This read was so thrilling, full of secrets and suspense that kept me hooked all the way until the end.

⭐⭐⭐
THE FAMILY HOME by Sophia Spiers is a domestic thriller set in a creepy house. I enjoyed the beginning and the end, but I found the middle part to be too long. There was a point when I felt really tired of this book, but I pushed myself to finish it because I knew it would be hard to come back to it later.

I really liked Eve as the main character. Her struggles felt very real, and her damaged emotions and feelings made it easy to empathize with her.

Eve has a lot on her plate. Her mom abandoned her when she was 14, her dad took his own life when she was 15, her husband was unsupportive, and her therapy wasn't working. She turned to drinking to cope with everything, which unfortunately resulted in her losing her daughter, causing her life to fall apart completely.
Later, she inherits her childhood home, but returning there brings back too many painful memories and traumas, leading to further turmoil in her life. Can Eve reclaim her life, find her mother, and get her daughter back? Most importantly, can she remember what happened that fateful night when she got completely wasted for the first time?

Thank you, NetGalley and Joffe Books for this copy!

I literally just finished this book in one afternoon! The Family Home lived up to my expectations after reading the description - a gripping psychological thriller set in a creepy abandoned home.
I loved the mystery you could feel right from the very beginning, slowly growing into something much bigger.
The mystery and suspense grew even more with the flashbacks giving us the character development and context that is needed to feel the connections with the story.
I really enjoyed the the slow build up of what happened to Eve as a child, the house and the creepy atmosphere, it kept me guessing until the very end. The answers to questions were cleverly revealed and were perfectly timed.
Highly recommend this to those who love a twisty psychological thriller.

I really liked "The Family Home" by Sophia Spiers. It's a thrilling psychological mystery set in a spooky old house. The story kept me engaged and guessing, with a gradual reveal of Eve's troubled past and the mysterious house that adds to the suspense.

Eve, dealing with heartbreak and past traumas, seeks solace in her inherited family home. Battling alcoholism and a lost relationship with her daughter, Delilah, Eve returns sober, hoping to rebuild her life. However, the house triggers unsettling events that threaten her newfound stability.

I enjoyed the suspenseful build-up, the creepy house vibes, and the twists that kept me intrigued until the end. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good psychological thriller.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. This was a compelling read. Although it started slowly, Spiers created tension and a great deal of compassion for Eve. Although I guessed the twist, the excellent writing kept me engaged, although I would have liked a longer epilogue.

Thanks to @joffebooks for approving my request to read/review this book on @netgalley! This is my first netgalley review and it was a decent start!

This book is about a woman who is at rock bottom - her husband has left her for another woman, their daughter doesn’t talk to her and she’s haunted by her traumatic past which she masks with a drinking problem. She inherits her old family home that is run down and practically abandoned. And shortly after she moves in to start renovations, secrets of her past begin to unravel.

The book kicks off with a haunting epilogue that hooked me right away. The characters were clear and developed and I loved how the author wrote the house with such vivid descriptions that it felt like a character too.

Even when the protagonist, Eve, made bad decisions, I was still rooting for her and sympathised with her circumstances. The characters were flawed but interesting. I also like how Eve wasn’t completely reliable so even though you’re on her side throughout the book, you’re not sure if you can trust what she’s saying.

Overall, I enjoyed this. It didn’t take me long to read and I found the plot interesting. The first half was a bit slow, but the last 30% was very dramatic. Although I somewhat guessed the twist, I liked how it ended.

Eve is estranged from her daughter, her ex is barely speaking with her and had recently list her job. She's rapidly running out of options and returns to her childhood home too try to start afresh, although she had promised herself years ago that she would never return.

But this house holds too many secrets and Eve is determined to remember what happened the night her mother disappeared. Strange things start to happen and she can't decide whether the house is filled with ghosts or she's going crazy.

This atmospheric thriller was well-written and set a good pace, kept me guessing where it was headed. The story kept me engaged and turning the pages, wanting to know what was actually going on around Eve and whether everything she thought was happening was actually in her head. I felt a lot of empathy for Eve's character who had been badly affected by a terrible upbringing, and I kept hoping things would improve for her but as the book write on, I want sure everything would turn out ok. I'm generally pretty good at picking a twist or secret in a storyline and I while I did guess where Eve's mum had gone, I didn't see the plot twists that came in the end.

A good, atmospheric thriller to get your teeth into!

“This house. It was a mistake. A terrible mistake.”

