A masterfully written story! This book was told in two timelines, one in 1965 and the other in 2010. . In 2010, Kayla Carter and her daughter end up moving into the dream home that she built with her late husband. Then we go back to 1965 where we meet Ellie Hockley. Ellie is a young college girl who volunteers to help black voters register. Ellie's family does not like or support what she is doing.

Someone, for some reason, is trying to scare her from the property that is rumored to be haunted. Past secrets hidden in the woods and two stories that come together with a hunting conclusion.

THE CREEPY. THE SPOOKY. THE SCARY. I loved it. This was great and atmospheric and got into my head. I really loved getting this as an ARC and I'm so happy I loved it! It was highly anticipated!

I was invited to read this title prior to the release on 1/11/2022 by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I read one of Chamberlain's previous books, Big Lies in a Small Town, which I really loved and had it as one of my favorite books from the year it published. Unfortunately, I can't say the same thing about The Last House in the Street. I'm not certain as to when the writer started this project, but due to real life events from 2020, I feel that events described in this book could be potentially triggering for readers.

Kayla is a young widowed mother, who is about to move into the house she designed with her fellow architect husband Jackson, who died in a freak accident while building the home which was built on land with a troubled history. She is warned not to move in with her young daughter, by a woman wearing a wig and sunglasses that hide her eyes. Then we get the point of view from Ellie Hockley who lived in the house down the street in 1965. Ellie was a good girl, working on getting her pharmacology degree at UNC when she decides to get involved with civil rights work, helping "Negro" folks register to vote. It was very courageous of her, in that time to go against her family and do what she thought was right. Until she gets involved with a boy that she wasn't supposed to- in North Carolina 1965, before the Voting Rights Act was signed by the President, where the Klan had an active hold over the privileged white folks. Ellie's infatuation and secret relationship with Winston was dangerous for him, and if she hadn't been warned in other ways, I would say she was naive and sheltered about how the future might look. Voting rights is still very much a pivotal issue in 2021/2022, with gerrymandering and voter suppression happening in Southern states. So while the reader can appreciate what civil rights workers did in the 60s, it feels like we should be further along than we are now. With all the cases of Black women and men killed by police and civilians for existing while Black, the conclusion was very difficult to read, not because it is surprising but because people are hurting from these more recent murders. I definitely feel that these stories need to be written but I question the way it was written or the timing. It may be extremely triggering for a reader.

In addition, the character development was very uneven. Kayla wasn't written with very much character development at all, whereas Ellie's past showed her character very well. I also felt like she shared some responsibility with what happened to the young man. It wasn't so much a huge mystery of who was harassing Kayla and her daughter, or what happened or who was responsible. It was a tragic story with a slightly bittersweet ending- which was a bit abrupt. Did the woman who harassed Kayla and briefly kidnapped her daughter get arrested? Were there consequences to her actions? I was almost going to rate this book 4 stars, but it really felt like a 3- 3.5 ☆ at most.
TW for racist language and violence.

What we see often is only a fractional part of what really is.

Deception comes in all sizes. Some from the little lies we tell ourselves to make us feel like we're standing on more solid surfaces. Some lies erupt after being marinated over decades and passed on from generation to generation. These are the ones that sink beneath the surface and decay holier ground.

Diane Chamberlain presents a split storyline that pivots from 1965 and lands on happenings in 2010. It settles itself near Greenville, North Carolina with a base located in the small community of Round Hill. Believe me. Prepare yourself to be tussled in both directions.

In more present days, Kayla Carter is a successful architect who is bogged down under the weight of moving into her dream house in Round Hill. She and her husband, Jackson, designed and carried out the plans to the nth degree on this jaw-dropping property. But Jackson won't be guiding the moving van in front of this luxurious piece of real estate. Jackson died in a freak accident on the top floor. Kayla is torn as to the rationale for still residing in that house with its sad memory. But she justifies it with the hard work put into it by Jackson himself. She and her three year old daughter, Rainie, eventually move in with the support of her father, Reed.

Chamberlain adds a thread of mystery when a red-haired woman with reflective sunglasses visits Kayla at her office. Ann Smith seems to threaten Kayla if she intends on residing in that house. But within moments, this strange woman flits out of the office leaving Kayla with more questions than answers.

