The Shelter is about a woman,  who has herself come out of an abusive relationship,  providing shelter to another woman, traveling with her children, who is running away from her abusive husband.

The book starts from a dark place and it only becomes darker progressively. Most of the characters in the book, their experiences in life and their current situation, are not idyllic in any sense of the word. 

We get to traverse through the minds, thoughts and memories of people who have been victimized and traumatized. That in itself will not make for a very light read. But as the story unfolds, we learn that what actually seemed one way is not that, but something completely different. That twist definitely comes out of nowhere. 

This finally leads to a kind of book which is too chilling,  dark and unsettling. It makes us question the presumptions we have about situations and people; it makes us think; it also will make us doubt the intentions of every person we ever come across. I guess that is the mark of an impactful book.

And people who like such books would definitely enjoy this book a great deal.  The issue for me was, the story was too dark and unsettling for my taste. That is why I am giving 4 stars for it. Thanks to Netgalley and the author for this ARC.

Pretty good read! It’s a domestic violence murder mystery. There were some moments in the book where I wanted to ask the main character about her IQ, but that really isn’t nice. She’s a victim and as a result a people-pleaser which can leave her in situations she rather not be in...quite often. It’s a page turner!

Thank you to #Netgalley and #CatherineJinks for the opportunity to preview the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I’ve read by Catherine Jinks and wasn’t sure what to expect. The book was quite different from what I thought it would be but still i enjoyed it.
The story developed very well and Ms. Jinks really brought the characters to life for me.
Very well written.

This book was not for me. Started reading and its in the first person, which is not my favorite. But I went ahead.it was just abit confusing for me to "get to know " the characters.

This is a intense domestic thriller which also takes on serious topics.
Meg was once in a abusive marriage which she has since gotten out off so when Nerine and her two daughters come into her life she takes them into her house to help her escape her abusive husband. Meg has made a home on the outskirts of town so when weird things start happening. Meg begins to wonder if someone is behind what is going on. Could it be one of their husbands has found them?.
Find out what’s behind all the things happening and if it is one of their husband is coming back into their lives.

Shelter

The book as a whole was reasonably good, but personally I didn't really like it.

I think both Meg and Nerrine can relate to each other as they both have gone through an abusive marriage. I thought this was a nice element to it.
However, most of the time I found them over the top. Meg is this paternal parent who seemed to be wishy-washy with a lot of things, and Nerine has anxiety, thinking her ex husband would find her and the two girls constantly. She was also saying and doing things that were a bit out there.

This was a let down for me, as it was backwards and forwards between the two. I couldn't connect or feel like the situation was real enough.

My highlight was that the farm was secluded from other people. Which gave a spookiness to the book. Not knowing who could possibly be out there.

Wooow! What did I just read! This is one crazy psychological thriller

Meg is helping Nerine and her two little girls escape a violent ex. Meg is part of a group of women who help other woman in these situations. Meg being with a Narcissistic husband (now ex husband) knows all too well how it is to flee from an ex.

What Meg did not expect was to see the level of trauma Nerine is showing and feels the negative talk she is constantly speaking of can affect Nerine’s two daughters. Both little girls already look traumatized and scared.

You kind of start to wonder is Nerine sane? does she have PTSD? what in the world? So, in conclusion, I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you @netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my review. This book is out now

Shelter by Catherine Jinks
I read this book so quickly. I did not see the ending or the last quarter of the book coming. The ending was a surprise. It was a good ending I’m not saying it wasn’t, it was just a bit unexpected. This book has mystery, and quite a story line. I’m not going to give you a description as I have that shown below as found on NetGalley.com.

I received the book from NetGalley free in the kindle format. My opinion and words are my own freely given. It was not required. #Shelter #NetGalley #CatherineJinks #WomenAbused

Description
Meg lives alone: a little place in the bush outside town. A perfect place to hide. That’s one of the reasons she offers to shelter Nerine, who’s escaping a violent ex. The other is that Meg knows what it’s like to live with an abusive partner.
Nerine is jumpy and her two little girls are frightened. It tells Meg all she needs to know where they’ve come from, and she’s not all that surprised when Nerine asks her to get hold of a gun. But she knows it’s unnecessary. They’re safe now.
Then she starts to wonder about some little things. A disturbed flyscreen. A tune playing on her windchimes. Has Nerine’s ex tracked them down? Has Meg’s husband turned up to torment her some more?
By the time she finds out, it’ll be too late to do anything but run for her life.

