I just love this author and I was so happy when she had a new one out called The Family by Louise Jensen. This new book did not disappoint it was just Brilliant! it had lots of twists and turns that had me hooked from the very first few pages. This was another excellent book by Louise especially the ending I didn't see that coming!!!!

Looking forward to her next book.

Big Thank you to Netgalley and HQ for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyable read, and was interested to see where it lead to with the story and character and have to admit there were lots of twists and turns that I didn't expect.

A great read, I really couldn’t put this down and finished it in three days..
The book starts a bit slow, but soon starts moving with a faster pace and by the end I couldn’t put it down as I needed to know what happened.
The book is told by the perspectives of Laura, Tilly and Alex and I found this really intriguing as with every section you find out a little more about each character and what happened to them in the past.
A great read! Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for letting me review it.

I've already read a few books by Louise Jensen and have a few in my TBR pile which I will make a point of reading soon as The Family reminded me how much I enjoy her books. It started off slow but once it got going it was twisty and gripping. A clever plot and ending I didn't see coming.

Louise Jensen has the mind of a genius as she compiles yet another twisty book that lets you decide how it ends! Mother and daughter, both lost and vulnerable come across their ‘saving grace’ at a critical time of need. Alex, Saffron, Reed, Daisy and Hazel all make them feel right at home until things start happening, noises, dead animals, dead bodies and secrets all surface.

When you think you know who’s behind it all and what secrets lie with each person, Louise will throw another curveball and will leave you reeling in disbelief.

A great read from a very talented author, you can’t be disappointed with a Louise Jensen thriller!

Loved this! It’s creepy and it’s absolutely enthralling. I read it in 2 sittings on a cold Sunday. It’s the perfect way to spend an afternoon.
Told from 3 perspectives it has a way of making you cringe, have breathless moments and be just totally sucked in.
I gave this 5/5 on goodreads.

Everyone in this book had at least one major secret and they kept going on about it, although never revealing what it was until very near the end. This made for a frustrating read. Everything tied up neatly at the end, with a string of very neat coincidences, which made the whole thing too unbelievable.

When Laura's husband dies suddenly she doesn't know where to turn. The insurance won't pay out. Her brother in law & his family seem to have turned their backs - how on earth will she & Tilly, her teenage daughter manage? When she has an epileptic episode she blurts out her woes to the girl who helped. Saffron says that her friend Alex, who runs the organic farm where she lives & works may be able to help.

Before long Laura & Tilly have become part of Saffron's 'family. They are an assorted bunch but seem welcoming. Laura is so relieved to be away from her financial worries she doesn't question the stringent security, Tilly is just glad to be away from the school bullies. She quickly falls under the spell of the charismatic Alex.

Told from the perspective of Laura, Tilly & Alex this was a story that kept me interested, although it did seem a smidge predictable- until it wasn't! The last few chapters really came as a surprise!

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Really enjoyed this book, first one I have read from this author and I will be hunting her other books to read.
A gripping story always wanting to read more and keep going. Interesting subjects, family, a cult, what more do you want!

I was not really sure about The Family. Reading the synopsis I thought this book would suck me in and keep me enthralled but sadly this did not happen. I tried to persevere but I gave up in the end. Sorry not for me.

After Laura and tilly's life implodes in a dramatic fashion it seems like the whole world is against them.
At rock bottom and about to lose there home a business acquaintance of Laura offers an unexpected lifeline, a place to go and regroup while she gets her life together.
With the divide between mother and daughter gradually widening to the point that miscommunication is rife and neither are correctly interpreting the others signals and clues correctly.
There own personal guilt and grief creating a barrier and as the unspoken truths and secrets mountain grows ever higher it is almost like this landmark is a metaphor for there imploding family dynamics.
A hill to climb to bridge the gap that has been unintentionally created here.
All though it is clear that despite what appearances suggest, and each of them thinks, the love is definitely here and it is mostly just misunderstanding and a lack of real communication.
This, in turn, manages to open up a gap that makes it easy for others to take advantage, especially with the younger Tilly.
This is told from three separate POV The mother Laura, The daughter Tilly and Alex an enigmatic figurehead of a local group of people communally living together on a local farm.
The family is a psychological thriller that focuses on family and its hidden dynamics it was a solid read that does take a while to heat up.
One it does its full steam ahead and its the final few chapters that rescue this somewhat.
One final thing the ending itself I found to be slightly anti-climatic with some unanswered questions.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of The Family.

