From the getgo I had a really hard time reading this book. It might have been the writing style or the characters. I am not sure but I had really high hopes and the book fell flat. it was a little boring and I wanted so much more from it.

I will say that if I ever fall in love with a guy who takes me to live with him in his mother's house that he is fixing up and it looks like this house in the book, with the siblings that Hugh has, I would hop back in my car and never go back! But that would not make for a suspenseful, twisty impossible to put down story like this book was. Told from the viewpoints of Iris and Ellory (after she leaves) it unwinds in a very surprising twist that left me gobsmacked but did a great job of answering questions I did not even know I had. And there are a few more twists, extra creepiness, uncertainty in who to trust, and secrets galore! It will leave you gasping and shouting at Iris to run! I am glad that she does have good friends to help her out with the nightmare that Iris and Ellory find themselves in (especially a shout out to Sloane!). And the ending is thoroughly satisfying in tying up all the loose ends from the past and present in bringing guilty or deserving of punishment their just desserts.

A good, thrilling read that goes by quickly as it is really hard to put down! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book!

Huge thank you to HTP Books for the gifted ARC!

This book was BONKERS! If you're a fan of the wildest and craziest thrillers full of insane and shady characters, this one is for you!

After Iris loses her husband and subsequently her home, her and her daughter move into her new boyfriend's family home. The catch? The house is CREEPY. His family is CREEPY. Everything is CREEPY! If you think you've read about a sketchy family, BUCKLE UP! This one may take the cake!

I loved that NOTHING and I mean NOTHING is what it seems in this book! I thought I knew what was happening and got thrown for one of the biggest loops ever! And then the twists just kept coming right up until the very end!

This is one that will definitely stay with me for a while! It was so unique and I read it in a 24 hour period; I just HAD to know what was happening within the walls of this crazy house!

Was it believable? No. Was it a total blast? Yes.

What a wild ride this book was! I couldn't put it down. So many twists and turns. I really liked most of the book. The very final twist didn't work for me. I wish that part had been left out. I think the ending would have been fine without it. That being said, it was definitely and ending I didn't expect. Definitely worth the read.

Looking for your next page turning, can’t put down thriller? Then look no further, The Family Inside is the book for you! I needed a book to get me out of a slight slump and this definitely did the trick!

Read this if:
🔪Like short chapters
🔪Dysfunctional families and lies
🔪Multiple Murders
🔪Twists and Turns

Publication date: 1/28/25

If you like a good mystery where you really didn’t see that coming, this might be a book for you!

Three years after Iris Blodgett husband's murder, she finds herself in an ominous situation. Iris is reeling in debt and unemployment. She turns to her new boyfriend, Hugh Smoll, who offers to take her and her daughter in. Only, they won't be alone. Hugh's mother, brother, sister-in-law, and sister will also be living with them in the family mansion, Ravencliff. The mansion is currently being renovated, when Iris and her daughter Elloy uncover dark family secrets. This is when they start to realize they may have been invited for a sinister purpose.

From start to finish this was a page turner. Some parts became a little slow, but overall, this was a great one. The old mansion, complete with eerie items, adds a whimsical layer to the story. The characters are richly developed, and the main character is likable. As the plot twists and turns, everything started to come together for me around the 80% mark.

This was my first time reading this author, and I can see myself picking up other books by Katie Garner. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Harlequin Trade Pub/ MIRA for providing me with an early copy to read and review.

twisty, eerie, and really well done thriller with some awesome themes and foci! i really liked it. 5 stars. tysm for the arc, would recommend.

Iris Blodgett has been facing difficult times. Her beloved husband Jack was murdered three years ago, and the case remains unsolved. Her home was foreclosed, and she lost her job. Things weren't looking up for Iris and her eighteen-year-old daughter Ellory. However, her luck seems to change when her charming, successful new boyfriend Hugh insists that Iris and Ellory move into his family home. Shortly after moving in, Iris feels uneasy living at Ravencliff, which is undergoing a renovation, as Hugh's entire family lives there too. Iris starts figuring out that the family members are hiding many secrets. Possibly deadly ones.

