The premise of this book instantly drew me in!

For me personally, it quickly fell flat. I guessed the who and why almost right away. Gary, her husband was honestly a horrible character and didn’t seem to care for her at all. I did like Lisa as a character!

The narrator was great, I listened at 1.5x.

The audiobook and story went quick and it did keep me listening, hence the 3 stars. I was just expecting more.

Make Yourself at Home was an engaging and suspenseful domestic thriller. The story follows Katherine and Gary, a typical suburban married couple that spends their days working and evening relaxing or hanging out with friends at the bar. When Lisa, a fellow teacher arrives at Katherine’s school, she feels sorry for her circumstances. Little does she know, Lisa is her husband’s estranged sister and when this is revealed, they invite her into their home as she has had some bad luck.. After she arrives, strange occurrences begin to happen & Katherine begins to wonder is Lisa behind it all and is there more to Gary & Lisa’s story than she realized!

Overall, very well paced, with satisfying conclusion. I never found myself bored from this story and plan on reading more by Wendy Clarke! Would definitely recommend. Lucy Paterson did very well with the narration in the audiobook! Fans of domestic suspense will enjoy this story! Thank you Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for this advanced listening copy. All opinions are my own.

‘Can I trust my husband?’

"Who knows about my past and is targeting me with threatening notes?"

These are the two questions repeatedly asked by the book's frazzled wife/teacher protagonist.

This entertaining thriller was a quick and satisfying read. although it lacked the depth I craved.

I listened to the audiobook, expertly narrated by Lucy Paterson.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have trust issues after reading/listening to this book. I was constantly switching between three different people and who to believe - basically don’t believe anyone because anyone could be lying! There is nothing worse than believing and trusting a character that betrays you later in the story. Around the last 10-15 chapters I was able to put the pieces together so I wasn’t quite as shocked at the plot twist as others seemed to be but I was still satisfied knowing that I got it correct. I listened to it as an audiobook so it was quite fun and there were a few times where I looked up at the invisible camera because a character did something wrong, stupid, rude, bad, etc. The book felt more so like a mystery than a thriller because I didn’t seem to be on the edge of my seat BUT all in all it was a good read and I enjoyed it.

This book wasted no time jumping into things and grabbing our attention and I can honestly say I stayed hooked and fully invested in the story throughout. Following Katherine, a teacher looking to become head of the English department and her husband Gary we see the couple allow trainee teacher and the woman Katherine is mentoring, Lisa, to stay in their home after Katherine discovers she has been struggling for a place to sleep. We find out soon that Lisa is in fact Gary's sister and he is not all to happy about his wife invitation for her to stay in their home. Does he have a reason to be annoyed? Are things changing since Lisa moved in?

This book was full of twists and turns and if you're a fan of authors such as C.L. Taylor and Lisa Jewell this is going to be right up your street. The book was well paced and the back story we had for Katherine drew us in as readers and made you question so much. Throughout I found myself make theories as to what may be coming and it made for a fun and intense read. I did find the final twist to be a little predictable but there were moments of this book I found to be darker than I was expecting it to be. We see secrets exposed, shock revelations and relation ships between characters that run deep and keep you guessing.

The narration on this book was brilliant (narrated by Lucy Patterson) and I was able to get through the book really quickly. This was a fun, intense, and at times dark twisty thriller that I would recommend to my fellow thriller lovers looking for a quick read that will keep you guessing and invested.

Make Yourself at Home had me hooked from the very beginning. This fast-paced thriller tells the story of Katherine, a teacher, and her husband Gary. They appear to be a happy couple until the day Lisa comes into their lives. Lisa is a new teacher at the school who Katherine takes under her wing as a mentee. When she finds out that Lisa's family has kicked her out of the house and she has nowhere to stay, Katherine invites her to stay with them and is shocked to find out that Lisa is Gary's sister. Suddenly things begin to deteriorate between Katherine and Gary, as seeds of mistrust are planted.

While I figured out the ending pretty early on, it was only a theory, so I was still kept guessing until the end. The characters and their relationships were very well developed and seemed so natural. The different plot twists sprinkled throughout drew me in even more. and I could not put this book down until it was completed. This was my first book by Wendy Clarke, but certainly not my last!

