Have you ever been so enamorate of a friend that you would follow them anywhere? Yeah, me neither. But I know there have got to be people like that and Lenna is one of them. She has no qualms picking up an leaving her husband, infant son in tow, to head to a commune-like community in the middle of nowhere to reunite with Rhiannon, her girl crush.

At first, it seems nice, almost relaxing, to be surrounded by only women, off the grid. The food is good, and she can actually rest and has help caring for her infant son --a far cry from life with her husband. But the longer she stays, the more it becomes clear that she's not allowed to leave on her own. Nothing is as it seems.

Nowhere Like Home is a twisty story where absolutely nothing is as it seems. Shepard does a great job creating an ominous retreat that's both homey and terrifying all at once. This one is available now!
Special thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an advanced ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This story revolves around two friends, Lenna and Rhiannon, unfolding in three parts spanning both past and present. Rhiannon extends an invitation to Lenna to join her at Halcyon, a community known for offering a fresh start devoid of past identities.

As Lenna reminisces about another friend named Gillian during her stay at Halcyon, memories of their past encounter resurface, raising questions about Gillian's fate. Lenna feels compelled to confide in her husband, Daniel, about Rhiannon's influence, Gillian's lies, and her own susceptibility to manipulation by both women.

With its wild ride, twisty narrative, and gradual buildup, this book earns 3.5 stars in my rating.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy

I loved this one probably my favorite book I've read this year. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to thriller and lots twist and turns. Keeps you guessing until the end. I would give it 5 put of 5 stars

I wanted to like this one. I was excited to read this thriller, But I struggled to get into this book period. It took me such a long time to read, I didn't really like any of the characters and couldn't grasp the plot

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This seemed like a book right up my ally w the cult aspect. But I found it to fall a little sort. These 20 something fight about everything and all have bad relationships. The main character gets amnesia and can't remember what's going on. It just wasn't for me.

This one was just so-so for me. It was written well but I just wasn’t drawn into the story like I thought I’d be. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

i think i aged out of the pretty little liar's universe awhile ago and this book should have gone with it. nowhere like home as a story didn't grab me like the tv show or the books (PLL) did.

I give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

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 moves along 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.

Thank you @netgalley for the e-arc of this read!

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

First I want to thank NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton and Sara Shepard for a digital ARC of Nowhere Like Home.

Nowhere Like Home is a pretty good mystery/thriller book. When I finally found out what was going on I was stunned, didn’t see it coming whatsoever! It kept me on my toes.

Lenna is a first time mom to Jacob who cries constantly and doesn’t seem to have much help from her husband, Daniel. Lenna gets a call from her old friend, Rhiannon, who previously disappeared into thin air without a word. Rhiannon lives off the grid at a women’s only community or “mommune” called Halcyon and invited Lenna to join the community.

Lenna takes Rhiannon up on her offer and is a state away via airplane before her husband is even awake. When she arrives, she’s not sure what to expect and has regrets about going. It isn’t until Sarah arrives back at the community from her IVF treatments that Lenna desperately wants to leave and never return.

Nowhere Like Home is read in a past/present format and in three parts so you get to know Lenna, Rhiannon and Sarah. You find out what got them to where they’re at now and why.

Ooooooo...I love a great locked room (or in this case locked hotel) mystery where the ominous weather is its own character. There are so many people not to like in this story and they all pretty much have the potential to be the bad dude(s) of the story. Oh, I figured out most of what was going on pretty easily, but that's because I read lots of thrillers/mysteries and I can now pinpoint why a character has been included. It was fdefinitely un to see it all play out anyway.

I was really excited for this book after I read the description - a mysterious friend, living on an all women commune, reaching out to her old friend out of the blue - sign me up! I enjoyed the book, especially the first few days when Lenna, the protagonist, arrives at the commune and we’re introduced to the eclectic clan that lives there. However, the book becomes a bit tedious with flashbacks and over-explaining character backgrounds. I do love a good twist, but found the plot and twists in this book to be so far fetched and unbelievable that I quickly lost interest in the story.

The commune itself is an interesting setting for a book, and I was looking forward to reading more about it, but the author included too many flashbacks and focused on trying to create too many twists and suspense. The opportunity to build a super cool setting around the commune was missed entirely. And I found the author wanted to raise awareness about social anxiety in a book but over did it with Gillian’s character, which paints social anxiety in a very negative and skewed way. I also found the constant paragraphs about Lena’s child constantly crying very odd too. If you want a book to distract you, this might be for you but don’t expect it to be a fulfilling read. Thank you to Sara Shepard, Penguin Group Dutton, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy so I can provide an honest review.

