This was a slow burn that started off verryyyyy slow as the author sets up the story. Just when I was thinking of putting it down and moving on, the author threw us some curveballs and captured my interest! From there I was frantically turning pages. This is a slow unraveling of a story until the fast paced conclusion. The conclusion was a bit too muddled and intricate for my tastes but overall, an interesting read. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review!

It has been almost a decade since I picked up a Wendy Corsi Staub novel but the plot of The Other Family sounded so intriguing I decided to give it a try. I am glad I did. This is a quick, engrossing read that is ideal for whiling away a cold afternoon.

Nora and Keith Howell, along with their daughters Stacey and Piper, look like the perfect family. Three of them are catalog pretty blondes, athletic with clean cut all-American looks. And while Nora’s blonde comes from a bottle and Stacey’s brown hair and grunge chic set her apart from the rest of the family, those factors just give a modern edge to their otherwise flawless appearance. But of course, looks can be deceiving.

The Howells have moved from the West Coast to New York to reset their family. There is a mysterious crack in Nora and Keith’s marriage, one alluded to but never spoken of. Stacey had problems at school which hopefully won’t follow her into her new educational facility. In LA, they had been unsure how to fix anything. They needed a break from their old lives and when Keith’s company required someone from their LA office to oversee a project in their New York one, they grasped that opportunity with both hands. The move seems charmed. They found a fabulous rental house, were able to get the girls into terrific schools and have already made friends. Nora encounters their neighbor Heather at the park during their first day in the city and the gregarious woman invites Nora and her clan to have dinner at her place. Dutifully, the Howells set off to have a congenial gathering with their new buds. Heather’s wife Jules proves to be witty and a wonderful cook and Heather and Jules’ kids are of an age to be friends with Piper and Stacey. Everything is going along swimmingly until the conversation turns to murder. The reason Nora and Keith were able to get such a great rental? No one has lived in the house they are in for over two decades because a family was killed there, all of them shot while they slept.

And when odd things start happening, when it appears as though someone is watching them, when everything about the house seems to have a connection with familial deaths, the Howells can’t help but wonder if their home is gearing up to claim yet another set of victims.

I absolutely loved the premise of this story – a cursed house with a mysterious unsolved murder in its past – and the author does a decent job of utilizing that basis to create an intriguing tale. The house isn’t in and of itself creepy – it’s a charming family home – but little details give an ominous vibe to its innocuous façade. Eldest daughter Stacey is established as a murderino at the start of the tale – she brings a box of books about the Lizzie Borden murders with her for ‘light’ reading – so it is natural that she gets caught up in the narrative of the murdered family.

Ms. Staub also does a great job of establishing how ordinary events can turn sinister. Mom Nora, a gardener by both profession and inclination, tackles the yard work with gusto only to find secrets buried beneath the bushes. Nora’s new besties Heather and Jules seem amiable and outgoing but they also seem clingy, prone to dropping in unannounced. and their son Lennon has become strangely possessive of Stacey. Heather and Jules lived in New York at the time of the murders – Heather just a few doors down from the Howell’s current home – and Nora can’t help but wonder if Heather knows something. Are they really her friends or are they watching the Howells? Are they assertively friendly or inviting themselves over to keep tabs on Nora and her husband and kids? The book does a really nice job of balancing normal and slightly off-beat so that we can never be sure if what is happening is what should be happening or if the seemingly banal, mildly atypical events actually have malevolent motives lurking behind them.

Staub seems most in her element in building typical middle class families, and she does a good job of that here. Stacey and Nora are well drawn characters; especially Stacey who, as the geeky awkward but earnest loner, blends into the story beautifully, providing just the right note of curious and clueless, never quite sure if what she is discovering about the house, herself and her family is fact or just her imagination running wild on teenage hormones. I liked how she vacillates between mature sleuth and teen girl trying to figure out how to handle her first boyfriend and all her feelings toward her parents and sibling.

It is clear that something is up with Nora from the start. She makes cryptic calls to a person named Teddy. A lover or something else? It’s clear she’s keeping secrets, we just aren’t sure what or why. Here again the author hits the right note between possibly cheating housewife who is innocent of any other crimes or a woman with a dark past who isn’t talking to a lover but an accomplice.

But in spite of the well done plotting and characterization there are a few problems with the novel. Piper and Keith aren’t sufficiently fleshed out and as a result feel totally unnecessary to the story, and the character of Jacob feels unrealistic. I also questioned the plausibility of some of the crimes committed being gotten away with. The initial crime seemed likely to leave forensic evidence which would point to the killer, and the nature of the crime would undoubtedly have drawn the curiosity – and meticulous investigation – of the feds. I also felt the author set up several scenarios which were never brought to conclusion and could have used some closure.

That said, I was absorbed in The Other Family while reading it and invested enough in the puzzle of what was happening that I finished it quickly just so I could have the satisfaction of knowing the ending. I would recommend it to mystery fans, especially readers who enjoy stories centerred around family dynamics.

