I fell for the hype. Unfortunately this one fell short for me and didn't meet my expectations.

This book is broken up into three perspectives, the dad, the mother and the daughter. Its about how a person will go beyond measures to protect their loved ones. I felt that some parts dragged on and where too long. The story was not suspenseful as it was pitched but I believe that must have been lost in translation.

Thank you Celadon Books and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Nearly Normal Family, by M.T. Edvardsson

Short Take: A family drama trying to be Nordic noir.

I know I complained before about the lack of truly summery weather, but seriously y’all, WHERE IS SUMMER?? How am I supposed to read in the pool, or drink vodka on the patio, or do whatever else people do when they go outside (not super clear on that)?

I seriously want a do-over. This is road apples (keepin’ it clean for the Amazon censors).

There is one thing that was OK about this lousy weather though, and it’s that as I was reading A Nearly Normal Family, with its rich descriptions of Sweden’s autumn weather, I was legit pulling my own blanket tighter (in freakin JUNE for cryin out loud), and it made a somewhat difficult book a little bit better.

Eighteen year old Stella is a handful - drinking, smoking weed, sneaking out to party, and of course constantly fighting with her parents, well-respected defense attorney Ulrika and well-loved pastor Adam. But it’s still shocking when she is arrested for the murder of a wealthy businessman nearly twice her age.

What follows is a delicate balancing act, as Adam and Ulrika struggle with the most basic, primal impulse parents have: protect your child at all costs. And for Adam and Ulrika, the choices they will feel compelled to make are the hardest of their lives. In a small town where everyone knows everyone, what would happen if the pastor lied? Or if the hotshot defense attorney destroyed evidence?

And at the center of all the swirling turmoil is Stella, who won’t see or speak to either of them, who holds her own secrets and catastrophic choices.

The story is told in three parts, with Adam, Stella, and finally Ulrika each taking a turn telling their story. It’s that narrative structure that presents the first real issue I had, which is the glacial tempo of the story. At a hefty-ish 400 pages, I expected a slow burn, but it feels like a lot of padding with not much story. Every character is keeping secrets which is usually A-OK in my book, but there are just too many descriptions of one character wondering what another character is doing, and not enough of things actually happening.

Also, it could just be that the translation isn’t as effective as the original, but there’s a sense of reserve, a kind of formality and stiffness throughout the narration. Even when someone was recounting something traumatizing and painful, I never really felt what they were feeling. There were no moments of levity, of these people who love each other just having fun and enjoying each other, making it hard to appreciate the importance of their relationships. Every interaction is ponderous and loaded with subtext, and drawn out just a few beats too long. Each major scene is repeated from different perspectives

In the end, All Is Revealed, but much of it was telegraphed pretty clearly throughout the book. I can’t help but feel that the author wanted to write only about the tension in this family, and someone convinced him that it should be a murder mystery, so he quickly sketched that out & threw it in at the last minute.

The Nerd’s Rating: THREE HAPPY NEURONS (and a cider. I’ve decided to give up on summer, and go straight into autumn drinking.)

Be patient through the first section because this ABSOLUTELY pays off. M.T. Edvardsson absolutely knocks it out of the park with this debut family drama/legal thriller.

The lives of the Sandell family are about to change forever. Adam and Ulrika are desperate to find a way to save their daughter, Stella, who has been charged with the murder of Christopher Olsen. Each family member is hiding something about that night and ultimately it could cost them everything. Uniquely told from the perspective of each family member, the reader gets a chilling look at the events leading up to the murder and the courtroom drama as the trial plays out. Once I found my groove - I. Couldn't. Stop. Reading.

There are a lot of really great things going for this book. I think the story is extremely clever, a perfect twist on the classic whodunit, and an emotional rollercoaster where you run through the spectrum of feelings on each character. I don't know if it's a good or bad thing that I forgot that this was told from three perspectives, but I was nearing exasperation around page 150 when I thought the whole 400 page book would be told from that of the whiny, delusional and sometimes creepy dad, Adam. He really grated on me, but obviously, that was the point. I mean, you're seeing someone go through one of the worst experiences imaginable. However, once we got to Stella's section it immediately picked up and I was SOLD.

In the past, I've struggled with Swedish translations, but I feel like this was a smooth transition to English. The chapters were extremely short, so this made it a little hard for me to get into the rhythm of the story, but once I got used to it, it was okay. One thing I think will really work for non-Swedish readers is our unfamiliarity with the Swedish criminal justice system.

