Urgh I have to say firstly I bloody hated Nathan! If I could have reached into the book and necked him I would have 😂 what a vile and totally awful man he was, I hated watching the way he treated Hannah and I just wanted to kill him haha!

Well written book with great characters even though you hate them; I did want to scream at Hannah most of the time too for been just so wet and pliable, but it’s obviously why she is that way with his coercive controls ways!

Fantastic 5 stars all the way from me

Nathan Cardew what a monster hated him!!

Great story which keeps the pages turning the the story of a love/hate triangle between Hannah (get some backbone woman letting one bloke treat your kid like that!) Nathan the monster and Cam the sweetheart

Loved it and will look out for more from this author

I didn’t like this book one bit and basically forced myself to finish because it was an arc.
I heavily skimmed throughout and found myself bored and completely disinterested in the eventual outcome, It was tedious and very slow and not much really happened here.

I absolutely detested Hannah immensely she was just so bland and uninspiring she had absolutely no backbone and the way she appeases Nathan with her sly manipulations and passive-aggressive actions was just irritating and annoying.
I wanted her to grow a backbone and just stand up to him the way she lets him treat her teenage son well that was the icing for me that really got to me and I just didn’t get it at all, I heavily struggled to understand any of the whys or even like her at all.
She really wasn’t a great character and I couldn’t identify with her in any way whatsoever.

Then there’s the husband, Nathan, he was basically awful.
He’s a complete control freak whose been allowed to run amok he may not be physically abusive to Hannah and Alex but emotionally and psychologically that’s a whole different story.
And Hannah has just spent the last fifteen years stroking his ego and acting the doormat.
Allowing him a free rein as a sort of self-induced punishment and atonement for what she considers her penance, A form of metaphorical Flagellation she beats herself up with every day.

I kind of could see why she had decided that she deserved to be unhappy and living this life now though I did not actually agree with her conclusions one bit and thought it was kind of Martyrish of her, but her son certainly didn’t deserve to be treated thus and she had a duty as his mother to protect him and in my opinion, it’s a task Hannah failed miserably at.
Instead of pandering to her abusive husband, she should have been making plans to remove herself and her child away from all his controlling manipulations.

I didn’t find any of the twists here that shocking and I had no interest in the long fishing trip descriptions we got either the whole thing for me just sank rather swiftly.
It’s told from three POV’s Nathan Hannah and Cam and considering two of those individuals I don’t like I just wasn’t enjoying myself.
With Cam I actually felt really sorry for him I think he kinda got a bit of a raw deal to be fair poor man.

It flips from present time to the past as the story unfolds and the prior events have a ricochet effect.
The writing itself is fine and this is well written and it’s mostly the characters and there awful personalities that spoilt this for me that and the slow pace and also the fact it was just so depressing.
This is described as a psychological thriller personally I wouldn’t describe it that way, I would say It’s more of a family drama type story.
Unfortunately, this one didn’t hit the mark for me and I didn’t really enjoy it.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of The Storm.

Wow I loved this book, every cliche you can think of, didn’t want to put it down, a real page turner. Great characters and storyline. Can’t read to more from this author

I have found my villain of the year - Nathan Cardew! What a vile, manipulative waste of flesh! Why, I hear you ask!? Nathan is married to Hannah and they have a teenage son and the perfect life or so it would appear from outside looking in. In reality Hannah is totally under Nathan's control; financially and emotionally. Trapped in an abusive relationship she is forced to appear and act as the perfect wife which she does in order to protect their son Alex.

The flashbacks show Hannah as a totally different person - fun loving, carefree and besotted with local fisherman Cam. Slowly we begin to understand why she is now the shell of her former self and shackled to this monster of a man. I really enjoyed this slow reveal and how you could sense the explosive ending brewing like a storm!

A fantastic book and well deserved five stars.

Wow, what a book, if I could give this more than 5 stars I would. This would make an amazing movie. I did not want this book to end. Full of lots of suspense and drama. Will definitely read more by this author.

This book is written in a dual-timeline, which is something I always find quite fascinating.
The story is set on the Cornish coast, and there we meet Hannah. She finds herself trapped within a toxic marriage to a man she does not love. The only comfort she takes from her life is her son Alex and her dog Cass. What the reader is left pondering at this point is, why is Hannah staying with Nathan?

This story is told mainly from Hannah's POV, with the occasional chapter portraying Nathan's view on the situation, and Hannah's ex boyfriend Cam.
After an argument with his father, Alex runs away, and this is the final straw. It forces Cam to return to Newlyn, and brings everything out in to the open.

I really enjoyed how the secrets from the past were gradually revealed via flashbacks. This added a new depth to the story and kept the storyline progressing. There was however a slight lull in the story in the middle, where parts of the story could have easily been removed and not hugely impacted on the storyline.

