Out of Breath is the classic slow-burn psychological thriller. A need to spend time working on a rural property in order to have her visa renewed leads heroine Jo to take up work on a mango farm in outback Western Australia. From the moment she arrives there, strange things start to happen. With no idea who she can trust, Jo faces one challenge after another. Flashbacks to different aspects of her childhood help to round her out as a character, while also showing why she might find herself in strife. I thought the characters were well developed. while they all felt real, there were little things about nearly all of them that had me feeling slightly off balance. It was hard work deciding whether this character or that was somebody Jo could rely on and this added to the tension. While it took me a little while to get into the story, once I was there I couldn’t put the book down.

“Out of Breath” is a strong character based thriller. It’s a little different to Snoekstra’s earlier novels; similar enough to please fans, but different enough that it’s clear she’s in no danger of repeating herself.

Jo Ainsley, however, may well be in quite a bit of danger. In order to extend her visa and stay in Australia, she needs to undertake 88 days of farm work. Treating this as an excuse to see more of Australia than Sydney, she accepts a placement at an exceptionally remote farm in Western Australia.

One of the few people around the area, apart from the farmer and workers, is Gabe. He turns up from time to time, and one day tells Jo about the idyllic community where he lives – off the grid, deeper in the bush, and where everyone is happy. When something bad happens at the farm, Jo flees to this community, looking both for refuge and for a chance to explore her connection with Gabe.

At first Jo thinks she’s found paradise, but soon realises that the community harbours dark secrets – secrets which are also dangerous.

This novel is loaded with a lot of foreshadowing – there’s more than one thing I saw coming from quite a way away. That’s not a bad thing; Snoekstra uses it to ratchet up the tension. You’ll have some strong suspicions early that certain things are going to turn out to be important (and you’ll probably be right), but the uncertainty about exactly how increases the building sense of dread. The question of when Jo (or we) will find out the details also adds to the tension as you wait for the moment to arrive.

I thought this novel more strongly character based than other Snoekstra novels. Jo is a strong character and we are following her perspective for most of the novel. The tone is slightly remote, signalling Jo’s difficulty in fully engaging with those around her. Despite this, most readers will be on her side almost at once, and really hoping that what they fear isn’t going to happen.

I’ve enjoyed Snoekstra’s earlier novels, and felt that plot and characterisation were about equally balanced in them. Perhaps I found this more character based because we’re more closely in the head of one character. Both approaches work, but it’s something her ongoing readers might notice.

I enjoyed this a lot. Strong characterisations, a frighteningly realistic plot, and well observed settings all come together for a very strong thriller. There is one tiny little nagging detail that still bothers me, but overall things are resolved well. Few readers will be disappointed in this.

We are following the story of Jo - a young woman who ends up taking a job on a remote farm in Western Australia. The story presents us with a variety of challenges that Jo is facing, and the attempt to find someplace to call home.
We find out early on that Jo is trying to run from her past - this mystery flows through the story - right to the end.
A good solid novel with some mystery, tension, a love interest and some great characters.

Thank you Netgalley, Harlequin Australia and Anna Snoekstra for the ARC of this book.

This story started out slow however once it hit half way I couldn't put it down. The detailed story that followed Jo was cleverly written. It was a quick and easy read and although it started slow, the ending is so worth it and overall I really enjoyed it.

It's a slow burn with mystery and psychological elements within the thriller genre.

This books is released on 6th July!

4/5 stars!

3.5 stars rounded up.

Anna Snoekstra is another Australian author, they are everywhere at the moment!

Josephine Ainsley has spent her life running from her problems. When she was 7 years old her mother sent her to her father as their relationship broke down after the death of her little brother in a boating accident. Sam did his best for her but was not really warm and fuzzy father material. Josephine refused to speak to her mother again. When she finished school Josie couldn’t wait to run away to art school in London but a failed relationship with her teacher sent her running again this time to Sydney, Australia.

In Sydney she had a relationship with Eric, a Phd student. When she fell pregnant it was kind of assumed they would marry but after Josie had a miscarriage and Eric seemed relieved she knew there would be no wedding so she runs again- this time to the Kimberley in NW Western Australia to a mango farm to fulfil a visa requirement of a further 88 days of work. Life on the farm is hard work and the conditions are quite rough but she finds a rhythm. She also meets the charismatic and enigmatic American, Gabe, who lives at some hippie commune on the coast and drops into the farm now and then. After an accident with the sorting machine that causes a nasty injury to one of the pickers, Jo blames herself and runs again. This time she heads off on foot, ill prepared, to find Gabe’s commune.

