Another heart wrenching story by this author. I love all of her books. She has a way of blending history and emotion. This book is a dual time line. 1965 - Ellie, white and privileged, joins the SCOPE program during her summer break at college, as a civil rights worker in North Carolina. There, she meets Win, a black co-worker, fighting for the right to vote. Their budding friendship combined with her dedication to help the black community, has devastating consequences in her home community. 2010 - Layla, an architect, recently widowed and now a single mother to her 4 year old daughter, has just moved into the dream home her and her husband were building before his accidental death. They are the first home of an up-and-coming development called Shadow Ridge. Unknown to Layla, her home sits in the middle of a dark history, which is re-ignited and threatens her own family’s wellbeing.

I absolutely loved the 1965 timeline. The history was so rich with detail and emotion. The relationships felt so real. The characters brought to life so vividly! The 2010 timeline was more of a grounding plot in which the older timeline came to life. However, it also had a mystery of its own that tied up nicely in the end. Definitely a must-read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction and interested learning more about black civil rights in the 1960’s, and in particular, the SCOPE project.

I was thrilled to get an ARC from Netgalley and #stmartinspress in exchange for an honest review.

I love historical fiction and Diane Chamberlain always does a good job in bringing events to life. This book did not disappoint! The author has e has crafted another intriguing family drama laced with mystery and set in an important historical era. It was hard to put it down!!

Set in two separate timelines (which is not normally something I like) but this worked. Set in 1965 and 2010 - we read about the work to get the Voting Rights Act passed and then today's happenings in the town of Round Hill.

It is hard say this was a good read because it's painful, awful and heartbreaking. The characters are very real and and I wanted to see them developed a little more!

The subject matter deserves to be read and it was a gripping tale that I flew through thanks to Ms. Chamberlain's immense talent.

Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read.

Unfortunately, I felt frustrated by this book. This was a dual timeline story. The subject matter for the 1960s timeline was amazing and engaging and tense, but the current timeline was disjointed, didn’t seem relevant to the 1960’s story and felt slow.

All in all this book has so much going for it. An amazing writer, an interesting, historical and relevant subject and characters that I did care about. However, the jumping back and forth between the two timelines which seemed unrelated was difficult for me to toggle.

I would still call this book a very engaging and relevant book. I absolutely loved the 1960’s timeline story and the background into the SCOPE program. I was so thankful for the dedication that Ellie showed, especially when everyone in her life was against her decision. She was a character that was easy to connect to. She was a small-town, Southern, white privileged girl who never realized just how privileged she was until she entered the SCOPE program.

The SCOPE program brought Northern college students together to canvas more rural black communities to discuss their right to vote and get them to commit to register once Lyndon B. Johnson signed a voter’s equality bill into action. Ellie had to fight to be part of the program as Southerners were seen as inflammatory to the black community, and rightfully so. Once accepted into the SCOPE program, Ellie realized that she finally found what made her “tick.” Making a difference for the next generation, for a subset of the population who were not given the same opportunities as others, and to engage in building a better future. But behind every turn was someone trying to dissuade her and attempt to scare her out of the program.

I loved how the author brought historical relevance to the story. The hardships and battles that these rural black families faced were monumental. It was easy to hate the characters that were small minded and self-righteous and easy to cheer for those trying to rise above the constant injustices and pave the way to a better future for their families. The last 1/4th of the book was just mesmerizing. Finding out finally how the two timelines interjected and who did what in the 60’s was horrifying. I didn’t quite buy that Ellie wouldn’t have figured out some of that on her own, but I guess she wanted to believe the best about some people.

Overall, a compelling read. The timeline differences in this one just didn’t work as well for me as I would have liked.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy to read and review. Pub date: 1.25.22

The Last House on The Street is one of the best books I have read in awhile in that it has the ability to take events from the past and make it relevant in the present of the story. It never seems forced. This book seamlessly weaves the characters from both time periods and in a manner that is never confusing. As in all of Diane Chamberlains books, the characters are all very well developed. I love that there was a bit of a mystery thrown in for good measure.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book, but wish it had been a little bit more, gone a little farther, that it did. There are two timelines, present day and early 1960s, and issues of race, class, and social mores abound. At least for one timeline. The present day is more about loss and luck, I guess.

