The Family Remains is the second book in The Family Upstairs series but can be read as a stand alone. This thriller explores uncovering truth, troubled pasts, and protecting loved ones. The author addresses some heavy subjects in this story: rape, sexual assault, gaslighting, physical and emotional abuse, child abuse, suicide to name a few. I ended up switch from the audiobook on Scribd and reading the physical book. Overall, I thought this was okay. There are multiple perspectives and short chapters which were nice. I wasn’t invested in the characters as I usually am. I found the pacing to be slow at times. I was slightly curious to see how it would all end since I loved The Family Upstairs. I’m not sure if I would have enjoyed this book more if I read it back to back with The Family Upstairs. Lisa Jewell is a hit or miss author for me. If you love her books, this may be up your alley.

Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me access to this book. I didn't realize this was a sequel to a previous book. I will say I followed it pretty smoothly without reading the first book. I felt the book captured my attention and kept me to the end. I think that there are plenty of readers who will enjoy this book - good book for people who enjoy psychological thrillers.

The writing was superb, the twisted tales unraveled at a perfect pace and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was the kind of novel where you weren't sure where it was going, not because Jewell wasn't sure but because it seemed like the characters themselves were unsure. It felt so real, like the characters and their flaws jumped off the page. It was honestly unlike anything else I have ever read because it's a unique story and a unique writing style.

A follow up to the first Lisa Jewell novel I picked up. I should have revisted a summary of The Family Upstairs before diving into this one as I forgot everyone's names and relations. It all started to come back to me fairly quickly. This wasn't as spectacular to me as the first, of course, but I was very much drawn to the Rachel/Michael story. I found that piece of it to be very interesting, while somewhat neutral about the other bits. Overall, I enjoyed it, and glad I was able to wrap up the narrative of these people. I can't assume a third installment of this will come, but whatever is next for Lisa Jewell is next for me, as well.

When I realized The Family Remains was a sequel, I went to see if I'd read the first book. I hadn't marked it finished on Goodreads, but recognized the "house of horrors" concept and realized it was a book I'd started and returned to the library after I found it too creepy.

What to do? I didn't really want to read the first book, but I did want to try the book. So I did, and I am here to tell you that you don't need to have read The Family Upstairs to enjoy The Family Remains.

If you haven't read the first book, or forgot it, The Family Remains provides a helpful list of characters at the opening. In addition, some of the characters re-cap the events of the first book. Which was enough for me, because the events of the first book sounded pretty horrific!

The Family Remains takes place years after the first book. It gives an update on the "family" (I use the term loosely as they are connected by shared trauma) of the first book, but also centers around the murder of someone who was present in the house in book one. (I had no idea who this person was, but maybe you will.)

I loved the lead detective in the case, Samuel Owusu. Since I felt like a bit of an outsider with the other characters, who were all connected by a strange past I wasn't familiar with, I really bonded with him and his diligent pursuit of the murderer.

The other main plot of the book involved the "family's" search for Phin, one of the house of horrors victims, and the story of Rachel, a jewelry designer (haha, Lisa Jewell) whose narrative intersects with that of the "family."
Happy to be a new-ish fan of Lisa Jewell!

Oh man, this book was so incredibly disappointing. It was just so boring. The POV of the police was so boring, the one of Rachel was really good but the connection to the others was meh, Henry's POV was ridiculous in his obsession with Phin and Lucy's chapters didn't offer any more than reacting to what Henry was doing. There was no real mystery, no thrills, no creepiness and the ending was somewhat unsatisfying.

This was a really good follow up novel from the family upstairs.
I’m really great full for the opportunity of being able to read this book thank you!

A truly great follow up to The Family upstairs. While this is a sequel, it can be read as a stand alone story. The story follows 3 siblings that escape unthinkable circumstances and abuse while growing up. And highlights the lengths they’ve went to to reinvent and rewrite their stories. This psychological thriller will keep you on your toes and will shock and surprise you until the final chapter.

A great read, but predictable. I find a lot of Jewell’s books to be slow at the beginning, but the answer can be found early on.

If you are looking for a great mystery, suspense, or thriller don’t look here. However, if you are looking for closer to The Family Upstairs, this is exactly where you should look and you will not be disappointed.

Thank you Netgalley, Lisa Jewell, and the publishers for the ARC. #Netgalley #LisaJewell
#thefamilyremains

Early one morning on the shore of the Thames, DCI Samuel Owusu is called to the scene of a gruesome discovery. When Owusu sends the evidence for examination, he learns the bones are connected to a cold case that left three people dead on the kitchen floor in a Chelsea mansion thirty years ago.

