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The House We Grew Up In
The House We Grew Up In | Lisa Jewell
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review
Amie
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Panpan

I would have bailed if this hadn't been for book club. This family is messed up and everything tied up too nicely at the end after all the terrible things they did to each other. And all the comments about weight/characters being fat were gross.

RebelReader I haven‘t read this one, but I saw a video where this was Lisa Jewell‘s favorite of all her books. Just thought it was interesting given your review. 5mo
Amie @RebelReader That is interesting! Despite her popularity, this author is just not for me - I didn't like one of her other books and bailed on another. I will be avoiding her books from here on out. 5mo
RebelReader @Amie I feel that way about Colleen Hoover! 🤷🏼‍♀️ 5mo
34 likes3 comments
review
Cupcake12
House We Grew Up in | Lisa Jewell
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Pickpick

Meet the Bird family who live in a picture perfect cosy village. Sensible Megan, shy Bethan and twin boys - Rhys and Rory, Colin, their father and beautiful mother Lorelei. One Easter weekend, a tragic event takes place and the family will never be the same again. The family is torn apart and they go on to lead separate lives. Years later they return to their childhood home to find out once for all what happened to their childhood.

29 likes1 stack add
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Cupcake12
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Starting this today. Another book from my TBR list.

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Madison91
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Pickpick

Love lisa jewell. Not as much her old stuff but still a boom I get through pretty quickly

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Chelsea.Poole
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Pickpick

Pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It‘s a dysfunctional family drama set in Britain with multiple time periods which dip in and out the of 4 siblings‘ childhood/teenage years and into their adulthood. Lorelei is at the center of this family as their mother with serious issues, namely, hoarding disorder. The impact of this upon her children is great and the consequences are deep. Some trigger warnings, but spoilers. IRL book club

82 likes2 stack adds
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Chelsea.Poole
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Reading Lisa Jewell for IRL book club. I‘ve read her in the past, unsuccessfully, but hoping this will be a winner. #bookandbreakfast

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DHill
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Haven‘t read a Lisa Jewell I didn‘t like. Hope this one is the same.

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Booksandtea23

“A spirit is just another word for a memory isn‘t it. The stronger the memory the stronger the spirit.”

“It‘s in our minds and in our hearts that a persons spirit lives on.”

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Booksandtea23

“Photographs are lies darling. You know that. There one dimensional. They only tell you about on precise moment in a whole infinite string of moments.”

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Booksandtea23

“Because she‘s a drama queen and drama queens are difficult to live with. They don‘t want a quiet life. You‘ll be left gasping in her wake.”

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Booksandtea23
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bookaholic1
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Pickpick

#46
Wow, this turned out to be a good book. I wasn't sure at first, but as you get into into it, you realize it's about a lost family and a mother that hordes.

25 likes3 stack adds
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NatalieR
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Pickpick

This was a very different type of story compared to the other book‘s I‘ve read by Lisa Jewell. At first, I wasn‘t sure I would like it and I didn‘t feel like I understood what was happening. It started off with a young family hunting Easter eggs in their garden and sitting down to a special meal. I‘m so glad I stayed with the story. I soon figured out what some of the family‘s affliction was and then the tragedy they experienced. #MountTBR

bookaholic1 I'm listening to this now, more than halfway through and I'm liking it. But like you wasn't sure if I wanted to continue when I first started it 2y
NatalieR @bookaholic1 Thanks for sharing your reaction. Glad I‘m not alone. 😊 2y
79 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Billie84
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Just finished change of heart by Jodie Picoult (was ok but not a favourite) now starting this! The house we grew up in by Lisa Jewell

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EadieB
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Pickpick

#TheHouseWeGrewUpIn #LisaJewell #BookSpinBingo

Meet the Bird family. They live in a honey-colored house in a picture-perfect Cotswolds village, with rambling, unkempt gardens stretching beyond. Pragmatic Meg, dreamy Beth, and tow-headed twins Rory and Rhys all attend the village school and eat home-cooked meals together every night.

