Talk about a bunch of messed up people! Richmonde nails this psychological thriller with varying points of view, some mental instability and an ever changing plot to boot. You’ll know that something isn’t quite as it seems, but you’ll have no idea to what extent! Well done, Richmonde, I’m so glad this isn’t my ‘happy family’!

I enjoyed the start of this book and thought I would enjoy it all, but I didn't. I found it became slow and I lost interest for quite a while. It was okay, but I can't rave about it .Hopefully other readers will enjoy it more.

4.5 stars!

Okay, I really liked this one! I have never read any other books by this author, but this one quickly caught my eye on NetGalley. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I moved through this one so quickly!!!
Short synopsis:
Sara lives in NYC with her rescue dog, Poppy. While routinely walking Poppy in Central Park, she meets Bradley, who has secretly had his eyes on her for quite some time. When they begin dating, Sara decides to hide her identical twin Cece from Bradley; although they are twins, they are very different in personality. Cece is a freebird - very confident and vibrant on social media; Sara is more reserved. Sara is concerned that if Bradley finds out about Cece, he will immediately be attracted to her and desire Cece instead. When Cece finds out about Bradley, she decides to travel to meet him without telling Sara. Soon after, when Cece goes missing, Sara becomes a person of interest.

What I loved:
- It was a page turner and kept me interested throughout. Many of the chapters ended with small twists that made you want to read "just one more!"
- Short chapters!!
- Time shifts and multiple POV

What I didn't like:
Nothing really! There was one small detail I was a little confused about/would like answered, but all-in-all, it wrapped up nicely, considering the amount of twists and turns!

Can't wait to read more by this author in the future!

Sara is a young designer who lives in New York with her rescue dog Poppy. Smart, talented, kind, and beautiful, Sara seems to have it all. But everyone has their secrets.
And then she meets mysterious Bradley at the park. Their slow-burn romance takes a sinister turn when they find out that they are both not who they seem to be.
This book packs a lot of action - an enigmatic twin sister, missing women, complicated family relationships, red herrings, and a shocking ending!

I really enjoyed reading One Happy Family!
The book starts as a slow-burn romance/mystery, so I thought that I had roughly guessed the main twist and direction of the story - but I was definitely wrong! At about halfway, the pace picks up and things get really interesting. And the tension only escalates from here on.
The only “downside” is that I wished the action had either started a bit sooner, or that the book was a bit longer in order to fully unpack everything that happened in the second half.
I really liked how the story took an unexpected turn, and the ending was truly shocking! Overall, a very nice read by Arianne Richmonde!

3.5 stars

One Happy Family is the latest standalone psychological thriller from author Arianne Richmonde. This is my first read by this author.

The book is a fairly short (261 pages) and I read it in one sitting. The story is told across dual timelimes, the current now when we see Sara being questioned by Police and the past three months up until this point in time. There are chapters told by both Sara and the boyfriend, Bradley. There are also some chapters from other characters. I enjoyed the different perspectives and felt this gave us insight into both characters personalities, thoughts and inner worlds.

After the opening chapters the book is quite slow. The scenes describing the early relationship feel overly detailed and dragged. I didn't enjoy all the parts about her dog, this felt overdone. I pushed myself to keep reading and boy am I glad I did! At around 75% in this book goes from average to really good. The tension ramped up and this went from romance drama to psychological thriller. The author pulled off multiple mind blowing twists which I didn't see coming.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. I'd read more by this author.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an early copy of this book.

I live for anything having to do with twins since so many twins are in my family and One Happy Family did not disappoint! This was so good. 10/10

A digital copy of this book was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

One Happy Family is the story of Sara and Bradley, who meet in Central Park and have a whirlwind romance. This is told from 2 two timelines "now" and the events that lead up to "now". Sara's twin sister is "missing" and she is being questioned by the police. Two different people close to Sara have warned her that Bradley may not be who he says he is, and the doubts start to take hold. Both Sara and Bradley have secrets that are are not willing to share with each other, but when Bradley proposes, all the second-guessing comes to the surface and Sara just isn't ready to commit.
I feel like there was a a lot of description in this story, from Central Park, to living in multiple African countries. I found this to be a little too boring. This had a very slow start and didn't start to take shape (for me) until half way through. The last half I couldn't put down. It wasn't a "page-turner" mystery/thriller type but it was worth it to see how everything came together. Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Arianne Richmonde.

