Another wonderful book by Diane Chamberlain .Herdual timeline always draws me into the characters their worlds.Will be recommending #netgalley#st.Martins

Kayla Carter's husband, Jackson, died while building their dream home in Shadow Ridge Estates. Despite the tragedy attached to the house Kayla decides she and her daughter will move in as planned. Just before moving day Kayla receives a visit from an older woman warning her to give up her plans. She is shaken by the older woman, but she pushes on as planned.

Ellie Hockley returns to Round Hill, NC just as Kayla and her daughter are moving into Shadow Ridge. She and Kayla cross paths and in turn realize they have a few things in common.

As the story jumps back and forth between present day Round Hill and 50 years prior we see the events that lead to Ellie's departure and eventual return as well as the strange goings-on at Kayla's new house.

Diane Chamberlain never fails to suck me right in to her stories and this time was no different. Some of the historical content was a little hard to read, but I imagine the people who suffered through that time had it much worse.

This book brought a lot of attention to what went on in the south during the Civil Rights Movement so it was sad in many parts. Elle had her heart setting on working for SCOPE a group to travel in the southern states to get the black Americans to vote. Even though Ellie’s parents and brother was dead set against it she felt the strong urge to help. This book was set in 1965 and then in 2010. So then we have Kayla and her four year old daughter Rainie about to move into this beautiful house that Kayla and her husband Jackson had designed together. It was built in the lovely Shadow Ridge Estate unfortunately Jackson had a terrible fall causing his death in the new house. And, there is someone out there that doesn’t want Kayla and Rainie to move in the new house. Ellie had moved back in 2010 to take care of her mother and brother and that is when Kayla meets her and the do forge a friendship. Diane Chamberlain the author absolutely had me so involved in this book with the young Ellie living in the conditions she did while working for SCOPE and falling in love! I cried and cried for Ellie and thought how strong she was back then! This book was a tear jerker for the hardships all so many levels. I will have a hard time forgetting this book. It is an absolute read for all. We have come a long way but so much farther to go!

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you so much Netgalley!

Diane Chamberlain once again does a great job of bouncing back and forth between two periods of time - 1965 and 2010. It doesn't look like a huge gap of time on paper, but looking back on the history of racism in the south and voting rights there's a drastic difference.

1965- Eleanor Hockley was born and raised in Round Hill, North Carolina and decides to start working with a civil rights organization to help educate and (eventually) register Black voters. This is at a point of time in our history where the Klan was still very active and voter suppression ran rampant. The people of Ellie's town don't take kindly to her involvement, especially once she starts to form friendships with the Black volunteers in the organization.

2010 - Kayla Carter has built her dream home in a new development in Round Hill, North Carolina. During the building of the home her husband tragically dies and she is left to move in with just her young daughter. As the house is finishing up she is visited by a mysterious woman who knows a lot about her and the house she is building. Strange instances continue to occur which make Kayla feel like someone doesn't want her building on that plot of land. She starts to dig a little deeper into the history of the land she is building on and the town she has decided to call home.

The stories of these two women soon become intertwined and they find themselves connecting over a hurtful past and an undecided future.

You know when you're reading a book and you know where the story is going and you don't want it to go there, but it's inevitable? This is that book. Parts of these book were difficult to read, but learning about the history of this country is important I liked how Chamberlain mixed fact with fiction into this story. I was hooked from the start as I've been with all the books I've read by her. This story was emotional and definitely a page turner.

Tension. 2010 Kayla: Trying to love a house where your husband died. Having a strange woman tell you she could kill someone - and who knows your child’s name. 1965 Ellie: Wanting to please your family but believing you should volunteer in the Civil Rights movement. Two women’s lives tied together by land in Round Hill, North Carolina. Chamberlain keeps the strands of both timelines moving and twisting. Kayla’s new house is nestled in woods by Ellie’s childhood home. While we are kept wondering why Kayla keeps getting warnings about the woods surrounding her home, it is Ellie’s storyline that gives this book depth. Chamberlain kept me involved in finding how the two stories would finally resolve. Recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own

I always really like this author's books. She follows the same general formula every time, but each book ends up being unique and quite as good as the last one and all of the others before it.

