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!

The ones we love is a gripping piece of novel around a dysfunctional family.
I really enjoyed reading the book and the characters are well written. The twists
are pretty awesome and made the story more enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book. The characters were easy to follow and the storyline was interesting. It was very suspenseful as there was something new around every corner. It had good details and made me feel like I was watching a movie. I gave this 4 ⭐️’s because I felt like the end with the married couple was unnecessary and took away from the story.

Well that was hard to get through. The first few pages drew me in but then I was bored until about 75% of the way through. Unfortunately the author attempts but fails to build suspense. The ending is more exciting but not the most believable. There are definitely some interesting family dynamics going on throughout the book but did not meet the mark as a thriller/suspense for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and devoured it in just two days. The writing was effortlessly engaging, keeping me captivated from start to finish. While the character development was evident, some characters felt more fully realized than others.

When the truth was finally revealed, I was completely taken aback—I never saw it coming! Though the ending felt somewhat unresolved for my taste, the overall journey was immensely enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton for the opportunity to read The Ones We Love by Anna Snoekstra.

Casper know something is wrong with his family. Shortly after moving to L.A. from Australia, he’s noticed his family acting different. His sister doesn’t know what’s changed with her parents but she knows that she’s the reason for it.

As both Casper and Liv try to figure out what has happened buried secrets are revealed making everyone realize how much can you trusts someone, when it turns out you can’t even trust yourself.

Maybe the Secret is Worse than the Truth…

Anna Snoekstra’s The Ones We Love is a gripping psychological thriller that peels back the layers of family secrets, guilt, and protection gone wrong. At the heart of the novel is a simple yet devastating question: How far will we go to protect the ones we love—even when it destroys us in the process?

The story revolves around a fractured family, each member harbouring secrets they believe will keep the others safe. However, as the novel unfolds, it becomes clear that these hidden truths are suffocating them, leading to unintended consequences. The tension inside the family home is almost palpable—what seems like acts of love and protection are, in reality, creating walls between them.

Snoekstra masterfully crafts a suspenseful atmosphere where every character has something to hide, and yet their motivations are deeply human, with each of them believing that silence or deception is the only way to prevent further pain. But the irony is that their secrecy only fuels their suffering. The novel explores this paradox beautifully, showing how unspoken fears and unaddressed wounds fester over time.

What makes The Ones We Love so compelling is Snoekstra’s ability to capture the quiet, everyday ways in which families break themselves in the name of love. The psychological depth of the characters, combined with a slow-burning but relentless suspense, will keep readers hooked.
By the time the truth comes to light, the damage has been done—but is it too late for healing? The Ones We Love leaves readers questioning how much secrecy a family can survive before it implodes. It’s a haunting, emotional, and utterly captivating read that lingers long after the last page.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this digital ARC in exhange for my honest review.

I started this one during a slump so it was hard to pick it up during the first 30% of the book. However, the suspense started growing, the characters got more intriguing and I found myself picking this up whenever I could.

It was an enjoyable mystery/thriller and once I hit the 40% mark, I flew through it. I'm so glad I didn't dnf this as it had some great twists. Some were predictable but others I was surprised.

A great read!

A family moves from Australia to Los Angeles to adapt a screen play for the father’s best selling novel. At first, all seems normal. Then, the secrets begin to come out. Liv, the 20 something daughter, comes home with bruises after a night out with friends and can’t remember anything. Her parents immediately begin to act strangely. What are they hiding? There’s a locked room along with some mysterious purchases. Liv’s younger brother and his friend even try to figure out what’s what. To what lengths will these parents go to protect their family and their secrets? This book had a very slow start and was almost a DNF. It picked up pace in the last half as the secrets are revealed. However, the ending was a bit unrealistic. While the plot was intriguing, this book just did not hit the mark for me. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.