Nowhere Like Home follows Lenna in a dual timeline. In the past it focuses on her friendships with Rhiannon and Gillian as they slowly fall apart. In the present we watch Lenna reconnect with Rhiannon and follow her to a "mommune" out in the remote desert of Arizona. This group of women lives off the grid and they all seem to be hiding something, but one of the rules is to not ask about anyones past so Lenna has to figure it all out herself and how her secrets might be intertwined with others in this community.

This thriller is somewhat akin to watching a lifetime movie (and that is not a bad thing). It has a lot of tropes in it (i.e. obsessed best "friend", missing memories, disappearances) and while some of the twists were a little more surprising a lot of it was predictable. Overall a quick read that keeps you interested!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the advanced e-copy of this book.

Oh. My. Gosh. Talk about unreliable characters! Pretty much every character in Sara Shephard's new book, Nowhere Like Home, is lying. And I loved trying to figure out what was the truth.

Nowhere Like Home is told through three women's narratives - Lenna, Sarah and Rhiannon. There is a fourth woman, and her narrative is told a bit differently. Shepard did a great creating her characters. I was drawn to one in particular, and could understand the motives of another. But one is downright dangerous. As the book progressed, my opinion about what the final chapters would bring was challenged. I love not being to predict a plot.

Friendship is the driving theme in this book. What makes a good friend? How much of your life would you reveal? Some? All? And what if that trust was broken....

As readers we are privy to some (but not all) of the lies being told. The not knowing the answer as to what the truth, was kept me engrossed from first page to last. There's lots of suspense and action as well. A few plot devices were a bit overboard for me - but just go with it.

Thanks to Dutton & Sara for an advance copy of Nowhere Like Home.

Rhiannon has reached out to Lenna after years without a word and wants to reconnect and repair their relationship. Even better, Rhiannon now has a child and lives in an off-the-grid women & children only community where everyone helps everyone else out. Lenna has been struggling with her own new baby and jumps at the opportunity to get some help and also her old friend back.

However when she gets there, things seem a little bit off. Why was she really invited? What exactly goes on here? Why are there so many strange rules? And then, when someone else from Lenna’s past shows up she starts to believe there was a more sinister reason for her being invited out into the middle of nowhere with no way to contact the outside world…

Nowhere Like Home had a really interesting premise. A ‘momune’ sounds like a great idea in theory, but the reality of it would not likely live up to the idea in my opinion, however it does make for a great setting in a book.

The story unfolds in dual timelines and alternating POVs, so we get some interesting perspectives and explanations for why these characters are the way they are. The timeline was smooth, I was never confused about where or why we were somewhere in the story.

The characters were complex and flawed. I wouldn’t necessarily say Rhiannon & Lenna’s friendship was toxic, but it wasn’t healthy either. It was difficult for a variety of reasons but at their hearts I believe these characters to be good people, just troubled or haunted by their past. Much like her YA stories, the friendships are complicated and secretive, however this one had a little something extra being that it was an adult book that also tied in marriage and motherhood themes.

We did get a good twist, but it felt a little out of left field. I almost find it to be a cop out when the mic drop of the story is something that we could’ve never guessed because there were zero hints or plot points that would lead us to that conclusion until it’s placed in our laps.

I’ve only read a couple of Sara’s books, but I like them well enough to continue to pick her up.

A mommune….novel approach about a commune for women and children. I can see the appeal for some, but basically not a good idea.

My daughter loved the show ‘Pretty Little Liars’ so I thought I’d give this author a try. Could have been my age vs theirs, generation gap? The premise was original, and the writing was good, but the storyline was all over the place so much so that I had a hard time focusing. It does a great job shedding light on mental health issues. Unfortunately, I couldn’t connect with any of the characters, found them immature and whiney. There are definite twists and turns I didn’t see coming, but overall it was not for me. With friends like this, who needs enemies!

Thanks to Penguin/Dutton Publishing for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

This book was ok, I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. It definitely had a mystery that wasn’t easy to figure out but the end was over the top and too far fetched. I didn’t really like any characters. The main character is a cliché. Too many of these psychological thrillers make the main female character weak and easily manipulated, no self-esteem a full on pity party that it is tiresome to read.

Nowhere Like Home” is written by Sarah Shepard and has a publishing date of February 20, 2024 by Penguin Group Dutton. I received an early copy of this book by “Pretty Little Liars” author from Net Galley, thank you.

