Book Review
The Open House by Sam Carrington
Everyone’s welcome. But not everyone leaves…
In the midst of a divorce, Amber and her ex-husband Nick are selling the family home. But for such a desirable location, it’s curious that there’s been no interest.
When her real estate agent suggests an open house, Amber is less than enthusiastic. The idea of nosy neighbours snooping around her home leaves her uncomfortable. But Amber is motivated to sell — a newly blossoming relationship means that she’s ready to pack up her sons and move on.
But Amber has more problems than nosy neighbours. Because thirteen people go into her house that afternoon, but only twelve come out.
Soon, the strange events in Amber’s home set her on edge. Is someone trying to prevent the house from being sold? Could it be her overstepping mother-in-law? A shifty real estate agent? Or the neighbourhood gossip?
Amber doesn’t know why, but someone will do everything they can to stop the sale. And after the open house, nothing will ever be the same again.
This post contains affiliate links; as an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Reader’s Thoughts
This is a book that kept me up late into the night, flipping “just one more page” to try and figure out what was going on.
The story is told from three separate points of view: Amber, her mother-in-law Barb, and an unknown person. Carrington writes in a way that feels inviting and easy to read, and created characters that I really enjoyed. With it’s short and chilling chapters, the story had me hooked. It felt fresh and plausible, all the while suspenseful and twisty.
While reading, I’d decided to give this book 4.5 stars — but then I got to the ending. While the last few chapters are packed with twists galore (one of my favourite things!) some of them felt rushed and a little jumbled. I felt confused by some of the choices Amber made in the final pages. These decisions seemed out of character and unrealistic.
Still, the ending didn’t take away from the enjoyment of this book and I really enjoyed how suspenseful it was. There were a couple of elements to the story that I’d figured out earlier on but was still kept on my toes second-guessing and trying to understand motive. (And with multiple sub-plots, there’s a lot of motive!)
If you enjoy creepy thrillers with twist after twist — The Open House by Sam Carrington could be a great option. After this read, I’m looking forward to checking out more books by this author!
You can find The Open House on Amazon, here.
This is on my TBR!
I truthfully don’t NEED anymore books on my TBR but I’m definitely adding this one!
Sounds like a great read and love the cover.
I thought this was a great review, and I completely agree with how you rated it! I wanted to really adore this book, and I did, but it just fell flat a few times for me.