Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest psychological thriller by a favorite, Emily Shiner. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Gina meets Owen, a successful doctor, at the hospital where she works. They soon fall in love and are anxious to make a life together. But first, she must meet his parents. Mother Marta lives and breathes for Owen and she's not happy that Gina has come into his life. Father Grant is creepy. Their home is beautiful, but set in a very remote location in the woods. And everyone has secrets.

Oh my goodness. Emily Shiner has done it again. She's crafted a twisty thriller where everyone has ulterior motives and secrets. Gina had a traumatic childhood and she is determined to get revenge. But Owen's parents are hiding their own motives for not wanting Gina in their family. These characters are mostly unlikeable, creepy, and the house and setting amplify that. I couldn't put this one down and the epilogue blew me away! Don't miss this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for approving me for an eARC of this title!
This book was a page turner from start to finish! Emily Shiner's way of writing captivated me throughout the whole book, with short chapters keeping momentum and unanswered questions leaving me guessing what will happen next. The dual timeline was done extremely well so as to not be confusing, and there was a perfect balance of being told information and having to figure out the rest for yourself. I would definitely recommend this title and will be reading future Emily Shiner works in the future! If you like Freida McFadden, this one is for you!

My Thoughts: I knew that I would love this book.. I am a huge fan of Emily Shiners books, she always leaves me wanting more and this one was no different!

This one is a constant guessing game that flips the story on its head multiple times.. you honestly never know who is the good guy and who is the bad guy. I know which way I wanted the story to go but was forever doubting myself.

Marta was a horrible woman, but you were left wondering wether she is jealous of Gina, scared of losing Owen or if she’s just overcompensating because she knows the secrets her husband is keeping and doesn’t want Gina to find out!

The kicker is we already know that Gina knows more about the family than they think, she has her own hidden agenda.. they’re linked to a tragic part of her past and she wants to make it right!

Emily really is a cut above in the psychological thriller genre, all of her books are impossible to put down and leave you with a pounding heart by the end.

I am excited to see what she comes up with next, though also a little bit scared.

🔥This one started with a bang - well a big fire but you know what I mean - and I was really interested in what was going to come next. I really enjoyed the last few chapters and the epilogue and the book has a really good (but somewhat open) ending. And a very very cringy “mother in law” - I’ve heard of overbearing MIL’s but she was something else 🫤

I say this every. single. time, but I think I just found my absolute favourite Emily Shiner thriller!

A good game of cat and mouse is a surefire way to garner an audience and Shiner certainly knows how...I was hooked right from the opening pages and literally didn't put my Kindle down until I'd flipped the last page. Now excuse me while I scrape my jaw up off the floor...that ending though! I had no idea, did you?

Unreliable narrators added to the uncertainty and doubts I had over who was sincere and who was an out, out liar. Throw in some twists, a few unexpected turns a pinch of drama and there you have it...

Reading Between the Wines book review #85/130 for 2024:
Book Tour!!
Rating: 3 🍷🍷🍷
Book: Meet the Parents
Author: Emily Shiner
Available now!! Released on August 28, 2024!

Sipping thoughts: I loved this cat and mouse game between Gina and Marta. This story is told by 2 different POVs. This book starts from the first word and didn’t let up until the end. Marta is one of those characters that you just want 2 minutes in a small room. I do believe the twist is guessable, but loved how it was revealed. I love the way Shriner writes and enjoyed other books by her.

Cheers and thank you to @Bookouture and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @MeetTheParents.

#MeetTheParents #EmilyShiner #Bookouture #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

Thank you to Books on Tour and Bookouture for the ARC!

I have enjoyed every book I read by Emily Shiner, so I was eager to start “Meet the Parents”. This book was every bit as un-put-down able as all her others! From the very start of the book, it was obvious there was more here than meets the eye. Owen’s mother Marta seemd just a tad too overbearing in her parenting of her grown son. To an extent, I can relate to being a mama bear with your child, especially when there is a sudden engagement, but Marta took it to psycho level! Told from dual points of view, Gwen and Marta share their perspectives in a fast-paced game of cat-and-mouse, leaving me to wonder who was really the bad guy here. With its short chapters and quick pace, this psychological thriller had me on the edge of my seat. I have seen mixed reviews, but I truly didn’t predict the twist that was going to happen in this book. I can’t wait to see what Emily Shiner comes up with next!

