I really enjoyed this book all the way through.  It had a really good plot, great main characters and really keeps you hooked on the plot.  I would highly recommend this book.

The Open House follows the story of Amber, a separated mother of two, and her journey of leaving behind her old life, and starting afresh with her boyfriend Richard. 

Pros:
- The characters though simple were very interesting and had distinguishable quirks and qualities that made them individual. 
- The story starts gently, and follows a nice flow of things becoming not-quite-right 
- The story was actually at a level of creepy that it gave me a nightmare on one occasion (I know this shouldn't be a pro but it definitely is) 
- I guessed the ending, then decided it was a different path, then another path again (I successfully guessed one thread, but only partly!)

Cons:
- The story was actually at a level of creepy that it gave me a nightmare on one occasion (Okay I know I said this was a pro, but it may be a con for some and man that was an unpleasant dream) 
- The ending started spiralling (in a good way) and unravelling so quickly that I couldn't put it down (again, I know this sounds like a pro but it was 11:30PM and I was at 83% and had to stay up to finish it- queue a very tired me the next morning getting up for work) 

All in all this book was interesting, intriguing, and definitely on the creepy side.

Well, well; this has been the hardest review it seems, that I will ever write. I was so drawn into the book and loved all its mini bombs of twists, but then the ending came along, and suddenly the rating that built up in my mind dropped. 
The settings seem to be pretty simple, to begin with. I mean what could go wrong with a house sale, right? Writer Sam Carrington is spot on with building the tension slowly. 
As the story progresses, so does the gloom and threat to Amber and her two boys. It is quite the thriller with all the elements in it, except of course a gruesome murder; or is it?
Things actually got a pretty edge of the seat towards the end, quite literally. The flow of the writing had a lot to do with it. Changing the POVs at the exact right moments, parading the characters one by one at the exact right moment; these are the elements that breathed life into the story. 
As it’s told at one point in the story in Amber’s voice; this is a story of unmasking. Yes, you read that right. In these days of unboxing, this one’s a tale of unmasking; the right ones at the right time. 
And just when you relax that slouched over spine a bit and think, this is it; you’d be given one last head spin. 
But I have to warn you, it’s a totally crazy ending. The ending also seemed quite rushed and a bit out of the story. I couldn’t put my head on it and it was a lot to sink in. The way she built Amber’s character up, somehow that decision she took in the end doesn’t add up. 
All that being said, it will be difficult for me to provide a “pick it up” or “shove it down”. I don’t want you to miss out on a great thriller, at the same time; I don’t know how you’d react to the ending. So, I’d let you be the judge of this one. 
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I received a complimentary copy of The Open House from NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Great novel!   If I’m honest, this one stressed me out a little!  Revealed family secrets quite a stir for immediate relatives.  I was worried for Amber, who was seemingly being attacked from every angle: her ex-husband, her ex-mother-in-law, her neighbors—even her realtor!  The creepy events in her home gave me goosebumps worrying about an intruder in her home as she and her children slept!   Well written, with a great storyline--well worth the read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This story follows our main character Amber Miller as she tries to sell her home after separating from her husband, eager to start a new life with her new boyfriend and her children. She decides to have an Open House and watches to see how many people show up. 13 go in but only 12 come out. Soon things start getting a little odd in the home and Amber is faced with some serious dark family secrets.

This book was super intriguing and had me engrossed from the very beginning. That could be due to the very short chapters, or the fact that Sam Carrington's writing is excellent at immersing you into the story. I felt like I was witnessing all these events happening with my own eyes because of Carrington's writing. I also enjoyed the different POV's that we go through including Amber's, Barb (her crazy mother-in-law, and an unknown source). I still am not sure if I am confident on my identification of who the unknown narrator was. 

The ending was NOT what I expected at all. I knew that there was some shady stuff going on with Barb and another character, but my mind never guessed what ended up playing out. It had me sitting there with my jaw dropped as far as it would go saying "what the f...?" in a good way. 

My biggest issue is that Amber was so naïve at times that it was painful to read. The way that she wholly trusts and loves this new man that she met on online, and is so quick to move away from him made me pretty uneasy. It later made sense as to why she was like that, but I can't give away any spoilers! Barb was ATROCIOUS. She was the literal definition of a psychotic mother-in-law. My god. I mean, I guess it makes sense at the end why she is the way she is but wow. I really did not like her one bit. Nick was a bit of doofus but aren't all men? LOL just kidding...sort of.

