration also follows a dual timeline, past (from two years ago) and present. I really wanted to connect with Lenna but struggled so much with her behaviors and failure to act. The characters were well developed, with depth, mystery, and were intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, compelling, suspenseful, and engaging.

The story was a slow burn to build up the characters, then the plot was delivered in twisty sections, and the ending, with its own surprise plot twist wrapped up most of the holes but left some that I wished were wrapped up with the others. The ending was also a complete suspicion of belief, which I do not mind doing, after all this is fiction but it seemed a little over the top.

This is truly is a story of toxic friendships, cult-like behavior, with tense, deep buried secrets. Overall, I did enjoy this story and would recommend to other readers.

"Nowhere Like Home" by Sarah Shepard is a captivating and heartfelt novel that takes readers on a journey of self-discovery and redemption. The story follows the protagonist, Emily, as she navigates the complexities of her past and present while trying to find her place in the world.

One of the most unique aspects of this book is the way in which Shepard explores the concept of home. Throughout the novel, Emily grapples with the idea of what home truly means to her, and how it shapes her identity and sense of belonging. Through her relationships with family, friends, and romantic interests, she learns that home is not just a physical place, but a feeling of comfort and acceptance that can be found within oneself.

Another standout feature of "Nowhere Like Home" is the depth and complexity of the characters. Each character is richly developed and multi-dimensional, with their own hopes, fears, and struggles. Shepard does a fantastic job

The plot and premise of Nowhere Like Home really grabbed my attention and I had high hopes for this novel but it didn't quite work for me. The characters felt a bit catty and unlikeable, slow uneven pacing, and the overall story lacked depth and dimension. It was ok but not great

DNF. I was hoping for a twisty, culty thriller and I got a domestic thriller with catty women and just not a good time.

So many topics in this book upset me but I had to keep reading. I needed to know what happened and where everyone ended up. Very interesting and twisty and kept me very entertained. Thank you for the arc

I have not read any of Saras work, but i of course watched PLL. I typically like books that are centered around cults. But this one just didn’t hit as hard as I wanted it to. It was just ok for me.

Lenna is struggling to find her place as a new mom. A friend from her past, Rhiannon, invites her to come visit at a women's commune where she lives. Lenna is hesitant, but she needs a connection so she packs up the baby and heads out to the middle of nowhere to meet a long lost friend. From the moment she arrives, things start to feel off with her friendship and the commune. She's ready to get out of there but she realizes it might be a lot harder to leave than it was to get there.

I liked the twists and turns, but I struggled with the setting and characters. I couldn't really picture the commune setting at all because I felt like the descriptions didn't go together. The characters lacked depth, even the main characters. I wish we had more insight into all the players.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC of Nowhere Like Home.

Would recommend for fans of…
🌵 Pretty Little Liars
🌵 Lifetime movies

Sara Shepard will always be one of my favorite authors! I devoured the Pretty Little Liars series during my teenage years, and I’ve really enjoyed the adult and YA standalones she’s recently released. Her latest, Nowhere Like Home, is about Lenna, a woman who is drawn to a commune by an old friend. When Lenna arrives, she starts to realize that something is amiss and that she can’t outrun the secrets of her past.

Nowhere Like Home is perfect for those who read (or watched) PLL back in the day. It incorporates a lot of Shepard’s trademark plot points (and plot holes), but the story itself feels more mature. Although toxic friendships and missing women are still key themes, Shepard pays equal attention to subjects like mental health and motherhood, adding a level of seriousness that’s not always present in her YA novels. But, Nowhere Like Home still maintains an enjoyable level of soapiness that makes it the PERFECT read for beach/pool season.

Sara Shepard’s books are perfect for anyone that is looking for an escapist, easy-to-follow mystery that’s never too scary or gory. Add this one to your TBR–you won’t regret it!

Nowhere Like Home is out now. Thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.