3.75 stars

When Vera Crowder was old enough she left home and never looked back. Unfortunately the past always has a way of finding her, so she has never been able to stay in one place long. Then she receives the news- her mother is dying and Vera must return to the home of a serial killer. A home that she is coming to learn, will never let her go!

Whew, this did not go like I expected it to....but not in a bad way. Quite the opposite! There are so many supernatural elements in this book and I loved it!

The story does not waste any time diving right in to the creeptastic factor. Vera heads back to her childhood home - "the house that her father built." (We are told that her father built this house a lot). She returns home because her mother is dying and she needs to take care of the house and the boarder her mother is currently housing. Just one of many "artists" that has been drawn to the gruesome history of the house.

I honestly did not connect with any of the characters in this story, but it oddly didn't matter. The story is written in such a way that not only did I want to know everything about Vera, but I needed to know it!! ("it" being the broken mother/daughter and toxic father/daughter relationships, and what the heck is going on in the house). I needed every last bit of it. It's revealed to us beautifully. This is so spooky, atmospheric and grotesque!

I won't go into detail because you really shouldn't be spoiled, but I absolutely recommend reading this one!

*Thank you to Tor Books, & NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

Vera arrives home for the first time in years to organize her estranged, dying mother's estate. It's a task that wouldn't normally raise eyebrows, except that Vera is the daughter of a notorious serial killer, who killed his victims in the very house she is returning to and Vera and her mother's relationship never recovered after the discovery of her father's crimes. Oh yeah, and a strange artist has moved into the shed out back. As Vera tries to navigate these obstacles, she feels a strange presence in the house, that she can't seem to interpret.

This book was an excellent semi-ghost story/semi-thriller, as it has some supernatural elements, and some real-world mysteries in it, with us trying to figure out what's actually happening in the house, and where the source of some of the issues come from. At the same time, the history of the family is slowly revealed, and we learn what lead up to Vera's fathers arrest and what his crimes entailed (though we never truly learn their full extent). I really enjoyed this blending of genres because it gave the book a nice spooky feel, while grounding it just enough to keep you focused.

The character development in the book was extremely well done. The author really lets the characters shine in this one instead of packing it with a ton of action (though there is enough going on to keep you plenty interested) so that you get a chance to really see who they are and what their relationships are like. These relationships are really the crux of the novel and are very complex.

I was so /so on the ending, which is why I went with four stars instead of five. I'm not sure exactly how I feel about it, but I can live with it. I just don't know that I would have made the same choices in the end, you know? I greatly enjoyed the novel otherwise. Let me know what you think!

Fans of horror/thrillers and ghostly stories will really love this novel. It's a great genre-defying book that will be sure to please spooky-friendly crowd, me included

Just Like Home is creepy and weird, in the best ways, and gives a whole new twist on a haunted house.
Vera hasn't been home in a while, and when her mother finally calls her home because she's dying, she comes reluctantly... Growing up she had a strained relationship with her mother, which hasn't changed now that she's back. Strange things start happening almost immediately, and Vera has no one to talk to, her mother is horribly mean to her most of the time, the people in the town she lives in want her to go away, and a stranger, an artist, is living in the cottage on the property who is using her house for "inspiration."

Throughout the story, as the weird gets weirder, the relationship with her mother becomes even more strained (if that's even possible) and the tension is ramping up to this big moment and boy did it completely take me by surprise! a total WTF moment...

I can't wait to see what Sarah Gailey will write next!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. So. Uh. Yeah. So. This book. I thought I knew generally where was this was gonna go, but then… I mean, I’m not really sure I saw THAT coming. What a wild ride. Deliciously creepy and soooooo very weird. I’ll probably add more to my review here later, but right now I’m just gonna… sit and think about that ending for a bit.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles. I really not the opportunity!

I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

Well damn, what a book.

First of all, I thought this was a thriller but it's more of horror/mystery. I enjoyed the story and did not expect to be creeped out. It's not for everyone, that I am sure, as there are some scenes that made me queasy and unsettled. I loved how the mystery was held towards the end that it gave me a WTF moment.

This book is creepy, bizarre, and haunting. This is about strained family and revisiting old wounds. It reminded a lot of Mexican Gothic with how the secrets unraveled in the end. I found the story interesting and fast-paced. It kept me on my toes and my lights on.

This is my first book by Sarah Gailey and will not be the last. All my thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book in 3 words: Ghastly. Spine-chilling. Substantial. 

Vera returns to her childhood home to care for her sick mother. Difficult to be back in Crowder House, due to an estranged relationship and a serial-killer father, Vera is in for a treat. 

ARE YOU KIDDING ME WITH THIS? IS THIS FOR REAL? THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD. ALL HAIL SARAH GAILEY. 

Just Like Home is deliciously dark, sharp, and unique. I loved that this fits in both the thriller and the horror genre; truly a great starting place for anyone looking for a darker thriller. The plot is full of details and quirks that keep you guessing throughout. Told from 2 different timelines, this is one of the only books where I enjoyed the flashbacks as much or even more than the current events. I loved how this story unfolded!

The writing is superb. Sarah Gailey has a knack for writing visceral descriptions and I loved how visual the story was. There many literal jaw drop moments as well as passages that gave me goosebumps. Just Like Home is a whole experience. I 100% recommend this book; get it on your TBR. 

