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The Ones We Love
Tensions bubble to the surface in a family of four newly transplanted to L.A. when the oldest daughter wakes up bruised and battered from a night she can’t remember… and no one wants to talk about it.
Meet the Jansen family:
Since the weekend of the party – the one Liv can’t remember, the one that left her covered in bruises – there’s been a padlock on the door of her bedroom. Her parents said they found mold, and it needs to be decontaminated, but they’re behaving oddly. Her friend Leilani isn’t answering her texts, so maybe Liv did get a little out of control that night. Sharing a room with her younger brother Casper for a while isn’t the end of the world, as long as he doesn’t tell their parents that she’s started sleepwalking. They’re already acting strangely enough.
The guilt over that weekend is getting to her father Janus. He’s forever looking over his shoulder. Janus, a horror author, is on a deadline to adapt his book into a screenplay. Now he’s now finding it hard to stomach the violence of his own stories. But Janus brought his whole family from Australia to LA to chase his dream, and he can’t let them down. Not again.
Kay wasn’t sure she wanted to be a mother when she got pregnant with Liv, but she gave up everything for her daughter and then her son, Casper. She’ll do whatever she has to do to take care of her kids. Her marriage, though, is a different story. And the neighbors – well, she’ll just have to be more careful.
Casper was away that weekend, but he knows something isn’t right. His parents don’t look each other in the eye anymore. His father’s hands tremble for no reason. And where does Liv keep disappearing to in the middle of the night? Casper decides to find out what no one will tell him about that weekend, and what lies behind the padlocked door.
Meet the Jansen family:
Since the weekend of the party – the one Liv can’t remember, the one that left her covered in bruises – there’s been a padlock on the door of her bedroom. Her parents said they found mold, and it needs to be decontaminated, but they’re behaving oddly. Her friend Leilani isn’t answering her texts, so maybe Liv did get a little out of control that night. Sharing a room with her younger brother Casper for a while isn’t the end of the world, as long as he doesn’t tell their parents that she’s started sleepwalking. They’re already acting strangely enough.
The guilt over that weekend is getting to her father Janus. He’s forever looking over his shoulder. Janus, a horror author, is on a deadline to adapt his book into a screenplay. Now he’s now finding it hard to stomach the violence of his own stories. But Janus brought his whole family from Australia to LA to chase his dream, and he can’t let them down. Not again.
Kay wasn’t sure she wanted to be a mother when she got pregnant with Liv, but she gave up everything for her daughter and then her son, Casper. She’ll do whatever she has to do to take care of her kids. Her marriage, though, is a different story. And the neighbors – well, she’ll just have to be more careful.
Casper was away that weekend, but he knows something isn’t right. His parents don’t look each other in the eye anymore. His father’s hands tremble for no reason. And where does Liv keep disappearing to in the middle of the night? Casper decides to find out what no one will tell him about that weekend, and what lies behind the padlocked door.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published May 6, 2025
40 people are currently reading
10240 people want to read
About the author
Anna Snoekstra
13 books467 followersAnna Snoekstra was born in Canberra, Australia in 1988. She studied Creative Writing and Cinema at Melbourne University, followed by Screenwriting at RMIT University.
Anna's short films and music videos have screened around the world. She has written an array of published and award winning short fiction. Her debut novel ONLY DAUGHTER was published in September 2016 (Mira). Her second novel LITTLE SECRETS will be published November 2017 (Mira).
Anna's short films and music videos have screened around the world. She has written an array of published and award winning short fiction. Her debut novel ONLY DAUGHTER was published in September 2016 (Mira). Her second novel LITTLE SECRETS will be published November 2017 (Mira).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 165 reviews
May 9, 2025
Anna Snoekstra's "The Ones We Love" is the kind of thriller that gets under your skin and stays there. Picture this: a seemingly normal family moves from Australia to Los Angeles, and everything's fine until it's not. After one weekend, 22-year-old Liv is sporting bruises, her bedroom door is mysteriously locked, and her parents are acting like everything's perfectly normal - spoiler alert: it's not.
What makes this book so compelling is how it peels back the layers of the Jansen family like an onion that's been sitting in the sun too long. There's Janus, the dad drowning in his own regrets and a secret that's eating him alive. Kay, the mom doing that delicate dance between keeping her family together and facing the truth about her marriage. And then there's Casper, the younger brother whose curiosity about that locked door leads him straight into the heart of darkness.
Snoekstra knows exactly how to turn the screws of tension. Just when you think you've got it figured out, she throws another curve ball that makes you question everything you thought you knew. The story moves at a perfect clip, never rushing but never letting you catch your breath either.
Sure, the ending wraps up a bit too neatly - like trying to put a bow on a tornado. But honestly? The journey there is so gripping, with its web of family secrets and emotional land mines, that you barely notice.
This is the kind of book that makes you look at your own family dinner table differently, wondering what secrets might be lurking behind those casual conversations about passing the salt. If you enjoy thrillers that mess with your head while breaking your heart a little, this one's for you.
A huge thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for sharing this brilliant mystery's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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What makes this book so compelling is how it peels back the layers of the Jansen family like an onion that's been sitting in the sun too long. There's Janus, the dad drowning in his own regrets and a secret that's eating him alive. Kay, the mom doing that delicate dance between keeping her family together and facing the truth about her marriage. And then there's Casper, the younger brother whose curiosity about that locked door leads him straight into the heart of darkness.
Snoekstra knows exactly how to turn the screws of tension. Just when you think you've got it figured out, she throws another curve ball that makes you question everything you thought you knew. The story moves at a perfect clip, never rushing but never letting you catch your breath either.
Sure, the ending wraps up a bit too neatly - like trying to put a bow on a tornado. But honestly? The journey there is so gripping, with its web of family secrets and emotional land mines, that you barely notice.
This is the kind of book that makes you look at your own family dinner table differently, wondering what secrets might be lurking behind those casual conversations about passing the salt. If you enjoy thrillers that mess with your head while breaking your heart a little, this one's for you.
A huge thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for sharing this brilliant mystery's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
medium.com
June 3, 2025
Slow burn thriller fans will love this, unfortunately I couldn’t quite grasp onto it as fiercely as I’d hoped. The burn was a tad too slow for me, but the character focused slant worked for me. Each character drawn well, even though unlikeable, the reasons for this and their background drip fed by delving into each one worked well.
