I hate to give a review with spoilers but whew…

I feel this should be a first draft, not ready to publish. While I did gain access to this book on a review website, I’ve read much more polished books from there.

The tea, we get it they drink tea, we don’t need a description of every cup of tea they drank. Tedious descriptions of mundane things make me feel as though the author was just trying to fill pages. The effort could have been put into depth for the characters. Zoe was one dimensional and her reactions were not that of an untrusting person, but a malicious one? It made no sense for the “twist” that could be seen a mile away. Her mother made her play pranks? But she was happy to be away from her and she WAS away from her so why was she torturing Prudence exactly? Why was Nathan completely cutting himself off from the mother he was extremely close to just months before? Why wouldn’t he cue her in on the issues, that made no sense and neither did his plan B for hoping a plane across country!

All in all the book spent time and effort on unnecessary details while leaving plot holes and unanswered questions for the important points… not well thought out in my opinion.

This book was amazing. I will admit the beginning was a little slow but once it got going it didn't stop.

Prudence is a single mom who knows how hard it is to do it alone. When her son Nathan and his girlfriend Zoe get pregnant, she asks them to stay with her. She is then tested by Zoe and can't understand why she's being treated this way. She vents to her best friend who sides with Zoe and tells Prudence she's just overreacting. Prudence must go on a journey to decide who's telling the truth and how far will she fight for family

When a woman opens her home to her son's pregnant girlfriend, a series of bizarre events occur, unraveling a web of dangerous secrets and lies in Lorna Dounaeva's THE FAMILY TRAP.

Where nothing is as it appears and "Home" is no longer a haven.

Prudence has finally got to the point she can enjoy life and has taken early retirement. Time for herself, her dog, swimming, relaxing, and hobbies.

However, her son, Nathan, only eighteen, has a problem. His new girlfriend, Zoe, finds herself pregnant. The mother supports her son and asks her to move in with them.

However, soon after Zoe moves in, Prudence becomes the victim of a series of accidents suspecting Zoe is not who she claims to be.

What is her motive?
Why is she doing these things?

She never does this in front of her son, Nathan. They both are acting strange, and Prudence cannot figure out what is happening.

She does not trust Zoe and wonders if this is even Nathan's baby.

Zoe is also communicating via email with her father, which is supposed to be dead.

What about Zoe's mom?

Everyone is keeping secrets with toxic and dysfunctional families.

A clever, light-absorbing domestic suspense with a wicked sting at the end! A nice evil twist of revenge you do not see coming made for a satisfying conclusion and a fun popcorn thriller!

My first book by the author, and I look forward to reading more. The novel also includes a sneak preview of The Wrong Twin.

Thank you to #InkubatorBooks and #NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Review Posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 3.5 ⭐ Stars, rounded to 4
Pub Date: Dec 4, 2022
Dec 2022 Must-Read Books

I want to thank NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first read by Lorna Dounaeva and I don't think it's going to be my last. I'd give this a 3.5 stars if it were possible.

The Family Traps introduces us to Prudence, her beloved son Nathan, his girlfriend Zoe, and Zoe's mother, Alana. Zoe becomes pregnant very early on in the story and Prudence isn't very keen on her from the start. Odd things happen around the house, which Prudence blames on Zoe in an effort to pit Nathan against his own mother. Ultimately, that isn't quite the case after Nathan's untimely death.

This was a quick read for me that started off a bit slow, but the pace picked up about halfway through. I felt that Prudence was well written and a believable character. I enjoyed the twist of who was causing these odd happenings and the motives behind them, but I felt that it was otherwise predictable.

What a fun little thriller. I'd give 3.5 if I could.
Just what I was in the mood for. A fast paced, quick, action packed story with some twists. Love it when chapters end on little morsels of the story that you can't get enough of, so you must read on.
This is a light and fun read if you enjoy a twisty thriller. I will definitely check out Lorna's other titles in the future.
Thank you Netgalley, publisher, and author for the ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I like that it’s not the same old story of mother in law and daughter in law hating each other. I wasn’t expecting the ending to be what it was. My one critique would be the storyline with Jason. I didn’t understand the point of bringing in the situation regarding his biological father but so abruptly ending it. It felt incomplete to me. Otherwise it was really fun to read.

**TRIGGER WARNING** Pet Death

Two simple words shatter Prudence Ahern's world - "I'm pregnant." Her son Nathan is only eighteen when his new girlfriend Zoe drops that little bombshell. Prudence feels she has to support her son and asks Zoe to move in with them. right from the start Prudence knows something isn't right. When Nathan is around, Zoe is sweet and funny. but as soon as it's just the two of them, she becomes menacing and sullen. Worse still, Prudence becomes the victim of a series of increasingly dangerous accidents which begin soon after Zoe moved in.