We now take a step back in time to 1965 during the Civil Rights Movement. We have the honorable Freedom Riders and those who worked diligently to secure the voting rights of the Black community in the deep South. There were an array of individuals who came from the North with a multitude of intentions varying from strong intent to mild curiosity. Some made successful inroads while others merely disrupted and endangered the lives of these families who opened their homes to them. It's still a heavy moment of deep reflection.

And here is where we are introduced to Ellie Hockley, a student attending the University of North Carolina. Ellie has a strong desire to become part of the SCOPE Project working in the Black community. But Ellie's naivete will draw the walls in closer and eventually bring the house down. Ellie will become the bridge between those two time periods in this novel.

The Last House on the Street had a remarkable opportunity to stick with the 1965 storyline. The 2010 thread added present day tension and mystery and served as a connecting point. Although a fictional work, this novel had a thunderous avenue to gear readers into the lead up to the Voting Rights Act that LBJ insisted on treading water for far too long. Through the characters of Ellie and Win and the community at large, we would have had a vehicle of more profound understanding. But it's still a top-shelf, eye-opening read.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press and to the talented Diane Chamberlain for the opportunity.

Diane Chamberlain's newest novel is quite a page-turner! I've loved most of the books she's written, and this one is no exception. The book is told in two different timelines, 2010 and 1965, and the past has definitely intruded on the present.

In 2010, Kayla and her 3-year-old daughter, Rainie, are soon moving into the house she designed with her husband, Jackson, who tragically died while the house was being built. Kayla is ambivalent about moving into this dream home she and her husband worked so hard on because it won't be the same without him and because he died there. A mystery woman came to Kayla's office and tried to talk her out of moving into the house. She was threatening and warned Kayla to tear the house down or sell it, and that bad things would happen if she moved in. Kate goes ahead with her move with some trepidation. Sure enough some bad things start happening. What is going on?

In 1965 Ellie is a pharmacology student at UNC-Chapel Hill with her best friend Brenda. Brenda gets pregnant and marries. Ellie wants to finish school, she doesn't want the same life as Brenda, and her boyfriend Reed is supportive. Ellie, during summer break, becomes involved in the SCOPE project where white students, the majority from Northern states, work to educate black residents about their right to vote and to encourage them to register. President Johnson is soon to sign the Voting Rights Act which will allow black citizens to vote. During this time, the students will live in the black community and stay with black families. Ellie sees first-hand the horrendous living conditions, the lack of electricity, running water, a decent wage - true poverty. She is resolute in her belief that being able to vote will allow conditions to improve, and she is determined to help make that happen. Ellie also becomes involved in something else that triggers tragic events.

This book is heartbreaking. The themes are prejudice and racism, friendship, betrayal, hope, healing, and grief - all told in a sensitive and caring manner. I couldn't put the book down. I had not been aware of the SCOPE project, and learned a great deal. I shudder at some of the occurrences in this story, knowing that similar events actually did happen during the 60's while integration was happening and civil rights was front and center both politically and socially. The sad thing is that racial prejudice still exists today. I hope that someday people can put aside differences and just see each other as fellow human beings who can live peaceably together and treat each other the same.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published January 11, 2022.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced copy. I have loved some of Diane Chamberlain’s past novels, but this one just wasn’t a favorite. The writing did not draw me in and the characters felt superficial (Kayla) & stereotypical (Ellie). So many great books have been written about the Civil Rights era. This story did not offer anything new or different. It was very predictable. Although this one was a miss, I still love this author!

Diane Chamberlin is a master at weaving a story while teaching history. Her characters have depth, and she never fails to put a twist in the storyline. Like other books of hers that I have read, this was one that I couldn't put down. This story is written with two timelines, 1965 and 2010. The 1965 timeline centers around The Summer Community Organization and Political Education (SCOPE) Project of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and was a voter registration civil rights initiative conducted from 1965 to 1966 in 120 counties in six southern states. Just as I have done with other Chamberlin books, I found myself doing some online research and learning about history that wasn't taught in my social studies classes.

In the 1965 timeline, we meet Ellie Hockley. She is a naive, 20-year-old college student from a locally prominent family. The most unsettling event to date is that her best friend, Brenda is pregnant and planning on marrying Garner Cleveland, Ellie's boyfriend Reed Miller's best friend. However, while working as a journalist on her college paper, she learns about the civil rights movement. Inspired by her late Aunt Carol, Ellie learns more about the campaign and chooses a path that will forever change her life. Against her family's and friends' wishes, she joins SCOPE. Like the other white volunteers, she is sent to live with black host families to canvas and educate the neighborhoods about the power of voting and convince the black residents to register and follow through on election day.

