I enjoyed this very original plot. The weird family dynamics had my cringe but also kept me turning pages just to see how it all played out. Enjoyed it and highly recommend. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

It's no secret I love Megan Collins, and The Family Plot is fantastic! It's got her trademark delve into the darkness of the human heart--and family--combined with her ability to create uniquely empathetic characters. I loved, loved, loved it and am hoping this will steer patrons to her wonderful backlist as well!

This was my first novel by Megan Collins and it definitely won’t be my last! I think the best thing about The Family Plot is there is a little bit of something for everyone. The book gives a nod to true crime, delves into some interesting family dynamics and gives the allure of an unreliable narrator to keep the reader guessing. I loved the description of the island where the family resides, the back story of the serial killer and the exploration of this very unsettling family. This is one of those stories that is eerie and atmospheric while constantly suspecting that every character might be hiding something. This would be a great fall read for the Halloween season!

I will admit I was a little nervous going into this one I had seen some mixed reviews, but luckily I really ended up enjoying this one ESPECIALLY THE AUDIO! The audio version was perfect! I been struggling with audio lately so this one was great to get me back into it. The narrator did a wonderful job and because it didn’t flip perspectives or timelines it was super easy to follow. Highly recommend checking this one out on audio if you are an audio fan.

As for the story itself it was definitely creepy, morbid, and unsettling. I didn’t like all the hunting mentions and I could have done without them, but I did think it made sense in the story. I think true crime fans will enjoy this one.

I have listened or read all of @megancollinswriter books and I will definitely continue to do so! Have you read this one, if so what did you think?

From my blog: Always With a Book:

This is the third book I’ve read by Megan Collins and I absolutely loved it! It might be my new favorite one by her…and I’ve really enjoyed all of them so far!

It’s no secret that I love a good family drama but this one totally takes the cake! I could not put this one down once I started it, and I found myself completely engaged in the weird dynamics of the Lighthouse Family. Oh what a strange family they were! I loved that the book is totally narrated by Dahlia and that we learn not only about what brings her home, but also about her totally unconventional upbringing as the story moves forward.

This book has a little bit of everything for everyone – bits of true crime scattered throughout, a murder mystery, crazy family dynamics and hints of an unreliable narrator. Like I said, this one grabbed me and I was totally consumed by it. I had my theories as to where it was heading and time and again I was proved wrong, which I love! There is nothing I love more than being tricked when reading a thriller and this one really kept me on my toes throughout.

This book is definitely a fun, totally binge-worthy read. I have only really started to dabble into true crime, but I definitely want to now go back and explore all the cases that are mentioned throughout this book and dig a little deeper into each one.

Dahlia has returned to her family home for her father’s funeral. She has not been home in quite a long time. It is hard for her to face this place without her twin brother, Andy. She has been searching for Andy since he left at the age of 16.

Dahlia is obsessed with her missing brother. She knows he is alive somewhere and he will come find her. But, when they find his body buried in her father’s plot, she now has a new obsession. She must find out who killed Andy and why.

Talk about a unique family. I always wonder about authors and their mindset when they create situations like this. This is a family where the mother named all her kids after some kind of murder or murderer. The mother actually acted out a lot of these murders for her children for their “homeschool” lessons. Just plain twisted!

I enjoyed this creepy setting and this really weird family. The story did slow down a bit in places. But the characters and the setting really keep the reader moving along! Oh…and don’t forget the mystery…you do not want to miss this one!

Need a good novel that will have you cringing…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading through The Family Plot. I knew the book was going to be good when I read the dedication to the Murderinos. I really loved all the nods to the famous serial killers, like the children's names and how the mother raised them much differently than other moms would. I could totally see a bit of myself in raising my kids around true crime and teaching them to show respect to the victims and not only focus on the killer. I loved how the secrets were reveled and weaved together. Especially how it kept you guessing and you didn't know who it was right off the bat. Dahlia was definitely a victim, more than once and I loved that she persevered and kept pushing to get herself to a better place and off the island. Even if it meant being away from her family, who may or may not have handled their own tragedies poorly. Which is strange from a family that knows death so well.

A family so obsessed with True Crimes and the murdered victims that it practically becomes a religion. Because of this, Dahlia has always thought her family was unusual, and at the first chance to escape and live on her own she takes it. But when her father passes away, she returns to the secluded house and the memory of the mystery of her twin brother’s disappearance. Returning home reveals just how dysfunctional her family is and the dark secrets hiding on the property.

This novel was pretty consistent at holding my attention with new revelations, twists, and constant suspicion. The plot centers on the mystery of Dahlia’s brother’s murder and murders done by a serial killer on their island. During the novel, I believed all the characters were guilty at some point, as the author does a grand job of building suspicion based on the strangeness of the family, how they handle death, and their questionable hobbies. I enjoyed the hazardous tone, gothic setting, and main character's inner thoughts while trying to figure out the truth of her family, along with the deaths and secrets surrounding her.

