Catherine Ashworth thought she had the perfect marriage. She and Gary had been so happy. Then, everything changed. His sister, Lisa, moved in with them and Gary has been doing his best to stay away from their house. He had problems with his parents and, apparently, doesn’t get along with his sister either.

Lisa is acting strange and even puts doubts in Catherine’s mind about her husband. The brother and sister obviously do not get along. There are family secrets that Catherine knows nothing about, but she has a few of her own secrets that can blow the family apart.

The author takes the reader on a crazy ride of betrayal, secrets and danger. The characters are well-developed and jump right off the page. They each feel very real.

It took me a little time to get fully engrossed in the book, but when I did, I couldn't put it down. I had a few ideas of who the guilty party was, but this story took so many twists and turns. It was hard to tell the good guys from the bad. Each chapter was a piece of the puzzle I tried to put together. The story is intricately weaved into one captivating tale. I don’t want to give anything away, but this is a book that you won’t know how it will all end until the last page. Even then, it’s an eye opener.

I never read this author before, but I’m already looking through her backlist.




FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Reading in Between the Wines book review #22/125 for 2025:
Rating: 4🍷🍷🍷🍷
Book: Make Yourself At Home
Author: Wendy Clarke
AVAILABLE NOW!!!
BOOK TOUR

Sipping thoughts: Keep your friends close and your enemies (family) closer? This is something Catherine has to come to grips with. I figured out the final twist and just could not wait for it to be revealed. If you are looking for a domestic thriller filled with lies, deceit, and family secrets then this is the one for you.

Cheers and thank you to @Netgalley, @BookoutureAudio, and @Bookouture for an advanced copy of @MakeYourselfAtHome.

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My seventh book by Wendy Clarke and she never lets me down, another really good read.

Catherine is hiding a big secret from her past. Her husband, Gary, doesn’t know, her colleague and close friend, Ross, doesn’t know and the Secondary School she teaches at, Greenfield Comprehensive, certainly doesn’t know. She is seen as the calm, in control and extremely capable English Teacher able to keep even the rowdiest pupils under control, and she pulls off this façade really well. However, the past always has a way of catching up to you and then secrets get discovered. When Catherines’ car catches fire in the school staff car park, she fears it isn’t a coincidence and nor do the police when they officially declare it an arson incident and then discover that a fire occurred at the previous school she worked at, although that time it was her classroom, not her car, that was victim to the vicious blaze. At about the same time as the car fire, Lisa, Catherine’s young Early Career Teacher, who she is mentoring, confides in her that she has been sleeping in her classroom after being kicked out of her home by her parents. Catherine offers her a place to stay until she gets back on her feet but is shocked when Gary and Lisa meet that Lisa is Gary’s half sister. Keen to know more about Gary’s past that he never talks about, Catherine is pleased to have Lisa around but just like Catherine, Gary has some secrets of his own that he doesn’t want to see the light of day, so he doesn’t want Lisa around. Life becomes even more complicated when a new boy, Jake, starts at Greenfield Comprehensive, he reminds Catherine of her younger brother, Aled, who died when he was just 15 years old. Catherine feels she failed Aled but is determined she won’t fail Jake at any cost, but as she ploughs all her energy and time into helping Jake, this starts to cause friction with her colleagues and even with Gary. Then Catherine begins to receive threatening text messages relating to her past and she doesn’t know who to trust! Will Catherine regret pouring all her energy into Jake and will everyone’s secrets, including hers, begin to emerge with the added pressure Catherine tutoring Jake is having on everyone?!

Another great psychological thriller from Wendy Clarke! I didn’t like Gary from page one and honestly couldn’t see what Catherine saw in him. For the author to invoke such strong feelings from me about a character is a true mark of good writing. I had mixed feelings about Catherine, sometimes I liked her but other times she frustrated me, but I did feel sorry for her having to carry the weight of such a big secret around day in, day out. I was constantly questioning each and every character as to try and figure out who the “baddie” was once the threats towards Catherine begun, and I was toing and froing about two of the characters and then the author threw in a few red herrings, and I chose the wrong character as the “baddie”. However, because of this I didn’t see the end twist coming which was fantastic! The creepy end scenes at the school were superbly written and I was really feeling the atmosphere despite not being there, so again brilliant writing by the author.

Another great read from Wendy Clarke, she never disappoints me. I highly recommend this for any fans of psychological thrillers, and I look forward to seeing what she writes next. Extremely well deserved 4 star rating!

Thank you to NetGalley, Wendy Clarke and Bookouture for my advanced reading copy. Out now.

It's been a while since I've read one of Clarke's books - I'd forgotten how good they are!

If my partner brought a woman home professing she was his 'sister', would I buy it? Ummm, no! Catherine was waaay to gullible and quite the doormat...she irked me on so many levels! Questions woman, ask questions!

Frantic, fast, and fueled by secrets and lies, Make Yourself At Home is an addictive and thoroughly enjoyable twisty thriller.

In this fast paced thriller, Clarke skillfully keeps your attention dropping nuggets of information and leaving crumbs making you want to read more and more. Clarke did such a great job of making you think that this book was going to go one way and then have it go another way. It was thrilling and surprising in the best of ways.

I don’t want to say that Cath was naive because it sounds bad; but it really wasn’t a bad trait for her. I was naive right along with her. I had some suspicions of what was actually happening. I did suspect who it was but then I tossed my suspicions out the door – so then I wound up being wrong! It’s the best when the author really keeps you guessing!

Clarke also created a great atmosphere here. It was tense and suspenseful. There were times I got the creeps or I was scared/nervous. There were times I was shocked at what was going on in the book. All around, this is just a great book. It’s out now, so check it out!

In-laws, right? Catherine is beginning to learn that maybe she shouldn’t have welcomed her sister-in-law, Lisa, to stay with them. Catherine and Gary have a happy and seemingly perfect marriage – love letters, never fighting, and always supporting each other. Even though Gary has always been guarded about his parents and his less than ideal childhood and upbringing, there aren’t any secrets kept between them. Or so Catherine thought. When Lisa, Gary’s sister, approaches Katherine at work asking for her help and a place to stay, how could she say no?

Once Lisa moves in, Catherine notices a change in Gary. Longer nights at work, avoiding conversation with Lisa and spending time together, and just a complete 180 in his demeanor. This isn’t the man that she married and she can’t get Lisa’s warnings to not trust him out of her mind. His secrets are threatening to be uncovered and her own past has secrets – what is Lisa doing to her husband to cause such a shift?

This got really tense at times and the pacing is exactly what you want from a thriller. I’d say this falls under the popcorn thriller umbrella – it’s a quick and easy read that will keep you glued. I did enjoy the book and while some might be able to predict parts of the ending, I don’t think that will ruin the experience!

This is a well written page tuner that takes you on quite a wild ride! I did not see the ending coming which made this book even better!

Oh Wendy Clarke, you could write the phonebook and I'd be on the edge of my seat!
Cath comes to the rescue of a newly graduated, first job teaching, Lisa. She doesn't realize Lisa is her husband's sister. Actually Cath doesn't realize a lot.
Who is obsessed with tearing her life apart?
Great twists and suspense - I couldn't put it down!

Here is another book by Wendy Clarke that you want to know what is going to happen next. The tension built up in an unbelievable roller coaster way.

The relationship between Gary, his wife Catherine and his half sister Lisa is complicated. Before Lisa stepping in their house, Gary and Catherine were living peacefully and happily. Once Lisa asked Catherine for help to stay at their house, things did change enormously. The loving husband became hiding more secrets. Lisa told Catherine that she should not trust her husband.

Who should Catherine trust?

The secrets, family relationship and their past were addictive. It kept me reading chapter after chapter. I enjoyed the twisty ending and the ending was something that a surprise. The characters played very well in this thriller which I could imagine their faces when I was reading the book!

Many thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and the author for my copy.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Make Yourself At Home' by Wendy Clarke.

OMG!!! Wow!!! I was NOT expecting any of that!! Mind absolutely BLOWN!!!!

Well, well, well Wow!!! What an absolute cracker of a book!!! This book sucked me straight in from beginning to the explosive ending. It was very well written with excellent descriptions which put me straight into the storyline. The blog, title and the cover suited the book perfectly.

