Wasn’t very keen on this book and didn’t finish it. For some reason the characters didn’t appeal to me at all. I got halfway and gave up. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This was a mesmerising read- drawn in by Jeremy's hypnotic personality like the members of the retreat. Dani and Emily ask if it's a cult, and Jeremy was tending that way. From Kit, Jeremy and Tara meeting as students rebelling against their family backgrounds, to setting up home in the wilds of Bodmin Moor as a collective, with a motley collection of others and Kit and Tara's infant daughter Skye. Some great characters and an illustration of how control can take over a personality. Jeremy's manipulation of the others and the collective as a whole was so obvious to the reader, and you just needed the others to see it for what it was. An explosive ending. #netgalley #thehaven

The Haven by Amanda Jennings is a fascinating but gripping story that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. I was drawn into Tara and Kit’s story from the very beginning, as we see them go from eager young lovers to doting parents, eventually making the decision to leave everything they know behind them to go off-grid with a group of friends to live and work at the dilapidated Winterfell Farm.

The remote but spectacular Winterfell Farm is set against the breathtaking backdrop of Bodmin Moor in this character driven drama that captivated me from beginning to end. Tara and Kit fall in love with their new way of life, sure that they’ve made the right decision, but could it all turn out to be too good to be true? The Haven is a psychological thriller that builds up the tension slowly, with the idyllic atmosphere of Winterfell Farm soon turning into something very different as charismatic leader Jeremy arrives home from a mysterious trip to the city with young runaway, Dani, in tow.

With winter fast approaching and Jeremy’s behaviour becoming increasingly erratic, the atmosphere is palpable as tensions rise and relationships begin to crumble, the consequences of which could prove to be devastating…

I loved this book. Amanda Jennings has written a gripping tale that’s full of the drama and suspense I’ve come to expect from this author. With an eclectic cast of characters who keep you guessing throughout, The Haven is a beautifully written, atmospheric, slow burn of a psychological thriller that I would highly recommend.

I approached this book with much deference and much excitement, knowing for sure that I was in for a treat. Having read (devoured, lived, breathed) Amanda Jennings' other books I just knew that I would love The Haven.

I have many 'must read' authors, those whose books I acquire without so much as a glance at the synopsis as I know I will love them and Amanda Jennings is one such author. Her books are beautiful, her characters real, and every thought and emotion is vivid.

From the very first few pages of meeting Tara, Kit and Jeremy I cared about them, I lived and breathed their emotions, dreams and disappointments.

The relationship between the three of them was something really quite wonderful. Jeremy's charisma and ease within any situation gave him a magnetic charm that few could dent - his self-assured confidence clearly attractive.

The move to Winterfall when it came felt natural and I willed these beautiful young people to succeed in their utopian dream. With Kit footing the bill, Tara and Skye bringing enthusiasm, purity and lightness, and Jeremy bringing determination, passion, and an all encompassing surety that it would work, life at Winterfall starts with a purposeful and joyous air.

Thanks to Jeremy's openness, warmth and generosity of spirit, others soon join with their own back stories and various skills and abilities to contribute to the group. Kit and Tara embrace the lifestyle of freshly baked bread, plans for future crops and self-sufficiency, clean living, and a wholesome environment to raise their daughter. Nature was bountiful, the skies were blue and they were in love with life and each other. Utopia indeed.

'But wait, why can't we use the heating?' Along with the colder temperatures outside, once those first niggles wormed their way into their minds I felt the faintest gossimer thread begin to unravel. Along with other members of Winterfall, I too began to question a few things and slowly but surely some of Jeremy's gloss began to wear off. Was it perfect, was it the idyl, or were they being controlled?

I've got to be honest, suddenly there was a whiff of a cult in the air. Who doesn't love a cult book?!

Thereafter, a dark and brooding unease seemed to infiltrate the pages and rather than being a gentle, charismatic, warm, all embracing, hippy-esque kind of a guy, Jeremy seemed to be on edge, suspicious and, frankly, one to watch.

As is so often the case, once a tiny thread comes loose, the whole perfect image starts to unravel and that's when things really start to get interesting!

A fast, tense and disturbing series of events follow at breakneck speed and the perfect happy life suddenly appears cut off, isolated and vulnerable.

