The Happy Family
- Downloads：1937
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-02 21:31:13
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jackie Kabler
- ISBN：B08N47DHNP
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Tamara
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Good read， I enjoyed the plot。
Shorty6904
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Omg I loved this fast-paced book， it hooked me from the start and I couldn't put it down。 The characters were brilliant and the story was just amazing。 There was shock after shock and so many twists that kept me guessing。 Exactly my type of book， I didnt want it to end。 I tried to read it slow but it was just too good that I couldn't help read fast to get to the next chapter so I could see what was going to happen。 Top praise for this author， I will be finding more of your books to read。 Omg I loved this fast-paced book， it hooked me from the start and I couldn't put it down。 The characters were brilliant and the story was just amazing。 There was shock after shock and so many twists that kept me guessing。 Exactly my type of book， I didnt want it to end。 I tried to read it slow but it was just too good that I couldn't help read fast to get to the next chapter so I could see what was going to happen。 Top praise for this author， I will be finding more of your books to read。 。。。more
christine hodson
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Very enjoyable readOnce I started this book， I couldn't put it down。Full of well written characters。I guessed two thirds of the way in what the outcome would be。 Didn't spoil it for。me。First time I've read one of Jackies books， won't be the last。 Very enjoyable readOnce I started this book， I couldn't put it down。Full of well written characters。I guessed two thirds of the way in what the outcome would be。 Didn't spoil it for。me。First time I've read one of Jackies books， won't be the last。 。。。more
Marsha Ayers
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A Very Good BookIt was good mystery。 I enjoyed it。 I felt frustrated when her life was becoming so awful because of Alison。
Debbie
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A great read
Jean P
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Enjoyable enough read though it didn’t take long for me to want to give Beth a good shake to wake her up。 She took everything this stranger， supposed “mother “ said at face value。 If she had spoken to her neighbours and asked why they had said what they were alleged to have， the scales would have fallen from her eyes sooner - but then the book would be considerably shorter。I am sure most readers sussed the true identities long before the end。
Sharon Rimmelzwaan
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The Happy Family by Jackie Kabler is a psychological thriller that will have your head whirling。 This is my first time reading Jackie Kabler's work and I think I need to go and find her other books now！ It certainly kept me on my toes。 Beth is a single parent， she has a good job and two lovely children， she even gets on with her ex and his current girlfriend （the woman her ex was first having an affair with）。 Beth frequently visits her father who is in a fantastic care home after suffering a str The Happy Family by Jackie Kabler is a psychological thriller that will have your head whirling。 This is my first time reading Jackie Kabler's work and I think I need to go and find her other books now！ It certainly kept me on my toes。 Beth is a single parent， she has a good job and two lovely children， she even gets on with her ex and his current girlfriend （the woman her ex was first having an affair with）。 Beth frequently visits her father who is in a fantastic care home after suffering a stroke。 The only thing that is missing from Beth’s life is her mum。 Beth’s mum walked out on her and her father when she was only ten years old， this is something that affects Beth in various ways to the present day。One day her mum just turns up， knocking on her door。 She welcomes her with open arms and allows her to move in with her and the children。 Everything is going fabulous until strange things begin to happen to Beth。 She has no clue who it could be。。。but will she find out？A proper twisty story with revelations coming throughout。 I obviously had my own ideas， specially when things really turned ominously sinister but I wasn't altogether right and love that in a book， particularly one that has the power to mess with someone's head。I was at times well on the edge of my seat and whispering What？！ A few times throughout。The characters were well fleshed out and I thought the plot fabulous！ One thing is crystal clear and that is Jackie Kabler is an excellent author。Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources， One More Chapter and NetGalley for the copy of the book。 。。。more
jennet wheatstonelllsl
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Ks
susan whitaker
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Fantastic ReadReally enjoyed this boo k read it in the first place because of seeing her on QVC ， The book kept my interest all the way through highly recommend it
Susan Hunter
