I love Aussie fiction and I love interesting settings, thought provoking back stories and engaging plots - so a book like this that has it all is a winner in my book!
Largely set in the far north west of Australia, this story of a back packer trying to escape her past in an off-grid community has good pace and tension, with some brilliant settings. It was compelling and easy to read, with enough twists and turns to keep me engaged in a busy reading season, not to mention some interesting themes around identity and motherhood. Perfect holiday read, especially in winter if you need some vicarious warmth! I’m so glad to have stumbled on a new Aussie author whose backlist I can jump into!

Not as well rounded as Snoekstras other work. I think the marketing was wrong with this book more so than the book itself.
Pitched as a thriller, I found myself wanting more from this book. It was more like a drama with a twisty ending. Like the filmography of M.Night can show use, just because you have a twist doesn’t mean you have a thriller.
I will continue to read the authors work in the future though I’ll take the marketing with a grain of salt.

Jo has spent her life running. First from her home in England then from art school in London and most recently from a relationship in Sydney. It’s all Jo knows to do, run and keep running.

She finally ends up working on a farm in Western Australia. Then she meets an American named Gabe who tells her of an off-grid commune type refuge. Jo has just witnessed a traumatic event at the farm she is working at so decides to run again and ends up with Gabe but soon realises it may not be what it seems.

Out of Breath was quite a slow burn for me but at the same time kept me engaged. It did have a few lulls but picked back up towards the end. 3.5 rounded up.

I want to thank Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for generously providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.

I normally read historical fiction, so "Out of Breath" was a change for me.....yet, in the familiar setting of Western Australia, where I have lived.
I would call this book a slow burner...not so much a thriller. The story gradually unfolds and while you are told by the blurb it is a psychological thriller, I was impatient for the level of intensity to lift. This kept me coming back for more at any opportunity, slowly realising that there was more to this hippy free-diving commune/cult in the middle of nowhere...... yet close to the rich pearl harvesting area off Broome. I got a vibe about Alley early on.....but don't want to give anything away.
For me, the best twist comes literally on the last couple of pages.....what a fabulous wrap-up I couldn't image...such a modern concept.
Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin and Anna Snoekstra for my copy.

Woozers Out of Breath by Anna Snoekstra was one atmospheric novel that wrapped me from the very first page. I’m still thinking of this book weeks after reading it.

In this dark compelling Australian story we follow Jo Ainsley across the country as she leaves her life in Sydney to work on a farm in outback Western Australia to extend her visa.

Here on the farm she befriends an American Gabe and soon they both leave to move to a carefree diving community of mixed races. As Jo forms a relationship with this new community she soon learns to discover she can’t not trust them or maybe even Gabe. Can she escape before she’s out of breath?

I won’t go much into the plot because it’s best going straight into this book without knowing too much because it will literally blow you away. But I will say it does show a darker side of Australia (or anywhere for that matter) and the dangers that are out there in the wilderness.

This book really broke me making it one of my top favourite books for the year.

I was captivated by this book. Jo was an unsettled person who seemed to be searching or seeking something. It was a slow burner which I didnt mind at all. This book had a beautiful setting both in Sydney and Western Australia. I loved the idea of the free diving and found it fascinating. I could picture the scenery and the activities they were doing there. Past and present play a part in this book as Jo has flashbacks to her childhood and it shows why she is like she is. I felt so many of her emotions such as fear , sadness and hopelessness. This book is an allrounder which has mystery, love, and suspense. There are alot of characters to keep you on your toes . It was a fitting ending with a little twist you wont see coming.

Thank you #netgalley and #harlequinaustralia for the chance to review this arc.

Jo Ainsley has been running for a long time. As a child, she was sent to live with her father after her mother kicked her out when her baby brother died. Once she left school, she couldn't wait to leave her father's house and move to London. After failing out of art school, Jo decides to move to Sydney, Australia.
When a relationship she is in comes to an end, she takes work at a mango farm for 88 days in the middle of nowhere. While there, she meets charismatic Gabe and soothing Ally who live at a hippy commune not too far away.

