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noveldeelights's review against another edition
5.0
Oh …. goodness gracious me. Devastating doesn’t even begin to cover it. Wow!
It’s been a while since Sarah Stovell’s last offering, Exquisite, and while I thoroughly enjoyed that one when I read it, I’m just going to go right ahead and say that The Home is on a completely different level and most definitely worth the wait!
On Christmas morning, the body of a fifteen year old girl is discovered in a churchyard. Hope was a resident at The Home, a place where three young girls lived. Three girls who have been severely affected by violent and disturbing pasts. But what happened to Hope?
I wasn’t at all able to figure out what happened to Hope and to be honest, I wasn’t even really trying. I became so utterly absorbed by these girls’ lives that solving that particular mystery almost became secondary. Despite knowing what happened to Hope, I oddly found myself wishing for a happy ending throughout, which is a credit to Sarah Stovell’s amazing writing.
This incredibly powerful story about the lives of Hope, Annie and Lara will get under your skin and will be impossible to forget. These three girls are so realistic and believable, they almost jump from the pages and you want to reach in and help them in any way you can. It was abundantly clear to me from the very first pages that this book would leave me completely and utterly broken and it did. It is so extremely dark, brutal and raw that I often couldn’t decide if I should keep reading or maybe take a break, have a breather and trawl YouTube for some funny clips.
It should almost go without saying that this is one incredibly uncomfortable book to read. It’s harrowing, it is insanely disturbing, it is shocking. It’s positively heartbreaking but also immensely gripping and compelling. It hurts, people. It’s really, really painful in that way where it feels someone has reached into the very core of you, pulled out your heart and stomped all over it. And yet there is also a sliver of hope and love throughout, amidst all this darkness.
The Home will draw you in from the start and not let go. It will haunt you and linger in your mind for eternity. It will leave you with a lump in your throat and it will make you admire Sarah Stovell for tackling such hard topics in the most exquisite (see what I did there?) way possible.
I have no more words left. Completely and utterly broken.
It’s been a while since Sarah Stovell’s last offering, Exquisite, and while I thoroughly enjoyed that one when I read it, I’m just going to go right ahead and say that The Home is on a completely different level and most definitely worth the wait!
On Christmas morning, the body of a fifteen year old girl is discovered in a churchyard. Hope was a resident at The Home, a place where three young girls lived. Three girls who have been severely affected by violent and disturbing pasts. But what happened to Hope?
I wasn’t at all able to figure out what happened to Hope and to be honest, I wasn’t even really trying. I became so utterly absorbed by these girls’ lives that solving that particular mystery almost became secondary. Despite knowing what happened to Hope, I oddly found myself wishing for a happy ending throughout, which is a credit to Sarah Stovell’s amazing writing.
This incredibly powerful story about the lives of Hope, Annie and Lara will get under your skin and will be impossible to forget. These three girls are so realistic and believable, they almost jump from the pages and you want to reach in and help them in any way you can. It was abundantly clear to me from the very first pages that this book would leave me completely and utterly broken and it did. It is so extremely dark, brutal and raw that I often couldn’t decide if I should keep reading or maybe take a break, have a breather and trawl YouTube for some funny clips.
It should almost go without saying that this is one incredibly uncomfortable book to read. It’s harrowing, it is insanely disturbing, it is shocking. It’s positively heartbreaking but also immensely gripping and compelling. It hurts, people. It’s really, really painful in that way where it feels someone has reached into the very core of you, pulled out your heart and stomped all over it. And yet there is also a sliver of hope and love throughout, amidst all this darkness.
The Home will draw you in from the start and not let go. It will haunt you and linger in your mind for eternity. It will leave you with a lump in your throat and it will make you admire Sarah Stovell for tackling such hard topics in the most exquisite (see what I did there?) way possible.
I have no more words left. Completely and utterly broken.
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
4.5
Finished reading: January 14th 2020
"We were fragile, too. But we weren't fragile like flowers. We were fragile like bombs."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
Exquisite was simply exquisite last year, so I've been looking forward to her newest story ever since. It's easy to say that my expectations were extremely high, and I was honestly a bit afraid it wouldn't actually live up to expectations... But I shouldn't have worried. My mind was left reeling and my heart was smashed into a million pieces and left in a broken heap of mess on the floor... Heartrending, raw, emotional and dark: this is a story that will get under your skin and will make your soul ache for those two poor girls! Oh yes, make sure to prepare yourself for a few hours of very intense reading. So, why did the story work so well for me?
