The Family cover art

The Family

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

‘This gripping psychological thriller slowly lures you in, then keeps you guessing about who’s good – and who really isn’t – all the way to the end’ Heat

‘Twisted and suspenseful, each layer of deception is peeled back for maximum dramatic impact’ Woman’s Weekly

‘A very good study of vulnerability, and how our best intentions can often lead us astray’ The Guardian

‘A fast-paced, unputdownable read’ Candis

‘Enchanted by danger’ Woman

‘A clever, addictive thriller about family, loss and lies. Packed full of secrets and twists, it will keep you guessing until the final page’ Alice Feeney

‘Raced through it in a day! Creepy and compelling’ B A Paris

* * * * *

Could one mother’s mistake cost her daughter everything?

ONCE YOU’RE IN, THEY’LL NEVER LET YOU LEAVE.

At Oak Leaf Farm you will find a haven.
Welcome to The Family.

Laura is grieving after the sudden death of her husband. Struggling to cope emotionally and financially, Laura is grateful when a local community, Oak Leaf Organics, offer her and her 17-year-old daughter Tilly a home.

But as Laura and Tilly settle into life with their new ‘family’, sinister things begin to happen. When one of the community dies in suspicious circumstances Laura wants to leave but Tilly, enthralled by the charismatic leader, Alex, refuses to go.

Desperately searching for a way to save her daughter, Laura uncovers a horrifying secret but Alex and his family aren’t the only ones with something to hide. Just as Laura has been digging into their past, they’ve been digging into hers and she discovers the terrifying reason they invited her and Tilly in, and why they’ll never let them leave…

©2019 Louise Jensen (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Domestic Thrillers Family Life Genre Fiction Psychological Small Town & Rural Suspense Thriller & Suspense Exciting Thriller Fiction
All stars
Most relevant
Parts dragged. It got confusing. I was sure it wouldn’t be more than three stars until the end. Now I hope there is a sequel. It’s fun. It’s a good premise. But it can drag and sometimes Laura and Tilly are very unlikeable. But overall great narrators and a good twist.

This was a 3 until the end

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
For any fans of suspense, thriller, drama...this is the perfect book for you. It is like a rollercoaster and never gets boring. Just a tip, you might want to be alone to concentrate for the last 2 hours....

Perfect to be made into a movie!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In brief, the security and family life of Laura & Tilly collapses and they find shelter in an alternative "chosen" familly. But as with all good thrillers, the direction they are talking comes with its own threats.

It took me a while to get into this. I was unfamiliar with the style. Explanations are delayed, and the writer frequently misses out "he said, she said" so we need to keep a mental image of who is actually talking and about whom (or whether the character is just thinking aloud for the benefit of the reader). Quite a bit of speaking in metaphore. The start was also pretty miserable.

But stick with it, it gets better. The initial misery is just scene setting for the opportuinity that follows.

I think the struggle to follow parts of the story was mainly down to me not concentrating. I'd like to give the author the benifit of the doubt and buy another of her books.

The actor reading the part of Laura was perhaps over-acting the drama a little.

Need to concentrate

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is the first book I have read by Louise Jensen and it's a cracking good psychological thriller!

The story is told from 3 POV - Laura, Tilly and Alex. All of them are keeping secrets which emerge as the story unfolds, and all is not as it seems.. The first part of the book is a bit of a slow burner then there are so many twists and turns that I felt dizzy, and each one took me by surprise. The setting of Oak Leaf farm felt sinister and claustrophobic.

If you are looking for a well plotted, clever psychological thriller then look no further!

Very creepy!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Not a very good storyline. Dodged about too much for my liking. Thought the daughter a very pathetic self pitying creature. Great let down for me.

Mediocre

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews