Not a Happy Family
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- Create Date：2021-07-26 02:21:04
- Update Date：2025-09-14
- Status：finish
- Author：Shari Lapena
- ISBN：1984880551
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Summary
The new domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door and Someone We Know who has sold more than 7 million copies of her books worldwide
In this family， everyone is keeping secrets--especially the dead。 Brecken Hill in upstate New York is an expensive place to live。 You have to be rich to have a house there。 And they don't come much richer than Fred and Sheila Mercer。 But even all their money can't protect them when a killer comes to call。 The Mercers are brutally murdered the night after an Easter Dinner with their three adult kids。 Who， of course， are devastated。
Or are they？ They each stand to inherit millions。 They were never a happy family， thanks to their capricious father and neglectful mother， but perhaps one of them is more disturbed than anyone knew。 Did one of them snap after that dreadful evening？ Or was it someone else that night who crept in with the worst of intentions？ It must be。 After all， if one of your siblings was a psychopath， you'd know。
Wouldn't you？
In this family， everyone is keeping secrets--especially the dead。 Brecken Hill in upstate New York is an expensive place to live。 You have to be rich to have a house there。 And they don't come much richer than Fred and Sheila Mercer。 But even all their money can't protect them when a killer comes to call。 The Mercers are brutally murdered the night after an Easter Dinner with their three adult kids。 Who， of course， are devastated。
Or are they？ They each stand to inherit millions。 They were never a happy family， thanks to their capricious father and neglectful mother， but perhaps one of them is more disturbed than anyone knew。 Did one of them snap after that dreadful evening？ Or was it someone else that night who crept in with the worst of intentions？ It must be。 After all， if one of your siblings was a psychopath， you'd know。
Wouldn't you？
Reviews
Ceylan （CeyGo）
，
When their parents are found viciously murdered in their home after a very fraught Easter dinner， all three siblings are suspected of murdering them… but which one did it ？✔️ I honestly had no idea who did it - at one point I must have suspected everyone in the book✔️this s a fairly slow paced mystery， but it kept me turning the pages✔️ the title definitely suits - this was not a happy family at all
JaymeO
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Who killed Fred and Sheila Merton？Not a Happy Family is Shari LaPena’s best writing to date！ It is a whodunnit domestic suspense thriller that you do not want to miss。 The Mertons are a crazy dysfunctional family， who are hiding secrets from each other， while pointing the finger at the others。 When Fred and Sheila Merton are discovered by their housekeeper brutally murdered the morning after Easter dinner， their children become the prime suspects。 The killer must be someone close to the family， Who killed Fred and Sheila Merton？Not a Happy Family is Shari LaPena’s best writing to date！ It is a whodunnit domestic suspense thriller that you do not want to miss。 The Mertons are a crazy dysfunctional family， who are hiding secrets from each other， while pointing the finger at the others。 When Fred and Sheila Merton are discovered by their housekeeper brutally murdered the morning after Easter dinner， their children become the prime suspects。 The killer must be someone close to the family， as they are murdered in a hateful rage。 What happened at that fateful dinner？ Each sibling has something to hide from the other， and their greedy， manipulative， self-absorbed personalities battle to keep secrets hidden。 You see， Fred Merton was planning to change his will and everyone had something to gain from his murder。Catherine is the oldest， most successful and favorite child。 She wants the Merton mansion。Dan is the middle child and biggest disappointment。 He is the least favorite child and is having major financial troubles after his father sold the company that he was due to inherit。Jenna is the youngest child and just barely tolerated by her parents。 She is living off her parents’ allowance and leads an out of control， rebellious lifestyle。Then there’s Rose…how does she fit into this family？ I furiously kept turning the pages of this thriller， full of twists and turns and plenty of suspects。 LaPena successfully casts doubts on all of the characters and makes the reader suspect everyone throughout the book。 This is a stay up all night， don’t want to put it down kind of read that will keep you guessing until the very last page。 I did not successfully predict the ending， while I did have my suspicions throughout。 I wanted slightly more from the reveal， otherwise this would have been a 5 star read for me。 I predict that this book will be a smash hit for Shari LaPena and I can’t wait to read her next thriller！4。5/5 starsThank you very much to Ben Petrone at Penguin Random House who kindly gifted me the ARC of Not a Happy Family in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Rebekah Reads
