Lisa Jewell is an auto-read for me. I am a big fan of her work and this book was no exception. The story was taut and clever and the characters well developed and real. Recommended!

This was a completely unnecessary sequel to the melodramatic, soapy, and fun to read The Family Upstairs. All the characters return, some further details are revealed, but I think I was better off not reading more about this family.

It took me awhile to get through this book. It was engaging enough but I couldn't remember how the first book went and I don't think it stood alone very well. I was frustrated by how many storylines it jumped to and found myself continuing to read just to get to the chapters/characters I wanted to read and breezing through the others. Don't get me wrong, the story was gripping; not as much as the first one, but good nonetheless.

The audiobook of Lisa Jewell’s The Family Remains, narrated by the top notch ensemble of Dominic Thorburn, Bea Holland, Hugh Quarshie, Josh Dylan, Thomas Judd, and Eleanor Tomlinson, is an engrossing thriller that will keep on your toes and keep you hooked all the way to the stunning end. Set in modern day England, Lisa begins the book from the perspective of detective Samuel Owusu, a integral person in connecting the various characters, and his initiation of an investigation after the discovery of a bag of bones along the Thames. As the story unfolds Rachel Rimmer, Lucy Lamb and her brother Henry Lamb, who seem to have no connection with the murder, are introduced, perfectly creating the threads Lisa will use to weave this intricate and startling thriller.


The Family Remains is a standalone sequal to Lisa’s gripping, The Family Upstairs. It explores the tragic and sometimes brutal experiences that people keep hidden yet shape their very existence. It also delves into family relationships and the extent a person would go to protect the people they love. Intertwined in these over arching themes are pictures of resilience that exists in people who have experienced trauma and the strength that each individual has within them. I especially loved how the flaws of the characters kept you continually wondering if they were truly the victim or were they actually a perfectly disguised monster at heart. But, this is all just icing on the cake of a great contemprorary thriller that is packed full of fascinating characters, murder, deception, and payback. I wish I could be more specific but I don’t want to divulge any spoilers and ruin the great experience that comes from the revelation of the interconnected plots and a gut-wrenching ending. Trust me, this is a great thriller that you Do Not want to miss!

Not only is The Family Remains a great story but experiencing it as an audiobook takes it to the next level. Having an extensive cast of narrators allows each character to be clearly defined and helps you lose yourself in the story. The casting of the narrators was extremely well done as well. Their voices and the way they read the lines fit perfectly with the way I imagined the characters in my mind from the descriptions and actions. Henry was especially good and fit his eccentric and oddly twisted personality. The format of audio, when well done like this, really enhances the experience. For me, both the book and the audiobook are 5 stars that I highly recommend!!

Lisa Jewell does it again. The Family Remains continues the story started in The Family Upstairs, and lets readers into the lives of the family after many years have passed. The novel involves multiple timelines, and at first it is not quite clear how everything goes together, but Jewell weaves the intricate pieces together in a satisfying way.

The characters include the children from the previous novel, now adults, a detective, a jilted wife, a con artist, and a host of other characters. Jewell does a good job of describing these characters in a way that makes me feel like and I know them. They are human and flawed, and while not all are likable, they all contributed something valuable to the story.

I enjoyed the novel and can't wait to see what Jewell brings us next!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I think this sequel was unnecessary. I don't feel like this added much to the original story in terms of character development or plot. It confirmed much of what we already knew from the first book. I also thought there were fairly graphic SA scenes included as well.

Lisa Jewell can write, I mean, every new book I read it just gets better and better.

At first, I was hesitant of how to feel going in to this one. I liked the way The Family Upstairs left off. I was surprised by how much I did enjoy this one. I wanted more from the end than we got but I can live with it.

I liked the pacing of this one and how all of the sub plots unfolded. It was a great journey!

First off let me say that Lisa Jewell is my favorite current thriller author today! I had postponed reading The Family Renains because I wasn’t sure I recalled enough of the details of The Family Upstairs. But after finishing her newest novel None of this is True (which was amazing and solidified her to me as the queen of thriller books!) I wanted another Jewell fix. Rest assured you do not need to remember every last detail of the original nor do you even have to read it at all! I enjoyed it so much and now I want to reread The Family Upstairs! I just love He ry!!!

Lisa Jewell does not miss! What a great follow up to one of her absolute best books! Authors, please give us follow ups if you can!

Lisa Jewell's novels always keep me on my toes. It was fast-paced and twisted - while I didn't particularly connect to any of the characters, I thought they were well developed.

Say what you want about this author, but she sure knows how to keep your interest. The story follows her, previous one with the same characters and some new ones very well written, and left me on the edge of my seat.

4 stars

LISA JEWELL HOW DO YOU KEEP ME ON MY TOES? HOW DO YOU WRITE SUCH INTERESTING STORIES AND WEAVE IMPOSSIBLE SCENARIOS TOGETHER THE WAY YOU DO?

Excuse me, while I pick my jaw up from the floor. Because let me tell you this book was SO DAMN GOOD. I just finished it 3 minutes ago and I am still reeling. Multiple POV's & multiple storylines weaved together, I won't lie I was nervous for this ending. I did not see an ending in sight that would have make any sense. But Lisa Jewell pulled it off.

The Family Upstairs was one of my favorite thrillers of the year when I read it. And I was one of those fans who wanted a sequel. This book deserved it. And I am so glad this one was written. It was the perfect amount of closure for this dysfunctional family.

