In a Cottage In a Wood

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers, Harper Fiction for this review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Neve’s life is not good at the moment – she’s split up from her boyfriend, she has nowhere to live and is sleeping in her sister’s spare room, she has no money and she hates her job! She wakes up one night in a dingy hotel room next to the sleazy bloke she picked up earlier in the night. After creeping out of the room in the early hours, she makes her way home. On the way, as she’s crossing Waterloo Bridge, she sees a woman, Isabelle, standing looking into the water. Neve, despite just wanting to get home, asks the woman if she’s okay. Isabelle pushes an envelope into Neve’s hands and then jumps to her death.

Some weeks later, Neve gets a call from a solicitor. Isabelle has left Neve her cottage in Cornwall, and as the solicitor explains was left by a special type of bequest known as ‘donatio mortis causa’ – a deathbed gift. Neve decides she has nothing to lose by going to Cornwall and seeing this cottage with a view to selling it. When she arrives there, in the middle of the night, she finds a creepy little cottage with bars on the windows, no electric and a dead magpie in the kitchen. She finds strange things happening such as doors unlocking, the radio being left on and the feeling of being watched and finds out that this was also happening to Isabelle. Neve decides to stay and try and work out what had happened to Isabelle and why?

This was a great book! I have read the author’s previous book, but found this one so much better! The story began straight into the action with Neve coming across Isabelle on the bridge, and then carried on building up the suspense right through the book. I didn’t initially find Neve a very nice person, not taking any responsibility for her own life and ruining other peoples around her while she was at it. Half way through the book you could feel that Neve was changing. She was beginning to lose the attitude that she had and she began to become a person who could truly believe in herself. I’ll give the woman guts, because I know I wouldn’t have stayed one night in that cottage!!

The book was full of suspense and was genuinely creepy, almost to the point that you had to put it down for a few minutes just to compose yourself – the whole doors unlocking and radios being turned on was seriously nerve-wracking! I finished this book in less than a day, and I was literally on the edge of my seat for the whole time! The story was strong all the way through, and the twist at the edge was unexpected – I honestly didn’t see that coming!

If you love your psychological thrillers, then you will love this book! A great read! Five stars!

I really enjoyed Cass Green's first book The Woman Next Door and this second book In a Cottage, in a Wood doesn't fail to disappoint. Neve inherits a remote cottage in Cornwall from Isabelle who she has only ever met once. Neve has no idea why Isabelle has chosen her and sets out to find out why,
There are creepy goings on at the cottage once Neve moves in, someone wants her out and so there are several suspicious characters which keep you guessing as to whom and why. I definitely didn't see the twists coming! A gripping psychological thriller.

This is a cleverly written and engaging psychological thriller which at times I found unable to put down. The author Cass Green pulls off a very effective narrative trick with the first part of the book. She skilfully takes the time to set the scene for our protagonist, Neve Carey, to find herself willingly installed all on her own in a creepy cottage in Cornwall, which she has inherited from its owner in a bizarre turn of events. This pays off because not only is the story still interesting at that stage, without the build up you’d have to wonder why anyone would stay for five minutes in such a place as the cottage in the woods. That said, the book suffers a little from what I have come to think of as Unlikable Character Syndrome. We get to know Neve a little and we get to understand her motivations and behaviours but it doesn’t make her less whiney or sympathetic. At times it was quite hard to care too much about what happened to her as she flounders from one bad decision to the next.

I have also say despite what is a largely riveting read, I did find the ending to be quite rushed and it felt like things were wound up way too neatly. All the reveals seemed to come in one big clump and it fell a bit flat for me at the conclusion. But, on the whole a very entertaining effort and I recommend it.

