I binged this book in a day!
After Kayla's husband passes away in an accident building their dream house, her and her daughter experience odd occurrences. There's also a story line during the Civil Rights movements with voting that has a tie in with the present day. It's much better then I am explaining it,

A chilling and beautiful masterpiece of suspense. One of the most powerful novel that I have read in years.
Loved the characters! The author outstanding…….you will not regret reading this wonderful book!

Another beautiful, heartbreaking story by Chamberlain. Set in 2010 and 1965 in North Carolina, two women are dealing with changes in their lives. One is seeing the world around her change as she fights for equal rights and one is dealing with the loss of her husband. Their worlds are woven together in this powerful novel where they both learned to see the truths around them.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for giving me the opportunity to review this book. I usually love dual timeline books but I found this one slightly confusing. I’m not sure if character names were too similar but I kept having to flip back and make sure I knew what was happening.

Loved this book by Diane Chamberlain.
It’s a great mystery that really keeps you guessing.
Loved the characters.
Don’t miss this!

I couldn’t put this one down. The details are richly envisioned. The plot is relevant and timely. The only detail that I had the tiniest problem with was that a couple of the characters where one dimensional. I’d have liked Win to be a little more fleshed out, as well as Brenda. But.. not my story to tell, just wishful thinking. I really loved this one and have already recommended it through my personal social media.

I look forward to every book this author releases. I was thrilled to be gifted with the ARC to her upcoming release and eagerly started it even though it doesn’t come out for publication until 2022.

However, I didn’t research the novel’s plot lines, and did not realize this was going to be about civil rights and black history voting rights. I wasn’t sure I wanted to get into it after what we have gone through the last year in this country. I am up to here, as they say, with all that has transpired and that I have witnessed in our country of late.

Lately, my choice of reading has been for escapism of the sicknesses, both physical and mental that our country has been going through since Covid and the civil unrest following the Floyd incident.

That being said, this is after all Diane Chamberlain, and if anyone can reel me in through character development it is she, so I dived in. It is told in two timelines, 2010 and back in the 50/60s timeframe when Freedom Fighters for black voting rights were taking place prior to President Johnson’s signing of the Voters Rights bill back in 1965.

The Freedom Fighters mission was to enlighten the black population in the south of how voting rights could change their lives. The main characters are a young black man, Winston and a young white woman, Ellie, who’s zealous passion for equality for all motivated them to get physically involved in canvassing potential voters in poor black communities. Ellie’s white family is firmly opposed to her involvement and how it affects not just her future but all of her family and community who are horrified by what she is doing.

It is also a story of Ellie and Win’s eventual personal relationship, which will tug at the heart strings as Chamberlain’s words inevitably will. I enjoyed the personal story so much and grieved right along with the characters when heart-stopping details were revealed. Happy to recommend.

My thanks to
@St. Martin’s Press
@authorDianeChamberlain and
@NetGalley

… for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own. Get your copy at your favorite retailer on January 11, 2022

This is my first Diane Chamberlain novel. As you know, it is a dual timeline and the 1960s storyline was quite predictable. I don't think of Ellie as an ally, more of a naive white woman trying to overcome her guilt. This is not a light read. It was slow going in the first half and then ramped up to a point that left me incredibly angry.

Oh my goodness!! This is one of the best books I have read in a long time! The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain is a quick read because you can't simply set the book down and come back later. There is no slow point or stopping place. Moving between time periods and storylines, Chamberlain weaves together events that are as relevant today as they were almost 50 years ago. While we would like to think that events in 1965 are just history, we know that in the events happening today, history repeats itself. The story is well written and the characters are true to life. I wish I could give The Last House on the Street more than 5 stars.
I voluntarily received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

AMAZING!!!!!!! Another incredible book by Diane Chamberlain. I couldn’t read this book fast enough. I will recommend it to all my friends! Thank you so much for this advanced copy of this book!

Wow, just wow! I have been a Diane Chamberlain fan for a couple of years, but she hit it out of the park with this book. The Last House on the Street is perfectly intertwined between past and present as Kayla is struggling with the reality of moving into the dream home she and her deceased husband designed together. Not only did he die in the house, but there are several signs that lead her to believe that moving in is not the best option for Kayla and her young daughter.

Meanwhile, Kayla meets her neighbor, Eillie Hockley, who is visiting North Carolina (her childhood home) to care for her sick brother and mother. Diane Chamberlain weaves Ellie's story as a civil rights worker who sacrifices everything to fight for equality. The women become friends, and their stories have so much depth that help each one grow.

This book is brilliant. By far the best book I've read in 2021. If you are a book lover, The Last House on the Street is a book you cannot afford to miss. The characters have so much depth, the plot is brilliantly woven together between past and present, and the story is one we must never forget.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this amazing book!

So genuinely tragic. The racism seeps into you. It is felt deep inside, way past the color of your skin. These are the attitudes and actions that were horrific and needed to change.
SPOILERALERT:

The characters are pointedly faced with what it meant to be hated because of the color of your skin. Not an imagined slight, but a truly violent act or threat. This is history. This is the type of racism conversations should be about. Even Ellie couldn’t understand what it meant to be black and discriminated against. While she tried, she could only view racism from the outside.

The mystery of the woods behind Kayla’s house is held by the forest until the very end. Only when all of those involved understand the magnitude of hate that prevailed generally during this time in history can the ghosts be released.


I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

This story goes back and forth from the past to the present of two women’s lives who intersect in an unusual way.

There is too much to say here that involves spoilers. The book is about love and loss,: standing up for what one believes in at all costs; the civil rights movement and interracial relationships; and the spooky house at the end of the street. The characters of the two female protagonists (the characters whose lives are connected, albeit between 40 years), Ellie and Kayla, are well developed, as is Reed, who is Kayla’s father and Ellie’s first love.

