The Family by Louise Jensen
Publisher: HQ
What would you do if, in your time of need, a stranger offers you a helping hand? Would you accept it and take it as kindness? And is it really kindness, or could it be deceit?
Because that’s exactly what’s happening to Laura. While she’s grieving the recent loss of her husband, she is struggling to cope financially as well. She’s about to lose everything, including her business and her home. And just as things seem to be completely falling apart, a kind young woman that walks into her store offers her a solution.
Laura and her daughter Tilly are offered a home in a local community called Oak Leaf Organics. It would be perfect solution for her problems. Because they’ll have a roof over their heads, she’ll have a place to grieve the loss of her husband in peace and there will be a communal income because the community sells their home-grown produce to provide for them all.
It sounds like the perfect solution, but is it really?
Above all, everyone works for the greater good of the group and it all seems happy and peaceful. Yet it doesn’t take long for the cracks the show in this perfect picture.
Meanwhile the community leader, the charismatic Alex, soon has his eye on Tilly. And teenager Tilly finds herself head over heels with Alex shortly after arriving. When someone dies in suspicious circumstances things really take a turn for the worse. It might have been the perfect decision to come and stay, but it will be near impossible to leave.
An Idyllic and Peaceful Place
While Louise Jensen created a seemingly perfect and idyllic place with Oak Leaf Organics, she also manages to make it seem creepy and sinister at the same time. As a reader I saw lot of red flags with this community and Alex. The vibe she created made it appear obvious for an outsider that there was a lot of manipulation going on as well as things “just don’t adding up”. Yet, Louise perfectly mastered the point of view for Laura and Tilly who didn’t see those things. Not right away anyway.
Meanwhile, nothing was as straightforward as it seemed. There were plot twist and events that put me on the wrong track for the ending of the book. Exactly what a psychological thriller should do.
Therefore I really recommend this book to everyone who enjoys psychological thrillers. Louise Jensen created another masterpiece with The Family.
Rating 5/5
The Family is available from October 3, 2019
Disclaimer: I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley and HQ in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. All opinions are my own.
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