The Family Remains is the sequel to The Family Upstairs. You can comfortably read this one as a standalone, but I feel it would be better to recommend reading the first installment prior to get the full picture.

On a positive note, The Family Remains answers some questions I had at the end of the first novel. On the other hand, I didn't find this installment incredibly memorable or engaging. I'm a big fan of Lisa Jewell, but this just wasn't a hit for me.

2.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

I'm mad that I sat on this book for so long. It's the sequel of The Family Upstairs. Lisa Jewell writes so many compelling characters. I went through the range of emotions with the characters in this book. I never thought I'd want Lisa Jewell to write a series, but this makes me change my mind.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital arc copy of The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell.

Oh man, I wanted to love this so much but it felt so unnecessary. It felt like an extended epilogue that could have been much shorter. I enjoyed hearing what happened to these kids, now adults, after book 1 ended, but it was left with a semi open end again which doesn't make sense to me, as we do not need a third book in my opinion. I love this authors writing, and she flows things together so well. She tied up any of my unanswered questions, but this totally could have been a novella.

Thank you to NetGalleyShelf, the publishing House and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for review based upon my honest opinion.

I’ve always loved this authors books, and the first book in this series was really good and I remember telling everybody about it and recommending that they read it. I was very excited to see that this book was kind of a continuation of the first story and I was completely underwhelmed with this book. I had a really hard time getting into it and I didn’t really think it lived up to the first book at all. This is gonna be a pass for me

The Family Remains was a mostly pleasant surprise for me after having read a multitude of lukewarm reviews. While I do agree that this sequel was probably unnecessary, and a risk given the critical acclaim of The Family Upstairs, it did manage to retain the traits that make a Lisa Jewell read absolutely unmissable.

A shocking discovery in London will lead investigators to a cold case that left three people dead over thirty years before. Returning to London for the first time after a thirty year absence, Lucy finds herself haunted by a memory as her brother searches for a boy from their shared past. Rachel, meanwhile, receives news that her husband has died in France, forcing her to revisit a past that she thought was gone forever. In light of the discovery on the banks of the Thames, each of these people will learn that they are connected in ways that they could have never foreseen.

Marketed as a sequel to the compulsively readable The Family Upstairs, this can be easily read as a standalone. While this narrative felt a little chaotic at times, and will probably not rank as a favourite, I will never miss an opportunity to read anything and everything from this talented author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC.

Thank you to Simon And Schuster Canada for a copy of The Family Remains for review. This one is the sequel I’m not sure I ever needed. The characters are definitely interesting ones and I liked how the investigation from the last book continues into this one but for me this one definitely fell short of drama and storyline compared to the first. It just didn’t drag me in the same way.

I really enjoyed this new one from Lisa Jewell. I feel like her books are always pretty great reads and she knows how to keep me turning the pages.

I will say that this one is definitely more of a suspense novel than a thriller. There is nothing wrong with that, just a warning of what to expect when you go in.

While I really liked this one and it can be read as a stand alone, I would recommend reading The Family Upstairs first. I read that one so long ago that I actually forgot some things, so even a re-read for me would have been helpful!

I liked the different perspectives, the multiple timelines, the mystery of it all and the way the whole story unfolded. No spoilers here but if you enjoy Lisa Jewell, I think you would enjoy this book!

Lisa Jewell can be hit or miss for me and while I loved her last book, this one had a bit too much going on for me. Multiple POVs and different countries, this was a messy, complicated domestic suspense murder mystery that I just couldn't get into. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. I ended up DNF'ing at about 65% in.

3.5/5 stars

The Family Remains is the sequel to The Family Upstairs.

This is not a standalone sequel. IMO it is necessary to read the first book as this book follows the same characters, has two of the same narrators and is a continuation of the first book.

This book does however recap quite a bit of what happened in The Family Upstairs. And while I did not re-read that book I did read a detailed recap to remind myself of what happened. And I read the last few chapters again.

This book has a bunch of main narrators (the first two were also narrators of The Family Upstairs): Henry, Lucy, Rachel and Samuel. The story goes back and forth from 2016 to 2019.

