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The Boy Who Steals Houses #3
The House For Lost Things
Stealing houses should be a thing of the past now that Sam and Avery Lou finally have their perfect home. But the De Laineys are being forced to sell the butter-yellow house and their family is crumbling. Sam is haunted by his time at juvie and he feels lost now that Avery doesn’t depend solely on him. All he can do is focus on his builder apprenticeship and hurl himself into an extravagant sewing project lead by Moxie to raise money to save the house—only Sam’s past has come knocking and it’s about to tear apart everything he loves. Learning how to build new houses is one thing, but maybe broken boys can’t be rebuilt.
400 pages, ebook
Published May 1, 2023
1 person is currently reading
760 people want to read
About the author
C.G. Drews
11 books25.3k followersCG Drews is the award-winning NYT Bestselling author of Don’t Let The Forest In, Hazelthorn, and You Did Nothing Wrong. Their work has been translated into over 12 languages, was nominated for the 2020 CILIP Carnegie Medal, and won the B&N 2025 YA Book Awards, and are also Indie Next Picks and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections. CG lives in Australia under a pile of unread books. Find on Instagram as @paperfury and TikTok as @cgdrews or at cgdrews.com.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 8, 2025
The House for Lost Things by C. G. Drews is a tender, raw, emotionally charged story about trauma, healing, found family, and the fragile hope of new beginnings when all you’ve known feels like it might collapse.
From the start I felt a soft ache in the way the book explores what happens after survival, when scars still sting and safety is fragile. The story picks up with Sam Lou and Avery Lou living in what should be their safe haven, the “butter-yellow house” they fought to call home only for their world to shake when the family they rely on is threatened with losing that house. Sam, still haunted by time in juvie and weighted by survivor’s guilt, throws himself into a builder apprenticeship and a risky plan to raise money to save the home. His brother Avery, whose autism has always shaped his experience of the world, struggles as the stability they tried to build begins to wobble.
What moved me most was how unflinching the novel is about damage and how healing is rarely linear. Sam’s internal turmoil; his guilt, his fear that maybe broken boys cannot be rebuilt resonated deeply with me. Yet there is also gentleness: moments where hope flickers, where found-family bonds seem to offer a chance of recovery, where characters learn that love does not demand perfection. The representation of mental health and neurodivergence felt honest and grounding; Avery’s stimming and sensory needs, Sam’s emotional barricades, the way both boys respond differently under stress, it felt real, messy, human. I appreciated that the book doesn’t gloss over pain or offer tidy, “everything-is-fixed” endings. It allows space for healing, for grief, for growth at a pace that feels earned.
If I have a gentle reservation, it’s that the emotional weight sometimes makes the pacing feel heavy, there are moments where the heartbreak feels almost relentless. For readers hoping for comfort and escape, this book might feel like too much all at once. Still for me, those hard moments made the softer ones shine all the brighter.
Rating: 4 / 5 — The House for Lost Things is a powerful, painful, and hopeful conclusion. It will haunt you, it will make you ache and want to wrap these characters in safety, and it will linger in your heart long after you turn the last page.
From the start I felt a soft ache in the way the book explores what happens after survival, when scars still sting and safety is fragile. The story picks up with Sam Lou and Avery Lou living in what should be their safe haven, the “butter-yellow house” they fought to call home only for their world to shake when the family they rely on is threatened with losing that house. Sam, still haunted by time in juvie and weighted by survivor’s guilt, throws himself into a builder apprenticeship and a risky plan to raise money to save the home. His brother Avery, whose autism has always shaped his experience of the world, struggles as the stability they tried to build begins to wobble.
What moved me most was how unflinching the novel is about damage and how healing is rarely linear. Sam’s internal turmoil; his guilt, his fear that maybe broken boys cannot be rebuilt resonated deeply with me. Yet there is also gentleness: moments where hope flickers, where found-family bonds seem to offer a chance of recovery, where characters learn that love does not demand perfection. The representation of mental health and neurodivergence felt honest and grounding; Avery’s stimming and sensory needs, Sam’s emotional barricades, the way both boys respond differently under stress, it felt real, messy, human. I appreciated that the book doesn’t gloss over pain or offer tidy, “everything-is-fixed” endings. It allows space for healing, for grief, for growth at a pace that feels earned.
