The Family Remains

Mrs Jewell has smashed it again!
A brilliant follow up to the family upstairs o have recommended this to everyone I knkw

The Family Upstairs was a great read so I was excited to get an advanced copy of The Family Remains courtesy of netgalley. It was even better- I quite literally was carrying my kindle round with me all day so I could squeeze a chapter in at every possible opportunity.

The Family Remains picks up where the previous book left off, with Henry, Lucy and Libby seeking out Phin. In addition to the previous characters associated with Cheyne Walk and all that happened there, we have the back story of Rachel, Michael’s wife, and DI Samuel Owusu who is investigating the cold case.

It’s hard to go into more detail without giving away the plot of both books and I don’t want to do any spoilers, but this is a brilliant follow up. Full of pace and energy. Three plot lines weaving together and moving the story on, and I genuinely couldn’t put it down.

Wow, I really enjoyed this book, it kept me captivated from the start! I hadn't read the prequel to this book, The Family Upstairs, but I still really enjoyed this book as I read the story without preconceptions about the characters and this added to the mystery of "whodunnit"! It can defintely be read as a standalone.

The Family Remains centres around the discovery of human bones in a river, a murder that seems to have happened 25 years ago. Through The ferensic evidence, the detective connects them to a house in London, which has been empty for a long time and had recently sold. The sub stories introduce us to Lucy lamb, her three children and her brother Henry Lamb, all of which are living under false names. The siblings are looking for their friend Phin, who is also the father of Lucy's eldest child (adopted as a baby but has recently been in contact when she inherited a large house) but they haven't seen him for over 20 years....

I think  it would be interesting to go back and read the Family Upstairs to see how much of the story was revealed in the first book. I think the character of Phineas is quite elusive, i'm guessing that he may have featured  in more detail previously.

An intriging read, I really enjoyed it!

The Family Upstairs is one of my favourite thrillers of all time and I couldn't wait to step back into this world when the sequel was announced.

The Family Remains begins with a bag of bones believed to belong to a woman killed many years ago being discovered in the Thames. As DCI Owusu follows the clues left in the bag back to a mansion in Chelsea where thirty years ago three people lay dead and a baby slept upstairs, old secrets that have long stayed buried are discovered.

Jewell shifts the focus away from Libby and really expands on her rich cast of characters as we delve back into the Lamb's and Thomsen's stories. Jewell has such a talent for creating a web of complex characters and I particularly enjoyed Rachel's backstory and the development of Lucy's story which came with this.

As I've come to expect from Jewell, The Family Remains kept me on my toes right until the very end but it's also a much deeper story about love and obsession and begs the question just how far will you go to protect your family? This is an unsettling psychological thriller and a satisfying conclusion to the series and I'm already eagerly awaiting her next book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa Jewell does it again with the family remains., a fast paced thriller of a story. This is written as a sequel to the family upstairs but I can also be read as a stand-alone. The characters are well built and there are a couple of different storylines which work perfectly together. The chapters are short and full of suspense and I couldn’t put it down as each chapter left me wanting more.
Highly recommended and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

5⭐️

Lisa Jewell strikes again with this brilliant read! 🔥

The Family Remains is the sequel to The Family Upstairs and it does not disappoint!

What a read! This book answered questions I didn’t even know I had about the The Family Upstairs and had me hooked! I loved the focus on Lucy’s ex-husband Michael and also loved learning about those who survived 16 Cheyne Walk and what happened in their lives after their escape.

This read explores some powerful female characters and also highlighted the obsessive nature of Henry which was first explored in The Family Upstairs. I felt like this book was very different to the first, but in an excellent way.

This sequel was definitely needed and contained some twists which were beautifully wrapped up in the end.

Many thanks to Lisa Jewell, NetGalley and Century UK (Randomhouse UK, Cornerstone) for this ARC!

I highly recommend this fast paced read that will be published on 21st July 22!🔥📚

⚠️ Please check out the trigger warnings!

Having read the family upstairs which left many questions hanging, i was absolutly delighted to be able to read this follow on. Now feeling very satisfied that i know how and why things happened in the first book.

When the human bones are found out if the river thames DI Owusu has a task on his hands to identify them, particularly as they are not from recent years.

Rachel experienced an extremely short abusive marriage but on her visit to gajn revenge it seems somebody has beaten her to.

