Oh my word what an absolutely fantastic and gripping read this was. This is a psychological thriller that is full of twists and turns and one you need to read. This is one of those reads that you have no clue who to trust or who is telling the truth. This is a book that I can assure you that you will not want to put down until you have read the last word. From beginning to end this was one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read in a long time.

Long lost child reunites with mother who put her up for adoption and "stuff" starts happening. Not exactly an original plot but wait......what Karen King does with the plot.....that's original. When recently widowed Mary is contacted by the daughter she gave up for adoption 40 years ago, she sees no reason not to bring her into her family. Then Ms King starts the twists, so many that you don't want to set your book down for fear of missing the next "oh no" moment. And the MOA twists at the end.....well, that's why they are called thrillers.

Mary wants to right the wrongs of the past. Very saddened by the loss of her husband after nearly four decades of being happily married, she decides to deal with something that happened when she was just 16 years of age, something that she kept secret for decades. With two grown children, Joanne and Jason, revealing that secret might change everything about her life.

Mary got pregnant as a teenager and had a child that she felt had no choice but to give up. She named her Hope and she now wants to find her and to introduce her to Joanne and Jason. Mary is hopeful that she will be able to forge a relationship with her. Finding her daughter. whom she learns is now named Cathy just might fill that void in her life as well as bonding her family together now. There is a major complication, and that has to do with Mary’s health, and the fact that Joanne and Jason are pressuring her to sell the family home.

Concerned that their mother might have dementia increases the pressure that Joanne and Jason are placing on Mary. However, she has been reluctant to sell her home, but she suddenly has a change of heart. In fact, Cathy does indeed come back into Mary’s life, and it doesn’t take very long to start to follow every edict that Cathy sets out, which includes going ahead and preparing to sell the home. Both Joanne and Jason are having their own struggles in life, and once their mother sells their home, the proceeds will go a long way into helping them both financially. However, they both become immediately upset when they learn that Mary intends on splitting the proceeds of the sale among the three of them.

A lot of questions come up in this book. Is Cathy Mary’s long lost daughter? In fact, why is Mary so eager to do everything that Cathy wants her to do? More than that, why are Joanne and Jason so resistant to any changes that Mary starts to make in her life? As I was reading this book, I felt like I was reading a story that included gaslighting. This increased the intriguing nature of this story, all while guilt, secrets, and lies as well as unexplained things happening to Mary keep taking place. What a compelling read that concluded with a jaw-dropping twist.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/m0RaG-BnPjc

Another ARC by Karen King! A few months ago, I read the ARC for The Mother-In-Law, which I absolutely loved, so I was very excited to receive the The Family Reunion from NetGalley. Once again, Karen King did not disappoint!

In The Family Reunion we follow Mary, a retired nurse who recently lost her husband. Apart from her husband's death, there's only one thing on Mary's mind: finding her long-lost first-born daughter, Hope. Just having ended a whirlwind relationship with a boy who didn't turn out to be who he said he was, 15 year-old Mary was forced to abandon Hope in a phone-booth merely hours after she gave birth to her. She never told anyone, not Hope's father, not her husband, not her children, Joanne and Jason, who now both have families of their own. At first, Mary is delighted to reunite with Hope, who now goes by Cathy. But not everything is what it seems at first glance. When more and more suspicious things start to happen, Mary must face the truth. Does she truly know Cathy? And can the family trust her?

I thoroughly enjoyed The Family Reunion. Throughout the book I had a few suspicions of what could be happening and while I did get one part right, the other parts of the plot came as a surprise. Once again, King managed to get some great twists into her book. Every time you think you might know what happened, there's another twist to get you to rethink everything. King's writing is gripping. This may be a personal preference, but I love that she writes short chapters. I'd much rather read 300 pages split into 70 than 20 chapters. When the story was almost finished, I still felt like something was wrong, but the last twist solved it for me. I did think we started off a bit slow. I wouldn't have minded to go a bit faster in the first half, but especially once we get to the cabin, the ball really starts rolling. I read those last 100 pages in one sitting. Definitely recommend to people who enjoy slow-burning domestic thrillers.

This book doesn't feel like a thriller at first, as we meet Mary, who is recently widowed with two grown up children and decides it is time to find Hope, the daughter she gave up as a teenager.

Mary had a happy marriage to Paul, but was too ashamed to reveal her secret to him. When she puts an advert on an online message board she finds Cathy, who after a DNA test confirms that she is the baby that Mary left in a telephone box 45 years ago! Hoping that she can rebuild a relationship  with her eldest daughter, Mary meets up with Cathy.

