When Beth was ten years old, her beautiful, wild mother Alice walked out and never came back. Beth's life since then hasn't always been plain sailing, but she's happy and settled with a successful career, a loving family and a beautiful home. Then one day there's a knock at the door. Alice has returned and Beth invites her mother to move in. At first, everything is wonderful. But Beth's friends begin to drift away, strange things start to happen at home and rumours start to circle about her past. Is someone in her life trying to destroy her happiness?

Beth has a secret from her past that still haunts her. When strange things start to happen, Beth questions everything.

The pace is fast, the plotline was a bit predictable and the characters are well developed and believable. I really enjoyed this book even though I had already guessed the ending. It's full of twists but some parts are uncomfortable to read. I liked the authors writing style, it made the book easy to read.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HarperCollinsUK #OneMoreChapter and the author #JackieKabler for my ARC of #TheHappyFamily in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

The ‘Happy Family’ is a bit of a misnomer as a title. The family of Beth, the lead character, has not really been happy give that her mother disappeared when she was ten, her father is in hospital with a stroke, she is divorced and, above all, has a mistake hanging over her from her teenage past which she wants to keep secret. Wow, that’s a lot to take in but it gets the reader wondering how it is all going to pan out. The big question for the reader is whether Beth’s mother is somewhere in the shadows of her life. This book is well written and has many twists and turns. It ensures sympathy for Beth’s plight. I recommend it.

I enjoyed the writing style of this book but found the story to be quite predictable and there was not a lot of suspense in this for me. I had figured out what had happened much earlier on in the book.

This book is set in England and the author did a great job developing all the characters and setting the scene. It was easy to read but not something that kept me engaged and desperate to read it every day.

This book was average for me. However, I did enjoy the author's writing style and plan to read another of her books.

I was provided an advance copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC.
5 Stars!
Highly recommend. This is the first novel I have read by Jackie Kabler.
It was hard to put this book down. Lots of twists and shocks when a long lost mother suddenly returns.
I was hooked from the first chapter.
Well written, well plotted, engaging characters.

Wow, I was pleasantly surprised on how much I enjoyed this well written, fast paced, thrill ride! It kept me on the edge of my seat with the twisted suspense! Was absolutely chilling, twisty, thrilling, and had one shocking ending! Absolutely unputdownable! Highly, highly recommend!

A solid four star read. Slow burner. Great premise. Well written. Good characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense but I guessed the ending. Would definitely read her next novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

If you enjoy woman's literally and domestic suspenseful fiction, this will be your book.

Beth's mom shows up out of the blew after abandoning her for 30 years and she accepts her with open arms. After her mom's arrival, things start going wrong. Is she crazy, is someone plotting against her?

Argh, maybe it's just me, but there is no way I would be okay and not skeptical that my mom just shows back up in my life after 30 years. I would assume there is some crazy motive or something wrong. However, Beth does the exact opposite, she lets her move in with her no questions asked. I had such a hard time relating to her character. She was completely naive to everything going wrong. I just wanted to shake her and tell at her. Maybe that was the point of her character, but it wasn't my favorite.

I had a hard time with the repetitiveness of the storyline. The same things keep happening and she says the same things to different friends.

I enjoyed the end of the book even though it wasn't an exact surprise.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This is the first book i have read by Jackie Kabler and it did not disappoint. Definitely made me want to read more of her books! Usually i am very much chic lit however through netgalley and being able to review different styles of books i am really starting to like some of these psychological/thriller style books.

I like that the chapters are short, just my personal preference when reading and i find it makes me end up reading more. You can also quickly grab a few chapters as and when.

I really liked the characters in this book and you really warm to Beth. The way the book is written definitely takes you on her journey and you become protective on her behalf. There was times i got really frustrated and was begging her to try and piece things together more. Just a sign of a good author drawing you in. I could have easily slapped Jacob at times. Equally you can relate to each character and their behaviours.

The twists do keep you reading although as i progressed through the book i did start to guess what the twist was, however had to keep reading to see if i was right, and what happened.

An enjoyable read with lots of great characters. Well paced and very well written. For me it was slightly predictable and no great twists but this is likely due to the volume of similar books I have read.

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for an early copy of The Happy Family. This didn’t do it for me, it was nothing like The Perfect Couple and I hate comparing but this was a flop. I figured it out pretty quickly and it just was bizarre what was happening, too far fetched. I’m glad the ending wrapped up nicely but all in all not a great book for me.

