I have loved every single Diane Chamberlain’s book I have ever read and “Big Lies in a Small Town” and “The Dream Daughter” were phenomenal!!! Her latest book “The Last House on the Street” just did not do anything for me. Told in 2 different time lines 1965 and 2010 - I just had to put down the book at 38%. It’s not for me and I see I’m definitely in the minority. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release and look forward to more of her books in the future. To be published January 2022.

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain is an informative piece of fiction by this wonderful writer.

The Last House on the Street is told with a dual timeline. In 2010 we have Kayla, a recently widowed single mother. Kayla and her daughter are threatened by a mysterious woman after moving into the house that Kayla and her husband built. As Kayla works to become more comfortable in the house where her husband passed away, she uncovers the harrowing history of the property where she lives.

In 1965 we have Ellie Hockley. Ellie is a young woman impassioned by the civil rights movement. Against the wishes of her family and community, Ellie decides to join SCOPE, and organization dedicated to registering black voters. While part of this organization, Ellie undergoes a transformation that will forever change the course of her life.

The two storylines come together when Kayla and Ellie meet in 2010. The two form an at first strained friendship as the history of their street finally comes to light.

Diane Chamberlain is a wonderful writer and I have enjoyed several of her previous books. That being said, something in this one was lacking a bit for me. It took a long time for the book to get started. The beginning was very repetitive both in Kayla and Ellie's storylines. Kayla reiterated how "creepy" her property was, and the entire process of Ellie joining SCOPE.

As the book progresses, Ellie's timeline becomes the stronger of the stories. Several of the events of the book are foreshadowed and/or so predictable that I felt the book lacked suspense. It is not hard for the reader to put together an idea of the events that take place or the "whodunnit" aspect of the book. I found Ellie's naïveté a bit hard to believe, especially regarding one plot point that is a spoiler. The book picks up in pacing at around the 80 percent mark when everything begins to tie together.

The plot of this book certainly feels timely, and Chamberlain is a wonderful writer who paints vivid scenes in her novels. However, I felt the repetitive and obvious nature of the plot kept me from being fully absorbed in this book.

This historical mystery takes place in 2010 and 1965. The 2010 is less depressing, even though it’s about a widower who is about to move into the house that killed her husband. Both Kayla and her husband were architects, and they designed their dream house in a heavily wooded area at the end of the street. They would be the first ones to move into the area, which, once vacant except for one house, is now being developed, with construction all around them. Jackson died when the house was partially finished by slipping on some screws and falling down the stairs that didn’t yet have a handrail. So the house has hard memories for Kayla, but she and her three-year-old daughter are planning to move in anyway. It doesn’t help Kayla feel good about her decision when a strange woman comes to her office and warns her away from the house. How does this stranger know so much about Kayla?

The alternating part of this book happens when twenty-year-old Ellie decides to use her summer to help educate black folks in preparation for when Lyndon Johnson passes the Voting Rights bill Act. None of her North Carolinian family and friends think this is a good idea. They think that if black people haven’t registered to vote it’s because they’re lazy, not that there are so many obstacles in their way. What’s painful about reading that half of the book is that Ellie doesn’t want to believe the people she cares about are racist, and also that we’re still battling whether it should be easy to vote like it is here in Colorado where we’ve had vote by mail since 2013, or whether people should have to wait in line for hours on a November workday. Also, all the opposition Ellie and her fellow activists face from the Klan and the community in general is so appalling, especially because we still have to put up with a lot of that same idiocy today.

I enjoyed the mystery and Kayla and Ellie. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel, which RELEASES JANUARY 11, 2021.

