An interesting take on what family means and how far people will go to protect those they see as part of their family. As Laura and Tilly become more entrenched in the commune / cult, I felt myself wanting to shout out and warn them to get out! Highly recommended!

Laura is devastated when her husband dies suddenly in an accident which leaves her and her daughter, Tilly reeling. Laura finds that financially she is in a very precarious position until the life insurance is paid it seems that this is in question though until the cause of her husband’s accident is established. Laura doesn’t discuss this with Tilly as she wants to protect her and little realises what a tough time Tilly aged seventeen is having at school.
The stress of the situation brings on a seizure in Laura whilst in her failing florist shop she is helped by Saffron with whom she eventually discusses her situation. Saffron lives at a nearby farm with other young people headed by Alex. They live off the land and help each other. Laura and Tilly are eventually persuaded to join them and meet the charismatic Alex who offers to help. Predictably, the insurance money is what is being sought and I found this rather irritating. However persevere because there are lots of surprises in store and nobody is whom they seem. A great read.

This is only the second book I have read from Jensen and yet again I wasn't disappointed. An absolutely wonderful read. It was heartbreaking in parts but also very intriguing. I thoroughly enjoyed The Family.

The Family Louise Jensen
Psychological thriller
Another nail biting thriller which kept me on edge, filled with tension, exhausting to read as I didn’t want to put it down!Great characters who I empathised with and willed on to solve the issues, particularly Laura (the mum) and Tilly (the daughter) both feeling with their own demons / secrets. Twisty tales which continually provided challenges and stimuli for me to try to figure out.
Brilliant description which framed the story effectively, places I could ‘see’ and ‘feel’ with all my senses involved - I LOVED it!

The book starts at a point close to the end of the novel, at a moment of dramatic effect, and then rewinds to where it all began, which is when Laura’s life is about to disintegrate around her and her daughter, seventeen-year old Tilly. Laura’s husband, Gavan, had died in an accident, but as it had yet to be determined whether or not it was an accident, there wasn’t yet a proper death certificate. With the insurance company refusing to pay out until there was a proper death certificate, Laura was about to lose her floristry business, which she’d been running for ten years.

A woman she hardly knew, Saffron, from Oak Leaf Farm, which producesdbags of organic vegetables for sale, happened to stop by at Laura's shop at the moment when the stress had become too much for Laura, an epileptic who’s long been in remission, and Laura falls at Saffron’s feet in a seizure. Saffron drives her home, and learns the extent of Laura’s financial difficulties, which is that, as she has no money at all, she is about to lose her home as well as her shop, and Saffron offers Laura and Tilly a temporary home at the farm, which is seen by the locals as a commune. Saffron says that their leader, Alex, would be able to help with the legal side of things. Seeing no alternative, Laura reluctantly accepts on behalf of her and Tilly.

The story is told through the eyes of Laura, Tilly and enigmatic Alex. The reader learns early on that Tilly is having problems with her former friends, one of whom is also a cousin, and is being targeted by bullies. Her difficulties are in part occasioned by the circumstances prior to the death of the father, six weeks earlier, who’d been accused of building houses on toxic land, which resulted in a girl becoming extremely ill. But the result is that Tilly feels lost and friendless.

The rest of the novel takes place on the farm, where, the reader learns, all is not as it seems. And where, among other things, there is a suspicious death.

I found that the time that it took to get Laura and Tilly to the farm, with endless internal ruminations and flashbacks to the past, was somewhat slow and tedious and I became quite bogged down. It also becomes a little hard to take that so much misfortune, both financial and in terms of familial relationships, would be dumped on Laura’s shoulders, and those of Tilly, too, in so short an amount of time, and that after ten years or more in a place, Laura should feel that there was nowhere else she could go for help other than to a commune of strangers.

It is also very hard to accept that a woman who’d run a business for ten years, and whose husband worked on the financial side of his business, would overcome her initial wariness and be so worn out by it all, that she'd sign away her control over her affairs to a man she’d just met, and about whom she knew nothing, other than that he seemed charismatic and she fancied him.

Towards the end of the novel, an even greater suspension of disbelief is expected as the coincidences fall fast and furiously, and ultimately become confusing in what feels like a rushed ending. Part of the confusion is occasioned by the fact that there is little real characterisation, so the names thrown out in the denouement are no more than names of people the reader didn’t really know.