After an accident on the farm, Jo sets out to find the commune. After four days and near death, she is found and bought to the commune to recover from severe sunburn and heat stroke. After she recovers, she finds herself healing from past trauma and falls into the groove of the commune.
Unfortunately, Jo discovers something that makes her realise that she isn't living in the utopia she thinks she is. Can Jo escape before it's too late?

I don't think this is a thriller in the slightest. It's more of a drama with a twist at the end. It was a slow burn character based story that was very well written. The imagery of the outback was so vivid and beautifully written.

Overall a good story but a bit too slow for me.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

This was a slow burn, the writing was beautiful at times and very descriptive. One kept waiting for something bad to happen. . This was more of part mystery and part psychological thriller.about Jo an English backpacker who finds herself in the outback working on a mango farm in an endeavor to get a working visa to stay in Australia. Jo is running away from her bad memories and makes some bad decisions along the way. Jo finds her way to a community of mainly young people which on face value seems a happy place . The leader decides who stays or goes. Jo is taken in by the atmosphere and the charismatic leader of the group. But soon unsettling secrets begin to emerge and all is not what it seams. 4 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I actually gasped a couple of times. Suspense, drama, intrigue - Out of Breath has it all. The Australianisms are heart warming and the characters relatable. The ending left me with a smile. I found it hard to put down.

As soon as I saw a book with some cult-y themes, my antenna went up and I had to request a copy of this one. Even better? It's set in Australia.

Jo is in Australia on a working holiday visa and has to fulfill her farm work requirement to stay in Australia. First off she is nervous about the big move to the middle of nowhere, but after her relationship breaks down, she is on a journey to find herself and is excited for the change.

Farm work leads to a traumatic event (absolutely did not see that coming!), which then leads Jo to go through a near-death experience to join what is essentially a cult.

This one missed the mark for me a little bit. I don't mind a character driven story, and I enjoy books where there is significant character growth and development, but this one was fairly slow, so it struggled to keep my attention. Not what I am usually looking for in a 'psychological thriller' which I think has led to my rating. I feel like it is trying too hard to be two different books - one of a fiction story that is beautifully written and about how people are shaped by trauma, and one of a dark thriller. It's not a combo that worked well for me.

I absolutely loved this book. I started reading it without reading the blurb to remind myself of the story and was blown away.

It had so much to offer and this was delivered in such a way that it grabbed me from beginning to end!

I definitely recommend this to people who enjoyed 'See you In September' by Charity Norman and other 'off the beaten path' adventure, thriller type novels!

Out of Breath is well written and easy-to-read, and while I found it initially on the slower side, it picks up the pace about halfway through, delivering suspense and intrigue.

I love anything with a cult vibe so the premise really drew me in. There are some tense moments that perhaps could have been more thrilling if they were played out a bit more, however, the mystery elements were well thought out and the harsh Aussie Outback makes for an atmospheric read.

The plot is similar to The Bay by Allie Reyolds, so if you enjoyed that one as I did, you will like Out of Breath as well.

rating 3.5 stars rounded up.

Jo is a young English woman on a working holiday to Australia. When she loses a baby and her relationship breaks up, she faces the choice of completing her visa work obligations or going home. Unable to stay where she is, Jo heads for the remote parts of the Kimberley to pick fruit.

The Broome and Kimberley regions are like an alien landscape to Jo, and she finds the work environment tough, unfriendly, and dangerous. An encounter with two locals leads her to join an off-the-grid enclave, and drop from sight. Life within the enclave seem idyllic, as Jo starts to adjust, but things are not all what they seem.

This is a tense account of a woman with a difficult past being thrust into a situation full of unknowns and suspicions. Everywhere Jo goes is redolent with threats, real or imagined, and Snoekstra builds that into a suspenseful and unexpected denouement.

Honestly, I really loved this book. It’s the perfect escapism read with all the best heart racing elements but it’s also lyrical and mesmerising in the way the surroundings are described. Some might find it a slow burn but I love these sorts of novels where the writing makes you feel like you’re in that hot desert gasping for a drink or diving into a crystal clear ocean for a free dive alongside the characters.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for the opportunity to read and review this.

I found this to be a slow book, but also a very interesting read.

Jo Ainsley has come to Australia to escape England and her past. But escaping life isn't going as she would have hoped, but she isn't ready to return to England yet, so in order to extend her stay in Australia, she has to work on a farm for 88 days, which embarks her on a journey to leave Sydney and arrives in Broome, Western Australia, working on a mango farm.