EadieB Their father is a sweet gangly man named Colin, who still looks like a teenager with floppy hair and owlish, round-framed glasses. Their mother is a beautiful hippy named Lorelei, who exists entirely in the moment. And she makes every moment sparkle in her children's lives.
Then one Easter weekend, tragedy comes to call. The event is so devastating that, almost imperceptibly, it begins to tear the family apart.
2y
EadieB Years pass as the children become adults, find new relationships, and develop their own separate lives. Soon it seems as though they've never been a family at all. But then something happens that calls them back to the house they grew up in -- and to what really happened that Easter weekend so many years ago. 2y
EadieB Told in gorgeous, insightful prose that delves deeply into the hearts and minds of its characters, The House We Grew Up In is the captivating story of one family's desire to restore long-forgotten peace and to unearth the many secrets hidden within the nooks and crannies of home. 2y
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EadieB This is a family drama about the Bird family's loss and love. It covers a span of 30 years between the present and past days. There is Mom, 65 years old Lorelei, and dad, Colin, and the 4 children, Meg, Beth, Rory and Rhys. They all seem to leave home after the suicide of Rhys. They finally return home to all the family secrets there. If you love books about family drama, you will really enjoy this book. 2y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2y
Andrew65 Great review, loved this one. 2y
EadieB @Andrew65 Thanks! Loved it too! 2y
46 likes4 stack adds7 comments
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Susanita
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1. I‘m a “joiner” when it comes to book clubs. Virtual is good because it allows folks to participate from anywhere. IRL is good because I‘m independently friends with some members and like to see them.
2. A book I wouldn‘t have read otherwise — within reason 😎
3. Tagged is for … book club.
#wondrouswednesday

Eggs Good Jewell book! 2y
28 likes1 comment
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twinkletoes74
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Pickpick

A very moving book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Made me look at myself and change my ways.

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suzie.reads
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Pickpick

Wasn't sure about this at the start but once I got into it I really enjoyed it 😊

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nicoleyosick
Pickpick

Having a mother who is a hoarder myself, I found this book to be very relatable. You are drawn into the family‘s story and I found it to be quite interesting. As most families have dark histories, you find out bit by bit what transpired over the years. Overall, a good read!

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Jaimelire
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Pickpick

Loved how real the characters felt in this book. The story of a family with many layers of issues is not usually my style of reading, but this captured me. Very well written.

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Prairiegirl_reading
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I don‘t really know what to say about this one. It‘s better than a so-so but so cringey that I can‘t quite give a pick either. In fact I can‘t even give it a star rating. I couldn‘t put it down so that‘s something. I will try Lisa Jewell again though as I understand this is one is not typical for her. This is a book club pick for June so I‘m interested in the discussion. Perhaps I‘ll have more clarity afterwards.

31 likes1 stack add
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KristenDuck
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Pickpick

Five stars!

I didn‘t quite know what to expect going in to this book, but I loved every moment of the family drama, stories, character development and secrets.

Basically this is the story of the Bird family through the generations. At the head of the family is Lorelei, a mom who just wants to make everyday special for her children.

Especially Easter.

Trust me, once you start this one, you won‘t be able to put it down.

102 likes3 stack adds
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KristenDuck
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A human memory is such a cruel, frustrating thing, the way it just discards things without asking permission, precious things.

Wow. This quote hit me. Loving this book so far.

Prairiegirl_reading This is my book club‘s pick for April. I‘m looking forward to it! 4y
ljuliel One of my all time favorites. The audio of this is terrific. 4y
KristenDuck @Prairiegirl_reading this would make a GREAT selection for a book club. Can‘t wait to hear your thoughts. 4y
MissAimz_55 As someone who has the most horrendous memory this hits . Also having seen a grandmother deal with Alzheimer‘s 4y
82 likes1 stack add4 comments
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KristenDuck
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I totally relate so much to this character, especially given her mother‘s hoarding background.

