I went into this book not realizing it was a sequel to a previous Lisa Jewell book (The Family Upstairs). I figured it out in short time because it had links to the plot of the first book that was very memorable. It kept the same dark, creepy atmosphere of the first book. Honestly, if I had realized it was a sequel I might not have picked it up because I was satisfied with the complete story in the first book without wanting to know more. The first book was more suspenseful, and this one just sort of tied up some loose ends without a lot of twists or thrills.

Lisa Jewell is traditionally one of my must-read authors, and I've devoured most of her work during the course of the last five years. When I read The Family Upstairs, I knew she was a solid thriller writer, and I hadn't suspected there would be a sequel. It didn't necessarily need one, but the vivid characters and partially unresolved moments from the book demanded to be revisited. In this second of the series, which is likely not to have a third I suspect, we see some of our favorites and learn more about a few we hadn't known all that well in the first book. The Lamb family is not without its faults, and they blur the line of good and bad. None are outright devils, and they have all suffered to the extremes; however, the need for vengeance and their obsessions with people from the past can push them into complex territory.

Jewell conjured a terrific plot, one with a bit of a history not-so-much re-writing as much as a filling-in-blanks that pushed the envelope on believability. That said, it is compelling and easily pulls readers into the drama by the fourth or fifth chapter. If you haven't read the debut, I suggest rereading it again immediately before tackling the sequel... not because it's necessary but it really helps you remember the specific character flaws and actions that happened 25 years earlier. Jewell catches you up on most of the pertinent points, yet reading back-to-back is probably ideal to experience the shock value we deserve. It was mostly clear where the plot was going from the beginning, and it's easy to forgive this family for the things they do wrong... at the same time, the overarching theme needed a little more gut-punch and possibly another side story to really make it a 5-star shine. Definitely a must-read for anyone who enjoyed the first book.

I will read anything Lisa Jewell and this was another much anticipated summer read! I really love The Family Upstairs and reread it to refresh my memory. While this book could probably be read as a stand alone, I would suggest reading book 1 for the backstory. The Family Remains was a nice wrap up of the loose ends. I was happy to know more about Rachel in this book and I still think Henry is creepy. Real MVP is Marco.

The Family Remains was a perfect sequel to Lisa Jewell’s The Family Upstairs. If you haven’t read The Family Upstairs, you will still enjoy this thriller tremendously, though I would say you’ll enjoy it MORE if you have the backstory. But Jewell does an excellent job providing context naturally throughout the story.

With three characters in a few timelines, I found myself getting more excited to follow along with certain story lines than others, and as a result, this book felt slower at times than most of Jewell’s books. But it still kept me completely invested. I found myself picking up my kindle to read in every free moment I had.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy.

I mean, this was just GOOD.

A twisted family drama/thriller involving murder, abuse and hidden identity.

This book has the perfect eerie tone and slowly enfolds all of the interconnected stories/subplots as the book goes on and it is delectable to the very last page!

This book opens with the discovery of a dead body and the re-opening of a twenty year old cold case. The story then closely follows the lives of Rachel, Henry and Lucy.

Rachel has just married a seemingly perfect man named Michael. Henry has reconstructed his face and altered his appearance to be near identical to Phin (whose name he is also using) and Lucy is making ends meet whilst taking care of her children and making herself scarce. I was so enthralled by all of their stories, especially Rachel’s (I was shocked and horrified by many moments in her story line).

*Please note, I think it’s very important to give a TW for sexual assault for this book. If this is something you are sensitive to, I wouldn’t recommend..*

This book is advertised as a standalone and I have not read the first book (though I will now immediately be doing that) but it seems that in this case it may be helpful, as I felt I was missing some important background details that a reader who has read book one wouldn’t be missing. I will probably re-read this after I finish The Family Upstairs and I’m sure I will pick up some additional details.

Lisa Jewell can write one hell of a thriller!!

5 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I made. a huge mistake and read the reviews and was so excited. They all kept talking about the ending and how they didn't see it coming.

The book was very confusing to me. I had to refer back to the cast of characters that is in the front of the book. It kept going back and forth.

It was a good story, but wasn't my favorite Lisa Jewell book. The twist at the end was good, but I was set up for something crazy. It was a solid read and most people will like it, I just didn't like being confused.

