Having just finished this book, all I want to say is – wow. I did NOT see that ending coming. I very much enjoyed reading this book – even if it was very different to what I was actually expecting! I picked this book up after really getting in to the psychological thriller genre, loving the fast-paced, intrigue and mystery that radiates from these books and always has me turning the pages to find out what is really going on. Truth be told, this was very different to previous books in these genre. It starts with a bit of a shocking prologue that gets you going but then it reverts to a story, that more or less felt more like a contemporary book. Don’t get me wrong though – I still very much enjoyed it. It just wasn’t what I was expecting.

It was only around the halfway mark that the book started to make some headway into the more thriller side of things. Thus this book has a little bit of a slow start but it is also incredibly important to the plot that this is there. So if you’re feeling like you just need to put the book down, all I can say is don’t! It all makes sense towards the end and will make the whole journey worth it – I promise. As things started to slide a little out of place in the second half of the book, I found myself racing through the words. Turning the pages quicker as I tried to work out what was going on. I admittedly had a lot of theories but none of them quite hit the nail on the head.

As mentioned above, the ending makes the entire book worthwhile. It shocked me to the core and was such an interesting concept. It felt like it came from nowhere and it was just so fascinating to read and so well written. Everything in this book was well described and you got a real feel for all of the characters. But as the book continued, it was definitely hard to know who to trust. Thinking about it back now, I am actually in awe of how well Karen managed to make you distrust everyone in the book. Who was telling the truth? It makes you want to know what evil was lurking underneath everything. I would definitely recommend this book but would remind you that it is slow but well worth persevering with!

This book took on a similar format to The Good Mother, each chapter told by the perspective of one of three women.  I really enjoy this style of writing and it seems to be favoured by the author.  The main character's chapters not only described her current situation, but also included diary entries from childhood.  Using this style of writing means you really get to know the three main women's characters in the story and I really like this.  It keeps the story moving forward and the drama builds at a good pace.

The diary entries could be upsetting and unsettling.  I sometimes found them difficult to read and some may find them too much, so beware.

The plot was full of suspense and twists and was well written with lots of surprises, especially at the end.  Another superb thriller from Karen Osman and highly recommended by me for fans of this genre.  If you enjoy this I also recommend you pick up The Good Mother by the author, which was equally good.

3.5 * Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

This is the story of Angela who is adopted from a children's home by James and Rosemary. Fast forward and she is a solicitor slogging away at work. Her adoptive father becomes ill and encourages Angela to find her birth mother. It is told in alternating time-lines with flashbacks to the children's home in the 1960"s.

This is a tale of lies, betrayal and abuse and some may find it disturbing. It is a bit slow and predictable in places and I realized the twist well ahead of the ending.

This book was a little slow for my interest. It dealt with topics like child abuse, lies and neglect, which was mentally draining for me. The story had Angela wanting to try to find her real family. There were too many timelines to keep track, with journal entries, and a slow drip feed of information. The secrets are soon revealed with an unexpected twist. But the child abuse really pulled me down and I had to skim read it, to protect myself.

I really enjoyed this story, it had great drama and suspense that built up in the book to a really good ending!

The pace was spot on and I liked the writing style, it was great for the story and gave it an added edge.

I thought that the characters were well developed and they worked really well with the plot to make this one a thoroughly enjoyed psychological thriller!

Four stars from me, I really enjoyed it!

I felt this book was more of a drama than a pyschological thriller,the story goes between 3 ladies affected by adoption and I didnt really like any of the 3 characters or feel any empathy towards them
There are twists n turns in the second half of the book
Well written and I would read other books by the author

Brilliantly written psychological thriller about child abuse , lies , betrayal and deception . A vivid riveting story you won't soon forget ! I highly recommend ! Thanks to Netgalley and Aria for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review ! #Netgalley #Aria #TheHome

2* It was OK.

There are elements of this book that I really enjoyed. I liked the chapters interspersed with diary entries and, although I'd guessed the key elements of the story, it did flow well. Also, unlike some of the other reviewers, I did quite like the characters and found myself interested in the outcome.

However, overall, it just didn't have a spark for me. So, an OK read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity of previewing this book in exchange for my honest review.

Very interesting thriller. This book starts our with our main character Angela going back to her roots to try to find her real family with the encouragement of her adoptive parents. While this story is taking place it is also peppered with journal entries form when Angela was living in a children's home before she was adopted. This book was really interesting you got the child like wonder hoping for a real family and just looking for somewhere to belong in the journal entries. Along with the jealousy at her other friends being adopted, then you get the realism of the adult half trying to piece together the puzzle pieces of who Angela really is. I did find it very say having to hear about the abuse that poor Angela had to face before she was thankfully adopted out of that horror. Very interesting thriller however I didn't like all of the time jumps it made keeping track of everything that was going on very confusing. It was very sad to witness the desperation of her as a child as well as all of the abuse she faced at her adoptive parents house. It was heartbreaking. Great book I just didn't like the time and character jumps but beside that little part I enjoyed the rest.

Shocking - and brilliant! This is different, devastating, dazzling .. and I'm so glad I chose to read it!