All of a sudden things seem to be going wrong for Mary and, after a series of scary events, her children put pressure on her to sell her beloved (and asset rich) home. As money and  sentimental items go missing she starts to worry that she is developing dementia, like her mother. Or could Cathy be connected?

Although I sympathised with the grieving Mary, she comes across as a tad blunt and catankerous, so it is quite hard to warm to her! Nevertheless this is a compelling family thriller with lots of twists and turns!

Wowzers, King certainly knows how to hold your attention doesn't she, I fast found myself addicted to the plot and didn't stop until I'd finished.

The Family Reunion is a family drama, with some amazing twists and just when you think it's all over, the epilogue comes along and blows everything out of the water! Maybe 'Cathy's' story is one that's waiting to be told?

It's definitely my favourite of King's books so far. It's fast paced, gripping, and filled with intrigue and suspense.

I found all of the characters to be realistic, relatable and made for a hugely entertaining read.

Many thanks to Bookouture for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

WOW do the twists ever end? The answer is NO, they don’t!

Karen King’s newest book The Family Reunion is an absolute whirlwind told from multiple perspectives. It follows Mary on her newly widowed life and journey to find her long lost daughter. But when being reunited starts turning into disaster after disaster, the family starts to question the newest “daughters” intentions.

This story is absolutely wild. It was a little slow at first, but still keeps you wanting more. You soon realize this family is not as perfect as they make themselves seem, and EVERYONE has a secret. I was genuinely left guessing until the very last pages.

Overall, the story was really engaging and unpredictable, which I love! Thanks to Netgalley, @bookouture, and Karen King for allowing me early access!

Read this if:
-you love family drama!
-you like long lost reconnections of family
-genuinely want to be guessing til the end

Oh my goodness what a completely compelling read this book was! Right from the start I was drawn into the story and found that I couldn’t put it down! I was so invested in the characters and wanted to know what was going to happen next!
I couldn’t predict the outcome and had several incorrect predictions as I read!
An interesting concept for a book, seeing how family dynamics can be affected by an unexpected addition to the group.
Such a brilliant book that was entertaining as well as emotional at times. A great combination of intense emotions and intriguing situations. Really kept me on my toes!

After her husband Paul passes away, Mary seeks out her first child. The child she gave away at a young age, a child her husband never knew about, a child her adult children never knew about. After finding her, Mary introduces her daughter, Cathy (Hope), to her adult children. They are beyond shocked. How could their mother have kept such a secret? How does this affect them?

Everyone does their best to get to know Cathy. But strange things are beginning to happen, and there is sibling rivalry and jealousy. The addition of Cathy into the family changes everything for everyone. To add to this, Mary is beginning to forget things.

Secrets, lies, deception, manipulation, regret and tension ebb and flow throughout the book. This is one reunion that you may wish you were not invited to. The book began on the slower side for me but once I found my footing with it, I enjoyed it. There are plenty of twists along the way with a very shocking reveal.

#TheFamilyReunion #NetGalley #Bookouture #KarenKing

Definite thumbs up from me for this one! Really enjoyable read with a great twist. Wouldn’t describe as a tense psychological thriller but it had a good steady pace and didn’t drag at all. Would recommend to others. Thank you Netgalley

Actual rating 3,5

The Family Reunion" by Karen King is a psychological thriller. I personally like stories that have a little more suspense in them. However, I found the book interesting and I recommend it to fans of the genre who want to read something like this, but not the most "hard core" stories. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a the copy. Mary abandoned her firstborn daughter when she was only one day old. Too young, with a strict father and no man by her side, she has no other choice. Years later, she has two children, a big house and a husband who loves her very much. However, he suddenly dies and Mary decides to search for her long-lost daughter. Cathy is everything she hoped she would be, but after her appearance, strange things begin to happen. Is Mary losing her mind or is there another reason?



As a whole, the plot itself was well thought out. Various clues are provided for the reader to try to build theories. I suspected two people, both of whom had motives. It turned out to be one of them, although I really wanted it to be the other. The dynamic between the characters was interesting and the book is a quick read, because the chapters are short. I like books that are told from multiple points of view, but here I felt like I only wanted to see Mary and maybe Cathy. I understand the third person motive though. Because through his/her eyes we can see some people, including Mary from a different perspecive. But, these chapters weren't very interesting to me.



