This book by Jess Ryder is full of twists, surprises and plenty of anxiety.  Stella and Jack move into a dream house.  It needs a lot of renovation and soon chaos emerges.  With the pounding upstairs, Jack and Stella are finding it difficult to maneuver around each other in many ways.  To add to the strain, Lori, a victim of domestic violence appears at the door, bloody and crying.

Lori stays much longer than either expected and twists begin to abound.  By the end of the book, the reader will forget how many red herrings they fell for.  The characters are rich and the storyline compelling.

Jess Ryder does a really good job incorporating the stigma of domestic violence within the story.  She shows why some women fail to report, the societal stigma that exists (especially in previous decades) and the inability of restraining orders to truly prevent abusers from gaining access to their victim.

This is a satisfying fiction book which intertwines the issue of domestic violence with a thriller.  I highly recommend it.  While Stella might be written incredibly naive, she is necessary for the story to become reality.


I received an ARC from Bookouture through NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.  This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book.

The Dream House - Westhill House??? Is it a dream house, or isn't it? For Stella, it is everything she has ever wanted - for Jack it isn't. It is too quiet, with nothing much to do in the surrounding area. Stella sets about using her inheritence money (from the deaths of her mother and father) to make this home amazing! Here we meet Alan - the one man band who is going to restore her home for her. Things are slowly improving when late one night, there is a bashing at their door - standing on the steps is a bruised and battered woman - Lori is her name - she claims her husband is abusing her and she arrived at Westhill believeing it to be a refuge.  Stella feels terrible for this poor woman and allows her to stay the night - Jack is totally unhappy with this and expresses his feelings - Stella however continues to go behind his back and let her stay in the upstairs room without his knowledge. Lori and Stella seem to be coming good friends with Lori helping Alan out with renovations.  When Jack finds out Lori is still there, he is fuming and leaves for a while. Stella is gutted but determined to help out this young woman. 
This story flits between past and present - the present is Stellas life, the past is of a woman named Kay and her husband Foxy. 
I don't want to say too much more as the story takes a sudden turn about 65% in, and what you thought you knew, may not be all it seems.  Read the book to find out more!

I really enjoyed this book.  I adored the story line and loved the main characters.  I read this book in one sitting and would highly recommend this book.

Stella bought a house based on her inheritance, and she and her boyfriend Jack are determined to turn the former Westhill House into the perfect dwelling. However, Jack is getting frustrated with the renovation. One night a woman comes banging on their door. Her name is Lori and she claims that she is escaping her abusive spouse and that she was told that this house was a safe refuge.

Stella just cannot let the bruised and battered Lori back out into the night, so she allows her to stay, at least until Lori has a place to go. Thing is, Lori stays longer, although Stella is quite wary. Even more so, Jack is not happy and works longer and longer hours to stay away from home.

Things begin to get weird and quite quickly at that. For one thing, it becomes quite unnerving to Stella that Lori seems to know a lot about the house. While Lori stays there she begins working with the handyman and strange things begin happening. One example is that underneath wallpaper are some very dark drawings that Lori unearths and shows Stella. Is Lori who she says she is? 

This story is told in dual timelines. We the reader know that at some point things will converge. It is a thrilling journey to see things progress, and we begin to wonder who is reliable in this story. Sadly, remembering what brought Lori to Stella is a bit unsettling. Lori's whole story involves the domestic abuse she tells Stella about. This was indeed difficult to read, especially as the story evolved.

With the twists and turns, and character development, it was definitely an engaging read, one that kept me turning pages right through until the end. Nope, I could not put this book down. I enjoy the writing style of Jess Ryder and look forward to reading more from him in the future.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Stella and Jack are living in a dilapidated house being refurbished by a lone builder. Stella opens the door late one night to a bruised and bleeding Lori, who is seeking refuge from her abusive husband. Lori’s words don’t add up and Stella is pushed to the brink of her relationship with jack and her own safety. 

I quite enjoyed this book but it felt a little slow in parts. I would read more from the author though. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Stella inherits money from her parents and decides to  buy an old house a few hours outside of London.  Her boyfriend Jack lives with her but he complains about the small town and the remodeling of  the home. One night a woman shows up and asks for help. Stella comes from a family that helped others and she wants  to  help the woman. Jack sees the woman as a threat.  
Everyone has secrets that they do not want to share with anyone.  Slowly everything comes out  in the open.
Suspenseful and a few twists you are not expecting to happen.

