So, what do you do when you guess a major twist early on in a book? Do you stop reading because you think you know what happens, or do you trust the author enough to keep reading and see if you’re right – and if there is anything else up their sleeve?
This was my dilemma with this book. I was so certain that I was right that I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep reading. Fortunately, I went with my gut and chose the latter. I’m glad I did because there was a lot more to unpack than met the eye.
The author did a great job of keeping the reader off-balance as to who was the good guy and who was the bad – as if those lines were easily drawn anyway. There were more than a few additional twists, some pretty nifty character projection and final pages that completely cast the whole previous story in a different light.
I thought Sara was a unique character. On the surface, she seemed like a normal, shy person who had a routine that she preferred to stick to (rather than try new things). However, it became very clear that there were a lot of undercurrents to her and that was largely a façade.
To me, the way she treated Poppy was indicative on how she felt about people and animals in general while also illustrating how damaged her psyche was.
How’s that for not being a spoiler?
I found Bradley to be quite a conundrum, and kudos to the author for that as well. I was never sure of his status (friend, foe, faker, or fatality) – I thought he was each of these at one point or another throughout the story.
I did think that Sara and Bradley’s relationship was the perfect example of “like attracts like” because they were more similar than either of them realized.
There were a few parts that seemed to be glossed over, or the explanation didn’t entirely ring true to me. Even after finishing the story and realizing why the author made those choices, I still wasn’t entirely sure. But it wasn’t enough to keep me from liking the book.
And actually, while reflecting on it to write this review, I am realizing just how twisted and complicated the entire story was. If there was ever a book that could be described as an “intricate web of connections and half-truths” this is the one.
As I am going down this thought path now, even more connections and questions are popping up in my mind. I rarely go back and read a book a second time these days; there are too many good books and not enough time.
But now I’m thinking I may need to with this one, because I’m pretty sure that I missed a lot of subtlety in the events.
I guess that is the sign of a great book, right? One that keeps you thinking and wondering what you missed? But you should read it for yourself and see what you think.

If you’re looking for a psychological thriller to sink your teeth into, Richmonde’s latest suspense-filled novel abounding with red herrings is for you. But what stood out for me in The Guilty Sister was how she’d switched from first-person to third, making it work to a tee. The smooth shift between alternative points of view also gave me the ability to relate to her characters. I might not have liked them all; however, this is something I value highly. The title of the book, a controversy at its best. The cover, fabulous.

Firstly, I liked how the author didn’t begin the story at the start. The reader gets Sara’s thoughts in the worst of surroundings, but—she doesn’t exactly let on to the whys and wherefores. I thought words broached were the key. My assumption of what was going to happen was what it was, and I can’t say much more without spoiling the read for you. But the intro sets off a series of events that made me think out loud.

Past and present eventually come together—and how this happens is mind-blowing. In the interim, I learnt how one identical twin sister felt about the other, but more important was him. Him being Bradley, the observer...the one who breaks the ice under circumstances that are akin to something that melted my heart. I’ll get back to that later. Yes, his persuasive ways hit my Achille’s heel. But his stance didn’t give me the vibes I was looking for. Why? I have yet to fathom out why he appeared to me to be the perfect match for Sara. Blinking heck, he’s gorgeous, well-established and needs for nothing. Yet all seemed too good to be true.

The personality contrasts connecting Cecilia and Sara are exceptionally well done. I worried about her appearance and her reasons, which you’ll have to find out for yourselves. Seeing that they are like chalk and cheese in just about every aspect, my imagination ran riot, as yours will too. What was Cice’s game? How would she react when her sister had found the love of life? And with whom? Is there more than meets the eye?

Totally in keeping with the tone of the story, the author kept my interest in her love for four-legged friends. What I also really liked was her descriptive writing. Richmonde paid time to every detail without ever exaggerating. Kudos deserved because repetition is the bane of my reading experience.

Ooh. My. Goodness. If one twist reared its head, another was fast on its tail. That said, I have tried to be as evasive as possible not to spoil this read for you, and hope you’ll love it as much as I did. Bravo, Richmonde!

ARC kindly received from Bookouture via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is very good. It has lots of twists and a few surprises along the way. It's well written and makes you wonder what is going on? Who can you trust?

Twins, Sara and Cece, are mirror images of each other. They are identical to the point that not even their own parents could tell them apart. The only difference being a small mole on Cece's cheek. They were so alike and so in-tune to each other that they had their own language. They were so alike, but also so different. One being very outgoing. A party girl. The other shy and more of a bookworm.

These girls were raised by parents who did work in other countries helping people. They were doctors. They were from Switzerland but living and working in Africa most of the time. The twins were born in New York. In the USA. That is where the story takes place. New York. Sara's story for the most part. She's trying to distance herself from Cece. Move on and make a life. Cece did something that hurt Sara very bad.

Sara meets Bradley in the park while taking her dog, Poppy out for her walk and playtime. Poppy is a rescue who was hit by a car and left. Sara took her to the vet and now loves her dearly. Poppy uses a pup wheelchair to move her back part. She may one day walk again. If Sara has anything to do with it she will. Bradley sees Sara in the park and is instantly attracted to her. He's dressed to the nines and reeks of money. From his three piece suits with expensive ties to the watch he wears. They become great friends and go out on a few dates. But both have deep secrets. They learn things about each other that just didn't add up. Bradley is a bit of a mystery. He definitely has a lot to hide.

This book is told from a few POVs. Mainly Sara and Bradley but also Mrs Scott and her son Jack. Mrs Scott pupsits for Poppy when Sara has things to do where she can't take her with her. Mrs Scott and Jack have a few secrets of their own. Some I sure didn't see coming.

Sara and Cece's parents were killed in a car wreck ten years prior. You will find out about that and how it happened too. A lot of things are going on but it's easy to follow.

I have to admit that I figured out one big plot theme pretty early on. It did not take away from the story in any way though. I kept turning the pages to find out what exactly was going on and who exactly did what. The ending reveals a shocker for sure. I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read for me. One I just couldn't put down.

Thank you #NetGalley, #ArianneRichmonde, #Bookouture for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

4/5 stars, lost one because I did figure it out. I do recommend it though. It's very good. You won't be sorry.

I have loved the authors previous books and this continued with this one,a book about secrets,lies and deceit that is packed with with twists and turns, again as always the descriptions of the area etc are wonderful,loved this book

Wow, what a great topsy-turvy book full of plot twists and turns. Sara, a book cover designer meets Bradley in Central Park whilst walking her dog Poppy Delight. They fall for each other but she fails to tell him about her twin sister Cecilia, a successful Instagram Influencer until Cecilia says she wants to meet him. And then Cecilia goes missing, Sara soon becomes under suspicion, not realising that Bradley is also keeping secrets from her. Is anybody who they claim to be. With social media does anybody live the life they claim too. How easy is it to embellish the truth. Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

The book was great, interesting characters, fast changing and twisting plot- exactly what I love! I would recommend this book to my friends and family!

Sara is quiet and mostly sticks to the familiar ~ her apartment where she also works and Central Park where she walks her 'handi-capable'' dog. Quite the opposite of Cecilia, her twin, who is an influencer on Instagram with a million followers.

Bradley spies Sara and is intrigued by her. After watching from afar, he eventually inserts himself into her life with the thought that just maybe she is the one for him. Sara keeps him at a distance as she is leery and suspects the relationship is doomed. Especially if Cecilia makes an appearance and ruins it all.

Even though I had an inkling of where the story was going early on, I still enjoyed the journey, Wonderful descriptions of the settings.