The Family Remains in a stunning sequel to The Family Upstairs! As popular as the first one was, I always expect sequels to fall flat, but that is NOT what happened here. We are reacquainted with the messed up family. They have a new inheritance and all have secrets. I think the continuing of their story is fascinating in how they are dealing with the trauma they experienced in their childhood.

This book is probably best enjoyed by ardent Lisa Jewell fans, of which I am one. I say that not only because you have to read The Family Upstairs to understand the family dynamics that carry over into Family Remains, but also because nothing happens for the first half of the book. It plods along, reacquainting us with the dysfunctional surviving family from Cheyne Walk and introducing Sam, the police detective who is trying to solve the puzzle of what happened there 25 years ago. There's also a parallel storyline about Michael, the father of Lucy's son Marco, that occurs in flashbacks. It all comes together at the end in a satisfying way, but it takes time and patience on behalf of the reader to get there. Not my favorite of Jewell's books.

Thanks @netgalley and Lisa Jewell for read number 75 of 2022. Lisa Jewell is one of my favourite authors, and this book did not disappoint. Make sure you read THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS first to get familiarized with the characters and the plot line. There are many characters & relationships, but they are so well-developed in this book that this was not problematic. Jewell really has you thinking more about right and wrong here, and the blurry line in between. Rarely does a book make me cry, and particularly a suspenseful one, but this one did. I’m still thinking about the ending. This character has me continuing to question and wonder where I stand. Some disturbing elements in this book & probably the need for some trigger warning as well, but I just don’t want to ruin anything. This was a highly-anticipated read for me, and ended up being an all-in-one-sitting book. A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 read! Lisa Jewell does it again! 💕

I was a huge fan of The Family Upstairs and was expecting a lot from this sequel. I am very happy to say that I was not disappointed. The Family Remains picked up pretty much right from where the first book left off, at the same breakneck speed with the same intriguing characters and, best of all, with some new ones added into the mix. This time around Libby and friends were more secondary characters and Henry and Lucy were more to the forefront along with Lucy’s ex-husband’s wife Rachel. There was also the added jeopardy in the form of a determined police detective investigating a murder associated with the family home.

This book did an excellent job tying up the story from the first book. By the end, there was a definite sense of closure. I did feel, however, that maybe things were tied up a little too neatly. I was happy for everyone, but it seemed a little too tidy; a little too fast.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

This is considered a sequel to "The Family Upstairs," which is a book with so much happening that when you are done with it, you are left gasping for more. In "The Family Remains," Lisa Jewell delivers and ties up many of the plot points. If you are wondering if you need to read "The Family Upstairs" before reading this book, I highly recommend it. If you are wondering if you need to reread "The Family Upstairs" because it has been awhile, I don't think so. The author is quite good about bringing the reader up to speed enough that you don't need that prior story fresh in your mind, although I think many readers are likely to return to that compelling story for a refresher.

While most of the characters from the prior book return, the focus is on Lucy and Henry, and they narrate many of the chapters. A police detective also joins in as a narrator, and a new character, Rachel, who is involved with Lucy's ex enters into the story and narrates a number of chapters on her own. Some would say she isn't necessary to the story, but I disagree, and I think her story line added much to the story and helped turn an idea for a sequel into a meaningful standalone book.

I'm so glad Lisa Jewell decided to bring these characters back and give us more. My thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve always enjoyed Lisa Jewell’s books but this was not my favorite solely for the fact that I found it to be very confusing at times, which is not usually the case for me with her books. This book is a sequel and I read and relished the first one last year, but I had difficulty in remembering all of the characters and the details of the plot. Add to this the multiple characters and multiple time periods of this and I really had trouble keeping everything straight. It had certain elements that make Jewell such a great suspense writer, but overall I found this one to be too much work to really enjoy as I have with her others.

The Family Remains was one of my most anticipated reads for this summer and for very good reason! This went to my top 5 of the year! Lisa Jewell is a master at delivering suspense and mystery like no other author. The Family Upstairs is my favorite book by Jewell, or I should say it was! I know sequels aren’t her norm, so I was pumped when she heard our prayers for more of this story and delivered the absolute perfect sequel! I don’t want to give too much of this story away, but I will say it comes out next month, so if you haven’t read The Family Upstairs yet, why?? For me, it has been awhile since I read The Family Upstairs, but I picked it right up and Jewell does an amazing job of catching the reader up to everything that was happening! This story gave us a closer look at Henry, Lucy and Libby as they move on with life after leaving the house. There is also a new main character introduced and she is a perfect addition! But I have to say… Henry is my favorite! Don’t judge me, he is so messy, but so relatable in the weirdest way 😜

The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell
Rating (5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publishing Date - August 9th 2022
Thank you Netgalley for my arc copy! I was so excited to receive it a few weeks before it’s upcoming release! How exciting to have a sequel to The Family Upstairs! I enjoyed the Family Upstairs but was left wanting answers to many unanswered questions. Of the 2 books , this one is definitely my favorite! The multiple times lines and plots all work together to get a better understanding of what happened to Henry, Lucy, and Libby.