This book might not work for everyone, but it definitely worked for me and I can't wait to re-read this again to pick up some of the clues I missed. I also really look forward to the next book by M.T. Edvardsson as he is a new name to watch!

Thanks to Netgalley, Celadon Books and M.T. Edvardsson for the opportunity to read this book and provide an honest review.

Review Date: 6/19/19
Publication Date: 6/25/19

This one was a little slow to get in to. I love that the story was told from 3 different perspectives. I feel like some of the story was choppy or lost at times but it was still a solid intriguing read. I think this book would be a great book club read!

A riveting glimpse into the Swedish court system and a dysfunctional family. We see the story from three sides: Adam (father and pastor), Stella (daughter and accused) and Ulrika (mother and hard-boiled defense attorney). The three have a tight-knit family facade, but the cracks are widening as we learn more about them. The bottom line is, they all show themselves to be unreliable and that keeps you glued to the narrative right through the Epilogue. Sure to be a popular pick for vacation reading.
I could also see book groups finding much to discuss as the narrative explores the themes of family, truth and justice.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book keeps your attention and the plot is easy to follow. Stella is 18 years old and is arrested and accused of murdering a man almost double her age. She comes from a good family- her father is a pastor and her mother an attorney. Then one day their world is turned upside down when they learn that their daughter has been arrested. Just how far would they go to try to get her released. Suddenly family secrets come out and the normal upstanding parents will do anything to have Stella found not guilty.
A well written book told by the father, the mother and the daughter.

I'm torn between 4 and 5 stars on this one. I do think some was lost in the translation of this book, which is the difference between a 4 and 5, and ultimately why I went with 4.

A Nearly Normal Family tells the background of a family (mother/father/daughter) where the daughter is accused of murder. Each part is told from one of the family members, and the reader gets insight into that character, which was an excellent storytelling device.

However, it did mean that there was repetition throughout the three stories, as the three characters viewed similar events in a different manner. I feel that even though we got Stella's section, we still didn't really get to know Stella. I wish we had heard more from Amina, her best friend, although I'm not sure what could have been cut in order to add an Amina section.

The flaw for me was that I predicted the ending early in the book. But the story was told well, and I liked the different narratives. I wanted to keep reading and the ending was satisfying.

This is a Swedish mystery/courtroom drama and focuses on a family whose 17 year old daughter has been arrested for murder. It's told from multiple perspectives, which I always love. I felt like the translation was good and the writing was well done. The chapters are short, so it's an easy book to stop and start if you don't have a big chunk of time to sit down and read. Overall it was an enjoyable read and I would read more of M.T. Edvardsson's work in the future.

Set in Sweden, this is the story of a normal family—pastor father Adam, lawyer mother Ulrika, and teenage daughter Stella—and what happens after Stella is accused of murder.

The story is divided into three parts, each narrated by a different family member, and each revealing details of what happened on the night of the murder. While it started a little slow for me, I became increasingly engaged as the story progressed and by the second part I could NOT stop. The book was translated from Swedish and occasionally the writing felt a little stiff or remote, but the pacing was excellent. In particular, the way the author alternates between the events of the present day and the events leading up to the murder was exceptionally well done. This is more of a legal/courtroom drama than a thriller—Stella is arrested near the beginning of the story and the story centers on the police investigation, court proceedings, and the effect on the family. I loved the exploration of honesty, psychology, family relationships, and the intense and sometimes conflicted relationship between parent and child. Highly recommended!

Big thanks to @netgalley and @celadonbooks for the free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

s was an interesting mystery set in three parts with three narrators: The father, the daughter, and the mother. I found the first section with the father a little slow, but once it changed to the daughter’s perspective, it picked up. The story unravels slowly and gives just enough to keep the reader interested. I enjoyed the writing and would read more by this author.

This was a really good mystery book. I liked that it was written from the angle of three different people. While I enjoyed the story as a whole I tended to get a little bored with the past stories. Other than that I enjoyed the story as a whole and would recommend this to friends who are looking for a good mystery to read.

4.5ish stars, rounded. A Nearly Normal Family was a captivating story about how far parents will go to protect their child. Set around the arrest and trial of daughter Stella, charged with the stabbing death of a man her parents weren't even aware she knew, there's elements of books like Defending Jacob and Jodi Picoult's courtroom focused dramas.
The author's choice to make the father a pastor and the mother a lawyer really was the tipping point to making this story fantastic. With professions that mean they should see right and wrong as black and white, the choices these parents have to make in the name of protecting their daughter seem to have even higher costs. They aren't just choosing what's right for their family, they have to weigh the morality of their choices with deeply held beliefs. Fascinating- right up through the last page.

