Scan barcode
cnorris235's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Stella is 18 years old and accused of brutally murdering someone. Her dad's a pastor and her mom's a well known lawyer. She's been known to make rash decisions and be hard to handle at times, but did she do it?
This thriller is based in Sweden which was really interesting! The each part of the book is told from a different POV, it starts with the father, then Stella, and ends with the mother. I liked it wasn't constantly jumping back and forth between different POV and you knew who's perspective it was. The chapters were very short and often left with the reader wanting to continue on. The end wasn't overly surprising to me.
This thriller is based in Sweden which was really interesting! The each part of the book is told from a different POV, it starts with the father, then Stella, and ends with the mother. I liked it wasn't constantly jumping back and forth between different POV and you knew who's perspective it was. The chapters were very short and often left with the reader wanting to continue on. The end wasn't overly surprising to me.
innnne's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mamccrea's review against another edition
5.0
A nail biter, my theory was constantly changing. Unreliable narrators and secrets leave you dying to find the truth.
erjail's review against another edition
Realised I have watched a TV adaption of it.
litwithleigh's review against another edition
4.0
Bookoutlet read #10 (I think?) 3.5 rounded up.
Writing: 4/5 | Plot: 3.5/5 | Ending: 3.5/5
THE PLOT
Stella is on trial for murdering a 35-year-old businessman. Told in three parts, from her father's POV (Adam), Stella's, and her mother's (Urlicka), this novel explores family relationships, friendships, and the consequences of keeping secrets.
MY OPINION
Tbh when I was reading this I was like wow 5 stars, and then I got to the mom's pov and was like ok maybe 4, but then after I reflected on this I was like nah 3.5. I had some questions.
FYI Edvardsson's writing is typical scandi style, so if you don't like that, pass on this one. Evidently, I enjoy this particular writing style (I still can't describe it... kind of monotone but there's a certain rhythm to it).
Anyways. The characters were kinda unlikeable, but this was done by design so c'est la vie. At first I wanted to fight Adam (the father) for being so self-absorbed, but he redeemed himself when he crossed several boundaries trying to help Stella. Then I wanted to fight Amina because she's a jealous snitch. Lastly, I wanted to stiff arm Chris Olsen into another universe for being a MEGA creep preying on young girls because he's a loser.
Now I think this book would've been a strong 4 stars if Amina's POV was included. All my questions were about Amina. Why was Stella so attached to her? Why did she feel so responsible for a friend who clearly lied multiple times out of jealousy? Why did Amina even lie to Stella? Did Amina lie about The Big Event? I needed to understand her perspective because she was at the centre of all Stella's conflicts and seemed like a big sneaky snake to me.
Also the mom's POV was mad repetitive. Either shit yourself because of nerves or get it tf together lmao.
Final thoughts: I read this during my 29-hour power outage and I was hooked the entire time but when I sat back and really thought about it, there were too many questions left for me.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: love that Scandi style writing, interesting reading about a religious MC grappling with the truth, Stella's tete a tete with her dad was insightful, Chris died
Cons: too many unanswered questions re: Amina
Writing: 4/5 | Plot: 3.5/5 | Ending: 3.5/5
THE PLOT
Stella is on trial for murdering a 35-year-old businessman. Told in three parts, from her father's POV (Adam), Stella's, and her mother's (Urlicka), this novel explores family relationships, friendships, and the consequences of keeping secrets.
MY OPINION
Tbh when I was reading this I was like wow 5 stars, and then I got to the mom's pov and was like ok maybe 4, but then after I reflected on this I was like nah 3.5. I had some questions.
FYI Edvardsson's writing is typical scandi style, so if you don't like that, pass on this one. Evidently, I enjoy this particular writing style (I still can't describe it... kind of monotone but there's a certain rhythm to it).
Anyways. The characters were kinda unlikeable, but this was done by design so c'est la vie. At first I wanted to fight Adam (the father) for being so self-absorbed, but he redeemed himself when he crossed several boundaries trying to help Stella. Then I wanted to fight Amina because she's a jealous snitch. Lastly, I wanted to stiff arm Chris Olsen into another universe for being a MEGA creep preying on young girls because he's a loser.
Now I think this book would've been a strong 4 stars if Amina's POV was included. All my questions were about Amina. Why was Stella so attached to her? Why did she feel so responsible for a friend who clearly lied multiple times out of jealousy? Why did Amina even lie to Stella? Did Amina lie about The Big Event? I needed to understand her perspective because she was at the centre of all Stella's conflicts and seemed like a big sneaky snake to me.
Also the mom's POV was mad repetitive. Either shit yourself because of nerves or get it tf together lmao.
Final thoughts: I read this during my 29-hour power outage and I was hooked the entire time but when I sat back and really thought about it, there were too many questions left for me.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: love that Scandi style writing, interesting reading about a religious MC grappling with the truth, Stella's tete a tete with her dad was insightful, Chris died
Cons: too many unanswered questions re: Amina
jfizzle80's review against another edition
4.0
captivating prose that holds reader’s attention until the end
namitakhanna's review against another edition
4.0
Stella is an eighteen-year-old daughter of a pastor and a lawyer who is being accused of murdering her older boyfriend. This story is told from the POV’s of both the parents and Stella where they discover how far one would go to protect their family
A Near Normal Family is slow building psychological thriller filled with courtroom drama. A little slow and repetitive at times the end was suspenseful enough to redeem it for me. Overall 3 ½ stars
I would like to thank Celadon Books & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
A Near Normal Family is slow building psychological thriller filled with courtroom drama. A little slow and repetitive at times the end was suspenseful enough to redeem it for me. Overall 3 ½ stars
I would like to thank Celadon Books & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
lillyvannilly's review against another edition
4.0
“A Nearly Normal Family” follows 18 year old Stella, recently done high school and ready for the real world. What she isn’t ready for is to go to jail for murder. Told in three point of views, “A Nearly Normal Family” will make you question as a reader whether or not Stella is guilty as you put together the evidence and the events that lead up to the murder. This was a 4⭐️ read for me, that had me guessing until the very last sentence.