What do you think?
Rate this book
Such a Beautiful Family
A riveting novel of psychological suspense about perfect lives and hidden secrets by New York Times bestselling author T.R. Ragan.
Nora Harmon has a lot to be thankful for: two great kids, a stable marriage, and now, a dream career. Software consultant Jane Bell wants Nora on her team. She’s offering a fantastic salary, flexible hours, and a chance to travel the world. It sounds too good to be true, but Jane won’t take no for an answer.
Jane acts more like a friend than a boss, and Nora’s personal and professional boundaries begin to blur. Jane is smitten with Nora’s perfect family—particularly her daughter—and far too attentive to Nora’s husband. Nora can’t help but feel insecure and unsettled.
Maybe Jane is everything she says she is: a lonely woman in need of feeling the love of a kind and decent family. Maybe Nora is just being paranoid.
Maybe not
Nora Harmon has a lot to be thankful for: two great kids, a stable marriage, and now, a dream career. Software consultant Jane Bell wants Nora on her team. She’s offering a fantastic salary, flexible hours, and a chance to travel the world. It sounds too good to be true, but Jane won’t take no for an answer.
Jane acts more like a friend than a boss, and Nora’s personal and professional boundaries begin to blur. Jane is smitten with Nora’s perfect family—particularly her daughter—and far too attentive to Nora’s husband. Nora can’t help but feel insecure and unsettled.
Maybe Jane is everything she says she is: a lonely woman in need of feeling the love of a kind and decent family. Maybe Nora is just being paranoid.
Maybe not
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 6, 2022
2742 people are currently reading
8604 people want to read
About the author
T.R. Ragan
25 books2,072 followersT.R. Ragan (Theresa Ragan) is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling mystery and thriller author.
Readers interested in signing up for a monthly newsletter or getting their name in a TR RAGAN book should check out her website at www.trragan.com
Facebook • Twitter • Instagram: @trraganauthor
LIZZY GARDNER SERIES
Abducted
Dead Weight
A Dark Mind
Obsessed
Almost Dead
Evil Never Dies
FAITH MCMANN TRILOGY
Furious
Outrage
Wrath
JESSIE COLE SERIES
Her Last Day
Deadly Recall
Deranged - 10/18
Buried Deep - 4/19
Readers interested in signing up for a monthly newsletter or getting their name in a TR RAGAN book should check out her website at www.trragan.com
Facebook • Twitter • Instagram: @trraganauthor
LIZZY GARDNER SERIES
Abducted
Dead Weight
A Dark Mind
Obsessed
Almost Dead
Evil Never Dies
FAITH MCMANN TRILOGY
Furious
Outrage
Wrath
JESSIE COLE SERIES
Her Last Day
Deadly Recall
Deranged - 10/18
Buried Deep - 4/19
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 655 reviews
December 10, 2022
From the book blurb: "A riveting novel of psychological suspense about perfect lives and hidden secrets." That seems to be a common thread in the books I've been reading lately but this is definitely one of the better ones. Nora Harmon lives in Sacramento CA, has a stable marriage, two great kids and now a dream career is hers for the taking. Software consultant Jane Bell wants Nora on her team and she’s offering an excellent salary, flexible hours and a chance to travel the world and Jane won’t take no for an answer.
This is a pretty fast read and the characters, although not especially likeable, are interesting. There's lots going on and some of the occurrences are pretty creepy. Once again we learn that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I just loved young Trevor (age 13) even though he behaved like a much older teen. There's a charming dog named Tank too, a big friendly blue Great Dane.
I learned another new word - "cheugy". You can look it up but essentially it means trying too hard or the opposite of trendy. I have a feeling it didn't really catch on with the millenials!
My thanks to Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: December 6, 2022
This is a pretty fast read and the characters, although not especially likeable, are interesting. There's lots going on and some of the occurrences are pretty creepy. Once again we learn that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I just loved young Trevor (age 13) even though he behaved like a much older teen. There's a charming dog named Tank too, a big friendly blue Great Dane.
I learned another new word - "cheugy". You can look it up but essentially it means trying too hard or the opposite of trendy. I have a feeling it didn't really catch on with the millenials!
My thanks to Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: December 6, 2022
November 28, 2022
Secrets are the name of the game in this book. Almost everyone in this book has at least a secret or two. Nora and her husband must not have heard of the adage "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
Nora Harmon is a happily married woman and mother. She has been sought out and offered a dream job with incredible pay, a chance at travel, and great hours. What's more is that her new employer, Jane, seems to have taken a liking to her and the two become fast friend. Soon professional and person boundaries begin to become intwined. Jane inserts herself into Nora's home life, buying things for her children and being a little too friendly with David, Nora's husband.
What seemed like a dream initially, soon becomes an uncomfortable mess.
This book was fast paced and a solid read. I enjoyed it and found myself shaking my head multiple times while reading. Things get a little OTT and tension flows throughout the book. I thought I had things figured out but didn't quite hit the nail on the head.
