Open House

by Katie Sise

A missing young woman, ten years gone. A town still held in the grip of an unsolved mystery. A breathtaking novel of psychological suspense by the bestselling author of We Were Mothers . A decade ago in upstate New York, art student Emma McCullough walked into the woods and was never seen again. It’s a mystery that still haunts her bucolic university town and her broken family, especially her sister, Haley, whose need for closure has become an obsession. But now, finally, the first piece of evidence in the vanishing has been Emma’s bracelet, lodged in a frozen piece of earth at the bottom of a gorge. For Emma’s three best college friends, for a beloved former teacher, and for Haley, the chilling trinket is more than a clue in a resurrected cold case. It’s a trigger. Then a woman is attacked during an open house, and the connections between the two crimes, ten winters apart, begin to surface. So do the secrets that run as deep and dark as the currents in this quiet river town.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Audiobook, Crime

255 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2020

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm... I can hear the approaching choo choo disappointed readers’ train! I hate that song! I hate to write reviews about meh, well I did everything to find something positive but I wasted my efforts and I’m still bored books!

Uninteresting characters, foreseeable twists, I read at least hundred books like this storyline made me dull woman ( all read and no dance! )

A decade ago Emma, a young art student walks in the woods and nobody hears from her after that haunted day. Her little sister Haley and her family gets devastated and cannot move on their lives. And years after first piece of evidence comes out: a bracelet.

Haley and her husband goes to the station to identify the bracelet and at the same week, at the open house where they meet with her realtor/ best friend is found stabbed, lying on the floor. Investigation starts urgently by interrogating people who stopped by at the open house. And guess what? All the visitors of the open house are connected with Emma’s disappearance. Yeah, what a big coincidence, isn’t it?

Anyways we got our answers at the final but we already knew them before a few chapters ago. It was so obvious!

I’m giving my 2.5 stars rounding up to 3 : I didn’t like it or hate it Switzerland stars! At least it was fast reading and I will probably forget it a few second later! Okay, I already did. Let’s skip to the more juicy materials , I’m dying to read a good thriller right now!

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another month, another below average Amazon Prime First Reads book. The premise sounded interesting, but OPEN HOUSE lacked originality and characters or even a victim I cared about.

[Mary Kubica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katie Sise has outdone herself with OPEN HOUSE, her latest ingenious addition to the world of domestic suspense. A sly, stirring whodunnit with an ending that’s nothing short of perfection. A must read!

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book felt incredibly misogynistic. It was even more unsettling consider it was written by a woman.
All the female characters were painted in such negative and demoralizing ways:
~Emma was a slut who deserved to die for it.
~Priya is a woman with crippling anxiety who allowed her husband to be a serial cheater and over medicate her because she didn't want to be without him.
~Haley depended on her fiancé for emotional support and stability.

It would have been nice to have a least one strong, redeemable female character.
Outside of that issue, this story as a whole lacked suspense. It was very obvious early on who did what despite all the red herrings.

This isn't a book I would recommend because there's just too many good thrillers out there to bother with this one.
And I'm very much not interested in reading anything else from this writer.

[Nessrina Hazem · Rating 2 out of 5]

جرايم امريكاني تاني لأ يا علي
والله بخبرتي المحدودة في روايات الجرائم كان ممكن احط نهاية احلى من كدة للرواية🙄
كل اللي جه في دماغي و تخميناتي أتفههم طلعت هي النهاية😏
مع ذلك الترجمة مفيهاش اي مشاكل و مفيش مط و تطويل في الأحداث. بس بجد اختيار القاتل أهبل اوي اوي 🤷🏻‍♀️

[RedRedtheycallmeRed · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read "We Were Mothers" by this author (also a Kindle First book) awhile back, and though I didn't love it, it was better than this book.

Told through the POV of three women: Haley and Priya in present day, and Emma 10 years prior before she disappeared. Haley was so weird, I didn't get her character at all. I kept waiting for some kind of explanation of why she was so robotic, but there was none. Priya seemed to have some mental health issues that magically went away at the conclusion of the book (eyeroll), she seemed to have no life outside of constantly worrying about her 10-year-old son.

As soon as Emma's chapters started it was obvious who the villain was, so there really wasn't much suspense. Emma was either in denial or completely oblivious as to what was going on around her and I kept wanted to scream "WAKE UP, GIRL!" so she would finally open her eyes.

The police detectives must have been the most inept ever that they couldn't figure anything out when Emma disppeared, but a decade later they seemed to be all over it with only one tiny new piece of evidence. The last Emma chapter actually did reveal a surprising twist, but it was a little too late to salvage the story.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so I liked this book! I know there are a lot of GR readers who did not.

Well...thought it had a good solid story base and it kept my interest all the way through to the end!