Four stars for this sinister book based on secrets and trauma. Eve is struggling. She runs away from relationships (though many are toxic like with both Seb and Dan), but includes her inability to cope with her daughter. Eve uses alcohol to try to numb herself and to try to get much-needed sleep (not recommended!). Ultimately, she must figure out what happened to her family back when she was fourteen to move forward.

Thank you #NetGalley and @joffebooks for this eARC!

I liked:
- Short sentences (like the quote above) added to the manic feel to this story
- The house is creepy! No amount of cleaning is going to fix that.
- Eve’s panic attacks are vivid. Surprised none of the characters show concern about these episodes
- Appreciated that the phenomenon are explained by the end. The clues are there, but I did not figure this one out!

I didn’t like:
- Why doesn’t Eve eat much? Is this another manifestation of her behavior and lack of self-care? Who leaves their job to freelance without any prospects? Eve’s mess of a life got to me at times, but also not unrealistic and fits the plot
- The prologue was a bit clumsy and overexplained some parts, but I felt the remainder of the book was better

Thank you for reading!

The Family Home is filled with twists and turns around every corner. Not only is this book brilliantly written, but it also uses elements of horror that leave me wanting more. It truly felt as if it could be the workings of a television series or a movie. The talent that seeps through the pages of The Family Home is unmatched, especially in the genre of thriller.
This was a book I couldn't put down! I loved the complexities of each character, more importantly, the protagonist Eve. While frustrating at times, Eve showed what it was like to be human; whereas some books gloss over those aspects of characters, Sophia Spiers embraced it. Sophie Spiers made sure to illustrate every bit of Eve's imperfections, and I think that was what really captivated me. Additionally, in terms of the plot, I couldn't guess what was going to happen next. It left me on the edge of my seat, and by the end of the book I was completely surprised. If you love thriller/horror, I highly recommend this book!

This book was pretty good and I couldn't stop flipping the pages to find out what was going on. I feel like it was super trippy during most of the read because of what was going on till you get to the very end chapter and find out that this trippyness into the book is not really a trip its someone that was behind it all.
The main character is name is Eve and shes a alcoholic basically through the whole book always taking a drink to help her trauma.. especially since shes been trying to figure out what happened to her mother, she knew her dad was an asshole but could not remember what it is that he did till she moves back to her old home that she ran away from when she was 15 if I remember correctly and when she ran away her father committed suicide after her mother died as well. There was so much going on in this book. She also talked and had a best friend who was mad at her but mad at her towards the end of the book she shows her true colors, you really can never really fully trust people can you?
She wanted to flip her old house but really had this feeling that it was haunted she would hear whispers in her old family home, a lot of trippy stuff going on but really she thought maybe it was cursed/haunted. Her ex husband had their daughter Delilah that she wanted to see and stay with because she hasn't seen her in so long and she grew up a lot since she saw her at age 6 and is now like 14/15. But shes been trying to get clean and not drink anymore to be better for Delilah, but her ex husband Seb was so mean to her during the whole story till the end. You think its him all the time why hes so mean but then he finds out the truth at the end and hes like a total 360/ nicer person.

I loved the ending and I loved that she gets a happy ending in the end even though its a thriller. I also couldn't believe what her "friend" did, all for a old obsession/jealous of her,

Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this book, I LOVED it!!

I love this. Our girl is a recovering (??) alcoholic with a lot of past trauma. The story slowly reveals bits and pieces as we go. She has a daughter that she doesn't really have a relationship with but she thinks she will. After another bad breakup she moves back to her childhood home, that has been sitting empty for an indeterminate amount of time. She left at 15 and hasn't been back. We learn why later. She inherited the home after an aunt died 6 months before. It is in bad shape.
It is also an old stately victorian so it was going to need work anyway. It does have water and electric though so she isn't exactly squatting in the home she owns. She is broke, unemployed, and arrives with only the clothes on her back.
It gets really weird when she meets her old bestie and her ex husbands fiance. Then the house gets weird.

Good times.

A psychological thriller really creepy and dark.
Well written characters and overall a worthy read.
I did struggle to become absorbed to start with but worth my perseverance.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Firstly thank you for my chance to review .
I read Sophia’s debut in the summer of 2022 on holiday and remember absolutely being blown away by it . This book is just as good !

I whizzed through this and my goodness it is incredible . Chilling , haunting and unnerving at times .
As a ex drinker it was easy to relate to the feelings and temptations that lure you with alcohol,especially when dealing with a traumatic past .

Sophia’s descriptive and evocative writing captured the essence of the house so well I could feel the chill in the air and the ghostly presence .

