Our House by Louise Candlish Book Review

Our House by Louise Candlish Book Review

The lowdown from Goodreads

Publication Date August 7, 2018

On a bright January morning in the London suburbs, a family moves into the house they’ve just bought in Trinity Avenue. 

Nothing strange about that. Except it is your house. And you didn’t sell it. 

When Fiona Lawson comes home to find strangers moving into her house, she’s sure there’s been a mistake. She and her estranged husband, Bram, have a modern co-parenting arrangement: bird’s nest custody, where each parent spends a few nights a week with their two sons at the prized family home to maintain stability for their children. But the system built to protect their family ends up putting them in terrible jeopardy. In a domino effect of crimes and misdemeanors, the nest comes tumbling down.

Now Bram has disappeared and so have Fiona’s children. As events spiral well beyond her control, Fiona will discover just how many lies her husband was weaving and how little they truly knew each other. But Bram’s not the only one with things to hide, and some secrets are best kept to oneself, safe as houses.

Our House by Louise Candlish Book Review

You come home & see someone moving into your house. Eyes widen, blood starts to pump, fear & worry set in. What do you do next? Call your partner, right? Well, he is nowhere to be found. Better check on the kids. Well, you can’t reach them either. Ahhhhh!

Crime Podcast & Alternating Narrators

Our House uses a unique narration style. Much like one of my faves of last summer, Are You Sleeping? this story features a true crime podcast, The Victim. Fiona, the main female character, tells her side of the story in the podcast. You all already know I’m a true crime podcast junkie, so I love this element as a storytelling technique. Also, bravo to Lousie Candlish for featuring comments on the podcast thread! This makes it a bit more real & adds some drama & judgment, which I LOVE!

Along with the podcast transcripts, readers read a Word Document written by Fiona’s husband, Bram. Now, remember, when all the mess goes down with the house, he is nowhere to be found. Readers are left wondering where he is & what if any role he played in the house debacle. Reading his side of the story, we go down a quick rabbit hole of secrets, turmoil & bad decisions. Makes you think, hmmm, How well do I know those closest to me?

Slow Burn Filled With Anxiety

I love that Lousie Candlish switches the narration formats frequently in Our House.  Her style keeps my attention & keeps my intrigue. While this thriller is a slow burn, my lord did it build my anxiety! Sure, murderers hiding in the woods are scary, but losing your home, your family & your security is TERRIFYING! Louise Candlish knows this & THIS is the thrilling element in this read.

THE VERDICT

I am Really Into This book. This is a different type of thriller/suspense novel & I appreciate that. Louise Candlish writes a twisted & believable tale filled with regret, secrets & mistrust. Our House had me clenching my jaw, my stomach did a few flips & I took a deep breath at the end.

Special thanks to Louise Candlish, Berkley Publishing & NetGalley for providing my copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: LOUISE CANDLISH

Louise Candlish was born in Hexham, Northumberland, and grew up in the Midlands town of Northampton. She studied English at University College London and lives in Herne Hill in South London with her husband and daughter. She is the author of twelve novels, including her brand new thriller Our House (Simon & Schuster UK), a hardback bestseller and now an ebook #1 bestseller. It is published on 7 August 2018 in the US (Berkley).

Louise’s novel The Sudden Departure of the Frasers (2015) has been optioned for TV by Hartswood Films.

Besides books, the things Louise likes best are: coffee; TV; cats and dogs; salted caramel; France (especially the Ile de Re); Italy (especially Sicily); tennis; soup; Vanity Fair magazine; ‘Book at Bedtime’; lasagne; heavy metal; ‘The Archers’; driving towards the sea (but not into it); anything at the Royal Opera House; white wine; Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (or, failing that, a Starbar).