If you go down to the woods today, you’re sure to find a gnarly old cottage shrouded in mystery and decay, tucked away in the dark and menacing woodland, just dying to make your acquaintance. A cottage of which has many, many secrets to bestow upon an uncomprehending Neve, following her chance meeting with Isabelle late one night. A frightening tale with horror and hysteria at its core, Cass Green’s latest release chilled me to the bone and had me conjuring up all sorts of nightmarish scenarios that scared me witless.
In Green’s In A Cottage, In A Wood, readers are introduced to Neve. On her way home one night, she stumbles upon Isabelle, a stranger who is fixated by the Thames running beneath them. Her conscience prodding at her, Neve knows she can’t leave this woman alone. She seems to be right on the precipice of something, nervous and flighty, and so Neve asks Isabelle if she is okay. After forcing an envelope into Neve’s hands, Isabelle leaps to her death and leaves behind a stricken Neve without another word. It is only a couple of weeks later when Neve receives a call from a solicitor and learns that she has been left a cottage by this Isabelle woman, and with her personal life crumbling, it seems to have fallen into her hands right when she needs it most. A blessing? Or a nightmare? And why did Isabelle leave the cottage in Neve’s hands?
From the off-set, I was putty in Cass Green’s hands. Chance meetings have always fascinated me in fiction. Capable of going in any direction, they’re a fantastic plot-stirrer and excite me endlessly. When Neve first crossed paths with Isabelle, I felt the atmosphere change entirely, my grip tightening ever-so-slightly on my Kindle. I just knew at that moment, that their meeting would be the game-changer, and immediately, I wanted to know the reasoning behind it, and where it would lead dear Neve in her discovery of the truth, and her discovery of Isabelle also.
Upon her arrival at the cottage, Neve sets out on an exploration of the woman who left the cottage so willingly behind. Green had me hesitating to turn out the lights as her descriptions of this horrid little place began to seep off the page and into my imagination, and as Neve delved further into Isabelle’s life and began to find out more about the woman who had leapt to her death, I became utterly captivated by the story Cass Green had weaved. It turned out that there was so much more to Isabelle’s sad departure from the world than I had at first anticipated, and a whole lot more for me to sink my teeth into. It certainly made for addictive reading, I can tell you that now.
From beginning to end, In A Cottage, In A Wood by Cass Green had me absolutely terrified. I’ve always had a phobia of woods, so I’m not sure why I imagined reading this would be a good idea, but whatever. Although this book felt to me like a horror, there was a whole lot more beneath the surface just waiting to pounce out at me when I least expected it. Deliciously dark and wholly satisfying, with plenty of twists and turns throughout, this was absolutely fantastic and has secured my love of this author’s work yet again. Cass Green always, without fail, grips me from the start and refuses to let go until the very last page. I couldn’t get enough.

London, December 21st, 2016. Neve Cary has woken up in an hotel after having a one-night stand with ‘whatsisname’. She tries to sneak out without him knowing, but he wakes up, then checks his wallet to make sure she is not stealing from him. Neve, feeling angry that he could actually believe that she would do that, leaves the room and walks out of the hotel into the cold December air. As she gets to Waterloo bridge, she spots a woman standing all alone on the bridge. The woman has no coat on and appears to be rather distressed. Neve, though very reluctantly, takes pity on the woman, asks her if she is ok and explains where the stop is for the night bus. Neve asks the woman if she can phone her friend or someone. The woman thanks her for being so kind and asks Neve her name and says that her name is Isabelle. Isabelle passes Neve a small brown envelope, then jumps into the Thames river. Neve is shocked and phones the emergency services, who search for Isabelle, but cannot find her. After answering the police’s questions and giving them her details, Neve continues walking home.

Neve’s life is currently in turmoil. She is broke, she’s split with her boyfriend Daniel and is currently staying with her sister Lou and Steve, her brother in law. Steve is reluctantly tolerating her staying with them and keeps asking her if she has found somewhere to live.

A couple of months pass, then Laura Meade contacts Neve to say that Isabelle Aster Shawcross, has left Neve her cottage in Cornwall. Laura explains about the ‘donatio mortis causa’ clause in Isabelle’s will. After some deliberation, Neve quits her job, collects her belongings from Lou’s house, then catches the bus to Cornwall. She’s going to the cottage to try and sort her life out.

By the time the bus arrives at Truro is it late evening and gets a taxi to take her to the cottage in the village of Cador. She cannot really afford to spend £30 on a taxi, but has no alternative. The cottage turns out to be in the middle of nowhere. She her phone light to unlock the 4 locks on the door in the given sequence, and eventually manages to open the door. Once inside Neve switches on the light only to find that the cottage is filthy and sees that there is a dead magpie in the kitchen sink ugh. She cleans the sink, disposes of the putrid contents of the bin, whilst mumbling to herself that this was probably a bad idea coming here.