I received an early copy for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Just Like Home is a story about a complex mother-daughter relationship and a house with dark secrets. I absolutely loved it. It quickly became one of my top 2022 reads, maybe even my favorite. This is somewhat of a slow-burn for sure, but with plenty of intriguing mystery and dark imagery that kept me engaged along the way. A psychologically haunting, chilling book. Right up my alley.

My favorite part of this book was how the house became its own character as the story progressed. The personification of the house was so well done. This is one of my favorite horror tropes so I was thrilled to see it in this book.

Highly recommend this for fans of haunted house books and stories that unravel dark family secrets. Can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy for my collection. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!!

This book was so good, the ending so so good, I wanted to just scream. Unfortunately, I can't because I share this space with other people who would be very angry if I screamed over a book... instead of, you know, actually being in danger. Whatever. But, this book. This is an incredible new look on horror.

Vera was called home by her mother. A home she hasn't been to in years because she was not welcome there. But, as her mother dies inside that house, Vera at last approaches her home and her past. Horror has often included grisly deaths, monsters under the bed and haunted houses, but never like this. If you are a fan of horror then I cannot recommend this enough.

TW: violence, gore, unsettling imagery

Out July 19, 2022

I love Gailey's writing, so even if she writes a book in one of my least favorite genres, horror, I'm going to read it. This was a deliciously dark and atmospheric haunted house novel. It got really weird and a little gross towards the end, but I was completely captivated by this story of a young woman, Vera, who comes home to care for her dying mother. Home just happens to be the house that her beloved serial killer father built with his own hands. Gailey does a fantastic job building tension and creating a sense of dread as she slowly reveals the secrets of the house and of Vera's past. I was glued to the page and completely emotionally involved with Vera, even when I didn't know or understand what was happening. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge Publishing for an advanced digital copy to read and review.

I was so excited for this book. I wanted to read The Echo Wife by this author but didn't. This one sounded like more up my alley anyway. This book was creepy and unsettling.

Man this book was creepy. It wasn't overly gory by any means but there were other substances let's just say that, that made it kind of gross.
This is a book about strained family relationships, coming home, and reopening past wounds. The ending was superb and I still don't know what to think of it.
I will say this would make a fabulous horror movie. I don't watch scary movies but I can guarantee if they made this into a movie I would check it out...and probably be scared pants less.

This book seems to be pretty polarizing, but if you liked Mexican Gothic, you will like this. I actually didn’t enjoy Mexican Gothic as much as Just Like Home!

This book is atmospheric and gritty, and overwhelmingly creepy. I had to suspend my disbelief towards the end (at first I was sure a certain character was breaking from reality), but I loved it regardless. It was so well-written and I enjoyed it even though it doesn’t hit the sub-genre I usually read.

Thanks to MacMillan-Tor/Forge, NetGalley, and Sarah Galileo for this arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

4.5/5 stars!

This was hands-down the creepiest book I've ever read! It's best to go into this blind but if you love a haunted house plot you would love this! I found the story to be interesting and fast paced. I preferred it more when the MC was talking about her childhood and how it was like to live in that house. I'm fairly new to the horror genre but would definitely recommend this to all horror fans! I really don't want to give away much about the book so just trust me and read this, alright?

This book was a little slow to start the. Lead to interesting outlook on a house’s spirit and how much can be absorbed by the places we live. Mild horror but more psychological. Kept my interest. Would recommend for readers who enjoy psychological horror.

I originally went into this for the cover. I would say this is more of a thriller than horror. The premise was really interesting but fell flat for me. The writing was great, which made me good look for other books by Gailey! However, I feel like much of the plot was lost and there could’ve been more explored in terms of the haunting of the house. The plot twists were expected and the no huge WOW moment.

I would recommend for people who enjoy a predictable thriller with not a whole lot going on.

Thanks to Tor Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review,

This book reminded me a lot of Mexican Gothic/What Moves the Dead. It was creepy and I was on the edge of my seat most of the time. I loved how the author didn’t dump information and instead showed the reader what was going on. I do have to say the descriptions could be long-winded (Ex: the sheets on the bed were described for quite a few pages) which made me lose interest at some points. But overall - an extremely original and creepy book. Would love to see this turned into a movie!

Sarah Gailey's writing is amazing and this book is exactly what I needed right now! I love a good haunted house story, though it's a bit slow-paced in the beginning but the pace eventually picked up. I'm a big horror fan and it's pretty hard to spook me but Just Like Home did succeed in making me feel suffocated and a little perturbed. Going into this book I really didn't know what to expect but the alternating past and present timeline was well executed and the twists and turns really surprised me! It's unlike anything I've read. Although I have to say the ending could be stronger. Nonetheless it's such a solid book!

This was a very slow paced book in my opinion but it did not lack the spooky/gothic vibes.
The plot was good but I found the ending a very underwhelming.

3/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC on this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This book. There’s a lot to say and yet nothing I can reveal because it would be spoilers. Much like trying to discuss Catriona Ward’s book Last House on Needless street you cannot go into that book and then have a discussion unless the person has read it. I will say this worked in some ways, and in other ways it did not.

One of my favorite aspects of the book was the telling of the story through dual timelines. I love when this occurs especially in Horror (i.e. Home Before Dark by Riley Sager). Horror thrives in the two timelines perspective. I love when a story includes it.

What didn’t really work for me was the horror itself. I think the writing in this book was beautiful and entertaining it’s just the horror didnt shock me or scare me like I wanted. I see that “Gothic” is listed as one of the main genres for this and I think Gothic vibes or Literature is just not for me. Overall I think many readers will connect to this one, and I still recommend.

Thank you to Tor and Netgalley for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.