Ellie is a healthy, typical young high school graduate in 1965 North Carolina until she learns about the “Freedom Fighters”. This is an organization of young people who travel to the southern states to meet and enlighten the black residents about their upcoming new right to vote, a bill waiting for signature by President Johnson.
Ellie goes against the wishes of her family, her boyfriend, and all of her society in order to join this group. Her incentive comes from her late Aunt Carol, who had always been a champion for human rights.
Flashing forward to 2010, we meet Kayla and her daughter as they’re recovering from the recent loss of her husband. They’re preparing to move into the home Kayla and her husband lovingly designed, but a dark cloud hangs over the home. It’s where her husband Jackson died from a freak accident.
Kayla’s new home is just down the street from Ellie’s childhood home, and numerous other new homes are being built around the old homeplace.
Flashing back to Ellie, we’re exposed to the dangerous, yet compassionate daily responsibilities of the freedom fighters. Ellie’s living conditions drastically change, but her biggest threat is the bigots who mean to harm her, especially if she, a blond-haired white girl, is seen with a black man. She’s constantly running out of sight, ducking in the car, avoiding the eyes of these predators. In defiance of this hatred, Ellie can’t help but develop a strong attraction to her co-worker, Winston. Win, a charming and intelligent black man, tries to avoid the growing attachment they feel for each other, but the bond is too strong. This relationship is something that isn’t tolerated in 1965 North Carolina, and the consequences are severe.
Meanwhile, Kayla has moved into their new home and someone is taunting her. She’s visited by a threatening stranger, her trash is thrown all over the yard, dead squirrels are draped in her front shrub, and odd noises can be heard at night in the woods behind her home. While investigating their new backyard, Kayla and her daughter Rainie find a murky pond, a years-old treehouse, and an odd round blank spot in the middle of the woods. Kayla learns there’s a history of KKK meetings in this area, which adds to her increasing fear of the place. She tries to befriend her neighbor down the road, but 65-year old Ellie seems to have an issue with Kayla, so she knows she’s going to have to work to earn her trust.
As the connection between these two settings, forty-five years apart, slowly evolves and reveals itself, tension builds.
The author does a great job depicting the sensitive era of the sixties in the south. As I was reading this book, I ran across a headline about the Battle of Hayes Pond, when on January 18, 1958, five hundred Native Americans (the Lumee tribe) drove the KKK out of their peaceful home of Maxton, North Carolina. This factual event supports the atmosphere that Ms. Chamberlain created for her fiction story.
Sad, but beautiful, this is a book that’s hard to read, yet necessary, so we can “stay focused, on the goal, keeping our eyes on the prize”. All are created equal; we need constant reminders of this commandment.
Sincere thanks to St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is January 11, 2022.

Diane Chamberlain is a go to author for me. I will read anything she writes because I know it will be well written, well researched, and have characters that I care about. It did not come as a surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed this newest release. This is a dual timeline/ dual perspective story. Ellie's story takes place for the most part in 1965, when she works for a program called SCOPE, which encourages blacks to vote once the voting rights act is signed by LBJ. Kayla is the modern day story of a woman moving to a new home where she feels she may not be wanted. Eventually the two stories combine. I wish that the entire story could have been told from Ellie, as her participation in the SCOPE program was so informative and engrossing! Ellie is one of only a very few white teens working in the program, and you can imagine how much racism rears its ugly head in NC in 1965! While Kayla's story was fine, I did find myself longing to get back to Ellie as the chapters switched back and forth. I had the ending to Kayla's misfortune figured out well before the reveal, but the twist on the truck incident involving Ellie seemingly came out of nowhere, and I was genuinely shocked!

Such a great story about a small part of the civil rights movement, made even more pertinent because of the events with voting rights happening all around us today. Definitely 5 stars for Ellie's story, had to knock off a star for the more tepid story about Kayla. Well worth a read, as always this author never fails to educate as well as entertain with her stories.

Kayla and her husband are very successful architects. They found a beautiful plot of land at the end of a cul-de-sac in a brand new neighborhood. Once they started the build, though, there were strange things happening. At work one day a strange woman shows up with bright red hair and sunglasses with a very intimidating message about moving into this home. When scary occurrences and messages keep happening, it's time to find out what is really going on.

We also get a look into the past during Jim Crow days. Ellie decides to join SCOPE, a nonprofit that works to get the black community registered to vote in anticipation of LBJ signing the voting rights into law. When she gets an intimate look at racism and how scary that can be, her whole life is turned upside-down.

When these two worlds collide, there is a lot of history to unravel and mysteries to uncover.

