Thriller

The Family Remains

The Family Remains

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-07-22 00:51:54
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Lisa Jewell
  • ISBN：1529158567
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Summary

LONDON。 Early morning， June 2019: on the foreshore of the river Thames， a bag of bones is discovered。 Human bones。

DCI Samuel Owusu is called to the scene and quickly sends the bag for forensic examination。 The bones are those of a young woman， killed by a blow to the head many years ago。

Also inside the bag is a trail of clues， in particular the seeds of a rare tree which lead DCI Owusu back to a mansion in Chelsea where， nearly thirty years previously， three people lay dead in a kitchen， and a baby waited upstairs for someone to pick her up。

The clues point forward too to a brother and sister in Chicago searching for the only person who can make sense of their pasts。

Four deaths。 An unsolved mystery。 A family whose secrets can't stay buried for ever 。。。

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Reviews

Samara Service ，

not too bad for a sequel tbh。 a nice ending to the story of the Lamb family！

Jude Srivalsan ，

I started reading this before reading The Family Upstairs and I found it very confusing。 I paused part way through and read The Family Upstairs and then came back to this one and it all made far more sense。 I would definitely recommend reading both in order as this one follows on immediately from the end of the first， with the same characters。 A good sequel and very gripping。

Emily Vreken ，

The Family Remains is the sequel to Jewell's the Family Upstairs。 This book was full of twists and turns that kept me guessing （and confused at times）。 All-in-all， it was a delightful continuation of the story of the Lamb family。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC。 The Family Remains is the sequel to Jewell's the Family Upstairs。 This book was full of twists and turns that kept me guessing （and confused at times）。 All-in-all， it was a delightful continuation of the story of the Lamb family。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC。 。。。more

Amber Hayes Roessler ，

This was my first book by this author。 Once I saw this was a sequel， I should have read the first book， even though this can be read as a stand alone novel。 I put this one down and wasn't going to finish， but I gave it another try。 I didn't love it， but I wantedto see where it ended up。 By the end， I had the gist of the characters’ history， but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the other one as well。 Normally I would summarize the plot， but there is a lot to this one。 My favorit This was my first book by this author。 Once I saw this was a sequel， I should have read the first book， even though this can be read as a stand alone novel。 I put this one down and wasn't going to finish， but I gave it another try。 I didn't love it， but I wantedto see where it ended up。 By the end， I had the gist of the characters’ history， but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the other one as well。 Normally I would summarize the plot， but there is a lot to this one。 My favorite subplot was Rachel’s。 She had met and married Michael。 He did not turn out to be what she first thought。 He was linked to a main character who Rachel eventually met， although I found it hard to keep track of the timelines。 Henry was definitely creepy。 I wasn’t surprised by him in the end。 A good book keeps you reading， so even though I didn’t really love this one， I know it is a good one and well written because it made me come back to it。 There were a lot of moving parts and the author pulled that off。 Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for this book！ All thoughts and opinions are my own！ 。。。more

Megan Jones ，

This is the long awaited sequel to 'The Family Upstairs' and I was so excited to start this。 However， I soon realised I could not really remember the plot of 'The Family Upstairs' and sadly this did impact my enjoyment of this read。 This aside， 'The Family Remains' is still a strong thriller with a lot of mystery and intrigue at its heart。 Jewell writes this from multiple character perspectives and I enjoyed learning about them and their secrets。 Again， my lack of knowledge from the first book d This is the long awaited sequel to 'The Family Upstairs' and I was so excited to start this。 However， I soon realised I could not really remember the plot of 'The Family Upstairs' and sadly this did impact my enjoyment of this read。 This aside， 'The Family Remains' is still a strong thriller with a lot of mystery and intrigue at its heart。 Jewell writes this from multiple character perspectives and I enjoyed learning about them and their secrets。 Again， my lack of knowledge from the first book did hamper my enjoyment a bit but I got by。 Jewell once again throws a fair few twists in this book which only added to the intrigue and mystery。 Despite my intiial confusion。 I still found this to be an enticing thriller。Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for an advance copy。 。。。more

