Running from her current situation Halle finds the father she never knew through an ancestry DNA test. But when she gets there odd things begin to occur and she keeps catching the blame. Seems some people in this family have secrets deeper than her own. Quick, easy and enjoyable. I enjoyed unraveling the mystery

When I read the synopsis I immediately knew I was going to like that book! This was my first book by Ellery Kane and it won’t be my last. I already bookmarked the next one :)

It was a great page turner and I would have read it within a day or 2 but unfortunately I have to work to afford my book addiction!

The end left a lot of questions so I wonder if there will be a sequel…? I would definitely buy it!

The tagline on the cover of the book caught my attention: “They welcomed you in. And now you’re trapped.” Unfortunately, I think that was pretty misleading in terms of what actually occurred in the story.

While I was intrigued most of the time, it seemed that no real developments happened until about 70% of the way in. Even though I didn’t predict the ending, I also wasn’t wowed by it.

I found the FMC to be very unlikeable and I often rooted against her. That being said, I did enjoy the scenes with the budding friendship/romance between the FMC and a male in the story.

Overall, I’m not mad I read the book, but I also don’t know that it will be one that stands out to me later on.

Hallie has been searching for her biological father and recently got a hit with a genetic testing company. She connects with her father and his family on to discover they aren’t all they claim to be.

This book was meh. I didn’t hate it. It don’t regret reading it. It just felt that the twists and turns fell flat. I did find the letters from all her perspective dads sprinkled throughout the book interesting, but got confused on how she was receiving them as no one knew where she was. 🤷‍♀️

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I wasn't the biggest fan of this book. It was a very slow burner for me and at times I thought it dragged on too much.

This book was a slow burn for me! I really enjoyed the plot but I didn’t see where it was going at times, it sort of dragged. I didn’t see the ending coming which was a great twist!

Hallie Sherman has been on her own since she was nine years old. She's learned how to survive by any means necessary, trusting no one in order to protect herself from further hurt, but still she yearns for the sense of belonging that she believes would come from being part of a family. And so she sends out letters. All she knows about her father is that his name was Robert Thompson and he lived in the Pacific North West, so she writes to every Robert Thompson she can find, hoping for a connection. For years, all her mission brings her is disappointment, until the day she receives an email from an ancestry website telling her that they've found her father.

What follows is a soapy, readable thriller with enough twists to keep you guessing till the end and a protagonist you can't help but root for in spite of her flaws.

Hallie is your classic girl with a mysterious, troubled past that she can never quite outrun, but she is also likeable, empathetic and driven; the subplot about her dream of becoming a chef - she likes cooking because she can control the outcome - was an enjoyable sideline to the main series of events, and I really liked the warmth and subtlety with which the author portrayed Hallie's relationship with Nick, the executive chef at her father's upscale Lake Tahoe restaurant.

Some of the main plot felt rushed or contrived, and the characters of Hallie's two half siblings were unevenly written and not very original. Additionally, I found the exposition dumps about Hallie's past - and the pasts of her father and others - through conversations with various characters rather lazy writing; flashbacks or a dual timeline would have made the revelations feel more organic and more earned. However, overall this was an engaging mystery which held my interest to the end.

My final gripe is with the blurb - it was very frustrating that it dropped such a huge revelation on me before I had even begun reading. Surely there was a way to tantalise the reader without spoiling the biggest twist?

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

Hallie Sherman never knew her father and her mother never had anything good to say about him. But, after she died, Hallie wants to be part of a family and she finds her father through a DNA matching service. Excited to meet her half-siblings, she accepts his offer to spend some time at his home near Lake Tahoe.

The Wrong Family is an interesting story that has several twists. Some parts are aggravating and Hallie makes some head-shaking mistakes throughout the book. The characters are varied and some are truly hateful. But, in the end, I treated this book as a time-out sort of read. I enjoyed the story, the addition of the emails Hallie receives is a nice touch, the setting is great (Lake Tahoe…sigh) and the conclusion is good. I was looking for an entertaining, don’t have to think-too-hard, kind of book and Ms Kane delivered. NetGalley provided an advance copy.

