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sarahgmaples's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
holdenkillfield's review against another edition
1.0
This is a book which the premise is so promising that once in it, the expectations quickly become disappointing as it does not deliver. The author was trying to do too many devices (having multiple POVs, flashbacks through diary entries and newspapers, no cellphones, a storm blocking the roads, complex family tree.) With back and forth POVs and storylines and the multiple characters, the plot got very muddled very quickly. It also gets very boring as the storylines are dragging to finally come together in a very confusing manner that overall it doesn’t provide the effect of surprise of the final reveal that might’ve been intended. I was bored as it was getting very tiresome as the storyline of the Eriksens’ jumped erratically to some nonsense drama that just didn’t feel rooted in anything and the final reveal is a “huh??” moment.
yeseningles's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
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
3.0
bringingflowers's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
theboldbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
There were way too many characters in this book. I also hate it when the synopsis mentions a podcaster and there are no podcast transcriptions. This book was really tame for being about a family of psychopaths. My favorite part was the journal entries. It's an okay book, but just okay.
judithdcollins's review against another edition
4.0
Elle Marr returns following [b:Strangers We Know|57226625|Strangers We Know|Elle Marr|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634520916l/57226625._SY75_.jpg|89569971] with her latest psychological thriller, THE FAMILY BONES — exploring what makes a psychopath. A young woman delves into her family's dark past, mixing in a spine-chilling locked-in deadly family reunion and a crime podcaster.
Olivia Eriksen is working on her dissertation in psychology at U.C. Davis after gaining awareness through her social media videos regarding her family's history of psychiatric disorders.
It requires a certain number of primary and secondary sources. The primary is evident from birth and harder to come by. Nature or nurture?
Olivia's father is currently in prison for crimes he committed. He was never violent. Insider trading within the insurance firm where he was a partner. He has been there for fifteen years. Many uncles, aunts, and cousins have schizophrenia and other mental problems. Way too many characters to keep track of.
Olivia attends an upcoming Ericksen family reunion with these primary sources at a remote Oregon resort, Horsefly Falls Resort. Her boyfriend, Howard Ngo, an administrator at U.C. Davis, agrees to go along, hoping that Olivia will announce their engagement to her family and he can meet everyone.
The author shows an extensive family tree graphic at the front of the book. A mountain getaway with the Erikensens. What could go wrong?
A storm approaches. The entire family and relatives are locked in. Isolated. Someone dies. Who is the culprit? Motive? Is Olivia a psychopath?
Meanwhile, we meet amateur detective and podcaster Birdie. She is investigating a cold case of the disappearance of Li Ming Na, last seen 10 years earlier in Oregon, leaving behind a small child and on/off boyfriend.
Alternating between dual points of view (Olivia and Birdie) with newspaper clippings and journal entries, the author builds tension until both storylines merge for an explosive, jaw-dropping chilling climax.
Dark and twisty. What a dysfunctional crew! An entertaining locked room mystery. My favorite character was Birdie, the podcaster.
THE FAMILY BONES is for readers who enjoy exploring— science, psychopathy, antisocial deviance, criminal behavior, and mental illness in families. For fans of authors: Megan Collins, Alice Feeney, and Robyn Harding.
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for a gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Blog review posted @
JuditihDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Mar 7, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars
March 2023 Must-Read Books
Olivia Eriksen is working on her dissertation in psychology at U.C. Davis after gaining awareness through her social media videos regarding her family's history of psychiatric disorders.
It requires a certain number of primary and secondary sources. The primary is evident from birth and harder to come by. Nature or nurture?
Olivia's father is currently in prison for crimes he committed. He was never violent. Insider trading within the insurance firm where he was a partner. He has been there for fifteen years. Many uncles, aunts, and cousins have schizophrenia and other mental problems. Way too many characters to keep track of.
Olivia attends an upcoming Ericksen family reunion with these primary sources at a remote Oregon resort, Horsefly Falls Resort. Her boyfriend, Howard Ngo, an administrator at U.C. Davis, agrees to go along, hoping that Olivia will announce their engagement to her family and he can meet everyone.