This was a good read. An eye-opening look at the Jim Crow South and what it was like then. There was a good mystery woven into this one and I enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Speechless..... that's how I felt almost every minute of this amazingly powerful, raw and emotional story..
This is the story of Ellie and Kayla, told in alternating perspectives and time periods; Ellie as a white upper middle class young woman from North Carolina 1965 and Kayla a young widow living on the same block as the one Ellie lived in in the present time. Ellie's past is about the time she became involved in the civil rights movement. Kayla's present about how their lives intersect. The story is brought to life beautifully by Chamberlain's writing. I felt the love, the hatred, the despair, of all the characters. This will keep you engrossed until the very last page!!

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain is a compelling, heartwrenching, and profoundly affecting read that I devoured. It is the story of two women, a generation apart, who continue to feel the impact of injustice decades after a shocking and horrific event shakes their small community to its very core.

In 1965, Ellie jeopardizes her comfortable life and the love of her family and friends to join SCOPE, a volunteer program to register black voters in the south. But when she finds herself falling in love with a fellow volunteer, she knows that she must risk everything, even her own life, if she is to follow her heart.

In 2010, architect Kayla is reeling from the sudden death of her husband, but is doing all she can to make a life for her young daughter in the house that she has designed. Living close to her father, Reed, brings a measure of comfort, but Kayla is unsettled when she is given the very distinct impression that there are some in the town who do not want her taking up residence on the property near the woods.

This is an addictive read, and Ms Chamberlain deftly moves between past and present to weave an altogether engaging story that shines a light on social injustice and inequality. Brilliant.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC.

The Last House on the Street was a solid 5 STAR read for me. It was also the first book I have read by Diane Chamberlain and it surely will not be the last! Historical fiction is my favorite genre and this one didn't disappoint. The story was based on prejudice, social justice, and voting rights; a difficult time period and subject. I had actually never heard of SCOPE, so of course I had to research it a bit. Any book that makes me want to research and read more has done it's job! The characters were solidly developed. You couldn't help but fall in love with the main characters and root for them. The story was told from current and past timelines & was engaging - I never once felt rushed or felt like things needed to speed up - it was perfect! This book was memorable and will stick with me and that's another thing that I look for in my favorite reads. I cannot wait to recommend this book to friends and also read more books by Diane Chamberlain.

Thank you Diane Chamberlain, St. Martin's Press, & NetGalley for providing me an ARC and allowing me to read The Last House on the Street!

During the 60’s and LBJ’s push to get black people registered to vote, young white college kids were some of the best summer workers in rural North Carolina.
The Last House on the Street is the story of where past and present collides, the lessons learned, the lives lost and the love forbidden.
This is a story that as a rural, white North Carolina girl myself lived through at the time, made Diane Chamberlain’s book that much more eye opening to me.
#NetGalley
#DianeChamberlain
#TheLastHouseontheStreet

**Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Diane Chamberlain for an ARC of this book!**

Moving, thought-provoking, and soul-stirring...with just a hint of mystery!

Diane Chamberlain has a gift for intertwining the past neatly with the present, and in The Lase House on the Street, she explores the idea that the more things have changed, the more they have unfortunately stayed the same.

It's 2010 and Kayla is recovering from the loss of her husband in a tragic accident. The two were architects, and Kayla arrives at the home they were supposed to share together with young daughter Rainie, ready to embark on the crusade of single parenthood. Her neighbors seem a bit hesitant to have her move in, however, and one woman in particular warns her that moving in could be dangerous. Another resident, Ellie, welcomes Kayla with open arms and offers her tea and yoga sessions...although it's clear her past is far from buried and there are secrets just WAITING to be uncovered...

We then jump back to 1965 in North Carolina, where Ellie has an opportunity to step outside of her personal comfort zone and across the lines drawn between the North and South. Her best friend Brenda is pregnant with boyfriend Garner's baby and is ready to settle into domestic bliss, but Ellie is searching for a higher cause, and finds it through SCOPE, an organization comprised mostly of Northerners who are waiting on President LBJ to pass the Voting Rights Act, and are encouraging black Americans to register to vote as soon as they are able. Ellie's parents and brother are of course adamantly opposed to her participation, but Ellie hears the voice of her progressive Aunt Carol in her mind and can't miss the opportunity to expand her horizons and hopefully inspire positive change. When she meets her fellow crusaders and begins to bond with them, however, she forms a connection that will change everything. As she learns to duck when a truck goes by, to hide in the shadows, and gets a firsthand look at the ugliness of hate groups such as the KKK...and for the first time, she is forced to reevaluate her life, what she has, and what she's willing to risk to follow her heart's desires.. Will her summer with SCOPE change her life forever? Can she protect those she loves, or can a force stronger than sheer will tear her whole world to pieces?

