Family Medicine

by Natasha Jeneen Thomas

Therese Hughes-Baldwin arrives in Boca Raton with hopes of joining the most prestigious dance company in south Florida. But instead of finding ballet success, she suffers an embarrassing heartbreak and takes a boring barista job. She also inadvertently gains the attention of the woman who stalks her on every train ride she takes.

So when Therese’s favorite café customer, Dr. Dara Clemens, offers an escape to her beachside mansion, Therese can hardly say “yes” quickly enough. With her suitcase in hand and best friend Phoebe by her side, she heads to the Clemens’ oceanfront getaway. The home is gorgeous. The beach is, too. So is the stranger Therese gives her number to at the bar.

But there are voices in the vents. And there are people who stare. And Therese faces a sinking feeling that something is hauntingly off about Phoebe’s behavior. As Therese questions the motivations of those around her, she opens the door to a reality she never thought she’d find.

340 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 8, 2021

About the author

Natasha Jeneen Thomas is a Florida-born psychiatrist and psychological suspense writer. She has spent the past eleven years in psychiatric private practice exploring individual and collective story and the power of perception. Witnessing life from the vantage point of the human psyche's inner workings, Natasha sees the state of the world as a reflection of the stories we tell ourselves – and allow ourselves to believe.

Natasha earned a Bachelor of Science from Spelman College, studied medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and completed residency training in psychiatry at University of Maryland and Sheppard & Enoch Pratt hospitals. In 2010, she moved to Metro Atlanta to work as an outpatient psychiatrist and has the continued honor of providing clinical care as owner & CEO of Hope Grove Psychiatry, PC. When she is not doctoring or writing, she is enjoying her family, her home, or her corner of the couch.

Reviews

[Chenil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hated this book so much. None of the characters were believeable in the slightest, even when all of the twists were revealed. Therese was an idiot and so was Summer. Tomas became creepy. Phoebe was mistrated and overlooked. Victor was insane and all for the benefit of the mom? That story line did not have enough justification to me. I didn't think anyone's motivations were particularly clear and all of the reveals felt like they were half worked for and mostly just an avenue to save the nonsense the auhtor wrote. Bad.

[Maia G-S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. One that really makes you think. I went back multiple times to reread passages or reference previous chapters. Agree with other reviewer that a bit of closure on a few characters would have been good, but the final scene does allow those loose ends to speak for themselves. The twists kept twisting!

[Andria · Rating 5 out of 5]

You HAVE to keep up!

It does take a while to get into what is going on, but if you can it’s certainly worth the read. Not at all what I expected, in a good way! Just take your time reading and it will be fine.

[Jenn 💜 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, it sounded promising, but was a big let down. It reminded me of when I had an assignment to write 100 pages on a topic that I could have covered in 10. The author obviously has a good story to tell, but this failed to hit the mark for me.

[Arlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family full of surprises

I enjoyed the book. Summer was complicated and at first I thought the story line would be different. I liked the direction the story took. I would have liked some closer on the other characters but the twist in the end was great.

[Mandy Schimelpfenig · Rating 4 out of 5]

A psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the last page. I only wish it didn't end the way it did. I wanted to know all the secrets!