Everyone felt suspicious, this family landing in LA from Australia while the father tries hard turning his novel into a screenplay. It doesn’t come naturally to him, his main job was in accounting and oddly they didn’t seem to have any finances. I also felt the vibe being more Australian than LA. This is probably just me 😉
If you like multi pov stories from a twisty dysfunctional family you will like this one, lots of unaccounted for scenarios and strange occurrences!
Thank you to the publisher for my copy to review.
Everyone felt suspicious, this family landing in LA from Australia while the father tries hard turning his novel into a screenplay. It doesn’t come naturally to him, his main job was in accounting and oddly they didn’t seem to have any finances. I also felt the vibe being more Australian than LA. This is probably just me 😉
If you like multi pov stories from a twisty dysfunctional family you will like this one, lots of unaccounted for scenarios and strange occurrences!
Thank you to the publisher for my copy to review.
July 8, 2025
A good thriller, one of those that slowly but relentlessly gets under your skin, stealing hours of your day as you keep reading, page after page, because you need to know what’s going to happen next.
It seems so mundane at the start of it all. A family relocating to Los Angeles. They come from Australia. They have a daughter and a son. Nothing unusual about that, really. Well, yes, it’s all very normal. Until it isn’t. Until Liv, the daughter, is covered in bruises and locked in her bedroom, and her parents see nothing wrong with that.
Each member of the family has something to hide and something they need. But none of them is as eager as Casper, the son, whose need for answers will prompt him to find the loose threads and pull at them until everything comes apart, until nothing remains but darkness.
There’s a continuous tension pulling us from start to end. The tension may slack at times, but it’s just misdirection. A trick, so we feel safe. A trick play, so that we follow the wrong player. And falling for the trick is both inevitable and necessary, for it makes the experience of reading this book all the best.
Granted, a few sections of the book feel slow, but the overall balance is good, and what feels slow for me, may give others a chance to catch their breath before the next race.
A good summer read.
It seems so mundane at the start of it all. A family relocating to Los Angeles. They come from Australia. They have a daughter and a son. Nothing unusual about that, really. Well, yes, it’s all very normal. Until it isn’t. Until Liv, the daughter, is covered in bruises and locked in her bedroom, and her parents see nothing wrong with that.
Each member of the family has something to hide and something they need. But none of them is as eager as Casper, the son, whose need for answers will prompt him to find the loose threads and pull at them until everything comes apart, until nothing remains but darkness.
There’s a continuous tension pulling us from start to end. The tension may slack at times, but it’s just misdirection. A trick, so we feel safe. A trick play, so that we follow the wrong player. And falling for the trick is both inevitable and necessary, for it makes the experience of reading this book all the best.
Granted, a few sections of the book feel slow, but the overall balance is good, and what feels slow for me, may give others a chance to catch their breath before the next race.
A good summer read.
July 26, 2025
A slow burning domestic thriller that certainly ramps up in a big way!
What happened that night? The Parents know, the daughter can’t remember and the brother has no idea what is happening but is trying to find out. The Jansen family are falling apart after a big move from Melbourne to LA to follow the father’s dream of his book being turned into a film.
There is so much intrigue and mystery in the this book. We the reader do not know what has happened that night after the daughter Olivia came home after a big night out. It is so frustrating trying to put the pieces together, and I must admit that I went to the worse possible scenario straight away! when it did all come out is was shocking.
I really do enjoy this authors book, this was different being set in America but still fantastic to read. Love how it was slowly drawn out, even if it was frustrating 😅
Thanks so much to Ultimo Press for sending me this book to read.
What happened that night? The Parents know, the daughter can’t remember and the brother has no idea what is happening but is trying to find out. The Jansen family are falling apart after a big move from Melbourne to LA to follow the father’s dream of his book being turned into a film.
There is so much intrigue and mystery in the this book. We the reader do not know what has happened that night after the daughter Olivia came home after a big night out. It is so frustrating trying to put the pieces together, and I must admit that I went to the worse possible scenario straight away! when it did all come out is was shocking.
I really do enjoy this authors book, this was different being set in America but still fantastic to read. Love how it was slowly drawn out, even if it was frustrating 😅
Thanks so much to Ultimo Press for sending me this book to read.
April 28, 2025
Reading this book was an experience in and of itself — and honestly, that alone deserves at least three stars. Picture me: curled up with my coffee, internally screaming "What is going on?!" for a solid 70% of the story. This is a slow burn, the kind where you're not sure if you're being brilliantly led or lovingly trolled by the author... and somehow, you’re completely fine with either option because you must know what happens next.
Finally, blessedly, around the 70% mark, the clouds begin to part. Clarity trickles in — but not too much, mind you. Just enough to let you know you’re not entirely losing your mind. And then, just when you think you're steady on your feet, the book throws some delightfully twisty curveballs that make you question everything all over again. Good times.
The ending? Solid. Satisfying. It wrapped things up nicely enough, although a few lingering questions are still tap-dancing around in my head. (Maybe that’s intentional. Maybe it’s just me. Who's to say?) Either way, the journey was absolutely worth it.
This book also dives into some deep, punch-you-in-the-gut type of themes: How far would you go — how much would you risk — for someone you love? At what point should you stop chasing your dreams and ambitions? And perhaps the hardest question of all: what happens when your dreams collide headfirst with your responsibilities?
Overall, it’s a really good read: thought-provoking, well-paced (after the slow-burn setup), and twisty enough to keep you on your toes. Therefore, with my heart full and my brain mildly fried in the best possible way, I proudly award this book four stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Finally, blessedly, around the 70% mark, the clouds begin to part. Clarity trickles in — but not too much, mind you. Just enough to let you know you’re not entirely losing your mind. And then, just when you think you're steady on your feet, the book throws some delightfully twisty curveballs that make you question everything all over again. Good times.
The ending? Solid. Satisfying. It wrapped things up nicely enough, although a few lingering questions are still tap-dancing around in my head. (Maybe that’s intentional. Maybe it’s just me. Who's to say?) Either way, the journey was absolutely worth it.
This book also dives into some deep, punch-you-in-the-gut type of themes: How far would you go — how much would you risk — for someone you love? At what point should you stop chasing your dreams and ambitions? And perhaps the hardest question of all: what happens when your dreams collide headfirst with your responsibilities?
Overall, it’s a really good read: thought-provoking, well-paced (after the slow-burn setup), and twisty enough to keep you on your toes. Therefore, with my heart full and my brain mildly fried in the best possible way, I proudly award this book four stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
May 4, 2025
Dysfunctional family with a big secret 🤫
Thank you, Dutton Books, for the gifted copy of The Ones We Love {partner}
Genre: Mystery
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 5.6.2025
Pages: 336
Star Rating: ☆☆☆
The Ones We Love is one of those stories that needs to be read by the right reader at the right time. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the right reader at the right time. It was still a good story that I did finish; it just wasn’t what I had hoped it would be.
