My thanks to Netgalley for my copy of The Last One Home. 
This book starts off as a family drama and takes quite a while to pick up speed. However, as it does so it becomes more and more chilling. Being told as a time spaced narrative by Lauren in the present, and her mother Donna in the past. gives the reader an insight as to what may or may not have happened. I tried to make a guess as to the outcome and was partially there but wasn't quite prepared for what we learn at the conclusion.

I was so excited to read this book, because I am an unrepentant superfan of Victoria Helen Stone’s Jane Doe. Stone is one of those authors whose tone always resonates with me and whose writing usually always keeps me interested, with lots of fun description, unlikable but interesting female characters, great narrative voices, and sneaky feminist humor.

So I was a little (ok, very) bummed that I didn’t love this one. The premise is a good one: Lauren is moving back to the family home after a fractured and complex family history during which her mother accused her father of confessing to murder, and got him wrongfully (maybe?) imprisoned. Cool premise and lots of interesting ways the story could go from there, but the story didn’t take advantage of many of them and the first half was very slow.  Not much happened except for a lot of pensiveness from Lauren about her family, whether her father may have been guilty and what her mother’s role was. The simultaneous flashback narrative from her mother was also quite slow.

Things picked up considerably in about the last 25% of the book, but like my friend Susan who I read this with pointed out in her review, before that point I too was very frustrated with both Lauren and her mother and their propensities to let men get away with murder. Neither character was too strong or easy to identify with, and they both kept giving horrible men a ridiculous number of chances to be jerky, which was a bummer for me because I usually find Stone’s work to be very fun and feminist.

This book wasn’t a waste because I always enjoy Stone’s writing style and voice, but it wasn’t as awesome as some of her others. I would have really preferred a faster pace, more plot/action in the first half, and more character development of some key characters.  Having said this, I still love Stone and Jane Doe 4 life.

I really enjoyed reading this with Javier and Susan who both had some great thoughts and insights so be sure to check out their reviews too!

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing, NetGalley and Victoria Helen Stone for the advance copy!

Lauren is called back to her childhood home which is full of wonderful memories of her father (Michael) and grandmother. Unfortunately, Lauren's life wasn't always so rosey. When she was very young, her mother Donna testified that Michael confessed to a murder.  He was incarcerated until Lauren was 10 years old, at which point he was exonerated as the real killer came forward. Over the years, Lauren and Michael built a solid relationship while Lauren slowly pulled away from her lying mother. 

Years later she is back in her grandmother's house and her mom has resurfaced, warning her about that side of the family and the peril ahead. Lauren is sure her mom is cuckoo for cocopuffs, or is she? 

The story unfolds through present and past narration from Lauren and Donna's perspective. We are pulled into the time when Donna was pregnant and her relationship with Michael, which was far from perfect. Both Donna and Lauren were weak women who let the men in their life take advantage of them, and they left me so frustrated. 

This was a fast easy read, but it was missing something for me.  When I reflect on the story, not much happened until the end, and then so much happened but then it felt too rushed. 

Thank you Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I feel so disappointed right now. This was not what I was expecting from this author at all. Maybe the fact that I come from reading one of the best thrillers I've read this year did not help either. Where I was expecting more of a thriller I found a family drama so slow-burning, that for a moment I thought the flame had extinguished. And when I say slow I mean slooow.

As usual lately with this type of books there's a dual timeline. In the present storyline we follow Lauren, who just moved to her grandma's home after she suffered a stroke. She didn't meet her father and his side of the family till she was 10 yo, because he was in prison for murder. And the one who sent him to prison was Donna, Lauren's mother, and her testimony.

In the past line it's 1985, and Donna just found out she's pregnant. Her boyfriend Michael is married and, despite his promises of leaving his wife, the divorce never happens, so when Donna accuses him of murder, everyone thinks she's just resentful.

