This was a rough book to try to read. Even though the author is already an established best seller, the descriptions were cringe worthy and a struggle to read. I was unable to finish this book. I didn't care for the characters and the 'suspense' was very forced.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a free and unbiased review.

This story is completely preposterous. The beginning of the book really dragged. I finally skimmed to the last couple of chapters. Not good. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

This is one of those books that falls into the category of I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. Although a bit predictable, it was an enjoyable read, but it probably won't be that memorable for me long term.

The plot was intriguing. Lots of tension and I was trying to figure out who the narrator was. Loved it except it was rushed at the end.

This book was slightly disappointing for me. I love a character driven story, but most of the characters in The Other Family just didn’t have depth. Overall, the story felt disconnected and was told from too many perspectives to really give a cohesive story. For example, I anticipated Jules to have a bigger role - she was more of a distracting character with potential, but never really did anything for the story except annoyingly defend her abusive son. Lennon was the worst character. He was annoying and toxic but lacked depth, i.e. I could not pick up on his motivation for his actions. Like his mother, I assumed he would have a more sinister role. (Perhaps that he and his mom knew something and we’re going to bring the Howell family down...) There were also some lines in Nora’s chapters that led me to believe Keith was somehow connected to Jules from his days in college based on how Nora says she can’t trust him. While I appreciate stories when you don’t know who to trust, these characters were just distracting and there was no closure on a lot of the conflict they created.

Nora was also confusing as a character because her shift back to Anna felt very sudden after so many years. I didn’t see enough of her internal struggle weighing if she should keep the past hidden vs. confront Jacob, especially since she comes home and Stacy has the photo album. Stacy was not my least favorite character, but so much of her role in the story depended on Lennon and their interactions, which ultimately did not have much influence on the final storyline. We lost the focus of her being a true crime fan, which could have been used in so many ways throughout the book but instead the focus was on her in an abusive first relationship (which was also never addressed for what it was).

Overall, this was entertaining and different from other thrillers I have read, but I was annoyed in most of the book by Lennon, and thus, not as enjoyable a read as I had anticipated.

FANTASTIC new thriller that won’t let you go until the very last few pages!! Great character development and many possible suspects!! Staub at her best.

A psychological thriller. Who is the other family that lived in the house before. Who can you trust? A page turner.

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

Thanks Netgalley for a copy of THE OTHER FAMILY by Wendy Does I Stain.
I love Wendy Corsi Staub writing style, this is one of her best . Great plot many twists. Highly recommend.

The Other Family by Wendy Corsi Staub is a thriller about a seemingly perfect family who uproots their life from California to a townhouse in Brooklyn. When the family, a father, mother and two teenage daughters, moves to Brooklyn, it turns out that the townhouse that they are living in is the same home that three people were murdered 25 years ago— a father, mother and daughter. When the family finds out about the murders, they are unsure about this new move and one family member in particular may have a connection to what happened so long ago.

I flew through this book! The changing perspectives and short chapters made for a quick read and easy flow of the story. The story follows the perspectives of the mother, Nora, her oldest teenage daughter, Stacey, and the mysterious, Jacob. The differing perspectives brought the story together seamlessly. I also really enjoyed Stacey’s perspective and character. She was misunderstood throughout the story but I liked her and found that I looked forward to her parts the most. I didn’t however love her relationship with Lennon. He was a lot to take and definitely seemed controlling to me.

There was a mob aspect to this book that I enjoyed— it made for an interesting take on the murders that occurred in the house so many years ago. It was different from the other types of thrillers and books that I have read. I really enjoyed reading about Jacob and his life.

The one thing in the book that I thought may have more of a twist or an importance was the family that they met a few doors down from them. I thought there may be more to them than just being friendly neighbors but it seems as though that was the point of them. And to being Lennon to Stacey. I also kind of figured out what was going on with Nora fairly early on although there was a twist at the end that I didn't see coming.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. It kept me hooked and I read through it very quickly. It also had some twists throughout, especially the end that I didn't see coming.

A wonderful suspenseful thriller told from multiple points of view. You follow the story of Nora and her daughter Stacey as they move from their home in LA to NYC. The story slowly unfolds as you learn more about Nora and her displeasure with moving and how her daughter is adapting to the move. A third mysterious character enters and you are left wondering how he fits into the story. A great mystery that I truly enjoyed.

I liked this one but didn’t love it. The story was intriguing, and I liked the multiple viewpoints. There just seemed to be too much going on sometimes, and the ending was… just there. I felt like it could have been wrapped up better.

There was a lot to figure out in this book. Does a vacant house troubled with the history of an unsolved triple homicide sound appealing to you? I would think that most individuals would have done some type of research before buying such a home. Let me introduce Nora, Keith and their family. This husband and wife packed up their California home, along with the 2 teenage daughters, their dog and they found such a house in Brooklyn. Trying to grasp why this family would make such a move was just the beginning of my inquiries as the mysteries grew the minute this family took possession of their new home.

