Received as an ARC from Net Galley. Suspenseful psychological thriller. Great twists in the end. I liked how the story was told from multiple perspectives and alternating time lines.

I finished Our House a few months ago and can't get the ending out of my head. There are so many twists, one that I should have seen coming, but didn't. Without spoiling the ending - it was twisted in a very different way. It was a very good, so messed up, ending! I look forward to reading Louise Candlish's other novels!

As Fiona “Fi” comes up to her house she notices a moving van and strangers moving furniture into her house. That can’t be right, she wasn’t expecting any furniture deliveries but as she enters her home she realizes it’s not one object but a new family moving into her home. How can this be?

The couple who believe they are the new owners don’t understand what is going on but they have all the documents and are trying to help calm down Fi. She’s trying to locate her estranged husband and her children but she can’t get a hold of Bram and it looks like the set up she had with Bram, just like their marriage was all based on lies.

Fiona’s marriage to Bram was pretty much over when she caught him cheating on her in their garden. Their boys asleep inside the house. That was too much but rather than disrupt the children’s lives they come to an accord, the Bird’s Nest. She’ll stay with the boys during the week and Bram can stay with them during the weekends. Meanwhile whoever is not at the Bird’s Nest, is staying at the Baby Deco, a cozy apartment nearby.

What Fi never knew was that all the while she was trying to move on with her life, even attempting a new relationship, Bram had some serious issues he had been covering up. From losing his driver’s license to other greater misdeeds which he is trying to stay ahead of by lying to everyone around him.

The story is split between Fi’s account and Bram’s narrative he’s put to paper. Will they get a chance to make amends to those they’ve hurt or will neither one escape unharmed by all the lies?

I enjoyed the double-narrative because I got to see the action as it developed based on the other’s viewpoint. While I felt for Fiona and the mess Bram created for their family, I also was so upset about Bram. He was a character he wasn’t coming to terms with the consequences of his bad decisions. Definitely suspenseful because you want to know how this will be resolved and definitely shocked by the ending. I do recommend this if you enjoy domestic thrillers.

We've all experienced that sinking feeling when we realize we've left our phone or wallet somewhere, knowing very well that it will never be seen again. Louise Candlish takes this feeling and magnifies it to an unfathomable state of panic when Fiona Lawson arrives home to find a couple she has never seen before moving all of their things into her empty house.

Readers are taken through the inner workings of “a marital atrocity so heinous it made adultery seem like charity…” The more Fi learns about her husband's secrets and lies, the more her life unravels.

Candlish does an amazing job of keeping readers on their toes, perfectly toeing the line between a completely farfetched yet terrifyingly possible series of events. I had high expectations for this book and Candlish certainly delivered. I would LOVE to see this made into a movie!




This author is a master at portraying the devious side to human nature, as well as the profound weaknesses and strengths. I thought I ‘should‘ be on Fiona’s side in the conflict, yet the author’s talented writing had me actually rooting for Bram at least half of the time. He was a weak, weak, man. Charming but weak. You almost wanted to mother him. He completely takes responsibility for the tragic turn his life has taken. He knows that what he has done to Fiona and his two beloved boys is all down to him.

While reading this novel I felt a deep sense of unease, some might call it foreboding.

Many thriller novels come with the warnings that they contain plot twists. This one has the best twists I’ve read since reading Clare Mackintosh’s “I let you go“. This is a thriller that checks ALL the boxes for me. A very clever plot, characterization, setting, writing…. Kudos to Louise Candlish for making me a huge fan with just one novel. I will definitely seek out her other work with relish. Highly recommended to everyone who has ever enjoyed reading thrillers of the ‘domestic noir’ variety.

This is a domestic thriller that will have you constantly assessing your own life and hoping that what is happening in the book won't or can't happen to you! Twisty, unreliable, and unexpected. It took me longer to read the book than it should have because of the amount of life craziness I had going on at the time. I'm trying to go back and complete reviews (albeit short ones!) for all the books I finished last year on NetGalley that I didn't have time to review then.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for a copy to read and honestly review*

I really wanted to like this book, but it was just silly. I would not recommend reading this. I thought it was going to be a thriller or something equally as mesmerizing.

As many have already said, this book does go a bit longer than necessary and definitely lags in the middle. Also, the supposed podcast interview never really read like someone telling a story out loud, but that’s being nitpicky.

Overall it was still a good story with some satisfying twist and turns (some I saw coming, one I definitely should have seen coming), particularly around the 70% mark where I finally started to feel like I cared about Fi’s plight. I didn’t expect that ending either!