I listened to the audio version of this book, performed by Lucy Paterson who did an exceptional job tell the story and bringing the characters to life.

Thank you to Bookouture for the ARC audio version of this book. I very much enjoyed it!

I was lucky enough to receive this as an ARC from NetGalley.

Wendy pulls you in from beginning. Full of secrets, full of twists and turns.

Loved it!

Make Yourself at Home was an audio arc by an unknown, to me, author. I expected a beach read feel, and that turned out true. Not a lot of thinking required. It seemed pretty obvious to me and I'm really not a good guesser.

My ambivalence about the book comes from the fact there wasn't a single character I liked. Main characters, Catherine, Gary and Lisa - Lisa being the newbie in town, sister to Gary, who is husband to Catherine. Sigh. Teachers, a school, past mysteries, everybody does bad things. I never considered DNFing, so that's a plus.

Who can you trust????? Now that is the question in Wendy Clarke's gripping, twisted, and secret filled Make Yourself at Home! Everything was fine in Cath and Gary's life. They have a happy marriage, enjoy their careers, and have good friends. But then Gary's sister, Lisa, began working at Cath's school. When Lisa mentions that she has nowhere to go, Cath brings her home and Gary begins to change. Plus, what is going on with the notes that Cath is receiving??? Enter stress and drama stage left!

I had no idea where this book was going or what was going to happen, but I enjoyed this twist filled ride. Along the way I came up with several theories and thought I had figured things out, but boy was I so very wrong. I was not close at all - not by a long shot. I enjoyed the mounting tension, the uncertainty, the doubt, the suspicion, and twists that Wendy Clarke so deftly wove into the plot.

The secrets, lies, twists, and turns kept my turning the pages and wanting to know how things were going to end up. I did not see one reveal coming and I love it when that happens. I had the privilege of having both the audiobook and the e-book versions of Make Yourself at Home. I thought the narrator of the audiobook did a great job in bringing this book to life.

Gripping, tense, shocking and well thought out!

Make Yourself at Home started out intriguing and I kept reading to learn more. Unfortunately, like many people I meet, the more I got to know the story, the less interesting it became. The title gives one impression; the plot went in another direction. By book’s end, I ceased to care who the culprit was, though I did not see the twist coming. This was my first by this author and though I am not impressed, I will give her another chance. The story was interesting enough for me to see it through, so there is potential there. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love a twisty thriller so when I saw this author had a new book out that was available on audiobook, I jumped at the chance to listen too it via NetGalley!
And I’m so glad I did!!
There’s secrets, twists and lies aplenty that just made me want to keep listening, especially as the narrator does a fabulous job of bringing this story to life as she puts her voice to the characters.
A great thriller that will definitely get you thinking who has done what with a steady pace that kept me wanting to find out what was going on!

3.5 ⭐️ Katherine and Gary’s marriage is strained - Gary is bored, Katherine feels unappreciated. She begins mentoring a new teacher at the school where she teaches, and she’s also interviewing for a promotion at work.. finally feeling like she can put her past behind her. She quickly discovers that the other teacher, Lisa, has been sleeping in her classroom due to having nowhere to stay. Katherine lets the young teacher move in with her and her husband, and, shortly after, incidents begin happening at school. As tension increases and suspicions mount, to include Katherine’s car being torched in the school parking lot, Katherine and Gary’s relationship falls into turmoil as she doesn’t know who she can trust or who’s to blame.

I enjoyed listening to this book, and it kept me intrigued throughout the entire audiobook! I think this book falls a little short for me in that the mystery unraveled in a pretty straightforward manner, and I had a pretty strong feeling about who the culprit was, well before actually getting to the reveal. I would’ve liked a little bit more twistiness, and I think the part of the story involving her brother could’ve been more fleshed out or had more to it. Nevertheless, still an enjoyable listen - and the narrator did a great job!

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to this twisty ride of a book 😊

4.25⭐️
Wow! I haven’t liked a book this predictable in a long while! I know that’s a strange way to start a review but while I sorted the culprit very early on there were plenty of second guessing myself along the way and I loved how the story itself unraveled.

