Home Sweet Home

by Karin Nordin

A brand-new gripping psychological thriller perfect for fans of Lucy Clarke and Lisa Jewell. PRE-ORDER NOW!Zora was only sixteen when she lost everyone. The commune she called home and the people she called family gone in the blink of an eye. She’s spent twenty years trying to block it out, to reinvent herself and forget the other five survivors.

But then the letters start arriving.

Someone remembers and they won’t let her forget what’s coming. After all this time, her previous life is catching up to her. Drawn back to the commune, Zora must face her past and the other survivors – the only people who truly understand what she’s been through.

But will the ghosts of their shared past threaten her future?

Readers LOVE Karin book is going to be one of my best reads this year'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'TREMENDOUS!!!! Who saw that ending coming?!'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A gripping psychological thriller that explores the complexities of identity and deception, with a twist-filled plot and an unforgettable conclusion.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Wow!!!! Absolutely brilliant ending. I highly recommend it.'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

480 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 9, 2026

About the author

Karin Nordin has been a compulsive reader of thrilling stories since childhood and discovered her love of Scandinavian crime fiction during summers spent visiting family in Norway and Sweden. She has worked in healthcare and education, including as a pharmacy technician, karate instructor, and an English language teacher for the Dutch military. She completed the Creative Writing MSc from the University of Edinburgh with Distinction in 2019 and also holds an MA in Scandinavian Literary Studies from the University of Amsterdam. Born in ‘The Biggest Little City in the World’ and raised in America’s Rust Belt, she now lives in the Netherlands. Her first novel, Where Ravens Roost, will be published by HQ Digital, an imprint of Harper Collins UK, in 2021.

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Reviews

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

22nd May, 2026, The Day of Ascendance
Zora Star has goosebumps, it could be her last day on earth. Her life has been on hold for 20 years, waiting for this day to prove to herself that none of what goes before is true. She’s tried to move on, to reinvent herself, but the past hurts and haunts her. She’s back at the commune with four other survivors, preparing to face her past and whatever is to come on this day.

It takes me awhile to get into this as confusion reigns but then something clicks and I find myself transfixed. It’s an intriguing read and a different one for this author and I applaud her for that. It goes back-and-forth between the past and the present day, explaining what goes before and what leads to this day and it escalates in tension as it goes.

It’s a dark thriller with characters full of delusions (one assumes!) and Zora‘s uncertainty contrasts sharply with that of June, another survivor. The atmosphere is constantly uneasy and the dynamics between the five are really intriguing, and it constantly shifts and changes, challenging expectations. There’s shock after shock for Zora as her memory of the past is hazy which means one plot twist after another. The ending is a total leftfield shocker and definitely in the jaw dropper class. Well played.

My only criticism is the length of the book at 480 pages. In my opinion it doesn’t need to be so long.

Overall, this is a good blended character driven, mystery/psychological thriller and an interesting take on what it means to survive a cataclysmic event and the burdens that are carried as a consequence.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HQ for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.

[Book Night Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this was a story that kept me intrigued!!!

The story started with Zora, a survivor of a mass suicide cult receiving a letter from another one of the survivors. It called her back home to where it all started, on the day which was supposed to change everyone's lives!

The story went on different trajectories. In the beginning, Zora's life showed her trying to cope with the world and her struggles. Then, the setting shifts to the commune and the story got a lot more interesting.

For one thing, the alternating chapters made it all the more interesting to read. The snippets from past showed how different the life at commune had been and how Zora and the others lived. The reunion of the survivors also was fascinating to read.

Then came the adrenaline packed moments and the story took on a fast pace. This was the part which was my favourite in the entire book. Not to mention, the ending kept the vibe of the thriller going and I loved it!!!

