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A review by vengefuldime
Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey
5.0
Just Like Home is a slow and intriguing horror that had me captivated early on. Vera’s relationships with her parents and her own sense of self are explored in such a clear way, in both the present and flashbacks, that the emotions were extremely accessible. I felt within the story and within Vera (within the house). The clear imagery, especially the tactile elements, built up the sense of wrongness. Every scene with Duvall was disgusting in a way that would be easy to overlook in another kind of story- manipulating fear in addition to the infuriating. The way that men were described in the book… super interesting. I liked seeing some less typical elements be used in horror, like the lemonade, which actually worked well.
I was surprised and delighted as events unfolded. I felt like a partner in the story, with all the little details being freely given. The foreshadowing is obvious but makes the mysteries difficult to unravel, and really clicks after the end. The reader knows it doesn’t add up but needs to discover so much more. The shared features of fear and love are very interesting, and the book described when it could be so easy to shift perception. I wanted that love. I want that love. It’s gross and scary but it felt perfect. There were a couple metaphors that didn’t quite land with me (a mushroom?), and I still don’t really understand what Brandon thought at the end- but this is definitely a book I loved.
I was surprised and delighted as events unfolded. I felt like a partner in the story, with all the little details being freely given. The foreshadowing is obvious but makes the mysteries difficult to unravel, and really clicks after the end. The reader knows it doesn’t add up but needs to discover so much more. The shared features of fear and love are very interesting, and the book described when it could be so easy to shift perception. I wanted that love. I want that love. It’s gross and scary but it felt perfect. There were a couple metaphors that didn’t quite land with me (a mushroom?), and I still don’t really understand what Brandon thought at the end- but this is definitely a book I loved.