This book follows Fiona Lawson who comes home one day to find strangers moving into her house and her husband missing. Where is her husband? And why are strangers moving into her house?…these questions are answered pretty quickly and then the book sort of shows you how it all came to pass. In that way it was a little boring because once you understood the endgame, it was just watching the scenario unfold – not that that was bad, it just wasn’t the most exciting. It was still interesting but you kind of knew where it was going…although I will say there was a bit of a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming…and one twist in the middle that I did kind of see coming eventually. It was good though, I would definitely read another from this author.

While I would be hard-pressed to call this book a thriller, it was pretty suspenseful at times. It primarily involves domestic suspense issues such as infidelity, lies, and betrayal, with some murder thrown in for good measure. At times it moved slower than I would have liked.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is in the mood for a tense chick-lit novel a la Big Little Lies.

This book was gifted to me and i loved it, it is definitely a page turner and don't start reading if you have plans! I loved the twists and turns throughout the book and the changes in sympathies throughout. I will be definately gifting this to my friends.....enjoy!

The beginning really intrigued me. Imagine coming home to find another family living in your house! This premise begs so many questions...how could this happen? Is the Ex-husband to blame? WE hear from the husband in alternating chapters which was ok but not my favorite type of structure. The story is also told using a television show and Twitter like format which I didn't enjoy. I prefer stories just be told and this felt too gimmicky for my taste. What I had the hardest time with was the fact that the same story is told from two perspectives so I felt that everything was bing repeated, especially in the middle part of the book. This bogged down the pace for me. In the end, this wasn't for me but others may enjoy the concept and a few of the twists and turns

This novel was a kind of quiet thriller rather than a heart-stopping thriller. It was a slow burn. I really did enjoy it, although it took me longer than expected to finish it. The writing is really great and I love the different formats that were used, though at times jumping from different POVs could be confusing. I loved the idea of incorporating a podcast into a book.

There were different plot twists and intricate plot details throughout the novel that kept tugging the reader along, to make them want to finish it and find out what was happening next.

Told from three perspectives, "Our House" takes readers on a thrilling emotional ride. It includes enough twists and turns to keep readers engaged, but the plot is not complicated or confusing.
One thing I didn't like is the ending. Even though it kept me guessing until the last word, I kept hoping for a bigger twist that didn't happen. I also didn't appreciate the sexual content and cursing sprinkled throughout the book.
If you're looking for a thrilling, modern book that will keep your attention, try "Our House."

This was a little different than your typical psychological thriller. Fun and addicting. It had a unique premise that draws you in on the first page. It occasionally feels like it's dragging out, but I was still in page-turning mode throughout.

Love the premise of this book and enjoyed the book but thought the author could have made it more realistic. Fiona was introduced as a career mother yet her instincts were so bad. Not only did her husband have many secrets but then she falls for a swindler.
I was able to get past some of those faults and enjoy reading the book.

Candlish begins her novel with what seems to be a simple misunderstanding - why would someone be inside your house, saying they've bought it. What happens next takes the readers and characters down a rabbit hole of twists and turns, where people you know turn out to be strangers and danger lurks close to home.

It took me awhile to actually write this review because I was rather conflicted. I wanted to like Our House - the cover is beautiful, the premise is brilliant, but something just did not click for me. *sigh*

The story begins by Fiona returning home from a weekend away to find another family living in HER house. Fiona is understandably confused and panicked so she calls her husband, Bram, to sort everything out. But Bram is no where to be found! Where is Bram? Where are their children? What is going on?

So as you can see, the premise is quite brilliant but I would not categorize this as a thriller. It did not keep me on my toes like a normal thriller or suspense novel would. It was rather predictable which drove me insane and the main characters were not likable.

The ending actually was rather interesting but the middle seemed to dragged. I would say this is more of a domestic thriller. If that is what you are looking for then pick this up.

Louise Candlish has taken domestic noir to new and disturbing heights!

We have all, at one time or another, misplaced our wallets, or had them stolen. We can all relate to the period of panic that that type of experience generates. Imagine then… what if someone stole your house???

We begin “Our House” with Fiona Lawson arriving home to find another couple moving in to HER house. They say they’ve bought it! Her distress, panic, hurt, and confusion is palpable. The house, located in a desirable area of London is worth more than two million pounds. With investigation, the sale is proven to be legal with estate agents and lawyers involved.

To Fi’s knowledge it was never for sale so how could this other couple own it? Where are all of her possessions? the furniture, clothing and children’s toys etc.? She loves her house. It is home to her and her two young sons.

Due to an act of adultery her husband Bram only lives at the house on weekends. The couple decided it would be best for the boys if they adopted what is called ‘bird’s nest’ custody. The boys staying in the house while the parents take turns living there with them. The idea is that this will be a less disturbing and more stable environment for the children. Their co-parenting seems to be working out well.

