Another solid book by Diane Chamberlain. The use of dual storylines can sometimes be confusing but for this story it worked. I did feel that the 1965 storyline was more interesting and complete then the 2010 storyline. Sometimes painful to read, but only because you know as you are reading that these events and experiences really happened.

What a great read. I’ve enjoyed Diane Chamberlain for some time and this one didn’t disappoint. The dual timelines and characters were compelling and I couldn’t read fast enough!

A big thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Chamberlain’s newest book. She is one of my favorite authors and I devoured the story of Kayla and Ellie. Kayla moves into a beautiful home with a lot of history. Down the street, Ellie is back home taking care of her mother and brother and is able to fill in the details of the house and town’s tragic history. A heartbreaking story that is beautifully written. Another 5 star read from Chamberlain.

You know those books you read that as soon as you turn the final page you think, "Oh. My. God. That was a good book"? This was that book for me. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC
The Last House on The Street was a smooth genre blend of historical fiction and thriller (more suspense really). I couldn't put this one down last night until I finished it. Now I'm sleep-deprived and not unhappy about it.
The story follows the life of a young woman who deviates from what is expected of her middle-class white southern upbringing to join the civil rights movement in the 60s. Her retelling of the events is a fresh view of life during more turbulent times. While hearing Ellie's story, we also follow a character who is living today with a series of unfortunate events that she is grasping to understand. While this is a bilateral storyline, it is very easy to follow. About half way through I also realized how clean the book is. There's no overuse of offensive language or graphic details about your sex life.
If historical fiction and suspense are your thing, this is a must-read. I highly recommend it.

Diane Chamberlain is such a great author! This was a wonderful story with some tough topics. I thought the characters were compelling and easy to connect with. I really enjoyed this one!

The last story I read by Diane had me filled with so many emotions and she has done it again with this story and she doesn't shy away from tough topics. She also tied the past to present perfectly. I will say that this was not an easy read but it is relevant in today's society.

I completely recommend this story so thank you St Martin's press who kindly provided me with an arc through net galley in exchange for an honest review.

All my reviews are my own thoughts and opinions

Expected Publication Date: 1/11/22

Genre: Domestic Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub. Date: January 11, 2022

The past crimes of a community become known as two women, separated by a generation, are brought together by tragedy and a decades-old mystery.
Chamberlain does a good job of mixing up the civil rights movement and a suspenseful plot around the past and a more recent decade. The suspense story is good. The author shines when writing on the evils of the KKK, which can be difficult to read, nevertheless, enlightening and well written.

There are two timelines in the novel: Southern, white, twenty-year-old Ellie is resolved to get active in the Civil Rights struggle by assisting African Americans in registering to vote in 1965 in the real-life project— The Summer Community Organization and Political Education (SCOPE), which was peopled by kids in college called on by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 2010, architects, Kayla, and her husband build their dream home in North Carolina, which is where Kayla’s father and Ellie both grew up. Before they move in the husband dies. After much deliberation, Kayla decides that she and their young daughter should move into the house. However, once they are in someone is trying to scare them out. The twists were decent.

In the powerful and moving earlier timeline, Chamberlain reminds her readers that the KKK was everywhere not just in the Deep South. This part of the story was heartbreaking to read and I real eye-opener to those of us who only know about cross-burning and lynching through old newspaper stories. In this reviewer’s opinion, the 1965 timeline is more than enough to keep the reader’s interest. The 2010 timeline was not needed other than to attract readers who enjoy suspense.

You'll learn a lot from this story.

The Last House on the Street is actually two stories. We have a modern-day one and also something that happened in the past, right when black people were finally getting to vote.

Each story has its own tragedy, one being more tragic than the other. I felt devastated by things that happened, even though it's fiction I know stuff like this did happen to real people back then. It's truly heartbreaking what people had to endure and the consequences being a good person could have. I felt drawn into the story set in 1965 more than I did the 2010 one, but I connected with the characters in the 2010 one better.

Sometimes having two stories makes the entire thing feel disjointed. I found myself wishing from time to time something would end so I could dive back into the other narrative. That's the only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. Both stories are fantastic, maybe having the book separated into part 1 and part 2 instead of breaking away would have the awkward perspective shift, I had a hard time adapting to the transitions.

I received an advanced copy of this story and would like to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing it. This is my voluntary, honest review.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, NetGalley and Author for this advance ebook copy in return for an honest review!

