I received an ARC of this book from Thomas & Mercer in exchange for my honest feedback. This sounded great on paper, but the actual book was not nearly as exciting. I do tend to enjoy books about longtime friends through the years, so in that respect, I liked it. But most of the chapters were just filler - not much was happening - we just heard about the womens' lives. I did appreciate Tess' chapters about being a new mom, as I remember those days vividly, and I am also pleased when authors capture this accurately. I could also relate to Lindsey, sort of unmoored and making bad decisions.

I don't get why Callie would purchase property in a location with such bad memories - just does not make sense. And Patricia was basically a caricature. She would have been arrested years ago in real life; she was essentially a stalker.

I also wanted to hear more about the girls' time on Block Island as kids/teens. I would have preferred more chapters about this time period and less about their current lives.

The book was a bit too long, very much a slow burn, which is not usually my preference. And I don't feel that the mystery was properly resolved - it was not addressed till the very end, but questions still remained. Frustrating.

Five years ago, five girls went on a summer trip together and only four came back. Now, on the anniversary of their friend’s disappearance, they finally reunite to find out what really happened all those years ago.

When I say this book is slow, I mean it's sloooooow. While I initially enjoyed the setup and getting to know the characters, there was a moment when I glanced at the progress bar and realized I was at 70% and still almost nothing of consequence had happened. It’s also worth noting that as more time went on, the more the characters started to blur together for me, and I had trouble keeping them apart. By the end of it, when the twist happened, I didn’t have any reaction to it, especially not shock.

While I had a semi-interesting time reading The Housewarming, it wasn’t the thrilling mystery I hoped for. But if you’re into more laid-back mysteries, this might be worth a try.

Kristin Offiler weaves a tense and layered story of friendship, loss, and the dangerous pull of the past. Years after a summer trip ended in tragedy, the surviving friends are drawn back to Block Island—along with a relentless true crime podcaster who has never stopped insisting they know more than they’ve admitted. The shifting dynamics, old resentments, and slow reveal of long-held secrets kept me invested from start to finish. A compelling mix of mystery and true crime drama that delivers a satisfying dose of suspense.

Thank you Kristin Offiler, Thomas and Mercer, Brilliance Audio, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

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THIS WAS SO GOOD! I had never heard of the author but was drawn in by the cover and the synopsis. I’m a sucker for fast paced stories and this nailed it. I have a young toddler so it’s hard to read for periods of time but I still finished this in under 48 hrs

"The housewarming" by Kristin Offiler (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) was an amazing read from start to finish that left me reevaluating everything I knew about the characters before throwing another piece of evidence that left me second guessing everyone.

"A summer getaway gone wrong rips apart a group of lifelong friends, thrusting their story into the true crime spotlight"

The 4 POVs of Callie, Meg, Tess, and Lindsey flowed together and complemented each of their unique personalities without feeling forced or similar, seamless transition between present time and well placed flashbacks, as well as environmental descriptions that made me feel in the room are what you'll find in this book, as well as twists and turns in every chapter as the story progresses.

Unexpected and intertwined relationships that led to a bittersweet ending made this book well worth reading, and I look forward to reading more from this amazing debut author.

Thank you to @kirstinoffilerwrites and Thomas and Mercer for providing this book for review consideration via @NetGalley. All opinions are my own

The Housewarming is a gripping and atmospheric mystery that kept me hooked from start to finish. Kristin Offiler masterfully weaves tension, shifting perspectives, and buried secrets into a story that is as much about friendship and betrayal as it is about uncovering the truth. The Block Island setting adds a haunting beauty to the suspense. I found it compelling and twisty, and I gave it five stars.

This book features an emotional core complemented by elements of suspense. The writing is clean and the storyline is engaging, making it a page-turner. The blend of domestic drama and mystery is particularly enjoyable, making it a pleasant and worthwhile read.

This was a fantastic book and I had no idea that it would end the way it did.
Long time summer friends lose contact after a week long trip has devastating results.
One of their group has gone missing and no one knows why or how.
A persistent true crime blogger makes things difficult for all of them, creating damage to the friendships.
When the possibility of a book about the disappearance becomes possible, the remaining friends reunite, but the damage may be too far gone for any resolution.

Such a great mystery read to cozy up with! It was very fast paced while still being easy to follow. There are multiple POVs, so you always know what each character is thinking. The main plot twist definitely had me shocked! It was something I didn’t even consider and was very satisfied with the ending.

If you’re looking for a summer read that includes island vibes, a friend group filled with messy drama, and thrills and chills then this is a good choice!

Callie is determined to find the truth about her friends death so she invites her friends to block island. Something unimaginable happened and their friendship group has never been the same, Callie wishes she could return things back to normal and hopes reuniting her friends will be the key to doing that, unfortunately as you can guess this is not the case.

