I couldn’t wait to read this sequel to The Family Upstairs and it didn’t disappoint. The Family Remains catches up with the family and some of their actions left hanging in the first book. I found it reasonably easy to pick up from the first book and enjoyed the introduction of some new characters, particularly DCI Samuel Owusu. I loved the gripping and fast-paced plot and the Lucy/ Rachel storyline. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK Cornerstone for the review access.

A very strange and creepy twisted tale with really solid, well thought out and somewhat complicated characters, this was a recipe for a five star worthy book!. I found the story to be very complicated, so much so that you would really have to concentrate while reading this or else you could easily get lost!!. I know you shouldn't have a favourite character but mine had to be Henry!. He was a very interesting character who does not disappoint!. He will not let your attention on him wane!. I
Once again Lisa Jewell has written a corker of a book that you will love to read!!.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC book for an honest review.
#Netgalley, #randomhouse, #lisajewelluk.

I wasn't aware, when I began reading The Family Remains, that it's a sequel to Jewell's earlier novel, The Family Upstairs. The publisher has called this a standalone but in all honesty, I do feel my enjoyment of the novel was affected by not having first read The Family Upstairs. Being plunged into the world of these characters, without much in the way of context or character background, made it hard to empathise or connect with them, and events seemed nonsensical until I went back and read a synopsis of the first book. That makes it difficult to review: I did enjoy it, but it doesn't function very well as a standalone. I'm sure if I'd read the first book my rating would be higher, as I love Jewell's writing.

Prepare to be entertained, enthralled and thoroughly gripped for the duration. I wanted to love this so much but was apprehensive to see if it would be as good as The Family Upstairs which I found absolutely incredible. IT IS! IT IS!
I can’t even begin to explain how much I enjoyed this book, I wish I could go back and read it again for the first time.

In July 2019, Jason Mott was mud larking on the banks of the River Thames when he came across a bag of what appeared to be human bones. Detective Inspector Samuel Owusu and Saffron Brown from forensics were there to investigate. The bones were indeed human: a young woman had been killed by a blow to the head many years ago - probably as long as twenty-five - but the bones had not been in the river longer than a year. There was no identification but the bag contained vegetation, some of which was quite unusual.

Now, you're going to need to pay attention, please. No picking this book up for a quick read and thinking you'll be able to go back to it later because you won't have the faintest idea of who the characters are. There are two people called Henry Lamb, junior and senior, one called Phineas (or occasionally Finn) Thomsen, who will need to be distinguished from Phineas Thomson and some people change their names altogether, for no apparent reason. Best of all, you should have read The Family Upstairs, because this is a follow-up, which isn't made completely clear on the cover of the book. Then you're going to jump about between various time frames, generally between August 2016 and June 2019, whilst keeping in mind that what happened, happened in the last century when we know that three people died. Now there's a fourth. Clear? Excellent!

I hadn't read The Family Upstairs, so I did struggle and I suspect that it won't be advisable to go back and read it now as I will know more about what happens than is good for me. So, how was it as a stand-alone? Well, the writing is exquisite: I was hooked before I got to the bottom of the first page and it was this that kept me reading even when I was struggling to understand what was going on. The characters grabbed me too: forty-two-year-old Henry Lamb Jr describes himself as an unlovable gay man with fading looks and - the more you read about him - you suspect that others will not be more generous. He's an odd mixture of self-satisfaction and self-pity. He's never quite certain what he wants. He thought he was lonely but isn't any happier when his sister, Lucy, and her two children move in with him. Every character comes off the page well and - given the ease with which you can be confused - that's a real tribute to Jewell's skills.

About two-thirds of the way through I had, courtesy of copious notes and family trees, sorted out who was who, who was related to who and who definitely wasn't who they said they were. At that point, the book became a real pleasure to read and I couldn't put it down. If you have read and enjoyed The Family Upstairs you'll find this to be a five-star read. It's a testament to the quality of the book that, despite being confused for much of it, I still gave it four stars. I'd like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a review copy.

I was tempted to read The Family Remains because I really enjoyed Jewell's Invisible Girl.

Thank you to netgalley for my arc of this book.
After reading The Family Upstairs last year I couldn't wait to read the sequel and find out what happened to Henry after the end of Family Upstairs.
Really enjoyed family upstairs as a few twists and turns and didnt know who to trust or what was going on and it had creepy vibes, but for me, Family Remains just wasn't the same vibe for me. Henry was still as creepy as before, but it felt like we knew the story, we were just following the police around trying to solve it years later!
There wasn't the suspense in this one and even though I flew through the book, it wasn't as good as the first one, bit of a let down for me.

What I like is that the story picks up from where the last book ended. I also enjoyed hearing the story from the POV of some of the other characters as well. In "The Family Upstairs" Libby, Lucy and Henry were the main narrators, whereas this time we have a detective, Lucy, Henry and Rachel.

