Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell

A special thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Simon & Schuster for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

To say that Owen Pick’s life is falling apart is an understatement. He is a thirtysomething virgin who lives in his aunt's spare bedroom. After he is accused of sexual misconduct, Owen gets suspended from his job as geography teacher. Although he strongly denies the allegations, the evidence against him keeps piling up. With nothing else to do, Owen spends his days online. He stumbles across a forum for involuntary celibates and meets Bryn, a dark and charismatic character.  

Living across the street from his aunt's house is the Fours family. The mother, Cate, is a a physiotherapist; Roan, the father, is a child psychologist; Georgia is their teenage daughter; Josh is the youngest and is a mama's boy. The Fours doesn't bother with Owen—not only do they find him creepy, Georgia swears that he followed her home from the train station once. 

On Valentine's night, seventeen-year-old Saffyre Maddox goes missing. The last person to see her alive was Owen Pick and he is the police's number one suspect. But she also has a connection to the Fours: Saffyre is a former patient of Roan's and she became very attached to him. When he terminated their sessions, Saffyre felt abandoned and so she she started spying on Roan and his family—she knows more than she should and things are not what they appear to be. 

In a word, brilliant!

Dark, compulsive, and at times disturbing, Jewell has written another spectacular book. She is a master at creating suspense that is both atmospheric and compelling. Told from multiple points of view, the narrative is propelled through highly-developed characters whose motives are revealed in their intricacies.

Invisible Girl asks the question: How well can you really know someone? It is too easy to form an opinion that is not only based on beliefs, but also on outward appearances and perceptions. Many of the characters are keeping secrets—Jewell capitalizes on this and and plays on perception to pull off a clever twist. 

Chock-full of secrets, obsessions, and misconceptions, this is Jewell at her finest and I highly recommend this book.

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LISA JEWELL is the internationally bestselling author of eighteen novels, including the New York Times bestseller The Family Upstairs, Then She Was Gone, as well as I Found You, The Girls in the Garden, and The House We Grew Up In.

In total, her novels have sold more than 4.5 million copies across the English-speaking world and her work has also been translated into sixteen languages so far.

Lisa lives in London with her husband and their two daughters.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

A special thank you to Libro.fm Audiobooks, Simon & Schuster Audio, NetGalley and Atria for an ARC/audiobook listening copy in exchange for an honest review.

Twenty five years ago, the police were call to a home with reports of a baby crying. Upon arrival, they find a well cared for ten-month old baby happy in her crib. But downstairs, there are three bodies that all dressed in black next to a note. And the four children who reportedly live there are nowhere to be found.

At the age of twenty-five, Libby Jones has just found out that she has inherited a large home worth millions in an upscale neighbourhood in Chelsea. The home was held in trust by her birth parents—she learns their identity at the meeting with the solicitor that is handling the estate. There are others that have been waiting for this day as well, and they are on a collision course to meet.

In a word, brilliant!

Jewell's writing is enthralling, descriptive, and complex. She packs an emotional and psychological punch with just the right amount of suspense. The setting is pivotal to the story and becomes one of its characters—if creepy houses are your bag, than this book is for you!

The characters are rich and highly developed. Told through multiple perspectives, this captivating and twisty narrative is executed masterfully. Jewell has a knack for creating suspense that is both compelling and sublimely atmospheric.

Disturbing at times, gripping, and often quirky, The Family Upstairs is one of my favourite books this year.

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LISA JEWELL is the internationally bestselling author of seventeen novels, including the New York Times bestseller Then She Was Gone, as well as I Found You, The Girls in the Garden, and The House We Grew Up In.

In total, her novels have sold more than two million copies across the English-speaking world and her work has also been translated into sixteen languages so far.

Lisa lives in London with her husband and their two daughters.

Watching You by Lisa Jewell

A special thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Josephine "Joey" Mullen, newly married, has returned from a four year stint working abroad. She has brought her husband, Alfie, home with her. The couple has taken up residence in Joey's brother's spare room. Jack and his pregnant wife Rebecca live in the stunning Melville Heights—a community of posh character homes.

When Joey meets the man two doors down, she is smitten. Tom Fitzwilliam, a dashing older man, is the headmaster of a local school. Joey's innocent crush soon turns to a dangerous obsession. And now instead of Joey watching Tom, someone is watching her, and then things turn deadly.