This was a nice book to sit back and enjoy. It doesn't take much thought but made for a fast-paced read. As things went off the rails, I didn't mind suspending some disbelief and shaking my heard. I chalk this up to pure escapism reading.
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
Nora Harmon is a happily married woman and mother. She has been sought out and offered a dream job with incredible pay, a chance at travel, and great hours. What's more is that her new employer, Jane, seems to have taken a liking to her and the two become fast friend. Soon professional and person boundaries begin to become intwined. Jane inserts herself into Nora's home life, buying things for her children and being a little too friendly with David, Nora's husband.
What seemed like a dream initially, soon becomes an uncomfortable mess.
This book was fast paced and a solid read. I enjoyed it and found myself shaking my head multiple times while reading. Things get a little OTT and tension flows throughout the book. I thought I had things figured out but didn't quite hit the nail on the head.
This was a nice book to sit back and enjoy. It doesn't take much thought but made for a fast-paced read. As things went off the rails, I didn't mind suspending some disbelief and shaking my heard. I chalk this up to pure escapism reading.
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
February 6, 2023
I have enjoyed reading her books especially the detective crime books,This is a completely different genre a psychological read.A story of a family Nora,David and two children,Nora changes her job after meeting Jane,it doesnt take long to distrust her telling lies,spending to much time with her family while she was away on a job to Paris..who is Jane? What is she hiding?Nora has a secret past..This book was a slow read and predictable read,like to have unexpected twists in the books I read.a good read but left wanting more excitement..my rating is 3.5 rounded to for looking forward to reading more of her books...
July 14, 2022
This book was a fast-paced and quick read. It centers on Nora, who gets offered a dream job from a woman named Jane that she had never met before- it's the job of her dreams, but she soon becomes concerns when Jane gets a little too close to Nora's family and seems to be telling lies about many things in her life.
The story moves at a fast clip and there was always a lot happening. The ending was pretty predictable (although I wasn't 100% sure what the end game was when it was all said and done, as there was some conflicting dialogue), and while not many twists, there was still action. The thing I didn't love about the book was the fact that there is no way actual people would be as clueless as Nora and her husband David about what was really going on. Nora accepts a job from a complete stranger without even digging in to how she found out about her, and didn't connect the very obvious dots with what was really happening, and David didn't see anything weird about his wife's new boss infiltrating his family. The son, Trevor, was by far my favorite character in the book and the only one who seemed capable of problem solving.
Overall, if you are able to suspend your disbelief regarding these characters, it's a quick and fun read. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The story moves at a fast clip and there was always a lot happening. The ending was pretty predictable (although I wasn't 100% sure what the end game was when it was all said and done, as there was some conflicting dialogue), and while not many twists, there was still action. The thing I didn't love about the book was the fact that there is no way actual people would be as clueless as Nora and her husband David about what was really going on. Nora accepts a job from a complete stranger without even digging in to how she found out about her, and didn't connect the very obvious dots with what was really happening, and David didn't see anything weird about his wife's new boss infiltrating his family. The son, Trevor, was by far my favorite character in the book and the only one who seemed capable of problem solving.
Overall, if you are able to suspend your disbelief regarding these characters, it's a quick and fun read. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 11, 2022
Let me start by saying I am a fan of T. R. Ragan so this will be a bit difficult for me to review.
The positive of "Such a Beautiful Family" is that it's a quick and easy read. I liked the premise but with that being said, this book was disappointing to me. The characters drove me crazy. I literally wanted to scream at them several times throughout the book. I found Nora to be quite frustrating and the whole family completely clueless with the exception of Trevor! Despite all of Nora's instincts and all of the red flags, she would remain wishy washy and completely contradict herself from one sentence to another. The husband David? Don't even get me started on him! I would have screamed at my husband in several different situations in this book but not Nora, she had the patience of a saint apparently.
The plot was predictable and I thought there would be some kind of additional twist at the end, but there wasn't. The ending was a bit far-fetched as well. I did enjoy Trevor and Tank though.
Overall, I still wanted to finish the book as I was invested by that point. Even though I didn't particularly enjoy THIS T.R. Ragan book, I would still gladly read more from her.
I would like to thank Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!
The positive of "Such a Beautiful Family" is that it's a quick and easy read. I liked the premise but with that being said, this book was disappointing to me. The characters drove me crazy. I literally wanted to scream at them several times throughout the book. I found Nora to be quite frustrating and the whole family completely clueless with the exception of Trevor! Despite all of Nora's instincts and all of the red flags, she would remain wishy washy and completely contradict herself from one sentence to another. The husband David? Don't even get me started on him! I would have screamed at my husband in several different situations in this book but not Nora, she had the patience of a saint apparently.
The plot was predictable and I thought there would be some kind of additional twist at the end, but there wasn't. The ending was a bit far-fetched as well. I did enjoy Trevor and Tank though.
