I remember enjoying some of the PLL books years ago so this author was an instant request for me. I don't reach for YA anymore so I was excited to see she's writing for adults and the description was very intriguing. I blew through the first 30% of the book. The social anxiety is something I think we can all relate to now and needing to get away and have a village is what every mom really needs. Many parts of this story that just hit right. The twists were twisty, the desert setting provided the right amount of claustrophobia, children always make a thriller extra nerve-wracking. The book was super promising based on these points. Unfortunately, the villainess they revealed in the end just fell a little flat for me. While trying to come up with the ultimate twist, as Shepard is known to do, she pulls it just a bit too late out of left field. I enjoyed the read and I'm happy to find a book reminiscent of the show that I'm realizing must have induced my love of thrillers. 😊 Obviously I will have to check out her other adult books. Now to fight the urge to re-watch Pretty Little Liars... Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for this ARC!!

I have to admit I was shocked at how young/annoying the main characters read. I read some of her PLL series a hundred years ago (okay, probably closer to...12 years) but I'm shocked at how similar the writing style and narrative feel of her writing is. This just wasn't as creepy or culty as I was expecting/hoping, and what the story actually ended up being fell flat for me. I could have done with more character development, and I wish the story had really focused in and intensified, but instead the plot just wasn't super compelling for me. It was fun revisiting and author I used to devour as a young teen, but her adult work just doesn't seem to be for me.

Lenna is in the fog of new motherhood, with a baby boy who hardly sleeps and seems to cry constantly. She hasn’t heard from her friend Rhiannon in over two years, but when Rhiannon gets in touch out of the blue and asks Lenna to come visit her, Lenna jumps at the chance. Rhiannon lives in a “mommune” – a cooperative group of women and their children living together off the grid. Lenna feels alone and isolated in her regular life; she’s longing for the type of village the community provides to mothers. But the longer she’s there, the more she suspects that the community is more sinister than it seems.

This thriller has so many things that I love: toxic female friendships, new motherhood, and cultish vibes, so it should have been right up my alley. The writing is solid and the characters’ backstories are interesting, but ultimately it just didn’t quite work for me. The way that these grown women fell headfirst into deep friendships and obsessions seemed very immature, and some of their actions just didn’t ring true. Who takes their infant to an isolated compound deep in the desert just because an estranged friend called – and doesn’t even talk it over with her husband? Just leaves a note and sneaks out? Unfortunately, I couldn’t suspend disbelief enough to stay immersed in the story.

Even though this book wasn’t for me, I thought it had a great premise and served up some twisty twists in the end, so if you are better at rolling with some implausibility than I was, definitely give it a read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for providing me an advance copy of this book.

This is my first book by Sara Shepard. I never read or watched Pretty Little Liars so I had no idea of the author's writing style. I thought the premise of this book sounded interesting, a mommune, cult-like experience. I felt that the 3 main characters were quite annoying and very immature for their age. I stuck with it to see what the outcome would be but I don't think I will be picking up anything from the author again.

Something about this fell flat for me. It kept my interest, but I partially called the twist, which was a bit disappointing. I was hoping for a little more creepy cult that won’t let you leave, but it was enjoyable.

As a teen, I devoured Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game series. So now, as an adult, I'm grateful to NetGalley and Dutton for this ARC of Nowhere Like Home.

Shepard writes duplicitous, untrustworthy friends so well. Truly I was stressed the entire time reading this book. I just wanted to shake Leena for letting these women manipulate her so easily!

I enjoyed the three part structure told from different POVs revealing more and more. And even still, I never knew who I could trust. I could so easily see this book as a mini series; the desert setting added an especially unsettling vibe.

I'll be thinking about this one for a while. Thank you again, NetGalley & Dutton!

3.5⭐

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. It has a bit of that "stranded" vibe with some cult-ish undertones. The characters weren't entirely likable, but in a way that helped with the overall vibe of the story. Would definitely recommend.

