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I also loved how the very end of the book showed everything coming a full circle, it rounded the story off and left me feeling really fulfilled with the story. I've read quite a few Shari Lapena books now, and I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with them. I think I've finally figured out that I adore her mysteries (someone is killed and there are multiple suspects), while I don't like her domestic thrillers (husband or wife could be lying, so are they or aren't they). This mystery definitely goes onto my list of favorites from her. I did not expect the final third of the book to play out the way it did, and while I did guess some aspects of how it would pan out, there others that completely blindsided me and left me sitting with my mouth hanging open. There are so many hints dropped throughout the story that lead the reader trying to figure our exactly what is going on, tying some in knots in the process. There were always going to be questions behind Alice's sudden reappearance...even if Beth failed to ask them. But should we be suspicious? Should Beth? Nothing was ever going to be straightforward, that's for sure, but is it too good to be true? Or are we just set up to be cynical about the obvious? Kabler has certainly played upon the more conspicuous to leave us all scratching our heads wondering what to believe. Is it Beth being gas-lighted? Or is it the reader?
stars. For the first half this book is familiar, a multi-perspective look at a modern family where the parents are immigrants who have built a successful life but the children are starting to flounder. What makes this book really different is that it has a very specific idea of how this dynamic is unhealthy but also how it can be repaired. Shortly after Alice arrives Beth begins drinking quite a bit and starts shutting out her friends and neighbors. Alice tries extra hard to be the supportive mother that Beth has always wanted but Beth begins a downward spiral which is affecting all her relationships especially with her own children and also imagines a man following her everywhere and feeling that someone is out to get, her although soon after an unforseen and unbelievable event occurs that shatters Beth world where she may lose her job and also the custody of her children unless she can discover what is causing her life to rapidly fall apart.But for me, the real star of the show was Bina. I thought getting her perspective in the book made it so much more interesting. So often in family dramas the parents are to blame for everything and their perspective and experience, especially as middle-aged members of the unit, are often overlooked. That was not the case here. I loved Bina so much even though in initial chapters told from the perspective of her children I thought I would not. Her struggles were so real and the pressures put on her by her culture, society, and experience as an immigrant made for such an interesting character. I thought she was an amazingly strong woman and would love to go to one of her coveted Chats Over Chai meetings! The Merton family puts the word FUN in the word "dysfunctional"; making this "whodunnit" mystery challenging to solve. This is a psychological thriller that has everything: intrigue, mystery and constant twists and turns. I couldn't put it down!’ Alex Lake, bestselling author of Seven Days This book was everything I ever wanted. I don’t think I’ve ever been this connected and seen by a book before. I’m so grateful to have received an arc of this book because I could talk about it all day long and will be raving it about it until and after its release. To dive into the contents, this is a story about a family that each have their own personal problems whether that’s in their careers, mental health, relationships, etc. It’s told from a multi-person perspective which I as a reader love because I enjoy getting to be in the heads of everyone and see the depth of why they act the way they do.
But a family scandal shows that nothing is as it seems. Bina’s oldest friendship starts to unravel and she finds herself as an outsider in the community she helped build. Suhani discovers that her perfect marriage isn’t as solid as she thought. Natasha faces a series of rejections that send her into a downward spiral. The premise is that Beth is a divorced women with two children, a boy and a girl. The relationship with her ex and his new partner is excellent and the children are happy to live with Beth and equally happy to spend time with Dad and Crystal. Her father is in a brilliant care home and she visits him regularly. She works as a practice manager for a doctors’ surgery. She is friendly, efficient and happy. She has good friends at work and two very good friends as neighbours. The only blot on her horizon is the nightmares that frequent her dreams. These she associates with the disappearance of her mother when she was very young. She can recall the unhappy woman and can almost understand why she left her father who was 40 years older than her. Still…
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Janet and Allan Ahlberg's Happy Families series is full of wonderful and funny books, perfect for children learning to read. This new, bigger, edition means that even younger children can enjoy the stories. Look out for Mr Biff the Boxer, too! I’ve read all of Shari Lapena’s suspense novels (except her last one, which I plan to make right soon), and I have loved all of them. The short, alternating chapters, made it an incredibly fast read and I was fully engaged. After each perspective, I was sure I had it all figured out. Somewhere around 50% mark we all thought we figured out who the killer was, but I am glad to say we were wrong. They have three children. All of them were at Easter dinner. Two of them were with their spouses. One was with a random “boyfriend”. The former nanny and current cleaning lady was there too. One guest couldn’t make it.
