Seriously good! Very intense, could not put it down. A perfect example of a book that you are obsessed with reading - cannot wait to find out what happens but do not want it to end. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.

Thank you for this amazing ARC!

Now: Stella has just bought a fixer-upper away from the city with her live-in boyfriend, Jack. One night, a battered and beaten woman named Lori shows up at their door, begging for their help. Stella can’t help but want to protect Lori from her abusive husband and offers her refuge for as long as she needs. But Jack believes Lori isn’t being truthful and that Stella is too naive for her own good. So Stella is forced to make a decision between Jack and Lori. With Lori in the house, Stella can’t help but think about her past, the memories that have haunted her for her entire life.

Then: single mom, Kay, feels she’s hit the jackpot when she meets Alan. He doesn’t judge her for being a teen mom and even embraces the idea of them being a little family. Within a year, the two are married and Kay can’t wait to start her new life with Alan and her daughter, Abigail. But after they get married, things start to change. Alan is clearly abusive, controlling every aspect of Kay’s life and beating her within an inch of her life. Kay needs to escape the hell she’s trapped in before Alan takes his beatings too far.

We watch the downward spiral of Stella and Lori’s lives. They both aren’t safe, no matter how much they feel they are. And we’re left wondering how these two woman’s stories over 4 decades apart will intersect. And will either woman be able to escape the consequences of the choices they’ve made?

The Dream House by Jess Ryder is a compulsive, page-turning domestic thriller. I read The Ex-Wife by Jess Ryder last year and loved it, so I knew I wanted to pickup her latest release. And I was definitely not disappointed! I love thrillers set in two different timelines—I enjoyed putting together the pieces and figuring out how Stella and Lori’s stories would collide. A definite must-read from Jess Ryder! 4/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Jess Ryder for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Stella buys a house in a seaside town with the inheritance she received after her parents' passed away. Her boyfriend Jack lives with her in this huge home that she is working to fix up. One night there is a knock on the door - a battered woman asks for help. Apparently, Stella's house used to be a refuge for abused women. Stella takes her in and decides to help her, even though her boyfriend is not keen on the idea at all. He thinks the woman is conning Stella and tries to convince her to get rid of the woman. Suffice it to say, relationships are broken, secrets revealed, and unexpected visitors show up. Seems that Stella got a lot more than she bargained for with the purchase of the house. Definitely a great mystery-thriller. I was guessing every which way and found myself stymied time and time again. Loved being kept on the edge of my seat. Such a thrilling read!

The dream house written by Jess Ryder is an addictive, gripping and enthralling read, it will keep you engrossed until the final page with an unexpected twist you don’t see coming.

Stella after sadly losing both her parents is left a generous inheritance which enables her to buy a house she falls in love with in the small town of Nevansey, unknown to Stella however the house used to be a refugee for women suffering from domestic abuse, the house is in a dire state and badly needs fully refurbished however Stella still decides to purchase the house previously known as west hill house, Stella’s partner jack isn’t happy in Nevansey but decides to give it a go for Stella’s sake, one evening they are disturbed by urgent banging on their front door which turns out to be a desperate, badly beaten and terrified woman named Lorri who claims she was given the address of west hill house by a domestic abuse helpline, not wanting to turn her away into the cold night Stella decided to let Lorri stay for the evening which ends up turning into days then weeks, Stella’s Partner jack is not the slightest bit happy with the arrangement feeling Lorri’s story doesn’t add up, as the story unfolds we learn lorri is not who she seems to be, Stella is also hiding secrets of her own from her past which may have finally caught up with her... we also are taken back to the past and read about a woman named Kay who is newly married and suffers abuse from the hands of her husband, the past and present soon come together nicely and the story starts co ordinate nicely from past to present.

I really enjoyed this novel, I enjoy a thriller that keeps me engrossed and guessing until the end. Thank you to netgalley for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Another good story from Jess Ryder. My favourite of hers so far is The Ex-Wife, but this was another twisty novel with suspenseful moments. Stella buys a house by the sea, when one night a woman hammers on the door, claiming the place is a woman's refuge. It's not anymore, but Stella lets her in against her partner's judgement, and houses/looks after her.

Like all good stories, you didn't know who to trust, and that made it exciting. There was perhaps one quite obvious twist, but mostly lots of surprises, especially towards the end. Worth a read, for sure.

When Stella and boyfriend Jack move into Westhill House - Stella’s dream home, bought with her inheritance following her parents’ death - they know it’s going to need a lot of work. But they’re not prepared for the unexpected visitor who arrives one night, and the unanticipated consequences.

Meanwhile, back in the ‘70s, a young woman called Kay - and her small daughter - is drawn into a dangerous relationship.