I literally cannot stand dust, clutter, items thrown on a table without purpose - I‘m a milder version of Monica from FRIENDS.

mollyrotondo Maybe this will be my next audio book. I really liked the tagged books by her. 4y
75 likes4 stack adds2 comments
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Oryx
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#audioknitting with a poorly pooch. Poor Daisy not feeling well today.

monalyisha It looks like being with you is offering her comfort! 💕 4y
Chrissyreadit Hope she feels better. 4y
Tonton Hoping Daisy feels better! 4y
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JessClark78 Hope she feels better soon. 4y
HeatherBlue Hope she feels better!! 💕 4y
MicrobeMom Oh no! Feel better Daisy! 4y
Jas16 Poor Daisy! I hope she feels better soon. 4y
67 likes8 comments
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meowmeowd
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Pickpick

My favorite Lisa Jewell book so far. Riveting story about a family that at first seems so totally normal and loving and then just gets all kinds of messed up and then messed up some more! Really good. Couldn‘t put it down!

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DreesReads
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Pickpick

Pick with reservations—I don‘t know that I would enjoy this book on paper, but it was easy to follow on audio. After a family tragedy one Easter, the Bird family drifts apart, as each reacts differently. Divorce, affairs, hoarding, fleeing the country, avoiding discussion—they do it all. Decades later the surviving family members are together again, finally talking about the events of that past Easter. #audiobook #hoopladigital

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crazyspine
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Pickpick

#bfcr4 ✔ in
2.5/2 hrs of exercise
Finished first book of The Challenge @wanderinglynn @jmtrivera @Honeybeegirl @bookandcat

bookandcat Great job! 4y
wanderinglynn Way to go! 🙌 A great first week! 4y
jmtrivera Great week! 4y
54 likes1 stack add4 comments
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cathysaid
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Pickpick

Classic Jewell. Lots of family drama and salacious secrets. A mother‘s inability to control her hoarding affects every member of the family as they grow and change over the years. Entertaining #audiobook brain candy. 3/5 ⭐️

44 likes1 stack add
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pigeonsandcrows
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Mehso-so

Well, I didn't bail, and I can't quite pan this book, but neither can I in good faith entirely recommend it, so I'll settle on so-so. Jewell certainly captured the dysfunction of the Birds vividly, but I can't say to what end- Entertainment? Emotional catharsis? Neither of those terms describes my experience as a reader. Although well-written, this novel left me partially revolted and partially just incredibly irritated. Anyone else?