This twisty turning thriller has many lying and manipulating characters all interested in their self above all else. I found the alternating chapters hard to follow after the introduction of new players and the omission of others. An okay read, but the earlier part of the plot needs tweaking for easier read and less confusion. Could make for an interesting screen play. A trio of girls are hit and miss as they attempt to become friends, jealous of each others lives and other relationships. One woman in particular seems to have an unhealthy obsession with her friends. A confrontation between two of the women, ends up causing life changes.

With that being said the last half of the book was enthralling as secrets from everyone come to light and are tied together. The three main characters expose their secrets that intertwine each other into a series of strange coincidences. We discovered a woman had a child the others knew nothing about and a woman who took a baby from an unfit mother and was raising it as her own child. I enjoyed the last half of the book and can give the book a better recommendation.

Thanks again Net Galley for the ARC.

I rolled my eyes throughout this entire book. I had high hopes for this one being that she previously wrote pretty little liars - books and a show that I adored. However, the writing in Nowhere Like Home felt very juvenile for me. The characters choices and actions all felt very young and unrealistic. I just didn’t enjoy reading this one and I hate that these characters had babies brought into these situations.. felt a bit unnecessary and hurt my momma heart.

TBH, I wasn’t looking forward to reading this book based on the initial reviews. And I get it, most of my review will be negative (sorry lol). But the thing is, this book entertained me. Sometimes that’s all I need from a book. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this one.

The plot didn’t really keep me on the edge of my seat, but it did keep me wondering. I didn’t want to put it down because I wanted to figure it all out. I liked that all the characters were grey — some more flawed and chaotic than others.

What I didn’t like:

I don’t think the social anxiety was addressed properly, and it really wasn’t that relevant to the story.

The characters could have been fleshed out more. I wanted to know more about Lenna’s relationship with her husband. I also didn’t really understand why everyone felt so enamored with Rhiannon.

All in all, I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it.

After mysteriously disappearing 2 years earlier, Rhiannon contacts Lenna inviting her to visit the women’s-only commune, Halcyon, in Arizona. Lenna spontaneously decides she’ll go in hopes of reconnecting with Rhiannon. Lenna hadn’t even arrived to Halcyon and she already grows suspicious. She’s quickly immersed into the life of living in the commune and one by one learns of the “rules” the women must live by. Lenna is hesitant about her suspicions until a resident returns to Halcyon, throwing Lenna into a tailspin, worried her past would be revealed.

New and old relationships are tested and you never know who you can trust.

Lenna’s friend, Rhiannon, disappeared a couple years ago, so when Lenna receives a call from Rhiannon, she’s shocked. Lenna is overwhelmed as a new mom and from hiding secrets from her past, so Rhiannon invites her to the “mommune” where she lives—a commune named Halcyon of women and children escaping their troubles and conventional life. However, with the community located in the desert in the middle of nowhere, and with a locked gate at all times, Lenna begins to grow suspicious ands fears she made a grave mistake coming to Halcyon.

The synopsis of this book gave me creepy cult vibes, and I was here for it! This suspense/thriller is full of toxic and twisted female friendships, and touches on mental health issues such as social anxiety. The book is took in a dual timeline, alternating between present day and two years prior, as well as the multiple perspectives {but primarily Lenna’s}. The characters were well-developed, but all are so weak-minded and naive that they drove me a bit crazy. It was a page-turner for sure, but overall I just wasn’t sold enough on the plot/ending, so just an “okay” read for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Books for my gifted e-ARC!

This book was a wild ride. Friendships, betrayals, secrets and a remote ‘mommune’ in a desert location. This book is told in dual timeline that really helps set up the story and dive into the characters. The first of present day of Lenna arriving at the mommune. The second is two years in the past when Lenna and Rhiannon are friends with Gillian getting to know each of them. I know I kept asking myself who is telling the truth, who is being real and who is being a fake friend. The last half of the book really kicked up intensity and flew by. It’s twisty and different than your typical mystery books. Many thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Dutton and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Nowhere like home is a fast-paced thriller. Set over two timelines, the story follows a new mother, lenna, who reconnects with an old friend Rhiannon and is invited to a community in the Arizona desert Rhiannon lives called halcyon. While there, Lenna sees another familiar face and begins to suspect she was brought to halcyon for very specific reasons. The timeline jumps back two years to lenna and Rhiannon’s early friendships and what secrets they were keeping from one another that led to Rhiannon disappearing from lennas life. The points of view alternate as well as the timeline, shifting between Rhiannon, lenna, Sarah, and social posts from Gillian, another friend who plays an intricate role. What transpires over the timelines is a story of obsession and toxic female friendship , murder, and intrigue. I find this to be middle-of -the-road-interesting plot and set up with halcyon, but the execution didn’t quite land. I found the shifts in the points of view slightly unnecessary and felt that it could be have been trimmed by maybe one less. It was also difficult at times to remember which timeline the reader is in. However, a fun read and many fans of pretty little liars and twisted psychological thrillers should find plenty to enjoy!

