Mary has a shameful secret, one she has kept from everyone in her life, it’s something that’s always weighed on her. Now, it’s time for that secret to come to light.

When Mary’s husband Paul passes away, Mary decides to look for the daughter she abandoned when she was 16, her baby girl Hope. To her surprise and delight, Hope reaches out. She now goes by Cathy, she is 45, and she is eager to reconnect.

To Mary, family is the most important thing in life. She dreams of having a united family. So she introduces Cathy to her two grown children, Joanne and Jason. But Joanne and Jason aren’t thrilled with this new person, and question her motives.

And I have to admit, all these red flags were popping up for me where Cathy was concerned. With all these strange incidents happening, is Cathy the cause? Is Mary losing her mind?

While The Family Reunion lagged at times, the twist at the end was jaw-dropping! I would definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading more by Karen King.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Karen King for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was really enjoying this book about Mary who reunited te with the daughter she had to give away as a teenage mother but once again we are blindsided by a storyline that comes out of nowhere. Mary is so happy to reunite with the daughter who she named hope but is now named Kathy. After giving her away 45 years before Mary is overjoyed to be reunited. They spend a lotta time together and Mary spends lots of money buying Kathy clothes because it is clear Kathy did not and does not have the lifestyle that Mary and her children benefit from. Mary’s children Joanne and Jason are very suspicious of Kathy and her motives there are many things Kathy lies about but the one thing that confuse me was why did you lie and say she didn’t have children when she had a daughter named Hannah who Mary was overjoyed to meet and become close with. The many things in this book I had questions about but still go to the four star read and found it very enjoyable but then at the end… I had even more questions and then when I read the epilogue if I would have been a cartoon character my cap would’ve flew off my head! But because this is reality I just wanted to close the book and throw it at the wall. I mean really?… Really? I found the epilogue to be pointless and didn’t add anything to this book except more questions. I can’t say this isn’t worth reading because I said it grabs your attention and keeps it it flows nicely but it seems the further into the story we got the more questions I had I mean it seemed nowadays instead of weaving a great tale they just write a story and then put the twist make up a whole new storyline so you’ll be like wow I didn’t see that coming… Of course you didn’t because there was nothing alluding to that there was no oh now that makes sense oh no it was more like wait why? Either way read it for yourself I’m sure Facebook will have plenty of five star reviews because my opinion is always a rare one and I guess I’m a little ambivalent about this book because I would say read it and would recommend it. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am

Another gripping read that I couldn’t put down from the first word. A quick, fast paced read that’s full of suspicion. Told from several characters point of view with one particular one being the one you wanted to give you all the goods but your kept at arms length. Really well developed characters that all have their own stuff going on along with the family dynamics. Great storyline that is never as it seems… One to read for sure but prepare to get nothing else done 😜…

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read #TheFamilyReunion

I expected some pretty thrilling plot twists but honestly although there were some omg moments I felt that the book was based more on family drama than a thrilling storyline.

The most shocking twist being in the epilogue, felt that needed to happen sooner to captivate readers a little more.

The premise is intriguing and the author tries to pull it off throughout the book however I felt due to the book being loaded with family drama and so many strong personalities I felt it wasn't carried off as well as it could have been turning it into more of a suspenseful / mystery novel rather than a thriller.

However I did read to the end, I did appreciate the characters, they were well developed and indeed led the storyline in the right direction. It definitely kept me guessing throughout - I actually love to solve a mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for the chance to review this book.

Today I'm hosting a family party. One that's different to every celebration we've has before. Because I've invited my secret daughter to it. I've never forgiven myself for abandoning her as a baby, with just a scrawled not tucked into her soft yellow blanket, saying her name was Hope. As soon as she reached out, I knew I had to meet her. My family all seem ready to accept her with open arms, their forgiveness a blessing I barely deserve. And I dare to believe that maybe we are all going to have a happy ending after all.

This is a tense and gripping psychological thriller. There are plenty of twists to keep you guessing. The pace is fast throughout. With hidden motives, it could be hard to tell where the story was taking us next. I loved the authors writing style. The family had so many dark secrets. You can't help but feel sorry for Mary whose story is sensitively written. The story is told from multiple points of view. And the epilogue, I never saw coming.

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

i enjoyed this book! not my favorite, and not the best thriller ive ever read, but definitely still a good read! i love books that make me go back and forth between characters - who can i trust? who can i not trust? and this book does exactly that!
4 stars!

The Family Reunion by Karen King was a gripping psychological thriller. This story keeps you on the edge of your seat and keeps you guessing all the way through.
Mary’s husband has passed away so she thinks this is the perfect time to look for her long lost daughter. But strange things start to happen for Mary so can she trust her new daughter or is it something else that is going on will keep you gripped.

This book had me hooked from the first page one and has you racing to the end. I would recommend this to anyone that loves a good psychological thriller.

After Mary’s husband Paul dies, she decides to look for the daughter that she had abandoned when she was only 16 years old. She had told no one about this baby and lived in fear of her family not accepting she had a child previously.

Once reconnecting with her biological daughter, Cathy, strange things start happening to Mary. Is she starting to lose her mind and get early onset Alzheimer’s like her mother did or is someone messing with her??

This book is full of family drama with some twists at the end that I didn’t see coming.

I felt the main character Mary to be annoying at times, ignoring/letting things slide that you would never let go. I found it very hard to connect to the characters in the book and there were times where I felt the book dragged especially during the second third of the book.

