After a night out, Liv wakes up in her brother's room not remembering the night with her parents acting weirdly.

This was an interesting one. I liked the intrigue of the story. Liv has no idea what happened and slowly starts to investigate along with the boy next door who she starts a relationship with. There is a lot going on in this one. The family all knows something but don't reveal it, keeping the audience in suspense. While I liked most of this, there were times when the pacing felt a little off to me. But still, the story was good and the ending was a little surprising.

All in all, this was a solid thriller.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

4.75/5 stars! Ugh! I loved this book but hated how twisted up the story made my stomach. A perfect family: except they're not. I'm not sure if I want to go hug my parents or change my number and never talk to them again. What a wild ride. Please go into this book blind and take breaks as needed to breathe and process.

The morning after partying with a friend, Olivia wakes up with bruises and no memory of how she got them and now she has no access to her own bedroom. Her father and mother are the only ones that know what went down that night but her mom makes her promise to never speak of that night ever again. Olivia’s brother Casper is determined to uncover the truth of what happened to his sister with the help of a friend. This story makes you wonder how far families are willing to go to protect those they love and whether or not that love is enough to keep them safe.

I was initially really interested in this story based on the blurb but it started off slow and took a while for me to really start liking the story. Once I started to like it I become very interested in the story. I really liked the sleep walking aspect of the story. I was able to predict the cause of her sleepwalking early on but not what she had done while sleepwalking. The plot twist made this story difficult to accurately guess what Olivia had done while sleep walking which I really enjoyed. 70% is when it got really dark and intense and it was the most interesting part of the story. I hated Brian after his actions towards other characters was revealed. The ending was a bit rushed but still enjoyable.

I didn’t enjoy Janus POV. It didn’t feel necessary to the story and I would lose interest while reading his thoughts. I didn’t like his character.

My favorite characters were Olivia, Austin and Casper.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Anna Snoekstra's The Ones We Love is a psychological thriller that delves into the complexities of family secrets and the lengths to which individuals will go to protect their loved ones. While it may not satisfy readers seeking a fast-paced thriller, those who appreciate a slow-burning, character-driven mystery with psychological depth may find it a worthwhile read.

The Ones We Love by Anna Snoekstra lured me in with the promise of secrets behind a padlocked door, a fresh start in L.A., and a fractured family barely holding it together. The setup had some compelling components: a writer father chasing screen adaptation dreams, a mother haunted by her past, and two siblings, Liv and Casper, unraveling in their own ways.

But instead of a taut, psychological thriller, what I got felt more like a wandering family drama with thriller elements sprinkled in like seasoning that never quite soaked in. The early pacing dragged, bogged down by tangents. There were deep dives into the parents’ pasts that didn’t move the plot forward or feel connected to the central mystery. The padlocked door that the synopsis hinged on? Barely a blip.

Things do pick up around the halfway mark, and I’ll admit, I started to feel intrigued again. The twist was one of the few moments that brought surprise. I thought I had it figured out, and being wrong was almost satisfying. But by the end, the momentum fizzled into an ending that felt both rushed and far-fetched.

Snoekstra’s writing itself is easy to sink into, and while this one missed the mark for me, I’d still be open to reading more of her work. The Ones We Love had potential, but ultimately, it was a slow burn that never really caught fire.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

While this book was perfectly fine, I found that the writing was just not my preferred style. I enjoy fast-paced, dialogue-heavy, action-heavy thrillers, and this felt more literary at times. The plot was weighed down by description and flowery language that didn’t feel necessary.