Absolutely superb read, finished the book in 3 sittings, totally gripping and thrilling, looking forward to the next book by Louise Jensen, a brilliantly accomplished author in her own right

by Louise Jensen

Laura’s husband died suddenly leaving her in shock & with money problems. Her teenage daughter, Tilly, is struggling to come to terms with this and with the attitude of her class mates at school. When it seems as if her husband’s family is turning against them and money is at breaking point, Laura finds comfort & support in the most unexpected place, a local commune.

There seem to be a cluster of book centred around communes and cults at the moment. This story certainly held its own amongst the similar stories that I have read recently.

Laura is at her wits end. She makes some very silly mistakes and at times, even allowing for her recent widowhood, I felt like shouting at her for missing the obvious! On the whole, however, she is a believable character in a difficult situation. Her daughter, Tilly, is a fairly typical teenager though I struggled with the idea of a teenager willingly giving up their phone & wifi. The characters in the commune are interesting & the relationships between them all is particularly well written – although I do think it becomes slightly far fetched towards the end of the book.

This is a good, solid thriller with a well constructed plot and good characters. It got a bit convoluted in places with a few too many connections & co-incidences but I could let them go for the sake of a good story.

I enjoyed this book. I would certainly be happy to read another book by this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

Another great thriller from Louise Jenson. I thought this was very different from other thrillers I've read recentlt and certainly kept me guessing. What I thought I knew and guessed was completely wrong and I think that always shows a good thriller as I hate guessing early on in the book and being right!! One of my auto buy authors for definite.

I'm a big fan of Louise Jensen and the opportunity to read an advance copy of her latest thriller was one not to be missed. And, boy, was this a thriller worth reading!

At the beginning, we are introduced to Laura and her teenage daughter, Tilly, who are struggling with their grief and subsequent financial difficulties after Tilly's Dad died in a tragic accident. Awaiting the outcome of the inquest into his death and subsequent insurance payout, Laura is struggling to pay bills and is in danger of losing her business.. A lifeline is presented to them in the form of a local community, Oak Leaf Farm, a small community led by the handsome and charismatic Alex. Laura is persuaded to seek refuge there, together with Tilly, but what is waiting for them and the reasons for their interest in Laura and Tilly is something you can't even begin to imagine.

I absolutely loved this book. I stayed awake way too late reading it, leaving me bleary-eyed and desperate to finish work the next day to be able to read more. As with all Louise's previous books, the story built nicely into a stunning crescendo of terror. With so many twists and turns along the way, this is an utterly unputdownable read!

This book kept me awake long into the small hours. Laura and her daughter, Tilly, devastated after the sudden death of husband and father, Gavan, are unwittingly drawn in to the mysterious communal living facility at Oak Leaf Organics. With no money and about to lose the family home, Laura takes Tilly and moves in with 'the family' believing that they will only stay long enough to find their feet. They can leave at any time, right? Not so! Soon, both are captivated by leader, Alex and things start to become creepy. I really enjoyed this book.