It’s everything she’s ever wanted…
When I first set eyes on Westhill House with its breath-taking views of the sea I knew Jack and I could make this our forever home.
It may be falling apart with an overgrown garden, but with some tender loving care, we can repair this beautiful building and perhaps our relationship too…
But the more time I spend renovating our new house, the more time Jack is spending at work.
At least Lori is here to keep me company.
She has her own troubles yet she always listens to mine.
She’s helping to restore the house, uncovering its secrets one by one.
Like the children’s drawings under the wallpaper in the back bedroom.
The hiidden papers underneath the floorboards in the turret room.
And the fact that Westhill House is a place women used to go to feel safe…
Lori seems to know a lot about Westhill House.
The question is, why?

Wow...this was an excellent read.
This book is filled with so many twists and turns.
The suspense just keeps building with each chapter.
I loved the characters that were created.
The plot was excellent and kept me gripped and guessing.
Recommend reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book.  This is my honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Thanks so much for requesting me but it’s way past the dates so, I will read the book from the kobo site to catch up soon.

Take care and enjoy your summer!

NO... NO... NO... I can't believe what I have just read. 

I was coursing down the the smooth path of a story set in a mystery genre that author Jess Ryder was taking me on where Stella came into some inheritance, after the passing of her parents. She bought the broken down Westhill House and started living there with partner Jack. Lori, a battered woman, came knocking at her door one night, and Stella, bless her heart, gave her shelter. And Lori stayed on and on... Jack was thrown out soon.. So far so good

Jess's writing threw in some suspense moves with secrets twirling in the mists of this house. I was curious. The vibes of the house turned sad with some reveals of its history. I was intrigued. Lori's best friend Abi joined them and stayed on. AND THEN THE BOOK EXPLODED!! At every page, I was awe-struck with secrets so hard-hitting that I barely had time to stay on top of it. But Jess Ryder did not let go of me. She made me turn the pages of my kindle so fast that my head spun. I needed to know the truth. STAT. 

And ultimately, I was given the truth I was searching for, but there were so many of these truths bursting out of the pages, you had to read it to believe it. Can open, worms crawling. Omg! It was one roller coaster ride from beginning to finish. 
And yeah, I liked the book, couldn't you tell?

Book Review
Wow talk about intense...
Loved this latest novel "The Dream House" by author Jess Ryder...
If you are looking for a gripping, intense and roller coaster read then look no further.
We meet Stella whose parents were killed in a car crash. 
Together with her boyfriend Jack, they are renovating an old house outside London that used to be a women's refuge centre. 
We can see problems immediately between Stella & Jack. 
The house is Stella's, bought with money her parents left her when they died. 
Jack hasn't wanted to move from London and he lets this be known quite regularly.
One night a woman turns up at their door looking for the refuge centre. She is scared, beaten and looking for help. She is completely terrified her husband will find her and kill her. Stella isn't sure what to do but feels they should help her. Jack isn't feeling so helpful.
I was completely gripped by this woman and kept trying to guess what she was up to if anything. 
Stella's boyfriend jack disappears quite often in the story so with this and something not quite adding up with her new guest Lori, you are on edge throughout the novel. 
Well worth nabbing a copy of this psychological thriller. 
I don't think you will be disappointed at all... 

Thank you kindly to author Jess Ryder and her publishers Bookouture for my copy of this book. Much appreciated.

Previously referred to as ‘The Guest’ I was super disappointed with this novel by Jess Ryder. I haven’t read any of the authors previous books but found they were pretty popular and generally well received so I was expecting to really enjoy this read about a woman who buys a forever home only to have a stranger turn up in the night with an unknown link to the house.

The main reason for disappointment was purely the interactions between the characters. I found the conversations didn’t sit comfortably and felt a bit forced which made me struggle to really connect with any of them. Also the switching chapters between two characters didn’t quite work for me, I think it could have set itself up as more of a twist if written in a different format. 

The narrative itself was easy to read but repetitive and clichéd with its tropes however I can respect the delicate way that domestic abuse is referred to and handled throughout the novel. It’s definitely not an easy subject to write or read about but Jess Ryder manages to delve into this without the use of in depth descriptions and difficult situations. The use of this subject matter is the novels redeeming feature in my opinion since a lot of research must have gone into it and it does show. I definitely wanted to get to the end of this novel and unveil all of its secrets which is why I ultimately gave the novel 3 stars out of 5 but it hasn’t made me desperate to pick up any more of Ryders novels.

With thanks to Netgalley and Bookoutre for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

The Guest now called The Dream House is Jess Ryder`s fourth book.

The plot tells the story of two women Stella and Kay.  The chapters spanning between then and now.  

The now was about Stella who had bought a property called Westhill House with her parents inheritance.  Late one night Stella was with her partner Jack when a stranger came to the door..   Lori had escaped from her abusive husband Darren and was told Westhill House was an woman`s shelter.  Stella took Lori in for the night but it soon it became longer.  Lori was scared of Darren finding her so she never left the house, preferring to help Alan their builder.  Jack didn't trust Lori and thought she was only after Stella`s money.   Lori told Jack to leave after he staged a burglary to blame Lori.

