This book was strange and kind of confusing at times but I enjoyed it for the most part. The story centers on Vera, who comes back to the home she left years ago to attend to her estranged but now dying mother. The chapters alternate between Vera’s childhood and current times as the author uncovers the events that led to her current state of mind and ties her history to current events.

I did feel like the first half of the book was a bit hard to get into. I liked the parts about her childhood but felt that the current time chapters were a bit repetitive. The book got more scary and exciting as it continued, though, and I finished the 2nd half more quickly. I never fully connected to the characters but thought the storyline was creative and unique. Note that this is a horror story so you’ll have to suspend your disbelief.

Overall, unique story even though it took some time to get into. Was a fun ride overall, though. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I spent most of this book confused more than I spent enjoying it.

I felt like the mix between dreams and reality wasn’t very clear and there was such a repeat of phrases and sentences that I thought I was reading the same section over and over again.

That was one WILD ride. I devoured this book like a certain character devours; tons and tons of delicious similes, some nice creepy moments (there was one particular scene that stayed with me, enough that I had to read it to my husband because of how much it freaked me out). A fun balance of different flavors of horror; supernatural, real life/world monsters, familial, psychological. It has legit terror and construed. I like that we got chapters in current time as well as flashbacks, I like the red herrings. The setting feels real and (at times) comfy. I'm a little miffed by the lack of conclusions for a few storylines, maybe two or three, but I would still recommend the book if I were still working at a bookstore. It's the kind of horror movie you watch around Hallowe'en/Samhain but would possibly not revisit. Good, not great, dark and a little different. Kooky, but I liked it for the most part and could have finished it in a day or two because it was that engaging to a point (third act loses a bit of traction with its unique direction).

Bonus points for the title and book cover I received. *chef's kiss*

Scary and creepy enough for me to sleep with the light on. The plot took an unexpected twisted turn in a way I didn’t expect, one which upped the scary, weird quotient even more. A great horror novel.
Vera comes home after many years, summoned by her long estranged mom who’s finally dying. Coming home to the house her loving father built with his own hands, to the house she used to be frightened of, to help the mother who has never loved her.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

We follow Vera who is returning home for the first time in a very long time after her mother called her and asked her to come. The house holds a lot of memories for her, both good and bad memories. Coming home is hard for Vera, especially because the house was the home of a serial killer who buried the bodies beneath the house. There are secrets that she has yet to discover, however Vera has learned that she needs to face them for herself.
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I absolutely love stories that are centered around creepy houses and of course serial killers. I mean, who doesn’t! This story was told in a dual timeline of the present and back when Vera was growing up in the house. I absolutely loved seeing her perspective of growing up and how her history plays into the fractured mother-daughter relationship. Gailey has such a profound way of writing that makes you feel like you are in the house witnessing what Vera is experiencing. I did think that the beginning was a little slow and it took some time to figure out what all is going on in the household. Overall, I thought that this was a solid 4 star book and would recommend it to anyone who loves haunted house stories!

This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

4/5 ⭐️
This was super creepy and awesome! I love horror stories involving creepy houses and ghost stories!

#JustLikeHome #NetGalley
Excellent, clever, and creepy! What a great book, I will be recommending! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity read and review the novel.

I’ve been searching for months for a haunted house story that really hit the mark, and this one delivered on every single thing I was hoping for. There were so many moments I had to put the book down to process the heavy/chilling topics. Each chapter left me unsettled until the very end. The alternating timelines of this story were expertly done and the unraveling of Vera’s past was perfectly paced with dramatic cliffhangers. The story of Vera’s mother and father was so psychologically haunting, I only wish the story expanded more on Francis Crowder in its conclusion. I have mixed feelings about the end, but I was left with lingering chills for days after finishing, the way a haunted story should.

4.5/5

Super weird, I loved this freaky, horror psych thriller. The imagery was beautiful. The pacing was a little off for me but I really enjoyed the twist

This was fun and twisted. Full of gasp out loud moments.

I am always going to jump on creepy house horror. I also get pulled in to the fractured mother daughter relationships and the dynamics at play; cause and effect; getting to the why of that unhealthy dynamic between them. That is definitely what you get with this book.

Vera must come back to her childhood home, Crowder House, where her estranged mother Daphne cast her out so long ago. Now that her mother is sick and dying, Vera has to return to this place full of memories to make sure all the affairs are in order.

Filled with shadows, creaks and bumps in the night, it feels like the house is a character all it’s own. It’s a subtle presence always just there in the background.