If I have a gentle reservation, it’s that the emotional weight sometimes makes the pacing feel heavy, there are moments where the heartbreak feels almost relentless. For readers hoping for comfort and escape, this book might feel like too much all at once. Still for me, those hard moments made the softer ones shine all the brighter.
Rating: 4 / 5 — The House for Lost Things is a powerful, painful, and hopeful conclusion. It will haunt you, it will make you ache and want to wrap these characters in safety, and it will linger in your heart long after you turn the last page.
December 29, 2023
I love the Lou brothers and the De Laineys so much! I could read about them forever - 5 stars ⭐️
June 11, 2024
The House For Lost Things is the Patreon exclusive conclusion to The Boy Who Steals Houses trilogy by C.G. Drews, an author and a series that owns my entire heart. They stole it, if you must.
This book was as close as you can get to unputdownable for a book that was published a few chapters at a time each week. It takes place after the events of The Kings of Nowhere and is dual narrated by Avery and Sam, showing Sam's transition to a life outside juvie, and a life where Avery doesn't depend solely on him. Sam has to focus on his builder apprenticeship and hurl himself into an extravagant sewing project led by Moxie to raise money to save the house, but his past has come knocking and it’s threatening to tear apart everything he loves.
The dynamics of the De Lainey family continue to be a standout in these books. It’s so overwhelmingly lovely for me to read about good sibling relationships and healthy family dynamics that can still have drama without turning bad. The De Laineys consistently provide hope and moments of light throughout the darkness and still love each other despite the fractures that form. All the De Lainey’s feel like fully fleshed-out characters and have distinct personalities, something that is important to note as there are so many of them. The family has an incredible sense of loyalty and protectiveness towards each other and the people that they’ve decided to keep. Moxie being a teenager who acts authentically like a teenager is forever wonderful to me, and I especially loved how her and Sam's dynamic changed post-juvie, and how she has the patience and the willingness to adapt to these changes, no matter how hard it may be for her. And, most importantly, we finally learn the baby's name. Will I ever be using it? No.
Jeremy De Lainey remains the character who owns my entire heart. Jeremy’s character felt like a slow burn in a sense: we were introduced to him in the first book and had an idea of his personality, but his narration in the second added a new perspective, especially as the new side to him unfurled little by little with each chapter. And every single one of those chapters was a personal attack and a stab in my chest. In the third book, he's not a narrator, but he's still a very prominent side character, and his snippets of humour and being an anxious wreck who makes impulsive decisions to cling onto a sense of normalcy was one sentence away from being a personal attack.
The House For Lost Things comes with some raw, angry, negative autism representation that we didn't see in the previous books, and it was a breath of fresh air. A lot of the traits drawn out for Sam and Avery feel very specifically based on their life experiences. Since Avery grew up with zero support outside of Sam, it feels right that he stims a lot to self-soothe. His stims are obvious and prevalent throughout the whole series, but one thing I loved reading was how they changed as the books progressed. Avery's stims are so self-injurious when we first meet him in The Boy Who Steals Houses. Then, by The House For Lost Things's end, his stims are much more relaxed, joyful, and soothing. Because then he is loved, then he is supported, then he is safe. Meanwhile, Sam's autism is more locked down because that's how he protects himself. He internalises, he festers, and then eventually he can't take it anymore and the fallout is a bloody disaster. One of the key ways his autism is presented is through obsession. Obsession over caring for Avery, and of course Sam has his obsession over houses and keys. He's also extremely sensory adverse, which makes me so soft for him because…same. The main thing to note about the representation is that Sam and Avery are representative of different areas of the spectrum, with one having higher support needs than the other, and the autistic experience is so incredibly vast and complex.
There are many moments I love throughout this book with Sam articulating that he doesn't want to acknowledge he could be autistic because no one put in the effort to help him like he helped his brother. There's a scene where Avery notes Sam's struggle is rooted in the fact that he tries so hard to fit in and be wanted and feel safe, and the fact a lot of his social stumbles are due to autism means he will never achieve that dream of "being like everyone else". His self-loathing has always been such an intrinsic part of his character from the start. I feel like it's important to be allowed room to write autism rep that is not pretty and affirming and empowering. We need affirming positive rep the most because historically, autism rep in media has been stereotyped and nasty and inaccurate. We need books about autism where the characters feel loved and seen and wanted. But autistics are complicated, just like everyone is, and we also need representation that autistics contain multitudes and to rage against autism is not always to hate autism.
