Quick very high level summary.
Every twenty years there is a cleanse. You must be prepared to protect your family or die trying. Our MC Justin was the only surviver in his family of the cleanse 20 years before. His mother, sister and father being killed. His father sacrificing himself to save him so Justin spent the next 20 years preparing for the next one but one mistake could damn them all.

My Take.
This books is none stop action. It starts out running and does not let up. It’s like the Purge with a religious cult run entirely by the British government.If it had any faults it would only be that is was so short that information that might have been useful was omitted. This did leave me a bit confused every now and then but not enough to detour me for enjoying the story. Just enough to make me question my understanding. Over all Its action backed, fast paced and a nice quick read that was perfect for me after an in-depth high fantasy read.

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!
Thank you, NetGalley & J Yates Publishing for the eARC of The Cleanse! ☠️🩸

This is very different from what I usually read, but I’m glad I did read it! I really enjoyed this book, so much so that I found myself going into a deep dive about it with my husband, who isn’t even reading it (bless him) 😆

The Purge meets whatever the hell they saw in Bird Box (without the blindness aspect). I ate this up! 🤩

I really enjoyed the different POVs from the array of different characters. They were all individually interesting! But I will say, some of the writing definitely stuck out to me for a *specific* reason. That reason? The stereotype of men. Let me explain.. for example, one of the men had an internal thought along the lines of, “I can’t deal with this shit today”, all because his wife was complaining (rightly so) about something bad that HE caused. I would also complain if my husband did something abysmal in an *actual* life or death situation. Another example; one of the men had an internal dialogue along the lines of “..her pussy wasn’t all that great. Not after giving birth.”. Listen, I don’t consider myself a die-hard feminist, but I didn’t even need to know the author’s name or face to know this was written by a man (I know not all men think like this, nor am I assuming the author does). But! It still didn’t deter me from enjoying the read. I know this isn’t the AUTHOR’S way of thinking, but the characters in the book (I hope).

There were bits of references that were clever and lots of witty dialogue (both internal and external) but it was still an intense and creepy situation, regardless of the repartee. I had to Google some of the slang since I’m an uncultured American who needs to get out more, but I didn’t mind that. After all, I love learning new things. 😇🤭

And wow!? What an unexpected ending! I think the ending was my favorite part of it all, and it actually left my mouth agape! I need to know more of these creatures and what it all entails! I want to know how it started and how it goes after the next 20 years!

I didn’t like this book very much but it also wasn’t the worst thing I read. Stuff could’ve been explored more that wasn’t which left it pretty basic.

Quick and fun read. This could well be a film eventually, in the similar vain as Cabin in the Woods.

The story keeps pace well, keeping you hooked as the story progresses. The characters were, at times, comically evil, however enjoyable non the less.

One negative that stood out for me was that the story was as based in the UK, yet the characters kept saying ‘mom’. This annoyed the life out of me.

Overall a fun read, not great, but enjoyed my time.

The Cleanse puts a really unique twist on a purge-like event that sees creatures of unknown origin appear every 20 years to wreak MURDEROUS havoc. The concept is fantastic and whilst I really wanted to like this book, it just didn't do it for me.

I didn't find anything to like about any of the characters, struggled with the writing and found some elements just too shoddy with gaping holes. Survival horror needs to be suspenseful and tension-filled but I couldn't wait for this to be over, and the main event itself was a let down. I will commend James Yates on the ending though. Wow!

An easy enough read tackling some thought-provoking topics, but it didn't provide anywhere near enough depth or suspense for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and J Yates Publishing for the ARC!

The Cleanse was such a tense, punchy, wild ride of a book. The apocalypse concept was interesting and unique (it's an event that reoccurs mysteriously every 20 years). The characters were frustrating in the perfect way but you just kept rooting for them to make it through. My biggest complaint is I wish it were longer!

This is a horror novel about an almost apocalyptic event which happens on the same day every twenty years causing millions of people worldwide to die at the hands, teeth, and claws of giant demonic like creatures.

These attacks last twenty four hours before the creatures disappear and the clock starts ticking towards the next two decades. This time around,, several characters will have their lives intersect as the days to this event approach. There's Justin, who has a wife and two children, his best friend, Chris, a wealthy man, Rupert, and a gangster, Tommy. We'll get to know these characters leading up to the Cleansing and their stories will connect in some terrible ways. There's also a cult who's goal is to sacrifice themselves to these creatures willingly thinking it's part of Gods plan.

I like how this world is already established and the preparation and precautions are paramount to survival. However, only those with enough money can afford security systems strong enough to stop the horde of creatures, leaving everyone else vulnerable.

While we do get SOME answers at the end about how this event actually happens, it does leave questions. Hopefully those will be answered in future books. I don't know if this is a series but if so, I'm definitely in to read more and dig into this world further.

I highly recommend this one.