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A Beautiful Family
Over the course of one sunbaked summer vacation, a family is pulled into a web of mysteries that the younger daughter sets out to solve. A tense, page-turning debut of childhood, innocence, and evil.
At ten years old, she catches more than her parents and older sister suspect. Over their summer break, her mother plans to finish her novel, her father wants to grill and watch cricket, and her fifteen-year-old sister hopes to catch the eye of a local lifeguard. With everyone around her distracted, she teams up with a new friend to solve a mystery that haunts this vacation they'll close the case of what happened to Charlotte, a child who was presumed drowned two years earlier.
But things aren't quite as they seem, and as the children look for clues, they inadvertently dislodge information they wish they'd never uncovered. Are her parents happy together? Is her sister putting her trust in the wrong people? Is their vacation rental as safe as it seems? And when someone else goes missing, the family find themselves at the center of an urgent police investigation.
Debut novelist Jennifer Trevelyan viscerally captures the confusion and frustration of childhood, the fraught but unshakeable bond between sisters, and the dangers that lurk in the white lies we tell--especially about the people we love most.
At ten years old, she catches more than her parents and older sister suspect. Over their summer break, her mother plans to finish her novel, her father wants to grill and watch cricket, and her fifteen-year-old sister hopes to catch the eye of a local lifeguard. With everyone around her distracted, she teams up with a new friend to solve a mystery that haunts this vacation they'll close the case of what happened to Charlotte, a child who was presumed drowned two years earlier.
But things aren't quite as they seem, and as the children look for clues, they inadvertently dislodge information they wish they'd never uncovered. Are her parents happy together? Is her sister putting her trust in the wrong people? Is their vacation rental as safe as it seems? And when someone else goes missing, the family find themselves at the center of an urgent police investigation.
Debut novelist Jennifer Trevelyan viscerally captures the confusion and frustration of childhood, the fraught but unshakeable bond between sisters, and the dangers that lurk in the white lies we tell--especially about the people we love most.
336 pages, Paperback
First published June 24, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 648 reviews
May 26, 2025
Set in New Zealand in 1985, we follow our protagonist, Alix, aged 10 through her family summer holiday.
I love a book that takes you back to a certain place in time. This book is full of eighties nostalgia, and I'm here for all of it.
When Alix meets 11 year old Kahu and learns that a 9 year old girl named Charlotte was lost at sea a few summers ago, the quest begins to find her.
I loved the portrayal of summer friendships and complicated family dynamics all mixed in with sunburn, underage shenanigans, and long summer days. The confusion of being ten, learning the languages of adults and teenagers, and the uncomfortableness of growing into our limbs.
This is what I would call a quiet book. It creeps along, and while it handles some explosive tropes (and explosive personalities), it does it so carefully and quietly.
I don't read enough books set in this part of the world. This was a refreshing read.
Four stars.
I love a book that takes you back to a certain place in time. This book is full of eighties nostalgia, and I'm here for all of it.
When Alix meets 11 year old Kahu and learns that a 9 year old girl named Charlotte was lost at sea a few summers ago, the quest begins to find her.
I loved the portrayal of summer friendships and complicated family dynamics all mixed in with sunburn, underage shenanigans, and long summer days. The confusion of being ten, learning the languages of adults and teenagers, and the uncomfortableness of growing into our limbs.
This is what I would call a quiet book. It creeps along, and while it handles some explosive tropes (and explosive personalities), it does it so carefully and quietly.
I don't read enough books set in this part of the world. This was a refreshing read.
Four stars.
March 17, 2025
2.5
I really struggled to review this book as on one hand I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was told through the perspective of a 10 year old girl which I really liked, I find children to be more perceptive than adults, so seeing things through Alix's eyes really helped give a bit more to the story. I also enjoyed the beach setting. However, on the other hand, we have 2 clueless parents, a stereotypical teenage sister and the ending was incredibly disappointing. I felt too many loose ends were left and we didn't really get many answers. I read this book in 24 hours and was left feeling unsatisfied.
I really struggled to review this book as on one hand I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was told through the perspective of a 10 year old girl which I really liked, I find children to be more perceptive than adults, so seeing things through Alix's eyes really helped give a bit more to the story. I also enjoyed the beach setting. However, on the other hand, we have 2 clueless parents, a stereotypical teenage sister and the ending was incredibly disappointing. I felt too many loose ends were left and we didn't really get many answers. I read this book in 24 hours and was left feeling unsatisfied.
January 19, 2026
This fabulously written debut novel offers a slow-burn mystery, about an eventful summer family holiday, that changes the entire family. The story is set in New Zealand during the 1980's and is told from the perspective of our perceptive ten-year-old protagonist, Alix.
This atmospheric story evoked nostalgia for lazy family holidays, before internet or smartphones, including shared barbecues, listening to the Walkman while relaxing in the sunshine, plenty of unsupervised time, reading Dolly magazine while listening to a cassette tape, relaxing with crosswords or jigsaw puzzles, wearing jandals to the beach, and making friends with other kids in the same situation.
Jennifer has also deftly captured the innocence, frustration and delight of childhood, as well as the awareness and confusion of observing the fallibility of the adults around them.
Alix wants to enjoy a sun-drenched holiday with her family, although her father prefers to watch the cricket, her mum is often distracted or trying to write a novel, and her fifteen-year-old sister would prefer to hang out with other teenagers. Alix befriends Kahu, and they are determined to uncover the mystery of Charlotte, a young girl who went missing from the area a couple of summers ago.
Despite the story being told from a ten-year old, there is plenty of psychological suspense as Alix is not necessarily aware of the implications of the secrets that she is uncovering throughout the story.