Thanks to the publisher for the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lenna, a new mother, gets contacted by an old friend Rhiannon. Rhiannan disappeared from Lenna’s life years ago. Rhiannon reaches out to Lenna to invite her to be apart of her new life, where she lives off the grid with a group of other mothers, women, and children. Once she arrives, suspicious behavior and secrets are uncovered. I really liked this! It definitely kept me guessing and I read it fairly quickly. My only disappointment was the ending, it just felt incomplete to me.

I absolutely loved Pretty Little Liars. This was a great departure from Rosewood. The relationships were toxic and the lies and secrets were awful. I enjoyed the alternating POVs, which made the book a fast, easy read.

Important things you need to know about Nowhere Like Home:

Pace: Medium to Fast

POV: Mainly 3rd person (Lenna, Rhiannon, and Sarah). There are some chapters told from the 2nd person (through Gillian’s Instagram posts) and one chapter told from the 1st person.

Trigger Warnings: Nowhere Like Home contains sexual assault, murder, pregnancy, toxic friendship, abandonment, kidnapping, violence, and the death of a parent. If any of these trigger you, I suggest not reading the book.

Language: There is mild to moderate swearing in Nowhere Like Home. There is also language used that might offend some people.

Setting: In the Present Day chapters of the book, Nowhere Like Home is set on a momune just outside of Tucson, Arizona. The past chapters of the book are set in Los Angeles, California.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

Present Day: A new mother with a colicky baby and a husband isn’t helping, Lenna is drowning. So, when an old friend surfaces after two years and tells Lenna about a momune in the desert outside Tucson, Lenna jumps at it. But, once she gets to Halycon, Lenna notices that there seems to be something off with the commune. From barbed wire and padlocked gates to outrageous joining fees to cell and internet service being blocked, Lenna begins to think this paradise is more of hell. Only when she sees another familiar face from her past does she realize someone brought her here for a reason.

Past: Lenna is stuck at a dead-end job when she meets Rhiannon, a bright and vibrant editor at a well-known magazine. They instantly click and become the best of friends. But, when Rhiannon unexpectedly leaves, Lenna becomes friends with Gillian, who works at another magazine in the same building. But Lenna’s friendship with Gillian is strained, shadowed by Rhiannon’s absence. And Gillian starts to act more and more unstable in the passing days. Everything comes to a head one rainy afternoon, and the aftermath leaves Lenna, who already suffered from anxiety, a mess.

What happened that day? What is Lenna’s secret? Why did Rhiannon make contact with her out of the blue? Is the momune a place where Lenna can find peace? Or will Lenna be forced to face what happened two years ago?

My review:

I was intrigued when I saw that Sara Shepard had written this book. Like millions of others, I have watched Pretty Little Liars on TV. While I wasn’t a big fan of the show (it wasn’t up my alley), I did like the thought behind it. So, when Penguin Group Dutton sent me a widget containing this book, I decided to read it. Having read it, I was a little disappointed.

Nowhere Like Home has dual storylines. The first follows Lenna, Rhiannon, and the momune residents during Lenna’s first few days there. The second storyline follows Lenna, Rhiannon, Gillian (via her Instagram posts), and Sarah (who comes later on in the storyline). Both storylines were well-written and well-fleshed out. The momune storyline felt flat to me. It was less fleshed out than the storyline that takes place in the past. But they kept my attention focused on the book, and I didn’t get lost following the characters, which was a plus.

The storyline with momune did strike a chord with me. I have three children (as most of you know from my blog’s bio). My oldest had severe colic (it was discovered that she was lactose intolerant later on down the road). My SO was like Lenna’s husband; he couldn’t handle the crying. And sometimes, I wished I had a village of women to help me with her. I liked that the author also showcased how Lenna’s trauma over what happened to Gillian affected her. The not knowing and keeping it affected every aspect of her life, whether she knew it or not. I was surprised at who was behind everything and how that person connected to Rhiannon and Lenna.