I will end this review by saying that I have a lot of love for C.G. continuing to work on these books and share them with the world despite all the difficulties they've encountered with past publishing experiences. Having these books in my life is a delight, and I especially love seeing how they've come out without traditional publishing input: they're raw and wild and ambitious, yet so authentically the C.G. that I have living on my shelves. In summary, I am lightly devastated that this trilogy has now drawn to a close, and I look forward to any crumb that C.G. drops in regards to this universe, and I will be the first to preorder if they are ever able to publish physical copies of these books that have completely stolen my heart.
This book was as close as you can get to unputdownable for a book that was published a few chapters at a time each week. It takes place after the events of The Kings of Nowhere and is dual narrated by Avery and Sam, showing Sam's transition to a life outside juvie, and a life where Avery doesn't depend solely on him. Sam has to focus on his builder apprenticeship and hurl himself into an extravagant sewing project led by Moxie to raise money to save the house, but his past has come knocking and it’s threatening to tear apart everything he loves.
The dynamics of the De Lainey family continue to be a standout in these books. It’s so overwhelmingly lovely for me to read about good sibling relationships and healthy family dynamics that can still have drama without turning bad. The De Laineys consistently provide hope and moments of light throughout the darkness and still love each other despite the fractures that form. All the De Lainey’s feel like fully fleshed-out characters and have distinct personalities, something that is important to note as there are so many of them. The family has an incredible sense of loyalty and protectiveness towards each other and the people that they’ve decided to keep. Moxie being a teenager who acts authentically like a teenager is forever wonderful to me, and I especially loved how her and Sam's dynamic changed post-juvie, and how she has the patience and the willingness to adapt to these changes, no matter how hard it may be for her. And, most importantly, we finally learn the baby's name. Will I ever be using it? No.
Jeremy De Lainey remains the character who owns my entire heart. Jeremy’s character felt like a slow burn in a sense: we were introduced to him in the first book and had an idea of his personality, but his narration in the second added a new perspective, especially as the new side to him unfurled little by little with each chapter. And every single one of those chapters was a personal attack and a stab in my chest. In the third book, he's not a narrator, but he's still a very prominent side character, and his snippets of humour and being an anxious wreck who makes impulsive decisions to cling onto a sense of normalcy was one sentence away from being a personal attack.
The House For Lost Things comes with some raw, angry, negative autism representation that we didn't see in the previous books, and it was a breath of fresh air. A lot of the traits drawn out for Sam and Avery feel very specifically based on their life experiences. Since Avery grew up with zero support outside of Sam, it feels right that he stims a lot to self-soothe. His stims are obvious and prevalent throughout the whole series, but one thing I loved reading was how they changed as the books progressed. Avery's stims are so self-injurious when we first meet him in The Boy Who Steals Houses. Then, by The House For Lost Things's end, his stims are much more relaxed, joyful, and soothing. Because then he is loved, then he is supported, then he is safe. Meanwhile, Sam's autism is more locked down because that's how he protects himself. He internalises, he festers, and then eventually he can't take it anymore and the fallout is a bloody disaster. One of the key ways his autism is presented is through obsession. Obsession over caring for Avery, and of course Sam has his obsession over houses and keys. He's also extremely sensory adverse, which makes me so soft for him because…same. The main thing to note about the representation is that Sam and Avery are representative of different areas of the spectrum, with one having higher support needs than the other, and the autistic experience is so incredibly vast and complex.
There are many moments I love throughout this book with Sam articulating that he doesn't want to acknowledge he could be autistic because no one put in the effort to help him like he helped his brother. There's a scene where Avery notes Sam's struggle is rooted in the fact that he tries so hard to fit in and be wanted and feel safe, and the fact a lot of his social stumbles are due to autism means he will never achieve that dream of "being like everyone else". His self-loathing has always been such an intrinsic part of his character from the start. I feel like it's important to be allowed room to write autism rep that is not pretty and affirming and empowering. We need affirming positive rep the most because historically, autism rep in media has been stereotyped and nasty and inaccurate. We need books about autism where the characters feel loved and seen and wanted. But autistics are complicated, just like everyone is, and we also need representation that autistics contain multitudes and to rage against autism is not always to hate autism.