It’s what happens in the middle of the book that makes the novel worth reading for those who like suspense. It becomes very exciting. The atmosphere in the farm, and Laura’s increasing alienation from it, despite the attraction she feels for Alex, which Tilly does, too, is very well done, and there are a number of edge-on-the seat moments. I found the middle section of the novel very hard to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in return for an honest review.

This was not what I first expected, and when the penny dropped I was in utter shock. I had know everything! I tuned every page desperate for the next twist and turn, and thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful narrative. If you love a good thriller, you will love this.

Really good physcological thriller. The beginning is a bit slow but once you get into it it's great! Laura goes from having a good life, a husband, a typically hormonal teenage daughter, and a business she loves, but when he husband suddenly dies, it all starts to go down hill rapidly, cue the crazy cult. Louise starts by painting Alex as a charming albeit seemingly controlling cult leader but as the story goes on, it proves that bot everything is as it seems. Really good read with some very raw emotions and portrayal of grief

Laura is left reeling after the shocking death of her husband Gavan in a fall on a building site. With a substantial insurance claim pending while the accident is investigated, Laura is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her daughter Tilly. When she loses her floristry business, quickly followed by her home, Laura gratefully accepts the invitation from her new friends Alex and Saffron to spend some time at their working farm, where a number of people live off the grid, growing and selling vegetables to sustain their lifeystyle. Laura is wary, but the charismatic Alex soon has both Laura and the impressionable Tilly in his thrall. When one of their community dies in suspicious circumstances, Laura wants to leave, but Tilly refuses, and so Laura must investigate to try and find answers. Was her husband's death an accident? Why are the community so keen to keep Laura and Tilly in their grasp? When she stumbles on a horrifying discovery, Laura realises that there is no going back. She must save herself and Tilly before it's too late...

I really enjoyed this novel. It's a well-paced thriller with realistic characters, and twists and turns aplenty. I like when a novel manages to surprise me, and I was definitely surprised by this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, who provided me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Temporary review until the book hangover subsides and I can write properly again. I will update this review closer to the blog tour.

Louise killed me again! I can’t find the words!!!
Heart-wrenching, stunning, and original! I am wary of cult or cult-like stories as they’re too often the same but here? I was totally engrossed, totally repulsed, totally mesmerised. It was so painful to read Laura’s struggle. The portray of Tilly, lost teenager, malleable, bold but sensible, and her relationship with her mother, was so spot-on it it blew me away. The way the author describes a situation through the mother’s eyes, then through her daughter, and how the reader can feel the gap between them, the misunderstanding, and yet so much love... it is exceptional.
Again, I felt I was watching a movie, my pupils were recreating Louise Jensen's world because each word was a pixel offering me a clear image. I got all the feelings!

It’s such a powerful book, it shows the ups and downs, and the mess is the perfect reflection of what life can become when fate plays with us. Louise has a knack for bringing characters and places to life.

That ending? Blew my mind!!!!! I grew attached to the characters so intensely that I am still in the middle of a giant book hangover!
Thank you so much for such an outstanding novel.

Laura is devastated when her husband dies, leaving her and their almost grown-up daughter, Tilly, alone. When the insurance company refuses to pay out, Laura is in danger of losing the house and has no choice but to seek help from elsewhere.

Louise Jensen is fast becoming one of my favourite psychological thriller writers. Just when you think it's not possible to squeeze anymore twists into one book...she surprises you. It's done with style and expertise as well - Louise carefully works every little twist and surprise into her books ensuring that any loopholes are closed. You're definitely not left asking....'But what happened to....?'

I read in the authors notes that this idea came to Louise when she decided to explore what would happen if you put two vulnerable people into an even more delicate situation enveloped in an environment that was out of the ordinary. We've had the 'cult' books before. I'm pretty sure there have been plenty. So an even bigger challenge for Louise was to create a book that was unique and didn't have you comparing it to something else. She achieved that times a hundred!

Grief in this book is raw and very much real. Laura and Tilly have to navigate a very different world than they could ever imagine, whilst at the same time experiencing hostility from those that they had expected would offer a shelter. This book puts you in Laura's shoes instantly and forces you to consider... what would you do?

Wow, this book is creepy in a really good way. The first few chapters I found quite slow and a little dry but preserve as once the story takes off it explodes.
You can see what is happening and I wanted to shout at the main character to open her eyes and get out before it was too late.
Definitely a book to read!

Louise Jensen has done a fantastic job at perfectly executing human emotion in this novel and I was thoroughly drawn in with the heartache, secrets and lies of Tilly and her mum. With plenty of shocking twists and turns this novel kept me gripped from beginning to end. Another brilliant book by Louise Jensen!