WoW! What do you say about The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain?!.
I do know this! I don't think I've ever read a book as chilling and thrilling as this one!
And everything I want to say has legit already been said.... In my own words here it is.
The characters. Holy Cow! Both timelines the characters are extremely believable and realistic.
This page turner told in duel time lines. 1965 and 2010! Which I freaking loved.
The tension here grows like ivy and doesn't stop till the dramatic ending.
The twists and turns added to the mystery that we are all trying to find answers to.
Compelling and intriguing this story gets real in every way possible.
Such a remarkable book. This deserves every bit of five stars!
Diane Chamberlain is a very talented writer!

St. Martin's Press>>>>> I couldn't love a pub more than I do y'all 😘 thank you
Thanks again NetGalley, Publisher and Author for the chance to read and review this amazing book!
I'll post to my Social media platforms closer to pub date!




St. Martin's Press

If you are looking for an engrossing, timely read, look no further than The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain. The story has everything: mystery, suspense and romance, mixed in with historical fiction via a dual timeline that takes you back to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's. Kayla, a recent widow with a young daughter, moves into the dream home that her husband died building. Someone, however, is trying to scare her away, and there are secrets hidden in the creepy woods behind her home. Her neighbor, Ellie, has returned to her childhood home, after decades away, to care for her brother and mother. The story of her work with SCOPE in the summer of 1965, and highlights the courageous work and tremendous risks involved in the pursuit of equality. Highly recommend!

Chamberlain has another winner on her hands with The Last House on the Street. The story alternates between two women in 1965 and 2010 and takes place in Round Hill, North Carolina. After becoming increasingly uncomfortable with what she sees happening around her to the Black people in her community, Ellie joins a Civil Rights group, SCOPE, to educate and encourage Black people to vote once President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act. Her involvement in the group and her intensifying feelings for a Black man she's volunteering with endangers both of them and awakens Ellie to the intense bigotry she's been oblivious to in her community. Years later, Kayla, the daughter of Ellie's college boyfriend, and her daughter are moving in to the home she designed with her husband before his untimely death. Already rattled and unsure whether she and Rainey belong in the house, Kayla begins receiving threats trying to scare her away. Both storylines are good and end up intertwining in a satisfying and conclusive way, but the book really shines in telling Ellie's experience participating in the Civil Rights movement.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book which jumped between 1965 and 2010. It's eye-opening to read about the voter registration and civil rights movement from the perspective of a young sheltered white girl in the South and to watch her surprise and growth when she gets involved for the summer. And who doesn't love a love story, which is what this book is--along with being a mystery, historical fiction and a view of social justice. It illustrates privilege without using the word and is a good read for people who think they don't like history.

There's also a haunted house involved and a number of deaths. Pretty much something for everyone. It reads smoothly and the reader will not want to put it down until the end, so I recommend starting to read it when you have the time to immerse fully.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

PS. If you lived through the sixties, you'll enjoy it even more.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!
This is my first time reading Diane Chamberlain and I was not disappointed.
With a dual storyline alternating between 1965 and 2010, this story builds slowly as a mystery unfolds in a small Southern town. Here you'll find themes of racism, grief, family trauma, and interracial relationships, among others.
The pacing was really well done, and I was engrossed the whole time. The last 25% of the book I couldn't stop reading, because I had to know what was going to happen.
I thought the characters were well developed and I had a real affinity for Ellie. Ms. Chamberlain also did a really good job of making the unlikable characters as bad as they could be!
I'm so glad I read this book and really look forward to reading more from this author.

Wonderfully written novel. The storylines were more profound than anticipated. A timely and important novel.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693519

I'm not even remotely surprised that I fell in love with this book from the very first chapter. I've loved Diane's books for years and they just keep getting better and better! How she can take such a heavy topic and weave it into a beautiful story is beyond me!

Diane Chamberlain does not disappoint! Rich believable characters drive the story of a young woman who finds passion and heartbreak after joining a group to help blacks register to vote. Told in alternating times from the mid 1960’s and the 2000’s. Themes of civil rights, loss, family secrets and redemption.