The horror of the times and the southern white's fear of empowering minorities come out in this story. Likewise, Ellie's naiveness in understanding her own people and their prejudice towards an interracial relationship is uncovered. I found it interesting that Chamberlain built into the storyline a relationship with Ellie's maid's daughter and how that influenced her change of heart towards activism.


Intermixed with the 1965 timeline is one from 2010. In this storyline, we meet Kayla Carter, a young widow coming to grips with her husband's tragic death and feelings toward the dream house they built together. The home is situated on a prime lot in a new up-and-coming development, Shadow Ridge subdivision, on the outskirts of Round Hill in North Carolina. However, a single older home remains from the early days, the Hockley residence.

Just before moving in, a strange woman appears at Kayla's office under the guise of requesting a quote from her. In reality, the woman, Ann Smith, threatens Kayla and tells her she should not move into the house and references that she is capable of killing someone.

Slowly, we begin to see how the two storylines intersect. Kayla meets Ellie. She has returned to Round Hill to nurse her dying brother and care for her aging mother after a 45-year absence. In time, we learn that Kayla's father' was Ellie's high school boyfriend. Some painful memories are brought up, and Kayla and Ellie's friendship becomes strained.

As the two storylines unfold, we learn how the past and the present connect and the parts the people in this story play. Though I found some of the storyline predictable, I found myself rooting for certain characters. I found this to be a moving and tragic story of our past. I also found this a story of forgiveness and a reminder that sometimes we don't know what people are truly capable of doing. Some of the lessons learned were hard ones. The love between Ellie and her brother Buddy was endearing. In the end, she realized she honestly did know his soul.

I do have to say, I'm still unsettled with the storyline of Kayla's husband's death. Perhaps her grief is essential in understanding Ellie's loss?



I found this to be a timely read. It saddens me that much of what happened in our past is still very present. I want to thank Net Galley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a real eye-opener for me! The Last House On the Street by author Diane Chamberlain is a dual timeline story that is both historical fiction and a bit of a mystery. The first storyline takes place in the 1960’s and tells about what it was like with all the racism and prejudices before the black people were allowed to vote. It mentions Martin Luther King and tells about the SCOPE Project which was where people volunteered to go around and educate others on registering to vote. This was not something I had learned in school so I found it very interesting. The second storyline takes place around 2010 and it’s about a newly widowed female architect with a young daughter that is moving into her and her husbands dream house (he was also an architect and they designed the house together) after an accident kills her husband from a fall down the stairs in their new build. I was quite puzzled at first how these 2 storylines were related but once I got further into my reading, it all came together. There is an interracial love story involved and that’s where the story turns into a mystery. I found this book to be both enjoyable and educational and definitely one I’d recommend to other readers. It’s a story that I feel I’ll be remembering for a very long time. I’d like to thank Erica Martirano, Director of Marketing at St. Martin’s Publishing Group for the invite and NetGalley for the arc to read, review and enjoy. I’ve always liked reading Diane Chamberlain’s work and this rates 5 stars from me!

4/5 Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows a few people from Round Hill, North Carolina; flipping between 1965 and 2010.

In the 60’s, a White university student named Ellie gets involved as a human rights activist and works with an integrated team to get rural Blacks interested in acquiring the right to vote. Against their wishes and beliefs, Ellie and a male Black student fall in love and Winston ends up paying the price. Ellie’s family is ostracized and Ellie moves to California to get away from the bigotry.

In 2010, young architect Kayla is moving into her newly built house designed by herself and her late husband. Kayla’s misgivings about moving into the house that her husband died building were delved into and were part of a pivotal conflict of the story. It seems many people did not want her to move in. Kayla’s new house happens to be on the end of the same street as Ellie’s family home where her brother still lives. Due to the failing health of both her mother and brother, Ellie returns to North Carolina to care for them and meets Kayla. The two have other things in common: Ellie dated Kayla’s Dad before her foray into activism.

Told in the two timelines, the story weaves together the two families and their secrets; bringing out a tale of political and social circumstances; prejudism, violence, and finally a sort of justice.

