The Family at No. 12, Anita Waller
Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources, Netgalley and Boldwood Books for my copy of the book and tour place.
This book is written in three parts and I think this works very well for the story to develop. The first part is quite slow and disturbing and I did wonder if I could carry on but I’m glad I did. Although quite slow, it helps the reader to gather information about ‘Child’ to help understand her throughout the rest of the story.
I found that the story picked up after part 1 and I found myself wanting to read more. I don’t want to say too much due to spoilers but there are many twist that you come across, especially towards the end. One of them I don’t think was needed as it didn’t bring anything to the plot - to be honest, it left more questions than anything else which was a shame.
An unusual plot with some disturbing scenes but overall, a page turner that leaves you wanting to know more.

the subject matter was a bit tough, a complex read that was a little depressing and upsetting in places, but still struggled to put it down,a good read overall

To begin with I wasn’t liking this book much, it was centred solely around one person, Janette. She was rather odd and a recluse, then a man rapes her and she’s traumatised as the days go on and then she finds out she’s pregnant. It was just all so slow and other than Janette’s thoughts, nothing else happened.
The baby is then born and it picked up pace a bit but it was very hard to read, for the horrible and deplorable way Janette treated that child. In the beginning Janette came across as odd and without much to say or interact with anyone, but underneath it all she’s actually sick in the head, cruel and evil.

But then the story takes an unexpected turn and things go in a different direction and we get a new story and that’s when things got interesting and intriguing and I became more immersed in it. I enjoyed it then. A lot of little twists and surprises still popped up right till the end.
The ending was good, though the last part was just weird and made no sense really. Like why? What was the point? It left more questions unanswered. Though I don’t actually want to know the answers or reasons why!
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This was a very interesting book . It began very quickly into the harrowing storyline and it was full of tension from then on . I didn't know in which direction the story would go but I wasn't disappointed. I loved the characters and didn't expect that ending. I would highly recommend this book to my audience. 5 stars from me

I really enjoyed this book! It hooked me from the very first page and kept me hooked the entire time!

I found this book a slow burner at first but it picked up pace as it went along. Quite a harrowing read in parts. Interesting story but unrealistic some of the time.. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters. I couldn't put this book down and read it in one sitting.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #BoldwoodBooks for my advance copy of #TheFamilyAtNo12 by #AnitaWaller
Well, Anita Waller never disappoints and this one’s a corker. Once you start reading you just get pulled further and further in trying to see where it is going. When Janette shows her new client the facilities she has for boarding dogs she couldn’t have known that soon he would be dead and she would be pregnant, and you can’t know the spell this book will weave around you. I couldn’t put it down until I knew where and how it would end - or has it.

I really enjoyed this book and the way it's set out is unique and intricately woven. Very different from anything I've read in a while. Highly recommended xx

My thanks to #NetGalley and #BoldwoodBooks for the advance copy ebook of #TheFamilyatNo12, by Anita Waller. At the outset, I have to say there is a subject matter in the first third of the book that is very disturbing. It’s a small chunk of the book, and I almost gave up because the subject matter is disturbing to me, but with the turn of a page, it was over, and it was a whole new book. This a definitely the definition of a psychological thriller. When you think it can’t get worse, it does. This book was hard to put down. Dark, and very fast-paced.

I can't decide how I felt about this book, though it definitely held my interest throughout. The first 1/3 of the book focuses on Janette, who (as the synopsis tells you) finds herself pregnant after being brutally raped. The dynamics between her and the child were difficult to read but really well-written. The rest of the book is about that child as she grows up. This part of the book was weird for me, as I felt like some big things happened kind of out of the blue, and some other things were alluded to but never went anywhere.

The writing style of this book is a little choppy- this worked really well during the first part of the book when it was mostly just Janette's thoughts and actions, but felt a little stilted when used for actual dialogue in the rest of the book. I didn't find any characters (except the dog, Billy!) super likable but I think that was probably the idea. The book dealt wth some really deep stuff, but there were times where I had to suspend my disbelief because it bordered on unrealistic. I really didn;t see the point of the twist at the end- I didn't think anything led up to that happening and it left me a bit confused.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book but I can't say I LOVED the book- it's a hard one to rate. I haven't read anything else by this author and I do think I'll check out a different title and see what I think. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Where do begin with this book 🤔
It’s broken down into 3 main sections or “books” as the sections are named.
Book 1 we meet Janette who is a shy girl who lives alone after losing her mother. She’s brutally raped in her home one day by a prospective new client who comes to discuss boarding his dog in her home kennels. She’s raped, accidentally murders the man in self defence and throws him down into the cellar. That’s just the start of this very dark, deeply disturbing story which gets worse the more it continues.

