The Family Remains

I didn't even know there was going to be a follow up to the Family Upstairs so I was extra excited to read this. Not as twisty as the first book, but a very solid follow up. I also appreciated that a lot was summarized from the first book because it has been a while since I read it - the summaries and the intrigue did help me remember everything I needed to know though to follow this story. Libby and her boyfriend have tracked down Phin - he's working on a game preserve in Botswana and she is desperate to meet her dad. Uncle Henry will also be tagging along - he's never stopped thinking about Phin and wants to see him again desperately. Before they can go on their vacation though - Phin disappears. Did he know they were going to surprise him? What went wrong? Henry also "disappears" to try and pick up the breadcrumbs that Phin has left behind leaving behind a very worried sister. At the same time, a bag of bones is found in the river Thames and they are identified as Birdies, but will anyone be able to tie it back to the Lamb family? Told through multiple perspectives, this book is an intriguing and satisfying follow up to the first. 

The Night She Disappeared

A thriller that kept me guessing till the very end. Very twisty, dark, and unsettling. Sophie and her boyfriend move into the headmasters cottage at a boarding school where he just landed a job, and things are off on a great start. There is one weird thing though - a small sign with an arrow pointing in the dirt that says "dig here." When Sophie finally caves and digs it up - what she found is linked to a bizarre missing person case from one year prior. Nineteen year old Tallulah and her boyfriend went to the pub and then a friend's house and were never seen again. Her mother knows they would never run off - they have a baby at home, a baby they love! Told in alternating timelines - one from the year leading up to the disappearance and the other a year after the disappearance. So many dropped tid bits will have readers leaning one way and then the other. Impossible to put down!

The Third Wife

This is relationship fiction mixed with dashes of suspense and mystery. For a story about a dead wife- there was certainly a lot happening. Adrian Wolfe is a man always looking for the next best thing. He left behind wife number one and their two kids - for wife number two and three more kids - and left her for wife number three, Maya. She was young and beautiful and then one evening she got too drunk and fell in front of a bus. Now widowed and grief stricken, Adrian doesn't know what to do. He's never been alone in his life and to say that he's overwhelmed is an understatement. He had a good life, they were happy... or where they? As time progresses upsetting facts about Maya's life begin to emerge - was her death an accident after all? Were any of Adrian's ex-wives or children involved? And what's with the young, beautiful blond who seems to be stalking his family? Twisting and turning - this novel is lush with prose. Adrian's big, blended family is larger than life and a true work of art. A unique character driven novel with suspenseful moments and shocking twists. 

Roommates Wanted

Jewell, Lisa. Roommates Wanted. 10 CDs. unabridged. 12 hrs 8 mins. 2019. Dreamscape Media. ISBN 9781974980482. 

Having been gifted a grand old Victorian house as a wedding gift but unable to fill it after his bride left him; Toby opened his home to wayward souls needing a new chance at life. Nearly fifteen years later, some of the home's residents are having trouble moving on; and that includes Toby. He has finally decided to put the house on the market and move on with his life after his oldest tenant dies and leaves him some money. However, Toby feels responsible for everyone living under his roof and has no idea how to get them to move on with their lives and move out. Thankfully Toby gets help from across the street from his gorgeous neighbor, Leah, and together they discover what it means to truly let go of the past and look towards the future. Brilliantly narrated by Helen Duff who does a superb job nailing the myriad of accents of the housemates. Readers will find themselves captivated by all the hi-jinks Toby and his housemates find themselves in as they try to navigate what the future holds. Charming, unique, and funny; Lisa Jewell is a master of contemporary fiction. - Erin Cataldi, Johnson Co. Public Library, Franklin, IN

The Family Upstairs

Wow, once this book got going I couldn't put it down; I had to know what in the hell was going on! Full of dark twists and turns, this is Lisa Jewell at her finest. A young woman at the age of 25 has inherited a multi-million dollar mansion from her parents, a single mother with two kids is homeless and living on the beach, and a man recalls what it was like growing up in said mansion as things got darker and weirder and a man with a cult like personality took over. Those three threads make up the story line and they start to bind together tighter and tighter as the book progresses. By the end I was dying to know what had really happened to the previous occupants of the house and wanting to know how the young woman inherited it. Dark, disturbing, and unique; I couldn't put this book down! The ending was a punch in the gut (in a kinda weird, good way).

The House We Grew Up In

Jewell, Lisa. The House We Grew Up In. 11 CDs. unabridged. 13 hrs 26 min. 2019. Dreamscape Media. ISBN 9781974979806. 

On the outside they were perfect. The Birds were a "perfect" tight knit family, had a "perfect home", and were a "perfect" nightmare. Four siblings: serious Meg, whimsical Beth, and adorable twins Rory and Rhys find themselves flung apart after a tragedy drives a wedge into their family one unsuspecting Easter afternoon. The House We Grew Up In is weaved together through multiple timelines and a series of emails from their mother that lead up to yet another unbearable family tragedy, the death of their mother, Lorelei. Their beautiful, complicated, frustrating mother has died and now it's up to her children to clean up her mess. Literally speaking, the mess of their childhood home. Lorelei was a hoarder and her inability to let things go only intensified after that Easter Sunday tragedy. Now the children must dig deep into the mess, finding family secrets that have been buried for far too long. Brilliantly narrated by Karina Fernandez who breathes life into the flawed, tragic, and clever siblings; shining especially bright as their mother Lorelei. Deeply compelling, bold, and impossible to put down; this book will make readers fell better about their own family lives but still be thankful to have met the Birds. Another amazing book of family tragedy and triumph from bestselling author, Lisa Jewell.  - Erin Cataldi, Johnson Co. Public Library, Franklin, IN

Then She Was Gone

This reads like one of the more messed up Law and Order episodes. It's really dark, really messed up, and only gets weirder. It's a little unrealistic at times, but that certainly didn't stop me from listening. I had to know what happened and how the mess was going to unfold. Ten years ago Ellie Mac went to walk to the library and was never seen again. No trace of her was ever found. Her mother Laurel, never quite knew how to pick the pieces and it resulted in a divorce and strained relationship with her two remaining children. On the decade anniversary she starts to get some closure and she meets a man who seems to good to be true. Just when Laurel thinks the past is finally buried, she discovers some shocking secrets. Dark, twisted, and perfect for those who like messed up thrillers. The audiobook is a treat as it is narrated SUPERBLY by a native UK speaker who can bounce back and forth between a British and Irish accent.