I found the story of the 60’s took some time to peak my interest, but once it got going, both timelines were quite captivating. Descriptions of how the poor Black people lived were contrasted against Ellie’s home life; the daughter of an independent pharmacy owner. The unlikely romance between the two students was very well written and believable. As were the interactions between Kayla, her daughter and father, Ellie, and the police.

The mystery of the history in The Last House on the Street keeps you reading. Is the house at the end of the street holding some tragic secrets? Are the wrongs of the past able to be made right? A good read!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC of The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain
What a fantastic book by Diana Chamberlain, The last House on the Street is written from Ellie’s viewpoint in 1965 and Kayla’s in 2010. The story slowly bring the 2 characters together and the history they have, that they aren’t aware of right away
Ellie is focused on helping the Negro community obtain their rights to vote and in doing so alienates herself from family and friends, but she stays strong to her values
Kayla has just lost her husband, weeks before moving into the new house they built, he died in the house after slipping on a pile of nails left on the stairs, she is devastated but must move on for her own sake and their daughter’s. but something is going on, strange things are happening that make her wonder if moving into the house the right decision
Kayla and Ellie connect and the story unfolds and the truth is told
Very well written novel, I could not put this book down, loved it, Diana Chamberlain is such a wonderful writer and storyteller.

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me through NetGalley. This book was just absolutely wonderful. It was just so easy to get lost in and I just couldn’t put it down. I just lost myself within this amazing story. I most definitely will read more by this author.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Oh boy..I just finished this gut wrenching novel by Diane Chamberlain. Set in the 1960s and 2010, this novel follows two main characters of Ellie and Kayla. The book immediately draws you in and because each chapter is a different character set in a a different time period, it is difficult to put down. Having just finished the book, my heart still aches for the characters. I will definitely be a book that I think about for a long time.

The story takes place with 2 years in particular. It is 1965 and Ellie lives in Round Hill in a nice house and has a strict Southern upbringing. She is engaged to Reed, but she feels unsettled and against her parents wishes, she volunteers to join a group involved in political unrest,who are trying to get the Black community the right to vote.
Fast forward to 2010 where Kayla and her husband have designed and built what is to be their dream home in a new development in Round Hill. Their closest neighbor is Ellie and she has secrets which will devastate Kayla and bring back some awful heartbreaking memories.
I really enjoy Diane Chamberlain's books and I thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Last House On The Street – Diane Chamberlain

It’s 2010 and architect Kayla Carter is seated in her office when she has a strange visitor show up, asking for a meeting. The woman is odd, hiding behind her mirrored sunglasses, asking Kayla about some work on her house. But when she starts asking pointed questions, alluding to events in Kayla’s life she should have no knowledge of, Kayla escorts her to the door. But not before the old woman utters words that make Kayla’s blood run cold.

The year is 1965 and there is political unrest across the land as Martin Luther King Jr is slowly paving the way for black citizens’ push for equality. In rural North Carolina, young, impressionable Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Hockley learns of local attempts to canvas and educate black families on voting registration and yearns to join them. Being from a respected, white, well-to-do family, she is forbidden to join the group. Angered at her family’s refusal to support her, she forges her father’s signature on her permission slip, and joins SCOPE, the Summer Community Organization & Political Education Project, leaving her family and boyfriend behind.

As Ellie begins her journey, she works alongside of and meets many black individuals, receiving an eye-opening education about inequality and mistreatment in the process. As days turn into weeks and she befriends black families and children, she learns of the horror of white supremacy and the KKK, recognizing faces in these crowds that she never expected to see.

Meanwhile, 45 years in the future, Kayla is putting the finishing touches on a home she and her husband had designed – the same home he died in, after falling off a ladder. As she struggles with her perceptions that the house killed her husband, she senses a sadness and foreboding to the property, which she attributes to his death. Anxious to meet some neighbors, she stops to assist a woman, who is struggling to carry some groceries into her home. Her name is Ellie. These two women from different eras begin to develop a friendship, having no idea how inextricably bound they are by past events…

Told from the perspectives of Ellie in 1965 and Kayla in 2010, this is a beautifully written, but haunting story of the horrors of 1960’s racial inequality, hate, forbidden love, loss and perseverance in the face of untold tragedy. I was immediately drawn into these women’s stories and read late into the night with a desperate need to know the whole story. This one will remain in my heart for a long time to come. A wonderfully written, touching story and a history lesson rolled into one.