This was so good, so clever, so enjoyable to read! The story is drip fed to the reader forcing immersion in the story and the twists are delivered in just the right places to keep those pages urning. One to keep you up long into the night.

I started this book after it had been on my Kindle for a while and I had forgotten what the blurb said about it so I was not aware at first that this is a psychological thriller. Certainly, the title does not give that impression. I was gaily reading away thinking of this novel as a family saga and then began to realise that there was more depth and a deeper mystery going on! I think this meant that I enjoyed the book all the more. It is not a particularly dark and uncomfortable read and for that I was grateful, at times it is even light hearted but as you get deeper, you begin to guess at the twists which are revealed in the last portion of the book. Thank you for a good read and recommended.

A compelling read with a shocking twist!

Beth's mom left her when she was a young girl, and as always felt an empty whole within herself. All her dreams come true, when her mom returns 30 years later. Or do they?

I felt some of this was predictable, but it was a good story that kept my interest. If you like psychological thrillers, that aren't very dark, this would be the perfect book for you!

The Happy Family by Jackie Kabler is a propulsive read that had me racing through the pages. Having read Ms Kabler's previous novels, my expectations were high, and this one did not disappoint.

Beth is a single parent whose own childhood was not an easy one. Abandoned by her mother at the age of ten, Beth got on with things, but has always wondered if she was the reason that her mother left the family. So it is a shock when, thirty years later, her mother, Alice, turns up on the doorstep, hoping to right past wrongs and renew her relationship with Beth. But as Alice settles into the family home, Beth cannot shake the feeling that someone is watching her, and a series of inexplicable events begin to make her question her own sanity. Is Alice's return really the answer to her prayers, or the beginning of a new nightmare?

I love the writing of Ms Kabler, and could not read this addictive new mystery quickly enough. I cannot wait to get my hands on whatever comes next from this must read author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollinsUK, One More Chapter for an ARC.

When Beth's mother returns after many years she so happy to be reunited again she lets strange occurrences pass by. But as she starts to question them deep secrets are about to resurface. I really enjoyed this book. It has so many twists and turns. It's a slow burn read, which I enjoy but as the plot unfolds it turns into a page turning thriller.

I found this book to very enjoyable. I have just finished it and only started it last night.
I felt that the pacing was quite good. The plot was certainly predictable, but nevertheless it is a good book.
Some of the characterisation was a bit too stylised ,
as everything at the start of the book was so very unbelievably “cosy”
Her Mum turning up in her life seemed to be the perfect, smart, conscientious mother we could all aspire to.
A great read, very enjoyable

Loved this book! A great thriller, the build up was fantastic and I just wanted to keep reading after each chapter!
My first by this author and certainly won't be my last!

I've read books by Jackie Kabler before and I was not disappointed with her latest offering, I was completely addicted to reading The Happy Family, it drew me into the story and before I knew it I was halfway through without even realising. It was so easy to read and get swept up with.

Because the book was written in first person it felt as if we were in Beth's head, which lent itself to the nature of the book so well. It felt as if we were falling apart, questioning everything and unsure of who we could trust... I felt myself becoming paranoid just reading the book, it really got under my skin.

There were points that felt unrealistic, with how Beth welcomed her mother back with open arms and with how she didn't question certain things, but when you think that Beth is a divorced mother of two who really has her shit together (really refreshing to read by the way) you can understand why her mother suddenly reappearing out of the blue would throw her off kilter and lead her to make these decisions and assumptions.

Throughout the story Kabler dropped these small hints that built up the tension and lead into this great little backstory that eventually made it's way to the forefront of the book and delivered the mother (excuse the pun) of all twists!

I did not expect the final third of the book to play out the way it did, and while I did guess some aspects of how it would pan out, there others that completely blindsided me and left me sitting with my mouth hanging open.

I also loved how the very end of the book showed everything coming a full circle, it rounded the story off and left me feeling really fulfilled with the story.

On the whole, I loved this book. It kept me guessing, had so many twists and turns that I thought I was on a rollercoaster and finished by wrapping everything up into this perfect little read!

A good standard psychological thriller. Story line was well constructed and the writing was in an easy and readable style. The only thing which annoyed me was the short chapters. I would have preferred longer chapters.