I’m conflicted with this book. Whist at times the writing is good, some of situations really stretch the limits of the integrity of the novel. That said, I did finish and if was ok, it worked in parts.

I don't usually like to review books that I have disliked, as I think reading can be such a subjective thing and just because something hasn't worked for me as a reader, it doesn't mean it won't work for others. However, occasionally I read a book that is SO bad that I feel compelled to review it, and unfortunately The Haven was that book.

So first off, the one positive is that it's a very well written and well paced book, and I would give another book by the same author a chance, as the ingredients were there for a gripping thriller.

However, something I struggle with - in thrillers particularly - is when they stretch credulity so thinly that, instead of being absorbed by the book, I'm distracted by constantly thinking "what on EARTH... how am I meant to believe that...?". And with The Haven, I was doing so every few pages.

I won't list everything that wound me up, but suffice to say the point at which a teenage girl stitched up a gaping wound in her own head had me almost as annoyed as the part where she was able to perfectly track people in the forest. Along with so many other things that didn't ring true, the idea that Cass - previously a normal suburban teenager - would, in the space of a summer and autumn living in the communal environment of the Haven, suddenly become so 'at one' with the natural world that she was able to survive, injured, in the wild for days? weeks? was particularly farcical.

Meanwhile, the plotline involving marijuana growers in a nearby camp felt derivative of The Beach, and the idea that anywhere in the UK could be far enough from civilization to make being completely off-grid and away from the authorities a realistic prospect just didn't sit right with me.

For me this was an unusual book and not my customary genre (thrillers, crime, espionage); so it surprised me to be reading about alternative culture in communal arrangements in forests. It was a slow starter. I couldn't figure out whether it was based in the UK, where it would be more difficult. To camp out undetected for years on end, as this colony appeared to have managed. Then I thought it was probably based in the US. I remained puzzled. The whole plot was quite fanciful throughout, but I settled in an kept an open mind. The characters were developed and began to take on patches of madness or preservation. There was skullduggery, deception, mysticism to keep one interested. I trudged through the forest with the permanent residents and their visitors, then looked at developing a cannibis farm, contemplated disturbing sex and pregnancy.
All in all the story was a good romp.
Funnily, just as I completed the book, there was the real-life story of a 17 year old, who had been abducted by his other at an early age and went on to spend many years in commune, until he walked out in France and came back to the UK.
I had to laugh. I thought the book was a bit far fetched, then I'm shown that It happens in the world today.

I'll admit the blurb pulled me into this one - a sixteen year-old girl waking up in the forest with no memory of what happened. She has a head injury and there doesn't seem to be anyone around...except a police team who visit occasionally and seem terrible at solving things! What happened?!

The story follows 16 year-old Cass who does have memory loss following a head injury. However, her memories return slowly and we discover the history that led her to the remote forest - the haven of the title. Her family take a lead from a visitor to their house and embark on an effort to live off-grid as a way of helping the environment. They go to a mysterious settlement of like-minded people where they are very much treated as outsiders - and then it all gets very weird and dystopian!

I did find the book, although you have to be prepared to just go with some of the weirdness. In particular, I found that I had to suspend disbelief that Cass - in many ways so, so naive - turned into a kind of survival expert as she navigated the dangers of the deserted haven. At other times, I felt like she was really child-like, especially around her obsession with Mo - not that this is unrealistic, probably, for a teenager. She was an interesting character and I certainly felt compelled to keep reading.

I found the workings of the haven to be really interesting - I was worried that it would be presented really one-dimensionally as a bunch of crazy people with hippy ideas about saving the earth. However, there was a depth and authenticity to the community - they had genuinely noble intentions and were (with some notable exceptions) working together productively to keep the haven running. I thought this was an intriguing idea and an important environmental message, even if it doesn't go well for this particular bunch!

It's hard to describe more of the book without some serious spoilers, so I'll just say that I found lots to enjoy in the book and I did race through it to get to the truth.

If thrillers are your thing, you'll like this - there's lots of tension, lots of characters with dubious motives and lots of intrigue. You'll want to keep reading just to check that Cass is OK - or whether she has done really bad things.

Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy of the book. Opinions are entirely my own.

I unfortunately did not find the book all that engaging. The story started with great promise but then I found it becoming quite long winded and some parts just did not seem possible to me. To change character so much over a summer period is just not possible. So not for me.

This is a dark, creepy book and it sent chills down my spine. It is different to anything I have read before and the title doesn’t come close to approaching where this family ended up. With well written, darkly descriptive writing I can really recommend reading this.

A dark and eerie thriller that kept me thoroughly engaged. The story itself is intriguing and cleverly written resulting in a compelling and at times, slightly disturbing read.