Overall, I still wanted to finish the book as I was invested by that point. Even though I didn't particularly enjoy THIS T.R. Ragan book, I would still gladly read more from her.
I would like to thank Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!
December 14, 2024
The start is clunky and there’s over explaining so I’m not riveted. It does improve but it’s not hard to figure things out. An ok read and no more imo!
December 1, 2022
I’m new to this author but unfortunately this book felt a bit like amateur hour. The writing was simplistic, the plot boring, and the characters all mind numbingly terrible at making decisions.
The story follows Nora who is given a job offer of a lifetime by a woman named Jane. However Jane borders on being obsessed with her family and Nora is starting to get creeped out. Is there more to Jane than she realized?
The prologue does open with a bang but there’s nothing after. My biggest issue is Nora’s utterly idiotic husband. My husband would have gone screaming in the other direction if my boss started coming over and cooking dinner for him or showing up if I was out of town. It takes a special kind of stupid to ignore all those red flags. That’s only the tip of the iceberg - if she wanted to take revenge why did she go months wooing Nora? She could have killed her at any point earlier. Why did her parents create so much secrecy over a throwaway point? Why hadn’t Nora ever looked up what had happened?
So many questions, so few answers. So little motivation to even dig any further. This book was definitely not for me.
The story follows Nora who is given a job offer of a lifetime by a woman named Jane. However Jane borders on being obsessed with her family and Nora is starting to get creeped out. Is there more to Jane than she realized?
The prologue does open with a bang but there’s nothing after. My biggest issue is Nora’s utterly idiotic husband. My husband would have gone screaming in the other direction if my boss started coming over and cooking dinner for him or showing up if I was out of town. It takes a special kind of stupid to ignore all those red flags. That’s only the tip of the iceberg - if she wanted to take revenge why did she go months wooing Nora? She could have killed her at any point earlier. Why did her parents create so much secrecy over a throwaway point? Why hadn’t Nora ever looked up what had happened?
So many questions, so few answers. So little motivation to even dig any further. This book was definitely not for me.
October 30, 2022
You're very lucky to have such a beautiful family.
If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Nora receives a job offer from Jane Bell that sounds like a dream and her husband David encourages her to shoot for the moon and take it.
Things gradually get weird with Jane. It's almost like she's trying to keep Nora occupied so she can step into her role.. Is there a link from the past that we don't know about?
This was pretty interesting but I found it to be way too predictable. I was drawn in by the prologue but once the book really got going, it just wasn't doing it for me. It's not bad, I've just heard the story before, and it's usually an easier read than this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.
If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Nora receives a job offer from Jane Bell that sounds like a dream and her husband David encourages her to shoot for the moon and take it.
Things gradually get weird with Jane. It's almost like she's trying to keep Nora occupied so she can step into her role.. Is there a link from the past that we don't know about?
This was pretty interesting but I found it to be way too predictable. I was drawn in by the prologue but once the book really got going, it just wasn't doing it for me. It's not bad, I've just heard the story before, and it's usually an easier read than this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.
July 16, 2022
A fast paced and enjoyable thriller. Read this in two days. Liked this one as well as her others.
Looking forward to reading more of books.
Looking forward to reading more of books.
December 4, 2022
This was a good book about the consequences of a fatal mistake that was made in one's youth. The writing was well done and the story kept me interested.
February 1, 2023
A bit too predictable for me. I am a big fan of this authors books and this one seemed really difficult for her. I guessed what was happening early on.
July 4, 2022
T.R. Ragan’s Such a Beautiful Family just wasn’t, for me, a hit. Whilst the prologue drew me in, from there things just never coalesced into an enjoyable read.
The story begins with a teenage girl receiving a phone call from her best friend—Allina. Allina is panicked and needs a ride home from a party-gone-bad. The friend races to help, though the results of her efforts lead to catastrophic consequences. When the first chapter begins, that fateful evening is long passed, and the identity of the driver, as well as her fate and that of Allina, remain a mystery. We are, however, introduced to Nora and her family. Nora has recently been offered a new job, and though the woman extending that offer, Jane, is sending out “hell-no” vibes, Nora reluctantly accepts the position. Jane wastes no time insinuating herself into every aspect of Nora’s life, befriending Nora’s daughter and flirting shamelessly with Nora’s husband. As Jane devolves into even more of a nuisance and becomes a threat, Nora is forced to face the fact that she should never have accepted the job that now threatens to cost her her career, her family and perhaps even her life.
So the prologue connection is, I’m assuming, initially intentionally vague. The transition from it to the first chapter is so abrupt, however, that it is disorienting. I found myself turning back pages to make sure I hadn’t missed something. I then struggled through the next few chapters trying desperately to identify the thread that surely stitched the two storylines together. That intersection, however, takes FOREVER to emerge, and when it does, it’s so far-fetched that I resented having tried to make sense of it.
As for the writing itself, it struck me as far too informal and formulaic. Chapter 10 begins with “Nora sat”; 11 with “Nora sat”; 13 “Nora stood”; 18 “ Nora walked”; and the list goes on. This simplistic formula for a narrative was made worse by the repeated use of the word “look”, as it appears no less than 243 times. I desperately wanted to send Ragan a thesaurus.
Overall, this was clearly not one I’d be comfortable recommending without a total revamp. As publication isn’t set until December of 2022, Ragan still has a small window of opportunity through which to fix the deficits.
Thanks to Net Galley and Thomas and Mercer Publishing for providing me an ARC copy for review.
The story begins with a teenage girl receiving a phone call from her best friend—Allina. Allina is panicked and needs a ride home from a party-gone-bad. The friend races to help, though the results of her efforts lead to catastrophic consequences. When the first chapter begins, that fateful evening is long passed, and the identity of the driver, as well as her fate and that of Allina, remain a mystery. We are, however, introduced to Nora and her family. Nora has recently been offered a new job, and though the woman extending that offer, Jane, is sending out “hell-no” vibes, Nora reluctantly accepts the position. Jane wastes no time insinuating herself into every aspect of Nora’s life, befriending Nora’s daughter and flirting shamelessly with Nora’s husband. As Jane devolves into even more of a nuisance and becomes a threat, Nora is forced to face the fact that she should never have accepted the job that now threatens to cost her her career, her family and perhaps even her life.
So the prologue connection is, I’m assuming, initially intentionally vague. The transition from it to the first chapter is so abrupt, however, that it is disorienting. I found myself turning back pages to make sure I hadn’t missed something. I then struggled through the next few chapters trying desperately to identify the thread that surely stitched the two storylines together. That intersection, however, takes FOREVER to emerge, and when it does, it’s so far-fetched that I resented having tried to make sense of it.
As for the writing itself, it struck me as far too informal and formulaic. Chapter 10 begins with “Nora sat”; 11 with “Nora sat”; 13 “Nora stood”; 18 “ Nora walked”; and the list goes on. This simplistic formula for a narrative was made worse by the repeated use of the word “look”, as it appears no less than 243 times. I desperately wanted to send Ragan a thesaurus.
Overall, this was clearly not one I’d be comfortable recommending without a total revamp. As publication isn’t set until December of 2022, Ragan still has a small window of opportunity through which to fix the deficits.
Thanks to Net Galley and Thomas and Mercer Publishing for providing me an ARC copy for review.
July 7, 2022
*I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
This book was not a hit for me. It begins in the past with an unknown character receiving a call from her friend that she’s at a party and needs help. The unknown character goes to help, but instead she gets roofied and tries to drive away to safety and gets into a car accident.
Then we get to present day and meet Nora, David, their 2 kids Hailey and Trevor, and dog Tank. Nora received a job offer that is too good to be true, and her new boss, Jane, begins to infiltrate her entire life.
While this is the first book I’ve read by T.R. Reagan, she has obviously had much success in her writing career; however, this book needs some work.
Firstly, there were glaring spelling errors, including “camradery” for camaraderie. The book isn’t due for publication until December, so maybe those edits are still being worked out. Also, some turns of phrase were used in subsequent sentences. For example, when recounting a near-drowning accident Trevor experienced, she used the phrase “human ladder” twice in a row. It was kind of jarring and just didn’t make for smooth reading.
The characters were pretty flat and no one acted in a natural manner. David seemed to be totally cool with a weird but generous stranger being at their house all the time, not to mention it was his wife’s BOSS. Where are their boundaries? The dialogue was also stilted and unnatural which is a HUGE reading pet peeve of mine.
I think the revenge premise could absolutely have worked, but the fact that Jane had to be playing some kind of DECADES LONG game, including going into an area of business that was the same is Nora’s, starting a company and hoping it would get off the ground in order to later employ Nora….it was too ridiculous.
There is a suspension of disbelief in every book you read, but I simply couldn’t suspend that far to make this book work.
This book was not a hit for me. It begins in the past with an unknown character receiving a call from her friend that she’s at a party and needs help. The unknown character goes to help, but instead she gets roofied and tries to drive away to safety and gets into a car accident.
Then we get to present day and meet Nora, David, their 2 kids Hailey and Trevor, and dog Tank. Nora received a job offer that is too good to be true, and her new boss, Jane, begins to infiltrate her entire life.
While this is the first book I’ve read by T.R. Reagan, she has obviously had much success in her writing career; however, this book needs some work.
Firstly, there were glaring spelling errors, including “camradery” for camaraderie. The book isn’t due for publication until December, so maybe those edits are still being worked out. Also, some turns of phrase were used in subsequent sentences. For example, when recounting a near-drowning accident Trevor experienced, she used the phrase “human ladder” twice in a row. It was kind of jarring and just didn’t make for smooth reading.
