The Wrong Family is about loss, growing up in foster care, surviving, and using DNA to find your father.

Hallie Sherman lost her mother at 9 years old and has been in and out of several foster homes since. During her life she’s been plagued with one misfortune after another. Her mother never told her who her father was, just that he left them and how awful he was. At 28, she makes the decision to find her father by using genetic testing, with a company called Family Ties. It lets her know her fathers name is Robert Thompson and not much else, so she decides to write to every Robert Thompson who could possibly have fathered her and hopes to receive a response. One day Hallie and Robert receives an email from Family Ties that they are a match. They talk and he decides to invite her to stay with him and his family for 2 weeks at their Lake Tahoe home so they can get to know each other.

On her arrival to the Thompson’s home, weird things start to happen. She finds a family photo that was partially burned at a recently put out fire pit. Next, the tires on Robert’s truck are slashed. A family photo is slashed and the same day her mother’s pearls, the gun she found in the closet, and all her money go missing. She tries to dismiss the events as strange coincidences…but they always seem to point to her.

Hallie knew she wasn’t perfect and had made a lot of mistakes, but I felt like she was constantly trying to redeem herself, find some place where she can fit in, she just didn’t really know how. She wanted so badly to be part of a family and to know what’s it’s like to have a dad. I really enjoyed this story and what was going to happen, I wouldn’t consider it a thriller. More of a dysfunctional family full of secrets, with everything coming to the surface and unfortunately Hallie is in the middle. I enjoyed “watching” everything unfold. Thank you to Bookoutre and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC for my honest review. I give this book 3.5 stars

This one was very meh for me. I listened to the audiobook as an ARC.

The premise was interesting but the biggest twist of the book is revealed in the book description. I wish that had been kept a secret so we discovered it while reading! With that being said, I felt it was very repetitive and boring. I didn’t enjoy the narrator at all. She was very dry and robotic. I had a hard time paying attention.

The story itself was okay. Nothing that blew me away.

Thank you to Dreamscape Select, Hachette UK - Bookouture for the advanced audiobook copy via NetGalley for an honest and fair review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The main character, Hallie Sherman, has gone through life without a father and as an adult sets on a journey to find him.

Through this process, she discovers a new family, and with them comes many secrets.

The build-up to these secrets being revealed was a little slow, and some of the characters' actions didn't make sense to me or match the situation.
Overall, it was an interesting read, but I would not categorize it as a thriller. I would label it as a contemporary fiction or domestic fiction.

The Wrong Family focuses on Hallie who in her late twenties is looking for her father. Hallie's mother died when she was young, shunting her into the foster care system and it's accompanying trauma. Desperate for connection, Hallie mailed letters to many men that had the name that her mother said belonged to her father.

When one of those men writes back that he is her father, Hallie decides to meet her father and siblings in their isolated family home. Much of the tension early on and in the middle of this book comes from the forested locale and the presence of bears. (Sorry, but this just doesn't do it for me because I live in an area with bears. Maybe it will work for some.) As the story goes on, we learn about the dramatic lives of her newfound siblings and slowly get little bit by little bit about Hallie's past.

If you enjoy a thriller that gets most of its tension from the environment and you also like family drama in your thrillers, I think this will suit you. To me it was too little too late, I was barely hanging on when it finally got interesting in the final 15%. This book was written well, it just wasn't the story I was in the mood for and the synopsis ruins one of the major twists.

First I’ve read by this author, but happy to have found her!
Hallie is a young woman who has been in search of her biological father for years. You see, she lost her mother at a very young age…and her cause of death was one of the shockers for me!
She has bounced around in many foster homes over the years, and has had more than her share of heartache, despair, and lousy situations.
In an attempt to find her father, she writes to EVERY Robert Thompson in the appropriate age range, in the area…only to find out that this is a VERY COMMON NAME. Credit to her for following through in spite of this.
At a point where she thinks nothing else in her life can possibly go wrong, she gets notified by her DNA site that she has a familial match! Astonished after all these years of trying, she is eager and excited to meet him! And he doesn’t disappoint! In fact, he asks her to come to live with him and his family at his Lake Tahoe compound/family home to try to learn as much about her as her can…and vice versa!
To her own surprise, she accepts!!
She is in absolute awe of the place! Being as she was shuffled around to foster homes with a garbage bag holding all her earthly possessions… and now she’s living in a mansion!
But then she meets her half siblings, and Robert’s wife…and starts to wonder if she’s made the right choice.
And then she finds herself lying about her past…because she doesn’t want to disappoint him…
As we all know, nothing good ever comes from lying…
The family owns an upscale restaurant, and Hallie’s dream is to be a chef! Robert introduces her to Nick, the chef, and they hit it off right away.
And then all the crazy shenanigans start…and Hallie seems to be at blame for all of them!
And did I mention murder?
And she’s a suspect??
Lots of twists and turns. Some suspense too.
And…I LOVED how they interspersed the letters from all The Robert’s, in response to her exhaustive search for her Dad, throughout the book! This was definitely a highlight for me! Amazing to hear so many sweet responses, as well as the outright nasty ones too!
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of the audiobook!
The release date has already passed (8/31/23), but I only received it a couple of days ago…so look for it on shelves now!!