I want to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for sharing this book with me.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Family Reunion by Karen King was a gripping psychological thriller. This story keeps you on the edge of your seat and keeps you guessing all the way through.
Mary’s husband has passed away so she thinks this is the perfect time to look for her long lost daughter. As Mary gets to know her daughter weird things keep happening to Mary. Is this the work of her long lost daughter or is something else going on.
This book hooks you from page one and puts a hold you to the last page. I would highly recommend to anyone that loves a good psychological thriller.

This book starts from the beginning with a twisty road of deception amongst the characters. Mary did not have a good life as a young woman. Her mother died when Mary was young and her father was abusive and overbearing. She found love and escape in the arms of a man much older than her. When she found she was pregnant, she knew she could not tell her father nor her older boyfriend, so she gave birth alone and left her baby to be discovered. She never wanted anyone to know her secret. Fast forward 45 years. Mary found true love in her wonderful husband (Paul) of many years. They had two children who are married and successful. Paul has recently passed away and Mary starts to pine for the child she never truly knew. She finds her long lost daughter, Cathy. Cathy's character was hiding something. I figured that out immediately. I just was not sure exactly what she was hiding. Every character in this book (including her children and their spouses) have some secrets. When these secrets begin to be uncovered, the tension is ratcheted up and the words start flying. This book has it all - secrets, deceit, mystery/intrigue, manipulation, greed and dishonesty. I felt so sorry for the character of Mary. She just wanted to do the right thing, but guilt of her own choosing had paralyzed her into believing that she was not a good person and made her vulnerable to those around her. She was a great mother, but she was being pulled from all sides. This one had some gnarly twists in the end that will leave you shocked. The epilogue left me in a state of stupor for a few moments. I never saw that coming! Readers who love a good psychological mystery will love this one.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Mary has kept a secret from her family, that is until her husband dies unexpectedly and she decides it is time to find that secret. When she was only 15 years old, she gave birth to a little girl she called Hope. 45 years late, Mary find Hope, now Cathy. But nothing is as it seems in this family, and when accidents start happening you can't help but wonder which motivation is driving them.

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This was a breezy read! Mostly, feeling bad for Mary, I wanted to get to the end and find out what was going on here!

That being said, I just did not enjoy anything about this book. None of the characters were fleshed out or sympathetic. Poor Mary is so naive and clearly lost without her husband. And yet, she also has strange callousness throughout the novel.

If you like easy reads with a lot of twists and characters that make you want to bang your head against the wall, this one is for you!

This was a pretty good thriller. I just couldn't find myself connecting to the characters as much. Good storyline though and descent plot twists.

I was drawn in to the synopsis of this story and had so many theories as I was reading! I was really into the story even though some of the characters annoyed me. When I found out who was behind all the crazy stuff that happened to Mary I was a little underwhelmed. The twist at the very end was surprising but I felt like it was wrapped up too quickly.

The death of her husband leave Mary bereft but also determined to find Hope, the child she gave birth to and left in a telephone booth when she was 16, Hope, named Cathy by her adoptive parents, comes into Mary's life and that of her two adult children as a breath of, well, dangerous air. Told from multiple perspectives but mainly by Mary, this is meant to make you wonder about what's really happening. Who is gaslighting Mary? And is Cathy who she clams to be?This would have benefited from a bit of tightening up and it's a familiar story in some ways but it's still a good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. No spoilers from me.

Abundant twists and turns keep the reader guessing. And the final twist was definitely one I wasn't expecting (which is always a good thing)! Some plot points were a bit repetitive (such as Mary's guilt) or a little over the top, but it doesn't distract from the overall enjoyment of this fast-paced read. The pace accelerated as the story unfolded, which made it difficult to put this one aside!

Another well written book by Karen king. It has plenty of twist and turns to keep everyone guessing and gripp d all the way throughout.

The Family Reunion was a decent thriller, but there were too many secrets and plot twists for my taste. It felt forced and unrealistic.

Mary is a mother and grandmother who is approaching 60. She has recently lost her beloved husband. Mary has however been harbouring a dark secret throughout her adult life. When she was just 16, she gave birth to a daughter who she abandoned in a telephone box. Now Mary decides it is time to try and trace her daughter.
Finding her long lost daughter proved surprisingly easy, however telling her two children and four grandchildren is a much bigger challenge, and jealousy and ill-feelings erupt.
After bringing the daughter into her life, things start to happen to Mary. She fears that she is being targeted by someone who wants to harm her, alongside worries that she might be showing signs of dementia.
This book really kept me guessing to the end. The ending was a little rushed and neat, but this doesn't detract from how good the story is.

Cathys the daughter she never knew. She’s invited her secret daughter to her birthday celebration, how badly can things go wrong?

I could not put this book down, absolutely loved it. Couldn’t wait to get to the end to find out who had been messing with Mary.
I did find that Mary was very naive, to not think that Cathy was up to no good! I did find the beginning was a little bit too slow had a tiny bit too much inner dialogue.

However l the twist at the end….. truly SHOCKING. Would recommend this book to everyone!

This book was sooooo slow for me and beyond repetitive. I don’t know how many times we had to hear that Mary felt bad about her past, or that she should sell her home, or gosh how worried her kids were that she lived alone.

The writing was a little juvenile and choppy for me. And parts that should have been elaborated on more weren’t. Just throw out that an affair happened and keep on truckin. Or a gambling problem, no big deal.

All family drama, no thriller. The ending tried desperately to give us thriller but by then I was ready for the novel to be done.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!