Mel Pretorius ，

I was really excited to hear that "The Family Remains" by Lisa Jewell was coming out， and even more excited when NetGalley granted me access to an advanced copy。 Although the story is excellent， I did spend some of the time trying to remember parts of "The Family Upstairs"， and this marginal marred my appreciation of it slightly， but that is my own fault and nothing to do with the way that it is written。 Once again Jewell writes some excellent "nasty" characters and it was clever how the story f I was really excited to hear that "The Family Remains" by Lisa Jewell was coming out， and even more excited when NetGalley granted me access to an advanced copy。 Although the story is excellent， I did spend some of the time trying to remember parts of "The Family Upstairs"， and this marginal marred my appreciation of it slightly， but that is my own fault and nothing to do with the way that it is written。 Once again Jewell writes some excellent "nasty" characters and it was clever how the story fitted into place。 。。。more

Astrid Herhoffer ，

This book is the sequel to The Family Upstairs， which I had not read and – in contrast to other reviewers who had read it - I don’t think it really mattered。 It is a crime story that delves deep into the psychological make up of its participants – dark， thrilling and also quite entertaining。 It is all in all a good read with just enough twists and turns to keep you guessing。The plot focuses on the Lamb Family and how their actions are determined by what happened when they were ‘The Family Upstai This book is the sequel to The Family Upstairs， which I had not read and – in contrast to other reviewers who had read it - I don’t think it really mattered。 It is a crime story that delves deep into the psychological make up of its participants – dark， thrilling and also quite entertaining。 It is all in all a good read with just enough twists and turns to keep you guessing。The plot focuses on the Lamb Family and how their actions are determined by what happened when they were ‘The Family Upstairs’。 There is a second strand to the plot， the story around Rachel Rimmer and her troubled relationship with her husband Michael， who did not turn out to be the ideal and perfect husband he appeared to be when he was still courting her。 I found myself often puzzling over the question of how both strands of the book will find each other， but it is masterfully done and I enjoyed being left in suspense。 When the two story lines eventually meet， the main characters find closure， which makes for a deeply satisfying ending – something I always appreciate in any book。I am grateful to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Laura ，

Wow what a sequel！！😲 I really enjoyed this one it definitely gets a 5⭐️ from me。 I know when it comes to sequels that I’ve read in the past I’m sometimes not a fan and I’ll say to friends I’d prefer to have read just the one but The Family Remains 100% didn’t disappoint。I loved how the story is told from different characters POVs like the first book and it flowed really well。 There was some parts and a certain character in The Family Remains that gave me shivers😨😬I haven’t been doing too much re Wow what a sequel！！😲 I really enjoyed this one it definitely gets a 5⭐️ from me。 I know when it comes to sequels that I’ve read in the past I’m sometimes not a fan and I’ll say to friends I’d prefer to have read just the one but The Family Remains 100% didn’t disappoint。I loved how the story is told from different characters POVs like the first book and it flowed really well。 There was some parts and a certain character in The Family Remains that gave me shivers😨😬I haven’t been doing too much reading since coming back from London as I’ve been so busy but whenever I start a Lisa Jewell book I end up reading over a 100 pages in one sitting😅If you loved The Family Upstairs I’d definitely recommend picking up the sequel for sure📚 Let me know how you find it😊 I’ve read nearly all her books at this stage if you are new to them I’d say go for The Family Upstairs， The Family Remains and The Truth about Melody Browne as they are my faves。 I read The Truth about Melody Browne when I was 20 so it’s definitely due a reread at this stage but it’s brilliant！😊 。。。more

Laura ，

Lucy Lamb is finally settling back in to life in London， after fleeing many years ago following a horrific family tragedy。 her and her childern are currently staying with her brother Henry， but are looking to buy their own home。 When Henry disappears in search of a long lost friend， the family rush to go find him and prevent him doing something he may regret。 Meanwhile Detective Sam Owusu is investigating the dsicovery of some human remains found in the river Thames， and Rachel Rimmer has just l Lucy Lamb is finally settling back in to life in London， after fleeing many years ago following a horrific family tragedy。 her and her childern are currently staying with her brother Henry， but are looking to buy their own home。 When Henry disappears in search of a long lost friend， the family rush to go find him and prevent him doing something he may regret。 Meanwhile Detective Sam Owusu is investigating the dsicovery of some human remains found in the river Thames， and Rachel Rimmer has just learnt of her husband's death in their holiday home in France。 Little do they all know that their stories are linked in ways they would never expect。This book is the sequel to The Family Upstairs。 You could read it as a standalone， however you will have a better understanding of the back story if you have read the previous book。 It does give you a bit of a quick refresh though in case you have forgotten some of the finer details。The character mix in this series is fascinating。 We spend a fair bit of time in Henry's mind， and he has a very unique view on life and what is an acceptable way to behave。 I thought Rachel was a great addition to the characters this time around， and I loved that Jewell portrayed her as an emotionally strong and independent woman。 We see her character progress quite significantly as the story develops， probably more so than any other， and it worked really well。The storylines throughout the book weave well together。 In a similar way to the previous book there is a dual timeline playing out， so we get to see some of the events that lead up to the present day。 It works well for the story， seeing things unfold as if in real time。 I also thought that the way in which Jewell linked the various storylines together worked well。 Based on the ending I feel that this is the end of the line for this particular series， i'm not sure there would be justification to return to Cheyne Walk again now。 I think the charcters' stories have all been tied up properly though， and I'm happy to leave them at this juncture。Thanks to NetGalley， Random House UK and Cornerstone for an arc in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Elaine ，

