Book Tour: The Radleys by Matt Haig (+ giveaway)

The Radleys
Author: Matt Haig
Pages: 384 Paperback
Reading Level: Adult
Published: September 20th 2011 (paperback)
Review Source: Simon & Schuster
Available: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Indiebound

Summary: (from goodreads) Just about everyone knows a family like the Radleys. Many of us grew up next door to one. They are a modern family, averagely content, averagely dysfunctional, living in a staid and quiet suburban English town. Peter is an overworked doctor whose wife, Helen, has become increasingly remote and uncommunicative. Rowan, their teenage son, is being bullied at school, and their anemic daughter, Clara, has recently become a vegan. They are typical, that is, save for one devastating exception: Peter and Helen are vampires and have—for seventeen years—been abstaining by choice from a life of chasing blood in the hope that their children could live normal lives.

One night, Clara finds herself driven to commit a shocking—and disturbingly satisfying—act of violence, and her parents are forced to explain their history of shadows and lies. A police investigation is launched that uncovers a richness of vampire history heretofore unknown to the general public. And when the malevolent and alluring Uncle Will, a practicing vampire, arrives to throw the police off Clara’s trail, he winds up throwing the whole house into temptation and turmoil and unleashing a host of dark secrets that threaten the Radleys’ marriage.

The Radleys is a moving, thrilling, and radiant domestic novel that explores with daring the lengths a parent will go to protect a child, what it costs you to deny your identity, the undeniable appeal of sin, and the everlasting, iridescent bonds of family love. Read it and ask what we grow into when we grow up, and what we gain—and lose—when we deny our appetites.

Matt Haig really knows how to tell a story. I felt as if the characters were people whom I can relate too. What the teenagers were facing in this book is something that I went through as a teenager. The moral of the story doesn’t have to do anything with Vampires it has to do with the dynamics of a family, how it functions, and how the decisions the parents make, effect their children in the future. This story also throws into play, bullies and how it effects our children and what happens when it’s not taken seriously. The author did an amazing job at mixing every day events and situations with paranormal and comedy.

All the characters stories were told uniquely and was described separately. We have Rowan, an overly sensitive vampire who learns he’s a vampire in his teens after a horrible accident caused by Claire. Claire is Rowan’s sister and has believed along with Rowan that they were sick for many years, having to drink medicine and use sunblock because of some unknown skin disease their parents made them believe they had. Peter is a doctor who owns a little clinic near his home. He’s Claire’s and Rowan’s father and has always wanted to tell his kids the truth about their identity. However, his wife Helen refuses to place that burden on them. Helen is a stay at home mom who believes that her family needs to be abstaining from blood in order to live a normal life, even if it means that they can die (or die again ) quicker then other vampires. But not telling her children their true identity is not the only lie she holds. After the tragic accident with Claire, Peter calls his brother Will to help with the problem unbeknownst to Helen. When Will arrives to 17 Orchard Lane, every little secret will be set FREE.

Overall, it’s a great read and I really enjoyed reading it. Hope there’s a sequel!

A big thank you to Simon & Schuster (Free Press) for including us in the book tour. Now we hope you enjoy our review for The Radleys. As part of the tour there is a special giveaway happening each week for the tour. We happen to be a part of the last week. Each blogger will be entered in a giveaway if they leave a comment on each blog this week that's part of the tour. CLICK HERE to view The Radleys Tour Schedule. 

You maybe be wondering what you will be entered to win by leaving your comments. Well you are entered to win a hardcover copy, a paperback copy and some blood red hot chocolate. Awesome, Right?!! SO what are you waiting for. Start commenting. 

Winners will be announced via Helen and Rowan's twitter accounts: @Helen_Radley & @RowanRadley

You can also check out The Radleys webpage and take a test. Are you a Radley?

An done last thing, if you like you can read a excerpt HERE from The Radleys.