This debut novel is beautiful, I couldn’t put it down and I think it’s be perfect reading it during a hazy, hot summer’s day. I loved the twisted take on femininity and safe spaces, and I could feel the claustrophobia through the page. Brilliantly written, I look forward to seeing what else Twitter writes.

Following a tumultuous breakup, Iris seeks solace and purpose. After first moving in with her mother, she ultimately finds herself drawn to Breach House, a serene commune and refuge for women who have experienced physical and/or emotional violence, nestled in the picturesque Kent Downs. With just a few permanent residents, Breach House also provides temporary shelter to those seeking respite from their exhausting daily struggles of living up to society’s impossible standards for women. Here, Iris discovers a sense of belonging. As she immerses herself in the commune's hard work, she forms a strong bond with the enigmatic and temperamental Hazel. Blythe, the charismatic and mysterious leader is revered in an almost saint-like way and firmly cements her leadership position and the commune’s dependence on her, when she saves a woman’s life. But soon it becomes clear that Breach house is not exempt from power struggles, manipulation and abuse.
Disturbing and compelling at the same time, the reader is captivated, sensing the impending catastrophe and the inevitable collapse of Breach House. The narrative delves into themes of self-worth, belonging, and the complexities of women's roles in modern society, all the while examining how far people will go in order to protect the sanctuary they have built for themselves.
Twigg's debut is a dark and powerful exploration of human nature, firmly establishing her as a fresh and noteworthy voice in the genre.

Thanks to NetGalley, Tinder Press, and Amy Twigg for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was so good!! Incredibly well paced, the right amount of sinister that creeps up on you as you go. A truly harrowing and confronting exploration of the darkest parts of humanity and womanhood. It was gritty and vivid and made my stomach turn; it was also interspersed with moments of joy and sisterhood but always with a darkness lurking in the periphery.

"Spoilt Creatures" by Amy Twigg is a captivating exploration of female solidarity, power dynamics, and the quest for autonomy. Set in a remote women's commune nestled in the Kent Downs, Twigg paints a vivid portrait of Breach House as a sanctuary for women seeking refuge from a world of disappointment and betrayal. The arrival of Iris, drawn by the enigmatic Hazel, sets in motion a chain of events that exposes the complexities of female relationships and the fragility of their utopia. With rich prose and deft characterizations, Twigg masterfully navigates themes of resilience and the inherent tension between freedom and vulnerability. "Spoilt Creatures" is a compelling and thought-provoking read that lingers in the mind long after the final page.

Simply breathtaking, this book was unstoppable. From the moment I started it, I was drawn in and intoxicated by Breach House. Twiggs wrote these characters with so much energy and passion that they felt real to me. I was swept away into the depths and darkness of the unknown, the dual timeline worked so well and only added to the suspense. I don’t want to go into the plot too much, because I think the less you know before reading, the better.

Everything was balanced so well, the sweltering claustrophobia and childlike naivety of Iris. I finished this feeling emotionally exhausted, yet craving more. It was electrifying and unbelievably haunting, I cannot believe this book exists. So incredibly addictive and incredibly written.

It’s clear to see why Amy Twigg has been lauded as ‘one to watch’. Her debut novel ‘Spoilt Creatures’ is well-written. Her depiction of a women’s commune where wounded people gather to seek solace and feel part of something worthwhile is a vividly depicted and uncomfortable read. It’s not difficult to believe in a group of women all hoping for the promised land but, in reality, being emotionally manipulated and becoming further damaged as working the land, the dirt under their fingernails and communal dining all become second nature.
Whilst I appreciate that the author is exploring important ideas about women’s roles in society, ‘Spoilt Creatures’ is not a novel that I particularly admire. Most of the characters read like representations of type and it was difficult to feel sympathy for the central character of Iris as she is depicted in a rather ‘arm’s length’ sort of manner. I’m not sure I was prompted to think about anything that other writers such as Alderman and Cline have not already explored.
My thanks to NetGalley and Headline, Tinder Press for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

"A remote farm tucked away in the Kent Downs. A safe space. A place for women."