I did think the story started strong - those first few chapters were addicting. A daughter wakes up covered in bruises without any memory of what happened, and her parents are obviously hiding something. But what?
Each chapter slowly peeled back a layer of truth—one misguided decision after the other, one dysfunctional family member failing to communicate the truth. The feeling of slowly revealing the truth was enticing and kept me reading, but unfortunately, I figured out the direction of the story fairly quickly and wasn’t blown away by the path the author took to get there.
Maybe if the characters had been more likable? It’s one of those things that the characters weren’t likable because of what they were doing, making the story more exciting, but it was also hard to find redeeming qualities to cheer for. The only character I did love was Casper, the younger brother/son (and I rarely ever like POVs from a child narrator).
Read if you enjoy:
😬 Dysfunctional family
🗣️ Multiple POV
👏🏼 Character development
📖 Multi-layered
I recommend reading The Ones We Love if you enjoyed reading Everyone Here Is Lying.
______
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Thank you, Dutton Books, for the gifted copy of The Ones We Love {partner}
Genre: Mystery
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 5.6.2025
Pages: 336
Star Rating: ☆☆☆
The Ones We Love is one of those stories that needs to be read by the right reader at the right time. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the right reader at the right time. It was still a good story that I did finish; it just wasn’t what I had hoped it would be.
I did think the story started strong - those first few chapters were addicting. A daughter wakes up covered in bruises without any memory of what happened, and her parents are obviously hiding something. But what?
Each chapter slowly peeled back a layer of truth—one misguided decision after the other, one dysfunctional family member failing to communicate the truth. The feeling of slowly revealing the truth was enticing and kept me reading, but unfortunately, I figured out the direction of the story fairly quickly and wasn’t blown away by the path the author took to get there.
Maybe if the characters had been more likable? It’s one of those things that the characters weren’t likable because of what they were doing, making the story more exciting, but it was also hard to find redeeming qualities to cheer for. The only character I did love was Casper, the younger brother/son (and I rarely ever like POVs from a child narrator).
Read if you enjoy:
😬 Dysfunctional family
🗣️ Multiple POV
👏🏼 Character development
📖 Multi-layered
I recommend reading The Ones We Love if you enjoyed reading Everyone Here Is Lying.
______
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaptersofc...
Follow me on Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/chaptersofc...
Follow me on StoryGraph:https://www.instagram.com/chaptersofc...
June 15, 2025
The Ones We Love has deeply ominous vibes, with its Bluebeard-esque forbidden room and a veritable mountain of clues in the first fifty pages, none of which seem to add up. Gradually, Snokestra leads the reader out of the woods, and the story comes together nicely in the end. Most importantly (for me), all the dogs in this story live happily ever after – sorry for the minor spoiler.
My full review of The Ones We Love is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
My full review of The Ones We Love is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
April 5, 2025
#ad many thanks for my advance copy @duttonbooks #partner
Family dysfunction and secrets, oh my!
Liv wakes up from a night out with her friend back at her parent’s house, in her brother’s bedroom with no memory of how, with bruises all over. Her mom and dad are acting strange and they tell her to not talk about it. Whatever it is.
The Ones You Love by Anna Snoekstra is a thriller/mystery that I’m not sure how I feel about yet.
The story is mostly about a dysfunctional family and a secret they are keeping. We as readers don’t get much insight we are just as confused as the characters.
Casper, the 15-year-old son, decides to find out what his family is hiding. They’ve just cancelled his summer trip back to Australia so he has nothing better to do. He teams up with his new friend Tye.
The family has just moved to LA from Australia, so there’s also the mystery of why they had to move. Struggling to find their footing in a new country. They’ve only been here for about 5 months when the story starts.
I was instantly hooked to this story but that quickly fell apart. It felt like I was reading a story for younger readers. I found the pacing to be torturous but I stuck it out. While I did become interested again the ending and everything else just made this a bad reading experience.
Hopefully you will enjoy this one. I wish I had. But I’ll definitely be trying this author again. As this was my first book by her, I did enjoy her writing. Maybe a different plot would help.
In essence this is a story about how far you’d go to protect those you love most.
Family dysfunction and secrets, oh my!
Liv wakes up from a night out with her friend back at her parent’s house, in her brother’s bedroom with no memory of how, with bruises all over. Her mom and dad are acting strange and they tell her to not talk about it. Whatever it is.
The Ones You Love by Anna Snoekstra is a thriller/mystery that I’m not sure how I feel about yet.
The story is mostly about a dysfunctional family and a secret they are keeping. We as readers don’t get much insight we are just as confused as the characters.
Casper, the 15-year-old son, decides to find out what his family is hiding. They’ve just cancelled his summer trip back to Australia so he has nothing better to do. He teams up with his new friend Tye.
The family has just moved to LA from Australia, so there’s also the mystery of why they had to move. Struggling to find their footing in a new country. They’ve only been here for about 5 months when the story starts.
I was instantly hooked to this story but that quickly fell apart. It felt like I was reading a story for younger readers. I found the pacing to be torturous but I stuck it out. While I did become interested again the ending and everything else just made this a bad reading experience.
Hopefully you will enjoy this one. I wish I had. But I’ll definitely be trying this author again. As this was my first book by her, I did enjoy her writing. Maybe a different plot would help.
In essence this is a story about how far you’d go to protect those you love most.
April 27, 2025
How far would you go to protect the ones you love?
3.5 stars rounded up.
If you enjoy domestic thrillers with an over the top resolution, this one will be right up your alley.
The Jansen family recently relocated to LA from Australia, and all of them are struggling to adjust. Father Janus is having difficulties turning his successful novel into a screenplay, which was the whole reason for the family's move. Mother Kay is frustrated in her marriage. Son Casper, the younger child, has trouble fitting in. And Liv, the older child, wanted to leave behind her party girl ways in Australia... until she wakes up one morning with no memory of the night before, her bedroom inaccessible because of a padlock on the door, and her parents acting strange.
I blew through this in one day and enjoyed the fish out of water setup and the family dynamics, although this story only worked because they were all so extremely bad at communicating with one another. The mystery of what happened that night was pretty straightforward and the why and how quite obvious, red herrings included, but overall I still enjoyed this book; ultimately, it felt like a cautionary tale about the devastating ripple effects of keeping secrets. Were the resolution and the ending absolutely over the top and ridiculous? Yes. Did I care at that point? No.