I love a good thriller, especially one about "cults," so I was immediately drawn into this story! It was my first novel by Sara Shepard and definitely won't be my last. While the main character Lenna was pretty unlikable for me, I couldn't help but root for her to find a solution for her little family! I thought all the characters were very intriguing but quite a lot to keep up with throughout the story. While the ending was wild, there was one particular part of it that I found kinda strange and unnecessary? I enjoyed it overall, but it wasn't a love!

The author of pretty little liars, yes please. This book is written from four different characters point of views. It’s a thriller featuring unhealthy toxic friendships and an interesting take on a commune/cult. This book was suspenseful and had a couple of good twists. Our fmc Lena takes her son and leaves to visit her friend when our story is beginning. Things are a little more complicated as Lena is visiting her friend at this commune.

I gave this book 3 stars.

This one started out strong for me--addictive! I loved the story line and thought it was unique--but about two-thirds in I started losing interest. The book felt like it was dragging on a bit--but again, solid start!!

Thank you to Dutton Publishing for letting me read an early copy of NOWHERE LIKE HOME. This one is out now!

I really devoured this book and it kept me entertained for hours. Did I like all the choices the characters made? No. Did I enjoy the twist? No. Did I see it coming? Yes. Overall did I still enjoy the book? YES. I never read PRETTY LITTLE LIARS but I did gobble up the TV series so I was excited to pick up a book by Sara Shepard. This book wont change your life, but it will entertain and distract you from the real world for a little while.

When I saw that "Nowhere Like Home" by Sara Shepard was available I jumped at the chance to read this new book by the author of "Pretty Little Liars." This is the story of friendships, with all the twists and turns that life can take. The main character, Lenna, reconnects with a friend that she has lost touch with. Rhiannon is living in a commune-like community of women, and Lenna & her infant son, go for a visit. The book is very suspenseful and has twists you don't see coming!

Well, we have my first disappointment of the year. I found myself extremely frustrated with Lenna as I wanted her to really stand up for herself and be stronger. She stressed me out!

I do love the touches on the cult and the ending did make up for a lot of mishaps along the way. However, a lot of the character development missed for me and I really struggled with connecting to any of the 4 POVs.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing team for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Sara Shepard, is the brilliant mind behind the iconic Pretty Little Liars series, takes a daring leap into the realm of adult fiction with her novel, Nowhere Like Home. Buckle up, this is not your typical cozy mystery—it's a psychological drama that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about friendship, secrets, and the desert.

Lenna Schmidt, our enigmatic protagonist, receives a call from her long-lost friend Rhiannon, who disappeared years ago. Now she has returned, with a son in tow. The son is a member of the Halcyon community.

Ultimately, Lenna drives to Halcyon. The women of Halcyon live off the grid, bound by rules that would make any conspiracy theorist raise an eyebrow: no outside phone calls, no probing into each other's pasts, and a padlocked gate guarding the way out. It's a place where secrets thrive, and trust is as scarce as water in the desert sun.

But Lenna has her own skeletons rattling in the closet. Secrets she'd rather bury beneath the shifting sands. As she navigates the peculiar dynamics of Halcyon, she realizes she wasn't invited here by chance. There's a purpose—a dark one—behind her arrival. And when a newcomer stumbles into their midst, Lenna's worst fears are confirmed. She's a pawn in a dangerous game, and the stakes are high.

Shepard weaves a web of intrigue, pulling us into the minds of these complex women.

Even the most treacherous paths can lead us home.

I never read or watched Pretty Little Liars so I wasn’t sure what to expect from Sara Shepard. It seems to be a popular trope these days to run off to a commune of sorts to escape your past. This is a decent novel but I felt like so much more could’ve been developed, especially with the side characters outside of Lenna, Rhiannon, Gillian, and Sadie. The characters motives were kind of weak and I kept expecting more to happen, especially at the end. The buildup was great and effectively disconcerting, but the follow through was a little disappointing. It was a solid read though, and maybe I will give her PLL series a shot since I’m actually not spoiled.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for providing this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This story really had me guessing about the past of these ladies and why Lenna was leaving her husband. A community off the grid that keeps people out and doesn't allow you to talk about your past or contact people on the outside should seem suspicious to anyone. Shepard really kept me on the edge of my seat with all the twists that I didn't see coming at all!