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Full review to come！Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and Double Day Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review。
Alicia （thriller_chick）
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She is an auto buy for me but this was my favorite of all her books！ She kept me questioning every character until the very end。
Corinne
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🎧 This sounded great in the blurb and I thought it was an interesting intertwining plot。 I was enjoying it till about halfway but I found myself getting bored。 The pace was good but could have done with a little more action。 Such unlikeable characters other then the detectives who we don’t really know much about。 The suspense builds and there are some twists and turns but they were lacking and with such building suspense the outcome was so underwhelming。 I liked the narration。 Thanks to Netgalle 🎧 This sounded great in the blurb and I thought it was an interesting intertwining plot。 I was enjoying it till about halfway but I found myself getting bored。 The pace was good but could have done with a little more action。 Such unlikeable characters other then the detectives who we don’t really know much about。 The suspense builds and there are some twists and turns but they were lacking and with such building suspense the outcome was so underwhelming。 I liked the narration。 Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC thats due to be published on the 27nd of July。 。。。more
Hayley
，
Thank you to Penguin Random House/Doubleday Canada and NetGalley for early access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review。 Not A Happy Family publishes on July 27， 2021。Fred and Shelia Merton are a wealthy couple living in upstate New York。 They are killed after their annual Easter Dinner with their three adult children， Catherine， Dan and Jenna， their partners and their long time house keeper， Irena。 Fred's sister Audrey didn't make it to the annual dinner this year but that doesn't keep Thank you to Penguin Random House/Doubleday Canada and NetGalley for early access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review。 Not A Happy Family publishes on July 27， 2021。Fred and Shelia Merton are a wealthy couple living in upstate New York。 They are killed after their annual Easter Dinner with their three adult children， Catherine， Dan and Jenna， their partners and their long time house keeper， Irena。 Fred's sister Audrey didn't make it to the annual dinner this year but that doesn't keep her out of the story。Each of the living characters has secrets in their past that unfold for the reader concurrently， making it possible that anyone is the murderer。 There is so much deceit in this book， between siblings， spouses， other family members， I didn't know who to trust when。 It was a fast paced book， with enough possibilities that I did not know who had actually killed Fred and Shelia until the final reveal。The story is told in multiple perspectives， enough that a few times I had to think particular hard to figure out what was going on and who was who especially at the beginning， but once I was into the story I kept up fairly easily。 I would have liked to see more at the end of the book， it felt a little short but I loved the epilogue and it has me wondering what happened after the book ended to the characters。This was a quick read for me， and I enjoyed the writing style， its my first book by Shari Lapena and I will definitely be trying out some of her backlist。Rating: 3。5/5 。。。more
Stephanie
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Shari Lapena has done it again - another fantastic whodunnit， this time focused on a very dysfunctional wealthy family with 3 adult kids and their parents， the latter who are brutally murdered in their home。 Who did it？ Could it be one of the kids eager to get their sizable inheritance？Fast-paced plot with short chapters that make you want to just keep turning the pages to find out happens next。 The story has lots of twists and turns and the plot effectively unfolds from various points of view。 Shari Lapena has done it again - another fantastic whodunnit， this time focused on a very dysfunctional wealthy family with 3 adult kids and their parents， the latter who are brutally murdered in their home。 Who did it？ Could it be one of the kids eager to get their sizable inheritance？Fast-paced plot with short chapters that make you want to just keep turning the pages to find out happens next。 The story has lots of twists and turns and the plot effectively unfolds from various points of view。 The characters are fascinating and you just can’t look away from how greedy and shallow they are。 Great ending and I loved the epilogue！！I inhaled this novel and throughly enjoyed it。 You really can’t go wrong with a Shari Lapena novel。 Not A Happy Family is out next Tuesday - July 27。Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Barbara Behring
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Review I received a kindle version of this book through a goodreads giveaway。 I had only read one previous book by Shari Lapena prior to this， The Couple next door， and I found that book predictable and I did not like the ending。 I thought I would give her another try and am I glad I did。 I absolutely loved this book。 It was a fast read and kept me guessing till the very end。
