This was an OK book, I was genuinely excited while reading it but it seemed that 3/4 of the way through the book, the author changed his mind on what the plot should be. Too many "twists" that just didn't make sense in the context of the story and the ending was rather abrupt. A classic case of trying to do too much and leaving too many loose ends because of it.

The Homecoming was an unexpected and thoroughly entertaining read! 🤯

I went into the book blind and was grateful that not only had I forgotten any reviews I may have previously read but I couldn't even recall the synopsis. What a treat it was to let this one unfold as I read. Honestly, I was straight up confused while reading. I found myself wondering if this was a mystery, a thriller, horror, a ghost story or a smorgasbord of all of the above. My mind was spinning with theories - and to my delight each and every one of them was wrong!

I promise not to spoil a thing here but here's a brief synopsis: Following the death of their father/husband, the Quinlains are brought to a secluded estate for the reading of Raymond Quinlain's will. In order to claim their inheritance the family must remain on the property for thirty days with zero contact with the outside world. Cue spooky background music here because that's where everything begins to shift. The Quinlains quickly discover that nothing is as it seems. There are many buried secrets and skeletons within their family's closet.

That's all I can say without spoiling this one for you. Just know you're in for a creepy, wild ride with this one. If you let yourself go with it, I think you'll find you are in for a surprising treat. 😉

Special thanks to Andrew Pyper, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an arc of this book - what a treat it was!

Rating: 4.5 / 5
THE HOMECOMING by Andrew Pyper was the September book pick for the Grim Readers Book Club. I knew absolutely nothing going into this one apart from seeing that it was labeled a psychological thriller.

THE HOMECOMING begins with the Quinlan family dealing with the death of their recently deceased husband/father. Aaron Quinlan, his mother and his two sisters have been summoned to a large estate owned by their father for the reading of the will. This estate, like the man himself, is shrouded in mystery. For the three Quinlan siblings their father was mostly just a man who popped in and out of their lives. They aren’t sure what he did for a living or what this estate was used for.

Hoping to get it over and done with, the family is shocked to hear the stipulations if they wish to inherit the rather sizable inheritance on offer. They agree to comply for the sake of the inheritance, but things quickly turn dark with more twists and questions than answer as they attempt to figure out what this place really is.

This is not a book that I can say much about – there are significant twists thrown in from the very beginning. What I can say is that I really did love this book! It was dark and had a strong creepiness factor that I was in the mood for! Though I mostly stuck to the reading schedule laid out for the book club, the story kept with me and I was ready to dive right back into the story to get answers.

This is a book that leaves some questions unanswered. I would say that the majority of questions do get some resolution, but this is a book that really plays with your mind. In the beginning you are already questioning who the father was, what he was doing when he wasn’t with his family and what this estate was all about. The questions only get more bizarre from there!

I really suggest going into this one blind and I do suggest going into it! If you like a mind bending, chilling story, this one should be on your TBR. This was my first book by Andrew Pyper, but I will be adding more to my shelf ASAP!

I should not have read this book at night. Parts of it are frankly terrifying. If you like horror thriller, you might like this. It was too much for me. An interesting premise that sort of blew up at the end.

Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a mix of suspenseful thriller and horror. It was a wild roller coaster ride!

There was a lot of suspense in the story, because we don’t know much about the events that lead to the beginning of the story, including the characters’ backgrounds. The characters all find themselves at an isolated house, and are forced to stay there to inherit millions from their father. However, we don’t know how they got there or even much of their relationship with their father. He remains a mysterious figure until the end of the story.

There were actually some fairytale elements to the story. They compare the house to the witch’s house from Hansel and Gretel. There are even a couple of monsters in the woods. It’s a twisted fairytale. It was getting so gruesome that I had to stop reading it before bed one night!

Right away, I made a prediction of what would happen at the end. I was only half right, and I was glad because I was hoping it would be a more complicated ending than I predicted. I liked that I still had some questions at the end, so I can just imagine what some of the answers would be.

I couldn’t put this book down! It’s a great thriller!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very interesting horror novel. At first it reminded me of Big Brother, or some kind of reality tv show where a bunch of people have to stay in a house for some money. I was definitely mistaken.
The family is very unconventional: Franny is a recovery drug addict who lost her son, Bridge is a 14 year old girl who is extremely close to her brother Aaron, he’s a surrogate dad, Aaron is a surgeon who likes to fix and help other people. His only reason for living is Bridge. Their dad was never really there, cold and distant, not a real father. It was like he was never actually there or loved them.
Then everything changes. You think it’s just about a weird/ complex family, but oh no, they’re wayyy more.
I would consider this a dystopian/futuristic horror novel. It’s not something I have ever read before.
Full review is on my channel!

Book Club Book May/June
This wasn't my pick and not quite my taste so my rating might be a bit low for that reason.
I did enjoy it and my favourite character was Aaron, I wish I could have found out what happened to him at the end, where he would have gone.
It was creepy, the isolation factor was for sure what helped and I shouldn't have read it before bed.
I predicted some things but not all.
It also took me a while to get into it.
I would call it "ominous" and threatening.
It feels somewhat like something Stephen King would write or an extreme "Then there were none"
It made me feel scared, intrigued, empathetic (towards Aaron) and grateful for the family and childhood I had.
It felt like there was a path for discovery for Aaron.

This was a brilliant 'locked room' mystery/thriller that completely turns what you think is going to happen on it's head. After the passing of their father three sibling find them selves in a house in the middle of no where along with their mother and some unexpected guest, they must stay their for 1 month to get a share of their mysterious fathers inheritance. What began as a standard thriller ended it unbelievable unexpected ways. With a disturbing undercurrent this book keeps you hanging on amidst the unease until the very end.

A great read for fans of the Wayward Pines Trilogy by Blake Crouch.

Just when you thought you had an idea of what was going on, Pyper throws in a twist. This pattern continues right until the end. Definitely recommend!