This story explores sibling relationships, family secrets, teenage rebellion, holiday friendships and suspicious neighbors. The writing offers a brilliant mixture of warmth and relatability, alongside the mysterious elements. The ending is rather open-ended, which actually works well for the story.
This atmospheric story evoked nostalgia for lazy family holidays, before internet or smartphones, including shared barbecues, listening to the Walkman while relaxing in the sunshine, plenty of unsupervised time, reading Dolly magazine while listening to a cassette tape, relaxing with crosswords or jigsaw puzzles, wearing jandals to the beach, and making friends with other kids in the same situation.
Jennifer has also deftly captured the innocence, frustration and delight of childhood, as well as the awareness and confusion of observing the fallibility of the adults around them.
Alix wants to enjoy a sun-drenched holiday with her family, although her father prefers to watch the cricket, her mum is often distracted or trying to write a novel, and her fifteen-year-old sister would prefer to hang out with other teenagers. Alix befriends Kahu, and they are determined to uncover the mystery of Charlotte, a young girl who went missing from the area a couple of summers ago.
Despite the story being told from a ten-year old, there is plenty of psychological suspense as Alix is not necessarily aware of the implications of the secrets that she is uncovering throughout the story.
This story explores sibling relationships, family secrets, teenage rebellion, holiday friendships and suspicious neighbors. The writing offers a brilliant mixture of warmth and relatability, alongside the mysterious elements. The ending is rather open-ended, which actually works well for the story.
June 9, 2025
Alix’s family is away for the summer.
Oh my goodness. What an exquisite book. A Beautiful Family is an absolute triumph. Part coming of age story, part thriller, part domestic drama and part mystery, this is a book that is far greater than the sum of its parts and I adored it.
Told from ten year old Alix’s perspective, A Beautiful Family is the epitome of tension. Jennifer Trevelyan captivates the reader from the very first page and mesmerises them to the last word. Not every single element of the narrative is resolved by the end so that the narrative feels as if it reflects the vagaries of real life, making it all the more impactful. It also means that the story reverberates in the reader’s mind long after the book is finished. It made me feel anxious and tense as I read but I simply couldn’t put it down. This truly is a masterclass in implied meaning. We fill in the gaps Alix leaves so that our minds suggest all kinds of scenarios – especially with regard to the man next door to the holiday home.
The prose in A Beautiful Family is simultaneously sparse and beautiful and Alix’s voice is totally believable. Her blend of naivety and knowledge as she is growing up with her older sister Vanessa is utterly convincing. As a result, she reveals events, relationships and the actions of other characters to perfection.
With the unities of time (a summer), place (a resort just north of Wellington in New Zealand) and action (Alix and Kahu’s search for missing little girl Charlotte) there’s an almost unbearable, menacing, intensity that is utterly compelling. As events unfold, Alix’s beautiful family begins to unravel so that the author peels back the layers of society and reveals the murky reality of relationships, burgeoning sexuality, family, marriage, friendship and difference. It really is a microcosm of the world.
I’m aware I’ve been somewhat vague in my review, but the narrative is so intricately woven that I don’t want to reveal anything that might spoil this exceptional book for others.
In case it isn’t obvious, I thought A Beautiful Family was, quite simply, fantastic. I cannot recommend it highly enough. But if you read it, don’t forget to breathe. I swear I was holding my breath throughout!
Oh my goodness. What an exquisite book. A Beautiful Family is an absolute triumph. Part coming of age story, part thriller, part domestic drama and part mystery, this is a book that is far greater than the sum of its parts and I adored it.
Told from ten year old Alix’s perspective, A Beautiful Family is the epitome of tension. Jennifer Trevelyan captivates the reader from the very first page and mesmerises them to the last word. Not every single element of the narrative is resolved by the end so that the narrative feels as if it reflects the vagaries of real life, making it all the more impactful. It also means that the story reverberates in the reader’s mind long after the book is finished. It made me feel anxious and tense as I read but I simply couldn’t put it down. This truly is a masterclass in implied meaning. We fill in the gaps Alix leaves so that our minds suggest all kinds of scenarios – especially with regard to the man next door to the holiday home.
The prose in A Beautiful Family is simultaneously sparse and beautiful and Alix’s voice is totally believable. Her blend of naivety and knowledge as she is growing up with her older sister Vanessa is utterly convincing. As a result, she reveals events, relationships and the actions of other characters to perfection.
With the unities of time (a summer), place (a resort just north of Wellington in New Zealand) and action (Alix and Kahu’s search for missing little girl Charlotte) there’s an almost unbearable, menacing, intensity that is utterly compelling. As events unfold, Alix’s beautiful family begins to unravel so that the author peels back the layers of society and reveals the murky reality of relationships, burgeoning sexuality, family, marriage, friendship and difference. It really is a microcosm of the world.
I’m aware I’ve been somewhat vague in my review, but the narrative is so intricately woven that I don’t want to reveal anything that might spoil this exceptional book for others.
In case it isn’t obvious, I thought A Beautiful Family was, quite simply, fantastic. I cannot recommend it highly enough. But if you read it, don’t forget to breathe. I swear I was holding my breath throughout!
July 16, 2025
✰ 2.75 stars ✰
Sometimes I read something that just leaves me kinda speechless - not in a mean way - but more like, okay, and? like, I read it this morning with this build-up to something. 🤔 I kept waiting for something to happen and just mean something, y'know? And when it did, it felt a bit rushed and a tad unclear. It’s a strange mix of a suspenseful thriller-mystery wrapped neatly with this undercurrent of family drama that seems as relatable as it is questionable.
There's this kind of glow-y ambience to the setting the author captured - one that is fleeting, but still on the precipice of something strange and alarming about to happen - 'then it was something unknowable, something we were powerless to avoid or prevent.' 🥺 I think it had more to do with our narrator's voice; how her sometimes lackadaisical composure outweighed her common sense, followed then by her petulant attitude, which countered her often forgiving and complacent nature.
“It all went away and I felt very calm and strong, because of that word my mother had used—secrets. ”
I didn't feel like anything wrapped or was resolved. The author highlights strange occurrences that really don't add up, aside from giving this air of unsettling mystique, which is captured through the eyes of our ten-year-old protagonist, Alix, who can be belligerent or troublesome at times, but you can just chalk up her personality to inquisitive, and intuitive. 🧐 She avoids conflict to the point of even hurting herself. she plays her strengths and her weaknesses to her own personal gains and means, while still trying to find a way to preserve the image of A Beautiful Family that on the outskirts her parents and fifteen-year-old sister reflect, when in actuality, there is --- not tension, but concern and conflict permeating in the cracks.
It is those cracks that lie the secrets and confusion that had me wondering where we are going with this narrative? Why do they play a significance and will we in fact get some closure to it? 😥
The family is not without their own set of problems. The father who just wants to have a good time but is slowly questioning his wife’s moral obligations, the mother whose intent on finishing her novel, but has unspoken secrets that are now weighing on her psyche and marriage, Vanessa, who is toeing the line of crossing the line to uncharted dangerous waters that threaten her safety. 😟 And Alix, the observant and still conflicted one, who's trying to find that balance between knowing when to back down or when to speak up and what risks are worth taking no matter the cost. There is one underlying mystery that serves as a connection between Alix and Kahu, a local boy she befriends while she and her family are on holiday at the dawn of 1986....
“We were not doomed then, but not exactly saved yet either.”
The unease that came with the two of them searching for a missing child was palpable, tense and kinda chilling; but the reveal felt abrupt and predictable. Followed by some other conflict thrown in that also did not make much sense to me. 😕 There was no real build-up to that, so it felt out of place; and then it did not leave me with any closure, especially with how the ending just launched the reader into everything happening all at once - that it didn't give way for anything to settle down. 🙍🏻♀️
Personally, I did find it a bit confusing to connect it as a summer holiday, when it's January, but then it clicked that oh, it's set in New Zealand, so... 💡 I liked the vibes of the 80s music; the feel of independence, as well as this hint of dare with that air of rebellion, and just freedom that is missing nowadays. The pacing was decent enough, but sometimes the way the chapters ended with this hint of something amiss felt exhausting; like once was fine, twice okay, more than that seemed reaching. 😮💨
On the whole, I guess it was a depiction of the desperate measures one seeks to preserve the image of what we wish others to perceive ourselves as – a family without flaws or issues, and how we’ll do whatever means necessary to rid any malignant evidence just so that our hands are clean and our conscience pure. So, I didn't hate it, but I didn't enjoy it, yet it kept me invested, but it left me conflicted. The writing kept edging me along that something was going to happen, and when it did, it just left me feeling off-base, because the hints were there, so the reveal wasn't that shocking, and then it filtered out into --- nothing... 😔
“Now I understood that a family wasn’t a particularly solid thing—it was a bubble purely of our own making and just like a bubble, it could burst.”
Sometimes I read something that just leaves me kinda speechless - not in a mean way - but more like, okay, and? like, I read it this morning with this build-up to something. 🤔 I kept waiting for something to happen and just mean something, y'know? And when it did, it felt a bit rushed and a tad unclear. It’s a strange mix of a suspenseful thriller-mystery wrapped neatly with this undercurrent of family drama that seems as relatable as it is questionable.
There's this kind of glow-y ambience to the setting the author captured - one that is fleeting, but still on the precipice of something strange and alarming about to happen - 'then it was something unknowable, something we were powerless to avoid or prevent.' 🥺 I think it had more to do with our narrator's voice; how her sometimes lackadaisical composure outweighed her common sense, followed then by her petulant attitude, which countered her often forgiving and complacent nature.
“It all went away and I felt very calm and strong, because of that word my mother had used—secrets. ”
I didn't feel like anything wrapped or was resolved. The author highlights strange occurrences that really don't add up, aside from giving this air of unsettling mystique, which is captured through the eyes of our ten-year-old protagonist, Alix, who can be belligerent or troublesome at times, but you can just chalk up her personality to inquisitive, and intuitive. 🧐 She avoids conflict to the point of even hurting herself. she plays her strengths and her weaknesses to her own personal gains and means, while still trying to find a way to preserve the image of A Beautiful Family that on the outskirts her parents and fifteen-year-old sister reflect, when in actuality, there is --- not tension, but concern and conflict permeating in the cracks.
It is those cracks that lie the secrets and confusion that had me wondering where we are going with this narrative? Why do they play a significance and will we in fact get some closure to it? 😥
The family is not without their own set of problems. The father who just wants to have a good time but is slowly questioning his wife’s moral obligations, the mother whose intent on finishing her novel, but has unspoken secrets that are now weighing on her psyche and marriage, Vanessa, who is toeing the line of crossing the line to uncharted dangerous waters that threaten her safety. 😟 And Alix, the observant and still conflicted one, who's trying to find that balance between knowing when to back down or when to speak up and what risks are worth taking no matter the cost. There is one underlying mystery that serves as a connection between Alix and Kahu, a local boy she befriends while she and her family are on holiday at the dawn of 1986....
“We were not doomed then, but not exactly saved yet either.”