CrowCAH Welcome to the Litsy family!!! 📚 5y
Susannah Yes, me too. How could so many things happen to one family? I mean, I guess we‘re supposed to assume that all that happened to each person was because of the dysfunction at the head of the family, but it was just TOO MUCH. It felt a little like how you described A Little Life. Tragedy porn. 5y
pigeonsandcrows @Susannah Right? I like a little scandal in my fiction, but it was like these people were so pathetic and wallowing that they couldn't even commit a convincing sinful act, they just sat around passively violating every taboo of how decent people should act towards one another. And then it's all going to be OK because Beth has a baby? That's the last thing that character needed. Spoiler alert for life: a baby does not fix everything. 🙄 5y
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Susannah Not to mention the forgiveness did not resolve all the interrelationship stuff that they‘ll continue to have to experience with each other. Also ... see next comment for spoiler. 5y
Susannah Was it weird that Beth moved into the house? Cleaned and refreshed as it was, how did they not all have hoarding PTSD? 5y
pigeonsandcrows @Susannah I found virtually every part of the forced happy ending chapter creepy, including Beth moving into the house. I also found the big reveal of the incestuous kiss between Lorelei and Rhys explained absolutely nothing to me and was just unnecessary. Did you feel like that detail advanced your understanding of events surrounding his suicide? 5y
Susannah No. I was baffled by that reveal. When I read that the book‘s topics included rape, I honestly thought Rhys was going to have raped Beth or Lorelei. Not that the act had to be so heinous to drive him to suicide, but his entire character felt underdeveloped. It was like the author had to hurry because she had a lot more trauma to pack in. 5y
pigeonsandcrows @Susannah It's probably good that I'm venting my spleen now in case one of the other girls loves it! IMHO Rhys killing himself because he was depressed or awkward was tragedy and trauma enough without upping the ante by including that reveal. It was so unnecessary. The author just had to pack in more at every turn. Don't even get me started on the Bill and Beth affair subplot and how that's handled. Grrrr. 5y
Susannah No, no, get started! I was pretty appalled by Bill and Beth, but I thought the dad and Kayleigh relationship was kind of sweet. Just me? 🙄 I definitely thought Kayleigh was reasonable to call out Beth when Beth threw the temper tantrum at Vicky‘s funeral. That said, again, I couldn‘t believe suddenly it was ok to bring Kayleigh to the house at the end (though I realize that Whatshisname wanted to meet Tia). (edited) 5y
pigeonsandcrows @Susannah I just thought the entire Bill and Beth affair was so ugly and long lived, so potentially devastating to Meg, and then it's all resolved in the end with a wave of the hand. "Oh, he just slept with my sister for years because she was the part of me I wouldn't let him get to. Well, we just decided to be happy so it's all awesome now, Bill and I will just help Beth raise her baby, no biggie." Huh? 5y
pigeonsandcrows @Susannah I thought Bill was a morally repugnant sleaze. Kayleigh may have had a chip on her shoulder, but so far as I could see, there was no moral reason she and Colin weren't free to do as they pleased in terms of having a relationship. The Rory-Colin-Kayleigh love triangle was left unresolved in the end, and I'm not sure Kayleigh was going to despise the sisters any less, so the ending was a cop out IMHO. 5y
pigeonsandcrows @Susannah I mean, what was the take home message here? Everything is forgivable and the important thing is for families to stick together no matter how everyone behaves? Their big failure was just not loving each other enough before, and now all their relationships are going to be great since Lorelei is dead and the trash is out of the house??? Was that your take on it? 5y
Susannah Simply put, yes. I got that cleaning the trash out of the house was symbolic, but how can we believe that they won‘t all just start building up another bunch of petty and not-so-petty resentments? And I totally agree that Meg‘s vague acceptance of Bill and Beth‘s affair did not work AT ALL. Like, what part of Meg could Bill not get to that, um, Beth kept between her two large breasts? 🤦‍♀️ That was just a massive rationalization on Meg‘s part. 5y
Susannah And I have known too many estrangements in my own family to know that you don‘t just magically get over them. (edited) 5y
pigeonsandcrows @Susannah Ditto, my family does repressed trauma, narcissistic parents, and estrangement super well and I found this ending a bit hard to swallow. 😉 (edited) 5y
pigeonsandcrows @Susannah I love how we're just producing a string of spoilers here. I mean, yes, super yuck, Bill just wanted Beth for sex, and Beth apparently didn't even like the sex but was just too passive and underdeveloped as a human being to say no? She finally felt validated in her existence because Meg's partner wanted to sleep with her? And Meg's response to finding all of this out was to kick him out for a while, then force him to marry her? (edited) 5y
Susannah I know. It‘s just icky. Funny how Colin and Kayleigh are portrayed as questionable (like, I got a judgmental vibe from the writer, not just for the sake of the story), but the Beth-Bill story is treated as much more normal. WTH? 5y
Susannah Also Bill cheated on Meg! With her sister! How is this not a permanent dealbreaker?! 5y
Susannah Spoiler, spoiler, spoiler 🤣 5y
pigeonsandcrows @Susannah I couldn't agree more with your comments. I feel the level of betrayal Bill and Beth exhibited was such that Meg realistically would've decided they were both dead to her. At a minimum, I would have expected her to have grave reservations about having either of them be her closest allies and confidantes, but she's portrayed as just taking it in stride and forgiving and forgetting and remaining enmeshed with both of them, which Huh? (edited) 5y
Susannah Because, la, la, la, family and forgiveness, the end. That‘s not how any family I know works. 5y
pigeonsandcrows @Susannah I despised the character of Lorelei. Jewell did a great job portraying a narcissistic parent who values her little rituals of love more than she values the feelings of her actual children, but I also felt like she wanted us to feel sympathetic towards her- ugh. Did you think the emails were meant to make us understand her motivations, or were they more of a way of advancing the story by throwing in reveals and plot summaries? 5y
pigeonsandcrows @Susannah I'll stop commenting now as I know we're supposed to discuss on Saturday. I don't want to run out of steam. Although thankfully I don't get the sense anyone else really *loved* this book, especially since Jennifer didn't remember the ending! 5y
Susannah The latter. I hated those letters. I thought they were just exposition, and they took up way too much space. 5y
42 likes1 stack add24 comments
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Susannah
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I‘m not too keen on the heaps upon heaps of drama in this book, but wow, is it readable. I‘ve burned through 300 pages in the last three days.

