I really enjoyed this and enjoyed the pace and twists. Great plot and charecter development. This book has made me want to delve more into what this author has wrote previously

2.5⭐
Genre ~ psychological fiction
Setting ~ UK
Publication date ~ September 16, 2023
Publisher ~ Boldwood Books
Est Page Count ~ 274 (p+ 38 chapters)
Audio length ~ 8 hours 49 minutes
Narrator ~ Sophie Wardlow
POV ~ single 1st, present tense
Featuring ~ paranormal feel, old diaries, references to attempted r@pe

This was originally titled The Uninvited and published in 2018. The page count went from 306 to 274 on the kindle edition, so I wonder what was changed 🤔

Faye and her husband, Hugh, and 2 young children, Aiden & Poppy, have purchased Cross House in an effort to start fresh after some troubling things happened. As soon as they arrive something doesn't seem right.

There's an unreliable tone to Faye's character, so I wasn't really sure if she was seeing what she was seeing or not. You're either going to feel bad for her or hate her and I hated her. Things that bothered me were when she would say things like "I know I shouldn't do this, but I will anyway"...we know you're going to do it, so just do it and don't think about it. Another issue I have is that these parents are supposed to protect their children so why in the world did they choose not to get the police involved if they thought someone was lurking around in the middle of the night. Poppy even repeatedly says someone is in her room. Hello? 911, or 999 in this case, what is your emergency! AND you do not need a whole new door in order to change the locks, just buy a knob dude. Makes zero sense.

Overall, being told in the present tense made this feel really long. There's quite a bit of repetition with the same thing happening each night over and over again. I did like reading the old diaries with the previous owners secrets, but I just wanted more chillingness or an arm to grab me from a secret passage.

Side note ~ as an animal lover I have to mention this even though it’s only referred to happening in the past ~ a nail was hammered into a puppy’s head. Makes me sick!

This was a very creepy read & had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up quite a few times!!! I recommend this story!!!

A great book that said takes place in a wonderful setting. It's filled with incredible characters that will keep you guessing until the end.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This book started off great but lost my attention towards the middle. It was a bit scattered and the characters were just awful. Not my cup of tea.

Twists and turns abound in this gripping domestic thriller. Just when you think you have it all figured out, the author throws another curveball.

A family, a change of house to a large one with lots of places for the children to play, it all sounds idyllic....however all is not well and as the story proceeds it gets rather more far-fetched than ever. It really is a bit of a silly story to be honest. Not the best of stories.
The characters are in parts lovely and other parts quite horrible, I never knew quite what to expect of them..
Shame, it held much promise, but did not quite fulfil for me.

This book held my attention but unfortunately I had a strong dislike for the characters. I found it to be confusing at times.

Faye and Hugh were eager for a fresh start when they moved to Cross Street, hoping to leave their past behind. However, the tranquillity of Cross House is disrupted when Faye becomes troubled by the nightly sounds of someone moving around their bedroom. Despite expressing her fears for their children's safety, Hugh dismisses her concerns, attributing them to another potential breakdown. Undeterred, Faye is determined to uncover the secrets of the previous occupants, the Wentworth family. As she delves into the tragic fate of the Wentworths, Faye begins to entertain the unsettling possibility that the intruder may be closer to home, putting her family in greater danger and at risk of sharing the same fate as the Wentworths.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Faye and Hugh was desperate for a new start. Now they moved to Cross Street, they just want to put their past behind them and start over. However, the peacefulness of Cross House is soon ruined when Faye wakes up every night, to the sound of somebody creeping around the bedroom. She tries explaining it to Hugh, that she’s frightened for the safety of their children, but Hugh quickly dismisses her claims, he’s thinking she is heading for another breakdown. Faye is determined to uncover the secrets about the Wentworth family who lived in the house before them. But when she discovers the tragic fate of the Wentworths, Faye begins to wonder if maybe the intruder could be closer to home than she first thought, and her and her family maybe in more danger and suffer the same fate of the Wentworths. I devoured this book!

Received this book from netgalley for an honest review.