The unease that came with the two of them searching for a missing child was palpable, tense and kinda chilling; but the reveal felt abrupt and predictable. Followed by some other conflict thrown in that also did not make much sense to me. 😕 There was no real build-up to that, so it felt out of place; and then it did not leave me with any closure, especially with how the ending just launched the reader into everything happening all at once - that it didn't give way for anything to settle down. 🙍🏻♀️
Personally, I did find it a bit confusing to connect it as a summer holiday, when it's January, but then it clicked that oh, it's set in New Zealand, so... 💡 I liked the vibes of the 80s music; the feel of independence, as well as this hint of dare with that air of rebellion, and just freedom that is missing nowadays. The pacing was decent enough, but sometimes the way the chapters ended with this hint of something amiss felt exhausting; like once was fine, twice okay, more than that seemed reaching. 😮💨
On the whole, I guess it was a depiction of the desperate measures one seeks to preserve the image of what we wish others to perceive ourselves as – a family without flaws or issues, and how we’ll do whatever means necessary to rid any malignant evidence just so that our hands are clean and our conscience pure. So, I didn't hate it, but I didn't enjoy it, yet it kept me invested, but it left me conflicted. The writing kept edging me along that something was going to happen, and when it did, it just left me feeling off-base, because the hints were there, so the reveal wasn't that shocking, and then it filtered out into --- nothing... 😔
November 14, 2025
A family is pulled into a web of secrets during their summer vacation when their younger daughter sets out to solve a local mystery.
This had all of the elements that usually create a winning read for me; however, I struggled to connect to the characters and the storyline, and I think the main cause was pacing. It starts off with a bang, but I quickly found the plot dragging. I have noticed an uptick lately with books being marketed as thrillers, when in fact they are more literary fiction with a mystery or thriller subplot. As a result, expectations are a bit distorted going in. I think I would have enjoyed this more if I had read it as a general fiction novel and wasn't looking out for a fast-paced, twisty read.
Thank you Doubleday for the advanced copy.
This had all of the elements that usually create a winning read for me; however, I struggled to connect to the characters and the storyline, and I think the main cause was pacing. It starts off with a bang, but I quickly found the plot dragging. I have noticed an uptick lately with books being marketed as thrillers, when in fact they are more literary fiction with a mystery or thriller subplot. As a result, expectations are a bit distorted going in. I think I would have enjoyed this more if I had read it as a general fiction novel and wasn't looking out for a fast-paced, twisty read.
Thank you Doubleday for the advanced copy.
June 10, 2025
Initially, the gorgeous cover grabbed me. Sadly, this one just didn’t have enough gas in the tank. Not enough plot to actually get us anywhere. I had to force myself to read after the 55% mark because I had already gotten that far and didn’t want to dnf. Ugh- bummer.
June 3, 2025
Happy publication day 🥳🎉🎧
Told from the perspective of 10 year old Alex A Beautiful Family is a gentle slow burn mystery, dripping with all the nostalgia of a 1980’s childhood holiday with freedom, friendships and family drama.
The beauty of delivering the story from the POV of a child, is that while Alex and Kahu make discoveries, overhear snippets of information and actually solve the mystery, they do it with complete naivety leaving the story open for the reader to interpret. It also sheds a light into the mind of a child, coming to realisations around family situations and shows how little minds wander when they are left without answers from adults, the end of the story was abrupt, and I suppose quite apt, in that the holiday also ends there, I did wonder if the author intends to bring an older Alex back to unpick the holiday at some point, I think this would be interesting.
All in all an accomplished debut novel. Ultimately I did want just a bit more.
I enjoyed Ruby Hansen’s narration.
Huge thanks to Wavesound from W F Howes LTD and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧
Told from the perspective of 10 year old Alex A Beautiful Family is a gentle slow burn mystery, dripping with all the nostalgia of a 1980’s childhood holiday with freedom, friendships and family drama.
The beauty of delivering the story from the POV of a child, is that while Alex and Kahu make discoveries, overhear snippets of information and actually solve the mystery, they do it with complete naivety leaving the story open for the reader to interpret. It also sheds a light into the mind of a child, coming to realisations around family situations and shows how little minds wander when they are left without answers from adults, the end of the story was abrupt, and I suppose quite apt, in that the holiday also ends there, I did wonder if the author intends to bring an older Alex back to unpick the holiday at some point, I think this would be interesting.
All in all an accomplished debut novel. Ultimately I did want just a bit more.
I enjoyed Ruby Hansen’s narration.
Huge thanks to Wavesound from W F Howes LTD and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧
July 11, 2025
Travel back to the mid 1980s New Zealand with A Beautiful Family. This was a story of family, of growing up, childhood and innocence. Although set across the ditch, it brought back memories of my own summer holidays by the sea at the same age as our main character. A family trip up the coast, BBQs, sunburn, and new friends. Getting an ice block in the afternoon sun. Saving all my pocket money for holiday treasures. Listening to music on my first Walkman… good times.
But one thing that I never did, unlike Ali’s, is go looking for a dead body. This is a sad story of the family who are there together but not there together at all. All doing their own things, not in the moment with each other. The creepy man next door, the cool local teenagers, the music, the food.
Don’t read too much about the story! Just read it and be surprised. See the world as a 10 year old again.
Thanks so much to Allen and Unwin for my copy of this book, along with the cool goodies that made sense once I read the book. My daughter stole the zooper dooper and mascara!
But one thing that I never did, unlike Ali’s, is go looking for a dead body. This is a sad story of the family who are there together but not there together at all. All doing their own things, not in the moment with each other. The creepy man next door, the cool local teenagers, the music, the food.
Don’t read too much about the story! Just read it and be surprised. See the world as a 10 year old again.
