Told from varying perspectives, The Cliff House is an atmopsheric, magnificent and at times emotional story of a young girl who desperately wants to be accepted, and doesn't realise that money really doesn't equal happiness.

This is the first novel I've read by Amanda Jennings, and I have to say I'm so impressed at the way that she creates such a sense of time and place (mainly Cornwall in the 1960s), as well as evoking the drama and strife that the Davenports create all around them, in one way or another. The characters in this story are a real mixed bunch; the demanding, difficult and rather exhausting personality of mother Evelyn is contrasted with Tamsyn's own poor mother, and Tamsyn and Edie are also polar opposites in many ways, too. I liked the complexities of the characters; they all had their own issues and less-than-desirable traits but they're interesting to read about and, though at times I hated them for how they treated other people, I also felt sorry for them sometimes - even Evelyn, who seems to have such a glamorous life but is so obviously unhappy.

I loved the feeling of almost being there with them in Cornwall, and you can really tell how, at first, Tamysn becomes swept away by the glamour of the Davenports, particualrly because of the history with her dad. I don't want to give too much away but this is certainly not a light-hearted, fluffy story - there's a dark sense of foreboding over a lot of it, mixed with the heady, powerful feelings of desire, desperation and envy. A haunting summer read.

Devastating and deliciously dark, The Cliff House is less wish-fulfilment and more of a clever and disturbing reminder that things are rarely (if ever) how they appear on the surface.

What starts as a heady summer of escape and friendship on the North Cornwall coast soon takes a decidedly darker turn, one as black as the swimming pool around which much of the action takes place, in this novel of contrasts.

Tamsyn and Edie’s families illustrate the conflicting interests: locals looking for work and affordable housing in a place that daily reminds them of what they’ve lost; and holiday home owners longing for escape in an enviable property out of reach to most people, especially locals, while bringing seasonal work and spending power.

The Cliff House is the story of a place as much as the two families it brings together and Amanda Jennings makes its presence felt by breathing life into the house and the stretch of coast it sits on.

She also cleverly shows the light and dark of each character and place, and how changeable these are. As I learned more about each character, my perception of them changed and sympathies continually realigned while reading, which kept me on edge throughout.

As moody and intense as its teen protagonists and Cornish coastline, The Cliff House is a clever and twisted tale of the devastation caused when obsession, envy and grief run wild one summer, and which Amanda Jennings brings to a chilling yet fitting conclusion. Highly recommended.

The Cliff House has a strong sense of time and place – Cornwall in the mid-80s – but I felt I’d encountered the characters and indeed the plot before. I’ve previously read another book by Amanda Jennings and I enjoyed it, but this seemed unoriginal and derivative, and the writing didn’t have an edge to it. I finished it, hoping that the ending would make up for these deficiencies, but disappointingly it didn’t, so I can’t say I would recommend it.

Thank you to Amanda Jennings and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinions. It was a brilliant read and I couldn’t put it down. Will be recommending to friends

The Cliff House is a fantastic book which I really enjoyed. It combined several of my favourite things in a novel - fantastic location in Cornwall, a house, the seaside and complex family issues.

Such a well written coming of age story, beautifully written, highly atmospheric, I couldn't put this down. I was swept into the lives of the characters and transported to Cornwall with the author's wonderful descriptions. The tension builds throughout the book and comes to a shocking twist and bittersweet conclusion.

Highly recommended. Be prepared to be hooked.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Teenage Tamsyn and her family live in a small coastal town, She lives with her grandad, mum, and older brother. Her father passed away when she was young and its had a devastating effect on the emotional and financial welfare of the family. There is a beautiful white house perched on the cliff which represents everything that Tamsyn could ever want. The house is inhabited for the summer and is the catalyst for friendship, romance, teenage obsession and the complications of relationships. The story unfolded well and the characters were well formed and believable. Its a complicated story, evoking complicated emotions and I'm not quite sure what I think about it. Definitely thought provoking and heart-breaking at times!

This wonderful book made me reflect on the difference between liking and really loving a book, and I think it’s all about the way it makes you feel. There are those rare books that totally consume you, make you ache inside, talk about to everyone you meet – and, when you reach the end, want to return to the beginning and experience it all over again. This book was so very special.