While I liked most of the characters (and REALLY didn't like others), they felt a little one dimensional. The story also seemed to go nowhere really. The writing style was enjoyable, as is usual for Ms. Chamberlain, but this didn't grab me and fully draw me in.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“It’s not your battle.”

Ellie knew the risks. She forged her parents’ signature on the form that advised she could be injured or even killed. Nothing would stop her from doing what she knew was right–her aunt’s example inspired her–and that meant she would spend her summer with SCOPE, the Summer Community Organization and Political Education project. Northern white college students would come to the south and work with black locals to lead voter registration drives. Ellie would be the only Southern, local person in the project.

She was convinced that her home in North Carolina did not share the violent racism of the ‘deep South’ that ended the lives of three Freedom Riders in Mississippi. She could not believe that her family were hateful racists, although her parents insisted she would not participate. Even when her mother said, “This is the way God made the world. Most Negroes know their place.” Ellie had seen her mother’s attachment to their maid, her pharmacist father help the black community. Her Aunt Carol had taught her the importance of acting on your convictions.

Ellie fought to join SCORE, and over the summer she bonded with the other volunteers, discovered love, and encountered the violent racism that lurked just under the surface. Afterward, she left for California, and never returned.

Until her brother, the one person she knew was guiltless, was ill and needed her.

The family home had once been the only house on the street, encompassed by a dark woods. Now, a new housing division was being built. The first house built is home to Kayla, a young widow with a child, her architect husband having died in an accident on the building site. Kayla is the daughter of Reed, Ellie’s high school sweetheart. A man she suspects was involved with the Klan activity that upended her world during the SCOPE summer. Kayla is disturbed by a series of encounters and threats, even the disappearance of her child. Someone is trying to drive her away from her home.

What is eventually revealed is chilling, horrifying.

Diane Chamberlain’s new novel will hook readers and take them into a dark journey into the soul of American hate, past and present. It is a disturbing story, and a true representation of American racism.

The love story came about quickly, and the plot becomes a bit melodramatic for my tastes. Still, most readers will be immersed in this story that encompasses a mystery, history, love, and an unforgettable climax scene.

I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain was such an enthralling read. This historical fiction novel drew me in to the last page. The characters were well developed and went through many trials and emotions that my heat ached for them. The dual timeline aspect was so great. I really enjoy books with that feature. A must read.!

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my honest review. *****

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this novel.
"The past is never dead. It's not even past." William Faulkner wrote this and never has a quote been more apt for a book. The past is alive and feeding on the future in Diane Chamberlain's The Last House on the Street, a timely book that speaks about what America is still wrestling with, no matter what people say.

The story takes place in two different time periods. The North Carolina of 1965, and of today. In the past we meet Ellie Hockley, raised as a proper Southern lady, has dreams and ideas that might be bigger than what her family wants for her. And a better sense of what is right and wrong. Years later we meet Kayla Carter, a young architect who with her husband moves and designs her dream home for them both and their child. Her husband dies in an accident, rumors of haunted woods and strange messages start appearing and her neighbor Ellie Hockley, might know more about what is happening then she is telling.

The time-shifts are very well written with clear perspectives and narrative voice that makes both characters come alive and original. There is a grimness to the story, which grows as the book goes on, and the ending might not be what everyone expects, but is sadly true to life. This is a powerful piece of fiction with an important story to tell and to understand.

Ms. Chamberlain is a very good writer, and has a very diverse oeuvre. This one might be among her best. A complicated tale of love, loss race, and doing what is right, no matter what the consequences.

North Carolina author Diane Chamberlain wraps a mystery in historical fiction as she interweaves the stories of two women, Kayla Carter and Ellie Hockley, in her latest novel The Last House on the Street, hitting shelves on January 11, 2022.