I would definitely recommend One Happy Family to anyone looking for a gripping thriller with morally grey characters. While the story was exciting, and I honestly couldn't put the book down, the characters were the highlight for me. I tend to dislike books that have distinct "good guys" and "bad guys." No one in One Happy Family could be or should be considered the hero or the villain; all the characters have baggage and make mistakes, but they're also all trying to live life and be happy. I was very satisfied with the ending for all the characters. The plot twists and reveals are exciting, and while I was able to predict a few, I was also genuinely surprised by some. And Poppy Delight - just, YES!

The secrets in this story got bigger and bigger and bigger. What an amazing read. Who is telling the truth? What stories lie behind the secrets that are being kept? What you think is going to be a romance between 2 strangers who meet at a park, turns into a tale of lies, lies and more lies. This story was a great read. I liked how the chapters were named after characters so you knew which point of view of the story you were getting. This book had me guessing until the end, which made it a terrific read!

Sara lives in New York City with her rescue dog, Poppy. One day while walking Poppy in Central Park, Sara meets Bradley, who is both handsome and clearly wealthy. Bradley quickly becomes attached to Sara, but she has insecurities about their entire relationship. She wants to avoid getting her heart broken. She tells her identical twin sister, Cecilia, who is a popular Instagram influencer living in Thailand, all about him. Cecilia is outgoing and beautiful, not quiet and shy like Sara. So when Cecilia travels to New York to meet Bradley, things take a turn for the worse. Cecilia goes missing and Sara finds herself being interviewed about her disappearance.

This was a great book that kept me on the edge of my seat. It was part romance and part thriller, which I loved! The ending was both shocking and clever. If you are looking for a quick and easy read full of suspense, pick this one up. I will be looking forward to reading more books by Arianne Richmonde.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Fantastic Five Star Read!

I absolutely love this author’s voice, which brings both the characters and the setting to life. She has a unique ability to paint pictures through the characters’ eyes. I felt as though I was strolling in Central Park right alongside Sara and Poppy and Bradley. I immediately fell in love with Sara and her rescue pup, Poppy Delight, and I was on the edge of my seat, when Bradley inserted himself into their world, watching and worrying as the main players took on more menacing traits. The story is a dark one, and the author has a gift for misdirection. Each time I thought I had the mystery figured out it took an unexpected turn, added a new layer. Brilliantly twisted and emotionally compelling, a must read!

I loved that the author explored something that I’ve been thinking about for a while now – the loss of identity in a world focused on social media. Now more than ever, society seems to be really wrapped up in ‘identity’ and with the internet invading our lives, we have the potential to lose our sense of self. Not only can we lose track of who we really are, but we can lose track of the credibility/authenticity of others. Richmonde focuses on how overwhelming and scary it is to try to get to know another’s authentic self with so many false identities in the world. What a better conduit to highlight her theme than twins?!

Orphaned when their parents die, twins, Sara and Cecilia are each other’s ‘happy family.’

Tongue in cheek. They’re anything but happy.

You know immediately that something is ‘off’ and that something terrible has happened, but when the narrative builds so slowly with so much sweetness, readers are lulled into wondering how it all went sideways. Richmonde knows how to pull the carpet out from under her readers, so watch out!

Despite being identical twins and sharing the same parents, the girls have nothing in common….well, o.k., one more thing in common, but you’ll have to read to find out.

One of the twins has the opportunity of unconditional love from her disabled dog, Poppy Delight. Yet, the dog’s joe de vivre can’t make her happy. One of the twins has the opportunity to be swept off her fee by a millionaire. Yet his money and attention can’t make her happy. One of the twins is a social media influencer with thousands of followers. Yet her swimsuit body and time in the limelight can’t make her happy. Being twins, they have the opportunity to be each other’s ‘person’ – the one who completes them. Yet one wishes the other were dead.
You’ll have to read this book to find out what happened and why!

Great escapism during Covid times, this book will give readers plenty to consider, chiefly, how much they value their identity and how much they can trust another.

Publishes October 19, 2021.

I was gifted this advance copy by Arianne Richmonde, Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

One Happy Family has the most perversely inaccurate name to a book I’ve come across in a long time. This book is chock full of reaaallllyyy messed up characters and not a single one of them comes from a “Happy Family.”
Sara is an independent digital artist, creating book covers for novelists. She lives in New York and frequents central park with her rescue dog Poppy Delight (yes… that’s really his name). A Wall Street working, expensive hand-tailored suit wearing suitor named Bradley spots her in Central Park one day and is determined to win her over. Sara’s secret twin sister- Cecilia- is a famous bathing suit model on Instagram, and when she visits New York, she threatens to get in the middle of Sara and Bradley’s perfect relationship.
I enjoyed the first half of this novel, but the second half really dragged for me. I found all of the characters to be incredibly nauseating and despite loving animals myself, the neverending focus on the dog I found ridiculous. There’s a lot of baby language used by the characters- honey, baby, potty, sunshine, daddy, mommy.” The ending was completely left field. Can’t say I’d recommend this one.
Thanks to Netgalley for the e-ARC.

