When I read the first half of it at the end of May, this story of bad decisions and retaliatory violence that pits a black family against a Korean-American one in Los Angeles felt very on the nose for 2020’s politics and events, almost too much so: “systemic racism is strangely indiscriminate. Unfortunately, many people are still willing to believe that only thugs get themselves killed.” I set it aside to read other things, and when I tried to get back into the plot later in the year I only succeeded in skimming to the end. The writing is capable but nothing particularly special; I would say the plot is pretty gripping if you think the race element will appeal to you. But a similar read I would recommend instead (unless you have a special interest in recent California history*) is Shelter by Jung Yun.

*This was inspired by a true story: in 1991 in South Los Angeles, 15-year-old Latasha Harlins was shot and killed by a Korean convenience store owner. This was just two weeks after the police beating of Rodney King.

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

Not a genre I would normally choose but this was a harrowing portrayal loosely based on the shooting of a black girl in 1991. Poignant and shocking and so very relevant for our time. I was engrossed in the horror and the story stuck with me after I finished the book. A great novel exploring race, revenge, family owning our actions.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

An interesting story about African American girl shot by Korean American and police brutality.  A good read,

This was a moving and poignant novel that in the current climate of racial violence is hugely relevant. 
The layout was a little confusing at times but the story was well executed

An ambitious novel, powerful and moving with good characterization.  .Loosely based on the events that occurred in 1991 One of the best endings that I have ever read. Recommended.

An absorbing read with momentum that carries you through. Really interesting to read literary fiction that includes an examination of anti-blackness in an East Asian family; I thought this could've been further explored though. The ending felt like it came quite suddenly, but I couldn't stop thinking about this book for days after so perhaps the abrupt stop was necessary.

Your House Will Pay everyone needs to read.  It opens a much-needed conversation about racism and cultural appropriation.  Truth be told I went into this book with extremely high expectations and thankfully I wasn’t left disappointed.  The sheer impact it left upon me gave me chills.  The author has taken the very real story of a shooting of a black girl, Latasha Harlins in 1991.  It left me feeling bereft and tearful and rendered me utterly speechless.  Steph Cha has taken the well acknowledged thriller concoction, remastered and reengineered it and used it as a tool to make the reader glaringly aware of the very real cracks and fractures in our society.
Your House Will Pay is certainly a multi-genre chameleon.  We have a mystery to crack.  Racial conflict during the 1990’s.  familial ties that are put to the very extremes.  From the very first page it engages your brain – your emotion centres bypass gears 1-4 and slide straight into fifth.  It’s that power that this story radiates – its grip is complete, and its hold remains long after you close that final page.  
The book is told in dual timelines – from 1991 and 2019.  You’ll agree that it is a considerable time gap but what struck me was just how nothing had really changed.  The actions.  The assumptions.  The consequences.  It was all the same.  The targeting.  The pain.  I could feel the rage build within me.  How dare human beings be treated so differently.  Don’t we all breathe the same air?  Don’t we all deserve to have love and acceptance?  don’t we all bleed the same?  
Two families, both affected by actions of the past.  They are both tied together in an unbreakable bond that have their fates forever bound.  Can they move forward and not make the mistakes of their fathers/mothers?  Your House Will Pay should have everyone digging deep into themselves – thoughts on racism and morality especially. 
Los Angeles is the backdrop for this gritty and compulsive tale.  How often have we clicked on gossip mags links and have been privy to the beautiful vistas of LA?  Clear blue skies, golden beaches, and model women and men.  How many people dig deeper and discover the seedy underworld?  The gunshots ringing through the most deprived neighbourhoods, our minority communities being misrepresented and not heard.  Steph Cha’s powerful narrative looks beyond assumptions and reveals the ugly truth.  
Our characters (Shawn, Ava, Yvonne, Ray, Grace, and Miriam) have all experienced painful exploitations.  I never found myself rooting for one side or the other, but my heart felt squeezed, the blood pouring through my fingers.  I wanted them all to find their happy resolution, but life is rarely that black and white.  

Your House Will Pay and the strength of the characterisation had me reeling from the sheer electrifying nature – to the extent it hurt to keep reading.  I genuinely believed I was reading an autobiography, the story seeped in realism and the multi strands of a web.  This book left me as a different person and I’m so grateful for it.