I will definitely be looking to pick up more of Carrington's literary masterpieces in the future!

A thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview

Im afraid though, this book wasn’t for me - a 1* I didn’t like it.

It starts off well with Amber, a mother of 2, going Thea split with her husband whilst her mother in law gets ever closer and more involved. There’s a family home to be sold and after no interest at all, the estate agent recommends an open house to pique interest. 13 people view it, but, only 12 come out.

What follows I found so predictable and frustrating, especially the ending. The characters are one dimensional and I’m afraid I didn’t really care about any of them.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon UK for giving me the chance of reading this book!

This was a very refreshing read for me. I don't read a lot of thrillers but when I do, I love me some twists and a mind-blowing plot. This one has it. The book started out so well for me. It is no doubt gripping and compelling. There are some creepy moments too that made the reading experience even better. The only tiny bit of a letdown for me is that there are some revelations that are quite unbelievable and the ending is a bit disappointing but still overall I did like the writing style and the suspense around the book.

I could not put this book down. The plot is so good. There are so many things going down and it took me a long time to figure out where this was going. 

I got chills multiple times and was a bit creeped out reading it in bed at night. 

The main character, Amber, is getting a divorce and selling her house. She watches her open house on her doorbell camera and sees 13 people go in, but only 12 come out. Then very weird things start happening in the house. 

And on top of that she has a meddlesome mother in law who doesn’t want the house sold, a nosy neighbor, and a shifty real estate agent. It keeps you guessing the whole time. 

Had to take a star off for the ending though. It felt rushed and a little off. 

Overall it was great read and definitely recommend! 

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Amber Miller is ready to move on. Following her husband's infidelity, Amber has found herself a new man, and is ready to move in with him. There's just one problem - the marital home she shared with her ex, Nick, has had little to interest since she put it on the market. When he restate agent suggests an open house, Amber reluctantly agrees. But when she uses the security camera to check in, Amber is certain that she's seen thirteen people enter her house...but only twelve have left. 

I liked the premise of the novel very much - for me, the scariest thing imaginable is an intruder in the home, and it sounded like this would play on that most base of fears. However I couldn't help but  find myself a little disappointed - I enjoyed the book well enough, but it could have been so much more. I felt that the characters were fairly thinly drawn, and I thought the questioning technique was overused - as a reader I want to be asking the questions myself, and not be shown-and-told the whole way along. 

An enjoyable enough read, but it lacked a bit of substance for me. 

Thank you to NetGalley, who provided me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

'The Open House' has the blurb you'd expect a typical thriller to have- a mix of mysterious and thrilling elements with enough intrigue to make you want to read it. But the book surpasses all the expectations created by the blurb. The tension simmers under the surface from the first chapter and slowly seeps through as you flip through the pages, finally making you feverishly devour the words, demanding for answers. Sam Carrington beautifully weaves through enough thrill and interest to hook the reader till the end and I absolutely loved the experience offered by the book. I spent all the time I had free reading this book, furiously trying to play the detective and differentiate the red herrings from the actual clues to piece the mystery. The author has made a brilliant use of the two subplots to weave an intricate story, each as compelling as the other. But all the excitement and anticipation fizzled at the end; true-it was a bit shocking, but I didn't like a few elements; one sub-plot seemed to be discarded entirely and the almost 180° turn in the mentality of Amber seemed uncharacteristic. I wish some more importance could have been given to the sub-plot at the end, it might have salvaged the anti-climax a little. Overall, this was a very good thriller; I wish the end could have played a tad differently. I loved the writing style of the author and will check out her other works. 
Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for sending across this brilliant ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley for an early copy!
I was intrigued with the story - enough twists to keep me going!
However, I did figure out the culprit early on.
I would recommend this book - good suspense. 3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It’s rather creepy, chilling and it is overall a thrilling read. There was one point in the book where a twist is revealed which  changed things and made me literally gasp, that kept me reading and wanting to know what was going to happen. A few of the characters are known by multiple names (all part of the plot) but, I did find I had to concentrate hard to keep up with who was who, and sometimes re-read over parts to keep up with what was going on. Overall there’s murder, cheating, conning and hidden buried secrets, all of which makes for a wonderful rollercoaster of a story. I haven’t read any books before by this author but, definitely will be reading more now.

The Open House is a twisty domestic thriller that kept me on edge from beginning to end. It starts with a neighborhood mystery and as the novel progresses develops into a dark story of a family and the secrets they keep. It is told from multiple points of view, and you never know quite who is innocent and who is guilty. An engrossing read with twists all the way to the end.

