Thank you to Netgalley, Louise Jensen and HQ for my arc of The Family in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: After the Sudden death of her husband, Laura and her daughter Tilly are consumed by grief and the struggle they've been left with, unable to afford their home, not to mention Laura's failing business and the way the community have turned against them. So when local company Oak Leaf Organics offer them a home and a family how could they resist? But when more and more sinister things begin to happen Laura wants to get out, but it's not that easy...

To be honest I didn't love this book it was very slow going, the premise was there but it lacked the pace and underlying tone of fear that most cult themed thrillers do. The characters weren't particularly likeable and I couldn't identify with any of the characters, the 'twist' lacked any impact. I kept expecting the pace to pick up but unfortunately it never did.

When her husband dies in an accident Laura’s left heartbroken and facing financial ruin. So when Saffron invites her and teenage daughter Tilly to join the commune at Oak Leaf Farm she jumps at the chance. At first it looks like an ideal setup - everyone’s friendly and charismatic leader Alex even helps with her finances. But who is he really and can she trust him? And what about the other members of this secretive group? As Laura’s suspicions grow, Tilly’s drawn further in and seems to be slipping out of Laura’s reach. Can she win her back in time to save her from danger?
I’ve loved other books by Louise Jensen so was fully expecting to enjoy this one and wasn’t disappointed. Dark, creepy and frantic, it’s an addictive read with a cleverly orchestrated plot and thrilling conclusion. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys psychological suspense.

The Family by Louise Jensen
When I started reading this I must admit to the fact that I had confused this author with Liz Jensen and found the style very different to her other books. I had not read any other novels by Louise Jensen and although I found the story quite gripping I did not find that I engaged with the characters deeply enough. The story revolves around the accidental death of Gavan, Laura’s husband. Following his death on a building site the insurance company initially refuse to pay out and she is left desperate and soon to be homeless with her teenage daughter. Into her shop walks Saffron who lives at a local farm producing organic produce and she offers Laura and her daughter, Tilly, a safe haven and also assistance from the charismatic Alex with her financial difficulties.
When they arrive at the farm it appears to be more of a cult and they are drawn in and appear trapped. The story became more and more unbelievable as you were led down various blind alleys and it did not really explain the characters motivations in sufficient depth. I found the ending too contrived. Many thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

First of all thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Now I have heard great things about this authors previous books, and having read the synopsis, I had high expectations.
However I really struggled to connect with the characters and ended up skim reading most of it. It picked up a little towards the end. But then it seemed a bit of an information dump. In last few pages.
Not for me unfortunately.

Wow wow wow! This novel was the first one I have read of this author but I'll certainly be downloading the previous 4!
It started slow but the more I read the more I couldn't put it down! Excellent excellent excellent! There was a great twist at the end too, like any good psychological thriller needs and this is definitely on my to recommend to everyone I meet list!

Skim read due to a lack of real connection with the characters. Ended up with some ok twists, but all wrapped up a bit easily for my taste. I like a twist, but a huge information dump at the end to wrap up all the loose ends just made it all feel a bit convenient.

Recently widowed Laura and her daughter Tilly are struggling to cope and keeping secrets from each other. Laura is worried about how they will manage as they’re on the brink of losing their house.
When Saffron an acquaintance tells her she knows someone who can help she visits Alex at the community farm he lives at.
Is this her 1st mistake? What will happen to Tilly and Laura? What secrets is everyone hiding? Things at the farm are not what they seem
Whilst I enjoyed this story I wouldn’t say I loved it. Told in 3 points of view: Laura, Tilly and Alex there were times where I felt it was disjointed and a little predictable. It wS however a good read and left me feeling there could be more to tell.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review

Disturbing,psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns. Characters are varied ,complex and quite scarily normal.

I've enjoyed Louise Jensen's previous books so I was looking forward to reading The Family. This is her first book published by her new publisher, HQ, and I have to admit that I was a bit worried that the change in editor would make this book different from her other books. Thankfully I needn't have worried.

Jensen is great at weaving stories that revolve around families, normal families that find themselves in situations that nobody would want to be in. I love how she gives the characters this sense of normalcy, it really could be you or me that she is writing about.

We know that Laura's husband died suddenly, leaving her and her daughter Tilly unable to pay their rent and waiting desperately for the life insurance to payout. But will the money come in time?

Obviously it doesn't but Laura is grateful when someone steps in and offers them a safe home for as long as they need. The home is a farm that has been turned into a commune, where the members grow their own food, wear white and do as their leader tells them.

