I’ve read almost all of Sara Shepard’s novels and I’ve loved each and every one of them. This one was twisty and thrilling just like all of the others. You never really knew the characters and what they were capable of and I found myself just zooming through this book to find out how it ended.

This one fell short for me unfortunately.. the pacing just wasn't there and I felt myself not wanting to pick it back up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the eARC

When Lenna agreed to meet Rhiannon again, after she’d disappeared for years, to take her baby to a community in the Arizona desert, Lenna had no idea what was waiting for her. There are windstorms and snakes, secrets and lies. But mostly, there is a part of her past that she’ll have to face if she wants to make it back home again.

Years before, Rhiannon had helped Lenna get a job. Rhiannon was working for a gossip magazine, and she met Lenna, an aspiring magazine writer. Rhiannon tried to get her a writer job on her magazine, but all that was available was a story editor position. Lenna took it anyway, hoping that once she got her foot in the door, she’d be able to find opportunities to write. Instead, she found herself stuck in the tedious editing job. And Rhiannon disappeared.

With Rhiannon on radio (and cell phone) silence, Lenna is befriended by a woman named Gillian who worked in the same building. Gillian told Lenna all of Rhiannon’s secrets, like how she’d been keeping Lenna from writing assignments, how she was flirting with a coworker that Lenna was interested in, how she’d lied about her family. Lenna felt betrayed. She felt abandoned by Rhiannon. And then she learned something about Gillian that made her feel so alone.

And later, years later, after Lenna had married and had a baby, Rhiannon reappeared and invited her to Arizona. Lenna wanted to go, she wanted to reconnect with her friend, and she had found herself struggling. Motherhood was harder than she thought, so she packed up some things for her and her baby and caught a flight. She traveled across the country to the community Rhiannon was living in, Halcyon, a safe place for women and children. She’d only left a note for her husband.

But once she got to Halcyon, she wasn’t sure what she’d stumbled into. There were rules, like no men, no talking to men even, and no asking about the women’s pasts. They grew their own food and made very little waste (making Lenna self-conscious about the disposable diapers she brought). And there were secrets. Lenna started to feel uncomfortable. She felt bad about how she’d left things with her husband. She wanted to leave. Rhiannon told her that she would take care of everything.

And then Rhiannon disappeared. Again.

Lenna is alone in a strange place, with no cash or credit cards. Her phone isn’t working. She has no way to get to the airport. And the woman who leads the group is telling her she can’t leave the compound. Will Lenna and her baby survive, or is this the end for them?

Nowhere Like Home is the latest from Sara Shepard, known best for her Pretty Little Liars series. This one takes a dark look at female friendships and the damage that secrets and lies can do to them. This story bounces back and forth between the past and the present, taking its time to lead readers to the truth of what’s going on within the walls of the Arizona compound.

I love a good cult story, so I was intrigued at what was happening here. The story that unfolds between Lenna and Rhiannon is fascinating, trying to figure out where the deceptions are and why. Unraveling all the twists is a journey, and I was excited to take it all the way to the end. There are layers of revelations, lots of twists, and a surprise ending that left me a little stunned. Nowhere Like Home is a dark tale of female friendship and its pitfalls, but it’s also about how truth and friendship can save us.

Egalleys for Nowhere Like Home were provided by Dutton through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the eARC.

I was really intrigued by this novel. I was so excited to see where it went. Ultimately it fell flat for me. I think this is probably because I struggled heavily with the main character. It was not a bad novel by any means, but just did not fully "get there" for me.

this one was VERY twisty! everytime I thought I knew something I was wrong! I liked the dual timelines + multiple POVs. Overall the story was interesting + kept me guessing. The only thing I didn't like was the ending. I felt like it was so open ended! the epilogue was wrapping everything up so nicely + then the ending just opened it up again!

I love culty books. While this one doesn’t feature a true cult, the commune is quite culty with its rules and aversion to letting anyone leave. Brittany Pressley is one of my top five favorite narrators so I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to listen to this one!

Lenna and Rhiannon used to be thick as thieves until Rhiannon seemingly vanished. Imagine Lenna’s surprise when Rhiannon shows up unannounced with an invitation to join her at a “mommune” in the desert of Arizona. This invite comes at the perfect time because Lenna could definitely use some help with her inconsolable newborn. She decides to join Rhiannon for a weekend to see what the place has to offer. It seems awesome at first! Mom’s helping moms, a group of children who learn and play together…until a new woman shows up. A woman from Lenna’s past. A woman who knows all of her darkest secrets. Now, Lenna realizes she was brought here for a reason and she has no interest in finding out what.

