I spent WAY too much time yelling at the main character in this book.

I cursed at her, I told her to grow a spine, and I cheered her when she finally did.

All this is to say that I was VERY invested in the entertaining book.

Sure, after I read it, I found I had questions. There were a couple of things that I really didn't understand. But I also didn't care because the book was so much fun!

Would read the author again!

OK so this is a book that I cannot stop thinking about.
I don’t know if it should be a movie or a limited mini-series.
It’s my 1st read of T.R. Ragan and it will not be my last!
A page turner, so very hard to put down if only to catch some zzz’s.
There were so many twists, turns, secrets, suspense, crime, a true psychological mystery and more. I absolutely Loved this book!!

Read this ASAP!

It was my 1st ARC from Netgalley, thank you so much!

Nora Harmon has a lot to be thankful for: two great kids, a stable marriage, and now, a dream career. Software consultant Jane Bell wants Nora on her team. She’s offering a fantastic salary, flexible hours, and a chance to travel the world. It sounds too good to be true, but Jane won’t take no for an answer.
Jane acts more like a friend than a boss, and Nora’s personal and professional boundaries begin to blur. Jane is smitten with Nora’s perfect family—particularly her daughter—and far too attentive to Nora’s husband. Nora can’t help but feel insecure and unsettled.
Maybe Jane is everything she says she is: a lonely woman in need of feeling the love of a kind and decent family. Maybe Nora is just being paranoid.

This was a very gripping read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.

Loved loved loved this book, read it in one sitting I just couldn't put it down!!!! This is my 1st book by T R Ragan but it definitely won't be my last! Thank you to Netgalley & T R Ragan for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review!!

I enjoyed this book. The plot was a little predictable but it was fast-paced and kept me entertained. The characters were well-developed and believable. However, I found David annoying and clueless. This was a quick and easy read.

This is a pretty fast read and the characters, although not especially likeable, are interesting. There's lots going on and some of the occurrences are pretty creepy. Once again we learn that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I just loved young Trevor (age 13) even though he behaved like a much older teen. There's a charming dog named Tank too, a big friendly blue Great Dane.

My thanks to Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: December 6, 2022

A decent suspense novel with excellent characterization and an interesting storyline. While there is a bit of predictability, it doesn’t take away from the entertainment and intrigue of the book.

Thank you to #Netgalley for the ARC which was read and reviewed voluntarily.

A bit predictable but a good thriller. Jane worked hard to get Nora to work for her. Jane seems to turn into a crazy obsessed woman. She becomes involved in Nora's family life to an uncomfortable level.
I felt the book was interesting and the story well told. A twisted tale about an obsession. I happen to enjoy this author's stories and writing style.

This was a good book about the consequences of a fatal mistake that was made in one's youth. The writing was well done and the story kept me interested.

This was a quick read and I enjoyed it for the most part. The plot was predictable so there were not really any twists or surprises. It was a bit frustrating at times that Nora and David were so clueless about things. Trevor was by far my favorite character, probably because he was smart enough to be suspicious about things that were happening.

Thank you to @netgalley and @amazonpublishing for the e-arc of this book.

T.R. Ragan is one of my favorite authors and she does not disappoint with her latest Such A Beautiful Family. Now, do not be deceived by that title. This is one heck of suspenseful psychological thriller. Fast paced, with short chapters, the pages just keep on turning. It is well written, as are all of Ms.Ragan’s books and the mystery flows nicely. Told in dual perspectives, this riveting story is filled with family danger, revenge and secrets. The characters are well developed and likable, well except for maybe Jane, but if you like this type of book you will appreciate her also. The tension builds from the beginning and does not let go until the very end!! You will get that feeling that something is building up, and when you get to that ending, it will all make sense. I highly recommend this thriller, I am a huge fan of this author and cannot wait for her next one!