The story was intriguing, well paced and full of suspense that kept me hooked until the very end.

*Thank you to HarperCollins HQ and Netgalley for my copy of this book in return for my honest review.*

This book kept me intrigued throughout and wanting to know how the story would end. I liked the mixture of timelines which is now common in most books of this style.

I like books where the author can make you have strong feelings for a character, and in this book I feel that most readers will dispise Nathan. The show's good writing on the authors part.

The were parts of the story that seemed irrelevant and the twist was mediocre, however I could see this as a three part drama on TV at some point.

The thing about coercive control is that it's like an invisible sickness you can't see. It destroys cells whilst you remain blissfully unaware of the slow destruction. It drags you down and weighs heavily on your psyche until suddenly you become aware that something isn't quite right.

Somewhere along the way freedom, choice and your entire self got lost or rather was taken by someone intent on destroying you - all in the name of love and control. Slowly chipping away at your confidence, your self-worth, your appearance, your intelligence until every part of you believes their way is the norm. Rocking the boat becomes a trip into the unknown.

Hannah has a perfect marriage on the surface. A caring husband and a loving son. Nobody sees the way Nathan controls what she wears, cooks, buys and in a way what she says and does. No rocking the boat, right?

It's a dark domestic thriller. A story of obsession, control and love, but not the kind of love that comforts, supports and cares. It's the kind of love that strips away and destroys your soul.

Jennings takes us from the present into past, which gives the readers an interesting before and after picture of Hannah. The carefree happy girl becomes the insecure, submissive woman. It's a slow process that isn't really evident unless you are paying close attention.

This is a crime read that draws from the reality of an insidious kind of abuse. Abuse we have only just gotten legislation for and has remained unpunished for far too long. It's a tale that isn't clear cut, but that in turn keeps the reader turning the pages.

Everyone envies Hannah with her handsome, wealthy husband Nathan, teenage son Alex plus she gets to live in a large house and wants for nothing. But they don’t see the control freak he is once they are alone, how she has to explain and justify everything. Why does she, why would anyone put up with any of that? To find out why there’s a dual time frame in this book (1998). I loved this from the beginning, how it was written, the descriptions of beautiful Cornwall, even the harsh and unforgiving lives of fishermen. It was beguiling and any irritation with doormat Hannah soon disappears as you read her story. If the book description doesn’t draw the reader in then the cover certainly will!

The Storm is a dual-timeline psychological suspense novel set on the Cornish coast. Hannah is trapped in a toxic marriage to a man she does not love; the only good things in her life are her teenage son, Alex, and her dog, Cass. This is a realistic and chilling portrayal of coercive control, but why does Hannah tolerate Nathan’s treatment of her?
The story is mainly told from Hannah’s point of view, with some chapters by her husband, Nathan, and others by her old boyfriend, Cam, who was a trawlerman. After an argument with his father, Alex runs away. This is the catalyst that destroys the status quo, brings Cam back to Newlyn, and forces everything out into the open.
To begin with, the secrets of the past are gradually revealed in short flashbacks that keep the story moving along, but it drags a bit in the middle with a long section on the ill-fated fishing trip and the storm. With a bit of judicious editing the reader would still have got the point, and the narrative would have flowed better. The descriptions of life at sea on a fishing trawler were both convincing and terrifying, but some of the other members of the crew were shown in a particularly unflattering light.
The characters are well drawn, even the horrible ones. Nathan is a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde character, with his public persona a complete contrast to how he behaves behind closed doors. He is truly abhorrent, but what is worse is that he seems to believe he loves Hannah, and is treating her well. Even allowing for the passing of time, Hannah is unrecognizable and a shadow of her younger self. It’s as if Nathan has literally sucked the life out of her.
The strong sense of place shows in the vivid descriptions of the Cornish coast; I’d quite like to visit Newlyn sometime and see it for myself. I had not read any other books by Amanda Jennings, but will remedy that as soon as I can.
Thanks to HarperCollins HQ and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

I was originally quite intrigued about this story but I really struggled to get into it.

I couldn't enjoy this story sadly, I felt as though there was not enough thrill or action for me. Sadly I didn't finish the story so more action could have come into it, but I didn't make it far enough in to see.

3.5 stars
Perfect life, perfect house and perfect family, no? One can never know what actually happens behind the closed doors, and many times , the truth is unsetting.
Firstly, i want to go visit all the beautiful places where this story is plotted because the author has a magical way with her words to draw you in a place of such beautiful scenarios that you will never want to leave.
The story tackles a lot of topics that may trigger some readers and it's definitely not a case of love triangle, but a case of living in fear and abusive relationship because she though is the right way to pay for a past mistake. The husband is so controlling and will always decide what she wears or where she goes, who she can see, so that's a hard part of the book to read because , in all honestly, we all know these kind of men are real but , in fiction i try to stay away of these characters.
The story is beautifully written but i was put off by the plot overall as i stated beforehand why.

