I had a really hard time with this one. I liked the first book but this one dragged for me and I almost didn't finish it.

An excellent thriller with unexpected twists and turns along the way. This is a sequel to The Family Upstairs, but I think it could also be read as a standalone. I really enjoyed this book and believe it is one of Lisa Jewell's best, and I have read all of them.

The Family Remains is a follow-up to Lisa Jewell's novel The Family Upstairs. This can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading The Family Upstairs first. I had to refresh my memory about what The Family Upstairs was about in order to really make the most of reading this new book. A set of human bones is discovered and the remains end up being tied to a cold case from thirty years ago. This case unravels all kinds of secrets for the characters involved in this story. Plenty of drama and intrigue to keep the plot moving right along. Read and enjoy!

The Family Remains is a page turning sequel to The Family Upstairs that answers some questions the first book left unanswered. Lisa Jewell's newest installment in the series picks up years later as we follow Henry, Libby, and Lucy as the past starts to catch up with them. It begins with a body being found. and a mystery left to be solved. Many twists and turns later, we finally get answers about what really happened thirty years ago in the Lamb household. I had forgotten many of the plot points from the first book, and it took me a minute to catch up. This sequel was a page turner that left me guessing until the end. I would recommend this book, but I think it would be best to read after the first in the series as it is not a standalone novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Aria Books for the ARC!

I didn't actually realize this was a sequel to The Family Upstairs until I started reading it and was like, wait a second. With that said, I liked the first book, but I didn't necessarily long for a part 2. As such, I enjoyed this book, as Lisa Jewell is a fine writer, obviously, but I'm still not sure I needed it. It does flesh out the previous story, though, if you were looking for closure.

I did like the first book, The Family Upstairs - it held much originality, For me the story worked well with the characters being younger - moving from their youth to their 20's. As older adults - 30 years in the future, they just didn't ring true to me. The story was difficult for me to get through and didn't flow well.

I mean this is Lisa Jewell. Obviously this is going to be a positive review. Is it my favorite? No...but holding the thriller queen to a standard she has created is a tricky thing to do. I wish it had more twists and turns and a shocking ending which is what I typically associate with LJ. I think because of that my expectations weren't in line with what I got and thus I didn't rate it higher. However...it's still dang good! I'm just comparing it to her other books.

Interesting characters and a well-done stand alone novel, even though it's technically a sequel to The Family Upstairs. While it may have been nice to reread the first novel before diving into this one, it's not necessary to have read The Family Upstairs to enjoy this book—though some of the more convoluted areas of the plot would likely make sense quicker if having done so. It's not poorly written, just a complex story with lots of context needed for understanding. I enjoyed reading it and think it fits well with the rest of Lisa Jewell's body of work.

TW: Child abandonment, divorce, depression, smoking, language, teenage pregnancy, single parenthood, gaslighting, rape, loss of parent, domestic abuse

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Early one morning on the shore of the Thames, DCI Samuel Owusu is called to the scene of a gruesome discovery. When Owusu sends the evidence for examination, he learns the bones are connected to a cold case that left three people dead on the kitchen floor in a Chelsea mansion thirty years ago.

Rachel Rimmer has also received a shock—news that her husband, Michael, has been found dead in the cellar of his house in France. All signs point to an intruder, and the French police need her to come urgently to answer questions about Michael and his past that she very much doesn’t want to answer.

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.
Release Date: July 26th, 2022
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 384
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Second book in a series 😍
2. The writing style was awesome
3. I was absorbed in the story
4. I loved Rachel

What I Didn't Like:
1. Everyone chasing down Finn

Overall Thoughts:Let me tell you I was INVESTED in this story. I was hooked on every👏🏻single👏🏻word.

Rachel had me seriously laughing at some of the things she did and said.I thought the writing was so good.

I pretty much liked all the characters and could understand where they were coming from.

Final Thoughts:I just wish it would have went somewhere with Phin because it felt as though everyone was chasing him and they find him and it's just like "hello". That's all. I thought Henry was going to do something. Kind of a let down to not have anything happen.

Also it's weird to have a sequel to the first book when I didn't think it was needed.

Recommend For:
• Family drama
• Mysteries
• Second book in a series

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

The Family Upstairs was only the second adult thriller I had ever read in my life and was the first one that I gave 5 stars to. It started not only my love of adult thrillers, but my absolute DEVOTION to Lisa Jewell. So when I found out there was going to be a sequel (which is all you ever hope for with her books since they usually have a somewhat open ending) I knew I had to get my hands on it.

This book was everything and more that I could have expected. I loved that we had the original band of characters with their alternating POV, but that we also got to meet a new one and boy was I hooked on her storyline. I could not be more grateful that this book was described and written as a "standalone sequel", because it has been so long since I read book one that I was very worried I would be lost. The only thing that caused extremely minor confusion was that I couldn't remember if we ever met Phin in book one or if we were just looking for him...

This book was amazing. I read it in one day because I simply couldn't put it down. That was due to two reasons. Number one, Henry's strange and creepy holiday to Chicago was a total car crash scenario. I honestly didn't want to read about it because it made me so uncomfortable, but at the same time, I couldn't not read it. I had to know what was going to happen. Number two, Rachel & Michael. I LOATHED Michael so much. I don't think I have ever hated a character more. I wanted him to PAY and I needed to keep reading to make sure he got what was coming.

Overall, another stellar book from Lisa Jewell. Not surprised in the least that this gets 5-stars, but very happy and honest to give it as well.