Riveting, all the way through.*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Disillusioned father comes under the influence of charismatic back-to-nature guru, and decides to take his family off to an off-grid settlement in the middle of a forest. The wife and children are less than impressed.
The book is narrated by Cassia, the teenage daughter who very quickly falls under the influence of the leader.
What is very clear is how well meaning, trusting, people can be manipulated by those only out for themselves, and of course, predictably, it is never going to end well.
The narrative keeps switching between “then” and “now”, which became very confusing at times.
I had great hope for this book, but found it was covering well-trodden ground, which has been better-explored in other books.

Thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read this book.

Teenager Cass Sawyer wakes up in the forest, confused and with some of her memories missing. Despite a head injury, she soon recognises where she is - the eco-community her parents have brought her and her two siblings to for summer. But to her puzzlement, everything seems deserted.

This is a slow burn thriller, but once it takes off things get quite interesting. Some parts of the story may require a suspension of disbelief - or at least, they did on my part.

The decisions that the Sawyer parents take, the naivete of a character like Cass, the hold that Mo has over Cass and her father Rick, and the degree to which the experiences of one summer appear to change them can seem a bit excessive at times.

After an unexpected encounter with a charismatic stranger, the five members of the Sawyer family agree to spend their summer in an off-the-grid community of environmental activists. The experience turns out to be as transformative as it is challenging for them.

But while the inhabitants of the Haven make some good points regarding the necessity for better stewardship of the Earth, there is a decidedly darker side to their lifestyle.

The story is gripping and keeps the reader engaged despite some shortcomings. The portrayal of family dynamics is convincing - if a little depressing at times. All in all, an interesting read. It gets 3.5 stars.

This book was a bit of a slow burner for me that it took a while to get into the story truly. But it was worth it as it really went crazy for a while!!

Great story with so much to offer.

This is a great ride of a thriller

As the Spill says Cass wakes up in the forest unaware of all that's been going on and is about to find out bits at a time 1st question that she needs to answer is where is all this blood from. That's quickly resolved but how and why that takes longer.

This is a great mystery thriller who is Mo the eco children party entertainer you have to read this thriller for that to make any sense sorry ( but you won't be once you've read it). A clue he's not your normal booking, but he is going to transform the future of this family and it starts with the invitation to The Haven an off the grid eco forest where the rules are made by the warriors not the outsiders as they call us.

So all you'd want in a thriller like this there are plenty of twists action and wonderful characters, starting with the family Cass has a Brother, Sister, Mum and Dad and an Aunt living at their home, plenty of arguing self doubt and dreams. But what they didn't expect was there 2 week annual trip to Cent Parks to be usurped by a 2 month trip to the eco world (forest) will all bar the Aunt no real spoiler and left behind.

I really enjoyed the story telling a mix of then and now, well crafted and full of suspense. I loved it and really hope You do it's definitely well worth getting and reading (obviously) I was hooked.

The strangest book I've read in a while. The focus on the environment and the damage that humans are doing to our planet I understand and applaud. It's great to have a fiction book to read about this.

However where I believe the book falls down is the two parents. Really? You'd change that much as a person on an Eco trip. I couldn't believe some of the stuff they did. It didn't feel grounded in reality and I therefore struggled to form any emotional attachment to the characters. Sorry not for me.

Welcome to Heaven...

Following a meeting with a stranger, the Sawyer family - Rick, Eve, teenage children Joe and Cass, and eight year old Maudie - decide to spend the summer living in an "off grid eco community". The Haven turns out to be all of those things, in a fashion rather more extreme than anyone bargained for.

The story is narrated by Cass, and even for a teenage girl, she seems extraordinarily naive - deluded, even - about her dealings with Mo, who acts like a textbook predator much of the time. She doesn't seem to entertain a scrap of doubt and acts in some frankly idiotic ways.

Maudie, however, with her plastic dogs and her dramatic overreactions, is a treasure.

The unravelling of this family - each of whom experiences some awful things - in the face of external manipulation and a very unusual environment, is compelling to witness, even through the eyes of self-absorbed Cass.

There's a graphic and disturbing scene of sexual assault at one point - that's not the only horrific scene, but it's perhaps the most viscerally distressing. But there's a lot of other weird and nasty stuff going on too. The ending is quite satisfying, though.

The inhabitants of the Haven do have some very fair points about living more sustainably, even if they take it rather further than most of us would probably want.

