Cover Image: The House Sitter

The House Sitter

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The only redeeming part of this title is that the characters well so well executed unlikable characters. However, that didn't make up for the predictable plot that was just flat.

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70 year-old widow Iris Duncan takes in a young couple, Lydia and Seth, when they are down on their luck. They can stay with Iris in return for taking care of her property. One night, an emergency call draws police to Iris's house, where they find her bedroom filled with blood and no trace of her or the couple she took in anywhere. What happened in the house? And, most importantly, where is Iris?

I really enjoyed this psychological mystery thriller. It didn't take me long to finish it at all, I actually read all of the second half in one sitting. The writing style was easy to understand and I was just flying though. The characters are fun to follow around, but you still get the feeling that you aren't getting the full perspective with every main character until the very end. I liked the main plot twist, although you might have seen it coming already if you paid attention. Overall a good and thrilling read, definitely recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley, Ellery Kane and Kane's team for providing me with an ARC!

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An exciting thriller which I really enjoyed. Iris needed a house sitter and a couple have come out to help - but why are they really there? A fast-paced page-turner which kept me guessing until the end.

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I can't say I liked this book all that much, I found it to be just ok. I didn't find any of the characters remotely likable. I skimmed through a lot of it. Wasn't surprised at the ending.

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The House Sitter is the story of an elderly woman named Iris who is unable to care for her home alone.
She hires Lydia, a young waitress, and her husband to help her take care of the house and even invites them to move in with her.

The pacing was fine, and I liked that from the beginning, we are driven to doubt the motives of the house sitters.
The reason why I'm giving this only 3 stars is that there were a few plot holes and unresolved questions scattered throughout the book, as well as some implausible aspects of the story and unconvincing dialogue. Decent novel, but not particularly memorable.

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this one was super creepy in the best way! I love the whole "alone in the house" trope. its super realistic and although there are parts that aren't so realistic I loved it all the same. I highly recommend.

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DNF @ 80% I just didn't care enough to continue. :/ Got through almost all of it, but wasn't invested enough to find out how it ended.

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Thank you, NetGalley for providing me an ARC.

Lately, nearly seventy-year-old Iris Duncan, has become frightened in her own home, convinced someone is breaking in, and stealing from her. She’s also started forgetting things.
On a visit to a café, Iris strikes up a conversation with a young waitress, Lydia McKay. The two immediately hit it off, prompting Iris to offer Lydia, and her husband Seth, live-in positions of home-help/caretakers. Lydia is thrilled to accept, as she and Seth are struggling financially, and are currently living in a shabby motel. It’s a dream come true, and the perfect solution, for all involved.
Until it isn’t. A frantic 911 call, shots fired, a bloody bedspread, no sign of Iris. Who would want to hurt a harmless elderly lady?

This book was intense with lots of twists and turns that left me guessing as to what would happen next.

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The House Sitter by Ellery Kane Narrated by: Kristin James was an interesting audiobook, I didn't like it and I didn't love it! it was like Marmite!!! I found this psychological thriller a very slow burner and had me guessing right till the end. It's full of good twists and turns throughout and a few red herrings. The narrator Kristin James was excellent and and did a good job of bringing this book alive.

I would recommend this book so stick with it.

Big thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for my audiobook.

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It took me a while to get through this audiobook. There was a lot I did like about this story, but for me it had a few too many plot twists that made it hard to follow. The narrator was great.

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This was a solid thriller. There were things I liked and things I didn't but I would definitely be open to reading other titles from this author in the future.
The narration was very well done.
Overall, it was worth the listen!

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<i>The House Sitter</i> is the story of a lonely, unsuspecting older lady who puts her trust in a down on her luck woman looking for a place to stay. Did she allow herself to trust too soon without learning her whole story first - Yup!

I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the storyline. As much as this was described as a psychological thriller, I wouldn't give it quite that much credit...

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I listened to The House Sitter as an audiobook and I can't say that I particularly enjoyed it. Infact, the way the whole story plays out I don't think I would have been completely invested in the book even if I had chosen to read it instead. After a decent start, the entire plot seems to completely lose the plot with all the twists (most of the time I wondered if they were even necessary) in the story. Add to that a whole list of unlikeable, generic and stereotypical characters, an ending that basically shows a bad person getting away with the crime and a narration style that didn't do much to perk up the listening experience. Even though the pacing of the book is fast, I found my attention waning during most parts and by the end I just wanted to finish off with the audiobook.

I am also confused as to why the book is titled The House Sitter when Lydia and Seth are specifically asked to live in the house as hired help by Iris, with Iris also still living in the house. The blurb of the book is also a bit misleading.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture Audio and the author for the audio Arc of the book.

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This psychological thriller is the epitome of a slow burn. It was a little slow to start, but once it took off there was one shocking twist after another. The conclusion totally took me by surprise. The plot is original, clever and totally entertaining as it switches from before and after the mysterious incident. The narration is spot on bringing the characters to life in this edge of your seat thriller. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for my audiobook.

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This book is so creepy, in such a good way! Definitely felt like a slow burn, however you’re frequently uncovering smaller twists that keep the pace nicely. It has a dual timeline, which I looooove. I listened to this on audiobook, which sometimes makes it hard for me to get pulled into the story but that wasn’t the case for this one!

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Sooooo I’m torn on this one. I listened to the audiobook version. I really enjoyed the story and the characters. The narrator was great with some of the characters. I didn’t love her for others. To the point I cringed when it was that characters pov. My rating is definitely for the story not the narrator.

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Thank you Bookouture, Ellery Kane, and Netgalley for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. This is a fast paced book that had a couple twists you don’t see coming. Took me two days to finish it. The narration was good. 🌟🌟🌟🌟 solid stars from me.

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The story is well plotted, however i did find it quite slow. i wasnt keen on the narrator. i found the police in this incompetent and unbeliable with the one ignoring all protocols completely. There was plenty of diversion/red herrings as the story unfolded which kept me guessing and i liked how the story is told in alternate chapters between “before” and “after” and think is an an easy-going mystery.

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This book sounded very interesting, but did not live up to the expectations. The characters were basic and stereotypical. The dialogue seemed unnatural as well. The story did not hold my attention well and the twist toward the end was predictable. I listened to this one on audio and the narrator was awful. Her voices for the dialogue were the worst I have ever heard. Ever. Unfortunately I will not be able to recommend this one.

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3.65⭐ rounded up.

Sweet, 70 year old, Iris is having trouble keeping up with her household chores. She meets Lydia at a diner and takes a liking to her, so she offers her a job and a place to live. Lydia accepts and brings along Seth to move in and help out too.

Told in the 'before' and 'after' as we follow Iris, Lydia and Maureen. I found this way easy to follow along with.

I thought Maureen was a top notch rookie cop and I really enjoyed her investigative skills. She didn't care that she skirted on the line when she was supposed to take a step back. Do we have a set up at the end for a series featuring Maureen? I wouldn't mind that at all.

Kristin James did a good job narrating for 8 hours and 35 minutes, easy to follow along at 2x. I even liked her male voices.

This is my first time reading/listening to Ellery's work and I would be happy to read more from her.

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