Many thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton | Dutton for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
"The Ones We Love" is slated to be released on May 6, 2025.
3.5 stars rounded up.
If you enjoy domestic thrillers with an over the top resolution, this one will be right up your alley.
The Jansen family recently relocated to LA from Australia, and all of them are struggling to adjust. Father Janus is having difficulties turning his successful novel into a screenplay, which was the whole reason for the family's move. Mother Kay is frustrated in her marriage. Son Casper, the younger child, has trouble fitting in. And Liv, the older child, wanted to leave behind her party girl ways in Australia... until she wakes up one morning with no memory of the night before, her bedroom inaccessible because of a padlock on the door, and her parents acting strange.
I blew through this in one day and enjoyed the fish out of water setup and the family dynamics, although this story only worked because they were all so extremely bad at communicating with one another. The mystery of what happened that night was pretty straightforward and the why and how quite obvious, red herrings included, but overall I still enjoyed this book; ultimately, it felt like a cautionary tale about the devastating ripple effects of keeping secrets. Were the resolution and the ending absolutely over the top and ridiculous? Yes. Did I care at that point? No.
Many thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton | Dutton for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
"The Ones We Love" is slated to be released on May 6, 2025.
May 13, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. It was a very unsettling slow burn. It’s filled with lies and secrets. Everyone seems suspicious. I really enjoyed peeling the story back piece by piece until we finally uncovered what was going on. If you love a twisty domestic thriller, that keeps you on the edge of your seat, you are going to love this book.
May 8, 2025
Audiobook/Book Review 🎧📖🔒
Thank you so much partner @duttonbooks @prhaudio for the gifted copy and audiobook!
The Ones We Love
by Anna Snoekstra
Read By Aimee Smith
About the book 👇🏽
Since the weekend of the party—the one twenty-two-year-old Liv can’t remember, the one that left her covered in bruises—she’s been locked out of her bedroom by a padlock. Her parents are behaving oddly and her best friend won’t respond to her texts. Maybe she really was out of control that night?
Meanwhile Liv’s father, Janus, is not sure he can do what is necessary to keep this secret hidden. He brought his family from Australia to Los Angeles to chase his dream of seeing his novel on the big screen, and he can’t let them down. Not again.
Kay gave up everything when she had Liv and Casper. So now she’ll do whatever she has to do to take care of them. Her marriage, though, is a different story. And the neighbors—well, she’ll just have to be more careful.
Casper, the youngest, was away that weekend, but he knows something isn’t right. His parents don’t look each other in the eye anymore. His father’s hands tremble for no reason. And where does Liv keep disappearing to in the middle of the night? Casper decides to find out what no one will tell him about that weekend.
🔒 My thoughts:
What started out as a physical read quickly became an audiobook listen! Aimee Smith was a fantastic narrator for this story and held my attention throughout the listen. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book because it seemed a tad slow and I kept asking myself what is going on?! But then it all started to unfold and I could appreciate the slow burn. I went into this book completely blind and overall I am satisfied with the twists and how it all ended with this dysfunctional family. If you enjoy a book with layers, a solid set up, multiple POVs you’ll have to give yourself his one a read/listen!
Happy reading 📖🎧🔒
Thank you so much partner @duttonbooks @prhaudio for the gifted copy and audiobook!
The Ones We Love
by Anna Snoekstra
Read By Aimee Smith
About the book 👇🏽
Since the weekend of the party—the one twenty-two-year-old Liv can’t remember, the one that left her covered in bruises—she’s been locked out of her bedroom by a padlock. Her parents are behaving oddly and her best friend won’t respond to her texts. Maybe she really was out of control that night?
Meanwhile Liv’s father, Janus, is not sure he can do what is necessary to keep this secret hidden. He brought his family from Australia to Los Angeles to chase his dream of seeing his novel on the big screen, and he can’t let them down. Not again.
Kay gave up everything when she had Liv and Casper. So now she’ll do whatever she has to do to take care of them. Her marriage, though, is a different story. And the neighbors—well, she’ll just have to be more careful.
Casper, the youngest, was away that weekend, but he knows something isn’t right. His parents don’t look each other in the eye anymore. His father’s hands tremble for no reason. And where does Liv keep disappearing to in the middle of the night? Casper decides to find out what no one will tell him about that weekend.
🔒 My thoughts:
What started out as a physical read quickly became an audiobook listen! Aimee Smith was a fantastic narrator for this story and held my attention throughout the listen. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book because it seemed a tad slow and I kept asking myself what is going on?! But then it all started to unfold and I could appreciate the slow burn. I went into this book completely blind and overall I am satisfied with the twists and how it all ended with this dysfunctional family. If you enjoy a book with layers, a solid set up, multiple POVs you’ll have to give yourself his one a read/listen!
Happy reading 📖🎧🔒
May 18, 2025
DNF. I stopped at page 29 after these little gems: "She had resented Brian & Rani's wealth to begin with--she always disliked wealthy people on principle. And it was hard not to see them as some gross cliche: a wealthy white guy who edged on arrogant & his younger Latina wife who gave up her art career. But it was hard to keep judging them when they were always so straightforwardly kind to her "
"Olivia liked how Brian always treated her like an equal, despite her being a babysitter & him being a rich d#!k in a suit. Square jaw, ash blend hair, and broad shoulders, he was like the stereotype of the All American man without the firearms & the racism"
This is supposed to be a thriller about a dramatic event that occurred in a family. That's what I wanted to read. Could these authors please STOP with the relentless social commentary in novels? Please? I used to love reading for fun but have stopped reading many other books due to this issue.
"Olivia liked how Brian always treated her like an equal, despite her being a babysitter & him being a rich d#!k in a suit. Square jaw, ash blend hair, and broad shoulders, he was like the stereotype of the All American man without the firearms & the racism"
This is supposed to be a thriller about a dramatic event that occurred in a family. That's what I wanted to read. Could these authors please STOP with the relentless social commentary in novels? Please? I used to love reading for fun but have stopped reading many other books due to this issue.
January 28, 2025
2.5 the pacing was rly off for me. started rly slow, then picked up and grabbed my attention 70% in, then lost it at the end. didn’t wow me. thank you dutton & netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!
