Somebody's Home

By: Kaira Rouda

Narrated by: Amanda Leigh Cobb, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Anita Kalathara, Rob Shapiro, Jennifer Jill Araya

A quiet neighborhood. A lovely home. A promising new beginning. In a heartbeat everything can change in this propulsive novel of suspense by USA Today bestselling author Kaira Rouda.

Julie Jones has left her suffocating marriage. With her teenage daughter, Jess, she’s starting over. Their new house in Oceanside is the first step toward a new life. Even if it does come with the unexpected. The previous owners, a pastor and his wife, have left something - or rather someone - behind...

Tom Dean has a bitter hatred for the father who considers him a lost cause, and for the woman who’s moved into their family’s house. The only home he’s ever known. He’s never going to leave. She thinks he’ll be gone in three days, but Tom has the perfect plan.

For a newly single mother and her daughter, a fresh start is the beginning of a nightmare. Before the weekend is over, somebody is going to get exactly what they deserve.

©2022 Kaira Sturdivant Rouda. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Whatever the opposite of family values is, Rouda seems intent on perfecting a genre that enshrines it.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Suspense and thriller readers will be on the edge of their seats for this novel that exposes the dark underbelly of human nature.”—Library Journal

“There are great characters moving the story along, that sweep away the reader in this story of families, revenge and secrets.”—News and Sentinel

Self-Absorption: 101

Wow. This novel is well-written with a full cast of interesting and sometimes easily relatable characters. The plot spirals and twists like a test rocket out of control. No one can see everything that's coming.

What struck me most while listening to this incredible story was that nearly every person in theis fairly large cast suffered some form of delusion brought on by their own self-absorption. The rich, middle class, and destitute; the young and the mature; the men and the women; the faithful and the agnostic. It didn't matter what slot you could put a character into, almost to a person, they all suffered some form of serious "Me First" syndrome.

While I enjoyed the suspense as the story unraveled, I also found certain aspects of the characters' lives to offer profound clues into society, religion, the concept of family, respect, and loyalty. I love when that happens. It offers me the chance to simply enjoy a great read and gives me food for thought if I desire it, without feeling like the author has an agenda. So all-around, this was a very entertaining read.

SUPER INTENSE ENDING!!!! SLOW BEGINNING!!

Wow!!! that was great!! Slow start but I promise it gets better. , Lots of characters, multiple sub plots. Would love a 2nd book!!

I really enjoy this author!

Good story! Pretty fast paced with good character development! A lot of good stuff. Each character has their own personal part in the story, and then it all comes together quite well.

My five stars for the narration go to the two male narrators. They had so much personality and were really great! I so enjoyed listening to “Mr. Arrogance” and “Mr. Crazy Person”. They completely stole the whole show! The female narrators were okay, but completely paled in comparison to the two guys. Great listen, though!! ☺️

Just okay

It was….interesting. It kept me engaged and wondering where it was all going. The ending felt rushed.

Oddly Relatable

I’m not gonna say this is the best I’ve ever read, but there is just something about it. I love the mix of darkness and light, and also the way the flaws of religion but also the importance of faith are incorporated.

Minus all the money and plastic surgery, I found Julie’s story extremely relatable. We don’t always know what we need or who we are when we are making decisions that will impact the rest of our lives, and I felt inspired by her breakthroughs.

Overall, narrators are good, the story is entertaining, and the ending is pretty great.