#bookclub #currentlyreading

jillrhudy Sometimes heaps and heaps of drama is all that keeps me awake long enough to get through a chapter or two! 4y
34 likes1 comment
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pigeonsandcrows
This post contains spoilers
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Like so much of this book, I just don't know whether to laugh at the absurdity or just feel really sad and disgusted.

Susannah Both. Or rather, all. 5y
3 likes1 comment
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pigeonsandcrows
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Reading this one for my book club. It's an exploration of the struggles of the adult children in the Bird family to launch into the world in the face of parental mental illness and pathological grief. It hits a bit close to home in terms of my own family, and I don't think I'd continue reading it if it weren't for my book club.

swishandflick Welcome to Litsy! 😄👏🏽 5y
Librarybelle Welcome to Litsy! 5y
Emilymdxn I hope you get on with the book okay! Welcome to the community 🥰 5y
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TCLinrow Welcome to Litsy 😊🎉🎊 5y
AmyK1 Welcome to Litsy! 5y
RaimeyGallant Welcome! 5y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Welcome to Litsy!! 5y
wanderinglynn Welcome to Litsy! 👋🏻 5y
Cweeeevs Welcome to Litsy! 😄 5y
VioletBramble Welcome to Litsy! 5y
Melissa_J Welcome to Litsy from a fellow Canuck 😊 5y
Reading_in_the_meadow So I totally read it as paranormal mental health. Parental mental health makes much more sense! 5y
Reading_in_the_meadow *mental illness. I'm going back to sleep now 😂 5y
pigeonsandcrows @Melissa_J Thanks! 🙂 In the interest of full disclosure, I am originally from the States, but my family and I are living in Alberta for work. That being said, which part of the country are you in, if I may ask? 5y
pigeonsandcrows @Reading_in_the_meadow A book focusing on paranormal mental health and illness sounds right up my alley! Ha! 😁 5y
Reading_in_the_meadow @pigeonsandcrows 😂😂😂 I have to admit, I was confused, but also very curious! 5y
LitsyWelcomeWagon Welcome to Litsy! Here are links to #Litsytips: http://bit.ly/litsytips and #LitsyHowTo videos: goo.gl/UrCpoU. There‘s lots of fun things to do: book exchanges, buddy reads, photo challenges and more! @litsywelcomewagon 5y
Eggs Welcome to Litsy 🤗 4y
Nute Welcome to Litsy! It‘s a warm and friendly community. I know that you will enjoy yourself here. I‘m looking forward to getting to know you!🙂 A book that hits close to home can be a tough read, be kind to yourself!💕 4y
pigeonsandcrows @Nute Thank you so much! That was definitely a tough read for me.
4y
68 likes2 stack adds21 comments
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Nitpickyabouttrains
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Pickpick

A family suffers a tragedy and the ripples are felt decades later. The kids grow up and apart. Their parents make choices they don‘t understand. But eventually they all have to deal with their issues.

26 likes1 stack add
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Peaslady
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Pickpick

I've not read a Lisa Jewel since I was a teenager and the book I did read was a trashy chick lit that didn't inspire me to read more. But someone I trust lent me their copy of this book and I've got to admit I really enjoyed it. It's still an easy read, but it's well written for its genre and a gripping and unusual story. It flits between past and present, exploring the lives of a family whose mother is a hoarder from their different perspectives.