For me, things between Mary and Cathy happened too fast. I was interested in following the strange things that were going on and looking for clues as to who was doing them. There are a few twists towards the end of the book that I definitely liked, and the epilogue itself was great. My problem with the book was the very way it was written. I didn't particularly like the author's writing style, although it was easy to read. I found it a little boring in places. Still, the book was interesting and I would recommend it.

3.75

Family Reunion was a well written slow burn with a final unexpected twist that made you want to keep reading!

After the death of her husband, Mary reunites with Cathy, the daughter she gave away when she was 16.
As she forges a new relationship with Cathy and Cathy gets to know her new brother and sister strange things begin to happen and lies, greed and sibling rivalry take an unexpected turn.

I really liked that this was an interesting book with a lot of tension, some unlikeable characters and some you just flat out can't trust.

The only thing I would say that is a bit of a negative is that it is marketed as "an utterly gripping psychological suspense novel with an ending you'll never see coming"
I definitely felt this book was more of a tense slow burn family drama then psychological drama and the end twist was interesting but in my opinion didn't really add to the story at all.

Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley and Karen King for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am so grateful to Karen King, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC of The Family Reunion. Thank you!!!

This was my first book by Karen King.

Being completely transparent it did take me until about chapter 18 to get into the book. It started off a bit dry and repetitive. But once things started happening in chapter 18 it was exciting and I couldn't put the book down!!

There were so many questions and I was desperately trying to figure out what was happening. The twists left me reeling as the truth started to unfold and I was shocked!!

It really makes you wonder: How well do you know your own family? Can you really trust a stranger?

Ultimately an excellent read about family, secrets, lies, and how far someone will go to get what they want.

A circus of catastrophe’s awaits this family!
Mary has long had a secret, one she’s held for over 45 years. She had a daughter when only 15.
Whom she now finds, but why do accidents keep happening and why is she misplacing things.??
Long lost daughter Cathy is hiding more than she lets on.
All the kids and spouses are harboring secrets too.
The biggest one was revealed at the end and even I was surprised.
I felt sorry for Mary. She tried so hard but her family leaves a lot to be desired.
I made short work of this read.

3/5⭐️

I enjoyed the concept for this story, however, I just felt like I lacked a connection to any of the characters. I think the plot included some good twists but I was left wishing the author spent more time developing the characters.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

From the very beginning, this was poorly structured: random information thrown in with no relevance or conscious awareness of sequencing. The writing itself lacked crafting, there was no description, and the main plot points of the story were told mainly through dialogue. The premise of the plot had a lot of potential, but it was a disappointing read throughout, and the attempt at a shocking plot twist at the end was predictable and rushed.

I never noticed how many stories with characters grieving were around until I'm the one grieving...

But okay let's talk about this book because.....

🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
what just happened???
Did I finally find a thriller that I couldn't put down?!?!
Did I just find a new author I'll read like I get paid to do it?

😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲 guys guys listen to me on this one okay? GO GET IT !!!!! It has so much drama and I enjoyed it so much. I mean yeah is a thriller but it isnt one of those regular thrillers, nah this one has all the drama needed to feel a gossip queen while still reading a thriller. I was all the time like nah I know what's going on and then boom 💥 nah I didn't know what was happening hahahaa!!! The end was Aldo so good, I mean I guessed it a bit, but still good.

And obviously it was a book by Bookouture!!! So thank you to the publisher, thank you to the author Karen King and netgalley for the arc!!!!!

Let me tell you something; after I closed this book, I kept thinking of the story and the plot twists all night. 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 was just mindblown by the huge plot twist at the end, especially the epilogue. 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.

★★★★ 4.5 stars

The Daughter you never knew...wants the life she never had...

Well, that wasn't quite what I expected. THE FAMILY REUNION is my fourth read of Karen King's psychological thrillers and I wasn't disappointed. Although I would class this one as more in the domestic thriller genre, as it was specifically centred around the family and its extending tendrils. Throughout the entire story there is an undercurrent of something not quite right and it seems the answer is just staring us in the face...why can't anyone else see it? Or maybe they have...or maybe they haven't. But one thing is for sure...nothing is as it seems.

Mary hasn't always had the charmed life she's known with husband Paul of thirty eight years, having then been blessed with two children - Joanne and Jason respectively. Her childhood was one she lived in fear and shame, and grieving the loss of her own mother some years before. Maybe that is what drew her into the arms of 18 year old rebel-without-a-cause Robbie. He claimed to love her and that is exactly what she yearned for and thought she found in his arms and his bed. But when she realised she was pregnant and when she went to tell Robbie the news, she discovered something far worse. How utterly alone she found herself at just 15 years old forced to keep her secret (and the one she had witnessed) for forty five years.