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The title， blurb and book cover caught me eye。 The book kept me hooked throughout。 I liked the character of Beth and her friends and colleagues。 When her mother who Beth hasn't seen for decades turns up on her doorstep Beth is delighted。 Then things change， and not for the better。。 A compelling read which had me guessing all sorts of outcomes。 A really good read。 The title， blurb and book cover caught me eye。 The book kept me hooked throughout。 I liked the character of Beth and her friends and colleagues。 When her mother who Beth hasn't seen for decades turns up on her doorstep Beth is delighted。 Then things change， and not for the better。。 A compelling read which had me guessing all sorts of outcomes。 A really good read。 。。。more
Margaret Cunningham
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Good enough story but way too easy to guess what was going to happen next。。。worth 3 stars。
Carol
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A bit of a slow burner which picked up the pace towards the end。 I found the main character very naive and some of the storyline a bit predictable。
Bridget
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Single mum Beth Holland has a settled and happy life with her two children and best friends around her。 She also has a successful career as a practice manager in a busy doctors surgery and a beautiful home。 Although her life hasn't always been plain sailing she is now perfectly content with her lot。 One day there is a knock at her front door， and she opens it to find her long-lost mother， Alice on the doorstep。 Alice walked out when Beth was ten years old。 Beth decides to let her mum stay with h Single mum Beth Holland has a settled and happy life with her two children and best friends around her。 She also has a successful career as a practice manager in a busy doctors surgery and a beautiful home。 Although her life hasn't always been plain sailing she is now perfectly content with her lot。 One day there is a knock at her front door， and she opens it to find her long-lost mother， Alice on the doorstep。 Alice walked out when Beth was ten years old。 Beth decides to let her mum stay with her， but then her life starts to come apart at the seams。A slow-burner at the beginning， the pace of the story soon picks up in The Happy Family。 As everything starts to turn a darker shade and matters take on a sinister vibe I found my mind sifting through various scenarios and likely outcomes。 With palpable creepiness， I thoroughly enjoyed my journey towards the shocking ending。 There is also an interesting moral dilemma for the rumination of the reader。 Very highly recommended。I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from One More Chapter via NetGalley。 This review is my own unbiased opinion。 。。。more
Ashley
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This book could not be more ridiculous。 The “plot twist” could have been predicted by my toddler lol。 If you want the most basic mystery， look no further。 Otherwise， try her book Am I Guilty？ So much better！ This was painful to finish
Danielle Amor
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What can I say， this is a fantastic psychological crime thriller and has you second guessing everything from start to finish。 It is twisty， gripping and full of suspense - you will want to read it all in one go - then be stunned silent by the ending！ 😳😱This is the first book I have read by Jackie Kabler， but it will not be the last。 I love her writing style， it’s so easy to read but so so good。 I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves to read a good thriller！
Jocelyne
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I’m very sad to say this is a DNF for me @ 43%I really enjoyed this author’s previous book The Perfect Couple but The Happy Family is just not for me。 I’ve been pickier about thrillers recently and this one didn’t cut it for me。 I really don’t like the overdone plot of “forgetfulness” and having people making the main character believe they are to blame for weird things happening （and then the main character believing them）。 I’ve read this storyline one too many times and honestly don’t care for I’m very sad to say this is a DNF for me @ 43%I really enjoyed this author’s previous book The Perfect Couple but The Happy Family is just not for me。 I’ve been pickier about thrillers recently and this one didn’t cut it for me。 I really don’t like the overdone plot of “forgetfulness” and having people making the main character believe they are to blame for weird things happening （and then the main character believing them）。 I’ve read this storyline one too many times and honestly don’t care for it。 That being said， the characters are amazing， the writing is excellent and it was very suspenseful so if you are into that plot line， I say definitely give this one a shot！ And please check out all the amazing reviews！ I’m definitely in the minority with this one。 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jéssica