I loved the beginning, middle and end of this story and I am so grateful to have discovered Amanda Jennings and her beautifully crafted stories. They are all standalone novels and so can be read in any order - and are all utterly different - quite how she manages to be a convincing teenager in one book, gnarly fisherman in another and god like cult leader The Haven is quite beyond me.

Simply put - I love how Amanda Jennings writes. Frankly, if she so much as writes a shopping list I want to read it.

My thanks to HQ for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Haven’ by Amanda Jennings in exchange for an honest review.

I found ‘The Haven’ more of a suspenseful family drama than a thriller. It focuses upon the lives of a group of university friends who decide to escape from the stresses of modern life and establish a commune in Cornwall.

In 2002 Kit and Tara along with their daughter, Skye, and a few close friends move to Winterfall Farm, an isolated smallholding on Bodmin Moor. Even though Kit’s trust fund had paid for the farm, his close friend Jeremy tends to assume the leadership of the group. They are living off-grid and working the land, despite little to no experience.

Everything goes well at first and then Jeremy returns from a trip to London with 14-year-old Danni, a young runaway. As the nights draw in, Jeremy’s behaviour becomes increasingly erratic. Rules are imposed, the outside world is increasingly shunned, and when he brings a second girl back to the farm, the situation quickly reaches a breaking point ….

The narrative viewpoint switches between a few key characters building up a picture of their varying responses to events. While ‘The Haven’ was quite a slow burn the tension did build up to an addictive level in its final chapters.

It was an interesting premise though I had hoped for a bit more about the spiritual side of their community. There was a Solstice celebration at a stone circle with a legend matching the Nine Maidens, though knowing how well known such sites are it’s hard to imagine them having the place to themselves for a party.

Overall, ‘The Haven’ was quite an interesting tale about an idealistic attempt to create a utopian community.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

It is the end of the 90's. Kit & Tara with their daughter Skye hate the rat race, the damp bedsit & the demands of fitting in. Tara's parents cannot understand her dreadlocks & piercings & why she doesn't live like they do. Kit is from a moneyed family but hates their way of life. Whilst putting the world to rights with their best friend Jeremy he suggests that Kit use his trust fund to live a good life, a group of people living & working together off grid. Finding a property on the edge of Bodmin Moor, along with a few others they start to grow their crops & raise goats & hens. All is well at first but when Jeremy returns home with a Dani, a fourteen year old runaway the cracks start to show. Before long Jeremy starts to become more autocratic & as it gets colder the cracks start to show.

This was a terrific story. I loved Tara & wanted to shake Kit! Hearing the story from different points of view added to my enjoyment. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book- it was a cracker!

With the unyielding encouragement of their charismatic friend Jeremy, Tara and Kit leave everything behind to set up a self-sufficient commune on a farm on Bodmin Moor. For both of them, it’s a change to escape their unbearable families and give their young daughter Skye a childhood full of nature and freedom. But as Jeremy’s behaviour becomes increasingly erratic, a darkness grows at Winterfall Farm and the outside world seems further and further away.

This was a highly addictive read, with well-developed characters and a very engaging premise. In a way, The Haven was a little bit anti-climactic because I thought it was going to be about a fully-fledged cult, but instead it’s about the potential creation of one. However, this was a really interesting spin because it was possible to actually see how a cult might be unintentionally formed by its initial creators.

It’s a slow burn novel, with a lot of build up culminating in some harrowing events in the last few chapters. I kept expecting certain things to happen which never did, and found myself pretty shocked when things finally did start kicking off. Overall, I thought this book was incredibly well written and a fantastic read.

A group of friends decide to start a commune in Cornwall. Living off grid proves challenging for some and all is not what it seems. The story had me gripped from the beginning. The end is harrowing and thoroughly unexpected.

Brilliant novel based in the late 1990's to 2002, with great insight of the idealism around intellectual students and young people of the time.
Kit, Tara and Jeremy met at University, all three connected with their experiences with their families and the society they want to escape from. The idea of changing their lives completely by moving to a farm in Cornwall captures them all as they see a different and better life that they can create.
The unforseen consequences are gripping and unsettling.
Really enjoyed this book and will look out for more from Amanda Jennings
ThankyouNetGalleyfortheearlyread! .