Kayla is hesitating about moving into the house she and her husband designed in Shadow Ridge Estates in Round Hill, North Carolina, because he died in an accident during the construction of the home. Adding to her concern is a visit to her workplace by a strange woman who warns Kayla that she is “Thinking about killing someone.”

Down the road from Shadow Ridge, Ellie returns to her family home after decades of estrangement from her mother and brother. She fled to California in 1965 after her experience in a project to register black voters in the South led to harm for herself and others as well as opposition from her parents, her brother, her best friend, and her boyfriend.

In a small-world moment, Kayla learns that her father Reed had once been Ellie’s boyfriend. Ellie downplays that relationship as she seems to hold a grudge against Reed. What really happened to Ellie during her voter registration experience? How might Reed have been involved in Klan activity in 1965? Does the last house on the street hold the answers? A startling climax will be the impetus for some devastating revelations as well as some heartfelt healing.

Diane Chamberlain has created an intriguing story about two women who are dealing with major transitions in their lives. With a master’s degree in clinical social work from San Diego State University, Chamberlain was a hospital social worker and a psychotherapist in private practice before she turned to a writing career. Last House is her 30th novel.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting October 22, 2021.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Chamberlain never lets me down, and this novel didn’t disappoint. I definitely preferred the storyline set in the past, but both were pretty well done.

Wow. Not me ugly crying over this story. What a wonderful depiction of past and present lives intertwined in tragedy and triumph. Beautiful love and heartbreaking loss wrapped up all together in a emotional ride through the times. Diane Chamberlain is amazing.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

I'm torn with how to describe my thoughts on this book. While my overall perspective is that it was good, the storyline was painful, awful and heartbreaking. I couldn't put it down, so I guess that means it was good!

I always devour this authors books and this one was no exception. This novel is so deep and complex. The socail commentary is well written and this is a complex character driven story. Unputdownable!! Justice, faith, family and hope,,it has it all!!! I really enjoyed reading about Ellie and Kayla.great book!!!!

3.5 stars - This book started out only so-so for me. It didn’t pick up until 30-40% of the way through. It was interesting, but also a heavy, frustrating read. It was heartbreaking, both because of what happens to the main characters, but also because it doesn’t feel like there’s any justice in the end. It’s hard to believe these kind events occurred regularly only a few decades ago, but it’s important to remember. It’s hard to say I enjoyed the book, because of the heavy content, but for the most part it was immersive and well written.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

Engaging, enlisting, enlightening! The author does a great job connecting the past and the present - very engrossing read. You will want to continue reading and it will be hard to put down to take a break.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was sent this ARC by NetGalley for my honest opinion. Diane Chamberlain did it again, I was enthralled with this story from beginning to end. I really enjoy when authors write in the dual timeline, one was in the 1960’s & the other in 2010. Ellie is a young lady fighting for racial equality in the 60’s & Kayla unknowingly becomes intertwined with that life in 2010. I highly recommend this book.

Love Diane Chamberlain and this book did not disappoint!  It covers a very hard topic but the way it is told you fall in love with some of the characters and feel the emotions of them all.  Told in alternating timelines of the past and present and you realize how far we've come and how far we have to go.  This is a story that will stick with you for a long time and I enjoyed reading it and actually learned a lot from it, as I was not familiar with the Scope project.
Expected publication date January 11, 2022 so put it on your To be Read list now!  Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for this advanced copy.

At first I was confused by the dual timelines. We go back to 1965 when segregation and civil rights were in full swing and then to 2010 - present day. It took some time to find the connection to the two time frames but they finally came together to make the book flow. It is a mystery laced with family drama.

Mesmerizing, poignant, brutal, and tragic, this story veers wildly from modern day to the civil rights era and rips your heart right out in the process. It was just enough mystery to not be an easily solved tale, and fully fleshed out the characters in both timelines. Great read!

Diane Chamberlain is an auto read author for me, but after her last book and now this one I think I need to reconsider.

While this was good - I didn't find it memorable or impactful. With the civil rights era story line you expect it to be really impactful, but it just felt sort of meh to me.