BOOK REVIEW: Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

Are there really monsters under the bed?

I’m slightly confused. What in the world did I just read? This was a book that I hadn’t really heard a lot about other than the general basic premise of the book. Vera is called home to be with her dying mom years after her serial killer father died in prison. Through her trip home, she discovers some secrets about her family and the house that her father built.

From page one, personification was in the literary spotlight, which in hindsight also provided some ominous foreshadowing. Confused? Don’t worry, me too. I finished this book and literally said, “What the Hell did I just read?” As a result, I’m not sure where to start.

My overall impressions aren’t bad, but I’m just left with a “meh” feeling. It was an interesting read, but one that I would have to really think about if I was to recommend it to someone. I wanted something scary, something that would creep me out. This one was not it. Granted, I’m hard to creep out. Anyways, I am a big fan of character driven plots, and I just didn’t buy into any of these characters; sad because there were only a handful of them.

Vera goes home to get the house in order and watch her mother die in what can only be described as a hospice bed that has been set up in the dining room. She’s going through all the rooms cleaning it all up preparing to sell it once her mother passes. From the beginning, she is a little off. I couldn’t really put my finger on it, but she was just … different. Maybe it’s because her father was a serial killer during her childhood and would kill people in the basement below her bedroom. And, she was an obsessive Daddy’s girl meaning she literally believed everything he told her.

We see a lot of this weird father/daughter relationship through the flashbacks from the time Vera was about 12 to when her father was arrested when she was 14. This was not a home full of shared love and compassion either. Vera’s mother, Daphne, seems to resent Vera to the point that she doesn't even want to be called “Mom.” There’s a resentment towards Vera for how close she was to her dad; a relationship that Daphne couldn’t be a part of. Naturally, when he went to prison, there was nothing of substance between mother and daughter. But I swear, if I had to read that her father built the house with his own hands one more time, I thought I was going to scream!

Add in crazy, serial killer superfan James Duvall whose father wrote a tell all book about Vera’s father and his crimes and there is going to be some major drama in the house. Daphne allowed the house to be a revolving door for artists who wanted to come and channel the dead man’s spirits, I guess. Apparently, it helps with the authenticity of their art and true crime research. The basement became one of those true crime tour destinations. It was an easy way for Daphne to bring in money. But, what a manipulative a-hole. I mean, clearly, you are not supposed to like him, but still.

Now, I do have questions surrounding Brandon, Vera’s childhood best friend. Not quite sure what the point of his interactions with Vera were once she was back home. It was a little weird. I felt like at any moment it was going to say that wetness appeared and was spilling down his leg. There was a terror in him, that ok, I get, but why go to her? Again, my favorite word in this review…weird. It just didn’t make sense. I wasn’t sure what we were supposed to get out of those scenes.

Vera was 14 when the incident happened that caused her father to be caught and go to prison. It’s an interesting situation because, I personally think it shows that there was more to him than we saw. Obviously, he knew right from wrong and made a choice to kill people, but this night could have gone a couple different ways, and we never really get an explanation as to why this was the choice he made. I mean, clearly, his love for Vera was more powerful than anything to him, and he made many choices focused on that love and protecting her. He had to know that he was going to end up in prison. Was that what he was hoping for? On the flip side of that, Vera at 14 would know the difference between right and wrong as well. I have a 14 year old daughter and believe me, she would never think that any of what Vera’s dad did was rational or ok or even believe some of the things that he told Vera.

I think the whole family are a bunch of psychopaths, and all for different reasons. But, there is also something creepy and unnatural about the house. This is the part that just went a little too far for me and made zero sense. I completely comprehend what was happening, but it was just strange. It didn’t find any of it creepy, it just gave me more questions. Like how? Why? Was this caused by something Vera’s father did when he built the house with his own hands? And, ultimately, what exactly is it?

And the ending. What??? Definitely a little bizarre and not really what I was expecting, but it wasn’t scary and I wasn’t even creeped out by it.  It was just more weird and bizarre than anything and then the book just ended. I think I would have liked just a little more as to what happened next.

Where does this book land on my bookshelf?

Middle shelf. Probably on the lower end of the shelf but not hidden away. This book wasn’t bad. It wasn’t great. It wasn’t even creepy or scary. It was just weird. I appreciated the literary aspects with the personification and flashbacks. It allows certain aspects of the story to become more vivid and powerful. I just wish there was more to the “creepy” aspect to the story. I’m probably not going to recommend this to anyone who is looking for a truly scary or creepy book, but I don’t think you shouldn’t read it. If it’s on your TBR, it is definitely an interesting read and may create some interesting conversations with others who have read it. I know that I can’t wait to discuss this book on the next Speaking LITerally Book Club Podcast!

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