Home Is Where The Bodies Are
Author: Jeneva Rose
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing, April 30, 2024
Language: English
Kindle, 295 Pages
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Fiction
Back Cover Summary:
After their mother passes, three estranged siblings reunite to settle her estate. Beth, the oldest, never left home and stayed with her mom, caring for her until the very end. Nicole, the middle child, has been kept at arm's length due to her ongoing battle with a serious drug addiction. Michael, the youngest, lives out of state and hasn't been back to their small Wisconsin town since their father ran out on them seven years before. While going through their parent's belongings, the siblings stumble upon a collection of home videos and decide to revisit those happier memories.
However, the nostalgia is cut short when one of the VHS tapes reveals a night back in 1999 that none of them have any recollection of. On screen, their father appears covered in blood. What follows is a dead body and a pact between their parents to get rid of it, before the video abruptly ends.
Beth, Nicole, and Michael must now decide whether to leave the past in the past or uncover the dark secret their mother took to her grave.
ATTWB Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ATTWB Review:
I stumbled across Jeneva Rose on TikTok and thought she was super witty and relatable so of course I had to download her book. This is a must read if you like plot twists, suspense, and uncovering family secrets. I usually have things figured out halfway through but I was not expecting the ending! There’s no romance but it doesn’t need it with the perplexity of characters and stories occurring simultaneously. Three siblings who drifted apart years ago must convene after their mother’s death and discover a buried family secret. The story is told through the three siblings point of view in the present and through their mother’s point of view from journal entries in the past.
Beth has taken on the burden of caring for her sick mother over the years, she feels stagnant because she’s been stuck in her hometown after a knee injury ruined her chances of becoming a college athlete. She stayed, got married and started a family while her high school sweetheart, Lucas, left for bigger, better things. Now divorced, and her grown daughter half way around the world, Beth is even more tormented by her past and present. Especially when her mother’s last words are “don’t trust…”. Beth is a relatable oldest sibling, feeling the need to take on the role of parent to fill the void. At times her character did annoy me but it is to be expected given all she’s been through.
Nicole, an addict with a knack for writing, is finally trying to get her life together, but it’s difficult for her siblings to trust her after years of deceit. She’ll have to work to solve the mystery and earn her siblings trust back. At times I forgot that she’s not the youngest sibling because she seemed so much younger than her age. As tormented as her chacter was she was my favorite. I felt protective of her and knew she was going to pull through and redeem herself.
Michael the most successful of the trio, is a wealthy techie living in California. His sisters envy his success and he has no issues flaunting it. He hasn’t been home since their father’s disappearance 7 years ago but he’s determined to sort out the estate and his sisters so he can return to his posh life. He can be haughty at times but he’s protective over his sisters, especially Nicole. He seems to be the reasonable one of the group and they tend to listen to him.
While going through their mother’s belongings they find a tape that will change their entire perspective. It’s a home video that was accidentally recorded and incriminates their parents for the murder of the girl next door who went missing when they were teens…and the girl just happens to be Lucas’ younger sister. The story follows the trio as they work to find out the truth and who they can trust. Families aren’t always as perfect as they seem. Send me a note when you finish and let me know if you were expecting the ending!
Favorite Highlights:
“But sometimes it’s the bad things in life that make us feel the most alive.”
“As we age, we shed layers of ourselves, disintegrating like any other organic material, but some of us just break down faster than others.”
Amazon Link to Books:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/32UL953DAJH94?ref_=wl_share
