This will be a bestseller for sure! A brilliant read, from two different points of view. Set in rural Australia, everything changes when someone new comes into a cult. Really well written, I don’t want to go into the story at all. The blurb attracted me... and will attract a lot of readers who I’m sure will enjoy as much as me.

I really enjoyed ‘Call me Evie’ but I think this one is even better, gripping my attention like a vice from start to finish. The story alternates between Amy in The Clearing and Freya who anxiously and even obsessively keeps a protective eye on her young son Billy. Amy lives in a cult in an area known as The Clearing, Adrienne is their ‘mother’ and The Queen Bee who they all must protect. Amy keeps a journal which graphically depicts the indoctrination. Freya ‘acts’ her way through life, she feels watched and seeks to protect herself and Billy with a guard dog and security measures.

The tension builds so well and at times it’s scary stuff. You really feel Freya’s fear but for a long while you don’t fully understand why she is so hyper vigilant. Some of the revelations are shocking and in other places it’s so creepy it’s hair razing. Then, the plot all starts to fall into place and you fully appreciate its cleverness. It’s very well written and although I guessed some of it I certainly didn’t see it all coming which is a real wow plus!

Overall, if you like psychological thrillers, with plenty of tension, suspense and multiple twists and turns then this is a must read. It’s hard to put down from start to wowza finish. Thank you to J P Pomare for such a terrific read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and particularly to Hodder and Stoughton for the ARC

Told in first person past and present, we uncover a story of kidnappings and cults through the eyes of paranoid mother Freya and child cultist Amy.

Freya lives in the Australian bush with her young son Billy. We know Freya is hiding, we know she lost her firstborn and we know she has something dark deep inside. But now Billy is missing, and to find him Freya will have to unlock the door to her past.

I found Freya hard to make a judgement on, as I think was Pomare's intention. Her twisted mind and behaviour originate from events outside of her control, but does that mean they are forgivable?

Amy is one of ten children preparing for the new world as foretold by her mother Adrienne, the second coming of Christ.
Six sons and six daughters of Adrienne will bring about the change, but when Amy aids in a kidnapping she begins to question the truth.

In The Clearing is filled with misdirection and unreliable character narration, there are twists you'll see coming and some you may not.
Do you ever find yourself shouting at characters on TV? That same feeling will dog you throughout this book, in the most enjoyable way.

I'm always fascinated by the psychology in cult novels and this one held my attention from start to finish. I raced through in one sitting and highly recommend to any thriller fan.

spoiler alert ** 4.5 stars

I won't be the only one to stay up way past bedtime to finish this book.
It draws you in with a slow reveal... so slow that I kept on reading to see what on earth was going on,and how the two stories were connected.
One of an overprotective mother,who hints at having lost a previous child,and one of a child abducted by a cult.
I do like a good cult story.
Then it twists and turns,and has such devious plot lines,that I raced through to the end,just to see how it COULD end.

I put the book down feeling very satisfied.
Excellent stuff.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a review copy of In The Clearing, a stand-alone psychological thriller set in a small town near Melbourne.

Amy is 12 years old and lives in a commune called The Clearing. She can’t remember any other life and knows how to thrive in the one she has until Asha arrives. Asha is 7 and doesn’t want to be there. At the same time Freya Heywood is living her life, trying to keep her and her son, Billy, safe but Freya is not all she seems.

I’m not a big fan of psychological thrillers as I like facts I can speculate on, not uncertainty, implied secrets and unreliable narrators and I didn’t realise just how much this novel would meet all these things I don’t like. As a result I didn’t particularly enjoy In The Clearing and struggled to work up any enthusiasm for the plot. This is not any fault of the author or his plot, which is well conceived and executed, it’s just not a good fit for my tastes.

The novel alternates its point of view between Amy and Freya. I found Amy’s account more interesting as it explores life in a cult although it is more broad brushstrokes than real detail with the overwhelming emphasis on obedience. I think the author does a great job of seeing the world through a brainwashed 12 year old’s eyes. I don’t even know where to start with Freya. The reader has no idea if what she says is true, false or self delusion. There are plenty of secrets there which are only frustratingly alluded to in the early parts of the novel although explanations come as the novel progresses. By that time I couldn’t have cared less as she is an extremely unpleasant woman, paranoid and controlling with no discernible redeeming features.

The novel takes a big turn about three fifths of the way in and changes from teasing and confusion to action and explanations. I guessed this turn much earlier in the novel so it wasn’t as a big a surprise as it might have been but I was pleasantly surprised by the change in tone. Yes, there are still questions about Freya’s reliability and motivations but it becomes a much more interesting and absorbing read. There are further twists, again most of them perhaps more obvious than the author would wish, but the epilogue must be commended as a real twist in the tail.

In The Clearing is not for me but I think any reader who likes a psychological thriller will lap it up.

I would like to thank J.P. Pomare, Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for a copy of this book and a chance to review In the Clearing You'll be left gobsmacked by this book's unbelievable twist.

Do not expect to get any sleep. I couldn’t put this down and now I’m sleep deprived.
I enjoyed Call me Evie with its tension and twists, an excellent psychological thriller so very excited to read this book.
J.P. Pomare is a genius in this genre, what an incredible imagination. The unfolding story surprised me totally. I’m not writing a synopsis, spoilers will ruin the plot. I’m following this writer; I will read his future books. Highly recommend.

Wow, wow, and wow! This was another hit for Pomare, absolutely unputdownable! If you love twisty reads that make your mind twist and turn and turn to mush by the end and for some time after, then I highly, highly recommend grabbing a copy of IN THE CLEARING! Original, thrilling, chilling, realistic, shocking, unputdownable, and amazing, are all accurate descriptors of this book! Clear your schedule for its release, as I promise you’ll be busy!! Very well written and possibly even better than CALL ME EVIE! Don’t delay PREORDER TODAY!
Will make sure I buzz it up on all the different platforms!

#InTheClearing #NetGalley
An epic revenge story. A must read.
Amy has only ever known life in the Clearing. She knows what's expected of her. She knows what to do to please her elders, and how to make sure the community remains happy and calm. That is, until a new young girl joins the group. She isn't fitting in; she doesn't want to stay. What happens next will turn life as Amy knows it on its head. Freya has gone to great lengths to feel like a 'normal person'. In fact, if you saw her go about her day with her young son, you'd think she was an everyday mum.
I adored the characters of Amy and Freya. Its narration is superb.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Straighten for giving me an advanced copy.