Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose Review

Hello reader friends! Today I’m going to be sharing my book review of Home is Where The Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose. This is my first time reading a book by this author so when I saw this book was available to check out through libby, I decided to give it a shot.

I wasn’t sure if I would like it at first. The first chapter felt very dark, with Beth keep her mother company in her final moments. The story is told through each of the perspective of eldest daughter Beth and her two siblings, so it was definitely interesting to get all of their perspectives. Siblings always have a different idea about how their childhoods were, and how their parents were.

This book wound up really surprising me. I was so engrossed in the story that it really reminded me of the joy of reading. So keep reading for my full review of Home is Where the Bodies Are. It’s a surprising thriller told partially in the past and partially in the present. It will keep you on the edge of your seat.

And if you enjoy thriller discussions, you can read more of my recommendations here.

What is Home Is Where The Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose About?

A New York Times and USA Today bestseller

From New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Marriage and You Shouldn’t Have Come Here comes a chilling family thriller about the (sometimes literal) skeletons in the closet.

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 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. (from Amazon.com)

My Initial Thoughts

This book is SO CRAZY! Imagine your family having all of this secret family drama but you never find out about it until after both your parents are gone and can’t answer any of your questions. I have no idea how these characters didn’t freak out more than they did. I would have been losing my mind.

It’s interesting because although the story is told in the present as Beth and her siblings go through their parent’s belongings. But their mother was really interested in memory keeping, so they also have journal entries and VHS home movies to help figure out the mystery and further the story. Revealing the truth little by little in a thriller novel is always a good idea. It keeps us readers guessing.

Where Does Home Is Where The Bodies Are Take Place?

It takes place in the small town of Allen’s Grove, Wisconsin. It’s the town where they all grew up, and where Beth and Nicole still live in their family home.

The setting of their small town was good for this story. It really helped that everybody knew each other so well, and that the mystery of the little girl who disappeared was a horrible story that everyone was familiar with. That combined with their father’s disappearance made it seem like no one could be trusted. And if that’s the case, then finding the truth is going to be very difficult.

The Audiobook

I listened to the audiobook of this novel and it was really good. There were a couple of different narrators. One for Beth, Michael, Nicole, and their mother (who narrated what was going on in the old vhs tape and her journal entries).

The Relationship between The Siblings

I feel like Jeneva Rose did a great job of capturing the relationship between siblings. It’s so realistic that there are jealousies and conflict between adult siblings. Beth and Nicole had a lot of resentment over Michael because he was the one who finally got out of town and started a better life for himself. It’s something that his sisters wish they could have done. Uncovering family drama was the main focus of this story, and along with family drama comes sibling squabbles and disagreements.

In Conclusion

I really enjoyed this book and hope to check out more of Jeneva Rose’s work in the near future. She’s also known for writing The Perfect Marriage as well as many other works. If you enjoy thrillers with plenty of family conflict then this is the book for you. It starts out dark, but it quickly gets darker.