This was a solid domestic suspense story that perfectly captured a creepy vibe the whole way through.  It centers primarily on Amber, who is selling her house after a split with her husband Nick and planning to move herself and her 2 boys a few hours away to be closer to her new boyfriend, Richard.  The house is not selling and Amber is suspicious that her mother-in-law, Barb, has something to do with it, as she has made it clear she doesn't want them to move away.  There are some chapters also narrated by Barb, as well as by an unknown 3rd party.  

The story gets almost immediately creepy when Amber watches guests come and go to her house from the privacy of her Ring doorbell camera.  She believes she sees one less person leave than arrive, then things start being moved around the house and the realtor refuses to give back her key, leaving her and her kids terrified that someone is hiding somewhere in the house.  The author captured the scariness of her experiences within the house perfectly.

This book is a slow burn up until the end, when a whole bunch of things happen all at once.  I thought there were some good twists but some of the stuff that happened was a bit confusing to me, and I felt that the pacing of the book drastically changed in an effort to provide shock value as well as wrap up the story.  I think I would have preferred less surprises at the end in order to maintain the pace of the book.  

Overall, a great book that I would reco0mmend to those who enjoy the domestic suspense and psychological thriller genres.  While the end caught me off guard a bit and didn't seem to match the rest of the storytelling, it was still a good overall story and I always appreciate being surprised.  Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book - I really liked the main character Amber, I found her really relatable and was on her side from the get-go. I found Amber's mother-in-law very annoying and did not change my opinion of her at all through out the story. The twists and turns were enough to keep me going - I cant say much more otherwise I would be giving away the story - I would definitely recommend this book, it was a gripping read.

This was a quick and exciting read - just what I was in the mood for. The overall plot fell a little flat for me - it almost felt like there were two storylines going on that sometimes intersected, but weren’t both fully relevant. The concept of the “open house” where 13 people go in but only 12 come out turned out to be such a small part of the story, that it felt a bit misleading. Also that the actual open house only took up maybe two pages of the entire book. Also, Barb’s character was so unlikeable as a mother-in-law, that it’s hard to ever believe she was acting that way to keep them safe?

All that said, if you’re in the mood for a quick thriller, this will definitely do the trick!

If you are an Agatha Christie fan and loved "And Then There Were None" BUY THIS BOOK NOW!!!!!

If you don't want any spoilers do not even READ THE PREMISE OF THIS BOOK!





The premise simple enough Nick and Amber are trying to sell their house, but things aren't going well, and they decide to have an open house. 

The real estate agent suggests an open house and Amber doesn't like the idea because she doesnt like the neighbors. On the day of the open house 13 people arrive to view the house. The problem is that only 12 leave. It was a fun read. I will keep an eye out for Sam Carrington's future book. Happy reading everyone.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53913974-the-open-house" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Open House" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1598244032l/53913974._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53913974-the-open-house">The Open House</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15308494.Sam_Carrington">Sam Carrington</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3602045720">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
When Amber holds an open house to sell her property, she watches remotely from a camera due to curiosity and a so-so realtor. When viewing she sees several come but one is left in her house. Who and where are they and most importantly why? This book ad me guessing from the ex-husband, so=so realtor, snoopy neighbor and down right cheap soon to be ex-mother in-in-law. This on will keep you guessing. 
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5483119-sherry">View all my reviews</a>

OH MY GOSH... THIS BOOK IS PHENOMENAL... I was hooked from just the premise, to be honest: there is an open house, 13 people enter only 12 come out?... I MEAN COME ON.... The characters were really well written and I liked that Carrington didn't make his descriptions "too much" (meaning excessive adjectives and oversimplifying). 
The actual story revolves around a man and woman who split up and the woman then wants to sell the house and move away. It appears as though everyone else is against this idea and is doing everything in their power to hold the woman at the house and to keep their secrets hidden. Big thanks to Netgalley & Avon Books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

I'd recommend this book to those who like a good mystery but also like a fast-paced thriller/horror. I read this at night and was quite honestly frightened at some points. Definitely worth a read!!!!

Amber and Nick are divorcing and Amber is looking to start a new life with boyfriend Richard, all she needs to do is sell the family home. With no interest in the house, her estate agent recommends an open house and through her doorbell camera Amber watches 13 people enter but only 12 leave. Why is number 13 still in her house and what do they want?

A good creepy thriller with lots of twists and turns which keeps you guessing until the end.