[Denis Wheller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thirty six years ago Zora was born into a doomsday cult. Twenty years ago a mass suicide left Zora, and five other teens, as the only survivors. These six were the “Cosmic Chosen”, anointed by the prophet, Bill Baxter, to live until the day of the “Ascendance”, when aliens from another galaxy will come to take them to a new world where they will regenerate the souls of those dead cultists. On the same day the current earth and all its inhabitants will be destroyed by fire. And that day is now approaching! During that intervening twenty years Zora has lived as a troubled recluse, haunted by memories of the bodies scattered through the commune, trying to convince herself that the beliefs of the community were delusions, that Bill Baxter was an egomaniac mass murderer. Nevertheless, against her rational judgement, she feels drawn back to the derelict site. Will the other five “Chosen”, with whom she has had no contact since the event, also feel this way? Will they all return? Will the aliens arrive? There’s only one way to find the answers to these questions. She has to go back!
This is a dark, psychological thriller, cleverly and intensely written with a constant air of uncertainty. It is told in two main time lines; Zora’s actions in the present and Zora’s memories of the past. She is, unsurprisingly, an unreliable narrator, deeply affected by the trauma, uncertain of her beliefs, suspicious of everyone she meets because they are “outsiders”. The reader must bear in mind that what is being revealed may not be true, that her views will swing wildly as she analyses and reanalyses everything which happened and continue to happen. Twists are expected in thrillers, of course, and these pile up as we head to the final resolution – and then continue after that point. Right to the last reveal, in fact, right to the last word!
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

[Kath · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a couple of books by this author, including her series featuring Det Kjeld Nygaard and I have to say she's high on my watch list.
In this book we meet Zora who, at the age of sixteen, watched her life implode when she lost everyone and everything important to her. Only her and five other children survived the commune and she has spent a long time just trying to be normal. But the day of reckoning is upon her! A date set in stone. In her life and the lives of the other five chosen. Determined not to ever be drawn back into that world, twenty years have gone by and she has always wondered... And then there's Guy who came to her to find answers... And the letters she is getting... Anyway... it's be a very short boring book if she just left it at that and didn't go back... And boy did it escalate when she did!
Told in the present with the 6 chosen returning to complete the prophecy, the narrative is peppered with just the right amount of flashbacks to commune life and what happened on that fateful day to add colour, clarity, and also progress the narrative. It definitely hit the ground running for me, ramped up the tension and intrigue early one and delivered a rather explosive and satisfying ending. It did get a wee bit messy along the way though and a few things came a bit out of left field but I also didn't see the half of what was coming! A definite few jaw dropping moments!
And Zora is just the best character. Flawed in all the right ways, she came across as wholly believable all the way through. Other characters took a wee while to get my head round - and that's not a criticism, you'll get what I mean when you read the book. Suffice to say, a couple kept me guessing all the way through!
And the ending was just perfect... and shocking...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Home Sweet Home is a gripping psychological thriller that pulls you in from the very first page. Karin Nordin takes a chilling premise—a woman who escaped a commune as a teenager, only to be dragged back decades later—and turns it into a story that’s both emotionally resonant and relentlessly suspenseful.

Zora is a fantastic protagonist: guarded, resilient, and shaped by a past she’s spent twenty years trying to outrun. The moment the letters begin arriving, you can feel her carefully rebuilt life start to crack. Nordin captures that creeping dread beautifully, layering tension without ever losing sight of Zora’s humanity.

The return to the commune is where the novel really shines. The atmosphere is thick with unease, and the dynamic between the surviving members is wonderfully complex—part shared trauma, part unspoken resentment, part fragile connection. These are the only people who truly understand what happened, yet they’re also the ones Zora fears most. That push‑and‑pull gives the story a compelling emotional depth.

As the past unravels, the novel becomes a clever blend of mystery and psychological tension. Nordin keeps the revelations coming at just the right pace, and the question of who is behind the letters—and why now—keeps you turning pages.

Dark, immersive, and surprisingly heartfelt, Home Sweet Home is a gripping exploration of memory, survival, and the ghosts we carry. A perfect pick for fans of Lisa Jewell and Lucy Clarke.

My thanks to Karin Nordin, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Home Sweet Home is a very, very good entertaining and thrilling read. Karin Nordin has a great writing style and weaves a story told with such ease I was lured in right from the start. This quickly became one of those moreish books that I would pick up again and again and continue reading whenever I could.

I like Zora who lives in a commune until she is 16. She leaves after a tragic event to live in the outside world and returns to the commune years later along with those she grew up with to see if the day she was prepared for comes.

I love how the story moves from past to present so easily and effortlessly. The authors writing is beautifully descriptive, for me, the characters jump out of the pages and into my mind and I could picture them and their lives both in and away from the commune. I think the plot is very believable and realistic. I love the hints the author constantly gives that got my interest and attention - and made me constantly think how on earth is this all going to end? I think the author has done a great job writing Home Sweet Home, the build up of tension and suspense is so well done and the cliff hanger chapter endings really complement the story. Whilst I may not have liked all of the characters I did have empathy for the ones who struggled with life outside the commune and fight their demons just to survive.

