Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - Not a Happy Family

This is the 5th book I’ve read from Lapena and I think it’s my new favorite from her! I love Lapena’s books and she’s definitely cemented herself as my one of my favorite thriller writers.

I was immediately pulled in and I couldn’t put it down, finishing in 3 days! There were jaw dropping plot twists I didn’t see coming. Never guessed what happened, the storytelling was incredibly done making everybody seem guilty.

The characters were complex and well written! The pacing was well done, holding my attention the entire way through. I also thought the ending was perfect, leaving the story somewhat open ended which worked well for this novel. Highly recommend for anyone who loves thrillers and psychological family dramas!

Content Warnings

tspice24's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

jax00's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

It was very predictable. Everyone hated everyone and there was no background for them hating each other. Everyone also lied for no reason.

Content Warnings

julienicole1106's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Content Warnings

anna_mayes's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Not A Happy Family by Shari Lapena

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“But all fairytales are tinged with darkness.”

Not A Happy Family is a fast paced thriller where everyone is a suspect. I had a few ideas about who the killer would be, but I was able to narrow it down to two. Luckily, one of my guesses was correct. Shari Lapena keeps you guessing by using alternating perspective chapters. I love when authors do this because it allows you to see the same event from multiple perspectives. The alternating chapters showed the distrust among the Merton family and solidified the motives that each character had for killing Fred and Sheila. I did not like most of the characters in this novel, but I do love family drama. The Merton family is so dysfunctional that I would actually like a second book! A book on Fred Merton’s upbringing would be fascinating. Or a follow up on what happens after the Merton children receive their inheritance. Either way, I could not turn the pages fast enough and I can’t wait to get my hands on another Shari Lapena book!

I recommend this Not A Happy Family for anyone who likes reading domestic suspense!

CW: Murder, Stalking, Emotional Abuse

Content Warnings

colettesjourney's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

kstockard's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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