In this one, in the 1960s, Ellie is a young woman who sees the injustice of the world around her and decides to volunteer to assist with voter registration in black communities. All of the other volunteers are from the north and she must convince the leaders to even accept her, and that's just the beginning of her story.

In the present, Kayla is about to move into a house where her husband died during construction and a woman appears at her office and basically threatens her. As if the house by itself in the woods wasn't enough to freak anyone out. Plus the whole husband thing.

And you'll have to read it to find out how it all ties together.

I definitely recommend this as well as any other book by this author.

The dual timeliness of this mystery pulls two unlikely participants into a mystery that spans decades.

Tying together clues that span two lifetimes is totally absorbing - a really good read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing a NetGalley ARC of The Last House on the Street. I ended up reading this one in one sitting (staying up past my bedtime!) and it was my first true 5 star read in a bit. I've had lots of 4.5 stars rounded to 5 for Goodreads, but a true 5 star is hard to find!

Pub date: January 11, 2022
Genre: hybrid historical fiction and mystery/suspense

In one sentence: Shadow Ridge Estates is haunted by tragedy in the past and the present, but it's only when Kayla gets to know her older neighbor Ellie that she can understand how deep the trauma goes.

What I loved (this was hard to write without spoilers, but I'll give it a try):

-Compelling dual timelines, covering the present and Ellie's work in the right for civil rights in 1964.

-Lack of white saviorism in the civil rights timeline. It's clear from the story that Ellie has so much to learn about the Black community, and she works hard to learn from the people she speaks with. I loved her journey to become an anti-racist ally and how she was willing to de-center herself and listen to others (as good allies should.) I appreciated that this timeline was not all about Ellie - her fellow civil rights workers are also very important to the story.

-An ending that will stick with me for a long time. Again, no spoilers, but let's just say the ending was satisfying but heartbreaking.

If you love historical fiction or contemporary fiction, social justice themes, or suspense, I highly recommend this one! I hope I'm right in predicting it will be one of the big books of winter 2022!

Chamberlain is a master at the dual timeline narrative. This one is another good one she has a way of creating engaging believable characters that tug at your heart strings . This one deal with the social injustices that we still deal with today . Another must read by this author!

I have been in a bit of a reading slump. I was lucky to receive Diane Chamberlain's newest book as an Advance Readers Copy. I knew right away that this could be the book to pull me out of my slump.

The book starts out with a bang. Not literally, but it was a meeting with two women that left me with an eerie feeling. Right away I was hopeful that this was a good sign of things to come, to pique my interest.

There are 2 timelines: 1965 featuring Ellie who is bound and determined to get involved in the Civil Rights movement by helping African Americans register to vote. And, 2010, featuring Kayla who is an architect about to move into a new home which seems to be causing an issue for an unknown lady with bright red hair.

Crossovers between the 2 timelines start happening early. Name dropping and locations. But, of course, it takes time to discover the whole connection. The 2010 storyline foreshadows troubling or dark issues from the past.

I found the historical parts of the story very interesting and informative. I was a young teen when the Civil Rights Movement was established. I remember the marches and demonstrations and riots. The 1960s were a very turbulent time. But my memories of this time are nothing compared to reading the story of Ellie and Win.

Ellie and Win's relationship is fictional but I’m sure situations like theirs played out in the south. It was very realistically portrayed. An emotional tale.

The characters are so well developed. The story is intense. The author uses a real Civil Rights group from the 1960s as the organization central to the characters. Also, some actual names and news stories from the decade are woven into the story. The Klu Klux Klan plays a major part.

Some progress had been made in the rights of African Americans but the last 2 or 3 years have shown us that there is still a long way to go. The journey is not an easy one.

The last part of the book is very intense and at times uncomfortable to read. But my discomfort is incidental when it comes to the horror of the events that happened in the 1960s.

There were a couple of twists revealed at the end. One I had figured out but the other was a surprise.

And, the conclusion was good. It showed hope and resilience. The past would not be forgotten but there was the element of closure for the characters. The book was well written and the subject was well researched.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an Advance Readers Copy.

I requested to read and review this book for free from St. Martin Publishing. This book brings out many emotions anger, shock, sorrow, sympathy. It makes you want to shake your head. Ellie living in the wrong time period and at the right time period. Win who is wanting to do the right thing. Reed who was trying to be the best person he could, Kayla that is stronger then she knows. Family is something that you are born into but can ultimately be your worst enemy. Betrayal is something I don't know if you can get past it fully. Answers are a blessing and a curse. Doing the right thing can cause us pain but it needs to be done. This is for a mature reader and can be read anywhere.

