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bethaniemae23's review
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I haven’t watched the tv show that is this book, so I don’t know what that is like or if it’s any better.
But I just found the book a bit boring, the ending was probably the most unpredictable.
I would recommend it to people who read love books and read wanted a bit of a thriller
But I just found the book a bit boring, the ending was probably the most unpredictable.
I would recommend it to people who read love books and read wanted a bit of a thriller
juliannemawae's review
4.0
3.5 stars. I found myself rushing through it as I wasn’t too engaged (although engaged enough to keep reading). However, there were some twists I didn’t see coming so that gave it another half star.
joanne806's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
whupdidup's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
litwithleigh's review
3.0
Writing: 3.5/5 | Plot: 3/5 | Ending: FFS!!!!!/5
SYNOPSIS
Fi and Bram have taken co-parenting to the next level with the bird nest: their kids stay in the family home full time, while Fi and Bram rotate days AND share an apt where they each spend their "off days." But when Fi goes to the family home she finds all her stuff is gone and a couple is moving in, claiming they bought the house. Meanwhile Bram is missing. What in the merciless hell is going on!?
MY OPINION
This is not a thriller. There are no thrills because Bram tells you what's really up and then you read about Fi finding out in her own time. I would classify this as a character-driven family drama with some light suspense. There is limited dialogue and a lot of retelling/internal rumination. If you don't want to explore the mindset of a compulsive liar and an uptight Stepford wife-esque character then this probably isn't for you.
Our House is written in an epistolary format composed of Fi's recording on The Victim podcast (not well done because what podcast just features 3 hours of one woman monologuing in fancy prose), Bram's suicide letter (not a spoiler), and then the classic third-person narration of Bram and Fi in present times from when Fi discovers her home has been sold without her consent. This can be a bit confusing as the podcast and Bram's letter provide background and then you jump to the present time already knowing what's happening just to witness the aftermath.
I gave this three stars because it fit what I was looking for. I had just DNFed the Chalk Man and was looking for something mindless and light that didn't center around murder, rape, etc. This book fit the bill. I wouldn't call it Honda Civic Reliable, because I can see why people don't really fk with this novel. I would call it an unrealized potential three stars.
As usual I wanted to fight the male MC, Bram (sorry but with a name like this you just know he's a little shit), but I won't lie, there's one scene with his kids that made a h0e (me) feel something other than hatred lol. I'm not sure if we were supposed to sympathize with Bram based on his childhood, but if he knew enough to go to the doc for meds, then he knew enough to get therapy to correct his destructive behaviour. Sympathize I will not!!!!
And then of course the ending. Goddammit!!! I won't say any more than that but I was ready to drop kick this book out the window.
Tbh I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. It's just fine. If you have it, read it. But don't go out of your way to pick it up. It won't change your life.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: interesting format, learned what bird nesting is (would never do it), easy and mindless read
Cons: repetitive—Bram tells us what's up and then we hear Fi's side of the same events
SYNOPSIS
Fi and Bram have taken co-parenting to the next level with the bird nest: their kids stay in the family home full time, while Fi and Bram rotate days AND share an apt where they each spend their "off days." But when Fi goes to the family home she finds all her stuff is gone and a couple is moving in, claiming they bought the house. Meanwhile Bram is missing. What in the merciless hell is going on!?
MY OPINION
This is not a thriller. There are no thrills because Bram tells you what's really up and then you read about Fi finding out in her own time. I would classify this as a character-driven family drama with some light suspense. There is limited dialogue and a lot of retelling/internal rumination. If you don't want to explore the mindset of a compulsive liar and an uptight Stepford wife-esque character then this probably isn't for you.
Our House is written in an epistolary format composed of Fi's recording on The Victim podcast (not well done because what podcast just features 3 hours of one woman monologuing in fancy prose), Bram's suicide letter (not a spoiler), and then the classic third-person narration of Bram and Fi in present times from when Fi discovers her home has been sold without her consent. This can be a bit confusing as the podcast and Bram's letter provide background and then you jump to the present time already knowing what's happening just to witness the aftermath.
I gave this three stars because it fit what I was looking for. I had just DNFed the Chalk Man and was looking for something mindless and light that didn't center around murder, rape, etc. This book fit the bill. I wouldn't call it Honda Civic Reliable, because I can see why people don't really fk with this novel. I would call it an unrealized potential three stars.
