A clever thriller with a good twist. Always enjoy this author’s books. Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Another fantastic book by Emily Shiner. A story full of deceit and manipulations. A brilliant but unexpected ending, it’s up to the reader’s imagination to figure out what actually happens.

Absolutely one of the best books I’ve read in a while! Un-put-down-able!
There were so many feelings towards each character. The plot fell together wonderfully.

Definitely a 5 star and I will be reading this author again!!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

This was a wonderful thriller with a great plot and memorable characters. A very enjoyable read.

I love Emily Shiner books. They are always page turners. Meet the Parents was no exception. This book was filled with twists and turns, toxic parents. lies, deceit and all the things that make a good thriller. And my gosh the ending! I was mind blown. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!

Meet The Parents
By:Emily Shiner

4 Stars

Okay, some characters in this book made me throw out "OH MY GOSH" way too early, but it had me hooked by the end of chapter one. Gina is meeting her boyfriends parents. Of course, she is nervous. Things are not always how they seem when meeting the parents turns ugly.

Wow. This book had some colorful and dynamic characters, like I mentioned in the introduction. This book was full of characters that you love and love to hate. It also provided a wild ride with all kinds of drama, secrets, and danger. This story was twisty and chilling and kept me on the edge of my seat until the last page.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

Twist and turns , and secrets that some people don't want to come out, plus it shows why it's better to wait a while to meet the family of the one your dating. Plus it will make you want to stay up and read though out the night.

I really really wanted to love this book, I love a domestic thriller and this sounded right up my street. Unfortunately it missed the mark, the plot was given away in the first few chapters, there were zero twists, the characters were infuriating and I found it really repetitive. In terms of positives, I found it fast paced and liked that there weren’t too many characters to get your head around. Overall, it just felt really unbelievable.

What a great novel. Gina and Owen haven’t been a couple for long, but Owen is taking her to meet his parents. His mother greets Gina a little too warmly. Almost as if she has something to hide, which she does. It’s a tale of cat and mouse with plenty of twists to keep you enthralled and guessing to the very end. Full of secrets and lies, it’s an unputdownable psychological thriller. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

Another 5 star thriller from Emily Shiner! Are Gina”s new in-laws a blessing or her worst nightmare? She finally gets to meet Owen’s parents. But the parents have secrets. And so does Gina. She will do anything to make sure they never find out who she really is. Quick paced, keep you up at night, brilliant thriller!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc

Right from the first few pages, this book had me intrigued. The descriptions the author used in the prologue were just enough to grab my attention and keep me wanting more.

Gina and Owen are in love and headed to visit Owen's parents at their "cabin" in the woods. Owen's parents, Marta and Grant, are less than welcoming to Gina, and they don't try to hide how they feel.

The book goes back and forth between the points of view of two different characters, Gina and Marta. Both of those characters alude to events that occurred in the past that they would like to seek revenge for. The twist is that neither of them are aware that the other knows who they are.

Approximately halfway through the book, I was fairly certain I figured out the "twist". It wasn't obvious, but I knew that the obvious would have been too easy. Portions of the book felt too repetitive to me, but not enough to annoy me.

My only serious complaint is that this is described as a "stand alone" book when really, I'm DYING to know what happens next!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion/review

*Thank you NetGalley & Bookouture for sending me an ARC for an early review. All opinions are my own*

This book was hard to finish, it captured my interest because of the description and cover art.

Gina is visiting her older boyfriend Owen’s parents and home for the first time. It’s clear they haven’t been dating very long, but she already knows something about his family secrets. Upon arrival, Owens family also knows something about Gina. It’s quick to jump right in which I do wish it made you guess a little more throughout the book rather than diving right in.

The dialog between Gina and Owen’s mother Marta is pretty cringey. Marta is very very creepily emotionally incestious towards her son and even uses disgusting dialogue out in the open which I find to be too unrealistic and makes me roll my eyes a little bit. The way she talks about Gina to other characters in front of Gina herself, is rude, but also kind of silly and just unbelievable IMO.


Pros: few characters to keep track of, quick paced and easy to read with fast chapters

Cons: cringey dialogue, repetitive descriptor words, leaves little to the imagination, unbelievable

Shoutout to NetGalley and Bookouture for the chance to read Meet the Parents by Emily Shiner before it releases on August 28, 2024.

Meet the Parents is a pretty typical thriller. You have the mom, Marta, a stay at home mom who is *slightly* too obsessed with her adult son. (and by slightly I mean extremely 😮‍💨) There’s the girlfriend, Gina, who from the start has ulterior motives for meeting the parents. Finally, the son, Owen, who seems oblivious to his girlfriend’s secrets and his mother’s obsessions.

This was run of the mill for me. Nothing stood out that I loved, and nothing stood out that I hated. It could absolutely be a palette cleanser after a heavy read or an intense fantasy novel. I see how it could be some people’s favorite, for sure. Will definitely be checking out some of the author’s other books, because I did enjoy her writing style and her story telling.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Psychological thriller that was easily bingeable and pretty fast paced! The storyline jumps from past to present day for the main character, Gina. I loved the cabin in the woods vibe, especially given the luxurious feel of the cabin! Everyone has an ulterior motive it seems!

One issue I did have with the book is how the characters communicated with each other. Yes, they were all psychologically disturbed, but the conversation between the family and girlfriend had somewhat of an awkward flow. I found myself cringing at certain sentences, thinking of how unrealistic that would actually be.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc, all opinions are my own

This book had me racing through the pages. It was unique that one of the major twists of the book is revealed in the first chapter. This book is full of lies, manipulation, and psychotic, hateful people. It made me feel a bit icky reading it, as though the depravity would rub off on me. I didn't love the book. But it elicited such a reaction from me, it deserves some stars, Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Emily Shiner does it again! Such a fast paced thriller! Man I am glad I do not have to go through these In-Laws!! This book kept me on the edge of my seat ready to jump at a single noise! Thank you for a book to add to my collection! I will be buying this one!

Emily Shiner does it again with Meet the Parents. The suspense and the twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat. I could not put it down and it had me up at all hours of the night reading.
The plot twist had me holding my breath. I really liked the two POVS.

I received an ARC of Meet the Parents from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you to the publisher, Emily Shiner and NetGalley for the opportunity!

I am a big Emily Shiner fan, and consume her books rapidly when I get my hands on them. So I was very excited to see this one come up!

Owen takes his girlfriend Gina home for a long weekend to meet his parents Grant and Marta, and learns just how opulent of an upbringing Owen had. It’s clear that Marta despises Gina…and Grant has an unsavory fascination with her as well. Everyone seems to be keeping a secret…and it’s a huge game of clue. The way we bounce between present day perspective of Gina and her past is intoxicating and leaves the reader wanting more.

I was shocked at the last minute turn of events in this one, and I was left to speculate just what happened to everyone in the end. I highly recommend this fast paced read!

I did not like this book at all. It wasn’t believable and there were plot holes.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review.

Gina goes to her boyfriend, Grant’s, home to meet his parents Marta and Grant. Gina staged the initial meeting with Grant to get close to his parents to expose a big secret and seek revenge. Of course, there are always additional questions and secrets. I read this fast page turner eager to uncover more secrets. I would give it 4.5/5.