I felt deeply for young Tamsyn, a gaping hole in her heart and her life after the loss of her father, as she yearned for a different life, obsessively focused on the clifftop house, with its complex associations and echoes of life with her father, and the magnetic pull of the dysfunctional family who live there. Anyone would be dazzled by the Davenports – their gloss and glamour and their carefully constructed illusion of perfection.

Coming of age stories – and I guess this book could fit that description – are rarely my favourites, but Tamsyn’s extreme loneliness and vulnerability made this book something so very different. And then there’s Edie – knowing, mature, sometimes with a wisdom beyond her years – but also so very damaged, disguised with a slick of lipstick and eyeliner and a thin veneer of confidence and sophistication.

But all the characters are wonderful. I ached for brother Jago – not entirely good and perhaps dangerous to know (particularly if you’re a hormonally charged teenager), but with such a massive heart and trying so hard to fill the space left by his father. And mother Angie, so deserving of some happiness of her own but struggling to keep her head above water, concerned by her daughter’s obsession and the damage that could be caused by the ugliness she knows lies beneath.

As with the author’s other books, I started to highlight passages – the perfect description of Cornwall’s wild beauty, the capturing of an emotion where everything rings so true that it hurts – but soon gave up, because the whole book was so desperately beautiful, every scene captured with an artist’s eye. And I can think of no other author who writes as convincingly about grief and loss, and I’m still not sure how she manages it – every word is so carefully chosen, but she also seems to have a gift for creating spaces, great gulfs that you could drown in, pauses brimming over with emotion. With this book, she’s also managed to add a real erotic edge, a claustrophobic atmosphere, a nostalgic feel that belies its 80s setting, and sense of impending danger that permeates the whole book – unsettling, sometimes uncomfortable, but such deeply moving and wonderful writing.

I really don’t need to say “one of my books of the year” and “I really loved it”, do I? And if you’re yet to read it, you’re going to love it too.

Beautiful descriptive writing from this author. It’s set in the 80s and now and follows a story of obsession.
I read it quickly on a day off from work. This is my first book by this author and I’ll be buying the other three now.
Take this on holiday. You won’t regret it!

4.5 stars. I have never read anything by this author before but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It kept me gripped and I genuinely didn’t know how it was going to end. Look forward to reading more by this author.

This is a brilliant holiday read, full of toxic friendships that you just know are going to end in tragedy.

Tamsyn lives in a Cornish village with her family who struggle financially since the death of her father. She has an unhealthy obsession with the house on the cliff which her mother is the cleaner, and thinks nothing of occasionally stealing the key, snooping around the house and using the swimming pool – until she is caught by the teenage daughter, Edie.

Edie is rich, rude and rebellious whereas Tamsyn is loved, poor and friendless. A friendship with Edie is almost too good to be true for Tamsyn and she spends as much time as possible with Edie in the Cliff House. That is until it all starts to turn sour.

This is a book I found hard to put down. The anger and hatred coming from Edie is palpable and add teenage hormones, alcohol and motorbikes to the mix and you have one very gripping summer read.

The two families featured in The Cliff House couldn’t be more different: one poor, one rich; one loving, one cold; one clean-living and ethical, one debauched. And it’s this contrast running all the way through that really made this book for me. That, and the fact that it’s beautifully written. Tamsyn is part of a hard-working, honest and loving family. Her mum works as a cleaner for the Cliff House, the Cornish holiday home to a wealthy, beautiful London family which in Tamsyn’s eyes is sheer perfection. She’s totally mesmerised and enchanted by the Cliff House’s rich, beautiful and sophisticated inhabitants. When a twist of fate means she’s suddenly welcomed into the family, she’s happier than she’s felt since her beloved father died. But the family is not quite as beautiful close up. The book is poetic and evocative, and the ending totally stunned me!

I love books that take you to an actual place or time, Amanda Jennings just that with The Cliff House. Her description of Cornwall, the homes and 1986 make you feel like you are there, watching the drama unfold in front of you.
There is simmering tension throughout the book, and the flashes from the present add to the intrigue.
Two things come from this story- a perfect life isn't all it seems and be careful of what you wish for!!

I have a problem writing my review for The Cliff House and that problem is that my words will never match the deliciousness of Amanda Jennings'!! Seriously, this book swallowed me up heart, mind and soul. I was lost in the pages from beginning to end.

