Overwrought and ultimately unbelievable domestic thriller.

A poor and frumpy woman is courted by a really handsome, wealthy man. Iris is a widow (her husband was murdered) and she has an 18 year old daughter. Iris loses her job and is evicted from their home. Hugh sweeps in to take Iris and her daughter to a mansion he lives in with his mother. His brother, sister-in-law, and sister live there too. And then this really goes off the rails into territory that is so convoluted and twisty that not even the most dedicated reader could manage to suspend enough disbelief to keep up.

The characters were all stereotypes and the plot contained enough tropes and cliches for several books. The main character, Iris, was the most ridiculous of all. She basically is also not very smart along with being histrionic.

I really didn't want to finish this. I hate to say it because this was an ARC given to me by the publisher, but this book was a hot mess and I couldn't give it more stars.

If the writing and narrative weren't already bad enough, I was also listening to the audio book while following along in the e-book. The narrators' voices were so cringey and grating that I finally had to turn it off. Generally the accompanying audio production enhances my enjoyment of a book but this time it made me dislike it even more.

The Family Inside by Katie Garner is an atmospheric mystery / thriller that is dark and twisty. Iris and her daughter Ellory are struggling after losing Jack, Iris's husband a few years ago. After also losing her job and her home going into foreclosure she doesn't know what to do. Facing homelessness Iris's new boyfriend Hugh invites her and her daughter to stay in a room in his mother's house. But they are not the only people staying at Ravencliff. Everyone has secrets and how far will they go to keep them?
What a twisted read! Great plot with well written characters and a creeping sense of unease throughout this whole book. I will definitely be looking into more of Katie Garner's work!
Thank you to NetGalley, Katie Garner, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC. Expected release day is January 28th 2025.

This one just wasn't for me. The plot was overly convoluted, and it seemed like the author was only interested in throwing in plot twists and diversions. I was thoroughly confused for most of the book. While a lot was told to bring it all together in the final pages, it was too little too late. I don't enjoy bashing books, so I won't be posting formal review on my blog or other outlets.

I was not prepared for how good this thriller is. So dark with twists that took my breath away. I think going in knowing as little as possible is the way to read this one. I was hooked from the start and once I started all I wanted to do was keep reading. Thank you very much to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for my copy.

📖 : The Family Inside-a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Katie Garner-new to me author

📅Publication date: 1-28-25 | Read 1-24-25

📃: eBook 384 pgs.

Genre:
*Mystery/Thriller

Tropes:
* whodunit
* family drama
* found family
* atmospheric/ gothic
* haunted mansion
* single parent
* small town
* secret pregnancy
* renovation

👆🏾POV: multiple- 1st person Iris and 3rd person Ellory

⚠️TW: murder, domestic abuse, child abuse, grief, death of a spouse, suicide


🌎 Setting: Hollow Falls+ Greenwich Hills, NY

Summary: Iris has lost her job, and her house is in foreclosure while she's still grieving her husband Jack's murder three years ago. She has a new beau Hugh, and he invites her and her teenage daughter Ellory to stay with his family at Ravencliff manor. Everyone is hiding something big, and things get really spooky when people start disappearing.


👩🏾 Heroine: Iris Blodgett-35, fired from waitress job and evicted from home.

👨🏾 Heroine: Ellory Blodgett-18, misses her father, doesn't like Hugh. She has asthma

🎭 Other Characters:

* Jack-Iris's deceased husband
* Hugh Smoll-an architect tasked with fixing up his mother's house. Iris's new boyfriend
* Sloane-owns Hotte Latte Cafe. Iris's BFF
* Ainsley-works for Sloane as a barista, going through a divorce, Iris's friend
* Birdie-The matriarch who owns Ravencliff.
* Gabe-Hugh's brother married to Camille. He has a heart condition
* Camille-Gabe's wife
* Rebecca-Hugh's sister

🤔 My Thoughts: This was a rollercoaster ride. It had so many twists and turns that kept me on my toes. Iris struggled with building her self-esteem after Jack's death. Life knocked her down and she tried to be more assertive and in control, but the skeletons in her closet kept appearing. Ellory was unmotivated because Iris forgot about her while mourning. Sloane was the MVP who always knew what to say and do for Iris. Loved it!

