Reviews - Just Like Home | The StoryGraph

4.78k reviews for:

Just Like Home

Sarah Gailey

3.49 AVERAGE

thorns_and_proses's review

5.0

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Just Like Home is a haunting, twist-filled novel that kept me guessing from beginning to end. I flew through it, eager to unravel the unsettling mystery at its core. Sarah Gailey masterfully blends horror, suspense, and deeply personal family trauma into a story that feels as intimate as it is eerie.

The characters, especially Vera, are compelling and layered. Vera’s return to her childhood home slowly unveils the horrors of her past, with fragmented memories creeping in at just the right moments. Watching her piece together what’s real and what’s remembered adds a delicious tension to the narrative. The horror elements — both supernatural and psychological — are done incredibly well and always serve the story rather than overwhelming it.

This isn’t your typical horror novel, and that’s exactly what makes it stand out. There’s something darkly poetic about the way Gailey explores grief, legacy, and the lingering shadows of family secrets. The audiobook is also worth noting — the narration is immersive and perfectly matched to the story’s mood.

I highly recommend Just Like Home to readers who enjoy horror with depth: stories that involve toxic or complex family dynamics, fictional crime, mystery, and a touch of the paranormal. The ending especially is satisfying and memorable — a perfect finish to an unusual, gripping read.

mwakeman's review

3.5

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

ben_richardson's review

4.0

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

noahjhammond's review against another edition

4.0

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

wtf did I just finish??

eileene1994's review against another edition

2.0

This gets two stars because being so viscerally awful is a feat, and I think was the author’s intent, but though well-executed, the result was, truly, awful. I did not enjoy the ride.

icedchi's review

3.0

you shouldnt get to a plot twist of a book only to utter, “girl, what?”

saromo's review

3.0

3.5 ⭐️ loved the build up in this book. It was creepy, I mean how could it not when you’re following the daughter of a serial killer as she returns back to the house she grew up in and where her dad committed his crimes. It just got weird at the end and I’m bummed that’s the direction it went. It was so solid and then it just went a direction I was t expecting g and not in a good way. I liked the main character’s story though—I predicted the twist at the end but I’m not mad at that.