The Cliff House is primarily a story about teenage obsession and friendship set in 1986. We all remember how intense those times were and if you're the mother of a teenage daughter now you'll be well aware that times haven't changed, things are just magnified.

Who didn't covet someone else's life at that age? At sixteen years old Tamsyn is doing just that; she is obsessed with The Cliff House and the family that live there The Davenports. As a child she visited with her father who has sadly passed away, an event that has caused repercussions throughout her family. Her mother works hard to keep the family together but with their sick grandfather living with them and her brother, Jago, struggling to find work the cracks are beginning to appear. Tamsyn's escape is at The Cliff House, she has access to the key as her mother is a cleaner there so often sneaks in to absorb the atmosphere of this world she wants to be part of. On one of these visits she is disturbed by Edie Davenport, the daughter she didn't even know existed. Edie is a different breed to her - wealthy, privileged and worldly wise...everything Tamsyn wants to be. They strike up an unlikely friendship which made me immediately nervous, by this point I had grown attached to Tamsyn and know how cruel girls can be. I soon relaxed as it became obvious that Edie was just as envious of Tamsyn's home life. Having been sent away to boarding school and ignored by her parents she craved attention (especially from her mother Eleanor) and went about getting it any way she could. I'd like to think I was cool Edie at sixteen but we all know I was a Tamsyn....although I did received a mix tape or two in my time!

This story builds slowly but is so intense, all the while my internal commentator was wondering what would happen when everything came to a head and was totally satisfied when it did. I can't help but say The Cliff House gave me du Maurier vibes (a high compliment imo) - the simmering tension, the debauched lifestyle of The Davenports, the naive young girl desperate to be liked.

Highly recommended - The Cliff House is THE Summer read of 2018!

I'm a huge fan of Amanda Jennings' books - her exquisite prose, amazing sense of place and sharp believable dialogue. The Cliff House is yet another stunning read - a superb psychological thriller that will stay with you afterwards.

This is a story of parental love and families, mother-daughter relationships, jealousy, grief and possession. It looks at the devastating aftermath of tragedy, and how easily our experiences and memories can be distorted by our own thoughts and also by the people around us. This book is very much about ownership, of places as well as people, and a reminder that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

The Cliff House is chilling from the start, with a sense of impending doom. I could guess how it was going to end - but had no idea who, what, how or why. This book reminded me not to believe everything that's on the page, and that you often have to read between the lines, as well as the words themselves, to really get to the heart of what's going on.

Amanda Jennings' gorgeous, vivid descriptions made me believe I was there in Cornwall, swimming in that pool overlooking the sea. While the book is very much character-led, its title 'The Cliff House' is also very apt, as the house has a significant influence on the lives (and interactions) of all of the main characters. I didn't actually realise how much the characters had touched me until I noticed tears in my eyes at the end.

An author who can set a book in a place close to home that I know very well and at a time when I could have been there, when I could have brushed shoulders with one of her characters, and hold me through the whole story without ever doubting that her characters lived and breathed, that the events she writes about happened, is an author I am very glad to have met.

It takes more than authenticity to make a good book of course, and this book has much more than that. It has a wonderful understanding of character and relationships and it has an absorbing story where there is always something in the air; something like a great storm at sea moving closer and closer to the Cornish coast ....

In July 1986 Tamsyn was a teenager, living with her mother, her brother and her ailing grandfather in the small town of St Just in the far west of Cornwall. They were a close family but money was tight, jobs were few since the mine had closed, and they were still coming to terms with the absence of Tamsyn’s beloved father, a lifeboat man who was lost at sea during a rescue.

He had taken Tamsyn on walks along the coastal path, spotting birds, observing familiar landmarks, and admiring the beautiful art deco Cliff House. It was the second home of Davenport family, who lived in London and usually only visited for occasional weekends. Secure in that knowlege, Tamsyn and her father would even swim in the Cliff House's pool.

Tamsyn continued to walk alone, and she observed the Cliff House more and more carefully. She is was entranced as she watched Mr and Mrs Davenport, she was sure that their lives were quite perfect, and she wished that there was a way for her to step into their world.

When Edie Davenport, the daughter Tamsyn had never seen before and didn't know existed, caught her swimming in the pool Tamsyn was horrified. But Edie was amused, and she was pleased to meet someone who might be a friend for the long summer holiday that her parents has decided to spend in Cornwall.