The twist and turns this book has are awesome. I love when stories are then and now. This book was beautiful, sad, creepy and heartfelt. The Last House on the Street will be in my heart forever. The history of racism and how joining together as humans versus color can help change the world. It showed the horrors how people of color were treated. It showed how tough and scary life was. You will not forget this book and the history

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I have not read a book by this author before but after reading this book, I do think it’s time to pick up some of her previous books. This book was very good. It was set in dual timelines with two different narrators. In the 2020 timeline, Kayla, a recent widow, moved into a house that was seemingly haunted. Ellie, who narrated the timeline circa 1950, grew up in the same neighborhood. The two timelines converge to solve a mystery. This book delves into desegregation, the black vote, the North vs. the South, and the KKK. Very interesting and well researched, this is a book that speaks to the recent black/ white divide and BLM. It also shows how far we have come since those times.

There are some authors that everything they write, I can't wait to read. Diane Chamberlain is one of those authors for me and this story was no exception. I knew from the beginning that I would be drawn in to this story about Kayla, her daughter, and her father in 2010. I also liked the character of Ellie, and her story back in 1965. The reader knows right from the beginning that somehow, these stories are going to intersect. I did figure some of it out but with Diane Chamberlain, there's always an eye-opening surprise and I was certainly not disappointed. The racial injustices in North Carolina and the people who try to help are front and center in this story and the author sure doesn't sugar coat what went on back then. Any fan of Diane Chamberlain, historical fiction, mysteries, and suspense will definitely want to put this one on their list.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to rate and review this ARC.

This is one of those stories where I found myself thinking about the characters as I went about my day, and couldn’t wait for my next opportunity to read a few chapters. I connected with them and worried about them as if they were real people!

Diane Chamberlain is already one of my favorite authors and I love so many of her novels. But this one is a standout for me. Reading about the civil rights movement from the perspective of these characters was both educational and angering. This novel made it so apparent how little progress we have made in the last few decades. And the characters: I loved them and ached for them. This book will stay with me for a long time!

I've always loved Dianne Chamberlain's books and this one was no exception!

A gripping story that alternates between 1965 and 2010. In 1965 Ellie is a brave young woman attending the University of North Carolina. She's dating "the perfect husband" but she's being pulled by ethical issues to stand up for things she feels strongly about. Her family and this "perfect boyfriend" can't understand why she would step out on this limb and risk her family's reputation and possibly her life for battles that they believe aren't hers to fight. 1965 in the south was a trying time and as hard as it was to read, the author did an amazing job of portraying to the reader a portion of what the struggles must have been like. I, as a reader, felt the anger but also sympathized with her family members wanting to protect her.

Fast forward to 2010 to a young woman named Kayla, an accomplished architect who is moving into her dream home. However, her husband died in this dream home during construction so Kayla and her young daughter are struggling to still consider it their "dream." Several people suggest she should sell it but the most disturbing was a woman in disguise who comes to her office and threatens her. This stranger seems to know way too much about her and her life.

Dianne Chamberlain weaves the lives of these characters brilliantly. The merging of the stories bring closure and reconciliation.

Thank you Dianne Chamberlain for another fabulous read that was tough but still so relevant to today!

Once I started this book, I couldn’t put it down. The characters and storyline was very well developed and really drew the reader in.
I loved the alternating chapters, past and present showing the background of the characters. I would definitely recommend this book.

She did it again! I am a huge fan of Diane Chamberlain and she did not disappoint. I could not put this book down, I love when a book has two different views, from different time periods. Fantastic.

This book was amazing! Best book I have read in a very long time! I never read during the day! I fell asleep reading it and woke up and finished it the next day! I have always loved books by Diane chamberlain but this one is the best!! Highly recommend!!

I had an ARC of this book. I could not put it down. A unique story about a time during the civil rights movement. I loved Kayla the main character. I also really was pulling for Ellie, but then I thought you are jeopardizing everything for your family and then I realized that’s the kind of people who change the world, those who take risks and those who love. It had a great mystery in it and that intrigued me. Could not put it down, I stayed up half the night to finish.