Book 18
The Family Home
Miranda Smith
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lillian and Matthew are happily divorced, sharing a house and apartment to make sure life is as calm and positive as possible for their daughter Mabel. Their relationship now is one of mural respect and friendship, knowing without a doubt they can rely on each other 100%. And when Lillian wakes in her apartment to find a body of a man, the first person she phones is Matthew. Because relying on each other is how its always been. Especially since that night years ago that changed everything... but how loyal can an ex-husband be? Can Lillian truly rely on Matthew? And if she can't rely on him as her friend, surely that means he is her enemy...

I haven't had the pleasure of reading a book by this author before and I found this book truly captivating. The dynamics of Matthew and Lillian's relationship is intriguing and as the narrative unfolds, it is interesting to see how they respond to each other despite their separation. The discovery of the man in Lillian's apartment begins the unwinding of events that could expose secrets from the past.

A clever plot with intriguing twists.

Thank you to Miranda Smith, @bookouture
and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book as an ARC

This was such a good book! Loved it from start to finish!
This book was hard for me to put down! It had a lot of twists and turns and kept me guessing throughout most of the book.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Brilliant fast paced story about a couple who are separated co-parenting in different homes. Murder, lies, gripping story which is a real page turner.

A good and captivating psychological thriller.

Lillian and Matthew are divorced but have an apartment where they change their daughter Mabel’s carer. One night there is a body found in the apartment, only two of them have they key, but who did it?

Gripping.

This book starts with a bang and ends without. Disappointment! The husband the wife the body. This was a page turner for sure!

this is my second book buy this author and very much enjoyed its so dam twisty you think you have worked it out but no so not want to put down read. Lillian was married to Matthew but something happened to them so they divorced for the sake of there daughter they share the house and while one in house with there daughter Mabel one stays at a flat they have. Matthew has a girlfriend Rebecca. and Lillian has joined a dating site. and she is on a date with Dylan who she has hit it off with and she breaks a rule and lets him in apartment. Matthew has a very successful business with his old uni friend Ted who married Lillian friend Cat but they eventually divorced but Cat hates him for the womaniser he is. its the day of Mabel s and Lillian birthday they have a party but Lillian has to stay at the apartment that night and Matthew mum has turned up. Rebecca asks her to go for a meal and drinks. when she gets to the apartment Rebecca s gifts are on her doorstep so she opens the bottle and falls asleep on the sofa when she wakes up she decides to go to bed but there a dead man in her bed she rings Matthew then the police and when they turn up the one detective is Dylan she says she not know who it is but it is the man she dated wont say no more but its so good will you figure it out ?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Matthew and Lillian and are the perfect couple. Except they are divorced! One of them lives in the family house with their daughter Mabel, whilst the other lives in an apartment. They swap keeping life normal for Mabel.

All is going well. Matthew has a new girlfriend, Rebecca and Lillian has started to go out on dates. Then an unknown man is found dead in the apartment and neither of them know what has happened.

As the police investigate we learn of events from their past. The real reason they split up! But how does it relate to the dead man?

I enjoyed this book. The way the full truth is teased out slowly and just as you think you know the who what where when why, a new secret is revealed.

Wow a definite page turner of a book!! It starts with a bang and then the tension slowly builds with the odd teaser here and there. The character development is well paced and the ending is fantastic! I will certainly be reading more by this author. I highly recommend this book to others, just sit down and curl up for a few hours, you won’t be disappointed! Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy to review x

Thank you to @Bookouture and @netgalley for the ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

I was really excited about starting this one! The cover and synopsis grabbed my interest immediately.

Writing: 2.5/5
Plot: 3/5
Ending: 2/5

This had such great reviews, but I feel as if I have read a different book than everyone else. I read it pretty quickly and found it still page-turning, but ultimately it fell flat for me. This is just a less-than-average, run-of-the-mill thriller that's been done before and brought nothing new to the table with it. Sometimes that isn't a bad thing! But this time it didn't work for me. The writing was very mediocre at times, coming across as very flat, especially the characters themselves. I struggled to connect/care with any of them. It was repetitive at times, as if the author was spoon-feeding you "SOMETHING BAD HAPPENED!" at the end of every chapter as if I forgot. It felt like a cheap way to keep your attention.

The plot itself had a lot of potential! It was absolutely juicy and drama filled and I was intrigued to know more, and know the truth about what happened in their apartment that night. Who killed the victim? But then it just kept getting more ridiculous, and was losing me more and more the further I got into the story. I gave it a generous 3 stars because I was entertained, but this is not realistic whatsoever and felt highly convenient.

The ending really fell apart for me when the twists were coming. My jaw didn't drop like I was hoping it would! That's always the best, truly. Again, it just kept getting ridiculous and convenient with the twists, and the fact I didn't connect with the characters surely didn't help. The last sentence, AKA the big twist, I guess? Was predictable. I didn't realize it was a twist' til the end of the book said, "Did you love the shocking moment when the truth was revealed?" and I was like oh, okay.

This was a miss for me.

#TheFamilyHome #NetGalley
Awesome read by Miranda.
Wow this was a rollercoaster. When I expected a twist, I got a turn and when I expected a turn, I got a twist.
Lillian and Matthew are dedicated to the well-being of their six-year-old daughter Mable. They share an apartment and a home where they switch off Mable's care. It is Matthew's turn to have custody of Mable at the house. Lillian attends Mabel's sixth birthday party and then hangs out with a friend for a few drinks. After returning to the apartment, she falls asleep on the couch. Upon waking from a deep sleep, she discovers a dead man laying in her bed. How did this happen? Is someone trying to frame Lillian for murder?
Loved it very much. It was my second Miranda Smith novel. Definitely recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an advance copy.

After a night out, Lillian falls asleep on the couch. When returning to the bedroom, she falls into bed with a dead stranger. The only other person with a key is her ex husband, but he has his own secrets to keep. Who is pinning the murder on Lillian, and why? This book kept me guessing the entire time. The ending was a complete shock!

Thank you tonNetGalley for providing an early copy of the book for my review!

We decided to live together amicably after our divorce because looking after our daughter is important even though we are no longer together. My ex is unable to look at me as Lillain and Matthew celebrate their daughter's sixth birthday. Who was this morning man dead in the bedroom, he said he was smooth and had a connection to my past? The link to our past is this for real a secret held between us will this secret be discovered? Are we secure?

I have enjoyed every book I've read by this author, but THE FAMILY HOME may be my new favorite! Lillian and Matthew are the most amicable divorced couple I know. After struggling to conceive their daughter, their marriage implodes after the weight of a devastating secret becomes too much to bear. They share the family home to give their daughter a stable environment.

After a night of birthday drinking, Lillian returns home and later wakes up in bed with a dead man next to her, his blood everywhere. Who is this man, and why is he in Lillian's bed? What follows is a string of gasp-worthy moments, red herrings galore, and an ending that was quite satisfying!

The character development was absolutely stellar; Lillian and her ex-husband Matthew were beautifully crafted and so realistic in their actions. The supporting characters did a great job in contributing to the tension in the plot. I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this early read. Publishes October 3, 2022.

Thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for the arc ebook.

This one is a page turner for sure, with a story that keeps you hooked from start to finish. I'll certainly be on the look out to read more by this author.

Well. It's did not see this ending coming! Wow! Kept me glued from page one until the end. Miranda Smith does it just right.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for this book. This was my first book by this author and am glad to see there are more I can read in the future. The Family Home was an interesting mystery that follows Lillian and Matthew who were once a happy couple but their marriage fell apart after one horrible incident held at their housewarming party 2 years prior. The couple have held this secret and it destroyed their relationship. They have tried to keep things as "normal" as possible for their daughter Mabel by co-parenting and living in the same home and sharing an apartment. Something horrible happens in the apartment and the couple's lives become much more difficult. Do you really know the person who is your best friend and was once your beloved spouse? This is the question that both Lillian and Matthew keep asking themselves. Do they know their friends and neighbors as much as they thought they did? A very good novel with a big twist at the end. Would definitely recommend.

"The Family Home" is such a gripping, "who did it" page turner that will keep you reading long into the night! And you will not foresee how it goes or how it ends! I could not put this book down but at the same time I didn't want it to end. It's expertly written to hook you in and keep you guessing all the way through right until the last page. And the ending does not disappoint!

Wow! The Family Home is a action packed edge of your seat thriller from start to finish! I couldn’t put this book down, I absorbed it so fast. The characters are so well developed and the writing was unbelievably good. I’m so excited to read more of Miranda Smith’s books.
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture fore providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is the third book I have read written by Miranda Smith and I wasn't disappointed!

Synopsis

Matthew and Lillian are divorced but are amicable. After leaving the party, Lillian returns home feeling drunk and when she reaches her apartment, she immediately falls asleep on her sofa. When she wakes up and comes into her room, she feels that something wasn't right--and she finds a dead body lying on her bed.

Review

To me this was an interesting thriller with an intriguing plot. The story is told in Lillian's and Matthew's POV and they are both unreliable narrators in my opinion that you wouldn't exactly know who is telling the truth. We also know that both Lillian and Matthew are holding a deep secret that involve a death of a person...who is actually connected to the person who was found in Lillian's bed. Many of the suspects in the story are suspects and we don't really know who is responsible for the murder. There were twists and turns and the fact that this is a fast paced thriller is a plus point for me. The ending was quite unexpected.

Overall, this was a good thriller packed with twists anfd turns and is quite fast paced. Worth 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

I seem to be in the minority here as I didn’t really enjoy this book. Lillian really annoyed me and I didn’t connect with her as a character. Why call your ex first “after the secret that tore you apart” and not the police when you find a dead body in your bed. The constant repeating of how the relationship works for you also drove me a bit mad.

Thank you however to NetGalley and Bookoture for the opportunity to read and review this book. Unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me.