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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
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
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Who doesn't like to read about rich people behaving badly?
Such a Lovely Family features a pretty pink book cover but appearances can be deceiving - the characters featured are downright nasty and scheming. The Calhouns have been an institution ever since family patriarch Thom hit it big and became a real estate magnate. Since then, their annual cherry blossom parties are a highlight of the social calendar for everyone who lives on their prosperous street and every year it is a delight to attend. Ginny, Thom's wife, has an enviable green thumb and manages to have her entire garden flower together miraculously, to showcase the cherry blossom.
While their eldest son, Trey, has not lived up to the family's expectations (and one could even say that he's a misfit), he has returned to the family fold and is now in attendance for their party. Their middle child, Ellie Grace, has now become a small-time Instagram influencer, hoping to earn more followers through showing off her family's party. Her husband, Zac, is counting on their channel taking off. Meanwhile, youngest child Nate has never followed the familial path in entrepreneurship and has instead become a fairly successful marine biologist. He brings his fiancee and son back home just for the party.
However, unlike the previous years, this year's party ends with bloodshed. Someone in the family winds up dead and the police believe that it's murder.
This is not going to be the most original premise because a family murder mysterious whodunit has been popular lately. And I guess this is exactly where the book falls short, because it doesn't feel like it has been anything that I haven't read before. While the identity of the killer kept us guessing, I also didn't feel particularly invested to find out which of the rich Calhouns had killed one of their own since the third person narrative meant that I didn't feel particularly close to any of the characters or their potential motivations.
Such a Lovely Family features a pretty pink book cover but appearances can be deceiving - the characters featured are downright nasty and scheming. The Calhouns have been an institution ever since family patriarch Thom hit it big and became a real estate magnate. Since then, their annual cherry blossom parties are a highlight of the social calendar for everyone who lives on their prosperous street and every year it is a delight to attend. Ginny, Thom's wife, has an enviable green thumb and manages to have her entire garden flower together miraculously, to showcase the cherry blossom.
While their eldest son, Trey, has not lived up to the family's expectations (and one could even say that he's a misfit), he has returned to the family fold and is now in attendance for their party. Their middle child, Ellie Grace, has now become a small-time Instagram influencer, hoping to earn more followers through showing off her family's party. Her husband, Zac, is counting on their channel taking off. Meanwhile, youngest child Nate has never followed the familial path in entrepreneurship and has instead become a fairly successful marine biologist. He brings his fiancee and son back home just for the party.
However, unlike the previous years, this year's party ends with bloodshed. Someone in the family winds up dead and the police believe that it's murder.
Everybody loves the Calhouns.
They are such a lovely family. Thom and Ginny Calhoun have lived in the same house on Sycamore Lane for thirty-five years, and raised all three children in their classic white colonial with crisp black trim.
So what in the world are the police doing here?
The neighbors gather in small groups to gawk at the squad cars parked askew on the wide, tree-lined street. The sirens are off, but the cars' flashing blue lights announce their presence.
This is not going to be the most original premise because a family murder mysterious whodunit has been popular lately. And I guess this is exactly where the book falls short, because it doesn't feel like it has been anything that I haven't read before. While the identity of the killer kept us guessing, I also didn't feel particularly invested to find out which of the rich Calhouns had killed one of their own since the third person narrative meant that I didn't feel particularly close to any of the characters or their potential motivations.
Spoiler
Not to mention that the book takes a slightly ridiculous twist when it turns out that nearly all the Calhouns are terrible people. Ellie Grace killed her father while her mother covered it up and then plotted the death of her grandson's mother. Only it turns out that her grandson is actually her husband's son, a product of an extramarital affair. The series of events even made me wonder if Nate was, also, perhaps some sort of criminal given that the rest of his family had no qualms about killing to get what they want.
I didn't even care about staying for the reveal. Is it because I'm overworked and numb, or did I just not care about this one in particular?
We will never know
We will never know
adventurous
dark
mysterious
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes