Intriguing and suspenseful! Lenna travels with her fussy baby to the middle of the Arizona desert in search of an escape retreat with a women’s community She is drawn to this commune by an old friend, Rhiannon, and Lenna is anxious to patch up and rekindle their friendship. But Lenna will soon learn that not is all as it appears and her “mom break” becomes quite sinister when someone is murdered and everyone seems to be lying. Thank you Netgalley, Penguin Group Dutton and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on February 20, 2024

The author of Pretty Little Liars brings us her next adult book. Lenna get a call from a childhood friend who had disappeared years ago, inviting her to come live with her and a group of women in their community. As she approaches the community, she wonders who they are and why she was invited? Next comes the rules she must follow to stay and another new community member. Is Lenna and her child in danger?

Not at all what I expected, Nowhere Like Home focused much more on “home” than the creepy mom-commune in the Tucson desert. Focusing on complicated friendships, motherhood, and family dynamics, this was a fun twisty read. I did feel like the commune setting was underutilized and (spoiler-ish) didn’t factor into the story as much as it could have. Ultimately it had very little to do with the story at all! But it was a unique and engaging setting, so points for that. Overall this was a fun read, would certainly recommend to others. 3.5 stars.

2.5 stars. This thriller focuses on the complicated relationship between two women, as they are brought back together to reconcile at a women’s only commune in rural Arizona.

Short chapters, multiple POVs, and different timelines make this a quick and engaging read, but ultimately the plot got too convoluted and hard to follow. I’m not even sure if some plot points were genuine twists because it was challenging to keep track of so many characters. There were some interesting ideas in here about motherhood, adult friendships, and social media but they got lost in a book trying to do too much.

Many thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for sending the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you enjoy a cult/commune story, this book will be for you. I was very excited to read from this author, but the story missed the mark for me. I never felt attached a character and a bit of the story seemed too unbelievable, which made me feel disconnected. Maybe if I was a mom, I would have felt more connected to the characters. Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. It was just an okay thriller. 3.5 stars

I've never read anything by this author, but I've heard good things about her. However, this one missed the mark for me. Many plot points were confusing or too far-fetched and left me shaking my head. The ending seemed rushed, and I never really connected with or cared for any of the characters.

Ugh I am just so disappointed with this book. Growing up, I was a diehard Sara Shepard fan and devoured every PLL book out there. I had such high expectations for this one, but it fell so flat. Nothing about this story was believable, though some parts kept me somewhat interested. Not for me.

As a full-blown teenage PLL fanatic, I was stoked to see Shepard release adult fiction.

In classic fashion, the novel takes place in a paradisiacal area where everything looks lovely on the surface, but something sinister lurks beneath the idyllic exterior. Fast-paced, twisty, and thrilling, it had all the makings of a Shepard title.

The story lost me in the end - it was a little too far-fetched, too confusing, too "red string on a corkboard". I couldn't follow who was related to who, and how, and when everyone met. It was a fun, fast read but I couldn't bring myself to cheer for anyone.

Nowhere Like Home is supposed to be a fast-paced thriller that focuses on lies, secrets, friendships and a commune. Theoretically, we get most of that, but I feel like it was less of a fast-paced thriller and more of a slow burn that ended with a bang. Lenna, Rhiannon, Gillian and Sadie are some of our main characters that tell us this twisted tale. The multiple POV was perfectly timed and made me have to keep turning the page to get to the next plot twist, and there were plenty. I thought I had it figured out after about half way through, but I was pretty off (which I love being wrong in this case). Each POV added a new question to the mix and it just worked well. I think Sara Shepard did a great job of painting our narrators to be pretty unreliable at times which made you really question who you (and our MCs) could trust. Overall, I enjoyed this one and think that it was well-written and put together nicely. Rated 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton, Dutton Publishing and Sara Shepard for the eARC of Nowhere Like Home in exchange for an honest review. Publication date for Nowhere Like Home by Sara Shepard is 20 February 2024.

I did not really enjoy this book the summary sounded great but as i read i didn't get attached to any of the characters . i also did not enjoy the ending i felt like it was rushed, there were some interesting things that happened but over all i didn't get attached to any characters .

Nowhere Like Home is a fast paced, thriller that centers around a cult-like commune and long-lost friendship. The novel focuses on three main women; Leana, Rhiannon and Sarah. We do get the viewpoint of a fourth woman, Gillian, through her Instagram posts, which was an interesting way to get her POV. Switching between the POV of each woman really helped reveal a new layer of the mystery. I never knew who quite to trust throughout the book, which only made me want to stay up late to finish! I thought I knew how it was going to end, but I was wrong. Overall, I enjoyed Nowhere Like Home.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Nowhere Like Home was a big win for me. First, it's a cult/commune story with lots of suspense. Secondly, motherhood themes added a layer of emotion to this book. It also raised the stakes. And third, the twists are well-done.