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This isn't my first Jackie Kabler's book， and I enjoyed it as much as I did the other one I have read。 The author has a good way of grabbing the readers attention and making us not being sure what is right of wrong and yet wanting to come up with a theory as we went through the story。In this book we follow Beth and her family。 We met characters， we can see them interact and be suspicious about them。 And as strange things start happening， I had that 'at the edge of my seat' kind of feeling。 I cou This isn't my first Jackie Kabler's book， and I enjoyed it as much as I did the other one I have read。 The author has a good way of grabbing the readers attention and making us not being sure what is right of wrong and yet wanting to come up with a theory as we went through the story。In this book we follow Beth and her family。 We met characters， we can see them interact and be suspicious about them。 And as strange things start happening， I had that 'at the edge of my seat' kind of feeling。 I couldn't stop reading， I needed to know more about Beth， Alice and the mysteries。It is kind of tricky to talk about the book， I'm kind of afraid to give a spoiler。 What I can say it that the way the author messed up with my head and yet made me almost like addicted to the story， was fantastic。 I really wanted to read the next page and learn if I was right with my ideas。 I wanted to see how the author would surprise me next。Overall， I enjoyed it。 I was unsure if I enjoyed it more than the previous book of Jackie Kabler that I have read， but I can now say I do like it more。 Maybe because of the strong family element and family mysteries that we go through with the the main character。 That really got me spooked and curious。[I want to thank Rachel， at Rachel’s Random Resources， Jackie Kabler and One More Chapter for the eCopy of this book， via NetGalley。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。] 。。。more
debra wright
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Good bookA twist in the tale，I had worked it out half way through tho， must be the detective trying to get out
Chloe 'hichlochu'
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The Happy Family is a bullys worst nightmare， a story of revenge， of drama and acting at its best。 The story centres around Beth: a practice manager of a doctors surgery， and her family。 She is divorced， but on good terms， a mother of two and abandoned by her mother when she was young。But what happens when an unexpected visitor comes knocking。 When a ghost from her past turns up at her door， bringing with it a string of bad luck。 Or is Beth letting the stress get the best of her。This book was an The Happy Family is a bullys worst nightmare， a story of revenge， of drama and acting at its best。 The story centres around Beth: a practice manager of a doctors surgery， and her family。 She is divorced， but on good terms， a mother of two and abandoned by her mother when she was young。But what happens when an unexpected visitor comes knocking。 When a ghost from her past turns up at her door， bringing with it a string of bad luck。 Or is Beth letting the stress get the best of her。This book was an absolute struggle to put down， even harder than a good slice of cake。 It gripped you very early on with breadcrumbs of drama dotted page by page。 It is a well written drama， with writing that flowed to life and had you feeling like you had jumped straight into a TV drama。 I loved what Jackie brought to life。 It was full of suspense， questions and spirals of guilt。 It even kept the final surprise as the biggest reveal。I will admit， I had my right suspicions on who the puppetmaster was， but as far as motives went， I was definitely taken by surprise and I am so glad for it， as it made the events unravel an entertaining drama。 I really enjoyed this book and it is definitely on my list already for birthday/Christmas ideas for the thriller readers of my family。 I loved every staged step of this story and can not wait to check out more by this author。 。。。more
Jessica Belmont
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The Happy Family by Jackie Kable is a bit of a slow burn， psychological thriller。 There were some surprising moments， but what I think was the most successful part of this plot， was the atmosphere that the slow burn created。 It helped put me inside the story。The plot explores family and relationships， and the emotional abuse that can happen。 As I said， there were some surprises， however there was some predictable things too。 That didn’t deter my enjoyment though。Beth was an interesting character The Happy Family by Jackie Kable is a bit of a slow burn， psychological thriller。 There were some surprising moments， but what I think was the most successful part of this plot， was the atmosphere that the slow burn created。 It helped put me inside the story。The plot explores family and relationships， and the emotional abuse that can happen。 As I said， there were some surprises， however there was some predictable things too。 That didn’t deter my enjoyment though。Beth was an interesting character。 She’s definitely going through it in this story and it was sad。Overall， I liked The Happy Family。 I’d recommend it。Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to honestly review this book on the blog tour。 All opinions are my own and unbiased。 。。。more
Mark