Oh – and have Kleenex on hand for this one…

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from #Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press, in exchange for an objective review.

I enjoyed the alternating timeline of this book from the Civil Rights era to present day and how the characters' lives intertwined as well. Themes of race, social justice, family, and friendship.

Heartbreaking and gut wrenching. The Last House on the Street is an utterly captivating and horrific story about racism in the south and irreparable divides in a family.

Ellie is coming into her own in the 1960s, and becomes passionate about equal rights. She joins SCOPE, an organization that was working to inform black US citizens about a possible change to voter registration laws, against her parents wishes.

Kayla is a widowed architect, raising her little girl in her own and moving into the house that she and her husband designed prior to his untimely death. She runs into present day Ellie, who seems very different from the Ellie of the 1960s.

As the dual storyline emerges, we learn more about Ellie’s experiences while working for SCOPE, including needing to hide from whites while canvassing with black SCOPE volunteers. Ellie is passionate about civil rights, and working for SCOPE helps her see the great divide in living conditions and opportunities for blacks and whites, as well as the blatant racism of the KKK and towards blacks in general. However, her passion for this cause has repercussions for her family - her dad loses customers, her mom is kicked out of bridge club. Ellie is forever changed, and cannot go back to living her old life.

Frightening things begin happening to Kayla and her daughter as she prepares to move into her new home. A strange woman threatens her, her daughter disappears.

Who doesn’t want Kayla in the house at the end of the street? What catalyzed the changes that we see in Ellie? This is one you won’t be able to put down. Diane Chamberlain has eloquently put into words the horror of racism while weaving a compelling narrative around this tragedy.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy.

Reading the title, I'll admit I wasn't super excited about this book. But the description pulled me in and I'm so glad I gave it a chance.

This was the first book I've read by Diana Chamberlain, although I have another of her books, Big Lies in a Small Town, on my shelf.

Told in two alternating timelines--one in 1965 and the other in 2010--we see how a southern town and a society have evolved over the course of a generation. Two women are linked by history, heartbreak, and hidden truths.

I loved the characters, I appreciated their struggles and motivations. The writing was descriptive, with the inner monologues and dialogue progressing the story.

The pace was magnificent, and I struggled to put this book down, staying up way past my bedtime to continue reading!

Based on this book, I'm far more likely to read Big Lies in a Small Town sooner rather than later, and if that's another stunner then Diane Chamberlain will solidify herself as a must-buy author for me.

I really enjoyed this storyline. I have come to really like Diane Chamberlain's books recently and this was one of the best I have read so far. I really enjoyed the dual timelines between 1965 and 2010. The author does a good job of making you feel like you are right there with the characters in both time periods. Sometimes when an author does a flashback storyline it feels very surface level, but this was great.

I enjoyed the character development overall, but I felt more drawn to the characters in the 1965 timeline. I feel they had more substance and I was invested in what happened to them. Maybe it was because there was more questions and suspense about their time than the 2010 storyline.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of The Last House on the Street in exchange for my honest review. This is my second book by Diane Chamberlain (Big Lies in a Small Town being the first).
This book deals with two very different time lines, one being 1965 and the other 2010. It takes a while in the book to see how the two are linked. In 1965, the Civil Rights movement in the south is very much an issue. Ellie, a young college student, wants to assist the black people in the south to register to vote once Lyndon B. Johnson, the current president, signs it into law. She joins a group called SCOPE which her family and friends try to talk her out of. Her family wants to disown her as she is willing to help the blacks. The time line of 1965 was very interesting to me. I did not have much background knowledge of what went on in the south during this tumultuous time.
In 2010, we meet a recent widower, Kayla, and her young daughter. Her husband recently died in a tragic accident during the building of their new home. Kayla has been having serious threats against her and damages to her home. As she tries to investigate, she discovers that her father is very familiar with past events on the land where they built their new home.
I love how the author ties historical events in with a mystery. You become to know and understand the characters in this novel as events unfold. I was constantly cheering for Ellie as she navigated her way through the black communities that were so different to her own upbringing.
I found this book very easy to read and you easily wanted to keep going to discover the truth to the mystery. Definitely sad at times. If you like a mystery tied into historical fiction; this book is highly recommended. I can’t wait to see what the author writes next. I will definitely go back to read her older books.