Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing for providing my free copy – all opinions are my own.
Description:
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 coparenting 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.
My Review:
I went into this book knowing it is not a thriller. I usually ignore reviews but I pay attention to the collective bottom line and I’m so glad I did. This is more of a domestic suspense novel and I got to say it is so much fun to read!
In a gorgeous London setting in a posh neighborhood, Fiona and Bram are separated but they’ve adopted a custody arrangement that allows their children to stay permanently in their home while each parent takes turns living there. Fiona comes home one day to discover strangers are moving into their home and they claim they’ve purchased the house legally. So now these people are living in the home and Fiona can’t find Bram or her children. Now, she realizes this whole arrangement was a mistake.
Seriously, this book held me captive for hours! I thoroughly enjoyed the incredibly unique format and the clever way the Candlish chose to tell the story. The narrative is from Fiona and Bram’s perspectives, alternating from past to present. Also, there are transcripts interspersed throughout from a true crime podcast called The Victim where Fiona tells her story firsthand. These sections include commentary from listeners tweet style. Bram’s perspective is told through an alleged suicide note which is very compelling. There are so many moving parts but for some reason it worked for me. OUR HOUSE is about a marriage full of secrets and fantastic drama, with an underlying message that a fancy house does not hide a bad marriage. This book is propulsive, addictive, and inventive.
My rating is 4.5 out of 5 stars!
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