The Then chapters were about Kay who got pregnant when she was fifteen.  Kay gave birth to Abigail and worked in a card shop.  One day she was swept off her feet by Alan Fox (Foxy).  Foxy didn't care that Kay had a daughter and mostly ignored her , a year later Kay and Foxy got married.   The domestic abuse started that evening, first a pinch and then punches as months passed.  Kay blamed herself and wanted to make the marriage work, she thought Foxy would change if he had a child of his own.  However when Kay became pregnant she knew the marriage was over and left the marriage with Abigail.

I didn't particularly like Stella but she was an interesting character.  Stella spent her childhood resenting her parents for taking in foster children.  Yet when a Lori knocked on her door in the middle of the night Stella took her in without question.  I thought Stella was too true trusting and risked being taken advantage of.  I had to roll my eyes when she put a advert on a supermarket notice board for a complete refit.  I thought Jack was selfish but definitely more sensible than Stella.

I found Kay `s story the most compelling of all, I felt so sorry for her.  Set in the seventies Kay ignored all the warning signs so she could become respectable married woman.  I was so proud when Kay was brave and left Foxy to start again.

I have read all four of Jess Ryder`s books and The Dream House is my least favourite.  I have awarded three stars because it failed to grab me. The plot went at a slow pace, So much so I was reluctant to pick it up. 
Personally  for me the story didn't became interesting until the 60% mark.

However when Stella found out Lori`s secret I was hooked,  I loved how Kay`s story seamlessly blended into the present day.  From there there the story really picked up pace.   From there were twists and turns aplenty, the big twist was shocking!! I did not see it coming.

The Dream House was not a bad book by any means, it's just I prefer Jess`s other books.  This has not put me off and I look forward to book 5

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 5

The Dream House (formally The Guest) by Jess Ryder is a compelling and heartbreaking look at domestic abuse. 

What it's about: Stella finds Westhill House and decides that after a rehab, it will be the perfect place to build a future with her boyfriend Jack. But one day, not far into the rehab, a stranger shows up in the middle of the night claiming to be a victim of domestic abuse and hiding from her husband. The thing is, Westhill House used to be a refuge for battered women, and the stranger, Lori, was told she could go there day or night and be taken in no questions asked. Stella's parents were foster carers, so she is determined to help Lori by letting her stay, even if that means tension with Jack. But as everyone's demons start to rise to the surface, Stella begins to wonder if Westhill House is really her perfect home. . . 

The Dream House is definitely a character driven novel that places most of its attention on the stories of Stella and a woman named Kay. The stories are told in dual timelines and was something that I really loved. I really enjoy when stories switch between past and present, and it really worked for this book. I fell hard for the female characters and ended up loathing most of the male characters. 

As I said right away, this is a book that focuses on domestic abuse so there are bound to be triggers. But I loved the way Ryder took this serious topic and really brought it to light without being incredibly descriptive. It was enough to break my heart, but not too much that I was unable to read the book.

I'm not sure I really love the title change for this novel, but both are still fitting. There were a couple of twists to The Dream House that I didn't see coming at all and they really surprised me. There were also spots that made me burst out in laughter which brought some much-needed lightness to the story. 

Song/s the book brought to mind: Bathroom Sink by Miranda Lambert

Final Thought: While I don't think this book was particularly fast paced, it was definitely gripping and one that I read pretty quickly (anything under 5 hours for me is pretty quick). This was also the second domestic abuse novel that I read in a row so the fact that I liked this book so much has got to mean something. I was a little worried that I wouldn't like The Dream House as much as Dear Wife, but I ended up loving Ryder's writing style, and she can really tell a story. I highly recommend The Dream House to fans of compelling fiction that aren't afraid of the abuse theme.

How do I start my review???
WOW WOW WOW!!! I didn't know I couldn't love a book that much!
I was into it from the start!  The title I had in mind was "the guest that won't EVER leave!" or "the guest you can't get rid of" !!! 
A bruised woman turns up at your new house, her husband beat her up, you take her in...  Your man doesn't like it, wants her gone... you feel you have to help her...

Many things happen.  Good plot, twists, good pace, interesting characters...  
So good! so well written!

That made me doubt my own sanity!  Who's lying, who has secrets, what's going on...

I just LOVED IT!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book.  This is my honest review.  All opinions are my own.