Henry has fled England in a desperate attempt to find his childhood love Phin...except the relationship was never reciprocal and Phin definetly does not want to be found.

A brilliant book with many twists, highly recommend.

Unlike pretty much every other reviewer, the fact this story is a sequel (to ‘The Family Upstairs’) escaped me. I haven’t read that one - no idea how I missed it! Putting that aside though, I didn’t feel confused or like I was missing anything at all though so although this book would undoubtedly make more sense if you have read the first one, I do think it stands alone.

Ok, that’s that dealt with!

The story opens with a mudlarker on the Thames finding a bag of human remains…. Jewell tells the story from different characters’ perspectives and across multiple timelines but I found it easy to follow and enjoyed finding out about the characters’ personalities through their chapters.

This is an intriguing story, full of interesting and sometimes unnerving and downright horrible people. I guess people who have read the first book will know who the victim is, how they were killed and what led to it - or maybe not - but I didn’t feel I had missed out by not having read the first book.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story and couldn’t put the book down, I’m quite glad I have The Family Upstairs to read - although I definitely know what happens in the end 😂

Thank you #Netgalley for a preview copy in exchange for my thoughts.

Absolutely excellent! I did not think The Family Upstairs could be beaten and started this book with one eye open. I soon realised my hesitation was not warranted. This book is pure entertainment which picks up the pace straight away; I was immediately back in the world of Cheyne Walk and its host of inhabitants from the time gone by. And boy, I was I happy to be back!

The long awaited sequel to The Family Upstairs. Which stands really well on its own. Lisa is great at creating solid characters and does not shy away from them being flawed. The theme that everyone is good and bad character intertwines with the themes of damage and restoration. Another brilliant masterpiece from Lisa Jewel that would appeal to fans of any genre.

This novel had a lot to live up to, and I'm pleased to report that it did not disappoint. It kept me awake late at night and I couldn't get enough of it. Lisa Jewell displays why she is one of the greatest at what she does once again

Excellent as always. It was so nice to revisit the characters that we loved (and some not so much ;) from the first book, The Family Upstairs. I love Lisa's writing style and devoured this one in just a few days. A dark, tense, and absolutely brilliant read!

What can i say, absolutely brilliant read, pulled an all nighter just to find out what happened, if you love a bit of mystery with murder thrown in the get his in front of you, fab read.

I did not realize this book followed on from The Family Upstairs but it was very well written that you could read it as a stand alone novel.
Rachel Gold was my favorite Character along with Lucy. There characters really drew me in.
I could not wait for the next chapters they flowed so well that i almost forgot i was reading a book.

A sequel to The Family Upstairs was a tough ask - with that book being so compelling with its unique story, but I feel like Lisa Jewell has done it with aplomb.

Of course the main story arc is very different this time round, it does a very good job of crossing the Ts, dotting the Is and adding some new characters and colour to parts of the first book that were pretty much subtext in that tale.

Lisa Jewell is a very impressive storyteller that I find quite unique in the mainstream. There's something about the way she leaves no stone unturned in her books that is rare for this kind of author. Usually you find something implausible in these kinds of books, but everything has its place in the story and you get answers. There isn't the usual attempt at constant subterfuge, it's just good old fashioned storytelling that keeps you gripped and wondering how it's going to end.

The more Lisa Jewell books I read, the more I am in awe of how somebody can keep churning out books that you can't put down. The Family Remains is a great follow up to The Family Upstairs, you get to revisit the characters from the first title, and you get to know how they've ended up after all the drama of their first adventure. Highly recommended.

The Family Remains is a complex, beautifully written and addictive read which works both as a stand alone story and a sequel to the international best seller The Family Upstairs. All of the pace you require from a crime novel is here, but Jewell is also an expert at creating real characters and situations, and her depiction of a woman snared in a coercive control situation is one of the finest I have read.. Clever, beautifully written and delightfully complex but as always with Lisa Jewell, character is key.

WOW this was a fast paced read. Lisa Jewels BEST book to date.
I absolutely loved it, I was gripped from the first page. Outstanding!

Lisa Jewell has done it again. Family Remains is a fast paced page turner. There were many characters , but all were well developed. The opening pages , where the bones of a woman were found in the river , led to a great story of loss and redemption. Very good book.