Chamberlain has chosen an interesting time to explore the issues present in this book, as voting rights have been thrust into the national spotlight yet again with our most recent presidential election. The fact that we are still lamenting a broken system while so many of us feel powerless to change it speaks to just how devastating it is to so many Americans. My only frustration with Chamberlain in this novel is that the SCOPE group (which I had never heard of until reading this book, sadly!) fell into a bit of the 'white savior' narrative and felt at times a bit stereotypical. Ellie is praised again and again for how "good' and virtuous she is by different characters, and it felt a little inauthentic at times. I know standing for these causes at the time (especially in the deep South) was a statement in and of itself, but the adulations did feel a bit redundant to me after a while.

I also think there is something problematic with presenting racism (in today's more informed world) as solely 'belonging' to outright hate groups like the KKK. A deepening conversation across the country points to the INSTITUTION of racism, which is a systemic problem, rather than simple bigotry, and unfortunately is upheld in so many different areas, from gentrification of cities to gerrymandering...which again, hinders voting rights. In this respect, I applaud Chamberlain for focusing on voting rights in the narrative, I just wish there was more of a balanced perspective from some of the other characters.

All of that being said, there is a lot of heart and food for thought in this narrative and a bit of mystery to keep you guessing until the end. The tragic ending might be a bit predictable in some regards, but the resolution felt fitting. Fans of Picoult (and obviously Chamberlain) will enjoy the balance in this one between what has been and what can be, and I appreciate Chamberlain's willingness to explore this time period and hopefully someday, her 2010 timeline will feel as 'in the past' as the initial civil rights push of the 60's...but until then, as Ellie and her compatriots sang:

The truth will make us free, the truth will make us free,
The truth will make us free someday.
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome someday.

We’ll walk hand in hand, we’ll walk hand in hand,
We’ll walk hand in hand someday.
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome someday.

4 stars

This new book by Diane Chamberlain was my first to read, and it quickly enveloped in its mysterious story! Richly layered, this puzzling thriller is captivating and kept me enthralled page after page. I'll be seeking out more of Chamberlain's stories. My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel for this honest review.

A story that will stick with me for a long time.

It’s 2010, and Kayla’s husband dies just before they move into their North Carolina dream home in the gorgeous Shadow Ridge Estates. Kayla and her young daughter proceed with moving in. The house is newly built, and backs into the woods. Kayla is instantly uneasy as she is confronted by an older, mysterious woman telling her she shouldn’t be living there. Kayla doesn’t know what the lady’s deal is.

Then, she meets neighbor Ellie Hockley, a 65-year old who returns to her home after years of staying away. Ellie’s family refused to sell their house to the new home developers, and thus theirs is the only old house on the street. Ellie is initially welcoming, but quickly becomes a bit cold when she learns something about Kayla that brings back painful memories.

Back in 1965, Ellie was a young woman who crusaded for Civil Rights, specifically the right for Black people to vote. What kept her away from home for 45 years? And what does the last house on the street have to do with it?

Told in dual timelines, both equally enthralling, I could not put this down. Diane Chamberlain is one of my favorite authors, and she really knows how to pack an emotional punch. I felt so much while reading this: anger, frustration, heartache. As one can imagine, 1965 in a Southern state does not make for an easy read.

My heart broke at what some of these memorable and highly believable characters went through, and my blood boiled reading about the ignorant and hateful people who put them through it.

As always, Chamberlain writes with sensitivity, but doesn’t shy away from tough topics. She brilliantly ties the past to present and gives care to every character and thread. This is not an easy read, but it is important and still relevant today.

Some history, a little mystery, and a lot of prejudice!