Now, what could go wrong when a socially awkard young woman, Lenna, has a chance meeting with a confident, dynamic and controlling young woman, Rhiannon, who seems to want to take her under her wing. Add to the mix another socially awkward young woman who blogs about it, Gillian, who wants so bad to be friends with both of them. However, Rhiannon wants nothing to do with Gillian and does not want Lenna to be friends with her either. This story takes so many different twists and turns, but I really enjoyed reading it.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC of this very unputdownable book that kept me up late at night.

Nowhere Like Home had an interesting premise with a lot of potential that ultimately fell short. I enjoyed the exploration of the "community" setting, while toeing the line of is-it-or-isn't-it a cult, especially with the added intricacies of female friendship. However, the ending felt a bit random, especially for how long the book was. I wish there could've been a bit of foreshadowing, or even more character development for Coral, to keep the story a bit more grounded. I love a plot twist, but this one did not achieve the intended effect.

Nowhere Like Home, by Sara Shephard, is a riveting account of the interwoven lives of four women, three of whom find themselves thrown into an intentional women's community. Because the story is told from multiple perspectives, the book leads you to believe you know how the story is going to end, but twists and turns surprise until the very end. At first, I enjoyed reading about these women and the lives they were leading (particularly the characters overwhelmed by being mothers), but the suspenseful nature of the book kept me up and reading well into the night. Although I don't typically read thrillers, this is a great book for fans of women's fiction and/or suspense.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC; all opinions are my own.

This one wasn't really for me, but I'm still very thankful to Dutton Books Sara Shepard, and Netgalley for granting me advanced digital access before publication day.

This book caught my attention from the synopsis. Friendships gone awry, new motherhood, a community in the middle of the desert, what could go wrong? I dove right in, ready for the intense read to overtake me. Unfortunately, it did not. The characters did not hook me. They all have a form of social anxiety, which makes them struggle with making new friends. Lenna feels lost and completely alone. She has a tiny studio apartment, and she dreams of having her people. She meets Rhiannon and thinks this is it, I have finally found my person. She is excited and willing to go any lengths for this friendship. Leena is completely committed. Rhiannon just vanishes one day. She will not call or text Leena back. Where did she go, what did Leena do?

This book had me running around like a dog chasing its tail. They became attached to each other so fast. As soon as Rhiannon disappeared, the girl that was always staring at them from the corners, took her place. When Rhiannon calls her out of the blue, two years later, to come join her at Halcyon, an all-women's community that is located in the desert. Leena is hesitant at first, since she has a six-month-old baby and a husband. Leena decides to sneak out of her house with the baby and fly to Arizona. To meet up with Rhianna and hopefully come clean about their past. Once she arrives this community is not how Rhianna has described. They are locked in, cannot call any males from inside the commune, some of the women are giving off weird vibes. This is just the beginning...

I could not fully get into this book. I was yelling at Leena about taking her baby to the community, especially without telling her husband. Who does that? At times, the book dragged, and I was just hoping for an exciting ending. It was exciting and it went on and on. Thank you to Sara Shepard and Dutton for my gifted copy.

Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me but I should have looked into premise more before requesting as books about motherhood & cults can sometimes be a difficult read for me, appreciate the opportunity to read though.

This one was interesting. Young Mom Lenna reconnects with old friend Rhiannon, who now has a son. Rhiannon seemingly dropped off the face of the earth years ago. She tells Lenna about Halcyon, an off-grid community made up of Mothers and their children. Lenna packs up her 5-month-old baby and decides to join Rhiannon. She arrives and as if there already weren't red flags, even more pop up, like no way to contact the outside world. Long story short, Lenna soon finds that there was a reason behind her invitation. I had a hard time liking any of the characters and believing anyone would not tell their hubby that they were loading up baby and going to live on a commune with a bunch of other Moms, but that's just me. The twists and pretty decent characterization saved this one for me. The characters, even though I really did not like any of them, had pretty good backstories and I could understand why they were the way they were. I would read another from this author.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Sara Shepard and Penguin Group Dutton for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication.