Good ol' Henry is up to his same old stalker tricks again. His chapters set my heart racing a little because I was quite anxious over wondering what he was going to do. When Rachel finds Lucy, it is one of the most beautiful chapters ever written. It certainly pulled on my heartstrings.

The author does a great job of immersing you in the story through detail. You can feel the tensions and evils that surround the villains in the story and you can sympathise with the other characters.

This is an awesome sequel! I think I liked it even better then then the first book.

There were a couple spelling or grammar mistakes but they didn't take away from the book at all.

I had read the previous book in this series, but I don’t think it would necessarily be a problem if you hadn’t. Fabulous read from a writer that never disappoints. Great plot and characters, I especially appreciated the cast list at the beginning of the book.

Published on July 21, this is a much awaited sequel to Lisa’s stunning The Family Upstairs. It’s difficult to not give away too much of the prequel to review this novel, but both are excellent. DCI Samuel Owusu is called to an unsettling scene – a bag of human bones on the foreshore of the Thames. The bones belong to a young woman killed by a nasty blow to the head many years ago – but the bones led DCI Owusu on a trail that returns to a Chelsea mansion and the horrific events of 30 years prior. By horrific, we’re not overexaggerating: three people dead, a baby girls waiting for someone to console her. The plot goes transatlantic as the main characters head to Chicago and try to put some pieces of what is a very disagreeable puzzle together. There are moments of genuine upset, plus bitter humour, and all the while you cannot take your eyes off the book.

I was thrilled to see a sequel to the excellent The Family Upstairs and The Family Remains is every bit as good. We are back with the same characters and a few new ones who are being investigated when a bag of human bones is found in the Thames. Sinister Henry and the lovely Lucy and Libby narrate the story as well as Detective Inspector Owusu. I read this feverishly, desperate to know the conclusion while wanting the book never to end. It’s that good. I love Lisa Jewell who to me is a worthy successor to Barbara Vine. Just fabulous.

Note: This review contains major spoilers for the first book in the series, The Family Upstairs. Proceed with caution.

The Family Remains (fitting title btw) picks up a year after the events of The Family Upstairs. Libby Jones (birth name Serenity Lamb) has grown close to her biological mother, Lucy Lamb, her uncle, Henry Lamb, half-brother Marco, and half-sister Stella. Plus she is bound to them by the shocking shared truth of the horrors that occurred at Sixteen Cheyenne Walk – her family home turned cult, the property she inherited from her grandparents. She has recently sold the Chelsea house, given all the bad things that happened there, and split the proceeds of the sale with her mother and uncle. Libby is also keen to track down her birth father – Phineas (Phin) Thomsen (son of cult leader David Thomsen) – who has been missing for over twenty-five years.

The remains of Birdie Dunlop-Evers (one of the cult follows who abused Henry, Lucy, Phil, and his sister Clemency) have also been discovered by police, put there by Henry, who killed Birdie twenty-six years ago in self-defence to protect baby Serenity/Libby.

A second (more recent) body has been discovered in Antibes, France, belonging to Michael Rimmer, Lucy’s abusive ex-husband and Marco’s father, who she killed (also in self-defence) after he attacked her.

The past is catching up with the Lamb family.

With me so far? Honestly there was so much to remember from the first book. I highly recommend skim-reading it like I did, or at least have a copy handy to refer to if you get lost. POV’s alternated between Henry, Lucy, and Marco (and their search for Phin), DCI Samuel Owusu (investigating Birdie’s murder), and Rachel Gold (Michael Rimmer’s second wife). This is going to sound weird, but even though this was an engrossing read, with top-notch writing, I don’t think a sequel was really needed. Don’t get me wrong, it was great to re-visit these characters, I was emotionally invested, and I appreciated the closure regarding certain characters fates, but by the end of this book, I felt we were at the same place as the end of The Family Upstairs. Rachel’s story arc was my favourite, likely because she was a new character with a fresh take, but the hunt for Phin became rather tedious in the second half. Also, I really missed Libby’s POV, and thought she would’ve had more of an active role in the search for her father.

Furthermore, I would categorise Henry, Lucy, and Marco’s story as more family drama/secrets/tragedy, with Rachel’s being more domestic thriller, and a dash of police procedural thrown in.

An above average read, which I think fans of The Family Upstairs will appreciate, but I preferred The Family Upstairs.

I’d like to thank Netgalley UK, Random House UK – Cornerstone, Century, and Lisa Jewell for the e-ARC.

Publication Date: 21st July, 2022..

It took a little while for me to get into this one simply because it has been two years since reading the first book but once my brain caught up with who everyone was I really enjoyed it. Great twists, good character development, and the plot itself was really hooking!

