Just Like Home - by Sarah Gailey

Book Synopsis

A Best Horror Novel of All Time (Cosmopolitan) - WINNER of the 2023 British Fantasy Award for Best Horror Novel - One of the Best Horror Novels of 2022 (Vulture, Paste, NPR, and Teen Vogue) - A Belletrist Book Club pick!

Just Like Home is a darkly gothic thriller from bestselling author Sarah Gailey, perfect for fans of The Haunting of Hill House as well as true crime masterpiece I'll Be Gone in the Dark.

"Come home." Vera's mother called and Vera obeyed. In spite of their long estrangement, in spite of the memories -- she's come back to the home of a serial killer. Back to face the love she had for her father and the bodies he buried there, beneath the house he'd built for his family.

Coming home is hard enough for Vera, and to make things worse, she and her mother aren't alone. A parasitic artist has moved into the guest house out back and is slowly stripping Vera's childhood for spare parts. He insists that he isn't the one leaving notes around the house in her father's handwriting... but who else could it possibly be?

There are secrets yet undiscovered in the foundations of the notorious Crowder House. Vera must face them and find out for herself just how deep the rot goes.

Review Quotes

A Best Horror Novel of All Time (Cosmopolitan) - WINNER of the 2023 British Fantasy Award for Best Horror Novel - One of the Best Horror Novels of 2022 (Vulture, Paste, NPR, and Teen Vogue) - A Belletrist Book Club pick!

"Gailey is one of those rare writers who jumps from genre to genre with virtuosic ease, and their first foray into horror is remarkably accomplished."
--Emily C. Hughes, Vulture

"Told through Gailey's rich, deeply layered prose, Just Like Home weaves true crime, ghost stories, and psychological terror together for a lyrical, unforgettable experience."
--Paste Magazine

"Delightfully creepy and heartbreakingly tragic ... It's a must-read for all gothic horror fans."
--Booklist (STARRED review)

"A book you won't be able to put down."
--Cosmopolitan

"[A] superior novel of psychological suspense."
--Publishers Weekly (STARRED review)

"Just Like Home is an insidious book that crawls under your skin and rattles your bones. It poisons your dreams and clouds your senses, keeping you under its beguiling spell."
--Nerd Daily

"A hair-raising haunted house story."
--Buzzfeed

"Gailey's Just Like Home represents ... the ultimate kindness of horror, where we're often allowed a chance to see outcasts find love and acceptance amidst the blood and viscera."
--CrimeReads

"A vicious and visceral gothic horror story."
--Lee Mandelo, Reactor

About the Author

Hugo Award Winner and Bestselling author Sarah Gailey is an internationally published writer of fiction and nonfiction. Their nonfiction has been published by Mashable and The Boston Globe. Their short fiction credits include Vice and The Atlantic. Their debut novella, River of Teeth, was a 2018 Hugo and Nebula award finalist. Their bestselling adult novel debut, Magic For Liars, was published in 2019, and their second novel, The Echo Wife, was published in 2021.