The storyline that takes place two years before everything did explain a lot. It showed how Rhiannon and Lenna met and how Lenna and Gillian met. Rhiannon was a little shifty and kept things from Lenna (but, when it was revealed what, I was surprised). Rhiannon taking off was unusual for her, but the reason was surprising. The only thing that even bothered me was Lenna’s friendship with Gillian. Right from the beginning, I didn’t like Gillian. She was creepy, so I wasn’t surprised when what happened to her was revealed.

The mystery angle of the book was well-written. I was shocked at who was behind everything at the momune. There was a brief hint at it when Gillian got drunk (over two years before). I also got why Rhiannon was forced to do what that person wanted (her lies were figured out).

The author also tackled the mysteries brought up in the storyline set in the past. There was an explanation as to why Rhiannon left and about her backstory. I felt so bad for her, with everything that happened. And I also understood why she did what she did. I also liked that Sarah’s role in everything was explained. It cleared a lot of confusion around what happened that day on the trail.

The end of Nowhere Like Home was cathartic. Everything was explained. But, like Lenna, I wondered who saved everyone in that cave.

Many thanks to Penguin Group Dutton, Dutton, NetGalley, and Sara Shepard for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Nowhere Like Home. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Thank you Dutton books for the view copy of this book. Sara Shepard offers an intriguing if uneven book with Nowhere like Home... themes that really capture me and a sense of unease and even creepiness with a powerful beginning. The plot develops with multiple characters, which worked for the most part but tends to slow down my engagement with a book, and some good twists that engaged me. The pacing though is perhaps more slow burn than the plot warranted, I love a slow burn but the payoff has to be there and it wasn't quite there for me by the end of the book. I still enjoyed it but there isn't quite enough with the plot to make this a big win for me. I am still interested in seeing where the author goes next with her work!

Nowhere Like Home follows a group of moms and their children living together in a commune in the desert in Arizona with no men allowed. All of the women have a past that they're hiding from. When Rhiannon invites her old friend Lenna to come visit the commune and check it out, Lenna decides that she'll make the trip to repair her rocky past with her friend.

I loved the Pretty Little Liars series and Shepard's other young adult novels so I was excited for this one, but it didn't live up to my expectations. The first half moved very slowly. I thought it could've been cut down to half of what it was. The second half picked up and kept me turning the pages, but the ending seemed a little too far-fetched and unrealistic for me. None of the characters were especially likable. Overall, it was an interesting story, but not one that I'd recommend to those looking for a thriller or good mystery.

Wow! Loved this story and the way it was woven!! Thank you Netgalley, Sara Shephard, and Penguin Group Dutton for the ebook!! I really enjoyed this story and couldn't get over the ending! Highly recommend!!

Nowhere Like Home by Sara Shepard is a slow-burning mystery with marvelous twists and turns.

Told in three parts by multiple narrators, this intriguing mystery starts in the present with Lenna Schmidt and her baby joining her former friend Rhiannon Cook at Halcyon Ranch, an all-woman community in the Arizona desert. Flashbacks from two-years earlier paint a troubling portrait of their friendship and its stark conclusion. The addition of stranger Gillian Winters into Lenna’s life leads to a shocking denouement that continues to haunt her.

On the surface, Halcyon Ranch is supportive place for women and children. But unsettling undercurrents put Lenna on edge as she attempts to resolve her former friendship with Rhiannon. Uncertain if she can trust anyone, unnerving incidents rattle her even further. The desolate and isolated surroundings add to her growing fear for herself and her baby.

Events in the present play out a little slowly but the flashbacks are fast-paced and provide captivating details of Lenna’s friendships with the very two different women. These depictions of Lenna's eagerness for female companionship reveal how she overlooks red flags in these burgeoning relationships.

Nowhere Like Home is an engaging mystery despite a bit of a slow start. The characters are flawed but relatable. Sara Shepard gradually hooks readers as the truth about the past and events in the present culminate in a shocking, twist-filled conclusion.

I read and watched the Pretty Little Liars series, which I absolutely loved. I really wanted to also love an adult thriller by Sara Shepard and had high hopes with this book. Unfortunately, by Chapter 7 (the 20% mark), I had not connected with the story or the characters. I just did not care about where the plot was going or what was going to happen with the characters. I'm sure that there will be readers for this book who love it.