So many characters were involved in young Emma’s disappearance, both at the time of her missing, to ten years later when the case is reopened after a rogue discovery of her bracelet in the canyon where she disappeared is found.

Secrets and deceptions run amuck throughout this story and it certainly kept me guessing and entertained.

My rating: 4 solid stars

[chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

points deducted for prologue. so much narration instead of dialogue
its disturbing how much narration instead of dialogue.
example:
'A barista called out a drink order, and Haley tried to pull herself from her thoughts. She thanked Josie and Noah for the coffee and took a sip, forcing a smile as they watched her.'
didn’t get really interesting until 73%.
and the ending just sort of wasn’t worth all the build-up, for me.

[Foxy Vixen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book takes place in New York in Waverly. You are dealing with present and a death that happened 10 years ago. Author does a great job of going from past to present and back again all thru the book. The suspense has you until the very end. Drugs, alcohol and jealousy, certainly don’t mix. And, oh yea, cheating men, but what’s new about that.. nothing!

[Eloise Stroud · Rating 2 out of 5]

10 years ago, Emma disappeared. Many believed it was suicide, however Emma's younger sister Hayley has always been convinced this was not the case. When a bracelet is found near where Emma went missing, the case is opened back up.

The story consists of a few main characters:
- Hayley (Emma's sister),
- Dean - Hayley's fiance
- Josie and Noah a married couple who were Emma's friends at college
- Brad - Hayley's medical college tutor
- Priya - Brad's wife.

The story is told in short chapters from the viewpoints of Hayley, Priya and flashbacks to Emma 10 years ago when she was in college.

I just felt this book was a bit bland/meh to be honest. It was so obvious pretty quickly who the perpetrator was and even though it was a relatively short book, it was so dragged out. Fillers of irrelevant detail were all too frequent, as were the words "incredible" and "incredulous". The story was pretty bizarre and unbelievable and I didn't particularly warm to any of the characters at all. The policy/detectives were barely mentioned and then suddenly they popped up to say they'd solved the case near the end.

I'm afraid this just wasn't my cup of tea.

[Celeste Velocci (bookrecs_by_celeste) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this one up on a whim looking for a quick kindle unlimited thriller audio and I’m so glad that I did. I finished it in less than 24 hours. It was a solid thriller that kept me guessing until the epilogue. I thought it was very interesting and well written.

Ten years ago Haley loses her sister Emma. Not having justice or answers for what happened to her sister a decade ago Haley dives into her own investigation after Emma’s bracelet is found years later in the spot she was last seen. Told in alternating timelines find out what really happened all those years ago and who is responsible such a terrible crime.

I really loved the sister relationship throughout the book. I love a sibling bond so I thought Haley never giving up on justice for her sister added a lot of emotion and element to the story.

[Chandra Claypool (WhereTheReaderGrows) · Rating 3 out of 5]

You all have probably been wondering what's happening with me this month as I've mostly read genres OTHER than thrillers but here I am y'all!! 👋 This is my second by this author, the first being We Were Mothers, and I have basically the same feelings.

In a nutshell, if you like thrillers on the lighter side with dual timelines and more than one POV, this is the book for you! The plot does move at a quick pace and it's an easy one-sit binge read. A lot of coincidences happening here, (for me) very predictable and a storyline you're used to if you read a lot of thrillers. Now, I've said this before and I still stand by it - even if a story is predictable, it can still be very enjoyable and this is definitely an entertaining read. And there was *one* part that I didn't quite see coming. However, by that point I was just, "ah.. yeah, ok". It's fun to hate on some of these characters. The drama is real y'all... and that's what makes it so fun.

I don't know, friends. I have no real feelings one way or the other so am putting this one in the middle. 🤷 I'm not mad I read it but I'll likely forget about it now that I'm done.

[Aisling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent plotting!

This book's red herrings had me changing my mind a LOT. It is so well laid out (alternating chapters between the present and 10 years ago when the sister disappeared) and information revealed so carefully that the reader is really caught up in solving the mystery.

I did think it was a little slow starting (although in hindsight that is so you know enough about several characters to doubt them) but it was so worth sticking with it. A great mystery and it closes with a perfect segue into future series (when we learn of Haley's profession). I would definitely read more about Haley solving cases!

[kayleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

my feelings are kind of mixed on this one. it was good for what it was, but it definitely wasn’t anything great or groundbreaking. it was entertaining and an easy read, but i also didn’t love katie sise’s writing – particularly when it came to the ridiculous amount of narration compared to dialogue. a lot of telling instead of showing as well. the mystery also wasn’t much of a mystery, and i felt like it was obvious pretty early on who killed emma. but, like i said, it was good for what it was and i was entertained enough to get through it.

3 stars

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This 3.5 Star thriller kept me reading late into the night.

SUMMARY
Haley's beloved sister Emma disappeared from an college camping trip/party her junior year. In the ten year since, the police could never conclusively determine what happened. For ten years, her father was convinced she ran away while Haley and her mother assumed she was dead. A lot of people thought she had committed suicide, jumping from cliff into a frigid river. Haley KNEW Emma would NEVER have done that.

Ten years later, a bracelet belonging to Emma was randomly found on the bank of the river and the case was reopened.

The same week Haley was called in to identify the bracelet, she and her husband visited an open house only to find their realtor (Emma's former BFF) lying on the kitchen floor unconscious and bleeding from a stab wound.

All the visitors to the open house were called to the police station where it is revealed that they all had a connection to Emma. In fact, they all had contact with her the day she disappeared. What an odd coincidence! Or was it a coincidence...

The plot jumps back and forth in time between the days following the bracelet discovery and the days surrounding Emma disappearance. We learn how each of the open house attendees are connected to Emma and to each other and how her disappearance would have benefit each one. The police investigation uncovers all kinds of hidden truths, finally providing long awaited answers.

WHAT I LOVED
I loved Emma and Haley's sister connection. They were several years apart, yet they were still each others closest, most trusted confidant. Haley never stopped searching for Emma, she loved her so much.

The plot moves quickly and doesn't get bogged down in excessive detail. It was easy to lose myself in the book and forget my bedtime.

There was one really good twist near the end that change the way I saw everything.

WHAT I DIDN'T LOVE
Aside from the one great twist, the ending was excruciatingly predictable.

OVERALL
If you are looking for a quick read and enjoy a light thriller that doesn't require a lot of thought, this is the book for you.

[Paul Henry · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Open House" definitely didn't do it for me. The plot, as far as I got into the book (I read about 60%), revolves around the disappearance of a college student, Emily and ten years afterwards the non fatal stabbing of her college room mate Josie. Haley, Emily's younger sister, is the main character in the book. Chapters jump around timeframes, and viewpoints of various characters. I found it somewhat confusing, even with guides at the head of each chapter indicating the present or past, and which character was speaking to the reader. Dialogue was stilted and the events depicted, especially involving the police, unbelievable. If you're looking for a good "whodunit" to spend some time with, there are many better options out there to choose from.

[Kristen (kraysbookclub) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightfully page-turning murder mystery chock-filled with absolutely terrible humans that simply get more terribler. You’ve got bratty jerks, creepy creepsters, a decade old dead body, a newly stabbed lass, and you can literally trust no one! And just when you think that they couldn’t get more awful...they doooo!

[Bea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this as a Prime First Read pick. The writing is rather poor. The story is a typical modern mystery that goes back and forth in time between three or four people. I figured out who done it, but by the time I finished it, I didn't really care. Puzzled by the high ratings.

[Nadia · Rating 2 out of 5]

جريمة قتل مع نهاية متوقعة و كليشيه بعض الشئ

[Janet Hutchinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A so-so mystery. I found the plot to be predictable, and the characters were rather flat. I particularly had a hard time keeping track of the men and the role they played in Emma's life. I didn’t even like Haley much, although she grew on me (sort of) by the end.

[Zibby Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a crime that happened ten years ago. A girl named Emma walked into the woods on her Upstate New York campus and was never seen again. Her disappearance has haunted her family for years. Haley, the younger sister, drives the story and feels like she is the only one who can solve her sister's death, so she returns home. At the very beginning, Emma's bracelet was found in a strange part of the woods. The police assumed she jumped and caused her own death, but the location proves that's no longer possible.

The book alters back and forth between the present-day time and the past. We meet many of the people who were there the night Emma died. We experience them as college kids and now as high-functioning adults who may have been involved. Then a woman is attacked during an open house, and there are connections between the two crimes. Haley has to get to the bottom of what's happened. She's pulled back to her family home and the scene of the crime, literally. The theme of open houses runs throughout the book. It looks like a beautiful home, but perhaps it's not.

To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/kat...

[Erth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't a bad book, but at the same time I don't think it's worthy of all the glowing five star reviews. Don't really need to go into the plot as the synopsis covers that adequately, but it focuses on a group of friends who knew each other in college and all have connections to a girl who disappeared ten years beforehand. Interesting yes, but not enthralling. I made it through to the end but didn't really have any serious motivation to get there.

This book employs one of my most hated storytelling devices, which is constantly jumping between the past and present. I get what the author is trying to do in giving us some insight into the actions of Emma but when you're switching timelines between every chapter (keep in mind most chapters are only a few pages long) it makes it impossible to get any kind of flow going. I grew to hate the dreaded "10 years ago" chapter headings.

[Kathy Brackin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It had its moments when was really suspenseful then it was a bit slow still gave 4 stars

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now this is what you call a twisty thriller! Sise has developed an amazing cast of characters that really pop off the page and all have reason to be involved in Emma’s disappearance. Sise works in lots of twists I never saw coming and made it impossible for me to put the book down! I was sneaking in chapters between projects at work. I highly recommend grabbing this one if you’re looking for a bingeable thriller. And I bet not even the best arm chair detective can figure out what really happened before the big reveal!

[D · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know how this book ended up on my Kindle. I have no recollection of pirating it obtaining it online or choking up $10 for it.

Listen, this book took me 3 hours to read, and not once did I enjoy myself. So I'm going to enjoy myself here in this text box, where I shall bitch into the abyss.

Where do I start? Haley is bland, boring, and beige. I could not care less about her strife if I tried--yet I knew if I put the book down, I would not want to come back to it; so I forced myself through her tale and came out on the other side a haggard woman who could give Priya a run for her depressive money. It's rather unfortunate that the book's synoposis is as intriguing as it is--call that an act of perjury.

Also, weird transitions between first and third-person POV? Emma's section hit me over the head and dragged me back to circa 2010's Wattpad, where I'm sure this book would've fit right in. Same vibe and all.

Speaking of Wattpad-esque tropes, why are all the female characters' arcs centred around men? Goddamn, this book is a contender for the Straightest:tm: thing I've ever read. If I wanted copious descriptions of eye colour and stupid eye descriptors (ORBS??? In MY published adult fiction? It's more likely than you think), I would've settled for bad fanfiction. Eyes, eyes, eyes, it's ALWAYS ABOUT THE F***ING EYES. Does the author have an obsession with blue eyes?

Also, what in Baphomet's good name was that ending? Josie's confession? It would have been a fantastic moment to make her a sympathetic villain (assuming the reader forgets her terrible attitude towards Emma (who I also dislike, but this isn't about her) for no good reason), but again it falls flat. We're back to male-centric motivation. Yay. I had to double check to see if this book had made a name for itself on Wattpad or Radish, but no. Twas Amazon. Bezos's list of crimes grows ever-longer.

tl;dr: maybe choose a different novel. this one isn't worth the headache.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

”How is anyone supposed to know who the good ones are? Maybe there’s not even such a thing as good; maybe there are only shades of gray and circumstances and people reacting to them in myriad ways. Maybe no one should be surprised by anything anyone does. Maybe we’re all just animals trying to survive.”

Ten years ago, Haley’s older sister Emma walked into the woods near her university campus and vanished. No reason was ever given and she was never heard from again. Fast forward to the present and Haley is still on a quest to figure out what happened to her beloved sister. Little does she know that an open house would provide the answers she so desperately craves.

Writing reviews for ‘”meh” books are hard. What can one write about a book that was just average? You didn’t love the book by any means, but you don’t hate it with a burning passion. It’s middle of the road. It’s like eating vanilla ice cream with no toppings on it. It’s not even solid; it’s just there.

Unfortunately, this book was just that. It was just there. It was a fine, average, bland domestic thriller. There was nothing that made this book exciting. You can guess the plot twist miles away. The characters are just so Average Andys that you don’t really care about the outcome or where they end up. They were just… there.

That’s another thing about average books. All your vocabulary seems to go away and you can’t find the words to describe just how nightmarishly average the book you just read was.

In short, this book was an absolutely average read that brought nothing new to the table. There are better domestic thrillers out there to start out with.

[coty ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

two stars for the story; the ending is somewhat rushed, and overall the execution is sloppy, especially with regard to the setup for the potential suspects and all of their motivations (it just comes across as unnecessarily difficult, almost to a detrimental degree.) + another star for the characters, who, despite their painful conformity to certain mystery/thriller stereotypes, have distinct voices, rather than blending together.

the shift between first and third person is somewhat grating, but i can see and appreciate the sentiment.

[Janeen Swart · Rating 3 out of 5]

OPEN HOUSE is difficult to get into. Many pages are spent setting up the story and we go back and forth in time a lot so this is also confusing. There are some unexpected twists, but not until the very end. Emma, the girl who goes missing is presented as promiscuous and this gets her into huge trouble. Guess how? You're right and most of the book is just as predictable. OPEN HOUSE just doesn't build the suspense that is necessary to make this book a top notch thriller.

[Jenn Ciuchta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amazon’s Prime First Read. The plot sounded decent but the book fell flat. Too many characters and not enough focus on any one of them to be able to relate. Typical whodunnit with everyone sleeping with everyone else at some point over the 10 year span.

[Alexis]

Not feeling this one...