But things start to go wrong, Laura begins to feel uneasy about the way things work on the farm but she doesn't know what to do as Tilly is loving her new life on the farm. and does not want to leave with her mother. Should Laura leave without her daughter?

But things start to go wrong, Laura begins to feel uneasy about the way things work on the farm but she doesn't know what to do as Tilly is loving her new life on the farm. and does not want to leave with her mother. Should Laura leave without her daughter?

I really enjoyed this twisty tale, I was never quite sure who to trust and who it was that was behind the bad things that kept happening. The thrilling ending left me shocked and for days after I finished the book I was thinking about the characters and what might have happened to them after the book ended.

This book really shows why Louise Jensen has sold millions of books, if you haven't read one of them then you are missing out and need to change that immediately!

Laura's husband died in a tragic accident. Now she's loosing her home and business. Her sister-in-law tells her that she's no longer part of the family. Now all she has left is her daughter, Tilly. After having a discussion and confiding in Saffron, she tells Laura about Alex who heads a small community in the Welsh forests called Oak Leaf Organics. So with no where else to go, Laura and Tilly end up staying on the farm. But all is not what it seems and Tilly becomes infatuated with Alex.

The story is told by Laura, Tilly and Ales's point of view. Everybody at Oak Leaf Organics seemed to be a little creepy. Laura is keen to leave but Tilly wants to stay. Everyone has se rets and tells lies. The pace is fast and theres twist after twist. This book keeps you guessing the intentions of other people. I love the authors style in writing. The prologue alone will make you want to keep reading this book. It's a dark and gripping read. I was a little disappointed in the ending and there are parts that seemed to drag out. Apart from that I tho0enjoyed this book.

I would like to thank Netgalley, HQ and the author Louise Jensen for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is the first Louise Jensen book that I’ve read and I know that I’ll definitely be reading her others. I really like Jensen’s writing style and found this a very interesting read. I was getting through it very quickly and didn’t want to stop reading. I really liked all of the characters and they were all relevant to the storyline in some way. I didn’t predict anything that was going to happened and was shocked by quite a few things. It was a really interesting storyline and really well written. I liked that I didn’t know who to trust. My feelings towards the characters were constantly changing. Although not much happened for a while at the start, I was still interested. I don’t know why I waited so long to read a Louise Jensen book! Bring on the next one!

I enjoyed this "cult" type book. It was a bit similar to a previous one I have read, but it was enjoyable and had some interesting twists in it.
A good read,

The Family is the first book by Louise Jensen that I have read and despite the author's track record and the promising sypnosis I felt that the book failed to deliver with it being nothing out of the ordinary and difficult to get into

Not recommended

This is a creepy & cult like book full of twists & turns. I thoroughly enjoyed this & would recommend it to anyone.

This book grabbed me from the beginning and I wondered how it was going to end. The story is about Laura who is a widow and her teenaged daughter and how they get help from some people who are part of The Family - is it a cult? Are they friendly because they want your money?
The story continues in 3 voices, Laura, the daughter Tilly and Alex who is head of The Family. There are secrets that everyone is keeping - will they come out?
This book was about trust and secrets and lies and about instincts and family ties but also about self preservation and the lengths to which people will go to protect others.
I liked the book but at times it made me uncomfortable and I wasn’t thrilled with the ending. Still, perhaps that is what a story is supposed to do. :)

This was so poorly formatted on kindle that I had to give up. I appreciate that it's a free book, but if I can't read it without getting frustrated, I won't spend time on it

What a thriller! Full of twists and gasps and chills down the spine!

The Family is packed full of emotion, tension, and mistrust, and add to that the sinister cult-feel, this book is will keep you guessing and keep you reading.

Louise Jensen paints very real characters and I was gripped by the mother-daughter relationship, and just how easily a family unit can fray when put under the right stress.

Thank you to HQ, the author and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Another fabulous book by Louise Jensen! I loved the mother/daughter relationship between Laura and Tilly, we see events from both their perspectives which adds to our understanding of their actions. Plenty of twists and surprises, however, I found the commune/cult side of the story slightly hard to relate to. The first part of the book was more enjoyable than the second I felt due to perhaps too many coincidences or twists, but in saying that it was still an extremely enjoyable, tense read. I would never hesitate to recommend Louise Jensen as an author.

The perfect amount of twists and turns and the authors keeps you guessing as to what's happening and who is telling the truth and who is lying. Read in one sitting.

A very messed up story which keeps you hooked in, a bit slow to begin with but well worth staying in there and love that you are left hanging at the end....