A fascinating thriller that looks at identity, deceit and family

If there is one thing I know to expect from an Arianne Richmonde thriller, it’s beautifully described locations and a thrilling twist (or three - which often make it a challenge to review without giving the game away!). One Happy Family delivers both in abundance. I felt transported to NYC whilst reading this and could literally feel the breeze through the Central Park trees. The book feels like a love letter to the city that Richmonde confirms is her favourite place in the world in the acknowledgments. It’s also the perfect setting for this dark and complex thriller about identity, relationships and the lies we tell others. I’m sure it’s not by accident that this novel is set in a city where it’s easy to be anonymous. However, the underlying darkness is offset against the lush and extravagant locations and the pure and natural Central Park in particular.

This story, as I’ve found with all of Richmonde’s books that I’ve read, is very much about the central character’s journey. Sara has a troubled past, a fractious relationship with her twin sister Cece and a reluctance to let love into her life. Her only real companion is her wonderful rescue dog, Poppy Delight - who she rescued after being hit by a car and describes as handi-capable! - and her neighbour Mrs. Scott. When she meets Bradley, her walls gradually crumble, but despite the overwhelming romanticism, Richmonde manages to layer so much underlying tension in these scenes. I was kept constantly guessing as to Bradley’s intentions, the real reason for Sara’s wariness of a relationship and how both their pasts interlinked with the wider narrative. The main aspect that I loved about this novel was the fact that I didn’t know where it was going, as there were so many directions it could have taken. I really enjoyed Sara’s journey of self-discovery and was fully engrossed in all the twists and turns of her story. Similarly, the mystery and tension built around Bradley’s story was compelling reading and really couldn’t work out his angle. Richmonde has built a really deep and complex narrative that slowly peels away to reveal its devastating core. It’s intense and often rather dark, but it’s imbued with a refreshing lightness at points that helps give a plausibility to the complicated romance at the centre of the plot.

I also really enjoyed the style Richmonde has adopted. Moving the narrative between a present day police interview with Sara and the events that have lead up to it, there is an immediate sense of dread and anticipation for something bad to happen. This feeling of unease moves throughout the entire narrative and I was waiting on tenterhooks to find out exactly why Sara was in the interview. Richmonde is masterful at planting subtle clues throughout the narrative, which are sometimes enough to help readers have an inkling of what one of the twists might be, but I’ve never been able to see the full picture! As such, I’m always left agog with how everything slots together in such a clever and satisfying way. This is what keeps me coming back for more from Richmonde and you’ll always find me at the front of the queue awaiting her next novel!

Sara Keller loves her handicap dog, Poppy. She actually considers the little dog her savior. Sara loves to take Poppy and stroll through Central Park every day for fresh air and a chance to get outside. Little does Sara know that a complete stranger is watching her. Bradley finally gets the courage to speak to Sara and Poppy.

This encounter in the park leads to the two of them dating. Bradley learns later in their relationship that Sara is hiding a secret. Sara has an "Instagram Star" twin sister. Once he looks her up, he is obsessed with finding out more about the gorgeous twin sister. As one thing leads to another, Bradley uncovers secrets about Sara's family.

This novel has twists and turns until the very last page. If you are looking for a good thriller to read curled up on the couch, look no more!

For plot twist junkies and fans of psychological suspense and thrillers, this book could be a totally engrossing read for you.

It’s my second love psycho thriller book I’ve read this year. Yet, it has given me creeping thrills that I’ve even forget the worries of the world at the moment. I find its theme intriguing because it is about identity. It addresses one of the current issues the society is dealing with – sharing an idealized versions of themselves on social media.

I find this book so compelling because of the unsettling questions from each POV of the characters. The ongoing tensions in every scene are engaging. The moment I am reading the first few pages of the book, I can feel the excitement of the unexpected twists from one chapter to another. It has been cracking my head overnight exploring the characters’ innermost thoughts and motivations. The surprise element satisfies me to challenge myself intellectually.