As you might have gathered from my first thoughts, this story did excellent job provoking some very strong emotions; key in this were both the characters, plot development and the writing of course. Let's take a further look at the plot and its structure first... The story is divided into five parts and uses multiple POVs to tell us the tragic story of two troubled young girls: Hope and Annie. We learn about their terrible and shocking past, the residence where they first met and lived together as well as the events that happened after that dreadful night that ended the life of one of the girls... Not in chronological order, but rather a mix of past and present which slowly gives us more insight in the lives of girls. The full picture is being slowly build up brick by brick, until the full horrifying dimension and consequences of their difficult lives are ultimately revealed.
There are a lot of dark and shocking elements included in The Home, and this story is definitely not for the weak hearted. Oh no, this is not a happy story and reading about the details of the lives of both girls has been horrific to say the least. I don't want to reveal too much to avoid spoilers, but heavy topics such as (child) abuse, child prostitution, teen pregnancy, addiction, rape, murder and mental illness play an all important role in the plot... Once again, it is simply dreadful to think just how tough of a start on life these girls had, and it truly shows their resilience that they even got this far. The darker elements also mean trigger warnings are in place, but each element is developed expertly and respectfully and helps shine light on just how hard and essentially hopeless it can be for kids to fight the terrible hand in life they have been given.
Let's talk about the characters... The main focus in The Home is on Annie and Hope of course, and to say both girls who have had a very rough life so far is an understatement. It's hard to discuss the characters in detail without giving away spoilers, but let's just say that their past and secrets will have some very shocking surprises in store and even though they might not be exactly likeable, your heart will ache for them anyway as you see just how much they suffered and still suffer. Other characters, including Lara, Helen and Ace are less present, but each plays its own role and it has been interesting to discover where each character fits in the story. Especially Ace and both mothers made my blood boil, but a story like this needs its villians for it to be realistic... And that was most definitely achieved here.
The writing is once again simply exquisite. The different POVs, the layout of the plot, the thoughts of what is basically a 'ghost', a separate 'story' about Annie's past... Different techniques are used to put together a complex and uniquely crafted story that will mostly definitely blow your socks off. Along with an emotional rollercoaster, and with lighter moments (including the relationship between the two girls) balancing all the dark and disturbing elements of this story, you will also find yourself on a journey looking for the truth behind the death of a young girl. Twists and turns will set you on the wrong track, and feelings of doubt, rage and deep deep sympathy for the girls will make it feel as if there were an emotional tornado inside your heart. Only in the best possible way of course!
There is so much to love in The Home and it is a story that will stay with me for a long time. It's not an easy read, but it's beautifully rendered and simply absolutely spot on when it comes to execution. If you are looking for an unique thriller that isn't afraid to go dark and ugly, you have just found yourself a new read!
melaniesreads's review against another edition
5.0
I’m not sure I will ever again read such heartbreaking depravity. I feel so fortunate and blessed to have had a childhood full of love, the safety of a home with food on the table and normal parents.
This is a very dark read which doesn’t just touch on difficult subjects it shouts them out with a megaphone so be prepared. But if you can handle it you are in for the most beautiful tender story of three poor little girls whose only misfortune was to be born into bad circumstances.
With one girl dead and one found clinging to her body raw with grief and the other girl never speaking there is a mystery running throughout. However this is really secondary to the pure story of their difficult lives and how each have different ways of dealing with not only their past but also their present.
Hope and Annie formed an instant bond on meeting that developed into love. So how did it all end so horribly wrong? Can you love when you have never been shown any? Why does Lara never speak? Are you brave enough to discover the answers? If you are you will be rewarded with ghostly narration and writing that is elegant in all its descriptive glory, I don’t use the term masterpiece lightly but this is without a doubt the most masterful piece of literature I’ve had the pleasure of reading in a long time.
This is a very dark read which doesn’t just touch on difficult subjects it shouts them out with a megaphone so be prepared. But if you can handle it you are in for the most beautiful tender story of three poor little girls whose only misfortune was to be born into bad circumstances.
With one girl dead and one found clinging to her body raw with grief and the other girl never speaking there is a mystery running throughout. However this is really secondary to the pure story of their difficult lives and how each have different ways of dealing with not only their past but also their present.
Hope and Annie formed an instant bond on meeting that developed into love. So how did it all end so horribly wrong? Can you love when you have never been shown any? Why does Lara never speak? Are you brave enough to discover the answers? If you are you will be rewarded with ghostly narration and writing that is elegant in all its descriptive glory, I don’t use the term masterpiece lightly but this is without a doubt the most masterful piece of literature I’ve had the pleasure of reading in a long time.
anniebartelsollosy's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.0
Focused around the tragic lives of three young girls this story is dark and not for the faint of heart.
