A suitable follow up. Lacked some of the tension of the previous novel. It was good to learn more of these characters' lives.

Sequel to The Family Upstairs, this picks up the story of those from 16 Cheyne Walk.

The murder of Michael, the body recovered from the river, is there any connection between these?

I don't think that this is a standalone, you would need to have read The Family Upstairs to understand some of the relationships and dramas that unfold.

I hate to say that I didn't really enjoy this book, it just didn't hold me and I found parts of it strained and the flow of previous Lisa Jewell books felt absent.

Unfortunately I would not recommend this book and other Lisa Jewell novels are so much more rewarding reads.

Thanks to Netgally for this ARC (at the time!) in return for my unbiased opinion

Fantasically gripping sequel to The Family Upstairs. I couldn't put it down - she has such a great way of portraying twisted family dynamics. Loved it!

I was so excited for this book. I am always excited for a Lisa Jewell book but to get a sequel to my favourite was really excited.
What a read. I loved how the story all tied together in the end. Lots of small twists I didn't see.
If could give 6 stars I would.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
I regret that I hadn't read the first book in the series because it was hard to understand some of the relationships between the characters in this sequel. It didn't help that some characters had similar names (Lucy and Libby) and others called themselves by several aliases. The narrative also jumped around between timeframes and although the chapters were titled I found it even more confusing to track the story. There were lots of allusions to the past events but the reveal was gradual so it didn't really explain things properly for me. However it is true to say that I thought this was a gripping thriller and when I purchase a copy of the first in the series I'll be happy to read it again afterwards.

I read and enjoyed The Family Upstairs so was very keen to read this sequel and I'm so happy to say that it absolutely lived up to my hopes for it! This book picks up soon after the previous novel leaves off but it was easy to get back into the swing of who was who and how they connect to each other. I think I may even have enjoyed this one more than the previous, I know that I found it near impossible to put down. I loved the chapters from different perspectives and how you're never quite sure how reliable any, apart from the police, are being honest in what they say. This novel kept me on my toes, and while it does require some suspension of disbelief I didn't mind as I just got so swept up in the story. I definitely recommend this one.

The sequel to The Family Upstairs was a bit underwhelming. I enjoyed the first book, but I wasn't thrilled, and now with this one, I felt like I wasn't too excited to read it, and the story didn't really pull me in.

I feel like I was more interested in the character's stories in the first book, than I was in this one.

The book will provide answers to unanswered questions from the first book, however, I didn't find myself so eager to learn them. I like to be on the edge of my seat, anticipating to know if the next page will bring a huge revelation. There's nothing necessarily wrong with how the author executed it, but my feelings from the first book just translated to this one as well. That means, the overall impression still remains. It was entertaining to read, but just okay.

I only realised about a 1/4 of the way in that this is the second book in a series. I hate to think I’m missing out on anything and did consider reading the first book but I wasn’t really enjoying this one so I didn’t bother. I felt bored and confused but that wasn’t down to the fact I hadn’t read the first one as I got the gist of it pretty quickly it was more the all over the place storyline. Nothing much really happens and there really isn’t any suspense or guess work built into the storyline. I considered just giving up a few times as it just didn’t have anything going on to grab my attention. Really wasn’t for me unfortunately and I find Lisa Jewell’s books very much hit and miss of late.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for the opportunity to read and review #TheFamilyRemains

I wasn’t sure how I felt about a sequel but I loved this book by the end. I was kept engaged as I usually am by Lisa Jewell books, and sped through. I enjoyed the multiple POV’s and multiple timelines and seeing how everything pans out. I was generally just very pleasantly surprised by this.

I really enjoyed this! It's pacey, and the subject matter was fascinating. I hadn't realised this was the second in a series. It didn't matter too much - but it explains why it took a little while for me to piece things together. The timeline of this is a bit confusing, flitting back and forth in between a span of a couple of years in the modern section, with references to events of childhood.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a free ecopy of The Family Remains in exchange for an honest review.

