My goodness, what a bitter, insufferable woman this main character was! She was so hard to like (honestly I didn't like her at all), but the format of the novel was a great choice since this novel read more like a diary, but still explained the main points of the novel.

I was curious if this would sway into the supernatural, and it kind of did, but for the most part, this story seemed more like one of a broken woman battling internal demons and her own mental illness.

Stopped this one about 100 pages in (114 to be exact). The pacing was off for me and I wasn't enjoying the story. Unfortunately, did not finish.

Great book, love this author and how they can keep my attention to the end! The plot is well developed, characters are believable and they obviously paid attention to detail to make the story worth your time to read.

I was looking forward to reading a retelling of Daphne Du Maurier's "Rebecca", but sadly, this book fell flat for me. With the understanding that the characters aren't meant to be perky, happy, and likeable, I still couldn't get past how whiny they all seemed. It was hard to get past that. The writing itself was overly detailed as well.

The Beloveds is a very atmospheric and whimsical novel, in which I thought it was so whimsical that it took me a long time to realize and remember that it is taking place in modern day, Ultimately, the story is a battle over the family house and what lengths siblings will go to get the house. A little twisty, a little dark but nothing super stand out.

I REALLY wanted to like this more. I feel like this book was way too detailed and excessively wordy. I found myself get easily distracted. The writing style just did not flow well for me. The premise is intriguing but the follow through could have been done better. I love the cover, though.

There are so many retellings of Rebecca lately, and I somehow managed to read three recently. I liked this one, but I didn't love it. I wussy the characters were more developed.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

This sounded like it would be a Rebecca retelling initially; however, I instead I got a story about an older sister who could not stand not being perceived as not the favorite when they were younger. Many of the story beats follow a standard psychological thriller after that, but with a protagonist you know you can't trust (or help to dislike), I found myself wondering why I should care.

I think I mistakenly requested this book as it's not a genre I regularly read. I started to read it but found it wasn't for me. I won't leave a negative review, just a 'did not finish" as requesting it was my mistake,

I’ll give Maureen Lindley this much: she sure knows how to populate a book with utterly detestable characters.

Betty, the entitled narrator, thinks of the world as divided into two classifications: beloveds and not beloveds. She falls in the latter (of course) but believes her sister Gloria is in the former. Gloria gets EVERYTHING. Well, everything that Betty thinks ought to be hers.

You won’t like Gloria all that much, either. She is so self-involved that she can’t (won’t?) see that her sister is a psychopath (as well as a sociopath). The few times that it appears Gloria trolls Betty, you realize that Gloria is too dim-witted for that sort of compliment.

Bad things happen, most of them due to Betty’s manipulations, and she all the while believes that these people deserve those bad things while she deserves all of life’s goodness. At times, this makes for great hilarity. Betty may want to clock you with one of her empty wine bottles for finding her humorous (you do not want to get caught laughing at Betty), but homegirl is funny.

The problem is that the narrative thread here isn’t all that compelling. With someone as deliciously awful as Betty, I wanted more, I guess. More of a story as opposed to more of the wormhole that is Betty’s brain.

Really enjoyed this book. The relationship between Gloria and Betty was so interesting to read about and really take in during the book. At first, I was annoyed with the women because they both just seemed very "whiny" and I couldn't connect. After I finished the book, I felt that I had gotten to know them and I could connect better with them. The premise of the book was fascinating and something new and not yet overplayed. Glad I was able to read this book and I hope Lindley writes more like it!

this book was full of so much negativity that i felt it was really affecting my own mood. i understood what it was portraying and it was almost too well done. this main character was far too much for me to be in the mind of, after awhile i was just ready to finish this book. there were a few really good lines, "time does not heal childhood wounds." was one of my favorites. this isn't a book i'd recommend to anyone i know sadly

This book wasn’t for me. Instead of posting a negative review, it is my policy not to review the book on my site or label it as DNF (did not finish) on Goodreads/Amazon.

Elizabeth (Betty) Stash has always been jealous of her younger sister, Gloria. Betty is clearly some kind of psychopath, and in her twisted way of thinking she believes Gloria stole her mother's love, snatched her best friend away, and married Betty's love interest Henry. All of that sounds pretty evil, but let's face it, Gloria is nice and happy and Betty is evil and troubled. Betty ends up moving to London and marries an older man named Bert, who she co-owns a successful art gallery with, but she's just biding her time until she can have her childhood home, Pipits, all for herself.

