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Catherine (alternativelytitledbooks) - in a book slump :('s Reviews > Not a Happy Family
Not a Happy Family
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Catherine (alternativelytitledbooks) - in a book slump :('s review
bookshelves: 4-stars
Aug 16, 2021
bookshelves: 4-stars
Short list of things that are solid:
1. Wood.
2. Steel girders.
3. An entertaining domestic suspense 'whodunit' from Shari Lapena!
She does it again...almost.
On the upside? Lapena always keeps her character list short, which I honestly appreciate. Too many thrillers and suspense novels get cluttered with a bunch of people who either don't matter, aren't interesting, or seem to exist only to serve as potential suspects. This tightly-knit family provided just enough options without a bunch of filler.
The downside? Since there are only so many characters to choose from...I felt I could eliminate the 'obvious' suspects at about 60-70%. I had a very interesting ending in mind that I was hoping would somehow be accurate (and provide me with the crazy twisted ending I was looking for) but it didn't come to pass.
I still had fun reading this one and will always pick up a Lapena novel knowing pretty much what to expect...although I'd be happy to be completely hoodwinked by her one of these days. This is another (mostly) zippy read and I'd certainly recommend it. And for the record, in case you were at all wondering...this is potentially the world's best title. There is NOTHING happy about this clan! 😉
4 �
1. Wood.
2. Steel girders.
3. An entertaining domestic suspense 'whodunit' from Shari Lapena!
She does it again...almost.
On the upside? Lapena always keeps her character list short, which I honestly appreciate. Too many thrillers and suspense novels get cluttered with a bunch of people who either don't matter, aren't interesting, or seem to exist only to serve as potential suspects. This tightly-knit family provided just enough options without a bunch of filler.
The downside? Since there are only so many characters to choose from...I felt I could eliminate the 'obvious' suspects at about 60-70%. I had a very interesting ending in mind that I was hoping would somehow be accurate (and provide me with the crazy twisted ending I was looking for) but it didn't come to pass.
I still had fun reading this one and will always pick up a Lapena novel knowing pretty much what to expect...although I'd be happy to be completely hoodwinked by her one of these days. This is another (mostly) zippy read and I'd certainly recommend it. And for the record, in case you were at all wondering...this is potentially the world's best title. There is NOTHING happy about this clan! 😉
4 �
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Tina
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Aug 16, 2021 09:49AM
A great review Catherine. I'm looking forward to this one!
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Great review! I too was hoping for some kind of huge twist. While I can appreciate plausibility, I felt this one was a bit too understated overall.
Tina wrote: "A great review Catherine. I'm looking forward to this one!"Thank you Tina! 💗 I hope you enjoy it, I'll keep an eye out for your review!
Fantastic review! We just had an event with Shari LaPena and Megan Miranda. I am linking the YouTube video if you are interested in watching!
I read this in 2 days! Glad you enjoyed it too Catherine!
Fantastic review, my friend! Glad you enjoyed it overall! 🤗
Great review, Catherine! 💜I am not generally a huge Shari Lapena fan, but I really liked this one!
Agree! So good
Great review! I am waiting for this one from the library.
Jen wrote: "Great review! I too was hoping for some kind of huge twist. While I can appreciate plausibility, I felt this one was a bit too understated overall."Thank you so much Jen! 💜 I'm not sure why this one felt like it SHOULD have a huge twist, but I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt like it was just a tiny bit lacking. Perhaps it was the hype train? 🤷♀� Either way I still had fun reading even though it didn't necessarily push the envelope!
JaymeO wrote: "Fantastic review! We just had an event with Shari LaPena and Megan Miranda. I am linking the YouTube video if you are interested in watching!"
Thank you Jayme! 💞 ooh that’s awesome! Question: do I need to have read Miranda’s latest in order to watch/are there spoilers? I haven’t gotten my hands on a copy yet!
Holly wrote: "I read this in 2 days! Glad you enjoyed it too Catherine!"Oh I believe it! If I didn’t have a 12 week old at home I probably would have too! 😂😂 thanks so much Holly! 💖
Michael wrote: "Fantastic review, my friend! Glad you enjoyed it overall! 🤗"Thanks so much, my friend! 🤗 she is a very reliable author for me!
Catherine, no spoilers I promise!!
Fantastic review, Catherine! Glad you enjoyed it.
Glad you enjoyed! She is always fun!
Great review Catherine! I haven't read this author but this is on my tbr!
