I like Lisa Jewell and her writing style. I'm not sure I quite get the hype behind her books, as I've never felt blown away by her work. I read and enjoyed The Family Upstairs but wasn't enthralled in the way others were, so had reasonable expectations - which this book massively surpassed. *Despite this being a sequel, it could act as a standalone book.*

I loved how the multiple POVs connected together, and how the intrigue built as the story went on. The chapters were short, which made the book seem fast paced and very easy to read.

I enjoyed this book although I was a bit confused about the characters so I think the reader needs to read or reread the first book again to get into this story. This is not a standalone and without knowing the characters’ back stories and things that happened in that haunted mansion you find yourself left in the dark!

This is the sequel to The Family Upstairs. A bag of human bones linked back to the Chelsea mansion has been found, where a chilling crime was committed many years previous. I think I needed to have re read the first book before I started this one to keep up with the many characters, but it didn't stop me from enjoying it!

Let me start by saying that I have not read The Family Upstairs yet. I do have it but I didn't know this was the sequel! This book can still be enjoyed if you have not read The Family Upstairs. There is enough detail about the characters so you don't get lost or confused about what is going on. I will go back and read the first book.
I loved how each chapter was from the perspective of a different character. This book definitely kept my attention.
Thank you to Lisa Jewell, NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone, for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Dark, disturbing... but also gave me the feels! 😮

Let me start by admitting that I've not read The Family Upstairs yet but decided to dive into this standalone sequel blind. And yes, it can definitely be enjoyed on its own but I would still recommend reading in order.

I was skeptical about this book at first as it felt like I was missing quite a bit of context. However, it gradually got better as the bits and pieces come together. I loved the suspense and was kept guessing about how the multiple POVs are connected, especially with so many complicated and intriguing characters.

Despite my initial misgivings, I ended up really enjoying this. The short chapters made the novel easy to sink into and I had no problems following everything. I particularly loved the last few chapters as they left me feeling moved and disturbed all at once. A very solid and satisfying read overall!

Can't wait to read My Family Upstairs now! I feel like I might end up loving and appreciating this sequel even more.

Absolutely loved this sequel!
The Family upstairs is one of my favourite Lisa Jewell books and it was great to be back with Henry Lamb and others to tie up those loose ends and find out what happened next.

Classic Jewell: pacy, great characterisation, gripping, absorbing and wonderfully twisty!

Thank you to NetGalley and to Century UK (Randomhouse UK, Cornerstone) for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

⭐️ 5 ⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Another excellent read from Lisa Jewell and a fabulous sequel. I find that sequels can sometimes be a bit hit-and-miss but this one was a huge resounding hit for me, in fact I think it’s actually better than The Family Upstairs (which I also loved).

It can be read as a standalone, but I’d definitely recommend reading the prequel first to appreciate the finer details of the characters’ backstory. I read The Family Upstairs and The Family Remains back-to-back, this really helped to keep the characters and their story fresh in my mind and the books flowed effortlessly from one to the next.

The Family Remains is a twisty, addictive read, skilfully plotted with pleasingly short chapters which helped to heighten the feeling of tension and suspense — I honestly couldn’t put this page-turner down.

Well-written, and exactly like the first novel the characterisation again is superb. One character in particular (no spoilers) really made my blood boil, I don’t think I’ve ever hated a fictional character quite as much before; to evoke such a reaction and depth of feeling takes real talent. My favourite character is still the highly flawed but likeable Henry, the perfect unreliable narrator.

The Family Remains is a first class, dark and engrossing, character-driven psychological thriller/family drama. One that will definitely be in my top reads of 2022.

Lisa Jewell has said that she had to be persuaded to write a sequel to The Family Upstairs and I so glad she gave in! It’s a fantastic book and even though I read the first one a while ago I was able to jump straight back in. Now we find out what has happened to Lucy, Henry, Phin and Libby and meet a new character, Rachel, who has had the misfortune to become entangled with Lucy’s ex Michael.
The novel starts at pace as a body is washed up in the Thames. It soon becomes clear that the deceased was a resident of the house in Chelsea
. The Family Remains is the definition of a page turner, once you start you won’t want to stop. This is another fantastic novel from Lisa Jewell, thoroughly recommend! Thank you to #netgalley #centurybooksuk and #penguinrandom for allowing me to review this ARC

I love the intensity of the story. What a family! How corrupt? I was guessing the whole way through! It’s not predictable at all. Loved it

I was surprised this one was the best Lisa Jewell I've read, even its first book, The Family Upstairs!

The Family Remains is less disturbing and aside fucking men. the story follows the previous book characters, but not exactly in that time. Lucy, Henry and Libby can't get away from their past and are stuck with it.

Two new narrators, Rachel, Michael’s wife (He's Lucy's ex) and DI Samuel Owusu who investigate an old murder!

