Home Is Where the Bodies Are

by Amanda East

Savannah Raymore ran away from her entire life 10 years ago. She packed her bags, moved hours away, and cut off contact with everyone she had ever known. Now, thanks to an unexpected phone call, Savannah must come home and deal with everything she left unfinished a decade ago. What she finds is a love she thought she had forgotten, her father on his deathbed, and a horrific crime in her own backyard.As the horrors begin creeping in closer and closer, her old life and her new life wage battle for her heart and her loyalty. Only one can win and if she chooses wrong, it could cost Savannah her life.

Genres: Thriller, Horror, Mystery Thriller

176 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 2020

Reviews

[Amanda Kristina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank god this was only 170 pages. This is seriously the most ridiculous book I’ve ever read in my entire life. How it has the reviews it does I cannot comprehend.

Getting past the main character being a complete idiot the plot of the story is just not plausible.

[Susan Keene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Savannah Raymore is a young girl with a troubled past and a less than wholesome future. From the start , the reader can sense her discomfort within her personal relationship with a young man from her past. Having left home due to a troubled home situation where her father is an alcoholic and her mother mysteriously disappears from the home, seemingly to escape, Savannah and her brother, Shane have no indication as to why. Savannah leaves home to make a new start, but has a chance connection with a former classmate in her new location. In the 10 years she has been away from home she is courted and cared for by this young man, Colby, from her past. They are beginning to build a future together, though it is definitely uncertain. When she receives a message from home that her father is in dire health, she returns home feeling it is the right thing to do. Colby, who clearly is a controlling force in her life is not encouraging her to go , but she does. Savannah runs into a former boyfriend that she discovers she still has feelings for. It isn’t long before Colby shows up and gets in the middle of the reunion. It seems that all goes along congenially until a murder takes place. This is where disappointment set in for me. It was too simple and obvious what was going on and who was responsible. The author, Amanda East, attempts to draw suspicion upon other characters, but it wasn’t working for me. Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache wouldn’t have blinked an eye in this case. In defense of the book, there were some backstories that were quite disturbing that created a bit of terror and mystery, but paled in the capability to create care or empathy for the characters. At the very least, I will not close with any spoilers, as it simply seemed certain.
But then, you just never know until it all plays out.

[Laura Leigh Cash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick easy read but super predictable

[Camille B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Jennifer Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This seemed to be the trope of girl comes back to her hometown and falls in love, except it added a disappearance, a murder, and a lot of assumptions. I had this figured out, and as the backstory surrounding the clues was explained, the less I liked the main character. As for the storyline, it was different, but definitely... weird. I gave it 3 stars because while the plot development was there, the characters never developed enough for me to relate to any of them.

[Samara · Rating 2 out of 5]

The actual plot of this book was good. I had an issue with how it was executed. I already knew whodunit, it really wasn't hard to figure out. I would have loved to hear more from the whodunit it, like all throughout the book. The story repeats itself quite a few times. More of a glimpse into the who would have given it more of an edge, and broken up the monotony. We finally reach the climax, but it's so fast that it's anticlimactic. Which was a huge bummer because there was a twist there that I didn't see. It just was there and gone, like snapping your fingers. It's only 176 pages, but it took me almost a week to finish because it just slowed down so much with the repetition. The FMC was just not it. I didn't mind the others, but she just acted like she didn't have a brain. There's some other issues with smaller details, but they're just as important.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!! This book was filled with a whirlwind mess of emotions, so many times I thought it was one of the guys then the other. It sucked me in from the first page, for it only being 171 pages it is a phenomenal book that I think anyone should read, you may flinch at the gruesomeness but also shed a tear or two. This book is by far one of the best books I have ever read!

[Ashton Woolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down, so I had to read it all at once! Would definitely recommend this book, 10 out of 10 stars!

[Laura Ferrelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plot was great but the writing (including spelling and grammar) was not. Dialogue was cheesy and awkward as were descriptions. Character and overall story development were substantially lacking.

[Lauren Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Well written and kept me engaged the whole time. Great twists and excitement!

[Ariana Choi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok

The book was predictable. I liked how short of a read it was. But that was it. I think I was 20 pages in when I knew the ending.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It’s only short but that worked out perfectly as everything seemed to happen quite quickly and the story kept progressing throughout. I would agree with some of the other reviews that mention some of the storyline felt predictable but on the other hand I do feel I was questioning characters motives and trying to guess who had done what. Altogether a good read

[Marlene Topping · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real story that reads like a novel.