I found both main characters pretty annoying. Lauren seemed more worried about live-streaming her house renovations to make her ex-boyfriend jealous (for a moment I thought I was watching a Property Brothers episode), and Donna was blind to how Michael was a complete piece of sh*t despite all his wrongdoings. The past line was so repetitive I felt I was reading the same scene over and over: Michael cheated or lied, Donna got angry, Michael said sorry and promised it would never happen again and Donna would relent and forgive him. Really? Wake up, girl!

There were some side plots introduced early on that I hoped would help to move things forward, but they were not used to their full potential and were solved in a lackluster way almost at the end.

It is not till the last 10% that the action picks up the pace, leading to an ending that felt a bit rushed, specially if we consider how many pages of nothingness came before.

Although not her best work, I'll still keep an eye out for the author's next books, specially if it's a follow up on Jane, my favorite sociopath!

Another fun buddy read with Susan and Christina.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

THE LAST ONE HOME
BY VICTORIA HELEN STONE

This is the first book that I have read from this acclaimed author who is well known for her Jane Doe series that a lot of people liked so I thought I would give her a try. I didn't like this slow moving tale about a man named Michael who we hear the story narrated by both his daughter Lauren and her mother Donna moving back and forth in time alternating in time periods and Donna voice and Lauren's. This was not a thriller and the story only picked up momentum during the last ten percent on my Kindle.

During Donna's rants she comes across as a really unlikable character with coarse language which I did not care for. She is Michael's mistress who knowingly cheats with him behind his wife's back and gets pregnant with Lauren. She pressures him constantly to divorce his wife which he is dragging his feet.

Michael's mother Elizabeth who also comes across as unlikable provides a cabin for Donna to live in on her property which is a big ranch with a lot of land. Elizabeth accepts this arrangement while knowing that Michael's wife knows nothing about Donna.

Michael comes across as a weak and lying serial cheater as Donna follows him many times and catches him yet in lie after lie exposing him as a person not to be trusted. She discovers that a young waitress at a dive bar has gone missing and she thinks that he is responsible for her death and has him put away in prison until a serial killer takes responsibility for the young waitresses's death.

Lauren is 35 year's old and has always believed that her mother Donna lied about her father's involvement in the death of the waitress and Lauren has been estranged from her mother for a few years. After Michael's mother Elizabeth has had a stroke, Elizabeth who is Lauren's grandmother offers to sell Lauren the ranch for a fraction of what it is worth. Lauren has always believed in her father;s innocence and thought that her mother tried to poison her mind against her father and her grandmother. Donna has maintained that she only wanted to keep Lauren safe.

This was a very flat and not even a slow burning thriller. I wanted to really like this story and I thought that if I kept reading it that it would get better. With the author being a bestselling one I had high hopes for this but the last ten percent was the only time that the action picked up and even that was not enough to redeem this story. I will not be recommending this one as a thriller because it simply didn't captivate my attention and I am glad it was short and happy that I finished it. I have learned that I need to be more discerning when I request Titles unless I know of the author and have loved their previous work or else I am likely to find myself in this situation where a DNF isn't an option. I feel obligated to keep reading something that doesn't appeal to me because I am obligated to write an informed review. I am sorry that I didn't like this but maybe other people will. I wish the author every best wish for success with this regardless.

Publication Date: March 23, 2021

Thank you to Net Galley, Victoria Helen Stone and Lake Union Publishing for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#TheLastOneHome #VictoriaHelenStone #LakeUnionPublishing #NetGalley

Holy cow this book blew me away. I was captivated by page 3 . The story socked me jb and I could not stop untill I knew how it ended

I've read and enjoyed every novel that Victoria Helen Stone has published since her massively successful thriller, Jane Doe, but The Last One Home is just ok to me. It's more of a slow burn family drama than a dark thriller that I'm used to reading from this author. The story focuses on Lauren Abrams in the present, with another POV being a newly pregnant party girl Donna in the past. Lauren's grandmother sells her house to her at a very discounted rate because she's beginning to be too old to live there without help any longer. While she begins to renovate the house, she starts figuring out some family secrets that have changed their family's lives. As the two point of views carry out their lives, it eventually leads to one significant dilemma and it involves Lauren's father. Lauren's father was accused by her mother for being involved in a murder. A murder that eventually led to another serial killer's confession. A murder that Lauren's father eventually has been acquitted for. What does that mean for Lauren and what will Lauren uncover as she continues to find out more about her family?