Rating: 5/5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice level 0/5

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing| MIRA Books, and Katie Garner for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

Iris's husband was murdered, then she lost her house to forclosure, then she lost her job. She's about to become homeless with her eighteen-year-old daughter...then her new love interest suggests that they move in with him. And his mother. He's making repairs to her dilapidated old mansion and there's plenty of extra room. There are also plenty of other family members living there. The old house is creepy and Hugh's siblings are weird and unpleasant. And the plot is a fast paced roller coaster of crazy that just keeps speeding up and finding new ways to twist. I'm not sure how I feel about the whole thing. None of it is plausible, but it was oddly entertaining once I figured out what was actually going on.

This book was full of twists and turns and caught me off guard on multiple occasions. As soon as I'd think I figured out what was going on the author would throw in something else that I didn't see coming. While that can be a good thing sometimes, it was a little overwhelming at times trying to keep track of the different stories and characters.

By the end of the book I'd figured out what was going on, and it was satisfying seeing all the loose ends get tied up.

If this book was a rollercoaster it would be lethal!! It kept blowing my mind at every twist!! To say I was blindsided by the ending is an understatement! This books definitely a page turner.

I absolutely LOVED this book!!! 5/5 stars and would rate it even higher if I could. The thrills and drama never stopped in this book!! What a wild ride!!!

Iris is struggling after the loss of her husband a few years ago and is really down on her luck. But now, she lost her job and the bank sold her house since she could no longer afford the payments. That makes Iris and her daughter Ellory officially homeless. Luckily Iris new boyfriend Hugh steps up to the plate to make sure that Iris and Ellory are taken care of and have a place to live. Hugh so graciously offers a room in his mother’s home for the time being since that’s where he’s living. But little do they know what’s truly in store for them at the Ravencliff!

Wow! A widow and her daughter move into a creepy old mansion with her new boyfriend and his equally creepy family....what could possibly go wrong? Buckle up and get ready for a ride! The author uses several clever plot devices that result in a page-turning thriller. An engaging story that had me staying up way past my bedtime to just read "one more chapter."

"It takes a special family to turn a home into a nightmare."
The Family Inside drew me in by the cover and had me captivated from the first page. I was turning pages until the very end. I loved the sinister looking house and the mysterious family in this book. It was such a creepy, thrilling read with family drama and so much more. The author wrote this so well and I loved all of the twists in this book. Overall, this was such a great read that I enjoyed a lot and would recommend to any reader who loves thrillers or mysteries. Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA and The Hive for this read in exchange of my honest review of The Family Inside by Katie Garner.

I had gotten halfway through 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑭𝑨𝑴𝑰𝑳𝒀 𝑰𝑵𝑺𝑰𝑫𝑬 𝒃𝒚 𝑲𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒆 𝑮𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒓 with my @netgalley @htpbooks access when I was granted the audio through @harlequin_audio and immediately added it to my reading!

Let me tell you, this is a wild ride! Thank you @htp_hive for such fun reads!

Iris is a struggling single mom who has had her share of rough, but when Hugh offers to let her stay at his home, she feels her luck is finally turning! Ellory, her daughter who just turned 18 is much less enthused. In fact, Ellory can't take the weird family who all look at her strangely, and disappears. Iris is beside herself, but no one seems to take her concerns about Ellory seriously. And phones begin to become increasingly hard to find with the rise of tempers with family members. This is increasingly a disturbing situation, but Iris has some secrets of her own that put her in serious danger with these people, if she can ever get help!

It is easy to see the red flags in thrillers, but I was very pleased to read how these situations could have progressed in this story! I thought this was clever, twisty, and very well plotted with a fantastic twist. I had a thoroughly enjoyable time reading this in both digital and audio. I recommend this book for anyone looking for a really fun suspense with twisty reveals!