Andrew Smith
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Fred and Sheila Merton live in a big house in upstate New York。 Fred has been a successful businessman and following tradition the pair have invited their three adult children， and partners， around for an Easter dinner。 It turns out be a fraught affair as Fred imparts some unwelcome news on his offspring – each will be affected in a different way but none are happy with this particular festive gift。 Shortly after， both Fred and Sheila meet a grisly end - murdered in their own home。 Could it be t Fred and Sheila Merton live in a big house in upstate New York。 Fred has been a successful businessman and following tradition the pair have invited their three adult children， and partners， around for an Easter dinner。 It turns out be a fraught affair as Fred imparts some unwelcome news on his offspring – each will be affected in a different way but none are happy with this particular festive gift。 Shortly after， both Fred and Sheila meet a grisly end - murdered in their own home。 Could it be that one of the dinner guests perpetrated this crime？ The children all have motive， but as we learn more about the circle of people surrounding this family it seems that others might be similarly inclined。 The children are a pretty mixed-up bunch: a grasping daughter desperate to get her hands on the family pile， another daughter whose rebelliousness makes her something of a black sheep and a son who is suffering from money problems and mental health issues。 Then there is Fred’s sister， a bitter old crow whose dislike of all of the children is unhesitatingly reciprocated。 There are others too， lining up to be included in a lengthy list of possible suspects。 It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out， so bring on a couple of punchy， provocative detectives and let’s have at it。It’s good fun， if all a little unlikely， as the siblings and partners lie and cover-up whilst also suspecting each other of potentially being the murderer。 The best character， though， is Fred’s vitriolic sister who has no end of run-ins with the family group。 The whole thing lights up whenever she’s on the scene。 There are plenty of twists and it’s practically impossible to guess whodunnit as all seem to have both the motive and the means。 A pretty decent and undemanding mystery that kept me guessing and – just about – held my interest throughout。 I listened to an audio version which was capably narrated by Ellen Archer。 My thanks to Penguin UK Random House Audio and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Marg
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3 1/2
Patty Rice
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Thank you to Goodreads for giving me this book in the giveaway。This is a suspenseful drama about a family whose wealthy parents were killed on Easter evening。 All the siblings are suspected in the murders。 The books takes you back & forth on the detectives journey to solve the murders。 There are the usual twists。 I was disappointed in the ending。 It seemed to fall short。 Not a typical Shari Lapena ending for me。
Lindsay
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Loved it！ It had so many layers that kept unraveling at a suspenseful pace。 This book didn't disappoint and reminded me of the movie Knives Out。 Love。 Loved it！ It had so many layers that kept unraveling at a suspenseful pace。 This book didn't disappoint and reminded me of the movie Knives Out。 Love。 。。。more
Devon
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Lapena's latest slow burning， twisty tale takes you down a dark path of lies， secrets and deceit alongside one wicked family where everyone has more than a few screws loose。 The Merton family definitely does not need enemies when they have a family this twisted; talk about dysfunctional！ Makes my family look normal。The story starts with a gruesome bang then slowly unfolds， revealing the true events leading up to the night of the murders while leaving a couple of surprising twists throughout。 I'v Lapena's latest slow burning， twisty tale takes you down a dark path of lies， secrets and deceit alongside one wicked family where everyone has more than a few screws loose。 The Merton family definitely does not need enemies when they have a family this twisted; talk about dysfunctional！ Makes my family look normal。The story starts with a gruesome bang then slowly unfolds， revealing the true events leading up to the night of the murders while leaving a couple of surprising twists throughout。 I've read quite a few of Lapena's novels， and in my opinion， this one is her best work yet。 I really enjoy a slow burning domestic mystery when it's done right， and I think Lapena did a fantastic job of creating such vile characters while still being able to keep the reader interested with the storyline。 You want to know what deranged thing these family members will do next。 I did have one tiny problem with the fact that a lot of characters introduced at once。 It took me a few chapters to get them all straight in my head。 But， once I had everyone straight， Lapena kept me hooked。 I also really enjoyed the ending， especially how Lapena managed to leave the door to the story open just a crack。 Not a Happy Family is chock-full of unlikable， terrible characters that will keep you on your toes and you'll never know who is telling the truth。I would absolutley encourage fans of Lapena's earlier work to add this to their TBR。 It's out July 27th so you can find out for yourself about how twisted this family really is。 Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House/Doubleday Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Tiffany www。instagram。com/tiffs_bookshelf
