I knew this was going to be weird, because that's Pyper's shtick, but the shift was a little too dramatic. I didn't feel like the world outside the compound was fully developed, although unrest and upheaval were hinted at. Abrupt and unearned conclusion.

If you are in need of an edge of your seat horror/suspense novel, you have come to the right place with The Homecoming. There are quite a few scenes in this book that make the reader jump out of fright and create spooky imagery that is hard to shake. It is reminiscent of Blake Crouch (via Wayward Pines) where there is so much more to the setting and characters than you initially think.

Outside the walls of the house The Homecoming takes place in is a dystopian future that we don't find too much out about other than the basics being that humanity in general has gone to crap. This slowly comes into play in the main plot of the story but, for the most part, is just added background color. This is a book that has well placed twists throughout and provides the perfect amount of information at the right times to keep the reader interested and wondering what could possible happen next. While starting as a "summer camp"-esque horror, it turns into a maniacal sci-fi thriller, which was not what I was expecting but was pleasantly pleased with. The one downside I had with this book was I was left with SO many questions, some that are fine left to my own imagination but also some that I craved answers to. The questions are so worth the journey though.

This would be a great book for the Fall for lovers of thrillers and books that go bump in the night. If you have a liking for unique books that come out of nowhere, this could definitely be your jam.

"When mom called to tell me the news, I was surprised at first that Raymond Quinlan was capable of something so human as dying."

Some phrases that might describe this book: "WTF", "OMG", and "STFU"... I think you get the picture.

I am at a total loss for words here folks, and I mean that in a positive manner. You're tipped off from the very beginning in knowing that something strange is going on with this dysfunctional family, but the reader is dropped right into the middle of the story without much to go on, which is just as it should be. I picture fans of Blake Crouch really taking to The Homecoming.

"How do parents do it? How do they stay ahead of their kids, cut them off at the pass, shield them from whatever they need shielding from? Either I'm too inexperienced at it to know, or all parents fail the same way I'm failing now."

Go in blind folks. In fact, I'm so strongly urging you to do this that I'm going to stop right here and let you read the book for yourself. If you're looking for a psychological thriller that is anything other than cliche, stale, or conventional, here it is friends. I'm going to end with a couple more quotes that I found insightful and one word: enjoy.

"One squeeze means I'm here. Two squeezes means I love you. Three squeezes means it's just me and you."

"I've been brought up to manage hurt by retreating, and to manage others' hurt by standing back from it."

*I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I was really into it for the first half, maybe 3/4, then it took a direction I was not expecting and happy with. It was still imaginative and good for its genre, but that the book did not fit what I expected from it was what disappointed me. So not really the book's fault, but my expectations.
A good thriller, don't read it when you are out camping or at the cottage!

**Full review HERE at The Literary Hooker.**

Review excerpt:

Andrew Pyper has been one of my auto-buy authors for a while now. Even when his books aren’t perfect, they’re always fun and I’m never left disappointed. With his newest novel though, I’ve been completely blown away. This is basically my perfect thriller, and I loved every page.

On more than one occassion while I was reading this book, I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. It just has this creepy, insidious vibe to it that had me feeling incredibly unsettled while I was reading, and I live for that kind of feeling. This book isn’t horror, and I wouldn’t necessarily call it scary, but the uncomfortable sense of foreboding bleeds off of every page in the best possible ways.

This novel has easily taken the top spot for me as the book to beat for 2019. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a thriller this unique and satisfying, and I doubt I’ll find a better one any time soon. If you haven’t picked up any of Pyper’s novels yet, you absolutely wouldn’t be going wrong to start with this one.

3.5 stars. This was BONKERS. Not a masterpiece, but it was entertaining, creative, and fun. I think it's best not to know too much about the plot going in, just that it's a good book to read if you are in the mood for a wild ride. It's kind of a genre-mashup, so don't expect a traditional mystery/thriller. I think this will really appeal to fans of Blake Crouch's Wayward Pines series.

SPOILERY THOUGHTS:

I did think it was weird that this seemed to be set in a time when the outside world was a Trumpian nightmare, where we seem to be under martial law and there are apparently camps for immigrants. I mean, I hate Trump as much as any reasonable human, and I would be into a book exploring that kind of scenario, but what was the point, when it was only on the periphery and didn't really impact the plot? Yes, Jerry was formerly a super cruel border guard and that was the reason he was still such an asshole, and the situation seemed related to why the van driver decided to stop bringing them food, but those were relatively minor things that could have been explained other ways. I didn't really get why that was part of the story when it was so lightly touched on and really didn't seem very impactful.

*Used for PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge prompt "A book about a family."
**I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Liked this story. What is family? What are memories? Didn't expect the direction it went in, but enjoyed it. Definitely could see this one become a movie. Not so sure of the Tall Man and the Witch. Need better explanations for them, but they served a purpose.

I kind of don't know where to begin. I just finished this book yesterday and it's one of those that I need to review while it's still fresh in my mind. After the death of their father, the Quinlan family heads to a mysterious property in the Pacific Northwest forest for the reading of the will. There they learn that they stand to inherit millions of dollars, but only if they stay there for 30 days without phones, TV, news or outside contact. As if the whole situation isn't weird enough, on the second day, a second Quinlan family arrives tasked with the same quest. Eager to learn more about their father and the secret life he lived, everyone is up to the challenge. However, some may soon find out this challenge just might be their last.

I was super excited to read this book. I was approved for Netgalley copy but didn't download it fast enough so I raced to get it from my library and was first in line. I couldn't devour the first part of the book fast enough. I loved meeting all the cast - the likable and the unlikable ones. I also became intrigued about what kind of man amassed a small fortune while living a double life. Then the book took a turn. Now don't get me wrong, I didn't necessarily mind the turn, but it was such a drastic shift that I suddenly felt a disconnect to the story. I felt like my focus of caring for some of the family members and the creepy things going on in the forest no longer mattered and I just wanted to see how crazy things were going to get. I really can't describe it much better than to sum it up and say it felt like two separate tales.

I will mention two small issues. First up there is a character who really has no resolution in the end. I wanted to know who he was and what happened to him to get to this point and I never really got those answers. Secondly, I'm sure someone was paid quite well to edit this book. There is a young character named Bridge and I found at least three incidents where her named wasn't properly capitalized and given that I read a finished copy, I was a tad irritated. I shouldn't let that bother me so much but I did.

Pyper's wring was really easy to delve into and I have several other books by him on my TBR. I will definitely be reading more from him because one, there aren't enough horror writers to ever make me happy and two, he has quite an imagination and talent. I just wished this book had fared better for me. That being said, it's still a solid read and if you are curious and can grab the book from your local library, I say give it a chance and see what you think.

This was fine, maybe closer to 2.5 stars than 3, because I liked the initial set up and there was some suspense and intrigue at the beginning, but then it was kind of downhill from there for me.