A suspense thriller family drama, dark, twisty and tense read!

May thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone via NetGalley for my ARC for which I have given an honest review.
Publication date 21 July 2022

I would really suggest re-reading The Family Upstairs again if you need. I have read so many books in between that I needed to check back in.

As ever Jewell spins a story that is clever, intriguing, and unputdownable. I loved it, I loved the call backs to the first novel and the details picked carefully out to be in this book.

Absolutely perfect

I think I really should have read The Family Upstairs before embarking on this. However, there were enough pointers to fill me on what had happened previously. Set against a backdrop of the discovery of human remains in the Thames, The Family Remains is the sequel to The Family Upstairs - a 'what happened next' to the characters. Switching between them and on different timelines, it's a cleverly written novel which finishes with one character just as something dramatic happens. The story kept my interest, it was quirky and different, but nonetheless very enjoyable. My curiosity is such that I'm tempted to go back and read The Family Upstairs in order to uncover the whole story.

My thanks to Lisa Jewell, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for an ARC of The Family Upstairs in exchange for an honest review.

What a great gem of a book by Lisa Jewell! This requested, hotly anticipated sequel to the unforgettable The Family Upstairs lives up to the hype. It is superbly executed with several twists and turns and a compelling cast of old and new characters to savour.

Rachel’s harrowing relationship with Michael is crafted with great insight and tremendous sensitivity. I love how the seemingly disparate stories from the present involving Rachel, Lucy, Libby, Henry and Phil are woven together seamlessly with the past in alternating timelines.

Together they create added depth and texture to the narrative and provide another layer of comprehension to what really happened many years ago. Events might be escapable, and memory an unreliable witness, yet the family are still held hostage to the past.

DCI Osuwu is focused on solving the bag of bones dredged from the river Thames mystery but is soon caught up with trying to unravel its links to the previous inhabitants of number 16 Cheyne Walk and the people they love.

The investigation provokes fear and anxiety in those who know what occurred in that house but would rather keep it covered up. Are they about to be found out or not? A compulsive read and a brilliant psychological thriller. Grateful thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the eARC.

A brilliant follow up to The Family Upstairs; this is an utterly thrilling drama that held me enthralled, horrified, happy, sad and countless other emotions before I reached the very satisfying conclusion.

Once again, the story is told from different pov's and jumps a little between the recent past and present. We meet a new character, Rachel Rimmer, and as the plot progresses her story becomes entangled with that of Lucy.

The book is mainly about Rachel, Lucy and Henry, but so richly drawn are the people that they interact with, and so deftly drawn are the memories that events in the book provoke, that I felt I was there, in the book, with them all.

I was able to delve a little more into the damaged mind of Henry, though have to say that he remained as elusive as the boy, Finn, that he is still obsessed with.

It's an amazing book, and I am so glad that Ms Jewell decided to revisit the family and let us know how they are getting on.

My thanks go to the publishers and NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

I liked the original family upstairs and was so pleased and intrigued to find out their was a sequel. It might be because I usually like Lisa Jewell’s books and I had quite high expectations but I did struggle a bit with this book.
I liked how the story rounded off and the plot was interesting but not a great deal happened for the first 75% of the book. I found myself putting off finishing it and then raced through the last bit.
I thought that there were a few stretches of the imagination making me struggle a bit more than I had with the first and that I felt undermined the plot.
I’m really glad I got to read it though and thank you to netgalley because I would have bought it otherwise.

Really good sequel which I actually enjoyed more than the original. Very interesting characters and it was good to learn more of their story once they were adults.

I do suggest reading The Family Upstairs before tackling The Family Remains. Even though this is written as a stand alone the threads of connection are there and you cannot go wrong as both books are well written and intriguing. The Family Remains might well be my favourite book from Lisa Jewell. The plot was interesting, the different threads all woven so perfectly together and the remarkable talent of Lisa Jewell to bring these characters to life on the page is outstanding.

I absolutely loved The Family Upstairs, so was delighted to get a review copy of this one. I did enjoy it as we find out what happened to the children of the family and some of the questions from the first book are answered. I am glad I quickly reread the first book though as I'm not sure it would be so enjoyable as a stand alone.

I started reading this before reading The Family Upstairs and I found it very confusing. I paused part way through and read The Family Upstairs and then came back to this one and it all made far more sense. I would definitely recommend reading both in order as this one follows on immediately from the end of the first, with the same characters.
A good sequel and very gripping.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Penguin for my advance copy of #TheFamilyRemains by #LisaJewell
Warning: This book is a sequel to The Family Upstairs. Read the first book before you read this.
I hadn’t read The Family Upstairs and there is not enough background in the story to catch up. I did finish the book but still don’t really understand all the nuances. So I’m going to leave it alone for a few months and then read the two books in order.