(I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for a review)

This is a haunted house book, but what's haunting it isn't necessarily a ghost, and it may not be malicious, even though what created it certainly was. That's a hell of a premise and Sarah Gailey follows though in a way that only they can. Masterful.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Books, and Sarah Gailey for the advanced copy of Just Like Home in exchange for my honest review.

If I'm being 100% transparent I almost felt dumb while reading this. Even though it seems like everything is pretty transparent regarding Vera's serial killer father, it's like there's a secret everyone but the reader is in on, and I just couldn't make sense of what I was reading half the time.

I also didn't really connect to the story until about 80% in, but I may very well be an outlier.

I will say the ending was just whacko and creepy enough that I found I really enjoyed it. I definitely won't hesitate to read anything by this author again in the future.

Just Like Home will be on US bookshelves July 19.

A dark twisted ride of horror and suspense. Many times I thought I new were this book was going to go and i was pleasantly surprised and happily wrong, in a genre where so many things are expected i loved how different and fresh this was.

Monsters are the things in stories things that lurk in the darkness but what if the darkness isn't just hidden in shadows but in the person you love the most?

Darkness hides where we least expect to find it. If it can hide in a person does that reason it can also hide in a house.. What if a home was more then wood and plaster and pipes what if the memories and the blood took on a life of its own... What if your home your safe place became the place of nightmares, the place everyone fears..

Just like home... Where the ghosts of the past haunt the halls and the sins of the guilty will not be forgotten. Where houses Breathe and Monsters never sleep.

Dysfunctional parent/child relationships? Check.
Things that go bump in the night? Check.
A serial killer father? Well that was a box I didn't even know I had the option of checking before this, but I'm into it. Check.

It's hard to say too much about this book without spoiling something, and the less you know going into this one the more fun you'll have with it. It gave me everything I wanted and more, I couldn't put it down. It scared the pants off of me at some points, but I also found it so morbidly endearing at times. Sarah Gailey really knows how to describe innate fear and the various dark emotions that accompany fear. I was especially impressed by the ending and how things came together. I never would have guessed the twist, but it was perfect and I felt so satisfied with it.

Just Like Home is such an interesting look at the people we love who are monsters and the monsters we love who are people. Who is who in this book? That's up to you to decide.

Thanks so so much to Tor/Forge and NetGalley for an eGalley of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. I absolutely loved it.

Just Like Home started off pretty strong with the story being told from the POV of the main character, Vera. Sarah Gailey did an amazing job in describing the fear and angst that Vera felt with every little incidents. It felt visceral and genuine. But most of the focus was on Vera's feelings plus a glimpse into her past. Overall, the pace of the story was agonizingly slow. I enjoyed the plot twist at the end, it reminded me a lot of Babadook and Monster House. There were some inconsistences in the plot that bugged me a little bit. Overall, it was a slow burn with a fresh take on thriller.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of a honest review.

Rated 3 stars for my enjoyment of this book, but I think it could be a 4 or 5 star read for the right reader. Just Like Home is a haunted house story about Vera, whose father was serial killer, coming home to help her estranged (and dying) mother. I really enjoyed the parts of the book that explored the Crowder's family relationships. The creepy house stuff was well-written, but less interesting. The last section of this book was a wild ride full of very weird and horrible surprises. Recommended for supernatural horror fans.

I love paranormal horror and this is a strong creepy story. The first half of this started a little slow as there was a lot of ground to cover on the modern timeline and past timeline. I enjoy a multilayered protagonist with flaws and Vera was no exception. I would have preferred a little more information about her interview with the writer as it was referenced a lot but never really addressed. The second half was much stronger and was genuinely scary at times.

Thanks to Net Galley for the and Tor/Forge for the advanced copy of this book!

4.25/5

This book presents a very interesting horror genre blend of serial killer/true crime meets haunted house. While this could have been just another scary page turner, what makes this book really work is how it centers itself on family, family dynamics, and how the relationship we have with our parents changes when we get older.

The book follows our main character, Vera, who needs to go back home after years of being away to take care of her dying mother who still lives in the family home, the house her father built. Except her father was a serial killer and as the book goes we get the sense that there might be something else might be in the house too.

The book follows Vera both in the present as an adult as well as through flashbacks of her as a child while her father is still at home. Both sections of the book are interesting and both leave you wanting more when the perspective shifts. I found that the more I learned about younger Vera, the more I wanted to learn about older Vera and visa versa.

This book plays with its genres in a very interesting way. The true crime/serial killer element gets the reader in the mindset of looking for every detail and every implication because we already know Vera's father was a serial killer and are waiting to see just how much the family knew and just how much the book is willing to tell us. In contrast, the haunted house elements are often quick, mysterious, or unexpected. It's a horror genre contrast of methodical progression and sudden strangeness. These are both framed within Vera's perspective and Vera's life. In both timelines you learn a lot about Vera's relationship with both of her parents and as the book goes on, that perspective begins to affect how you approach both genres of horror present in this book.

I did really enjoy this book from start to finish but there were a few things that took its rating down a bit. There is an artist character mentioned in the blurb for this book. I found this character did not feel as well developed or as well used compared to all the other characters. I also found the final few chapters to be weaker for me compared to the rest of the book, specifically in regards to the haunted house aspect of the book. Wrapping up horror novels is always difficult in that way. There is also one other element that seems like it is going to be present throughout the book but gets left behind. I don't want to spoil anything before release so that's as much detail as I'll give.

