Olivia is close to finishing her grad school dissertation in psychology, which is a bit of a headscratcher for many since she comes from a multi-generational family notorious for their crimes, especially murder. When Olivia I invited to her family’s weekend reunion in a remote hunting lodge, she decides what better opportunity will she get to interview subjects on the “nurture v. nature” topic for her thesis. Mixed in with the POV of a true-crime podcaster, looking into a cold case from 20yrs prior, there’s enough suspense to keep these pages turning for sure. I wasn’t as happy with the ending as I had hoped, but still a good book, nonetheless.

Special Note: Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Publication: March 7, 2023

When I saw the premise to this book, I was excited to dive into it. As someone who has a degree in psychology, this seemed right up my alley. I figured this book would be similar to "Where'd You Go Bernadette?", a character study with a unique take.

Unfortunately, I could not get into this book. All the characters sounded the same within the story plus there are a lot of characters to keep track of. I really enjoyed Birdie because she did her own true crime podcasts which drew me in.

Overall, an amazing idea that just didn't solidify for me within the book.

A weekend reunion turns deadly when Olivia Eriksen sets out to find if “nature vs nurture “ by observing and interviewing her relatives who have generational psychology. One by one, relatives are found murdered and a landslide caused by a huge rain storm, cuts everyone off from rescue. Soon, all eyes are looking at Olivia, but with the history of the Eriksen’s displaying odd behaviors throughout their lives, could it be someone very very close?

The Eriksen family have one heck of a legacy. Some of them are killers and even the ones who appear normal, well let’s just say I wouldn’t turn my back on any of them. Olivia Eriksen hasn’t spent much time with her family in years. She is a psychology student working on her thesis (are we ruled by nature or nurture). She is invited to a family reunion at the family lodge.
Her first thought is “hell no”, but she decides that the information she might gain for her final school paper is worth spending time with this shall we say unique bunch. When one of her relatives is found dead and all of them are trapped at the lodge because of a terrible storm, not only does the body count quickly rise, but Olivia fears that she is a pawn in one of her relatives twisted games.
In addition to this plot, there are two others. Birdie, a true crime podcaster searching for answers to a cold case, and someone’s (an unknown narrator) journal. So I thought I had this one all figured out then bam, the author pulled my smug rug out from under me.
A twisted tale (especially some of the things the Eriksen’s do, strike that, all of the things they do) that kept me flipping pages and trying to guess how this would end. I enjoyed this messed up family and I’m glad none of them are my relatives.

This was a very interesting, tense and unique book. It is hard to talk about it without spoilers...... It is told in three voices, Olivia a graduate student, researching psychopathy for her dissertation and for personal reasons as it is strongly part of her family"s history. It is told by as well by a podcaster, looking into a cold case that is connected to the same family. And in journal entries of a unknown woman who seems to be connected as well. It culminates in a family reunion, while the setting, a locked room mystery, people dying, trapped by a storm, It is told in a unique, non predictable way. 4.75

I really enjoyed this twisty look at the world of a family of psychopaths.

Olivia, a graduate student, is invited to a family reunion of sorts, only this family has a history of violence and psychopathy. She attends with her boyfriend and quickly realizes the family is being hunted.

The book moved quickly with interesting characters and has some nice turns. I would definitely recommend this book.

Such a great book! Highly recommend it to anyone and I look forward to reading more by this author! A must read!

I received this book as an arc and honestly had not even the slightest idea what it is about and went into it completely blind. Personally I think we should do that more often because this way books may surprise us and this one did.
First of all I love the authors writing style a lot, it‘s a dual POV with news stories and journal stories as chapters as well, which makes the book even more interesting. It‘s so easy to read and to follow the story. It wasn‘t the best book I ever read but I enjoyed it quite a lot. It talks about mental illness and the huge question that gets asked a lot in the plot is if being a psychopath is something that they are born with or something that they are conditioned to be. It‘s an interesting topic and makes you think about stuff like that.

Description:

Psychology student Olivia Eriksen’s family is notorious among true-crime buffs. Faced with a legacy of psychopathy that spans generations, Olivia has spent much of her academic life trying to answer one chilling question: Nature or nurture?
Although she’s kept a safe distance from her blood relatives for years, Olivia agrees to attend a weekend reunion. After all, her fiancé is eager to meet his future in-laws, and the gathering may give her a chance to interview her elusive grandfather about the family traits.
But nothing is ever peaceful among the Eriksens for long. Olivia’s favorite cousin is found dead in a nearby lake. Then another family member disappears. As a violent storm isolates the group further, Olivia’s fears rise faster than the river.
And an uninvited guest is about to join the party. True-crime podcaster Birdie Tan has uncovered a disturbing mystery in her latest investigation―and she’s following it right to the Eriksens’ mountain resort. There’s a deadly twist in the family plot that even Olivia doesn’t see coming

The concept of The Family Bones is a really interesting one: one family who have inherited various psychopathic traits, all gather at a family reunion, including the family member who is in grad school studying psychopaths. The problem comes in when you gather together just the sheer volume of characters and storylines to keep track of throughout the book. There are many family members but none of them strike out as really unique from one another, which is disappointing in a book all about the different types of psychopaths. I found myself constantly wondering how everyone was related and their dynamics with each other.