Honestly, I feel terrible even saying anything negative about this story as Victoria Helen Stone is one of my favorite authors ever. The Last One Home is just a bit different from what I've read by her and it just didn't work out for me. I've bumped the rating to 3 stars out of respect for the author's previous works that I've loved. I will still read more by the author when additional stories are released.

Lauren Abrams wants nothing to do with her damaged mother, whose spurious testimony sent Lauren’s father to prison for murder years ago. After a serial killer’s confession to the crime restored justice.

This book was complete fire! 
WoW! So amazing from start to finish.
It had me hanging on the edge of my seat through the entire ride. 
Absolutely amazing writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a digital ARC of The Last One Home in exchange for my honest review.  This book was such a page turner.  I was completely blown away as the story progressed and the entire plot was, in my opinion, unique.  When Lauren returns to her family home after her grandma falls ill, she is surprised that her grandma is willing to pass the house to her.  Lauren's mom's testimony put her Dad in prison for murder, only to find that the testimony was a lie...someone else had committed the crime.  We find that sometimes families will do anything to protect the things, and people, that they love, sometimes in extreme ways.  Highly recommended.

Lauren Abrams no longer has a relationship with her mother, whose testimony put Lauren's father away for murder years ago. After that time, a serial killer confessed to the murders and her father was set free. Lauren chose to live with her father and grandmother and put her past behind her. But now her grandmother has taken ill and she returns to Sacramento to help sort out her estate. Lauren settles into her old home but as the story unfolds, it is clear her family are hiding some secrets. 

While I loved the premise of this one and did enjoy it, it was more of a slow burn mystery with some good suspense. The start was quite slow for me but as it went along I needed to see how the mystery unfolded. 3.5 stars rounded up.

This is a back and forth story between Lauren and Donna. 
A lot of Youtube, Instagram stalking...it was a little less than thriller and I felt a little lost. 
I did enjoy the life of Donna back in the 80s.
Overall, this book just didn't work for me. I didn't connect with the characters or the overall story line. 

Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced ebook copy.

So well written a thriller that kept me up late reading.A book with twists and turns that kept me guessing till the last page.Will be recommending.#netgalley #lakeunionpublishing

Lauren was raised by her mother who is adamant that her grandmother and father are bad people with bad motives. Lauren moves in with her ailing grandmother to help with her massive home with the promise of receiving the home after her grandmother passing. We see a lot of back and forth progressions in this novel of Lauren in the present day and her grandmother in the past, which gets a bit confusing at times. There is a lot of great depth in this novel with character development and plot lines. It draws the reader in and makes them want to keep turning pages. The ending seemed fairly predictable, but it was an overall good book. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing this eARC in exchange for my honest review. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was such a good thriller had me in suspense at all the plot twists and changes. Once again i did not see any of the twists coming. Which to me is the sign of a great read.
Looking forward to more from this wonderful author

I have been a hardcore Victoria Helen Stone fan ever since Jane Doe. I read all of her books, some preordered, so I COULDN'T WAIT to devour The Last One Home.

This book is about a dysfunctional family, lies, domestic abuse and misunderstandings between generations. It is a brilliant portrayal of Donna, an estranged mother, and her daughter Lauren who feels betrayed and lied to. As usual, Victoria Helen Stone is absolutely incredible with character development with unexpected details and personality traits that made my jaw drop. This part made the novel unputdownable for me.

At the same tine, it was defnitely a good book (I'll tell you that) but not a riveting thriller I was expecting after Jane Doe. This is defnitely my own fault for associating this author with a specific type/genre, which is what let me down unfairly - this novel is in fact a really well-written light mystery.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Exciting psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page.  I enjoyed this text so much I literally devoured it.