All that being said, this was a really great read and a really interesting genre blend. I know I will be recommending this one a lot.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693472-just-like-home?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=REoC2MMci9&rank=1

I was initially drawn to this book because of the cover and then the synapsis further solidified my choice - Haunted house? Serial killer? Estranged family? Sign me up. There are so many elements of this book that I love, especially because it is NOT your typical haunted house/serial killer thriller story. Sarah Gailey's talent jumps right off the pages. Just Like Home is brilliant, dark and atmospheric.

"This house, the house her father built, the house where her mother would die - this place was safe. This place knew her. This place was where she belonged."

When Vera returns to her childhood home to take care of her dying mother, strange things begin happening. She hasn't been home in the years since she learned the truth about her serial killer father & coming home to a seemingly haunted house is not an easy decision. To make things worse, a creepy painter/artist is living in their guest house, adding to the tension and possibly responsible for the unexplained, weird things happening around the house. Just Like Home is a story about a house with a secret, the fears that haunt you in the dark, and how the people who love & raise you forever shape your life. But it’s also just fun for any horror lovers out there!

The first half of the book lays the foundation of the story, bit by haunting bit with all the creepiness and tension of a slow burn. The second half goes from 0-100 and turns into a wild ride I didn't see coming. You may think you know what to expect, but you will not be ready for what awaits you in the house that Francis Crowder built. The writing is detailed, dreamlike and surreal and the imagery is tangible. The way in which the Crowder House was personified into a living, breathing thing was perfection. It evoked so many feelings in me - good vs. evil, dark vs. light, love vs. hate -- Can you really experience love without hate? What is the true meaning of family? What makes a house a home? The ending took me by surprise and somehow strangely felt heartwarming as everything came full circle.

**Thanks to NetGalley, TorBooks and Sarah Gailey for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A really great horror read that also has an important theme with generational trauma. I recommend for any readers of horror out there!

This book scared the crap out of me and I don't scare easy. Once I go halfway there were moments where I actually jumped. My swearing became phenomenal while reading this book.

The writing is exquisite. Sarah Gailey has a way of describing something in ways you never thought of before.

Looking forward to reading more of her books. She's written several and I'm looking forward to future ones.

I am, unfortunately, one of those people who is rarely surprised by a book. When you read as much as I do, it takes a heck of an author the get me. Sarah Gailey and Just Like Home absolutely and truly got me. I had thought that this was going to be about the tangled emotions of a woman's relationship with her deceased serial killer father. And it was. I had thought that it was going to be about the grief and trauma of coming home for the first time in years to where her mother is dying, where her father did unspeakable things. And it was. What I didn't expect was the thing that had me staying up far past a sensible bedtime and yelling at my ipad. I will absolutely be tracking down Gailey's earlier work and adding them to my auto buy list.

I've been interested in everything this author has produced, and read and enjoyed several of their titles. I picked this up based entirely on the author name and started reading it without seeing even a hint of a blub. Now I know the author doesn't experiment only in sci-fi and paranormal, but now in horror. Horror is not usually my thing, but I made it through.

It was creepy, which is, as I understand, the point of the genre, so that was a success. I found the ending to be a bit rushed, with several loose ends; it felt like, maybe in the rush of the big reveal, it would be assumed the reader would gloss over these bits that don't add up.

People who actually and intend to read horror will have more useful comments, I'm sure. For readers experimenting in the genre, this isn't a bad place to start.

eARC from NetGalley.

This was a bizarre story about what true monsters are...and whether they live under the bed or not. Vera is a strange main character, who has had to build a shell of protection from just about everyone she encounters.

Vera is called home by her mother. Despite her reluctance she returns to the home where she lived with her parents - before discover that her father was a serial killer and is sent to jail.

A guest house in the back has been rented to a suspicious character. Soon, notes written in her father's handwriting appear around the house and it is up to Vera to get to the bottom of the mystery as well as to discover what the evil in the house is about

A dark gothic thriller. Just Like Home is as unsettling and disturbing as expected, but it's a layered type of horror, one that requires multiple readings to understand and appreciate. On the surface, it's easy to dismiss this book as boring and slow, which are valid complaints, I have issues with the pacing in the beginning and believe there's a lot of side stories and monologues that could be trimmed down. But after the midpoint, the story evolves into a jaw-dropping, heart-racing sprint to the end.
Not only is it genuinely scary, but it's a fascinating study on the lengths we go to protect ourselves from childhood trauma, how the monsters we loved influence us, and accepting that we will never outrun our past no matter how hard we try. It's a well-done mix of thought provoking and chilling, and is the perfect book for fellow psych thriller/horror lovers. I loved it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a totally immersive and so well written. I enjoyed every minute, can’t wait to handsell at work.

I really enjoyed this! It was unlike anything I’ve read before and not at all what I was expecting. At its core, Just Like Home is a story about love and family — the things we do for them and the lengths we’ll go for their acceptance; to shield them from pain, disappointment or failure; and how the course of our lives are influenced by them. It’s a beautiful story wrapped up in a scary, disturbing package.

This is my first book by Sarah Gailey, so I look forward to reading a lot more from her in the future!

Pretty good view on the trauma some families can pass down onto their kids. Spooky, thrilling and intense in some parts. Nicely done.

I've enjoyed other books by Sarah Gailey, so I was really excited to read this. I loved the slow-build creepiness of the first half of the book, but after that it tipped into silliness for me. The ending wasn't satisfying and it just seemed more like a spoof than anything.