The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell #Mystery #Thriller #Suspense

Hey book lovers! Today is the 7th anniversary of my blog! I’d like to take a minute to say a big Thank You for coming along with me on this journey. I hope I’ve helped you find a book you like. Today, I’m here with a book review for The Family Remains, the sequel to Lisa Jewell’s The Family Upstairs. I don’t think I’ve ever read a sequel to a mystery thriller book before, and I have to say I’m so happy she did this. It was incredible to dive back into the lives of these characters. I received an arc from Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

About The Book 📚

Title: The Family Remains (The Family Upstairs #2)

Author: Lisa Jewell

Publication Date: August 9, 2022

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Canada

Suggested Reader Age: Adult

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Trigger Warnings: Rape, Abuse, Sexual Assault,

Lisa Jewell is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of nineteen novels, including The Family Upstairs and Then She Was Gone, as well as Invisible Girl and Watching You. Her novels have sold over 10 million copies internationally, and her work has also been translated into twenty-nine languages. Connect with her on Twitter @LisaJewellUK, on Instagram @LisaJewellUK, and on Facebook @LisaJewellOfficial.
https://www.simonandschuster.com/p/lisa-jewell-books/#about

My Review

In The Family Upstairs, we learned that 16 Cheyne Walk was a house of torture.

The Families of 16 Cheyne Walk:

The Lambs
Henry Sr, Martina, Henry and Lucy
Lucy was once married to Michael Rimmer and has three kids: Libby, Marco, and Stella
Libby Jones is in a relationship with journalist Miller Roe

The Thomsens
David and Sally, daughter named Clemency, son named Phinneas.
Phinneas was 16 when Lucy (13 at the time) became pregnant with Libby.

Birdie Dunlop-Evers a musician and her boyfriend Justin Redding

Henry Jr was ten years old when a con artist, David, and his family and Birdie moved into 16 Cheyne Walk and brainwashed his parents, using the home as a prison and a haven for abuse. Phinneas, Henry Jr and Lucy escaped the house after the adults were killed. Baby Libby was left behind.

› 2016
Rachel meets Michael and they immediately fall for each other. He tells her he has an ex-wife named Lucy.

› 2018
Rachel receives a phone call from the police explaining her husband has been found dead in the basement of his vacation house and they think he was murdered.

› 2019
When a bag of bones washes up on shore, Detective Inspector Samuel Owusu is assigned to find out who they belong to and what happened. He discovers the bones belong to a cold case connected to 16 Cheyne Walk.

Henry Jr is now 42 years old and living in a fancy apartment. His sister Lucy and her two children, Marco and Stella have been staying with him for the past year. Lucy is house-shopping now that they have finally received the money from their trust. Lucy’s daughter Libby has tracked down her father, Phinneas (now going by Finn), with the help of her journalist boyfriend Miller. They make plans to meet him in Botswana, but these plans fall through when Finn leaves. Henry hasn’t seen Finn since he was 16 and he’s determined to be reunited with him. He discovers Finn lives in an inclusive LGBT district in Chicago. Worried about what Henry will do, Lucy and her children, Marco and Stella follow him to Chicago.

› Characters: 7
My favourite character is Henry

I think many of us have felt how Henry feels at least once in our lives:

“I am incomplete. I have always felt incomplete. And I have thought at various points throughout my life that just around the next corner would be the thing that would complete me. I thought finding Libby would complete me, that returning to my childhood home would complete me, bring rich and successful, being buff and pretty, having good sex with bad men, bad sex with good men, love affairs with no love, a stunning kitchen with touch-to-open cupboard doors – I have thought that all of these things would complete me and none of them has.”

› Atmosphere: 6
Rachel listening to the violin scene made me cry.

› Writing Style: 8

› Plot: 8

› Intrigue: 10

› Logic: 5
There are a few details that didn’t quite make sense and character actions/words that don’t line up with reality.

› Enjoyment: 10

Average 7.7

1.1-2.2 = ★
2.3-4.5 = ★★
4.6-6.9 = ★★★
7-8.9 = ★★★★
9-10 = ★★★★★

My Rating ★★★★

› Final Thoughts
• Told from multiple perspectives, The Family Remains is about obsession, fractured families, and malicious marriages. It’s only when the truth of horrible events is revealed that people can begin to heal from their trauma. Highly recommend!