Compelling and addictive , I had no idea where this was going .
Superb psychological thriller .

It’s been thirty years since I stepped foot in this house. Everything is just as I remember it. My bed, with the white headboard adorned with hearts. Even the kitchen’s flaky wallpaper — the same as when I was a child — still peels off the wall. The memories are as vivid as if they were yesterday. The day my mother vanished. The night my father died. The house hasn’t moved on. Neither can I. I can’t leave until I learn what happened all those years ago. Why my mother left. What really happened to my father. Every family home has secrets. I know that.

Superb! I love story of adults going back to deal with their traumatic childhoods. This was a real treat. Realistic characters, delightfully creepy places, the mystery, the plot twists. Definitely recommended if you enjoy thrillers!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

The Family Home by Sophia Spiers was exactly what I was hoping for, a gripping psychological thriller set in her creepy abandoned home. I was all in from the beginning, curious to see where it was going and it kept me guessing. I loved how the author gave us glimpses of the past, slowly building on what was already revealed. After finding out her live in love was cheating Eve took off to the only place she had left to go, the family home she inherited after running away at 15. After being abandoned by her mother, she ran away from her father only for him to commit suicide a week later. Drowning her guilt in booze only succeeded in causing her to loose custody of her daughter Delilah. Now sober and returning to her family home, she fights to get her life together and fix her relationship with her daughter. But instead of bringing her stability, the house has awakened something else, will she be able to stay sober or will her family home be her undoing?
I really enjoyed the the slow build up of what happened to Eve as a child, the house and the creepy atmosphere, it kept me guessing until the very end. I probably wouldn't have even considered Nic if not for the "blink, blink, blink," but the ending was better than I anticipated. Highly recommend this to those who love a twisty psychological thriller.

Thank you Netgalley and Joffe books for this ARC in exchange of my honest review.

Eve what a complex character with a colorful upbringing. Runs away from home and comes back after she was willed her childhood home. She reunites with Nic (Nicole) her childhood friend. Someone is sending her messages from inside the home, but whom? Or is Eve making this up? What does her past have to say? How will she get her daughter Delilah back and stay sober enough to do so? “The Family Home” is a tale allowing the reader to get inside the mind of Eve, leaving you guessing until the “happy” ending.

Thank you Net Galley and publisher for allowing me to provide an honest review of “The Family Home.”

my first read from this author and so enjoyed a very addictive and creepy read, Eve wants to get her life back on track and have her daughter back in her life. but she catches her partner with another woman, and she leaves. the only place she can go is her old childhood house no one wants to buy it .as soon as she sets foot in the house it's like it's been waiting for her. her old school friend still lives next door but their history there. and then the whispering in the walls start and writing on her laptop she realizes it's time to find ot what happened to her mum why she never came back won't say no more but a very addictive read

We meet Eve, a single women and mom of one, who is attempting to get her life back together. After a bad breakup, Eve decides to move into the family home she ran away from years ago and has now inherited. It brings nothing but bad memories, and after a series of ghostly encounters, Eve continues her destructive path of drinking and men, as she tries to fight the thought of losing her mind to the odd and scary events. Will she confront the past and finally get answers to the memories and questions she’s tried hard to forget?

I found this to be a toss up between a psychological thriller and psychological horror. I also found myself constantly questioning the actions of the protagonist, but she was a likeable character that I kept rooting for. A solid good mystery with a detailed story line that kept me interested from beginning to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for the arc in exchange of an honest review

This was so good! A psychological thriller that constantly keeps you guessing and chills you to the bones. The writing style was good and the twists kept coming. It was suspenseful and unputdownable. If you've enjoyed books by Freida McFadden or B. A. Paris I'd encourage you to pick up The Family Home

Well this description grabbed me from the start. I always look out for books that involve someone returning to a family home who has been gone for many years and I love a disappearance theme too, so naturally this ticked my boxes very well. I was excited to read this. Once I started I quickly realised this was set near to where I lived as a teenager - there was no putting this down!

The story itself fills you with questions and an unsettled feeling at times. The ways in which her feelings, fears, insecurities and past are all woven into the very fabric of the house is written so well. I was right there with her.

I questioned several of the people around her but didn't foresee the big twist. Our fears can make us very vulnerable and our minds can do a very good job of shielding us, but this leaves us making guesses, feeling responsible and that cascades down the years of our lives.

The ending was so positive. I yearned for her to have that moment and it gave this book a very satisfying ending. Thoroughly enjoyed this.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy of this book. I don't give five stars unless I truly love a book, this one deserves it.