THE OTHER FAMILY by Wendy Corsi Staub is a domestic thriller about Nora and her family making a fresh start in a new town. The premise, plot, and quick chapters sucked me in and kept me hooked. I enjoyed the set of characters and generally found this to be an easy, entertaining read. I haven't read Staub's other novels, but would be curious to read her other work after this - and trust other readers who say they would recommend this novel to Staub fans!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, which I received in exchange for my honest review.

This was a great book about family, secrets, and the lengths people go through to keep them. It was well written with interesting characters.

Thank you to the publishers at William Morrow and Custom House and Netgalley for this e-ARC of The Other Family.

The Other Family revolves around Nora and her family. Transplanted to New York from their home of LA, the move is a big change for everyone. But with Keith needing to move for his job, and Nora and him currently on shaky ground, the entire family has decided to travel across the country.

When Nora meets Heather in the park one day shortly after their arrival, they quickly become friendly, coming over to each other’s homes and sharing gossip over a meal. But Nora feels uncomfortable around them, as they begin to pry more and more into her life.

Told from 3 alternating POVs, Nora, her daughter Stacey, and the unknown Jacob, we see just how these 3 lives are intertwined with one another, and what it means when ghosts come back.

I really wanted to love this one. The beginning was such a solid opening that really had me hooked, but the ending left me hanging. There were so many things that took place in the book that felt completely unnecessary, but maybe it was just to keep us, the readers, guessing. I just felt let down though, and I wasn’t really surprised by the ending. I had assumed the ending early on in the story, and was disappointed to see that I was right. Unfortunately, this quick read was just a 3 star book for me.

The Other Family releases February 8th.

I'm between 3 and 4 stars on this one. It's a standalone thriller by Staub that keeps the heat on a slow-burn. Nora and Keith Howell rent an old fully-furnished row house in Brooklyn for a year while Keith helps open a NY office of the LA marketing firm for which he works. They are hoping the move from LA will help everyone in the family get a new start, including their two teen daughters, Stacey (17) and Piper (14).

While at a dinner party with the first neighbors they meet on the block, they learn that 25 years before there was a triple murder in the house in which they are living--a husband, wife and daughter were killed execution-style in their beds, a crime that was never solved. The Howells are shocked--why wasn't that revealed to them by the rental agent? Stacey, who is into true crime, starts digging into the details and learns she's probably living in the bedroom where the daughter was killed. Creepy! But now she also has the feeling she's being watched...

And maybe there is someone watching. Although most chapters of the story are told from Nora's pov, occasionally some are from a man named Jacob who knew the dead girl, Anna, 25 years ago and has convinced himself that she's back! A few chapters also belong to Stacey as she gets involved with the neighbor's son, Lennon, while trying to adjust to this new life in New York City. Will her family believe her when she claims a man is stalking her or just think she's the crazy daughter, acting out again?

The reading experience was fairly quick and absorbing. The row house with all the reminders of its past is a creepy, atmospheric setting. There are a few twists and turns to the story that are not all that shocking or hard to foresee. Of the characters portrayed, I liked Stacey the best because she seems to grow in strength. Nora, I'm not so sure about--can she clean up the mess she's made?

I received an arc of this new suspense novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this copy.

I love a good domestic thriller but unfortunately this was a let down. Told in different POV I didn’t like one character of this book. The neighbors were especially annoying and thank goodness they didn’t have their own chapter. Not very much happening, the story drug on….a thriller without much thrill. The best chapter was the last chapter.

The Other Family by Wendy Corsi Staub is a thriller novel. The story in The Other Family is one that is told by changing the point of view between a few of the characters to give different sides of the story.

Nora Howell and her husband, Keith, have made the decision to pack up their family and move to Brooklyn, NY. The Howell family arrive at their new home and quickly settle in with the two teenagers daughters making their way to their new schools making a fresh start for the whole family.

Nora makes friends with a neighbor rather quickly and soon the family learns that their new home has a ominous past. The house they choose was once the setting for a triple murder which fascinates oldest daughter who is a fan of true crime. As the family settles in though someone out there begins watching them as secrets of the past come to the present.

I have actually read and enjoyed other books by Wendy Corsi Staub so I was excited to dive into The Other Family. The story quickly pulled me in and moved at a quick pace with the short chapters and changing viewpoints. I loved that I couldn’t trust a soul as I waited to find out what would happen as it unfolded. The ending to this one however seemed a bit abrupt and not totally satisfying so that left me to rate this at three and a half stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I have not read Wendy Corsi Staub in a while and I am glad I had a chance to read her new book. She never disappointed me before and definitely did not disappoint me with this one.
A family relocated to a haunted house due to a job promotion. A house that was a scene of a tripe homicide. Neighbors that lead to some interesting details around the murders and become entrenched with the family. Realizing the killer has never been found and will he/she be back.
I love the twist and turns while getting to know about the house and the new family living there. Thou I figured out one secret the ending came as a complete surprise.

This book was just ok for me. There were not enough characters or plot points to keep you guessing. While the story was vague enough to keep you interested, the ultimate payoff was not enough at the end. When a family moves from CA to NYC, you learn of a disturbing past of the house they move to. Memento Mori. What could the new family have to do with a 100 year past? You'll see...

