The first 30% or so, I was ready to DNF mainly due to it being very cheesy. Decided to push through and it actually ended up being super twisty and crazy, with everything coming together in crazy ways by the end. However, I still think it was pretty cheesy overall and many of the things that happened were too unrealistic. The writing style and dialogue felt a little immature and geared towards younger readers but there is also some content that is pretty dark/not exactly fit for YA, so it was kind of a weird in between.

What I liked:
- So many twists
- Everything is not what it seems
- Satisfying ending


What I didn’t like:
- Cheesy
- Unrealistic
- Some plot holes and things that didn’t get explained or tie up nicely

After her husband was murdered three years ago, Iris’ misfortune continues as she loses her home and job at the same time.
Fortunately, her new boyfriend, Hugh, allows Iris and her 18 year old daughter, Ellory, to move in to his mother’s enormous old home that needs a lot of work and requires his help.
But Ellory runs away after Hugh proposes and Iris finds herself looking for her daughter and navigating the truth about Hugh’s family.

Overall, I thought this was a great story, but some things (no spoilers, so I won’t elaborate) just didn’t add up and the very end felt thrown together and lazy. I actually had to go back a reread that last few pages to make sure I didn’t completely miss something.

I would recommend this to anyone that likes a fast paced-easy read thriller, as the very last little twist at the end did surprise me a little.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Katie Garner brings us the story of Iris and her daughter Ellory. They are in a tough spot when Iris is fired from her job and must leave their home after it has been sold after not being able to keep up with the mortgage. Her new relationship with Hugh offers her a respite when he offers them to stay with him at his family home while he is renovating it for his mother. Thankful, they go with Hugh to their new home. They are met by a dark and looming home with siblings she knew nothing about. As each day passes, Iris starts to think that perhaps the seemingly perfect boyfriend and his family are not quite what they appear to be. She must race against time to figure out the secrets the house holds before it is too late for her to get out.

Katie Garner shares with us Iris' journey from struggling mother to detective. We follow along as Iris finds clues hidden in the family mansion and tries to figure out how all the pieces fit together. We also join Ellory's journey when she leaves home bound for California with her boyfriend and how her story is connected to the rest of the characters in the story. You keep turning the page to see what happens next and how their stories will unfold.

I have read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I would like to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for this privilege.

Wow! So not what I was expecting. This one is full of twists and turns. I couldn't put it down as I couldn't wait to see what was happening next. A must-read thriller for next year.

Thank you #netgalley and #htp #mira for the eARC.

The Family Inside made me repeat the same phrase over & over, “What the hell is happening here?!” Katie Garner gives us a 5 star thriller that is twisty & impossible to figure out. It is gripping & addictive in the best kind of way. My favorite summer thriller so far- I can’t wait for Garner’s next book!!

Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing|MIRA for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Okay, wow. It's been such a long time that I so thoroughly enjoyed a book that I didn't start another kne immediately upon finishing, but instead decided to let I sit with me a day or so....mostly because it would be unfair to the next book, which probably wouldn't be as good as the first. I've never read anything by Katie Garner, but I've clearly been missing out. I read this on one day, as it was hard to pull myself away from in order to accomplish.... well, anything besides reading. Once the first, major twist comes, others follow, like an earthquake and aftershocks. I'm usually quite capable of figuring out what is going on, but I didn't see a single thing coming this time. I'm going to obviously recommend this, but I don't want to give anything else away. Definitely give this one a read, and you can find me on a mountaintop, singing its praise.

I only intended to peek at the first chapter. Read the whole thing in a single setting. It has claustrophobic creepy house vibes. It's fast paced and the mysteries are multi layered, the reveals are jaw dropping. You'll never see where this is going. Five perfect stars. There were a couple of very small story points that were dropped kind of abruptly. But did not detract from my enjoyment of the story. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher HTP/TheHive for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own. #HTP #HTPTheHive #Partner #HTPInfluencer #TheHiveInfluencer #HTPHive

I know this book is not being published for almost 7 months, (writing this review in June) so I was planning on reading it later this year, but I ended up taking a peek at the first chapter, and I was hooked. I finished this book in under a day. Katie Garner has the thriller formula down pat, and I hope she writes many more great books in the future. I am definitely planning on going back and reading her other novels.

This book is absolutely perfect for fans of Shari Lapena, Lisa Jewel, Megan Miranda, Rachel Hawkins, and Sally Hepworth. It is so good, that I might just be tempted to read it at least once or twice more before January 2025.








Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Absolutely fantastic plot! I could not put the book down once I began reading it. I can't wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

I loved this book! The twists and turns were deliciously disorienting! I always love a good thriller!

Wow. Talk about a family full of lies and secrets.

Iris and her daughter Ellory have to change everything. Iris lost her job, house and even her husband was murdered. After losing everything, she’s invited to move in with her new boyfriend, Hugh. After moving in, things just get wonky. Hugh’s family is a little insane.

As Iris learns more about this family and this huge gothic home, she questions whether the move was the right choice.

