Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Published by: Hodder Books
Publication date: 28th August 2025

“The house wasn’t yours to take. But you’d kill to keep it…”

This is one of last year’s many debuts that I’m only just getting around to reading (story of my life) but wow! It’s dark and suspense-filled, a psychological thriller crossed with domestic suspense that will keep you on your toes, one that kept me gripped throughout.I am already desperate to read whatever comes next from this author! I’m thrilled to be sharing my review for The Family at No. 23 by Kathryn Sharman!

About the book

On Riddleston Road each house reaches three storeys high, with smart gabled roofs and neat garden paths unfurling from pastel coloured front doors. Wide, sash windows stare outwards from the brick facades, revealing a glimpse of beautiful interiors. And concealing dark secrets.

Today a new family has moved into number twenty-three. A family who shouldn’t be there.

As Iris stacks boxes in the hallway, she knows she has made a mistake in coming here. This house will mean her son will get the future he deserves. That will make everything she’s done worth it.

But someone knows Iris’s secret and what she did to get her dream home… Would she kill to keep it?

The beginning

Ohhh YEP. What an opening chapter!! Iris, I’ve known you for five whole minutes, who even are you?! I knew this book would be for me right from the start and I had no problems completely devouring every single word. Iris is stuck in a bit of a rut in her life. She has a stale marriage. Their finances are a mess. She’s desperate to give her son, Ben, the life he deserves and to protect him from his severe allergies. Yet her best friend Laura has just moved into her perfect new home with her perfect family. And of course said home is in the catchment area for one of the top schools. She’s jealous of her friend’s success, while she seems to be left in the dust. She has to do something to live the life she wants, and when the perfect opportunity presents itself, she just has to take it… God, this got pretty dark pretty quickly and I loved it! Iris and her family miraculously find themselves moving into number 23 Riddleston Road. It’s the house of dreams. And more importantly, Ben is top of the list for the best school. But they shouldn’t even be in this house. Not after what she did…

“Iris looks down at the phone in her hand and then up and around at the gaping hallway. There is no one, she thinks. No one would ever know.”

I could not get enough of Iris’s new life and I was addicted. She completely fascinated me; how she was prepared to ignore everything that happened so she could have this life. I really enjoyed the alternating POVs and learning more about Iris and Laura’s friendship, how they live their own separate lives in such contrasting ways. It was also interesting seeing Iris’s relationship with her son, how he seems to be much more withdrawn these days. He’s always in his room, not talking much. He also doesn’t seem to have any friends at school which concerns Iris. There was definitely something going on with him. Alongside getting to know all these brilliant characters, I was completely taken aback by the author’s gorgeous writing! It was so captivating, the kind of words you could read forever without tiring of them. I became so drawn to the darker parts of the book, and started to pick up on some little hints that something was amiss. When Ben’s school caretaker comes knocking, claiming he knew the old owner, Rosemary, querying her whereabouts, things change for Iris…

The middle

I shared her dread, her complete panic that Rosemary did, in fact, have people around her that she knew. People who would be coming to check up on her eventually, confused that a family had now moved into Rosemary’s home. Iris begins telling lies, digging herself into a hole that she soon wouldn’t be able to get out of. My GOD it was tense. Another mystery man comes to their door, another person concerned for Rosemary’s welfare. How much longer could Iris keep up this charade? As much as my stomach was in knots about this whole thing, there is another huge secret to make things even more complicated, a secret involving Iris’s husband and her best friend that had the potential to change everything… This book became so bloody stressful and I couldn’t get enough of it! There was such a satisfying slow-burn feel about this book, but at the same time, I felt there was always something significant happening, that moved the plot forwards, that gave me that consistent feeling of intrigue, of wondering just how long these secrets could be kept on all sides.

“The thought of moving, disrupting her family once again, is not an option. She will not countenance it. The house is theirs now.”