A home is a place you are supposed to feel safe. But when one became abusive you can no longer call it home, you will feel that it is more of a prison. Trapped with the person who wants nothing but to hurt you. A tragic but reality for some of us face every day.
There is always a reason for someone to live away from civilization. The most common reason is they are hiding. Hiding from the pollution of the city, hiding from the stress the city gives, and being just in the pure serenity away from the crowd. But there is always someone who is trying to hide from others. Meg, the protagonist, is one of those people. Meg is living outside a town and her only company is her dod, Esme. She had left the life that tormented her when her daughter is old enough. A life with her old Husband, Keith. She is now living in peace but once bothered by a woman with her two daughters. Nerine is running from his husband with Ana and Colette. What Meg saw in Nerine`s face was almost a mirror of what she was before. So she does not had a second thought about helping them. She knew they are going to be safe there. She is happy to help them but for how long? She does not plan any of this and she does not want to be tormented by something she had escaped from. Truly a thrilling and frightful story that will drag you to the edge of your seats.
The book highlighted what could happen to your children if they had experienced domestic violence. But did not deliver any words that could or might inspire someone that had the same fate.
This book bothers me a lot. I thought it tackled a sensitive topic to show that there are brighter days and life could be better. but the story shows nothing of it. It was as if it is too neutral like they know the issue and what to do with it but they chose not to do a thing. It is like it does not matter as long as it is not happening to me or to anyone I know. Books are meant to give hope and dreams not to torment more those who are in pain.

3.5 stars rounded down! Shelter by Catherine Jinks is an intense thriller set in rural Australia. Meg lives alone on a small property outside of town with her dog Esme. She is dealing with a messy divorce settlement with her emotionally abusive husband and her daughter moved to England to get away from both her parents. Everything is all good until Nerine comes along. Nerine is on the run from her physically abusive husband with her two young children. Meg takes them in for shelter and, soon, everything goes terribly wrong.

For the first 80%, I was totally engrossed. Nerine's increasing paranoia that her horrible husband will find her puts Meg on edge and she starts to become suspicious of everything and everyone. Who's messing with the windchimes at night? Who left the gate open? Whose footprints are those outside the bedroom window? Is it Meg's husband Keith harassing her like usual? Is it the old neighbor with dementia? Or has Nerine's vicious husband actually found them? There were some suspenseful moments that honestly had me biting my nails. However the ending left me less than satisfied. I didn't mind the big reveal, although I guessed it early on since there were little clues, but it could have been executed better. I just didn't find it very believable. Also, the character development was a bit flat for me and I often found the characters to be pretty irritating.

Nonetheless, this is a fun, fast read that kept me on the edge of my seat. It may be too intense for some sensitive readers though. TW: Domestic abuse, child abuse, animal abuse, rape.

Thank you to Netgalley and Text Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger Warning: Domestic abuse, animal abuse, child abuse, rape.

An intense dramatic read that takes you on Meg's journey to survival and recovery from an abusive husband. When she becomes part of an underground shelter to help abused women, she takes into her home Nerine and her two daughters.... then it becomes weird.

As Nerine enhances her paranoia that her husband has found them, Meg's past haunts her. What appeared as a safe venue from violence, lies become a web of manipulation, strange events occur, annoying hang up calls, misplaced items, and unfortunately, animal cruelty.... turning Meg's safe haven into an endangered area for all.

Is it Meg's ex or Nerine's ex taunting them into utter fear?
Could it be she has welcomed it into her hidden desolate home?

