The Open House

What the heck did I just read? I don’t know how I completely feel yet. I am giving it four stars because it scared me early in and it definitely held my attention. If you haven’t read the blurb, we hear from Amber, a mother of two who is separated from her husband, Nick, from Barb, Nick’s mother, and from an unknown voice. So there are three narrators and each is clearly marked. I hope, for audio, they get a sinister sounding narrator for the unknown voice.
In this story we find Amber and her sons living in the home her husband grew up in. Nick has moved out and she is trying to sell it to move in with her new boyfriend. Barb is upset as she considers it the family home. Fairly normal family drama. Then it takes a left turn. Amber gets talked into having an open house. She is at a friends house watching the people enter and leave on her phone through her ring doorbell camera. She notices that while 13 people look at the house only 12 leave. So she takes her sons home! Like what?! I mean I was a single parent. I know you sometimes have limited choices or do dumb things. But I’m not sure I would take my kids home if I thought someone was hiding in it. I kept telling her to leave the kids with her friend and call a cop. Haha. All turns out okay, though, as no one is in there. Maybe. Her kids start talking about the guy upstairs, (you might want to read this in the day, or you could be like me, in a small apartment with no upstairs convinced someone could be in your dark home with no real hiding places, wide awake at 3am), and I’m all huge eyed yelling, “get out now!”
Moving on so I don’t tell you everything. This book hooked me. It took so many twists and turns! I wasn’t able to read it as quickly as I wanted to but I was always thinking about it and trying to unravel everything. The ending of it? I need a friend to read this and talk to me. I am all over the board on my emotions regarding the end.
To sum it up…it is a fast read because you race to the end. The people aren’t really likable or you find yourself asking what is wrong with them. I have noticed the trend of me only liking children in the last few books I’ve read though so that might just be me. I think you will enjoy this book more if you are someone who can get lost in a story where you may need to leave some reality behind. I am a reader who tends to go fiction? Reality, step aside. I tend to enjoy most books I choose because I do this. I know, from book discussions, not everyone does that so I mention it.
I had a good time with the book, especially the beginning until the ending part happened. Then my emotions went everywhere as the book exploded on me! Now I need book buddy therapy.
I do plan to read more books by this author.

This was a really good book that I found hard to put down.

Good story line,but a little slow. I wouldn’t say a page turner but kept your interest. Didn’t like the ending.

I’ve never liked the thought of having an open house. Now I know why. You won’t see the twists coming.

A claustrophobic psychological thriller that had me double checking my doors and windows were locked!

Wow! A story so full of twists and turns, you won’t know what to believe. Just when you think you have it figured out, plot twist, you really had no idea.

In the midst of a divorce, Amber Miller decides it would be best that she and her children move out and sell the home she shared with soon-to-be ex-husband, Nick Miller. Selling the home proves to be difficult to say the least. First, her mother-in-law is completely against the sale since Nick and Amber had originally bought the home from her and she doesn’t hesitate to let Amber know. Then there is the issue with the weird open house. So many strange things begin to happen and nothing makes any sense. Is Amber losing her mind or is someone or something trying to sabotage the sale? Gripping and thrilling, this book is full of suspense from the beginning.

Amber and Nick are getting a divorce. They are the parents of Finley and Leo. Nick now has his own place and Amber will sell the family home and then she and the boys will move to Kent to be near her new boyfriend, Richard. The house originally belonged to Nick’s mother, Barb, who sold it to them before she moved into an assisted living residence. Amber and Barb have a somewhat difficult relationship and Barb does not want her to move and take her grandsons away from her.

Amber has an estate agent named Carl who has yet to bring a prospective buyer to her in two months. She has given him a key to the house and now she wishes she hadn’t. When she calls to get it back from him, he suggests she have an open house. While she isn’t comfortable with that, she agrees. Watching the open house on her cell phone from her neighbor’s house, she counts 13 people enter the house, but only 12 leave. Feeling she must have miscounted, she can’t help but think someone is still in her house.

When things seem to disappear only to reappear later, Amber wonders if it’s just that she is so busy that she may be confused. But she Leo wakes saying someone is at the foot of his bed but she finds no one there, she is convinced something sinister is going on.

As she gets to know her neighbor, Davina, things begin to fall into place. But what is really going on?

Wow! At first, I thought this was going to be a simple little mystery but it certainly did grow into something much bigger. I would never have imagined what happened here and feel that the author has certainly outdone herself. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book really surprised me! I always love a good thriller especially when it has a bit of psychological thriller involved. The first bit of this book I had chills and was looking over my shoulder in my tiny apartment expecting to see someone in my house who didn’t belong. It made the idea of ever having an open house of my own absolutely not happening! Then it started to slow down a bit, and I felt like the words were just taking up space to get to the end. I was still interested enough to keep reading, but I didn’t feel like I couldn’t put it down. When I got to the end, I was blown away again! I loved how it came at you hard and fast, but had there been a bit more answers sprinkled throughout, I would have definitely given it a five star. I encourage anyone who picks up this book to hang in there because it is definitely worth it!

A crazy story with a fascinating premise that took me on a wild ride, and I didn’t see the ending coming! I read this book in one evening; I couldn’t put it down! Amber Miller is selling her house to be able to move in with her new boyfriend, Richard. Her husband, police detective, Nick, cheated on her, and now they are divorcing, which does not sit well with her nosy mother-in-law, Barb. Carl, her real estate agent, is sketchy and isn’t doing a decent job selling her house. Throw in the eccentric neighborhood gossip, Davina, and you have a full cast of curious, if not suspicious, characters.

Due to Amber’s concern about the house’s lack of interest, Carl arranges for an open house. During said open house, she stays at a friend’s house down the street and, using her doorbell app, monitors how many people show up and counts thirteen people beside Carl entering the house. Afterward, Amber only counts twelve people leaving the house. She checks the house out carefully before letting her children back in but doesn’t find anything suspicious.

Here is where it gets crazy. Strange things start happening. Weird noises, furniture moved in the middle of the night, her children seeing a man in their rooms are just a few of the creepy things that occur. I would have been out of that house so fast, your head would spin! To her credit, Amber is scared, but she sticks it out. I won’t go on further because I don’t want to give anything away. As I was reading, I was mesmerized, waiting to find out who was behind everything and why. I thought I knew, and I did guess partly, but in no way did I guess the whole wild ending. A lot is going on in this book, but it is not hard to follow, and the suspense is palpable. Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher, Avon Books, UK, for the opportunity to read this exciting book! I gave it four stars!