Very complicated domestic thriller concerns a young woman, down on her luck, who, with her 18-year-old daughter, agrees to stay at the spooky old house occupied by her boyfriend’s family, while they are all in residence. Many characters to keep track of, and many twists and turns fill out the action, though it’s easy to become bogged down with the overloaded plot.

The Family Inside by Katie Garner was crazy in the best way. I was reading so fast, turning those pages eager to see WTF was going on because there is no one you can trust in this story.

When Iris loses her job and gets evicted, her new boyfriend Hugh immediately offers her and her daughter a place to stay at his family's old gothic crumbling mansion. Even though the place (and his family) creeps Iris and her daughter out, they agree to move in. Iris's 18-year-old daughter quickly goes missing, so Iris is trying to figure out what happened to her while attempting to get along with Hugh's family.

Its just bonkers from there. The first half was slower than the second half, which took off and had me reading as quickly as my little eyes could move.

It was a solid read and I look forward to more from this author!

The Family Inside by Katie Garner follows Iris and her daughter Ellory. After Jack, Ellory's dad, gets murdered Iris works hard at her job but has a hard time making ends meet. Their house is being foreclosed and when Iris loses her job she thinks her and her daughter will be homeless. The one good thing in Iris' life is her new boyfriend Hugh, or so she thinks. Hugh, who owned his own architectural firm sweeps in and saves the day, saying that Iris and of course Ellory too can come live with him and his mom while he helps renovate her house. Once Iris arrives at her new home, she quickly begins to see that things aren't what she thought.

I found the main character Iris, to be annoying. Her husband was murdered and she seemed to quickly jump into another relationship with very little care for her daughter. When she moves in and begins to see huge red flags, she just goes with my it and seems to ignore them. Overall the book was an easy read, was just a bit far fetched for my liking.

Thank you Katie Garner and Harlequin Trade Publishing for partnering with NetGalley. I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Far-fetched plot lines, contrived characters and derivative storytelling. Oh, and the main character is pathetic. But other than that...
Thanks to #netgalley and #MIRA for this #arc of #thefamilyinside in exchange for an honest review.

Well... if you like twisty thrillers, then you won't find many with as many twists as this one!

I have to admit that I was absolutely engrossed in this story, though truth be told, I can see that for many readers it might have been 'a twist too far'. The writing had me gripped despite the fact that suspension of disbelief was required on more than one occasion.

Iris Blodgett's life has had several devastating turns of events in recent years. First, her husband was murdered. Then she lost her job. She was unable to make the mortgage payments so she lost her family home as well. Tragic for both her and her teenage daughter, Ellory.

Recently she has met Hugh Smoll, a man who she is quite attracted to. He is handsome, seems kind to her and her daughter, and he works as an architect, so seems financially secure. When she tells him that she now has nowhere to live, he insists that she and Ellory move in to his mother's house as he is living there now to supervise some much needed renovations. With the alternative of living in her car, Iris accepts his generous offer.

Without spoiling the story for you, all I can say is that this decision was a calamitous mistake! Hugh's family, especially his mother, are an odd bunch to be sure. The house itself is dilapidated and creepy. Ellory doesn't like it there and runs away.

With themes of revenge and vigilantism this novel was a real page turner. Though, as I said earlier, some of the twists were over the top. Secrets and lies abound. Coincidences permeate the plot.

If you're up for a suspense-filled thriller with serpentine twists, then you'll likely enjoy this one. Be prepared to suspend disbelief and enjoy the ride.

I loved everything about this book!! It was twisty and mysterious while remaining entertaining throughout. I was intrigued by Iris' story from the beginning and had to keep reading. I couldn't stop! I love multiple POVs and this one takes the cake! This is my first Katie Garner book so I can't wait to check out her other books.It has the perfect thriller elements
-unsolved murder
-unraveled life experiences
-unhinged family
and an addictive story line. I listened to the audiobook as well. The narrators nailed the performance!

Thank you @htpbooks @htphive for the free digital arc!

Iris and her daughter move in with her fiancée and his family, but everyone has secrets and nothing is as it seems…

This was an entertaining thriller with twists that had my head spinning! The beginning is a slow build but once that first plot twist hit, I could not put it down! The dual timelines were so cleverly written and the creepy house added so much atmosphere.

Rating 4⭐️

OMG another fantastic book by Mrs Garner, I don't think I have read a book by her that I dislike. I could not have guessed the ending. This book will draw you in and not let you put it down. I just absolutely loved it.

Book Review: The Family Inside
Rating: ⭐⭐ (2 out of 5 stars)

I picked up The Family Inside hoping for an engaging mystery, but unfortunately, the plot left me more confused than captivated. The storyline felt disjointed, and by the end, the initial mystery that hooked me was left unanswered, which was pretty disappointing. It seemed like there were too many loose ends and not enough explanation to tie everything together.

That being said, if you’re looking for a quick read that doesn’t require much thought, this book might fit the bill. The pacing is fast, and it’s easy to get through in one sitting. However, if you’re craving a well-developed mystery with satisfying conclusions, this one might leave you wanting more.

Thank you HTP Hive and Harlequin Audio for the complimentary DRC + ALC

1.5 stars

Unfortunately, this did not work for me at all. The main character consistently overlooks obvious red flags and makes the worst decisions, which made it hard for me to care or root for her. Disaster seemed to follow her relentlessly in a very short space of time, so everything felt sudden and overly dramatic. While there were several twists in the plot, only one felt well-executed and took me by surprise, while the others, particularly the final twist, seemed extremely far-fetched.

