Part of the Family has many moving parts to the story and it's a bit jumbled initially. I had difficulty sorting out who was who and what was actually occurring. There is much lying, deceit, duplicity, and scheming in the story. I didn't like any of the characters. The read was okay but it wasn't one of my favorites. None of the characters were trustworthy.

Color me seriously CONFUSED, friends.

I struggled and lurched through this tedious story, only to get to the end and not have any idea at all what the hell was going on. I still don't, after pondering it for thirty minutes. Stories rarely confuse me...even when they probably should. Part of the Family managed to do just that. Maybe I should give an extra star for accomplishing something others haven't? 🤔

So, I think this could best be summed up as characters spying on characters spying on characters. Make sense? Good, hopefully you're less confused than I am. There were so many unanswered questions and unlikeable characters and "weird looks" from the entire cast. Anna, our main character, was always seeing "expressions she'd never seen before," on the faces of her friends and family.

Ultimately, I'd describe this book as choppy and not very well-written.

1.5 stars rounded up because there did seem to be some potential at the beginning.

Available January 26, 2021

Despite my lackluster review, I'd like to extend my appreciation to NetGalley, Edelweiss, and Harper 360-The Borough Press.

I was so excited to get a copy of this book and the writer intrigued me. The novel started out a bit slowly and it took a while for the plot to find its footing, so that might put some readers off, but I like a slow burn mystery and the writing was excellent so I had no problem sticking with it. Once the book got going it became an incredibly tense, taut thriller where you are never quite sure if any of the characters is telling the truth, and the plot definitely packs a lot of unexpected surprises. I really appreciated the complex character development and it was key to my liking the book- there are some pretty crazy plot points but understanding the characters helps keep them believable.

O-M-Gosh, this book confused me and I am not one to confuse easily. I can take dual timelines, unreliable narrators and non-linear time-lines but this was a hot mess. And the ending was such a dud...nothing felt resolved and I was left completely unsatisfied. If this means there may be a part two, count me out.

This was a long book to slog through too...Grrrrr. I was kindly given a free copy but if I had paid for this I would be asking for a full refund...HEY! I want money for the time I put into this book. In a word, dreadful.

Anna is living the perfect life. Or is she?
She is recruited by Harry. He's someone she's in love with, she must spy on David her university friend and boyfriend. She will do anything for Harry so she says yes. Years later she is a mother of twins married to David. She still loves Harry. However in the spy world things aren't always what they seem. Friends are enemies. Enemies are friends. Everyone is a spy. Your life is always in danger.
Suspenseful and intriguing.

Wowwwwwww, this was amazing!! It honestly was not what I was expecting when I got into it but omg I am so happy I was able to read this one! Definitely is a page turner and will keep you hooked the whole way.

This book unfortunately did not work for me. Too drawn out with not alot of twist at the end. But thank you for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. On the surface Anna seems to have everything. She is married to her college sweetheart and has twin girls. Anna may lose everything she has achieved. This book tended to drag at the beginning.

I enjoyed this book until the last fifty pages or so, where it got wayyyyy too crazy. After awhile I couldn't figure out exactly what was going on, and the ending left me really annoyed, thinking, "WHAT?" I was, and am, clueless as to what happened at the end. Good thing I didn't care that much,

Anna seems to have the perfect life - married to her longtime love David, with two beautiful children. But nothing is as it seems as Anna's secrets start to come out. Part domestic thriller, part spy novel - the book alters between the perspectives of Anna and her nanny Maria.

Some parts of the story were really interesting, and there were a few twists I didn't see coming. However, as other reviewers have noted, this novel is overly long and complicated without a satisfying conclusion. It's hard to keep track of all the side characters and subplots, so I wouldn't recommend this book.

Thank you to Harper 360 for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book started out interesting, but quickly went downhill. Anna is an unlikable character wrapped up in herself. I can't recap this because it is an difficult plot to follow if you don't pay attention. The ending leaves the reader hanging or possibly leaving an opening for a sequel.
All in all, I have to question how this book was even published.

DNF’ing at 25%. Rarely does it take me three days to get through 100 pages of a book. Unfortunately, this book falls into that rare category. Nothing about this felt interesting to me, and once I got a gist of what was going on- I genuinely no longer even cared. The writing feels long winded and the plot is too all over the place for me to even try to enjoy it.

This was an amazing thriller that kept me on my toes the whole time. The author’s depiction of the characters was spot on and the plot had me breathless! A great read!

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. I don’t really know how to read this book. It’s awful on so many levels, I don’t even understand how it was published. Usually the worst book I’ve read this year- stay away

PART OF THE FAMILY
BY CHARLOTTE PHILBY

This was a spy thriller that read to me for most of the book as domestic family drama noir. This is the second time this year that I have requested this genre of book mistakenly and have been underwhelmed after reading it. I did enjoy it after about twenty percent into it up until the last fifteen percent. I am probably not the right audience for this so don't go by my review solely when choosing to read it. I am reiterating myself when I say that this takes quite a bit to be pulled into the story but sixty percent which is the middle of this novel was gripping and interesting but I didn't care for the beginning or the ending.

