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.

Sarah Gailey is a master. A recommended first purchase for all collections, particularly where horror is popular.

There needs to be a specific genre entitled “traumatized person comes back to the source of their trauma in order to heal when some crazy shit happens” because I will read everything in it.

I’ve loved everything Sarah Gailey has written, and when Just Like Home was released, I was so excited to get my hands on it. I mean, a horror book with a pink cover? With that description? Written by Sarah Gailey? Sign me up.

And it was everything I hoped for, and more.

Vera Crowder left her childhood home as soon as possible. She’s been gone for twelve years, but her mother Daphne has called because she’s dying. We know pretty quickly that there’s some tension between Daphne, but soon it’s shown that Vera isn’t popular around town, either. The only person that gives her the benefit of the doubt is artist James Duvall, who is staying in the guest house while he works on art inspired by the Crowder House.

What makes a house truly haunted? Is it the land, the house itself, or what happens within its walls?

While settling her mother’s affairs, Vera learns quickly that she will have to face not only her trauma, but the demons of the house. The house holds trauma just like human bodies do.

“Some things, Vera knew, were made to die.”

I related a lot to Vera, for various reasons I won’t explain here. Gailey seems to write characters that I can relate to in most of their works, and I’m really thankful for that. Their characters are not perfect, are easily flawed, but are determined to work through their trauma to break generational chains. There’s also a very satisfying ending that, while symbolic, feels like a breath of fresh air.

I highly recommend not just Just Like Home, but all of Sarah Gailey’s works. I’m so glad they’ve gone more into the horror genre, and I can’t wait to see what else they release.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for this advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

CW for blood, gore, body horror, emotional abuse, murder, death of a parent, grief, chronic illness/hospital/medical setting, and generational trauma

It is a bit of a slow burn, but the payoff is so over-the-top, vivid, and immersive, that it just makes sense this way.

This was such an interesting thriller and I really enjoyed the majority of it. I liked how the pacing was eerily slow, building up the tension in the story. However, I felt like the plot and characterization was getting lost within it's own story the further we got into the book. I would still recommend if you enjoy slow build, tension filled thrillers that border on the line of horror.

When Vera receives a phone call from her mother asking her to come home to Crowder House after a long estrangement she does so, returning to a home filled with secrets, the home of a serial killer. Vera would prefer not to be there, and it doesn't help that an artist is living there as well, an artist she believes is leaving writings by her father’s hand around the house. Crowder House is full of secrets, but may not remain buried for much longer.

Just Like Home is a strage, paranormal thriller. I really enjoyed the concept of the story, but it seemed to start very slowly. I like that Gailey used a nonlinear timeline, giving the reader little glimpses of Crowder House and Francis, as well as Vera’s childhood, throughout the novel. There were times when I felt a little confused, but for the most part I found some clarity by the end. I greatly enjoyed the ending of Just Like Home; it was deliciously twisted.

JUST LIKE HOME is one of my favorite books of the year! Not to mention, one of my favorite covers! Absolute pink perfection *chefs kiss*. The writing and plot are superb. Highly recommended!

⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- Fab cover on this one!

What a delightfully entertaining and creepy book this was. Perfect for spooky season! The writing was well done. The setting was atmospheric. The plot was an unnerving and disturbing slow burn descent into disquietude. The characters were intriguing, and that ending...oh my. Just Like Home definitely should be on your must read list! 👍🏻👍🏻

**ARC Via NetGalley**

The only other book by Gailey I'd read before Just Like Home was Magic For Liars and I really admire her ability to do something completely different every time. I am astounded by the number of layers she is able to pack into a scene-- I felt like I knew everything I needed to know during the first meeting between Vera and Daphne (I did not, but I definitely thought I understood their relationship). This was a really unique and exciting haunted house story and I hope to see it all over the place this Halloween.

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey is a horror/thriller about Vera, who returns to her childhood home when her mom calls. Her mom is dying, and Vera returns home to Crowder House, where her dad was found to be a killer. The longer she stays at Crowder House, the weirder it gets. This book was pretty strange, but it was a quick and entertaining read. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Gailey likes to shock with her writing! This cover is stunning! Dark, haunting, thrilling, creepy, etc, etc, etc….I love a good return to your childhood home to face your demons story. I’d rate this story as excellent without giving too much away…. Definitely recommend!

Needed to be creepier. I felt like the author couldn't really commit to going full horror, and the result is the story suffered overall. Way too slow moving.

What a creepy and twisty story! So much of what is going on is completely unexplainable. I was definitely confused while trying to figure out what was going on with Vera’s mother, but I did enjoy the ride.
The tension keeps building and drove me to turn the pages until the end.

This is probably the stupidest thing I've ever read. I was hoping for something a little different not this house being a monster and it was just an odd horror for me.

While extremely well-written, this engaging horror novel will not be for everyone. However, I am happy to report that it was decidedly right up my alley. The ending was a bit ambiguous and required a suspension of belief, but it is horror, after all. I enjoyed the dark family drama at the center of the plot and found every character to be well fleshed out. I was left with some unanswered questions at the end but that’s not something I mind. I finished this days ago and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.

In Just Like Home, Vera Crowder returns to her childhood home to help her ailing and estranged mother. Vera has not been home since she was a child, at which time her father was murdering people in the basement. I became a Sarah Gailey convert after reading The Echo Wife last year, which I adored. I am also a huge fan of haunted houses, so I was very excited for this book. The story went somewhere I did not expect and was all the more compelling because of that. I was maybe less fascinated with what would happen as it unfolded than I was while reading The Echo Wife, but I also found myself extremely compelled to keep reading.

The novel feels quite bleak, so while it was spooky, it was not spooky in a way that that was “fun.” There is a lot of rage and anger and pain that are central here, but also sadness. Just Like Home plays on the ideas of what it means to be a haunted house and what it means to be a monster. It also, as you may have guessed from the title, asks the reader to think about how “home” is constructed, and invites a variety of possibilities as to what that means.

Sarah Gailey builds a great case for sympathizing with Vera, all while making you completely sure you're missing something. Sarah is the absolute best at the creepy buildup.

What starts out as an exploration of the worst childhood and a terrible visit home to be with her dying mother turns into the creepiest, terrifying haunted house story I've read in a long time.

A little bit Mexican Gothic, a little bit Misery, a little bit Coraline, all amazing.

Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me access to this book. Creepy book! Well written, great premise and interesting characters. This book is gothic horror - if you like this genre - this book will probably be a good good for you. I will be recommending this book. Thanks again for letting have a chance to read it.

I'm already a huge fan of Sarah Gailey's writing and to see them go full horror after Echo Wife fills me with glee (terror-filled glee, but glee all the same). Their writing is dark and sparse in that way that builds suspense on every page, that kind of creeping dread horror-lovers eat up. I would recommend this to fans of serial killer stories, Shirley Jackson, and anyone who loves seeing the haunted house trope spun on its head.

I had such high hopes for this book. A horror, thriller book about the family of a serial killer?!? Count me in. Unfortunately, this was just not for me. I didn't connect with the main character and the ending was not what I expected, and not in a good way. Very weird.