I loved everything about this intoxicating debut. Told from the perspective of 10 year-old Alix, on a long holiday with her family. She makes friends with a boy on the beach and they decide to search for the body of a girl who went missing, presumed dead. On top of that, she's observing a transformation in her sister as she's swept up in teenage schemes, trying to figure out why the tether has snapped between her parents ad tip-toeing around her mother's sensitivities. Oh, and she's spooked by her creepy neighbour. 10/10 for vibes and atmosphere. I couldn't put it down. Eerie, reflective, heartening. Trevelyan really captures the complexities of feeling of that on-the-cusp age. My heart was racing through the final third of the book, and I'll be thinking about it for a long time.

Gosh, this book. A fiction that read like a memoir, it gave me such scorching waves of nostalgia that I actually felt like my ten-year old self again. The tension, the friendships, the family dynamics all perceived from a character that age - impeccable. I read this in one feverish sitting, and my only complaint is that I want more. What a talented writer, my goodness. Thank you so, so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the privilege of this arc.

This book is so special – calming and comforting in parts, but also full of thrilling moments that made me gasp. It captures what it’s like to see the world through a
child’s eyes, only to realise as an adult how much was really going on. Alix notices everything, but she doesn’t quite understand what she’s seeing – which makes it all the more powerful when we, as readers, put the pieces together. It’s such a clever idea, and it’s done so well. 😮
The ending felt just right – a bit sudden, like the way holidays always seem to end too, but it completely fit the story.
Highly recommend this one! ❤️📚

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book,

I would say 3.5 but not quite a 4.

I liked this book but didn't love it,. maybe it's me as I have read a few books lately which are written from the point of view of a child sho doesn't really understand what is happening. Alix and Vanessa and to a certain extent Kahu, are really the only fully drawn characters. I didn't get much of a sense of the mum and dad or of Lucy and her parents. The reader has to imagine everything that led to the main events because the child Alix, is too innocent to understand. I found this a bit unsatisfactory, I prefer more resolutions in a thriller/mystery type of book. Nice to read about New Zealand for a change though complete with authentic Kiwi words like Pakeha, togs and jandals.

Having said that, the latter half of chapter 20 when Alix finds the broken board in the fence and goes through it is taut with tension. Very well written, I felt sick with dread when I was reading it.

It all ends quite abruptly and, as I said, the reader is left to fill in all the gaps. I am not sure about the significance of the mother's book and the burning of it by the father and I am not clear on the reasons behind what happened to Lucy's mother.

This is a lovely, poignant story, with everything told from the point of view of our young heroine. The writing is very credible at all times and I could picture everything, which is quite a compliment as I sometimes struggle with that sort of thing. It's easy to read and worth reading.

The success of this book will entirely depend on how it’s marketed.
If you’re after a buzzy thriller with a neat ending, this one isn’t for you.
But instead if you want the claustrophobic nostalgia of a sticky hot childhood summer this is for you.

A Perfect Family made me nostalgic for beach summers in Australia I’ve never had. It made me remember fleeting friendships made on holiday - short and intense and fierce.

It’s about families, the complexity of teenagehood, how baffling adults are to a child.

Setting this from Alix’s perspective gives it a naivety which really adds to the confusion and complexity of the adult’s decision-making.

All of the characters feel real and flawed and the plot is revealed slowly and also not at all.

A dark, dreamy and nostalgic summer read. I loved it.

4 stars.

Superb! Fantastic! Sublime!
Can you tell I enjoyed this? The writing is faultless, the plot twisty.. The location a key character. Alex and Kahu - I want a follow up!

Tense, assured New Zealand thriller: A family fracturing and an unsolved mystery 4.5

Jennifer Trevelyan’s debut novel, first of all, reads nothing like a debut The only reason I have 4 starred rather than 5 starred is because I didn’t always believe that Alix, the 10 year old narrator, was indeed that young. For sure, particularly in the relationship she forms with the similarly aged Maori boy, Kahu, with whom she spends the summer trying to solve the mystery of a disappeared young girl, where her age seemed spot on. There were other times, however, where her innocence seemed to be that of a much younger girl. I was not completely convinced by the danger she put herself in, at one point, late in the novel, and the fortuitous ‘just happened to be passing’ which got her out of deep trouble.

I really liked the way Trevelyan, through the viewpoint of Alix, was able to alert the reader pretty quickly to the probable reason for the disappeared young girl being more than just a tragic drowning, and also for us to be aware, pretty quickly, that the ‘Beautiful Family’ were very far from being in that state, and exactly what was going on.