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Take every conceivable part of what makes a great psychological thriller， add every ingredient from a family drama and mix it up with a classic whodunit and you either get a disaster OR you get thisI loved every bit of this book， the storylines （ and there are a lot all fighting to be heard ） the characters， which are for a reader just heaven sent， the writing style which is near perfect and calls to you to come on back when you’re not reading it and there you have it， a wonderful readYou can fo Take every conceivable part of what makes a great psychological thriller， add every ingredient from a family drama and mix it up with a classic whodunit and you either get a disaster OR you get thisI loved every bit of this book， the storylines （ and there are a lot all fighting to be heard ） the characters， which are for a reader just heaven sent， the writing style which is near perfect and calls to you to come on back when you’re not reading it and there you have it， a wonderful readYou can forgive the few believability snaggles in your mind as it’s too good to waste time thinking about them， they are there but it’s a good enough read to forgive themThere is no padding， no faffy repetition and no added words to make it longer and the adrenaline and almost fainting with palps whilst there is kept to a minimum and it whizzes on getting more and more exciting as it goesThere is also an interesting moral dilemma for the reader as to wether you forgive something truly horrific in a characters past when they repentLoved it 10/105 Stars 。。。more
Christine Hobbs
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Enjoyed this book， but guessed both the big reveals。 That said it didn’t spoil the read for me。 😊
Brian
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4 1/2
Thereasa O'keeffe
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Worth the read I really enjoyed this book was hooked from start to finish 。Beth a mum if two lives a busy life as a practice manager at a doctor's surgery whilst also looking after her dad who is in a care home after suffering a stroke 。Her life is chaotic but good until one day a stranger turns up on her doorstep claiming to be her mum 。Beth believes her due to the tattoo but very soon Beth's life is turned upside down and things start going horribly wrong 。Definitely worth a read I enjoyed it Worth the read I really enjoyed this book was hooked from start to finish 。Beth a mum if two lives a busy life as a practice manager at a doctor's surgery whilst also looking after her dad who is in a care home after suffering a stroke 。Her life is chaotic but good until one day a stranger turns up on her doorstep claiming to be her mum 。Beth believes her due to the tattoo but very soon Beth's life is turned upside down and things start going horribly wrong 。Definitely worth a read I enjoyed it 。 。。。more
Francica Cornwall
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Wow！！！ I did not see that twist coming at the end。This book was nothing short of amazing。 This psychological thriller was quite an entertaining， jaw dropping story。Beth， 40， a single mother of two， is trying to live a peaceful life。 After her divorce from ex husband Jacob she settles into a new home， has a great job and is content to be happy。 There has been a missing element in her life though， her mother。 Who after abandoning her and Beth's father thirty years prior miraculously returns at her Wow！！！ I did not see that twist coming at the end。This book was nothing short of amazing。 This psychological thriller was quite an entertaining， jaw dropping story。Beth， 40， a single mother of two， is trying to live a peaceful life。 After her divorce from ex husband Jacob she settles into a new home， has a great job and is content to be happy。 There has been a missing element in her life though， her mother。 Who after abandoning her and Beth's father thirty years prior miraculously returns at her doorstep。 This supposed happy occasion in Beth's is not as it seems， since shortly after reuniting with her mother things in her life started to shift。 Things from Beth's past seems to be lurking at every corner。 I liked the sequence of events in this book。 I was eager to know what would happen next。 There was a point in time where I started questioning everyone's sanity in the book especially Beth。 The author was clever to make the reader wonder what Beth did in the past I think that was a nice touch because it had me literally screaming wanting to know what Beth did。 I need to talk about Jacob。 He was by far a typical ex husband I found he was so mean to Beth really。 Alice's character was very interesting。 I did not know what to make of this long lost mother who just came back after thirty years。 Beth's life spiraled downward fast。 Who was behind it？？ I think you will be very shocked to know who。 All in all I liked this book as I knew I would and I hope you like it too。 For fans of a nice psychological thriller， mystery you can check this one one。 Check out my blog https://trinigirlreads。blogspot。com/ for this and other reviews 。。。more
DJ Sakata
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Favorite Quote:There will be more rain， more darkness， of course there will。 But there will always be rainbows。 You just have to weather the storm， and then lift your face up and look for them。My Review:This was a slowly unfolding， busy， and multi-layered tale that kept me tethered to my Kindle， although I was conflicted with the main character throughout as I found her to be annoying and rather witless。 Maybe because I was a mercilessly bullied youth myself， so I had a heaping helping of antago Favorite Quote:There will be more rain， more darkness， of course there will。 But there will always be rainbows。 You just have to weather the storm， and then lift your face up and look for them。My Review:This was a slowly unfolding， busy， and multi-layered tale that kept me tethered to my Kindle， although I was conflicted with the main character throughout as I found her to be annoying and rather witless。 Maybe because I was a mercilessly bullied youth myself， so I had a heaping helping of antagonism toward her for being such a horrid and vicious little madam as a pubescent young teen， and then a somewhat erratic and anxious adult。 Yet this infuriatingly crafty author had me ensnared and I remained edgy and curiously vexed and aggravated as I nibbling on my cuticles while reading。 Jackie Kabler is a wily one。 I couldn't seem to read fast enough。 。。。more