They were unlikely friends, but each girl was lonely and isolated and needed the other; and each girl had something that the other lacked. Tamsyn was drawn to the wealth and glamour of the Cliff House, but Edie's life there was far from happy and she loved the natural warmth and welcome that she found in Tamsyn's family home.

The drawing of that friendship is beautifully balanced, and I found that I could emphasise with each girl. Tamsyn is still grieving for her father and she is unhappy that her mother's friendship with a local man might become a romance; while Edie is burdened by a family situation that she is unable to talk about.

I was particularly taken with Tamsyn's mother; the portrayal of her as a mother, a young widow, a woman who knew that her children were growing up and that she still had a life ahead of her was pitch perfect.

Everything rings true.

The whole world of this book is beautifully evoked. I can't quite place the Cliff House, but I can believe in two girls a few years younger than me, in everything that happened around them, in the whole story that played out just a few miles away from me.

I was completely drawn in, I cared and I wanted to know what would happen, and so I turned the pages quickly.

The only thing I didn't care for was the symbolism of the raven and the hints of what lay years in the future. It felt clumsy and it was a distraction from the story of what happened in the summer of 1986.

Tamsyn's involvement with the Cliff House - and the presence of her brother Jago, who is burdened by his grief for his father and his inability to step up and be the man of the family in a time and place when there are no jobs and no prospects for young men - led to a chain of events that would have unimagined and unintended consequences for two families.

The story moved slowly and steadily, and I love the way that it twisted and turned.

It spoke profoundly the gulf between rich and poor, the impact on rural communities of economic decline, and the effects of bereavement, loss and grief.

It spoke of how different what we see on the surface and what lies beneath can be; and where the line between love and obsession, between reason and madness, might lie.

I loved it from the first page to the last.

This book is set in Cornwall in the summer of 1986. A young girl, Tamsyn is still grieving for her father whilst living with her mother, brother and grandfather. She longs for a different life and becomes obsessed with the family living in The Cliff House. Befriending the daughter, she gets closer to the family and their secrets.

It's descriptively written and paints a beautiful picture of the rugged Cornish coast. However, I found it a difficult read as it was too long and drawn out in places.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and preview this book.

THE CLIFF HOUSE is Amanda Jennings fourth novel and my first of her titles. Set in Cornwall, the descriptions are truly beautiful and you really feel as though you are actually there. The story has a lot of different strands that the author weaves together admirably, so the book is never tedious. It is genuinely haunting and dark with a deeply deceptive plot that is twisty from start to finish. I will remember the descriptions of the North Cornish coastline vividly in my mind for a long time to come. I have never been to Cornwall but this book makes me long to go!

A book that focuses on obsession, loss and longing. Set in the 1980's and against the backdrop of a stunning county, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Recommended to crime readers who like their thrillers based in serene surroundings.

I would like to thank Amanda Jennings, HQ and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest and impartial review.

An atmospheric thriller set in Cornwall, following the life of an unhappy young girl named Tamsyn, who has an obsession with the haunting Cliff House and the people who now live there.
This story is well written with a suspenseful plot but it lacked something for me, the characters were ok, not particularly likeable but described in detail so you feel like you know them and the setting is intriguing, making me read on.
This is the first Amanda Jennings book I’ve read and I will probably read more despite this not being one of my favourite’s.
Good solid thriller.

The Cliff House is set in Cornwall in the 1980's and is wonderfully atmospheric I could almost hear the waves crashing and feel the sun shining down ! I like the way we hear from each character every chapter ,I like this way of telling a story .This is one of those books that is difficult to put down .The story is one of obsession ,envy ,love and loss but I think the star of the book is Cliff House itself !!! Many thanks to the Publishers ,the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review.

Sixteen year old Tamsyn has been obsessed with the Cliff House ever since her father died, the two of them used to sneak in there when the owners were not around, and as her mother did the cleaning there she would steal her key and let herself in and use the pool.......and then she got caught! Edie is the daughter of the Davenports the owners of the Cliff House and when she catches Tamsyn in their pool she decides that she will be her friend for the summer..........but are the Davenports all the seem and will Tamsyn be getting in too deep.

A good novel with great characters and settings but with a constant undertone of turmoil, nothing is right with the family but Tamsyn only sees perfection and her desire to be at the house and be part of it overtakes everything else!