However, that’s about as good as it gets. The interracial relationship comes to an end in a way that while tragic, is sadly convenient and trite. While the stories of the women and their connecting link are interesting and held my attention, this is not enough to sustain an overriding plot that is thin and as fragile as a house of cards.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

⭐⭐⭐⭐. 7 Stars
Although only my 9th: Diane Chamberlain novel, she is one of my most favorite authors.

This story is told in two time periods 2010 and 1965.

2010: Kayla Carter, her husband, Jackson both architects are excited about the design and construction of their dream home in Shadow Ridge Estates in Round Hill, NC.
However right before completing her husband falls on the stairs and dies.
Kayla debates if she and her young daughter, Rainie should move in as it was their dream house, took seven years to build but she is fearful it will have too many sad memories.

While the construction is finishing and she is still debating, Kayla returns to work.
A woman named Ann Smith stops by the architecture firm without an appointment and states she wants to add on to her home. She immediately knows a lot about Kayla. If fact, tells Kayla she should NOT move into the house. Kayla has concerns about this woman as she is actually scary. Kayla suggests another firm might be better and shows her the door. However, she doesn’t want to leave.
Kayla reports this situation to the police, but there really isn’t anything the police can do.
Although warned not to move into the new home, Layla decides she cannot sell the house and let a stranger move into their dream home. .
Hmm Kayla soon finds out that some tragic things have happened in the area of woods behind her new home and now some strange things are going on.
.
1965: Ellie Hockley is a pharmacy student at UNC and along with many college students takes time off to help register voters in the south. She, of course, experiences a lot of conflict. To say her life changed forever is a mild statement.
Since I am close in age, I can remember the good and bad times in the 60s. The good times of the 60s were the fun summers and yes! Dancing. Of course, the bad times in the 60s were the terrible things that Ellie talked about and experienced.

2010: Ellie returns to Round Hill to help her ailing brother and mother. She and Kayla become friends and we find out that there is a connection between these two.

As we near the end of this story, we know that secrets are going to be revealed!
Surprises, twists, and turns.

One thing we readers can be assured of in reading Diane Chamberlain is that we are in for an emotional ride and she will NOT disappoint! She is a great story teller!

Have to admit since this is an early galley there isn’t any ‘Author notes’; however, delighted to find a Goodreads review from Ms. Chamberlain with the ‘Author Notes’!
Diane Chamberlain’s review of The Last House on the Street | Goodreads
Her comments are a story in itself!!

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 11, 2022

Fantastic! This is not one to start late at night, or like me, you’ll be up all night because you can’t put it down!! This is the first book I’ve read by this author. Wow! Pulls you in from the beginning and doesn’t let you go. Loved everything about it.

This is a must read for the new year! Will most definitely be recommending this book.

Thank you #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this eARC.

UGH! So heart wrenching! I love Diane Chamberlain and while this wasn’t one of her novels with the most twists, it was still incredible! It is a poignant tale that touches on race and racism in an excellent way. This is a book that is going to stay with me for a long long time!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Stunning! Written in two timelines, the mid 60’s and 2010, the story takes us back to the turmoil of the Civil Rights movement. It is a powerful story, hard to read but also has love, friendship and warmth.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I read this book at the suggestion of one of my reading groups. This was the first book I had read by Diane Chamberlain. I was not sure what to expect. I was extremely happy that I made the decision to read this.
The writing was very well done. It was easy to read, I finished it in two days. The subject matter and the way the author told the story made me want to find out what was going to happen next. The characters were developed in such a way that I became invested in them. I cared about the central characters.
The story is set in two different time periods, present day and the 1960s. There is no confusion between what time period you are in when reading. The connections between the time periods is slow to develop but in my opinion that helps to develop the story.
Ellie is a white, southern college student who sees an opportunity to make a chance to the racial standing of the 1960s. Little does she know how much her life will truly change by the decision she makes that one summer. Her decision acts as a catalyst to change the lives of everyone close to Ellie, even those 40 years later.
I look forward to reading more works by Diane Chamberlain.

Kayla is getting ready to move into her new home that was built by her late husband who died while working on building their dream home.  The new development in Round Hill, NC has a tragic past and when Kayla is confronted by an older woman telling her not to move in, she almost agrees.  Kayla befriends Ellie, a friendly neighbor who left the town of Round Hill and didn't return for over 50 years.  It's clear that Ellie has her own dark secrets.  Told in dual timelines the story tells a tale of prejudice, brutality, forbidden love, injustice and the search for answers of what happened all those years ago that caused Ellie to run.

My Thoughts:
Chamberlain once again nails it.  This story is haunting, heartbreaking, and beautiful as it tells a piece of history in the south during the mid 1960's when Lyndon B Johnson was to sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law. It shares the violence that happened during the 60's with the KKK and a particular group called SCOPE that was trying to help spread the word about voting to the Black communities of the South. I love Chamberlain's attention to detail and research she puts into her books. This book is relevant in today's world with the many voter suppression laws that state governments are trying to pass in order to prevent certain groups from voting in elections.  It seems we are still fighting the same battles we were in the past.  

I loved the characters and found them believable. The story made me feel almost every emotion imaginable.  Chamberlain was able to craft a story that is authentic and didn't shy away from a difficult part of our nation's history.  She does this with sensitivity and ease.  I highly recommend this one.  

Thank you St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.  Preorder your copy today.  It releases Jan 11th.

Wow. Thank you so much for this advance copy. I devoured this book and know it will be sticking with me. Before I knew it I was so wrapped up and felt like I was right there with Ellie canvassing. This story needs to be heard. Such beautiful writing, as always, by Diane Chamberlain. Heartbreakingly beautiful.