I will end this review by saying that I have a lot of love for C.G. continuing to work on these books and share them with the world despite all the difficulties they've encountered with past publishing experiences. Having these books in my life is a delight, and I especially love seeing how they've come out without traditional publishing input: they're raw and wild and ambitious, yet so authentically the C.G. that I have living on my shelves. In summary, I am lightly devastated that this trilogy has now drawn to a close, and I look forward to any crumb that C.G. drops in regards to this universe, and I will be the first to preorder if they are ever able to publish physical copies of these books that have completely stolen my heart.
March 10, 2024
finished the series and forgot to review it but now i will! i read the first book of the trilogy years ago and then continued this year through the author’s patreon and it still hits hard. With elements of trauma, found family and romance you really can’t go wrong with a cg drews book. the lou brothers are a really impactful pair and i loved reading about their trials and character growth along the way. the series really means a lot to me as the first book was one of those really impactful ones to me when i was younger. I do hope the other two get published soon!
January 18, 2024
life changing AND ruining at the same time. i love the de laineys and the lou brothers.....
December 10, 2024
“You’re not running away”
guys you dunno how hard it was to find out where to read this book. Tad’s backstory made me cry🙁 but we finally figured out the baby’s name!!
guys you dunno how hard it was to find out where to read this book. Tad’s backstory made me cry🙁 but we finally figured out the baby’s name!!
December 31, 2024
4.5/5
i'll miss these characters <3
i'll miss these characters <3
December 22, 2024
In Book one we saw glimpses in to Sam’s world, book 2 was Avery’s, whereas this book brings everything together and starts to put the shattered pieces back together. It’s devastating and beautiful all at once knowing that they deserved better from the very beginning but that’s not the point of this story.
Mr De Lainey is the Parent every child deserves, that would fight for them even when they aren’t sure if they want to fight for themselves, and who would accept someone for who they are and not who he wanted them to be. Watching the relationships unfold through each of these books has been healing for my own heart, and the amount of tears I shed will help to remind me that good things grow from even the most heartbreaking starts.
I am wildly impressed with the way CG was able to not only create a story like this, but the elegance in which they strung the words together - it’s no wonder that they are without a doubt becoming one of my favorite authors.
Mr De Lainey is the Parent every child deserves, that would fight for them even when they aren’t sure if they want to fight for themselves, and who would accept someone for who they are and not who he wanted them to be. Watching the relationships unfold through each of these books has been healing for my own heart, and the amount of tears I shed will help to remind me that good things grow from even the most heartbreaking starts.
I am wildly impressed with the way CG was able to not only create a story like this, but the elegance in which they strung the words together - it’s no wonder that they are without a doubt becoming one of my favorite authors.
December 19, 2025
It's fine. I'm fine. Everything's fine. I'm just sobbing my eyes out over a little yellow house. Gosh, I wish this book was available in print somewhere because I just want to hug it tight to my chest and never let it go.
For the third time, THE DE LAINEYS. DAD DE LAINEY FOREVER. Oh man oh man, what a man. 🥺 Also, the plot twists??? I can't handle it. Tiny little Tad, oh my goodness. 😂
Most of all what I loved was Sam's realization that he's autistic, and the processing of that. My only wish is that I could have seen more of that, but the boy was a leeeeeettttleeee busy processing all his other trauma, soooo... we take what we can get.
(Again, to most of the people who follow me- probably not a book most of you would like. This is your disclaimer. But still read The Boy Who Steals Houses. 🙃)
For the third time, THE DE LAINEYS. DAD DE LAINEY FOREVER. Oh man oh man, what a man. 🥺 Also, the plot twists??? I can't handle it. Tiny little Tad, oh my goodness. 😂
Most of all what I loved was Sam's realization that he's autistic, and the processing of that. My only wish is that I could have seen more of that, but the boy was a leeeeeettttleeee busy processing all his other trauma, soooo... we take what we can get.
(Again, to most of the people who follow me- probably not a book most of you would like. This is your disclaimer. But still read The Boy Who Steals Houses. 🙃)
July 2, 2024
Het laatste deel ook uitgelezen en wat een verhaal. Het is iets meer psychologisch dan de andere twee delen wat het echt super interessant maakt. Er zit zoveel verschil tussen Sam en Avery in vergelijking tot boek 3 dan boek 1. Sam is zo’n interessant karakter en de found family arc is echt geweldig. Ze verdienen echt de wereld. Avery en Jeremy zijn echt een perfecte match. Dit boek was misschien nog wel beter geschreven dan de tweede. De tweede blijft toch mijn favoriet omdat Jeremy mijn favoriete karakter is en die daar z’n eigen pov’s heeft. Ook bijzonder hoe het eerste boek alleen Sam’s pov heeft, het tweede boek Avery en Jeremy en het derde boek Sam en Avery.