Great book! Lots of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. I liked the build up to the ending, the tricky familial relationships, the mystery. There were a couple of things that I wish were wrapped up better, but over a great book. First I’ve read from Ellery Kane, but I’d feel confident in saying I’d love to read more. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity.

"The Wrong Family" by Ellery Kane, narrated by Madeline Pell, is a simple suspense novel that wants to keep you guessing until the very end, The story revolves around a DNA match that leads Hallie to her alleged biological father, Robert, but he has his own family secrets that slowly chips away as he invites her into his seemingly idyllic sphere of influence.

I kind of agree that your initial blurb is a bit misleading and not in a good suspense kind of way, so while there were expected twists, some elements may feel more than a bit predictable to fans of the genre.

Madeline Pell's narration adds to the suspense, bringing the characters to life effectively, though pacing occasionally felt uneven.

While "The Wrong Family" offers an intriguing premise and moments of suspense, it may not stand out in the crowded thriller genre. It's a thriller that delivers a rote sense of story with a micro-dosing of suspense and mystery.

Thank you to Dreamscape Select, Hachette UK - Bookouture for the advanced audiobook copy via NetGalley for an honest and fair review.

4 stars!
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for this ARC!

This is the story of a girl, Hallie, whose mom died when she was nine, and after growing up in foster care she was on the hunt to find her biological father, Robert Thompson. She receives an email that her DNA matches a man to be her father, and he asks her to come stay with his family at their house.

Strange “crimes” keep happening, and all the blame points at Hallie and she can’t figure out why. This story goes through her experience at the Thompson’s house where family secrets are unfolded - and she isn’t sure who she can trust.

I would absolutely recommend this book, and the audio was fantastic as well.

This book was incredible. It felt a little slow at times but when it was moving I couldn’t stop listening. The narrator did a fantastic job at bringing this book to life. Even though there were heartbreaking moments of this book I loved the feeling of a found family at the end.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Madeline Pell does a great job with the narration on this book! So good in fact I thought there much have been different narrators at some points! The story itself focuses around a young woman who meets her father for the first time after submitting her DNA to a familial site. She goes to stay with him and his family in Lake Tahoe for a few weeks to get to know them and crazy things start happening not long after she arrives. There were lots of twists, many I didn’t see coming! I would recommend to anyone who likes thrillers and mysteries!

I think I found a new author for me to love! This book was so good! Every character kept me guessing what they had in store next. I can't wait to dig into another from her!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Wrong Family by Ellery Kane, an audiobook narrated by Madeline Pell was a gripping, fast-paced psychological thriller with an unforgettable twist!
I was trying to understand where it is going, and who is behind all the things but I would never guess in a million years!
The first part of the book was more like a family drama and I was wondering where all this was going but then it all came out and it was wow!
I have mixed feelings about the narrator, some parts felt a bit flat and emotionless but in general was good.
All Hallie wanted was family. Her mother died when she was 9 and all she knew was foster homes one after another. Hallie decided to find her father and was over the moon when she was matched with Robert, the successful restaurant owner. Hallie is so happy when Robert invites her to stay 2 weeks with them but does Hallie belong to this family? Can she fit in?
What could be a dream turns into a nightmare and Hallie doesn't know how to get out of it.
Things go wrong but who is behind it? Everyone has secrets but how to keep them safe? Who will suffer when all the secrets come out?
Thank you #NetGalley and #DreamscapeSelect for the copy of #TheWrongFamily