”Meet the Parents” is out now! This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

*Meet the Parents* is a psychological thriller that really knows how to grab your attention. The book kicks off with a gripping start and wraps up with a thrilling ending that doesn’t disappoint. Gina, who’s meeting her boyfriend Owen’s parents for the first time, finds herself in a tense and mysterious situation. The tension between her and Owen’s family builds expertly, and the final twists really kept me on my toes.

That said, the middle part of the book does have some issues. There’s a bit of repetitiveness with characters' thoughts, which can slow things down. Some of the dialogue feels a bit clunky at times, likely a result of the characters being intentionally unlikeable or just "odd". While these elements can bog down the pacing, the suspense remained high enough to keep my attention

Overall, despite the midsection slowness, *Meet the Parents* delivers a compelling and entertaining read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book!

📱E-Book Review📱


Meet The Parents
Emily Shiner

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I feel like a bit of a connoisseur now when it comes to Emily's books as this will be the seventh book that I've read over the past year or so! And I'm still as obsessed as ever!

I absolutely love a twisty, suspenseful thriller that has me on edge as I read and that continues to shock me as the storyline develops and Emily does this to perfection.

In this book we meet Gina, Owen's girlfriend and the one he intends to propose to - but first she must meet his parents....

This already had me on edge - meeting the in-laws is a fear all to itself - and it's clear from the start that they don't like each other.

As the story develops, we learn that not only do the parents have secrets that they'd like to keep within the family - but Gina already knows about this!

Grant and Marta were really quite unpleasant characters and I 'hated' the way they manipulated events, spoke to and treated Gina - very well written to evoke strong feelings and purposefully done.
But soon we see that Gina also has her own agenda and we see a push and pull that follows with each determined to get their own way in the end.

I really felt for our Owen who was pulled one way then the other and I really didn't know which way this would turn out!

The story gradually evolves as we follow the chaos of the present whilst finding out the events from the past, bit by bit.
Packed with twists right until the final pages!

I love Emily's writing and the way it makes me feel - I know straight away when I open the first page, that I'll be unable to put it down and I'll be racing through the book in only a couple of sittings!

Another brilliant read! Can't wait for the next!!



💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

Wow !!! What a page turner. I was hooked from the start and couldn't put it down. Lots of twists and mystery with fast-paced progression. Told from Marta and Gina's point of view, it starts with suspenseful bulid up, and the tension escalates as it slowly unravels everyone's deadly plans. Every character is unreliable and twisted. Everyone has horrific secrets, and they want to be buried. Gina is here for revenge, and her in laws has their own deadly agenda to tie a loose end they left long ago. The suspense mounts as the weekend goes by, and then finally, the ending twist is more chilling than I can imagine. I can't say more. You have to find out yourself. The climax is gut-wrenching, with a shocking end. Highly recommended

I am absolutely thrilled to express my gratitude to Bookoture for graciously inviting me to be a part of the exhilarating tour for Meet the Parents by the incredibly talented Emily Shiner.

This incredible book follows the enthralling journey of Gina and Marta from a dual point of view. The concept of meeting the parents is always filled with apprehension, but this novel takes it to an entirely new level. The vivid descriptions effortlessly transport you right into the heart of the story alongside Gina. This gripping thriller is an absolute page-turner that will have you completely engrossed from start to finish. The fast-paced narrative is incredibly satisfying, and the moment Gina embarks on a whirlwind romance with Owen, leading to a swift engagement and a daunting introduction to his family, is utterly compelling.

Navigating the complexities of meeting the parents is expertly portrayed, and the dynamic between the characters is both captivating and surprising. I found myself eagerly flipping through the pages in anticipation of how it would all unfold, and the remarkable storytelling kept me thoroughly engaged throughout. Bookoture #EmilyShiner #MeetTheParents #Thriller #CaptivatingRead #PageTurner #Romance #FamilyDynamics #Storytelling #EngrossingPlot

Meeting the parents is always a daunting scary prospect but this takes it to the next level.
I wasn’t shocked by the way the plot unfolded or the twist as had guessed it but I still really enjoyed it thanks to Emily’s writing style and pace of the book.
Thank you NetGalley, Emily Shiner and Bookouture for providing me with a copy to read, all opinions expressed are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 average stars.

