The Family Remains
by Lisa Jewell
Pub Date: August 9, 2022
Atria
* Thriller *Mystery
When I found out this was the sequel to The Family Upstairs I had to read this! Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC. After fleeing London thirty years ago in the wake of a horrific tragedy, Lucy Lamb is finally coming home. While she settles in with her children and is just about to purchase their first-ever house, her brother takes off to find the boy from their shared past whose memory haunts their present.

As they all race to discover answers to these convoluted mysteries, they will come to find that they’re connected in ways they could have never imagined.
Great Book! Readers who enjoy Ruth Ware, Alice Feeney, and Riley Sager would enjoy reading this author.
I highly recommend it and have purchased it for our library.

When I heard there was a sequel coming out to Lisa Jewell's "The Family Upstairs", I couldn't wait to get my hands on it - and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! Something I always love about her books is how she fleshes the characters out so well and focuses on the relationship dynamics as opposed to just focusing on the mystery. It's been a while since I've stayed up all night because I just had to finish a book but this kept me up flipping pages, having to know what was going to happen to the Lamb family. 4 out of 5 stars!

I was a huge fan of the family upstairs and greatly anticipated this read. This book is unique because it takes place after and prior to the first book the family upstairs. If you read the first book I would recommend you continue this series.

This story returns to the story of the Lamb children, victims of abuse who escaped a house of horrors. The Family Upstairs left us hanging; the Family Remains lets us know the rest of the story. It’s a mystery, not a thriller, and a story of family secrets. If you liked the first book you will enjoy the sequel. It was well-written, and introduced new characters in a way that cleared up seeming loopholes from the first story.

This was better than I expected with some twists and turns. I think it is best if you read The Family Upstairs first. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

The Family Remains is a sequel to The Family Upstairs. If it's been a while since you have read The Family Upstairs, I highly recommend you reread it or at least skim it to be reminded of the characters and how it ended. The Family Remains is just that, it's an update to the children that escaped from the horrible home after the adults are left dead on the kitchen floor from a seemingly murder suicide. Henry, Lucy, and Phin are all middle age now. The baby, Serenity, was fostered and is now a lovely young adult named Libby. Lucy has been running since that day of escape, never using her real name. She marries and divorces Michael Rimmer, who is later found dead in his basement. Lucy and her children now live with Henry in his meticulous and lavish apartment. Henry is searching for Phin, who has tried to remain anonymous and hidden. All comes to a head when a body is washed ashore and is identified as Birdie, one of the adults from the house of horrors. This less of a mystery and more of an update to the lives of the children.

This was a great sequel to The Family Upstairs. My library has a lot of Lisa Jewell fans so we will definitely be getting it and recommending it to patrons. I did have a couple issues with the book. I didn't realize it was a sequel and although I read the first book, it was years ago, and a quick recap at the beginning would've been helpful. Also, at one point the characters are in Chicago, eating at an In n Out - fans of the burger joint will know that the closest one to Chicago would actually be in Texas.

Now that’s what I call a brilliant thriller, at times you scarcely dare breathe you feel every ounce of the fear. 
Lisa Jewell does it again! I loved this highly suspenseful, spine-tingling story!
This author is very extremely consistent in her writing. She has the ability to suck me into a storyline from the first chapter barely letting me up for air before the last sentence. Downright addictive… There was no way I could stop myself as I furiously flicked the pages… Will keep you on the edge of your seat and will have your heart racing.
The engrossing plot is dark and disturbing. And everything I could have asked for!
If you like edgy, dark, eerie stories filled with mysterious, foreboding atmosphere and secretive, intriguing characters, then this is the book for you! It was excellent!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Atria Books,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

I hurried up and read The Family Upstairs the day I received the arc of The Family Remains, and I'm so glad I did! This picks up where The Family Upstairs left off. Libby has been reunited with her mother, Lucy, and her uncle, Henry. She is now involved with the journalist that helped her find answers about her past and her family. And She has inherited millions that she has shared with Lucy and Henry. Then one day, Libby's boyfriend finds out that Phin--the missing kid from the cult house--is alive and living in Botswana. Henry has been obsessed with Phin since the day they met and gets sneaky to find a way to see Phin again. But is that all he's after? I read this book in two days because I was so caught up in all the character's lives and I had to know what was going to happen next. And I loved that twist ending! This was such a good book!

I loved the prequel to this novel, THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS. It haunted me for weeks. So, this book brought me closure and pleasure. I enjoyed meeting the beleaguered Lamb family again and was glad to celebrate their changed circumstances. My only critique of this spellbinder was wishing it had been written closer to when I completed the first novel so that I had fewer lapses in memory.

Not only did I enjoy catching up with the Lambs, but I loved the subplot about Rachel Gold, recalling the evil man and traumatic experience that propelled Lucy back to London. I admired the clever portrait of Marco and his friend Alf, managing the computer search that brought the Lambs to Chicago.

This book is so much brighter than its predecessor, but just as readable and memorable. I do urge readers to grab a copy of THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS and read it first. I enjoyed both books, but I believe this works better as a companion piece rather than a stand-alone.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC, I really enjoyed it.

This is one of my favorite authors. I read the first book and loved it but that was a few years ago. I wish I had reread it before reading this one. I think some of the character traits/secrets were lost if you hadn’t refreshed the story. But this author is so amazing that the depth of the weirdness just makes it so good!

