While in Florence, we found a bookstore that sold books in English along with books in Italian. I thought I had brought plenty to read while on vacation, but I was wrong. I bought two books to read, the first was Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose and the second was Funny Story by Emily Henry. I finished both while on vacation and on the flight back to the US. Home Is Where the Bodies Are is a predictable thriller, and I’m not even mad about it.

Beth, Nicole, and Michael are three siblings who reunite at their mother’s funeral. While going through her belongings, they find old VHS tapes. On one VHS tape, they see their parents covering a dead body. They are shocked, and while Beth and Michael may be okay to sweep this under the rug, Nicole goes digging. What were their parents trying to hide, and does that have to do with why their father left?

Listen, the plot was predictable, but you know what, I like to be smart some of the time. I actually don’t mind when I figure out the spoiler early on. I think it’s satisfying when what was revealed was what I thought this whole time. I get why some readers may not like that, for me, I’m all about it. There are times where books give me whip lash with the spoiler coming out of left field and I like how Home Is Where the Bodies Are was a standard thriller.

I love the fact that this book is short and succinct. It’s more often than not where I read a book that goes on forever. I appreciate how this book introduces the plot, the plot hook, and the twist in less than 300 pages. With shorter books, it’s difficult to get attached to the characters, but I think that’s the point. I don’t need a life story about Beth, Nicole or Michael. They are there, and I want to find out what happens in the end. I’m not expecting to get a feel for them as characters, I want just enough to form opinions about them.

Home Is Where the Bodies Are was exactly what I needed while on vacation. I needed a quick read that would captivate me and something shorter that I could finish quickly. I rated Home Is Where the Bodies Are five stars on Goodreads.