Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena

54 reviews

danajoy's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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bookishchaos's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I don't think this book deserves all the negative reviews it got. Like yes the second half got really slow and not a whole lot happened, but I was still invested all the way up until 75% and then I just skipped to the end to see who the killer was lol. It was exactly who I thought it was but I read a lot of thrillers. It was a nice read for a rainy afternoon. Not too long but not too short. I personally wouldn't recommend this though. It wasn't terrible, it was just alright.
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em_gauts's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • 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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magicsarah's review against another edition

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

5.0

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sefrahudman's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

I would give this book like a 4.25 stars! I really really enjoyed it, and I felt like it was super well written, and kept me mostly guessing until the end! I thought I had figured it out and then I question to myself, and then I was right originally, but it was that doubt that made me really like this book, the only thing I did not love, was how much cursing there was.
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readers_sea's review against another edition

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

5.0

OH MY TWISTS!

The family drama was amazing. All the pov's were very well done. The story kept me on my toes.

When everyone has a motive, you never really know where the story is going to go, and while I had some theories, I still had no clue where this book was going to end up. I was so engaged in this book, I finished it really quickly because I just kept wanting to know what would happen next! The short chapters and rotating pov's also made it so easy to stay engaged in the story.

The ending was honestly so satisfying that I screamed!
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jaimee_readss's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is a good mystery book. It kept me on my toes the entire time. I literally couldn’t guess who it was at the end. However it is kinda slow in the middle/end of the book so it got kind of repetitive but I still think it’s a good book. 
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bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

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dark mysterious relaxing tense fast-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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!
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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

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mellowbread's review

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mysterious 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? No

3.0

An average whodunit that started off well and kept me guessing but lacked action and suspense. It kept me hooked for a few days straight. The ending was open-ended, which I kind of dislike but fits well with the motivations of the characters I guess. I actually appreciated the 3rd person's POV a lot, because the thrillers I've read so far seem to have super unreliable narrators, so it was a new experience to try and deduce who did it.  Man am I glad I don't have this family dynamic. 
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