Keep it in the Family by John Marrs



After a long break, I picked up this book which was in my TBR for a while now. By a while, I mean, almost 2 months since I saw heaps of posts about the famous / infamous Chapter 39. For everyone who has read this book, did you know there are people who have actually tattooed Chapter 39 on their body? Well.

A young expectant couple, Mia and Finn, try to convert an old house into their dream home and end up finding a secret message. Mia, disturbed by the message, tries to explore more and learns that her potential dream home was a house of extreme horrors. She distances herself from Finn and as she progresses with her search, the very foundation of her relationships are shaken. Secrets emerge and nobody is who they seem to be. The conclusion is so horrifying, you want to reach into the book and show it to Mia because she still remains unaware.

I took my time with this book, and when I reached the end, I had to go back and read a few chapters again. This book is crazy. The one thing it will leave you with is distrust. Can you ever look at people the same way again? The people who love you sometimes can hide secrets so horrible, it would make your skin crawl. Can you really be safe? Can you really keep your family safe?

The conclusion felt a bit incomplete, because you don't know what the future holds for Mia and Finn and if she would ever know the entire truth. It feels a bit confusing and underwhelming. Some people get what they deserve and others get off too easily. At one point, I wanted to slap Finn and his mother, but unfortunately, to my dismay, I couldn't.

Phew! It was a roller-coaster for me to finish reading this book. It got a bit much with the deception, the manipulation, the serial killing, and attempted murder; but I got through it. It's not a bad read and I did enjoy it, especially as this was the first book I read by the author.

I give it 3/5

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