What happens when your dream house turns into a nightmare! Jess Ryder has cleverly constructed an addictive domestic thriller. Stella has just moved to her dream house with her boyfriend Jack. The house is in need of a lot of work, but Stella can see its potential and has fallen head over heels in love with this home. Then one night there is a knock at the door, Who can possibly be at the door in the middle of the night? It is a strange woman Lori, battered and beaten and in need of a safe place. Lori tell Stella and Jack that she was told this house was a refuge for battered women. Stella is sympathetic and wants to help a girl out... Jack is suspicious. 40 years earlier teen mom Kay thinks she has found her knight in shining armor. But after a while the Knight’s armor starts to tarnish. So much that Kay and her daughter Abby‘s lives might be in danger. Two women living four decades apart, what ties them together?

   I am such a sucker for a dual timeline story! I love trying to puzzle together how two seemingly separate Narratives are connected. Both Stella and Kay were likable sympathetic characters. The men in their lives, not so much. I was completely engaged by both stories, although I think I was a little more invested in Stella.  The house renovating and this uninvited guest. The story was puzzle together at a perfect pace. I did see a few things coming, but certainly not all. And there was such an obvious connection that I completely missed! Another compelling read from Jess Ryder.

*** Big thanks to Bookouture for my copy of this book ***

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.   THank you NetGalley!

The Dream House catches your interest within the first few pages!     Stella was given an inheritance which she used to purchase this new home for herself and her partner.   Her partner works a LOT..
  THey didn't realize this, but the home used to be a safe haven for domestic abuse victims.   One night, a victim shows up knowing on the door needing a place to stay.   Stella lets her stay.. this turns into a few weeks, and some crazy stuff starts to happen.       

This is  a page-turner!

A quandary of a review!!!
This author writes great books, this one is really well written,the style easy and welcoming to a reader, all aspects and characters explained,scenes set and theres intrigue, mystery and suspense with the required twists and turns
The ‘dream house’ is a former refuge for victims ( or survivors ) of Domestic Violence and Stella and Jack have now bought it and are doing it up ( Stella has inherited a fortune and Jack intends to carry on commuting the 50 or so miles to London), then as they are having sex ( the first time in forever, although only been together for less than a year!!!!! ) a woman covered in blood knocks on their door, they allow her to stay overnight and well, for me, the story then became unbelievable, we all know as readers we ‘give n take’ a bit with stories sometimes but I honestly dont know anyone who would do what Stella next did nor allow the chain of events that followed to happen, her whole life crashes and she could simply have stopped it by doing what any one of us would have done faced with what was occurring!
I finished the book but it became less and less believable as it carried on
Brilliant style of writing but sadly on this occasion just not an acceptably believable storyline 
Writing style 10/10
Story 3/10
So altogether a 5/10  2.5 Stars

I feel like I read a completely different book than everyone else. Mine had two timelines with two different women, both in abusive situations. Well, the present story line itself had two abused women, one physically and one mentally abused. Even though they were supposed to be the solid characters around whom everything was happening, I felt Stella's relationship with Jack wasn't a good one. He held way too much power over her, even when she stood up to him and let Lori stay. Of course, she hid her away at first so maybe that supports my position even more? I spent way too much time reading about women making excuses for their abusive partners and way too much time waiting for a "burning bed" comeuppance. I felt that most of the plot and the entire ending was a bit too unbelievable.

The Dream House (originally titled The Guest) is a phycological thriller with a dual timeline. The story is about domestic violence and what effect it takes on young kids who are exposed to it at an early age.

The author introduces us to two different characters: Kay and Stella.

Kay's life took a drastic change the moment she met Foxy. Dreams of her own little family have finally come true. However, as months went by, behind the closed doors, Kay's life became a living nightmare. From a charming young man that Kay met just a year earlier, Foxy became controlling and verbally and physically abusive. And worse of all... Kay starts to see the change in her daughter, who starts to adopt her stepfather's behavior.

Stella's life also had a drastic change. After the accidental death of her parents, she quit the job she once loved, moved to London suburbs and bought an old Westhill House. From the moment she laid her eyes on it, Stella knew this house is peculiar. Old houses tend to have ghosts attached to them, and Stella is about to meet some of them.

The Dream House is a fantastic, fast-paced story. I highly recommend this standalone for anyone that loves a suspenseful, psychological thriller. Thank you, NetGalley and Jess Ryder for this great read.

# The Dream House # Netgalley 
A spine chilling novel that start to reveal its secrets of the past. It very cleverly written with some weird twists, the history of the house becomes clearer in many ways. Little do they know at the start of the project what they would uncover, That in their own way starts to through doubts on the marriage. Will they survive the renovation  or not. Every now and again whilst I was reading this book I got that odd shiver, the one where we all say someone’s walked over my grave. Occasionally I had this feeling of dajavue
On more than one occasion. It would be interesting to know if other readers of this book had similar feeling. I actually found it a good read and was interested in the history of the house. Overall a really good read