I like Emily Shiner. I think she writes books where the plot twist can be easily predicted in a smart way. It always ends up being the obvious choice but it only becomes obvious when she wants you in on the reveal.

Overall a good twister tale where everyone had their own secrets. It was a little bit of a slow burn, but well written with good characters

First time I’ve read a book by Emily shiner, and boy did I absolutely love it! It kept me gripped all the way through and couldn’t put it down, it was one of them you can’t stop thinking about and can’t wait to pick back up. 100% recommend this book. Thank you netgalley for letting be an early reader, I’ll definitely be reading more books by Emily shiner.

Meet The Parents
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jaw dropping ending, OMG! I love Emily Shiners work. I found myself engrossed with this story. It alluded something terrible that happened to Gina as a child and that somehow her new boyfriends parents are involved. I couldn’t put this book down. Thank you for the ARC approval

I absolutely love anything that Emily Shiner puts out. Her thrillers are literally hard to put down. Meet the Parents is a wild ride about a woman named Gina, whose boyfriend Owen has parents that are very hard to get along with. The reason for why this is will definitely shock you and make your jaw drop. I read this book in less than a day because I couldn’t wait to find out the ending.

I was addicted to this from page one and I really struggled to put it down (it’s nearly 2am & I just had to stay up to finish it) The suspense, tension & mystery is one of a kind, I’ve never read a thriller like it. The ending had my jaw on the floor.

This is my first by Emily Shiner but I can’t wait to check out her other reads if they’re anything like this.
★★★★½ ROUNDED UP ⬆️⭐️
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I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to review this book.

Every family has their secrets, and Owen and Gina’s families are no exception. In this chilling thriller told from Owen’s girlfriend’s and mother’s perspectives, skeletons pop out of closets when he brings his serious girlfriend home for the weekend. Shiner convinces the reader that there’s an underlying twist coming, and when all the truths seem to have been revealed, events come to light revealing devastating secrets. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to leave my honest opinion of this book!

A clever thriller with a good twist. Always enjoy this author’s books. Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Another fantastic book by Emily Shiner. A story full of deceit and manipulations. A brilliant but unexpected ending, it’s up to the reader’s imagination to figure out what actually happens.

Absolutely one of the best books I’ve read in a while! Un-put-down-able!
There were so many feelings towards each character. The plot fell together wonderfully.

Definitely a 5 star and I will be reading this author again!!

I love Emily Shiner books. They are always page turners. Meet the Parents was no exception. This book was filled with twists and turns, toxic parents. lies, deceit and all the things that make a good thriller. And my gosh the ending! I was mind blown. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!

Meet The Parents
By:Emily Shiner

4 Stars

Okay, some characters in this book made me throw out "OH MY GOSH" way too early, but it had me hooked by the end of chapter one. Gina is meeting her boyfriends parents. Of course, she is nervous. Things are not always how they seem when meeting the parents turns ugly.

Wow. This book had some colorful and dynamic characters, like I mentioned in the introduction. This book was full of characters that you love and love to hate. It also provided a wild ride with all kinds of drama, secrets, and danger. This story was twisty and chilling and kept me on the edge of my seat until the last page.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

Twist and turns , and secrets that some people don't want to come out, plus it shows why it's better to wait a while to meet the family of the one your dating. Plus it will make you want to stay up and read though out the night.

I really really wanted to love this book, I love a domestic thriller and this sounded right up my street. Unfortunately it missed the mark, the plot was given away in the first few chapters, there were zero twists, the characters were infuriating and I found it really repetitive. In terms of positives, I found it fast paced and liked that there weren’t too many characters to get your head around. Overall, it just felt really unbelievable.

What a great novel. Gina and Owen haven’t been a couple for long, but Owen is taking her to meet his parents. His mother greets Gina a little too warmly. Almost as if she has something to hide, which she does. It’s a tale of cat and mouse with plenty of twists to keep you enthralled and guessing to the very end. Full of secrets and lies, it’s an unputdownable psychological thriller. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

Another 5 star thriller from Emily Shiner! Are Gina”s new in-laws a blessing or her worst nightmare? She finally gets to meet Owen’s parents. But the parents have secrets. And so does Gina. She will do anything to make sure they never find out who she really is. Quick paced, keep you up at night, brilliant thriller!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc

Right from the first few pages, this book had me intrigued. The descriptions the author used in the prologue were just enough to grab my attention and keep me wanting more.

Gina and Owen are in love and headed to visit Owen's parents at their "cabin" in the woods. Owen's parents, Marta and Grant, are less than welcoming to Gina, and they don't try to hide how they feel.

The book goes back and forth between the points of view of two different characters, Gina and Marta. Both of those characters alude to events that occurred in the past that they would like to seek revenge for. The twist is that neither of them are aware that the other knows who they are.

Approximately halfway through the book, I was fairly certain I figured out the "twist". It wasn't obvious, but I knew that the obvious would have been too easy. Portions of the book felt too repetitive to me, but not enough to annoy me.

My only serious complaint is that this is described as a "stand alone" book when really, I'm DYING to know what happens next!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion/review

*Thank you NetGalley & Bookouture for sending me an ARC for an early review. All opinions are my own*

This book was hard to finish, it captured my interest because of the description and cover art.

Gina is visiting her older boyfriend Owen’s parents and home for the first time. It’s clear they haven’t been dating very long, but she already knows something about his family secrets. Upon arrival, Owens family also knows something about Gina. It’s quick to jump right in which I do wish it made you guess a little more throughout the book rather than diving right in.

The dialog between Gina and Owen’s mother Marta is pretty cringey. Marta is very very creepily emotionally incestious towards her son and even uses disgusting dialogue out in the open which I find to be too unrealistic and makes me roll my eyes a little bit. The way she talks about Gina to other characters in front of Gina herself, is rude, but also kind of silly and just unbelievable IMO.


Pros: few characters to keep track of, quick paced and easy to read with fast chapters

Cons: cringey dialogue, repetitive descriptor words, leaves little to the imagination, unbelievable

Shoutout to NetGalley and Bookouture for the chance to read Meet the Parents by Emily Shiner before it releases on August 28, 2024.

Meet the Parents is a pretty typical thriller. You have the mom, Marta, a stay at home mom who is *slightly* too obsessed with her adult son. (and by slightly I mean extremely 😮‍💨) There’s the girlfriend, Gina, who from the start has ulterior motives for meeting the parents. Finally, the son, Owen, who seems oblivious to his girlfriend’s secrets and his mother’s obsessions.

This was run of the mill for me. Nothing stood out that I loved, and nothing stood out that I hated. It could absolutely be a palette cleanser after a heavy read or an intense fantasy novel. I see how it could be some people’s favorite, for sure. Will definitely be checking out some of the author’s other books, because I did enjoy her writing style and her story telling.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Psychological thriller that was easily bingeable and pretty fast paced! The storyline jumps from past to present day for the main character, Gina. I loved the cabin in the woods vibe, especially given the luxurious feel of the cabin! Everyone has an ulterior motive it seems!

One issue I did have with the book is how the characters communicated with each other. Yes, they were all psychologically disturbed, but the conversation between the family and girlfriend had somewhat of an awkward flow. I found myself cringing at certain sentences, thinking of how unrealistic that would actually be.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc, all opinions are my own