Julie is a trophy wife who has just left her husband, Roger, and moved into a new home with their daughter, Jess. A son of the previous owners (Sandi and Doug) is still living in the carriage house but has 2 days to move out.

The book tells the story via alternating viewpoints – Julie, Jess, Roger, Tom (the son living in the carriage house), and Sandi (Tom’s stepmother and Doug’s wife). It starts out “current time” with someone outside the home narrating that someone is in the house with a female who is in danger and then flashes back to 2 days prior. A lot happens over these 2 days.

Julie decides to leave Roger over his philandering ways but Jess does not want to move out of her gated community to a home on the “other side of the tracks” so she decides she will move in with her best friend. However, after a video from Bonnie’s party goes viral, that decision is no longer in play. At the same time, Roger finds himself in legal trouble.

Julie becomes friendly with Sandi but mainly only to ask her assistance in getting Tom to move out. Jess and Tom become friendly until Jess finds out about the angry group that Tom hangs out with and she gets nervous.
It all comes to a head at the end of the weekend with a nice wrap-up. ( )

The story is told from first-person perspective from multiple perspectives and switches back and forth but it was easy to follow along. Like another review says it starts easily enough but soon becomes clear there is something very wrong with Tom. This book is creepy and I found myself done reading it in two days or so. ( )

god this cover is so ugly

It’s a fast paced psychological thriller about two families & how one person's actions can have a rippling effect with those around them.The story is told from many different points of view but it was easy to follow along! It also gives the reader the chance to learn about each character's relationship with each other! There's a lot going on but it's a quick easy read with plenty of characters and drama to keep you engaged! Happy reading everyone! ( )

The charming house in the quiet suburbs is really a hot mess of secrecy, desperation, and chaos.

“Somebody's Home” unfolds in a first-person narrative that produces tension, confusion and desperation. “Somebody is in my home. I don’t know what to do.” Everything centers on the house; what happened there, who lives there, who no longer lives there, who never lived there, always “the house.” The narrative alternates among multiple characters and goes back in time so readers learn how people got the “the house” and how they feel about living in it and leaving it.

The residents of the house, both past and present, are diverse. Readers come to know a lot about them, their hopes, their plans, and their struggles to balance the darkness and the light. They are all just living their lives day by day, whining and complaining about everything, but they become incrementally deceptive, manipulative, and evil. The house, however, knows their real stories, the things they want hidden. Then, things become even worse, and this time it makes the news.

Rouda created a complex narrative rich in complexity and moral challenges, one that exposes the superficial and unmasks the hidden. Anyone can tell a lie that has a degree of truth, but reality is different. I received a review copy of “Somebody's Home” from Kaira Rouda and Thomas & Mercer.

Excesses, anxieties, egos, conundrums ( )