The characters were pretty flat and no one acted in a natural manner. David seemed to be totally cool with a weird but generous stranger being at their house all the time, not to mention it was his wife’s BOSS. Where are their boundaries? The dialogue was also stilted and unnatural which is a HUGE reading pet peeve of mine.
I think the revenge premise could absolutely have worked, but the fact that Jane had to be playing some kind of DECADES LONG game, including going into an area of business that was the same is Nora’s, starting a company and hoping it would get off the ground in order to later employ Nora….it was too ridiculous.
There is a suspension of disbelief in every book you read, but I simply couldn’t suspend that far to make this book work.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 25, 2022
Q: If you thought this was a simplistic & predictable book, why'd you stick with it, Martin?
A: Well, I kept thinking there would be a huge or maybe several huge twists that I didn't see coming. There weren't. And I did.
Q: Were there interesting characters at least?
A: Not really. The main character, Nora, is clueless and so wishy washy she drove me nuts. Her husband had no backbone, the psycho boss was from central casting, the son, Trevor, was 13 going on 36.
Q: So there was no one you cared for?
A: I liked Tank, the Great Dane.
Q: Would you give the author, T.R. Ragan, another shot?
A: Yes, I would. This was fast paced and quick reading (2 days.) The story and character development didn't work for me, but I'd give her another try, she has some highly rated titles reviewed on Goodreads.
A: Well, I kept thinking there would be a huge or maybe several huge twists that I didn't see coming. There weren't. And I did.
Q: Were there interesting characters at least?
A: Not really. The main character, Nora, is clueless and so wishy washy she drove me nuts. Her husband had no backbone, the psycho boss was from central casting, the son, Trevor, was 13 going on 36.
Q: So there was no one you cared for?
A: I liked Tank, the Great Dane.
Q: Would you give the author, T.R. Ragan, another shot?
A: Yes, I would. This was fast paced and quick reading (2 days.) The story and character development didn't work for me, but I'd give her another try, she has some highly rated titles reviewed on Goodreads.
January 27, 2023
This one gets a big ole "Meh" from me. Are people this stupid? Are they really this easily manipulated? Nora was aggravating AF. Did the ostrich thing so many times I wanted to slap her. Actually, they ALL were annoying...This was not thrilling, suspenseful or jaw dropping. I saw it all coming a mile away. Definitely a movie plot for Lifetime. PS....I was more worried about Tank than any of them. Thank you T.R. for that one saving grace...One more PS...what the hell happened to Allina?
October 11, 2022
Nora wonders what Jane wants after she offers her a high paying job and seems to want to be part of her family. Is she lonely or are her motives more sinister. This is a famatic. I think others will like it more than i didst reading book, that wasn't my favorite. I like more realistic situations and this felt melodramatic. I think others will probably like it more than I did.
January 19, 2023
There's an old saying that goes if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is and it's the premise for Such A Beautiful Family. Nora Harmon appears to have it all . . . a beautiful family and a career she loves. If that's not enough, she lands her dream job that includes a flexible schedule, worldwide travel and a fantastic salary with a boss lady who acts more like a best friend than a boss. In fact, it's not long until Jane Bell has insinuated herself into Nora's family while adoring and splurging on gifts for Nora's children and becoming way too attentive to Nora's husband. Nora is suddenly quite uncomfortable with the situation, but is she overreacting? What started as a dream quickly turns into a nightmare.
Such A Beautiful Family is intense as the events unfold and the pace quickens. Ragan does a great job setting the scene and building tension throughout. The characters are well developed if annoying at times. I found it a bit difficult to believe how gullible Nora and her husband are, but it's easy to overlook things when a book is highly readable which this one is. Such A Beautiful Family flows nicely and I found myself flipping pages searching for answers. While a bit predictable, the story still managed to surprise me in the end. Highly recommended to fans of domestic thrillers.
3.5 Stars
Special thanks to the publisher and author for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own. Reviewed at Cross My Heart Book Reviews
Such A Beautiful Family is intense as the events unfold and the pace quickens. Ragan does a great job setting the scene and building tension throughout. The characters are well developed if annoying at times. I found it a bit difficult to believe how gullible Nora and her husband are, but it's easy to overlook things when a book is highly readable which this one is. Such A Beautiful Family flows nicely and I found myself flipping pages searching for answers. While a bit predictable, the story still managed to surprise me in the end. Highly recommended to fans of domestic thrillers.
3.5 Stars
Special thanks to the publisher and author for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own. Reviewed at Cross My Heart Book Reviews
December 19, 2022
3.5 STARS
This was a short book, fairly predictable, but I still enjoyed it. It was easy to see where it was going, but the ride was fun. It’s a nice change of pace from Ragan’s private investigator stories, and I hope she’ll continue to branch out a little.