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In Shari Lapena's newest book we meet the Merton family。 Father Fred， mother Sheila， and their three children Catherine， Dan， and Jenna。 The story is based on who murdered Fred and Sheila。 Their three children stand to inherit millions on their parents death。 These three children aren't as innocent and angelic as they perceive themselves to be。 Nothing is ever as it seems to be in the wealthy peoples lives though。 Who killed Fred and Sheila Merton？？？？ Read this book to find out。。。。。。 I didn't In Shari Lapena's newest book we meet the Merton family。 Father Fred， mother Sheila， and their three children Catherine， Dan， and Jenna。 The story is based on who murdered Fred and Sheila。 Their three children stand to inherit millions on their parents death。 These three children aren't as innocent and angelic as they perceive themselves to be。 Nothing is ever as it seems to be in the wealthy peoples lives though。 Who killed Fred and Sheila Merton？？？？ Read this book to find out。。。。。。 I didn't know what to expect starting Shari Lapena's newest book。 I did expect it to be great because I am a huge fan and have read all of her previous books。 I did not know what I was getting into when I started it though。 Shari Lapena is one of those authors for me who I don't even read the sypnosis because I know I'll enjoy it。 This book is so good I flew through it in one work day（8hrs）。 It has her signature style of thrilling， twisted storytelling。 You never know what to expect but you know it is gonna be a great read。 I promise if you're a thriller fan you will be on the edge of your seat with this oneI highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Melissa
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Not A Happy Family was a solid book by one of my favourite authors Shari Lapena。 It follows a wealthy family in a quaint little neighbourhood who are enjoying a wonderful Easter dinner together。 All goes a little haywire when Fred （the father） causes a stir at the dinner and all the kids leave unhappy and unsettled。 Fred and his wife Sheila are found brutally murdered the next day and of course the adult children are to blame。 Each one having a reason as to why it could be them。 Maybe it was Dan Not A Happy Family was a solid book by one of my favourite authors Shari Lapena。 It follows a wealthy family in a quaint little neighbourhood who are enjoying a wonderful Easter dinner together。 All goes a little haywire when Fred （the father） causes a stir at the dinner and all the kids leave unhappy and unsettled。 Fred and his wife Sheila are found brutally murdered the next day and of course the adult children are to blame。 Each one having a reason as to why it could be them。 Maybe it was Dan who needed the money immediately。 Or maybe it was Catherine who would do anything to live the life her parents did。 Or Perhaps it was Jenna， the youngest of the three who was always feeling cut short of her siblings。 Or could it be the house keeper Irena- she was the first to find them and started tidying up the scene。 It is your job to figure out who the guilty one is and what their motive was。 You would think you would know if one of your siblings was a murderer。 Wouldn’t you？I loved that this book had so many twists and turns and had me guessing until the very end。 Each of the siblings had a plausible reason to commit the brutal murder and it was a fun read trying to figure out who did it。 Not A Happy Family has short chapters （my fave） and had me turning the pages so quickly。 I needed to know what was going to happen and with each chapter only being a few pages， I got through this one in only a few sittings。 Shari Lapena has a way with her writing and she will lead you down multiple incorrect paths throughout the story。 I really liked the whodunnit style of this book and her classic “open ended ending”。 I also really liked the fact that with each of her books， she lets you really digest the book and predict where it will go in the future。 Overall I rate this book a solid 4。5 stars。 It was my second favourite by her and just further solidified that I will be reading more from her in the future。 If you are looking for a book to read by her while you wait for this one， I definitely recommend reading The Couple Next Door。 Check out my review of that one if you’re interested in learning more about it。 Not A Happy Family hits shelves on July 27th and I highly recommend you put this one on your list immediately！ Thank you to Shari Lapena， NetGalley and Pamela Dorman Books for this advanced copy。 I absolutely loved it and cannot wait to read more from this incredible author。 。。。more
Jen