January 22, 2024
It’s over. It ended. No thoughts, only screaming.
I wish, I really wish I could give a coherent explanation of this series and what I love about it, but I fear it is impossible.
As much as I love this series and would read it forever if I could, I do truly believe this book had the perfect ending and was a brilliant conclusion to the series. It wrapped everything up so well, it gave us (and them) hope.
Honestly, I was so scared to read the ending but I keep thinking about it now (even almost two weeks later) and it's one of the most satisfying endings to a story or series I've seen.
I wish, I really wish I could give a coherent explanation of this series and what I love about it, but I fear it is impossible.
As much as I love this series and would read it forever if I could, I do truly believe this book had the perfect ending and was a brilliant conclusion to the series. It wrapped everything up so well, it gave us (and them) hope.
Honestly, I was so scared to read the ending but I keep thinking about it now (even almost two weeks later) and it's one of the most satisfying endings to a story or series I've seen.
May 29, 2024
Love the Triologie - can recommend each of the three books, I was literally addicted to read it. And great opportunity to support via Patreon - but I really don't get into my head that the publisher reject to publish the following books.
Therefore - go and read this stunning story about Avery, Sammy & the De Laineys
Therefore - go and read this stunning story about Avery, Sammy & the De Laineys
September 14, 2024
5 🌟
A great story to end the trilogy :’). was lovely yet painful to learn more about sam and his autism, and how he comes to slowly accept it. couldn’t not double read the avery x jeremy moments my fave. jack and grady also became some of my fave characters, I loved reading about them and their interactions with their siblings & the lou brothers.
A great story to end the trilogy :’). was lovely yet painful to learn more about sam and his autism, and how he comes to slowly accept it. couldn’t not double read the avery x jeremy moments my fave. jack and grady also became some of my fave characters, I loved reading about them and their interactions with their siblings & the lou brothers.
December 13, 2023
Completely worth the minor cost of subscribing to the author’s Patreon. It’s a sweet, beautiful book with a lot of angst and a lot of love. I particularly loved Sam’s arc as he grew to accept his autism. But why are my boys allergic to good decisions 😭
December 24, 2023
PHENOMENAL!!!!!!! Absolutely no words!!! This whole series has my heart in a chokehold!!!!! I’m in love!!!!! C.G is an amazing author!!!! Sam, Avery, and the De’laney family will forever live on in my head!!!! Read this series!!!!!
May 1, 2025
A really good continuation of what happens after Sammy gets out of juvie. I loved seeing the two brothers reunited together again. And Sammy and Mocie try their hardest to save the De Lainey house. CG Drew’s is an incredible writer!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 11, 2024
This is a beautiful conclusion to a beautiful series and I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to read it.
August 7, 2024
An amazing ending to a wonderfully brilliant series.
November 17, 2024
What a wonderful ending ahhh :')
I love this family.
I love this family.
December 11, 2024
THIS SERIES WILL NEVER FUCKING DISAPPOINT. The characters are raw and alive and the writing drinks you into their world and I wish a thousand times that I could read this shit AGAIN!
December 31, 2024
finishing this was bittersweet, i’m gonna miss these characters so much!
June 16, 2024
I read this book over the 5 months C.G. Drew posted it on her Patreon (paperfury) and it was definitely an emotional experience. Every week I couldn’t stop thinking about it. There are many important social themes in this series that are touched upon like: prison systems, disability rights, autism, the needs of children, homelessness, mental health, what abuse does to someone (specifically children), and the different ways trauma affects people.
Sam holds such a special place in my heart. I’ve never understood a character as much as him. This trilogy is just so near and dear to me. Mandatory reading if you want to date me or be my friend lol. Highly highly recommend. It’s an emotional roller coaster from beginning to end but you’ll be on the edge of your seat wondering what happens next.
Sam holds such a special place in my heart. I’ve never understood a character as much as him. This trilogy is just so near and dear to me. Mandatory reading if you want to date me or be my friend lol. Highly highly recommend. It’s an emotional roller coaster from beginning to end but you’ll be on the edge of your seat wondering what happens next.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews