A review by shoffschwelle
Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Not my usual wheelhouse as I'm not a horror fan, but it kept to more thriller characteristics and a surprising amount of focus on her relationship with her dying mother and remembering her father who has passed. I've been hearing about Sarah Gailey for a while and she delivered, even in a genre I normally shy away from, showing her skill as a writer. Definitely picking up others of her books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Grief, and Murder

Minor: Physical abuse and Torture

Had a hard time ranking the level of all of these. Book description explains that she's coming back to her traumatic childhood home, the home of her now dead serial killer father and the complicated relationship she has with him and her mother. Most descriptions are pretty minor to moderate considering the genre, but it's pervasive. Certain sections ramp up with more detail though. I'm not a fan of horror, gore, body horror, etc. but I could handle this. The emotional relationships and abuse might be even worse in some areas, especially if you have past experience.