Kate Helm

The House Share by Kate Helm has The Dye Factory, a co-living community in Bermondsey, looking for two new roommates. Immi Sutton, a teacher, feels it is the solution for her if she can get in. She has been couch surfing since her boyfriend tossed her out. The rent is reasonable and there are some great perks like housekeeping, daily yoga, rooftop terrace and communal food. Immi just hopes that they do not find out her secret. Dex Shepherd, a photographer, needs a place to hide out and is show more tired of the run-down motel where he is currently living. He needs to play a part and lie, though, to get accepted. Both Immi and Dex are thrilled when they get the news that they are the newest members of the community. Not long after they move in, someone begins playing a series of pranks. The mischief escalates into something far more sinister. Is the danger coming from outside their community or within?

The House Share sounded like it would be a good thriller and I had been looking forward to reading it. I found it to be an unusual story. I posh living community (aka house share) with unique features where they want to foster a sense of community. They encourage sharing your past and your troubles. Each new community member is assigned a “buddy” that they meet with each week (anyone getting a cult vibe). There is a reading nook, a workout area, rooftop terrace, and a housekeeper along with high tech security system. The point-of-view alternates between Immi and Dex except at the end when it switches to the guilty party. I admit that I did not like any of the characters in this story. Each one of seven housemates has an annoying fault (loud, brash, bossy, on drugs, and touchy feely). The chapters are choppy, and I never felt the suspense. The point of a thriller is to be kept on the edge of your seat which did not happen for me. I wanted to be scared and intrigued. The big reveal was rushed and anticipated as well as implausible. The House Share does have good descriptions that allow readers to visualize the people and the scenes. There is a significant amount of foul language and cute little animals are harmed. I was thankful that the bed hopping was not described in detail. While The House Share was not for me, I suggest you obtain a sample to see if it suits you. show less

I found this audiobook on my phone, no idea how long it had been there but gave it a go...
I didn't look up the book before I started so I had no idea what to expect and I was rewarded with a pretty good book with a lot of nuance, mystery and likeable characters. Georgia is a court sketch artist and she has a knack for drawing people as they really are, rather than how they are portraying themselves. I found her, her job, & her past very interesting and loved her character development. The show more supporting characters were charming as well and I don't think any of them were wasted or unnecessary. The audio was long but there is a lot of story to tell so it makes sense. All in all, this was a great surprise and I'm glad I found this book, I will seek out this author and check out her other works. show less

The narrator of this audiobook did a great job of pulling me into the mysteries that surround Georgia, a courtroom artist. Showing me the intriguing and complicated side of this profession.

Georgia sees things others don’t. These visions are an integral part of her work. They lead her to detect hidden elements of the accused and she uses those to create pictures that can sway jury members.

When she finds out she is going blind, it puts a new perspective on her visions and life in general. show more There were several twists that I didn’t predict, which made this an intriguing read.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a gifted copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

#thesecretsyouhide #katehelm #dreamscapemedia #netgalley #audiobook #ARC #honestreview #bookreviewer #crimeandcocktailsbookcrew #mysteryandthrills #bookaddict #thrilleraddict #thrillersofinstagram #bookstagrammer #lovebooks #bookreviewersofinstagram #lovetoreadbooks#cantstopreading #fortheloveofbooks #bookrecommendations #readingintherockies #mustread #justfinishedreading #thrillerfiction #coloradoreader show less

This started with a lot of promise but ultimately I was bored and it took too long to get to the end. The reasons for Immi staying were very thin and the real culprit was painfully obvious very early on. Not for me.