3.25⭐️

I was really excited for this book even amidst the very mixed reviews and while I have been rounding up of late, I just couldn’t bring myself to do so. When I rate a book I try to combine my personal experience and feelings coupled with how the intended audience will receive it which is what brought me to my rating.

On one hand this book was smartly written for the most part. The style and subtext unfortunately I think will go over the heads of the masses. It’s one of those books where I can picture the author sitting with their publishers and saying “they didn’t get it”. Don’t get me wrong, the right niche audience may eat this up but it struggles with maintaining consistency throughout the book coupled with some structural challenges with the duel timelines. It was easy to get either lost or checking out in certain parts where the chapters just went on too long and you lose the point of the story and why the backstory is being given.

Anyway, if you’re looking for a thriller than borders on the light horror genre filled with a lot of twists, this book is for you! Full disclosure the last 40-50 pages is trait after twist and a lot of information which is a struggle as for one it becomes unbelievable but also the reader is left reeling and wishing some of that was fleshed out a bit more. The book isn’t overly long for a thriller so it could have done well with 50-70 more pages addressing some of the things that were thrown in at the end.

I will say that this book I think is great for spooky season reading so if you can’t fit it in right now, consider it for your fall TBR.

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio eARC from Harper Collins UK through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

This is a story about two brothers, one who idolised the other as a child and followed his brothers bizarre and peculiar behaviour that leads them to a shocking event occurring in their youth. The plot centres around a treehouse that the boys discover when their parents take them on holiday to Cornwell and the activities that take place

Time has moved on and it is twenty years later. One brother has made it rich while the other has a successful job. But someone is very aware of what these two did inn their youth and now their deeds are going to come back to bite them big time.

I found this difficult to read as the subject matter is incredibly intense, but I did carry on and finish the book. There are some surprising moments at the end that I did not see coming so the author did a good job is this respect. I had read a previous book from BP Walter which I did enjoy, and I will more than likely do so again butut overall this one was not a favourite.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy, all opinions expressed are my own.

This book is a dark, twisty family thriller that peels back the glossy layers of privilege to reveal something rotten underneath with a sense of dread throughout.

This is a shocking story with a seemingly normal family at the centre of it. Set in a dual timeline this is a highly emotive read, with some quite disturbing events and complex characters.

At the heart of the book is a family who appear in the outside to be successful. Two sons who are adults and succeeding in the world with loving, if distant, parents. Events from 20 years ago and a holiday which had life changing events comes back to haunt the brothers and shapes the present day.

There are some issues in this book which are definitely contentious and disturbing. The idea of sacrifice both animal and human are discussed and I found this a difficult concept to read about.

However this is a gripping thriller which I enjoyed and would definitely recommend with this caveat about the theme.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of the book intrigued me. I wondered how it would unfold. Without any spoilers I will say the first half of the story I was deeply vested and the next half prior to the ending, perhaps could have been shortened and told in a different way. I did like the ending and that's all I can say on that as well.

I'm thankful HarperCollins, UK, One More Chapter for the opportunity to read this advance copy. My honest review is given freely.

My thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter publishers for a copy of “The Treehouse “ for an honest review.

This was a very dark tale about two brothers , told over two time scales .
Although none of the characters in the book are particularly likeable ,I found the storyline really gripping , and it kept me guessing right to the end.
A very readable psychological thriller .

I have to confess, I didn’t enjoy this as much as the authors previous novels. After an explosive start I was eager to read but for some reason, the novel just didn’t grab me. It focuses on two brothers and a terrible act they carried out as children. Yes the book needed to revisit the past but I felt this was overdone and wanted more of the ‘current’ plot line. I’m glad I stuck with it for the revealing secrets at the end, but would have preferred these to have been explored more. Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and the author for the chance to review.

I've been reading BP Walter's books since his incredible debut, A Version of the Truth. His writing is always excellent, and The Treehouse is no exception. It's dark, intriguing and incredibly well written, with exceptional character development and complexity. If you're even slightly interested in exploring the darkest reaches of the human psyche, BP Walter should be your author of choice!

This is a dark story about brothers bound by an event that happened in their teenage years. It touches on cults, evil and being pressurised by an older sibling to follow the wrong path to gain their admiration, and how it goes on to affect their whole lives.

I’m afraid I found the writing style intensely annoying, written in the present tense, with a predictable “cliffhanger” statement at the end of each chapter. I kept reading as I’d been given a copy of the book to review, but found so much of the story completely unbelievable. For example, the idea that a 14 year old boy would be psychoanalysing his brother’s behaviour. Some of the flashback section of the book is written is written in ultra-simplistic Enid Blyton adventure story style, which I found really irritating. There is so much repetition in order to build up tension, and examination of the characters’ feelings, but very far from literary. I suppose it might be a holiday page-turner for those that want an easy mindless read. Am very surprised to see that it is a Sunday Times best-seller.

I’d previously enjoyed a couple of the author’s novels, and this one started promisingly as I was introduced to a pair of brothers who share a dark secret. One is a rich, drug taking layabout, and the other is a self-centred, career hungry city boy. Soon, they are to discover that a television series has been launched in which the plot details a set of circumstances with a spooky similarity to events they’d hoped were buried for good.

