This is family drama at its finest! Picture perfect family, rich, new relationships, a grandbaby, an extravagant party at the annual Calhoun Family Cherry Blossom Festival…nothing could possibly go wrong! Oh, but did it! When daddy Calhoun ends up dead, shot as his own party, everyone is a suspect. Literally everyone. We meet the children of the Calhoun family and they all have something to hide or motive and no one wants their secrets to be revealed.

Although this family likes to come across as “Such a Lovely Family” they are anything but. Dysfunctional family is their middle name and lying is their game! This popcorn thriller has SO many twists and SO many characters trying to charm and manipulate it had me guessing until the very end. I loved the fact that each character had a strong reason to want Daddy Calhoun dead. I just loved each characters role and how they all tied together. Talk about a family that would be perfect to gossip about! Make sure to check out this lovely family in March!

Title: Such a Lovely Family
Author: Aggie Blum Thompson
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group- Forge Books
Genre: Domestic Thriller
Pub Date: March 12, 2024
My Rating: 3.6 rounded up
Pages: 352

Ginny and Thom Calhoun are once again celebrating spring with their annual Cherry Blossom Party. The parents and their three adult children Elle Grace, Trey and Nate are ready for the arrival of the important DC guest as the celebration starts at 3:00 in the afternoon.

Tragedy strikes~
The Washington Post reads
Chevy Chase Couple attacked during Garden Party
– Husband dead and Wife injured.
As the secrets were revealed- I totally expecting a BIG reveal.
When it came it wasn’t a big shock;
But have to admit this story was entertaining.
Plenty of unlikable characters but there were some that I was pulling for!
.
Want to thank NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group –Forge Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Dare scheduled for Tuesday, March 12, 2024.

It’s so easy to judge people and families by outward appearance. This novel is full of deliciously fleshed-out unreliable characters. This well-to-do family, who seem to have everything, really just have lies and deceit binding them together.
A fast, fun, read!

Some families seem to have it all......wealth, social status, a beautiful home and a close knit family. That is until one day all the secrets are exposed. Today the Calhouns have their idyllic world crumble at their Cherry Blossom Party.

The story has many secrets and even more twists. I was kept guessing.

This book was a whirlwind of plotwists and secrets and a bunch of old-money drama between siblings and their wealthy parents.

Although this book was fun, it was definitely difficult to get into because of the amount of main characters and important side characters that this book introduces you to in the first few chapters. Those chapters were something I really had to push myself to get through.

After you learn who everyone is though, that's where the real story starts and that's when it gets good.

This book to me felt like 'If Gossip Girl went dark' and I really enjoyed letting myself get swept away by the secrets and lies of the so-called picture perfect Calhaun family, and I could've never guessed the big plotwist at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group for the Arc

I love a good domestic drama/thriller! I always like to guess the ending of my books and this one was fun because literally everyone is a suspect. Everybody has a reason and a motive. It made me crave backyard parties on warm spring nights - though I hope mine turn out better than this one did!

Don’t be fooled by the title and flowery cover because this book is anything but sweet!

Murder. Deceit. Secrets. Lies. Betrayals. All of which are the perfect recipe for an amazing domestic thriller. The Calhoun’s appear “picture perfect” to the outside world but they are anything but. When one of them ends up dead at their annual cherry blossom party, the police have to question everyone who was there and investigate the motivation behind the murder. No one is safe from being a person of interest or suspect.

I loved the investigation aspect of the story and how TWISTED and DYSFUNCTIONAL this family was. They were so unlikable and insufferable but the drama was everything I love in a whodunnit mystery. I was definitely surprised by the ending and highly recommend this page turner to anyone a fan of this genre.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions in this review are 100% my own.

I absolutely loved the last book I read by Aggie Blum Thompson (I Don't Forgive You, 08 Jun 2021, 5 Stars) and looked forward to reading and reviewing Such A Lovely Family. I wish I could be as enthusiastic about this book as I was with the other, but I simply couldn't connect with the story. There is also an overwhelming number of characters in this novel to track, and I found that frustrating. I'm so sorry to leave a less than stellar review. I will, however, look forward to this author's next release and try again.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Forge Books for providing an advance copy for review. *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

I want to start this review by saying THAT COVER!! Absolutely stunning!

This is a wild ride of family drama kicked up a high notch! The Calhoun family is not a family I would want to be a part of. From beginning to end there was always something happening that left you on the edge of your seat questioning everyone's motives. Throughout this book, the Calhoun family was hiding something from each other (and their neighbors/friends too) and it leaves the reader to guess almost everyone's motives. The twist at the end left me sitting back and absorbing this plot for a few days before I could come up for air and leave this review. I haven't been able to start a new book since finishing this one. I guess no matter what the price tag says, money can't buy happiness and it most certainly can not keep the truth from eventually making itself known. I will be pushing this book on everyone I know who loves murder, mystery, family dramas, bizarre secrets and rich families gone awry. Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover and walk away with a satisfying read with 5 stars.

