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9/10 stayed up until 2.30am to finish this book in 3 days! Loved the ending. Was satisfying to hear how all the loose ends of different plots were tied up. Great description of a narcissist and how they fuck you up when you get into a relationship with them.

3 Stars • The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell is darker, sharper sequel that drags the Lamb family back into hell when a grim discovery on the Thames reopens their past. Jewell juggles old ghosts, new crimes, and a seemingly separate storyline with ruthless skill. Henry is still gloriously unhinged, Lucy finally fights back, and the twists land like punches. Taut, twisty, and emotionally brutal.

A low pick. A very unnecessary sequel with too many POV.
I find Henry to be a fascinating character, I could have read both books entirely from his perspective.

You can find me on booksta most of the time these days ☺️

Didn't initially know if I was going to stick with this one because it wasn't really speaking to me. I was too lazy to do anything about it though so I just pressed on hoping there would be an uptick in the storylines that would put it on a more engaging path. There was, and it did! Turns out to have been a few very good mysteries rolled into one.

Also, the full narrator cast made the #audiobook version a solid choice.

3.5 - 4 ⭐

This book was the same okayish as the first one. The detective pov should have been eliminated. He was trying to figure out what happened basically in book 1, so you're re-reading everything you already read in the first book. Which is probably great if it's been a while between books, but I read them back to back. Also, I just did not give 1 crap about getting justice for Birdie or Micheal. Screw them both and call it a day.. 2/5

9️⃣ Saturday morning set up 📖 🐶 ☕️ I‘m going to see Lisa speak next week and I am so excited because I love her books! A hundred pages into this one and gripped.

“And when you hate someone, it leaves deeper scars on your psyche than loving someone ever can.”

The Family Upstairs 02-The Family Remains
Jewell, Lisa

Nobody ever knew what had happened inside a marriage apart from the two people in it.

Ps:Been a minute since I posted a quote from a book 📕. I've not read any book in an eternity because I've been super busy and life's been happening to me.

It's been a while since I read the first one but the story came back quickly. Felt like nit a had a slightly anti climatic ending but still enjoyed it.

I feel mildy like I should get more reads in before the end of the year so started this while waiting jn the car. Very unlike me to have more than one book on the go.

Just started the sequel to The Family Upstairs on audio. So far, really enjoying it.

#audiobooks

Finished this audio for book group. It‘s a sequel, and I think it is necessary to read the first one - The Family Upstairs. This one brings together loose strings, but with a pretty neat ending. There‘s still the opportunity for another, but I‘d be surprised if it goes there. Book 1 of #Scarathlon done (at least the second half!) and got some word search points. #SpookyGhostClub

Tackle the TBR 🤓📚
#boleybooks #lisajewell #thefamilyremains #bookbeast #bookjoy #bookbuds
What are you reading?😊

This book is characterized as a stand-alone sequel to The Family Upstairs, but I am not sure that one would find this remotely satisfying without having read the first book which, imho, is heads and tails better. I was not nearly as invested in these characters this time around, and a lot of it felt like telling. I love Lisa Jewell, but I don‘t think this book adds anything to its origin story.

Oops. At this point in the story Lucy is in Chicago. There are no In-N-Outs anywhere in the Midwest. It's not the first time I've seen a mistake with American vernacular/geography/etc in a book by a British author. Maybe there's a market for a Brit-to-U.S. proofreader? Sign me up! The book is a fun read so far.... #netgalley

One of my favorite authors. Worked as a sequel as well as a standalone.

Book 68🎧 4.2⭐️

This one was REALLY good. I was a bit confused by all the MPOVs and time lines but I got myself sorted😂

Ohhhhhh that f*cking Michael!!! He really takes the cake as the biggest asshole.

Strong ladies unite!

4-3-23: My 35th finished book of 2023! Considered a stand alone sequel of The Family Upstairs, this story is definitely a page turner. With many character‘s voices and going back and forth in time, this is about the Lamb siblings getting their lives back but also about a girl named Rachel, who has just heard her husband is dead. How these two ideas tie in together is the mystery. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️📖#️⃣3️⃣5️⃣

What a page turner! I started this book not realizing it was a sequel. It was still great as a stand-alone. The characters were really interesting, and the story was fast-moving.

I listened to the audiobook of this one via BorrowBox.

It wasn‘t a bad sequel tbh. Not sure if it was needed but I enjoyed it overall.

Read for reading challenges.

4/5

#FabulousFebruaryReadathon #BookSpinBingo #SeriesLove2023

This is a sequel to The Family Upstairs. DCI Samuel Uwusu is called to the scene where the bones are found in the Thames River. Rachel Rimmer has also been told that her husband, Michael, has been found dead in the cellar of his house in France. Lucy Lamb is settling on a purchase of a house while her brother Henry is off to find a boy from his shared past.