That said, the narrators, Emily Lawrence and Ashley Klanac, did a great job with their performances. Unfortunately, despite that, I just couldn’t fully get into this story.

Iris Blodgett is having a rough day. Not only are she and her daughter being evicted from their house, but she also gets fired from her waitressing job on the same day. When her new boyfriend Hugh hears about her predicament, he insists that they move into his mother's house with him. He's staying with her and helping to renovate the crumbling mansion. With no other options, Iris accepts his offer. When they arrive, they discover that Hugh's two siblings (and one sister-in-law) are also living there. Hugh is loving and attentive, but Iris immediately gets off on the wrong foot with his brother, convinced he's an abusive husband. When Iris's 18-year-old daughter Ellory goes missing, she begins a frantic search while also uncovering some strange and scary things about Hugh and his family. The story of Ellory is also woven in, showing how she ran away with her boyfriend, only to be trapped when his unsavory friends come along for the ride.

The story was a bit hard for me to get into at the beginning, but I'm glad I stuck with it, because the twists and turns came thick and fast toward the end! Of course, Iris ended up with a broken cell phone and a debilitating ankle injury, making her sense of being trapped all the more real. I didn't see the big twist that happened, nor could I guess where it was all leading! This book had plenty of surprises and was an addictive read.

When Iris loses her home, she has no choice to move in with her boyfriend and bring her 18 year old daughter along. Hugh, Iris’s boyfriend, is currently living with his mother to help fix up the house. His brother with his wife and his sister are also staying in the house. This book was a super fun read for me and I enjoyed the quick pace and twists.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Gripping and Unforgettable!

This slow burn had me thinking I had it all figured out—until the twists hit, and my jaw was on the floor! The eerie atmosphere, unsettling family dynamics, and dark secrets of Ravencliff kept me hooked. It took several turns that I never saw coming, making it impossible to put down.

I’m shocked at some of the lower reviews—while some parts seemed unbelievable, they fit this story perfectly as everything came together in the end. A must-read for thriller fans!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed this book, though I definitely had to suspend my disbelief at times. The story centers on Iris, who is down on her luck after her husband died a few years back. She meets rich and charming Hugh, who swoops right in as she is losing her house and her job and asks if she and her teenage daughter Ellory want to move in with him. When she gets to the creepy house that Hugh is fixing up for his mother, she realizes that there might be more to Hugh (and his family) that she expected. You also get a dual timeline told by another character, and the author does a good job at tying these timelines together.

The mystery in the book was sound, and I felt like the house was suitably creepy and the plotline twisty. I did struggle a bit with Iris herself as a character, and about the short-sighted decisions that she made. I had trouble believing that a real person would be as gullible as her and also do some of the things that she did. There was also time given to her internal monologue, which unfortunately didn't endear her to me further. I thought the major twist in the book was really good, and was surprised that I didn't see it coming. I thought the end of the book was good and worked well with the rest of the story.

Overall, I enjoyed this book despite my lack of connection with the protagonist. Though I had to suspend my disbelief, I enjoyed the plot twists and thought this was a quick read overall. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 57%

I reallyyyyyy tried with this book but I just was not invested in the plot or the iffy writing. Seems like I am an #unpopularopinion. Thank you, Harlequin Trade Publishing, for an #ARC in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed the psychological suspense and unreliable narrators! I wanted so bad to keep reading this. Other than that.... stupid decisions after decisions, I could not stop the eye rolls. Confusing timelines. Slow paced which let me to start skimming pretty quickly. Check it out for yourself!

🚪Dual POVs
🚪Dramatic
🚪Unreliable narrators
🚪"WTF" moments
🚪Psychological Suspense

I truly wish I could give an honest review but unfortunately I had to DNF at 20%. I couldn’t get past the writing style. It just wasn’t for me. It felt very juvenile in my personal opinion. The characters, especially the FMC were extremely unlikable and honestly just annoying. This one just wasn’t for me at all.

I would, however, like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought that the characters were the strongest part of this story. The mother-daughter relationship felt really real, to me, and their reactions to the house they moved in were believe-able. I think that the plot is where this story lost me, unfortunately. I just felt like this was like every other domestic thriller I've read in the last few years plot-wise. It wasn't horrible, not by any means, but it was just not....interesting, per say. I also felt like some of the inner dialogue could be a bit contrived at times.

This was a super creepy and atmospheric thriller that really made me imagine a haunted house so well. Iris has been down on her luck ever since her husband died three years ago. She also loses her house and her job and she and her daughter are on the outs as well. What feels like prince charming swoops in to save the day. Iris's very new boyfriend Hugh invites them to move into his family's house in NY. Once they arrive the creepiness starts to happen and no one really is who they seem. I thought it was spooky and interesting, but was all just okay in the end for me. Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC.

Conceptually this had all the right pieces. The mother daughter relationship was extremely believable, and everything about the house they moved into spooked me. Some of the inner dialogue lost me, and the author released copy had some formatting issues that made this tough to read. Overall good, but missed the mark for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I did love this book and read it in one sitting. I could not put this book down. I did not see some of the twists coming! I would definitely recommend this book.