July 26, 2025
⭐️4 Stars⭐️
The Ones We Love by Anna Snoekstra is a page turner, it’s a domestic thriller with escalating tension and a brewing menace. It makes the reader wonder what’s happened, the mystery pulling you in completely, it’s well paced and keeps you on the edge.
Janus Jansen a horror author has recently moved his family to LA to chase his career dreams. When his daughter Liz wakes up bruised and can’t remember what happened the night before at a party with her friend strange things then begin to happen.
The Jansen family are distant with one another and completely dysfunction but a huge secret will be revealed in time.
I really enjoyed this one!
Publication Date 03 June 2025
Publisher Ultimo Press
Thank you so very much Ultimo Press for a copy of the book.
The Ones We Love by Anna Snoekstra is a page turner, it’s a domestic thriller with escalating tension and a brewing menace. It makes the reader wonder what’s happened, the mystery pulling you in completely, it’s well paced and keeps you on the edge.
Janus Jansen a horror author has recently moved his family to LA to chase his career dreams. When his daughter Liz wakes up bruised and can’t remember what happened the night before at a party with her friend strange things then begin to happen.
The Jansen family are distant with one another and completely dysfunction but a huge secret will be revealed in time.
I really enjoyed this one!
Publication Date 03 June 2025
Publisher Ultimo Press
Thank you so very much Ultimo Press for a copy of the book.
March 13, 2025
I really wanted to like this book and gave it a fair shot, but reading the whole thing, I wish I had DNF'd it.
Liv's family moves from Australia to the States for a fresh start after Liv's father gets word that his novel could be turned into a movie. Liv and her friend Lelani go out to a party one night. They have a two-drink maximum because of a previous incident Liv had. Liv wakes up in her brother's room back at home when she was supposed to be staying at Lelani's house. She wakes up feeling horrible with bruises all over her and no memory of what happened that night or how she got back home. Her parents start acting weird towards her, and her mother tells her they must never speak of that night.
The synopsis sounded interesting, but this book fell so flat for me. The pacing was so slow in the beginning, then sped up to some interesting parts three-fourths of the way in, and then it just dragged on and on after that for me. The plot twist was surprising, but honestly, it just wasn't very good. The writing style was easy to read, but the whole book just felt like a whole lot of repetition of you knew something happened but not what, and then when the plot twist came, it was one big eye roll. This book was really a family drama that lacked any real depth.
Thank you, Anna Snoekstra, PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, and NetGalley, for the ARC of this book.
Liv's family moves from Australia to the States for a fresh start after Liv's father gets word that his novel could be turned into a movie. Liv and her friend Lelani go out to a party one night. They have a two-drink maximum because of a previous incident Liv had. Liv wakes up in her brother's room back at home when she was supposed to be staying at Lelani's house. She wakes up feeling horrible with bruises all over her and no memory of what happened that night or how she got back home. Her parents start acting weird towards her, and her mother tells her they must never speak of that night.
The synopsis sounded interesting, but this book fell so flat for me. The pacing was so slow in the beginning, then sped up to some interesting parts three-fourths of the way in, and then it just dragged on and on after that for me. The plot twist was surprising, but honestly, it just wasn't very good. The writing style was easy to read, but the whole book just felt like a whole lot of repetition of you knew something happened but not what, and then when the plot twist came, it was one big eye roll. This book was really a family drama that lacked any real depth.
Thank you, Anna Snoekstra, PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, and NetGalley, for the ARC of this book.
April 14, 2025
4.5 rounded up.
I enjoyed this! It was compelling and well executed, even if some parts were frustrating because I wanted a few characters to really get what they deserved. Recommend if you like messy domestic thrillers that are character-driven and full of moral ambiguity - think Robyn Harding or Ozark-style families (the Netflix show).
Energy: Secretive. Chaotic. Serpentine.
🐕 Howls: Some of the over-the-top drama moments made the story feel less grounded but overall it worked.
🐩 Tail Wags: Messy, twisty family dynamics. The experience of adjusting to life in the US. The missing memory trope feeling natural. How the narrative hopped between perspectives. As secrets unravel, new ones take their place.
Scene: 🇺🇸 Los Angeles, California, USA
Perspectives (4): An author of horror books whose latest work was optioned for a movie script; their spouse who used to be a ballerina and now teaches pilates; their adult child who was on track to enter the fashion world but fell into the partying lifestyle; their teenager who feels homesick and senses something is wrong in the family.
Timeline: Linear. 2010s or 2020s. June. ☀️ Summery.
Fuel: Mysteries abound. What did Liv do? Why can’t she remember anything from the previous night? Is she a danger to herself or others? Why are her parents acting so strangely toward her? Why is there a padlock on her bedroom door? Can Cooper and his friend figure out what the family is hiding? Who is blackmailing them and why?
Cred: Plausible to suspended disbelief
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Ceramic dishes. Clammy, sticky air. Breakfast burritos. Plastic outdoor dining set. Glaring concrete. Stink of bleach. Caffeine pills.
• Messy multi-POV storytelling where the reader is always a step ahead (but never all-knowing)
• Flawed families with secrets, lies, and lots of unresolved tension
• Emotionally spiraling characters who are hard to love but hard to look away from
• Popcorn drama meets psychological mystery
• Coming-of-age amateur sleuthing & boy love subplots (friends to lovers, shy crush)
• Behind-closed-doors dysfunction and “what happens in the family stays in the family” energy
• Dark secrets + drama bombs + close calls
• “How far would you go for your family?” core theme
• Mix of casual, reflective, emotionally raw writing style
• Long-suffering moms, existential crises, snowballing bad decisions
• Miscommunications and memory gaps
Content Heads-Up: Adult/minor relationship (very brief mention; sexual fling). Alcohol abuse (family history). Blackmail. Blood. Body shaming, calorie restriction (parent). Cannabis (vaping, brief mention). Death (on page, descriptive). Domestic violence (brief but descriptive, on page). Gun violence. Infidelity (on page, descriptive). Insomnia. Intoxicated driving (brief, on page). Nicotine (cigarettes, cravings). Parental neglect, narcissistic parent. Physical assault, attack. Post-partum symptoms, difficulty bonding. Potential false accusation. Pregnancy, birth (brief but descriptive memories). Sexual content (consenting; mostly behind closed doors). Sleepwalking. Substance abuse (alcohol, pills; partying, addiction). Toxic masculinity.
Rep: Australian. American. Latina. Dutch heritage. French heritage. Cis. Queer. Hetero. Bronzed, pale, black, light brown, really pale, and dark skin tones.
📚 Format: Advance Reader’s Copy from Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley.