An intriguing and sometimes disturbing read. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

I found myself struggling tk get into this but once j did there was no stopping me! It's written over a dual timeline and very character driven which isn't really my favourite. The chapters in the present seemed a lot more interesting and had a lot more happening than the flashbacks to the party. Its quite a dark and creepy thriller that had me wanting to shake some of the characters more than once to see sense and make better choices! A really interesting, cleverly written story

I thoroughly enjoyed this book; the setting, the descriptions of living life off-grid, Cara's teenage crush on the charismatic leader, Mo, who encouraged them to join the community. Cara was brilliantly described, her self-obsession was so typical of a teenager but the way she matured was incredibly well written. Cara's mother is a lovely character with her warmth coming through every conversation.

The tension throughout the book as Cara's father becomes more and more uncontrollable and Mo becomes more and more dangerous is just the right side of plausible with his each member of the family trying to cope with Rick's moods plus the mounting terror as the teenagers of the community realise just how much Mo is manipulating everyone. The plot was tight and completely believable. An excellent read.

Rating: 3.0/5

I have mixed feelings about "The Haven". There is a lot to like about the premise, which has echoes of Alex Garland's, "The Beach". A family go in search of a "back-to-nature" eco-community settlement after having been given a map (against the community's rules) by one of their number. Even before they reach their destination it already seems that all may not have been as they have been led to believe, but at least they will only be there for the duration of their holiday ... won't they?

I found the set-up phase a touch on the dull side, rather than the mysteriously intriguing effect that I am sure the author was aiming for. In fact, it wasn't until about a quarter of the way into the story that I really found myself being hooked by it at all. The narrative plays out alternately across two timeframes. The first is the present (referred to as "Now") and the second relates back to events prior to the central character, Cassia, losing her memory ("Then). The "Now" chapters are quite short and punchy, but by contrast the "Then" sections are quite lengthy. Personally, I found them to be a little too protracted, which caused pacing issues with the development of the plot and the potential for underlying tension to build. However, in spite of that there are some impressive elements and a ready amount of keenly observed social commentary along the way. I wasn't always entirely convinced by the characterisation and stylistically things felt a little clumsy at times. Nonetheless, in spite of these shortcomings I did remain gripped and keen to see how the storyline developed. The way Fiona Neill chose to end the novel won't satisfy everyone, but if you want to find out whether it meets with your approval, you will just have to read it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

Teenager Cass (Cassia), Sawyer wakes in the woods with a head injury. In the background, she hears police officers searching, so she lies low. She knows where she is, she’s at The Haven and as the officers search the cabin for signs of Cass’s family her memories take her back to her youngest sister Maudie’s disastrous birthday party, where the family first meet charismatic Mo. What brought the family to The Haven? What has happened to Cass and her family necessitating a police search? Why does Cass believe this is all her fault? Maybe, more crucially for her safety, who is the hunter and who the hunted?

This is definitely a things are not what they seem read. The unfolding and unravelling events are told through the eyes of Cass in the present day and backtracking to the fateful birthday party. This works well, although I enjoy the present day scenarios more as there’s greater excitement, it’s danger fuelled at times and very mysterious.

This is a character driven, mystery/thriller, domestic noir and looks at the impact that one person can wreak on others and dramatically alter lives. At the centre of the web is Mo and he certainly has the Sawyer family fooled. The more he “graces“ the pages you see him exactly for what he is. He has the biggest influence on Cass’s father, Rick, who is so ready to buy into the environmental/self sufficiently message that brings the family to The Haven where they live off-grid.

Looking at the impact of all this on the family is fascinating. Cass’s mother, Eve, is the peacekeeper until she isn’t and other characters are played like fiddles. Things become weird, the earlier timeline becomes surreal, even a bit magical until it takes a much darker turn. It’s clear that what is believed is not necessarily the reality and it’s also apparent the Sawyers are outsiders at The Haven. The situation deteriorates, there’s a massive change as things implode. It becomes creepy, chilling, dangerous as everything falls apart, and how.

This is incisively and acutely observed. I like the changing tone the author creates throughout. At the start of the families journey as they head to the Haven, brim full of optimism, the tone is darkly funny with some excellent dialogue between them. As things descending into the blackness, there are contrasting tones between the present and the events that lead up to it.

This isn’t always easy to read as we observe how this family are led to make decisions with consequences that none could have foreseen. It ends somewhat abruptly leaving you to follow the thinking through.

With thanks to NetGalley, and especially to Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I struggled to get into this book- and then I struggled to finish it. The plot felt disjointed and the characters lacked intensity. It wasn’t for me.

Its taken me a while to read this one. I've been dipping in and out of it, and I wonder if that's why I'm not completely sold on it.
I wasn't overly keen on our main character, and some of the plot lines went exactly where I thought they would.
Saying that, it's got me picking it up again and again so I could find out exactly who did what and why.
The off grid living sounded ideal at times, now I think I don't want to ever be more than ten steps away from a street light.


Review to be published closer to date