This is my fourth read by Karin Nordin and she has never disappointed at all. I would definitely recommend this if you like a book with lots of mystery and suspense.

4 stars

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suspenseful, plenty of twists😯🏞

Not my favorite of the novels I've read by this author but it does keep up the suspense and had me fully engaged. The chapters are not too brief, but they're short enough to make you keep going "for just one more" over and over. Karin Nordin uses flashbacks to different periods leading up to The Big Event (the zero hour in May 2026 when the alien arrival so long anticipated is predicted) and alternating time periods worked well for me to explain how Zora and the other five survivors of the cult's mass suicide arrived at this point.

A fair part of the suspense is wrapped up in questioning if events really happened as Zora recalls. [Clue: she's not the most reliable of narrators] The twists in the latter chapters were totally unexpected (something that appealed to me) and the story ends on a strange note (less appealing). I just felt the story was a trifle too long and, it was odd the way the prolonged discussion of the cult's beliefs sort of seemed like an attempt to justify their actions and convert the reader to their way of thinking(!)

The style of writing reminded me a bit of the psychological thriller bordering on horror novels of Swedish author Camilla Sten.

Trigger warning: suicide, mass suicide and child grooming.

Thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

[Tessa Pacelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my long-standing fascinations is cults. What is the strange charisma these leaders have over vulnerable people that makes cults possible in the first place? When I think of the Branch Davidians (David Koresh), Heaven’s Gate (Marshall Applewhite), and NXIVM (Keith Raniere), among others, *I* see SERIOUSLY creepy guys. The kind I would run a million miles away from. And yet we know they had tremendous psychological power over their followers, with the ability to convince them to do almost anything.

In Home Sweet Home, the main character Zora grew up in a remote commune that was essentially a cult, one that ended in tragedy. It’s something she has spent years trying to forget and distance herself from. But when she begins receiving mysterious messages connected to the commune and the people who lived there, she realizes the past isn’t finished with her. As she reconnects with the other former members, long-buried secrets begin to surface, and Zora must figure out who she can trust and what really happened all those years ago.

The story is expertly crafted and atmospheric. The ending is especially strong and ties everything together in a way that feels both surprising and inevitable. Highly recommended for fans of psychological thrillers and twist endings. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and HarperCollins for the advance read.

[Mrs · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started to read this book I thought not for me as I do not read alien/space travel etc books but am pleased to carried on as it proved not to be the case to a degree. Zora belonged to a doomsday cult until she disappeared at the age of 16. At that time there was a mass suicide. Zora and 5 other teenagers survived as they were chosen by Bill Baxter, the leader of the cult, to regenerate after the “Ascendance”. This is the day the aliens in their spaceships will visit the earth and take them to another galaxy. In this galaxy all will be reunited and continue in this new world. Zora struggles through the next 20 years not being able to get out of her head all the dead including her mother. Who was the creator of the mass suicide. One of the things she remembers clearly are paper cups littering the camp. Zora goes through many sessions with therapists but her life is difficult. She struggles with crowds and holding down a job. Eventually the chosen meet at the old camp and this opens a debate about the alien invasion – will it happen or not. The book goes backwards and forwards at pace and as a reader you are always wondering what will happen next. You have to wait almost to the end to find out. Another enjoyable read

[Adaliareads · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠’

A thriller based around an alien doomsday cult and it’s only known six survivors who are reluctantly reuniting twenty years later, my interest was immediately peaked from the beginning 👀.

I love a story about a cult and what was interesting to see was how each survivor had spent the last twenty years and the sheer difference in their lives and careers. As expected, not everyone thrived after leaving, and being born into a community like that, it’s hard for some to fully recover and adapt.

What I love most about Karin’s writing, is how well she can maintain a high level of suspense, without revealing too much at once.

This got dark in places, and took some turns that I was not expecting, which only made me want to continue reading!

My favourite thing was that absolutely jaw dropping last minute reveal. She really knows how to leave you gobsmacked and wanting more 🙌🏻

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a read.

I’m not even sure where to begin.