Thanks so much to Allen and Unwin for my copy of this book, along with the cool goodies that made sense once I read the book. My daughter stole the zooper dooper and mascara!
September 11, 2025
Thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel. It took me back to my childhood growing up in NZ going on summer Holidays with family, this book really does capture that time mid 80s as a kid really well. Very nostalgic read for me.
Loved the POV from 10 year old Ali, as the reader being able to interpret what was happening in the story where Ali’s was too young to understand. The ending is left open but I think it works really well with this story and how its role through a ten year olds perspective.
Highly recommend, coming of age story, mystery, friendships, family drama. Can’t wait to see what is best for this writer
Loved the POV from 10 year old Ali, as the reader being able to interpret what was happening in the story where Ali’s was too young to understand. The ending is left open but I think it works really well with this story and how its role through a ten year olds perspective.
Highly recommend, coming of age story, mystery, friendships, family drama. Can’t wait to see what is best for this writer
February 14, 2025
a beautiful family is one of those books that invoke the feeling of nostalgia. i found throughout reading that this book reminded me a lot of my childhood and growing up. the vivid descriptions of the beach and just the new zealand setting really made me miss home.
there is a slight mystery weaved throughout a beautiful family, which kept me hooked and intrigued. unfortunately, i found the disappointed by the lack of answers at the end. i had so many questions and only a handful of them were actually answered.
i did the find perspective being told through the eyes of a 10 year old girl really interesting. i just wished it was a bit faster paced and had a more conclusive ending.
there is a slight mystery weaved throughout a beautiful family, which kept me hooked and intrigued. unfortunately, i found the disappointed by the lack of answers at the end. i had so many questions and only a handful of them were actually answered.
i did the find perspective being told through the eyes of a 10 year old girl really interesting. i just wished it was a bit faster paced and had a more conclusive ending.
June 17, 2025
Trevelyan’s debut is set in the 1980s as a family of four spends an eventful summer vacation in a New Zealand coastal town. Interestingly, the story is narrated from the point of view of Alix, who at 10 years old, is too young to grasp the things that begin happening around her. After Alix meets a 12 yr old boy, also a vacationer, the two spend their time searching for clues of a young girl named Charlotte who disappeared, presumably drowned, two years earlier. In looking for clues, Alix exposes more than she ever realizes, not aware of the implications of the secrets she’s uncovered.
There are also noticeable changes Alex sees in her parents and older sister.. she also spots an older man who seems to be watching her.
I really liked how this explores a mix of family drama, coming-of-age, teenage rebellion, and sister relationships with deep undertones of intrigue, mystery and psychological suspense. And not once did the story lose my attention by having a young narrator. I did feel Alix’s naivety - it did not affect my enjoyment, only enhanced it as I feel it was supposed to do. I also appreciated all the fun 80s nostalgia. The only thing was how the story seemed to end too soon leaving me feeling maybe I missed something? 4 stars — Pub. 6/24/25
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
There are also noticeable changes Alex sees in her parents and older sister.. she also spots an older man who seems to be watching her.
I really liked how this explores a mix of family drama, coming-of-age, teenage rebellion, and sister relationships with deep undertones of intrigue, mystery and psychological suspense. And not once did the story lose my attention by having a young narrator. I did feel Alix’s naivety - it did not affect my enjoyment, only enhanced it as I feel it was supposed to do. I also appreciated all the fun 80s nostalgia. The only thing was how the story seemed to end too soon leaving me feeling maybe I missed something? 4 stars — Pub. 6/24/25
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 11, 2025
A hauntingly beautiful tale of family, loyalty and the rippled effects of big choices
Set in New Zealand during the summer Christmas holidays of 1986. A young family of four venture out of their home town of Wellington in search of fresh air and the beach for their annual summer break. With mum and dad already distracted and her older fifteen year old sister Vanessa in a mood, the ten year old daughter goes in search of water and adventure
She soon meets Kahu, a young boy also on holiday and learns of his quest to find answers to a local missing persons case. Involving a young girl named Charlotte who vanished without a trace
Told from the POV of the ten year old daughter, we follow her summer a days as she tries to help her new friend but also understand the complexity of her family’s relationships and the choices they make that change their lives for ever
I was absolutely immersed in this book. The writing is beautiful and the story flows effortlessly. The 80s setting added so much to the story and the youngest daughter is such a wonderful character you are completely invested in her so quickly
Thank you Allen & Unwin for my gifted copy
Set in New Zealand during the summer Christmas holidays of 1986. A young family of four venture out of their home town of Wellington in search of fresh air and the beach for their annual summer break. With mum and dad already distracted and her older fifteen year old sister Vanessa in a mood, the ten year old daughter goes in search of water and adventure
She soon meets Kahu, a young boy also on holiday and learns of his quest to find answers to a local missing persons case. Involving a young girl named Charlotte who vanished without a trace
Told from the POV of the ten year old daughter, we follow her summer a days as she tries to help her new friend but also understand the complexity of her family’s relationships and the choices they make that change their lives for ever
I was absolutely immersed in this book. The writing is beautiful and the story flows effortlessly. The 80s setting added so much to the story and the youngest daughter is such a wonderful character you are completely invested in her so quickly
Thank you Allen & Unwin for my gifted copy
July 5, 2025
Was there even a plot?
March 17, 2025
I had a hard time following along on this book; the best way to describe this book was that this felt like a series of disconnected photographs that you'd see in an artsy movie about a family at the beach. You'd see one photo of the daughters at the beach and then the scene would cut to a BBQ and then cut to a creepy shot. And it was unclear how they all were connected.