The toxic friendships, secrets, and desert setting all aid in the tension buildup but the twists at the end are what really threw me for a loop! So many pieces fall into place in the last 20% of this book and I couldn’t press pause at all! The icing on the cake is Brittany Pressley’s cool crisp voice that is both sweet and menacing. Definitely add this one to your listening list if you’re looking for a quick heart-pounding read!

I received a gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

Sara Shepard’s newest psychological thriller Nowhere Like Home explores female friendships and toxic relationships all surrounded by the glittering world of print media and a remote women’s commune.

About the Book | Nowhere Like Home

Told in two timelines, the story follows a woman named Lenna who is a new mother. In the present timeline, Lenna receives a call from a former friend Rhiannon, who she had a close but troubled friendship with, she can’t help but feel relieved. Rhiannon and Lenna haven’t spoken in some time after a falling out; Rhiannon later disappeared in the wake of their fight and Lenna has never known what happened to her.

Rhiannon invites her to come to a women’s community called Halcyon where Rhiannon (also a new mother) has been staying. Lenna leaves without talking to her husband (she does leave him a note but takes their baby) and arrives at Halcyon which is in the middle of the desert. It doesn’t take long for Lenna to be suspicious of this “mommune”. There is barely any cell service and the commune operates on a firm set of rules that include no phone calls, no texts, and no asking about the other members’ pasts. The latter rule is particularly strange, since it seems that most of the women have a secret they are hiding. Lenna is also keeping a secret from her past that she hopes no one discovers…

The past timeline follows Lenna and Rhiannon’s friendship and falling out. Lenna also had another close friend around the same time named Gillian. We aren’t aware of where Gillian is in the present timeline (however, when Lenna’s story from the past catches up to the present we learn a lot more about Gillian). Sprinkled throughout the book are social media posts from Gillian’s Instagram account and responses from some of her followers. Gillian shares about her life and friendships as well as her struggles with anxiety. What happened between Lenna, Rhiannon, and Gillian in the past? Where is Gillian now? And why has Rhiannon reached out after so long to invite Lenna to this commune?

Review | Nowhere Like Home

Many know Sara Shepard from her young adult books (hello, Pretty Little Liars fans!), but her adult novels have been making a splash in the psychological thriller world over the past several years. Having read both her young adult and adult books, her adult books still have a young adult charm that I can’t quite explain since the characters are grown ups. The best way to describe her adult books are that they feature stories about adults who have never fully shed the insecure teenager inside, and explore how that influences their lives and relationships as adult women (I can relate!).

This story has plenty of twists and turns along the way, particularly in the past storyline (which I personally found more interesting for most of the book). Lenna is not honest with us in the present day with what exactly happened with her friendships with Rhiannon and with Gillian. This made me sometimes question Lenna and how reliable her narration is. She’s keeping a secret and eventually we learn what that secret is and how it influences everything that is happening.

Initially I was most interested in Rhiannon, but the further I got, the more I was fascinated by Gillian. She is a very different character and her social media posts enticed me. They sometimes seemed at odds with the person in Lenna’s past. The characters in the present timeline are all struggling with the fallout of whatever happened to fracture their relationships, and this was an enticing premise. It is human nature to wonder what would happen if we could replay a moment and make a different choice. Would we always end up in the same place, or would it change everything?

If you’ve read any of Sara Shepard’s work, she writes toxic friendships that are captivating and terrifying in equal measure. One of her skills is getting the reader to root for the friendships to work out, no matter how unhealthy it may be. Another thing I’ve noticed in her writing relates to how the reader perceives the characters. Shepard is able to change how we feel about a character multiple times throughout the book, and that means that the reader is always kept guessing on where the story will end up and who is responsible for everything that happened.

A twist-filled psychological suspense novel that will have your mind spinning.

Thank you to Dutton Books for my copy. Opinions are my own.

I thought this one had quite a bit of potential, but it fell a bit flat for me. I thought the ending was slightly convenient, and I mostly just felt puzzled by most of the characters' decisions. Overall though, I didn't hate the story. It was an easy, fast read.