It’s a reasonable enough, (though not especially novel) plot but it’s dragged down by the repetitive nature of the narrative and the glaringly obvious solution to the various twists and turns. Incredulous naivety T he Happy Family focuses on Beth Holland. a mother of two who has overcome heartache in her life. Her mother Alice disappeared when she was 10 years old, then her husband announced he was leaving the family home to set up with a beautiful and attractive barrister. The Mertons, a wealthy couple from upstate New York, are brutally murdered in their palatial home after hosting a contentious family Easter dinner. Not a Happy Family is a dysfunctional family whodunit mystery. I'm really digging these plots right now. No, this story isn't very original and reminds me of the movie "Knives Out", but I'm still entertained from start to finish.A family dinner at Easter is the last time the family are all together. Within hours the couple have been brutally killed – and thereafter the questions and accusations start flying. At first, everything seems wonderful. But then Beth’s friends begin to drift away, strange things start to happen at home, and rumours begin to circle about her past. As the mysterious events around Beth become darker and more dangerous, she is forced to question everything. Is somebody in her life trying to destroy her happiness? And how far will they go?Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, C. L. Taylor and Lisa Jewell Mr Biff and Mr Bop are boxers and deadly rivals too. Mr Bop is fit and lean and Mr Biff . . . Well, Mr Biff likes a cream cake or two. Will he ever be able to toughen up in time for the annual charity match. Gulp!
The must-have family handbook - accessible, equipping and game-changing' – Anna Mathur, author of Mind Over Mother We don't get much information on Anuj and Deepak, but they are still an important element of this family dynamic. Anuj has always been considered the easy-going, "chill" child in the family, but he struggles with internal pressures of his own and goes to school at a distance to become his own person. Deepak may be an excellent psychiatrist, but has he failed to see the mental health challenges within his own family? We also get a chapter from Zach, Suhani's husband, regarding his love for her and frustration with the barrier she implements between them within the marriage. I thought all three chapters were a great addition, but would have enjoyed seeing even more perspective from the men in this story. I couldn't get enough of The Happy Family, loved the characterisation, writing, and just everything about it. I don’t want to say anymore about the plot for fear of spoilers but this is a book you need to read and enjoy for yourselves. I love a book that I can get completely engrossed in and this definitely fitted the bill. A fabulous entertaining read. And their vindictive, extremely irritating auntie Audrey knows their secret, already pissed off to be excluded from half share of the wealth, smelling blood, coming after them. She thinks one of them killed her brother. Is she right?But Beth has a secret. A deep dark secret which haunts her still. In her thoughts and in her nightmares. And Beth believes it is only a matter of time before her past catches up to her and her secret shame is revealed for all to see. This was a fast-paced read, centered on divorced mom of two, Beth, whose mother walked out on her 30 years ago when she was just 10 years old. Beth lives a happy and fulfilled life, but always felt like something was missing due to the absence of her mother in her life. One day, out of the blue, her mother appears at her door. Suhani, Natasha and Anuj are the American children of Indian immigrants Deepak, a psychiatrist like his oldest daughter Suhani, and Bina, a former Bollywood actress with a promising career cut short and a prominent member of her local Desi community in Atlanta, Georgia. The three children have all faced different pressures from different aspects of their parents and surrounding community.
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