While the plot is centered around suspense filled situations befalling the FMC Catherine there is some subtext of dealing with relationships and how they change over time.
I also personally love books that take place in the UK as I always learn or get reminded of kernels of information that I find fascinating.


I am thankful to have gotten the audio ALC for free from Bookouture through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

I think I found a new narrator to add to my very short list of voice artists to seek out. Lucy Patterson did a fantastic job with her recitation. She spoke at a perfect pace for the 1x speed and her voice was such a treat to listen to. She reminded me of a young Davina Porter at times and I just melted into listening to her accented speech. She also handled doing the male voices rather well. I look forward to hearing more from Ms Patterson as well as reading more of the authors backlist.

The book comes out on March 5th 2025. If you’re a thriller lover be sure to get this one on your TBR!
My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Thank you Netgally for the free advance copy of the Audiobook.

I am giving this book a 3/5. The story had me 
most of the time, but was overall missing something for me. The ending was surprising to me, since I was convinced that I knew who was blackmailing Kath. I was also happy to hear in the epilogue that Kath did not return to her husband.

Lisa having the picture of Kath's brother was weird, and I knew she was not a suspect from that, since it would have been too obvious. A printed article about the incident or a printed obituary would have thrown me off completely.

I hated Gary from the beginning, I clocked him as an abusive man from the start.

The narrator of the book was good and engaging. I had a difficult time understanding her in the beginning because of her accent (I am not British, but Canadian.) She kept me entertained, book was easy to listen to, even at 1.5 x speed (I listen to audiobooks at different speeds depending on what I am doing).

Congratulations to Wendy on her book, and thank you again for the copy!

My Review of Make Yourself at Home by Wendy Clarke
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.6/5 rounded up)

Wendy Clarke delivers a twisty, fast-paced domestic thriller in Make Yourself at Home. While the plot felt familiar—reminiscent of Don’t Let Her Stay—it still managed to keep me hooked from start to finish. The twists came at just the right moments, and the sense of unease built steadily throughout the book.

Characters: 4/5
The characters were well-developed for the most part, each serving a clear purpose in the story. I especially hated the way Gary treated his wife, which made him easy to despise. It’s always a sign of strong writing when a character can evoke such a strong reaction.

Setting: 3/5
The setting wasn’t anything particularly special. It did the job, but there wasn’t anything memorable or atmospheric about it.

Plot: 4/5
The plot was definitely the book’s strongest point. It kept me turning pages and second-guessing who to trust. If you like fast-paced domestic thrillers with plenty of twists, this one won’t disappoint.

Emotional Impact: 3/5
While I was engaged with the story, I didn’t feel particularly connected to the characters’ emotions. It’s more of a plot-driven read than a deeply emotional one.

Personal Enjoyment: 4/5
Overall, this was a fun, binge-worthy thriller. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s a solid choice if you’re in the mood for a quick, twisty read.

Entertaining and well narrated!

But, I wish I liked it more. I don’t mind a predictable thriller but even though I called this one early I felt there were more turns coming and was excited to see how those paid off.

It does feel like there’s some loose ends here that I wish were more patched up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ALC!

A solid quick read, ideal for those who enjoy a twisty thriller.
'Make yourself at Home' centres around Catherine, a school teacher who has a seemingly happy marriage with Gary and is hoping for a promotion at school. Things take a turn when Catherine invites Lisa, a trainee teacher at her school, to live with them when she discovers she had been made homeless.
A little unrealistic at times and a bit of a flat ending but nonetheless an entertaining quick read which was very well narrated.
I am grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced listener copy of this book.

Make Yourself at Home by Wendy Clarke

3⭐️

This was a quick read with lots of twists and tension. The narrator really brought the characters to life. The plot was just okay for me

A great captivating psychological thriller that got me hooked. The story was really good with some amazing twists.

The narrator was excellent and gives life to the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher Bookouture Audio for the ARC (audiobook).

This book had a lot of potential… while I did appreciate the twists in the story… it just didn’t hold my interest.
I did finish it… but it just felt long and not overly interesting