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mixingrealitywithfiction's review
4.0
My thanks go to The Fiction Cafe review group and netgalley for my copy of the book.
I was really looking forward to reading The Family after seeing it everywhere on social media. I am so glad I finally got the chance to read it and enjoy it.
I have read Louise's first book, The Sister and remember that being one of the creepiest, twisty and compelling reads I've had the pleasure of coming across but I felt this one felt a bit slow in comparison, I'm not sure this is what Louise had set about with The Family but despite its slower pace, I really enjoyed it. It is the first thriller in a very long time that I can say I've read quite quickly (with a 1 year old sleep thief).
This is a book that is primarily set around a mother and daughter duo, Laura and Tilly. Their stories are shared over alternating chapters which introduces the other characters this book holds.
Alex - the leader of the pack
Saffron - the one who most shocked me
Hazel, Reed, etc...
All of what goes on during Tilly and Laura's stay at the farm leaves you wondering just who can you trust? Flesh family or your chosen family? But what happens when you can't trust either?
This is a book that has so much to enjoy within its pages, it's hard to pull yourself away when you have to go make dinner or bath your child.
I was really looking forward to reading The Family after seeing it everywhere on social media. I am so glad I finally got the chance to read it and enjoy it.
I have read Louise's first book, The Sister and remember that being one of the creepiest, twisty and compelling reads I've had the pleasure of coming across but I felt this one felt a bit slow in comparison, I'm not sure this is what Louise had set about with The Family but despite its slower pace, I really enjoyed it. It is the first thriller in a very long time that I can say I've read quite quickly (with a 1 year old sleep thief).
This is a book that is primarily set around a mother and daughter duo, Laura and Tilly. Their stories are shared over alternating chapters which introduces the other characters this book holds.
Alex - the leader of the pack
Saffron - the one who most shocked me
Hazel, Reed, etc...
All of what goes on during Tilly and Laura's stay at the farm leaves you wondering just who can you trust? Flesh family or your chosen family? But what happens when you can't trust either?
This is a book that has so much to enjoy within its pages, it's hard to pull yourself away when you have to go make dinner or bath your child.
natashaophelia02's review
2.0
2.5 stars.
hmmm, there were definitely good parts particularly in the middle where i was very into the story, but i didn’t like the ending and I just didn’t like the way the story went. I think i’m rating it harshly but i feel so meh about it
hmmm, there were definitely good parts particularly in the middle where i was very into the story, but i didn’t like the ending and I just didn’t like the way the story went. I think i’m rating it harshly but i feel so meh about it
kathie_g's review
3.0
So, I’ll start by saying the first half of the book was terribly hard to get through. It took awhile for character development. That being said, the 2nd half of the book was very hard to put down. I couldn’t wait to see what was Alex’s deal and if Tilly and Laura would become truly brainwashed. As the truth unfolded my mind was blown!
zooloo1983's review
5.0
Gah, I am not sure what words I can use to review this book! This is the first book I have read of Louise’s but it is no way going to be my last…mainly because I have most of them on my Kindle but more importantly I love love love her writing and I need more!
The Family is filled with so much intrigue and tension it had me devouring the book in two sittings, two because I had to be sociable! My god this was fantastic, I was enamoured by Alex, the “leader” of Oak Leaf Farm, I was sucked in just like Laura and Tilly. This should have been a fresh start they both needed after losing Garvan, husband and dad and dealing with the all the family drama, as it says on the blurb things really do not appear to be what they seem!
Most authors can pull the rug out from under me, however, Louise not only pulled the rug, but she also pulled the carpet, floorboards and kept going until I was in the cellar with a hard thud! I had no idea where I was being taken until I got there and I did not expect what I got! I was so sucked in with the way of life on the farm, the community that although I suspected something was off-kilter I didn’t want to believe it. Yes, I know you are basically told in the blurb something isn’t right, but I wanted it to be wrong! So wrong!