My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶
I enjoyed this! It was compelling and well executed, even if some parts were frustrating because I wanted a few characters to really get what they deserved. Recommend if you like messy domestic thrillers that are character-driven and full of moral ambiguity - think Robyn Harding or Ozark-style families (the Netflix show).
Energy: Secretive. Chaotic. Serpentine.
🐕 Howls: Some of the over-the-top drama moments made the story feel less grounded but overall it worked.
🐩 Tail Wags: Messy, twisty family dynamics. The experience of adjusting to life in the US. The missing memory trope feeling natural. How the narrative hopped between perspectives. As secrets unravel, new ones take their place.
Scene: 🇺🇸 Los Angeles, California, USA
Perspectives (4): An author of horror books whose latest work was optioned for a movie script; their spouse who used to be a ballerina and now teaches pilates; their adult child who was on track to enter the fashion world but fell into the partying lifestyle; their teenager who feels homesick and senses something is wrong in the family.
Timeline: Linear. 2010s or 2020s. June. ☀️ Summery.
Fuel: Mysteries abound. What did Liv do? Why can’t she remember anything from the previous night? Is she a danger to herself or others? Why are her parents acting so strangely toward her? Why is there a padlock on her bedroom door? Can Cooper and his friend figure out what the family is hiding? Who is blackmailing them and why?
Cred: Plausible to suspended disbelief
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Ceramic dishes. Clammy, sticky air. Breakfast burritos. Plastic outdoor dining set. Glaring concrete. Stink of bleach. Caffeine pills.
• Messy multi-POV storytelling where the reader is always a step ahead (but never all-knowing)
• Flawed families with secrets, lies, and lots of unresolved tension
• Emotionally spiraling characters who are hard to love but hard to look away from
• Popcorn drama meets psychological mystery
• Coming-of-age amateur sleuthing & boy love subplots (friends to lovers, shy crush)
• Behind-closed-doors dysfunction and “what happens in the family stays in the family” energy
• Dark secrets + drama bombs + close calls
• “How far would you go for your family?” core theme
• Mix of casual, reflective, emotionally raw writing style
• Long-suffering moms, existential crises, snowballing bad decisions
• Miscommunications and memory gaps
Content Heads-Up: Adult/minor relationship (very brief mention; sexual fling). Alcohol abuse (family history). Blackmail. Blood. Body shaming, calorie restriction (parent). Cannabis (vaping, brief mention). Death (on page, descriptive). Domestic violence (brief but descriptive, on page). Gun violence. Infidelity (on page, descriptive). Insomnia. Intoxicated driving (brief, on page). Nicotine (cigarettes, cravings). Parental neglect, narcissistic parent. Physical assault, attack. Post-partum symptoms, difficulty bonding. Potential false accusation. Pregnancy, birth (brief but descriptive memories). Sexual content (consenting; mostly behind closed doors). Sleepwalking. Substance abuse (alcohol, pills; partying, addiction). Toxic masculinity.
Rep: Australian. American. Latina. Dutch heritage. French heritage. Cis. Queer. Hetero. Bronzed, pale, black, light brown, really pale, and dark skin tones.
📚 Format: Advance Reader’s Copy from Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley.
My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶
April 24, 2025
The morning after partying with a friend, Olivia wakes up with bruises and no memory of how she got them and now she has no access to her own bedroom. Her father and mother are the only ones that know what went down that night but her mom makes her promise to never speak of that night ever again. Olivia’s brother Casper is determined to uncover the truth of what happened to his sister with the help of a friend. This story makes you wonder how far families are willing to go to protect those they love and whether or not that love is enough to keep them safe.
I was initially really interested in this story based on the blurb but it started off slow and took a while for me to really start liking the story. Once I started to like it I become very interested in the story. I really liked the sleep walking aspect of the story. I was able to predict the cause of her sleepwalking early on but not what she had done while sleepwalking. The plot twist made this story difficult to accurately guess what Olivia had done while sleep walking which I really enjoyed. 70% is when it got really dark and intense and it was the most interesting part of the story. I hated Brian after his actions towards other characters was revealed. The ending was a bit rushed but still enjoyable.
I didn’t enjoy Janus POV. It didn’t feel necessary to the story and I would lose interest while reading his thoughts. I didn’t like his character.
My favorite characters were Olivia, Austin and Casper.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was initially really interested in this story based on the blurb but it started off slow and took a while for me to really start liking the story. Once I started to like it I become very interested in the story. I really liked the sleep walking aspect of the story. I was able to predict the cause of her sleepwalking early on but not what she had done while sleepwalking. The plot twist made this story difficult to accurately guess what Olivia had done while sleep walking which I really enjoyed. 70% is when it got really dark and intense and it was the most interesting part of the story. I hated Brian after his actions towards other characters was revealed. The ending was a bit rushed but still enjoyable.
I didn’t enjoy Janus POV. It didn’t feel necessary to the story and I would lose interest while reading his thoughts. I didn’t like his character.
My favorite characters were Olivia, Austin and Casper.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 13, 2025
Honestly, this was one confusing book. The first half was extremely slow, and I wondered if anything would happen. Finally, things began to move, but did they make sense? Only marginally. I’m still left with questions about Olivia and her problems. Her parents are also a mystery to me. In fact, the only family member who might be somewhat normal is Casper, Olivia’s younger brother. What happened at the beginning of the book is revealed to the reader, but are we to believe that no one else ever found out? Shaking my head. I agree with another reviewer: too many twists!
This one is a three star read for me.
I received a copy of the digital ARC via the publisher and NetGalley. My review is voluntary.
This one is a three star read for me.
I received a copy of the digital ARC via the publisher and NetGalley. My review is voluntary.
August 26, 2025
I liked the mystery elements and trying to piece together what happened, but this was too slow of a pace for me to stay interested in it to the end.
April 8, 2025
The Ones We Love by Anna Snoekstra follows an Australian family living in Los Angeles after a big move for their father, Janus' job as a writer. The family is made up of Janus, his wife Kay, and their two children, Olivia (20s) and Casper (teens). The synopsis of the book focuses on a padlocked door in the house and bring readers in by telling them that the family may not be able to handle what lies behind it. We also know that there was an incident including Olivia, causing dysfunction between the rest of the family. I was excited to read a thriller that had such an original plot and a dysfunctional family. However, the more I read, the more I found myself uninterested in the book.