The cottage is freezing cold. Neve notices an A4 file containing ‘ESSENTIAL INSTRUCTIONS’. In it, Neve finds the instructions on how to light the ancient boiler. The radiators are now slowly warming up. Neve realises that she is hungry and goes in search of food. All she can find is a tin of tomatoes, some pasta, some peanut butter and manages to make herself a cup of very sweet black coffee. She eats the meagre meal and being so tired falls asleep in the chair.

Suddenly she awakes, finds the cottage is in darkness and realises that there is someone else in the room. Standing up to investigate, Neve grabs her empty coffee cup for protection, when something brushes past her leg – she realises it’s a cat!

Wishing that she had read all the instructions in the file, using her phone’s light she quickly flicks through them and finds that the electric is via a pay as you go meter. Neve manages to find matches and t.lights in the kitchen. After lighting some, she snuggles back into the chair and falls asleep.

The following morning, Neve begins to look around. She notices that there are metal bars at all the windows making the place look like a fortress, very strange indeed. Deciding that she needs to find a shop, Neve puts on her coat and boots and goes outside, making sure to lock all the locks. As she walks up the path, she glances back towards the cottage and notices that it is a very ugly 1950s building, not her idea of what an idyllic cottage in the country looks like at all.

Neve walks up to the main road and decides to walk in the opposite direction to the way she travelled last night in the taxi. She walks for miles, but still hasn’t found a shop and it’s now raining. She curses Isabelle Shawcross for leaving her the horrible ugly cottage in the middle of nowhere. Neve hears a car approaching and tucks herself into the side of the road for safety. The car stops and a woman pops her head out of the window to say hello. She introduces herself as Sally Gardner. They talk a while and then Sally offers to take Neve to the supermarket, and invites her to dinner that evening. Neve now feels more optimistic about the cottage.

Back from the supermarket, Neve makes herself something to eat. She then decides to have a look around outside. but finds that her coat is still soaked. Neve decides to wear Isabelle’s waxed jacket that was hanging by the door, goes outside and senses that someone is watching her. Shivering she puts her hands into the pockets and finds a piece of paper. On it is written:

Ring plumber
HMP LL 14/07/16
PBH date TBC

Suddenly sensing someone there, she sees a car parked in the lane. Neve rushes to the gate to find a man in his 60s. He mutters something out loud. Neve asks him what he wants, but instead of answering he rushes to his car and drives off.

Noticing the time, Neve gets herself ready for dinner. Sally said she would pick Neve up, but instead Sally’s husband Will, comes instead. He asks if he can use the bathroom before they leave. It turns out that The Spinney, Sally and Will’s home is only a couple of minutes away, and slightly further on is Richard Shawcross’s home, the brother of Isabelle. During dinner Neve meets Matty, Sally and Will’s son. She finds him rather strange. He asks her if they have met before and Neve says no. After a lovely dinner and hearing more details about Isabelle, Will walks Neve back to her cottage. She starts to unlock all the 4 locks, but finds that only one is locked – strange, she could have sworn that she locked all 4. Once inside the cottage, she decides that tonight she will sleep in the bed. She gets clean bedding from out of the wardrobe. As she is stripping the bed, a knife falls onto the floor and wonders what Isabelle was so afraid of. Neve gets into bed, then hears a tap tap tap, but the noise soon stops and she falls asleep.

Strange mysterious events keep happening. Neve has no alternative but to spend money that she can ill afford and her funds deplete. She gradually gathers information together bit by bit, by searching and talking to people. Isabelle’s life is starting to sound rather sinister. Neve wonders if she will be safe if she continues to stay in the cottage, after all Isabelle did not think she was. Can she solve the puzzle and stay safe?

This is a great novel by Cass Green and I really enjoyed reading it. Green describes all the characters very well. Neve, is rather a selfish woman who tends to have a me me me attitude, never grateful for what she has in life and expects others to be at her beck and call. As the story progresses, Neve starts to evolve into a much nicer person. I will read more of Cass Green.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Cass Green for the advanced digital copy in return for the above review.