Nora is one of those women who really needs to listen to her instincts. She also needed a less clueless husband! Thirteen year old Trevor was my favorite character, that kid was smarter than any of the adults around him.
This was a short book, fairly predictable, but I still enjoyed it. It was easy to see where it was going, but the ride was fun. It’s a nice change of pace from Ragan’s private investigator stories, and I hope she’ll continue to branch out a little.
Nora is one of those women who really needs to listen to her instincts. She also needed a less clueless husband! Thirteen year old Trevor was my favorite character, that kid was smarter than any of the adults around him.
December 16, 2022
I spent WAY too much time yelling at the main character in this book.
I cursed at her, I told her to grow a spine, and I cheered her when she finally did.
All this is to say that I was VERY invested in the entertaining book.
Sure, after I read it, I found I had questions. There were a couple of things that I really didn't understand. But I also didn't care because the book was so much fun!
Would read the author again!
I cursed at her, I told her to grow a spine, and I cheered her when she finally did.
All this is to say that I was VERY invested in the entertaining book.
Sure, after I read it, I found I had questions. There were a couple of things that I really didn't understand. But I also didn't care because the book was so much fun!
Would read the author again!
December 22, 2022
All you need to know about this book is that it's about Nora, who has a very typical white, middle-class American family. She takes a new job at a tech company working for Jane, who ends up overstepping way too many personal boundaries. Turns out they end up being connected in an "unexpected" way (in my opinion, very expected).
I read this novel because it had pretty good reviews but boy was I disappointed. I was promised a well-written, exciting book but what I got was an extremely predictable, boring book. The only positive thing I have to say is that it was an easy read, but that's mostly because I was powering through to see if anything interesting ever happened (it didn't). There was not a single thing that happened that I didn't predict well beforehand and the writing was pretty bland. On top of that, the characters came off as incredibly ignorant, idiotic, and just all-around unlikeable. My favorite character was the dog.
It gets two stars because I wouldn't recommend this novel. If you're looking for an exciting thriller, look elsewhere.
I read this novel because it had pretty good reviews but boy was I disappointed. I was promised a well-written, exciting book but what I got was an extremely predictable, boring book. The only positive thing I have to say is that it was an easy read, but that's mostly because I was powering through to see if anything interesting ever happened (it didn't). There was not a single thing that happened that I didn't predict well beforehand and the writing was pretty bland. On top of that, the characters came off as incredibly ignorant, idiotic, and just all-around unlikeable. My favorite character was the dog.
It gets two stars because I wouldn't recommend this novel. If you're looking for an exciting thriller, look elsewhere.
November 8, 2022
I had high hopes for this story, if for no other reason than I'm a fan of other works I've read by this author. But while I read it eagerly from start to finish, most of my attention centered on the hope that the three main adult characters would stop behaving like children and there would be a bang-up surprise ending. Alas, neither happened. The only character who had both common sense and intelligence, in fact, was a boy who had way too much of both to be believable at his newbie-teen age. And the ending? A ho-hum resolution, leaving me with the feeling that nothing much really changed from the beginning to the end.
Here's the gist: Nora Harmon has a wonderful husband, two growing-up-fast children and a successful career. Out of the blue, she's contacted by Jane Bell, the owner of a whiz-bang software company, who makes Nora an offer of employment she can't refuse (never mind that any sensible person would have done exactly that, at least until the "too good to be true" sound of it was debunked by facts). Very soon, it becomes clear that Jane is at the very least emotionally needy; there's nothing she won't do, it seems, to solidify her relationship with Nora and make Nora's family hers - and that includes lying through her teeth.
It also becomes clear that Nora and her aging parents have been hiding a dark secret - and her attempts to justify never telling her supportive husband David nor their children Hailey and Trevor left me shaking my head. Still another turn-off is that despite some serious misgivings, Nora also manages to justify Jane's attempts to ingratiate herself into the family, even when it's clear they're doing more harm than good.
Of course, it doesn't take readers long to figure out that Jane may have an ulterior motive, and not much longer to figure out what it is. From that point on, it's just a matter of when (or if) Nora - or anyone else in the family besides Trevor, who as I mentioned earlier somehow managed to end up with the brains of the family - figures out what Jane's really up to. The result for me is that while the book is well written and definitely held my attention throughout, overall it was a bit disappointing. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.
Here's the gist: Nora Harmon has a wonderful husband, two growing-up-fast children and a successful career. Out of the blue, she's contacted by Jane Bell, the owner of a whiz-bang software company, who makes Nora an offer of employment she can't refuse (never mind that any sensible person would have done exactly that, at least until the "too good to be true" sound of it was debunked by facts). Very soon, it becomes clear that Jane is at the very least emotionally needy; there's nothing she won't do, it seems, to solidify her relationship with Nora and make Nora's family hers - and that includes lying through her teeth.
