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A Beautiful Family
- Author
- Jennifer Trevelyan
- Narrator
- Ruby Hansen
- Publisher
- Pan Macmillan
- Publish Date
- 19 June 2025
- Run Time
- 8 hours 12 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
‘Extraordinary . . . I absolutely loved this family mystery’ – Liane Moriarty, bestselling author of Here One Moment
'Riveting . . . [It] held me captive' – Hannah Kent, bestselling author of Devotion
Discover this breathtaking debut novel of family secrets and searing atmosphere set over one long, hot summer on the New Zealand coast.
In the past, we had always spent our summer holidays in remote places. That had always been my mother’s preference. This year was different . . .
As the long summer holiday stretches ahead, ten-year-old Alix wants to spend every second on the beach and in the water. But, with her parents unusually distracted and her older sister now more interested in boys, she finds herself alone.
Then she meets Kahu at the beach and he tells her about The Mystery. Two years ago, a girl went missing and none of the adults could find her. So the new friends decide to investigate - because people don’t just disappear.
But, as Alex and Kahu search for clues, they stumble upon secrets they wish they’d left uncovered. Is Alix's holiday house as safe as it seems? And is her sister putting her trust in the wrong people?
Brilliantly compulsive, addictive and tensely atmospheric, A Beautiful Family will leave a lump in your throat and a hole in your heart.
'Part coming of age story, part taut thriller' – Laurie Frankel, bestselling author of Family Family
'Find a sun-lit corner and devour this sensational debut in one session' – Jacqueline Bublitz, author of Before You Knew My Name
Critics Review
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Such stunning New Zealand characters and imagery
Jacinda Ardern
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I absolutely loved this page-turning family mystery and didn’t want it to end. The author so effortlessly transported me to another place and time, and every character leapt off the page. An extraordinary, exquisitely written debut
Liane Moriarty, bestselling author of Here One Moment
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An absolutely riveting read. A Beautiful Family held me captive from the first page to the last, both through Trevelyan's uncanny ability to maintain inexorable tension throughout, and her wholly believable narration of a ten-year-old trying to make sense of the adult world around her. I loved it
Hannah Kent, bestselling author of Devotion
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An intricate novel of discovery . . . a tense tale of growing awareness
Sainsbury's Magazine
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Immersive . . . Alix grasps at the truth of things, but her perspective means only the reader parses the more adult story unravelling around her. This framing is craftily handled, with Trevelyan building suspense as the underlying narratives coalesce, delving into familial ties, a child’s desire for harmony, and the pinballing of a child on the brink of adolescence
The Guardian
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Taut yet tender, A Beautiful Family examines the precariousness of childhood through the lens of a long, hazy summer of secrets. Proving the maxim that all unhappy families are unhappy in their own way, Trevelyan has crafted a coming of age story that perfectly balances the nostalgia of summer holidays with a looming sense of danger. Find a sun-lit corner and devour this sensational debut in one session (like I did)
Jacqueline Bublitz, author of Before You Knew My Name
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Dappled in sand and shadow, A Beautiful Family is part coming of age story, part taut thriller, part travelogue, perfectly transporting the reader not only to summer holiday on the New Zealand coast but also to that magical age between childhood and adolescence when the world starts to reveal its dark secrets and everything is more complicated – and, yes, beautiful – than it has seemed. Jennifer Trevelyan’s immersive debut is atmospheric, aching, and very young
Laurie Frankel, bestselling author of Family Family
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A riveting and accomplished debut. I was on the edge of my seat as I devoured this tense, atmospheric and beautifully written novel
Adele Parks, author of Woman Last Seen
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Occasionally a book comes into the office and it's so good, I want to tell everyone about it. Jennifer Trevelyan's debut, A BEAUTIFUL FAMILY is that good. I've been telling everyone: you simply must read it. My heart was thumping hard as I read it. It's a thrilling book, and I really think you'll love it
Caroline Overington, The Australian
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Beautifully told from an interesting perspective, this novel captures a child's curiosities and an unfolding summer of adventure
Woman & Home
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This captivating story made me nostalgic for childhood
Prima
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Reminiscent of the movie Stand by Me, this coming-of-age book is full of suspense and thrills. Set in the 1980s, it brilliantly evokes memories of childhood curiosity and innocence and those days when it felt like the summer holidays went on forever
WI Life
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Atmospheric, disturbing and beautifully evoked
Daily Mail
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Jennifer Trevelyan
- Narrator
- Ruby Hansen
- Duration
- 8 hours 12 minutes
- Release Date
- 19 June 2025
- ISBN
- 9781035055777
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Pan Macmillan
- Genre
- Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general, Historical crime and mysteries, Thriller / suspense fiction, Narrative theme: identity / belonging, Narrative theme: sense of place, Narrative theme: love / relationships
Synopsis
‘Extraordinary . . . I absolutely loved this family mystery’ – Liane Moriarty, bestselling author of Here One Moment'Riveting . . . [It] held me captive' – Hannah Kent, bestselling author of DevotionDiscover this breathtaking debut novel of family secrets and searing atmosphere set over one long, hot summer on the New Zealand coast.In the past, we had always spent our summer holidays in remote places. That had always been my mother’s preference. This year was different . . .As the long summer holiday stretches ahead, ten-year-old Alix wants to spend every second on the beach and in the water. But, with her parents unusually distracted and her older sister now more interested in boys, she finds herself alone.Then she meets Kahu at the beach and he tells her about The Mystery. Two years ago, a girl went missing and none of the adults could find her. So the new friends decide to investigate - because people don’t just disappear.But, as Alex and Kahu search for clues, they stumble upon secrets they wish they’d left uncovered. Is Alix's holiday house as safe as it seems? And is her sister putting her trust in the wrong people?Brilliantly compulsive, addictive and tensely atmospheric, A Beautiful Family will leave a lump in your throat and a hole in your heart.'Part coming of age story, part taut thriller' – Laurie Frankel, bestselling author of Family Family'Find a sun-lit corner and devour this sensational debut in one session' – Jacqueline Bublitz, author of Before You Knew My Name
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