When Mrs. Stash passes away Betty is expecting to inherit Pipits, but completely loses her mind when the will is read and she discovers their mother left it to Gloria and her growing family instead. Thus begins Betty's slow and spectacular breakdown.

I wanted to like this book: the cover looks so sinister. It's about an old family home. The narrator is a sociopath. It was compared to Rebecca. So many things to like.

As it turns out though, Betty is not at all a charming sociopath, and reading about her alcoholism, self-delusion and madness was just frustrating. She is evil but incompetent, and I never experienced any tension that she might be caught, or any sadness for her that she was willfully throwing away her life and any chance at happiness.

If you like character studies and reading about people's descent into madness, you might like this book.

Thank you to NetGalley who generously allowed me to read this book. The main character, Betty, is an unbelievably evil character. Her jealousy of her sister, Gloria, is the backbone of the story. In Elizabeth’s twisted mind, her “beloved “sister’s existence has spoiled her life, including stealing her love interest. The events are so unbelievable, as is the fact that she is never accused of anything she does. Her love for the house is definitely over the top. The incidents with the neighbors towards the end of the book don’t seem to fit. The ending seemed very abrupt and left me wondering what she might do next. Interesting read.

I was, to tell the truth, feeling a bit unsettled while reading The Beloveds. Maureen Lindley has managed to make "Elizabeth" a true psychopath, extremely unlikeable and rather an unreliable narrator. The story unfolds in the first person, and it's the manic sister we hear from. My disappointment came from the fact that the secondary characters, the objects of her ire, weren't as compelling as I would have liked. Normally I would have been angry at the unresolved ending, but since I really didnt care about the characters, the outcome was immaterial. The pacing slowed whenever Elizabeth stopped to share details about plants and the countryside. I found myself skimming those sections. I was distracted for an afternoon, but not immensely entertained.

A "Tom-Ripley" like protagonist the reader can't help but root for. A little slow near the middle, but mostly a page-turner.

Genre - Mystery/Dark Humor/Psychological Thriller
Pages - 336
Publication Info - Gallery Books, April 3, 2018
Format - Digital
Stars - ⭐⭐⭐

“The Beloveds” by Maureen Lindley had oh so much potential...I fear it fell apart for me with an ending that fizzled and really should have exploded. I loved the dark humor, and I hope I never run into the likes of Betty, (a Hyacinth Bucket escaped from the looney bin, Mayfair Lady type). She is seriously demented and in need of professional help. I fear that she would not take said help however, and would continue on her crazy path of talking to “House” and planning ways to get rid of her brother-in-law, sister and noisy Mayfair neighbors. She is a true psychopath that I loved following all the way through the book. The ending however left me less than satisfied and a bit disappointed. This was a strong 4 or 5 star read up to that point, and left me saying what the heck just happened. I admit I was saying what the heck is happening all through the book, but in the good way of being amused and entertained. Captivating and dark.

Synopsis (from back cover): An exploration of domestic derangement, as sinister as Daphne Du Maurier’s classic Rebecca, that plumbs the depths of sibling rivalry with wit and menace.

Oh, to be a Beloved—one of those lucky people for whom nothing ever goes wrong. Everything falls into their laps without effort: happiness, beauty, good fortune, allure.

Betty Stash is not a Beloved—but her little sister, the delightful Gloria, is. She’s the one with the golden curls and sunny disposition and captivating smile, the one whose best friend used to be Betty’s, the one whose husband should have been Betty’s. And then, to everyone’s surprise, Gloria inherits the family manse—a vast, gorgeous pile of ancient stone, imposing timbers, and lush gardens—that was never meant to be hers.

Losing what Betty considers her rightful inheritance is the final indignity. As she single-mindedly pursues her plan to see the estate returned to her in all its glory, her determined and increasingly unhinged behavior—aided by poisonous mushrooms, talking walls, and a phantom dog—escalates to the point of no return. The Beloveds will have you wondering if there’s a length to which an envious sister won’t go.

For some reason I was not able to really get into this novel. I'm not sure what it was exactly... she is an amazing writer and a great storyteller but I think it was the characters that did not seem to draw me in as much as I would have liked. There is some suspense which is always good. Try it for yourself!