With no exaggeration, it has taken me weeks to come up with any kind of words to do this debut justice. A story of obsession and fascination; the longing to be accepted, to be a part of something larger than just yourself (especially when yourself is the last thing you want to be), and how quickly things can fall apart leaving you exactly where you started. [ see also : you cannot outrun your past. ]

From the first words of the novel we know where this story is going. We know where the plot is going to drag us, kicking and screaming against the inevitable, but that didn’t slow me down any. When things are good, they’re good. Grown women indulging in a childlike wonder that was syphoned out of so many at a young age— playing hide and seek, warm naps in the sunshine, indulging in homegrown sweets. Yes, the women work hard, but in the mingling of their sweat with the earth they find camaraderie; haircuts in solidarity against the heat, a single loofah in the shower.

The thing about being led, and having faith in your leader, is that under their watchful eye you can now turn off the part of you perpetually in survival mode, tired. I would argue this particular exhaustion is the very root of feminine rage, branching off as life continues, but it’s always there marinating in its anguished brine. But how safe are we ever, really, in the hands of another? And what if it all isn’t really for us, or about us — what if they were only really looking out for themselves all along?

The accuracy of this novel being compared to The Girls (by Emma Cline) and Lord of the Flies (by William Golding) is unmatched in it's accuracy. Somehow, despite tropes we are familiar with, this novel manages to still be fresh and thoughtful and new. It was everything I hoped it would be, and more.

I think I’m still not over it.

You know that sound that is being trending on social media ¡Oh I love to me a woman! If I should describe this book will be exactly that feeling. I am one of the lucky people who got access to this ARC thanks to netgally, the publisher and the author. I had no idea what this books as about when I started reading I couldn't set my head on the book. But is beautifully written the whole plot unfoll in such a intelligently and delightfull way. I enjoy so much the concept of the book. I just had one trouble with the storyline and it didn’t let me enjoy fully the book. I like the character development too and find this could be a brilliant book for many female readers.

I think a lot of people are going to really love this novel. A real slow burn with rising tensions that kept me wanting to know what was going to happen.

For me, however, it didn’t go deep enough into the issues at play and I felt too distanced from the characters. I do think other readers will get a lot out of this, I was just left wanting a bit more.

A culty ‘Lord of the Flies’ - a reminder that if you are feeling lost that running off to a commune lead by a cold hearted, monomaniac probably isn’t the answer. Along the lines of last year’s ’The Silence Project’ and Naomi Alderman’s ‘The Power’ this tale debunks the myth that the world would be a lovely place if run by women.

For a debut novel this is a cracking read. Told in the ever popular ‘then and now’ format we know that something awful happens and this knowledge lurks on every page. The ending fell a little flat more me - I wanted more for present day Iris but this is a minor quibble.

While this was not entirely my kind of novel, I think this will find a large audience. Twigg is a talented writer and one whose future novels I will be sure to look out for.

This builds a mystery slowly, drip feeding odd details and revealing things about the characters gradually. Twigg’s writing felt a little cold and detached to me, but I kno this is a stylistic choice that a lot of readers will enjoy. I’d definitely recommend this to fans of Sophie Mackintosh - this reminded me a lot of Cursed Bread in its quaint small town mystery aspects.

I really enjoyed this novel set in a commune populated exclusively by women. The characters are interesting and well developed, and I found Iris's fascinating with the women to be convincing. It was also refreshing to have a female at the heart of a cult for once!

A very quick and enjoyable read overall.

Found this slow to start off with but gradually got into it. The writing is beautiful and the plot is incredibly interesting. I will definitely reread this at some point. I can't wait to read Amy Twigg's future work!

A women only commune. A social hierarchy. I have often discussed what would happen if we women were to start our own commune and take care of each other. Well, what happens at Bleach House is NOT what I expected.