This is a sequel to "The Family Upstairs," and it picks up where that one left off, and it tied up a few things. Henry Lamb is definitely twisted, which made him interesting to follow. The story is told in multiple POVs over the course of several years. There was at least one inaccuracy, which may be corrected by the final copy: there aren't any In 'N Out Burgers in Chicago. There were some nice, and unexpected, twists. I would suggest reading the books in order.

Lisa Jewell does it again! The queen of domestic suspense has hit it out of the park with this moody, dark sequel. A must read!

It is impossible for Lisa Jewell to write anything but a fantastic book! This was the perfect follow up and resolution to The Family Upstairs. It was great to revisit the Lamb children and learn of their fate. Highly enjoyable read!

The Family Upstairs, by Lisa Jewell, ends with a resolution and then a dramatic cliffhanger at the very last second. The new sequel, The Family Remains, promises to unravel that cliffhanger ending.

In The Family Remains, we pick up with the characters from the first book, and see how the cult survivors are adjusting to “normal” life. But with millions of pounds, missing people and now the reappearance of a body from the first novel, nothing is really normal in this book.

This is an unusual sequel, because the story revisits the characters (and Henry’s shocking revelation!), but the style is very different. It’s not a modern-gothic horror like the first one. Instead it’s more of a police investigation into old and new secrets. Lucy and Henry want to look for another survivor who hasn’t been seen since the night they all escaped the house of horrors. Meanwhile, a body has been found that seems to come from the old mansion on Cheyne Walk, but has clearly been moved, sparking an investigation that leads to questions into all the missing people from the first book. The feeling is very different from the gothic mystery in the first one, this time I wondered if the survivors would be forced to relive their trauma and re-explain themselves, as the police got closer to the truth.

In The Family Upstairs, there’s a completely evil cult leader, and then the novel asks dark questions about complicity, as other characters are pushed towards abnormal and then disturbing choices. In the sequel, the evil person is already dead, and can’t possibly be held accountable for what he’s done. But there are still missing people and a new body’s been uncovered, and someone must be held responsible, right? And the way the first novel unfolded was just so complex, there seemed like no way the police could understand the whole story.

This was a great thriller where I was able to jump into the action almost immediately because I’d already met the characters in the first one. The book’s atmosphere was entirely different from the first, but the author’s also good at investigation thrillers, so while I was surprised to find such a different feel, I still enjoyed it.

Small note for other American readers: I absolutely bought all of the cult, the house of horrors, the remains found, the reversals, etc., but then a character eats an In-n-Out burger in Chicago? No way. That is false. There is no In-n-Out in Chicago. There is no In-n-Out in Illinois. There is no In-n-Out in the Midwest, or on the East Coast, while we’re at it. Apparently my suspension of disbelief in fiction accepts two ex-wives in the same place on their separate murderous revenge plans, but does not accept a Californian burger in Chicago.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read Lisa Jewell's The Family Remains.

Wow Wow Wow! Lisa Jewell knocks it outta the park!

Although this is a sequel, it can easily be read as a stand-alone.

GREAT characters!!!

I have to admit I was hesitant about a sequel to The Family Upstairs. I wasn’t sure if it was better left as is, but after reading The Family Remains, I’m happy to report it was absolutely necessary! My only words of caution to someone reading it as a stand alone, would be to not do that. Having read both books, I know I would not have enjoyed The Family Remains nearly as much had I not had the backstory. I do believe they could be read in either order though. And with that said, how about a third installment?

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of The Family Remains. This is my honest review.

I did not realize this book was a sequel to The Family Upstairs until I read the author's note at the end of the book. It was intriguing enough to read as a stand alone title, and now that I have finished it, I must read The Family Upstairs! Lisa Jewell adds enough twists and turns in each book to keep you guessing until the very end. Loved it!

"The Family Remains" picks up about a year after "The Family Upstairs." While it's being marketed as a standalone sequel, it does help to read the first one as characters Libby, Lucy, Henry and Phin are in both books. We are also introduced to Rachel, who has quite the interesting story line as she learns her husband has been murdered.
"The Family Upstairs" was quite dark, and I did not find "The Family Remains" to be as dark and suspenseful as the first.
It's a little confusing at first with multiple timelines and POVs, but it's a quick read and Lisa Jewell's writing is phenomenal. However, there's really nothing twisty or unexpected.
Henry, for sure, is creepy with his Joe Goldberg vibe, but I was let down with how his encounter with Phin turned out. I guess I expected more to happen?
One thing I absolutely did not like is when Henry fantasizes about doing a mass killing with a semi-automatic on a busy Chicago street. Given the current situation in America, I feel this is unnecessary and should be deleted from the final edition.

The sequel to The Family Upstairs - wrapping everything up that was left undone in the first book. The star of this book is definitely Henry Lamb - a twisted fella if there ever was one.

Told in multiple perspectives over several years, it follows everyone who was a part of the horror in the first book and brings in a few new characters as well.

It took me a bit to get fully invested, possibly because it’s been awhile since I read the first one, but once I reacquainted myself with the characters and the storyline, I flew through it.

One small complaint is when there is sloppy editing/research done. In this book they mention In’N’Out Burger in Chicago - which, unless their own website is lying, doesn’t exist. I realize the author is not American, but someone in editing should have caught that. Small gripe in an overall decent read.

3.5