I'd highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a nail-biting thriller. Thanks for the advance review copy.

Twisty, mysterious, and thrilling! I stayed away from the mixed reviews on this one, and I´m so glad I did. Sara Shepard, known for ¨Pretty Little Liars¨, hits hard with this one, particularly for those of us who are in the momming hard phase. They call it the ¨mommunity¨ on this cultish/ commune where they live; mothers, children, animals, and all sorts of anxieties to fuel their personalities. After leaving her husband, Lenna takes her young son to this place. Now after witnessing the rules, which get increasingly insane, all she wants to do is leave—lots of lies, twists, and an ending I did not see coming. Read if you like cults, secrets, female friendship dynamics, and women-driven POVs.

This is the first novel by Sara Shepard I have read, but it definitely won’t be the last! I loved it. The characters were all interesting and flawed. I’m usually able to guess fairly accurately how things will turn out, but I was so wrong on this one. The twists and ending really surprised me. It was a super enjoyable read!

I have always love Pretty Little Liars and couldn’t wait to read this book by Sara Shepard. This book is twisty and suspenseful but not quite what I thought it would be. The small twists were pretty obvious for someone who reads twisty thrillers on a regular basis and the characters were a little young for me to relate to. It felt more YA Mystery than Adult Mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!!
This was the first book I’ve read from Sara Shepard and I loved it! This kept a face pace, little bits and pieces were revealed along the way that kept me reading and reading to find out more! The storyline of a commune of females only that all had a messed up past and no one knew what that was of each other was a great base!! This kept me interested from start to finish!! Loved it!

**3.5 stars**

I was super super excited for this novel because I love both The Lying Game and the Pretty Little Liars books by this author and was curious to try out an adult mystery by her! This story primarily follows Lenna in two different timelines, one in the present day that opens with her arriving at an eerie “mommune” and the other that begins a couple of years prior, with the start of a new friendship. I personally love the majority of dual-timeline books I read and this one was no exception! I believe both the setting and the format the novel was told in were fantastic and worked really well.

There were times when I had issues with the pacing and the timeline though. Maybe this book just needs one more round of editing because there were a few little things out of place and that element kind of took me out of the story at times. I also was able to easily predict all of the “small” twists leading up to the big one. This, for me, is simply a sign that the author is successfully leading the reader to a conclusion through the clues though, so I am not bothered by this element. It never felt too incredibly obvious or boring, and that final twist was not what I expected, even being able to predict the others.

I believe that many casual mystery readers or fans of Shepard’s other works would enjoy this one! It may not be for you if you need everything to be super shocking and out-of-nowhere crazy, but if you love a suspenseful mystery that builds over time with a twist of an ending… than I certainly recommend Nowhere Like Home!

"Nowhere Like Home" by Sara Shepard is a captivating exploration of small-town secrets, family dynamics, and the quest for redemption. Shepard, known for her gripping storytelling, crafts a compelling narrative as her characters return to their hometown, where buried truths resurface. The plot weaves together mystery, romance, and intricate relationships, keeping readers hooked with its twists and turns. Shepard's skillful character development adds depth to the story, making the struggles and triumphs of the protagonists relatable. "Nowhere Like Home" is a page-turner that combines suspense and emotional resonance, showcasing Shepard's prowess in creating engaging tales of intrigue and self-discovery.

This was my first read from the author and it…did not make me want to read any others from her. The entire cast of characters was very unlikable, I truly struggled to get through the book. Everyone was behaving like bad teenagers and it really did not cast a good light on these women. Wouldn’t recommend.

Thanks to the publisher for a gifted ARC

This was my first read by the author and I was instantly hooked! What started out as a super close, almost soul mate friendship turned into a journey of self discovery and personal growth with a nice revenge mystery and dash of murder thrown in. Lenna, in the midst of a bit of a life crisis gets a random call from a friend whom she thought long abandoned her after she betrayed her and their friendship. Rhiannon was the perfect friend, until all of a sudden she left on a mysterious trip, lenna thought she had abandoned her so she decided to get a little revenge with the encouragement of a new so called friend. Lenna figures out too late this new friend isn't quite who she seems. After a brutal confrontation, lenna thinks she has done something unthinkable. After trying for quite sometime to put her past behind her, rhiannon pops back into her life with an inviting offer to get away to a secluded but supportive group of women. But the minute lenna arrives, she knows something is off. By a few days end, she could never imagine how wrong she has been about her past, her friendships and even a secret she's been keeping from everyone. I never saw that ending coming even as I was reading it! And I absolutely loved how in the end lenna and rhiannon did clear the air about their friendship, but lenna had grown enough to know she needed to move on from this friendship and from her first love. This was one of the best thriller/mystery I've read in a while and can't wait to read more by Sara shepard