I started this book and it may have been too dark and creepy for me. I will try again in the winter perhaps! I felt very uneasy about the dad and decided I wasn't in the mood for that at the moment!

I really liked this book, until the ending. It was easy to read and I was getting through it really quickly. It was enjoyable and I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen. Just when I thought I’d worked out what was going on, something else happened that completely changed my way of thinking. I didn’t guess what was going to happen at the end, but I was a bit disappointed by the last few chapters. I’ve seen so many positive reviews for this book, and I can see why so many people enjoy it. However the ending just wasn’t for me. I’d like to read more from this author and will definitely read any future books they release.

Ummmmmm this just didn’t work for me in so many ways which is a bummer because I wanted to vibe with this.

Super creepy horror story! I wanted to stop several times but needed to know what happened in the story. Not for the faint at heart or HSPs.

Vera is returning to her childhood home--the Crowder House--to clear out the belongings as her mother lay dying. She comes home to find her mother is nearly unrecognizable, the illness eating away at her, and a new tenant living in the guest house out back who may or may not be leaving notes in her father's handwriting for Vera to find. Oh, and did I mention Vera's father was a confessed serial killer?

This book absolutely had creepy vibes and all the factors that make up an atmospheric horror novel. I listened to the audiobook and it read like a horror movie for sure--do NOT read alone in the dark (unless you're into that type of thing--then by all means, go for it!). However, some other parts really lulled and weren't fully cohesive to me so for that reason I'm giving it a solid rating of 3.

Vera gets a call from her mother to come home as she is dying. Vera returns to her childhood home where multiple murders occurred in the basement.

Okay I’m going to try my best to review this without being too harsh.

I did not enjoy this.

I skimmed through 90% of it. The chapters were boring and filled with a lot of unnecessary filler.

I didn’t mind the chapters that were written when Vera was a child - I thought her interactions with her dad were the most interesting.

I really thought the beginning of the story could have been written in a much more engaging way. I didn’t read the synopsis before starting the book so I didn’t know that murders had happened in the house. The beginning of the story doesn’t explain what happened for a long time - just that she has bad memories of the house.

This book has a supernatural aspect. I’m telling you now. If you dislike that, skip it. I sometimes don’t mind a supernatural aspect - but I really didn’t like it in this book. It was really silly and seemed like a replacement for a good story line.

This had potential - but it fell really flat for me.

I personally wouldn’t recommend it. I would have DNF’d it if I wasn’t writing a review for NetGalley.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much for the early read of JUST LIKE HOME. I ended up buying a hardback and absolutely loved it! I didn't think it was possible for Gailey to outdo herself after THE ECHO WIFE, but boy was I wrong! A chilling thrill ride, perfect for Spooky Season!

Oh wow. This book absolutely knocked me for six, and had gripped me in the palm of its hand. So bloody good and dramatic. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough

Sarah Gailey absolutely never disappoints. They manage to make even the most mundane, everyday things - the scent of lemonade, the creak of floorboards underfoot, the shedding of a few strands of hair - deeply and utterly unsettling. Just Like Home does this to great and often frankly horrifying effect, making everything feel like those nightmares where a place you know well, like your childhood home, has suddenly become somehow, undefinably but distressingly wrong - truly unheimlich. These horrors all serve to tell a story that builds, slowly - maybe sometimes a little too slowly? - but surely, toward revelations that feel both shocking and yet as inevitable as death. A brilliant and uncanny exploration of abuse and trauma, legacy and love, the intimacy of the family and of the body.

Thank you Tor Books for the advance review copy.

I cannot recommend this book more strongly. I absolutely loved Just Like Home. It went from genuinely scary at times (often), to almost something of a mystery, with an incredible ending.

I’ve never read anything like this. The monster was fascinating!

I enjoyed this domestic horror novel. It was a quick read and really was quite disturbing and creepy. I was expecting a bit more of a traditional plot but it felt more like a character study, which was fine, but a bit of a surprise.

3.5 stars.

📚B IS FOR BOOK REVIEW📚

📔Title: Just Like Home
🖋Author: Sarah Gailey
🗓Pub Date: 07.19.22

🗂Genre:
Horror

📖Plot:
Vera Crowder is called home to help her estranged mother die. (Yep, you read that right.) But when your home is infamous for — well, read the book and you’ll find out all the gory details — a trip home is also a dark and twisty trip down memory lane.

‼️Trigger warning:
Torture, murder

💭Thoughts:
This is the 3rd book I’ve read by Sarah Gailey, and what I love so much about their work is how different each story is. You’ve gotta check out the vibes of this one! Gailey does great work building the setting and tone for the reader — the 1st chapter will definitely pull you in! There’s a lot of flashing back and forth in time, which I also love. The only drawback for me is the book ran a bit long … or maybe I was just impatient to get to the end and find out what the hell was going on in this house!! If you are looking for a unique, creepy read for October, this one is perfect!

🗣Recommended for those who like:
Books about creepy houses, like The Shining by Stephen King or The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson … although Just Like Home is it’s own monster

I loved Just Like Home, I thought it had an incredible underlying sense of unease that unsettles you throughout the entire book, as well as the descriptions of the house making it seem like its own person being very creepy.

Catching up on galleys-

Wow. This one was interesting. A good horror novel for sure! It kept me on the edge of my seat wondering if this novel was just psychological horror or had some supernatural stuff going on. And honestly I can’t say which one it was!! In the case of horror I love an unreliable narrator, it adds so much suspense. The story was told in a combination of flashbacks and current day and it was SO interesting to see the mindset of the main character as a child.

I just couldn't get into this story. It felt very flat for me, and the characters wasn't that interesting. I also felt like the horror didn't start and I just wanted something else from this story. I do ADORE the cover!

When Vera’s mother calls her begging her to come home, she knows she should oblige. But her homecoming is a tough one - her serial killer father buried his bodies beneath the house.

When strange notes appear in her father’s handwriting she thinks it’s the artist living in the guest house - but he insists he’s not it. Her trip back home is about to reveal the true horror that the house holds and Vera isn’t ready to accept it.

Published July 19, this one is receiving much praise with “A series of dark reveals that leave both the characters and the audience reeling. Readers won't want to put this one down."

'Just Like Home,; by Sarah Gailey has a slow build to a great payoff. It skirts the line between horror and thriller with a great twist.

NOT what I was expecting lol
The premise was very intriguing but the ending took a turn that I didn't exactly like..very unique though!

When I heard Gailey was writing a horror novel, I jumped at the chance to request an ARC. I enjoyed their previous books and it was exciting to see how they will handle the genre.
Just Like Home was a treat, it was creepy and had me on the edge of my seat. Although the plot was more of a slow burn, it added to the creepiness of the house and built tension. I can't wait to see what other books Gailey has in store for us in the future!

Vera returns home after her mother calls and asks her to. She struggles to cope in the former house of a serial killer while an artist has moved in to the building in the back and is removing everything valuable from the house. Vera knows something is wrong with the house, but can she figure it out before its too late?
This was pretty creepy. I definitely enjoyed the ending, but the build up was a little to slow and left something to be desired.