Lauren Abrams has disdain for her mother because she believes that her mothers slanderous lies put her father in prison for murder. That was proven when a serial killer admitted to the murder her father was serving time for. Once her father was released, Lauren wanted as far away from her mother as possible and so she moved in with her father and grandmother. The story moves forward to when Lauren as an adult decides to move back to her family’s homestead and did not care what her mother had to say. Lauren’s mother Donna, is hiding a secret. She knows that Lauren shouldn’t be coming back. Donna does not want Lauren to know what really happened. Does Donna know more about the murder that saw her boyfriend do jail time? This is a very well written mystery with some twists that will have you trying to figure out The Who’s and why’s. The author has taken great care to ensure that the characters are well written and their personalities are accurate and balanced. I would highly recommend this book.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Nope! Nope! Nope! Nope! This is not what I expected and yearned for reading!

I don’t know how quick I clicked the request button when I see Victoria Helen Stone’s name and find titles section on NetGalley! And as you may imagine, I gloated and gathered my friends to celebrate with early happy hour 9:30 am in the morning. 

  I couldn’t wait to jump into her new thriller even though its blurb was a little evasive. 

 I read 100 pages, nothing intriguing happened so I thought this was slow burn thriller so I decided to give more chance. 

 I was introduced with Lauren, the heroine who moves to her 90 years old grandma’s estate because her grandma had a stroke and she cannot live in this grandiose house by herself and she’s adamant to leave this place to her granddaughter with reasonable mortgage payment deal. 

  Lauren was raised by her mother Donna who thinks her grandma and father were dangerous people. She even testified against her father about killing a young waitress and put him behind the bars. Later her father was exonerated, got remarried and started from fresh as soon as he left the prison and of course Lauren formed a healthy family relationship with he and her grandma despite the worries of her mother. 

  The story is told by going back and forth between Lauren and Donna’s narrations: present time to read Lauren’s renovation plans, YouTube videos, Instagram stalking to her ex Bastian which made me yawn and get me bored to death. 
 
 We’re also moving back to 1985 to see the life of Donna who just moved to Sacramento after getting pregnant and Michael who is the father, trying to divorce from his wife who is not mentally stable. Donna wants to trust the man but we can hear the alarm bells from the beginning he is not telling the truth about his marriage. This part is a little more intriguing but it is still repetitive. Donna questions Michael’s motives and Michael acts like liar douchebag then she forgives him and he does something unacceptable again. Oh! Too much unnecessary angst and more yawning! 
  
  Only the last %2 of the book gets a little faster and as soon as tension starts building, the book ends. Yes, it’s not even slow burn because nothing is burning or flaming about this story. It’s a women’s fiction. This is not a thriller. Mystery parts are already foreseeable from the first chapters. 

  I gave three stars for my respect of the author’s previous works. Don’t get me wrong. This is not a bad book. The flawed, unreliable characters, dysfunctional family dynamics, abuse, estranged mother- daughter relationship are well-told and developed but I was expecting something more exciting, riveting,action-packed after reading Jane Doe series! 

  So this is too light, action-less, flat, slow for my taste. I’m still looking forward to read more works of the author but unfortunately this is not my favorite work of hers.

 Special thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing me this digital arc in exchange my honest opinions.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Lauren returns home to her grandmothers place after her stroke. She does not talk to her mother since she sent her father to prison many years ago. While doing construction on the house she finds some strange things which makes her think about the past. This book kept me guessing from the beginning to the end

Lauren wants nothing do do with her mother, the woman who sent Lauren’s father to jail, claiming he was a serial killer. It’s only after the real killer confesses, years later, that Lauren’s father is released. Now, Lauren is returning to the Sacramento estate where she was raised by her father, but she may not be as safe as she believes. Donna, Lauren’s mother, lied about her ex boyfriend, but she also knows something is seriously wrong with her ex and his home. Creepy