Very average ‘thriller’ type book. Unfortunately the end was easy to guess and the chapters were far too descriptive. 30% of the book must have been descriptions of Gina searching the house.

None of the characters were likeable even Gina and the book plodded on for a while. It was easy enough to read but it won’t grip you.

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Wow, this was a fast read. There was so much going on and loving every minute of it. This is a thriller you will read in just one sitting. I loved how fast paced it was. Gina starts dating Owen and they want to get engaged. Problems arise when Owen brings Gina home to meet his family. You can guess right away how some of these characters fit together but I keep flipping the pages to see how it was going to play out. I have read a few of Emily Shiner’s books and I enjoyed them all! I recommend this one to thriller lovers.
Thank you Bookouture for inviting me to be part of the Books on Tour for “Meet the Parents” by Emily Shiner. Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#MeetTheParents #EmilyShiner #NetGalley #Bookouture #BooksOnTour #BookLove #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks #NewThriller

This book is WILD! And the ending?! Guys.

Gina is meeting her boyfriend’s parents for the first time… but is it really? Emily takes in-law drama to a WHOLE. NEW. LEVEL. I love books with dark family secrets and this book did not disappoint. I definitely need to know more about Gina and Owen’s purposeful run in because I loved how everything connected.

Meet the Parents by Emily Shiner

The suspicious start of the thriller with clueless idea of what will be happened just kept me hanging in the air.

I love the writing style and the storyplot. Imagine you went to your boyfriend’s house and meet his parents, and then you felt something strange. The twists and turns were unexpected! The ending was a big good shock.

Many thanks to NetGalley, bookouture and the author for my copy!

Pub date: Aug 28, 2024

Thank you to Bookouture/NetGalley for the opportunity to read Meet The Parents early! Gina is meeting her boyfriend Owen's parents for the first time. She loves Owen but did not intend to fall in love when she first met him. She knows more about his family than she is letting on and she's looking for answers. This story will grip you from beginning to end, you won't want to put it down!

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an E-Arc of this book. The following is my honest opinion *

3.9⭐ out 5

Wow! Normally in this genre of books, other characters are clueless. Not this one. The reader is the only clueless one. Every one of the characters had a plan and it was a matter of whose plan prevails! Truly gripping. I could not put this book down! I was grasping at every bit of information that was given to the reader. I don't even know how I feel about the ending. (WHAT!!)

I really enjoyed how the story was told to us through Gina (mostly) and Marta. Marta's POV had me second guessing how I thought things would end for the characters. Truly don't think anyone could guess the ending.

Definitely recommend!

A thriller that kept me reading! I loved the twist at the end… but the book ends on a cliffhanger. Second book? Or forever wondering?

Holy Crap! Talk about a shocking, gripping, and jaw dropping book! Emily Shiner continues to shine with Meet the Parents! I thought I had everything figured out and thought how clever I was, but nope! Emily Shiner showed just how clever she was with the thrilling book with an ending that knocked my socks off!

Whew!

Gina and Owen hit it off when they met. She is the girl of this dreams and he wants nothing more than to put a ring on it! But when he takes her home to meet his parents, his mother, Marta is not too happy. She is not willing to step aside and let another woman into her son's life. She'll play nice but.....

Gina has her secrets and is playing nice as well. She knows more about Owen's family than she has let on. She's playing nice, but.....

Holy Moly! This book was bonkers in the best possible way. Meeting a significant others family can be anxiety provoking but when there are those with secrets, those who lie, and those who manipulate, things can go off the rails fast.

This is one weekend for the books and I was there for every dramatic, suspenseful, twisted, and shocking moment. I had no idea what I was in store for and loved this twist filled roller coaster ride of suspense.

Emily Shiner blew me away with Meet the Parents! I loved the setting of their secluded home surrounded by woods. I loved the tension that permeated throughout the book. There is drama, lies, secrets, and deception galore.

I loved the writing and how the book became more suspenseful as the weekend went on. Emily Shiner did a fabulous job with creating likeable characters and despicable characters. This book had me on the edge of my seat loving every second!

Shocking, jaw dropping, addictive and well thought out!