This book was fantastic! It gripped me from the very first page and whilst I was compelled to keep turning the pages I didn't want it to end! It was intriguing, bewitching and captivating and the characters were well rounded and the story line very enjoyable!

I enjoyed this book, the story was original and engaging and the pace was just right. Although I would categorise it as crime fiction it was also very much about the people and the characters and I enjoyed this depth to the story. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys crime/drama books as a gripping easy read.

Neve inherits a cottage in the woods after randomly meeting a stranger at the side of the Thames just before she commits suicide. Neve's life isn't going very well at the moment so she decides to go to the cottage to see what it's like, perhaps she can sell it and make some money. Neve realises that Isabelle, the lady who gifted her the cottage was a troubled lady, but why. I thought the book was going to be a little slow to begin with but it gripped me quickly and had a twist that I really wasn't expecting. A great read.

Loved the cover of this book. New I had to find out more. The description sounded great. Started the book and i have to say i was hooked from the word go. It was a fab book. Neve is not lucky in her life, but when she comes across a young woman commiting suicide in front of her her luck begins to change. The young woman leaves her home to neve. Finally having something of her own she moves to the middle of nowhere. But nothing is as it seems.

The end was slightly disappointing. But not enough to lose a star. It was a great read and I enjoyed it so much.

One of my favourite books I have read recently. I enjoyed the mystery of the story including the snippets from Izzy. I did guess that they were sisters but that didnt detract from the enjoyment. My only slight niggle was that I didn't think Izzy would have committed suicide in front of her sister but I don't think it is a significant issue.

Having read Cass Green's previous novel, the excellent "The Woman Next Door", I was excited to receive this review copy of "In A Cottage In A Wood".
This is a compelling psychological thriller which I found difficult to put down.
Neve's life is not great: both her parents have died, she has a dead end job, she is an unwelcome guest in her sister's home and she has split up with her boyfriend. One evening, en route home she comes across a woman on a bridge in London. Her name is Isabelle and she appears suicidal. Neve does her best to try and save her but to no avail and it is only later that she discovers Isabelle has left her a cottage in a bizarre sort of oral codicil to her will.
Keen to start a new life Neve decides to move into the cottage which is located in Cornwall in an isolated location. However things do not go as planned and Neve fears that someone is stalking her and breaking into the cottage. She finds a dead bird in the sink, and her radio switches on and off without her knowledge. She wonders if she is going mad in the same way as Isabelle who was so scared she put bars on the windows to keep out intruders.
Resolving to find out what is happening, Neve starts to look into Isabelle's life and things will never be the same again for her.
I really enjoyed this book, particularly the way the author built up the tension as the story progressed. Telling the story from Neve's point of view ensured that the reader felt empathy for her although she did not seem a very likeable character at the beginning. She behaves in a reckless and selfish way, treating her sister's home like a hotel and cheating on her boyfriend. She seems to be on a path to self destruction. As the novel progresses she becomes much more likeable and the reader feels sorry for her as events unfold at the cottage.
The opening sequence where Neve encounters Isabelle is well written and really sucks the reader in- I was keen to carry on reading to find out what was going to happen next.
This is a fabulous five star read, thoroughly recommended by me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Five brilliant stars!

I loved The Woman Next Door so the moment I knew there was a new thriller by Cass Green coming I wanted to read it. And I was not disappointed; this novel is excellent.
It has the right amount of seclusion that can guarantee some creepiness but still sound believable. It has good characters, an intriguing mystery and a wonderful protagonist. Neve reminded me so much of one of Sophie Kinsella's main characters--which is a huge compliment for me since Kinsella is one of my all time favorite authors.

Safe to say now that Cass Green is on my go to list of authors--I'll read anything she comes up with next, for sure.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Excellent book - Great characters and plot. I would highly recommend this book.

