Scan barcode
brookey8888's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I just wanted more from this.
It honestly was not even scary or really that creepy. The plot was fine, but I wanted a little more of the serial killer aspect and with a certain person( if you know you know). The ending of this was honestly so ridiculous and didn’t even make that much sense, but it was different. Overall this was fine and kept me entertained , but nothing special and nothing I’ll ever think about again to be honest.
It honestly was not even scary or really that creepy. The plot was fine, but I wanted a little more of the serial killer aspect and with a certain person( if you know you know). The ending of this was honestly so ridiculous and didn’t even make that much sense, but it was different. Overall this was fine and kept me entertained , but nothing special and nothing I’ll ever think about again to be honest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, Violence, Grief, Mental illness, Torture, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, and Kidnapping
erica_reads_things's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I have to say that this is one of the creepiest books that I have ever read, just based on how the author writes alone. You know when you're watching a horror movie and something is happening on the screen that seems normal but shifts into something horrifying so seamlessly that it takes you time to realize what is even happening? That's how this author writes and it kept me on my toes the entire time. I'd give a full 5 stars but the plot gets a bit slow at times. Very good atmosphere of just dread throughout though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gore, and Body horror
Moderate: Child abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, and Death
freadman666's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Death, Gore, Murder, Abandonment, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Confinement
ohhthehorrors's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gaslighting, Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder
rorikae's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
'Just Like Home' by Sarah Gailey is a slow, deeply unsettling look at one woman's childhood and her relationship with her serial killer father, distant mother, and childhood home.
Vera Crowder is coming home to the Crowder House. Her mother is dying and after quite an estrangement, has finally called her daughter home. But the Crowder House isn't a happy place for Vera. It reminds her of her father, a notorious serial killer, and the strained relationship with her mother. It also doesn't help that there is an artist living in the garden shed, seeking inspiration in her family home. As Vera returns home, she has to face her past and the present space her family home still takes up. But things are amiss in the Crowder House and they stalk Vera as she starts the journey to clean the house to eventually sell it.
This novel is extremely slow and I can understand why many people may not like it. It's marketed as a thriller but it is much more a slow and methodical unpacking of one woman's trauma and her broken relationships. Vera isn't a likable character but I still found it easy to care for her. She has gone through a lot and it's clear how this has warped her own sense of self. Gailey unpacks this through Vera's conversations with her mother, her moments in the house, and her conversations with the artist living in the garden shed. There were a few moments where scenes felt a little bit too slow. Descriptions dragged on particularly in moments where Vera was stuck in bed at night but ultimately, I think this story is successful in what it is trying to do. This is a slow look at one woman and her childhood, how it has shaped her and twisted her own recollections. There is a supernatural element that I did really like though I can understand how some could find it off-putting. I agree with comments saying that Gailey could have leaned further into the weirdness. I would have liked to see where that could have gone. Even so, this continues my great experiences with Gailey's work. They are one of my favorite authors for a reason.
Vera Crowder is coming home to the Crowder House. Her mother is dying and after quite an estrangement, has finally called her daughter home. But the Crowder House isn't a happy place for Vera. It reminds her of her father, a notorious serial killer, and the strained relationship with her mother. It also doesn't help that there is an artist living in the garden shed, seeking inspiration in her family home. As Vera returns home, she has to face her past and the present space her family home still takes up. But things are amiss in the Crowder House and they stalk Vera as she starts the journey to clean the house to eventually sell it.
This novel is extremely slow and I can understand why many people may not like it. It's marketed as a thriller but it is much more a slow and methodical unpacking of one woman's trauma and her broken relationships. Vera isn't a likable character but I still found it easy to care for her. She has gone through a lot and it's clear how this has warped her own sense of self. Gailey unpacks this through Vera's conversations with her mother, her moments in the house, and her conversations with the artist living in the garden shed. There were a few moments where scenes felt a little bit too slow. Descriptions dragged on particularly in moments where Vera was stuck in bed at night but ultimately, I think this story is successful in what it is trying to do. This is a slow look at one woman and her childhood, how it has shaped her and twisted her own recollections. There is a supernatural element that I did really like though I can understand how some could find it off-putting. I agree with comments saying that Gailey could have leaned further into the weirdness. I would have liked to see where that could have gone. Even so, this continues my great experiences with Gailey's work. They are one of my favorite authors for a reason.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Terminal illness, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Torture, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Confinement
hotscarysummer's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book was absolutely fantastic, a complete mindfuck. It was slow paced at first, I was worried it was going to be entirely too slow; but around half way through it really picked up. This is my favorite new book I’ve read this year so far, it has me enraptured in it, I couldn’t put it down. All the characters were insufferable, but by the end I found myself twisted rooting for what I had thought I never would when I started the book. Impeccable work, amazing read, I really really recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Vomit, and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
iseefirede's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
It started off slow for me and took me a bit of time to actually get hooked on the story. I felt the ending was fitting and connected the pieces well
the way the house was protecting and keeping Vera safe just made me cry
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Gore, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
Minor: Grief, Toxic friendship, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
al_owl's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
offtheraels's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Body horror, Mental illness, Murder, Terminal illness, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent
cateyeschloe's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book is like a chilling, horrific nightmare come to life. And I mean that in the best way possible.