It is here that she meets American Gabe and hears about a different life, and finds herself running again when a terrible accident happens. She soon finds herself at Rossack with a group of people who seem to be living a carefree life. It is here that she begins to find some peace but soon begins to question her new life.

This is an interesting read, and while not necessarily my favourite book, I would still recommend people to read this, as it definitely still a very good read.

I enjoy a psychological thriller, Anna Snoekstra has delivered with this well written book!
The characters and storyline were hard to connect with initially but the more time I invested, the harder it became to stop reading!
This suspenseful journey follows Jo, she’s been running from people and situations her whole life.
Jo had believed that ’home’ is in England, she stops running when she arrives in a remote area of Australia! Jo meets Gabe and is hopeful of a new start, considering that he offers answers and stability. Jo finds herself living in a commune, Gabe has suggested a change may be a great opportunity.
Learning new skills, accepting help and living in a more relaxing environment is new and welcomed by Jo. The challenge of facing her demons is a huge commitment for Jo, is a new beginning within reach?
Suspense builds, questions appear and more secrets are revealed.
This Australian novel, set in the outback is recommended to anyone wanting an edgy, drama filled read, with relatable characters and plenty of intrigue!

My sincere thanks to Harlequin Australia HQ, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Out of Breath is the latest novel by Australian author Anna Snoekstra. The author draws atmospheric and evocative imagery making the most of the setting of remote northwest Western Australia, plays nicely upon Australia as a dangerous place with our deadly snakes and crocs, and has clearly done her research on free-diving and oyster farming. But rather than a “compulsive, nail-bitingly tense psychological thriller”, this book would perhaps be better marketed as literary crime or a coming-of-age novel with crime elements, as the crimes that we as readers feel are inevitably going on don’t come to the forefront until about three-quarters of the way in. Though it feels a little light-on if you’re after a tense psych thriller, it is an enjoyable read as we follow the main character Jo Ainsley’s journey. Jo has been running for a long time, from small-town England to London to Sydney, and now remote WA where she is working on a mango farm with the aim of extending her visa. Of course, that doesn’t go so well for Jo, and she runs again. This time to what appears to be an idyllic off-grid free-diving community. It turns out, naturally, that Jo has just run into more trouble. So, what is she going to do now? I enjoyed Out of Breath and recommend it for readers who enjoy very slow-boil literary crime or coming-of-age stories with crime elements. 3.5–4.0 stars.

Suspenseful but slow at times. Not the best book I’ve read this year but far from the worst too. Thanks for letting me read it. I’d recommend as an airport novel, or a poolside holiday. Good to support Australian authors. Apparently this review isn’t long enough. I’m sorry I just don’t have a lot to say about this one. Very middle of the road. No strong feeling.

Well that was an interesting read. I found it a bit slow to start with but once I got in to it I was thoroughly enjoying the story. It probably helped that it was about an area of Australia that’s not too far from where I live!

Jo Ainsley has been running for a long time. From her childhood in small town England to art school in London to the messy end of a relationship in Sydney, Jo has chosen to run again and again, each time moving further from where her troubles began.

I have never read a book about the sport of freediving. And wow, what an eye opener it was. A sign of a good book to me has me googling and researching matter I’ve not heard of before, and I did a ton after I finished this one.

What an enthralling read! A deep dive (pardon the pun) into an intricate and dark story, delving into loss, past trauma and self discovery.
This novel was incredibly well researched with an engaging plot, in a rural Aussie setting. Richly drawn, complex characters where evil seems to loom beneath the surface (and again) at every turn. It was hard one to put down.

Anna superbly covers some of Australia’s most beautiful coast lines and outback with hauntingly atmospheric writing - they almost become characters within themselves.
It’s told seamlessly in a duel timeline from past and present, a slow yet perfectly steady pace.
You’ll be swept away (hehehe) by the beautiful narrative this novel delivers.

Sorry I had too much fun with water analogies!

Many kind thanks to the wonderful Eloise at @harlequinaus for my advanced reading proof.

Many thanks also to @netgalley @hqstories @harpercollinsaustralia