There were a few elements that I felt needed more explanation (the dresses?), and I have mixed thoughts about the ending, but this was a very well-done story that had me excited and questioning everything as I read. 4.5 stars!!! Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Atria Books for an advanced copy of The Family Plot! The setting for this book is eerie one, at a large house in the woods that is owned by a murder-obsessed family. Dahlia returns home upon the news of her father's death, and reunites with her mother and brother, Charlie, and sister, Tate, that she has not seen for a decade. She soon learns that the body of her missing twin, Andy, has been discovered in the family burial plot, and she is stricken.

Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. I am a fan of Collins' writing, and really enjoyed her previous novel, The Winter Sister. I kept waiting to become immersed in this one, but felt that I never connected with the characters, especially Dahlia. I felt that she was too protective of her relationship with Andy, and it clouded her memories of their childhood, while also pushing her to mistrust Ruby. Dahlia seemed very intent on discovering what happened to Andy, without really making an effort to deepen her relationships with her other family members for much of the book.

Overall, the characters in this book were pretty unlikeable and I think this impacted my enjoyment of the novel. I also wanted to hear from the perspective of the dad (Daniel) and would have really liked a flashback from Andy himself. The family as a whole was a bit too weird and emotionally disconnected for my liking. I did enjoy the original concept this book brought forward, and will definitely give Collins' future books another chance!

I could not put this book down. It was disturbing but addicting at the same time. I have an obsession with thrillers and this meet my expectations. This would have been a perfect fall read. Super creepy.

The Family Plot was so eerie, dark, and claustrophobic. All of the characters are traumatized and codependent and obsessed with murder.⁣
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I really enjoyed the story line and the mention of so many real life Murders from the past. I thought it was creative that the children in the family were named after murdered victims, also a bit disturbing. Learning how each character got through life using different mechanisms of denial, substance abuse, art and performance, diving into research to avoid truly dealing with their demons was so interesting to read.⁣
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My only negative were the chapters were sort of long and once we revealed the serial killer the story line became a bit repetitive, but otherwise it was a creepy, true crime like thriller.⁣
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Thank you @simombooks for an ARC for my honest review.⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was spooky, though it's really a thriller and far from the horror genre.

Dahlia's family is unusual, since young she and her siblings were taught to honor the victims of violent murders, like the women killed by a serial killer in the small island where they lived. Even their names come from those killed in famous cases. Her twin always called them unnatural and wanted an out as soon as they could escape, until one day he was really gone. Many years later and still no news from him, Dahlia and the others return to their childhood home for their father's funeral to find out someone was killed and buried in the family plot.

3.5.

I loved the first half. The way the Lighthouse family was peculiar, the plot twists of how usual they could be, along with the investigation's twists about the bones found in their land, made for a page turner. I haven't been able to focus much on anything and yet I read half of the book in a sit. However, I feel it dragged after that and the book wasn't as sensational as it felt at first. Maybe because all the weird things about the characters had already been told? I feel the second half needed more excitement until we reach the big twist.

Still, it's a quick read with mysteries that will keep you guessing and characters that sound anything but innocent. The details of the fictional murders were also interesting (as details of murders could be) and seemed real, I remember wondering at a point whether the author wasn't also one of those true crimes fans (we have such a character in the book helping Dahlia find her brother). More importantly, the conclusion did give us the answers—I'll confess I had kind of guessed the big twist before the time, but it didn't spoil my fun. I felt a little dissatisfied that the red herrings were simply that with close to no consequence to what actually occurred, as I love it when everything fits, but they convincing so they did their job.

It's a very good story and you shouldn't miss it if you're hoping for some mystery to give you chills in the end of this summer.

My Review:⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/ 5 stars

I have been in such a reading slump all of a sudden. Is anyone else in the same boat?

I thoroughly enjoyed Megan Collins’ last book, The Winter Sister, and this new book seemed to check off all the boxes for an exciting read. The Lighthouse family are renowned in their local town as strange, mysterious, and secluded, penning their house “Murder Mansion.” The matriarch of the family is obsessed with true crime murder after the grisly murder of her own parents. The 4 kids, including Dahlia and her twin brother Andy grew up learning about the different popular murders like her namesake the Black Dahlia, etc. After her father dies, Dahlia comes back to attend the funeral and they uncover her missing brother Andy’s body in their father’s plot. He looked to have been murdered. Is he the victim of the same local serial killer that was never found? Dahlia questions the locals and her family about what really happened to her brother - and what other secrets her family could be hiding.