The plot was disjointed, and somewhat frustratingly, there were certain plot points that seemed to be important that there never seemed to go anywhere. It also seemed like the motivations of characters was unclear; sometimes characters did thing that didn't make any sense. Maybe the reader was supposed to pick up on some subtleties, but it may have been too subtle for me.
I had hopes after reading the summary for this book, but unfortunately, those hopes were dashed. I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The plot was disjointed, and somewhat frustratingly, there were certain plot points that seemed to be important that there never seemed to go anywhere. It also seemed like the motivations of characters was unclear; sometimes characters did thing that didn't make any sense. Maybe the reader was supposed to pick up on some subtleties, but it may have been too subtle for me.
I had hopes after reading the summary for this book, but unfortunately, those hopes were dashed. I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 13, 2026
Told from the perspective of a 10 year old girl in the 1980s holidaying on the Kapiti coast with her increasingly dysfunctional family. A coming of age story with a hint of suspense. Very enjoyable.
June 8, 2025
Alix and her family take a long, family holiday near the beach. Alix (10) and sister Vanessa (15) are not particularly close. Alix befriends Kahu and they begin investigating the disappearance of a young girl, Charlotte.
Alix’s parents are distracted, appear to hold some secrets and seem distant, and there is a creepy neighbour next door…
My thoughts:
I devoured this in less than 24 hours. The book started off quite slow, it picked up the pace and the tension, suspense and mystery built as the book picked up pace.
The story was told through the pov of 10 year old Alix, which I quite enjoyed- it was interesting to read through the eyes of a child. It was clear she got vibes off of the neighbour…. I loved the 80’s nostalgia of the Walkman and cassette tapes!
There were a couple of points in the book that I really started to worry for Alix…. Especially when she started to follow her instincts.
I did feel that the ending left me with questions. I felt that the story wasn’t wrapped up enough for me. However on reflection, this was told through the eyes of a 10 year old so in actual fact the ending made sense and ended in the way that it probably would for a child.
Overall this was an incredible debut, I was gripped from the start and didn’t want to put it down.
Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan for the advance copy. Opinions expressed here are my own.
Alix’s parents are distracted, appear to hold some secrets and seem distant, and there is a creepy neighbour next door…
My thoughts:
I devoured this in less than 24 hours. The book started off quite slow, it picked up the pace and the tension, suspense and mystery built as the book picked up pace.
The story was told through the pov of 10 year old Alix, which I quite enjoyed- it was interesting to read through the eyes of a child. It was clear she got vibes off of the neighbour…. I loved the 80’s nostalgia of the Walkman and cassette tapes!
There were a couple of points in the book that I really started to worry for Alix…. Especially when she started to follow her instincts.
I did feel that the ending left me with questions. I felt that the story wasn’t wrapped up enough for me. However on reflection, this was told through the eyes of a 10 year old so in actual fact the ending made sense and ended in the way that it probably would for a child.
Overall this was an incredible debut, I was gripped from the start and didn’t want to put it down.
Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan for the advance copy. Opinions expressed here are my own.
May 23, 2025
Big thanks to Allen & Unwin and Better Reading for sending us a copy to read and review.
New Zealand author Jennifer Trevelyan has captivated her reader audience with a delightful, entertaining and engaging narrative with a background thread mystery and at the heart of the story is family.
Seen through the eyes of a ten year old, the story is told beautifully and naively but as an adult reader you read between the lines and see so much more.
It’s the 80s and the tradition of a summer holiday for this family is about to begin.
Alix and her fifteen year old sister Vanessa and their parents arrive in a small seaside town.
Spending the days at the beach and lots of family time, Alix befriends a local boy, Kahu and their adventures start.
A baffling mystery of the disappearance of a young girl, sets their curious minds fluttering.
But their curiosity shakes up suspicious neighbours, rebel teens and secrets of the community.
A mixed tale that explores a sisterly relationship and family dynamics.
I enjoyed my reading journey with this book.
In the pages a child’s innocence is investigated and the grown up observer sees the truth.
New Zealand author Jennifer Trevelyan has captivated her reader audience with a delightful, entertaining and engaging narrative with a background thread mystery and at the heart of the story is family.
Seen through the eyes of a ten year old, the story is told beautifully and naively but as an adult reader you read between the lines and see so much more.
It’s the 80s and the tradition of a summer holiday for this family is about to begin.
Alix and her fifteen year old sister Vanessa and their parents arrive in a small seaside town.
Spending the days at the beach and lots of family time, Alix befriends a local boy, Kahu and their adventures start.
A baffling mystery of the disappearance of a young girl, sets their curious minds fluttering.
But their curiosity shakes up suspicious neighbours, rebel teens and secrets of the community.
A mixed tale that explores a sisterly relationship and family dynamics.
I enjoyed my reading journey with this book.
In the pages a child’s innocence is investigated and the grown up observer sees the truth.
August 30, 2025
This is a well written, slow paced book about a summer holiday set in the 80s narrated by a 10yr old girl. It’s about friendship, families, and sisters. There’s also a creepy male neighbour and the mystery of a young girl who went missing some years earlier.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I’ve come to really dislike child narrators, it’s a really frustrating way to read (), because usually you’re more aware of what’s going on before the narrator is, and you’re aren’t told those characters motivations.
So this was a good read just I think it would’ve been a better one if the story was told from more than one point of view, for me anyway.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I’ve come to really dislike child narrators, it’s a really frustrating way to read (), because usually you’re more aware of what’s going on before the narrator is, and you’re aren’t told those characters motivations.
So this was a good read just I think it would’ve been a better one if the story was told from more than one point of view, for me anyway.
July 22, 2025
I need a sequel.
