Cover Image: Twisted Family Values

Twisted Family Values

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Member Reviews

Yeah, I just couldn't find my way into this one.... From the opening pages I was annoyed at the characters, confused by the meandering story, and uninterested in everything about it. I usually like the quirks of dysfunctional family stories, and usually like things that take me on a nostalgic journey through the decades of my own lifetime (I was born in the early 1970s), but this one just never connected with this one...

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Opinions will likely be all over on this one. I enjoy stories with dysfunctional families and those with quirky characters. This one though, didn’t quite work for me. Have you ever read a book where you felt the author was trying too hard to be shocking?

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I'm glad I requested on a whim and it was approved to read this book. I enjoyed it from the start. Twisted Family Values brings family drama, fun and some dysfunction that comes along with families.

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This book made me laugh and made me think. It's a funny satire and it's the realistic depiction of family life.
It's a page turner you can't put down, entertaining and full of food for thought.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

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This book was a fun summer read! You really see all the family and every part they play. You learn that family no matter how large or small each is filled with secrets, sometimes lies, and heartache. however it can also be funny and filled with just life as we know it. You see every emotion and can relate to the realness of it all!

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Thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy. This was an easy, breeze read. It would be a good summer beach read. It went on too long though in my opinion. It was not my favorite book. It was too lengthy. A good portion of the last half of the book could have been edited severely. I am glad I read it though; the 70s, 80s and 90s nostalgia was great!

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I was able to read this book thanks to NetGalley. I was thoroughly entertained by this quirky novel. I enjoyed the family dynamics as well as the fun cultural references and romance. It’s a fairly easy read that is perfect for upcoming summer vacation. I will be recommending to friends. Thanks again for the chance to read it.

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The cover is the only thing I liked about this book. I knew once I began reading this story wasn't going to be appealing to me and I was correct. I couldn't connect with the narrative nor with any of the characters. This book was a major pass for me.

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Thank you Netgalley and publisher as always!

Um..... I did not finish this book sadly. It was choppy and a bit all over. I just didnt get a good fit with it. The sibling relationship between Baz and Choo was odd. I'm sure some will enjoy it.

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This is a very raunchy book that honestly I did not enjoy reading because of the whole incest factor and how detailed that it got. I am not a prude but really, it was a bit much. The writing style was very clumsy, ADHD like and all over the place. I was so confused on so much of what was going on. 35% in I felt obligated to finish the story even though I really did not want to. I feel the description was way off, there was barely anything about the sisters Cat and Claire and all about Biz and Choo and their nasty relationship.

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The premise of this book sounded promising, but unfortunately, I just couldn't get into it.

The story starts off with chatter between two siblings about their babies. I happen to be a mom, and sorry, but I completely zoned out at the mention of diaper cream and nap in the first chapter.

It was a DNF for me. Sorry!

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for my copy.

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If you've ever felt your family had a little something to hide, you'll feel a little closer to "normal" after spending some time with the protagonists in Chickering's latest guilty-pleasure novel. Her characters are your neighbors, our neighbors. They are very, very far from perfect, and that is what makes them so endearing. I wanted to meet many of these individuals, and in some cases came away thinking that I had! Chickering also has a talent for creating atmosphere, the vignettes of past eras will feel very familiar to readers of a certain age. But you don't have to have lived your teenage years in the 70s and 80s to relate to the bad decisions, denials and detours that many people encounter on the path to true love.

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I could not put this novel down! I found myself so wrapped up in the crazy, complex story of Choo and Bizzy that I kept reading until very late into the night. Theirs is a complicated love story of best friends and cousins, trying to reach beyond the taboo yet knowing it will affect their every move.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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I really enjoyed this book. The story catches your attention right from the beginning and keeps you reading because you just have to know how it ends. I would definitely recommend it to friends.

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Funny book about a family of WASPs from New Jersey. Really enjoyed following the characters as the jump from decade to decade . Definitely worth a read . I was graciously provided this book by St. Martins press via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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This was an excellent read for the beach! The story reminded me so much of my own family. The secrets that are hidden, the witty remarks that are passed down, the social trends and fashions. It was funny and entertaining! Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Twisted Family Values by V.C. Chickering is a sexy gem of a book that spans generations without ever taking itself too seriously.
It follows the twin sagas of Bizzy and Choo, two children of the Thornden family. The Thorndens have money and the reputation and privilege that goes along with it. It doesn’t occur to most of them until about 2/3 of the way through the book that the world doesn’t revolve around their comings, goings, and doings. Bizzy and Choo (actually Elizabeth and Charles, who by the time they are adults go by Biz and Charlie outside of the family) are cousins and best friends, and their seemingly unnatural closeness interferes with their romantic lives.

Image is everything to the Thorndens, or is it? The Thornden clan, underneath its veneer of class, is truly twisted. Nothing is as it seems. Graceful manners and grin-and-bear-it smiles hide a multitude of scandals, even from each other. The period details (clothing, food, music) are delicious and nostaligic.

At its heart, though, Twisted Family Values isn’t about the prurient value of the scandal. The book isn’t (just) a soap opera, designed to have you turn the page to gawk at the train wreck the Thorndens have made of their lives. (Although truly, that is fun.) It would be tempting to take the book at face value and simply gloat about the superiority of your own morals. No, when it comes down to it, Twisted Family Values is a love story, albeit non-traditional. Its lesson isn’t that that hiding dirt under the rug is inherently evil, but rather that the secrets are the problem. As long as we all know the dirt is under the rug and we’re hiding it together, it’s ok to be co-conspirators against a harsh world. Being honest with the people you care about is what makes a family functional and a relationship work.

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I've tried to read this book on multiple occasions, but for some reason I wasn't connecting with it. I gotten to about 1/2 of the story, and it was not holding my attention. It's not an awful story, I just think that some of the characters and the writing style weren't for me. I will try and read this again at a later date, because I don't like to not finish books.

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Twisted Family Values will take you on a emotional roller coaster. Five generations of family issues from good to bad. Great writing and strong characters.

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This book perfectly captures each decade it covers in the family gatherings. There are descriptions of outfits, decor, scenarios that are spot on. Some of the quips and dialogue will have you laughing out loud. I enjoyed the characters of Biz and Charlie and seeing them develop as the story progressed. I truly enjoyed the book and found it hard to put down as I wanted to see what would happen next. I can see this as the perfect summer read.

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