Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“They were told to leave. They should have listened.”

This book!! Why is it that books I’ve been meaning to read for MONTHS end up being some of my absolute favourites and I wish I’d read them sooner?! I honestly feel like I’ll have to split myself into four to get through all the books I’m desperate to read at the minute, but trying my best 😂 The Intruders is another book I am 100% certain will be in my top books of the year. It literally has everything I love. It’s been very difficult not to give spoilers but I think I’ve managed it! I’m so incredibly happy to share my review!

About the book

The perfect opportunity…

A manor house available rent-free to house-sitters is an offer too good to miss for Cass and James, who have been saving for a deposit on their own home for so long.

Although it had been abandoned for almost thirty years, after a home invasion left almost all the inhabitants dead, it is an amazing chance for them to build their future.

But is it worth the price?

Shortly after moving in things take a sinister turn. Objects disappear and turn up in odd places, the clock always stops at the same time, the house is strangely oppressive and sometimes it feels like Cass and James are not alone.

Newington House may have bad energy, and a dark reputation. But surely there’s no reason for history to repeat itself, is there?

The beginning

Ooofft, what an opening! The prologue and first chapter were everything I needed; the intrigue, the suspense, the excitement, the horror was all there straight away and from the very first moment I finished that first chapter, I knew I wouldn’t be able to put this down for long. Enter Cass and James, a couple in a relatively new relationship, but they know they’re in love. They know they’ve found ‘the one’ in each other. When the opportunity arises to move into a manor house rent-free, James persuades a reluctant Cass to take the leap. Even if the previous occupants were murdered… Cass already felt like a very complex and vulnerable character. We get some insight into her life, her past, but it was clear there there was so much to uncover about her. And it’s also clear, as we alternate Cass and James’s perspectives, that James also has his own secrets. The more I read, the more I loved the unnerving, ghostly feel this book gave me. It felt so different and completely mesmerising.

“It’s as though the house holds a mystery to be solved. Everything a clue to something but he can’t figure out what.”

The book alternates between the present day and 30 years previously. The mix of characters we meet was already brilliant. I loved this dual timeline and with each chapter I read, the more questions I had – I loved it. It seemed that at the end of every single chapter, there was some sort of cliff hanger, something to make us think, to make us take a step back and think, “Hmm, what is really going on here?!” I adored the supernatural feel at times, the creepy goings on in a big old manor house. Strange things begin to happen. Small inconveniences at first; moving items, the window that wouldn’t stay closed for long, the moving swing like someone has just been sitting on it, the clock that loved to stick to 8:30, no matter how much it’s winded. But then things get even more weird. What was it about this house, its past? I was fascinated with its history, and with each chapter that passed, I craved more. By this point, I’d already fallen in love with everything about this book. It had my full attention.

The middle

As time passed, I felt like I got to know Cass so well, but it still felt like there was more to her. Rose, a girl we follow from all those years ago who was very acquainted with Newington House was also such a brilliant character to follow. Their lives were so different, but the house connected them together. I was always so absorbed in these timelines, so gripped in everything they experience, their lives, their feelings. The hints about Cass’s past, how we’re slowly drip-fed information made my curiosity skyrocket. She begins to feel paranoia creep in, the anxiety and worry she feels super infectious. Was it the house? Or was it her? Whenever Cass was alone in the house, I could just sense something would happen to spook her, to give her another reason to want to leave and return home to her father’s small flat. But did she really want to return? And then there’s Leon. A character we know very little about at this point, but one that would soon become a part of the puzzle. Something had happened in the past. There was blood on their hands.

“When she came back, she would never be the same again. Nothing would.”

I was sure I’d got it all worked out, but then we get a huge reveal that knocked me on my arse. It was brilliantly executed, one that made me rethink everything I’d already read, put myself in different situations, wanting to reread multiple chapters to see what I’d perhaps missed, or read them with fresh eyes knowing what I now knew. It was just flawless. I had so many questions, but I was incredibly excited as Part Two of the book began. This time, the perspective shifts to a different character, Marina. If you know, you know. Time disappeared as I raced through each chapter, so incredibly desperate to take more of this story in. The pacing was fantastic, the suspense some of the best I’ve ever read. And the next twist in events had me completely at a loss for words. This is something you wouldn’t see coming in a million years. I don’t think any single person who reads this could guess what happens here. And I’ve never said that about a book before! It’s so rare to have all your theories completely wrong in every way. Just wow.

The end

The book gets darker and so much more intense than I could have ever imagined. We see different sides to come characters, feel so many emotions, some conflicting, and my mind was constantly thinking about consequences, what ifs, the results of actions. This book was all I could think about. It was dripping with atmosphere, the story taking a complete opposite, sadistic turn. The pain some of these characters felt was shocking and I was surprised to feel that my eyes were wet after reading a certain chapter. These characters were incredible. So solid, so perfectly developed, so real. Everything the author wrote at this point sparked so much emotion in me. Everything was slotting into place. Everything started making sense. But even at this point, I wasn’t prepared for what the final chapters had in store. The complexity of this plot and how brilliantly and perfectly it was written will forever blow my mind. The thought of ending this book had me feeling a little sad!

“The thought turns my stomach, but anything would be better than dying. Anything is better than this.”

I think I’ll always remember that gripping feeling, the feeling of being so absorbed in the ending of this book. I loved the feeling of the ending not tying everything up in a neat little package. That for days, months after finishing this, I will likely still be thinking about what happened next. About what would happen in the years that followed. I loved that feeling of there being so much unsaid, but also that so much had been uncovered. I actually started laughing because I was so damn impressed with that ending and I just have no clue how the author has managed to pull it off. I felt so immensely proud of her. What a book. What a journey. One I will always remember! I am now making a list of every single book by the author and plan to make my way through them. Is there any better feeling than finding a shiny new auto-buy author?! If you love a mind-bending, pacey thriller, I can recommend this one, without a doubt – it should absolutely be on everyone’s TBR list!

Overall thoughts

The Intruders is probably one of the most bingeable psychological thrillers I’ve ever read! It’s layered with twist upon twist, has the darkest, unnerving plot and has a cast of brilliant, memorable characters. You will not see the twists coming, I guarantee! Although a thriller at its heart, there are perfectly placed supernatural elements, and even elements of horror that worked so incredibly well. I was well and truly hooked from the start. It’s the definition of a page-turner! Captivating, tension-filled and completely thrilling right to the very end. Such a clever read!

Huge thanks to the author, Louise Jensen, and HQ Stories for my copy of the book! You can grab a copy of The Intruders right now on Amazon or wherever you buy your books. Make sure you’re following the author on X/Twitter and Instagram for more updates!

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