Jerry F. Westinger’s A Bad Time To Meet The Family is a beautiful mix of mystery and fantasy. It follows the story of two friends, Corlis and Thessa. Corlis was left in an orphanage as a baby and stayed there until he was adopted at ten. On the other hand, Thessa was born into wealth but recently ran away from her home. However, the book mainly focuses on the months after the death of Corlis’ adoptive mother and how he stumbles upon a man who claims to be his biological father. The author takes us through the awkwardness of their meeting and the attempted integration of Corlis into the man’s family. Beyond that, it explores how Thessa’s mystical abilities affect this process.

What starts off as a charming “finding your family” story eventually turns into a thrilling mystery. While the author doesn’t hesitate to shock us with a couple of twists, he still keeps things realistic. In many ways, this book is a slow burn. As if this isn’t enough, the book also has light sentences, excellent formatting, and perfect flow. The dialogue is realistic, and the characters’ decisions make much sense. But if there’s one thing that the book deserves praise for, it’s seamlessly integrating real-life themes like elitism, class, poverty, and contentment. Even though it is set in a fantasy world, it’s interesting how the characters of this book grapple with these themes just as we are in 2023. I liked how the author explored the theme of poverty, mainly how it puts you in an endless cycle of only focusing on survival. The author shows us how this denies you the opportunity to figure out what you want out of life and, in many ways, makes you afraid of doing so. On the flip side, he also shows us how wealth makes you keenly aware that there’s more to life than survival. Ultimately, he shows us how both wealth and poverty can breed discontentment and treachery.

A Bad Time To Meet The Family is a gripping mystery and shifter novel with a solid plot and is extremely well-written. This thrilling story is addictive enough to have readers hooked and unable to put the book down till they finish.

Pages: 304 | ASIN : B0BTZRW5F9