I absolutely loved this one! I still remember the old rhyme from my school days that this title is based upon. I always found the little poem really creepy back then but now as an adult, it sent shivers down my spine when mentioned within the narrative here. I mean, where would horror movies and thrillers be without the iconic isolated cabin/cottage in the woods? It’s the setting for many a nightmare scenario and here Cass Green manages to turn a stroke of good fortune for her main protagonist Neve into a darkly atmospheric and creepy ordeal that seemed never ending-all based around a house with bars at the windows. But those bars won’t keep out the terrifying nightmares that are about to stalk Neves dreams!

I did worry when I started to read that I wouldn’t actually care what happened to Neve! I took an instant dislike to this young woman who seemed set upon her own path to self destuction. She was rude, inconsiderate, selfish and disagreeable. Her friendship group seemed smaller than expected for a young single woman living in the city of London and her contempt for her living arrangements was frustrating, as well as rather annoying, to watch. I just wanted to slap a little bit of appreciation into this arrogant but troubled young woman. A visit to Cornwall to claim her inherited cottage leads to a life changing experience for Neve as whilst there she begins to discover more about the ethereal and damaged Isabelle who gifted the property to her. But who was Isabelle and what was she hiding from? Has Neve inherited more than just a new home from the haunted young woman?

This is a fabulously creepy and darkly atmospheric slow burner that I read in one intense sitting. I suspected every character that was introduced once Neve had fled to Cornwall, unable to work out whether everything was all in Neves head or if someone really did want to scare the bejesus out of her!! But little by little I came to respect Neve, developing a warmth and tenderness towards her as she started to let her guard down thanks to some very poignant observations by the author,

There were twists and turns galore here and enough red herrings to throw a forestful of sticks at! I was thoroughly engrossed in this spellbinding thriller that gradually worked its magic on me. The clever denouement shocked and surprised me as it was a twist that I definitely hadn’t seen coming but was a perfect reflection of what had gone before and therefore worked brilliantly.

I loved The Woman Next Door but in my opinion In a Cottage In a Wood is even better! Full of deeply disturbed individuals, this is a compelling and suspenseful page turner that you will not be able to put down. Highly recommended by me!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book as an arc.
I really enjoyed this book. Lots of twists and turns and a creeping sense of unease throughout. I don't know how Neve managed to sleep at all in that cottage with all the strange goings on!
I loved the way the book was written, there was a slight thread of black humour running throughout which really appealed to me. Neve's life really was a mess when she left London for Cornwall and it didn't seem to be improving any once she had moved into the cottage!
The only slight niggle I had was that I felt the reason for her being terrorised was a bit of a let down. But the back story leading up to the conclusion was really well done and I really did enjoy the book, would certainly recommend.

I loved this - different to what I expected and very satisfying. I don't generally read thrillers, but the title appealed to me, and the blurb sounded great: meet a stranger in London and they give you a cottage - what's to worry about?
Neve's spiky personality is the perfect foil to an old-fashioned suspense novel, she's believable and her confused unhappiness having to depend on other people feels real. But everything seemed a bit worrying for Neve and I read carefully to not miss any clues about where the danger lay... biting my nails and reading late into the night...
Recommend for lovers of suspense, country novels, novels about young women in the city and anyone really!
PS when I mentioned this book to my mother she started singing a creepy song 'in a cottage, in a wood' that I'd never heard before....

December 21st 2016.

Neve is out one night at a hotel with a guy known only as "Whatshisname". Both have had way too much to drink and she finally leaves the hotel, after assuring him she hasn't stolen his wallet. Steppeing out into the bitterly cold air, she sees a woman dressed in a very flimsy white dress. As she gets closer, she asks the woman, who says her name is Isabelle, if she needs to put somethin else on over the dress as she looks so cold, and also, increasingly concerned for the woman, lets her know where the night bus stop is.

Isabelle hands Neve a mysterious brown envelope.......Before she climbs onto the railings and jumps right into the freezing waters of the Thames.

Neve's life is in tatters. She works at a magazine company, has no boyfriend no money and no home, so is staying at her sister, Lou's Steve is married to her sister and they have a cute daughter is called Lottie. Steve is really annoying and keeps bugging Neve, even asking if she has found somewhere to be. Neve is still missing her ex, Daniel, but knows that's over.