And now her beloved husband Paul was gone. Joanne and Jason were grown with families, children and lives of her own. For forty five years, Mary had kept her shameful secret to herself. For fear of losing her husband's respect, she'd never told him or her children. But now, what did she have to lose? The time had come to find Hope, her first born.

As soon as Mary meets Cathy (as she is now called), she feels an instant bonding with her. She can see she has Robbie's dark looks and after a DNA test, Mary knows that she is without a doubt her long lost daughter. But how to make up for forty five years? This is where things get a little sticky.

At first Cathy wants to get to know Mary before meeting the rest of the family. Understandable, as meeting your mother for the first time would be a daunting experience...meeting the rest of her family even more so. But Mary is convinced that Joanne and Jason will love Cathy just has much as she does. But is Mary blinded by her guilt for abandoning her baby all those years ago that she is ready to believe anything? Because as soon as the siblings meet, it is clear that tensions are high. Are Joanne and Jason jealous with Cathy's arrival on the scene that she will now get a slice of what they believe is coming to them?

And then strange things begin to happen. Or had they always been there and no one really noticed because Mary lived alone in a sprawling six bedroom home she had no need for? It seems Mary has been somewhat forgetful lately - leaving keys in the fridge, turning the router off, leaving windows open - what is Mary was developing what she had always feared? What her mother had before she took her own life? Early onset dementia?

But it seems, though, that Mary isn't the only one who's been keeping secrets.

THE FAMILY REUNION begins off slowly with a gradual build as we get to know Mary and what has brought her to where she is now. It's not until about 25% into the story that things begin to get a little interesting, especially when the narrative changes, switching things up a little. The story unfolds through Mary, Alison and Cathy's perspectives throughout and it's interesting to get the insight into each of their minds and lives. It is interesting to note that we don't get Joanne's perspective - I wonder why that is? But each woman has a pivotal part to play in the unfolding of events. And despite its slow start, the story does pick up pace bringing everything to a stunning conclusion in the shocking epilogue.

Filled with secrets, lies and deceit throughout, THE FAMILY REUNION is one reunion you want to stay well away from...whilst sneakily turning the pages to find out what happens anyway. You just wouldn't want to be in their shoes! It has sibling rivalry abound! All three of them, I could have slapped them. They all behaved appallingly. Joanne and Jason were entitled and spoilt and, while they very probably were concerned for their mother's welfare, they were also looking at the bigger picture with themselves having a starring role.

So who is Cathy really? And what does she want?
What is Joanne and Jason's real problem with Cathy?
Is Mary truly blinkered by her own guilt that she can see no wrong in Cathy?
Which of them have secrets? Or do they all have them?
Do any of them know how to speak the truth?
Do any of them truly have Mary's best interests at heart?
And is Mary truly in danger?

There are so many questions...so many secrets...so many lies...who to believe? This is a story about family dynamics at its core and how they each behave in the face of change. First with the death of their husband and father, and then with the new arrival of a long lost daughter and sibling. There were plenty of twists and plenty of red herrings but nothing will prepare you for the shocking twist that you won't see coming at the end. Nicely played, Ms King.

Overall, THE FAMILY REUNION is a gripping tale of family drama and suspense that will keep you guessing as well as entertained until the brilliant end. There were a few questions I felt left unanswered (about who did what) in the end but overall still a great read.

I would like to thank #KarenKing, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheFamilyReunion in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Recently widowed Mary has been keeping a secret for 45 years, she fell pregnant at age 15 and birthed all alone before abandoning her new born baby. Now 45 years later Mary is reunited with her daughter Cathy/Hope. But Cathy (as she is now called) has a few things she's hiding!
And her other children are not exactly happy to have a sudden extra sibling.

Told in two different time lines, with one being told in flashbacks to the past
Mary is a very unreliable narrator, she thinks she may be getting dementia when her money and personal items are being misplaced and strange and scary things start happening to, but is it all in her mind, or is someone doing that to her to scare her?


I felt sorry for Mary with her problematic children and children in law, every character has problems/issues which add a complexity to the story, you wonder who's guilty when everyone has a motive
and with an epilogue to crown it all off in a jaw hitting the floor reveal.

A quick read mystery for anyone who enjoys Shari Lapena.