The premise is very original and the Lighthouse family upbringing is very unnatural - even to the true-crime junkie like me. The vibe is creepy and intriguing in the first few chapters, but then my interest teeters off. There should have been multiple POVs - maybe Andy’s leading up to his death - as Dahlia is not that interesting of a character to fill the whole book. Also, I would have loved to read more about the Honorings and even more about their father before he died. Overall, it was OK, but not my favorite.

Thank you to Atria Books and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

This one kept me guessing all the way until the end. This was my first book by this author but won’t be the last.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ecopy of The Family Plot by Megan Collins in exchange for an honest review.

The Family Plot is a hard book to write a review about because so much of what I want to write would involve plot spoilers. I'll start by saying that I have never read a plot quite like the one in this book. The family dynamic of being obsessed with murder and being raised isolated from the world but being educated on every famous murder victim, learning stats about the murders like some learn baseball stats was one I couldn't have thought of in my wildest dreams.

So, besides the very unique family, two parents and four adult aged children (all named after famous murder victims, of course), the setting of the story was compelling....a secluded home with vast grounds on an island with a murderous history of its own. I am all in for that setting. The central mystery revolved around the disappearance of one of the four children ten years prior. Because of the isolated, untrusting of people way they were raised, the children really only had each other as friends. The oldest two, Charlie and Tate are a tightly bonded pair. The youngest two, who are also twins, Andy and Dahlia, are also almost preternaturally bonded. Andy disappeared when the twins were only 16, leaving only a cryptic note behind. Dahlia has spent every moment since with only one purpose in her life: TO FIND ANDY.

The remaining three children left home as they came of age and obtained access to their trust funds. None have gone back to their island home or their parents. None of them have overcome the isolation, distrust and darkness that they grew up with. They all come home for their father's death memorial/honoring. Once there, they start to learn secrets about Andy and their family that are shocking but move the mystery along very well.

I did not love this family. I didn't feel like the author really ever made it clear why the parents were so obsessed with serial killers or why they distrusted anyone outside their own family. Because of my lack of really understanding what drove this family, I also struggled to understand how they could get so stuck and none of them really make any effort to overcome their pasts. Then there was a neighbor somewhere nearby the family land who also has some inexplicable reason for never leaving the island. What are the odds that two families on one island have dysfunction to that degree of similar type? I struggled to overcome my disbelief.

Setting aside my tendency to struggle with stories that are supposed to be realistic but that stretch belief so much, the mystery of both Andy AND the islands mysterious decades old serial killings was addictive. I read the book in two sittings and would recommend it to most mystery lovers if the dark family dynamics aren't a concern.

With the first person POV it’s all tell, no show. I won’t waste anyone’s time by reiterating the premise. In the beginning I thought the author was engaging in a spoof of the true crime wave, and I was all in. But as I read it became clear that wasn’t the case.

A creepy family can be fun or it can be disgusting. Sadly, this book falls into the latter category, and it was a total miss for me. Had it been written as satire it would have been brilliant,

The first half was absolutely riveting, but as it progressed — especially into the reveal — it becomes less compelling. I did not write a full review but I did highlight this title on my site.

Published on instagram.com/tiffany_is_reading

3.5 out of 5 stars, rounding down here on NetGalley.

I loved the true crime vibe of this book. I know people who love true crime, but this family took it to another level. Dahlia was an interesting character, and I suspected everybody else at different times. I did figure out a major plot point early on, so that was disappointing. Overall, the story was a little flat for me. I liked the premise, but it just fell flat.

THE FAMILY PLOT while described as a thriller is more an ADDAMS FAMILY for the 21st Century. The narrator’s tale is too sarcastic and self-aware to be taut or scary. This is a family deep into murder and mayhem, and the study of local murder. They have their own rituals for honoring murder victims from their island community. They memorialize these local dead in every way possible. How much of a surprise can the ending of this book really be? That being said, it does have its charms. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Thank you Atria and Atria Thrillers for the gifted copy.

Well hello there creepy book! The Family Plot by Megan Collins is out now (thanks @atriabooks @atriathrillers for my #giftedcopy) - and if you are in the mood for a book involving a missing brother, crime scene dioramas, murder re-enactments, a homeschool curriculum involving serial killers, and loads of family secrets, look no further.

Dahlia and her siblings Charlie and Tate (named after murder victims) return home after their father dies. Only when the grave is being dug in the family plot (whoop there’s the title!!) there’s already a body in there! Could it be Andy, Dahlia’s missing twin?

The Family Plot exposes the secrets of the family, the house, the island…and of what happened to Andy. It was a tad predictable but still had some twists and turns that surprised me. It was written in a way that kept me interested, and the last few chapters were pretty nuts.

This would be a fun book to read for #spooktober this year!