Book one I enjoyed, however the writing style started to grate a few chapters in and the HE every time the rapist is mentioned really got on my nerves. I understand the authors reasoning but it was unnecessary and just a he would have been sufficient. “ HE didn’t look half so scary with an old yellow duster covering his eyes, but HE still looked just as heavy.”

Books two and three were harder to read … it’s hard to discuss without spoilers but while in book one I felt (at the beginning) some connection to Janette as a character, books two and three I hated every character except Ellie. The writing style didn’t flow very well and the characters just didn’t interact as you would expect people to interact. Things happen far to quickly and the storyline from Marta onwards is just unbelievable. As just a generic example if somebody has never spoken Chinese they won’t go to China and be fluent in the language a week after arriving in the country.

Overall I didn’t dislike the story I disliked parts of the story. Unfortunately it just didn't flow in a way I enjoyed reading and the things that happen past book one were unbelievable which had me shaking my head more than once.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from first time for me reading this author…..this was not it however
Pretty much every trigger point that I could mention is in this grim psychological thriller,I am not sure there were many left to add tbh
The story is based around Janette,a recluse who prefers dogs to people and who is violently raped and has a child….what happens next would be giving the story away but it is harrowing all the way through to the end of the story,it was a disturbing book with some pretty nasty characters who took or tried to what they wanted from everyone
Not an easy read for many reasons but it was full,really full of storylines and treachery and certainly kept me open eyed in shock throughout!

Em..... yeah, not for me and I gave up pretty early on to be fair.

The writing style was clunky and didn't flow. The author really like commas and to be fair, there is a time and a place!!!
Sentences such as "J made two further trips over the next few day, stockpiling everything she could think of, knowing that in a couple of weeks, she would have to hide herself away" or "he's lived the past eight years, since he was a puppy, with his previous owner, who passed away a couple of weeks ago" It was actually painful to read!

And as for the subject matter? Pretty brutal. It kicks off with the main character being raped in her home but what really just disgusted me was that the attack was then referred to as "f*cking" or "sex"...... ie that he went there for sex. No he didnt, he went there to commit a premeditated violent attack. She was violated, attacked, traumatised, abused and brutalised in the worst way so it was in no way, shape or form the same as "f*ing* and it grated on me that it kept being diminished to such

Aaaand then she starts plotting how she'll just throw the newborn into the cellar and let it starve to death at which point, I gave up. I thought it was a mystery thriller but so far all I came across was terrible grammar, a load of drama for shock value and no due care or respect for the topics covered which just ain't my jam.

I got 45% through and had to DNF. I found the story very boring and hard to get into. I kept thinking it would get better, but it didnt

I always look forward to reading books by this author. The Family at No. 12, in my opinion, is very different to the books I've read by this author. Different is still good though. This was a shocking, harrowing and heartbreaking read. It begins with a brutal rape of Janette Gregson, and the consequences. I couldn't turn the pages quick enough to discover how this story developed and what the conclusion would be.

Deeply disturbing read with a unexpected evil ending? If that’s your cup of tea grab this book but be prepared for a story that’s difficult to shake. Set off by brutality, a woman sinks into mental illness and treats her dog who has a name a billion times better than her daughter, who has no name. Cruelty begets cruelty and that’s just the beginning. I needed an emotional shower when I finished it.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Boldwood Books and #NetGalley. Thank you to the publishers, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Dark, fast paced and easy read.

In one word this book is disturbing! The start of this book is gripping and for me I was hooked and could not stop reading. I definitely found this book a quick read and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a psychological thriller. This was my first Anita Waller book and it did not disappoint. Thanks to Netgalley & boldwood books for sending me a copy of this arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Family at No. 12
The BRAND NEW explosive, addictive psychological thriller from Anita Waller for 2022
by Anita Waller
This is one disturbing book. Janette experiences a horrific experience leaving her pregnant with a dead body in her cellar. But it gets serious, sadly worse when she becomes pregnant after being raped. She is very abusive and neglects the CHILD. Until Janette is no more. All that is left is "CHILD".
IT was really very upsetting, and the surprises, in the end, beg more questions.