This is the first book I’ve read from this author so I didn’t have any expectations. The cover drew me in even before I read the blurb. The dark house tells you something sinister is going on.

I was intrigued and horrified at the same time. This book is broken into three time zones. The first zone deals with horrific child abuse and neglect so if these are triggers for you, this may not be a good book for you. The author did a great job setting the story up for everyone that happened. Marta is a very interesting and complex character. Overall this is a dark intriguing story you will enjoy if you like family thrillers.

Dark, Disturbing…
What secrets and devastation lie within the walls of this house? All will be revealed in this dark and disturbing psychological suspense with a bleak and menacing feel from the off and notably with main themes likely to cause some distress. The characters and atmosphere are both well done and the narrative moves at rapid and brisk pace although the subject matter is simply rather too distressing.

A woman opens her door to a stranger. He winds up dead at the bottom of the stairs. Later she finds herself pregnant. The first part of this book was compelling, if sometimes hard to read because of the subject matter. I was horrified by the circumstances, but wanted to know what was going to happen next. Then it changed and I completely lost interest. The style and tone were completely different. The element of horrific suspense was gone. I struggled to make it through the last two thirds of the book. I've read plenty of thrillers where the plot abruptly switched to another character, or another point in the timeline. This wasn't that -- it was like a completely different author had taken over and decided to write a different book.

**TRIGGER WARNING** Sexual abuse. Child abuse.

When Janette answers the door to a potential customer looking to board his dog, she never imagines he has nefarious plans. But minutes later, he's dead and in her cellar. Weeks later she realises she's pregnant. And so she becomes Mother and the baby Child, and hidden life begins.

This story is told in three parts. It does have a dark and disturbing vibe throughout. The pace can be slow. You need to suspend your belief in places. The story starts with a brutal rape that results in an unwanted pregnancy, The characters are complex, manipulative and evil. But be warned, the contents are graphic in the first part of the book, and I was shocked at some of the content. The story is told from different perspectives. This book is definitely not for the faint hearted.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #AnitaWalker for our ARC of #TheFamilyAtNo12 in exchange for an honest review.

This is not an easy read. Its kicks off straightaway with the rape of Janette and it doesn't get any easier to digest. It's a very psychological read that totally messes with your mind. It's very dark and very disturbing.

You start by feeling sorry for Janette then just see her as pure evil monster. The things she was doing and thinking were just sickening. The second part focuses on Marta and you felt like history was going to repeat itself.

I was horrified and shocked by most of this book. The blurb didn't fully reveal how brutal this book is. I probably would have avoided it had I known. Although I did need to carry on to see the conclusion and I'm glad I did but the epilogue left me confused. I'm not sure 'I enjoyed it' are the rightful words but I did.

Lots of triggers, read with caution

The blurb sounded very intriguing. The book starts with the action literally on page 1 there is no hanging around. I have to admit I was a bit shocked of the content of this novel as it does not hold back.

We meet Janette who is a bit of a longer/recluse. She runs a dog kennel business from her home where she used to live with her mother. She has an appointment with a man to see the kennels etc for his dog. Things turn nasty and Janette is raped, and the rapist ends up dead in her cellar. She finds out that she is pregnant and has a daughter called Child. Needless to say Child is not treated nicely at all.

The book is told in three parts, from different perspectives. I did not fully finish this novel as I found it really hard to read. I find subjects of child abuse, rape really difficult to read and I just could not finish it.

Thanks to NetGalley, Anita Waller and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Spine tingling ! Anita Waller delivers yet another fast paced ,original and thoroughly engaging thriller. When a milkman spies a body through the letterbox, little did he know what would 've found behind the door of number 12! The little girl known only as Child, the product of a rape, has never been allowed out of her room. When they gain access to the house and find her mother dead after a heart attack they discover she has left a series of diaries,illustrating through her art, the awful sequence of events that have lead to this moment. They also lead police to the bodies in the cellar and a whole new investigation. The child has captured the hearts of everyone who encounters her, with her ethereal beauty and sparkling intelligence. However, has she inherited her mother's murderous inclination? I won't spoil the story by revealing any more but I will say you will be spellbound to the last page, and ,maybe, like me, left wondering ....totally brilliant!

I’d like to thank Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Family at No. 12’ by Anita Waller in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Janette Gregson is a quiet woman in her twenties who prefers dogs to people and when a man calls at her house he follows her into the kitchen and violently attacks her. Afraid for her life, she picks up the cast-iron cobbler’s foot and hits him but it’s only when she’s pushed him off her that she sees his blood and realises he’s dead. She disposes of his body by pushing him down the cellar stairs, out of sight out of mind, but it’s just a few weeks later she realises she’s pregnant. If it’s a boy he can go into the cellar with his father, but it’s a girl who she secretes away in a locked room and names her Child.