This is the sequel to The Family Upstairs which I hadn't read and it didn't detract from my enjoyment of this book.
The cast of main characters is laid out at the front of the book as there are various pseudonyms to cope with.
Once you get past this, you can start enjoying the story.
An unfortunate mudlarker discovers some bones in the Thames and the police are called. The bones are identified as a woman who hasn't been seen since the mid nineties and used to be in a pop group.
The story flits between now and a few years before. It follows the story of Rachel who marries Michael and then discovers she really didn't know enough about him before committing herself to him. He is kind of creepy and the reader sees that long before she does
The story of Henry and his sister Lucy is followed in their search for Phin, who is the father of Lucy's daughter Libby. This journey takes them from London to Chicago. On the way the reader sees more of the background and where they have come from to reach this point.
I enjoyed reading this and although I'm doing it the wrong way around I'm now going to read the Family Upstairs.

Lisa Jewell always writes a great book,that is a fact,this follow up for me took a while for me to remember the previous book and ideally it would be read soon after the ‘The Family Upstairs’….good story,very well written characters and seamless writing again make this a must read

Absolutely brilliant! I read the Family Upstairs and then went straight into the Family Remains, although a few new characters are introduced the story picks up right where it left off, as well as filling in some other gaps from the past.

I just love the voice of Henry and the character is so well drawn out you really feel you know what is making him tick (although at times he does prove unreliable!).

The story is intense and multi layered and it’s short chapters keep you tearing through the pages until finally you are at the end.

Brilliant story-telling and a worthy sequel.

This is very intriguing and I enjoyed it more than the Family Upstairs, which I found rather far fetched in places. I did feel the ending of this one was all a little to convenient though. Very easy to read.

I’d like to thank Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Family Remains’ by Lisa Jewell in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

DI Samuel Owusu is called to the river bank beside the Thames when a mud-larker finds a bag containing human bones. They’re sent to forensics who say they belong to a young woman who was killed by a blow to the head many years ago and the clues lead Samuel to a house in Chelsea.

It wasn’t until I’d started reading ‘The Family Remains’ that I learnt it follows on from ‘The Family Upstairs’ which I didn’t enjoy and couldn’t finish. Unfortunately I’m not enjoying this latest novel either which is a pity as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Lisa Jewell’s other books. I found the first few chapters really confusing as they go backwards and forwards in time and I couldn’t find it in me to empathise with the characters. From the reviews I’ve read I’m definitely in the minority but I thought the story was slow and lacking in the suspense and drama I look for in a novel. I apologise that I can’t give a more positive review but this won’t stop me from looking for other novels by this author.

It doesn’t feel like it was two minutes since I was reading my first Lisa Jewell, and falling in love with her domestic psychological thrillers. She’s now one of my go-to authors and I automatically add each of her new releases to the top of my TBR list. This latest novel did not disappoint!

Okay, so the first thing to say is that this isn’t a stand-alone novel, and that you do definitely need to read ‘The Family Upstairs’ first. It does recap on the basic plot of the first book, but the real joy in reading this one is that it fills in all the gaps that were gaping wide open after the first. If you’ve forgotten what happened in the first novel, then you can find a reminder here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Family-Upstairs/Lisa-Jewell/9781501190117

So if you know the background to the family (or families), then you’ll know about Lucy, Henry and Phin’s twisted past, and the uncomfortable circumstances surrounding Libby’s birth. Well, now it’s 2019 and we’re back in London. The house has been sold, but a bag of human bones is discovered on the foreshore of the river Thames. When a mudlark resurrects the bones, he brings to the surface painful memories for the surviving family memories.

DCI Samuel Owusu is called to the scene and quickly send the bag of bones for forensic examination. It is revealed that that the bones are those of a young woman, killed by a blow to the head many years ago. Is this sparking any memories for you yet? Can you see where we’re being taken with this murder investigation? The forensic clues lead DCI Oswusu back the house in Chelsea, and inevitably leads him to Lucy, Henry, Phil and Libby.

‘The Family Remains’ is a terrific sequel to ‘The Family Upstairs’. This second instalment will fill in all of the gaps and tie up all of the lose ends from the original novel, whilst adding a couple more layers to this psychological thriller. If ever there’s a new Netflix series waiting to happen, then this is it!

I read this book without realising it was a sequel and found it gripping and compelling from the start. A bag of bones is found in the Thames by a mud larker. The mystery as to the identity of the body leads to a recently vacated and neglected town house previously linked to another mystery, namely the suicide of a married couple and a possible cult leader several decades before. With detectives seeking out the heirs and the heirs themselves seeking out people from their own past, the reader is kept fully engaged through the crisis crossing plot-lines linking the distant past, the more current past and the present, with a cast of compelling and believable characters. Skilfully plotted, highly accomplished and extremely well written, this has been one of this summer’s best reads for me.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy to review.

I really enjoyed this but although you can read this as a standalone, I wish I had reread The Family Upstairs first to remind me of the backstory. Nevertheless, Lisa Jewell is an absolute master at tension and complex family scenarios, so I would definitely recommend.