The Storm is a great title for this novel as it shifts between the past & present and the love triangle between the main characters, Hannah, Nathan & Cameron. Hannah seems to have it all, she lives in a big house in Cornwall and is married to Nathan, a successful lawyer and they have a son Alex who has started pushing the boundries of his fathers controlling ways and then there is Cam, Hannahs long lost love.
Much more than just a love story as its a lot edgier than that and definitely well worth reading.

Dark, gripping and beautifully written.
You never know what goes on behind closed doors!
I devoured this book over a few nights- it was that good!
Hannah is a woman in the grips of a controlling and narcissistic husband- a man who has held a terrifying secret over her head for years.
This is the sort of book that you cannot put down- it gets you hooked from the first chapter!

This was a very pleasant read for many reasons, the setting of Penzance, Newlyn and Truro, that I know well, the fishing industry down there and then the story line. We hear everyone's versiion of events leading up to Hannah becoming pregnant and Cam disappearing. An enjoyable read.

Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

'The Storm' is an entrancing tale of coercive control and the often unintended consequences of events that make us who we are. What's more, a rarity in this genre, is that there are no gimmicks in Jennings' masterful storytelling, just an astute understanding of the human condition. This is what truly makes a thriller work for me. The ability of the author to unravel and rebuild the authenticity of the thought processes of its main protagonists, as they contribute to the unfolding of a particular plot, is what makes a truly great novel. Jennings does this in spades. The setting of 1990s Cornwall hums with an ethereal beauty and is captured majestically in the author's pitch-perfect prose. Thematically, too, Jennings cleverly fuses the violence of nature - the eponymous 'storm' - with the dangerous dance of a toxic marriage built upon the the foundations of increasingly unsuppressed rage. As the past collides with the present secrets are revealed, with darkness pervading the narrative in a subtly weighted, yet meaningful way. Engrossing and profound - a thoughtful and compelling thriller from a talented author.

Oh my goodness this book will have you on the edge of your seat and your heart pounding. I just could not predict what was going to happen throughout this so it made it such a better read.
A brilliant book!

To the outside world Hannah married the perfect man. Behind the closed doors of their imposing home it’s a very different story. Nathan controls everything Hannah does. He chooses her clothes, checks her receipts, and keeps her passport locked away. But why does she let him? Years before, in the midst of a relentless storm, the tragic events of one night changed everything. And Hannah has been living with the consequences ever since. Keeping Nathan happy. Doing as she’s told. But the past is about to catch up with them. Set against the unforgiving backdrop of a Cornish fishing port in the ‘90s, this is a devastating exploration of the power of coercive control in a marriage where nothing is quite as it seems.

Firstly, this has a stunning setting, the beautiful, foreboding Cornwall offers the perfect backdrop to what proves to be an intense, atmospheric read. I was not expecting this to be such an atmospheric read but it really is, Jennings builds an exquisite intensity that only increases as the book goes on. I was left with a sense of foreboding of danger to come, it really added excitement to the read and ensured I was very invested.

'The Storm' is firmly set around our main characters; Hannah and Nathan, the secrets they share and the secrets they hold back from each other. I liked both of the characters in that they serve their purpose extremely well. Hannah is very likeable yet clearly damaged and I rooted for her. Nathan is more of an interesting character and I enjoyed how Jennings unveils more of his background and personality as the read progresses. Together, their story is powerful and beautifully written.

This read is full of secrets and mysteries that Jennings slowly unveils. This only adds to the already intense atmosphere and left me wanting more. 'The Storm' is a very gripping read. As well as this, Jennings writes about some very difficult subjects and does so with sensitivity and aplomb. Nothing is present for shock value, rather everything is carefully placed to tell Hannah's story and ensure the reader is invested in their very powerful story.

'The Storm' is an atmospheric, foreboding read set in the beautiful yet desolate landscape of Cornwall.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for an advance copy.

This novel follows Hannah who appears to have a perfect marriage to Nathan. They have a teenage son and a lovely house in Cornwall. All is not as it seems though. Nathan is very controlling and Hannah has no freedom at all. She seems to view this as penance for something though and over the course of the novel we learn more about her. The story is told in the present day and in the past when Hannah was a teenager and we gradually find out more about how she got to where she is and why she stays with Nathan. I loved this book. It’s atmospheric, it’s tense and it’s very hard to put down. I read it in two sittings as I simply had to know what had happened to make Hannah the way she is and how the past had led up to the now. This is one of those slow burn novels that hits you right in the feels. I loved this one and I definitely recommend it!