THE OPEN HOUSE BY SAM CARRINGTON | BOOK REVIEW

TITLE : The Open House

AUTHOR : Sam Carrington

GENRE : Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller

FR RATING : ⭐⭐⭐( 2.5-3 Stars)

DATE OF PUBLISHING : December 10th 2020

FR REVIEW

DISCLAIMER : Thank you, Netgalley, and Avon Books UK for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Open House is my first book by the author Sam Carrington. As this was my introduction to her, I had expectations for this novel. When I saw this book on Netgalley, I was intrigued by the synopsis. It sounded like an interesting premise that could be great for a thriller. So the story is told to us in different POVs. We get Amber’s, the protagonists, and her mother-in-law’s perspectives. Amber is going through a divorce from Nick, her husband. She is trying to have a fresh start in life, but her mother-in-law is creating problems for her to move on smoothly. Some strange and mysterious events start to happen, causing alarm for Amber. It makes her doubt her sanity and wonder who the culprit is and what her intentions are.

When it comes to characters, the cast is full of people who are possible suspects and can be the culprit. The main protagonist Amber is insecure, and she is passive in a lot of situations. I didn’t like her character and couldn’t understand her motivations for her actions. Barb is a piece-of work and seems to be more in control of Amber’s life than Amber herself. She is quite sinister and creepy in her ways. Nick is lost and is trying hard to hold onto the past. There are the usual suspects and a few others who don’t make much sense when we look at the whole picture. The characters were an interesting lot, and I would have enjoyed the story more if they were better developed.

I liked how short the chapters were, and the pacing was also not too fast or too slow. The events that happened as the book progressed created good tension for the story, and I was invested in figuring things out. But as we moved forward, things started to spiral. I didn’t like how the story ended, making the whole getting up to that point feel unnecessary. The events felt forced, and the more I read, the more repetitive the scenes became. The ending felt flat and unbelievable. The novel focused more on family drama, and maybe that route made things less believable in the end. Some of the characters and their reasons for their actions didn’t feel justified or even believable. Some elements were left unresolved, and that did irk me. The mystery surrounding certain people did not get clarified.

Overall, I believe the thrilling part was there until it fell flat in the end. The ending didn’t feel justified. Some of the actions were not believable at all. The pacing and the shorter chapters made it easy to go through the story pretty fast. I wished the ending was different, and it would have been a truly suspenseful read for me. If you like family drama focused stories and a quick read, this could be the book for you. I gave the book 2.5 stars, and recommend checking it out if you love the author’s works or are in the mood for a quick change.

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SYNOPSIS

Everyone’s welcome. But not everyone leaves…

Nick and Amber Miller are splitting up and selling their family home in Apple Grove, Devon. But despite the desirable location, their house isn’t selling. Not a single viewing so far.

When their estate agent suggests an open house event, Amber is worried about her nosy neighbours attending, gossiping about why her house has been unusually difficult to sell.

But Amber has more to worry about than nosy neighbours.
Because thirteen people enter her house that afternoon, and only twelve leave…
 
You’d know if there was an intruder living in your home, wouldn’t you?