A Psychological Thriller
I listened to A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson on audio CD read by Richard Armitage, Georgia Maguire and Emily Watson. Through their voices the story of A Nearly Normal Family was told. I had first seen this book on Bookish First and was disappointed that I did not win a copy of it but I have to admit that listening to this book being read on audio CD really brought it to life. It was worth waiting for the audio CD to become available. This was a psychological thriller that captured my attention right from the start. The story was told in separate parts and view points by the father, daughter and mother.

The story began as Stella, an eighteen year old girl, daughter of Adam, a Pastor of the Church of Sweden and Ulrika, a criminal defense attorney, was arrested for the murder of a wealthy businessman who was almost twice her age at 32 years old. When Stella's parents learned this shocking news we witnessed what they would do and how far they we go to protect their daughter and their family. One never really knows what one would do or how far one would go to protect a love one until placed in that situation. It was not something one could rehearse or plan for. Love and the natural instinct a parent has to protect a child just kicks in and takes over. When Adam and Ulrika learned about Stella's situation they both knew that they would do anything they had to do to protect her. Some of things they did brought them to keeping secrets from one another and even lying to each other and under oath. Their little girl was being charged with the heinous crime of murder. She was being kept in jail allowing her no contact with her parents. Both Adam and Ulrika were beside themselves with worry. They promised each other they would do whatever they had to do to protect and free Stella.

It took until the end of the story to discover the truth. I did not see it coming. The tension was real and made me want to keep reading. I sat at the edge of my seat as each the father, Stella and mother added more and more details and posed more questions in my mind. This was one of the best psychological thrillers I have read in a long time. I would round my rating up to a 4.5 star review. I highly recommend it.

A Nearly Normal Family is not your average legal thriller. There is a murder, a trial and we don’t know who-dun-it but the family dynamics play an even greater role. The story is told in three parts from each member of a small nuclear family: the controlling father who is a pastor, the rebellious teen, and the emotionally and frequently physically absent mother who is a successful attorney. The story moves back and forth through time but the plot is sequential. Would you shatter your moral and ethical codes of conduct to protect your child?

When the murder of a rich, young man occurs in a small Swedish town, an 18-year-old girl is charged with the crime. This (translated) story is told in three parts - from the perspective of the father of the girl (who happens to be a pastor), the young girl herself, and the girl's mother (who happens to be a defense attorney). I enjoyed the overlap in stories, told through the eyes of each main character (similar to the show, "The Affair,"), but I think the order of the POVs should have been switched. It would have been much more powerful if the girl's story would have come last since hers shed the most light on the actual crime.

This book felt a tad too long and seemed to drag in parts when it went back in time to focus on the history of the characters - I would have preferred more focus on the aftermath of the crime and the trial. However, I was drawn in by the story and was eager to find out how all of the loose ends would be tied up. Not much of a twist at the end, but still a worthy read.

A gripping Swedish novel set in Lund that will keep readers focused on who is a reliable character. Stella, who just turned 18 years old, is accused of murdering a 32 year old man with whom she was having a summer fling. Stella's father, a pastor, creates an alibi for her; Stella's mother, a lawyer, destroys evidence. Stella's best friend, a perfect girl is the eyes of most adults, is protecting her. Amid all these smoke a mirrors is a young woman who is defiant yet afraid. A page-turning novel that is difficult to put down readers will be questioning what is a lie and what is true. Edvardsson is skillful in opening with the pastor's version of the incident, followed by Stella's, and finishing with the mother's version of the truth.

I really enjoyed this! I loved the three different POVs and how they all called each other into question - a great twist on your standard unreliable narrator. The twist wasn’t shocking, so this isn’t a book you read for the plot, but the characters were fascinating. It’s not often that you find a well-paced thriller with characters that are more engaging than the plot! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Edvardsson completely surprised me with A NEARLY NORMAL FAMILY. The layers of the story combined with the domestic thriller elements were superb. I was completely captivated by this one.

Thank you publisher and bookishfirst for the early copy. 3/5 Stars. I struggled to connect with this murder court mystery. The twist was interesting but the pace made it hard to read.

I work in the judical branch so I espeically love legal thrillers. The way family drama is interlaced with legal suspense is perfect. We all know that there is no such thing as a nearly normal family but the Sandell family seems fairly normal. Stella;s mom is a lawyer and her dad is a pastor. DId Stella kill the business man? What would you do if your child or loved one was accused and charged with murdering somebody? This was a real page turner and I highly recommend.

I LOVED this book. The way it was written was unique and fit the story so well, and I never quite knew where it was going. Highly recommended!

So the book is written with 3 points of view:
Father - pastor
Mother - lawyer
Daughter - Stella

It was a good but bad book all at the same time. I liked the premise of the book but it was sooo slow and half the time I could have cared less about Stella. There was a huge disconnect between the characters and after a while, you just didn't care who killed Christopher or why. The ending was a bit of a surprise to me but then it made sense and then it wasn't as thrilling anymore. There was no flavor to the book, just words written on a page. Received this book as an ARC and am giving my own opinion.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Nearly Normal Family is a powerful legal thriller told in three sections: the father, the daughter and the mother's point of view. Stella, the teenage daughter has been arrested and is up for murder. The book details the experience and trial from the families perspective. Making you ask the question, how far do you go for family?

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book in exchange of an honest review.


I have some mixed feelings about this one but overall I don't know why it took me so long to finally commit and read it.

Let me start off by saying that this is one of those books where, in my opinion, you don't really like any of the main characters. I didn't know who I was rooting for or what outcome I wanted, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the ride! It is told from multiple perspectives and when I realized that it did lose me a little. I just don't know if it felt necessary and again, I didn't like hearing from the daughter and the wife. To be fair I also didn't like the husband ! Lol

This was a good case and a good message though it felt a little forced and messy and I'd recommend. It's a good time filler overall.

Absolutely brilliant thriller. Told from 3 different perspectives, it really gives a different look on how families feel and communicate with each other. I thought it was wonderful and I highly recommend. 4.5 stars

How far would you go to protect your child? Would you lie under oath?

I really enjoyed this fast-paced legal thriller. It definitely kept my attention throughout, and I couldn't wait to find out the truth about what happened. I liked that there were sections dedicated to the different points of view: the father (a pastor), the daughter (the suspect), and the mother ( a legal attorney). Definitely a book you should read!!

**Comes out in paperback on June 30th!! Pre-order it now!!**

*Thank you to @celadonbooks and @netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.*

I liked this, but didn't LOVE it. I probably gave it too high expectations since my favorite author, Karin Slaughter, recommended it. I can see why Slaughter is a fan, but I felt somewhat unsatisfied upon completion. The book being broken into parts by narrator worked brilliantly, but I found the father's story to be a lot more intriguing than from the point of view of the daughter or mother.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this intriguing story!

RATING: 3.5 STARS
2019; Celadon Books

A Nearly Normal Family has an interesting premise, but at times it was so slow moving. It did not help that the all of the characters were unlikeable, and also annoying. Each of the characters were very selfish, and at times I just didn't care what happens. Even if Stella was innocent, her attitude and personality kind of made me want her to stay there. The ending is predictable to figure out, but the writing does keep you reading. I would try another book by the author.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

This book is not for me. I do not like courtroom thrillers, and the language barrier really was hard for me.

First, let me thank netgalley and the publishers for approving my request for an early release of this book. All reviews of my netgalley books can be found on goodreads and youtube. Please be sure to check out the links attached.

I really enjoyed this book, the characters were well developed. It had an interesting plot. I would be interested in reading more