If you enjoy crazy family dynamics, secrets, lies and murder, this one is for you. I’d like to thank @htp, @netgalley and Katie Garner for the opportunity. All opinions are my own. Expected publication date January 25, 2025
3.5 raised to ⭐️

Lots of twists and turns in this! It was hard to put down, and the atmospheric writing gave so many creepy vibes. If you love thrillers, don't miss The Family Inside! The only pet peeve I have about it is that Iris got on my nerves quite a few times, just way she was written and her dialogue. 3.5 stars

Nothing is as it seems in this gripping story that was brilliantly written. I read it in 1 day and just couldn't put it down. The plot twists are absolutely unbelievable!!!

Without going into too many details and giving away the plot this story is about a woman and her daughter dealing with the tragic loss of their husband/dad. Misfortune seems to follow them along the way even when it seems things are starting to turn around.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review The Family Inside by Katie Garner. #TheFamilyInside #NetGalley

I'm addicted to twisty thrillers that pull the rug out from under you and make you scream "WTH!" at the end, proving the presence of a smart author who stays several steps ahead of the reader. These thrillers push you to use your gray cells harder to figure out the twists, but some still catch you off guard, making you smile as you acknowledge the author's creative and dark mind.

I loved this twisty read, which moves backwards to reveal a major incident from two different perspectives: Iris and Ellory. Even though some parts may seem coincidental, they are perfectly executed, filling all the plot holes as my piled-up questions are answered one by one.

The riveting pacing, intriguing mysteries about the eerie family members of a future husband, the disappearance of a teenager, past incidents that might be related to a haunting house, and the road trip of five young people with secret motives—all these mysteries keep you on your toes, each connecting in a logically twisty way that you never expect.

The story revolves around Iris, whose husband was murdered three years ago, with the perpetrator never caught. Burdened with the huge debt her husband left behind, Iris cannot pay the mortgage and must accept the auction of their family house. She strives to provide a better life for her 18-year-old daughter Ellory, who is deeply affected by her father's death. Ellory disapproves of her mother seeing the charming, prominent architect Hugh Smoll, as she herself is secretly seeing a mysterious boyfriend.

When Iris loses her job and their house, meaning they will have to live in her car, she struggles to confess this to her new boyfriend. Instead of running away, Hugh makes her an irresistible offer to live with him at his mother’s house, which needs renovation. Beggars can't be choosers, so this seems better than homelessness.

However, upon arriving at the centuries-old house at Ravencliff, Iris and Ellory discover they will be living not only with Hugh’s mother but also with his sister, brother, and sister-in-law. Their challenge is not just the dilapidated house filled with taxidermies and eerie accessories, but also the family's secret agendas, with everyone watching their every move like hawks. Hugh’s unexpected marriage proposal and the strange vanishing of both Ellory and Hugh’s brother’s wife, Camille, after she confesses fear of her husband, add to the tension.

These incidents are just the beginning of several catastrophic events that may endanger both Iris and Ellory, forcing them to confront the consequences of their actions and the secrets they keep as the creepy family cooks up their own plans behind closed doors.

Oh boy! Just when I thought I had the whole picture, another twist hit me, and I vowed to figure out the next one—only to be sucker-punched by another surprise. This pattern continued till the end, and I failed to guess the big twists, making me admire the author’s brilliance even more. This book earned my five blazing stars!

Overall: Add this to your list! Don’t let it linger on your TBR list—just read it! It’s freaking AMAZING!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA for consistently providing me with amazing review copies that deserve more than five stars and give me the perfect taste of literature!

good mystery and loved that the time was counting down and people weren't as they were. Her fiancé and his family was very different and wow they were wicked and evil and everybody had their secrets. loved seeing it from ellory point of view.

Wow!!! Love a great suspense story, and this was brilliant. It drew me in from the very beginning, and kept me so engaged until the end. The characters felt like people I knew, because the author did such a great job putting the reader in the book. Add to your TBR!

Oh Lordy!!! If you want a totally bonkers book that there is absolutely no way this could actually happen and requires complete suspension of belief but is such a blast to read anyway and the characters are so great, that you don't care, then this is for you! It definitely was for me! I LOVED this! Katie Garner wrote one of my favorite books of last year, The Night it Ended. That debut book had such a "WHOA" type of ending that I was left stunned and thought there was no way she could top that. Well, here we have her second book. And while not quite as shocking on the believability side as that one, this comes pretty darn close! Once again, I had no clue where this story was going. We meet Iris. Iris has lost it all. House, husband, job and very nearly her daughter. Enter Prince Charming. Or not. We shall see. Along the way you will meet the craziest cast of characters that I have seen in a long time, along with the most insane story developments. Now I keep saying how unbelievable the story is, but this author does a bang-up job of piecing all of these unbelievable elements into a cohesive, highly entertaining story that actually ends up making a crazy sort of sense. And you will root for Iris 100%. Come on, Katie! Show us what you got next! I can't wait!!!

Thank you so much to #NetGalley for this most enjoyed ARC! All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Facebook and other social media and retail sites upon publication of January 28th, 2025.

This talented author has written a page turner with realistic characters. Those characters keep the story moving quickly. Enjoy an afternoon of reading about the family inside. Warning though…secrets and red herrings…twists and turns…murder and mayhem…not a typical warm and fuzzy family…the opposite…Thanks Netgalley.

A great spooky read. I truly did not see where this one was going, especially with the dual timeline.

This book made me read it in 1 day. That is how good it is. The twists and turns are unbelievable. I do not want to give away the book but let’s just say this book will gold your interest. The ending will leave you with your mouth open. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on my review.