The Family Remains was one of my most anticipated reads for this summer and for very good reason! This went to my top 5 of the year! Lisa Jewell is a master at delivering suspense and mystery like no other author. The Family Upstairs is my favorite book by Jewell, or I should say it was! I know sequels aren’t her norm, so I was pumped when she heard our prayers for more of this story and delivered the absolute perfect sequel! I don’t want to give too much of this story away, but I will say it comes out next month, so if you haven’t read The Family Upstairs yet, why?? For me, it has been awhile since I read The Family Upstairs, but I picked it right up and Jewell does an amazing job of catching the reader up to everything that was happening! This story gave us a closer look at Henry, Lucy and Libby as they move on with life after leaving the house. There is also a new main character introduced and she is a perfect addition! But I have to say… Henry is my favorite! Don’t judge me, he is so messy, but so relatable in the weirdest way 😜

The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell
Rating (5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publishing Date - August 9th 2022
Thank you Netgalley for my arc copy! I was so excited to receive it a few weeks before it’s upcoming release! How exciting to have a sequel to The Family Upstairs! I enjoyed the Family Upstairs but was left wanting answers to many unanswered questions. Of the 2 books , this one is definitely my favorite! The multiple times lines and plots all work together to get a better understanding of what happened to Henry, Lucy, and Libby.

I couldn’t put this one down! If you haven’t read the first book , read it. And if you have read the first book , I hope you enjoy the second book as much as I have.

i didn't realize that this was a continuation of another book by this author. I have not read The Family Upstairs, so I will save this one to read later, once I am able to borrow that book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to add this to my TBR list

3.5 stars

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed The Family Upstairs, I was super excited to see how the plot continues. However, this story was a bit underwhelming.

I thought this novel would take place on a nature reserve in Botswana. But most of the story takes place in Chicago. I was a little disappointed that there weren’t any beautiful descriptions of the land.

I struggled with the pacing of part 1. It felt very slow, but picked up by part 2. My biggest issue with the story is that it felt more like a mystery/family drama than a thriller. I kept expecting a major twist, but it never seemed to come. There were surprises along the way but they didn’t wow me.

You could read this as a standalone, but I recommend reading the first book to understand the character’s backstory and the overall plot. Otherwise, you probably won't feel as much of a connection to the charters.

While this was not my favorite Jewell book, I did enjoy the ending and will not hesitate to pick up her next novel.

Feedback to come on Amazon and B&N on pub day.

Lisa Jewell’s new book “The Family Remains,” is out Aug 9th and I am so excited I was able to read an advanced copy! For those that don’t know, this is the sequel to her twisted book, “The Family Upstairs.” I definitely recommend reading that book first if you have not. Even if you have, you may want to reread it, or find a summary to refresh your memory because there are quite a few characters to keep track of, and the book is amazing!

This sequel starts off when a mudlarker finds a bag of bones in a river and they are linked to the house of horrors where “The Family Upstairs,” is set. At the same time, Rachel finds out her husband, Michael, has been murdered. The books jumps from character to character, and we find out what has happened to Phin, Lucy, Henry and Libby since the last book. I particularly loved the chapters written from Henry’s POV. Lisa really nailed this character and I got chills reading these passages in her book. My only complaint is there is no In-N-Out in Chicago, but that’s the Cali girl in me! Maybe Lisa’s book will make them expand? ;)

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book because it felt like I got closure to the first story. It was a very well done sequel. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Family Remains is the sequel to the eerie and creepy novel, The Family Upstairs. I loved the first book, so I was excited to dive in. This book is being marketed as a standalone sequel, but it should be read as a closure to the fate of the Lamb family and would be helpful if you read both. If you have not read the first book, make sure you do it before this comes out in August because this book will be more enjoyable to read. I was nervous about whether this sequel would be as enjoyable as the first book, but I am glad I was proven wrong!

This book focuses on the Lamb family as they steer life after their post-trauma childhood. We follow Henry as he is on the hunt to find Phin, and then Lucy follows him to Chicago. We also got introduced to a few new characters. We find out how Michael and Rachel are connected to the family. Bones are also found, and they might be related to what happened in that mansion thirty years ago.