I have reviewed Then She Was Gone and The Girls in the Garden and was thrilled to receive an ARC of Watching You. This book was absolutely captivating right out of the gate and I couldn't read it fast enough.

The story opens with a murder scene which completely grabs the reader and doesn't let go until the final twist. The reader is left guessing who the dead body is, who the killer is, and what is their motivation. Executed through multiple points of view and police reports, Jewell gives just enough away and paces the novel perfectly.    

Jewell's character development is incredible. She deftly handles a large cast and this is where she excels—all of the characters are key to the story. They are rich in detail, motivation, and flawed. Her writing is clever, tense, and riveting. Chock-full of family secrets, passion, obsessions, and misconceptions, this is Jewell at her finest and I highly recommend this book.

BUY NOW

LISA JEWELL is the internationally bestselling author of sixteen novels, including the New York Times bestseller Then She Was Gone, as well as I Found You, The Girls in the Garden, and The House We Grew Up In.

In total, her novels have sold more than two million copies across the English-speaking world and her work has also been translated into sixteen languages so far.

Lisa lives in London with her husband and their two daughters.

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

A special thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Laurel Mack's daughter has been missing for ten years. Ellie was the perfect daughter—beloved by her family, friends, teachers, and boyfriend. She was fifteen when she disappeared, just days before school let out for summer. The case had gone cold, the police believed that Ellie ran away, that is until new evidence surfaces.  

Not only did Laurel lose her daughter, but her marriage did not survive. She also has strained relationships with her two other children. To stay close to her other daughter, Hannah, she cleans her flat, and she he barely sees her son, Jake, who lives with his girlfriend in another town.    

To her surprise and delight, Laurel meets a charming man in a cafe. What starts out as flirtation quickly turns into something more meaningful. Floyd is a single father of two, and before she knows it, Laurel is being introduced to his daughters. When Laurel meets Poppy, his youngest, she is stunned. Poppy looks exactly like Ellie. All of the questions Laurel has pushed down for years come bubbling to the surface. Where did Ellie go? Did she really run away? And why does this little girl resemble her missing daughter?  

Told through multiple points of view, and alternating from past to present, Jewell pens some interesting and engaging characters with enough backstory to keep the reader vested and engaged. There is one minor plot flaw, but if you can suspend your disbelief, you may not be bothered.

With an incredible hook, this is a must read. Predictable? A little. Heartbreaking? Yes. Dark and twisty? Check and check! Although there was nothing new here, I would recommend this book for those looking for a page-turning, thrilling read.

BUY NOW

LISA JEWELL is the internationally bestselling author of I Found You, The Girls in the Garden, and The House We Grew Up In.

In total, her novels have sold more than two million copies across the English-speaking world and her work has also been translated into sixteen languages so far.

Lisa lives in London with her husband and their two daughters.

The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell

A special thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and found Jewell's writing rich, descriptive, and complex. There was the right amount of suspense and an interesting setting—a secret picturesque communal garden that is pivotal to the story and becomes one of its characters.

After a family tragedy, Clare and her daughters, Grace and Pip, move to a London neighbourhood where all the flats are connected and share a garden. With this type of neighbourhood, relationships are fluid, boundaries are lacking, and children come and go with little to no supervision. The reader is also privy to Pip's letters to her father which offer a further glimpse into their new surroundings—although take this information with a grain of salt, Pip is an unreliable narrator seeing the world through twelve year-old eyes.

The book opens part way through the story, a midsummer's night party that goes horribly wrong. Thirteen year-old Grace is attacked the night of her birthday and is found beaten and unconscious by her twelve year-old sister, Pip. The attack mirrors another from the past that is tied to the characters, most of which are suspects in Grace's attack.

Disturbing at times, and often quirky, Jewell's highly developed characters make this book a success. They are written with enough detail to outline their motivations which propels the story.

BUY NOW

LISA JEWELL is the internationally bestselling author of I Found You and The House We Grew Up In.

In total, her novels have sold more than two million copies across the English-speaking world and her work has also been translated into sixteen languages so far.

Lisa lives in London with her husband and their two daughters.