When I started The Family Remains, I was a bit confused. I had to go read a recap of the first book so I could really understand what was happening. And I am so glad I did. It made such a difference and I picked up right where I left off. Henry and Lucy have stolen my heart. More so Lucy because well let's face it, Henry is a bit weird. But Rachel, I loved her. Her story which touched on heartbreaking subjects ( please read tw for this book) was so hard to read at times. But I am so glad for the outcome.

I am just so happy it ended the way it ended. I was really nervous like I said earlier. There was just so much happening and so little book left that I did not see this ending well at all. But my my my what a twist. Truly did not see that coming. And the fact that it wasn't predicable like most thriller endings makes it even better! Not many thrillers can do that to me.

So Lisa Jewell what's next? I am ready!

The Family Remains picks up after the events of The Family Upstairs and follows many of the characters we met in that story, including Henry, Lucy, and Libby. As with The Family Upstairs, The Family Remains involves many twists and turns, family drama, and a mystery of a murder at its heart.

I always enjoy Lisa Jewell's writing, but found some of the plot points predictable.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my free digital ARC.

I really enjoyed this sequel to The Family Upstairs. I would definitely recommend reading book one before reading this book because there’s a lot you need to know that happened in the first book. The story moves between three different storylines happening at three different times. There is Rachel whose husband Michael has been found dead, and the story moves back in time to explain how they met and how their relationship fell apart. There is Detective Samuel Owusu who is investigating bones that were found in the Thames River, and somehow that relates to a different story line with the Lamb family. Henry Lamb is one of the more twisted characters that I’ve read in a book in a while. He’s interesting, fascinating and compelling- think shades of the talented Mr. Ripley. He is compelling and even at the end of book 2 I closed it wishing I could read more about Henry. He is disturbing but fascinating! I really liked this book. Read the Family Upstairs first and then read this. I really enjoyed it.

The Family Remains is the sequel to The Family Upstairs. It answers some of those questions readers may have had when they finished the first book. It is important that you read these books in order, or you probably won't enjoy this one. The Lamb siblings are a bit of a dysfunctional family, but based on their past, it is to be expected. Lucy and her two children from her ex-husband Michael, are living with her brother Henry. There is also Libby, Lucy's first child that she birthed as a teenager who thought Lucy and Henry were her siblings. When she decides she wants to meet her biological father, Phin, they plan a visit to Botswana where he is living. He finds out they are coming to meet him and he disappears. Then we have the bones of "Birdie" one of the adults that lived in the family home years before, wash up in the Thames River and found by mudlarkers. The story follows the police investigation as well as the hunt for Phin, and the story of why Henry is so obsessed to find him. There was also an alternate storyline of Rachel Rimmer, Lucy's ex-husband's second wife. This story seemed to be separate, but it all comes together in the end.

I enjoyed this story as it gave me closure on the Lamb family as well as finding out exactly what happened to everyone from the first book. The story is told from the points of view of several different characters, and fortunately we get a list of who is who and their relationship to one another. Some of the characters have an alias, so this is very helpful. There is also two timelines, but most of the story is set in the present. The characters were very well developed, and it was easy to develop feelings about them. I really didn't like Henry all that much, he was a bit creepy and obsessed with Phin. We find out more about his reasons, but it was still a bit off to me. I think Libby is my favourite as she is trying to protect everyone, and do her best to keep the family safe. Rachel was easy to sympathize with and DCI Owusu, was very intriguing with his investigation and crime solving skills. I was pulled into this story by the well developed characters and interesting plot. There were some twists that had me wondering where this story was going, but it kept me listening to find out. As DCI Samuel Owusu closed in on what happened in the house so many years earlier and who was responsible for Birdie's death, I was on the edge of my seat to see what was going to happen. The way Henry and then Lucy and Libby tracked down Phin showed what can be done with social media and tracking phones and emails (a bit scary too). Overall, I enjoyed getting closure to all the questions I had after The Family Upstairs. The audiobook was so well done. I loved the ensemble cast, that brought each character to life. Their expression and tone fit the characters perfectly and allowed me to picture them easily. I definitely recommend this audiobook to anyone who enjoys that format.

It was entertaining in the way that it fills in holes for the first book, that being said, it reads like a really drawn out epilogue. I also feel like it doesn't go the way you think it would... not meaning it is twisty, but meaning that the satisfactory twist or suspense I was looking for just didn't hit the mark.

I love Lisa Jewell books so much. When im in a reading funk, I always turn to her books. She gets me hooked right away and I always know im in for a great read. This book was awesome! I loved reading more about the characters, and filling in more about the family/characters. Always recommending her books to friends

This was a great thriller and sequel The Family Upstairs.

Summary
Rachel receives news that her husband, Michael, has been found dead in his house in France.

After 30 years of being away, Lucy Lamb returns "home" to her brother Henry in England with her children.

Henry becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to his first love and goes to the extremes.

How is this all connected to Michael?

Thoughts
This is a strong sequel that kept my interest. I found the sections about Rachel the least interesting and the sections about Henry the most interesting. I will definitely recommend it to those who read the first in the series. I definitely think you need to read the first book to understand.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC!

Lisa Jewell is becoming my all time favorite author. I loved the many layers to this story. The story had brilliant flow, enjoyed every minute!

A really fun and intriguing follow up to the family upstairs. I was hesitant to read this one as I couldn’t see how the story could continue in a believable way, but Jewell found a way to tell a fresh story to builds nicely on the last.