We’re then taken back quite some years, to where the boys are both shy of eighteen years old. It’s at this point it starts to get a little weird. The older brother, Kieran, develops some radical ideas and attempts to drag younger brother Robert along with him. Robert, desperately seeking Kieran’s approval, goes with it despite some doubts.
There then follows a series of events that didn’t take me with them – they didn’t feel right, they didn’t feel credible.

Add to this the fact that by this point I’d decided that the entire family were people I’d rather not spend any more time with. They’re a very unpleasant crew indeed. I abandoned ship at the halfway point.

For me, this tale has undertones of a horror novel rather than that of a pure mystery tale. This might well appeal to some readers, but not to me I’m afraid. I’ve read some positive reviews from other readers, so I might just be an outlier here.

THE TREEHOUSE BY B P WALTER.
Release date set for the 3rd of July 2025.
4✨ ✨ ✨ ✨s.
This book took me by surprise.
The pacing was perfect for me personally.
From the start this story had me hooked and held my attention till the very end.
I really hope this book does well as it's really amazing and sticks with you.
Highly recommend

I wasn’t a huge fan of this one. While there were some thrills and twists, I struggled to stay engaged in the story itself.

-not a fan of the writing style/choices.
-didn’t like the main characters.
-there was too much time spent in flashbacks.

There are better books out there in my opinion if you’re looking for something more exciting to read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and One More Chapter/ HarperCollins UK for a copy!

This book is a slow-burning, emotionally gut-wrenching experience, but in the best way. The Treehouse explores the long shadows cast by family secrets, grief, and the stories we don’t tell. When a true crime show decides to dig up a decades-old tragedy, the Palmer family is forced to face everything they've tried to bury.

Told in a dual timeline, the novel lets you piece the mystery together bit by bit. It’s tense, intimate, and painfully real. Walter writes sibling dynamics with brutal honesty—especially between Kieran and Robert—and shows how silence can echo through generations.

If you like psychological thrillers that focus more on why people break rather than just how, this one’s for you. Emotional, layered, and quietly haunting.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Two brothers find themselves involved in the depths of a sinister cult as teenagers, and the rest of their lives will be changed as a result. We follow along in a mixture of time jumps, and from the perspective of both brothers.

The treehouse was a dark and twisted psychological thriller. There were some big WTF moments for me, but I was pretty hooked. The ending was a huge plot twist too, at no point did I see it coming.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! This book had me hooked from the beginning. The first 30% was gripping and full of promise. But once the lengthy flashback hit, the pacing took a sharp turn, and I found myself wishing it had been more evenly split between past and present. While the plot was intriguing, the characters were very unlikable. That said, the epilogue delivered a twist I truly didn’t see coming that wrapped things up in a chilling and unexpected way that especially helped me understand Kieran and brought the story full circle. I enjoyed the overall reading experience and I’m definitely curious to explore more from B.P. Walter, but I don’t think this is one I’d revisit.

Twenty years ago Robert, Kieran and their family are on holiday when a tragic event occurs. Trying to put it behind them, they are shocked when years later a new TV series comes on with the similar horrifying events of that night. As they are forced to revisit that trip is it possible that there are still secrets to discover?

I have enjoyed this author’s previous books so was looking forward to this one. Similar to other books by B.P. Walter, this ended up another crazy psychological thriller with dark themes. The premise of this was intriguing and I was keen to see where it would go. The atmosphere was well developed and felt uncomfortable and eerie.

I enjoyed the characters, although can’t say that I fully connected to them. The overall story started going in directions I didn’t expect and I enjoyed the final chapters. This was another entertaining story overall and I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next. 3.5 stars rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Twenty years ago, the Palmer Family - Dad Martin, Mum June, Kieran (16) and Robert (14) rent a lodge for the summer in Cornwall expecting a summer of family fun. However, this is not the case as things happen whilst they are there that ends in a tragedy. The story is told using multiple time periods and using different points of view. In the present, a TV series is shown highlighting the dreadful events that occurred one night! The family begin to wonder if the others are hiding secrets and how far are they willing to go to stop them blowing wide open now!!! This is a disturbed and flawed family. It was gripping, full of twists and turns with a few red herrings to distract you from guessing how the book will end.

thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC!

idk. this had the lower-tier thriller thing where everything is soooo flatly written. I don't know how else to describe it, but if you've read a lot of thrillers, you know what I'm talking about. honestly... I was going to give this one star, honestly, but then the end had some legitimately crazy twists. like I was like uh BP (can I call you BP) where was this before??? it did make the end perk up quite a bit for me. but it was way too little too late.

Atmospheric and tense, this thriller unpacks family secrets with precision. The dual timelines worked well, keeping me guessing. While some character motivations felt thin, the mystery was gripping and the pacing steady. A compelling read for fans of domestic suspense.

Familial Secrets..
A family holiday that changed everything, familial secrets and a tragedy that no one speaks of in this dark domestic suspense where one family are forced to replay events of the past. For twenty years the Palmer family have tried erase that fateful trip but when a television series plays out the events they have no option but to confront the past - but as everyone has secrets, is there someone who will go to any lengths to keep those secrets firmly hidden? Pacy, dark and atmospheric with a menacing plot populated with a deftly drawn cast and twists aplenty,