Told in two times, this story takes one of the characters, Ellie Hockley, and tells her story from 1965. A time when I watched the world through a child’s eyes. I was a child of the deep south and integration didn’t come for longer than it should have. The Voting Rights Act was passed and the SCOPE program was put into motion to help black people register to vote and to know their rights.

It was dangerous work. Work that did get people killed. Remember Mississippi? But against everyone’s advice and threats, Ellie has joined up to help. Her story and her character were very well done.

In 2010 Kayla and her daughter are moving into the house she designed with her husband. He died before the house was finished in an accident. There seem to be a lot of accidents around. But really this is Round Hill, North Carolina. What could possibly be so frightening about her house?

When a scary-looking old lady tells her not to move into the house, she is already shakey on that so maybe she will sell it.

In the end, they move in. Her next-door neighbor is Ellie Hockley and she is very helpful and welcoming. She also has secrets. A lot of secrets.

This book doesn’t clean up the past. I like that. I lived through this period as a child and it was just this bad. There is a lot of violence and prejudice and just plain meanness in here. And that is okay with me because it happened. And if we ever forget it we will repeat it. And right now this is a good time to read this book!

NetGalley/January 11th, 2022 by St. Martin’s Press

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc of this book. What a stunning read! Ellie is such a wonderful character, and I loved getting to know her life in 1965, when she joins SCOPE and learns about the hardships of Black America in the South. Kayla's scenes in the present are a backdrop to the story and for all the time we spend with her, she's more of a minor character. The story is mainly a mystery - why is her new home so plagued with misfortune and what does Ellie have to do with it? Why does the mysterious woman want her off the property? The dual timelines are effective in laying the groundwork and setting up the shocking ending. This is a book I will read again, even though there were scenes that were difficult to read and I found myself in tears many times. I highly recommend this book.

Wonderful page turner. Great historical novel and made me ponder race relations in the 60s. I loved the way the author intertwined the stories of Ellie and Kayla. There was a well thought out plot and well developed characters. I would recommend this book.

This story has it all using a dual time line 1965 and 2010. The story involves to two families that have a mysterious and very sad past..

Diane Chamberlain writes with so much feeling and heart. Her books grab you from the moment you pick it up until you get it finished. You feel what the characters in her story feel and this book definitely had feels.

The story of Reed and Ellie and Kayla and Rainie will have you reading past your bedtime to make sure you read this book in one sitting.

Thank you to #netgalley, #stsimonpublishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This was a pretty good book. Two stories of two women forty-five years apart are woven together and merge at the end for the revealing of the answers to all questions. Ellie's story occurs mostly in 1964, and Kayla's is in 2010. Both women are strong women who struggle to find answers to what's happening around them. I thought the story was skillfully told, and it kept me reading. I would recommend this book to my friends and book clubs.
I received an Advance Review Copy. of this book. All opinions are my own.

The book is told in two different eras but two different characters. Kayla is a widow moving into a new house in a new neighborhood and someone does not want her living in that house. Ellie is a twenty-year-old trying to find her way to make a difference in a racially divided south. Ellie is also Kayla’s neighbor at the new house. From the first meeting it is obvious that Ellie has secrets that she is trying to keep in the past while Kayla just wants to be happy with her daughter.

I loved the history in this book. The segregation, the right to vote for blacks, and the fear of integration of white and blacks was so real in the south. The northern students followed the words of Martin Luther King Jr and did what they could to encourage blacks to register to votes but it was not that easy. The fear of a white being seen with a black, the fear of a white being known to support the right to vote could all lead to the killing of anyone involved. Diane Chamberlain did not take the easy way out with her story. She shared the truths of what the world was like during that time and how it was still affecting the world today. The actions of those in 1965 make a difference to the people living in 2010, when the story was being told.

Thanks to Netgally and St. Martin's Press for an e-arc of Diane Chamberlain's new novel, The Last House on the Street .due for release in January, 2022.

This is historical fiction concerning The Scope Project. If you grew up in the 60s, you may remember some of the events from this time period. It tells the story of Ellie in 1965 and Kayla in 2010 in a small town in NC.

As always, Diane Chamberlain's writing is spot on, her character development is great, and she has a knack for putting you right in the story.

If you love historical fiction, please give this book a try.