I struggled with A Nearly Normal Family for the first 30% or so, once the point of view switched I was much more interested. The storyline itself was great, but it's a slow burning thriller-ish mystery, and slow burning books are hard for me to get into. If you enjoy disfunctional family dynamics, a murder mystery with steady building suspense, this book is for you.

How far would you go to protect the ones you love? Set in the small Swedish town of Lund, A Nearly Normal Family centers around the Sandell’s. The husband and father Adam Sandell, is a pastor to one of the largest churches in the area. The wife and mother, Ulrika, is a driven defense attorney, who feels like she doesn't always put her family first. And the daughter, Stella, who has just turned eighteen and graduated from high school. When Stella is accused of the murder of a thirty-two year old man, Adam and Ulrika are shocked. They don’t understand how their daughter could be connected to this man.

A Nearly Normal Family is told in three unique parts. Part one is told from the father’s point of view, part two from Stella’s point of view, and part three from Ulrika’s. While all three are told in the present tense, they contain flashbacks of the earlier lives of each of the characters. We hear a lot about Stella’s teenage years growing up, and how different events were viewed by Adam, Stella, and Ulrika.

Everyone in this book has lied about what happened that night. Both parents are lying to protect their daughter. Stella’s best friend is also lying. Could their lies end up hurting Stella? Could they ruin relationships? Careers? The ending wasn’t anything surprising or groundbreaking, which was what I expected. This is a slow-paced legal drama, not an edge of your seat thriller. I found myself really enjoying this one. My favorite was Stella’s point of view, I didn’t want it to end! I hope more of Edvardsson’s books are released in the U.S., because I definitely will be picking him up again!

This book had me engaged from the first page. I read the book over two days. It was difficult to put down.

Just couldn't get through very much of this one. The translation was choppy and if I knew there would be so many references to God in this book, I definitely wouldn't have bothered. I hate it when authors try to push religious beliefs on you through their writing... I cannot rate this book since I personally didn't even get through 25%.

A Nearly Normal Family is set in Sweden and is a fictional story of what happens to a family when their teenage daughter is accused of murder. Each section of the book is told from a different perspective: first the father, then the daughter, and finally, the mother. Another thing that makes this book interesting is that the father is a pastor but the other family members are not really religious. Growing up as the daughter of a pastor, my family was just the opposite. The perspective of the mother is completely different because she is an attorney and familiar with the legal system. I really enjoyed this book. There were a lot of good twists and it also made me think about some moral questions. It’s also a nice change to read a thriller that isn’t set in the US or the UK.

3.5 stars
Engaging family courtroom drama, although it's lengthy I read it pretty quickly because I really wanted to know what was going to happen and how things would resolve.

The book jumps right into the drama of the daughter Stella arrested for murdering her older boyfriend. The story is told from three perspectives: starting with Adam, Stella's pastor father, then Stella, then Urika, her lawyer mother. I loved getting all of their points of view and it made the story come alive that much more. The intriguing part was how each viewed the other two and the lengths they went to manipulate the situation to preserve themselves and the way they were viewed by others.

I was pretty surprised by the ultimate conclusion and wasn't really sure I liked it, but it definitely works for the book and is not the expected outcome.

The book is translated from Swedish, and there were some awkward parts, as well as a bit of confusion for me about the way the Swedish law enforcement and court systems work. It's not a major sticking point, but it was noticeable.

Started off slow, but then really picked up. Really enjoyed the last 2/3s of the book and the ending. The different perspectives were well written.

Thanks Net Galley for the ARC

A high 4 stars!

It’s always hard to find crime fiction that is clever, original and not too violent. A Nearly Normal Family hit the mark for me. It’s somewhat of a courtroom drama but much of the story goes back in time and outside the courtroom. The story takes place in Sweden and focuses on 18 year old Stella and her parents. At the beginning of the books, Stella is accused of murdering a man in his 30s. The story is told in three parts, from the points of view of the father, then Stella and then the mother. The story is as much about complex family dynamics as it is about whether Stella committed the murder. These are not cookie cutout characters, but because all families have their secrets and complex dynamics, this is indeed a “nearly normal family”. I loved being in their heads, and trying to put all the pieces together. This may not be for readers who liked fast paced crime fiction, but it’s great if you like something more smart and introspective. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.