Anna seems to be living the perfect life from an outsider's point of view. She is married to David who works for his father--something he said that he would never do when Anna got involved with him. They have two twin toddlers named Stella and Rose whom are a genetic trait from Anna's own haunted past with losing her twin brother in an accident while she was watching him. First Anna is in love with Harry whom she corresponds with using a second hidden cell phone. She reports back to Harry about gaining information spying into David's rich father's illegal business dealings that have their tentacles reaching into his poisoning the environment in Africa. She gets pregnant from David and slowly falls in love with him as Harry becomes more distant to her.

After Anna gives birth to the twins she didn't impress me with her lack of attention to her newborn babies. As any woman who has ever given birth knows that you can't help but feel an all consuming love that is so profoundly powerful it is an innate quality that I think most can identify with. Anna seems to lack this motherly instinct which bothered me about her character development. It is later on explained as post natal depression or psychosis but I didn't buy it for a second because she was very capable of snooping on David's father's desk and getting up in the middle of the night and checking her hidden cell phone for Harry's messages and she was able to rise up the ranks at the magazine where she worked.

As David becomes her husband there is a lackluster of intimacy between his feelings for her. He sort of minimizes her as an effective mother and Maria who is the daughter of David's father's maid cares mostly for the twins. Maria's involvement into David and Anna's lives didn't make a lot of sense. I won't spoil why she was such a prominent presence but reflecting back anyone would not just hand over the reins of raising their children to someone who arrives out of nowhere except her mother's urging her to go to work because she is out of money to finish her studies.

The part where Anna wants to raise her family and a scarce Harry is the direction of the novel that I was invested in. I wanted for Anna to find happiness with her husband and two daughters. Then Harry tells Anna that she can't just stop spying on David's father simply because she chooses too. David didn't strike me as a character that was as psychologically stable as this novel tries to imply. I didn't like how quickly things progressed towards the end of the novel. It left me really uninspired and I felt as though it was very amateurish in plot. I feel like there are times when things do a complete 360 degrees can work wonders but that the plot was very weak the way this book wrapped up for a number of reasons which if I were to enumerate here would be spoiling it for those who plan on reading this. I have never read this author before and I wouldn't read her again. I would rate this a 2.5 star rating rounding up to three. I wouldn't recommend this to other's but if you choose to read this than by all rights check out other reviews--don't just go by mine. I do think that this takes effort to get pulled into the story which follows strong writing but again I was left very disappointed at the ending and found this to be highly unrealistic.

Publication Date: January 26, 2020

Thank you to Net Galley, Charlotte Philby and Harper 360 for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and *honest* review. All opinions are my own.

#PartoftheFamily #CharlottePhilby #Harper360 #NetGalley
PART OF THE FAMILY
BY CHARLOTTE PHILBY

This was a spy thriller that read to me for most of the book as domestic family drama noir. This is the second time this year that I have requested this genre of book mistakenly and have been underwhelmed after reading it. I did enjoy it after about twenty percent into it up until the last fifteen percent. I am probably not the right audience for this so don't go by my review solely when choosing to read it. I am reiterating myself when I say that this takes quite a bit to be pulled into the story but sixty percent which is the middle of this novel was gripping and interesting but I didn't care for the beginning or the ending.

Anna seems to be living the perfect life from an outsider's point of view. She is married to David who works for his father--something he said that he would never do when Anna got involved with him. They have two twin toddlers named Stella and Rose whom are a genetic trait from Anna's own haunted past with losing her twin brother in an accident while she was watching him. First Anna is in love with Harry whom she corresponds with using a second hidden cell phone. She reports back to Harry about gaining information spying into David's rich father's illegal business dealings that have their tentacles reaching into his poisoning the environment in Africa. She gets pregnant from David and slowly falls in love with him as Harry becomes more distant to her.

After Anna gives birth to the twins she didn't impress me with her lack of attention to her newborn babies. As any woman who has ever given birth knows that you can't help but feel an all consuming love that is so profoundly powerful it is an innate quality that I think most can identify with. Anna seems to lack this motherly instinct which bothered me about her character development. It is later on explained as post natal depression or psychosis but I didn't buy it for a second because she was very capable of snooping on David's father's desk and getting up in the middle of the night and checking her hidden cell phone for Harry's messages and she was able to rise up the ranks at the magazine where she worked.

As David becomes her husband there is a lackluster of intimacy between his feelings for her. He sort of minimizes her as an effective mother and Maria who is the daughter of David's father's maid cares mostly for the twins. Maria's involvement into David and Anna's lives didn't make a lot of sense. I won't spoil why she was such a prominent presence but reflecting back anyone would not just hand over the reins of raising their children to someone who arrives out of nowhere except her mother's urging her to go to work because she is out of money to finish her studies.

