The Family Trap by Lorna Dounaeva
Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller, Domestic drama, Suspense
Read: 8th December 2022
Published: 4th December 2022
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Prudence welcomed Zoe into her home. Now she’s fighting to survive.
Two simple words shatter Prudence Ahern’s world - “I’m pregnant.”
Her son Nathan is only eighteen when his new girlfriend Zoe drops that little bombshell. Prudence feels she has to support her son and asks Zoe to move in with them.
Right from the start, Prudence knows something isn’t right. When Nathan is around, Zoe is sweet and funny but as soon as it’s just the two of them, she becomes menacing and sullen.
Worse still, Prudence becomes the victim of a series of increasingly dangerous accidents which begin soon after Zoe moves in.
She tries to warn her son that something is wrong with Zoe, but he refuses to listen, so it’s left to Prudence to figure out what's going on. Who is the mysterious Zoe? What exactly does she want from them? And whose child is she really carrying?
Filled with shocking twists and diabolical secrets, The Family Trap will keep you up all night.
If you loved Gone Girl, The Silent Patient and The Girl on the Train, you will devour this utterly addictive thriller.
MY THOUGHTS:
**Trigger warning - pet death (dog)**
When "home" is no longer a haven...
Single mother and nurse, Prudence has reached that point in her life. Time for herself, her dog, her hobbies, swimming and relaxing. Her son Nathan is now an adult and studying engineering at university and she is taking early retirement. Her time is now.
But she is in for a surprise when her son and his newish girlfriend Zoe announce that Zoe is pregnant. All at once the hopes and dreams she had for her son have dissipated knowing how hard it is going to be for the couple to raise a baby...let alone study. She isn't sure why but she feels like Zoe has trapped him.
Despite her misgivings, Prudence decides to invite Zoe to live with them and be on hand to help as best she can. Nathan thinks it's a wonderful idea as does Zoe...moreso than her mother Alana, who was expecting that Zoe would move back home to Cheshire with her. But she's won over by Prudence's heartfelt acceptance of her daughter.
At first, everything is running smoothly. Zoe is happy to help out but Prudence soon discovers that's only the case when Nathan is around. Then, Zoe is a joy - all smiles and laughter. But her attitude soon changes, alternating between menacing and indifference, when no one is around. And a series of near fatal accidents occur with Prudence narrowly escaping each time...and which only began after Zoe moved in. Prudence becomes suspicious of Zoe and her motives but when she tries confiding her fears she is dismissed as being paranoid or overthinking. To make matters worse, Zoe is the life and soul of the party when people are around...which only serves to make Prudence a liar. But she knows that there is something not right about Zoe. But worse still...whose child is she really carrying?
Things go from bad to worse within a few months when tragedy strikes. And everything is turned on its head. Everything you thought you knew is wrong and turns about-face as Prudence finds herself in a race against time to save herself and the lives of those she loves. But can she uncover the truth before it's too late?
THE FAMILY TRAP is twisted tale of domestic suspense with a wicked sting at the end that you will either love or hate. It's filled secrets, lies, deception and toxic dysfunctional families. Everything that makes a domestic suspense work and keeps readers turning the pages. It's addictive, absorbing and pageturning with it's short snappy chapters that keep the pace moving at a steady rate making this a quick entertaining read that I almost completed in one sitting...shy of the last few pages.
The characters were incredibly complex and interesting. I hated Zoe from the off...but is she really who she appears to be or is there something more to her? I liked Nathan but boy he was blind when it came to Zoe who could do no wrong in his eyes...but did he know something Prudence didn't? And Prudence - I really felt for her. No one, not even her best friend, believed her when she confided in her about what she perceived Zoe to be doing to her. It annoys me when a character who knows someone for as long as and as well as Heidi knew Pru and only knew Zoe for five minutes, yet she always gave Zoe the benefit of the doubt, thereby disbelieving Prudence. Why was she so quick to disbelieve her best friend and see Zoe as a ray of sunshine? Surely she would know her friend enough to know she wouldn't be making this up.
As for the story, the reader is pulled right in from the beginning, hooking us right from the start. And it had just enough backstory to keep things moving at an even pace without long and boring character building that would put readers to sleep before anything remotely interesting happened. But the author keeps us engaged throughout, building the tension and keeping us guessing.
The ending was a bit weird for me, though not unsatisfactory. It just felt a little unfinished, I guess. Some things I felt were not entirely explained leaving things up in the air as to what the point had been to those occurrences. The one thing I didn't like was the death of Bob, the dog. I feel that authors don't need to keep readers interested by killing off a beloved family pet and, while I'm thankful it was not an overly graphic death, it still happened and I found it unnecessary. That story arc could have just gotten him lost and maybe turning up at the end when it was all over. I don't feel it was warranted and for me, it always spoils the story slightly, and therefore affects my rating.
Overall, THE FAMILY TRAP is a fast paced addictive read that is sure to keep domestic thriller fans engaged throughout.
I would like to thank #LornaDouvaena, #Netgalley, #InkubatorBooks and #ZoolooTours for an ARC of #TheFamilyTrap in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Lorna lives in Surrey with her husband and three children, who keep her busy wiping food off the ceiling and removing mints from USB sockets.
Social Media links:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
thank you so much for taking part in the tour and for sharing your review x
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