Things continue to spiral for Iris. She receives a letter from someone anonymous, claiming they know what she did, demanding money for them to keep quiet. Dealing with all this alone is taking its toll; all she wants is the very best for her family, for her son, yet a dark, impulsive decision all those months ago could cost her everything. I felt so on edge as Iris lives her life with all this hanging over her, wondering if it was all worth it, or whether she would be much better off leaving, moving back to their old place. I could feel everything Iris felt so strongly, as if it was me who had done what she’d done. Iris becomes impulsive again due to her anger, clashing with a customer at work, then quitting on the spot. She even used Steve’s bank card to withdraw the money needed to keep this stranger quiet. I had a theory about who was behind all this, who could have requested what was quite a low sum of money for something like this, who could have seen what she did that night. I was so looking forward to seeing all this come together at the end, and whether Iris could keep her secret.

The end

Iris has such strong emotions by this point which were explored flawlessly. She’s angry, feels like she’s drowning, like her whole world is caving in. She’s blaming everyone around her without thinking rationally, anything to take the blame from herself. It was clear she was having mental issues which was incredibly sad, but her love for her son, her desire to give him everything he needs encourages her to keep it up. But in Laura’s world, she finds out the truth. I was filled with anxiety after a familiar character from earlier in the book returns, telling her his theory and explaining how much trouble Iris is going to be in. There is one huge detail he can’t work out though, and that’s where Rosemary is. But he has his suspicions… I tried to put myself in Laura’s shoes; how on earth can she bring up this subject with her friend, accuse her of something like this, even though it’s the truth? I loved making all these connections, knowing why this man had come to be here, his own connection to the house. I felt pretty stressed for Iris at this point, and also for Laura and her own secret.

“I think you’d be surprised. What people are capable of if they feel desperate enough.”

I became torn between wanting to protect Iris, feeling sorry for her and wanting to take all this away from her, to wanting the truth to come out, for this all to be over, whatever happened after. I had a few theories by the end and even though I did guess some of the twists and wasn’t really shocked by them, it didn’t really take away the enjoyment because it was written so brilliantly. The links between characters, the unravelling secrets, the secrets that stay as secrets, everything was brilliantly executed. The very end paragraph did shock me though! One final blow for the reader that I thought was needed, perfectly placed to gave you something big to think about after the book had ended. The epilogue was fantastic in rounding everything up and it was so satisfying! After enjoying this book so much, I am now super excited to read Kathryn’s next book releasing soon, The Second Home. If you love a domestic suspense/psychological thriller, Kathryn should absolutely be on your radar. And if you have any more recs for domestic suspense novels, please send them my way!

Overall thoughts

The Family at No. 23 is a cracking debut, one of those shorter books that, despite being more of a slow-burn, completely captivates and consumes you. We meet Iris and her family who have just moved into number 23 Riddleston Road, the house of dreams. But they shouldn’t be there. Not after what Iris did to get her hands on it… But when you’re desperate to give your child everything he needs, everything he could want, you’d do anything… surely? I loved how this book explores motherhood and the intensity of a mother’s love. The fact that Iris’s love knows no bounds when it comes to her son. The way her dark secret slowly consumes her over time, how her lies become her entire life, a cloud over her that just would not shift. Her life completely crumbles before her eyes, and she can’t do anything to stop it.

Kathryn’s writing is stunning, each chapter a complete joy to experience, even though the plot was far from joyous. The plot was constantly developing, the tension always building, that stressful feeling of being caught, of being punished shared along with Iris. I lost myself in this book, the emotional parts so raw and at times, relatable. There were some solid twists (even if I did see some of it coming) and a final paragraph that changed everything! If you love a suspenseful thriller and don’t mind a slow-burn, get this on your TBR! And check out Kathryn’s next book, The Second Home, coming out in May. Can’t wait to get my hands on it!

You can grab your own copy of The Family at No. 23 right now on Amazon or wherever you buy your books. Make sure you’re following Kathryn over on Instagram for more updates!

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