All I can say is that every character in this book has a dark side. What I like most in the story? It has a radical change in the direction through the ending of the story. There are no disappointments felt in this book. It literally encourages its readers to read in between the lines.

A huge thank you to @netgalley and @bookouture for granting my request to enjoy this opportunity to read an eARC in exchange of an unbiased review. I love the bonus sneak peek of The Newly Weds by the author herself @arianne_richmonde

This book started off slowly but then the twists started. By 75% of the book it turned into a gripping story. Very enjoyable

Thank you NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

One Happy Family is filled with mystery, suspense, and secrets. Lots and lot of secrets. The story mainly centers around Sara, Poppy ( her adorable handicapable pup), and Bradley. Sara meets Bradley in Central Park where she walks her pup Poppy Delight everyday. I went into this book not knowing a thing. Just that is was a psychological thriller. I am so glad that I did. It has twists and turns and keeps you guessing until the end and there is definitely a twist. Multiple twists. I’d like to share details and be more specific, but I think this story is best read with little information going in. What I can say is that the book was extremely well written. I never got bored and stayed up wanting to read more. Always wondering and questioning who was telling the truth and what were they hiding? I love that the author didn’t give too much away too early. I felt like she gave you just enough information to keep you interested and the mysteries continuing all the way to the end. Pick up this book! I highly recommend it for an easy-to-read psychological thriller. It definitely made me want to look up more books from this author to add to my TBR.

This book started out very slow for me. For me It was Just a ok book. But the twisted ending saved the book in my opinion. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read This e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had so much twists and turns, just when I thought the book was going one way, there's a twist thrown in to surprise me. Nobody is who I thought they were.

Plot twist after plot twist, this was an amazingly well written, thought out thriller. Usually when I read a book I can sort of guess a potential plot twist or who done it, but not with One Happy Family. I was completely blindsided not once, but twice!

Sara is a young woman living in New York while working from home as a graphic designer and caring for her special needs dog Poppy. Sara is an introvert and is happy with her small social bubble consisting of dog walkers at Central Park and her next door neighbour Mrs Scott. The last thing Sara wants is to date. But Bradley has other ideas.

Bradley sees Sara at Central Park one day walking her dog Poppy and instantly becomes obsessed with her. Convinced she is the woman of his dreams and his future wife. Bradley calculates their first meeting and pursues Sara with patience and persistence. At first, Sara is reluctant to get involved with Bradley as she has a troubling past and secrets she does not want Bradley to discover. She especially wants to keep her identical twin Cece a secret. Although identical, Cece is everything Sara is not. Confident, sexy, strong willed and Instagram famous. According to Sara, Cece has a history of ruining things for her, including her happiness and love life.

Slowly Bradley’s gentle persistence in pursuing Sara pays off and they start dating. But what Sara does not realize is that she is not the only one with secrets. Bradley’s whole life is one big sham and just like Sara, he too has demons and secrets that he wants to hide.

While casually dating, Bradley and Sara have managed to hide their secrets from one another until the day that Bradley discovers that Sara has an identical twin. Bradley becomes obsessed with meeting Cece but Sara refuses. She explains she and her twin have a tumultuous relationship and are no longer on speaking terms. But Bradley can’t resist reaching out to Cece after he discovers her Instagram page, and begs her to meet up with him. Secretly Cece and Bradley meet up and this is the beginning of the end of Sara and Bradley as their dark secrets and lies come tumbling out.

Thank you so much NetGalley UK, Bookouture and Arianne Richmonde for my advanced readers electronic copy of One Happy Family in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I absolutely loved this book and am so thankful to have been introduced to a new to me fabulous writer. One Happy Family will be released October 19th 2021!

I liked the very first chapter of this book a lot but unfortunately I thought this dragged up until the very end. The pace was too slow and it didn't hold my interest. The last 25% of the book was exciting, but it took a lot of patience to get there

One Happy Family?? One really messed up family! I loved it! Everyone is living a life of secrets and no one is quite who they seem. Lots of twists and unexpected turns. Arianne Richmonde has done it again!

