Book Review: The Family Inside
Rating: ⭐⭐ (2 out of 5 stars)

I picked up The Family Inside hoping for an engaging mystery, but unfortunately, the plot left me more confused than captivated. The storyline felt disjointed, and by the end, the initial mystery that hooked me was left unanswered, which was pretty disappointing. It seemed like there were too many loose ends and not enough explanation to tie everything together.

That being said, if you’re looking for a quick read that doesn’t require much thought, this book might fit the bill. The pacing is fast, and it’s easy to get through in one sitting. However, if you’re craving a well-developed mystery with satisfying conclusions, this one might leave you wanting more.

Thank you HTP Hive and Harlequin Audio for the complimentary DRC + ALC

1.5 stars

Unfortunately, this did not work for me at all. The main character consistently overlooks obvious red flags and makes the worst decisions, which made it hard for me to care or root for her. Disaster seemed to follow her relentlessly in a very short space of time, so everything felt sudden and overly dramatic. While there were several twists in the plot, only one felt well-executed and took me by surprise, while the others, particularly the final twist, seemed extremely far-fetched.

That said, the narrators, Emily Lawrence and Ashley Klanac, did a great job with their performances. Unfortunately, despite that, I just couldn’t fully get into this story.

Iris Blodgett is having a rough day. Not only are she and her daughter being evicted from their house, but she also gets fired from her waitressing job on the same day. When her new boyfriend Hugh hears about her predicament, he insists that they move into his mother's house with him. He's staying with her and helping to renovate the crumbling mansion. With no other options, Iris accepts his offer. When they arrive, they discover that Hugh's two siblings (and one sister-in-law) are also living there. Hugh is loving and attentive, but Iris immediately gets off on the wrong foot with his brother, convinced he's an abusive husband. When Iris's 18-year-old daughter Ellory goes missing, she begins a frantic search while also uncovering some strange and scary things about Hugh and his family. The story of Ellory is also woven in, showing how she ran away with her boyfriend, only to be trapped when his unsavory friends come along for the ride.

The story was a bit hard for me to get into at the beginning, but I'm glad I stuck with it, because the twists and turns came thick and fast toward the end! Of course, Iris ended up with a broken cell phone and a debilitating ankle injury, making her sense of being trapped all the more real. I didn't see the big twist that happened, nor could I guess where it was all leading! This book had plenty of surprises and was an addictive read.

When Iris loses her home, she has no choice to move in with her boyfriend and bring her 18 year old daughter along. Hugh, Iris’s boyfriend, is currently living with his mother to help fix up the house. His brother with his wife and his sister are also staying in the house. This book was a super fun read for me and I enjoyed the quick pace and twists.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Gripping and Unforgettable!

This slow burn had me thinking I had it all figured out—until the twists hit, and my jaw was on the floor! The eerie atmosphere, unsettling family dynamics, and dark secrets of Ravencliff kept me hooked. It took several turns that I never saw coming, making it impossible to put down.

I’m shocked at some of the lower reviews—while some parts seemed unbelievable, they fit this story perfectly as everything came together in the end. A must-read for thriller fans!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed this book, though I definitely had to suspend my disbelief at times. The story centers on Iris, who is down on her luck after her husband died a few years back. She meets rich and charming Hugh, who swoops right in as she is losing her house and her job and asks if she and her teenage daughter Ellory want to move in with him. When she gets to the creepy house that Hugh is fixing up for his mother, she realizes that there might be more to Hugh (and his family) that she expected. You also get a dual timeline told by another character, and the author does a good job at tying these timelines together.

The mystery in the book was sound, and I felt like the house was suitably creepy and the plotline twisty. I did struggle a bit with Iris herself as a character, and about the short-sighted decisions that she made. I had trouble believing that a real person would be as gullible as her and also do some of the things that she did. There was also time given to her internal monologue, which unfortunately didn't endear her to me further. I thought the major twist in the book was really good, and was surprised that I didn't see it coming. I thought the end of the book was good and worked well with the rest of the story.