This book was an excellent way to end the saga of the Lamb and Thomson families. I liked how this book was more character-driven. I also felt that the way everything was tied together was perfect. This book did not have many twists or turns, but I thought it was still a page-turner, and it was still easy to get consumed in the family drama again.

Thank you to NetGallery and to Atria Books for giving me a copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for this E-ARC.

Due to the content of this book, and the many characters I feel like I should have revisited The Family Upstairs before reading this.

Although described as a standalone sequel I would advise reading The Family Upstairs before taking the plunge into this.

Once you get a sense of the characters and their role/significance the plot quickens, and becomes very intriguing. There are plenty of information drops and cliffhangers keeping you guessing until the end.

The Family Remains is set to be published August 9,2022!

Well goodness! I didn't realize when selecting this book it was a companion to the first book. I enjoyed being reunited with these characters and seeing what happens later in their lives. Well done Lisa Jewell.

I was so excited I almost didn’t believe it when I saw Lisa Jewell was writing a Family Upstairs sequel. I loved the first book so much, and it still I with me for years. Returning to Lucy and Henry’s lives was another immersive, twisty experience. Henry is such a layered, unique character and I truly enjoyed seeing him navigate everything that was thrown back at him in this book. The conclusion of the Lambs’ story was bittersweet, but also very fitting. If you loved The Family Upstairs, you’ll love spending more time with these characters.

I enjoyed this book it was engrossing and a fast-paced read. Jewell masterfully weaves the storyline from The Family Upstairs into this sequel and the story I had read a couple years ago quickly came back to me. I liked getting to know the characters better, their weaknesses and strengths. I highly recommend this book and for a better experience suggest reading The Family Upstairs first.

ARC was provided by Atria Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Expected Pub Date: 23 Aug 2022

I’ve read all of Lisa Jewell’s books and this is hands down her best. Much more emotional than her previous stories and I loved the detective! She’s already on my library’s auto-buy list, but I will be recommending this to patrons left and right!

I just read the family upstairs in March, and it amazes me with how many of the details I had forgotten! Thankfully I have persuaded a friend to read it and she just finished it so we were able to discuss The Family Upstairs as a recap!
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The Family Remains has such a perfect title for the story. While Lucy and Henry are still using different names to hide their identity, all of that changes when the truth starts to come out in this book. When Birdies remains are found, much investigating starts to lead back to the house in Chelsea, the House of horrors. All of this investigating has police asking questions, and people's true identities and the secrets that everyone thought died in that house coming alive.
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Some things you can't run away from forever. While reading the first book, you may not realize that there are loose ends, but after you finish this one you will feel that everything has been tied up in a perfect bow.
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I highly recommend this series, if you haven't read the first one, make sure you get it and preorder the The Family Remains !

You need to read the Family Upstairs before you read this book as it has same characters and starts off where the other book ended.

A mudlarker finds human bones along the Thames and calls the police. The bones lead them to Chelsea, and the house of horrors. It has finally been sold and the former residents are trying to move on with their lives. They are all damaged and the bones bring back memories they would rather not have. Lucy and Henry will have to face their past in order to move forward.

What I liked is you aren't sure exactly who the killer is. They are so many different small stories going on and fun to see how they all connect. Such a gripping page turner you just want to block out the world and read in one sitting.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! This is the long-awaited sequal to the Family Upstairs (a book that will stay with you long after setting it down). This book contains two stories/crimes (the deaths of Michael Rimmer and Birdie Dunlop-Evers) as well as the quest for Phin. Fans of the first book will certainly want to pick this one up and should be satisfied overall with the story and characters. 4.5 stars.

This was the perfect addition to the Family Upstairs. It’s laced with mystery, drama, and kept me guessing until the end while also giving great background and fill in to the original story. I do wish I would have reread the first one just to familiarize myself with the story and the people again. In the beginning I was trying so hard to remember the first book and piece it to this one but once I just let the story unfold, the story flew by. I liked the alternating timelines and multiple POVs. I admire the way Jewell was able to weave together the different storylines and characters so well while still keeping the mystery throughout. This is more a family drama mystery than an out right thriller but I enjoyed it immensely.

Thirty years after the events that changed all their lives, the children of the Cheyne Walk have all grown up and moved on, mostly. Their lives are far from usual but they’ve all done their best to piece together their lives. Lucy and Henry are eager to hunt down the mysterious Phin, halfway around the world. But when bones are found and traced back to their childhood home, they’re thrown into the investigation and the lives they’ve done to know could be at jeopardy.


I do wish each chapter would have mentioned whos POV it was like it was down with Samuel, sometimes it would take me a bit to figure out where we were in the story and it took away from the enjoyment a bit, especially in the beginning.

Thank you atria and NetGalley for early access!

In The Family Remains we are presented with the "stand-alone" sequel to The Family Upstairs. I'm not sure I agree with that categorization as it certainly tied up a lot of loose ends from the previous book and built upon the events of that book. Jewell does a wonderful job filling in any gaps in the readers memories, but at the same time I think this is a book best enjoyed having read the first book about the tragic and troubled Lamb family.

As I mentioned, the story lines are wrapped up neatly and very nicely. Perhaps a bit too nicely, but it was satisfying to see happy endings for Lucy and her children especially. I'm glad I was able to read this novel and would certainly recommend it to readers of The Family Upstairs who were left with far too many questions at its conclusion.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

I'm not really sure The Family Upstairs demanded a sequel. I hadn't actually realized this was a sequel until I started reading and thinking these plot points feel very familiar. I looked up a summary of The Family Upstairs to refresh my memory and instead found a review that was very upset about how the author seemed to equate homosexuality with being psychotic. I have to admit, this ended up coloring my own feelings toward Henry in this book. Henry is characterized as an aging queer, vain and deeply sociopathic and it does make it feel like his sexuality is somehow tied into these other traits. I'm not certain it's homophobic but problematic at best. Ultimately too, for a character painted as the family's Dexter, it's disappointing that really all he needed was for someone to care and someone to talk to. Well, no shit - some therapy would probably greatly help everyone in this family. The Family Remains didn't really add much to the character journeys of Henry and Lucy. It introduces the character of Rachel, Lucy's ex-husband's second wife. While Rachel is very likable and I rooted for her, her story is so unnecessary. It literally reads like Lucy's marriage to Michael and just adds that he was a serial abuser. I like Jewell's books but ultimately I don't think this one added anything to the original.

Such a good follow up to the family upstairs. I loved revisiting all the characters and seeing how everything came back to add up in the end. I felt really nostalgic reading this. Overall it was a “feel good” book for me. One of my favorite parts was the kids tracking down Henry, it felt thrilling to read them use their skills at such a young age to catch up to him. Also loved the different timelines and POVS and how it made me feel like I just needed to keep reading one more chapter to figure out actually happened. This book kept me up until 3AM because I literally couldn’t stop. Loved it!

In a sequel to the dark thriller, The Family Upstairs, the police have discovered Birdie's remains and start to investigate what really happened in the house. With the police asking questions, Lucy is terrified they will find out that she killed her ex-husband, while at the same time we learn the backstory of Michael and his second wife. Meanwhile, Henry's obsession with Finn continues as he tries to track Finn down in Chicago.

Confused? You need to read the first book (and probably refresh your memory with a summary) because Jewell jumps right in where the last book left off. Admittedly, it was fun to see what happened to all the characters from The Family Remains. Yet, on the whole, the sequel felt completely unnecessary. Far from adding much to the story, Jewell stripped out the darker elements that made The Family Upstairs so memorable and went with a slow-burn character study.

QUICK TAKE: not sure why we had to give the minor rape storyline from THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS an even bigger spotlight, but here we are. As a standalone book, I had big issues with THE FAMILY REMAINS. The stalker brother storyline never really lands, and ultimately I found the entire book a bit soft (I needed more cults and murder). That being said, I think reading TFU and TFR back-to-back as one big story might be a more rewarding reading experience.