Day two of the blog tour for Jess Ryder’s, ‘The Dream House’, is upon us, with the tour bus stopping here at TWG. Many thanks to Bookouture for the blog tour invite and ARC. Here is my review:
It’s everything she’s ever wanted…
When I first set eyes on Westhill House with its breath-taking views of the sea I knew Jack and I could make this our forever home.
It may be falling apart with an overgrown garden, but with some tender loving care, we can repair this beautiful building and perhaps our relationship too…
But the more time I spend renovating our new house, the more time Jack is spending at work.
At least Lori is here to keep me company.
She has her own troubles yet she always listens to mine.
She’s helping to restore the house, uncovering its secrets one by one.
Like the children’s drawings under the wallpaper in the back bedroom.
The hidden papers underneath the floorboards in the turret room.
And the fact that Westhill House is a place women used to go to feel safe…
Lori seems to know a lot about Westhill House.
The question is, why?
What does TWG think?
Jess Ryder’s new novel is aptly called, ‘The Dream House’, and I say that because I felt like I was in a dream when I was reading it!
Stella has, in her eyes, found her dream house. The house where she envisions growing old in with a husband and children. However, Stella’s boyfriend isn’t as taken with the house as she is, and when a random person turns up on their doorstop late at night covered in blood, Jack seems to dislike the house even more.
Stella is a very trusting person – would you honestly let a stranger into your home late at night, seeing them beaten and bloodied and not call the police? I could see where Jack was coming from there. Just because Stella had been brought up by parents who took in people who needed help, it didn’t mean that Stella do the exact same. And anyway, fostering children and taking a bloodied woman into your home late at night are two completely different things.
I thought the storyline contained well incorporated suspense, and I felt that the intrigue behind the characters lifestyles were very well thought out. I will say that I wasn’t too taken with the story in it’s entirety though, as I felt that things were verging on unbelievable at times. I loved Stella’s warm personality, but i found that her naivety riled me up more often than not.
‘The Dream House’ is a very interesting and dark read, especially if you like books which extend the boundaries a lot. One thing is for certain though, Jess Ryder certainly knows how to make her readers think!!
About the author.
Jess Ryder is the author of three psychological thrillers – ‘Lie to Me’ (April 2017) and ‘The Good Sister’ (August 2017), and The Ex-Wife (June 2018) -all published by Bookouture. She also writes books for children, teens and young adults as Jan Page, with many titles published including ‘Selina Penaluna’. With many years’ experience as a scriptwriter, she loves watching television crime drama. Jess is a passionate reader and particularly enjoys thrillers. She blogs about writing, reviews books and interviews writers at www.jessryder.co.uk andwww.janpagewriter.com.
Jess lives with her partner in London, UK and has four grown-up children.
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