I couldn’t put this one down! If you haven’t read the first book , read it. And if you have read the first book , I hope you enjoy the second book as much as I have.

i didn't realize that this was a continuation of another book by this author. I have not read The Family Upstairs, so I will save this one to read later, once I am able to borrow that book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to add this to my TBR list

3.5 stars

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed The Family Upstairs, I was super excited to see how the plot continues. However, this story was a bit underwhelming.

I thought this novel would take place on a nature reserve in Botswana. But most of the story takes place in Chicago. I was a little disappointed that there weren’t any beautiful descriptions of the land.

I struggled with the pacing of part 1. It felt very slow, but picked up by part 2. My biggest issue with the story is that it felt more like a mystery/family drama than a thriller. I kept expecting a major twist, but it never seemed to come. There were surprises along the way but they didn’t wow me.

You could read this as a standalone, but I recommend reading the first book to understand the character’s backstory and the overall plot. Otherwise, you probably won't feel as much of a connection to the charters.

While this was not my favorite Jewell book, I did enjoy the ending and will not hesitate to pick up her next novel.

Feedback to come on Amazon and B&N on pub day.

Lisa Jewell’s new book “The Family Remains,” is out Aug 9th and I am so excited I was able to read an advanced copy! For those that don’t know, this is the sequel to her twisted book, “The Family Upstairs.” I definitely recommend reading that book first if you have not. Even if you have, you may want to reread it, or find a summary to refresh your memory because there are quite a few characters to keep track of, and the book is amazing!

This sequel starts off when a mudlarker finds a bag of bones in a river and they are linked to the house of horrors where “The Family Upstairs,” is set. At the same time, Rachel finds out her husband, Michael, has been murdered. The books jumps from character to character, and we find out what has happened to Phin, Lucy, Henry and Libby since the last book. I particularly loved the chapters written from Henry’s POV. Lisa really nailed this character and I got chills reading these passages in her book. My only complaint is there is no In-N-Out in Chicago, but that’s the Cali girl in me! Maybe Lisa’s book will make them expand? ;)

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book because it felt like I got closure to the first story. It was a very well done sequel. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Family Remains is the sequel to the eerie and creepy novel, The Family Upstairs. I loved the first book, so I was excited to dive in. This book is being marketed as a standalone sequel, but it should be read as a closure to the fate of the Lamb family and would be helpful if you read both. If you have not read the first book, make sure you do it before this comes out in August because this book will be more enjoyable to read. I was nervous about whether this sequel would be as enjoyable as the first book, but I am glad I was proven wrong!

This book focuses on the Lamb family as they steer life after their post-trauma childhood. We follow Henry as he is on the hunt to find Phin, and then Lucy follows him to Chicago. We also got introduced to a few new characters. We find out how Michael and Rachel are connected to the family. Bones are also found, and they might be related to what happened in that mansion thirty years ago.

This book was an excellent way to end the saga of the Lamb and Thomson families. I liked how this book was more character-driven. I also felt that the way everything was tied together was perfect. This book did not have many twists or turns, but I thought it was still a page-turner, and it was still easy to get consumed in the family drama again.

Thank you to NetGallery and to Atria Books for giving me a copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for this E-ARC.

Due to the content of this book, and the many characters I feel like I should have revisited The Family Upstairs before reading this.

Although described as a standalone sequel I would advise reading The Family Upstairs before taking the plunge into this.

Once you get a sense of the characters and their role/significance the plot quickens, and becomes very intriguing. There are plenty of information drops and cliffhangers keeping you guessing until the end.

The Family Remains is set to be published August 9,2022!

Well goodness! I didn't realize when selecting this book it was a companion to the first book. I enjoyed being reunited with these characters and seeing what happens later in their lives. Well done Lisa Jewell.