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Yeah 。。。 This family sure have mine beat。 I mean - we had some interesting discussions about money and all that when the folks passed， but thankfully it never went this far。 Then again， in our case it was all natural causes and the inheritance was never really going to lead to the kind of， how should I put this， *complications* that seem to plight the Merton family。 What a bunch。 And I mean that in a completely derogatory， hope I never meet anyone like them kind of way。 This is one Easter they w Yeah 。。。 This family sure have mine beat。 I mean - we had some interesting discussions about money and all that when the folks passed， but thankfully it never went this far。 Then again， in our case it was all natural causes and the inheritance was never really going to lead to the kind of， how should I put this， *complications* that seem to plight the Merton family。 What a bunch。 And I mean that in a completely derogatory， hope I never meet anyone like them kind of way。 This is one Easter they won't forget in a hurry。This is a complex and yet completely engrossing story which looks into the difficult and twisted familial relationships of the Mertons， father Fred， mother Sheila and their three adult children， Catherine， Dan and Jenna and the extended pool of family of friends that inhabit their world。 As a lesson in psychology， this would be the unit 'Dysfunctional Families 101'， and if I'm being honest I would struggle to name one redeeming quality about any of them， with the very possible exception of the poor saps who married into the family， Ted and Lisa。 Yes - at a push you could argue that the children are a product of their environment， and the more we learn about the victims， the more understandable their ultimate destiny becomes， but still 。。。 They are merciless， often cold， definitely capable of dark deeds。 Shari Lapena has done a superb job of creating a kind of tension， a situation in which you may find yourself despising each person in turn and yet still be completely one hundred percent invested in the story， in needing to find out what happened。 To being privy to the gossip， the speculation。 The suspicion。This is like a bit of a Netflix docu-drama， a fly on the wall look into the lives of some very twisted and potentially damaged individuals。 The result of creating such a divisive and almost repulsive bunch of individuals is that the idea of guilt， and the finger of suspicion， is smashed from one person to the other like a long volley in a game of tennis。 It's hard to know exactly who might actually be the guilty party as it could literally be any of them。 The more we discover courtesy of the Detectives， the more confused I found myself and the more uncertain I was about who really was behind the heinous murders。 One of the children？ A member of the extended family？ The former Nanny turned housekeeper？ Just when I thought I had a handle on what was happening， the author smashes that preconception right off the court， leaving me waiting， one the edge of my seat， for the next mighty serve。 You just know there is going to be one。 This is a brilliant study in character。 The murders themselves are almost secondary to the dissection of the very complicated lives of the Merton family。 The book shifts in point of view between all of the children， and their Aunt， their father's sister， in turn， and with each chapter we learn something new， some startling revelation， about the siblings and the lack of trust that exists between them， emulating the lack of trust that grows between them and the reader too。 It's very clever， very addictive and very complex plotting， keeping the reader in suspense and drip feeding new bits of vital information at just the right time。 You can feel the tension ooze from the page， the pacing just right to keep you alert and to move the story on。 No matter what you know， there will be a new surprise just a page turn away and whilst there is a resolution， and we do find out what really happened， it still might not be quite what you were expecting。If you like to read a strong， family/character driven psychological thriller， full of tension and with the ability to make even the most fractured of families seem normal （and bear in mind we are talking levels of dysfunction here that even the Royals might struggle to emulate） then this book is definitely recommended。 I listened to the audiobook， narrated by Ellen Archer， who did a brilliant job of bring out all the nuances in the characters and the growing tension between them。 I'm off now to look up more of the author's books。 She has found a new fan right here。 。。。more
Katie Rogers
