2.5 stars

The beginning had an interesting premise, but it all felt weird reading Owen's mum chapters. All the characters had some secrets, and I was intrigued learning about them. When some secrets came out and we had the FMC who was making some dumb choices, this made no sense. Like, you were planning all these years and still put yourself in danger? It really did not make sense.
The ending though was unexpected and good.

When the story first began, I was curious as to why Owen's mum so badly wanted things to be about her and him only. It almost felt a bit incestuous. As the story goes on and Marta, Owen's mum talks of this plan her and her husband (Grant) had, I thought hmm... what are these two up to?
The story is told from two POVs - Gina's and Marta's which allowed us to get an insight into both character's thoughts.
With Gina, the story flashed back to when she was younger and her witnessing the death of her aunt. When the story returns back to present day, it makes sense as to why Gina is out for revenge. Her boyfriend's dad killed her aunt.
I felt as though the story could have moved on quicker and was a bit flat in parts. The action could've been moved on quicker for me.

There werr also repetitive phrases throughout. Yes, Owen loved Gina and vice versa. Yes, Gina wanted revenge. Yes, the mother only wanted a world where she had her son all to herself..
By the end, I was rather underwhelmed. The ending was somewhat predictable and the epilogue revealed a detail which I partly expected. Overall, the story was just okay.

Another brilliant read by Emily Shiner.
A page turner that is hard to put down once you start to read it.

Non-stop heart pounding unputdownable thriller! This book was just so intense from the very beginning. I absolutely could not believe the ending. Brilliant! Left me with goosebumps long after I finished reading.

Between Gina, her boyfriend Owen, and his parents Grant and Marta, something bad is going to happen at this house in the woods. These characters are just over the top, but that's what makes it juicy.

I definitely want to read another Emily Shriner book.

Thanks NetGalley and Bookouture for the eARC.

Wow! What an amazing thriller this turned out to be! I was drawn in by the amazing cover and then intrigued by the blurb but I didn’t realise how good the twists and turns would be! I sped through all of the chapters enjoying the differing POVs. The ending was just perfect! Highly recommend for any lovers of a real psychological thriller which plays with your mind as you read.

I absolutely loved this book! Emily Shiner has nailed it with this one. It kept me guessing the whole time.

Emily Shiner does it again! I love this fast paced, page turning story. Gina is off on a weekend vacation to meet her boyfriend Owen's parents, Grant and Marta. Gina and Owen met while working at the same hospital but it doesn't seem like a coincidence. When Gina was a little girl her aunt was murdered and she was a witness to it but has never been able to track down who it was. Something isn't sitting right with her about Owen's parents and she discovers a secret that changes everything.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for my ARC!

3.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this arc!!

The first like eighty pages were kind of slow for me but once it hit the middle this book went by pretty quick. I kind of predicted the ending but it was still a good and fun read for me, I just read a lot of thrillers! Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a thriller to keep you on your toes!!

Owen is taking his girlfriend Gina home to meet his parents, but what if they already know so much about each other?! Gina who went through a tragedy at a young age is out seeking revenge but may get more that she bargained for on this little get a away.
This thriller kept me on the edge of my seat and had me wanting to scream at Gina a couple of times! The ending had all the twist and turns of a great thriller that caught me off guard!!

Meeting your in-laws is stressful and exciting all at the same time. Especially when you are trying to make a good first impression. Gina is definitely trying to make an impression, but not a good one. This is a revenge thriller where things aren’t what they seem. It is told between two POVs, Marta, the mother-in-law, and Gina, the girlfriend. I enjoyed Gina’s POV better. I found Marta to be odd and the way she thinks about her son is pretty weird.

This book had some good things but also some not so good things. I found the descriptive language to be really repetitive.
How many times do we need to be told the house creaks and settles, and that Gina fell in love with Owen and didn’t mean to? I also found the way Marta talked to Gina in front of the family was so bizarre and rude. I don’t know what girlfriend would continue to hang out with her in-laws who talked that way about her.

The plot was good, but it didn’t pick up speed until the last quarter of the book. I think the last few chapters were definitely the best and the twist at the end was great. I feel like this is a good beginner thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this eARC to review. All opinions are my own. This book will be available on August 28, 2024.

Read if you like:
🔪 Revenge Plots
🧑‍🧑‍🧒 Monster in Laws
🫣 Hidden Agendas

This is not my usual genre of book, but I do enjoy the change of pace reading a Thriller every few months brings. This one did not disappoint. Meet the Parents by Emily Shiner is a Psychological Thriller, for sure! The family dynamic is definitely creepy and cringy. And what the characters are plotting and planning seems too evil to be true. Due to all this, I could not turn the pages fast enough. The author definitely hooked me and reeled me in.
Thank you to NetGalley for the Advance Copy.

I really tried to give several chances to the book. The beginning wasn’t bad, it was an interesting premise. But, unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. I am someone who is tough to please, especially in the thriller genre. I like my thrillers fast paced and constantly pulling my attention. And that couldn’t happen here.

Here is my confession…

This is my first Emily Shiner read.

I can’t say I was knocked off my feet, I’m sorry.

I will say Gina, was the strongest point of the book. With that being said, some of the dialogue between her and Owen’s mother, Marta, was ridiculous.

The plot, a slow start and weak. The ‘Twist’ recognizable early on, and the ending lackluster. There was nothing new here, and my suspension of disbelief had to be suspended to the point of unbelievable.

Overall, I love a domestic thriller, but was disappointed with this one.

Thank You NetGalley and the Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I like Emily Shiner. I think she writes books where the plot twist can be easily predicted in a smart way. It always ends up being the obvious choice but it only becomes obvious when she wants you in on the reveal.

Overall a good twister tale where everyone had their own secrets. It was a little bit of a slow burn, but well written with good characters

First time I’ve read a book by Emily shiner, and boy did I absolutely love it! It kept me gripped all the way through and couldn’t put it down, it was one of them you can’t stop thinking about and can’t wait to pick back up. 100% recommend this book. Thank you netgalley for letting be an early reader, I’ll definitely be reading more books by Emily shiner.

Meet The Parents
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jaw dropping ending, OMG! I love Emily Shiners work. I found myself engrossed with this story. It alluded something terrible that happened to Gina as a child and that somehow her new boyfriends parents are involved. I couldn’t put this book down. Thank you for the ARC approval

I absolutely love anything that Emily Shiner puts out. Her thrillers are literally hard to put down. Meet the Parents is a wild ride about a woman named Gina, whose boyfriend Owen has parents that are very hard to get along with. The reason for why this is will definitely shock you and make your jaw drop. I read this book in less than a day because I couldn’t wait to find out the ending.

I was addicted to this from page one and I really struggled to put it down (it’s nearly 2am & I just had to stay up to finish it) The suspense, tension & mystery is one of a kind, I’ve never read a thriller like it. The ending had my jaw on the floor.

This is my first by Emily Shiner but I can’t wait to check out her other reads if they’re anything like this.
★★★★½ ROUNDED UP ⬆️⭐️
———————
I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to review this book.

Every family has their secrets, and Owen and Gina’s families are no exception. In this chilling thriller told from Owen’s girlfriend’s and mother’s perspectives, skeletons pop out of closets when he brings his serious girlfriend home for the weekend. Shiner convinces the reader that there’s an underlying twist coming, and when all the truths seem to have been revealed, events come to light revealing devastating secrets. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to leave my honest opinion of this book!