Overall, I was propelled to the end and was captivated up until virtually the end when it all seemed a bit anti-climactic. I expected the plot to pull together neatly.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

An incredible debut from Amy Twigg. Spoilt Creatures follows Iris who, seeking to avoid moving back in with her mother after a break up, joins a commune of women living on a remote farm in the country. The book’s chapters are split between Iris at Breach House and Iris ten years later, haunted by something terrible that happened there.
The crawl towards this reveal is tense and perfectly executed. The knowledge that a disaster is coming hangs over every moment, and I still couldn’t help becoming attached to the characters and hoping for a different outcome. The women of Breach House are all fully realised, complex characters that I was desperate to know more about. Twigg’s writing style is beautiful and so rich, really drawing you into the world of the novel.
This is a dark, tense read perfectly suited to that claustrophobic kind of summer heat. Fans of writers like Shirley Jackson and Julia Armfield will find a lot to love here, as will anyone who enjoys dark and messy stories about women.
I sped through this book in two days and loved it! I can’t wait for it to come out so I can send copies to everyone I know.

I had heard such good things about this book and it did not disappoint.

I love stories about messy women. I love grimy environments and women doing horrible things. If you love a messy millennial woman story, this is the next step.

This book is gross and feral and disgusting and I absolutely loved it.

5 stars and undoubtedly on my books of 2024 list.

Slow to get into but developed into a page turner.

I’m a huge fan of “culty” kinds of books: anything about communities of different-minded folks, charismatic leaders and living off the land really appeals to me. So I was excited to read this book. I’m also a woman and tend to read literature written by women about women, and as there are hardly any male characters in this title, this was a good match. Somehow it took me a while to get into it, partly I think because it is written in quite a reflective style at first, so you are introduced to the main character who discusses the trauma they experienced without going into detail. I found it a bit frustrating initially but kept with it and about 100 pages in really found myself warming to the MC, Iris, and her friend Hazel. I did find it hard to keep track of all the characters to start with too, so that probably contributed to the slow burn experience. I found it much more rewarding towards the middle and end of the book and it was an enjoyable read. I think it would appeal to anyone wanting to read about an alternative lifestyle and understand how cults can get out of control. Think “Lord of the Flies” meets “Animal Farm:.

I will look for other books by this author and may re-read the first sections again because I think I’ll get more from the after completing the book.

Iris has split up with her boyfriend, her career, which never got off the ground after uni has ground to a halt and she has dejectedly moved back in with her mother, whom she dislikes. At a friends dinner party she is told about a women's "retreat" that helped a friend's sister and follows up the lead by acquiring a phone number which when she rings is never properly answered.
Whilst walking her dog, Iris comes across a dishevelled but attractive woman out foraging for mushrooms on the South Downs and feels an immediate pull towards her. Eventually, this woman, Hazel, turns up when Iris is on a shift at the Off License where her mother has blagged her a job and later Iris is invited to come to visit Breach House, a farmhouse hidden and nestled at the foot of the South Downs where an older charasmatic, Amazonian woman has established a sort of a commune for women in crisis. It is the same place as the phone number Iris had been calling. The women grow their own produce and sell the surplus at local markets. Iris is allowed to stay and at first loves the fresh cooked meals, the sense of camaderie and the opportunity to see where her attraction to Hazel leads her. However, things start to go wrong when a young Breach House resident invites some young men to visit when the House leaders are away. During a summer of unrelentingy hot sun, matters take a very dark turn at Breach House.

I enjoyed this novel. It really found it's stride after the first few chapters and kept me intrigued and page turning, even though I suspected strongly where it would lead. It reminded me in tone of Kate Worsely's excellent "Foxash" novel from last year that also like this novel felt connected to the earth, fecundity, rot and fever dreams.

Spirit Creatures is an excellent debut from Amy Twigg. The writing is superb throughout, and the plot is compelling, complex, and unflinching.

I absolutely loved this debut novel.
With echoes of Sarah Hall, Emma Cline and Sophie Mackintosh throughout, this beautifully written and devastating novel is a must-read of 2024.