The concept of family is at the heart of Louise Jensen’s new psychological thriller. What constitutes family? Do you need to be biologically related to call yourselves a family? Can a group of like minded individuals make up a family or is blood thicker than water??
I always look forward to a new book from this author and I don’t think this will disappoint her fans, The pace is quite steady until the last quarter of the book, slowly filling the reader with a sense of unease, which adds to the whole atmosphere of the novel. Told from the perspective of Laura, recently widowed, her daughter Tilly and Alex this thriller poses all the above questions within a sinister environment. Alex is the leader of a commune, shunning all that is wrong with modern day living, trying to live off the land etc with other like minded people. Laura and Tilly become the latest ‘recruits’ after a series of misfortunes, bad decisions and the death of Gavan, beloved husband and father. What appears to be an ideal escape from the rat race gradually turns into a nightmare, highlighting the hold Alex has over these vulnerable people, brainwashing them until they are a shadow of their former selves.
Disturbing and sinister, I thought this was cleverly plotted as I only managed to guess one of the twists and I did find the last quarter gripping. As with all good psychological thriller things are never quite what they seem so the big reveal took me by surprise, obviously having being thrown off the scent with a few red herrings. I loved the ambiguity of the ending and would recommend to fellow readers and friends alike.
Thank you as always to the author and publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read in exchange for an honest review.

I’m such a huge fan of Louise Jensen’s novels and her new one, The Family, is no exception!

The Family is about Laura and her teenage daughter Tilly. Laura’s husband has recently died leaving her grieving and in serious financial difficulties. One day a woman offers Laura help via Oak Leaf Organics and Laura and Tilly are soon drawn into a community that is very difficult to leave!

I can never resist novels about cults, there is something about them that just draws me in. I love the way Louise Jensen set this novel up so that it made total sense how Laura, a level headed woman, would get drawn in. There is a sense of unease for the reader as Laura meets charismatic leader Alex but it is so plausible how Laura doesn’t see him the way we do.

I also loved the way this was about so much more than the cult. It’s such an in-depth look at mother daughter relationships, and how a relationship can be close and yet there is still secrets. It’s natural for a teenager to want to pull away from their mum so I could see things from Tilly’s point of view, but I could also see how Laura still felt they were as close as ever.

The pacing of The Family is spot on! It starts off as a slow-burn which is perfect as it allows you to get to know Laura and Tilly before their lives become so complicated. The pace soon begins to ramp up though as they settle into their new home and the plot becomes so gripping that the book is then impossible to put down!

There are twists and turns along the way in this novel, which I loved, and there are definitely things that happen that I didn’t see coming. I thought I had this book worked out and then the rug was well and truly pulled from under me. It’s a rare thing for me not to fully work out a mystery so kudos to Louise Jensen for keeping me on my toes with The Family!

I loved this book! Louise Jensen is a writer that goes from strength to strength and The Family is her best book yet. I highly recommend it!

Well! What can I say about his book? I was pulled in from the start and the twists kept coming right up until the end.
Laura is dealing with the sudden death of her husband and struggling to pay the bills for her and her 17 year old daughter. He business is in trouble and she can’t carry on until she gets her late husband’s life insurance pay out.
A chance meeting with Saffron offers both Laura and Tilly a solution, could they really find happiness at the organic vegetable farm?
The magnetic Alex leads the group and makes them welcome, welcome enough that they decide to stay. Slowly Laura has misgivings about the decision, but Alex has taken over her legal issues and tells her she has no money to move on and start again. She doesn’t like the way he and Tilly look at each other however....
The story is told mainly from Tilly and Laura’s perspectives, with a few others thrown in along the way.
I started the book with loads of questions, none of them had the answers I expected however!! Will definitely look out for more by this author.

The Family is a psychological thriller that twists and turns revealing layer after layer of secrets and lies. It will keep you guessing right up to the last word. Laura will do anything to protect her daughter Tilly, and as their lives spin out of control, her primal instinct to protect will be tested to the nth degree. Following her husband's sudden death, Laura is left penniless and desperate. A chance encounter leads her to Alex, a former solicitor now running a community farm. Tilly and Laura move to the farm where they at first feel safe and nurtured. But all is not as it seems and much as the reader guesses which way things are going, the author takes us down a completely different path. Dark, gritty and compelling, The Family is well worth a read for those who like a twisted tale.