This book was really good. Crosshouse seems an eerie place especially to live. The storyline was good it had me trying to guess what was happening all the way through it. The book ended quite sudden but it made sense

I would definitely recommend reading this book

Ghost or human - who is roaming the house in the wee hours, stalking the rooms and why won't anyone believe her. Predictable plot for the most part, but some tense moments and a fast moving read.

WoW! WoW ............The Intruder by J A Baker was an excellent from start to finish and was brilliant. It had brilliant twists and turns and a great storyline.........This was a book that will have you up to the early hours of the morning so be warned!!! Once you open you kindle and read a few pages you will find it hard to put it down!

Another excellent book especially for a relaxing holiday.

I highly recommend this book.

The Intruder by J A Baker

Suspenseful and gripping thriller.

Faye and Hugh was desperate for a new start. Now they moved to Cross Street, just tried to put their past behind.

In this house, it didn’t give the security to Faye. She kept awake at night because she heard someone was creeping in the bedroom. However, Hugh ignored Faye when she told him the concern.

Faye needed to find out who the intruder was, therefore she started to search the house and she found the secrets of Wentworth family, who lived here before…

Such an intriguing story and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I was literally hooked at the beginning. The twisty ending was a big shock! Well done of creating the tension!

this book was an amazing read. the end was a real shock- devastating and amazing all at the same time

After a dark, dangerous year filled with stress and leaving her feeling more vulnerable than ever, Faye decides to move her and her family - husband Hugh and their two young children - to Cross House, a beautiful, but fixer-upper of a country manor. The house at first seems perfect, until Faye begins hearing someone wandering the house at night, though she’s never able to catch them in the act. And everything seems to begin to make sense when she discovers diaries from the Wentworth family, who lived in the house in the in the 80s. Their troubled story seems to be haunting the house. But is it real, or is it all in Faye’s troubled mind? Because as she delves deeper into the house’s history, the more paranoid she seems to get…

This story was a great example of an unreliable narrator. Faye was so broken from her previous experiences it was almost hard to listen to some of her ramblings at points because you could feel the tension just coming through the page. So of course there’s this huge cloud hanging over the entire book - an “is there or isn’t there?” question. I really loved that. And the family history storyline was really interesting and added a whole second dimension to the story that was really good and had me just as captivated as the main storyline.

And the answer to that question was really good. I liked the author’s approach to everything. That’s all I’ll say. No spoilers here.

Except to say one thing: read this one to the very, very end. Because that final page? *chef’s kiss* For authors that want to leave a little something at the end - this is how you do it. Something with enough punch to be good, but it doesn’t ruin anything by opening up a whole new storyline/cliffhanger or ruin the closure the we got from the previous chapters.

So yes, if you like books that will keep you guessing and will give you some chills, this is a great book to pick up! Another winner from J.A. Baker!

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC of The Intruder. Faye and Hugh buy a fixer upper in another village, hoping to escape the drama of the last year. But, it becomes clear as soon as they move in, that Cross House will not be the respite they hoped for. This book was a solid 4 stars. Engaging, suspenseful, with a surprising twist ending. Only thing that kept this from 5 stars is that there were parts that were very repetitive. But otherwise, great book!

This book kept me on the edge of my seat with all the twists and turns! All Faye wanted was to move her family somewhere they’d feel safe; start a new life away from the past. When they find Cross House, a historical Victorian home with lots of potential, they see new beginnings and happiness. But they soon find out, even this home comes with a past of its home. Faye goes on a hunt to find answers to all the secrets within her new home. She is met with lots skeptical folks, dreadful situations, and many untold secrets. I thought I had an idea of where the story was going but I was wrong! The ending sent chills down my spine.

Thank You NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC!

My first impression was that our protagonist was in a poly relationship with three guys and it didn't work out with two of them so she needed to move.
That isn't the case, but still. It made it a little more exciting.
The family has to move because two male friends are ruining their lives. They end up leaving their cute modern neighborhood nad moving into an old estate called "cross house" and it is in bad shape. It also has a creepy history.

This is the kind of J.A. Baker novel I love.

A really suspenful read with lots of red herrings. I really enjoyed the story and got hooked quick and read fast xx