I need a sequel for this book like, yesterday. Is one in the works? Who knows (I surely do not)? More importantly, is everyone OK? I have so many questions… Frankly, it’s been a while since I had such a response to a book I’ve read. I almost need a minute to process it all. And though my literary start to the year wasn’t all that great, this was a good choice to pick things back up again.
It’s easy to get a little lost at first, there are three storylines running simultaneously, two in the present day, and one 25 years earlier, sometimes hard to remember who is who, but, having visualized some ties in my head, everything fell into place and the story flowed without a fault. There is something a little eerie to the book that creeps up on you the more you read, leaving you with an uneasy and hopeful feeling that everything will in some way work out for the characters. It is a gripping tale of a family coming together, webs becoming undone, and new paths being formed. Delving into history and simultaneously presenting readers with a present-day plotline, both which pose questions as well as answer them, giving a full picture of the tangled web that the mysterious tale of the baby left in the Chelsea mansion.
I gave this book a 5-star rating on Goodreads; not really common but I am a sucker for a good thriller that keeps me turning the page in hopes of finding out more and more. And, Jewell does this really well. So many chapters are left on mini-cliff hangers, which, as infuriating as they can be, are done in a very tasteful way that leads the reader to want to keep on reading. With that said, it makes it a rather quick read once you get into it. Of course, I’m a sucker for a good thriller and struggle with putting them down so I may not be the best person to go to for an objective review when it comes to that genre. However, I can tell the good from the bad and this was definitely in the former category.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone. It falls in a similar realm of books as Blood Orange and The Binding, that keep you on edge the further you delve into the plot. Akin to those, The Family Upstairs is also a fast paced read for any time of year, or even a starter for getting into the thriller genre.
aga is reading 