I enjoyed this book and it did have some twists, but I felt the ending twist wasn't given enough. It was like they just suddenly ended the book, by wrapping it all up in 5 pages.

Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for approving my request to read this book.

I really enjoyed the book and its setting (New York – I honestly felt like I was there, too) and its main characters: Sara, Cecilia, Bradley and Poppy.

Sara and Cecilia are identical, mirror twins, however their personalities are polar opposites. Sara is quiet and reserved, she works as an artist designing book covers. If she isn’t working then she is relishing her moments with Poppy, a rescue dog, who is also disabled. Sara is a devoted mum to her dog, taking her to hydrotherapy sessions and for walks around Central Park. The love she feels for that animal shines through each page, it is amazing to include an animal character – pets do feature in books but usually they are on the side-lines – here we have Poppy who is one of the main characters in the story. I applaud Arianne Richmonde for that.

On the other hand, Cecilia is glamorous, vivacious and has a great following on Instagram. She is an influencer, posting shots of herself in snappy bikinis on Thailand beaches, where she lives. As we read we find out that something has happened between the twins, as children they were inseparable, but as they grew older, their relationship became fraught. The twins’ parents died when the girls were teenagers and one of the twins was to blame…

One day, when Sara is walking Poppy in Central Park, she bumps into Bradley, a handsome and charismatic banker working on Wall Street. He is always immaculately dressed in three piece suits, wearing designer watches and shoes. He lives in a penthouse overlooking Central Park, and appears to be an affluent man. He is perfect, almost too good to be true. He is immediately drawn to Sara and actively starts pursuing her. Sara is somewhat reluctant to start with, but she cannot resist his charms and they become a couple. Sara invites Bradley to meet her Aunt Jenny (who is like a Mum to her) and right away, she dislikes Bradley.

Other people in Sara’s life have their doubts about him too and in his apartment, she finds items of clothing belonging to different women. What is he hiding?

Soon, Sara and Bradley’s peace is shattered when Cecelia appears back on the scene – she flies into New York and tries to reconcile with Sara, to no avail. However, Bradley seems very keen, almost too keen to meet Cece. Will he go behind Sara’s back?

Then, Cece goes missing… did Sara have something to do with her sister’s disappearance? Or was it Bradley? Or someone else entirely? You’ll have to read the book to find out for yourself. Brace yourself for a twist, too – I did not see that one coming!
You can find this review on my blog: https://monikareads.wordpress.com/2021/10/06/one-happy-family-by-arianne-richmonde/

Wow twisty and at times tense….. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Arianne Richmonde!

Sara lives a solitary happy life as a graphic designer in New York City with her handi-capable dog Poppy. On one of her many walks in Central Park she catches the eye of handsome and wealthy fellow New Yorker, Bradley, and after a bit of convincing she finally gives in to a date with him which leads to a slow burning romance. However, both Sara and Bradley are hiding huge secrets from each other. Honesty in a relationship is a very important thing, so can a romance really work when both sides of a couple are lying to each other?

After reading “The Newly Weds” earlier in the year by Arianne Richmond I knew I would be in for a treat reading this new offering and I was not wrong. I didn’t quite trust either of the main characters from the beginning and I was correct in thinking this. I admit I did guess the main twist at just over halfway through (at the Michelin starred restaurant with the red dress) however this did not, in any way, ruin the rest of the book for me as although it worked out that I was right, I wanted to read on just to make sure I was correct. Whilst reading this there were so many times when my head was spinning, and I honestly didn’t know who to trust and which way was up which was just brilliant.

If you want a twisty, tense suspenseful psychological thriller then look no further than this book! I highly recommend it. I look forward to reading future books by Arianne Richmonde.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Arianne Richmonde for my advanced reading copy. Due out 19th October 2021.