Being completely honest, the plot for The Haven is not the most original. I've read several books about communes gone wrong.

But the saving grace for me was the characterisation. Kit, Tara and teenage runaway Dani made this story come alive for me. Dani in particular I loved.

It started off so well. Jeremy, Kit and Tara have been friends since university. Feeling increasingly disillusioned with mainstream society, they use Kit's trust fund money to buy land on Bodmin moor, and along with other kindred spirits, they set about becoming the utopia they've dreamed of.

But as Jeremy becomes increasingly distant, things begin to fall apart tragedy strikes.

I did enjoy this book, and was glad there was an uplifting conclusion as I really did become invested in the above mentioned characters.

This is a very well-written novel that I read within days. It's a testimony to the writing that, even while not a lot appears to be happening, you still want to keep on reading.
The Haven focuses on a handful of friends who develop an idea to try and live 'off the grid' and escape the limitations of everyday life under capitalism. They are led by Jeremy, a charismatic and passionate man who is desperate to find a better way to live.
He convinces his best friend Kit and his partner Tara to join him and, after finding a few others, they set up a new life together on a farm in Cornwall.
I really enjoyed reading the backstories to the characters, which go some way to explaining their reasoning behind the decision. Tara's parents are utterly awful, obsessed with their 'standing' and about what others think of them.
Her mother in particular has very rigid expectations of how Tara will live her life, and the author's descriptions of how they react to their daughter are brilliant.
Kit is from a wealthy family but never felt loved by it, and has rejected it despite using some money to fund the farm.
Things initially go well for the group in their new way of life. But gradually it becomes apparent that not everyone has the same objectives, or agrees on exactly how things should be run and how decisions should be made.
There are very creepy and disturbing elements to the story, which make it impossible to put down. For instance, Jeremy brings a teenage girl, Dani, back to the farm, saving her from homelessness, hunger and abuse. He genuinely seems to have wanted to help Dani. But in some casual remarks he makes later, the reader is left wondering if his aim is also to keep his 'utopia' going by bringing in more women who can have more children.
Jeremy becomes increasingly erratic and slightly removed from the other inhabitants, seeming to see himself as their leader. The author does a fantastic job in describing how the project sours as a result of this, with subtle hints about possible problems with Jeremy gradually building to a horrific confrontation.
I would highly recommend this book. There are many other characters on the farm who are all equally well-drawn and completely believable. There's a lot of humanity in the book and also genuinely tricky dilemmas that the characters are grappling with. And the ending for me was totally unexpected, and a great way to finish.

It was meant to be paradise…

Winterfall farm stands over Bodmin Moor. It’s remote location is perfect for Jeremy, Kit and Tara, three friends who want to break away from the craziness of the world and create a safe place for them and a select group of friends. Tara and Kit want to raise their young daughter Skye to be a free spirit, living off the grid and being self-sufficient. At first, everything seems perfect. The group are focused on getting their homestead right. But when Jeremy returns from a trip to London with a young runaway, tensions quickly rise and Winterfall no longer appears to be the promised piece of paradise that its founders wished for.

The Haven is a suspense-filled story with a wonderful cast of eccentric and diverse personalities striving to create a utopian place in the world for themselves. A number of the characters are immediately likeable and you feel connected to them and their stories. Others, specifically Jeremy, are just downright creepy and unlikeable! As the self-imposed leader of the farm, Jeremy slowly develops a god-like complex; a budding cult leader. His fanatical ideas become more and more radical over time and this adds to the sense of tension throughout the story.

Full of interesting characters and drama, The Haven is an addictive read. I really enjoyed Jennings’ writing style. Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for the arc. The Haven is out now.

What an addictive read The Haven was. It really didn't feel like 400 pages! The synopsis lays out the basics very well for the story. A couple leaves the rat race and try to live off-grid. Tara, Kit their 6-year-old daughter Skye and good friend Jeremy buy an old farm on Bodmin Moor. Along with a few others with a similar ethic, they start their own commune of sorts. Trying to create their own utopia in Cornwall.

This was such a fabulous story to disappear into and the beginning of the book introduced me to the characters. Then the author delved into their lives and how they decide to make the move to the tranquil Cornish landscape. Leaving behind luxuries that many of us see as necessities.

