★★★★ 3.5 stars (rounded up)

I've seen many post trigger warnings for this book but I don't think it is needed as most psychological thrillers often have an element of these things. But not only that, they are so subtle or are just part of a backstory that they are not really the main event. All but one of them, that is. And even so, it is just subtle nuances that allude to it - a photo here, a message there - nothing so in your face to warrant clear cut warnings.

It's been a while since I've read Victoria Jenkins and I've usually enjoyed her thrillers so was looking forward to this one. Especially as they are generally featured in Wales, one of my favourite settings. This tale of woe (and it really is) was published back in 2021 and somehow slipped through my shelf. It's a slow burn with two parallel stories unfolding through alternating chapters with the reader wondering how the two will collide.

September 2019: Brooke is taking a walk along the coastal path to her favourite secluded beach when she meets handsome Oliver and his young son Finley. Oliver is looking for somewhere to stay and as Brooke rents out her childhood home as a holiday let, which is currently standing vacant until her next booking in January, she offers them the use of the little cottage. When he and Finley move in, Brooke is surprised with how few belongings they have but doesn't question it. Who is she to judge anyway with the skeletons rattling around in her closet?

Then the little gallery and loft in which she lives and sells her paintings suddenly burns down in which she loses everything. The fire is investigated and soon deemed to be arson but the police are no closer to finding the perpetrator, leaving Brooke without a home until it is repaired. But her lifelong friend and neighbour Sylvia lets her move into her spare room indefinitely which proves to be a godsend. She begins to spend a lot of time with Oliver and Finley. Despite the little boy being quiet and introverted, he begins to warm to Brooke but it is clear he is haunted by something which makes him withdrawn and always looking so sad. Added to that, he has begun sleepwalking.

The more time Brooke spends with Oliver and Finley the more she in curious about their past. She has so many questions about where they've come from? How did they end up here in Wales? Where is Fin's mother? What is their story? But again, Brooke can hardly judge given her own past. She's just curious.

February 2018: Juggling motherhood and her job as a physiotherapist, Christina is married to Matthew and mother to twins Elise and Edward. But she's not happy and she doesn't know why that is when she has an adoring husband and two beautiful, yet demanding, toddlers. She has been embarking on an illicit affair with lawyer Joel who had come to her a client with a football injury.

But when Christina breaks off their affair, Joel doesn't appear to take it well. Soon he bombards her with bizarre gifts, strange phone calls and messages - all threatening by nature with the undertone of "tick tock, time is running out". For what? Is he threatening to reveal their affair to her husband? Her family? Her friends? Or worse... her clients? Is Joel trying to win her back through his threats or does he want to ruin her life? If Matthew discovers her secret, he will surely take the twins and she wouldn't see her children again. Just the anxiety of this whole debacle is making her sick - and Matthew has noticed her constant headaches and nausea so it won't be long until he figures out just what she has been hiding. And Christina has no idea what she will do then...

The slow burn unfold of each tale is twisted with both women and the secrets they are hiding, giving the reader plenty of questions about how these two women are related to the same story. I must admit, I had no clue at first - so different they were. Brooke in Wales, Christina in London. Not only that, the events take place around 18 months apart. I had many questions running through my mind until I settled on one that seemed to fit. I picked up little nuances, little clues that Jenkins peppered throughout both stories, and I was convinced I had one half of the big reveal. And I did. Once I worked that out, it wasn't difficult to figure out the rest.

I must say though you will have to suspend belief a little - as is usually the way with psychological thrillers - and the story does get a little convoluted, particularly with how it all collides into one big explosion. I will say that things ramped up for the last 20% and that's where it all became interesting and everything fell into place. Prior to that, it was very slow moving. A little too slow for my tastes but my interest was piqued enough to keep turning the pages and I'm glad I did because you do get there in the end.

This is a hard book to rate. I'm not a fan of slow burns and tend to fall asleep at the non-event of happenings but I think it was one woman's story that kept me turning the pages. I felt more invested in Brooke's than I did in Christina's. I didn't care for her as I felt she had everything and yet it still wasn't enough so she went looking elsewhere. Plus Brooke's story unfolded in Wales which was a far more picturesque setting, if not unstable in both weather and WiFi. LOL It was still an enjoyable read and I am leaning towards 3.5 stars - but to round it up or down? I'd round it down for the 80% slow burn (too much in my opinion) or up for the atmospheric feel and satisfying conclusion.

Just a bit of trivia: I found it ironic that one of the characters is Christina and her husband is Matthew. My name is Christina and my brother is Matthew.

I would like to thank #VictoriaJenkins, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheNewFamily in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

My first experience of this author, and the story didnt disappoint. I will be looking out for others now. Highly recommended.

This is Brooke's story on the one hand and Christina's on the other. I kept wrecking my brain trying to find out how those two ladies would connect in the end and I thought I had found it although somewhere, in the back of my mind, I felt it did not really fit completely. 

There was only one thing left to do: keep on reading, trying to find out more details to glue my theory together. I could keep on looking until I grew a second head, but I eventually had to throw in the towel, admitting I had the wrong end of the stick.

And then slowly but gradually, I started to dislike someone I had liked and felt for because their true colors were being revealed. 

A gripping story that I enjoyed very much. 5 stars

Thank you

A great thriller that kept me glued to my kindle, loved the twists, I look forward to read more books by this author.

This was such an enjoyable thriller. Not full of gore or too scary but a perfect balance to keep you on edge. The stories linked together very well, even if they were somewhat predictable.

Honestly, The New Family is a book you have to persevere with. Although the first two thirds of the story were intriguing, it’s not really until it starts coming to the end that it really kicked off. I think it was worth sticking with. I had a vague idea of where the story might go but I was certainly thrown by the twists.

The New Family is in fact a dual narrative told by Brooke and another woman named Christina, with Christina’s story occurring a couple of years earlier. Both stories were interesting but it was hard to see how they connect at the beginning. However, once little tidbits of information begun to be dropped and the pieces started falling into place, you want to continue to the end.

Both Christina and Brooke were interesting characters. While they may be seen as weak by others, they were actually strong women battling their demons. I also liked that even though they were linked, their stories were different, so it made for a more interesting read.

Loved this thriller. It was very well done and the book kept you involved in the story. Loved the pace of the story and how it was involving from start to finish.

A gripping read, full of twists and turns. Good plot and characters and lots of surprises I didn't see coming.

Wow, there was a lot going on in this psychological thriller. This is my 2nd from Victoria Jenkins and was on par with the last I read. I really like her writing style. She included a few POVs which made things more interesting because I was trying to figure out how the two POV's and dual timelines were related the entire time. The author does a good job of throwing in little clues but not enough to give away the major reveal. I found this one pretty gripping and was totally shocked by the twists. I did not see the major twist coming one bit and thought the ending was a really fantastic end to the book. This was captivating and held my attention throughout. The characters are well developed for the most part so I had an easy time connecting to them. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have recently read this thriller novel, yet because of the lack of creativity, I had forgotten most of what I had read, thus I am writing this review many days after. The story progresses rapidly from both the perspectives of the characters. Although the author had provided the explanations towards the end, there were still a few things that didn't quite make sense to me. Although I have read better, this book is definitely not the worst I've come across. Despite this review, I haven’t let it discourage me from reading more books by this author.

I enjoy this author’s clever writing style, she captivates me from the very beginning of her books. This story is kind of complex, told from two POVs, over different timelines and locations. But it all came together in the end. I would suggest going into this one blind and allowing the author to carry you away like I did. **Trigger Warning for domestic and sexual abuse. Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. Available now

The new family.
Starts at a normal place with pretty normal things happening to realistic characters. Take note of all the different characters introduced as they return later in the denouement of this exciting and cleverly orchestrated psychological thriller. The two main story lines are more woven together than initially revealed and, as the truth emerges towards the end, the pace quickens. Topics of coercion, emotional and physical abuse and grief are core to this book through great characters created by Victoria Jenkins.
Great read and satisfying but shocking ending.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for approving me for this book.

I felt the writing was done well in this book but there was just something missing for me and I couldn't get into it and enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.

I enjoyed this one alot. I'm read all of Jenkins books. I would give this one 4 out of 5. The twisted at the end definitely got me. I didn't see that coming

Loved it, really good fast paced thriller full of twists and turns and had me racing through it to get to the end!! Will look out for more from the author…

This book starts off in a slow pace and alternates between 2 characters. I still could not stop turning the pages . Secrets and lies all over the place. The cover is just brilliant and was what attracted me in the first place.

Really enjoyed this one! Oliver, a single father, moves into Brooke's family home. The seemingly fantastic tenants have tons of baggage but very little belongings. When pressed, Oliver shuts down - not willing to share his past with Brooke.

It is a dual timeline, jumping back and forth through the point of views of Brooke and Christina - following the story and murders through their eyes. A slow build, but enjoyable book with solid misdirection. A few parts of the plot seemed a little clunky but didn't detract from the overall enjoyment.

TW: domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking

📌 Pub Date: November 16, 2021

I was given an ARC of this story to read; but thoughts and opinions are all my own. Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the chance to read this book!

The New Family by Victoria Jenkins

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Can you really trust the family next door?

Brooke is delighted when Oliver decides to rent her old family home with his three-year-old son Finley. Finally, someone to bring happiness to the rundown house across the street. They seem like the perfect tenants, but Brooke is a little unnerved when they move in with just a single bag between them. Where are their belongings?

When Brooke asks Oliver about his past, he quickly changes the subject. Her best friend tells her to leave it, after all, Brooke has been through enough trauma in her life. But Brooke can’t shake off the feeling that something isn’t right. Why aren’t her new tenants’ names listed anywhere online?

I am not sure what I thought of this book - initially I was hooked, I put the book down at around 30% and found myself quickly picking it back up again. Once the two stories joined up I found myself struggling to read on. This book is full of secrets and lies along with deep issues such as sexual assault and domestic violence. Two well constructed timelines. This is an 'ok' thriller, I just wish it had held my attention a little more.

Rating 3/5

An interesting plot that makes you wonder where it’s all leading and how the characters are connected. After a slow start the plot ramps up and the complexity of the characters lives and how they are entwined boils down to one man’s choices and actions.

Enjoyment: 4.5
Total rating: 4.5

I love the way Jenkins tells stories. Her character work is superb, and the seemingly unconnected storylines, each strong on their own, converge into a third act that brings it all together without losing tension or character development.

The new family was a well-crafted psychological mystery that keeps the reader guessing until the very satisfying end.

Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of The New Family.