There are lots of familiar features of the genre here - the compulsory first person, present tense narration, the dual time frames, the mysterious bad thing in the heroine’s past, the people who may not be who they say - but Jess Ryder makes it work. She’s very good at misleading the reader in that way where you know perfectly well you’re being misled but can’t fathom out where the truth lies. Where you know that people and their stories must be connected but can’t for the life of you figure out how.

An intriguing and well constructed read with an underlying serious theme.

Griping,intense book could not put it down.
Description and setting the scene was just as I expected from this author.
A real twist at the end,did not see that coming.A must on your reading list.

Such a great book! This is my first time reading anything by this author and I can't wait to read more! Although I was able to predict some of the things that happened, the ending was a complete surprise.
4/5 stars

Fabulous book , I really enjoyed it . Loved the main character and the different ways she was portrayed .Definitely the best book from this author yet .

I really enjoyed this book as it moved between 1970s and present day. The characters in both time zones were very believable. Great plot and very atmospheric setting.

Gripping, intense, heart in mouth moments, characters that you love to hate and so many twists and turns. What is there not to like?

why have I never read this authors books will be buying all what a brilliant story Stella buys a house with her partner Tim one night Lori turns up on the doorstep begging for help .Stella finds out that the house was a safe house for women but the story unfolds is quite sad in parts so enjoyed highly recommend

My second read from Jess Ryder and after being blown away by Jess’ previous book (The Ex-Wife), I felt this book really didn’t compare.

I did read this book trying to guess the twists and turns that I knew would be coming, and for the most part I didn’t guess what was yet to come, I felt the book dragged on for the first 70% and being set purely in a run down refuge also gave us little room for our imagine to run away.

The characters for me were all unlikable, Stella was weak, I wanted to shake her but the parts of Kay, Foxy and Abigail set in the 70’s showed a much more real storyline on domestic violence and how far society has evolved to today.

I thank Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Dream House by Jess Ryder was billed as a dark, twisting psychological thriller. Told from Stella and Kay’s viewpoints and moving between the past and present day I found myself quickly drawn in. Stella has just bought Westhill House, a run down mansion with fantastic views of the sea. It’s supposed to be her and Jack’s forever home but needs some care just like her relationship. One night Lori arrives and Stella feels they both have secrets.

I found the first half of the book progressed quite quickly but the pace seemed to stall slightly for the remainder of the book. Having said that I did enjoy it and read it in a couple of days. I would give this book 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

Jess Ryder has done it AGAIN. Another knock your kindle out of your hands, gasp for breath, breathe in-breathe-out, OMG plot! ALL THE HEARTS AND ALL THE STARS for one of my favorite authors!
This one had me from the first page and it only got darker and more eerie as the pages continued. Jess has a way with words that makes her stories come to life. I could literally smell the dusty mildew air in the house and feel the cold in the dark makeshift bedroom. I felt as alone as the main character did in that house. But I also could feel the energy and hear the noise of the kids and mothers and smell the cigarettes when we learned what the house used to be. Thats how real the words are.
This book had twists and turns and WTF moments that I enjoy in a book.
Cheers to Jess Ryder yet again. I also love the new title and think it does fit much better than "The House Guest"
10 stars!
Thank you #NetGalley, #Bookouture and Jess Ryder for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2838657198?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

I really enjoyed this book and found myself reading late into the night. It was fast paced and the type of book I often read. It was well written, easy to read and the characters seem well thought out. I think this would make a great beach read or a book to take on a vacation.

The Dream House is a wonderful thriller that I could not put down. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. Well written.

Thanks to Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The story is about Stella and her fiance who buy a home in a small town and the home needs lot of renovation. One day a helpless lady Lori comes to their door in the middle of the night claiming domestic abuse .Stella wants to help Lori , as it is the right thing to do where as her fiance does not appreciates that. The plot revolves around domestic violence and impact it can have on people.

Stella and Lori both have their own secrets.

The story was ok, but I did not enjoyed reading it as somewhere after first few chapters it lost its pace. I ended up skipping the page to finish the book.

For me, story was not engaging enough .

I was given the opportunity to read this from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. This story is told from 2 narratives and switches back and forth until the story collides. The root of the plot is based around domestic violence and the butterfly affect it can create. The story/plot itself was well thought out and written well. The characters were also fairly well developed however the secrecy of one of the characters prevents us from getting to close. That being said i just didnt "gel" with these characters, i didnt particularity like any of them, except perhaps the "villain". My biggest reason for giving this 3 stars was that it was rather drawn out with not much excitement, it was the same type of issue repeating until the very end. Also some of the plot was rather implausible, it is fiction but it felt like i was reading fiction which made it tough for me to get really into. Overall i would give this author another chance as her writing style and story lines are quite good.

Mystery and intrigue aplenty in this book. I love a book where there are plenty of characters to suspect and where the 'finger points' changes as the book unfolds. This book is told mostly in the present but with some flashbacks to the past. This seems to work as it adds to the mystery as the reader wonders how these two tales fit together.