Life passes slowly and normally by for a week and then she receives a call. Isabelle has left her a cottage! Could this be a new start? She finds out it's called Pretty Win Cottage and she has not only inherited it, but also all the belongings in it.

Through the short chapters but brilliant pace, Cass Green shows us how Neve keeps going through what happened in the bridge on her mind. Neve makes a snap decision. One day, she leaves it on a whim because two of her friends have moved away and also she spent so much time thinking about what is in the envelope that eventually she just leave her job and decides to go off to Cornwall.

I had a sense of wanting to know what would happen.

There is a sense of adventure amongst the sadness of the circumstances of Isabelle's death/ suicide. She was 34 years old with no husband or kids. She has a brother.

After 9 hours on the bus, after which she ends up walking in the dark for most of the journey, she goes the rest of the way in a taxi (I thought this quite sensible given the darkness and cold).

I could really put her feelings into context. I could put myself in her shoes. She has a good imagination and I think I'd feel the same in her position. Scared (especially because of arriving at nighttime.) She'd imagined a beautiful house, but the house is really shockingly dilapidated, with rubbish all over the place and a dead bird in the sink. It's less than cosy and welcoming. There's a sense of mystery when she looks around the house. She's starving so has to make do with a small and meagre meal of pasta, tinned tomatoes and a few spoonfuls of peanut butter, as well as some strong coffee.

It's very atmospheric. There are bars on the windows and lots of locks on the door.

She seems quite resourceful. I really feel for her in this situation.
It's great to see how her resilience grows. She pops out for groceries in the rain and meets Sally (car driver on the road) Sally seems quite understanding and I quite like her. She also is quite hospitable. I was glad they met. Sally has some gossip about Isabelle.

From then on, everything that happens to Neve is creepy . I like Neve's clothing style and her attitude despite how scared she is.

The book is interspersed with letters from Isabelle to her Gran which make her presence real even after her death.

Sally's family home, which Neve is invited to, is cosy. There couldn't be more of a contrast between there and where Neve is staying. She and her husband are helpful. Their son Matty's attitude worries me. Word is that Isabelle overdose in Australia where she used to live and then kept thinking people were watching her.
Isabelle's brother Richard lives in a large house which, with the cottage and Sally's house, forms an estate. Finn is a great person and I wamed to him and how he treated Neve, who, understandably, can be sensitive because of being in the house because scared
It's sad what happened to Jarvis (Richard's dog). I was galad Neve had Jarvis for company through much of the book.

Neve seems to be quite brave strong and resourceful. and seems to have quite a lot of common sense

We meet some of the other characters Linda (Bob's wife) seems friendlier than her husband, and there's a dangerous man on the loose.......

I cannot fault this book! The settings and characters are so realistic and the suspense is second to none. It is action-packed and I read it in a day. Truly amazing book! I really want to read more by Cass Green! Her writing is flawless.

Thanks to Cass Green and her publisher for a copy of this book via NetGalley

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! Having read and loved Cass Green's debut, The Woman Next Door, I was intrigued by the synopsis of her new book. It did not disappoint. It has a clear, easy reading style and really brings both Neve's feelings and the creepiness of the situation to life. Neve is a great lead character and the mystery is explored really well. I loved the twists and turns towards the end of the book and I'm already looking forward to her next story.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the ARC of In A Cottage In a Wood.

Neve’s life is going nowhere. She is living with her sister and her family (much to her brother in law’s disgust) and she works in a boring job as a receptionist at a publisher of specialist’s magazines.
One night walking home alone after another meaningless encounter with someone, she comes across a woman standing alone on a bridge. The woman doesn’t look right to Neve and after a small conversation with her, the woman hands her an envelope and then jumps off the bridge. This act will change Neve’s life.

I really enjoyed this book, I felt it wasn’t an edge of seat thriller but it had a gothic undertone for me, which I always love. Many strange and unexplained things happen while Neve is staying at the cottage she unexpectedly inherits.
I must admit that Neve frustrated me at times with her mouthy attitude but then other times I really liked her as she tried to get her life sorted. It was a little bit of a slow burn but when a number of twists came, I had suspected somethings but I didn’t see the other at all.
A very satisfying read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy to read and review.