At the beginning of this book, it was predictable, so predictable that you knew what was going to happen before you read about it. Then we get a twist, and the story takes on a whole new dimension. The atmosphere is tense and filled with suspense. The twists kept coming. The family dynamitic was intriguing. My only criticism was that I didn't really like how the story ended.

I would like to thank #Netgalley #InkubatorBooks and the author #LornaDounaeva for my ARC of #TheFamilyTrap in exchange for an honest review.

Well writtebn with a compelling storyline and well developed characters. It was fast paced and completely gripping from start to finish. Twisty and unpredictable. A great read

Thank you to NetGalley and the author, Lorna Dounaeva, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Prudence Ahern is finally retiring and taking a much needed break from working as a nurse, intending to relax indefinitely. This plan changes quickly as her son, Nathan, brings his new girlfriend, Zoe, to her retirement party…and they have some surprising news. After Zoe enters the picture, one bad thing happens after another, and Prudence is beginning to think it’s not just a coincidence…

This book was really well written, and captured my attention from the start. Surprise twist after surprise twist kept coming. I love how the author intertwined these characters’ stories so intricately, but still keeps the plot moving and everything flows so smoothly. This was a phenomenal read!

The Family Trap
by Lorna Dounaeva

This book hooked me from the first page. It was a great read, with no slow parts, and the ending was selfless and touched my heart.

I've never read any books by this author before so I was really looking forward to reading The Family Trap. I was drawn in straight away and couldn't read fast enough just to see what was going to happen, loved the twist and turns, I will be definitely readingcmorenby this author and I enjoyed this book very much.

Such a great read. The story was well written, kept up momentum. I managed to read this book in around 2 evenings it was that good. A great thriller for anyone who loves the genre

What a great book stayed up well past bedtime cause I needed to get to the end.

You think after 1st chapter you know where it is going with the story but keeps you guessing right to the end. There was a part in the middle which I really was not expecting which is what you want form a thriller. The story’s starts with mother finding out her young son had got his girlfriend pregnant and she lets them move in which she isn’t pleased with but does not have much choice if she wants to keep her son close. What lengths will she go to or who will go to great lengths to get what they want. Fantastic will definitely be reading more from this author and will be recommending this book to all thriller fans.

Thank you for the ARC!


This was good and sad and extremely twisty. I feel it was mostly sad but I am glad I read it. I felt for Zoe and Prudence.
This was interesting and quick. I love these books about regular women dealing with other regular people and having to figure things out.
No cops. No journalists. No private investigators. Just a woman trying to figure some crap out. It is so good for the soul.

Thus was a really quick and easy read and delivered exactly what it promised with a thriller/ domestic noir. The writing style keeps up a good pace and the plot keeps progressing throughout. There is a really good suspenseful atmosphere built up and you're always kept wondering just what's going on. It has some twists and turns and I was genuinely shocked at some points with where the author took the plot. Really good read

The Family Trap is the first book by this author that I have read. I had no knowledge of her writing style.

Prudence lives alone with her son Nathan who is attending college. One day her comes home with a girlfriend Zoe, who reveals she is pregnant. After meeting Zoe's mother, Prudence begins to have some doubts if Nathan is even the father of Zoe's baby. Regardless she invites Zoe to move into her home.

When strange things start to happen, Prudence is sure that Zoe must be behind them. What exactly doe this girl want anyway?

I had my suspicions about what was happening, but I was only partially correct. Some really intriguing family dynamics in this one. I was satisfied with the ending but kind of wish it could have ended differently.

Thanks to netgalley and Inkubator Books for the arc.

With thanks to #NetGalley and publishers for an #ARC of #TheFamilyTrap. I found this book distinctly average to begin with. None of the main characters were likable and I struggled to keep going. Eventually the story did pick up and I enjoyed the book and the ending

Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the copy of The Family Trap. When a book is so great it’s a major disappointment when the ending falls flat. This was one of those books. I sped through the book because I loved the story and thought the characters were interesting, even though Prudence was the only one I felt connected to. As I got closer to finishing, I was really curious what was going to happen. I loved the book butI thought the end was completely unbelievable because I think Alana was smarter than that. I also think Zoe deserve

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were surprising twists and turns throughtout the chapters. It kept me on the edge of my seat.

So freaking good! Excellent domestic thriller. Great twists and characters. This was a quick read but it was so satisfying. Couldn't put this down.