Our House by Louise Candlish

Our House

by Louise Candlish

On a bright morning in the London suburbs, a family moves into the house they've just bought on Trinity Avenue. Nothing strange about that. Except it's your house. And you didn't sell it.
'If 2018 brings a better book than Our House I will eat my hat. Addictive, twisty and oh so terrifyingly possible' Clare Mackintosh, author of I See You

'Property-porn looks set to become a staple of crime fiction and Our House is an excellent example of this burgeoning subgenre. Husband and wife pass the narrative baton between them in this masterfully plotted, compulsive page-turner' Laura Wilson, Guardian

'Whip-smart, knowing and brilliantly plotted' India Knight

'Taps deep into the British obsession with property' Metro

'I loved the wonderful hook of Our House, which plays with our modern obsession with property - and the vulnerability that exposes. Louise Candlish is a great writer; she inhaled me into her nightmarish world where everything we think we know is ripped from under our feet' Fiona Barton, author of The Widow and The Child

FOR BETTER, FOR WORSE.
When Fi Lawson arrives home to find strangers moving into her house, she is plunged into terror and confusion. She and her husband Bram have owned their home on Trinity Avenue for years and have no intention of selling. How can this other family possibly think the house is theirs? And why has Bram disappeared when she needs him most?

FOR RICHER, FOR POORER.
Bram has made a catastrophic mistake and now he is paying. Unable to see his wife, his children or his home, he has nothing left but to settle scores. As the nightmare takes grip, both Bram and Fi try to make sense of the events that led to a devastating crime. What has he hidden from her - and what has she hidden from him? And will either survive the chilling truth - that there are far worse things you can lose than your house?

TILL DEATH US DO PART.

'I raced through it this weekend. Such a smart idea. Twisty, warped, credible. Brilliantly plotted and compelling. Deserves to be such a hit' Sarah Vaughan, author of Anatomy of a Scandal

'Our House is one of the best books I have ever read ... FACT' Isabelle Broom, author of My Map of You

'Gripping and heartbreaking with an undercurrent of unease running through it' Louise Jensen, author of The Gift

'Heart-stopping, toe-curling, breath-taking! Half can't bear to read/half can't bear to put it down. It's marvellous - so tautly plotted and don't see the twists coming! Will be a smash hit! Veronica Henry, author of The Forever House

'Finished in two days. Absolutely brilliant. It has bestseller written all over it' Kate Furnivall, author of The Betrayal

'What a book! Fast, edge-of-your-seat stuff. Each time I set the book down I had to remind myself to breathe' broadbeanbooks

'What a sensational book this is, with a plot that unrolls like clockwork, and simmering tension that never lets up. Betrayal, double-crossing and the most delicious sting in the tail... I couldn't put it down' Lucy Diamond, bestselling author of The House of New Beginnings

'A great read - lots of surprises and an excellent ending' Cesca Major, author of The Silent Hours

'Jaw-droppingly brilliant' Catherine Isaac, author of You Me Everything

'Oh Louise Candlish, you are a genius! Our House is just brilliant. Scarily believable with the BEST ending I have read in a long time. I devoured it!' Claire Frost, Fabulous magazine

'A high-stakes domestic thriller that is utterly absorbing. Twists and turns abound, and Our House will have you locking your doors and checking your windows. Candlish delivers a frightening portrait of one woman's worst nightmare. Trust no one!' Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author

Reviewed by Emma (SCR) on

5 of 5 stars

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This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews So I have a confession to make about this book. I was very lucky to receive an advanced copy from SJ at Simon and Schuster last Christmas. The proof was one of the coolest proofs I've ever seen! Sadly I just didn't get around to reading it. Then for Black Friday, I saw a deal on the audiobook and I grabbed it. A few days later I had some time off to pack up my house to move. I found it a rather appropriate book to be listening to while packing up my house.

The story follows Fi and Bram. It is told from each of their perspectives and also flicks between the present and the recent past leading up to the present day. If you have read any of my reviews before you will know that I love changing POVs so this was something I was happy about. This is done well in the audio too with different narrators for Bram and Fi.

A lot of Fi's story is told via a podcast and on the audiobook, I thought I could hear an extra touch like a tape playing but that might just be me...anyone else hear that? Either way, I liked it. I also liked the social media reactions and hashtags. It made the whole thing more realistic.

At first, you really don't like Bram, well at least I didn't. But as the story progresses you start to understand how he has got himself in this situation. I'm not saying I necessarily agree with his actions but you understand what happened.

The story has so many twists and turns. I really didn't see most of them coming. There was one reveal in particular that I actually gasped out loud. I was so glad I didn't have anything fragile in my hand because I may well have dropped it I was that shocked.

Recently I have read a few psychological thrillers but I sometimes find them overrated. Well, not this one. This book deserves every bit of the hype it's been given. This book got under my skin. I listened to it in 3 days. I stayed up until 2 am listening to it because I just had to. I couldn't stop listening. I was about halfway through when I insisted my friend, who loves this genre, bought it. I am pleased to say she also loved it. Then she passed it to her mum who loved it too.

Now I really have to talk about THAT last line. You may have seen the hashtag going around as part of the marketing campaign for this book and I thought I was prepared for something shocking but man I was not prepared for that ending. It's one of those endings that leave you with more questions than answers. I'm pretty sure there are no plans for a sequel so my guess is that you are to draw your own conclusions. Man, I couldn't sleep after that ending and of course, because it was 2 am I had literally no one to talk to about it!

This book was one of my top books of the year and my only regret is that I didn't read it sooner.

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  • Started reading
  • 29 November, 2018: Finished reading
  • 29 November, 2018: Reviewed