I love Lisa Jewell's books and was delighted to receive an ARC of The Family Remains。 I read and loved The Family Upstairs in 2020 and couldn't wait to see what happened to the family。 However， I thought I had remembered all of the plot， which I didn't， so I would definitely recommend reading The Family Upstairs first or at least re-familiarising yourself with the storyline。 There is something about the way Lisa Jewell writers that draws you in and makes you have particular feelings towards cert I love Lisa Jewell's books and was delighted to receive an ARC of The Family Remains。 I read and loved The Family Upstairs in 2020 and couldn't wait to see what happened to the family。 However， I thought I had remembered all of the plot， which I didn't， so I would definitely recommend reading The Family Upstairs first or at least re-familiarising yourself with the storyline。 There is something about the way Lisa Jewell writers that draws you in and makes you have particular feelings towards certain characters， her writing feels so natural and fluid that you can actually believe the characters when they say or think a certain way。 I particularly loved the new character， Rachel。 Her journey with Michael was gripping and I really think this type of storyline could be the subject of a future book。 It was fun seeing the progression of the children's experiences in their youth follow them into adulthood。 My only criticism is that things were wrapped up very neatly at the end， too neatly for me tbh， I like something to think about at the end of a book！ 。。。more

Hannah Symonds ，

I thought the plot sounded good and was intrigued to see where the story was going to lead too。 DCI Owusu is investigating a bag of bones that have washed up in the Thames but little do the police know that there is more to this story than meets the eye， after investigating more DCI Owusu needs to find out what happened and why before it is too late。 I liked this story it held my attention and made me think about the story when I was not reading it， but for me it was very long and drawn out and I thought the plot sounded good and was intrigued to see where the story was going to lead too。 DCI Owusu is investigating a bag of bones that have washed up in the Thames but little do the police know that there is more to this story than meets the eye， after investigating more DCI Owusu needs to find out what happened and why before it is too late。 I liked this story it held my attention and made me think about the story when I was not reading it， but for me it was very long and drawn out and there were too many characters， I felt as though I was constantly going back and forth trying to remember who was who， least to say this is one of Lisa's books I did enjoy。 The ending took me by surprise as I was not expecting it at all。 。。。more

Denise ，

4。5 starsPerfect sequel to The Family Upstairs。 There wasn't much that I didn't love about it。 We got some backstory filled in， some loose ends tidied up， some satisfying revenge， some new friendships/alliances。。。ahhh。 So great！I'm not really seeing where a Book 3 would go in this series， but I can be hopeful that Lisa Jewell will make it happen。Note: I definitely recommend reading The Family Upstairs before this one。Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an Advanced Reader's Copy。 4。5 starsPerfect sequel to The Family Upstairs。 There wasn't much that I didn't love about it。 We got some backstory filled in， some loose ends tidied up， some satisfying revenge， some new friendships/alliances。。。ahhh。 So great！I'm not really seeing where a Book 3 would go in this series， but I can be hopeful that Lisa Jewell will make it happen。Note: I definitely recommend reading The Family Upstairs before this one。Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an Advanced Reader's Copy。 I loved it！ 。。。more