A wonderfully fast-paced follow-up from ‘The Family Upstairs’. I didn’t think that could be beaten, but this sequel was in fact better than the first.
With a number of the main characters’ lives intertwined in this thriller coupled with Lisa Jewell’s compelling writing style, this was hard to put down!

This is the follow up to the family upstairs, I massive enjoyed that but I think I enjoyed this more. Lisa Jewell is a fantastic writer and has really honed her style over these two novels. She takes time to build the story and the character backgrounds, she is a master at designing an engaging story that keeps you reading until the very end. When I finished the book I felt disappointed that it had come to an end. I will certainly be continuing to read Jewell's work and will look forward to the next.

A real page turner. Truly gripping and can be read as a stand alone novel, or after reading The Family Upstairs. Highly recommended to add to your list of books to be read in 2022.

Having read The Family Upstairs I was thrilled to see that the author had developed the story in this book. It certainly did not disappoint.

This is a deep and emotional read which delves into the backgrounds of the characters. Lisa Jewell writes in such a way that you feel you ‘know’ these people and get immersed in their lives.

Another 5* read from this author.

I was utterly gripped by this tense and absorbing thriller. I hadn’t read the first book before I read this one (but it’s now in my to read list!) but I’m not sure it made that much difference to me really. The story wove between the two timelines and as the stories unfolded, I found myself reading ore and more quickly to the gripping conclusion. Cleverly plotted and brilliantly written.

I could not believe my luck when I was approved for an advance edition of this outstanding book. The second book that follows on from The Family Upstairs. The wait was absolutely worth it. This is truly epic and I was captivated by it right from the first word. I have long been a Lisa Jewell reader and this is yet another superb read. Lisa has a way of keeping your interest with just that right level of intrigue to keep your curiosity peeked. A proper page turner if ever there was one.
A few of the unanswered questions from book one get revealed and the characters become fully rounded. I was left feeling, "wow that was flipping amazing" To have such a talent for writing to this high standard is a true gift.
As the bones of a body are discovered we begin a journey back into the lives and lies of Lucy, Phin, Henry and Libby. Who is the body? Why has it been found now? There are questions a plenty and new characters to get to know.
For me this is a gloriously written sequel that should not be left unread, it's just so compelling with a well thought out plotline that just keeps you turning, just one page.

My thanks to NetGalley and Century publishing for the opportunity to review this book.
OMG I couldn’t wait to read this sequel to The Family Upstairs and I wasn’t disappointed. I thought I may have to re read the first book in order to follow on but impatience got the better of me.
Thankfully key points are revisited so this didn’t spoil the story.
Love, love loved it, a definite must read for Lisa Jewel fans and that ending !!!
Highly recommend

Thank you for NetGalley for providing me with this book for review. Absolutely loved this book, really felt an connection to the characters, especially Henry, wow. Read it very quickly, once I started I couldn't put it down.

The sequel to The Family Upstairs this book did not disappoint as with all books by Lisa Jewell. The story picks up with the same characters and manages to entice the reader from the first page with lots of twists and tales …I was engrossed from the first page

I’ve read the previous book and this does not disappoint.. I thought that the book held my interest and that I really didn’t want it to end. Such a good book. Hoping for more!

I really loved this sequel by Lisa Jewell, a rare occurrence is it’s as good as the first book if not better. Full of mystery and suspence, I loved the Michael back story and the edge of your seat mystery of Henry and his trip looking for Phinn. Lisa is one of my automatic go to writers, I literally wait for her newest one to come out with great excitement and this one definitely did not disappoint, I could not put it down and i highly recommend. Thanks so much to the publisher for the chance to read this early copy and to Netgalley.

I didn’t know how much I was waiting for this story, until now!

The sequel to The Family Upstairs took me back into such familiar territory with the array of damaged people who lived through some very dark times at 16 Cheyne Walk .

Lisa Jewell has written (yet again) a brilliantly well plotted, dark, compulsively readable, addictive, twisty, intriguing, ingenious novel. It is full of secrets and lies as the characters struggle with their long buried past and their desire for ‘normality’. It is a bumpy ride and I found myself willing the characters on.

The story is told from alternating timelines and narrators, allowing us to discover more depth about the past and also an understanding of why the characters act as they do.

A totally brilliant read I devoured and am now bereft to leave behind.