I enjoyed how it started with us guessing who was telling the story. As the story progressed and the chapters started with “Annie” or “Hope” to tell us who was telling their story, I didn’t like how the author used “she” “her” “I” as I found it hard to keep track of who was speaking. Maybe we were supposed to be still guessing who’s point of view was who’s but I felt it took away from the story.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and was kept guessing.
I enjoyed how it started with us guessing who was telling the story. As the story progressed and the chapters started with “Annie” or “Hope” to tell us who was telling their story, I didn’t like how the author used “she” “her” “I” as I found it hard to keep track of who was speaking. Maybe we were supposed to be still guessing who’s point of view was who’s but I felt it took away from the story.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and was kept guessing.
steph1rothwell's review against another edition
5.0
The Home is a crime novel, but instead of focusing on the suspicious death of a young girl in care it is more about the three girls who lived together, Hope, Annie and Lara, and what happened to them in their past.
They live in a beautiful and remote part of the country, near Langdale Pike. They should be safe from the past and be able to start rebuilding their lives. But as the story unfolds and you start to learn what each of them faced you saw how impossible it was. What happened to each of them was horrific, more so because you know that it happens. That there are children who experience the fear, neglect and violence that each of the characters faced.
It was impossible to decide who suffered the most but the one whose life story had the biggest impact on me was Hope. It wasn’t surprising that she coped the way that she did. And there was no way I could judge her, even though I did feel sorry for Annie who had to suffer the most from her occasional cruelty.
It was not just the three girls who suffered. The staff, underpaid, under appreciated and over worked. It’s not something I really thought about, how the dedicated staff neglect their own families to do their job and try and improve somebody else’s life.
A heartbreaking novel that has made me think more than any other about what some children experience and also the staff who try and pick up the pieces.
They live in a beautiful and remote part of the country, near Langdale Pike. They should be safe from the past and be able to start rebuilding their lives. But as the story unfolds and you start to learn what each of them faced you saw how impossible it was. What happened to each of them was horrific, more so because you know that it happens. That there are children who experience the fear, neglect and violence that each of the characters faced.
It was impossible to decide who suffered the most but the one whose life story had the biggest impact on me was Hope. It wasn’t surprising that she coped the way that she did. And there was no way I could judge her, even though I did feel sorry for Annie who had to suffer the most from her occasional cruelty.
It was not just the three girls who suffered. The staff, underpaid, under appreciated and over worked. It’s not something I really thought about, how the dedicated staff neglect their own families to do their job and try and improve somebody else’s life.
A heartbreaking novel that has made me think more than any other about what some children experience and also the staff who try and pick up the pieces.
sarahs_bookish_life's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the authors debut novel so this has been one of my most anticipated reads for a while, it didn’t disappoint either.
The story mainly focuses on Hope and Annie where we find out more about their pasts as well as their relationship when they meet in the children’s home. Lara seems to hover more in the background but she is by no means any less intriguing.
It’s obvious these girls have all had troubled backgrounds. Sadly they haven’t had the lifestyles that most children should have in a loving environment. Whilst Hope’s life at home was bad enough, I have to say Annie’s story is the one that got to me the most.
Whilst this is a psychological thriller, as there is a lot of suspense and mystery surrounding the death, it is so much more. The story deals with difficult subjects like, manipulation, abuse, drugs, mental health to name but a few. It makes for a dark read that’s for sure.
The Home is a dark, at times disturbing, read which fully absorbed me. What I especially love about this authors books are they are quietly brilliant. The authors writing gently draws you in and before you know it you are held captive. It took over my world as I was gripped to every page. A heartbreaking, emotional yet deeply dark and gripping read. Loved it.
My thanks to Anne Cater and Orenda Books for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
The story mainly focuses on Hope and Annie where we find out more about their pasts as well as their relationship when they meet in the children’s home. Lara seems to hover more in the background but she is by no means any less intriguing.
It’s obvious these girls have all had troubled backgrounds. Sadly they haven’t had the lifestyles that most children should have in a loving environment. Whilst Hope’s life at home was bad enough, I have to say Annie’s story is the one that got to me the most.
Whilst this is a psychological thriller, as there is a lot of suspense and mystery surrounding the death, it is so much more. The story deals with difficult subjects like, manipulation, abuse, drugs, mental health to name but a few. It makes for a dark read that’s for sure.
The Home is a dark, at times disturbing, read which fully absorbed me. What I especially love about this authors books are they are quietly brilliant. The authors writing gently draws you in and before you know it you are held captive. It took over my world as I was gripped to every page. A heartbreaking, emotional yet deeply dark and gripping read. Loved it.
