This sequel for The Family Upstairs did not disappoint! Having read The Family Upstairs, I was able to quickly jump back into the story of the Lamb family. That being said, it is written in a way that could present as a stand alone for those who have not read the first book, but you’d get more out of it if you did. This book had all the creepy feels and twisty turns I love in a psychological thriller. This is one of those books you could easily devour in a day or weekend. The author had multiple POV’s to work with and did an exceptional job of tying everything together.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review. 4-stars!!!

The Family Remains is the sequel book to Lisa Jewell's The Family Upstairs. This follows that Lamb family following the events of the first novel. It also follows Rachel Rimmer and goes back through her marriage to Micheal Rimmer and all the events that lead to their marriage falling apart. I don't want to say more because I don't want to spoil the first book in this series.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but unfortunately, I didn't find this one lived up to it. I would have loved the book to follow more closely the characters from the first novel and felt the Rachel storyline uninteresting. However, Lisa Jewell is still a favourite author of mine and I will continue to always be picking up her novels in the future.

Read an eARC courtesy of Netgalley; the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada; and the author, Lisa Jewell. Thank you for the opportunity.

Rating: 3 Stars

The family upstairs is my favourite Lisa Jewell and when I was given an advance copy of this book I screamed for joy!!! I was so excited!! And it didn’t disappoint at all! We have the story continue form where the family upstairs left off and life after for Lucy, and Henry and they have sold the house and got their inheritance and Lucy is just trying to get her family back together, and her and Libby are searching down Phinn but Henry has more sinister reasons for finding him. And much like the first book we have chapters in the different POV and they where all so good, we learn about Lucy ex husband Michael through his marriage through Rachel his wife POV and we learn what kind of man he is. And that part was probably my favourite of the story, and the police have found something that has them asking questions about what Happened in that house of horrors all those years ago. It was all really well done and the ending and lots of twist and really Lisa Jewell can do no wrong with me! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this arc for review!

The Family Remains takes the reader down a twisted tale of marriage, family, and the secrets that snake through these relationships. When DSI Owusu is called to the discovery of a bag of bones, he never anticipates the path this will lead him on and the secrets, lies, and truths that will come to the surface.
Really enjoyed reading this book and surprised by the twists it took. Recommended for those who enjoy this genre and those who love Lisa Jewell!

* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada in exchange for my honest review

4.5 stars!
In this sequel, we see how the Lamb siblings are faring as adults after their escape from their dysfunctional (to say the least) upbringing. When remains turn up in the Thames River, a detective suddenly becomes very re-interested in what happened at the house on Cheyne Walk all those years ago. We also get a separate plot line about Rachel Rimmer, who doesn’t seem disappointed when her husband, Michael, turns up dead in his vacation home.

Lisa Jewell’s writing style is always so digestible to me. I just love the flow and feel of the words she uses to shape her characters. The continuation of the Lamb family characters was so intriguing to me, and I enjoyed seeing Henry and Lucy in their current states. Rachel’s story was also extremely well written, I totally got sucked into the development of her relationship with Michael. The ending had me squealing cause man, is Henry ever a nutcase! It was perfect. At times there was a lot to keep track of and I found myself flipping back to the family tree at the start of the book fairly often. I think if I had re-read The Family Upstairs right before, it would have been easier to follow! It can definitely be read as a standalone, however you would get much more if you’ve read the first book.

I have previously devoured all of Lisa Jewell's books, and this one was no different. It took me a little while to remember exactly what had happened in The Family Upstairs, but once I did everything clicked into place and Jewell did a good job of integrating reminders about important parts/people into the books. The book had a high velocity starting off, and the pace raced along, but I felt that the last 3rd didn't quite match with the mood/pace of the first sections. An all-around happy ending with very few plot twists, I ended the book feeling satisfied, but that something was slightly missing. I felt like I kept waiting for a twist that never came, like she is so known for in her other books.
I did like the character development of Rachel and found myself rooting for little Marco, hoping that he would be the key to figuring it all out in time, and maybe this would ignite a passion for detective work.
I was also a little confused about the tone left with Owusu and Henry's last meeting - won't explain here because NO SPOILERS, but yeah...

Overall, good book, had be reading it late into the night, but felt slightly like there was something still missing by the end.

