Reviews with content warning for Child death - The Wrong Family

I'm not really sure what to say on this one, other than I definitely feel creeped out and unsettled. I also feel a little bit like the ending didn't have the closure I needed. What I will say is that I was interested in it for the most part and wanted to know what happened next. I also totally understand why some people hated this book and why it gets a lot of hate. It just happened to work for me.

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kassidypf13's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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saschahd's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad fast-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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cowgirl106's review against another edition

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2.5

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harpy_reads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This book is full of twists and turns you don't expect, and the way that it jumps between two female protagonists is really interesting. At times, things were a tiny bit hard to follow, but overall the book was great. I'd probably recommend it to a friend that is into this type of book, but not to someone who isn't generally interested in this genre, and I might read it again in the future.

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cleverhans's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-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

2.5

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leahsbooks's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-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

2.0

Let me start out by saying that Lauren Fortgang was an incredible narrator for this story. Her voice was absolutely perfect to listen to, although it wasn't enough to make me like this book.

There were some surprising twists to the story, but again, it wasn't enough to overcome the mediocre plot. My main issue is that it relies on my very least favorite plot device in the entire world, and paints someone with a mental illness as the violent villain, when in fact, nearly every single character was a villain in some way. The only character that was likable in any way was the teenage son.

Ultimately, this was a book with some surprising parts, but in the end, disappointing.

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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dark slow-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

1.0

Title: The Wrong Family
Author: Tarryn Fisher
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 1
Pub Date: December 29 2020

T H R E E • W O R D S

Domestic Drama • Unrealistic • Slow-paced

📖 S Y N O P S I S
Winnie has worked hard to build the perfect life for herself, her husband, Nigel, and their teenage son, Sam. Keeping up appearances is something she excels at, but when things begin to unravel, she senses she is losing control. Juno, a former therapist, has lost it all and now finds herself battling illness and homeless. When she takes an interest in the Crouch family living across from the park, they appear to be the perfect family. Looking for a place to live out her remaining days, Juno soon moves into the Crouches' home where she learns they are hiding a deep dark secret that could change everyone's lives.

💭 T H O U G H T S
Where do I even begin with this book?! I received it in a book box, and was disappointed because I disliked The Wives so much. When I saw it as one of the book monthly choices for my bookclub I knew it was now or never. Shocker - I hated this one as well! The plot, the cast of characters, and the writing all seemed extremely disjointed, and poorly executed. When it takes until the final 50 pages to really get to the story, there's something wrong. In my opinion, Fisher tried to pack too much into one story, and didn't really know where she wanted it to go. For this reason (among others) it failed miserably. While the first two sections are rather slow, I thought the plot line had potential, but it all went completely downhill from there. It definitely felt like a novel that was written in a rush, and poorly researched, leading to a highly unbelievable ending. And my BIGGEST issue was with the language use throughout and using mental illness as a plot took in such a negative light. Overall it was just not an enjoyable read, and if not for bookclub, I'd have definitely DNFed it. Don't waste your time on this one.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• No one!

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
(and the only parts of the book I liked)

"Unfortunately, we aren't the only ones in control of our story arcs. Outsiders have an influence, too."

"'You never stop grieving, but I suppose you know that, don't you?'
She knew all too well that no matter how fresh the day was, the rot of the grief permeated through it. No day was safe, no hour, no minute; grief came and went as it pleased.
'No, but you find new things to be hopeful about as your move forward.'"

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