This book had me hooked right from the blurb on the cover it seemed to have everything I love in a novel and it sounded so far paced that I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I found the characters to be very compelling and fascinating but it was they way that this book was written overall that really had me hooked. There wasn't to much flourish in the language and the characters were so realistic that I really found myself falling into their world. This book was filled with secrets and betrayal and at times it was a little hard to keep the truth straight but I loved trying to guess what was actually happening. This book centers around our main family as each one of them is fighting with their own secrets that they don't want to be revealed. When someone threatens to destroy that silence and reveal what they have hidden that is when things really blow up. With a secret locked door and a set of parents suddenly acting completely different main character Liv is determined to figure out what is going on. There were a lot of characters and at times it was a bit of a struggle to keep track of everyone, however since everyone had a very different secret they were hiding it was fascinating to get everyone's story. This is the kind of book that will have you guessing and digging for answers at every turn. I loved the mystery that surround this whole book. Great read I've never read anything that kept me as captivated as this one it was fantastic. What I didn't like however was I found the plot to be a bit jumpy at times and the story progression to be a bit all over the map. Once I got things figured out however it was a pretty good read. With characters that left you guessing I'm really glad I got the chance to check this one out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I am not sure why but this book did not work for me. However, as I always say when I don't like a book, just because I did not like the book, it doesn't mean that someone else won't like it. It also doesn't necessarily mean that I may not like another book by the same author. Or even that I may not like the book if I try it again in the future...

It was fine. A bit more of the same old same old, though. I feel like I read too many of the same kind of books and they blur togehter.

I'm so glad I got the chance to read this book, I couldn't put it down. If you love a fast paced thriller, this book will be right up your street.

Janus and his family have moved to LA for a movie deal he has gotten from his book. His daughter Olivia has a history of some bad drinking problems and can't wait to start a fresh, especially now she has an apprenticeship to keep her on the straight and narrow. That is until she wakens up one morning after an event and can't remember a thing, she was sure she only had two drinks but her Mum and Dad is acting weird, there's a padlock on her bedroom door and her best friend wont reply to her messages. What on earth has she done?! Her brother Casper and his friend Tye decide to investigate and see what is going on.

It was such an easy read and just when you think you have cracked it an other twist is thrown in. I honestly did not see what was coming. I love a thriller and this was just done perfectly, it keeps you hooked from start to finish. However I didn't really find much of the characters overly likeable, the only characters I liked was Casper and his friend Tye. I really wasn't buthered if Olivia went down for the crime or not but by the end I was routing for Olivia and Austin.

It has taken me right out of a reading slump and I can't wait to read more from this author.

4.5 rounded up.
I enjoyed this! It was compelling and well executed, even if some parts were frustrating because I wanted a few characters to really get what they deserved. Recommend if you like messy domestic thrillers that are character-driven and full of moral ambiguity - think Robyn Harding or Ozark-style families (the Netflix show).

Energy: Secretive. Chaotic. Serpentine.

🐕 Howls: Some of the over-the-top drama moments made the story feel less grounded but overall it worked.

🐩 Tail Wags: Messy, twisty family dynamics. The experience of adjusting to life in the US. The missing memory trope feeling natural. How the narrative hopped between perspectives. As secrets unravel, new ones take their place.

Scene: 🇺🇸 Los Angeles, California, USA
Perspectives (4): An author of horror books whose latest work was optioned for a movie script; their spouse who used to be a ballerina and now teaches pilates; their adult child who was on track to enter the fashion world but fell into the partying lifestyle; their teenager who feels homesick and senses something is wrong in the family.
Timeline: Linear. 2010s or 2020s. June. ☀️ Summery.
Fuel: Mysteries abound. What did Liv do? Why can’t she remember anything from the previous night? Is she a danger to herself or others? Why are her parents acting so strangely toward her? Why is there a padlock on her bedroom door? Can Cooper and his friend figure out what the family is hiding? Who is blackmailing them and why?
Cred: Plausible to suspended disbelief

Mood Reading Match-Up:
Ceramic dishes. Clammy, sticky air. Breakfast burritos. Plastic outdoor dining set. Glaring concrete. Stink of bleach. Caffeine pills.
• Messy multi-POV storytelling where the reader is always a step ahead (but never all-knowing)
• Flawed families with secrets, lies, and lots of unresolved tension
• Emotionally spiraling characters who are hard to love but hard to look away from
• Popcorn drama meets psychological mystery
• Coming-of-age amateur sleuthing & boy love subplots (friends to lovers, shy crush)
• Behind-closed-doors dysfunction and “what happens in the family stays in the family” energy
• Dark secrets + drama bombs + close calls
• “How far would you go for your family?” core theme
• Mix of casual, reflective, emotionally raw writing style
• Long-suffering moms, existential crises, snowballing bad decisions
• Miscommunications and memory gaps

Content Heads-Up: Adult/minor relationship (very brief mention; sexual fling). Alcohol abuse (family history). Blackmail. Blood. Body shaming, calorie restriction (parent). Cannabis (vaping, brief mention). Death (on page, descriptive). Domestic violence (brief but descriptive, on page). Gun violence. <spoiler>Hit and run.</spoiler> Infidelity (on page, descriptive). Insomnia. Intoxicated driving (brief, on page). Nicotine (cigarettes, cravings). Parental neglect, narcissistic parent. Physical assault, attack. Post-partum symptoms, difficulty bonding. Potential false accusation. Pregnancy, birth (brief but descriptive memories). Sexual content (consenting; mostly behind closed doors). Sleepwalking. Substance abuse (alcohol, pills; partying, addiction). Toxic masculinity.

Rep: Australian. American. Latina. Dutch heritage. French heritage. Cis. Queer. Hetero. Bronzed, pale, black, light brown, really pale, and dark skin tones.

📚 Format: Advance Reader’s Copy from Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley.

The Ones We Love
By: Anna Snoekstra

4 Stars

Wow. This was a thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning. When Olivia wakes from a night out, she can not remember anything. She knows something happened. Her parents are acting funny. She is all bruised. What happened that night will forever change her and her family.

This book was so good. It was fast-paced and descriptive. From page one, I was hooked. This family moves, and then all of a sudden, things go wrong. The characters were well done even though I had a love-hate relationship with SOME of them. This book is thrilling and completely mysterious and captivating.

My only complaint was the end. It was such an active book, but the ending just seemed so...tame, I guess. It wasn't what I expected. Even with that being said, it was a good book that kept me guessing. Kept me wanting more. It's definitely one to read for the thrills and mystery.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Reviews

The Ones We Love

What an intriguing mystery ARC! There was some plot twists I did not see coming.

This chronicles the life of a family of four after moving from Australia to the US. After a night Olivia can’t remember, her family’s life is forever changed.

The author didn’t great job mixing up the dynamic and leading you down a path, then surprising you with a completely different angle.

The characters felt real which I also like in a book, I felt sucked into the family drama from the beginning!

Thank you NetGalley, Anna Snoekstra and Penguin Group Dutton for the e ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I made it to the end with a few more questions than I’d have preferred, and some moments of “was that really necessary for the story? It was a difficult read for me

This one started strong and got my attention immediately. Unfortunately, it morphed from a well paced thriller to more of a domestic character driven book. There were a lot of details on the day to day lives of the characters that didn't really advance the plot for me. Lots of hints that something terrible has happened but no real payout on that part of the plot until deep into the story. By the time we got there I wasn't overly invested, by there was a decent attempt at a twist, it just fell a bit flat for me.

This story has the bones of a good thriller with a lot of potential, I just had some pacing problems that made it hard to really love.

#ad many thanks for my advance copy @duttonbooks #partner

Family dysfunction and secrets, oh my!
Liv wakes up from a night out with her friend back at her parent’s house, in her brother’s bedroom with no memory of how, with bruises all over. Her mom and dad are acting strange and they tell her to not talk about it. Whatever it is.

The Ones You Love by Anna Snoekstra is a thriller/mystery that I’m not sure how I feel about yet.

The story is mostly about a dysfunctional family and a secret they are keeping. We as readers don’t get much insight we are just as confused as the characters.

Casper, the 15-year-old son, decides to find out what his family is hiding. They’ve just cancelled his summer trip back to Australia so he has nothing better to do. He teams up with his new friend Tye.

The family has just moved to LA from Australia, so there’s also the mystery of why they had to move. Struggling to find their footing in a new country. They’ve only been here for about 5 months when the story starts.

I was instantly hooked to this story but that quickly fell apart. It felt like I was reading a story for younger readers. I found the pacing to be torturous but I stuck it out. While I did become interested again the ending and everything else just made this a bad reading experience.

Hopefully you will enjoy this one. I wish I had. But I’ll definitely be trying this author again. As this was my first book by her, I did enjoy her writing. Maybe a different plot would help.

In essence this is a story about how far you’d go to protect those you love most.

Liv's family moves from Australia to Los Angeles for a fresh start. After a night out, she wakes up in a bedroom at home, but she's locked in and her parents are acting strange. She also has bruises all over her body and no recollection of what happened or how she got there.
This book moved very slowly and the twist wasn't that surprising or interesting. Unfortunately it fell flat for me.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

The Ones We Love by Anna Snoekstra explores the tangled web of secrets, guilt, and buried truths that shape a family. When a woman returns home after years away, she finds herself confronting her past and uncovering shocking revelations about those she once trusted. As tensions rise and dark memories resurface, the novel delves deep into themes of deception, loyalty, and the complexities of human relationships.

My Review: From the very first chapter, there was an intriguing sense of mystery surrounding Liv and the role her parents played in the unfolding story. However, as I reached the 25% mark, the pacing remained slow, with deception and unanswered questions continuing to build—yet with little to no actual progression toward unraveling the mystery.

Unfortunately, I found it difficult to connect with the characters or the storyline, as much of the narrative focused on daily routines rather than active investigation or meaningful revelations. With chapters dedicated to mundane tasks rather than driving the plot forward, the lack of momentum made it hard to stay engaged.

Ultimately, I decided to put this book down due to its sluggish pacing and the absence of compelling narrative direction. While the premise held promise, the execution left too much unanswered for me to continue.

Thank you NetGalley and Anna’s publication for allowing me the opportunity to read and provide my honest review.

An Australian family relocates to LA and quickly starts to fall apart.

Sort of. Janus is a horror writer, and his book is optioned for film. Taking a leap of faith, he moves his family to Los Angeles as he works on the screenplay. His wife, Kay, is a former professional ballerina and Pilates instructor. Casper is a young teen struggling to find his place in LA and not be bored by all the sunshine. Olivia is in her early 20s and...a mess. She flunked out of university after too much partying. She's currently trying to find her way into the fashion world, but after a night out, she wakes up with bruises and no memory...and for some reason, her room - the former garage - is padlocked.

The One We Love is a domestic thriller, but it leaves much desired... and frankly talks about coffee WAY too much. The premise is great, but the story moves too slowly, dragging out the reveal and speeding through the book's last third. I felt there wasn't a clear focus - is this a thriller? Is this a coming-of-age story? Is this a medical mystery? Is this a marriage story? Is this a love letter to coffee?

The 'twists' are good, but they could have been explored deeper and focused on just one, rather than the four or five that were crammed in the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Ones We Love by Anna Snoekstra follows an Australian family living in Los Angeles after a big move for their father, Janus' job as a writer. The family is made up of Janus, his wife Kay, and their two children, Olivia (20s) and Casper (teens). The synopsis of the book focuses on a padlocked door in the house and bring readers in by telling them that the family may not be able to handle what lies behind it. We also know that there was an incident including Olivia, causing dysfunction between the rest of the family. I was excited to read a thriller that had such an original plot and a dysfunctional family. However, the more I read, the more I found myself uninterested in the book.

Dysfunctional families can be so much fun to read about but I feel like the author focused on so many side issues to create depth to the characters that instead took us further away from the plot. We focused a lot on the mother's past ED and PPD that had nothing to do with the present situation the family was in as well as the father's past accounting job that is irrelevant now that he's a writer. I also realized as I read on that the book didn't have much to do with the padlocked room. We got a couple scenes with this setting but nothing that really furthered the story. I understand hooks to bring readers in but unfortunately my expectations here were not met. Once I got to the 100 page mark, the book started to focus on the actual mystery at hand and I started to enjoy it more. The twist itself was fun and entertaining as I'd thought I had guessed it correctly in the first half but was proven wrong which was a pleasant surprise. I do want to read more by Anna as I did enjoy her writing itself and think she is a very talented author. I think this story just fell short for me.

Thank you to Anna Snoekstra, Net Galley, and Dutton Publishing for an e-arc of The Ones We Love in exchange for an honest review. I appreciate your trust in my opinion!