It also becomes clear that Nora and her aging parents have been hiding a dark secret - and her attempts to justify never telling her supportive husband David nor their children Hailey and Trevor left me shaking my head. Still another turn-off is that despite some serious misgivings, Nora also manages to justify Jane's attempts to ingratiate herself into the family, even when it's clear they're doing more harm than good.
Of course, it doesn't take readers long to figure out that Jane may have an ulterior motive, and not much longer to figure out what it is. From that point on, it's just a matter of when (or if) Nora - or anyone else in the family besides Trevor, who as I mentioned earlier somehow managed to end up with the brains of the family - figures out what Jane's really up to. The result for me is that while the book is well written and definitely held my attention throughout, overall it was a bit disappointing. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.
July 22, 2022
Fun and fast paced family in danger type mystery where the readers are constantly thinking "Don't trust this person!" but the characters can't see what is going on. The book starts with a prologue involving a teenage girl who is drugged at a party and then we go into the main story which about the Harmon family. Nora and David are a happily married couple and the parents of two kids, Trevor who is 13 and Hailey who is 15. Trevor is still dealing with a near drowning at a family vacation, and Nora's father has been recently diagnosed with dementia. Nora is happy but kind of bored with her job and is very surprised when a woman named Jane Bell calls her with an amazing job offer. it's the old "If it seems to be too good to be true''edict and when she is wined and dined by Jane and offered double her salary, she can't say no.
Nora loves her new job except that Jane is just too much; constantly offering her gifts, insisting on meeting Nora's family and picking her daughter up from work and she always seems to be hanging around Nora's house. It further irritates her when daughter Hailey and husband David seem to fall for Jane's charm and keep telling her she is paranoid. As Jane continues to worm her way into their lives, we are hoping Nora can find out what is going on and get her family back. This would make a good Lifetime movie and I liked all of the characters minus Jane. I did guess the main twist but that never affects my enjoyment of a story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this ARC in exchange for a honest review.
Nora loves her new job except that Jane is just too much; constantly offering her gifts, insisting on meeting Nora's family and picking her daughter up from work and she always seems to be hanging around Nora's house. It further irritates her when daughter Hailey and husband David seem to fall for Jane's charm and keep telling her she is paranoid. As Jane continues to worm her way into their lives, we are hoping Nora can find out what is going on and get her family back. This would make a good Lifetime movie and I liked all of the characters minus Jane. I did guess the main twist but that never affects my enjoyment of a story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this ARC in exchange for a honest review.
May 24, 2023
The only good thing about this book is the family dog.
January 31, 2023
Nora Harmon has a wonderful life that she loves, great kids, a fantastic husband and a career she has worked hard for. When Jane Bell asks Nora to join her team it sounds great but she wonders what's the catch. Jane doesn't let her turn the spot down though. Nora isn't sure what to make of how friendly and non boss like Jane is. The boundaries between her home life and work life begin to mix. Jane seems to pay to much attention to Nora's daughter and husband. Is Jane just a lonely woman or something more sinister going on. Nora isn't quite sure if she is just being paranoid or.if she.should truly worry. Dive in and find out what is really going on with Jane and if there is anything Nora can do about it!
July 8, 2023
Such a Beautiful Family by T. R. Ragan was very intriguing. I read it in 24 hours because I just needed to see all the pieces come together. I'm a full-on Ragan and have read many books by this author. This one was predictable to me but did not take away from the intrigue or the allure of the plot or sequencing.
I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
January 28, 2023
I like her books because they are fast paced and she fits a lot into relatively “short” novels… although they aren’t as ‘deep’ as longer novels as far as character and story depth, they always hold my attention and entertain me - which is exactly what I like in a book. 🙂
July 7, 2023
easily the worst book of the year lol
no real plot, lackluster characters, choppy writing style. inappropriately marketed as a thriller; there was nothing thriller about this book.
no real plot, lackluster characters, choppy writing style. inappropriately marketed as a thriller; there was nothing thriller about this book.
October 12, 2022
Nora Ruth Harmon is an IT marketing whiz, living the good life with husband, David, and children, Hailey and Trevor. When Jane Bell, the founder and CEO, of a rapidly rising IT company, offers her a job at a fantastic salary, twice her current package, with flexible working hours, it seems to be too good to be true.
Pretty soon, Nora’s problems and work pressures begin to increase. The new job doesn’t give her the flexibility she thought she would have. Hailey, nearly 16, begins to act up, bringing home a boyfriend, Alex, that Nora disapproves of. She’s also worried about Trevor, who has withdrawn into himself after an incident in which he nearly drowned. Her dad’s dementia is getting worse.
As if all this isn’t enough, Nora suspects that her boss is trying to steal her family, by ingratiating herself with them, particularly whenever Nora is absent.
Soon she begins to wish she had never accepted this job. How can Nora reclaim her family before it's too late?
