Not a Happy Family book review

Families are really complicated and really messy. But some families can be killer. Keep reading to find out which book we're talking about today. 

Hey, it's Kyla Denanyoh. So today we are talking about a great book that I just finished. It was absolutely incredible. I was shocked. My first time reading the author, and it was terrific. And there will be spoilers, so if you've not read the book but it's on your to-read list, maybe wait until you finish it because there will be spoilers. 

So today we are talking about a really great thriller-murder mystery that I just read, called Not a Happy Family. So that's the book's title. The author of the book is Shari Lapena. The book's genre is fiction. The most prominent theme is suspense and thriller. 

So for me, the important plot twist was when Charlotte found out that her childhood friend was her half-sister. I've read enough books and watched enough TV to know that half-siblings are a prevalent theme in literature. It's a predominant theme in TV plots.  But this one really blew my socks off. When I found out that Charlotte had grown up with this person, played with them, hung out with them, talked to them, gossiped with them —everything. And then later find out that it was your half-sibling. Your parents knew it was your half-sibling and let you hang out with them —like that's a betrayal. 

It's going to take years to get over that kind of betrayal, not for Charlotte. And when you read the book, you'll be like, OK, no, she'll bounce back. But for anybody else, that type of betrayal would really crush you because there are just so many layers, so many layers. 

And so this is a book that I wouldn't need to read again because I'll never forget the plot. It was surprising to me because I had never read this author before. Since then, I've done a quick deep dive into all of her books to see if she writes on similar themes and in a similar fashion, and she is an incredible writer in all of her other works as well. I don't think I would forget the plot. 

So this one has a bonus: if anyone creates a movie about this, I'll watch it in a heartbeat. And it would probably be a movie I would watch over and over again. But the book's themes, I don't think I'll forget them. So I don't think I'll reread this one, but I did enjoy it. 

And so lastly, why was this important to me or meant a lot? Just because people often talk about how resilient kids are, and they can get over things. And with these characters in the book, they're adults by the time they find out they're half-siblings. But you know, people become resilient and get over things because they go through things. And this was something that the characters in the book did not have to go through. The parents could have told them. It would have been tough. But they could have told them, right? They didn't have to find out as adults that their childhood best friend was actually their sister…. It still doesn't sit right with me if you can't tell. 

Until the next book review, Kyla