Henry is honestly one of the most complex and creepy characters. Reading The Family Upstairs really gives so much important backstory on him and the other characters that appear in both books.

Lucy is Henry's sister. And we get updated on what has happened to her and her kids since the first book. Since she has come into some money it is very interesting to see how she spends it. And I enjoyed seeing her relationship with Libby.

Rachel marries Michael. We find out that something has happened to him in chapter 1. But then we go back in time and see how exactly what happened.

Samuel is a British detective who finds human bones.

I wasn't completely invested in this story until the last half of the book. Once everything started to come together I definitely enjoyed this book more. There were definitely a lot of points of view. And I didn't enjoy them all at the beginning. But the book did get very good towards the end.

Even though this can technically be read as a standalone. I would definitely recommend reading the series in order. Rachel and Michael and Samuel are new. But Henry, Lucy and Libby are from the first book. And so much of this sequel is their story. Overall I was very satisfied by the end and think that this was a pretty good sequel. And the last page was so good!

Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa Jewell and Simon & Schuster Canada for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this one. I did have a bit of trouble remembering everything that happened in the first novel but that didn’t make this one any less enjoyable. It was still a dark and twisty atmospheric novel that I would recommend for fans of Lisa Jewell!

The Family Remains is advertised as a standalone sequel to the Family Upstairs, but I feel like it may be better enjoyed if you have read the TFU. That being said, I really enjoyed TFU and I am not sure how much this added to the storyline. TFR felt like it was trying to build tension and twists, but a lot of the information I already knew from TFU. I enjoyed Henry's POV, but his cat and mouse storyline fell flat for me. I was hoping for more of the cult aspects of the first book.
I like Lisa Jewell's writing and will definitely pick up future books by her, but this storyline just felt unnecessary to me. Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada for the digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

THE FAMILY REMAINS by Lisa Jewell is an unnecessary sequel to The Family Upstairs.

While I would like to understand WHY this book was written, note that I am a Lisa Jewell stan and if she decides to make this a trilogy, I’ll preorder the third book and read it immediately.

The writing was lovely as always. The story was mostly basic and disappointing.

Let’s talk about the story! There were 4 main plot lines in this book.
1 — Henry: The ONLY interesting character. I loved reading his twisted-mind POV! To my dismay, his POV disappears at the 52% mark and doesn’t reappear until 86%. I was ready and waiting for it to end with a bang but nothing came. Henry’s ending was the biggest disappointment of them all because it held the most promise.

2 — Samuel: A detective who is in charge of the cold case after Birdie’s remains are found. This guy appears in the beginning and goes MIA until chapter 19. I almost forgot he existed.

3 — Lucy: Henry’s sister. She spent this entire book chasing after Henry, buying a new house and worrying about her past. We all knew what happened in her past in book one so it was no secret to be revealed.

4 — Rachel: Michael’s second wife. The most pointless part of this book. We already know how Michael’s story ends in book one and we know he was an asshole. Rachel joins the commentary to provide some back story but nothing comes as a surprise to the reader because we already know how it ends. This was another opportunity to insert a twist, but it was not taken.

⭐️⭐️
2/5

Recommend to a friend? Do whatever you wanna do. If someone told me not to read this, I still would because I’m an LJ stan. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Thanks to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read an advance copy!

Triggers: Rape, abuse, the build up to a twist without any twist.

Title: The Family Remains (The Family Upstairs #2)

Author: Lisa Jewell

Publication Date: August 9, 2022

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Canada

Suggested Reader Age: Adult

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Trigger Warnings: Rape, Abuse, Sexual Assault

In The Family Upstairs, we learned that 16 Cheyne Walk was a house of torture.

The Families of 16 Cheyne Walk:


The Lambs
Henry Sr, Martina, Henry and Lucy
Lucy was once married to Michael Rimmer and has three kids: Libby, Marco, and Stella
Libby Jones is in a relationship with journalist Miller Roe

The Thomsens
David and Sally, daughter named Clemency, son named Phinneas.
Phinneas was 16 when Lucy (13 at the time) became pregnant with Libby.

Birdie Dunlop-Evers a musician and her boyfriend Justin Redding


Henry Jr was ten years old when a con artist, David, and his family and Birdie moved into 16 Cheyne Walk and brainwashed his parents, using the home as a prison and a haven for abuse. Phinneas, Henry Jr and Lucy escaped the house after the adults were killed. Baby Libby was left behind.

› 2016
Rachel meets Michael and they immediately fall for each other. He tells her he has an ex-wife named Lucy.

› 2018
Rachel receives a phone call from the police explaining her husband has been found dead in the basement of his vacation house and they think he was murdered.

› 2019
When a bag of bones washes up on shore, Detective Inspector Samuel Owusu is assigned to find out who they belong to and what happened. He discovers the bones belong to a cold case connected to 16 Cheyne Walk.

Henry Jr is now 42 years old and living in a fancy apartment. His sister Lucy and her two children, Marco and Stella have been staying with him for the past year. Lucy is house-shopping now that they have finally received the money from their trust. Lucy's daughter Libby has tracked down her father, Phinneas (now going by Finn), with the help of her journalist boyfriend Miller. They make plans to meet him in Botswana, but these plans fall through when Finn leaves. Henry hasn't seen Finn since he was 16 and he's determined to be reunited with him. He discovers Finn lives in an inclusive LGBT district in Chicago. Worried about what Henry will do, Lucy and her children, Marco and Stella follow him to Chicago.

› Characters: 7
My favourite character is Henry


I think many of us have felt how Henry feels at least once in our lives:


"I am incomplete. I have always felt incomplete. And I have thought at various points throughout my life that just around the next corner would be the thing that would complete me. I thought finding Libby would complete me, that returning to my childhood home would complete me, bring rich and successful, being buff and pretty, having good sex with bad men, bad sex with good men, love affairs with no love, a stunning kitchen with touch-to-open cupboard doors - I have thought that all of these things would complete me and none of them has."


› Atmosphere: 6
Rachel listening to the violin scene made me cry.

› Writing Style: 8

› Plot: 8

› Intrigue: 10

› Logic: 5
There are a few details that didn't quite make sense and character actions/words that don't line up with reality.

› Enjoyment: 10

Average 7.7

1.1-2.2 = ★
2.3-4.5 = ★★
4.6-6.9 = ★★★
7-8.9 = ★★★★
9-10 = ★★★★★

My Rating ★★★★

› Final Thoughts
• Told from multiple perspectives, The Family Remains is about obsession, fractured families, and malicious marriages. It's only when the truth of horrible events is revealed that people can begin to heal from their trauma. Highly recommend!


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.


*Quotes taken from an ARC copy and subject to change*

When I open a book by Lisa Jewell I know that I’m in for a rewarding reading experience. “The Family Remains” was an engrossing psychological thriller.

As with the previous book “The Family Upstairs“, the first chapters of this book were a tad confusing as there were a lot of different characters introduced. Once I got the characters straight in my head it was pure enjoyment from then on. Let me reassure you though that if you haven’t read “The Family Upstairs” the author has written enough backstory in this book that it does read as a stand-alone – but I feel I had a richer reading experience for having read the first one.

Told via several timelines, and from several different perspectives, the story came alive. Rachel, Lucy, and Henry each add a viewpoint that fully rounds out the narrative.

Libby Jones is now a wealthy woman due to the sale of the Chelsea mansion she inherited in the last book. She shared her windfall inheritance with her mother, Lucy, and her uncle, Henry. Libby’s viewpoint is not really introduced in this book.

Lucy’s story was particularly poignant. Rachel’s story was interesting and the most vivid to me. I enjoyed how her story was an off-shoot of the original plot, but was so cleverly connected to the other characters. Henry Lamb’s story shed light on just how damaged an individual he was – how the events of the first book affected him in adulthood.

This is a story of adults forever scarred by childhood trauma. A novel of seeking closure, marital disillusionment, familial solidarity, extortion, and historical crimes.

With myriad characters, story-lines, and even settings, this novel requires concentration on the part of reader. Concentration that will pay off in spades for the vigilant reader. I do wonder however, if I missed something…. what ever happened to Clemency, Phinn’s sister, and the fourth adolescent to escape Cheyne Walk?

This was a brilliantly executed, very complicated plot with a denouement that wrapped everything up in a very satisfactory fashion. A multi-layered story which I can highly recommend. Lisa Jewell never disappoints.

4.5 stars rounded up

This newly released sequel to the The Family Upstairs was highly anticipated! I read the first book about a year ago and I was a bit worried I wouldn't remember much of the story. The author does a good job of subtly jogging your memory and the important plot points came back quickly. It is stated that this is a standalone novel, but I feel it will be more enjoyable if you've read the other one first.

😍Loved: Absolutely creepy vibes right from the get go, reimmersing myself back in their characters lives, short chapters.

😀Liked: Multiple POVs, dual timeline and seeing the previous story from a slightly different perspective.

😐Lukewarm: I felt the ending was rushed. One of the characters development felt off for me, and while the epilogue helped, I didn't feel that it fit.

😯Page turning potential: For me, there wasn't a jaw dropping wtf moment in this one (and I love me one of those in a book where my hand slaps up to my face 🤯). However, I was invested in how everything would ultimately play out.

Thank you to for the advance ecopy!

Release date: August 9, 2022

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of The Family Remains ebook from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

This was the sequel to The Family Upstairs that came out by Lisa Jewell a few years ago and focuses on the same set of characters we met in the first story.

The Family Remains initially takes place approximately a year after the “house of horrors” was claimed and sold but 20+ years after the original storyline takes place. Rotating POV from Henry and Lucy Lamb and some new characters introduced in this new book.

I won’t provide too many details about the storyline itself to avoid spoilers but I will say I liked the second books better than the first!! I found the original a bit tough to follow with the multiple POV but really enjoyed the way this book wrapped everything up for me. This is a solid 4 stars for me!

#NetGalley #lisajewell #thefamilyupstairs #thefamilyremains

A short and sweet review- this was a fantastic sequel to “The Family Upstairs”. I would highly suggest that prior to starting this book, you re-read the first book or at minimum, familiarize yourself with the majority of the previous storyline as it is pretty crucial to the plot of this book. I have really enjoyed the writing and suspenseful twists and turns in many of Jewell’s previous books, and “The Family Remains” is no exception. I didn’t put it down and it had me in some places until the very end.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC of this excellent thriller!
4.5/5 rounded up!

𝔻𝕀𝔻 𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝔽𝔸𝕄𝕀𝕃𝕐 ℝ𝔼𝕄𝔸𝕀ℕ𝕊 𝕃𝕀𝕍𝔼 𝕌ℙ 𝕋𝕆 𝕐𝕆𝕌ℝ 𝔼𝕏ℙ𝔼ℂ𝕋𝔸𝕋𝕀𝕆ℕ𝕊?

Ask me about an author I have loved for a while and I will tell you about Lisa Jewell. Watching You, The Night She Disappeared and The Family Upstairs are among my top 3 reads of her. I was mega excited to hear a sequel to the last one, The Family Remains, was coming out this summer!

𝕊𝕠 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕟𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕠𝕟𝕖?
The Lamb Family is back! Same characters and same damage as Henry searches for Phin and Lucy tries to keep it together. This time a new (old) murder is introduced. And we meet Lucy's ex-husband and his new wife. However, a new uncovered murder means that detectives are on the case!! Questions left unanswered in the original get answered here. Will Henry/Lucy/Libby get caught? Will Phin be found?

𝔹𝕦𝕥 𝕕𝕚𝕕 𝕀 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕚𝕥?
Jewell does a good job of cleverly weaving together a plot that brings together past and present and the characters we loved in the original book. The addition of Rachel, a new character, is fresh and helps us better understand the backstory of a character we have grown to love. After everything this family has been through I kind of wanted the nosy detective to stop investigating as if he had uncovered some nefarious wrongdoings... he seemed super high and almighty and more intent on unveiling every personal detail than he really did about the murder (!)

Overall though I felt that it was missing the WTF factor of her previous novels where you had whiplash from all the twists and turns. It seemed less to me like a new thriller than just a very long epilogue (I said what I said). This was a three and a half star read for me, rounded down to three stars.

Note that this can be read as a standalone but best to read The Family Upstairs first for the most impact and so you are not confused as heck (also its a great book!)

Thank you @netgalley and @simonschusterca for my egalley. The Family Remains comes out Aug 9.

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest.

Writing: 3/5 | Plot: MIA/5 | Ending: pls say sike/5

SYNOPSIS

I... I honestly can't even describe this. Uhh... Henry Lamb goes full stalker trying to find Finn. Lucy and her kidlets try to stop him. Some bones are found in the House of Horrors that are prob gonna unearth some unsavoury secrets.

MY OPINION

L M F A O. Ya'll know what time it is... BUCKLE TF UP, IT'S GONNA BE A ROUGH ONE!!!

First things first, I did not read book #1. However, I did read a super long spoiler review of it to get a grasp on wassup because I was mad confused at first. My rating does not reflect the fact I didn't read #1... so pls refrain from the "YoU nEeD tO rEaD tHe FiRsT oNe" comments, respectfully.

Ok. I'm actually cackling because idk where to start. So after the bones are found we don't hear about them again for another 100 pgs or so. It's all about Henry doing THEE absolute most and breaking about 2409104 laws. I mean I have to respect the fact he's so painfully self-aware at times but then bops are Chicago and asks 400+ ppl if they've seen this man without any reservations. I can't even call a resto to make a reservation so you gotta admire the man's ability to talk to strangers during his stalkapade (stalking + escapade) .

The book wasn't terrible until the last 25% or so. I was going to give it a generous three stars because I was caught up in the drama of it all, but then Lisa Jewell said HOLD MY BEER and this story nosedived into one-star territory at the speed of light.

Here are my main complaints:

1. Rachel was useless. Literally you could've just revealed Lucy's big ole secret through a series of flashbacks. Why did we need Rachel other than to give her Ted Talk on BDSM and marital rape? She was kinda like Lowen in Verity.

2. Dr. Sam was weird. Idk why but I was picturing Slender Man the entire time. There was one part where he didn't like a dog because its body was too long. Not the overall size of the dog, just the length of its body. It was some sort of Terrier. So what if the dog had a short body but really long legs? Would that be okay? I just didn't know what I was supposed to learn from this whole dog comment. Why was it relevant? Also I literally cackled in the dark when he was like "yo I KNOW that X died here." and his partner was like "oh ya how?" and he goes "just the vibe of the place. " LMAOOO I'm not even joking, he said evidence? Nah. VIBES. VIBRAS!!!

3. Lisa Jewell is the Great Value Sharon Bolton. Yeah I said it. Whereas Bolton can masterfully craft some quirky characters (think of the gypsy fam from Dead Woman Walking) and slanted dialogue, Jewell is the Olympic diver who belly flops into the pool. She tries, but she just doesn't have the chops. I'm sorry.

4. I get that it's fiction, but some of the shit that occurred in this book would've been better suited for a cozy mystery. It was just TOO fictional if you know what I mean. I'm not a fan of an author aiming for some kind of mind-bending, literary masterpiece that can't execute a simply Google search to verify some basic information. If this book had a pic of a cat eating lasagna with a baddie standing in the window holding a vial of posion and was titled 2 Hot 2 Handle then I'd be like ight, this drama is kinda fun or whatever.

OKAY IT'S SPOILER TIME. SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM.



Expanding on #4... This was officially one star when Henry and Lucy reentered the UK with their fake passports AFTER Interpol had located them and they were questioned by the police. BRUH. You're telling me that Interpol wouldn't be waiting for you on the tarmac as soon as you landed to confiscate your fake documents and put you in jail? Instead Henry is like well they need us here so duh they still work! No... Just no. Once again, I'd let this slide in the 2 hot 2 handle cozy, but not in a book that's aiming for something more serious. This is just nonsense. You committed a serious crime and you're just in the streets because some small town Detective wants to keep an eye on you?? PLZ SIR!!!





Ok I'm cutting myself off lmao. Anyways. I'm obviously an outlier (what's new) but really this book just fell a part in the last 25% and I couldn't in good conscience give it anything higher than a one.

PROS AND CONS

Pros: the first 3/4 were tolerable

Cons: the last 1/4 was so terrible it earned one star overall