I really don’t want to spoil any part of the book for you but I do have to say it is a belter. The chapters are told by Laura, Tilly and Alex, all have their own secrets, some will do more damage than others. Even the reader is not exposed to what the secrets are until they are revealed adding to the shock for us the reader. Some of these secrets really did break my heart and I may have shed a small tear at one point, some shocked and some chilled me to the bone. I was devoted to The Family in the same way that Laura and Tilly were devoted to Alex, it played on my mind when I did not have the book in my hand, I had a need to get back to the farm, the “family”, my chosen family for the duration of the book. The ambiguity in this story also chilled me, I felt no relief and I found I was looking over my shoulder, you know just in case as you never quite know who is watching you.
One thing this book did remind me of was the tv show The Affair, but I am talking about the essence, one thing that drew me to the show was how well they filmed it. In one scene Noah, the dad is with his family in a restaurant and he spies Alison, to him she is a goddess and full of life and confidence. Yet, when you see it from her point of view, she sees herself as all dowdy and worthless and broken. Here, Louise adopted this type of point of view, in Laura’s chapter she felt Tilly was being cold and uncaring and angry. When you are in Tilly’s head, she is angry but at herself for the way she behaved, always feeling like her mum was condescending her, both being unreliable to us, yet adding to the realistic element of the book because it is true. We all see things one way when in fact sometimes it is the complete opposite but it is how we interpret it. Here, in The Family, this misinterpretation causes a lot of friction and causes pain and anger where it just did not need to be, if only we all spoke to each other, but come on where would the fun be in that!
My final thought…..that ending. Jeez, Louise! Woweeeeeeeeeeee, I am still thinking about it now. I am still thinking about the book. This is what Louise has done, maybe it was always her plan to create her own little cult. I am like a lamb to the slaughter off to read her other books now it is now demanded, as her hashtag says #WelcometoTheFamily…..
The Family is filled with so much intrigue and tension it had me devouring the book in two sittings, two because I had to be sociable! My god this was fantastic, I was enamoured by Alex, the “leader” of Oak Leaf Farm, I was sucked in just like Laura and Tilly. This should have been a fresh start they both needed after losing Garvan, husband and dad and dealing with the all the family drama, as it says on the blurb things really do not appear to be what they seem!
Most authors can pull the rug out from under me, however, Louise not only pulled the rug, but she also pulled the carpet, floorboards and kept going until I was in the cellar with a hard thud! I had no idea where I was being taken until I got there and I did not expect what I got! I was so sucked in with the way of life on the farm, the community that although I suspected something was off-kilter I didn’t want to believe it. Yes, I know you are basically told in the blurb something isn’t right, but I wanted it to be wrong! So wrong!
I really don’t want to spoil any part of the book for you but I do have to say it is a belter. The chapters are told by Laura, Tilly and Alex, all have their own secrets, some will do more damage than others. Even the reader is not exposed to what the secrets are until they are revealed adding to the shock for us the reader. Some of these secrets really did break my heart and I may have shed a small tear at one point, some shocked and some chilled me to the bone. I was devoted to The Family in the same way that Laura and Tilly were devoted to Alex, it played on my mind when I did not have the book in my hand, I had a need to get back to the farm, the “family”, my chosen family for the duration of the book. The ambiguity in this story also chilled me, I felt no relief and I found I was looking over my shoulder, you know just in case as you never quite know who is watching you.
One thing this book did remind me of was the tv show The Affair, but I am talking about the essence, one thing that drew me to the show was how well they filmed it. In one scene Noah, the dad is with his family in a restaurant and he spies Alison, to him she is a goddess and full of life and confidence. Yet, when you see it from her point of view, she sees herself as all dowdy and worthless and broken. Here, Louise adopted this type of point of view, in Laura’s chapter she felt Tilly was being cold and uncaring and angry. When you are in Tilly’s head, she is angry but at herself for the way she behaved, always feeling like her mum was condescending her, both being unreliable to us, yet adding to the realistic element of the book because it is true. We all see things one way when in fact sometimes it is the complete opposite but it is how we interpret it. Here, in The Family, this misinterpretation causes a lot of friction and causes pain and anger where it just did not need to be, if only we all spoke to each other, but come on where would the fun be in that!