It surprises me that this is the one we get the sequel for, because I think some of her other books are more deserving. I actually love Lisa jewell but this didn‘t hit right. I think I just have higher expectations of her haha

#BookspinBingo Great sequel thriller, which seems pretty unique! We learn more about the past and present of this broken family and I loved every minute. I even finished a craft project I‘ve been putting off so that I could keep listening. Jewell is becoming a must read for me. Great on #audio @TheAromaofBooks

Not as good as the first book.
This was mostly wrapping up all the side plots from the first book and that made it a little less interesting and entertaining.
The writing was decent. The narration was annoying at times.
If you want the pretty little bow I would recommend reading if you don‘t really care go ahead and pass.

A fab follow-up to The Family Upstairs. As usual, Lisa Jewell has crafted a dark, twisty, compelling mystery. Super satisfying to follow some of the unresolved threads from the first novel about these characters. The best kind of holiday reading.

This sequel to The Family Upstairs ties up loose ends from the first book. I love the dynamic of the very dysfunctional Lamb family. The tie in from another character with Lucy Lamb adds another element of thrill. There are a lot of characters and moving parts, so it sometimes seemed a bit confusing, but it has a satisfactory ending. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When I first heard about this sequel to THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS, I was so excited! I remember finishing that one and wishing for more- so to have that delivered years later was thrilling! I do wish that I had re-read it for my own enjoyment but this does stand alone and has enough reminders that it‘s not necessary. Henry & Lucy are more the focused here- along with Rachel who‘s tied to Lucy in an unexpected way. Well written & fascinating characters!

I enjoyed the first one but I really didn‘t need more from this family. I finished but this one while it can stand alone was not for me,

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. "The Family Remains" was another great read from Lisa Jewell. Told via several timelines, and from several different povs, the story was captivating. This book was a story of adults scarred by childhood trauma, seeking closure, family, extortion, and historical crimes. This book was brilliantly executed, multi layered and a very satisfying read. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Can you BELIEVE the view from my favorite coffee shop??? It‘s a little chilly but too gorgeous to not read outside for just a few minutes.

Having read The Family Upstairs and typically loving Lisa Jewell‘s novels I was excited to listen to this sequel. And…it was ok. It‘s been a long time since I read the first book so I was easily confused by the many, many characters. That being said I was still drawn into the story and wanted to see everything unfold. +16 points for #teamslaughter #scarathlon2022 Reading for various bingo boards/readathons and will calculate that separately

Full review: https://southernersreadtoo.com/2022/10/05/abusive-past-modern-murder/

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the chance to review this book.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

This book adds depth to The Family Upstairs for fans of the book. However, I'm torn between whether I thought this sequel should be it's own book or whether it should have been a couple extra chapters added to The Family Upstairs.

I think Lisa Jewell spins a very good story because the Lamb family escapades this time around seemed barely book worthy yet I really wanted to know how it would all resolve. I enjoyed the introduction of Rachel and how her experience meets up with the fate of the Lamb‘s.

A really good follow up to The Family Upstairs! This isn‘t as thriller-y and creepy as it‘s predecessor, but still a great continuation of the story, and I loved the ending. Oh, Henry!

#bookspinbingo - free space (hello, center square!)

I finally made it to the half way point, but I am so bored. DNFing this one.

So excited to start. My Libby hold came in!!!

It‘s definitely not as good as its predecessor. Also, it does not read as a stand-alone sequel so I‘m not sure why it‘s labeled as such. Another issue I have with this book is the character Rachel. I feel like she is so unnecessary to the story. Lastly, the ending is kind of a letdown. I think the only thing that kept me invested in this book is Henry. I had to keep reading to see what he‘d do next! ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I feel like this would have been a better experience if I reread the first book even though this can be read as a stand-alone. This isn‘t very thriller like. It‘s more like a mystery/family drama. I was a bit anxious when reading though.

I love Lisa Jewell and am glad I finally got to pick this one up.

Yikes! Guess I'm using an audible credit for this one 😅 Just finished book 1 and need to know what happens next!

Skip this sequel. Read my full review here: https://debbybrauer.org/#the-family-remains-the-family-upstai...

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This was a good sequel to The Family Upstairs, which I thought was a good and creepy thriller. While I had forgotten some of that book, I got my bearings soon enough. There‘s good resolution to the first book, and the epilogue had a good final twist.

Also I just noticed how many times I said good in this review. It‘s a good book! 🤣

4 stars, The narration was amazing! I like how they brought in a new character to freshen it up. And I liked the final few swerves. It was overall a fairly enjoyable book, but trigger warning for rape! I couldn't remember a lot of the first book, but I think I may have enjoyed this one just as much.

Oh Henry! This was a perfectly twisted sequel to The Family Upstairs which I read years ago. This can read as a total standalone so fear not on that. A lot of twists and plenty of characters to keep you well entertained. Solid suspense. Love this author.

Off to a good start! ❤️

Listening to this one now! So far it's pretty good.

Henry is back!!!! And omg, he's no Joe Goldberg, but he's still pretty twisted. And I am here for it.

I finished this late last night. It was pretty entertaining.

Great sequel!! I highly recommend it! #LisaJewell