A tale of sisters and secrets that kept me on my toes until the very end. Each character was despicable in their own way, and I absolutely loved it. The twists took me by surprise and I couldn't wait to keep reading to get to the end!

Everything and everyone is not what it seems in this new thriller from Arianne Richmonde. One Happy Family is a well-written mystery, romance, thriller. The author intertwines the characters in the mystery well and little by little things are revealed as the plot opens up. This book was an easy read, the characters are interesting, the twists and turns are creative. As an identical twin who cares for a disabled dog meets what seems to be the perfect man things are not what they seem to be. People are not who they seem to be and their internal mysteries and individual lives are as twisty as the plot. I thoroughly enjoyed this latest from Richmonde and will certainly be looking for more from her creative pen. Thanks to #OneHappyFamily#NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I want to thank netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this fantastic psychological thriller. This was my first time reading a book by this author and it won't be my last. This is a multiple pov story about a young couple falling in love all while they both harbor deep dark secrets. If you are looking for a medium placed thriller with love, friendship and decipt that is set in New York City. This wound be your book. The only reason I am raiting it 4 stars instead of five is due to pace. I feel that was to much character focus in the first half. Would have love a little more mystery and intrigued sooner. The writing was enjoyable so it kept me going.

This is an engaging psychological thriller with some twists, and ending, that I wasn't expecting! The pace is perfect to keep the reader engaged.

Thanks netgalley for this interesting story, though I did work out about Sarah’s twin sister.
Sarah was happy with her life and loved her dog poppy who had two crippled back legs and had wheels to help her walk.
Sarah walked every day in Central Park where she met Bradley.
Bradley was every girls dream, handsome and wealthy and Sarah thought she could fall in love with him.
But her twin was not happy with the arrangement, and wanted Bradley for herself.
Then Sarah decided to do something about it, and life got more dangerous.

An amazing read by Arianne Richmonds. Great pacing and intrigue with plot twists you won’t see coming! This novel is sure to be a hit! You won’t soon forget the cast and you’ll always wonder what happens next with Sara and Bradley and Sara’s twin sister. It’ll be very difficult to put this book down and you’ll be so happy to get back to it!

Special thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this terrific ARC!

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

One Happy Family by Arianne Richmonde is a well-written psychological thriller with a dash of romance. The story revolves around Sara, a young woman living in New York City who enjoys a seemingly ideal life. She enjoys walking around Central Park with Poppy, her rescue dog. She has close friends like an aunt who raised her, her neighbor, and her neighbor's handsome son Jack. She's also recently started dating Bradley, a rich man with a job in finance. Everything seems to be going well. Then, her twin sister Cece rolls back into her life. Whereas Sara is shy and rather introverted, Cece is a fun and flirtatious Instagram influencer. What will happen when Bradley meets Cece? Will Cece seduce him away from Sarah? And what dangerous secrets are these people hiding?

Here is a chilling excerpt from Chapter 1, which is a flash-forward to the end of the book:

"The detective handed me a coffee. I was expecting it to be in a Styrofoam cup like you see on TV, but it was paper. I took it and counted to ten trying to calm my nerves, my hands trembling slightly, wondering whether I should keep my mouth shut or come clean. I realized, too late, they now had my fingerprints all over the cup. A ruse to trap me, no doubt, their friendliness masquerading as a kind gesture in offering a drink. Would they sample my saliva from the cup for DNA? Probably. I'd see this box-of-a-room at least a hundred times on cop shows, but as an onlooker, an observer, cozy and safe on my couch, snuggled up to Poppy, sipping a glass of wine. Right now, I was in it. I was the antagonist. Square in the middle of it all. And it was real life, not fiction. I closed my eyes, willing it all to go away. The mess I'd started. I only had myself to blame."

Overall, One Happy Family is an unputdownable thriller that will have you guessing until the end. I could not put this book down and ended up finishing it in one day. One highlight of this book is the casual wish-fulfillment aspects of the book. Who hasn't dreamed of living in New York City and being swept off your feet by a millionaire bachelor who respects your decisions to keep your relationship slow? And who hasn't thought about what it would be like to have an identical twin who you can switch places with for fun a la The Parent Trap? I thought that this book was both well-written and a fun psychological thriller. If I had to complain about something, I would have to say that I saw the main twist coming pretty early on, which was disappointing, but I did not expect the final twist in the last chapter. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of psychological thrillers, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in October!