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Not a Happy Family - Shari Lapena3 siblings hear the horrid news that their parents have been brutally murdered the night of their Easter Dinner。 When the truth comes out about the inheritance that they are set to gain， the police begin looking into each of the siblings and their potential motives。 Catherine - dreamed of having the house left to her， only to have her father break the bad news to her during Easter Dinner that they intend to sell and downsize。Dan - worked hard with the expectation Not a Happy Family - Shari Lapena3 siblings hear the horrid news that their parents have been brutally murdered the night of their Easter Dinner。 When the truth comes out about the inheritance that they are set to gain， the police begin looking into each of the siblings and their potential motives。 Catherine - dreamed of having the house left to her， only to have her father break the bad news to her during Easter Dinner that they intend to sell and downsize。Dan - worked hard with the expectation of taking over the family business， only to have his father sell it。 Dan is left bitter， jobless， and with financial stress after tying his money up in investments。 During Easter dinner， his father refuses to lend him money， leaving him out of options。Jenna - possibly the black sheep of the family， the artist with very bold work。 She lives off an allowance from her parents and after their Easter dinner， after everyone else has left， her dad breaks the news to her that he intends to cut her off。 Could any of the three really have it in them to commit this brutal murder？ Was someone framing them？ Was a sibling trying to frame another sibling？ I loved this book！ Every aspect of it was so easy to visualize that it really played out like a movie in my head。 The characters weren't exactly likeable， but you knew that was due to their upbringing and circumstances。 I was really left guessing until the very end， and I can't say that I was exactly shocked， but loved it all none the less。 I especially loved how the ending wasn't exactly wrapped up in this nice neat bow， that there was a little left open。 Sequel？？？ This is the 4th book I've read of Shari's and I really need to read the others， because her domestic suspense is like no others！⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5。 。。。more
Lesley
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Oh my gosh！ First of all thank you to Goodreads， I won this Kindle edition！ This was a weekend of social obligations but I started the book and couldn't put it down！ I hid myself away every chance I got; every chapter ended and you just had to keep going， just one more， just one more！ I kept thinking I might know what was going to happen， and then another twist。 Didn't figure it out at all！ Love her Shari's writing and this was definitely my favorite！ Oh my gosh！ First of all thank you to Goodreads， I won this Kindle edition！ This was a weekend of social obligations but I started the book and couldn't put it down！ I hid myself away every chance I got; every chapter ended and you just had to keep going， just one more， just one more！ I kept thinking I might know what was going to happen， and then another twist。 Didn't figure it out at all！ Love her Shari's writing and this was definitely my favorite！ 。。。more
Kats
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"Not a happy family" is one helluvan understatement。 There is actual loathing aplenty in this fabulously wealthy but highly dysfunctional family， and when a bloody， gory double-murder takes place after a fraught family dinner on Easter Sunday， it is no surprise that suspicion falls upon the three children of strangled Sheila and slain Fred Merton of New York State。 All three kids （aged 27-33， or thereabouts） stand to inherit many millions of dollars each which is a good enough reason for a murde "Not a happy family" is one helluvan understatement。 There is actual loathing aplenty in this fabulously wealthy but highly dysfunctional family， and when a bloody， gory double-murder takes place after a fraught family dinner on Easter Sunday， it is no surprise that suspicion falls upon the three children of strangled Sheila and slain Fred Merton of New York State。 All three kids （aged 27-33， or thereabouts） stand to inherit many millions of dollars each which is a good enough reason for a murder， should he/she/they get away with it， given there is truly no love lost between parents and children - or among the siblings。 All characters were despicable， excluding the former nanny now housekeeper， but even she cannot be fully trusted considering she found the bodies on Tuesday morning and decided to clean and put away the murder weapon。。。 mmmmh。 This is a "whodunnit" with all the possible "whos" pointing fingers at each other from the get-go。 It reminded me quite a bit of the film "Knives Out" but without the humour - but still written as if it were just waiting for a TV adaptation; a screenplay with a lot of dialogue and returns to the same characters and locations （murder scene， oldest sister Catherine's house， Dan's place and the police station）。 Aunt Audrey， another beneficiary and murder suspect， is so unpleasant that I found myself rooting for her to be killed or be the killer。 Ha！ A fast-paced read， not as predictable as it seems， and with obvious potential for that screen adaptation。 Thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for this advance copy in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Laurann
