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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
DNF. This book was dangling a carrot but without actually making me care enough to chase it.
Brilliant. Not my normal cup of tea - I tend to avoid those books that force me to guess what's really going on, as I'm not very good at reading between the lines. With this one, you just can't help but guess, and anticipate, and even give the occasional cheer! I was wrong on almost every count, and didn't know it till the very last page. Well done.
Those who struggle with flipping perspectives and changing time lines will want to pay attention.
Thanks to Net Galley for the advance reader copy.
Those who struggle with flipping perspectives and changing time lines will want to pay attention.
Thanks to Net Galley for the advance reader copy.
Gripping and filled with twists and turns. I took some perverse pleasure in that very last chapter.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me this book to read and review!
I must admit, when I first heard about Our House, I had the strangest notion that it was a paranormal story. Then I read the synopsis and I realized it definitely is NOT paranormal in any way, but that didn’t deter me in the least. There were a lot of interesting questions raised in this book, and I almost felt like one of Fiona’s and Bram’s children as I read through the narrative.
One thing I really LOVED about Our House was its unique writing style. Both Fiona and Bram tell their stories separately, so we get a better understanding of what each of them was going through at the same time. If there was a specific event in both their lives, we saw each side of the story. Fiona’s story was written as an interview for a famous crime podcast, and I read it as if I was listening to her tell her story. Each of her sections ended with public tweets from listeners who were also hearing Fiona’s story, and this authenticated the storytelling vibe.
Bram’s story was almost the same, but instead of speaking for a podcast, he was writing a (very long) letter telling his side of events. From the start, I wasn’t sure what his plan was with the letter, but as the novel progresses that becomes more and more clear. There was also a third stream of narrative, in which we see Fiona and Bram after the house is being occupied by strangers. Fiona is clearly distraught and confused, and Bram is nowhere to be found.
The ending was very unexpected for me – I never saw it coming! I really loved how the whole book allowed me to see only in black and white, placing blame and innocence on certain characters, only to pull out that knowledge from me so unexpectedly. The author was able to twist everything around and complicate things for each character, but I did have a bit of an issue at the very end. There was one final twist that I didn’t see coming, and it’s because I basically missed it! I had to go back and reread a few chapters from the end to make sure I understood what happened correctly. I wish it was made a little bit more clear, as the book ends rather abruptly, but I’m not sure there was an easier way to convey it.
Overall, this is a very solid thriller, and the concept had me hooked from the start. Everything about Our House made for a great summer read, but that ending really killed the whole mood for me. The characters were believable and relatable, and I loved getting to know their parallel stories. I’ve seen so many positive reviews that, if you’re intrigued by the premise of Our House, then it’s definitely worth a read.
I must admit, when I first heard about Our House, I had the strangest notion that it was a paranormal story. Then I read the synopsis and I realized it definitely is NOT paranormal in any way, but that didn’t deter me in the least. There were a lot of interesting questions raised in this book, and I almost felt like one of Fiona’s and Bram’s children as I read through the narrative.
One thing I really LOVED about Our House was its unique writing style. Both Fiona and Bram tell their stories separately, so we get a better understanding of what each of them was going through at the same time. If there was a specific event in both their lives, we saw each side of the story. Fiona’s story was written as an interview for a famous crime podcast, and I read it as if I was listening to her tell her story. Each of her sections ended with public tweets from listeners who were also hearing Fiona’s story, and this authenticated the storytelling vibe.
Bram’s story was almost the same, but instead of speaking for a podcast, he was writing a (very long) letter telling his side of events. From the start, I wasn’t sure what his plan was with the letter, but as the novel progresses that becomes more and more clear. There was also a third stream of narrative, in which we see Fiona and Bram after the house is being occupied by strangers. Fiona is clearly distraught and confused, and Bram is nowhere to be found.
The ending was very unexpected for me – I never saw it coming! I really loved how the whole book allowed me to see only in black and white, placing blame and innocence on certain characters, only to pull out that knowledge from me so unexpectedly. The author was able to twist everything around and complicate things for each character, but I did have a bit of an issue at the very end. There was one final twist that I didn’t see coming, and it’s because I basically missed it! I had to go back and reread a few chapters from the end to make sure I understood what happened correctly. I wish it was made a little bit more clear, as the book ends rather abruptly, but I’m not sure there was an easier way to convey it.
Overall, this is a very solid thriller, and the concept had me hooked from the start. Everything about Our House made for a great summer read, but that ending really killed the whole mood for me. The characters were believable and relatable, and I loved getting to know their parallel stories. I’ve seen so many positive reviews that, if you’re intrigued by the premise of Our House, then it’s definitely worth a read.
This was probably one of the better thriller/mysteries I have read in a while. Lots of twists and turns.
mysterious
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Basically this book was about a unfaithful, destructive man who clearly was never taught right from wrong, who causes a fatal car accident and then gets blackmailed for it . That's it. That's all the story is about. Him never making the right decision. Cheats on his wife? Says he'll never do it again and then does it again. Gets many speeding tickets, gets license taken again, continues to speed. Speeds without a license, causes a car accident. Leaves the scene of the accident and a victim dies. Sleeps with yet another woman who turns out to be a blackmailer, whose brother kinda forced the accident to happen. Now he's being blackmailed double time.
Doesn't tell his wife, ends up having to sell the family home to pay the blackmailers. Does end up doing it making the wife think even worse things about him and gets the wife into trouble unnecessarily. Abandons his family after causing the stupidest mess. That's it....
Doesn't tell his wife, ends up having to sell the family home to pay the blackmailers. Does end up doing it making the wife think even worse things about him and gets the wife into trouble unnecessarily. Abandons his family after causing the stupidest mess. That's it....
I started reading it afters seeing snips of the show that was created based on the book. The show looked interesting to so I decided to try the book and I had an Audible credit to use. I honestly don't know if listening to this book was painful and took forever because of the story or the narrators. The story was pretty predictable and dragged out a lot of the story. It seriously could have been a short story. The couple has terrible communication skills and all their problems could have seriously been solved if they just asked like two questions. The narrators... oh god! The woman constantly sounded like she was whispering. The male narrator was clearly reading. Usually they try to make it sound as if they are telling the story... Not READING a story. I really tried to like the book, but it was way too painful.
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not often you start a book that dives straight into the plot point on the blurb but this one did. It moved slower than I would have preferred but enough happened I stayed interested to keep reading. I feel like Bram’s ending was coming from the beginning but that ending was WILD
Anyway it was a unique plot and I enjoyed the writing.
Anyway it was a unique plot and I enjoyed the writing.
3.75 stars. An entertaining read. Although I anticipated some of the twists, I didn’t guess all of them and found the book satisfying overall.
4.5 stars. This is an amazing psychological thriller. Fiona Lawson comes home to find strangers moving into the house she was sharing with her estranged husband. The story is told from Fi's point of view via a podcast called The Victim as she shares what happened to her marriage and how her home was sold without her consent and it is also told from her husband Bram's point of view via a Word document he is writing. There were a lot of surprising little twists and a jaw dropping ending. I received an ARC from FirstToRead.
Whilst this is definitely a page turner, I found it a bit frustrating at times. Bram's behaviour comes across as pretty unbelievable a lot of the time, and he is quite annoying! In fact believability is a problem across the plot, with so many actions feeling unlikely that it can be difficult to stay invested in the plot at times. Overall a decent enough read, but I wouldn't be rushing to recommend it.