It’s Holly‘s 28th birthday and she gets an email saying there’s a match on the DNA site family ties that she sent in her sample to. so she could try and find her dad Robert Thompson and on a normal Wednesday after yoga in the park she goes to a coffee shop to meet him. He is warm and welcoming in more than Holly could’ve ever imagined he owns a restaurant which is exciting to the inspiring ammature chef and when he invites her to come and visit his family it couldn’t be more perfect timing. She is even more surprised when she arrives in the whole family is just as welcoming including wife Shelly daughter Natalie and son Logan but after she let the little lie slip out of her mouth telling them she worked at a Michelin star restaurant when she totally did not Robert cannot wait to invite her to his own restaurant cerulean to meet chef Nick she winds up sitting right in at the restaurant especially with the cute chef but when strange things start happening that she is blamed for especially by Natalie Holly knew her lot couldn’t last. It also seems her “dad“ has an enemy in a man named Jordan and when he winds up dead she gets blamed for that as well. No matter how bad she has it however she meets a guy named Jay who seems to have it worse he is homeless and stays in the grotto behind the restaurant and although she does what she can to help him it seems Jay has his secrets as well. And Holly‘s new family it’s hard to know who is friend and who is foe but before it’s over it will all become painfully clear. This was a good story but they do have a bunch of eye rolling moments. Now having said that like most of ElleryKeynes books I cannot stop reading it there is something fun and an aspect of her books I can’t put my finger on that compels me to continue reading I wouldn’t call it an authentic thriller but it definitely has its moments and it’s totally worth reading. I thought the narrator Ms.Pell did a wonderful job not the greatest thriller but one I definitely enjoyed I want to thank dreamscape media Net Galley for my free arc audio copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I was hooked from the beginning! I was really invested in Hallie’s new relationship with her family. I also love that she herself has a bit of a ‘past’ that she was trying to hide.

This one wasn’t exactly what I expected from the blurb. It’s slow paced at times so it felt a little like it dragged somewhat. It was a little predictable but there were some surprises along the way. The characters were well developed and most of them likeable enough. I really liked the letters aspect from the potential parents and found they added to the listen. The outcome was a little underwhelming and was expecting a little bit more when it came to the overall plot coming together. It was an ok listen.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Select for the opportunity to listen to and review #TheWrongFamily

This book was very slow. Based on how much information is given in the synopsis it should have taken off and been a harrowing story. Instead we are given a tale of childish secrets and jealousies. The surprise that Robert is not the real father comes at 85% of the book read and not in the way described in the synopsis, which honestly ruins what could have been a great twist.

I did like the inclusion of the letters from all the other Robert Thompsons that Hallie had contacted. They helped break up the story and were fun.

This would have been a two star read for me, except the ending was quite good. It connected a lot of strings, made sure the proper people were punished, and gave hope to those needing redemption. For that reason, I would recommend this book as long as you are prepared to work for that conclusion.

The premise of this one grabbed my attention however it took a while for this book to draw me in.
I felt like when I began listening that the book at began at the wrong place ( I even double checked). However, after a shaky start where I was a bit unsure of the writing style, the fast pace of the story grabbed me and I was all in, carving out little pockets of time to stick my earphones in and get back to this one. I had no clue where this was going and enjoyed the twists and turns along the way. An entertaining read and a great narrator, I'm not sure if I would have continued reading this one had I been reading it but the strong narration encouraged me to stick with this one, and it was worth it.
I am still unsure if this authors style of writing is for me but she can spin a great yarn!

Thank you NetGalley and Ellery Kane for this ARC.

Wow! What a great thriller!! I kept getting it wrong at every turn!! This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I Hulu recommend if you want a quick thriller that grabs you from page one!

Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Select, Hachette UK - Bookouture for this advance copy in exchange for my review.

I liked this book. It did feel more like a very mild dramatic mystery than a thriller to me, but that's OK!
I do wish I didn't read the blurb beforehand and that I had gone in blind as it might have been a bigger mystery to me.
I really enjoyed the correspondence with the other Roberts.

The narrator (Madeline Pell) did a fantastic job.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. I thought this book was okay, but very mediocre for a thriller. I had to double check the book description to make sure I was reading the correct book. It just took off in so many directions and left me a bit confused, I thought the narration was good. I enjoyed that aspect of the book,