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I love Shari Lapena's books and this one did not disappoint。 There were so many great twists and turns that this book kept me guessing。 The characters aren't exactly likable， but I feel like in a book like this it works。 When a horrible father says awful things at Easter and then he and his wife turn up dead a few days later， it seems like any of their children could have done it。 Will the dysfunctional children band together or will they turn on each other？ I really liked this book。 I love Shari Lapena's books and this one did not disappoint。 There were so many great twists and turns that this book kept me guessing。 The characters aren't exactly likable， but I feel like in a book like this it works。 When a horrible father says awful things at Easter and then he and his wife turn up dead a few days later， it seems like any of their children could have done it。 Will the dysfunctional children band together or will they turn on each other？ I really liked this book。 。。。more
Angela
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Thanks to NetGalley and the Penguin Random House UK Audio for an audiobook ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review。Absolutely I loved this book and I was gripped throughout。 The story was about a dysfunctional relationships between the family members， in which the truth was revealed gradually and I would say it's hardly to guess till the end。 Secrets， lies， greed， jealousy revenge etc were getting my full attention and I was mesmerized in it。 A lot of great twists and turns interweave Thanks to NetGalley and the Penguin Random House UK Audio for an audiobook ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review。Absolutely I loved this book and I was gripped throughout。 The story was about a dysfunctional relationships between the family members， in which the truth was revealed gradually and I would say it's hardly to guess till the end。 Secrets， lies， greed， jealousy revenge etc were getting my full attention and I was mesmerized in it。 A lot of great twists and turns interweaved along the book and you’re never really sure what happened next。 The narrator was brilliant and the author is so genius at weaving a tense plot that hooked me and kept me hanging in suspense。 Definitely it's great audiobook because the narrator preformed excellent and appropriate。 Overall， I was really enjoy and lost myself in listening。 。。。more
Calista Andrechek
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Thank you to NetGalley， Shari Lapena and Penguin Random House Canada for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review。I love Lapena's novels so much and was so excited to receive this one for review。 Lapena is like the queen of the cozy， interesting mystery that you just want to curl up and read in one sitting。 I really liked the premise of this one and I found myself reading through the night to get it finished even thought the PDF format is extremely hard to read。 I love the really short c Thank you to NetGalley， Shari Lapena and Penguin Random House Canada for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review。I love Lapena's novels so much and was so excited to receive this one for review。 Lapena is like the queen of the cozy， interesting mystery that you just want to curl up and read in one sitting。 I really liked the premise of this one and I found myself reading through the night to get it finished even thought the PDF format is extremely hard to read。 I love the really short chapters， they make it so much quicker to get through the novel and each chapter left you off wanting more。 I would definitely recommend this one！ It's family drama is so interesting。 。。。more
Danielle Masterson
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Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC。 Another fabulous read by Shari Lapena。 A fascinating story of a wealthy family with a penchant for lying， this kept me interested right to the end。 While I could definitely see the ending coming， Lapena keeps you guessing right up to the end。 If you enjoy tense family suspense thrillers， definitely pick this up。 I’ll be recommending to my patrons！
Amanda McGill
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My favourite book so far of 2021！I loved everything about Not a Happy Family！ I was so hooked on each of the children's storylines and how each of them could of played a role in their parents' murders。 I kept bouncing back and forth and back and forth between all of the characters on who the killer could of been。 I loved how each child and family member had their secrets and how it would play out。 Also I loved the ending！ Didn't see it coming。Thank you to Netgallery and Penguin Random House Cana My favourite book so far of 2021！I loved everything about Not a Happy Family！ I was so hooked on each of the children's storylines and how each of them could of played a role in their parents' murders。 I kept bouncing back and forth and back and forth between all of the characters on who the killer could of been。 I loved how each child and family member had their secrets and how it would play out。 Also I loved the ending！ Didn't see it coming。Thank you to Netgallery and Penguin Random House Canada for an ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Devon