Nora and Keith, along with daughters Stacey and Piper, have moved cross country from California to NYC. They move into a home that unbeknownst to them has sat vacant for 25 years because of a triple homicide that took place there. Nora and Keith are hoping for a fresh start after a recent rough patch. They befriend neighbors with kids that are similar in age to the girls. Nora seems to have trust issues with everyone and has a hard time settling in.

Is there more to the story than meets the eye? What does Nora know that she isn’t sharing with her family? This story was insane. There were several great twists, but the ending was a bit rushed for me. I have questions and so many of the relationships feel unresolved. I could have used another 50 pages or so to wrap things up! Overall, a great book that kept me engaged and turning the pages quickly!

“The Other Family” was a wonderful, mysterious, anxious read!

Written in a three-person POV narrative, I enjoyed every moment of it. Having different narrators kept me guessing the whole way through. I figured out a portion of what the ending would turn out to be, but Wendy Corsi Staub had some tricks up her sleeve to ensure her readers would truly be blindsided by the outcome.

I’m particularly thankful for the author using this book as a platform to shed light on emotionally abusive and controlling relationships whether it’s between friends who make you feel pressured into situations with zero consideration of anyone else or in the form of young romance that starts sweet and loving, but gets more and more suffocating by day. Sweet gestures turn uncomfortable and abrasive, but you wonder if you’re just being over critical or too sensitive, so the toxicity doesn’t get addressed until it’s gone too far. I applaud Stacey for being a strong-willed and intelligent girl; she’s a testament to just how easily young girls can fall into cycles of abuse no matter how tough and smart they are. Portraying this abuse from an intelligent male character who comes from a loving home and doesn’t “seem like the abusive type” was also key. I have personal experience with this and some portions of the book were tough to read without my stomach knotting or my heart beginning to race with feelings of claustrophobia, but that just shows how well Wendy did in relaying that reality to her readers.

Overall, I would rate this 4 stars!
The only downfall for me was having no closure for a large piece of the mystery puzzle, but I’m happy to expand upon that via DMs to avoid spoilers.

I enjoyed this read. Nora and her family moved into a house in Brooklyn that’s “cursed” there was a few plot twists which i saw coming butThe. other family was a pretty quick read for me

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e ARC of this book.
Twisty turny thriller that did manage to creep me out. Interesting but not very likeable characters. This is a book that almost made it. The outcome was predictable but at the end nothing was completed. Still I enjoyed the read.

3.5 stars

The Howells – Keith, Nora, Stacey and Piper – has just made a big move from California to Brooklyn because of Keith’s job requirement.
The brownstone isn’t a newly-built but is perfect for a fresh start for Howells. However, shortly after, some unsettling things begin to happen, especially to Nora and Stacey.
Soon, the family discovers that the house was the scene of a triple homicide a quarter century ago, and the gruesome shocking past eventually comes back to haunt them..
Wendy Corsi Staub has cleverly crafted THE OTHER FAMILY, a gripping thriller loaded with surprising twists and turns that keep you guessing till the end!
I would like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins for this thrilling ride!
#TheOtherFamily
#NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This story is in 3 POVs and actually done very well. Sometimes I don't like stories like this as they are hard to read and keep straight. It went smoothly though and I enjoyed it.

The Howell family moves to Brooklyn for a fresh start, but there are secrets about the house that don't come to light right away. A family was murdered in this house before they moved there. Eventually the story is found out and the secrets are revealed.

The book was good and it kept my interest. There were some interesting moments and I liked the characters.

The move to Brooklyn was meant as a fresh start for the Howell family but the house they've moved into has a dark secret- another family was murdered there 25 years ago. Mom Nora has a secret which begins not only to fester but also to impact her husband Keith and daughters Stacey and Piper- and even the dog. Is someone stalking them? Is someone trying to gaslight them? Stacey is picking at the past and in doing so roiling up trouble. This is told from multiple points of view, some of whose roles might not be immediately obvious. No spoilers from me. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. For fans of novels with secrets and lies.

This book was definitely not my cup of tea. I love a good thriller, and this one was just not that. I figured out the big twist 19% of the way through the book, but kept on reading because I liked the writing style and I needed to see if I was right. Unfortunately I was, and I'm always disappointed when that happens. And to top it off, there is ZERO closure - just an admission that yes, your suspicion is right, and then the book ends. No closure with Teddy, her husband, Lennon, anything. I'm giving this a 1.5 and rounding up to 2 because I actually did like the writing style - it's just everything else I had a problem with. Probably won't read more by this author.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

I had a hard time with this story. Mainly because I never really cared about any of the characters. Yeah I kind of wanted to know the secrets they were all hiding but then I was a bit disappointed in what they were.

I used to read Staub but hadn’t read one of her books for a while so I was interested to see if her writing appealed to me anymore. And I was sad that I was not wowed by the story.

There were parts of the story I found that caught my attention but mostly I was just rushing through the story.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The Other Family is an engaging, quick read told from three points-of-view. The storyline is well plotted, but the twist at the end could leave readers underwhelmed and wanting more.