As usual I wanted to fight the male MC, Bram (sorry but with a name like this you just know he's a little shit), but I won't lie, there's one scene with his kids that made a h0e (me) feel something other than hatred lol. I'm not sure if we were supposed to sympathize with Bram based on his childhood, but if he knew enough to go to the doc for meds, then he knew enough to get therapy to correct his destructive behaviour. Sympathize I will not!!!!
And then of course the ending. Goddammit!!! I won't say any more than that but I was ready to drop kick this book out the window.
Tbh I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. It's just fine. If you have it, read it. But don't go out of your way to pick it up. It won't change your life.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: interesting format, learned what bird nesting is (would never do it), easy and mindless read
Cons: repetitive—Bram tells us what's up and then we hear Fi's side of the same events
namitakhanna's review
3.0
3 ½ Stars
Fi and her soon to be ex-husband Bram share custody of the boys and maintain the family home in an arrangement called the “Birds Nest” so as to not disrupt the boys lives. It seems like an ideal arrangement but for one day when Fi arrives she sees strangers move into her house except the house was never on the market.Frantically she tries to contact Bram but realizes he is missing after selling their house for almost 2 million dollars. Soon Fi starts finding out how little she knew her husband and everything begins to fall apart.
Our House is a domestic thriller narrated in a unique way. Fi tells her story through a crime podcast and Brams tells his via a Word document. The book starts with a bang and is a little slow in the middle but picks up again in the end. An interesting and a different premise makes this book an entertaining read
I would like to thank Berkley Publishing Group & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
Fi and her soon to be ex-husband Bram share custody of the boys and maintain the family home in an arrangement called the “Birds Nest” so as to not disrupt the boys lives. It seems like an ideal arrangement but for one day when Fi arrives she sees strangers move into her house except the house was never on the market.Frantically she tries to contact Bram but realizes he is missing after selling their house for almost 2 million dollars. Soon Fi starts finding out how little she knew her husband and everything begins to fall apart.
Our House is a domestic thriller narrated in a unique way. Fi tells her story through a crime podcast and Brams tells his via a Word document. The book starts with a bang and is a little slow in the middle but picks up again in the end. An interesting and a different premise makes this book an entertaining read
I would like to thank Berkley Publishing Group & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
scrivvy's review
5.0
First book I've read by this author and it won't be the last. A few people have said it could have been edited to be shorter, I disagree. Its certainly a quick read for 400 plus pages and it certainly keeps you hooked. Lots of twists and in my opinion a great ending
thephdivabooks's review
5.0
A domestic noir novel that will pull you into the suspense and shock you with every last twist! Wow, I am beyond impressed with the new novel Our House by Louise Candlish! By 30% through this book, I couldn’t have put it down if I tried. I first was introduced to Candlish in her previous book The Sudden Departure of the Frasers. I loved that book, but this one shows a level of growth as a writer that has me positively glowing after reading it. This one took ahold of my life and didn’t release me. When I finally finished it, I couldn’t get over the ending for hours! I was shocked and excited—and I’m even more excited to share this with readers who will get to experience those twists for the first time!
About the Book
Fi and Bram have the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood. It’s the sort of neighborhood where outsiders clamor to get in, and insiders are desperate to stay in. The sort of neighborhood where all of the residents know how lucky they are to live there. And each time someone moves out, they are aware that none of them are truly entitled to that perfect life. They are all just barely able to afford it, and one wrong move could send it all tumbling down.
And for Bram and Fi, that wrong move comes from a marital indiscretion. Determined not to lose their dream home, even if she lost her dream husband, Fi and Bram set up a birds nest arrangement—the kids stay in the home, and Fi and Bram take turns living with them as the custodial parent. It’s the perfect arrangement—the boys get a stable environment, and Fi and Bram get to keep their perfect, just-out-of-reach home.
And then one day, Fi arrives home to see another family moving into her house. Frantic and assuming it is a mistake, Fi finds the nightmare only gets worse. The family claims they purchased the home from her and Bram. When Fi tries to reach Bram, his phone is disconnected. Even worse, the boys never arrived at school. As the details unfold, Fi realizes that she has become the victim of a crime most can only imagine, and the only way to hope to find justice means she’ll tell her story to the world…
Reflection
I loved the story-telling mechanisms that Candlish uses in this book to keep the pace moving and the story fresh. The book begins the day Fi arrives home to see another family moving into her house. Then the book actually moves forward in time, but also into the past. Several weeks after Fi discovers the new family in her house, she is on a podcast called #Victim. In the podcast, Fi recounts her story from the beginning, all the way back when Bram first moved out. Fi hopes to bring awareness to this sort of real estate fraud, and prevent others from falling victim to the crime she fell victim to.
