Rivetting whodunnit - just as you think you've figured things out another red herring pops up. An interesting look at morals and what we would or wouldn't do for those we love, made all the more fascinating when you look at the careers of the ''main'' parents involved.

Really enjoyed this book - great to hear from the different perspectives and fascinating family dynamic played out throughout the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's such an intense thriller that you don't want to put down. I love that you go through the book from different view points, it makes it that bit more interesting.

Not the kind of book I normally read but I loved it and will look forward to more by the same author. Kept me guessing and held my attention , what more could I ask for .

Quite a challenging book to read.
Story focuses on a Pastor and his family.
His teenage daughter Stella is arrested for the murder of Chris Olsen.
The story is told from the perspective of Adam (the pastor), his wife Ulrika and Stella - this is an interesting literary device and gives added depth to the story although it was a little bit repetitive.
The denouement of what happened leading up to the murder is clever and enjoyable .
It also highlights the difficulties of growing up as a teenager and relationships with parents and other adults.
Something different from the norm.
Enjoyable , well written and translated.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this.

The story is told from three points of view, the father, a pastor, Stella, the daughter and the mother, who is a lawyer. It’s set in Sweden (the book has been translated), and it was really interesting learning more about its legal system. The plot is complex but woven together tightly and beautifully. It poses moral dilemmas, and questions how far a parent will go to protect their child. The story doesn’t throw out twists and turns for the sake of it, but builds suspense brilliantly. I loved how at the beginning, the reader is like the father, confused, uncertain and unsure of what has happened, but by the end, when we reach the mother’s point of view, everything is slotting into place. I absolutely loved this story, and would really recommend this book.

A Nearly Normal Family is a family-oriented novel which shows even a very normal and ordinary family is not without flaws. Adam and Ulrika, Stella’s parents, are a pastor and an attorney. Both have a profession where you expect them to know wrong from right, but right at the start of the novel Adam is contemplating what to say in court in view of his daughter’s trial for killing 32-year old Christopher Olsen. He’s a man of God but also a loving father so I was on tenterhooks to hear what he was going to say. He wasn’t going to lie, surely? And would he lie if he knew his daughter was guilty as well?

Adam, then Stella and finally Ulrika each tell their part in the story, showing their actions in view of the recent events but also flashbacks to the past showing the ups and downs of the family over time and how they – always – tried to do what’s best. Very slowly I saw the struggles and flaws of this not quite perfect family come to the surface. Often enough things were not discussed, not spoken of but swept under the carpet instead. One specific horrific event would pull them so out of balance, they simply tried to put it behind them and look ahead. Sadly, it became quite obvious that it doesn’t work that way. Stella was always strong-minded, even as a teenager she wanted adventure and live life to the fullest but it turned Stella into a bit of a loose cannon, drinking, doing drugs even… but that doesn’t mean she would go so far as to kill someone though, would it?

This novel isn’t only about finding out whether Stella did or did not kill Christopher Olsen, but also how every member of the family reaches their own decision in the end and acts accordingly. It took quite some time to see the big picture here and I thought I had it figured out well in advance but the author still threw me! The ending was mind-boggling and I had to take some time to wrap my head around it all and put my thoughts into order. I loved how twisty this novel was in the end. A Nearly Normal Family captures this nuclear family’s history brilliantly!

Your child is accused of a murder, she is arrested and put in isolation in a smelly cell.
You must know your own child, she could never murder anyone.
This is the mother of Stella who is arrested fir murder.
Stella’s best friend Amina was also involved, but where was she.
The whole story revolved around the two friends and Christopher who was killed.
I enjoyed this book and how it was worked out who did the murder.

This book was brilliant very engaging pulls you straight in to the story and the characters and keeps you guessing till the end. The story is told through the view point of the mother the father and the daughter. Every chapter left you with more questions. Nice to come across a new author who gets me hooked 💜

A man is found stabbed in a street in Lund . The immediate suspect is a teenage girl , Stella ,who a witness says was seen nearby at the time , she had previously had a relationship with him . Her father ( a pastor)gives her an alibi to say she had arrived home prior to the time of death .
She is arrested and then gets the services of a lawyer , who her mother also a lawyer has worked with to defend her . Stella is then held in cells until her hearing , being seen by psychologists to determine her mental health.
It turns out she has previously had psychological problems leading to violent behaviour .
Her best friend Amina also became involved with the victim .Is she involved as well or is neither ? This is eventually answered at the Court hearing after a number of twists in the story .

A courtroom drama told from the perspective of 3 people. Whilst I struggled with this to start with, once I got into it I could not put it down. The story goes backwards and forwards into time which really helped with the build up to the crime. There was a good twist at the end.

I liked the authors simple way of writing and I would place this book in the Young Adult Fiction category.

Eighteen-year-old Stella, who has always been a bit of a 'challenge' for her parents, nevertheless shocks them when she ends up in court accused of murdering a thirty-something they have never seen before. With years of careful parenting and family counselling, how has it come to this?

And so a cleverly written and plotted Scandi legal thriller begins.

It's a story told in three parts, each from a different point of view. First the father, a respected pastor who has come to realise he might do anything for his daughter - but what exactly has she done? Then we're let inside the mind of the daughter, angry and relentless, but slowly becoming sympathetic. Finally the mother, a laywer and so far unknowable. What's she making of this whole situation? What would she do to protect those she loves?

I really enjoyed this book. It doesn't throw twists or gore at the reader in an effort to impress. No, it builds up to its surprises slowly and earns them along the way. We start off like the father, bewildered and confused, watching as his family starts to crumble, but by the time we enter the point of view of legal mind Ulrika, it all starts to make sense.

I found the resolution satisfying and would certainly pick up another book by this author.

This courtroom drama set in Sweden was totally immersive.
Stella an unpleasant and rebellious teenager is accused of murder.
Her farther is the local pastor
Her Mother is the local Solicitor
Different perspectives from the key characters was brilliant
How far will they go to protect her?
Told in three parts and with three perspectives added great depth to the story along with Stella’s conversations with the prison physiatrist. Even though I had figured out the “who did it” early on, I certainly didn’t see the twist in the story towards the end.

Intriguing courtroom drama story told by three different characters which allowed you to get different perspectives on the same crime. The variety within the family (lawyer, pastor and teenager) added an interesting dynamic. Highly recommended!

This was a really good, gripping read. Very Scandinavian in the writing - somewhat dark and definitely thrilling. A tale told in three stages by the Father - a Pastor, a Mother - a lawyer and their precocious 18 year old daughter. Stella is accused of murder and of course this would never happen in a nearly normal family or are they? The family pull together to absolve Stella of this accusation. How far would a family go for each other? A story of love, loyalty, friendship and secrets. Lots of twists to keep you guessing until the end.

I like books which are written from different perspectives and this book didn't disappoint. It is written from the mother, father and daughter's point of view. I found it difficult to connect with the father who is a Pastor and rather controlling but I felt great empathy for the daughter.. I found the story totally believable and the subplots really added to the suspense.. It was quite a roller coaster of emotions and I thorough;y enjoyed reading this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. I love how the author has structured the book. The storyline gripped me from the first chapter and the ending was a big twist. I would definitely recommend!

I find myself quite disappointed with this book. It is narrated by three voices - the dad - a pastor, Stella, and the mum - a lawyer. Whilst it was fast paced and absorbing for the first two thirds, I found the last third dragged and rather than building the tension it deflated like a tyre with a slow puncture.

This reminded me of The Dinner - a dark and literary description of a murder and the family torn apart as a result. Narrated by the father, the teenage daughter and the mother of the 'nearly normal' family, it fell down a bit because none of the characters were very appealing, but it kept me reading.

This novel kept me reading and I finished it at 3am! Stella, 18 year old daughter of pastor Adam and lawyer Ulrika, has been accused of murder. I liked the way the narrative was split into three accounts by the three main characters, each one building on the previous one until the truth came out. This was very cleverly done. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, the narrator would change and I would have to think again! It’s an excellent exploration of parenting, childhood, what it means to be a best friend... so much that was of interest to me, all very well written with an intriguing plot. I highly recommend it.