lovemyshelf ，

Ah， what an interesting read！ Lisa Jewell has such a mesmerizing way of writing。 I enjoyed discovering “Where are they now？” Of the characters from The Family Upstairs。 A lot of questions were answered， but a lot of questions were also created。 Like where the heck did Michael come from？ Why is Finn such an illusion throughout the book？ What happened to Justin？ And what was the point of the cops？ Anyway， I liked the book very much， but did not love it because of the gaps and the way the point of Ah， what an interesting read！ Lisa Jewell has such a mesmerizing way of writing。 I enjoyed discovering “Where are they now？” Of the characters from The Family Upstairs。 A lot of questions were answered， but a lot of questions were also created。 Like where the heck did Michael come from？ Why is Finn such an illusion throughout the book？ What happened to Justin？ And what was the point of the cops？ Anyway， I liked the book very much， but did not love it because of the gaps and the way the point of view changed so often。 It is a strange story， to be sure。 The ending makes me wonder…Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Ali （exercise_read_repeat） ，

4。5 stars。 I was SO EXCITED when I found out that Lisa Jewell was going to write a sequel to the Family Upstairs。 Although she said in her author's note that she is "very much not a writer who likes to write sequels，" I am so glad she did。 Note: you should absolutely read The Family Upstairs before starting this book。 This book brought so much nostalgia for one of my favorite Jewell books， the Family Upstairs。 Although I re-listened to it this summer in preparation， Lisa did a great job of refre 4。5 stars。 I was SO EXCITED when I found out that Lisa Jewell was going to write a sequel to the Family Upstairs。 Although she said in her author's note that she is "very much not a writer who likes to write sequels，" I am so glad she did。 Note: you should absolutely read The Family Upstairs before starting this book。 This book brought so much nostalgia for one of my favorite Jewell books， the Family Upstairs。 Although I re-listened to it this summer in preparation， Lisa did a great job of refreshing the reader on salient details when necessary， without giving a whole repetitive recap （as some sequels do）。 This was so close to being a 5 star read for me; however， I found the reunion at the end to be a little underwhelming。 I do think it was important for it to wrap up the series， but I wanted something a bit more sinister。 That said， she left us with a great epilogue。。。 I really enjoyed the Rachel backstory and every moment with Henry。 The investigation was also a great addition to revisiting the dark events at 16 Cheyne Walk。 Overall， a solid sequel。 Thank you Netgalley for my ARC。 。。。more

Annarella ，

The Family Upstair was a gripping story that kept me turning pages。 This sort of follow up is even better， it solves doubt and answer to some questions I didn't know I had， on a rational level at least。Lisa Jewell delivers another great story and i had a lot in read this story。It can be read as a stand alone but it would mean not understanding some nuances and some details。I appreciated this story and I'm happy I read it。 Great characters and solid plot。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publ The Family Upstair was a gripping story that kept me turning pages。 This sort of follow up is even better， it solves doubt and answer to some questions I didn't know I had， on a rational level at least。Lisa Jewell delivers another great story and i had a lot in read this story。It can be read as a stand alone but it would mean not understanding some nuances and some details。I appreciated this story and I'm happy I read it。 Great characters and solid plot。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more

Sarah Dodds ，

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and honestly rate and review this ARC of The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell。My book club read The Family Upstairs when it was first published and we had one stronnnnnnng opinion that we needed to see what happened next！ So thank you， Ms。 Jewell， so much for writing this book！All of our characters are back and we get some new ones， too。 I did not reread The Family Upstairs before I read this book， and I seemed to be able to get alo Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and honestly rate and review this ARC of The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell。My book club read The Family Upstairs when it was first published and we had one stronnnnnnng opinion that we needed to see what happened next！ So thank you， Ms。 Jewell， so much for writing this book！All of our characters are back and we get some new ones， too。 I did not reread The Family Upstairs before I read this book， and I seemed to be able to get along just fine。 I really appreciated the character list and descriptions in the beginning of the story because it was such a wonderful refresher。This book centers around finding a mysterious body in the Thames which has connections back to Chelsea…and also the search for Phineas who was last known in Botswana。 The children Libby， Henry， and Lucy still have lots of secrets they would like to remain hidden…but what happens when they are threatened to come to light？ Will Libby meet Phineas， her bio dad， or will Henry beat her to the punch with his obsession “…I AM PHIN…”Excellent， excellent read。 Absolutley delighted and did not see the twists coming ！ Thank you， again， for this sequel！ 。。。more

Rachel ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Oh this is really disappointing because there are errors， too many coincidences， unbelievable strands and an extremely weak side story to this sequel。 I’ve read a proof and really hope that these issues were picked up before publication。 I probably wouldn’t have picked up on a few of them if I hadn’t re-read The Family Upstairs a few days ago。 But I had originally listened to the audio book over two years ago and thought I would need to refresh my memory about the original story。Unbelievable:Why Oh this is really disappointing because there are errors， too many coincidences， unbelievable strands and an extremely weak side story to this sequel。 I’ve read a proof and really hope that these issues were picked up before publication。 I probably wouldn’t have picked up on a few of them if I hadn’t re-read The Family Upstairs a few days ago。 But I had originally listened to the audio book over two years ago and thought I would need to refresh my memory about the original story。Unbelievable:Why does the detective not find Clemency in Cornwall and interview her about Birdy and her time in the house？ It was really easy for Libby and Miller to find her living nearby to her mother。 She’s hardly been on the run with a fake name like the others。 The four teenagers are central to the original story， but Clemency is almost a footnote in this sequel。Lucy spilling all those personal details to a random stranger， who has simply praised her playing and given her €20。 Lucy is incredibly cautious， constantly looking over her shoulder。 I just don’t believe this aspect of the story。Rachel is able to access a very posh house， with surprisingly lax security because it happens to have an unlocked gate which leads straight round to the back and a clear view of the kitchen。 Isn’t Michael meant to be mixed up with some criminals and dodgy dealings？ Would this property be so unguarded like that？ Anyway， the clear view of the kitchen includes the sight of the first wife cleaning up the blood and disposing both of their ex-husband‘s body！ I don’t think so… There is coincidence and there is downright ridiculous。 Lucy is tall and extremely thin。 Michael is tall， he sounds fit and well built， yet she seems to be able to roll the dead weight of his body into a sheet， onto some bin liners and then take it through to another room and downstairs to the cellar with ease？！Rachel and Lucy later strike up an immediate relationship。 Lucy completely trusting the other， with not a whisper of a doubt about future blackmail or the danger of Rachel telling others what she saw Lucy doing in France。 Doubtful。 Another dodgy gate:In the first book Libby， Miller and Dido find a gate in the wall at the end of the garden。 It leads into the neighbour’s garden of the house behind。 The gate is described as hanging off its hinges and Libby pushes through it to see an uninspiring garden belonging to the neighbour， which leads to the street via the side of the neighbour’s house。 Later in the same book Lucy， her children and dog access at the gate off the street past the communal flats to the back of the garden of Cheyne Walk。 Well that’s been a very quick demolition and rebuild！ In the space of perhaps a month？In this book the Detective corrects Henry and states that the gate is covered with mature unbroken lilac branches and cannot have been accessed for at least a few years…。。But we know from the first book that both Libby and Lucy have stepped through it！ Not to mention Henry， who comes and goes through it when he is climbing up to the attic to wait for Libby and Lucy to reappear in his life。 This is a basic editing fail and is really jarring。 Although by the end of the Family Remains it’s all quite disappointing， because basically everything that happened in the first book is as stated。 There are no real surprises， just a follow-my-Google hunt for Henry， which can’t have been that difficult if an eleven year old Marco could work it all out！Justin， well that was a very weak side story。 Almost a cameo。 We aren’t really sure how Justin comes to guess that Henry is the perpetrator of the murder， but he seems to have a second sense in an instant of hearing that Birdie had been murdered 25 years before。 Later he writes a false confession as a suicide note。 That felt like a very weak resolution to the question of where Justin had been in the intervening years。 It could have been such an interesting story。 I was really curious about Justin。 The trap door that leads to a dusty tunnel， that leads to another trap door to the roof has also been altered in this book， now there is a metal ladder fixed to the wall， which leads to a trap door which seems to come straight out onto the roof。 So it’s no longer a space that all the adults were unaware off in the first book。 （David clearly did not know Finn and Henry could leave the house。） Not to mention that if the fixed ladder had been there the police would have explored and found the body behind the chimney all along…it’s rewriting quite an important fact of there being a hidden roof space， this is essential to the original plot of hiding Birdie’s remains and their being unfound for 25 years， until they were discovered on the bank of the Thames。 How does Rachel count up Michael’s initials and turn them into one digit numbers， a 9 and a 4？ I do not get that at all。 —-I really expected more from this book as a fan of Lisa Jewell’s thrillers， and it was on for 5 stars until all these errors and far-fetched plot points， they totally spoilt it for me。 I think Lisa Jewell should not have bowed to fan pressure to write such a weak sequel。 I loved the first book， it should have been left alone， left as it ended…。 。。。more