July 31, 2025
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! THATS HOW IT ENDED?! HALF THE PLOT WAS JUST LEFT UP IN THE AIR, SO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS AND THINGS THAT JUST NEVER GOT ADDRESSED AGAIN
February 7, 2026
3.5★
A story of friendship, family, secrets, and drama, all the things that make for great reading. The mystery element in this story added another layer, which I enjoyed.
A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan is a debut novel and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
A story of friendship, family, secrets, and drama, all the things that make for great reading. The mystery element in this story added another layer, which I enjoyed.
A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan is a debut novel and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
June 15, 2025
How was this a debut? This was so beautifully written and captured the time period and the mind of a ten year old girl perfectly.
Set in New Zealand in the 80's, A Beautiful Family is told from the pov of Alix, a ten year old girl. On the annual family holiday with her mum and dad and fifteen year old sister Vanessa, Alix is aware of a change in her family. Her sister is growing up and pushing boundaries and something is going on with her parents.
After meeting Kahu, a young boy on holiday with his family, they form a lovely friendship and decide to set out to find the body of a young girl that went missing, presumed drowned, a few years earlier. Each day they set out and search a new area.
Alix also becomes uneasy after noticing their neighbour watching their house. When he rescues her sister from the surf one day, she wonders if he really is a good Samaritan or if she right to be wary.
With a sense of unease that grows as this story progresses, I was engrossed in this book and read the last 150 pages in a few hours.
All the angst and innocence of a ten year old was so well portrayed. This gave the story such a beautiful voice as Alix tried to decipher what was happening. I was taken back to my own ten year old self and how I viewed the world - the almost understanding of conversations overhead, the almost knowing of what words meant, the feeling of being between a child and a teenager, the little things you think and do because you think they will affect the outcome of a situation.
While I was a teenager in the 80's, as opposed to a ten year old, the homage paid to the 80's, which was definitely my defining era, was so good to read - Dolly magazine, Walkmans, cassette tapes, sunbaking until you fried, first crushes......ahhh the memories 🥹
Such a fantastic book!
Set in New Zealand in the 80's, A Beautiful Family is told from the pov of Alix, a ten year old girl. On the annual family holiday with her mum and dad and fifteen year old sister Vanessa, Alix is aware of a change in her family. Her sister is growing up and pushing boundaries and something is going on with her parents.
After meeting Kahu, a young boy on holiday with his family, they form a lovely friendship and decide to set out to find the body of a young girl that went missing, presumed drowned, a few years earlier. Each day they set out and search a new area.
Alix also becomes uneasy after noticing their neighbour watching their house. When he rescues her sister from the surf one day, she wonders if he really is a good Samaritan or if she right to be wary.
With a sense of unease that grows as this story progresses, I was engrossed in this book and read the last 150 pages in a few hours.
All the angst and innocence of a ten year old was so well portrayed. This gave the story such a beautiful voice as Alix tried to decipher what was happening. I was taken back to my own ten year old self and how I viewed the world - the almost understanding of conversations overhead, the almost knowing of what words meant, the feeling of being between a child and a teenager, the little things you think and do because you think they will affect the outcome of a situation.
While I was a teenager in the 80's, as opposed to a ten year old, the homage paid to the 80's, which was definitely my defining era, was so good to read - Dolly magazine, Walkmans, cassette tapes, sunbaking until you fried, first crushes......ahhh the memories 🥹
Such a fantastic book!
July 28, 2025
This is an interesting debut, set in NZ and written by a kiwi author.
It’s kind of haunting and whimsical but on the other hand it’s somewhat dark and mysterious. It captures a slice of a family’s summer in the mid 80s - two parents and their children, a 15yo and a 10yo. Alix is the 10yo and it is her point of view we see the book is written from. And this is what provides a basis for this feeling of fragmented snapshots being scattered about, with tenuous threads between them, bringing about a fairly muddled, unclear outcome.
There’s some mystery; Alix and a boy she befriends, trying to solve the disappearance of a girl some time before. There’s some intrigue; why is Alix’s mother walking up the beach every day and why is she so secretive. There’s family drama; why are Alix’s parents so disconnected. There’s secrets, lies, and some odd happenings that Alix is trying to make sense of.
This is very much a character driven story and it’s quite a gradual building of what the reader learns through Alix’s experience. The plot isn’t at the forefront driving the narrative, being more of a support with events dotted throughout where you learn more about people significant to Alix, and her feelings at that point in time.
It was an interesting book for mind, something very different from what I was anticipating when I picked it up. Heavy with nostalgia as well, with the memories it evokes of music and sentiments of the time.
Thanks to Allen and Unwin for my copy.
It’s kind of haunting and whimsical but on the other hand it’s somewhat dark and mysterious. It captures a slice of a family’s summer in the mid 80s - two parents and their children, a 15yo and a 10yo. Alix is the 10yo and it is her point of view we see the book is written from. And this is what provides a basis for this feeling of fragmented snapshots being scattered about, with tenuous threads between them, bringing about a fairly muddled, unclear outcome.
There’s some mystery; Alix and a boy she befriends, trying to solve the disappearance of a girl some time before. There’s some intrigue; why is Alix’s mother walking up the beach every day and why is she so secretive. There’s family drama; why are Alix’s parents so disconnected. There’s secrets, lies, and some odd happenings that Alix is trying to make sense of.
This is very much a character driven story and it’s quite a gradual building of what the reader learns through Alix’s experience. The plot isn’t at the forefront driving the narrative, being more of a support with events dotted throughout where you learn more about people significant to Alix, and her feelings at that point in time.
It was an interesting book for mind, something very different from what I was anticipating when I picked it up. Heavy with nostalgia as well, with the memories it evokes of music and sentiments of the time.
Thanks to Allen and Unwin for my copy.
