This is the fifth book I have read by this author and unfortunately also my least favorite. On the positive side, it's a quick read with enough suspense to maintain interest. It also was able to generate emotions as the plot unfolded. I was extremely frustrated with the protagonist and many of her questionable decisions. There was one character who enraged me with their backward thinking and views. I increased my rating from two to three stars based on that reason. I was hoping for more twists at the end but was satisfied with most of the events that led to the conclusion. Thank you Booksprout and Inkubator Books for my copy.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

*The Dream Home* kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! This twisty thriller had me second-guessing everything, and I loved it. Ashlyn’s seemingly perfect life starts unraveling as women who resemble her and her sister, Karina, start disappearing. The suspense builds as Ashlyn's suspicions grow, especially when her sister goes missing, and Mason, her husband, seems to be hiding something. I couldn't stop turning the pages as Ashlyn digs deeper into the mystery. The shocking truth that unfolds is nothing like I expected, and it left me reeling. If you're looking for a thrilling, unpredictable read, this one's definitely worth it!

Ashlyn and Mason are finally moving into their dream home. Mason, an architect, has been working on building them the perfect house and although Ashlyn hasn't been allowed to see the progress, she has picked out everything for the interiors. Now that the house is finally done she is so excited to move in and hopefully start planning for children. The house is far from town and her family, which Ashlyn isn't too keen about, but she trusts Mason and knows he only does what is best for them. Unfortunately, once moved in, nothing seems to be going right. Ashlyn and Mason's relationship is on the rocks and she wonders if she ever truly knew her husband of 5 years. To make matters worse, someone is kidnapping women who look eerily like Ashlyn, and she constantly feels as if she's being followed. Mason scoffs at her concerns and frequently disappears to his man cave for hours at night. When Ashlyn's sister disappears, she begins to wonder if maybe Mason is behind the kidnappings.
The premise of this book was really good, unfortunately the story just didn't come together well. The first half of the book is a repetition of Ashlyn's thoughts and worries about her relationship with Mason, her family, and being followed. It picks up a bit when she starts to suspect her husband, but still fails to move forward. Then all of a sudden, there's some random twists and then the story is over. All the build up seemed to have really led nowhere relevant. The ending had barely anything to do with what went on in the rest of the book. Ashlyn, our main character, was annoying, I felt like reaching in and shaking her for being stupid. The other characters in the book were pretty useless and not even worth mentioning. I hate to say that I actually liked Mason because at least he had some personality, even if it was bad.

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkubator Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The only thing saving this book for me was the twist - and even that was only partly surprising. No matter how shocking the ending was meant to be, I was skimming by this point because I could not handle the blatant red flags being ignored and justified. It’s difficult to root for Ashlyn, who comes off just looking like a flat out spineless idiot. And people do change over time, especially in marriage, but how Mason managed to be amazing for 5 years and then completely change over the course of like a month is unbelievable.

Book Review: The Dream Home by Theo Baxter
Rating: 4 Stars

The Dream Home by Theo Baxter delivers a dark, gripping story with intense themes, including rape, abuse, violence, and blood, so it’s important to approach it with these trigger warnings in mind. Baxter’s writing style is engaging, and the character development is well-crafted, making it easy to become invested in the characters and their experiences.

The pacing, however, is a bit slower than ideal. Some parts seem to drag, which might test the patience of readers looking for a faster-paced thriller. That said, the slower build-up does add a certain tension, and the payoff is worth it. The ending is unexpected, filled with twists that keep you guessing until the final page. Overall, despite the slower pacing, The Dream Home is a solid thriller with impressive twists and well-developed characters, earning a strong 4-star rating.

Thank you for an arc copy of this book! I have started it multiple times and read a few chapters but can’t seem to get into it. I don’t like leaving bad reviews so I haven’t left any.

I appreciate your work and story but it just wasn’t for me. Thanks again!

Interesting read about an architect and his wife and their new home. The prologue made me want to read more. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get into this book and it was a DNF for me.

This book had some interesting plot development, but it took nearly 65% of the book to come together. I found myself wondering when was Ashlyn going to look in the basement!!! (That’s not a spoiler, but was a frustrating point of development. )
Overall, the story let me down and finished with disappointment. The first half didn’t really match the second half.

The Dream Home was a quick read.

The protagonist can’t figure out why her husband has become so cold after moving into a home an hour from the city. She wonders what secrets he holds. There is also a serial kidnapper in the city.

This book has some trigger warnings like: rape, abuse, blood, violence and sexual assault.

I liked the writing style and character development.
The pacing was a little bit slower than I would prefer, at some points it seemed like it was dragging on forever.

The ending proved to be unexpected, with several surprising twists.

Thriller readers would probablly like it and it deserves a fair shot so I do recommend it.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was definitely a different take on one of Theo’s book.

The storyline was there and there were twists and turns but the one thing I struggled with was the repeating of sentences within a paragraph.
About drove me crazy.

I like Theo’s books and have read quite a few but this one was kind of hard at times.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my access to review.
I’ve read a few of this authors books and this was my favourite .
Fast paced and full of tension .
Things aren’t what they seem .
Unpredictable and atmospheric .
The ending However I found to be rushed and didn’t unconnected .

In this book by Theo Baxter, the main character, Ashlyn gets her dream home and with it comes a lot of emotional torture, secrets, and lies. This gripping novel is filled with suspense, unexpected twists, and a mounting sense of dread, making it a must-read for fans of domestic thrillers. I do want to add a trigger warning for rape, and sexuakl assault because there is quite a lot of it in detail towards the last part of the book. All in all, I would recommend it for an easy, interesting beach read.

Thank you to netgalley and inkubator books publishing for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

If I could just shake the main character, that would be great. Like girlfriend what are you thinking. Your husbands one big red flag. Great book, great twists, finished in one night!

This was a nice little mystery. I was never bored. Just when you think you know, I promise, you have no idea!

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkubator for letting me read this ARC.

The plot line was a little confused and then it very quickly got pretty dark and graphic. The main character, Ashlyn was frustrating at times.

Although I didn't mind the book, at times I struggled to carry on reading it. Not one of my favourites by this author I'm afraid

Another cracking read by Theo Baxter. A book full of twists and turns hard to put down once you start.

I could not wait for this book to be done. It just seemed to drag on forever and ever. It was so repetitive. It was slow and there was no action until late in the book and when there was it was very vague. The title didn’t really go with the story either.

Enjoyed the plot, even though it was a bit far fetched and slow at times. Which wife would ignore the red flags given off from the husband. The mood swings, a subtle but controlling nature, disappearing at night and a locked basement “man cave”. All I can say is love is blind, but only for so long!! All in all not a bad read.

The perfect life with the perfect husband, what more could you want? Ashlyn, pretty much has it made! However, it all comes crumbling down when women start to go missing, and she starts to suspect her perfect husband of not only kidnapping but also cheating! Fast-paced read with a twist you won't see coming! I thought I had it figured out, but I was so wrong! This was my first Theo Baxter book, and judging on this one, I'll definitely be reading more!

Thank you Inkubator Books, Theo Baxter and Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

ARC review - The Dream Home by Theo Baxter

Thank you, @netgalley for this ARC for me to review.
This is first book I've read from Theo Baxter. This physiological thriller will keep you guessing 'the evil one' until the very end. The only negative thing is it's too many monologues . That's it.