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As a huge fan of Shari Lapena， I was SO thrilled to receive this ARC before release！ This is a great mystery/thriller with so much built up suspense/tension， I couldn’t break away from it for long。 Stories that involve rich families with hidden secrets are a guilty pleasure of mine （haha）， and this one sure didn’t disappoint！ Lapena is a force to be reckoned with in the domestic suspense genre， and “Not a Happy Family” will undoubtedly leave readers wanting more。A big thank you to NetGalley and As a huge fan of Shari Lapena， I was SO thrilled to receive this ARC before release！ This is a great mystery/thriller with so much built up suspense/tension， I couldn’t break away from it for long。 Stories that involve rich families with hidden secrets are a guilty pleasure of mine （haha）， and this one sure didn’t disappoint！ Lapena is a force to be reckoned with in the domestic suspense genre， and “Not a Happy Family” will undoubtedly leave readers wanting more。A big thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC of this fantastic read！4。5/5 。。。more
Jaclyn
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I love Shari Lapena's novels， and I absolutely adore thrillers about dysfunctional families。 Bring on the drama， the childhood secrets， the backstabbing over inheritance！ Especially in the hands of a writer like Lapena， who crafts vivid， engaging characters， and tosses in a few twists and turns， Not A Happy Family had me flipping through the pages as quickly as I could。Full review on my blog: https://literarytreats。com/2021/07/17。。。 I love Shari Lapena's novels， and I absolutely adore thrillers about dysfunctional families。 Bring on the drama， the childhood secrets， the backstabbing over inheritance！ Especially in the hands of a writer like Lapena， who crafts vivid， engaging characters， and tosses in a few twists and turns， Not A Happy Family had me flipping through the pages as quickly as I could。Full review on my blog: https://literarytreats。com/2021/07/17。。。 。。。more
Jannah Colston
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After reading and loving The Couple Next Door by the same author， I jumped at the chance to listen to Not A Happy Family。 It unravels the story behind the brutal murder of a wealthy couple and is told from multiple points of view。 At times， and this is unusual for me， I found myself getting confused as to whose point of view I was listening to， although I think that was down to the fact that I was listening to this as an audiobook rather than reading。I enjoyed this and had a few theories going After reading and loving The Couple Next Door by the same author， I jumped at the chance to listen to Not A Happy Family。 It unravels the story behind the brutal murder of a wealthy couple and is told from multiple points of view。 At times， and this is unusual for me， I found myself getting confused as to whose point of view I was listening to， although I think that was down to the fact that I was listening to this as an audiobook rather than reading。I enjoyed this and had a few theories going through my head as to who the killer was and why， and i did end up guessing the culprit。There were a few times I was left with my mouth hanging open， my hands still in the washing up bowl， but I definitely think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it。I rate 3。5⭐ for an enjoyable， suspensful and recommended read。 。。。more
Brenda
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Set in an upscale Hudson Valley， New York， neighbourhood dripping with old money this delicious domestic thriller is rife with suspense and tension， just what a thriller ought to be。 Each character has good （？） reason to kill Fred and Sheila Merton。 And the deeper the investigators Reyes and Barr dig the grimmer things appear。 Blocks of deceptions are stacked high and there are bends galore until the end。 Some characters lie better than others but they all seem quite adept at it。 The adult Merto Set in an upscale Hudson Valley， New York， neighbourhood dripping with old money this delicious domestic thriller is rife with suspense and tension， just what a thriller ought to be。 Each character has good （？） reason to kill Fred and Sheila Merton。 And the deeper the investigators Reyes and Barr dig the grimmer things appear。 Blocks of deceptions are stacked high and there are bends galore until the end。 Some characters lie better than others but they all seem quite adept at it。 The adult Merton children have very different personalities from one another but they all had one thing common。。。their childhoods。 Catherine， Dan and Jenna and their partners begin to eye each other with suspicion， anxiously and wearily existing in a fog as they are questioned relentlessly。 I like that the investigators are not portrayed as foolish or silly but intelligent。 And it's not only the family members who have reason to kill。The short and snappy chapters are written purposefully without superfluous details。 The characters aren't likeable but in my view they aren't supposed to be。 I really enjoy this author's writing style， very readable and seamless。Readers of mysteries and thrillers should not miss this one！ My sincere thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the privilege of absorbing this riveting book！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Not a Happy Family
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Not a Happy Family&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Not a Happy Family&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0