Sometimes, the winching up of anxiety comes from the reader not knowing what might be going on, and having care for, and involvement with, the central character of the story, and sometimes, as here, the anxiety is winched up because the reader knows, but the characters in the story don’t, in a sort of extended ‘behind you’ moment, like in a pantomime

I rather liked the ambiguity of the ending of this novel, too, rather than have everything neatly tied, done and dusted

What a book! A mystery told through the eyes of 10-year old Alix who is on holiday with her family. The story develops slowly but still fully kept my attention. I enjoyed the way this all unfolds as the main focus is seemingly on the narrator’s experience and her observations. It’s quite interesting to have this point of view as her naivety reflects what’s happening and how people are behaving without her fully understanding everything, but the reader obviously does and can pick up the various pieces to add together.

I was hooked from the start. There is tension building immediately so that you can tell something is going on. The writing was great; I would call it dry but in a positive way, sort of straightforward but really effective. I was fully immersed in the storytelling and absolutely flew through this book!

An incredible debut novel. I would highly recommend!

Jennifer is a talented writer, of that there is no doubt. Brilliant scene setting, interesting and varied characters and I loved the fact it was told from the point of view of 10 year old Alix. It was tense in places, and it is quite an emotional read, but an enjoyable one. I felt that Alix was the perfect narrator and the story, although a little slow at first, steadily built pace.

Thanks to the publisher for my e-cop and also sending me a physical copy for the readalong.

how is this Jennifer's first book? it was just stunning. i was pulled in to the scene setting, to the plot and to the characters themselves. i wanted to know more and read more. this book is truly something to sit, stay and read all the way through or as much as you can. because you just find yourself all in. and if Jennifer has this book to go by then wow welcome to the world of being a top future author!
the book gives us Alix and her family on their summer holiday. she is ten and we can all feel what that time of life feels like. and i just loved how Jennifer wrote her. i found myself smiling with how realistic this young girl was for us.
all of Alixs family have there own things going on and own things to do. so Alix needs her own fun. she meets Kahu and together they go on a fact finding mission over a mystery of their holiday place. a young girl went missing presumed dead a few summers ago and they think they can find out what really happened to her.
but this isnt the child fun filled mission they thought it would be going in. and its raking over and pulling up things they perhaps dont want to be pulled up.
it brings all the things of that age. the awkward long limbed time in life where you are flying from uncertain to bravery. where you think you want independence but all at once want the wing of your mother around you.
you are taken along for a lush ride and you are given both harder topics and light topics in perfect ratios.
i loved this book. and as a first from this author i sure want to read more please.

I loved the sense of brooding throughout this book coupled with the "innocence" of a 10 year old as she begins to navigate the world whilst on holiday with her parents at the beach in New Zealand. I was transported to family holidays of years gone by - from the excitement of arrival at the destination; to the familiarity of the holiday routines; to the conflicts that arise when trying to please a 10 year old and a teenager. Alix clearly has a vivid imagination which is sparked by spending time on her own whilst her older sister starts to rule break and discover boys and whilst her mother becomes increasingly distracted. Not to mention the "odd" next door neighbour who lives alone whilst seeming to take an over-active interest in Alix. As the book progressed I found myself willing everything to be OK - from Alix and her new found friend Kahu's search for the body of a missing girl; to her mother's increasingly erratic behaviour and solitary walks to what rules her sister would try to break next. Alix whilst being very innocent in lots of ways begins to demonstrate a rather grown up grasp of some aspects of human nature too - I loved it!!

Set in New Zealand in 1985, we follow our protagonist, Alix, aged 10 through her family summer holiday.

I love a book that takes you back to a certain place in time. This book is full of eighties nostalgia, and I'm here for all of it.

When Alix meets 11 year old Kahu and learns that a 9 year old girl named Charlotte was lost at sea a few summers ago, the quest begins to find her.

I loved the portrayal of summer friendships and complicated family dynamics all mixed in with sunburn, underage shenanigans, and long summer days. The confusion of being ten, learning the languages of adults and teenagers, and the uncomfortableness of growing into our limbs.

This is what I would call a quiet book. It creeps along, and while it handles some explosive tropes (and explosive personalities), it does it so carefully and quietly.

I don't read enough books set in this part of the world. This was a refreshing read.

Four stars.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. The book starts with the summer holiday of Alix, her sister Vanessa and their parents in the mid eighties. As a teenager in the eighties, albeit not living or holidaying in New Zealand, the story invoked a lot of nostalgia with the simplicity of being a teenager, pre social media and mainstream internet to a world of adventure, teenage magazines, teenage angst and Walkman’s!