The author shows an extensive family tree graphic at the front of the book. A mountain getaway with the Erikensens. What could go wrong?
A storm approaches. The entire family and relatives are locked in. Isolated. Someone dies. Who is the culprit? Motive? Is Olivia a psychopath?
Meanwhile, we meet amateur detective and podcaster Birdie. She is investigating a cold case of the disappearance of Li Ming Na, last seen 10 years earlier in Oregon, leaving behind a small child and on/off boyfriend.
Alternating between dual points of view (Olivia and Birdie) with newspaper clippings and journal entries, the author builds tension until both storylines merge for an explosive, jaw-dropping chilling climax.
Dark and twisty. What a dysfunctional crew! An entertaining locked room mystery. My favorite character was Birdie, the podcaster.
THE FAMILY BONES is for readers who enjoy exploring— science, psychopathy, antisocial deviance, criminal behavior, and mental illness in families. For fans of authors: Megan Collins, Alice Feeney, and Robyn Harding.
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for a gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Blog review posted @
JuditihDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Mar 7, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars
March 2023 Must-Read Books
amysbooked's review
2.0
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC of this title. This does not influence my review of the book.
Synoposis: Olivia Eriksen's family has a generations-long history of psychopath. When psychology grad student Olivia is invited to the first Eriksen family reunion in ten years, she thinks it will be a great opportunity to interview family members for her dissertation and introduce them to her fiance. When a family member is found dead, things prove to be more dangerous than she even imagined.
Review: I really wanted to like this book. I think the premise was amazing and the ideas behind it were really intriguing. But, I think unfortunately this was a case of great ideas, poor execution. I struggled to get through this book. It was confusing, over complicated, and at times (most of the time) felt as though the author was trying to cram two or three books into one. Overall, it wasn't for me.
Synoposis: Olivia Eriksen's family has a generations-long history of psychopath. When psychology grad student Olivia is invited to the first Eriksen family reunion in ten years, she thinks it will be a great opportunity to interview family members for her dissertation and introduce them to her fiance. When a family member is found dead, things prove to be more dangerous than she even imagined.
Review: I really wanted to like this book. I think the premise was amazing and the ideas behind it were really intriguing. But, I think unfortunately this was a case of great ideas, poor execution. I struggled to get through this book. It was confusing, over complicated, and at times (most of the time) felt as though the author was trying to cram two or three books into one. Overall, it wasn't for me.
fearthetoaster's review
4.0
3.75 ⭐️ but rounded up for Goodreads
This book was told in 3 parts:
Olivia Eriksen - who is working on her Doctorate degree in Philosophy - who also happens to have a family full of sociopaths.
Birdie - A true crime post-caster (side note, I have no idea what her part in this book was for, I felt like it didn’t go anywhere and left a lot of questions unanswered about her involvement).
Journal Entries/News Reports - These all jumped around in dates and helped set the scene for what the Eriksen family is like.
Overall it was a decent read, but it wasn’t anything that I would write home about. The events in this book seemed sporadic at best, and some of the deaths where just thrown if for fluff and word count. There were parts of the story that I feel like we read about, but then never got a clear and concise answer as to why they happened - just vague non-answers.
This book was told in 3 parts:
Olivia Eriksen - who is working on her Doctorate degree in Philosophy - who also happens to have a family full of sociopaths.
Birdie - A true crime post-caster (side note, I have no idea what her part in this book was for, I felt like it didn’t go anywhere and left a lot of questions unanswered about her involvement).
Journal Entries/News Reports - These all jumped around in dates and helped set the scene for what the Eriksen family is like.
Overall it was a decent read, but it wasn’t anything that I would write home about. The events in this book seemed sporadic at best, and some of the deaths where just thrown if for fluff and word count. There were parts of the story that I feel like we read about, but then never got a clear and concise answer as to why they happened - just vague non-answers.