This book is yet another huge success by the amazing Wendy Clarke!!! The storyline was very fast paced and filled with secrets, lies, drama, tension and suspense. The prologue had me hook, line and sinker and gives readers something to sink their teeth and imaginations into immediately! A very believable storyline which kept me on edge throughout. I loved all the twists and turns and throughout it kept me guessing what was going on and who was doing what. I would NEVER have guessed at the ending so a MASSIVE WELL DONE to Wendy. I have read many thrillers and it's getting harder and harder for me to be surprised so great job there. There were so many mysteries in this book it just kept getting better and better!!! It was filled with suspense, romance, tension, friendship, lies and deceit and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout!!! My heart was pounding and the hairs on my arms were raised while I was on the edge of my seat biting my nails reading this!! If you pick this up make sure you clear your diaries as you will NOT be able to put it down until the explosive ending!!! I loved the storyline and just loved everything about it. It was all done perfectly!! This would make an absolutely amazing movie!!! In this absolutely gripping book we meet Catherine who works as a teacher in a school with children with challenging behaviours but is determined to become Head Of English. Catherine is married to Gary and has been for 10 years. their lives are happy and they are madly in love. Catherine ends up mentoring Lisa who has just started at the same school and Catherine is surprised when Lisa discloses that she is actually Gary's half sister. When Catherine finds out that Lisa has no where to go she invites her to live in their spare room. However, when Lisa moves in strange things start to happen and Gary does not want Lisa there. Whenever Lisa comes into the same room as Gary he leaves it and he starts to spend more and more time away from the home. What are Gary and/or Lisa hiding? Who is behind the strange events? You'll have to pick up your copy of this amazing page turner to get the answers to this question and more. Wendy's fantastic and evocative writing skills bring the storyline and characters to life and sucks you straight into the book!! Wendy does an amazing job weaving the storyline together perfectly to build the storyline up gripping the reader throughout. I would love to see this absolutely compelling and addictive page turner turned into a movie!!

The characters were fantastic, solid and completely believable, or are they?? Wendy's fantastic evocative skills brings each of the characters to life so they jump out of the pages. It is hard to say too much without giving anything away which I certainly don't want to do. Wendy portrays the characters perfectly and regardless of how you feel about them they all played their parts perfectly. I was constantly questioning and guessing what was going on and who was hiding what just to have Wendy making me think something else time and time again. I had no idea who was telling the truth, who was hiding what or who was behind what was going on. I was completely invested in the storyline and the characters needing to find out the truth and when I did it most definitely was not what I was expecting at all!! So grab your copy of this addictive page turner and get sucked in to Catherine's life to find out more!

Well done Wendy on yet another mind blowing page turner!! This is exactly why you are one of my favourite authors . Here's to your next success 🥂

Overall a compelling, page turning, mind blowing psychological thriller that will keep you up late at night

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4.5 stars rounded up.

Catherine is an English teacher in a school with challenging behaviour, however, she’s very passionate about her job and the children she teaches. She’s been married to Gary for ten years and the couple have no children.

She becomes a mentor to Lisa, a teacher in training. Lisa looks up to Catherine’s way of teaching and her behaviour management strategies. Imagine Cath’s surprise when Lisa confesses that she is homeless and has been secretly sleeping on the school premises. Then, Lisa discloses that Gary, Cath’s husband, is her half-brother!

Cath offers Lisa the spare room in her house, and that’s when things start to go wrong. Gary doesn’t want Lisa around and he is rude to her. He’s been estranged from his father for years and wants nothing to do with his half-sister.

When Caths’s car is torched, she starts to believe that someone is targeting her…

Is it Lisa? Or is the truth far more sinister?

Oooh, I love Wendy Clarke’s books! You think you know where you’re going and then, boom! The author drops another bombshell.

I read this book in two sittings as I was desperate to discover what happened. I didn’t trust anyone in the story, as each person had a secret/ motive, including Cath.

Expect to be at the edge of your seat and prepare for a twisty ride.

I definitely recommend this book.

Many thanks to Sarah Hardy of Bookouture for the e-ARC and my spot on the tour.

🌟🌟🌟🌟
Love the premise of this book! A mysterious husband, an estranged sister and a ton of secrets!
Katherine is loving her life with her husband Gary. When Katherine befriends Lisa, a new teacher in her school, that’s when things go downhill. Lisa moves in with Katherine and Gary but she turns out to be Gary’s sister. Strange things start happening and the tension was unbearable. I loved all of these twists and turns and the ending had a surprising reveal. Wendy Clarke is a “new to me” author but I look forward to reading more by her. Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#MakeYourselfAtHome #WendyClarke #NetGalley #Bookouture #BooksOnTour #BookLove #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks #NewMystery

I really enjoyed listening to Make Yourself at Home by Wendy Clarke, a new author to me.
It’s been quite nerve-wracking to be deep into the pages of this unputdownable gem.
Twists and turns all over the place, but who can she trust?
After inviting her sister-in-law Lisa to stay with her and her husband, Catherine finds the past haunting her and her life unravelling right before her eyes.

The loss of her younger brother is something that haunts her, she falls into supporting a new troubled student, often acting on impulse to support and nurture him to keep his life on track.

Her friend Ross is also there to hold her hand, even though her husband was friends with him first.

I listened to the audible and couldn’t turn it off. It’s been incredible. You just want to know who and why someone is trying to destroy all that she’s built for herself.

Recommended and I already can’t wait to see what Wendy comes up with in her next novel.

3.5⭐
Genre ~ domestic fiction
Setting ~ UK
Publication date ~ March 5, 2025
Publisher ~ Bookouture
Est Page Count ~ 324 (p+ 44 chapters +e)
POV ~ single 3rd
Featuring ~ secrets from the past

Catherine is living a happy life with husband, Gary, until she invites her coworker, Lisa, to stay with them. Turns out Lisa is Gary’s sister. Say what! Why didn’t Gary ever mention he had a sister?

“…he’s clearly unhappy with the idea. There’s no getting away from the fact that having Lisa in their house will upset their status quo. Maybe she should have asked him first. Made sure he was alright with it.” AHHHH, ya think? I’d be hot if my hub was inviting guests without discussing it first, especially since I'm not a big entertainer to begin with.

As the story slowly unfolds, in a fast paced way, we learn some secrets from the past from all parties involved. There were a couple of nice twists I hadn’t seen coming…jackpot! Didn’t like them per-say, but I liked that I was surprised by them. Overall, enjoyable enough to keep me engaged.

I read this partly on ebook and partly listened to it on audiobook. Best of both.

I’ve read a fair few books by author Wendy Clarke, and have to say she rarely disappoints and really knows how to tell a story and keep readers engaged from start to finish.

This was one pretty gripping story from start to finish. It had me captivated throughout, wondering what would happen next and trying to figure out who was lying, who was being honest and who to trust, there were a couple of red herrings thrown in which certainly keeps the readers guessing about. I thought it was nicely done and really well written.

So another cracking job well done to author Wendy.

I also want to say that the narrator Lucy Paterson did a wonderful job of narrating the story, it flowed well from one character to another.

Katherine is working towards becoming the head of the English department at the local school where she teaches with her friend Ross and is mentoring a new trainee, Lisa, who has just moved to town. Katherine is out of her depth-her marriage is struggling and she is waiting on the promotion so when Lisa asks for help, Katherine sees a chance to do some good and offers to let her come stay at her house. Katherine’s husband then pulls further away as a result and seems to be hiding something. Katherine has secrets in her past that she’s trying to keep under wraps, so when past secrets are exposed and she finds herself questioning if she can trust Lisa and what’s worse, whether she really knows her husband. Can you love someone too much?
While it started out well, as the story progressed it got a bit over the top and most of the twists were predictable. The ending kind of fell flat as well but for a popcorn thriller, it was still a fairly good time.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC!!
This captivating domestic psychological thriller hooks you from the very beginning. With numerous twists and turns, it kept me up late, and I was completely blindsided by the ending!!!

Wendy Clarke is a master at setting a tense scene before sending the reader on a rollercoaster ride of twists!

When schoolteacher Catherine takes pity on Lisa, a young teacher in training, she certainly isn't expecting to discover that Lisa is her husband's sister. But Gary is clearly unhappy that Lisa is there and the tension between them is palpable.

As the horrifying truth about the tension between Gary and Lisa emerges and Catherine receives threatening notes, she starts to question who she can trust.

This is a fast paced read. with plenty of action and some shocking twists. I enjoyed the plot; I felt it lacked the depth that Wendy's books usually have, but still an excellent read that I recommend to anyone who loves a brilliant psychological thriller.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Wendy Clarke and Bookouture for an ARC in return for an honest review.

The beginning was extremely slow and I started to wonder if I would finish the book or not. I’m glad that I was able to push through because around the 20% mark the book really started picking up. So many twists and turns and questions of “who dun it.” Several of the characters had questionable behavior which kept me engaged because I wasn’t sure who the suspect was. I was a little disappointed in the ending, but overall it was a decent thriller/mystery that some readers may like.. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing this ARC for review consideration.

I absolutely loved Wendy Clarke's, "Make Yourself at Home"! From the very first page, I was completely drawn into the suspenseful and gripping storyline. The characters were so well-developed, each with their own unique quirks and secrets that kept me guessing until the very end. The way Clarke weaves together multiple plot lines is truly masterful, leaving me constantly on the edge of my seat. Not to mention, her writing style is incredibly engaging and immersive - I couldn't put this book down! It was a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish, filled with unexpected twists and turns that kept me hooked throughout. If you're a fan of thrillers that will keep you guessing until the last page, then "Make Yourself at Home" is definitely a must-read!