Thank you Tor Publishing and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

A family thriller, the Calhoun family is “picture perfect” but are that really? They all had secrets which had me at the edge of my seat. Loved the plot and the twists!

A wickedly salacious whodunit that feels, as one character describes, as "Succession in the DC suburbs." Thompson does a delightful job of immediately bringing each character to life, with the entire novel taking place over just a few days' time but with decades worth of malice, spite and family drama. Readers will both love to hate the ultra-wealthy Calhoun family and at the same time find their shallowness slightly resonant (for aren't we all just a little bit avaricious?). I read this one in a day or so, and it's just fun. Would highly recommend.

The novel delves into the lives of the Calhoun family, seemingly picturesque on the surface but harboring deep secrets and vulnerabilities. After a murder disrupts their annual event, hidden truths begin to emerge, leading to a tense and gripping tale of betrayal, lies, and unexpected twists within the family. The characters are meticulously crafted, each with their unique roles, and the narrative keeps readers guessing until the very end, with every chapter revealing new surprises. The author's portrayal of the family dynamics and the unfolding of their secrets adds depth and intrigue to the story, making it an engrossing whodunit!

As far as thrillers go, this one is in my top 5! I loved the formatting of this book that gave insight into each character's perspectives and feelings, as well as providing their pieces in the overall puzzle. I thought each character was well thought out and were easily understandable, giving the feeling as if you could predict them, when in reality, this was far from the truth. I thought that the overall mystery was very well-done and gripping, and I would highly recommend this book to others! I enjoyed the writing style, fast-paced nature, and story that this book provided, and I feel lucky to have gotten to read it!

Love a family thriller, one with secrets and mis-used privilege, and this one was compelling and fascinating, atmospheric and lovely. Adored it.

The book follows the Calhoun Family A picture-perfect family. Thom and Ginny have been married for 35 years. They have 3 Adult children together. The Eldest is Thomas (Trey) Calhoun III, The middle child is Nate Calhoun and the youngest is Ellie Grace. While hosting their annual Cherry Blossom Party, tragedy strikes when the party ends in murder. Soon dark secrets within the family are slowly revealed when the family is placed under a microscope as possible suspects.

The author wrote the Calhoun family perfectly. This is exactly what I’d imagine when I think of a “Picture-perfect” family. Extravagant parties, Christmas cards with coordinating outfits, and spending thousands just for fun. Just for the family to keep up a facade of a perfect life while secretly falling apart. Ginny's favorite child Trey is the black sheep of the family who has returned home with the help of his parents to get him on the right path after making a huge mess in California. Nate is the seemingly normal one of the bunch. He would prefer a simple life with his fiancé Danit and Son Maclom. Ellie Grace an Instagram Influencer with a need to show off her seemingly "perfect life" to her thousands of followers. What Ellie Grace really craves is her parent's acceptance and attention.

Such a lovely family has secrets, lies, twists, betrayal, and murder. This is whodunnit kept me guessing until the very end. Everyone has a secret in the book and in each chapter, it's revealed. The book had me gasping out loud with each reveal. Each character played a special role and the personalities were written in perfect detail. My absolute favorite character was Cookie! I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller and look forward to reading more from Aggie Thompson.

Thank you to NetGalley, A Forgebooks, and Aggie Blum Thompson for the opportunity to be an ARC reader in exchange for an honest review.

If you're looking for a small town family thriller with plenty of twists and turns then check this one out! Don't let the cover fool you. It may be pretty and it may look like it will be a cutesy story but its not! This is an excellent thriller that kept me gripping the pages.

2,5 ⭐️

Even though this book kept me entertained, I wasn’t at all impressed by the storyline and finale. I had high hopes for an edge-of-my-seat finale, but it just didn’t do it for me, sadly.

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

First off, thank you Netagalley for this opportunity!

Secondly, as a newbie in the world of thriller books this was definitely a fun little read! Would recommend reading it to anyone who loves this genre

My main 2024 reading goal is to read outside of my comfort zone; I don't read many thrillers, but as a librarian working (and living) in northern-ish Virginia, the cherry blossom season setting caught my attention.

A murder breaks out at a fancy party; a classic thriller setting, but this has a lot of twists and turns to keep you turning the pages.

Predicting much interest among our patrons due to the Washington DC/cherry blossom season setting!

Many thanks to Tor Publishing/Forge Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was super excited to get this book, but it just really never was able to capture my attention. It was just slow.