Denise wrote: "Great review, Catherine! 💜I am not generally a huge Shari Lapena fan, but I really liked this one!"Thanks so much Denise! 💞 I thoroughly enjoyed this one although I'm not sure I could pick a favorite of hers...maybe Unexpected Guest because it reminded me of the board game Clue! 🕵️♀�
Sue wrote: "Agree! So good"Wasn't it Sue? I'm always happy to grab a new Lapena! 😊
Melissa (LifeFullyBooked) wrote: "Great review! I am waiting for this one from the library."Thanks Melissa! 🌻 I snagged this one from the library too, I was excited I didn't have to wait that long after release date to get it, hope your copy comes in soon!
Jayson wrote: "amazing review Catherine :)"Why thank you Jayson! 😊
JaymeO wrote: "Catherine, no spoilers I promise!!"Excellent, I can't wait to watch it then, thanks for the link! 🤗
Terrie wrote: "Fantastic review, Catherine! Glad you enjoyed it."Thanks so much Terrie! 😊
Jayme wrote: "Glad you enjoyed! She is always fun!"Thanks Jayme, you are so right, reliable and fun! 💖
preoccupiedbybooks wrote: "Great review Catherine! I haven't read this author but this is on my tbr!"Thank you Fran! 💗 I'll be curious to see if you're a fan once you get a chance to check her books out (I know, so many amazing authors and so little time! 😂)
Yay excellent review Catherine! Glad you enjoyed it!
Kendall wrote: "Yay excellent review Catherine! Glad you enjoyed it!"Aw thanks Kendall! 💖 It was a fun read for sure!
Wonderful review, Catherine! I love your opener. 😂 I haven't read any of her books yet, but this looks like a good one to start with!
Kat wrote: "Wonderful review, Catherine! I love your opener. 😂 I haven't read any of her books yet, but this looks like a good one to start with!"Thanks so much Kat! 💖 honestly I’ve probably just been watching too much $100,000 Pyramid in the background these days 😂😂 yes, all of her books are good so you really can’t go wrong! Expect to change your mind many times about whodunit! 😊
Jayson wrote: "Wonderful review Catherine"Thank you Jayson! 😊
Fantastic review! Devouring it now as I recover from “gum� surgery 😩
Sherri wrote: "Fantastic review! Devouring it now as I recover from “gum� surgery 😩"Thank you Sherri!! 💙 Aw, that sounds so painful, hope you have a quick recovery! A good book always helps 😊
Fab review, Catherine! At least the book made you happy, even if the family is NOT. :)
Melissa wrote: "Fab review, Catherine! At least the book made you happy, even if the family is NOT. :)"Thank you Melissa! 🤗 It did make me happy, Lapena is great that way!
BRILLIANT review, Catherine! I was going to start this today but may delay it a bit while I try to squeeze every last book out of my Kindle Unlimited free trial. Thrilled to see it entertained you so much though! You've got me excited.
Regina wrote: "BRILLIANT review, Catherine! I was going to start this today but may delay it a bit while I try to squeeze every last book out of my Kindle Unlimited free trial. Thrilled to see it entertained you ..."Thank you so much Regina! 😘 I am so glad you're going to read it, but don't blame you for putting it off while you make the most of KU...was it worth it, btw? I've debated getting the trial for ages. My worry is with so much else already to read I won't make the most of it and I'll wish I had saved it for another time...which has led me to procrastinate thus far. I saw Jar of Hearts is on there though and that has a mile long library hold line so it is VERY tempting....😉
Fab review, Catherine...crazy family! 😲😵
MarilynW wrote: "Fab review, Catherine...crazy family! 😲😵"Thank you so much Marilyn! They were a wacky bunch for sure! 😵😂
Hi Catherine, what crazy twisted ending were you hoping for? [SPOILER I guess]I was thinking maybe the mother hired someone (possibly Jack) to kill her and her husband to make up to the kids for not protecting them earlier...but alas.
Cheryl wrote: "Hi Catherine, what crazy twisted ending were you hoping for? [SPOILER I guess]I was thinking maybe the mother hired someone (possibly Jack) to kill her and her husband to make up to the kids for n..."
Hi Cheryl! It’s been a while but I think it had something to do with (view spoiler) I like your ending too! Hopefully you still had fun reading it!
Hi Catherine, ooo I like your ending as well! I did have fun with it, though I think I need to read a few books full of good people now haha.
Cheryl wrote: "Hi Catherine, ooo I like your ending as well! I did have fun with it, though I think I need to read a few books full of good people now haha."Thanks Cheryl! I know what you mean, although I haven't read a book like this in a while, so I am having the opposite problem! 😂