I initially grabbed this because a mom cult sounds intriguing AND Pretty Little Liars?! Come on!
This is a slow burn and usually I dont mind that but, lately I have been minding my mind wandering while reading them. This felt a but drawn out but overall I liked the drama. Thank you to @netgalley for my copy!

This was a fantastic thriller! It was a perfect blend of characters you love to hate, with lots of twists and turns. I was invested in the story throughout. The time shifts were done well, everything flowed seamlessly. This author is always a win for me and I’ll be recommending this book near release day. Thanks for the opportunity to read in advance!

This was a great thriller! This book had so many twists and turns that by the end, it was difficult to predict the big twist. I found the whole plot really engaging and compelling. I loved the premise of a "mommune," and I would read an entire series just about Halcyon. The characters aren't necessarily written to be likeable, but I actually really enjoyed that component as it added complexity. The book is also a really interesting exploration of healthy vs. unhealthy female friendships and mental health, which I enjoyed engaging in.

I was incredibly excited going into this book upon making the connection that the author was the same Sara Shepard who wrote Pretty Little Liars. Once things got going it turned out really good!

Things started off a little slow as we met the characters and learned about what was happening present day. We meet the main character, who I didn’t love, honestly. She was incredibly naive and gullible. If an old friend who ghosted me showed up after years and invited me and my infant to an isolated commune in the desert there’s no way I’d be leaving my husband to go, but that’s just me.

Things pick up pretty quickly as we learn that strange things are definitely afoot at the suspect commune, bringing the past together with the present and bringing everyone’s lies to light. The twists were great, and absolutely wild in all the ways. I didn’t see many of them coming. I was legitimately uneasy and scared at certain parts.

I was a bit frustrated with all the complicated relationships because they were only complicated due to everyone lying about everything for no reason. All the characters kinda sucked, some more than others though. Also the big twist at the end was a little wildly far fetched, but it still good.

Overall I enjoyed this book! Once it got going I couldn’t put it down and read most of it in one sitting. Sara Shepard does a creepy thriller well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton, and the author for this ARC!
Publication date 2/20/24

Lenna is shocked when she gets a call from her old friend Rhiannon. She disappeared years ago and Lenna has always wondered what happened to her. When she invites her to visit her at the off grid compound she lives at, Lenna lets her curiosity get the better of her and packs up her baby and goes. When there is suddenly no cell service, or a way to easily leave, Lenna begins to get worried about what she got herself into.

There is so much to this story that it’s not possible to get into in a short synopsis. This book is so much more than what is written above. This book has toxic friendships, manipulative friendships, trauma, and twist after twist. This one definitely kept me on my toes wondering what was happening/what was going to happen. I kind of hated some of the characters, and was just ok on the others, but this book kept me invested every step of the way!

Get ready for some classic Sara Shepard drama & mystery with one complicated new focal point: motherhood.

Lenna’s in a postpartum fog when she is contacted by an old friend, Rhiannon. It turns out Rhiannon didn’t just disappear when she dropped out of Lenna’s life: she joined a community living ranch called Halcyon & has a child of her own. Lenna doesn’t immediately jump at the chance to visit Rhiannon’s new home but after thinking it over for a night she decides to be a little impulsive - besides, she could use some more help with her newborn & Halcyon is supposedly all about women supporting women. But once Lenna’s actually there, she starts to get a little suspicious; maybe even a little paranoid, because there are certain parts of her past that she definitely doesn’t want coming to light…

This story was full of hidden agendas, vague Instagram posts, complicated female friendships, & messy motherhood situations. The two timelines kept the story moving while filling in background, & the setting of the secluded community living ranch heightened the intensity of having that many secrets in one place. If you were a teenage fan of Pretty Little Liars & are now a mother yourself, you’ll want to check this book out.

Thank you to NetGalley & Dutton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.