This is a psychological thriller that fixates on the ineffectiveness of the laws in protecting women and children from toxic relationships.
Some my find it hard to read with the inevitable cycle of abuse. I found it difficult and apprehensive in who to believe.
Thank you NetGalley for ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Meg lives alone in the bush when she decides to help Nerine escape an abusive relationship with her two young daughters. Med understands some of what Nerine is going through as she was in a toxic relationship herself in the past and is still dealing with her ex Keith. Weird things start to happen soon after the girls move in like the wind chimes on the front porch playing twinkle twinkle little star, boot prints are found under the bedroom window and someone lets the chickens out of the coop one night. Has Duncan Nerine's husband found them or is it Keith messing around? I enjoyed the book and even stayed up after bedtime to finish it but I didn't love the ending. Other than that I would recommend reading it if you enjoy this kind of storyline.

This a tense, dark, traumatic and ultimately depressing read. The main character, Meg is a survivor of an abusive relationship. She’s part of a network that helps women and their children hide after court orders insist their children spend time with the father. Nerine and her two daughters are delivered to Megs house in the bush and then the chaos starts. The plot is held tight early but becomes crazier as the book goes on. The actual motivations for Nerine’s behaviour I’m not sure are really covered. Mostly I felt sorry for the two children and the dog. Meg’s ex husband is a horrible man so her predicament is unfortunate and she just can’t seem to win.
I guess why I found this story depressing is that it suggests truth doesn’t win, that people can manipulate the law and children aren’t protected from abuse(physical or psychological). Not a cheery read but a thriller nonetheless.

At first, I was a bit disconnected with following the characters but the main character drew me in and I couldn’t stop reading this story. Meg takes you into her world to make you wonder how she’s chosen to live in such a way. The tension builds and the suspicion creeps in. The twist hits at the right time. It’s a suspenseful good read to the end!

As soon as I finished the first chapter I got a burst of adrenaline thinking this was going to be a five star book. The slow build was well-done and the atmosphere of someone lurking around was so creepy it made me feel on edge the whole time. The little girls broke my heart - I just wanted to hug them and save them. The adults were all sorts of crazy and I had a hard time keeping up with the crazy 😂. The plot was so good but there were some big holes I couldn’t get past and since the beginning was so awesome the end couldn’t live up to the high expectations set from the start. I can’t say too much about the story because *spoilers* but it was a solid thriller.

Dark, twisty, and has you experiencing all sorts of emotions!
I think m going to see this book come up heaps as a recommendation in my book clubs

Wow! What a fast paced read. I couldn't put it down.
I really liked Meg and how she worked at a Women's organization.. She'd had a hard life up until now.. Because of that & having a caring heart, she agrees to shelter Nerine, who ends up having a lot of demons. Her life quickly becomes chaotic and unpredictable as things start to go very wrong. I also enjoyed all the interesting details about life and nature in Australia
The ending was unexpected & not my favorite but still good.

Meg takes in Nerine and her two girls as they are escaping from an abusive situation. Meg understands the need to escape because her ex was also abusive to her. Meg is making an effort to help and bring some normalcy to Nerine and her girls, but Nerine is jumpy and on edge and constantly pushing Meg for a gun.

This story was dark. It shares details about Meg's abuse, and the things Nerine and the girls experienced as well. I appreciated the fact that Jinks chose to share about abuse that wasn't physical, because not all abuse is physical. But this wasn't a story you read to get any feel-good emotions. The story itself felt slightly stilted throughout. The end escalates quickly. Some situations felt forced into the story rather than happening naturally.

This isn't a story that's going to stick with me, nor do I think I can recommend it either. The premise is interesting, but the story telling leaves much to be desired.

Nail biting, tension filled, edge of your seat psychological thriller. I found the book difficult to put down. I couldn't wait to find out what happened. I couldn't guess. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author. Thank you Netgalley for providing advance copy of this book

As a warning, this story may be triggering for anyone who has experienced abuse.

This book had me hooked me from the first page. It is a well written, tense, twisty psychological thriller. The tension builds through out the novel, and the remote setting assists in building the same. While the subject matter of domestic violence made the story hard to read at times, I couldn’t put the book down, as I wanted to see what happened next. I definitely did not see the twist at the ending!

Thanks to NetGalley, Text Publishing and Catherine Jinks for the opportunity to review this ARC. This review and all opinions are my own.