I just loved this psychological thriller In a Cottage, In a Wood I couldn’t put it down and I read it in a day as I just needed to know how it was going to end and I was not disappointed.
Loved the twists and turns throughout, they took me by surprise and I was engrossed.
A well deserved 5 stars.

<img src="https://ifindoubtread.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/img_05861.png" alt="IMG_0586" width="298" height="457" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5348" />
TITLE: IN A COTTAGE IN A WOOD
AUTHOR: CASS GREEN
PUBLISHER: HARPER COLLINS
PUB DATE: 21st Sept 2017

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Her dream home will become her worst nightmare…

A dark and twisty psychological thriller from the No.1 ebook bestselling author of The Woman Next Door.

A strange encounter
Neve comes across a troubled woman called Isabelle on Waterloo Bridge late one night. Isabelle forces a parcel into Neve’s hands and jumps to her death in the icy Thames below.

An unexpected gift
Two weeks later, as Neve’s wreck of a life in London collapses, an unexpected lifeline falls into her lap – a charming cottage in Cornwall left to her by Isabelle, the woman on the bridge. The solution to all her problems.

A twisted secret
But when Neve arrives, alone in the dark woods late one night, she finds a sinister-looking bungalow with bars across its windows. And her dream home quickly becomes her worst nightmare – a house hiding a twisted secret that will change her life forever…



MY REVIEW:

The first thing I have to comment on the book cover...WOW. The title sent a shiver of anticipation down my spine and the creepy, eerie image of the rather austere looking cottage almost swallowed by bleak swirling fog sealed the deal. If I had spotted this on a shelf in a bookshop it would have been in my hand and on its way to the till itin a heartbeat.It had my name written all over it.
The story is beautifully written, the author Cass Green has a real talent for describing and her choice of words build the setting and the tone to perfection. I absolutely loved the authors style of writing it was very readable and she transported me intothe cottage and enabled to me to experience the loneliness and the isolation as if I was Neve. you become emotionally invested in Neve very early on and I empathised for thefear as if it was me there frightened and alone in the middle of nowhere.
Although I loved every page of this this book from the very start and couldn't wait to read on, desperate to learn more about the woman on the bridge, intrigued to find out why she killed herself and what events led up to the traumatic decision she made to end her life. I had an inkling that Isobelle and Neves ' chance' meeting on the bridge that night wasn't as coincidental as Neve was led to believe. However it wasn't until the last third of the book that I realised how expertly and precisely the threads of this story had been woven mans threaded into an intricate and complex finale. As the climax unfolded it was so fluid and so shocking that I held my breath devouring the pages and reading faster and faster in my excitement. As secrets unfolded and the mysteries and questions were exposed and explained I was left speechless, I hDnt even come close to guessing the connection between the two female characters.
This book revealed a very well thought out storyline that was unravelled in a way that kept you guessing from start to finish. The characters were brilliantly depicted and Neve herself was very believable and very likeable. She was just a normal girl trying to find her way in life, struggling financially and emotionally in the aftermath of the breakup with her long term boyfriend and trying to live a life at odds with the settled domesticated one of her sister whom she is staying with. I felt sorry for her and liked her a lot, I felt sorry for her as sheleft London anticipating a pretty chocolate box cottage and travelling well out of her comfort zone only to find the cottage she has 'inherited' is ugly, desolate and in a state of disrepair. She went up in my estimation when she stays on and starts to dig into the strange circumstances behind Isabelle's death and admired her pluckiness when despite being terrified when a threat to her safety seems to loom
Large and weird things start to happen.Why did isobelle have bars on the windows? Who was trying to frighen her and who is now stalking Neve? The answer isn't simple and when it is revealed it dredges up a whole lot of history!
The Gardener family who live moments away from her spooky cottage seem to be welcoming neighbours but I had my suspicions they were not quite what they seemed from the moment she met them... I loved what their burgeoning friendship added to the story even more so when the truth about them was revealed!
An entertaining, beautifully crafted story that picks up to a faster pace towards its climax (this is no bad thing, not all thrillers need to be furiously paced and adrenaline fuelled in their entirety to be gripping). The ending will first have you holding your breath and then gasping in disbelief. The perfect read as the nights close in, claustrophobic and dark in places I will be highly recommend title to family and friends.
BRILLIANT!