My thanks to Anne Cater and Orenda Books for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
mel_burt's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Death
toofondofbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I read and loved Sarah Stovell’s previous novel Exquisite so when I heard she had a new book coming out it was one of my most anticipated books for 2020 and I’m so happy to say that it more than delivers on my expectations!
I must mention the cover of this book, which is absolute perfection. At first I thought it was a face with a butterfly over the eye, which makes sense given a storyline in the book. It was only as I was putting the book down having finished it that I realised it’s not a butterfly but a stone angel. This gave me chills as I genuinely couldn’t see it there before and it really fits the whole premise of the book.
The Home is a very powerful and emotional read set in a children’s home in the Lake District. One of the teenage girls is found murdered on Christmas day with another girl sat beside her. The novel then goes back and forth in time, and between multiple perspectives as we find out more about the girls’ backgrounds and what happened to lead to one of them being dead.
The mystery in this novel is so well done. I was convinced I knew what had really happened to the girl from part-way through the book but there was something nagging at the back of my mind that I just couldn’t tease out. The reveals when they come are utterly shocking and disturbing!
There is so much more to the book than the mystery around the murder though. It’s a really eye-opening look at the effect that poverty has, and what lengths people are driven to in order to survive. It also looks at the way the damage done to one generation of a family can perpetuate to the next because sometimes there just doesn’t seem to be a way out of all you’ve ever known.
I found it devastating to be able to stand back as a reader and see who the bad guys were in this novel, whilst at the same time seeing exactly how Annie thought the bad guys were the saviours. It really hits home how grooming works and how young people can end up trapped in the same life as their parents before them even as they desperately seek a better life.
There are good guys in this novel too but even they come with a sense of heartbreak and futility. Helen who runs the home where Hope, Annie and Lara are staying has her hands tied by the lack of funding and therefore staff, and the knowledge that this home is on the verge of closure. She really works hard to help the girls in her care but she know she’s fighting a losing battle. It must be incredibly hard to work in this situation, trying to build stability and hope into children’s lives where there has been none before and yet knowing that things beyond you mean you’re ultimately not going to be able to do for them what you wish to.
The Home broke my heart; it’s one of those really brilliant novels that has so many levels to it and all of them have an impact on you. I am in awe of the writing in this book – these characters have left a mark on me and I don’t think I’ll ever forget them. I know it’s only the 10th January but I already feel like this is going to be one of my books of the year, it’s such a stunning read!
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
I must mention the cover of this book, which is absolute perfection. At first I thought it was a face with a butterfly over the eye, which makes sense given a storyline in the book. It was only as I was putting the book down having finished it that I realised it’s not a butterfly but a stone angel. This gave me chills as I genuinely couldn’t see it there before and it really fits the whole premise of the book.
The Home is a very powerful and emotional read set in a children’s home in the Lake District. One of the teenage girls is found murdered on Christmas day with another girl sat beside her. The novel then goes back and forth in time, and between multiple perspectives as we find out more about the girls’ backgrounds and what happened to lead to one of them being dead.
The mystery in this novel is so well done. I was convinced I knew what had really happened to the girl from part-way through the book but there was something nagging at the back of my mind that I just couldn’t tease out. The reveals when they come are utterly shocking and disturbing!
There is so much more to the book than the mystery around the murder though. It’s a really eye-opening look at the effect that poverty has, and what lengths people are driven to in order to survive. It also looks at the way the damage done to one generation of a family can perpetuate to the next because sometimes there just doesn’t seem to be a way out of all you’ve ever known.
I found it devastating to be able to stand back as a reader and see who the bad guys were in this novel, whilst at the same time seeing exactly how Annie thought the bad guys were the saviours. It really hits home how grooming works and how young people can end up trapped in the same life as their parents before them even as they desperately seek a better life.
There are good guys in this novel too but even they come with a sense of heartbreak and futility. Helen who runs the home where Hope, Annie and Lara are staying has her hands tied by the lack of funding and therefore staff, and the knowledge that this home is on the verge of closure. She really works hard to help the girls in her care but she know she’s fighting a losing battle. It must be incredibly hard to work in this situation, trying to build stability and hope into children’s lives where there has been none before and yet knowing that things beyond you mean you’re ultimately not going to be able to do for them what you wish to.
The Home broke my heart; it’s one of those really brilliant novels that has so many levels to it and all of them have an impact on you. I am in awe of the writing in this book – these characters have left a mark on me and I don’t think I’ll ever forget them. I know it’s only the 10th January but I already feel like this is going to be one of my books of the year, it’s such a stunning read!
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
l_c's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25