At the start of The Family Inside, someone is digging a grave for a murdered woman. Next, the media descends upon a historic mansion where the remains of two people have been uncovered. Shifting to eight days before the news breaks, we are introduced to Iris. She doesn't know what she is in for and neither do we. Author Katie Garner takes us on a crazy ride in an eerie setting. This unpredictable, twisty story will keep you reading through the night.

Rated 4.25. stars.

I have mixed thoughts about this book. There were some good twists and turns, and I liked the creepiness of the family. However, there was something that didn't work for me. It felt like forever to get into the story and understand there were 2 timelines going on. There were times I felt like pieces were missing and I often had to jump back and re-read sections. At times it was a muddled mess of things going on. Overall, I liked the premise and the twists (even if they were a bit OTT), but the cohesion of the story was lacking for me.

This book was such a twisty, wild ride! It sucks you in right from the start and doesn't let you go 'til the end.

Iris's life is totally unravelling. Her husband was murdered three years ago, she gets fired from her job and her house is in foreclosure. She has to scramble to find a place for she and her daughter, Ellory to live. Enter Hugh, they boyfriend Iris has only been dating a few months. He offers for them both to move in with him. The only catch, he lives with his Mother in a big, creepy mansion, along with the rest of his family. As soon as they arrive, they realize that things are just off and the family is hiding a lot of things. From here things devolve quickly and nothing is as it seems. Everyone is hiding something, including Iris. This went in so many directions that I didn't see coming. The author was masterful at creating that sense of foreboding, keeping you on the edge of your seat. I loved the ending and thought she brought all of the story lines together so well. Pick this one up if you're in the mood for a fast paced, creepy thriller. Out on January 28, 2025.

Thank you to @netgalley and @harlequintradepublishing for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

#TheFamilyInsode #NetGalley
A fun read.
Katie Garner’s The Family Inside is a suspenseful and atmospheric thriller that pulls readers into a world of hidden secrets, familial dysfunction, and chilling revelations. Set against the backdrop of Ravencliff, a centuries-old mansion steeped in mystery, this novel expertly combines elements of domestic drama and gothic intrigue.
Likes :-
1 Haunting Atmosphere: Ravencliff is as much a character as the people in the story. The eerie setting, with its dark corners and ominous secrets, creates an unsettling tension that keeps readers on edge.
2 Complex Characters: Iris is a relatable protagonist whose grief and financial struggles make her vulnerable yet resilient. The dynamics between Hugh, his siblings, and their mother add layers of intrigue and tension.
3 Slow-Building Suspense: The novel masterfully unravels its secrets at a steady pace, each reveal more shocking than the last. The family’s hidden history is as compelling as it is terrifying.
4 Themes of Trust and Betrayal: Garner explores the dangers of blind trust and the consequences of being drawn into someone else’s web of lies.
Dislikes :-
None.
Overall :- The Family Inside is a gripping domestic thriller that will appeal to fans of gothic mysteries and family dramas. Though not without its flaws, the book’s strong atmosphere, layered characters, and sinister revelations make it a worthwhile read. Katie Garner delivers a story that questions how well we really know the people closest to us—and what happens when trust is misplaced.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing Mira for giving me an advance copy.

I went in not knowing much about this book and I think maybe that was the best way to go about it. It was an interesting story and I did not see the ending coming. I did feel like the characters could have been developed a bit more and the story seemed to take some side quests at times. Overall it was a wonderful reading experience and I appreciate the ability to have read it early. I am hoping if it comes out on audio I will pick it up again.

The Family Inside is a suspenseful, chilling thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Iris Blodgett, reeling from her husband's unsolved murder and drowning in debt, thinks moving into her boyfriend Hugh’s family mansion might be the fresh start she needs. But when Iris and her daughter Ellory arrive at Ravencliff, they discover that the family living inside isn’t what it seems—and neither is the house itself.

Katie Garner weaves a dark tale of secrets, deception, and unraveling truths, with a family history that’s as haunting as the mansion. If you love psychological thrillers with eerie atmospheres and jaw-dropping twists, this is a must-read!