The part where Anna wants to raise her family and a scarce Harry is the direction of the novel that I was invested in. I wanted for Anna to find happiness with her husband and two daughters. Then Harry tells Anna that she can't just stop spying on David's father simply because she chooses too. David didn't strike me as a character that was as psychologically stable as this novel tries to imply. I didn't like how quickly things progressed towards the end of the novel. It left me really uninspired and I felt as though it was very amateurish in plot. I feel like there are times when things do a complete 360 degrees can work wonders but that the plot was very weak the way this book wrapped up for a number of reasons which if I were to enumerate here would be spoiling it for those who plan on reading this. I have never read this author before and I wouldn't read her again. I would rate this a 2.5 star rating rounding up to three. I wouldn't recommend this to other's but if you choose to read this than by all rights check out other reviews--don't just go by mine. I do think that this takes effort to get pulled into the story which follows strong writing but again I was left very disappointed at the ending and found this to be highly unrealistic.

Publication Date: January 26, 2020

Thank you to Net Galley, Charlotte Philby and Harper 360 for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and *honest* review. All opinions are my own.

#PartoftheFamily #CharlottePhilby #Harper360 #NetGalley

As soon as I read the bio of the author as former journalist of Independent and granddaughter of Kim Philby: UK’s one of the most famous communist double agents, I became very curious about this book.

It’s combination of two different genres: domestic thriller meets espionage. I can admit the story had a promising and effective start but when I nearly reach the first half I felt I was a little lost in the middle of nowhere. I couldn’t relate with the spy story. I found it less believable and over exaggerated and let’s not forget the ultra self pitying heroine who really gets on my nerves at some chapters! The ending is also a little haphazard and sudden.

The storyline was intriguing at first. Three best friends from different backgrounds, having different future dreams. David is heir of global company TradeSmart whose CEO is his philanthropic father Clive Whitherall. Meg is ambitious intern at local newspaper, aiming to be powerful journalist. And Anna is newbie who starts to work in a magazine whose life changes as soon as she meets with undercover journalist Harry.

She finds herself drawn at the dark web of espionage world, living a double life. And after that story moves into a real surprising and different direction that I won’t speak about not to blurt out more spoilers! Just go blind and read to learn what’s gonna happen next if you’re intrigued enough.

I’m giving three promising premise didn’t end up the point that I expected to see stars. It was still great beginning for a new thriller/ espionage writer and I honestly I’m still interested to read more works of the author in near future.

But the promising story’s soft finale with unanswered questions and not so much likable heroine made me lower my stars! I’m so sure her next book will be so much promising after showing us her unique skills and potential in this book.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper 360/ Borough Press for sharing this reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I really wanted to love this book, I started it so excited however, it did not deliver. It was slow and a bit boring at times but not a horrible read.

This beautifully written novel is a mixture of domestic drama and industrial espionage in which the domestic aspects dominate for long stretches. Anna, a young magazine editor, needs an affordable place to live after her roommate leaves, and she accepts her college friend David's invitation to stay in his spacious apartment. Harry, the mysterious man Anna loves, startles her by pressing her to join an espionage operation against David's father, a powerful industrialist involved in shady dealings. Anna naively agrees because she is flattered that Harry believes she can pull it off. For a long time, though, Anna does almost no spying. Her friendship with David turns physical, she finds herself pregnant with twin girls, and she ends up married to David. Following the birth, Anna suffers from depression and is kept heavily drugged while Maria, David's childhood friend from Greece, cares for the twins and snoops on Anna's contacts with Harry. Espionage is the focus again late in the book, when it becomes apparent that everybody around Anna has a secret agenda. In contrast to the leisurely pace that precedes it, the last section feels rushed, with major events skipped over and mentioned in passing, and secrets tumbling out one after another. The final scene is mystifying and unsatisfying.

The premise was good and drew me to request it plus the cover was pretty (I do love a pretty cover). But this is a story I have heard before and it was predictable, which is never good. I still gave this a chance after I figured it out, but it was a struggle. I would still recommend it as a creepy family thriller. Not my favorite.

Thanks to Netgalley, Charlotte Philby and Harper 360 Borough Press for an ARC in exchange for am honest review.

Available: 1/26/21

At the start, the reader is introduced to Anna, who '"has it all". She has beautiful 3 year old twin daughters, a solid job, a husband, David, (who she had met while at uni) and a beautiful home...

But that is what is seen on the outside...

However, on the inside, there is something amiss. .

Why is Anna so desperately trying to talk to someone named Harry? Anna's past and present line up for a very intriguing read.

A very well written story by Charlotte Philby. Great characterization and detail.

HIGHLY REECOMMEND!

Many Thanks to HarperCollins Publishers/Borough Press and NetGalley for a super read.