Overall, I enjoyed this book despite my lack of connection with the protagonist. Though I had to suspend my disbelief, I enjoyed the plot twists and thought this was a quick read overall. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 57%

I reallyyyyyy tried with this book but I just was not invested in the plot or the iffy writing. Seems like I am an #unpopularopinion. Thank you, Harlequin Trade Publishing, for an #ARC in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed the psychological suspense and unreliable narrators! I wanted so bad to keep reading this. Other than that.... stupid decisions after decisions, I could not stop the eye rolls. Confusing timelines. Slow paced which let me to start skimming pretty quickly. Check it out for yourself!

🚪Dual POVs
🚪Dramatic
🚪Unreliable narrators
🚪"WTF" moments
🚪Psychological Suspense

I truly wish I could give an honest review but unfortunately I had to DNF at 20%. I couldn’t get past the writing style. It just wasn’t for me. It felt very juvenile in my personal opinion. The characters, especially the FMC were extremely unlikable and honestly just annoying. This one just wasn’t for me at all.

I would, however, like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought that the characters were the strongest part of this story. The mother-daughter relationship felt really real, to me, and their reactions to the house they moved in were believe-able. I think that the plot is where this story lost me, unfortunately. I just felt like this was like every other domestic thriller I've read in the last few years plot-wise. It wasn't horrible, not by any means, but it was just not....interesting, per say. I also felt like some of the inner dialogue could be a bit contrived at times.

This was a super creepy and atmospheric thriller that really made me imagine a haunted house so well. Iris has been down on her luck ever since her husband died three years ago. She also loses her house and her job and she and her daughter are on the outs as well. What feels like prince charming swoops in to save the day. Iris's very new boyfriend Hugh invites them to move into his family's house in NY. Once they arrive the creepiness starts to happen and no one really is who they seem. I thought it was spooky and interesting, but was all just okay in the end for me. Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC.

Conceptually this had all the right pieces. The mother daughter relationship was extremely believable, and everything about the house they moved into spooked me. Some of the inner dialogue lost me, and the author released copy had some formatting issues that made this tough to read. Overall good, but missed the mark for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I did love this book and read it in one sitting. I could not put this book down. I did not see some of the twists coming! I would definitely recommend this book.

This book was absolutely wild and I loved every minute! I didn’t see the twist coming and there were a lot of them. It was done very well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start by saying the reason this book took me so long was the format that came across my NetGalley and my kindle, I had to physically read the book. I do a lot of my reading during the day by listening to the book through the NetGalley app.

With that being said, I loved this book. While it took me a little while to get into in and understand the writing, I was hooked. The multiple POVs and the revenge...not to mention to twists. Ugh it was so good. I kind of want to read it again when it comes out and I have a normal format so I can really enjoy it in one sitting because it was so good. I will be adding Katie Garner to my author list because I enjoyed this one a lot.

If it sounds too good to be true...........it probably it is. Iris, I wish you would have just said no. This book had me rolling my eyes and then just skipping around to the end. I am sorry that I cannot give this book a good review. Thank you to NetGalley and Mira Books for the complementary ARC. This review is my own opinion.

Thank you Netgalley & HTP Books/MIRA for an eARC of The Family Inside by Katie Garner! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Interesting plot - I found myself confused throughout a lot of this book but I know that was the point of the writing looking back on it. Cleverly written, I flew through this one while alternating between audiobook and eBook, but couldn't help but feel like I've read so many thrillers with a similar trope in the past few years. I loved the clever ending and am looking forward to seeing what Katie Garner comes up with next!

The Family Inside by Katie Garner is a fast paced domestic thriller that kept surprising me with twists.

this was my first katie garner book, and i absolutely devoured it! this book plays with your mind in the best way. just when i thought i had it all figured out, she slaps this insane bomb on me and my brain went into overdrive piecing everything together. i will definitely be adding this author to my list of books to look out for!

Thank you for the opportunity to read The Family Inside. I went into reading excited about the synopsis. Who doesn’t love a twisty thriller? Unfortunately, although I gave it more time than I normally do, I chose to DNF about halfway through. There was just too much going on, and I felt that the author was going more for constant shock value than taking one thread and developing into a well-constructed story. I will however be interested in reading the author’s next book, which is hopefully less chaotic. Having said all that, I do feel like this book has an audience with those who enjoy multiple-twist popcorn thrillers.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book. I was interested at first, but as I continued reading the writing was really bothering me. The dialogue was clunky and sort of melodramatic, and I just couldn’t get past it.