Thank you NetGalley, Thomas and Mercer and T.R. Ragan for the honor to read this book early. My opinions are my own.
#netgalley #thomasandmercer #suchabeautifulfamily. #trragan. #arc. #psychologicalthriller

Such a Beautiful Family - T. R. Ragan
Such a Beautiful Family by T.R. Ragan is a fast-paced psychological drama. Nora seems to have it all, and perfectly at that. Until her new boss, Jane, inserts herself into Nora's life so much, she becomes a major nuisance. I found this to be a quick read and at times a bit predictable. The predictability did not affect how much I enjoyed the book though

A quick and easy read with enjoyable thriller. This would make a great lifetime movie. Definitely will recommend

Jane Bell wants Nora on her team in her soaring business as a software consultant. Nora's husband, David, convinces her it's the right choice to make, but she hesitates before accepting, because it all sounds too good to be true. And you know what they say about things that seem too good to be true...
I guessed the entire plot by 15% of the book. It made the characters seem kinda stupid for not figuring it out sooner. The writing is simple, it's a quick read, but please suspend your disbelief before getting into this as it is very far-fetched.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Holy cow! This book was amazing! I started out not thinking it was going to be not that great, it seemed too obvious. I was totally wrong, I could not put it down! The storyline, the characters both totally amazing.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the chance to read this advanced copy.

Such a Beautiful Family by T.R. Ragan is a highly recommended psychological thriller.

Nora and David Harmon are happily married and the parents of two children, a 15-year-old daughter, Hailey; and a 13-year-old son, Trevor. Sure, they have a few issues but they all love and support each other. When Jane Bell, the owner of a software company, starts contacting and courting Nora to come and work for her company, it seems too good to be true. Nora is reluctant but decides to accept the offer. She likes the job and Jane, who is aggressively pursuing a friendship with Nora and her family. But Jane is overstepping all sorts of personal boundaries and inserting herself into Nora's home life. Is she simply lonely or is something more nefarious in the works.

First things first, start the novel knowing that you need to suspend disbelief right at the start. Once most people had an employer trying to be a friend and a part of your family daily, they would set some firm boundaries very quickly and perhaps even leaving the job asap. Even the most open-minded and accepting couples would put an end to Jane's behavior. Once you set the disbelief aside, this is a well-written thriller that moves at a rapid pace and is entertaining throughout. The fast pace helps keep your focus on the narrative and overlook some of the more improbable events in the plot.

There isn't a great deal of character development among the cast, with the exceptions being Nora and Trevor. They are are likable and portrayed as realistic individuals with depth. David is a bit too milquetoast to be believable as he never tells Jane to back off and go home. Hailey is a typical teen impressed by what Jane gives her. But, set this lack aside because the focus is on figuring out what Jane's end game is and using good sense to tell her to back off would make for a short plot.

Such a Beautiful Family is a page turner that held my attention throughout because it is fast-paced with short chapters and keeps moving relentlessly to the end. The ending is exciting and worth overlooking any flaws to get there.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, Edelweiss, and Amazon.

Just so you know, from the moment I stumbled upon my first T.R. Ragan novel many years back (Abducted) I was hooked and immediately snapped up everything she’d written at the time. I absolutely love her writing and the way she breathes life into her characters. This is all to say, I’m pretty much predisposed to loving everything she puts out. So it will probably not shock you to hear I enjoyed the heck out of Such a Beautiful Family. It’s a fast paced, easy to read domestic thriller. Nora has a wonderful life: a loving husband, wonderful kids, and now Jane Bell, a software consultant, is offering her an amazing job. Everything is great, right? Maybe not. It’s not long until Jane is inserting herself more and more into Nora’s personal life. Is she just really friendly or is there more to it? This was a fun read and I often found myself wanting to scream at Nora as she ignored/dismissed the various red flags. While not quite Ragan’s best, it was still quite the enjoyable read. And if you enjoyed this one, you’ll definitelu want to check out all of her previous books, especially her Lizzy Gardner series. Thanks so much to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an eARC of Such a Beautiful Family.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R18GZWJQJL7UDN/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

I’d seen some glowing reviews of this book, not an author I’ve read before so was eager to give it a go.

Nora has a happy family life, happily married, two children, you know something’s going to go wrong, or someone’s going to disrupt their balance.

Not a nanny, a housekeeper, a younger woman or an ex-wife…

Nora lands her dream job, it seems perfect, apart from her (female) boss Jane.

Jane is a great character, a high achieving driven dragon at work, while lonely, clingy and insecure in her personal life.

How will Nora cope with the pressures of her new job and her new boss / ‘best friend’ infringing on her family life?

There’s some nice humour especially in the marital strife as Jane starts cosying up to Nora’s husband Dave and the family.

It’s at the gentler, mild and clean end of the thriller spectrum, but it flows really nicely, is very structured and held my interest.

Recommended if you enjoy gentler domestic thrillers.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer

This is the first book I have read by this author but it won’t be the last. It had an enjoyable storyline with lots of twists and turns. It kept me hooked from start to finish and I read it in two sittings. I am definitely going to look out for more of her books.

If It Is Too Good To Be True…

The novel opens with a flashback of a young drunk coed at a Frat party with too much drugs and booze, and too many boys with grabby hands. She calls a friend to pick her up. When the friend arrives, she sees a guy she knew from high school who convinces her to drink a non-alcoholic drink. While looking for her friend and is lead upstairs where there were more than drinking and other activities occurring. She started to feel woozy. Two boys grabbed her, but she broke free and left to drive home. Her starts to feel loopy. Her eyelids began to feel heavy. She wakes up to twin bright lights heading right for her. Flash forward about twenty years and David and Nora Harmon are vacationing in Maui with their two children. While checking into the hotel, she saw a man wearing a suit sitting in the lobby who locked eyes with her. After returning to the Sacramento’s airport, she saw him again at the airport carousel. She walked to where he was, but he had disappeared. She saw him once more while she was driving. He was parked as she drove by. She parks a few spots up and walked to his car. Before she arrived there, the man pulls out and drives away. Shortly after returning she receives a very good job offer that she could not refuse.

This novel is a psychological thriller and told mainly by Nora Harmon. There are a few chapters narrated by her son, Trevor. The main storyline focuses on Nora and her new boss, Jane Bell who offered Nora a position in Bell’s IT software firm with a significant pay raise, flexible hours, and no travel. All three are significant incentives that helps her to spend more needed time with her family. Quickly, only the first incentive remained. Her new boss is very friendly with Nora and starts worms her way into Nora’s family. More and more red flags appear, but Bell keeps explaining herself and apologizing, but her behavior continues and escalates. I wondered along with the Nora’s character as to what is going to happen next and why. This storyline keeps and maintains the tension on an edge. My attention was focused on the main storyline. The action aspect of the novel does appear as the novel reaches its conclusion.

As with most psychological thrillers is that the main storyline revolves around a battle of minds and wills. For the B-storyline is often darker and focus on emotional trauma. In this novel both storylines are near inseparably combined. Each relationship of Nora provides a different side of her personality. The richest and most insightful are the relationships with her two children. The B-storylines threads complemented beautifully the main storyline. My reading enjoyment was enhanced by both storylines. Normally, I require a novel to actively capture my attention. This did not grab my attention, but I discovered that this novel slowly had bound my interest just as strongly as the other method.

As for the aspects of the novel that some readers find objectionable vulgar, rude, and impious language should not be one as they are very minimal in this novel. There is some violence at the end of the novel, and it is described in the more edgy as it occurs but is used to keep the suspense level high as the novel is concluding. Lastly, there are not any intimate scenes.

I only found one aspect that did not enhance my reading enjoyment. The cat-and-mouse aspect of Nora and Jane relationship started to drag out, but the tension kept escalating and the circumstances changing so the novel did not become repetitive. On the plus side, I really enjoyed the relationship between Nora and her son, Trevor. On the border of the two, the husband’s reactions were not what I would expect in some aspects, if they were, the story would be over much shorter and less interesting. Otherwise, I was happy with the ending, and there were not any loose ends.

I have only read only the author’s last stand-alone novel. The quality of both novels has earned my Will-Read category. I enjoyed reading this novel and am looking forward to reading further books/series by this author. I recommend reading this novel with the caveat that is a physiological thriller where action is not a major aspect. I rate this novel with four stars.

I received a free prepublication e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Thomas & Mercer. My review is based only on my own reading experience of this book. I wish to thank Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.