Told from a variety of viewpoints, I found this family a bit different. Nora doesn’t waste much time after the move to sneak off and privately use her phone to call Teddy. Who this Teddy is, I had no idea, but their conversation sure was close and personal. Who is Teddy? Their daughter Stacey enjoys true crime and once the whole family becomes aware of the home’s history, Stacey becomes obsessed with it. She was definitely into figuring things out including who the individual was, that she’s saw watching their house. Individuals get introduced and strange things start to occur that I needed to straightened out. How did this all pertain to the storyline? I liked how some of the characters were able to make some discoveries on their own and how they acted sensible and clever instead of being crazy and stumbling around. There were a few parts in the book that were slow but I did enjoy trying to figure out the various mysteries in the book. I also thought that the ending of the book was rushed and cut-off, it just didn’t fit, compared to how the rest of the book was written. The ending was a big disappointment. 4.0 stars

I received a copy of this book from Scene of the Crime Early Read, Harper Collins, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

I enjoy reading books by Wendy Corsi Staub, and this one didn't disappoint. I was drawn to the story since the beginning of the book, and read it in almost one seating.

The book is told by multiple narrators, with different point of views, and two timelines, and yes, at the beginning the plot was a little confusing, but as the book progresses and we the readers get invested in the story everything starts to click and make sense.

The book has lots of twists and turns making it hard to put down, until we get to the last pages and get confronted with the biggest twist of all.

I was really invested for the first half of this book. I love mystery/thrillers with family dynamics but after the first half I just sort of lost interest. It was a shame because I really had high hopes.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read.

The Other Family by Wendy Corsi Staub is a suspenseful book that kept me guessing until the final chapter. Nora and her family move across the country from California to New York City for her husband's job. It becomes the clean slate they all need. But when they finally find the perfect place to rent in Brooklyn, things go from weird to spooky very quickly. Nora and her family make quick friends with the family up the block, spending all kinds of time with them between the kids and the parents. But her daughter Stacy can feel the spookiness of the whole city. She just can't pinpoint exactly what it is. She feels like she is being watched. She even keeps her blinds closed in her room for fear someone is watching.
Overall, I liked this story. The Other Family was very interesting and kept me wanting to finish. If only I could read quicker. The only thing I would change would be the ending......I really thought it kind of ended without a real explanation. The mystery was solved but I would have liked it tied up a little better. The book flowed nicely and did have some flashbacks but remained very easy to follow. I like the shorter chapters. If I have to stop reading for some reason, I like having a good place to pause. I would definitely recommend The Other Family by Wendy Corsi Staub to others and would definitely like to read some of her other work. 4 stars for me.
#TheOtherFamily #NetGalley

Instagram:
If you’re looking for a psychological thriller that packs most of the punch in the last 10% check out The Other Family by Wendy Corsi Staub. Pictured with my new Tokyo Sun plant from @succulentsdepot. He’s already filling in his planter 🙌🏼 coupon code for 15% off your order at my link in profile. Full review of the book my book blog link in profile.

Blog:
This is a slow burn with most of the action happening at the end. It is told through multiple viewpoints – daughter Stacey, mom Nora, and the man watching the house Jacob. You would think this many viewpoints would remove all surprises, but it does not.

There are a few main conflicts in the book. If you like how these conflicts sound, then you will likely enjoy the read even though it’s a slower burn.

First, there’s Stacey and her mom, Nora. Nora doesn’t like Stacey’s appearance and worries about her psychological state. From Stacey’s viewpoint, she’s just a geekier girl who happens to be into true crime.

Second, there’s Nora and her husband. Their marriage was on thin ice in LA, and they’re hoping the change of scenery to NYC will help. But will it? And who is this Teddy person that Nora keeps secretly calling?

Third, there’s Stacey and her new boyfriend Lennon. He falls head over heels really quickly, but it’s unclear to Stacey if the things he asks for are loving or controlling.

Finally there’s the neighbors down the street who are also Lennon’s moms. His moms seem a bit too pushily friendly to Nora. Is it really just friendship they’re after?

For most of the book, in spite of the watcher, it really reads more like a contemporary women’s fiction. It’s not until the last 10% or so that the thrills come out. They definitely surprised me, but I would have preferred more intensity throughout the book.

If a contemporary women’s fiction covering the types of conflicts described above that ends with a thriller style ending sounds engaging to you, give this one a chance.

GoodReads:
Pretty much all of the thrills and action happen in the last 10% of the book. Up to that point, it's a pretty slow read.

The story was fine until the end. It was so abrupt. There was more there. Would’ve been 4 stars if not for the ending.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital galley. All opinions are my own.

I was drawn into this story immediately by the excellent writing and ominous undertones. It moves swiftly with short chapters, but by about the halfway point, I was still waiting for something to happen. The characters are rather unlikeable, which is fine if that’s what you’re going for. However, it made it hard to connect to or care about any of them. I liked the multiple twists and was not expecting a couple of the revelations, but the ending left a lot to be desired. I think there are about three more chapters somewhere that need to be included in order to tie up all of the loose ends.

This was my first book by Wendy Corsi Staub and I am excited to add a new author to my line up! The Other Family has many interesting storylines - nicely interwoven and connected, but without giving away too much too soon. I continued to be unsure of who I should trust with each new chapter. I loved the structure of the book - each chapter coming from one of three narrators. There were some fascinating, complex relationships throughout the book - familial, parental, and romantic. A big recommend for those that like a suspenseful read, without the gore.