My Review:
Wow!!!!! Enjoyed!!!!! Those are just a few words I would use to describe this book. I also want to say how shocked and speechless I was by that ending. No way I would’ve guessed that one. That last chapter really got me. This author did such a great job and almost gave me a heart attack from it. I will warn you though tissues were needed to get through some parts of this story. This had a sad story to it along with a sinister twisted plot to go with it. I love it when you have every emotion in a book. This one had it all. Love, hate, anger, secrets, oh my. I couldn’t put this down and raced through all the chapters just so I could know what happened. Time literally flew by with this read and I loved every minute of it. What wasn’t there to love? It had unpredictable characters, an awesome story line and a gripping ending. What more could I ask for? This author is one of my favorite and I can’t wait to read more of this her books.

In conclusion, the plot, the characters and all the twists in this book made this book an enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 5 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

This is my first Karen King book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
A fantastic story filled with the twists and turns you'd expect in any family, however, the twists and turns are HUGE!
Mary is a widowed mother of two, and she decides to try and find a daughter she had, that no one else in her life knows about.
Couple that with two weary children, with secrets of their own, then the addition of this new member of the family, and there are plenty of fireworks!
I won't say too much, because if I do, then what is the point in you reading, but OMG, the epilogue!
I was gripped by the story and couldn't put it down!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an arc.

Well, this is definitely a book I don’t want to spoil! I found it a little hard to get into at first, because the first third of the book is basically the main character mentally beating herself up for her past. It was annoyingly repetitive, but, I stuck with it and it was worth it! Without giving anything away, there were some great twists! Although, I didn’t need the epilogue. That felt unnecessary.

This was a solid book by a good writer. The themes are familiar to readers of psychological thrillers, but there are enough good twists and turns to keep you on your toes!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

The Family Reunion by Karen King embodies everything I love in a domestic thriller, and I cannot wait to read much more from this exciting author.

Mary is recently widowed and is struggling to come to grips with her new reality. The loss of her beloved husband, however, does open the door for her to begin the search for the infant daughter she gave up so many years before, something that she has kept hidden from her now departed spouse and her adult children. When Cathy materializes as her lost daughter, Mary cannot believe her luck at being given a second chance to make up for so many lost years. But as the newly reunited mother and daughter begin to spend more and more time together, a series of strange events will have Mary questioning not only her own sanity, but the potentual danger that she has invited into her home and family.

This one will have you flying through the pages in delicious anticipation. Recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

Karen is a skilful writer, adept at plot twists and characters you can’t trust! This is a great read, really poignantly written at times too, I really felt for young Mary. If you like your thrillers fast paced, this is the one for you!

Wow I absolutely love this from start to finish! I was gripped from the first page and read it in one night! I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, and I was completely blown away by that twist at the end!

What happens when family dynamics are altered by a sudden death or a new arrival? The Family reunion has the bonds that bind family together at the heart of it, opening with a tragic loss, that of Mary’s husband of thirty-eight years, the constant in her life she felt blessed to have after the loss of her mother when she needed her most: growing from a child into womanhood. With an indifferent father and desperate to feel loved, Mary soon lost her heart to the boy who declared just that, that he loved her, that he would look after her. How was it that Mary found herself so utterly alone at just turned sixteen, forced to keep the excruciating secret that would haunt her for forty-five long years thereafter? Ashamed of what she did – I don’t want to post spoilers, but there’s a poignant section here that will put things into perspective – and of losing her husband’s respect, she’d never disclosed her secret to him or to anyone, including her two grown children.

When Mary succeeds in locating her first child, the scene is set for tensions to unfold. The Family Reunion simmers with an underlying menace as the twists are revealed like the slow drip of a tap. Sibling rivalry abounds. The story seethes with resentment and jealousy, not just because of the hierarchy between the children shifting, but also because of the financial implications. This is Mary’s firstborn, after all.

It seems, though, that Mary isn’t the only one who’s been keeping secrets.

I won’t say more except that the characterisation is brilliant, the two younger siblings, married with children, are portrayed perfectly, caring for their mother, yet taking her a little too much for granted, treating her at times as if she were the child.

As someone who is passionate about family dynamics and stories that delve beneath the surface to seek out what drives people, what secrets they might keep, what challenges they might have to overcome, The Family Reunion ticks all my boxes. It’s a page turner and one I would highly recommend.

I couldn't put this book down. The twists and turns were captivating and the final twist I never saw coming! Can't wait to read more by Karen King!

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT EPILOGUE? I am shocked. I needed time to write a review, so here we go.

I would like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for granting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Let me tell you something; after I closed this book, I kept thinking of the story and the plot twists all night. I was just mindblown by the huge plot twist at the end, especially the epilogue. This is a book I will always think about because when I tell you that my jaw dropped, it really did. The main character Mary went through so much in life and her grief and regret are so contiguous. Sometimes you hope and pray to have someone by your side, especially during difficult times, but Mary didn't have that. She had to endure the pain and move on all by herself. The book is simply written and the timeline changes in order to help us understand Mary's past and current life.