The writing is outstanding, and the author does a fantastic job of communicating what visceral dread, fear, and terror feel like in an all-too-real way.
I also have to applaud Gailey (they/them) for the absolutely WRECKING descriptions of body horror they include in this book - both in general and especially in the nightmares.
Just Like Home is absolutely the best book I’ve read when seeking tension and edge-of-your-seat mystery.
Before reading, I was wary of the somewhat tropey “woman who had troubled childhood returns to her childhood home and drama unfolds” plot device, but this book took that idea and bolted with it in directions I never saw coming.
Gailey’s writing style is fluid, deep, and beautiful. Over and over again, they call back to passing comments, ideas, or thoughts from the first hundred pages of the novel, and those touches explode with new meaning and metaphor in a stunning way.
At one point after our MC, Vera, injures herself, Vera’s mother is intentionally too harsh in the way that she cares for Vera’s wounds - causing unnecessary additional pain - and yet she is still simultaneously showing care for Vera - a rarity in and of itself and something that is treasured. This statement follows:
The writing is outstanding, and the author does a fantastic job of communicating what visceral dread, fear, and terror feel like in an all-too-real way.
I also have to applaud Gailey (they/them) for the absolutely WRECKING descriptions of body horror they include in this book - both in general and especially in the nightmares.
Just Like Home is absolutely the best book I’ve read when seeking tension and edge-of-your-seat mystery.
Before reading, I was wary of the somewhat tropey “woman who had troubled childhood returns to her childhood home and drama unfolds” plot device, but this book took that idea and bolted with it in directions I never saw coming.
Gailey’s writing style is fluid, deep, and beautiful. Over and over again, they call back to passing comments, ideas, or thoughts from the first hundred pages of the novel, and those touches explode with new meaning and metaphor in a stunning way.
At one point after our MC, Vera, injures herself, Vera’s mother is intentionally too harsh in the way that she cares for Vera’s wounds - causing unnecessary additional pain - and yet she is still simultaneously showing care for Vera - a rarity in and of itself and something that is treasured. This statement follows:
“Maybe, Vera thinks, this is just what love is like.”
The concepts of love and family and what it means to be “good” and what it truly means to love are a constant throughout the story.
Nearing the end, this novel feels truly unhinged and I started to wonder if I could depend on Vera to be a reliable narrator given what I was reading. Nothing is held back and Gailey does a phenomenal job of leaning into the disturbing, the unsettling, and the concepts of what reality can look like.
If I could give this book more than five stars, I would.
I absolutely will be adding this book to my personal collection and genuinely can’t wait to read it again.
This book absolutely comes with trigger warnings, so feel free to check those out if you’d like the heads up!
“She needed them to be two different creatures.
“The mother and the monster.”
Wow. Just wow.
I had to put the book down for a few moments when I got to this line.
If you’ve ever lived with someone, especially a parent, who you felt held a semblance of a monster, then you can relate to this quote.
Gailey did an immaculate job of summarizing the gut-wrenching need for your parent to not truly be the monster that terrifies you, that haunts you.
“It was wearing Daphne, and it was Daphne, and Vera couldn’t think how to delineate the two of them in her mind.”
“It had always been inside Daphne and this was why Daphne had never ever felt like a mother was supposed to feel.”
God, this part is heartbreaking. Vera has a desperate need to make real the idea that, if she cannot separate mother and monster, then it must be the monster’s fault for why her mother abused her, why her mother hated her, why she was always met with vitriol and disdain. It was the monster’s fault, right? Beyond her mother’s control. She would have chosen to act differently if she hadn’t been plagued by this secondary force.
Which makes it all the more heartbreaking to realize that The Creature wearing Daphne was never the monster at all.
To realize that The Creature was trying to soften and silence Daphne’s violence and hate.
To realize that Daphne was a monster all on her own.
I’ll end with what I feel is one of the most impactful quotes from the book, at least for me.
“He didn’t know how to shelter us from all the hurt that was waiting, because he thought that hurt was the shape of love.”
This is such a brutally accurate look into what it’s like living with abuse. If being hurt by your loved ones is all you’ve ever known, then it’s very easy to believe that’s what love looks like and that’s how it’s expressed.
It takes a lot to realize that maybe there’s another way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Terminal illness, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Grief, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Confinement, Kidnapping, and Vomit