At the heart of this story is broken people. People impacted by huge amounts of trauma and the way their lives unfold as a result of it. This is done very well. The untangling of an impossible tangle of lives that were once so intertwined. It’s easy to see how we reached the end of the story, the way it is written.

The characters are both amazing and awful in equal measure, not in a badly written way, in a complex humans way. They’re very well written characters. You may love them, you may hate them, you may love and hate them at the same time. But they’re real.

On the whole, this is a very well written book and overall I would recommend it to anyone who likes stories that really tear characters apart and try to build them back up. If you like the complexities of the human existence, this story will give you a really great book to read.

After sharing some feedback directly with the publisher, an issue I’d found has been resolved - something I am really glad to see. They listened and they acted. So I’ve amended this review to remove mention of the previous issue.

If I could give a half star, I would probably go for 4.5 now the issue has been resolved.

[Jo-anne Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brought up in an extended family compound, Zora was named as one of the Chosen, then her life changed as her group all died. Twenty years later, Zora and the remaining five chosen ones are approaching the day of Ascendance when they will be taken to a new planet and populate it with the faithful, the Emerald Empyrean. Zora has struggled to breakaway from her past but she is drawn back to the Appalachian woods where it all started and where it will end.
This is a crazy ride of a book! Initially it is all about a woman trying to escape her past with a cult. That part is really interesting. Then is moves to a reunion with madness and death which gets weirder and weirder. The final twist is actually not needed but fits the whole vibe of the book.

[Manju Bhatia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read.
Zora was only sixteen when she lost everyone. The commune she called home and the people she called family gone in the blink of an eye. She’s spent twenty years trying to block it out, to reinvent herself and forget the other five survivors. But then the letters start arriving. Someone remembers and they won’t let her forget what’s coming. After all this time, her previous life is catching up to her. Drawn back to the commune, Zora must face her past and the other survivors the only people who truly understand what she’s been through. But will the ghosts of their shared past threaten her future?
It's a fun read if you ignore some chapters where I didn't know why the author was dragging the story. But overall it's a good read.

[Farah G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zora is one of only 6 survivors of the commune that she once called home, losing everything that was familiar to her in a tragic incident which meant that it all disappeared in the blink of an eye. She has spent decades putting it all behind her but sometimes the past does not recede gently.

And when someone starts sending her anonymous messages, which hold coded meanings, it becomes clear that Zora's past has not receded at all...

Karin Nordin delivers another satisfying read with this latest thriller. It will undoubtedly be a hit with readers in this genre.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Vikki ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOWZER! THAT ENDING!!! I genuinely need to sit in a dark room, on my own and process what on earth I have just read!

I’ll admit, at the beginning I was questioning my choices… “Have I made a mistake picking this one up?” Well, let me tell you… ABSOLUTELY NOT!

I stuck with it, and THANK GOODNESS I did because once this book had me hooked, there was no putting it down!

I really don’t want to say too much because this is one of those books to experience for yourself, the spoilers will ruin it.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only 5 have survived. Zora has tried to forget her past. Has worked hard. However, she is receiving letters. Letters that are threatening her future. What has Zora done? Who is sending these letters? What do they want? I LOVED THIS BOOK. I found myself not being able to put this book down. Please do not sleep on this one, you will not be disappointed.

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read several of this author’s novels and have loved every one. Sadly, this one did not meet my expectations. I’m sure it will be very successful, it’s just that I don’t enjoy reading about cults and aliens. The writing, as usual, was excellent. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

[JXR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense, interesting thriller with a very unique style to it - apocalyptic cult thrillers are always fun, and this one was especially unique. 5 stars. tysm for the E-ARC.

[Paige Nuckols · Rating 2 out of 5]

Y’all know I love a cult book but this one just draaaaggggggeeeeddddd on forever. There were literally so many fakeouts every 5 seconds of who was actually crazy or if certain things were real. 👎👎

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book read really slow. It had some interesting parts but mostly drug on and on. And I hated the ending.

[Ashley Early · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ First of all, I want to say that this book is nothing like I’ve ever read before. The concept definitely seemed out there and I got a little worried it may end up too “unrealistic” for my taste. However, I ended up hooked. The twists at the end I did not see coming and everything was well written. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to check out more by Karin Nordin! Again, thank you to #netgalley for the opportunity to read and review another captivating thriller!