More than anything though, the final twist doesn't truly feel like it was earned. I won't get into it too much because to do so would be a spoiler, but I don't think enough bread crumbs were left in order to make that twist really hit home. There are a few hints here and there but because the book gets so bogged down with the amount of plot to keep track of, it doesn't really land.

Additionally, for a book that talks so much about psychopathy and why people do what they do, sometimes the characters sound a bit like cartoon villains, which could have been improved on.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the e-book for review.

This book has one of the most interesting plots I’ve ever heard of: an entire family of psychopaths, being studied by one of the members for her thesis, all thrown together during a family reunion that goes totally wrong. Sign me up! This book was full of twists and turns, and was unputdownable. I read it in one day, because I had to keep going and find out what happened. There is a dual plot happening, with dual POV’s that eventually intersect, and I found I enjoyed both equally and was very invested in both characters. I highly recommend this one, it was a great time.

The Family Bones by Elle Marr is a gripping thriller.
Highly interesting storyline, with the perfect amount of suspense, mystery and overall fantastic psychological thriller this one kept me glued to my Kindle.
I've enjoyed her previous books and this was no different!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Dark family secrets, serial murder, and a cult all in one book Plenty of twists and turns. Kind of twisted too. An interesting read. 3 out of 5 ⭐️

Wow, what a screwed up family and I thought mine was crazy! Olivia and her fiancé Howard go to her family reunion at the retreat. It’s full of psychos. Many bad family genes come to light.
Family members start getting knocked off one by one. Meanwhile Podcaster, Birdie investigates a cold case of a missing woman.
This was an edge of my seat read that I flew through. Thanks NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC!

First off, thank you NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for this eARC!

I tried a few times to get into this book and while the synopsis makes it sound like a really great book, there was too much going on. I took a lot of psychology courses in college and thought that this would be a great read, and wanted to love it so bad that I kept picking it up to try again.

I had to keep referring to the family tree in the beginning of the book to keep up with all of the characters. I'm used to third person or dual POV books, and reading this with multiple narrators was a little confusing.

Out of the characters I think I enjoyed Birdie the most. She does a podcast on true crime for POC whose cases didn't get the attention they deserved, many of them going cold or simply swept under the rug.

I may try to pick this up again, in the future.

Nature or nurture? Interesting topic (ASPD) and premise of the book. But a lot of repetition and too many characters to follow however.

Thank you for the free copy from NetGalley

I just reviewed The Family Bones by Elle Marr. #TheFamilyBones #NetGalley
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Thank you to the publisher for the copy - all opinions are my own.

This was a very unique plot premise - a woman who comes from a family of psychopaths, and attends a family reunion to try to understand if she is at risk of becoming psychopathic herself. The pacing was good in this one, and the movement from past to present lent another layer of tension to the story that I really enjoyed.

The plot is a little out there, and you need to fully suspend belief to get into this one, but makes for good escapism reading if you can do that. Think a great horror/slasher film.

Overall, interesting and enjoyable.

The Family Bones kept me entertained from the first page until the end. The plot, characters, and how fast paced this book moves will keep every reader on the edge of their seats. My first book by Elle Marr, but will definitely not be my last!

Thank you to net galley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for an ARC of The Family Bones in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to LOVE this book. I find the whole Nature vs Nurture aspect of psychopathy fascinating. Are psychopaths born or made? While I did enjoy The Family Bones, I didn’t love it. It was an interesting read but I feel it was too wordy in some spots which had me wanting to move on to the next chapter.

Olivia is born into a family of psychopaths. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and so on. With her college years coming to an end, her dissertation is on Nature vs Nurture. She has all the research she would need when she is invited to a family reunion.

The question of nature versus nurture has fascinated people for a long time. For Olivia Eriksen, the main character of The Family Bones, it is especially important because many of her relatives have a history of troubling behavior disorders. Is she destined to turn out like her relatives no matter what? She decides to attend a family retreat with her boyfriend to get some answers. What happens next is a twisted, wild ride that leaves reader with a shocking ending. It is divided into three different perspectives, which made it hard to follow in some parts. I think it would have been better written from one perspective but it was still a solid book. Thanks to NetGallery for the ARC.

Tension Mounting…
Psychology student, Olivia Erikson, has the dubious honour of fame having been thrust upon her - for dark and equally dubious reasons. For her family are both renowned and notorious- in the world of true crime with a family history of psychopathy throughout generations. She normally keeps away but this time a weekend reunion is calling. Amidst the remote gathering, a storm rages…..deaths and disappearances begin and an uninvited guest appears. Immersive and engaging suspense and a twist on a locked room mystery where nothing is as it seems. The characters are the stars of the show here with some superb and deftly drawn traits and a tension mounting narrative that keeps the reader wholly enthralled.