Yet now, when Fi needs him most, Bram is nowhere to be found. His phone seems to be turned off. No one has seen him. Left in an unimaginable predicament, Fi struggles to come to terms with this profound traumatic event.

“A marital atrocity so heinous it made adultery seem like charity…”

The days and weeks following this trauma show Fi participating in a podcast called “the Victim” in which her story is told from her point of view. Understandably, she finds it almost impossible to get her head around the fact that her husband has betrayed her in this horrific way.

“just another unforgivable man”

Meanwhile, the reader is also privy to her husband Bram’s point of view. Filled with wrenching guilt he admits to his devastating betrayal of his family. He was driven to this betrayal by blackmail – his feeling of being trapped and terrorized culminates in depression, panic attacks, and ultimately…heartbreak.

As the reader realizes just what Bram did, and how events transpired to lead him to this point makes for a compelling story. A culmination of bad choices, indiscretions, and yes, even criminal acts, all added up to be more than one person could live with.

After the podcast, Fiona’s story is far from over. Just when you thought you had it all figured out, the author throws a few curve-balls your way. Plot twists make you wonder just what more could possibly happen to this fractured family. Then, at the very end of the book, there is yet another twist that will chill you to the core.

MY THOUGHTS

This is my first Louise Candlish novel. WOW! What just happened?

This author is a master at portraying the devious side to human nature, as well as the profound weaknesses and strengths. I thought I ‘should‘ be on Fiona’s side in the conflict, yet the author’s talented writing had me actually rooting for Bram at least half of the time. He was a weak, weak, man. Charming but weak. You almost wanted to mother him. He completely takes responsibility for the tragic turn his life has taken. He knows that what he has done to Fiona and his two beloved boys is all down to him.

While reading this novel I felt a deep sense of unease, some might call it foreboding.

Many thriller novels come with the warnings that they contain plot twists. This one has the best twists I’ve read since reading Clare Mackintosh’s “I let you go“. This is a thriller that checks ALL the boxes for me. A very clever plot, characterization, setting, writing…. Kudos to Louise Candlish for making me a huge fan with just one novel. I will definitely seek out her other work with relish. Highly recommended to everyone who has ever enjoyed reading thrillers of the ‘domestic noir’ variety.

Fiona and Abraham Lawson have it all: well-paying jobs, a beautiful house in a posh London neighborhood, and two lovely kids. They're Fi and Bram! They're like basically every couple in suspense novels: so caught up in their white privilege that they can't help but totally destroy everything they've worked so hard to create. (Seriously, this is a perplexing theme with thrillers, but we can talk about it later.) Fiona comes home one day to find her house being occupied by a couple she's never met, and they are thoroughly convinced that they've legally purchased it. She can't find her husband, her kids, or her stuff. The shit has been thrown, made its arc, and officially hit the fan, but she never saw any of it happen. Supposedly.

Louise Candlish formatted this novel in an intriguing way: Fiona's narrative unfolds via her participation in a podcast that highlights the stories of victims. (If anyone's curious, it's called The Victim.) Fi is forgiving to a fault, but she is desperate to prevent their cozy bubble from bursting for her children. She's charming, and despite her flaws, you can't help but root for her.

Bram's narrative is in the form of a confession letter, and this isn't a spoiler, because it's in the first few pages. He's either done something or something has been done to him. Either way, Fiona didn't know the house would be sold, and he's going to tell us why.

While I thought the structure was clever, this was less "slow burn" and more "slow warm breeze." If you hate when a book draws you in and then fizzles out, I can pretty much promise that this won't be for you. Frankly, it was too long, with repetitive inner monologues and far too much description of paperwork and law jargon and the like. I was a little let down by the twists and found them to be pretty humdrum. This is a bummer, because it has lots of potential and redeeming qualities.

Candlish did a better job of writing at the micro level than the macro. Despite being bored with the plot at times, the individual sentences were well-crafted. I found the characters to be developed and their various states of mental and physical breakdown believable. Our House might not have flipped me on my head as much as I'd like, but it definitely challenged my thinking on persecution, redemption, and what constitutes a crime in the first place.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for this ARC.

On the whole not a bad read, but not exactly what I was expecting. I found the beginning and end to be quite engaging, and I enjoyed the format which alternated between an online podcast (complete with comments from internet trolls!) and a word document. The middle is what did me in and the reason why I only finished this in November when I had actually started reading it in July. It just dragged, made me totally disinterested in the characters or storyline and just want to be done with it. Not the best example of the British thriller genre.

I was provided a digital copy from Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group in return for an honest, unbiased review.