‘The Family at No. 12’ begins with a shocking and vicious attack and quietly progresses to what I can only describe as a disturbing sequence of events and subsequent treatment of the Child that at times have been difficult to read. It’s taken me longer than normal to read this novel as I couldn’t decide if I wanted to continue but I’m glad I did as the story progresses into an involving story with twists and turns and a surprising conclusion that was totally unexpected. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’m so impressed with the strength of her storyline and description of characters that I’ll be looking for more by her.

The Family At # 12 by Anita Waller was an interesting book. She is a new to me author. The subject matter wasn’t what I usually read but I do like books that have a surprise ending.

All words and opinions are my own. I was given a copy of this book for my honest review.

This book seriously needs a trigger warning. It was incredibly difficult to read and because of this I DNF.

This book wasn't an easy read, it almost needed to come with trigger warnings in the preface, however, I did find this book a little over the top at times in this bleak psychological thriller.

It started really well, focussed on Janette a bit of a recluse who prefers dogs to humans, whom is violently raped and ends up pregnant. We then move on to Martas story growing up in an horrendous situation, then moving on with her story as a young adult. It's a pretty disturbing book with many unlikeable, nasty characters.

Overall a good read, if unbelievable at times, but I couldn't put it down.

Almost a recluse, Janette does take in dogs when their owners go on vacation, and so she brings into her home yet another potential customer. This man however, is not there to board a dog, but for a far deadlier reason. From here the book takes a dark turn when Janette takes matters into her own hands. The second part of the book describes her attitude to her child and the final part is the chd grown and the way her upbringing is affecting her life.
It was certainly a different kind of story and with an ending that seemed to come out from nowhere.
I do thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ooh a hard book to read it had a lot going on and most of the subject matters could be quite upsetting. I very quickly went from feeling sorry for Janette to really disliking her. It did take me a while to get through it due to the tough subject matters and overall not sure how I feel about this one.

Have you ever finished a book and asked yourself, “What on earth did I just read?” That is exactly what happened when I finished The Family at No. 12. Honestly, I can’t decide if I like the book or not, because it was really psychologically messed up - I suppose that makes it a good psychological thriller though!?

This book was written in three parts. Part 1 is from the view of Janette Gregson, who is nuttier than a squirrel. She is a recluse who lives a very private and cautionary life. She is attacked one day and the result of that attack is a very much unwanted pregnancy (understandably so!) - up until this point of the book, I feel really bad for her.

Then part 2 starts and it’s from the perspective of the unwanted child Janette has. This is where I stop feeling bad for Janette and begin to hate her character. This part is filled with a lot of psychological, emotional, and physical abuse inflicted on the child.

Part 3 is the child’s years after being rescued, which just continue to become more and more messed up as the child becomes a teenager and an adult.

Is it a psychological thriller? Absolutely. Is it well-written? Yes, very well. It was hard to put down. There’s a lot of psychological and physical abuse, as well as murder and mental illness. Generational trauma is definitely well and alive in this book. It is interesting, but if you’re easily triggered by an of those things I wouldn’t read this book because I can see how it would be triggering. Otherwise, it’s a good book despite the sad and mean plot.

Another brilliant book from one of my favourite authors although the first part was a bit dark and disturbing but you just have to carry on to get involved with the storyline.

Extremely well written and all the characters were so well developed I felt as though I knew them.

All in all a great book with an excellent ending and I have no hesitation in recommending this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this great ARC.

This is like reading three novellas in one book. The first part was slow going and I understand that it was needed. It did get better in the latter half but it did not grip me. I love this author's work and usually has me sat on the edge of my seat and constantly holding my breath unfortunately for me it did not deliver. Saying that I am sure other readers will enjoy it more just not for me. All in all a good read.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

I put this down a few times just trying to get through the first bit. This needs a huge TRIGGER WARNING! I was so caught off guard and repulsed. When I was finally able to pick this back up, I was bored. It moved slow and was mostly an info dump. It wasn't until the second half that I was interested and things picked up. There some pretty decent twists. But it wasn't quite enough to make up for the first half.

Oh wow this book is something else. Its the second of Anita's books that I've read and I'm really enjoying her work.

This book is heartbreaking, gripping, shocking and happy all in one. It is split into 3 books which together tell a story with an amazing twist at the end.

Whilst the first part of the story was heartbreaking to read, I really enjoyed reading Janette's story, her drawings bringing the story to life even more.

I am really looking forward to reading more books by Anita.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ok so this is a book that you have to bare with. I wasn't really into the first part of the book. I understand why it was there and written the way it was. To give you the back story of the child. But it was a little bit slow for me. However what you get passed that bit. The second and third part do get better. Making it overall a well written book.

Thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author, for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Whenever I start a book from this author, I know I will be entertained. This was a fantastic story, so different and so gripping. I was blown away by the originality and the storytelling talent of this author. I have a lot of questions about this story, which is always a sign that I really liked the. The biggest question I have is, did Janette know or see what her mother did many years ago? Fantastic book.