January 4, 2025
A nostalgic writing into how it is to be part of a family holidays as a child. Secrets, adventures, new friends, discoveries.
Beautiful writing by the author - especially that it has been done from a POV of a ten year old.
Beautiful depiction of how children are left to their own devices at times when family situations go wrong. How child’s curiosity will find a way of finding themselves in any situation they’re in.
Very intriguing hint of mystery throughout the book with the perfect ending.
Beautiful and moving, hint of nostalgia of how it was to view the world and adult life through the eyes of a child.
Beautiful writing by the author - especially that it has been done from a POV of a ten year old.
Beautiful depiction of how children are left to their own devices at times when family situations go wrong. How child’s curiosity will find a way of finding themselves in any situation they’re in.
Very intriguing hint of mystery throughout the book with the perfect ending.
Beautiful and moving, hint of nostalgia of how it was to view the world and adult life through the eyes of a child.
July 28, 2025
Yet again I seem to have read a different book than the glowing blurbs described, definitely not tense nor page turning for this reader. The author certainly set the summer beach holiday vibe, similarly the time period, the teenage daughter was a true stereotype, and the confusion of childhood and child adult relations came through. However, as the adults in the novel are busy fussing over their own lives they completely miss the serious undercurrents and dangerous occurrences taking place around them and we are left to learn what we learn through the eyes of the 10 year old female narrator. The ending is, consequently, what it is.
July 27, 2025
A beautiful story with an underlying hint of menace. I enjoyed it.
February 10, 2026
Really got into this story and the personal perspectives from a 10 year old girl.
Story veered off into many directions - but at the abrupt conclusion, where did it all end? Just the family driving back home to Wellington, acting as if nothing ever happened the entire time they were staying at the beach, in the vacation rental. But, everything happened! Crazy happened!
My head is spinning. When I saw the end coming and I only saw a couple of pages left to read, I had a gut feeling something bad/terminal was going to happen to them (like a car wreck and everyone perishes) but instead we totally got something else and I’m not satisfied or pleased with the outcome.
Story veered off into many directions - but at the abrupt conclusion, where did it all end? Just the family driving back home to Wellington, acting as if nothing ever happened the entire time they were staying at the beach, in the vacation rental. But, everything happened! Crazy happened!
My head is spinning. When I saw the end coming and I only saw a couple of pages left to read, I had a gut feeling something bad/terminal was going to happen to them (like a car wreck and everyone perishes) but instead we totally got something else and I’m not satisfied or pleased with the outcome.
July 21, 2025
Very disappointing. The story built up to what should have been an interesting conclusion, but left much unanswered.
June 19, 2025
I have read a lot of debuts this year and there is a slate of really good writers coming up the ranks right now. This novel looks like a slate of other popular books such as Ann Napolitano or Claire Lombardo with the big white text backed up by an oil painting but is unique enough on the inside that I think it is deserving of being read.
Told through the eyes of a 10 year old girl on holiday with her family in New Zealand in the year 1985, we encounter a sort of whodunit wrapped in deep familial drama that breezes by effortlessly. The chapters are paced well and there was enough cliff hangers between certain chapters that I felt the urge to just read one more time and time again.
Witnessing this adventure through the eyes of our 10 year old explorer had me at times simply wanting to scream, "No, don't do that"! And, I think, this is the power of this novel. As adults, traveling in the mind of a youth, we simply expect them to make decisions as we would and Jennifer made sure to portray our character as intended: an immature youth, curious and ambivalent to many of the dangers around her.
What starts off as a simple vacation develops into an investigation to find a missing girl named Charlotte with Alix's new friend Kahu. Both young children spend their days turning over rocks, exploring the countryside in hopes of uncovering clues to the mystery of Charlotte's disappearance. Through a series of unfortunate events we uncover something much deeper and closer to the holiday cottage Alix's family have rented and although you as the reader may guess the culprit early in the story it is the perspective of our youth and the lens through which the story is told that keeps the reader locked in until the conclusion.
Ultimately, I think this book will do well and was privileged to receive a physical ARC from Doubleday which I am grateful for. If you are looking for a thriller told through a unique perspective and are a fan of literary fiction, I think you may be in for a good treat. Look to pack this one on a holiday this summer, it is a fitting affair and one you will find little reason to dislike.
Told through the eyes of a 10 year old girl on holiday with her family in New Zealand in the year 1985, we encounter a sort of whodunit wrapped in deep familial drama that breezes by effortlessly. The chapters are paced well and there was enough cliff hangers between certain chapters that I felt the urge to just read one more time and time again.
Witnessing this adventure through the eyes of our 10 year old explorer had me at times simply wanting to scream, "No, don't do that"! And, I think, this is the power of this novel. As adults, traveling in the mind of a youth, we simply expect them to make decisions as we would and Jennifer made sure to portray our character as intended: an immature youth, curious and ambivalent to many of the dangers around her.
What starts off as a simple vacation develops into an investigation to find a missing girl named Charlotte with Alix's new friend Kahu. Both young children spend their days turning over rocks, exploring the countryside in hopes of uncovering clues to the mystery of Charlotte's disappearance. Through a series of unfortunate events we uncover something much deeper and closer to the holiday cottage Alix's family have rented and although you as the reader may guess the culprit early in the story it is the perspective of our youth and the lens through which the story is told that keeps the reader locked in until the conclusion.
Ultimately, I think this book will do well and was privileged to receive a physical ARC from Doubleday which I am grateful for. If you are looking for a thriller told through a unique perspective and are a fan of literary fiction, I think you may be in for a good treat. Look to pack this one on a holiday this summer, it is a fitting affair and one you will find little reason to dislike.
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