Rachel Rimmer has also received a shock—news that her husband, Michael, has been found dead in the cellar of his house in France. All signs point to an intruder, and the French police need her to come urgently to answer questions about Michael and his past that she very much doesn’t want to answer.

After fleeing London thirty years ago in the wake of a horrific tragedy, Lucy Lamb is finally coming home. While she settles in with her children and is just about to purchase their first-ever house, her brother takes off to find the boy from their shared past whose memory haunts their present.

As they all race to discover answers to these convoluted mysteries, they will come to find that they’re connected in ways they could have never imagined.

Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Family Remains is a sequel to Lisa Jewell’s The Family Upstairs. The first book left be feeling very underwhelmed. The Family Remains was a redemption. Several pieces of the story were the same, but the storytelling and angle was a lot better.

This book was wonderfully written. Jewell does a great job sharing clues for the conclusion of the story.

4 stars

The author takes you right back to the story of a clearly dysfunctional family. Libby, Lucy, Henry and Phil revisit old history and try to reckon with the past. When we read and follow each member of the family we can see the desperate need for closure and healing. It is a book unlike any other and provides an immense needed closure.

Propulsive thriller that is the rare sequel to surpass the first book in quality and depth of character.

The Family Remains is a sequel to The Family Upstairs so I'm not going to spoil anything, but in my opinion the first one was alright up until the end when stuff starting happening. Basically this one has all the good parts of the first one with an added character (who I loved) and drama I didn't see coming. We get rich people drama, women's revenge, and family secrets allll the best parts of the thriller genre.

Definitely recommend but you have to read The Family Upstairs first. **Also sexual assault trigger warning**

LISA JEWELL. A great sequel to the original, The Family Upstair.s I recommend reading the first book and then jumping into this one!

Although this says it is a stand alone book, I think a reader would be lost without having read The Family Upstairs. I had a hard time following the storyline since it had been a long time since I read the first book. I was able to finish the book but I found it a disappointing read. However, I will anxiously await the next Lisa Jewell book.

Lisa Jewell has written her first sequel to The Family Upstairs. The Family Remains is an intricately plotted mystery with multiple plot lines woven together. Two women are connected through a 30 year old cold case that resulted in three murders.

When a pile of bones are discovered by the side of the river, Detective Samuel Osuwu must discover new leads for a decades old case. Lucy Lamb and her brother, Henry, are now grown children in their 30s and 40s but they’re still trying to deal with the trauma of their childhood (covered in the first book The Family Upstairs). After surviving years of poverty and reconnecting with the daughter she had at 14, Lucy is about to move into her own home. Henry Lamb is still obsessed with Phin Thomsen and won’t rest until he has reconnected with him. Meanwhile, Rachel Rimmer has just learned of her husband’s death. Police suspect his criminal connections may be the cause but Rachel is convinced her first wife, Lucy is to blame.

Jewell’s psychological thriller is gritty and suspenseful. The novel works as a stand alone but I believe it’s stronger if you have read the first in the series. The trauma, domestic abuse and family secrets will have you cringing but the twists will keep you reading to the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for ARC in return for an honest review.

Honestly, I DNFed this title. I read the first book and was looking forward to the second. But no where did I get the same edge of your seat feeling the last book provided. I just didn't get into it at all.

DI Samuel Owusu stands on the banks of the Thames and watches as his forensic team sorts through a bag of bones. They definitely are human and the individual was tiny, either a child or a small adult. There is some fabric and detritus with the bones so Samuel has hopes it will lead him to the identity of the person.

A short time later, Samuel learns the bones are of a small woman. Utilizing the evidence from the disposal bag, his team has identified her blood type, hair color, and a possible career as a dancer based on the damage to her feet. Now he feels he has enough information for them to review missing person reports to find her name. It is not long before they learn her name, Birdie Dunlop-Evers. A call to the family reveals she disappeared twenty-some years ago. Birdie’s brother gives him a clue to where Birdie may have gone when she left home.
Another murder occurs, this time in France. Are they related? Read and find out!

I can see why this book hit the NYT list. It was wonderfully written and Lisa Jewell doles out the clues at a pace that keeps the reader guessing throughout the entire book. This is my first book by Lisa Jewell. I plan to add her to my favorite author’s club. This is for people who like the suspense/thrillers from writer Lucy Foley.