A riveting book with dual timelines, 1965 and 2010. Set in a small community in North Carolina, the author has written a chilling account of the days prior to enactment of the Voting Rights Act, and the SCOPE program that was implemented to educate minority voters and encourage them to register to vote. While I remember the voting act, I had not known about SCOPE and the upheaval that occurred in the southern states. Nor did I realize the deplorable, and frightening conditions under which the Black community lived in the south at that time. Diane Chamberlain has expertly blended the stories together, with remarkable characters that bring the story of 1965 full circle in 2010. When newly widowed Kayla, meets Ellie, who had been one of the SCOPE volunteers, she discovers the secrets of the property on which she has designed and built her dream home, and why she and her daughter are facing a current threat to their safety. This is a timely, thought provoking book that sheds light into some of the darkest parts of our history. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy. It is the first Diane Chamberlain book I have read, but will not be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

In 2010 there are 2 houses on the same small street. One is old and run down. The other stylistic and new. The land around the houses is being made into a new subdivision. The owners of the old house refuse to sell, but soon they will be gone. There is some history between the families of the 2 homes, although none of them realize it initially.

The new house was built by a young couple, both architects, for their young family. The husband died in a tragic accident during the building. Kayla and her daughter, Rainie (3), will live in the house. Kayla’s father, Reed grew up in the same town and was childhood friends with the family in the old house. The old house has been home to generations of Hockleys. The elderly mother and her ailing adult son, Buddy are the only residents. The adult daughter, Ellie, now calls San Fransisco her home but she is back in town to care for her brother and mother.

The story goes back and forth between,1965 & 2010. 1965 concerns Ellie and the voting rights act and students helping to convince area Blacks to register to vote when President Johnson signs the promised Voting Rights Act. White locals, including her family members, were not happy when Ellie, a student at UNC, volunteered to help with the effort. Ellie discovers that bigots and members of the KKK abound in her community. There were bad feelings and threats, aimed at Ellie, her family and members of the black community. When Ellie falls for Win, a handsome young Black man, who is one of the leaders of the canvassing project, everyone - black and white, fear for the safety of the two young people and their communities. As the history of these families is revealed the truth rises to the surface.

Beautifully and sensitively written, realistic. Another excellent book by Diane Chamberlain. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A special thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of The Last House on the Street in exchange for a fair and honest review. Publication date: 1/11/22

Follow me at #EmptyNestReader #instagram #Goodreads #TheLastHouseOnTheStreet #DianeChamberlain #fiction #mystery #racism #violence #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramalabama #bookstagrammichigan #bookreviews #bookreviewer #ebooks #ARC #bookrecommendations #SeptemberReads #readalittlelearnalittlelivealittleebooks #NetGalley #AdvancedReaderCopy #StMartinsPress

What a beautifully written, powerful, engrossing, painful story—made all the more painful by questions of how far we’ve really come since 1965. I enjoyed the narrative of both timelines--1965 and 2010—although the 1965 story was particularly gripping, especially towards the end of the book, when there was nothing more important to me than finding out what happened to the characters I was so invested in. The events and characters of the two timelines mesh perfectly and in a very believable fashion to create an unforgettable story. I’ll definitely be seeking out Diana Chamberlain’s other books and will highly recommend this one to library patrons and friends. Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-ARC of this extraordinary book.

This book was sent to me as an ARC though @netgalley and courtesy of @stmartinspress. I truly can’t thank y’all for your acceptances. Quickly become a favorite!

For as smart as I am when it comes to books, there’s always something new to learn, at least something new for me. Last week what I learned was the term realistic fiction. I had never known what to call a book that doesn’t really fit easily into a genre like romance, thriller, etc and I would often, at least mentally, refer to it as a book with a really good storyline. When I came across this term though, I definitely finally found a way to classify some of my favorites. Yes, this one has a dual timeline so I could focus on that and call it historical fiction but then that keeps the focus off the current day storyline. Yes, there’s some hint to mystery but this book is so much more than that. It is, at least for me, realistic fiction at its finest.

For me, Diane Chamberlain is a master when it comes to setting. It is through books like hers that I found my obsession with the Carolinas. A huge part of my heart belongs in South Carolina, whereas this book takes place in its northern counterpart. This book also moves along at a fairly quick pace. I finished ¾ fairly quickly but then forced myself to slow down so I wasn’t done it right away. For whatever reason, I have a hard time with historical fiction. I need to be able to directly relate to much of the aspects involved in the story. Yes, there have been some truly incredible standouts from this but for the most part, this is how I operate. Dual timelines are a way for me to feel more comfortable with the historical timeline and this one executes it so well.

My other favorites by Diane were Big Lies in a Small Town and Dream Daughter but this definitely ranks right up there, at least for me. Publication date is January 11th, a bit of a distance away but I plan to share it with others up til, and after, it comes out!

@netgalley @stmartinspress #DianeChamberlain #LastHouseontheStreet #bookstagram #NorthCarolinafiction #realisticfiction #WinterRead