It’s the house of Ashlyn’s dreams. She has a husband she loves, and a new business that is exciting.
However, there is someone out there kidnapping women who look like her- red hair, green eyes, her age, and Ashlyn has fears.
The more she worries, the farther apart she and her husband become. Ashlyn has nightmares that she herself will be abducted. She even begins to suspect her husband!

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.
I’m giving it 3 stars for effort.
I’ve read much better books by Theo Baxter.

This was a good book. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters. It was an easy read that pulled me in right at the beginning. Having said that it was not my fav read by this author.

Thank you, NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book. It has already been released and currently trying to get through some of the books I need to read and review. I had a lot of issues with this book. My first one is that the title has NOTHING to do with the book. The main character hears creepy things happening in her home a few times but, nothing really comes of it. Second, the husband is pretty controlling but, it never explains why. Third, it was so freaking slow with little payoff.

This book is not one I’ll recommend to friends.

Enjoy the premise of this book. There were a few twists and turns but it could be rather repetitive. The characters irritated me at times and I found it difficult to fully engage with the story through to the end.

Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be reading another book by this author. I have received 2 of their books as advanced reader copies, and the writing style is not for me. The premise for the story was good: a woman marries a rich man with some not so great personality traits, they build their dream home complete with a man cave that seems off-limits, women who look like her start going missing, problems arise in marriage and suspicions emerge especially after her own sister goes missing. However, it is so drawn out, and introspective. This wouldn't be a problem if the main characters in these novels weren't so very annoying. The character development for the rest of the individuals in the book is so lacking that it doesn't make up for anything.

The one good thing I have to say is that the author so blatantly tries to point you in one direction that you don't really actually guess where it's going. Other than that, this author just isn't for me.

i feel like the female protagonist could’ve been smarter. she felt dense and ignored so many red flags and signs. you can also tell, without looking at the cover, that she’s written by a male author. she felt almost robotic.

there was also a lot of repetitiveness throughout the book. ashlyn and mason are seated, he says something manipulative and out of pocket, ashlyn gets angry, mason ignores her emotions and disappears into his “man cave” or stays overnight at his firm, ashlyn thinks he’s having an affair, she cries herself to sleep, mason apologizes and promises to do better, she forgives him, repeat ten thousand times.

Loved this book. The story was so good! I love a good mystery/ thriller and this one definitely had me on the edge of my seat the whole time!

This book had enough suspense to just maintain my interest. It made me feel really uncomfortable because Mason completely controlled everything about Ashley’s life. Who has a new home built, but is not allowed to see it until it is completely finished? That’s weird! There were red flags everywhere from the very beginning and let that be a warning to everyone. I thought the ending was wrapped up super quickly too and without wanting to give anything away, it just seemed all too easy. Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ugh, I wanted to give this 5⭐️, but there’s just no way I can. Loved the premise of the story, the build up, the red-flags galore! The naive housewife, the narcissistic husband, the aloof family. The sinister kidnappings … it was all soooooo good, until it wasn’t. I was gripped about 20% in with my own theory a put what was going on, and I was completely wrong. However the kidnapper was somewhat unbelievable … there was no real spoken reason why (a lot of theories), and so many loose ends …
***** POSSIBLE SPOILERS? *****
Why was Mason so over protective? Why was he overly secretive? Why was the house broken into and destroyed? What was to motive for the kidnappings?
If you like domestic thrillers, give it a read, just know the ending may disappoint you.

Having read a few Theo Baxter books I knew what to expect this was a good enjoyable read. I flew through it. Nothing spectacular but would read more of his books again. Thank you for the opportunity to review

Theo Baxter has some of the best books and this one did not disappoint at all. I felt going into the book I already knew what the outcome would be though that twist definitely got me. As a female this story is creepy and as a reader the creepiness is exactly what keeps you into the story. Well done again Theo!

Ashlyn and Nason have been married for 5 years and finally move into their dream home designed by Mason. From the moment they move in their relationship changes. Ashlyn tries to figure out what’s going on and lets her mind wander to all sorts of scenarios. The story keeps you guessing what will ultimately happen but it’s not what you expect. I was truly surprised by how it ended but it was such a great twist at the same time.

Thank you for allowing me to preview this title. Unfortunately I quit reading about 25% in as I just couldn't get into the story. I just couldn't connect with the story or the characters. Best wishes on this title and thank you again.

This is another fabulously dark thriller by Theo Baxter. It’s a fast paced and engaging read, and one that I’d definitely recommend. The book comes with plenty of twists and an unexpected ending.

With an intriguing synopsis, Theo Baxter presents the Dream Home as a domestic thriller, and he definitely delivers on that front.

Ashlyn feels like everything is perfect - until it isn't. Until paranoia stalks her. Until her own sister is taken in the same way despite her husband telling her she's overthinking. Ashlyn's perfect world turns out to be fabrication, and we are along for the ride.

The acknowledgement to domestic violence and how it was portrayed was interesting to see. I do feel like something more could have been added to make the plot a little cohesive. Overall though, this was a good, decent thriller that did the job. I had an inkling about where the plot was going, but I was mostly pleasantly surprised by the end.

Anyone who loves domestic thrillers will surely love this. Thank you to Inkubator books for the arc!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #InkubatorBooks for the book #TheDreamHome by #TheoBaxter. Ashlyn and Mason have just moved into their dream home, one that her husband designed. Not long after moving in, women, who resemble herself and her sister Karina, start disappearing. Ashlyns dreams start making her suspicious. Then her sister turns up missing and she starts questioning what her husband is really up to. Could he be behind

*** SPOILER ALERT ***

"The Dream Home" by Theo Baxter is a psychological thriller that disappoints on several fronts. The novel is bogged down by excessive monologues that make it an exhausting read.

The main character is unbelievably naive, and her relationship with her husband, Mason, is shallow and unconvincing. The characters are all one-dimensional, lacking the complexity needed to engage readers. While the writing style is decent, the pacing suffers, and shorter chapters would have been an improvement. There are several repetitions and unnecessary dream sequences which the MC takes way too seriously. She actually starts suspecting that her husband is kidnapping young girls because of some dreams that she had and justifies it as such to her mother in law.

Additionally, the sudden shift from a domestic thriller to a storyline involving kidnapped victims feels jarring and amateurish. In my opinion, the book should not be named "The dream house", as the story has very little to do with the house. It should rather be named "Monologues of a foolish housewife".

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Actual rating: 1.5/5

It always makes me sad when I don’t enjoy a book, especially if it’s from a genre I love. It was a page-turner from the start, but the story felt like playing connect the dots where the dots just wouldn’t connect.

HIT 🎯
✅ The characterization of a manipulative and gaslighting husband was on point. Mason, Ashlyn's husband, really got on my nerves.
✅ I couldn’t put it down, so I stayed up late to finish it—definitely a page-turner.
✅ There were plenty of misleading clues which I loved.

MISS ❌
❎ The book title and the story were the biggest red herrings; they had no connection.
❎ Ashlyn, the female main character, was incredibly frustrating throughout the story. I felt like shaking her or giving her a slap to make her see sense.
❎ Unnecessary repetition of scenes
❎ The twist in the story was anticlimactic, and the ending felt rushed.

Thank you @netgalley and @inkubatorbooks for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book this was my first thriller by this author, and it didn’t disappoint it gripped me and I didn’t want to stop reading, plenty of twist and turns I definitely didn’t see coming! I really enjoyed this thriller.

The Dream Home:
Ashlyn has the perfect husband and her dream home. Is it all a lie? Her perfect world is about to fall apart when women go missing who look very similar to Ashlyn and her sister, Karina. Then Karina goes missing & Ashlyn is starting to believe her husband is involved when she finds that the truth is more terrifying than she imagined!!
This gripping psychological thriller keeps you captivated until the end!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc