Home Is Where the Bodies Are

"Home is Where The Bodies Are" was an incredibly enjoyable read for me. I strongly identified with the storyline, having grown up with two siblings in a small community similar to Allen's Grove. The experience of our father's passing significantly altered our family's dynamics, and like Beth, Nicole, and Michael, we uncovered long-held family secrets. Some secrets can be earth-shattering and challenging to reconcile.

This thrilling mystery skillfully weaves a narrative that tugs at the heartstrings of those who have a fondness for their childhood home yet also harbor a desire to escape. It's hard to fathom that a seemingly idyllic place could conceal such profound secrets. It might appear perfect as a child, but there are always hidden, show more dark truths waiting to be exposed. If you're lucky, you won't discover them until the innocence of childhood is gone.

I love this book because it's short and sweet! Jeneva Rose did an amazing job giving her characters the attention they deserved, and she dove right into the heart of the story. Plus, the gorgeous cover perfectly captures the essence of the story. This is definitely my favorite book by the author! BONUS: She’s one of the narrators!!!

To the author: I used to overlook acknowledgments, thinking they were boring. However, my perspective changed when I started listening to audiobooks. I've heard some very interesting and hilarious ones. They all get my attention now.

Thanks to the author and Blackstone Publishing for providing this audiobook through Libro.FM. All opinions are my own and left voluntarily.

#HomeIsWhereTheBodiesAre #JenevaRose show less

This book took me by surprise (in a good way). I didn't read the blurb or I might have passed because, recently, I've been in the mood for lighter books with dark humor, and I really loved two other Jeneva Rose novels, One of Us is Dead and You Shouldn't Have Come Here, having also read both over the past few weeks.

I was excited to get my audio copy from the library and dove right in, only to discover that the topic was anything but light. I actually shed a tear right in the beginning as eldest daughter, Beth, sat in vigil as her mother, Laura, died at home in hospice care. Beth is the only one of Laura’s children who remained in their small unincorporated Wisconsin hamlet. She married on the rebound after being dumped by her show more childhood/Highschool sweetheart, divorced and raised a daughter who serves in the Navy in Korea – about as far away as she could get from her hometown. Beth’s siblings, Natalie (a hardcore junky) and Michael (a successful hi-tech egomaniac) soon enter the picture to pay their last respects and help pack up Laura's possessions. The charged dynamic of their relationship provides an edgy atmosphere throughout, as the siblings make some startling discoveries about their father’s, Brian's, behavior and his sudden disappearance seven year earlier. Beth and Natalie appear to be deeply scarred by this abandonment (despite the fact that they were grown adults and out of the house when he took off). Both put great effort into trying to find Brian, while Michael seemed unmoved by his father’s absence.

The disappearance and remains of several bodies provide the backdrop for a mystery that isn’t all that is to be expected, begging the question, Just how far would you go to protect your loved ones?

JR’s characters are well-developed, and the mystery slowly unravels as Laura’s cryptic dying words, letter to each of her children, and journal entries uncover the circumstances of many unknown events that occurred decades earlier. There are sibling arguments and intrigue, which are resolved by the end of the novel. JR delivers a neatly tied up package with a satisfying ending, without having to resort to the overused device of epilogue in order to do so. show less

I’m a sucker for thrillers. I know I’m going to pull an all nighter reading it and have mild regret hangover the next day. Sure enough, I did.

The description of this (and honestly, that VHS cover art) pulled me right in.

The setup is this: three estranged siblings meet at their mother’s home to go through her things after her death. Their dad left the family years prior. They watch a videotape and there’s footage at the end of their parents getting rid of the body of a young girl. Their mom and dad obviously had some secrets and may have been murderers to boot.

The siblings aren’t super-likable and each has his or her own current and unresolved past issue. Plus they each have serious unresolved tension with each other. The show more story is told from each sibling’s perspective and also, through the POV of their recently deceased mother.

This reads like a Lifetime movie, which for me is generally a good thing. As with Lifetime movies and especially as you get closer to the ending, you’ll need to successfully suspend all disbelief and ignore the giant plot holes.

I did read through to the end, even though at one point, I sorta guessed who, if not how and why. This was entertaining and kept my attention in a beach read sort of way. Brain food, it is not; but, it doesn’t aim to be. I won’t remember it in a couple of months and won’t miss it.

Recommended if you’re really into thrillers or need a mindless palate cleaning book. To everyone else, skip it and the faint regret echo. show less

"After their mother passes, three estranged siblings reunite to sort out her estate. Beth, the oldest, never left home. She 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 parents’ 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 show more 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."

I read this book as part of our monthly book club pick. The characters are marvelous and spot on target with families dealing with addiction and grief. The sibling love/hate relationship conversations were rich with emotion and stark reality. I found myself reflecting on various passages throughout the story, soaking in the raw pain and truth of their lives. The author certainly grabs ahold of the reader and takes you on an amazing ride of unexpected happenings. show less

When I saw this cover, it made me think of Grady Hendrix type fun stuff, but this is a serious story through and through. Narration is well done in audiobook form in present tense scenes, but the narrator slows down voice strangely in past tense flashbacks where it feels slightly robotic with one of the female narrators. Character-driven, the story features one of my LEAST favorite main characters to read about – a drug addict. While I sympathize with recovering addicts in real life, truly, they aren’t my favorite to focus on in a book – and the other two “mains” aren’t much better. The one sister is kind of just there, as is the uber successful brother who shows no resentment at all from a slap-in-the-face will reveal. Not show more convincing. The story with the videotape holds potential to be fascinating, yet the slower-pace crawl of the storyline doesn’t live up to the potential of the premise. Worth a listen, but not something I found riveting. show less

Jeneva Rose’s Home Is Where Bodies Are is a fast-paced, gripping read that pulls you in from the first page. With sharp writing and a plot that moves quickly, it’s perfect for readers who love thrillers that don’t waste a moment.

I first dipped my toes into Home Is Where the Bodies Are while walking the Shinleaf Trail along the shore of Falls Lake in Wake Forest, North Carolina. The cool morning air and the quiet lapping of the water set an introspective tone, an apt backdrop for a novel that delves deep into family bonds, long-buried secrets, and the weight of the past.

Told in a memoir-like style, the novel captures the raw, often messy dynamics between siblings, their rivalries, moments of solidarity, and the ebb and flow of their relationships over time. It explores not just how they interact with one another but also how their experiences with their parents have shaped them in ways both seen and unseen.

The story centers around three siblings who reunite show more after the death of their mother. Their father disappeared years ago, leaving behind unanswered questions and unresolved tensions. As they sift through old home videos, a shocking revelation emerges. Something that ties their family to the long-ago disappearance of a neighborhood child. What follows is a reckoning, as each sibling is forced to reconsider the narratives they’ve built around their parents, their childhood, and even each other.

At its core, Home Is Where the Bodies Are is about reconciliation, not just between estranged family members but with the past itself. It’s a story about memory, about what we choose to remember, what we suppress, and what truths lurk in the shadows, unnoticed by a child’s eye.

While this wasn’t my favorite read of the year, it was an engaging one. The pacing is steady, the writing accessible, and the plot unfolds with a few unexpected twists. If you enjoy family dramas with a touch of mystery, this is worth picking up. show less