My opinion: Would Recommend
Level: Medium Low - 3/5⭐️

I really love Pretty Little Liars so I had high hopes for this. Unfortunately, this one didn’t really work for me. While I enjoyed reading about toxic friendships, the pacing felt off. There were times when the story was moving too slow. I also had to check to make sure this was an adult book because it felt more YA to me. The biggest positive to this book were the twists that kept me entertained.

I have to start by saying this book had HUGE shoes to fill because Pretty Little Liars was my entire personality for years! IYKYK! I can honestly say this is the adult equivalent of the first PLL book for me. It was well rounded in its offering in trauma evaluation, testing the bounds of friendship, drama, and some wicked twists! There is such an intriguing blend of characters in this book, all uniquely messed up in their own way and trying their best to survive. I definitely recommend to those who enjoy a suspenseful read!

TWs: loss of a loved one, dr*g ab*se, ab*se, abandonment, c*lt behavior, @ssault, bl*ckmail, st*lking, more

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ - 4.5/5

If you’re looking for a culty commune mystery suspense, this book is for you!!!

I do have to say that this read a bit younger for an adult book but it was a fun ride nonetheless 💕

3.25⭐️

⭐️NOWHERE LIKE HOME, out NOW!⭐️

Special thanks to @duttonbooks for the review copy in exchange for my honest review

This was my first book I’ve read by this author. While I do like the writing style, I felt that this story was a very slow burn with not enough action to keep me interested. It took me awhile to get through this one, but all in all I would recommend to others due to strong character development and enough suspense to make the reader need to finish it to know how everything turns out.

This was not the first book I've read by this author, but I think it's the highest one for me.

I like the dynamic and power play of this book. That's what drew me to it, and I wasn't disappointed. An obsessed friend? I live for that trope in thrillers. Live for it. Especially when they disappear.

Was I blown by the twist? Meh, not really, but was it way better than some of my other reads this month? Yes. It really was!

So, all in all, solid 4.2.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

To say I was shocked would be an understatement! I definitely did not see that ending coming. I loved how the author jumped from past and present every other chapter because it helped me understand exactly what was going on. I really didn’t like Rhiannon’s character, but I felt for Lenna. Gillian was just the worst. i wanted to feel some sympathy toward her, but she was unlikable from the very beginning. The setting of the book was interesting as well. It was cool to read about a community of women who are totally reliant on one another for their survival. Overall, it was a thrilling and different story!

I really enjoyed this story. First of all, the cover is absolutely stunning. That is what grab my immediate attention. I loved the multiple viewpoints. There was also JUST enough cult life for my liking!

This book started out so well, and I was intrigued by the premise. But the longer everything went on, the less I could take it seriously. By the time Lenna and Sarah/Sadie are in full cahoots, the story becomes almost incredulous. The novel promised one premise but then meandered away from that and went into a completely different direction that didn't really make sense. Worse, when I got to the conflict, I was completely underwhelmed. I felt like I'd spent a lot of time for very little payoff.

Others may like this one, but it's definitely not for me. There are other books out there that are much better when it comes to cults/communes.

Three women end up on a mom-centered commune, but they're surprised know each other from their past. Is it a coincidence, or does someone know their secret? This was an uneven story. Some of it felt like a slog, then some of it was a page turner. It was hard to finish.

I love Sara Shepard. The PLL series was amazing for me. But this one just fell very flat for some reason. I think it started off really good, but lost itself somewhere along the way. It was very nicely paced, but I couldn't seem to really want to root for Lenna. She wasn't my favorite MC and so I think I disconnected from the story a bit.

“𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱.”

Thanks Netgalley and Dutton Books for the eARC!

So I didn’t realize when I requested this one - the cover caught my eye and the premise was intriguing - is that this is the author of Pretty Little Liars! Not gonna lie, learning that made me cringe. I never read the books, did watch some of the show before it got way too out of hand but never liked it, so I was wary starting this one but it is far less problematic in content. It does have strong themes of motherhood, toxic and controlling friendships, anxiety issues and mental health. You’ll find unreliable and unlikeable characters, eerie foreboding, a nonlinear timeline with multiple POVs, psychological suspense, twisty plots and revelations. Content and trigger warnings do include manipulative/controlling relationships, mentions of a rape and murder, some profanity, drugging, and mental health struggles.

All in all, it was a decent thriller and I didn’t predict the outcome. 3.5 out of 5.

I had a good time and that's all that really matters. Sometimes we just need a quick thriller to make us cozy. This one is perfect!