I love how Sarah Gailey writes. They have such a connection to the words and it bleeds through the pages. I’ve read other books by them and they are all so different. In Just Like Home, we get this visceral journey through Vera’s childhood and her time back in the house her beloved father built. We get the to be there for all the memories to resurface. And we get to witness this house reveal all of its many many secrets.

I have some mixed feelings about this book but honestly? They're mostly positive because I finished this a few days ago and I'm still very much unsettled.

So I thought the first few chapters were extremely slow. I know the author needed to set up the foundation by introducing everyone and letting us get to know Vera (albeit very slowly) but it just felt stuck in certain parts. I also thought that, through the story, Duvall was an unnecessary character. Was he supposed to somehow be the villain of the story? I'm not sure. He was an asshole but it just felt so sudden.

That being said, I really think this would make an interesting series. Daphne is super creepy and gets even creepier, Vera's past is wild and I just need an entire book about her dad because what was going on there?? I need to know everything about Francis. Now the real star of the show is the house, just like with the majority of creepy novels/books and I love that. I kept thinking about Vera's relationship with the house/her father and it's disturbing because it felt Freudian in a sense. Was it love? Was it obsession? Was it something more? Who know! Not me, but I'm disturbed. This wasn't a perfect book by any means, but it worked. I was disturbed, I was disgusted and I would definitely watch this if it was a show.

I'm constantly in search for a perfect mix of psychologically creepy and bone-chilling in horror books, especially after finding my gold standard in This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno last year, and I'm so pleased Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey fits the bill. I made the mistake of finishing this before bed one night and, oh boy, did I pay for it.

Vera Crowder returns to her childhood home after her dying estranged mother beckons her back. It's not an ordinary home, the Crowder House is notorious for being the slaying grounds of a merciless, unsuspecting serial killer - Vera's father. Coming back home isn't what she expected - the house aesthetically is the same as she remembers, but something is... off. It might be the strange artist renting their guest house who insists on inviting himself into the family, the memories of her loving father and tragic childhood memories coming to life, or it might be the house itself that's coming alive.

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.

4.5 / 5

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor Books/Forge + NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Pub date: July 19 2022

This book was a trip. It made me want to sleep with the lights on but I also finished it in maybe three days. I had to keep reading to figure out what was happening in the Crowder home- real or supernatural. What scared me the most was not the blood and guts, but the way our main character Vera was abused by her mother. If you’ve ever had laundry angrily folded at you, you’ll know what I mean. Give this novel a read and see how many monsters you can spot among the cast of characters. I would recommend this book for fans of Dean Koontz and Graeme Cameron (“Normal”).

"Just Like Home" is a strange story, and not quite what I expected. The story focuses on the psychological turmoil of Vera Crowder returning to her childhood home and facing the memories and repercussions of the actions of her serial killer father, including ostracism by the residents of the town, the strained relationship with her mother, and the actions of individuals, including the current "artist in residence" who want to exploit the Crowder house and the crimes of Vera's father for their own benefit. That was expected, well crafted, and interesting. What I did not expect was the paranormal/"possessed" house aspect of the story. I was also surprised at how dark and evil of a person was Vera's mother, Daphne.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I really did like this book, there was a lot more potential for it to be a thriller than horror, There was just constant talk of the bed and the bed frame. I feel like 80% of the story was based around the main characters bed and bedroom when there was so much more going on elsewhere. The plot twist was definitely interesting and the turn of events was satisfying

A nasty, vicious read with teeth for days. A woman comes home to her dying mother; things aren't great, the folks in town don't seem pleased that she's back, and slowly we come to learn about just what when on at the Crowder House... except nothing is quite what it seems. The twists are obvious except they aren't; expected except they're stranger; there's a lot, really, going on and while not all of it works... the dark sticky force of this one is undeniable.

A beautifully dark and tension-filled read. Just like home tells the story of Vera who is called back to her childhood home by her dying mother. The home is filled with the history and memories of her serial killer father, her cold mother and the various characters who have visited the house over the years as a ghoulish pilgrimage.
The story is tense and intriguing, I loved it because it's not really fast-paced, instead, the tension rose slowly as the story develops. Ideal for any horror fans.

This was a fun book to read. I was hooked and since I have been in a sort of reading slump these days, this helped me get back. All the best to the author and thank you for the review copy.

Just Like Home is Sarah Gailey’s first foray into a horror novel, and they did a great job. Such a great job that I don’t know if I can give this book as a recommendation because it was so personally upsetting to me, in an unsettling way unlike any other book.

Great tension, characters you don't 100% love, and slow, spooky writing. This book has it all! Vera has to come home to face her past and her father- a serial killer's- past. It was a great example of a slow horror burn.