This was an easy to read thriller thaylt kept my attention all the way through! Lots of twists and surprises I didn't see coming. Very good, would recommend!

I was interested in the incorporation of a true story into a novel.  I thought Shawn was a more realistic character than Grace, so enjoyed his storyline more.  Grace seemed very unbelievable, very immature and naive, and I would have preferred this side of the story to come from Yvonne's perspective, as I found Yvonne to be a more interesting, but not explored character.

More of a three and a half stars, but couldn't justify a four star rating.

A powerful novel about family, legacy, race and the ripple effect of one's actions. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the whipsmart writing in this modern day morality story about revenge, who deserves to pay a price, and the cost of making someone pay.

The dual narrators work well and I think are designed to show this complicated situation as it is, and not to offer easy answers. For me, Shawn's narration hit home more and while I understood Grace's point of view to an extent her story didn't work its way into my bones like Shawn's did. 

I'd love to see this adapted for film or TV and reach people that might not pick this novel up.

If you're even slightly interested in the blurb I recommend giving it a go. 

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

In Your House Will Pay, two families' paths cross in the most tragic of ways.
Grace Park is left wondering why her older sister has become estranged from the rest of her family whilst Shawn Matthews tries to help his cousin adjust to life outside the jail cell he called home for a decade.
A tragedy from the past is uprooted as events appear to repeat, and lives collide enough to change them forever.

I really enjoyed this book. It highlights the issues faced by immigrant families in America both today and in the past. At a time when the Black Lives Matter campaign is rife, this book serves to show the contrast between how different ethnicities are treated in the American justice system and the shocking consequences which can arise.

The characters in this book are developed really well. Personally, I think they were successful in helping you to understand the pain and confusion which they face.

I would recommend this book.

I was provided with a free e-book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Faber & Faber, and the author Steph Cha. 
Undoubtedly a timely and interesting novel focusing on racial relations and injustices in Los Angeles, both in the past and present day. It was enjoyable to read, but ultimately fell a little flat with the characters not feeling totally developed. The ending was also a little disappointing. 3 stars.

I’m abandoning this at 40% on the grounds that it’s simply not holding my attention. It's well enough written but somehow it seems like a story that we’ve all heard too often, and I don’t feel it’s bringing anything new to the subject. I've decided not to review it on my blog or elsewhere since I don't feel I've read enough of it to give a full and fair review. Sorry.

A story of racial tensions in L.A. in the 1990s. As I do not live in the USA I am not aware of the background to this story. It certainly seems to have produced a lot of tension and anger.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This book is based on real life events/people which makes this book even more shocking and thought provoking as to how race still plays such a vital role of how we are treated within the world even today.
Stephanie Cha captures both sides of both the victim and the killers families within this book fantastically. Given from two characters POVs - Grace (the murderers daughter) and Shawn (the victims brother). The book switches from each POV smoothly and gives you a feeling of how each family feel and the trauma and fallout each character and their family have been through. 
This book really makes you think about race, culture and cultural differences, society, the justice system and how many people are discriminated against within this system, inequalities, violence and how our impressionable youth can be sucked into gangs and gang culture from having it glorified to them. 
This book really gives you some food for thought and has left my mind whirling about many of these matters as a whole.

I’m probably not the target audience for this book as I’m not American and was only vaguely aware of the troubles 20 odd years ago.  I found the multiple characters confusing and ended up researching the back story for myself.  I found out that some of the characters had been prettied up and wrapped in glittery paper with a bow whereas their real life characters were quite unpleasant people with very disfunctional lives, which irritated me.  I’m sorry but this one was not my cup of tea but I appreciate the research

interesting, attempt at drawing commentary on social issues. not sure how accurate it is in terms of all identities, namely of jewish identity.

A powerful and absorbing story that explores the racial tensions in LA amidst the race riots of 1992 and beyond. The author really drew me in from the opening few pages with both her writing style and her characters. A great worthwhile read

I read this book thanks to #Netgalley. The 15-year old black girl, Ava Matthews was killed 20 years ago by a Korean woman in a shop in the Korean part of the city, having been mistaken for shoplifting. The pain doesn't go away and revenge could be in order. Thrilling.