Dysfunctional families can be so much fun to read about but I feel like the author focused on so many side issues to create depth to the characters that instead took us further away from the plot. We focused a lot on the mother's past ED and PPD that had nothing to do with the present situation the family was in as well as the father's past accounting job that is irrelevant now that he's a writer. I also realized as I read on that the book didn't have much to do with the padlocked room. We got a couple scenes with this setting but nothing that really furthered the story. I understand hooks to bring readers in but unfortunately my expectations here were not met. Once I got to the 100 page mark, the book started to focus on the actual mystery at hand and I started to enjoy it more. The twist itself was fun and entertaining as I'd thought I had guessed it correctly in the first half but was proven wrong which was a pleasant surprise. I do want to read more by Anna as I did enjoy her writing itself and think she is a very talented author. I think this story just fell short for me.
Thank you to Anna Snoekstra, Net Galley, and Dutton Publishing for an e-arc of The Ones We Love in exchange for an honest review. I appreciate your trust in my opinion!
Dysfunctional families can be so much fun to read about but I feel like the author focused on so many side issues to create depth to the characters that instead took us further away from the plot. We focused a lot on the mother's past ED and PPD that had nothing to do with the present situation the family was in as well as the father's past accounting job that is irrelevant now that he's a writer. I also realized as I read on that the book didn't have much to do with the padlocked room. We got a couple scenes with this setting but nothing that really furthered the story. I understand hooks to bring readers in but unfortunately my expectations here were not met. Once I got to the 100 page mark, the book started to focus on the actual mystery at hand and I started to enjoy it more. The twist itself was fun and entertaining as I'd thought I had guessed it correctly in the first half but was proven wrong which was a pleasant surprise. I do want to read more by Anna as I did enjoy her writing itself and think she is a very talented author. I think this story just fell short for me.
Thank you to Anna Snoekstra, Net Galley, and Dutton Publishing for an e-arc of The Ones We Love in exchange for an honest review. I appreciate your trust in my opinion!
August 17, 2024
This is the second book I've read by this author. I really enjoy her character development and her ability to draw me in to the story with heart stopping scenes and puzzles to be solved. I thought I had everything figured out - it felt like the clues were too obvious. But they cleverly led to totally different truths. Original and compelling, this is a well written novel well worth picking up.
I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
April 17, 2025
The Jansen family, newly transplanted to L.A., faces tension as the oldest daughter wakes up bruised from a night she can't remember. Liv's parents act strangely, with a padlock on her door and secrets being kept. Janus, a horror author, struggles with guilt and deadlines. Kay sacrifices for her kids but struggles in her marriage. Casper, the youngest son, seeks answers to the mystery behind Liv's bruises and his family's odd behavior.
The pace of this story was agonizingly slow for my taste, making it difficult for me to fully immerse myself in the narrative. Initially, the first few chapters held promise and captivated my interest, but as the story progressed, the pace shifted, causing me to lose interest and forcing me to repeatedly re-read chapters in order to grasp the intricate dynamics and unravel the mystery of what truly transpired.
I approached this book with eager anticipation, drawn in by its intriguing premise, only to find that the execution fell short of my expectations. The characters within the family were distant and unrelatable, shrouded in secrecy, leaving me feeling as though I was merely skimming the surface of a much deeper mystery.
In all honesty, I was tempted to abandon this book altogether, but my commitment to writing a review spurred me to persevere. While this book may not have resonated with me, I encourage you to give it a chance. Perhaps it will resonate with you in ways that it did not with me.
I suggest exploring the possibility of experiencing this story through an audiobook, as I have found that when a book fails to capture the intended tone and setting, an audiobook can often breathe new life into the narrative. Take a leap of faith and delve into this tale, and I sincerely hope that it resonates with you in ways that it did not with me.
Thank you, Dutton, for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The pace of this story was agonizingly slow for my taste, making it difficult for me to fully immerse myself in the narrative. Initially, the first few chapters held promise and captivated my interest, but as the story progressed, the pace shifted, causing me to lose interest and forcing me to repeatedly re-read chapters in order to grasp the intricate dynamics and unravel the mystery of what truly transpired.
I approached this book with eager anticipation, drawn in by its intriguing premise, only to find that the execution fell short of my expectations. The characters within the family were distant and unrelatable, shrouded in secrecy, leaving me feeling as though I was merely skimming the surface of a much deeper mystery.
In all honesty, I was tempted to abandon this book altogether, but my commitment to writing a review spurred me to persevere. While this book may not have resonated with me, I encourage you to give it a chance. Perhaps it will resonate with you in ways that it did not with me.
I suggest exploring the possibility of experiencing this story through an audiobook, as I have found that when a book fails to capture the intended tone and setting, an audiobook can often breathe new life into the narrative. Take a leap of faith and delve into this tale, and I sincerely hope that it resonates with you in ways that it did not with me.
Thank you, Dutton, for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 5, 2025
The Ones We Love by Anna Snoekstra, when first time author Janus’s Horror novel gets to number one in Australia Hollywood comes calling and Janus immediately rips his family from their cozy Melbourne home and relocates them to LA. it’s five months later when we meet dad Janus, mom K, daughter Olivia who’s 22 and son Casper who’s 16. They’re all having their own issues with living in LA the Janus is in a slump mom K is suffering from depression but it’s Olivia who has the biggest problems especially after she wakes up in Casper‘s room bruised and disoriented not knowing what happened the night before. All she remembers is she went out with her friend Leighlana and was supposed to sleep at Leighlana‘s apartment but wakes up locked out of her room. her friend isn’t answering her parents don’t want to talk about it and her brother who just arrived from swim camp has no clue what’s going on. this is just the beginning of what turns out to be a crazy story with many twist and I was down for all of it. I did think what mom K did towards the end is almost unforgivable I mean she knew Olivia was going through something and Casper was upset because he couldn’t go home and yet instead of being there for her family she did what she did. I have other things to say about the mom and dad and their issues and what happened at the end of the book but I don’t want to give anything away so I will just say this is one crazy read that I really enjoyed. I didn’t get the whole thing with Austin and Olivia at the end because regardless he said what he said and it could’ve caused her so much but either way this is still a great book and when I definitely recommend I do want to say I don’t think most people will agree with a lot of what happened at the end but having said that it is still so interesting and so worth reading. Also when you order an Americano in America that’s just a black coffee we don’t call it in Americano that’s only called that in other countries.#NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #AnnaSnoekstra, #TheOnesWeLove,
May 23, 2025
An intense, slow-burn psychological thriller that lingers long after the final page.