Connie
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When Beth Holland was 10-years-old， her mother simply walked out， abandoning her and her father。 Today， Beth is a practice manager for a group of physicians and the divorced mother of two。 When she leaves the office， she sees what she believes to be the same man who is always hanging around watching her。 Beth’s children Finley， 7， and Eloise， 10， are well cared for by Robin， their child minder。 Jacob is her ex and lives with his beautiful and wealthy girlfriend who keep the children with them on When Beth Holland was 10-years-old， her mother simply walked out， abandoning her and her father。 Today， Beth is a practice manager for a group of physicians and the divorced mother of two。 When she leaves the office， she sees what she believes to be the same man who is always hanging around watching her。 Beth’s children Finley， 7， and Eloise， 10， are well cared for by Robin， their child minder。 Jacob is her ex and lives with his beautiful and wealthy girlfriend who keep the children with them on the weekends。 Beth’s father is now 80 and having had a stroke， lives in a care home where he is very happy。One day， a woman knocks on the door and it’s none other than her mother。 She apologizes profusely for having left Beth and her father and asks for her forgiveness。 Beth is so happy to see her and begs her to stay。Beth is not a happy person because she thinks someone is watching her。 She’s also afraid that a deep secret she is hiding will come out。 But when someone posts terrible pictures of her virally， her life is turned upside down。There are some well-created characters in this book and readers will wonder who is trying to hurt Beth and destroy her reputation。 There are lots of surprises and Beth’s pain is described very well。 All in all， I enjoyed the book， but found her story to be a bit repetitious at times。 The reader already knows what’s going on， so please don’t repeat it over and over。 Enjoy readers！Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review。 。。。more
E Dod
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I love Jackie Kabler's novels and could not believe that I got the chance to read The Happy Family and give my feedback。 In the novel we meet Beth， she is divorced and her back story is one that is quite hard to read about。 Her mother upped and left 30 years ago and obviously ruined Beth's upbringing - as how a mother can do this to her 10 year old is just horrendous。 The plot is centred around this and her mother re-appearing back into Beth's life。 When her mother shows up， even though delighte I love Jackie Kabler's novels and could not believe that I got the chance to read The Happy Family and give my feedback。 In the novel we meet Beth， she is divorced and her back story is one that is quite hard to read about。 Her mother upped and left 30 years ago and obviously ruined Beth's upbringing - as how a mother can do this to her 10 year old is just horrendous。 The plot is centred around this and her mother re-appearing back into Beth's life。 When her mother shows up， even though delighted， many weird things start to happen to Beth， her friends appear to abandon her and we wonder what is happening to Beth and why？ I enjoyed this book and the characters in it were thought provoking and interesting。 A slightly slow burner of a novel but once it gets going it is full of mystery and twists and turns that make the reader quite uncomfortable。 Thanks to NetGalley， Jackie Kabler and the publisher for a copy in exchange for this review。 。。。more
Kayla （IG: kaylasbookgram）
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Beths mother left home when she was a young girl and the devastation from that caused teenage Beth to act in ways she’s regretted her whole life。 One day a stranger shows up at her door and says she is her long lost mother。 Beth welcomes her with open arms。 Soon after their happy reunion things start to go horribly wrong for Beth and she has to figure out who in her life she can trust and who she can’t。I enjoyed this book and the characters were very likable。 I gave it a 3 star although I liked Beths mother left home when she was a young girl and the devastation from that caused teenage Beth to act in ways she’s regretted her whole life。 One day a stranger shows up at her door and says she is her long lost mother。 Beth welcomes her with open arms。 Soon after their happy reunion things start to go horribly wrong for Beth and she has to figure out who in her life she can trust and who she can’t。I enjoyed this book and the characters were very likable。 I gave it a 3 star although I liked it a lot it dragged on sooooo much。 I picked out who the “bad guy” was early on and so I felt like the book just kept dragging on until it came out who was doing the awful things to Beth。 There was a nice other twist near the end which was a little harder to pinpoint the answer to。 If you enjoy thrillers I would say this is worth the read。 。。。more
s a r a h
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