Wow! What a ride! This book weaves together so many tragic stories that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The writing was absolutely gripping, keeping me craving more with every turn of the page. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, the narrative would switch to another character's story and blow my mind.

I went full immersive reading with this one and loved every second of the narrator! The twists, the turns, the emotional rollercoaster – it’s a must-read for sure!

This was one of those books that felt like it was written to be turned into a movie. That said, it would be an amazing movie with a distinct, picturesque house and outrageous characters being played by the best actors. This had plenty of twists and turns that were masterfully delivered with an ending that will leave readers' jaws on the floor. This author created a great, suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat thriller. Four stars

Thank you, Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, for this ARC.

Awesome! What an edge-of-your-seat, exciting ride! The Family Inside would make a great movie. There are so many moving parts: missing people, odd family relations, murder and more. The main character, Iris, is having strange nightmares and seeing visions or hallucinations or are these things really happening? Her boyfriend’s family likes to gaslight her into thinking she’s imagining everything, but who knows? Is the family house haunted? There are plenty of peculiar noises, and it sounds like somebody or something is locked in the attic. I just love stories where there are dark and bizarre characters and disturbances. One can never be sure what exactly is going on, but it seems as though danger is around every corner. 4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA for the digital ARC.

3.5 ⭐ rounded up

Ummm what the hell just happened?? There are so many little details to this story that are all entwined together. You have to really pay attention in order to follow all the twists and turns. Very enjoyable thriller!! The audiobook was great!! I really enjoyed the narrator!! Overall, a pretty good thriller!!

*Thank you partners @htp_hive @_mira_books_ and @harlequin_audio for the #gifted e-galley and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

I had a really hard time connecting with the characters in this one. I didn't understand the decisions they made, and small details in their dialogue, what they did, etc. seemed off for some reason. That said, I did really enjoy the suspenseful plot. The twist in the runaway story made me gasp.

Absolutely incredible! I just recently started reading Katie's books and they seem to just keep getting better. I loved it.

The Family Inside
by Katie Garner
Pub Date: Jan 28 2025

The Family Inside is one heck of a twisty thriller! Full of family drama, secrets and lies! A well developed story with exceptional characters. I truly could not put this book down. A FIVE STAR read that I highly recommend!

Synopsis: It takes a special family to turn a home into a nightmare. Since her husband’s unsolved murder three years ago, Iris Blodgett’s life has unraveled. Awash in grief and buried in debt, she can’t pay her mortgage—and now that she’s lost her job, she has no idea how she’ll provide for her unruly teenage daughter, Ellory.

Many thanks to #TheFamilyInside #NetGalley and #HarlequinTradePublishing for providing me an E-ARC of this 5 Star book.

Overwrought and ultimately unbelievable domestic thriller.

A poor and frumpy woman is courted by a really handsome, wealthy man. Iris is a widow (her husband was murdered) and she has an 18 year old daughter. Iris loses her job and is evicted from their home. Hugh sweeps in to take Iris and her daughter to a mansion he lives in with his mother. His brother, sister-in-law, and sister live there too. And then this really goes off the rails into territory that is so convoluted and twisty that not even the most dedicated reader could manage to suspend enough disbelief to keep up.

The characters were all stereotypes and the plot contained enough tropes and cliches for several books. The main character, Iris, was the most ridiculous of all. She basically is also not very smart along with being histrionic.

I really didn't want to finish this. I hate to say it because this was an ARC given to me by the publisher, but this book was a hot mess and I couldn't give it more stars.

If the writing and narrative weren't already bad enough, I was also listening to the audio book while following along in the e-book. The narrators' voices were so cringey and grating that I finally had to turn it off. Generally the accompanying audio production enhances my enjoyment of a book but this time it made me dislike it even more.

The Family Inside by Katie Garner is an atmospheric mystery / thriller that is dark and twisty. Iris and her daughter Ellory are struggling after losing Jack, Iris's husband a few years ago. After also losing her job and her home going into foreclosure she doesn't know what to do. Facing homelessness Iris's new boyfriend Hugh invites her and her daughter to stay in a room in his mother's house. But they are not the only people staying at Ravencliff. Everyone has secrets and how far will they go to keep them?
What a twisted read! Great plot with well written characters and a creeping sense of unease throughout this whole book. I will definitely be looking into more of Katie Garner's work!
Thank you to NetGalley, Katie Garner, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC. Expected release day is January 28th 2025.

This one just wasn't for me. The plot was overly convoluted, and it seemed like the author was only interested in throwing in plot twists and diversions. I was thoroughly confused for most of the book. While a lot was told to bring it all together in the final pages, it was too little too late. I don't enjoy bashing books, so I won't be posting formal review on my blog or other outlets.

I was not prepared for how good this thriller is. So dark with twists that took my breath away. I think going in knowing as little as possible is the way to read this one. I was hooked from the start and once I started all I wanted to do was keep reading. Thank you very much to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for my copy.

📖 : The Family Inside-a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Katie Garner-new to me author

📅Publication date: 1-28-25 | Read 1-24-25

📃: eBook 384 pgs.

Genre:
*Mystery/Thriller

Tropes:
* whodunit
* family drama
* found family
* atmospheric/ gothic
* haunted mansion
* single parent
* small town
* secret pregnancy
* renovation

👆🏾POV: multiple- 1st person Iris and 3rd person Ellory

⚠️TW: murder, domestic abuse, child abuse, grief, death of a spouse, suicide


🌎 Setting: Hollow Falls+ Greenwich Hills, NY

Summary: Iris has lost her job, and her house is in foreclosure while she's still grieving her husband Jack's murder three years ago. She has a new beau Hugh, and he invites her and her teenage daughter Ellory to stay with his family at Ravencliff manor. Everyone is hiding something big, and things get really spooky when people start disappearing.


