The Second Home by Kathryn Sharman review: The clash of the haves and have-nots
A stellar second novel, cementing Sharman as a thriller voice to be reckoned with.
The Second Home by Kathryn Sharman: Key details
- Publish date: 28 May 2026
- Genre: Thriller
- Publisher: Hodder
- Available formats: Paperback, audio and ebook
- Series/standalone: Standalone
- Length: 309 pages
Blurb: Lottie has saved all year for her family vacation by the sea with her husband and young son. But as soon as they arrive at their rental it is clear they have made a huge mistake coming here…
Next door, Olivia looks like just another wealthy out-of-towner buying up local property, only to leave it empty for ten months of the year. But Olivia has a secret plan for her second home…
When one of the houses goes up in flames, and a body is pulled from the ashes, the secrets both Lottie and Olivia have been keeping threaten to destroy their families.
How far would one of them go to keep the truth locked behind closed doors?
The Second Home by Kathryn Sharman: The review
After loving Kathryn’s debut last year, The Family at No. 23, The Second Home has been one of my most anticipated books of the year. Boy, it didn’t disappoint. Twisty, wrought with tension and angst, it’s so easy to read yet so hard to put down. I’ve devoured this and loved every minute – it’s the perfect summer read – if you don’t mind a Holidays From Hell-type scenario.
Ultimately, The Second Home is the story of two families. There’s Lottie and Tim, and their little boy Josh: they’ve saved up all year to rent a house by the sea for the week. But next door to their rental is a building site: Tobias, Olivia and their two teenage children are working on their dream holiday home. And Tobias couldn’t care less how much disturbance he’s causing.
Right from the start, The Second Home is teeming with tension. Tension between the two families, tension between the people who live and work in the seaside town and the second homers buying up property. There’s also tension within families; couples arguing, and tension between Tobias and the contractors he has working on his house. It leaves you feeling uncomfortable in the best way possible: you know something bad is going to happen, but there’s a whole wealth of possibilities as to who is going to snap first.
I won’t spoil the plot, because that’s for you to find out, but Sharman has written the characters here beautifully; each and every one of them is complex and three-dimensional, with a past that’s obvious without ever needing fully spelling out. It’s a novel that’s brought to life by its cast of characters, some loathsome and others simply troubled. You’ll spend the whole time reading trying to figure out what’s going to happen, and that’s the beauty of it. I very much doubt you’ll figure it all out…
Thank you to the publisher, Hodder & Stoughton, for providing a copy of the book used to facilitate this review.
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