My final thought…..that ending. Jeez, Louise! Woweeeeeeeeeeee, I am still thinking about it now. I am still thinking about the book. This is what Louise has done, maybe it was always her plan to create her own little cult. I am like a lamb to the slaughter off to read her other books now it is now demanded, as her hashtag says #WelcometoTheFamily…..
nevergiveyoupeaceswift's review
5.0
This book draws you in from the first sentence. I really enjoyed it! I’ve read a book similar to this but this one was definitely better. It’s definitely creepy!
cleg11's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Good, fast paced book that kept me guessing what was going to happen next. Read in just over 24 hours.
Good, fast paced book that kept me guessing what was going to happen next. Read in just over 24 hours.
kristinaandonovska's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
jenndaniells's review against another edition
2.0
"The Family" is a psychological thriller that delves into a cult society. It's very interesting to see how Jensen has imagined what a cult society would be like for two extremely vulnerable women. I viewed this book through this perspective the entire time.
I enjoyed this book because of the short chapters that kept me in suspense, and I liked the change of viewpoints.
I didn't like how literally everything could be pieced together at the end. Everything seemed too clean / too perfect.
This book was gifted to me, but I don't think I would recommend someone buying it. Unless you're a huge psychological thriller fan - it's an interesting concept.
I enjoyed this book because of the short chapters that kept me in suspense, and I liked the change of viewpoints.
I didn't like how literally everything could be pieced together at the end. Everything seemed too clean / too perfect.
This book was gifted to me, but I don't think I would recommend someone buying it. Unless you're a huge psychological thriller fan - it's an interesting concept.
mpr2000's review against another edition
4.0
Laura is terrified, she just lost her husband and now she will lose her house and business too. How can she say no when someone offers her a place to say with her daughter? They offer also to help with the lawyers and papers of his husband’s accidental death. Now she only has to enter to The Family… is she ready?
This is a story of desperation, love and fear; what would a mother do to protect her daughter? Anything, everything… the problem will be that the members of the new family have a secret agenda, starting that they will never leave them.
I’ll start saying that this had been a dark and twisted book, there are a lot of twists on the story. Yes, some of them were not surprises, but this was not the important thing of the story but how the “family” works. This was my main point of interest, what can make a person start hating their loved ones and trying to kill them? This had been always something that scared me; someone with a strong personality that will make you change completely your beliefs and trust points. Yes, this is brainwashing, but I’ve read enough to know that everyone in a moment of need or stress could be open to any type of help, even the worst one.
I loved how Louise Jensen left the story, closed but open, you’ll have to decide what will happen. This fits perfectly with the story and makes you re-think everything you’ve just read.
The Family will be the perfect read for a stormy night; with hunting secrets and dangerous people that will let you trembling with fear. Ready?
This is a story of desperation, love and fear; what would a mother do to protect her daughter? Anything, everything… the problem will be that the members of the new family have a secret agenda, starting that they will never leave them.
I’ll start saying that this had been a dark and twisted book, there are a lot of twists on the story. Yes, some of them were not surprises, but this was not the important thing of the story but how the “family” works. This was my main point of interest, what can make a person start hating their loved ones and trying to kill them? This had been always something that scared me; someone with a strong personality that will make you change completely your beliefs and trust points. Yes, this is brainwashing, but I’ve read enough to know that everyone in a moment of need or stress could be open to any type of help, even the worst one.
I loved how Louise Jensen left the story, closed but open, you’ll have to decide what will happen. This fits perfectly with the story and makes you re-think everything you’ve just read.
The Family will be the perfect read for a stormy night; with hunting secrets and dangerous people that will let you trembling with fear. Ready?