👩🏾 Heroine: Iris Blodgett-35, fired from waitress job and evicted from home.

👨🏾 Heroine: Ellory Blodgett-18, misses her father, doesn't like Hugh. She has asthma

🎭 Other Characters:

* Jack-Iris's deceased husband
* Hugh Smoll-an architect tasked with fixing up his mother's house. Iris's new boyfriend
* Sloane-owns Hotte Latte Cafe. Iris's BFF
* Ainsley-works for Sloane as a barista, going through a divorce, Iris's friend
* Birdie-The matriarch who owns Ravencliff.
* Gabe-Hugh's brother married to Camille. He has a heart condition
* Camille-Gabe's wife
* Rebecca-Hugh's sister

🤔 My Thoughts: This was a rollercoaster ride. It had so many twists and turns that kept me on my toes. Iris struggled with building her self-esteem after Jack's death. Life knocked her down and she tried to be more assertive and in control, but the skeletons in her closet kept appearing. Ellory was unmotivated because Iris forgot about her while mourning. Sloane was the MVP who always knew what to say and do for Iris. Loved it!

Rating: 5/5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice level 0/5

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing| MIRA Books, and Katie Garner for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

Iris's husband was murdered, then she lost her house to forclosure, then she lost her job. She's about to become homeless with her eighteen-year-old daughter...then her new love interest suggests that they move in with him. And his mother. He's making repairs to her dilapidated old mansion and there's plenty of extra room. There are also plenty of other family members living there. The old house is creepy and Hugh's siblings are weird and unpleasant. And the plot is a fast paced roller coaster of crazy that just keeps speeding up and finding new ways to twist. I'm not sure how I feel about the whole thing. None of it is plausible, but it was oddly entertaining once I figured out what was actually going on.

This book was full of twists and turns and caught me off guard on multiple occasions. As soon as I'd think I figured out what was going on the author would throw in something else that I didn't see coming. While that can be a good thing sometimes, it was a little overwhelming at times trying to keep track of the different stories and characters.

By the end of the book I'd figured out what was going on, and it was satisfying seeing all the loose ends get tied up.

If this book was a rollercoaster it would be lethal!! It kept blowing my mind at every twist!! To say I was blindsided by the ending is an understatement! This books definitely a page turner.

I absolutely LOVED this book!!! 5/5 stars and would rate it even higher if I could. The thrills and drama never stopped in this book!! What a wild ride!!!

Iris is struggling after the loss of her husband a few years ago and is really down on her luck. But now, she lost her job and the bank sold her house since she could no longer afford the payments. That makes Iris and her daughter Ellory officially homeless. Luckily Iris new boyfriend Hugh steps up to the plate to make sure that Iris and Ellory are taken care of and have a place to live. Hugh so graciously offers a room in his mother’s home for the time being since that’s where he’s living. But little do they know what’s truly in store for them at the Ravencliff!

Wow! A widow and her daughter move into a creepy old mansion with her new boyfriend and his equally creepy family....what could possibly go wrong? Buckle up and get ready for a ride! The author uses several clever plot devices that result in a page-turning thriller. An engaging story that had me staying up way past my bedtime to just read "one more chapter."

"It takes a special family to turn a home into a nightmare."
The Family Inside drew me in by the cover and had me captivated from the first page. I was turning pages until the very end. I loved the sinister looking house and the mysterious family in this book. It was such a creepy, thrilling read with family drama and so much more. The author wrote this so well and I loved all of the twists in this book. Overall, this was such a great read that I enjoyed a lot and would recommend to any reader who loves thrillers or mysteries. Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA and The Hive for this read in exchange of my honest review of The Family Inside by Katie Garner.

I had gotten halfway through 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑭𝑨𝑴𝑰𝑳𝒀 𝑰𝑵𝑺𝑰𝑫𝑬 𝒃𝒚 𝑲𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒆 𝑮𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒓 with my @netgalley @htpbooks access when I was granted the audio through @harlequin_audio and immediately added it to my reading!

Let me tell you, this is a wild ride! Thank you @htp_hive for such fun reads!

Iris is a struggling single mom who has had her share of rough, but when Hugh offers to let her stay at his home, she feels her luck is finally turning! Ellory, her daughter who just turned 18 is much less enthused. In fact, Ellory can't take the weird family who all look at her strangely, and disappears. Iris is beside herself, but no one seems to take her concerns about Ellory seriously. And phones begin to become increasingly hard to find with the rise of tempers with family members. This is increasingly a disturbing situation, but Iris has some secrets of her own that put her in serious danger with these people, if she can ever get help!

It is easy to see the red flags in thrillers, but I was very pleased to read how these situations could have progressed in this story! I thought this was clever, twisty, and very well plotted with a fantastic twist. I had a thoroughly enjoyable time reading this in both digital and audio. I recommend this book for anyone looking for a really fun suspense with twisty reveals!

The power of good writing and a well-structured plot. It stands as a testament to the author's talent and dedication to their craft, providing readers with an enjoyable and thought-provoking experience. Whether you're a casual reader or a literature enthusiast, this book is sure to leave you with a sense of fulfillment and a desire to explore more of the author's works. So, for anyone looking to delve into a captivating story, I wholeheartedly recommend picking up this gem—it may just become one of your favorites, too.