I was intrigued by the Prologue, but the very first chapter was a let-down. The quality of the writing in the first chapter was all tell, no show. It felt like someone was telling us a story, a very boring one, without dialogue and, for the most part, without emotion. This chapter was a Story-so-far, with the author bringing us up to speed on whatever had transpired before events in the current timeline began. This can be very exhausting for the reader.
Thankfully, the writing got better afterwards, in subsequent chapters. Even the pace was quick and steady. It was a quick read, not really challenging but still capable of holding reader interest.
At one point the author tells us, Everyone loved David. Including Nora. But David was the least likeable among the characters. Jane too began to grate on my nerves. She felt pushy and aggressive.
The only characters I liked were Trevor and Tank. My heart went out to Trevor for his vulnerability and goodness, and to Tank for how big and adorable he was.
Alex had a blink-and-miss role. Towards the end, it felt as if the author was trying to redeem him in Nora’s eyes but the effort didn’t work out. Nor could I understand David’s indulgent attitude towards Alex, particularly when he reeked of cannabis.
The chapters were written in the 3rd person limited past tense PoV of Nora and Trevor. This caused confusion, especially when both of them were in a scene, because the narrative flitted between referring to Nora by her first name and as Mom in the same scene.
Incidentally, I wondered if Tank, the family dog, was written in later. The author introduced him to us in Chapter 6. Prior to that, Trevor celebrated his 13th birthday at home with his entire family, but Tank had not even been mentioned.
Also, we never get to know what happened to Allina, a crucial event in the Prologue.
Pretty soon, Nora’s problems and work pressures begin to increase. The new job doesn’t give her the flexibility she thought she would have. Hailey, nearly 16, begins to act up, bringing home a boyfriend, Alex, that Nora disapproves of. She’s also worried about Trevor, who has withdrawn into himself after an incident in which he nearly drowned. Her dad’s dementia is getting worse.
As if all this isn’t enough, Nora suspects that her boss is trying to steal her family, by ingratiating herself with them, particularly whenever Nora is absent.
Soon she begins to wish she had never accepted this job. How can Nora reclaim her family before it's too late?
I was intrigued by the Prologue, but the very first chapter was a let-down. The quality of the writing in the first chapter was all tell, no show. It felt like someone was telling us a story, a very boring one, without dialogue and, for the most part, without emotion. This chapter was a Story-so-far, with the author bringing us up to speed on whatever had transpired before events in the current timeline began. This can be very exhausting for the reader.
Thankfully, the writing got better afterwards, in subsequent chapters. Even the pace was quick and steady. It was a quick read, not really challenging but still capable of holding reader interest.
At one point the author tells us, Everyone loved David. Including Nora. But David was the least likeable among the characters. Jane too began to grate on my nerves. She felt pushy and aggressive.
The only characters I liked were Trevor and Tank. My heart went out to Trevor for his vulnerability and goodness, and to Tank for how big and adorable he was.
Alex had a blink-and-miss role. Towards the end, it felt as if the author was trying to redeem him in Nora’s eyes but the effort didn’t work out. Nor could I understand David’s indulgent attitude towards Alex, particularly when he reeked of cannabis.
The chapters were written in the 3rd person limited past tense PoV of Nora and Trevor. This caused confusion, especially when both of them were in a scene, because the narrative flitted between referring to Nora by her first name and as Mom in the same scene.
Incidentally, I wondered if Tank, the family dog, was written in later. The author introduced him to us in Chapter 6. Prior to that, Trevor celebrated his 13th birthday at home with his entire family, but Tank had not even been mentioned.
Also, we never get to know what happened to Allina, a crucial event in the Prologue.
January 9, 2023
I keep forgetting how crazy some people can be. But Ragan reminds me in this book. Nora Harmon has a great career and a great family, so whats the problem? She gets an offer she cant refuse from Jane Bell.....and I knew there was something amiss with this lady. Jane is so enamored with Nora's family it reaches unhealthy heights and gets weird. I always loved Ragan books and this one did not disappoint. There is definitely something wrong with Jane Bell. Another book I could not put down and thats how it got a 5 star rating. #kindleunlimited #fivestars
December 14, 2022
OK so this is a book that I cannot stop thinking about.
I don’t know if it should be a movie or a limited mini-series.
It’s my 1st read of T.R. Ragan and it will not be my last!
A page turner, so very hard to put down if only to catch some zzz’s.
There were so many twists, turns, secrets, suspense, crime, a true psychological mystery and more. I absolutely Loved this book!!
Read this ASAP!
It was my 1st ARC from Netgalley, thank you so much!
I don’t know if it should be a movie or a limited mini-series.
It’s my 1st read of T.R. Ragan and it will not be my last!
A page turner, so very hard to put down if only to catch some zzz’s.
There were so many twists, turns, secrets, suspense, crime, a true psychological mystery and more. I absolutely Loved this book!!
Read this ASAP!
It was my 1st ARC from Netgalley, thank you so much!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 655 reviews