Alix meets a boy, only a year or so older and they dedicate their holiday to trying to solve the mystery of a little girl, Charlotte, who went missing and her body has never been found. This runs along the storyline of Alix’s parents and issues within their marriage.

Although I enjoyed the ending, it was left very open and no real conclusion. Obviously it is left open to the readers imagination but I really wanted more

On a family vacation unlike any other, 10 year old Alix finds a friend in a local boy, Kahu. He tells her about the young girl who disappeared 2 years previously, and both children become obsessed with finding clues related to the case and the need to discover the truth of what happened to the missing girl.

Except this summer, Alix is about to find out a lot more truths about life than she had reckoned for. And some of those realities pulse with such menace that Alix may not be able to emerge from unscathed from the encounters...

Weaving together complicated family dynamics, the secrets that lurk below the surface of small town life, and the growing pains of childhood, this is an exceptionally skillfully told coming of age tale. I loved it. Highly recommended.

A fantastic read.
The voice and actions of Alix as she is drawn into Kahus world of mystery solving rings very true of a child of that age- wanting freedom and adventure above all else.
The setting is vivid and the sometimes tedious boredom of a long summer break is cleverly written with several side stories contributing to the moods of the family as their summer progresses.

It is clear right from the start that beneath the seemingly placid surface of the novel, something is lurking. Troubled teens target the eldest daughter, the youngest gets caught up in the mystery of a vanished child and the tension between the parents is palpable. It is a powder keg of pent up and repressed emotions, just waiting for the spark to ignite it.

This is a beautifully written story which takes the reader to the very heart of the family. All their secrets are laid bare in the subtext and it is hard to fathom how the rest of the family don’t see what is happening right under their noses. However, the parents are so caught up in their own affairs that the girls are left to their own devices, leading to situations with potentially tragic consequences. The family dynamics are such that it is hard to feel empathy for the parents because they are so blind and self-centred in their different ways. This has a knock-on effect on the girls and there were a couple of occasions where I found it hard to believe Vanessa was 15 because her behaviour and attitude were more akin to that of a toddler.

Overall, I enjoyed the book very much, mainly because the skill of the writing was such that it drew you into their world and you can feel a sense of things building towards their dreadful conclusion. However, I did feel a little cheated by the ending; so much was left unresolved and yet it doesn’t feel like a ‘beginning of a series’ book. Nevertheless, this didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. I have long known I don’t like unresolved endings, but know other people who love them, which diversity of opinion is, of course, one of the joys of discussing books!

A slow burning mystery of a little girl's summer by the sea with her family. So much is seething underneath and we only see it through her eyes. Bit frustrating at the end but a good read.

Told through the eyes of nine-year-old Alix, A Beautiful Family perfectly captures the restless energy of childhood summers. As she spends her days by the beach with her family, a quiet tension simmers beneath the surface, creating an ever-present sense of unease.

Would the kids stumble upon a dead body? Would they end up being a dead body? Would something happen that would change everything? Trevelyan expertly drops subtle clues—breadcrumbs of suspense that I eagerly followed.

The writing is evocative, pulling readers into the mind of a child who is both blissfully unaware and deeply perceptive. The atmosphere is rich, the storytelling immersive, and the buildup deliciously mercurial.

For those who love stories that are deceptively quiet yet packed with an undercurrent of dread then this should hit the spot!

In New Zealand in 1985, 10-year-old Alix and her 15=year-old sister, Vanessa, go on a sun-baked holiday with their mother and father, staying in a bungalow not far from the beach and a brackish lagoon.
When Alix meets a boy, Kahu, about her own age, they set out to solve the mystery of a young girl who disappeared two years earlier. At the same time. Vanessa meets a dubious friend, Crystal, who she knows from school.
Set over a few weeks of Antipodean summer, this debut novel is a coming-of-age story meets suspenseful thriller, the first part more the former and the second part more the latter.
This beautiful family on the surface is one that is full of secrets and domestic dissatisfaction, as the reader soon establishes through Alix's narration. Jennifer Trevelyan captures beautifully the child's confusion and sense of bewilderment at not just what is happening but at life in general. There are so many things that Alix does not understand or appreciate their significance.
It's an extraordinary novel, written in the first person, past tense from Alix's viewpoint, and with a linear narrative. This makes a refreshing change from so many modern novels featuring multiple narrators, flashbacks and the present tense.
Alix is an unlikely herione buta smart, funny and endearing. I found the novel completely absoring and could not put it down,
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an advance review copy of this novel.