With four alternating POV you get to deeply know the characters whilst trying to unwrap this mystery. I enjoyed each POV and I was especially rooting for everything to go well for Callie. I liked the themes of female friendships and the fact that secrets never stay buried for long despite the lengths people will go to try to keep them hidden.

Thank you to Thomas and Mercer and Kristin Offiler for the netgalley gifted copy!

Kristin Offiler has a strong writing style for the thriller genre, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from the suspenseful atmosphere. I was engaged with what was happening and enjoyed the overall feel of this world. It uses the lifelong friends and how they were used in the true crime element of this. It had that psychological thriller element that I was looking for and was glad I got to read this.

This book pissed me off.

While on a trip with friends, a woman goes missing and everyone is a suspect.

Now, the remaining women reunite and hopefully someone will admit what happened.

I've read two other books with this exact premise and they all felt like ChatGPT was given a rough plot and it churned out a 'thriller'.

So, no. I don't enjoy a book that 'leaves it up' to the reader to decide what happened. Not after I've dedicated time.

This...this was subpar at best.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Four friends return to Block Island five years after their last trip when one of them, Zoe, never made it back. The girls were harassed by the media, everyone so sure that they knew more than they said. Somewhat hesitantly, they all agree to return when they’re invited to see Callie’s new home she purchased on the island. They each secretly hope to finally figure out how and why Zoe vanished. But their quest for answers will put them in more danger than they realize. Will they be the next ones lost to the island, never to make it back?

This is a common theme in stories now: a group of friends with a shared tragedy in the past that they revisit now in hopes of coming to terms with whatever happened and possibly solving an old mystery. But you know what? I enjoy these books like guilty pleasures and will happily keep reading them. This is a perfect beach read – you don’t have to think too hard and can get lost in female drama and toxic friendships. And possibly feel better about your own relationships!

There’s a podcaster in this one, Patricia, who only plays a small part and is treated like the interloper that she is. Her character never hides the fact that she doesn’t trust the girls and is about as biased as can be. That’s different from most other stories, where the podcaster is just looking for the truth and is typically way more intelligent and sympathetic than this one is.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would read more by this author. If you’re looking for a fun story you can just relax with and lose yourself in, this is the one.

This book turned out a lot different than I expected

many unexpected twists and turns, which is something i just love!

This was a really quick and fun thriller, perfect for a flight somewhere, a day on the beach or at the pool.
I don't think this will stay with me long - this plot seems a bit overdone anymore, but I enjoyed it!

⭐️⭐️ (2/5)
I wanted to love this but ended up a little underwhelmed. The setup was great and I was ready for a juicy slow-burn mystery, but it didn’t go anywhere unexpected. The characters felt more like sketches than real people by the end. I appreciated the themes about friendship and memory, but the tension just didn’t build the way I needed it to. A bit of a letdown for me.

very intense, very suspenseful, and very well done story. the POVs all worked so well and I was so surprised at how effectively Offiler was able to get all of them to work. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

3.5 ⭐

Does the truth really set you free?

Callie is determined to find out, so she invites her childhood friends Meg, Lindsey and Tess, over to her new home to reunite on the anniversary of their friend Zoe’s death.

I really wanted to wish Callie success in rewriting her relationship with Block Island so that it could truly feel like home. I wanted to whisk Patricia off the island for commodifying their loss and being so intrusive while they were grieving. I also had isolation/deprivation experiences in mind for a few of the men in their lives! These strong emotions show you that Offiler crafted incredible characters.

This book drives home the idea that no matter how much time passes, there are some things that can never be forgotten.

I’m still processing the ending and would love a pacier narrative by this author!

I was gifted this debut novel and was under no obligation to provide a review.

The Housewarming by new to me author Kristin Offiler, published by Thomas & Mercer, is a full length stand alone read. The story jumps between past and present what's not my favorite, but is fitting for the story. Five friends are vacationing, but only four of them come back. Now, years lter they want to find out what really happened to Zoe. Tearjerking, a pageturner that is unputdownable, gives all the feels, stays with me days after finishing the book. This is a full length, stand alone, dark thriller of its finest, 5 stars.

I have many thoughts about this book. I did enjoy it and it kept me hooked for the most part however, when it came to the pace of the book, it was quite slow.

It took a long time for things to happen in this book and when it did it was quite anti climatic.

I would’ve liked to see more of an ending, I think it was kind of left up to interpretation what happened which in some ways is good but it also seemed like the book lacked an ending. I absolutely could not stand Patricia so the writing did what it se out to do because the reader is definitely not supposed to like her and in the end, she was a little bit useless