This book was a chill thriller at first but by the last 90 pages, a cycle of plot twists kept landing and I was on edge! I just can’t and never will get over that epilogue; it felt like a bomb dropped and I have no idea how to comprehend it. I was in tears even though it wasn’t that sad but just shocking. The suspense of wanting to know the whole picture was killing me but as I finished reading, the whole picture came together perfectly. I wrote the following mid-reading but little did I know ‘I knew that a disaster was about to fall into the character’s life and my trust issues were not helping. How could you trust someone you just met? even though that someone isn't a stranger? I just have those guesses and I am pretty sure, I know how it would end.’ I would laugh at myself if I could but there was just no way I was able to actually guess what will happen. Psychology thriller’s really freak me out but is fun to read.

In conclusion, this would have been a 5-star for me if it was more intense ahead of time. Nonetheless, I am thinking of gifting it to my thriller-lover cousin once it is out.

Post-thoughts:
It’s scary how people can pretend and be manipulative (this is why I have trust issues). The extent that people go for the sake of money breaks my heart and comparison really is the thief of joy. We all have secrets and pasts that we wish to bury and forget.

Possible spoiler?
I really don't want to spoil but Mary's attitude toward Jason and Joanne was horrible mid-book; like please stop pushing them away.

Comment’s on some characters:
- Jason is so sweet
- Joanne and Jason's support toward their mum is literally the sweetest thing ever.

Highlights:

"Because you wanted your family to get on and thought that a break together would mend fences."

"we've all done things we regret"

"it was no good harping back to the past"

This was an average thriller. The twists and turns were good but fairly predictable. There was not anything wrong with the book, but it also wasn't anything special.

Karen King kept me on the edge of my seat.OnceI started I did not want to put the book down.Characters that came alive a story that drew me right in and the twist at the end wow.#netgalley #bookouture

Mary’s husband had sided and she finally decides to uncover a secret she has hidden for so long. She had a daughter when she was younger and gave her up. But what will happen when her family finds out and how will her daughter and she handle the reunion?

With family drama, long endured heartache, and the potential for a chance to make up for lost time, this is the Mary’s story. You may see some of your own family dynamics in here, but I hope you don’t. Sadly, families aren’t always as altruistic as you may hope and Mary needs to figure things out for herself in regards to everyone else’s interests.

A good read with lots of ups and downs to keep you engaged. There were a few things that I figured out early on, but over all, this is a great read.

Mary had the perfect life, no one knew her secret. After Mary’s husband died, she decided to search for the daughter she’d had forty five years ago, that nobody knew about. Then after bringing her estranged daughter to be apart of her family, Mary wanted nothing more than for them to all get along. It all seems to go well at first, but looks can be deceiving - so dangerously deceiving

The Family Reunion pulled me in from the very first chapters and soon enough, I couldn’t put it down. The tension and anticipation made it so compelling. I kept saying “just one more chapter,” for at least 25 chapters. This book is filled with so much drama, and so many secrets and hidden agendas. I didn’t particularly like the characters but I still felt nervous for them all the same. I was so on edge the entire time reading this (in a good way). I had mixed feelings about the ending at first but what happened in the epilogue was so unexpected and I think it was such a good way to end it! I also appreciated the short chapters!

I highly recommend this, especially for psychological thriller lovers and those who love family drama/ secrets/ hidden agendas!

This was a great family drama come mystery with a good storyline and strong characters however for me it had few surprises as was able to read between the lines too easily although that could well be my own cynical mind! Mary was a good main character, struggling with her husbands death, desperate to make things right with the daughter she abandoned forty five years ago whilst trying to convince her children to be one happy family, Cathy is too good to be true the way she slots into Mary’s life and Joanne and Jason are not unreasonably wary although both are sadly far too money motivated. I think this is a better family drama than mystery but there’s plenty action too, 7/10

A family drama well written mystery.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.
Well worth a read.

Well written book,loved all the characters and the way the book developed,a real twist at the end,a page turner

This was a cute, family drama story with a little bit of mystery. This tells the story of loss, connection and a mother's love for her children. I did love the emphasis it put on how no matter what a child's flaws are, their mother still loves them and is willing to look past it. There were a few times that I was thinking "come on", but it's also reality at the same time when a mother forgives and makes up excuses for her children's indiscretions. This was a quick enjoyable story. The only complaint I have is that it could have either done without the epilogue or to change it completely. Three Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

This book will have you on your toes from start to finish! Karen king does an amazing job hooking her readers! If you are ready for a boom you Absouletly cannot put down this is the ONE!!!

Red herrings kept me guessing…I won’t forget the story line of this novel for a long time…family jealousy and deceit is at the core of this book. Secrets abound. Who can be trusted? Do t even try to guess the ending…I was astonished even though I had some doubts in the back of my mind. A mother has two children, and after her husband dies, she looks for the child she gave up for adoption. Chaos happens. The kids, albeit adults, are jealous and do not trust the new member of the family…people from the past enter the story…one after another…these characters are real…this is fiction that could be nonfiction…don’t even wonder what the movie would be like…amazing screen…this story is a cannot put down book…a page turner with memorable characters. Nothing sweet and rosy in this book unless it is the little grandson who stays with the mom/grandma…do not miss this book. It was sent to me by Netgalley electronically for review. Thanks also to the publisher and to the gifted author. I hope I get to read more books by Karen King…

Thank you NetGalley and and Bookouture Publishing for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The beginning was nicely fast-paced, but also a bit of an information dump.
The story petered off rather quickly and became mundane.
It ended up losting my interest.
The writing was very amateur.