I absolutely loved this one! I fell for it immediately. I was intrigued by the blurb but also wondered how this situation on the bridge was working. You just meet a woman who wants to commit suicide and she hands you over her cottage? But it did, actually.

So, one night after partying and an unpleasant one night stand Neve wanders the streets of London to find her way home. Home means her sister’s house, because Neve crashed there after she splits up from her boyfriend. She has a lousy job which she doesn’t like and which earns her not enough money to get her own place to live. So she is not in the mood to talk to a young woman she sees standing on Waterloo Bridge just in a dress in the freezing night. But somehow she does and so she witnesses her jumping into the Thames. Weeks later she learns from a lawyer that the dead woman gave her her cottage in Cornwall. And as it is, with a job she is going to lose, her sister and brother-in-law bugged by her and no place to live she decides to have a look at that cottage.

The cottage indeed is not what she expected. It is not very nice to look at, filthy and a bit creepy. So Neve finds herself stranded in this cottage in the woods and somehow the creepy atmosphere is getting her.

The book has its flaws. It is all a bit unrealistic and Neve is sometimes a pain in the a**. She is so chaotic and unfocussed. She acts without thinking things through. Everybody would consider that arriving in a cottage in rural Cornwall late in the evening without being able to drive a car would be not a good idea. But not Neve. She just jumps in. All the time.

The book is not a fast paced one. But it is an easy read and the pages just flow. It is a bit creepy but not in a supernatural way. There is definitive something going on and I would have freaked out much earlier and take the next train back to London. Strange things happen and because Neve is so chaotic she always things that maybe it was her own fault. There are a few things I would have done, like f.e. change the door locks. But I really liked the book. I enjoyed reading it. I figured out who was behind all this spooky things quite early but the author had still a surprise for me at the end. The writing is very pleasant and I think that was the main reason I enjoyed that book so much. There are some weird things happening in the story but the author managed it to sell it to me with her nice and convincing writing.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper fiction for this review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fantastic book. I have never read any of the author’s previous work. I will certainly be looking out for it plus new releases

When the Story starts you are dragged right into the action. After this the book carries on building suspense right through to the last page. You could feel the atmosphere in that cottage which freaked me right out and I just wanted to jump into the book and pull Neve straight out of there it was just so creepy. I read this book over 24 hours in 2 or 3 sittings it was that good as I just wanted to know what was going to happen.



I highly recommend this

This book starts with Neve, doing the walk of shame over Waterloo Bridge, she tries to do a good deeds for a stranger, Isabelle and surprisingly ends up inheriting a cottage because of it! With her life going downhill, Neve takes the opportunity of a place to clear her head, even though the cottage is not quite as expected…

Once there, she becomes entwined in the mystery of who Isabelle was, and how she came to be on the bridge that day. This is a creepy and slow building thriller that builds towards a surprising ending! As I mentioned in a previous post, I read a lot of this genre and I’m pretty good at guessing the endings, in fact I did guess part of this but a surprising second twist I did NOT see coming!

If you are new to this genre, this is a really good ‘first’ as it moves at a steady pace and builds gradually. This for me also had an echo of The Girl On The Train in that the main characters, Neve and Isabelle, are not taken seriously because of their personal issues (very much like Rachel in TGOTT with her alcoholism) and are left to resolve their personal quests alone before anyone sees the truth, this is such a clever way of isolating the character and drawing you in to their desperation as they struggle to find the truth.

Another thing I LOVED about this book is that there was a couple of times within the book that Neve had a potential romantic encounter, I must admit I done the internal groan of ‘ok, here’s where the guy steps in and fixes everything for the damsel in distress and life is all rosy again, same old same old…’ BUT Cass Green doesn’t take the easy way out by doing this, instead Neve battles everything herself before considering moving forward in her life – very sensible too I might add! She couldn’t be part of a partnership while that was hanging over her and while some may have taken that easier option, Cass Green pulls together an altogether more complex journey for Neve.