4.5 stars

In dual timelines from 2010 back to 1965, The Last House on the Street is part historical fiction and part mystery, with some romance thrown in. When Kayla’s husband dies in a freak accident during the construction of their dream home, she’s rightfully apprehensive about moving into it. When she receives threats from a random woman telling her not to move in, she’s even more nervous. But what could be so bad about the last house on the street?

Wow. This is one heck of a book! Ellie’s time working with SCOPE to educate and register Black voters during the Civil Rights Era was absolutely fascinating. I loved her strong, principled, resilient character. She’s an idol. I wasn’t sure how Ellie and Kayla’s timelines were going to connect, but it was heartbreaking and perfectly overlapped. This is a really unique read - it was compulsive and distressing but also lovely, touching on an important period of history and showing how pervasive racism was and still is today. Absolutely worth the read.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the copy of this ARC.