I really liked this one! Halle was definitely one of those characters that quite clearly breaks the law, yet you can’t help but root for her. This was my first book by Ellery Kane but it won’t be my last.

It was a little less thriller and I little more “let’s sit back and watch this absolute car crash unfold!” - which isn’t a bad thing! I couldn’t stop reading. Definitely an intriguing read.

The Wrong Family is a slow burn that feels like a soapy lifetime drama. There are subtle twists and clues sprinkled throughout the winding plot. Mysterious events constantly occur that range from inconsequential to tragic. The big reveal was unexpected and wrapped up loose ends for a satisfying conclusion. Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture for my copy.

I thought this book had a somewhat weird plot but it was still enjoyable to read. I would give this author another chance.

3.75/4 (round up to 4)

This was a very pleasurable read!
Hallie, the main character is very relatable - wanting to be seen, valued and feel like she is a part of something, in this case, part of a family.

This was a quick read, one that I would suggest to those wanting to get back into reading or maybe a younger adult audience. The story grabs your attention right from the first few pages but then slows down a bit before speeding up, but is an easy read to follow throughout.

Will be reading more from this author for sure!

I love twisty novels, but this one didn't quite capture my interest. I think the story telling and the writing could have been tighter...for instance, we should doubt Hallie more subtly, more in an unreliablie narrator way.. That said, there are a lot of readers for this type of book and it will definitely have its audience. I liked the letters interspersed with the chapters. I thought that was strong storytelling and creative.

I really enjoyed this book. It definitely was a page turner. I liked how we go to see Hallie’s character kind of evolve has everything was happening. You could tell so much that she wanted everything to work out with Robert. At first, with the name of the title, I thought it would be similar to other books I’ve read but I really liked the way the plot happened. I haven’t read a book with a plot like this. I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author.

As usual Ellery Kane did an awesome job of telling a great story, that keeps you reading. I started and didn't put it down until the end. I loved the twists and turns that I never saw coming.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and mostly the author for the chance to read this advanced copy.

This kept me so so entertained! I loved every second of it. I highly recommend! Five big ol stars from me.

This one started out slow for me, but it quickly picked up speed. The story's premise seemed amazing, however there were several issues with the way it was executed. I appreciated two key twists at 85%-95%, it was not as predictable as one might imagine. On the other hand, despite the intriguing premise and suspenseful moments, there was no excitement. This novel is, at best, a mystery. Overall, worth a read.

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

This one was a little less like a thriller and way more like sitting back and watching the most ultra-dysfunctional family implode. It was like a train wreck that you just can’t take your eyes off of. When Hallie, with all her secret issues, connects with her biological father, it seems like all of her dreams have come true, but the more I read, the more secrets there seemed to be. I have never read about so many secrets and lies told by everyone yet it didn’t feel overdone.

It did start out a little slow for me, but the pace built as the story progressed. And with a full cast of characters, I am not sure I liked any of them. As soon as I had any connection to one of them, they either did something undesirable or one of their secrets came to light. While I suspected quite a few, but not all, of these secrets before they came out, I was still very interested to know if I was right. And after rereading the synopsis, I’d suggest avoiding reading about this one and you might be more shocked about the twists.

If you like to read about family drama to make your life feel normal, this is definitely your book. With all of my quirks, this one had me feeling like I was quite ordinary.

I did this as at times an immersive read/listen while also switching back and forth between the book types as my schedule and availability allowed. Madeline Pell did a good job of narrating the book and allowing the plot to shine.

This is the first book I’ve read by Ellery. There was a lot of twists and turns in this book but I did find there were a lot of slow parts. I was about 40 % into the book when I felt that it started to pick up.
I would definitely recommend this book!

Thank you NetGalley, Ellery and Bookouture for the ARC!

Interesting plot, but it was difficult to get through. The characters were hard to connect to and the plot was hard to follow. I liked the emails interspersed with the chapters - I thought this was very clever and one thing that caught my attention. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC.