“Resentment only poisons the person who consumes it, not the one it’s intended for.”
One of the most hotly-anticipated books from 2024, Home Is Where the Bodies Are is a dark family thriller by Jeneva Rose. The story follows three siblings, Beth, Nicole and Michael, who are reunited at the family estate following the death of their mother. Whilst rummaging through their parents’ belongings, they stumble upon a collection of old VHS tapes. However, their nostalgia trip is cut short when one of the home videos reveals a night in 1999. Their father is covered in blood, there’s a dead body, and the two parents make a pact to get rid of it. The three siblings are then left to decide whether they want to leave the past in the past or uncover the truth. Brimming with 90s nostalgia, shocking secrets and a chilling atmosphere, join us at What We Reading for the best books if you loved Home Is Where the Bodies Are.
You Shouldn’t Have Come Here – Jeneva Rose
First up on our list of books like Home Is Where the Bodies are is another one of the best novels by Jeneva Rose, You Shouldn’t Have Come Here. Grace Evans is an overworked New Yorker in need of an escape from her busy life. She books an Airbnb on a ranch in the middle of rural Wyoming, where she is pleasantly surprised to meet the owner, a handsome man named Calvin Wells. But, what she is less pleased with is the ranch’s lack of mobile coverage, a missing woman and a feeling that all is not as it appears in the town.
Despite the uneasy air around them, Calvin and Grace soon grow close and begin to fall for one another. Yet, as her departure day draws nearer, their blossoming connection takes a sour turn for the worse. Calvin fears that Grace is keeping something from him. Grace fears that Calvin’s infatuation is starting to turn into a dangerous obsession.
Check Out Our You Shouldn’t Have Come Here Review
Don’t Let Her Stay – Nicola Sanders
Joanne knows how fortunate she is. Richard is a wonderfully loving husband, Evie is the most perfect baby girl and they all live in a perfect home. Life couldn’t be much better. Then Richard’s twenty-year-old daughter, Chloe, arrives.
Chloe hasn’t spoken to her father since the day he and Joanne were married two years ago. Despite this, she appears to want to make peace, offering to move in for a few weeks to help with the new baby. But, when a series of events lead to Joanne feeling like she’s losing her mind, she begins to wonder whether Chloe really is there to help, or whether she’s just made a grave mistake in letting her into her home. Perfect for fans of Home Is Where the Bodies Are, Nicola Sanders’ Don’t Let Her Stay is a gripping domestic psychological thriller from 2023.
We Used To Live Here – Marcus Kliewer
A viral Reddit sensation and another one of the best horror books from 2024 similar to Home Is Where the Bodies Are, Marcus Kliewer introduces readers to Charlie and Eve in We Used to Live Here. A queer couple who flip houses, the pair can’t believe their luck when they pick up the keys to a grand old estate in a picturesque neighbourhood. There, Eve meets a man and his family at the door, who claims he used to live inside and would love the opportunity to look around again.
But, as soon as the family enter, uncanny and inexplicable things start happening; the youngest child disappears and a ghostly presence materialises in the basement. What’s more, the family don’t appear to register the hint that their viewing time is over and it’s time for them to leave. And when Charlie is the next one to vanish, Eve slowly begins to lose her own grip on reality.
Keep It In The Family – John Marrs
Mia and Finn are busy turning a derelict property into their dream home when Mia unexpectedly falls pregnant. But, just when they think the house is ready, Mia discovers a chilling message in one of the skirting boards reading: ‘I WILL SAVE THEM FROM THE ATTIC’. Following the hint, the couple head into the attic where they discover their new dream home was once a house filled with unspeakable horrors.
Following the gruesome discovery, Mia gives birth but is unable to shake the uneasy feeling that comes from knowing such hideous crimes were committed just above her. Plagued by the horrifying things she saw, her obsession soon pulls her away from her husband and into an obsessive search for answers. Similar to Home Is Where the Bodies Are, John Marrs’ Keep It in the Family is a dark domestic thriller delving into hidden secrets and the lengths people will go to protect their family.
Everyone Is Watching – Heather Gudenkauf
Five lucky contestants have been selected to compete for a grand prize of ten million dollars on the game show: ‘One Lucky Winner’. The only catch for the five is that none of them know what (or who) to expect, and all of the show will be streamed live across the world.
Completely isolated in an estate in Northern California, with strict instructions not to leave the grounds and to have zero contact with the world outside, the competitors soon begin to feel unnervingly cut off. When long-buried secrets start to be uncovered amongst the group, the contestants realise the stakes are far higher than just winning a reality show. Someone is out for blood. And the game cannot end until the entire world knows exactly who each of them are.
Daughter Of Mine – Megan Miranda
When Hazel Sharp, daughter of Mirror Lake’s long-serving resident detective, unexpectedly finds herself inheriting her childhood home, she’s pulled back to the small town and the local residents she left behind almost ten years ago.
But Hazel isn’t the only relic of the past returning. A terrible drought has descended on the region; and, as the water levels in the lake continue to drop, long-hidden secrets begin to emerge. Among them is evidence that may finally explain to Hazel the mystery behind her mother’s disappearance.
The Last Mrs. Parrish (Mrs. Parrish #1) – Liv Constantine
Amber Patterson is fed up. She’s tired of being a woman who disappears into the background. She knows that she deserves more – a life of power and prestige. The sort of life that blue-eyed blond-haired Daphne Parrish takes for granted. To everyone in the exclusive town of Bishops Habor, Daphne and her real estate mogul husband, Jackson, are the couple ripped straight from a fairytale.
But, Amber has a plan to quell her resentment. Before long, she finds herself as Daphne’s closest confidante and travelling with the Parrishes on their trip to Europe, growing closer by the day to Jackson in the process. But, a skeleton from her past may soon undermine all her efforts and, if discovered, could spell the end for her too. Like Home Is Where the Bodies Are, Liv Constantine’s The Last Mrs. Parrish is a suspenseful tale that delves into themes of ambition, deception and hidden identities.
Pretty Little Wife – Darby Kane
Lila Ridgefield lives in a picturesque college town, but not everything is what it seems. Lila isn’t what she seems. A local student disappeared months ago. Now, Lila’s husband, Aaron has also vanished. To begin with, the cases are ruled as horrible coincidences, until it is revealed that the student is one of three unexplained disappearances over the previous few years.
The local police are desperate to find a connection linking the crimes if there even is one. With the small town in uproar, everyone is concerned with the whereabouts of their beloved and respected high school teacher. But Lila is more confused than concerned. Because she was the last person to see her husband’s body, and now it has gone. Like Home Is Where the Bodies Are, Darby Kane’s debut novel, Pretty Little Wife, is a domestic thriller that mixes dark humour with suspenseful intrigue, perfect for any fans of Jeneva Rose.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