Jordan Lostinagoodbookgirl ，

I was so excited to read the sequel to The Family Upstairs which I really enjoyed。We begin the book by meeting Henry who has just left his sister and her children behind to catch a flight to Chicago on the search for Phin。We know that something bad happened to Henry and Lucy in childhood and they have only just been reunited a year ago。I liked how the book is told from different points of views including Rachel - Lucy's ex husbands new wife and Samuel the policeman and we gradually find out what I was so excited to read the sequel to The Family Upstairs which I really enjoyed。We begin the book by meeting Henry who has just left his sister and her children behind to catch a flight to Chicago on the search for Phin。We know that something bad happened to Henry and Lucy in childhood and they have only just been reunited a year ago。I liked how the book is told from different points of views including Rachel - Lucy's ex husbands new wife and Samuel the policeman and we gradually find out what is happening chapter by chapter。 It does also make you really think about whether you really know your partner and also what goes on in couples lives behind closed doors。This is a great page turner that I will be recommending。 。。。more

Pushpa Jhawar ，

Loved “The family upstairs”， this one， not so much。 I would much rather read the first book twice and give this one a big skip。

Paula Stammers ，

If you’ve read and loved ‘The Family Upstairs’ then you know this sequel is going to be brilliant。 If you haven’t then although you could read this as a stand-alone， you will be missing out on so much - so definitely go and read that one first ！！The opening of this book starts with the discovery of some human bones on the shore of the Thames。 During the investigation we soon discover that the remains are linked to a Chelsea mansion where three people died 30 years ago。 Soon we are delving into t If you’ve read and loved ‘The Family Upstairs’ then you know this sequel is going to be brilliant。 If you haven’t then although you could read this as a stand-alone， you will be missing out on so much - so definitely go and read that one first ！！The opening of this book starts with the discovery of some human bones on the shore of the Thames。 During the investigation we soon discover that the remains are linked to a Chelsea mansion where three people died 30 years ago。 Soon we are delving into the lives of the Lamb siblings， Lucy and Henry， who were brought up living in the above mentioned Chelsea mansion。 They are trying to move on with their lives but their past is soon catching up with them when Henry jets off to try and find Phin， another child of the Chelsea mansion。 We also meet Rachel， who starts a relationship with wealthy Michael。 But all is not as it seems and we soon discover the lies and secrets within their relationship。 This is a great domestic drama and is a brilliant sequel。 We get to revisit some brilliant characters and finally get a true conclusion to the lives of the residents of the dreaded Chelsea mansion ！！Thank you to Random House UK and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book。 。。。more

Lucy ，

Having loved ‘The Family Upstairs’ I was eagerly awaiting this follow on。 The anticipation was intense！ I was thrilled to be sent a digital pre-release copy by NetGalley and Penguin Random House， to read and review。 This sequel reacquaints the reader with the characters from the first book。 Although this could be standalone， I recommend reading the earlier book for clarification of previous events。 This will help readers to engage in a true understanding of the characters， and the family dynamic Having loved ‘The Family Upstairs’ I was eagerly awaiting this follow on。 The anticipation was intense！ I was thrilled to be sent a digital pre-release copy by NetGalley and Penguin Random House， to read and review。 This sequel reacquaints the reader with the characters from the first book。 Although this could be standalone， I recommend reading the earlier book for clarification of previous events。 This will help readers to engage in a true understanding of the characters， and the family dynamics， including the drama that surrounds them as individuals as well as siblings。 Lisa Jewell is a fantastic author for developing characters， and ‘The Family Remains’ is a clear definition of this。 This multidimensional story is complex yet incredibly gripping。 With various plot twists， a dark and chilling atmosphere and a highly entertaining yet unexpected conclusion。 I am apprehensive not to add spoilers， so am finding it hard to say much about the plot！I thoroughly enjoyed this read。 It lived up to all my expectations and much more。 A perfect farewell to these characters！ A recommended read for fans of this author and genre。 。。。more

