Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey
⭐⭐

Upon finishing Just Like Home, I felt really conflicted. I couldn't decide if I liked it or not. It took me a few days to gather my thoughts but I'm confident about my feelings now. 

Vera is the daughter of a notorious serial killer and has spent most of her life running from the past, her hometown, and her mother, Daphne. When Daphne calls Vera, after a very long estrangement, to tell her that she is dying and needs her daughter by her side, Vera decides to face her demons and return home - to the house her father built and where he murdered his victims. Just Like Home is the story of Vera's childhood, her family, her past, and what happens when she comes face to face with what she's been running away from for so long.

This book had amazing potential. Everything about the story was interesting and it had a Sharp Objects vibe to it that I was so excited about! I think it's safe to say that it didn't quite live up to that expectation. This is one of those books where the themes and the plot are spectacular but the writing and ending totally dropped the ball.

There are many positive aspects to Just Like Home - it's an interesting family dynamic, the prose throughout was great, and I personally really liked the deeper insights into Vera's background through the chapters taking place throughout her childhood. Where it fell short were the characters - there are only four characters in this book, and they were mostly one dimensional - no development or evolution takes place for them. The whole story, from the dialogue to Vera's thoughts to the descriptions, was extremely repetitive. I believe the author's purpose was to show how the past is constantly pressing into Vera, how she's being haunted by her father and the memories of the house. Despite that, I don't think it was successful and this book would probably be 100 pages less if we weren't constantly reminded that Vera's dad built the damn house.

You also feel like you're on the verge of something happening, but - surprise! - nothing happens. The twist at the end was a little out there, too, and not in a good way. With all of that said, however, I did really like how the past was always creeping into Vera's present, and I found the relationship between her parents super interesting. 

Overall, I really would not recommend this one. It's not atrociously terrible, but it lacks the emotional and psychological depth that really could've made this story special. The themes were strong, but unfortunately, the writing wasn't. In place of this book, I would recommend Sharp Objects instead!