I went into this book not knowing much and I think this helped my reading experience.

Quick synopsis: a woman has tragically lost her husband, but recently found the new love of her life. Unfortunately, she ends up losing the house that she and her daughter live in and her boyfriend invites them to come live with his family.

The structure of this novel was so well done. and the atmosphere and vibes were top notch! I enjoyed the twists and turns and the WTF moment I had, The whole family house was just weird and you knew something was going on but it’s not till close to the end that you see it all play out.
If you like a good mystery where you really didn’t see that coming this might be a book for you.

Thank you @htp_hive, @htpbooks and @netgalley for this eARC! 🫶🏻

There was something about this book that made it almost impossible for me to put down! I don’t know if it was the alternating POV or how each chapter left me scratching my head, but I inhaled it! The pacing was a bit on the slower side for the first half of the book, but I had so many questions that I just had to keep reading.

I honestly disliked the characters for most of the books, until some of the reveals, which there were A TON of towards the end! The twists just kept coming! I thought Iris made some stupid decisions, but I could look past that. If you can suspend belief a little bit and love a thriller with some big twists definitely add this one to your TBR!

Read if you like:
✌🏻Dual POV
🤫Family secrets
🏚️Creepy house setting
🤯Twists

I've officially nicknamed author Katie Garner "The Queen of the Twists."  After reading last year's The Night It Ended, I should have been prepared for the fact that The Family Inside would be another amazing book. Set in a small town where single mother Iris Blodgett's life has been turned upside down once again after the death of her husband three years ago, she's lost her job and her home, so when her new beau offers Iris and her daughter Ellory a place to stay at his families crumbling mansion, she readily accepts. It's only once she arrives at Ravencliff that she begins to uncover years of family secrets.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing for the copy of The Family Inside by Katie Garner. This was not what I expected, but it was weirdly compelling at first. While I kept it expecting to veer into horror, it didn’t, but the writing was creepy. The premise of the story was great, but the execution didn’t really work. The timelines were confusing, and the relationships weren’t plausible because I never got to know the characters very well. I enjoyed the first part of the book, but the rest wasn’t for me. If you like a surprising conclusion, you will love this! 3 stars

I picked up The Family Inside when I was in the mood for a quick, popcorn thriller. The publisher's description states that “this ending will leave even the most seasoned genre readers pleasantly hoodwinked.” While it was a quick read and I was hoodwinked, I’m not sure I would call it pleasant.

In this debut we meet Iris, a single mother, who loses her house. She is relieved when her boyfriend offers to let her stay with him as he renovates his mother’s mansion. Iris certainly did not expect his whole family to be there and this family is….weird.

This book was all plot with very minimal character development. I didn’t feel connected to Iris and the story had way too many implausibilities to keep me engaged. The author was asking me to suspend way too much disbelief with this one.

Many early reviews rave about the ending they didn’t see coming. I also didn’t see the ending coming but I felt that it was because the ending was completely out of left field and felt too random to me.

Overall, I’d try Katie Garner again but would hope for a bit more balance between plot and character development.

RATING: 3/5
PUB DATE: January 28, 2025

Many thanks to Mira for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5
The author had an idea, I'll give her that, but the plotting here genuinely only works if you have either an infant's sense of object permanence or a canine's sense of the passage of time.

Things are not going well for Iris. Ever since her husband was killed, her life has been spiraling out of control. Now the bank has foreclosed on her home, she loses her job and she must tell her daughter Ellory, that the two of them will be living in her car in a matter of days.
The one bright spot is her boyfriend, Hugh. When Iris tells him how dreadful things are, he invites her and Ellory to move in with him. Not that he has his own house anymore, since he is staying with his mother and siblings. Why when he has a decent job? Well, his mother will not let any contractors in the house and the decrepit roof is flooding their home. Iris is dubious, but what choice besides being homeless does she have?
Told mostly by Iris, with chapters by Ellory, I had absolutely no idea what was going on. Until one revelation made me think I was finally putting the pieces together. Nope, there was still so much more to come. I am going to avoid spoiler filled woods and just say, this was a clever, clever page turner.