While many of us may love the idea of living off-grid, I also know that it would be a very real struggle. Having lived a week without a washing machine or vacuum because they have broken, not having heating in the middle of the winter is tough. I live in Cornwall and I know first-hand how bitter the winds can be, how driving the rain can be and how exposed you are to the elements. Bodmin Moor is definitely exposed and it is also beautiful.

I think the author has done such a wonderful job building up this idyllic sounding community. People with similar views want to create something ethical, environmental and most of all free from politics, bureaucracy and rules. The thing is that when people get together, they bring their own shared beliefs but they also bring opinions. For Tara and Kit, their daughter is the only youngster in the group, they are the only parents. They have their own ideas as to what is best for Skye.

Things seem fine until Jeremy brings in another person to the farm. She is an important character and one that comes with her own past. The decision for her to live at the farm divides opinion. This character along with Tara are two of the narrators of the story. Their voices are used to give their perspective of what is happening and it gives insight into their thoughts and feelings. The is a third voice, Kit's, but this is told in the third person point of view. Kit keeps his feeling close to his chest and this makes for a good balance of opinions.

I adored how things started so well but then the author gradually started to incorporated cracks. She then widens these cracks and soon things start to turn. Views and opinions become more challenging and there are some serious consequences. I also loved how the ending of this story fell.

This is a fabulous read, it is a thriller that gradually increases the suspicions and doubt. As a reader it is good to see things from a distance, it felt as if I was seeing a larger picture while the characters were more tunnel-visioned. This made for an exciting reading experience. There are some shocks and some twists.

This is one that readers of contemporary fiction, thrillers and psychological thriller genres. I thought it was excellent right from the start to the finish and I would definitely recommend it.

A great psychological drama full of interesting characters and beautiful scenery !!

Tara and Kit are living in a bedsore with their daughter Skye, dreaming of a better life. Their good friend Jeremy comes up with the idea of moving to the country and living a sustainable life with a group of like minded people.

Caught up in the ideal of it the three friends buy a rundown farmhouse in the Cornish countryside and join with several others to start a commune. Things are great to start and everyone has their roles within the community.

Everything seems to run along smoothly to start but when the harsh winter starts to draw in things start to change. They have no electricity, no hot water and Jeremy seems to be trying to change the way the group works.

Tensions between the group starts to rise and there are soon some devastating consequences. What will happen to the group ? Can they survive the winter ? Can they survive Jeremy ?

This is a beautifully written book with some gorgeous scenery and some wonderful characters.

Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

I’ve noticed that other early reviews of this book have focused almost entirely on the story after it moves to Winterfall Farm, but I’d just like to linger a little on the book’s earlier chapters – the family complexities that bring Kit and Tara together, Jeremy a significant other to their relationship. One of the author’s strengths has always been her exceptional characterisation – while the couple’s chosen lifestyle wasn’t something I found particularly easy to identify with, the emotional issues around their family relationships are never anything but searingly real, and at times acutely painful.

And that strength in characterisation is perhaps even more striking when the group – the blurb calls them “group of friends”, but their diversity and differing backgrounds makes it rather more complicated than that – take up the opportunity to live off-grid at the farmhouse on the wilds of Bodmin Moor. The relationships between them are fascinating, and Kit and Tara’s own relationship continues to play out and develop – with the added joy and complication of young daughter Skye, and the idyllic childhood their new lifestyle offers her – against the testing early days of self-sufficient and communal living.

The writing – always taut and spare, every word carefully chosen and loaded with meaning – moves from the excitement of their new adventure (and it’s joyful and rather wonderful in the summer sunshine – I was ready to don my rainbow clothing, tie ribbons on my dreads, and travel to join them) to the point where the tears in the fabric of their new lives begin to become evident. The whole idea of complete self-sufficiency is an intoxicating one – but it doesn’t prevent them craving a hot bath or a working heating system when the golden sunny days are over, or the availability of conventional medicine rather than the dubious contents of Mary’s cupboard in the kitchen.