Anna Snoekstra delivers another gripping story in The Ones We Love, a novel steeped in secrets, tangled loyalties, and the dark shadows of family. The story opens with a chilling premise: the discovery of a hidden key that unlocks far more than just a door—it opens a Pandora’s box of past choices, betrayals, and uncomfortable truths.
The atmosphere is moody and claustrophobic, and the writing pulls you into a world where everyone seems to be hiding something. Snoekstra excels at creating tension through subtle character dynamics and complex emotional undercurrents. The pacing is deliberate, leaning more into psychological unease than action-packed thrills, which may not be for every reader—but if you love domestic noir, this hits the mark.
The characters are layered and flawed in a way that feels real. I especially appreciated how Snoekstra explores themes of trust, guilt, and the consequences of decisions made in desperation. The relationships—particularly between family members—are central to the story and feel authentic and emotionally charged.
While the ending was satisfying and well-earned, a few parts in the middle dragged slightly. A bit more momentum in the second act would have bumped this to a five-star read for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Anna Snoekstra delivers another gripping story in The Ones We Love, a novel steeped in secrets, tangled loyalties, and the dark shadows of family. The story opens with a chilling premise: the discovery of a hidden key that unlocks far more than just a door—it opens a Pandora’s box of past choices, betrayals, and uncomfortable truths.
The atmosphere is moody and claustrophobic, and the writing pulls you into a world where everyone seems to be hiding something. Snoekstra excels at creating tension through subtle character dynamics and complex emotional undercurrents. The pacing is deliberate, leaning more into psychological unease than action-packed thrills, which may not be for every reader—but if you love domestic noir, this hits the mark.
The characters are layered and flawed in a way that feels real. I especially appreciated how Snoekstra explores themes of trust, guilt, and the consequences of decisions made in desperation. The relationships—particularly between family members—are central to the story and feel authentic and emotionally charged.
While the ending was satisfying and well-earned, a few parts in the middle dragged slightly. A bit more momentum in the second act would have bumped this to a five-star read for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
May 27, 2025
Liv goes out with a friend to a fashion event, where the two of them promise to have a two drink max so that they can network without looking messy. But in the morning, Liv wakes up in her own home rather than at her friend’s house, and the door to her room is padlocked. Her parents are acting weird, and she has no memory of what happened the night before.
The story drags at the beginning, and the first half is mostly spent hinting at what Liv did that night. The hints become more and more explicit, until we get the full story. I found it more frustrating than titillating. Once we got through that portion, the plot picked up pace, and I really enjoyed it. What would you do – how far would you go – for the ones you love?
***Thank you to Penguin Random House, Dutton Books, and NetGalley for making this digital ARC available. The text of an advance edition (ARC) may differ slightly from the final market version that is distributed for sale. Publication date was 05/06/2025.
The story drags at the beginning, and the first half is mostly spent hinting at what Liv did that night. The hints become more and more explicit, until we get the full story. I found it more frustrating than titillating. Once we got through that portion, the plot picked up pace, and I really enjoyed it. What would you do – how far would you go – for the ones you love?
***Thank you to Penguin Random House, Dutton Books, and NetGalley for making this digital ARC available. The text of an advance edition (ARC) may differ slightly from the final market version that is distributed for sale. Publication date was 05/06/2025.
June 9, 2025
I really enjoyed this one and was hooked from the start. Something big has happened but no one in the family is talking about it, all we know is Liv’s room has been locked and she can’t stay in there.
For a while we are completely in the dark, whatever has happened the family is not talking about it, it’s a huge secret. I had so many scenarios running through my mind!
It’s very unsettling and as the pieces begin to fall into place you can’t believe what you’re reading. It’s just wow!! Then things ramp up and the pace picks up. So much happens!!
I really enjoyed the pace of this book, it was thought provoking, twisty and kept me guessing
It really makes you think about how far would you go to protect a loved one?
Thank you so much @ultimopress for sending me this early copy.
For a while we are completely in the dark, whatever has happened the family is not talking about it, it’s a huge secret. I had so many scenarios running through my mind!
It’s very unsettling and as the pieces begin to fall into place you can’t believe what you’re reading. It’s just wow!! Then things ramp up and the pace picks up. So much happens!!
I really enjoyed the pace of this book, it was thought provoking, twisty and kept me guessing
It really makes you think about how far would you go to protect a loved one?
Thank you so much @ultimopress for sending me this early copy.
June 28, 2025
Thank you Ultimo Press & Anna Snoekstra for this read!!
This is my second read from the author and so far it's my fav. Snoekstra really had a way of making me think about what this family was hiding every moment I was not reading it. I really flew through this book and I'm not exaggerating when I say that you will be totally addicted while trying to uncover the truth.
Secrets, betrayal and lies - this suspenseful family thriller holds it all. The author TOTALLY BLINDSIDED me with the ending. Multiple twists and I did not see it coming.
Told through multiple POVs, a pace that is a slow burn but thick with suspense and short chapters (my fav).
I LOVED this read! Emotional, bingeable and shocking - I'm sure this will be one that I'll be recommending to my other fellow thriller lovers for a long time!
This is my second read from the author and so far it's my fav. Snoekstra really had a way of making me think about what this family was hiding every moment I was not reading it. I really flew through this book and I'm not exaggerating when I say that you will be totally addicted while trying to uncover the truth.
Secrets, betrayal and lies - this suspenseful family thriller holds it all. The author TOTALLY BLINDSIDED me with the ending. Multiple twists and I did not see it coming.
Told through multiple POVs, a pace that is a slow burn but thick with suspense and short chapters (my fav).
I LOVED this read! Emotional, bingeable and shocking - I'm sure this will be one that I'll be recommending to my other fellow thriller lovers for a long time!
July 27, 2025
My latest campsite read. What a good choice! This book had me in a chokehold from the first few pages. I wish every novel was as good at keeping secrets as this one. There were some things I figured out pretty quickly, but other things that really surprised me. Great suspense, the multiple POVs really helped keep it going.
September 26, 2025
1🌟 I do not want to remember. Honestly, I don’t remember how it started, I thought it was me, but the more I progressed, I had NO idea what was happening. Every time I got closer to understanding, I went backwards. A girl who sleeps walk and the audience might have the same feelings about being lost like she was through the book. Summed up beautifully.
March 1, 2025
Thank you for the ARC. This was my first book by this author. I enjoyed it. I tried to guess a few twists and was definitely wrong. Once the book hit about 60%, I couldn’t stop reading. I had to find out all the details.
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