The power of good writing and a well-structured plot. It stands as a testament to the author's talent and dedication to their craft, providing readers with an enjoyable and thought-provoking experience. Whether you're a casual reader or a literature enthusiast, this book is sure to leave you with a sense of fulfillment and a desire to explore more of the author's works. So, for anyone looking to delve into a captivating story, I wholeheartedly recommend picking up this gem—it may just become one of your favorites, too.

If you enjoy 𝚙𝚜𝚢𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚊, then you will 𝕒𝕓𝕤𝕠𝕝𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕝𝕪 love this one!!! Every turn of the page, was shocking and so twisty, filled with secrets and lies.. The audio read was perfection..

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review!!

Thank you for the review copy to the publishing team, this is a bingeworthy thriller with solid twists and turns, perfect for readers who really like stories that rev up into that roller coaster ride feeling as the plot unfolds more and more later in the book (you know that kind of oh here we go now moment? those are in this one). I found the start a little slow, unsure I could get into the decisions being made (kind of a don't go in the basement, don't trust this person feeling) but I also knew that this was going to go dark and twisty and when it did, my suspense loving self was all in for Garner's storytelling. This beat the Jan feels like a year blahs and was a fun read!

I absolutely loved her debut title The Night It Ended!
So to say I was thrilled for a second novel would be an understatement!
The Family Inside by Katie Garner was an engaging read that I thoroughly enjoyed! Well written and thrilling with entertaining characters.
This was a very gripping read with some major twists and turns.
Garner has created another dark, twisted, and utterly compelling story that was damn neat impossible to put down
I’m so excited to see what this author comes up with next!

Thanks NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC.

A quick thriller with a main plot and a subplot. Several unpleasant characters and a few surprises sprinkled throughout. It all ties together with at the end.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

“…I look up at him and remember a lesson I’d learned long ago–people can be the scariest things on earth.”

Family secrets, lies, revenge, and justice.

OH MY GOSH…what a wild and crazy ride with so many twists and turns. I don’t want to say too much for fear of spoiling the book, but just trust me, if you love thrillers then you definitely need to read this book! My mind is blown and my heart is still pounding. I couldn’t get over the shock of one twist before another one came. And just when I thought there couldn’t possibly be another twist, then BAM here’s another one! The author did an incredible job with writing an unpredictable story, all of my predictions were so far off.

A thriller automatically gets 5 stars if it truly shocks me, makes me audibly gasp, and loudly say anything that makes my husband look at me like I’ve lost my mind, and/or if it makes me sit with my mouth open, chin on the floor, completely flabbergasted. This book did that MULTIPLE times. I will be processing the logistics of this book for a very long time. This is one of those books that I’ll be going back to reread to see all the things I missed the first time.

I read this in tandem with the audiobook. The narrators did a superb job with pacing, tone, and inflection which really helped set the mood and bring the story and characters to life. They delivered a flawless performance from start to finish.

Thank you @htpbooks, @htp_hive , @_mira_books_ , @harlequin_audio, @katiewritesmystery, and @netgalley for the #gifted ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

The Family Inside was a slow burn for me. It took at least until I got to 60% on my kindle before I started to get into it. With that being said, it did pick up speed and it did have some creepy vibes to it but I found myself skimming so I could get through faster and I hate doing that. The ending was jaw dropping that’s for sure. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release.

Talk about ending a book with a bang. I loved how the final chapter had one last twist that also didn’t ruin the integrity of the book.

In the beginning of this book I wanted to shake our main character for putting herself and daughter in such a potentially dangerous situation. I was floored by her decisions but I understood her desperation. This was a convoluted web of lies and deceit spanning decades. Somehow our author still made it extremely easy to follow along. If you’re looking for a fast paced thriller, check this one out. I loved the reveal behind the motivation (I’m being vague to avoid spoilers). I wish that aspect was dissected a little more.