[Michael Vogt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fast read, decent detail

I thought the characters were interesting and could have really developed but felt like it was all rushed and the whole story felt predictable… there was only one small plot twist but that even felt somewhat predictable…. More character developement might have helped…

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eigentlich wollte Savannah nie nach Hause zurückkehren, aber dann hat sie nach zehn Jahren keine andere Wahl. Dort wird sie von ihrer ersten Liebe, einem Verbrechen und ihrem Vater überrascht.
.
Savannah ist eine sympathische Protagonistin und ich konnte mich recht gut in sie hineinversetzen, aber sie hat nicht gerade viel über sich selbst preisgegeben. Stattdessen hat man alles angenehm gestückelt im Laufe des Buches portioniert bekommen. Auch die anderen Charaktere wirken realistisch. Aber das Buch ist nicht nur aus Savannahs Perspektive geschrieben, sondern auch der Täter kommt immer wieder zu Wort und man kann noch besser rätseln, wer es eigentlich ist. So wird in Kombination mit der wirklich spannenden Handlung und den vielen, gut durchdachten Wendungen eine sehr bedrohliche Atmosphäre im Laufe der Geschichte aufgebaut. Der Schreibstil war sehr angenehm zu lesen.
.
Bedrohliche Atmosphäre

[Brittany Rader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite only giving this book 3 stars, I really did enjoy it. It was fast-paced, mysterious, and just the right amount of spooky. The story itself was good enough that I didn’t mind that the characters didn’t feel fleshed out.

The reason I’m only giving this 3 stars is that I just needed more. I’m not sure whether this book is supposed to be read as a mystery or as a thrill, but either way, something was missing. If it’s supposed to read as a mystery, the book was too short to develop enough suspects to be truly mysterious. Although I hadn’t worked out all the details, by the 40% mark, I’d already figured out who the “bad guy” was because there just weren’t any other options. If the book is supposed to be read as a thriller, too much time was spent on the protagonist reflecting on their past and not enough time was spent building the suspense of the story.

Regardless, it was a good, quick read, and I plan on reading more from this author.

[DENISE · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely incredible. I went into it thinking I had everyone figured out and then somehow every single character managed to feel like the psycho at one point. Amanda East wrote this story with such sharp twists and bold energy that I kept catching myself whispering “what is happening” while flipping pages like my life depended on it.

The ending made my heart stop for a second and then all I could do was laugh and shake my head because I definitely felt played in the best possible way. Mrs. East knew exactly what she was doing. I cannot say enough about this story. It is officially one of my true favorites. Then that ending arrives. My heart stopped, my jaw dropped, and all I could do was sit there thinking “Alright Mrs. East, I see exactly what you just did to me.” It is clever, wicked, and perfectly delivered. This story deserves every bit of praise and then some. I cannot recommend it enough. It genuinely became one of my all time favorites.

Short Synopsis:
Savannah Raymore left her hometown years ago and cut ties with everyone she knew. After an unexpected call forces her to return home, she finds her past — and long-buried secrets — waiting. What begins as a reunion with old memories soon turns horrifying when she uncovers a horrific crime from her past that threatens everything she once thought she escaped. As her old life and new life collide, Savannah must decide who she can trust — because the wrong choice could cost her everything.

[Bek Bound By Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Possibly the strangest (and shortest) thriller I’ve read all year. You start out not knowing who the killer is. You think you know, but you start questioning people because it can’t ever be that obvious. Well, it becomes pretty obvious after a while who it is, and then the pacing just slows down and you find yourself frustrated the main character hasn’t put the pieces together yet. It was decent, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to urge people to read it.

Overall though I do think this author has good story writing potential. There were a lot of little quotes in here that I liked about life and getting through trials. It’s not for the reader looking for a happy ending for all, and that’s intended. Luckily I think this story is better that way.

[Desiree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a bad habit of reading the bad reviews of a book before reading it so that I don’t feel guilty if I decide to DNF it. Going into this I thought I was going to hate it and almost decided to DNF it about 20 pages in but it actually held my attention so I kept going and couldn’t put it down! There is a lot that could have made it better. The character development had a lot of potential and the ending was pretty rushed but it was honestly an awesome story in general. I also enjoy a little twist and while some of it was kind of predictable there were a few details I didn’t expect. If you enjoy a little murder mystery and are looking for a quick read I would definitely give this one a shot!

[Samantha Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great twists, a little predictable 3.5🌟

I liked that this book kept me engaged and was a quick read. It was a little predictable, but overall a 3.5 🌟.
It's follows Savannah, who had a horrible loss. Instead of trying to figure things out, she ran from her problems for 10 years. Left the love of her life and family behind to start new. Only to have fallen for another man from her past. Things took a turn for the worst when she came back to her hometown to see her dying father (who she blamed for the past).
Little did she know how much would happen and drive her back to her first love.
There were quite a few twists, but I enjoyed the chapters from different perspectives.
I did enjoy that by the end, she realized that running from her past was not the best option!

[Krystle Kallen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m new to booktok so I didn’t know if getting this book for free was going to be a buzz kill like the first book I got was. (Not from this author) but the first page caught my attention right away!! Now after reading the first page my expectations went higher and there wasn’t as much gore as I thought there would be after the first page but I did enjoy it!! I’m really happy I got this book! It was a great read for my October vibes. I would like to find a book with more gore for this month so this would be a great book for anyone that wants to read a mystery. I’m really happy I got this and will 100% recommend

[Akshat Sharma · Rating 1 out of 5]

It wasn't until too late that I realised that I'd made a mistake: the book recommended to me is by Jeneva Rose. Same title.

I don't have much to say about this.

The writing? Amateurish.

The stakes? Subterranean.

The suspense? Spinach-in-your teeth obvious.

A very big deal is made about the protagonist's estrangement from her family and her complex relationship with her hometown. But none of that is ever shown. She's on perfect terms with her brother. Her apparent hatred for her father never really manifests. That hometown love is as tepid as they come.

There's a reason this clocked in at about 170 pages or so.

[Hailey Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was super short and honestly a really great intro to the thriller genre for me personally. It was corny in the way that like old slasher flicks are corny, super predictable (1 knew who the killer was by chapter 3), and the dialogue was a bit cheesy, but I enjoyed myself nonetheless. This isn't a literary masterpiece by any means, it was super unserious, but it made me wanna pick up more thrillers so there's that!

** this one deff goes in the “that’s f*cked up” folder so check TW before reading!!

[Mai Jimenez · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok so I read this by accident. I mean, I wanted to read Home is where the bodies are by Jeneva Rose, it never crossed my mind there could be a another book with that same title so I mindlessly downloaded this and now here we are.
I found out my mistake when I was already 20% in and since it was a short book I decided to keep going but omg this was bad.
Its true it reads very quickly and thanks for that but yeah... really bad.

[Shannon Alber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Story but needed better delivery

Felt very rushed and jumped around a lot. I think this story had a lot of potential to be good but the writing just wasn’t there for me. The villain of the story was made clear right off the bat and didn’t leave any room for mystery or suspense of who did it. There were no mind blowing twists, which I would usually expect from a story like this, felt like a missed opportunity.

[Debbi Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Read

I loved this book so much I read it in one sitting. Once I started it I could not put it down. This story makes you realize things are not always what they seem. The characters as well as the storyline were wonderful and gave me all the feels that let me know just how awesome this book was.

[Ghost in the Stacks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast quick read. Read it in one Go.
Savvy goes back home and a body turns up that looks almost like her. An Ex Boyfriend now works for the Police and things start pointing towards him.
I figured it out within a few chapters what was going on, but when you find out who the killer is and the other things he has done it gets super crazy.

[David Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, although I have to say the 'whodunnit' aspect of the book was a little too predictable. From the very beginning it was clear that there was only two people to choose from as the killer, and it became clear who that was before the reveal was made. Other than that, I have no other negatives for this book. I read it in one sitting and it was a very interesting exploration of how tormented a person can become when manipulated by someone determined to take control.

[Madison Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Your basic simple thriller. I chose it because a lot of people in groups I'm in have posted it, and it was a quick read. I figured it out pretty early on. Like really early. It basically gave it away. 🙄 then the suspense was just lacking because you expected what was coming. I had one genuine shock, but that was it.

[Kayla Wiklanski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than expected

This story makes your brain work. Many unexpected twists and turns. You feel yourself pulled one way and then the other. Wondering if you really have a clue to what is going on. The anguish felt by the main character as she unravels her life is spoken clearly. The strength she pulls together to do what is right is powerful.