The Family Remains is a mystery thriller that shows how far a person will go for those they love. I thought the first book “The Family Upstairs” pretty much cleared everything up in terms of the mystery and murder but I was wrong because this book tied up everything and still left me wanting more. In this sequel we see where all the intriguing characters from the first book are and how they are dealing with life after everything went down in “The Family Upstairs”. We see Lucy and Henry and the children and dog are all living together and are somewhat happy until Uncle Henry decides to take a trip to see their old pal Phin at the same time that the police have found a dead body that has been traced back to the house of horror that they lived in when they were children. This story is filled with family drama, unsolved murder, and so many shocking twists.

I love that we are able to see the story through so many different POVs including the lead detective on the case, Rachel who married Lucy’s ex husband, and of course Lucy and Henry. I reread the first book right before I picked up this one and it made such a difference because I knew exactly what the characters were talking about especially when why mentioned the house they grew up in. In my opinion this had the most satisfying conclusion that tied up everything single loose end that was flying around. I found myself picking up the book to read more about the characters than the actual mystery and murder because the characters were so well written and complex. I loved finding out more about Rachel who wasn’t really a huge character in the first book but in this sequel were able to uncover so many crazy reveals that involve her. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the digital copy of this book. Lisa Jewel is fast becoming an automatic buy author for me because I find her books to be instant page turners that surprise and capture me. I had such a fun time reading this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves a good mystery, intriguing characters and surprising twists that stay with you after you turn the last page.

Another amazing book by Lisa Jewell. Full of twists and turns, I didn’t know what to expect and wanted to keep reading to find out. Even though the book has different points of view and in different times, it is easy to follow and engaging!

The Family Remains is the second book in The Family Upstairs series but can be read as a stand alone. This thriller explores uncovering truth, troubled pasts, and protecting loved ones. The author addresses some heavy subjects in this story: rape, sexual assault, gaslighting, physical and emotional abuse, child abuse, suicide to name a few. I ended up switch from the audiobook on Scribd and reading the physical book. Overall, I thought this was okay. There are multiple perspectives and short chapters which were nice. I wasn’t invested in the characters as I usually am. I found the pacing to be slow at times. I was slightly curious to see how it would all end since I loved The Family Upstairs. I’m not sure if I would have enjoyed this book more if I read it back to back with The Family Upstairs. Lisa Jewell is a hit or miss author for me. If you love her books, this may be up your alley.

Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me access to this book. I didn't realize this was a sequel to a previous book. I will say I followed it pretty smoothly without reading the first book. I felt the book captured my attention and kept me to the end. I think that there are plenty of readers who will enjoy this book - good book for people who enjoy psychological thrillers.

The writing was superb, the twisted tales unraveled at a perfect pace and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was the kind of novel where you weren't sure where it was going, not because Jewell wasn't sure but because it seemed like the characters themselves were unsure. It felt so real, like the characters and their flaws jumped off the page. It was honestly unlike anything else I have ever read because it's a unique story and a unique writing style.

A follow up to the first Lisa Jewell novel I picked up. I should have revisted a summary of The Family Upstairs before diving into this one as I forgot everyone's names and relations. It all started to come back to me fairly quickly. This wasn't as spectacular to me as the first, of course, but I was very much drawn to the Rachel/Michael story. I found that piece of it to be very interesting, while somewhat neutral about the other bits. Overall, I enjoyed it, and glad I was able to wrap up the narrative of these people. I can't assume a third installment of this will come, but whatever is next for Lisa Jewell is next for me, as well.

When I realized The Family Remains was a sequel, I went to see if I'd read the first book. I hadn't marked it finished on Goodreads, but recognized the "house of horrors" concept and realized it was a book I'd started and returned to the library after I found it too creepy.

What to do? I didn't really want to read the first book, but I did want to try the book. So I did, and I am here to tell you that you don't need to have read The Family Upstairs to enjoy The Family Remains.

If you haven't read the first book, or forgot it, The Family Remains provides a helpful list of characters at the opening. In addition, some of the characters re-cap the events of the first book. Which was enough for me, because the events of the first book sounded pretty horrific!

The Family Remains takes place years after the first book. It gives an update on the "family" (I use the term loosely as they are connected by shared trauma) of the first book, but also centers around the murder of someone who was present in the house in book one. (I had no idea who this person was, but maybe you will.)

I loved the lead detective in the case, Samuel Owusu. Since I felt like a bit of an outsider with the other characters, who were all connected by a strange past I wasn't familiar with, I really bonded with him and his diligent pursuit of the murderer.

The other main plot of the book involved the "family's" search for Phin, one of the house of horrors victims, and the story of Rachel, a jewelry designer (haha, Lisa Jewell) whose narrative intersects with that of the "family."
Happy to be a new-ish fan of Lisa Jewell!

Oh man, this book was so incredibly disappointing. It was just so boring. The POV of the police was so boring, the one of Rachel was really good but the connection to the others was meh, Henry's POV was ridiculous in his obsession with Phin and Lucy's chapters didn't offer any more than reacting to what Henry was doing. There was no real mystery, no thrills, no creepiness and the ending was somewhat unsatisfying.

This was a really good follow up novel from the family upstairs.
I’m really great full for the opportunity of being able to read this book thank you!

A truly great follow up to The Family upstairs. While this is a sequel, it can be read as a stand alone story. The story follows 3 siblings that escape unthinkable circumstances and abuse while growing up. And highlights the lengths they’ve went to to reinvent and rewrite their stories. This psychological thriller will keep you on your toes and will shock and surprise you until the final chapter.