I got a bit bogged down near the start of this book and put it down for a while. When I picked it back up again, though, I got into the flow and finished the rest off in one sitting. Sadly, as the pace picked up the believability decreased. I did enjoy the various twists and turns, and the way expectations were subverted, but ultimately there were just too many connections/ coincidences between the characters for the story to be plausible. I was also not a fan of the open-ended ending.

A quick read and certainly a twisty one, but I think Louise Jensen has written better books.

Once again a brilliant thriller from Louise Jensen, lots of suspense, head-spinning twists and turns to keep you up until the small hours. I just don't know how she comes up with the ideas

There were times that this book drew you in and held you, for a few pages, and there were others when you felt 'honestly, get real'. Laura is struggling to cope with the sudden death of her husband, Gavan, as is her 17 year old daughter Tilly. On top of this is their failing flower shop and bullies at school. Gavan had a half million life insurance but this can't be decided until the inquest over his death has concluded. Laura has bills to pay and no savings. Someone from the local commune cum organic farm offers them a home for free and there they meet the charismatic but enigmatic Alex for whom they both go gooey-eyed. He happens to be an ex lawyer and says he'll help Laura with her battle with the insurers, and to just sign this paper giving him authority to deal with them on her behalf. Oh yes. A fee maybe, but hand over authority, oh dear. It goes on from there. There is taut suspense and there are secrets untold by many people; there's murder, bitter family relationships and confusion between good, mis-guided and simply evil. An ok read for me but that's all. Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a story about the long term effect of an event which took place many years ago.
I am afraid I didn't like it much. I found the endless references to 'something' which took place earlier annoying rather than encouraging me to read on. There are so many references to secrets. The heroine was helpless and ineffectual and difficult to like.
I am afraid that this was not for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher HQ for the ARC.
Following a rather harrowing prologue, the story begins a little more sedately and sadly where Laura, having lost her husband in a building site accident, is at the point of losing her rented home and her floristry business because the insurance company won't pay-out until after the inquest - which could be months. Laura hides their true financial situation from 17yr-old daughter Tilly until she decides to accept an offer of help.
Saffron provided organic veg boxes on trial in Laura's shop but after witnessing Laura having an epileptic fit, and Laura confiding the dire straits she now found herself in, Saffron points her in the direction of Alex who heads their small community in the Welsh forests. Alex is (was) a lawyer.
With nowhere else to go, Laura and Tilly end up staying at the farm but all is not what it seems amongst the residents especially when Tilly becomes infatuated with Alex.
Told from the points of view of Laura, Tilly and Alex a complex sinister plot gradually unravels, revealing hidden relationships, deception and secrets.
This book becomes really dark and very twisty - just as you begin to think you've got the answers, well, forget it - no way!
Totally absorbing; great characters, and exceptional writing.

The Family started well. Laura and her seventeen year old daughter Tilly are reeling from the sudden death of husband and father Gavan. Struggling financially due to the insurance company’s reluctance to pay out, Laura is easily persuaded to accept first legal advice, and then a place to live, from the charismatic Alex, who leads what looks suspiciously like a cult in the guise of an organic food co-operative. Life on the Oak Leaf Organics farm, however, rapidly becomes alarming...

I do love a dodgy cult and this looked promising for a while - a controlling leader and members clad all in white, strange noises in the night, etc - but did all start to get a bit confusing by the end. Narrated in turns by Laura, Tilly and (more briefly) Alex, it takes a while for the strands to come together. It was a good read overall, but ultimately a bit too confusing and far-fetched to really engage me.

I always enjoy Louise Jenson's books and was delighted to receive a copy of her new book The Family, a psychological thriller full of twists and turns.
Laura's husband had a fatal accident when he fell from the roof of a building. Laura is behind in her rent and has no money. The insurance company will not pay out until they have the verdict from the inquest into her husbands death.
A customer in her flower shop offers Laura and her teenage daughter Tilly, accommodation at a local farm that runs as a commune to a small group of people.
At first everyone seems friendly but then the doubts begin.
A story full of secrets, lies and duplicity.
I found that this story told by three different narrators was a little disjointed and did not flow as well as it should.
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had been eagerly awaiting this since I saw it and I was thrilled to be approved. I almost didn’t want to read it, because I wanted to savour it! However from the beginning, I was drawn in and couldn’t put it down. Louise writes human emotion so painfully well, I really felt for Tilly and her mum.

It’s a brilliant book, I would recommend to all.