The Family Remains offers some interesting further insights into the Lamb family. However, it lacked the pace of Athens Family Upstairs and was quite repetitive as the Detective tried to discover what readers of the first book already know. The most interesting part of the story was finding out more about Rachel and Michael. I would have preferred to find out more about Phin and Justin in the years since they left the house rather than repeating what we already know about Lucy and Henry.

Family Remains is an interesting and equally gripping sequel to Family Upstairs. The Pov of Rachel, the second wife of Rimmer and DI Samuel investigating the murder of Birdie, one of the residents of 16, Cheyne Walk add an intriguing angle to the book. Lucy trying to recalibrate her life and her growing bond with Libby was heartwarming to read. But the shadows of the past chasing her hasn't disappeared completely. Henry's decision to track down Phin and revisit the past creates an undercurrent of tension, with the author not completely revealing Henry's intentions behind it.

But the book ends with all loose threads finally and firmly tied. The book definitely throws a different light on Henry Lamb's character. Is he a meek survivor or a more sinister kid who finally emerged as a leader of the pack? I liked the suspenseful writing. But certain parts of the book felt repetitive and long winding, since it's already revealed in the first book. Birdie's ex boyfriend's decision seemed too far fetched. It definitely was one of the best sequels I have read in the thriller genre.

I really enjoyed this one. It is a follow on to THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS but you don't have to have read it first. The loose ends from book one are tied up in this one though, which is quite satisfying.

It's a dark mystery and we get to meet back up with the characters from before. I enjoyed the suspense in this one, Lisa Jewell is great at gripping you from the start and not letting you go.

Congrats on another fab book, recommended to fans of the genre and those want to get into crime/thrillers gently - as it's not too gory.

This is the follow up book to The Family Upstairs which I have read.

Although this is a follow on but you don’t need to have read the first book. In my
opinion this can be read as a stand alone. Confession time, I can’t really remember the first book but in my defence it was 3 years ago. I enjoyed it according to my review!

If fast paced, slightly dark reads are your cup of tea then I think you will enjoy this. Note, for those unfamiliar with book 1, there is abuse/rape in the book and I am aware this may be a TW for some readers.

I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading more of Lisa Jewell’s books.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. #TheFamilyRemains

An excellent read which I thoroughly recommend. It was so exciting to revisit ‘the family’. I didn’t realise that there were so many loose ends in ‘The Family Upstairs’ until I started reading this book and then it all tied up neatly.
The book begins with a bag on bones being discovered by a mudlarker. The police are duly called and an investigation launched.
Meanwhile, Lucy and Henry Lamb are trying to track down their old ‘friend’ Phin and Rachel Rimmer is informed by the police that her husband has been found dead.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

What a great read! When I first started this book I didn't realised that it was the sequel to The Family Upstairs - a book I haven't yet read. However, this is great as a stand alone book too, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I will now go and buy the first one to see what lead up to this story!
Great characters, well written & fast paced with a great plot. What's not to like?

It's taken me a long time to get round to this one (having a baby really cramps your reading time!) but wow it was worth the wait. Having raced through the The Family Upstairs, I hoped I wouldn't be disappointed with this follow up - and thankfully I wasn't! With interesting characters and plenty of intrigue and twists to to the tale, it kept my interest throughout.

Love dark and twisty books then The Family Remains is one you MUST read. Full of intrigue and menace it's a book that draws you in and captivates you with it's dark compelling presence.

I read this straight after my re-read of book one. So the main characters and plot were fresh in my memory.
I'm unsure how to explain my feelings on this. On the one hand I enjoyed this. I was entertained and invested throughout. Maybe not as much as book one.
However I feel there were no real mystery. Other than where is Phin. We know the truth about both Michael and Birdie deaths.
I also felt Michael murder didn't need to be present here. Rachel POV could have been removed and the story wouldn't have been affected that much if at all. All we learnt was how evil that man was.
Part of me wishes we got more of the investigation regarding Birdie but at the same time we already knew what happened so there wouldn't be much point.

Henry intrigues me the most out of all the characters. He is a very obsessive person. With the ending of this book, I wouldn't mind a book three exploring Henry more. But only if the story makes sense to be told.

This author is slowly making her way up my favourite authors to read. Loved the book, and was made even better reading it sitting but the fire on a cold and dreary day!