At first, the equilibrium of the group is disturbed by the arrival of Dani – little more than a child, with a disturbing and emotional back story of her own of domestic violence and life on the streets – causing ripples and more than a touch of conflict. And then Jeremy’s behaviour becomes a cause of concern, when he begins to emerge – slowly and insidiously – as the collective’s leader, imposing his ideas on the group, his behaviour increasingly bizarre. There’s a steady and inexorable escalation in tension – palpable as it builds via a series of twists and turns to a stunning climax, followed by a calmer (and particularly satisfying) rounding off of the story in the present day.

The writing is, as always, quite wonderful. I very much liked the three voices who told the story – Tara and Dani in the first person, Kit in the third person so keeping you always a little removed from his thoughts and feelings. And there were other characters in the collective – every one of them a well-drawn individual – that I rather took to my heart. The setting is vividly detailed and recreated – as well as the descriptions the author unfailingly excels at, the book is filled with moments I felt I was part of. I also thought the story was perfectly paced – the paving of the way into the story, the brief idyll, then becoming increasingly claustrophobic as the tension and darkness builds and the cracks begin to appear.

In essence, the story is about the impossibility of creating Utopia – once you add people, and human nature comes into play, it’s doomed to failure. So you always rather know how the adventure is likely to end – but experiencing the steps along the way made this book a thoroughly compelling read, and I was entirely engaged throughout by the complexity of its characters and the emotional aspects of their journey. An unforgettable read – and one I’d highly recommend.

(Review copied to Amazon UK, but link not yet available)

At university, couple Tara and Kit and their friend Jeremy, dream of an alternative lifestyle, balking at their parents' societal views. Whilst disapproving of its use, Kit agrees to use his trust fund to purchase a farm in Cornwall. The trio are joined by like minded people and believe they can create their own utopia living off the grid. However, it soon becomes clear that individual visions of a perfect community can be dangerously variable.

The story is very character driven and an excellent exploration of group dynamics and and the testing, to the very limit, of friendships. As relationships begin to unravel the pace of the narrative picks up as it moves to a gripping conclusion.

Very well written with a nice creepy vibe this is an addictive read. I recommend it highly.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ Stories for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was what could be classed as a modern day animal farm, with humans and not animals. The story starts with three friends at university who have scarred backgrounds and do not want to conform to the traditional expected life that their parents instilled.
The idea of a self sustaining community sounds wonderful but can Utopia really exist? Human beings are all different, having different emotional feelings, different issues, and above all different aspirations of what is right and wrong.it does not take long for issues among the group to bring unwanted tensions. The story depicts life well showing how difficult living off the grid is nowadays and the characters are wonderfully described that it is easy to put a face to them.
I feel that this should be on the GCSE English syllabus for all students to discuss and to see how easy it is to be manipulated.
I enjoyed this read but did not find it a quick read as I wanted absorb so much of the surroundings and the participants views.
I was a bit confused at the end as I would have liked a date put to it as Skye is now so much older to be able to tell her story.

This tale is well told with fully developed characters. Jeremy and Kit are close friends. Tara meets Kit and they fall in love and they become a close threesome. Jeremy is charismatic, Kit is the son of rich parents who think money and power is everything and Tara's parents push and pressure Tara to succeed and find a rich husband.
Tara falls pregnant and their lives change - a small damp bedsit and struggling to survive until her parents threaten to try and get custody of Skye.
A trust fund means they can escape to Cornwall and set up a commune of like minded people and become self-sufficient. An ideal situation - but there is always one who wants to be more equal than anyone else.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Amanda Jennings/HQ for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Located on the woods of Bodmin Moor, The Haven is meant to be an off-grid utopia and whilst you can’t help but wish the best for Tara, Kit and Jeremy. The book explores the tensions between collective endeavour and personal preference; individual liberty/safety and shared rules. All very topical in the context of some of the anti-vax debates of recent times. The book also contains an idealist called Jeremy with dogmatic views as to what is right and wrong who might remind you of another Jeremy.

I always enjoy Amanda’s books - 5 stars from me. Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for a fair review

Amanda Jennings has done it again. TheHaven is a compelling read with great characters in the beautiful setting of Bodmin Moor. We have all wanted to escape from reality over the past 2 years & this novel is well written with captivating descriptions of the landscape. You will either fall in love with Winterfall Farm or have a sense of impending doom. Great read in a great setting and Tara, Kit, Dani and Jeremy will feel like part of your extended family when you finish it. Congrats! Highly recommended.