And then we have Bram’s story, written in the form of a letter to an unknown recipient at the same time Fi is on the podcast. They tell the story of their marital break up and the crime itself in perfect pace with one another. In a style that I’ve come to realize is classically Candlish, the story from each person keeps up with the other, and a revelation in one person’s story is then picked up in the other’s. In this way, the plot moves steadily, and little tidbits of information come to light, with spin from each party. And you get the distinct impression neither is telling the full truth.
The only thing better than one unreliable narrator is two unreliable narrators, amirite??
This book is truly a slow-burning, domestic noir masterpiece. I read this one over only a few days, and when I reached the last page I couldn’t even sit still because my mind was buzzing from the final scene! Candlish has a way of dropping hints that the reader completely overlooks. But as each twist is revealed, the hints add up and make you realize you probably should have been able to tell what was going on the whole time. That is how you begin to empathize with the characters. When the same things that fooled them, fool you as well.
Candlish is truly a master of crafting a carefully constructed plot that showcases how easy it is to be tricked into your worst nightmare. I am still buzzing from the final reveal days later! I can’t wait for readers to begin this one and experience all of the twists themselves!
Many thanks to Berkley for sending me an advanced reader copy of this novel to review. I loved it!
About the Book
Fi and Bram have the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood. It’s the sort of neighborhood where outsiders clamor to get in, and insiders are desperate to stay in. The sort of neighborhood where all of the residents know how lucky they are to live there. And each time someone moves out, they are aware that none of them are truly entitled to that perfect life. They are all just barely able to afford it, and one wrong move could send it all tumbling down.
And for Bram and Fi, that wrong move comes from a marital indiscretion. Determined not to lose their dream home, even if she lost her dream husband, Fi and Bram set up a birds nest arrangement—the kids stay in the home, and Fi and Bram take turns living with them as the custodial parent. It’s the perfect arrangement—the boys get a stable environment, and Fi and Bram get to keep their perfect, just-out-of-reach home.
And then one day, Fi arrives home to see another family moving into her house. Frantic and assuming it is a mistake, Fi finds the nightmare only gets worse. The family claims they purchased the home from her and Bram. When Fi tries to reach Bram, his phone is disconnected. Even worse, the boys never arrived at school. As the details unfold, Fi realizes that she has become the victim of a crime most can only imagine, and the only way to hope to find justice means she’ll tell her story to the world…
Reflection
I loved the story-telling mechanisms that Candlish uses in this book to keep the pace moving and the story fresh. The book begins the day Fi arrives home to see another family moving into her house. Then the book actually moves forward in time, but also into the past. Several weeks after Fi discovers the new family in her house, she is on a podcast called #Victim. In the podcast, Fi recounts her story from the beginning, all the way back when Bram first moved out. Fi hopes to bring awareness to this sort of real estate fraud, and prevent others from falling victim to the crime she fell victim to.
And then we have Bram’s story, written in the form of a letter to an unknown recipient at the same time Fi is on the podcast. They tell the story of their marital break up and the crime itself in perfect pace with one another. In a style that I’ve come to realize is classically Candlish, the story from each person keeps up with the other, and a revelation in one person’s story is then picked up in the other’s. In this way, the plot moves steadily, and little tidbits of information come to light, with spin from each party. And you get the distinct impression neither is telling the full truth.
The only thing better than one unreliable narrator is two unreliable narrators, amirite??
This book is truly a slow-burning, domestic noir masterpiece. I read this one over only a few days, and when I reached the last page I couldn’t even sit still because my mind was buzzing from the final scene! Candlish has a way of dropping hints that the reader completely overlooks. But as each twist is revealed, the hints add up and make you realize you probably should have been able to tell what was going on the whole time. That is how you begin to empathize with the characters. When the same things that fooled them, fool you as well.
Candlish is truly a master of crafting a carefully constructed plot that showcases how easy it is to be tricked into your worst nightmare. I am still buzzing from the final reveal days later! I can’t wait for readers to begin this one and experience all of the twists themselves!
Many thanks to Berkley for sending me an advanced reader copy of this novel to review. I loved it!
lainemmorgan's review
This plot was weird from the beginning. Got weirder, not necessarily in a good way. But then the ending 👌 awesome. 3 stars.