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VanessaCW
Pickpick

An excellent read about a dysfunctional family featuring hoarding. I really loved this one. I enjoy family dramas and this one hit the spot for me. I‘ve never read a book by Lisa Jewell before, either, so I will definitely be reading more. “You are all pebbles from the same beach. Look after each other.” Good advice!

46 likes1 stack add
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VanessaCW
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I‘ve just started this one. It‘s been on Mt TBR for a while. I‘m reading it along with my face-to-face book group. Enjoying it so far.

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christinehk
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I was intrigued from the beginning, however, the last 1/4 of the novel could have been condensed. The characters almost got “annoying” to read about - it‘s a very dysfunctional and convoluted family - although cleverly written.

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Aswenson
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I know a book has hooked me when I can read it on the elliptical. 😅 🏃🏻‍♀️ Jewell is an expert at building tension and suspense!

SilversReviews This was good...ENJOY!! 5y
47 likes1 comment
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AKwaz
Pickpick

“Wherever you find yourselves, you are all pebbles from the same beach. Look after each other.” I really enjoyed this one - cringe-worthy at times, but a nice message that after all the twists and turns in life you can find your way home to your family.

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ShookBelf
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Pickpick

Families - you can't live with them, you can't live without them. That is, in a nutshell, what this story is all about. Despite a mother with mental health issues and a peculiar brother, whose suicide is the crux around which the rest of the story revolves, it is essentially an exploration of the depth of guilt, animosity but above all else, love shared by family members.
'You are all pebbles from the same beach
4🌟 for audiobook version

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Laru79
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Pickpick

This was a really interesting insight into the family of a hoarder - I had to read as I pack up my house for moving (very slowly as we don‘t have a move date yet). I am by no means a hoarder but I am very sentimental and do like to keep objects which mean something to me. BUT I have managed to get rid of some stuff, so I‘m not like Lorelei yet!! Jewell‘s books are always well written and this was no exception!

26 likes2 stack adds
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Andrew65
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Pickpick

I‘m not sure I can say I ‘enjoyed‘ this book as it was sad on so many levels 😢, & certainly not one to read when you are feeling low! That said thought it was an excellent read if sad! 😰 It tells the journey of a family through its trials and tribulations that rock the family following a key tragic event. I was pleased to see that it ended on a positive note but what a journey. That said it was very well written and played with all my emotions.

Cathythoughts Great review... looking forward to my first Lisa Jewel soon 6y
My_novel_obsession Thanks for the review!! I‘m definitely going to pick it up, 6y
Andrew65 @Anovelobsession Hope you enjoy it, I do tend to enjoy her books but not sure I‘d put this as her best. (edited) 6y
72 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Andrew65
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Will be coming away from my #MakeMeReadIt Challenge temporarily whilst I read this book as it is due back at the library in 2 days and doubtless will have people waiting on a reservation list! Do tend to love books written by Lisa Jewell.

MelissaSue81 This looks good! I‘m contemplating taking a break from my #makemereadit books as well to get through some library books 6y
Andrew65 @MelissaSue81 Those due dates come round so quickly, and no guarantee that you can get them out again. Lisa Jewell books are always interesting and yet to be disappointed by one. 6y
My_novel_obsession I‘ve had this one on my TBR for a looooong time. Let us know how you like it! 6y
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Andrew65 @Anovelobsession Will do 👍 6y
Cathythoughts Just got my first Lisa Jewel yesterday, I hope I like her 6y
Andrew65 @Cathythoughts I‘ve read 6 of hers and enjoyed them all, but not read that one. Hope you enjoy it. (edited) 6y
71 likes4 stack adds6 comments
review
Purrfectpages
House We Grew Up in | Lisa Jewell
Mehso-so

I know this is a winner in many people‘s eyes, but I had a hard time connecting with this book. In the beginning I struggled keeping all the characters straight, and the back and forth of the timeline didn‘t help much. But once I got a handle on the characters and story, I had a hard time liking any of them. As the book wore on I felt more sympathetic to everyone, but the way things were brushed under the carpet, so to speak, irked me.