Welcome to Litsy!

Oh my, what a bunch of liars. Everyone is a suspect. Any one of the unlikeable, and shallow characters could have done it. 🔪 But that‘s not the flaw of the book. Some parts felt dragged on, and I‘m not a fan of the writing style. But the chapters are short and I had to know who the killer was. Sad to say, the reveal felt flat. It‘s a shame, as it ruins the ride. Makes a fun beach read though.

Well props to the author because this is a miserable example of family yet somehow I was engaged and intrigued to read to the end to discover who was the worst of the lot.

My work busy season is slowly wrapping up and I‘m excited to be reading again!

Just a VERY COMPELLING rich people problems domestic mystery. There is just no better murder narrative than one grounded in a messed up family dynamic, too much money, and a healthy dose of secrets. Highly satisfying mid-week read. No regrets.

A mostly enjoyable read, I‘m still not a massive fan of this author‘s writing style but it was a good thriller.

3.75/5

Read for prompts for #NerdDaily2022ReadingChallenge2022 and for my Patreon buddy read with MegWithBooks.

A classic Whodunit? with characters that are just as mysterious as they are unlikeable. All the suspects seem equally able to fit any theories. You have to keep reading just to know if the one you chose is right.

I read “thrillers” for the unputdownable, gotta find out the ending, feeling. This one didn‘t deliver that, though it was cohesive. Rich, unlikeable, spoiled brats fight to inherit their parents‘ wealth. Forgettable and it took me forever to listen to, a sure sign I didn‘t enjoy it. So-so, but could be a pan 🤷🏼‍♀️

The ending to this was so predictable. It just seemed to plod along

This is a case of a thriller where everyone is terrible and yet you're still drawn in because of the mystery. I'm not even sad about the murder, because the patriarch was an awful, awful human, although maybe the mom could have redeemed herself? Still, lots of suspects, lots of theories, and even I had a motive to kill the old man. 😉 💀
#Readin22 #TBR

Not that it counts as a match for the #Pantone2022 challenge, but my manicure totally matches the colour #HarbourBlue! 💖

She‘s expecting a windfall soon. A significant windfall. It‘s too bad someone has to die for it
She‘s going to be rich. It‘s about time.

Oh boy. This family is straight up F*ed up. Damn!

I flew through this book. While ultimately forgettable, it is an easy, domestic thriller that is impossible to put down. The perfect weekend read.

All these characters are terrible people 😭😂
A true who-dun-it, when the matriarch and patriarch of a family are murdered, everyone wants to know, did one of their grown children do the crime? Everyone has a motive! #botm

Finished my first book of the month

TBR Read - 15pts
#WGWordSearch - 1,930pts
Participation - 1pt

Total: 1,946pts

#WinterGames2021 #MistletoeManiacs

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This was an enjoyable read. 😊 It reminded me a bit of the film Knives Out, in that it is the same type of family whodunit, where everyone has a motive.

A page-turner that keeps you guessing!

#bookspinbingo

A few months behind on BOTM, but it‘s a leisurely Sunday read.

Book 19 for 2021

This book was not my favorite by Shari Lapena. A lot of characters but I didn't really feel a connection to any of them. It was a quick read that also felt rushed. I got the story line and you did kinda keep guessing who did it. But at the end I wasn't completely shocked.

I really enjoyed this one! It was one of those mysteries where you are going back and forth the whole time thinking you know what happened.

This finally gets me to a bingo on #bookspinbingo

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5/5)

As my August #BOTM pick, I found “Not a Happy Family” to be a bit disappointing. The book had a solid start, but I found that the ending simply fizzled out and was mildly unsatisfactory. In addition, there were some plot holes that remained unanswered, which I found frustrating as well.

As an ER nurse, thank you for the dedication ❤️

This book does keep you guessing til the last page. Who murdered the wealthy couple? Lots of possibilities, lots of motives, lots of shady characters. But still just another murder mystery.

The newest Lapena is already MUCH more satisfying than the newest Feeney was, and I‘m not even halfway through. (Honestly, it was more satisfying within the first five pages. 😬) I‘m pretty excited that it‘s my day off and I can just sit and read with no interruptions. 😍 #notahappyfamily #sharilapena

🎧 The very rich Merton family is 110% dysfunctional & possibly clinically insane!

Easter family dinner ends with the 3 adult children, their SO‘s & the nanny turned housekeeper storming out in anger.

Days later mom & dad are found dead. Who did it?

With a will in question, a jealous aunt, convenient friends & so many secrets & lies it was easy to get drawn in.

Fun twists & turns, easy to digest, read it in one sitting. #BOTM

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Stated out good but came too predictable and ended up being and so so book for me. I had high hopes for this one

Day off boy is at school
All day of reading

Next book

A coworker lent me this one and honestly it was fascinating. About a quarter of the way through I had to skip to the end to see if one of my two picks for who done it was correct (one was). The character dynamics and the jumping between povs kept me hooked the whole time!

A fast and engaging read, believable and well-paced. It lacked a bit of depth and I enjoyed The Couple Next Door more, but still a good read.

Disappointed. Although I finished this quickly, I do not have many positive things to say about it. The characters were flat. I do not think that characters have to be likable for a book to be enjoyable but this one tested me. All of the characters were unlikable & simple. There was not one relatable character in the book. If you're falling behind on your Book Challenge & need a quick read to get your numbers up, then this will probably suffice.

I LOVED Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena. It was very twisty, although Shari Lapena is one of my favorite authors. ❤️ Up next is Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney. 📚💙

Not a Happy Family, indeed. Unfortunately this just isn't the type of "thriller" that interests me, the writing and characters are falling flat and the suspense feels forced. And while there are multiple reasons for many of these (entitled, selfish) people to have committed murder, I find myself not caring who actually did the deed or who gets the inheritance. So instead of forcing myself to continue, I'm bowing out. Glad I didn't buy it ? #BOTM

If you‘re not a fan of mysteries wherein a victim is dreadful and everyone has a motive/is lying, plus no one is terribly redeemable, you probably want to skip this one. I enjoyed it immensely. The gradual exposure of each person‘s lies and self-centered behavior was really entertaining. My only complaint is that I felt the way it was written made the murderer a bit obvious.

I finished Our Little Secret by Kiersten Modglin. It was excellent! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Next up is Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena. I‘m a HUGE fan and have high hopes for this book. 📚💜💕

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Loved the multiple points of view this story uses to develop the plot

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Enjoyable book from BOTM. I can honestly say that each character appeared to be guilty so I truly had no idea “who dunnit”, but tbh the ending fell extremely flat for me and I was disappointed and left pretty Womp Womp. Extremely quick read tho!

This was good and kept me guessing who did it. #bookspinbingo square @TheAromaofBooks

I thought I had this one figured out but I was wrong, I like when I‘m wrong

Although the book kept me interested during the first few chapters, I felt it dragged on with no new information on the characters or the plot. I believe the author could have expanded on the characters more as I ended the book with lots of questions!

The ending was abrupt and had no real climax to it. I turned the last page with a feeling of indifference. I was surprised that this book was given such glowing reviews…

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