Thank you to Lisa Jewell, Simon & Schuster Canada, and NetGalley for providing me with an ebook copy of The Family Remains for me to read and review. I found myself of two mind sets when I found out that Jewell was writing a sequel to The Family Upstairs. On one hand I was excited because there were one or two things I was left wondering about after finishing the first book, but also unsure because most things were wrapped up quite nicely, or so I had thought. There was much more to be explored in the lives of the characters, in particular the lives of the now-adult children of 16 Cheyne Walk and where they have gone since reconnecting with Libby. When the book starts out with the discovery of remains, I had to really wrack my brain to think of who it could possibly be that they were finding. It was a little over 2 years since I read the first book, so I really had to refresh my memory about all of the characters. This book is promoted as a 'standalone' sequel, but I find that to be not entirely true. Readers will definitely get much more out of this book if they have read the first. There are many reminders through the characters thinking back and talking about the past, but there is just so much more about each character and the entire backstory of the situation that I feel is truly important to fully understand this continuing story. Similarly to the first book, The Family Remains is told from many different perspectives, up to 5 or 6, and from multiple different timelines. I found this interesting to see, but frustrating when the switches of perspective weren't always specified. This felt like it disrupted the flow of the story for me, when some of the time the switch of perspective was accompanied by the name of the character and possibly the year the perspective is from, but many other times the switches didn't have any clarification. I found myself getting annoyed with trying to follow the jumps when the small addition of clarifying the new perspective at the start of a chapter would have made the story much easier to follow. I still found myself drawn into the stories from each of the different perspectives and curious about how they would all eventually come together. Each individual character was developed so uniquely and it was really fascinating to see how their stories and relationships continued. This was an interesting read, but I do recommend reading The Family Upstairs first rather than reading The Family Remains as a standalone.

A year after the events of The Family Upstairs, bones wash up on the bank of the Thames. DI Samuel Owusu searches for the victim and perpetrator which leads him to 16 Cheyne Walk… Meanwhile, Lucy and her kids are starting to get into a rhythm but Henry is deeply unhappy. He must find Phin, the boy he was obsessed with as a teenager and has formed his life after. And Michael Rimmer’s body was found in his house in Nice, and Lucy and Rachel are both suspects. We trace back through his relationship with his wife, Rachel as she looks for Lucy.

For fans of The Family Upstairs, this is a must read. With tons of alternating timelines and viewpoints, Lisa Jewell kept me on my feet as per usual. It’s a slow burn but really gave me the closure I needed after I was left feeling icky at the end of the last book. I really enjoyed reading Rachel’s story and learning more about the other characters.

There is some recap, but I recommend reading an article recapping the previous book if it’s been a while since you read it.

CW: emotional and domestic abuse, rape, gaslighting, mentions of suicide and drug use

I am a major Lisa Jewell fan and I LOVED The Family Upstairs, so I was beyond excited to read this sequel. Like many, I think i have come to associate Jewell with British domestic thrillers, but as someone who has been working my way through her back catalogue, I’ve come to realize that she did not always write darker stories, and despite this being a sequel to one of her more twisted thrillers, The Family Remains was more of a mysterious family saga / drama. Despite there being a murder and some horrific abuse happening, I found the vibe of this book to be reminiscent of her older work with the polish and poise of her newer novels, and for me, the combination worked perfectly.

While Jewell does an amazing job catching readers up on what happened in the first book, I would still recommend that readers do consume the first before reading this one; even having read this one, I found myself googling the plot of the first for a refresher.

I have to say, I was wary of a sequel to a book I really enjoyed the conclusion of, but as always, Jewell delivered. I do think Henry is one of her darkest, most compelling and complex characters, and I absolutely love reading more from his POV. The plotting was strong and the multi POV and past and present time lines really worked perfectly for me. While the ending may not be for everyone, I was happy with where the Lamb / Thomsens ended up, and the epilogue, as always, really got me. In my opinion, Jewell is honestly the queen of the twisted epilogue! For me, this book was the perfect conclusion.

If you are a fan of Jewell, you will absolutely enjoy this one.

Family Remains the long awaited sequel will draw you in slowly but oh so surely.

A body is discovered along the shore of the Thames which leads the police back to the Chelsea mansion from The Family Upstairs.

There is a mystery within a mystery: who killed Birdie and where is Phin

Lucy, Libby and Henry while searching for Phin (they all have their own reasons) are hiding something from thirty years ago but what.

Then there is Rachel and her oh so nasty husband who turns up murdered.

What is the connection.

The tension mounts and the pace picks up.

The pages fly by as the light stays on to the final page.

Lisa Jewell is a born story teller that never lets you down.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada, Atria Books for a story I wont soon forget.

This story continues on where The Family Upstairs leaves off. The book is promoted as a standalone sequel, but I think it would definitely help the understanding of the characters to have read the first book. It would certainly help with the understanding of the dark, almost gothic, upbringing of Henry and Lucy. I also think that knowing that background makes a difference as Simon starts to explore their history. I found that I really didn't want him to find out anything, which might not have been the case if I'd not read the first book.

There is almost as much creeping dread in this book, and a very satisfying conclusion.

Are you ready to get reacquainted with Henry, Lucy and Libby? It’s been a long wait, right?!

You’ll remember that The Family Upstairs, book 1, left off with a dramatic cliffhanger. Well, this book attempts to unpack all that trauma and make sense of that ending. The Family Remains focuses on this broken family who desperately wants to piece back their lives but fails to recognize the danger of someone who holds evidence about their pasts.

It’s slow at first but keep with it because the tension ramps up and then skyrockets to a satisfying ending that you won’t see coming. It’s also confusing at first. Again, keep with it. To protect themselves, they’ve changed names and you’ll need to stay on top of it. There’s a cheat sheet at the introduction to help if you forget who is who. You may have whiplash from the multiple timelines and multiple points of view, but both are great tools used in pulling you into the story and then giving you the full picture. What messy lives these people lead…and we, the readers, can’t stop gawking!

I’ve been asked how it compares. Well, this one is more of a police detective investigation than book 1. Where it was dark and full of horror, this one is more of an examination of what went wrong and how they have coped since. There’s a new character that blends in well with the original cast.

Don’t let Lisa Jewell tell you this is the end - there’s definitely more to Henry than meets the eye. We just might need to give the author time to ‘percolate’ and see that she really does want to write a trilogy!

I was gifted this advance copy by Lisa Jewell, Simon and Schuster Canada, Atria Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I was so excited to receive this ARC as The Family Upstairs was a 5 star read for me!
The Family Remains picks up where the first book ends-Libby, Henry and Lucy have received their inheritance for the sale of the house and are living their lives quite normally. However, Lucy is harbouring a dark secret, Henry is on the hunt for someone from his past, and a body linked to the house and the past turns up, sparking an investigation that involves everyone involved-and dredges up the past in a revealing way.

I really enjoyed this! I found the beginning a lot slower than the second half, it definitely picked up and got the thriller, creepier vibe in the second half which I liked. The beginning felt a bit pointless and dragged, especially in Henry's perspective which really didn't amount to enough for me considering how much went into his chapters. I liked Samuel's chapters as well. It was hard to read Rachel's perspective at times, especially at the beginning, she really went on a journey and developed as a character to one I enjoyed reading by the end. I was really happy with how everything was solved. Side note: the author's use of the word "camp" just confused me. I recommend this if you enjoyed the first book! I only wish it could've been more of a thriller/mystery/creepy throughout the entire thing, as in my opinion, this is what Jewell really excels in. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for the honest review.

So glad Lisa Jewel was convinced to write a follow up.. The Family Remains is a great read! Before starting the sequel, I decided to reread The Family Upstairs in order to refresh my memory. Although the sequel could stand alone, reading the two, one after the other, was ideal for me. Clear your schedule, grab your copies of the books and be prepared to devour both of them.
Thank You to Simon & Schuster Canada, NetGalley, and Lisa Jewel for the opportunity to enjoy this ARC.

4.5 stars! This was the perfect sequel for The Family Upstairs. I read this in one sitting. I loved how everything tied together, with the new investigation, tracking down Phin, everything that happened in France. The multiple POVs worked so well and love that in this book, Henry's POV was in first person, while most of the others were not, as it was in The Family Upstairs. Everything tied together so so well. And that ending was SO unexpected but really perfect!

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

I am so utterly torn on how to rate this book. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Could I have lived without it? Also, yes.

The Family Remains is a stand alone sequel to The Family Upstairs. Part of me thinks I might have enjoyed the book more if I hadn’t read the first one.

This story just felt like it didn’t need to be told. It fell flat for me. I found nothing new or exciting happened to the Lambs since The Family Upstairs. I most enjoyed Rachel and Michael’s storyline even though that was fairly subpar for me as well.

I love Lisa Jewell and will continue to read everything she writes but I think this is a 3 star for me. Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the digital ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Lisa Jewell does it again. Loved the intensity and emotion of the story. So many relationships tested and so much intrigue and drama. I had a hard time putting this down. Every page pushed me deeper into the lives woven through various character narrative and I needed to know the outcome. The ending was a chef kiss …a sure bestseller.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

Has it really been three years since book one!? My gosh time flies. I adored The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell and I remember thinking, where do these kids go next? And I am happy to report two things...1) My questions were answered and 2) I was not disappointed. This book lived up to all my expectations and then some. I don't usually read books in a series but when the writer is one of your favourite authors you make an exception. This is my fifth book by Lisa Jewell and I have to say it is one of the best, I enjoyed it even more than the first one! You do not need to read book one to be able to appreciate this but I highly recommend that you do.

I loved the various points of view and the two different, yet merging, timelines. Everything just seemed to click together perfectly and the mysteries to be solved are so absorbing. I just HAD to know! The family drama and craziness continues and I got sucked into this story right away. Those pages practically turned themselves.

With an intriguing plot, wonderful writing, and such extraordinary storytelling The Family Remains is one of Jewell's best books yet. All. The. Stars.