Tracey Wilde ，

Are you kidding me ？？ This is a 5 star book all day long ！ This is the book that will keep you reading into the small hours。 It ties up the loose ends from 'The Family Upstairs'。 It was fascinating to meet the characters again。I had read 'The Family Upstairs' and loved it so not sure how 'standalone' it is。 I already knew the back story。If you've not read 'The Family upstairs' then go and read it。 Now。 Go。 Are you still here ？？Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC。 Are you kidding me ？？ This is a 5 star book all day long ！ This is the book that will keep you reading into the small hours。 It ties up the loose ends from 'The Family Upstairs'。 It was fascinating to meet the characters again。I had read 'The Family Upstairs' and loved it so not sure how 'standalone' it is。 I already knew the back story。If you've not read 'The Family upstairs' then go and read it。 Now。 Go。 Are you still here ？？Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more

Laura | prose_beforehoes ，

It confuses me that this is marketed as a stand-alone novel when you definitely need to have read the first book。 I have a love/hate relationship with sequels because I often don't remember what happened in the previous book especially if I read it a while ago。 This did wrap up some loose ends in the first book but for me it was missing the crazy twists and creepy atmosphere that I love so much in THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS。 It confuses me that this is marketed as a stand-alone novel when you definitely need to have read the first book。 I have a love/hate relationship with sequels because I often don't remember what happened in the previous book especially if I read it a while ago。 This did wrap up some loose ends in the first book but for me it was missing the crazy twists and creepy atmosphere that I love so much in THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS。 。。。more

Danielle ，

Lisa Jewell is an auto buy author for me so I was very excited to be selected to read The Family Remains early。I really enjoyed the three stories woven together of this family。 It's an interesting mystery/thriller， for my own tastes I wish it had been a bit faster paced but the story was good and drew you in。 I kept wanting more！This was a great continuation of the story from The Family Upstairs。 It's said that you do not need to read The Family Upstairs prior to this one but I think it would be Lisa Jewell is an auto buy author for me so I was very excited to be selected to read The Family Remains early。I really enjoyed the three stories woven together of this family。 It's an interesting mystery/thriller， for my own tastes I wish it had been a bit faster paced but the story was good and drew you in。 I kept wanting more！This was a great continuation of the story from The Family Upstairs。 It's said that you do not need to read The Family Upstairs prior to this one but I think it would be very helpful。 I hadn't read the first one since it came out and was a bit confused at the beginning but as it went a long it all came together。Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this advanced copy。 。。。more

Leah ，

Thanks to ATRIA books for the advanced readers copy。 Not nearly as good as the The Family Upstairs。 I did enjoy reading it but the book focused on characters that were not that interesting to me。 I also think it would have been better if it were shorter。 The book kind of fell flat for me about half way through。 Lisa Jewell is one of my favorite authors and I can't wait to read what she writes next。 Thanks to ATRIA books for the advanced readers copy。 Not nearly as good as the The Family Upstairs。 I did enjoy reading it but the book focused on characters that were not that interesting to me。 I also think it would have been better if it were shorter。 The book kind of fell flat for me about half way through。 Lisa Jewell is one of my favorite authors and I can't wait to read what she writes next。 。。。more

Deirdre Roberts ，

I loved Lisa Jewells The Family Upstairs， so I jumped at the chance to read an ARC of The Family Remains。 A psychological thriller included characters from the first book and introduces a host of new ones。 If you haven’t read The Family Upstairs， you won’t be lost in reading the sequel。 Lisa has interwoven the plots very cleverly。A mudlark discovers a up bag of bones on the banks of the River Thames。 The bones are those of a murdered young woman。 DCI Samuel Owusu's investigation leads him to a m I loved Lisa Jewells The Family Upstairs， so I jumped at the chance to read an ARC of The Family Remains。 A psychological thriller included characters from the first book and introduces a host of new ones。 If you haven’t read The Family Upstairs， you won’t be lost in reading the sequel。 Lisa has interwoven the plots very cleverly。A mudlark discovers a up bag of bones on the banks of the River Thames。 The bones are those of a murdered young woman。 DCI Samuel Owusu's investigation leads him to a mansion in Chelsea。 In the same mansion where about 30 years earlier， three dead bodies were found in the kitchen。 In the book， we are reacquainted with the Lamb family， Lucy， and two young children， Marco & Stella， all of whom are living with her brother Henry。 In a misguided effort to reacquaint himself with Libby’s father （Phin） Henry sets off to New York， this sets off alarms for Lucy。 A dark， intense， and thrilling read packed with extortion， abuse， murder。 A compelling narrative where the individual storylines are brilliantly woven together。 。。。more