Angela works extremely hard for the law firm which employs her; spending her earlier years in a Children's home has left her with ambition and aptitude to succeed in her career and make something of herself. Fortunately, she was adopted and adores her parents although the long hours at work and living in London means she doesn't get to see them very often. When she is invited home at a specific time she wonders if there is something wrong.

This is an easy read; with three different directions to follow, there is always plenty going on to keep the reader occupied. We learn more about all the characters past and present lives, piece by piece and begin to understand what makes them tick. The secrets and lies abound, and it doesn't take long for the truth to begin to leak out. Not everything is straightforward though, and there are some puzzling events to muddy the waters. Certainly plenty to get the brain ticking over but no matter how much time is spent pondering, I consider the ending will still come as a shocking surprise!

Beautifully plotted and exceedingly well written, this is a novel to worm it's way under your skin whilst you're relaxing into the early details. A stunning read, and one I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending, especially to those who enjoy a psychological thriller with a difference!

My thanks to publisher Aria both for my copy via NetGalley and for inviting me to take part in this blog tour. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

This book was a pleasure to read from beginning to end. I fell in love with the characters in the book, especially Angela and her adoptive parents James and Rosemary. You read about Angela's upbringing as a child, her abandonment by her mother, and what life was like for the various children living in the children's home. You can't help but feel so many mixed emotions for the other children living in such a home and some of the horrors and experiences they had gone through.

This book had many surprises, both good and bad, and without giving too much away there were plenty shocking twists and turns to keep any reader hooked to the very last page. I found myself so into this book it was hard to put down, and I found myself wanting to read more and more to find out what would happen next. We learn about what life was like not only growing up in the care of the children's home, but also the loving family home once Angela was adopted.

Now an adult herself, we read about Angela's decision to meet her birth mother Evelyn, who has many demons from her past. She has lived a hard life, and is surprised when she meets Angela.

This book is full of lies, betrayal and deception! Once you start reading you can't seem to stop. I loved every shocking twist in this book and found myself stunned by the many turns it took. I loved this book and I hope you do too!

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. did not hate this book, but sadly i didn't love it either, I particularly did not like the characters at all

some terrifying moments and a twist I did not see coming. The diary entries by the children were hard to read. I normally don’t read books with children suffering abuse it is just too hard. I stayed the course with this one and it was pretty good

This story is told mainly from the perspective of Angela. Angela is a 27 year old solicitor, who was adopted as a child and recently, due to her adoptive father’s cancer diagnosis, she has begins to look for her birth mother. In between these chapters, there is also the birth mother’s story and also the diary extracts from a child who is in a children’s home. Angela’s birth mother, Evelyn has had a difficult life since she gave her child up all those years ago and has struggled with alcohol and drug abuse. The story gives a thrilling journey as to what happens when secrets that have been buried for so many years are uncovered!

My first book by this author. I have to admit, I was initially confused with this book. For some reason I had it in my head that the story was set in present day – i.e. 2018 and I just couldn’t make the dates from the diary extracts match up! When I eventually worked out that the story was set in the 1980’s, it all made sense! I found the story started off well, with Evelyn’s story of an older lady who had suffered the ravages of a drug and alcohol lifestyle being particularly gripping. I did like Angela’s character but did want to give her a good shake to make her realise that sometimes work isn’t everything!

As the story unfolds, you get sucked into a tale of lies, secrets and deceit. It gave me a multitude of emotions as it travelled through the last 30 years of the characters’ lives. It does broach on some difficult subjects of child abuse, but all done as sensitively as you can. I also found it completely heart-breaking at times with the stories of the young children in the children’s home and also of Angela’s birth and adoptive mother. It all eventually had me in tears. It twists and turns throughout until you reach an unexpected finale which I honestly didn’t see coming.

A chilling and upsetting thriller. Not a fast paced story by any sense of the word, but a slow build up giving you time to get pulled into this heart-breaking story good and proper. I will definitely be looking for more by this author.

Fantastic story with some terrifying moments and a twist I did not see coming. It was really hard to read the diary entries about the children homes in the UK. The poor children, what a life with abuse and violent beatings. It made sense that growing up in such a home had an everlasting effect on the children. Highly recommended!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Aria!

The Home was an amazing Psychological thriller with a twist that will leave you shocked, I was totally captivated reading this book, highly recommended.

I was captivated right from page one of The Home, and the twists that popped up throughout enticed me even more! I seriously had a hard time putting the book down and would have read it straight through if I could have. There were definitely some very sad and troubling scenes, my heart ached for these poor poor children, but there was so much more to the story. I have always been curious and intrigued in orphanages so this was “interesting” to read, though I know (or hope) that they aren’t all run in the way this one was. The Home was a great novel and I highly recommend it.

my 1st book buy this author and so enjoyed it what a story Angela grows up in a Children s home gets adopted at the age of 14 and becomes a lawyer but the story that unfolds is brilliant and emotional oh and the twists and turns I thought I had it worked out but got so wrong so if you like a twisty story and plots this your book

I was given an early copy for an honest review.

I wish I liked this book more, I just couldn't seem to care about any of the characters . I feel so bad when I don't like a book. It wasn't written badly I just couldn't connect with the characters.

This book was not my favorite. I ended up not finishing, but will try at a later time. Will let Chapter Chatter Pub know about uts release,