Mary Lourdes ，

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ecopy of this book。 I usually love Lisa Jewell's books， and enjoy her tight prose and the way she engages you in a mystery without inducing anxiety or nightmares。 That being said， I do not think we needed to revisit the Lamb family and company。 Regardless of the abuse they suffered in the earlier book， most of these characters have few redeeming qualities， and are hard to garner sympathy for。 The addition of the character of Rachel was a bit of a hook， but Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ecopy of this book。 I usually love Lisa Jewell's books， and enjoy her tight prose and the way she engages you in a mystery without inducing anxiety or nightmares。 That being said， I do not think we needed to revisit the Lamb family and company。 Regardless of the abuse they suffered in the earlier book， most of these characters have few redeeming qualities， and are hard to garner sympathy for。 The addition of the character of Rachel was a bit of a hook， but I found her chapters to be disjointed from the rest of the plot。 I do， however， still look forward to Jewell's next book。 。。。more

Fiona ，

Unless you have read The Family Upstairs stop right here！ To get the full benefit of The Family Remains you absolutely must have the previous book。 This book is definitely the sequel I never realised was needed。 I thought all the loose ends had been perfectly tied up in The Family Upstairs but how wrong was I。 It was enlightening to learn how the experiences as children had shaped the lives of Lucy， Henry， Phin and Libby。 The fates of Birdie and Justin， two minor characters were also explored。 H Unless you have read The Family Upstairs stop right here！ To get the full benefit of The Family Remains you absolutely must have the previous book。 This book is definitely the sequel I never realised was needed。 I thought all the loose ends had been perfectly tied up in The Family Upstairs but how wrong was I。 It was enlightening to learn how the experiences as children had shaped the lives of Lucy， Henry， Phin and Libby。 The fates of Birdie and Justin， two minor characters were also explored。 However my favourite arc of the book was Rachel a new character， married to Lucy’s ex husband Michael。I don’t want to give any spoilers but my only criticism would be what I felt was a slightly rushed conclusion。 Thanks to Netgalley for access to the ebook in exchange for an honest review 。。。more

Puchowska ，

I was unpleasantly surprised by this book given that the author is such a big name in this genre。 I gave this book a good shot。 I made it past 40% but still had no idea what was really happening。 The goals of the protagonists were so murky and vague that I didn't know what the point of the story was or if there was any conflict and most importantly， why I should care。 The prose was okay， the pacing wasn't the worst， but the characters were all over the place and none of them were interesting， li I was unpleasantly surprised by this book given that the author is such a big name in this genre。 I gave this book a good shot。 I made it past 40% but still had no idea what was really happening。 The goals of the protagonists were so murky and vague that I didn't know what the point of the story was or if there was any conflict and most importantly， why I should care。 The prose was okay， the pacing wasn't the worst， but the characters were all over the place and none of them were interesting， likeable or relatable enough to make me want to continue reading。DNF 。。。more

Maggie ，

DCI Samuel Owusu receives a call to the River Thames where a 'mud-larking' group have unearthed a bag of human bones。 They are tracked back to a notorious house on Chayne Walk that made headline news many years ago when a baby was found upstairs， whilst downstairs there were three dead bodies。 The other children have disappeared。 Samuel realises that he is going to be disturbing a lot of ghosts。 Their history begins to catch up with the family-can you every get past the events they lived through DCI Samuel Owusu receives a call to the River Thames where a 'mud-larking' group have unearthed a bag of human bones。 They are tracked back to a notorious house on Chayne Walk that made headline news many years ago when a baby was found upstairs， whilst downstairs there were three dead bodies。 The other children have disappeared。 Samuel realises that he is going to be disturbing a lot of ghosts。 Their history begins to catch up with the family-can you every get past the events they lived through？I loved The Family Upstairs & was thrilled when I saw there was a sequel。 I suppose you could read this as a stand-alone but to get the full impact you need to read The Family Upstairs。 This is another twisty thriller with a dedicated detective thrown in！ Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this terrific book。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Family Remains

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Family Remains&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Family Remains&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0