It is further than she thought band after four days walking in the scorching sun and out of water she finally arrives suffering heat stroke and severe sunburn. Ally, the mother hen soothes and heals her body and then sets to work soothing and healing her mind. Ally used to be a psychiatrist. But soon Jo, now just J, realises that this utopia is not what she thought. She learns that Gabe is not who she thought he was and, more worryingly, Ally the earth mother is also not who she thought she was. There is also a little girl, Nika, whose mother apparently left her there. J realises that The mute seeming girl only talks to her as she was not around yet when her mother disappeared. She is frightened. How far must J run to outrun her past?

This was a rather literary and very lyrical book. It was a slow burn character based story that many readers will appreciate. It got a little more dramatic towards the end. I appreciated it too but it was a little slow for me. I also found Jo a little annoying with her constant running from her problems but it was really rather exquisitely written. The stark and brutal beauty of the Kimberley region was vividly portrayed. I wish I could have appreciated the book more. Many thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

I did like this story although I thought it was a little slow at the start, I am not sure that I would call it a thriller, it started to move as I got closer to the end, the main character Jo Ainsley has come to Australia to escape England and her past, will she finally find peace and herself?

Jo is escaping to a new life, but things aren’t going as she would have hoped but she is not ready to return to England yet so to extend her stay in Australia she must work on a farm for eighty eight days, leaving Sydney she arrives in Broome Western Australia to work on a mango farm, the work is hard and her boss is different, but here she meets an American Gabe and hears about a different life, a life off the grid when a terrible accident has her running again, Jo finds herself at Rossack with a group of people who seem to be living a carefree life, but is it that.

At first life for Jo seems great, Ally who is the leader helps her with her past and Gabe is there and her feelings for him grow but then she discovers something that will change her life again and put her at risk as well as a couple of other people living here, she needs to run again, will she be safe and will she ever find happiness and put the past behind her?

The ending in this book is really good and fitting, I loved the setting in Broome and the old pearler’s camp and the free diving they all did in the beautiful ocean, staying here sees Jo come to terms with her past and now maybe she can move onto a better future. I did find it different with some great characters and I am sure that lots of people will love this one, it was a book that I needed to get to the end to find out what happened.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

3.5 stars

3.5 stars for this mystery/thriller story set in the Australian Outback.

I love a good thriller, and especially love psychological thrillers, but I felt this one fell flat on the nail-biting intensity I’ve come to expect. I would probably call it more of a mystery/drama.

Jo has had a dysfunctional upbringing bandied between two parents who showed her little love. She moves from England to Australia to make a new life for herself, and when things go pear shaped in Sydney, she heads off to the outback to work on a mango farm.

The story, though not what I would call a thriller, was still well written and interesting. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and watching the story unfold.

This is one of those books that I didn’t realise I enjoyed it so much until I had finished it and sat to write the review.
Jo has been running all her life, from an unloved childhood in England, art school and a failed relationship and miscarriage in Sydney. Now she has taken a job picking mangoes on a remote Western Australian farm to extend her visa. Here life is tough but not unfair and life is bearable until she witnesses a traumatic incident on the farm. She runs again and finds herself taken in by an isolated group of people that seem to have an ideal lifestyle.
When I was reading I didn’t fall under it’s spell but I was always happy to keep reading, though it wasn’t until the end that I really thought the story through and it struck me that there were a lot of undercurrents involved.
I’m not sure I really liked Jo as a person but as the story progresses, her background is slowly revealed which made me understand her more.
I found this story a little slow in the first half of the book but pick up as it went one.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read

Not your typical thriller, this story delves into deep psychological territory, into the reasons why someone would run from their past and hide from society, and about how few things are ever what they seem on the surface.

Jo Ainsley has spent her life running from things. She eventually runs to isolated north-west Australia, and after a traumatic event on the farm she's working on, she runs from there too, seeking to find an idyllic community she hopes will help her heal.

When she first arrives she feels nothing by acceptance and comfort, but as she starts to heal, things start to appear to be not what she initially thought.

This is an absorbing and tense novel which reeled me in and kept me guessing - I just wasn't sure where it was going to end up. Kudos to the author for not drawing the climax out too unbelievable lengths.

I did, however, take a star off because of the overuse/misuse of pronouns. Sometimes it was difficult to determine which "she" or "her" was the subject and I needed to reread a few passages to work out what was happening to whom.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for letting me read an arc of this book. The following is my review of the book:
Jo has been running away most of her life, from a secret that she can’t even remember. She ends up in Australia, and met a mysterious stranger,Gabe. She thought she found solace with Gabe and their group until she finds more secrets that she didn’t want to uncover.
This book was very compelling to read. Also so heart-wrenching that there was a whole chapter that made me cry. I just wanted to give Jo a big hug. I have never been to Australia but I felt like I was because of how the author narrated the story. I haven’t read thrillers in a while and this book just reminded me how great they can be if done well.

Out Of Breath by Anna Snoekstra is an unusual mystery story. Jo Ainsley is running away from her life in England but having had a messy experience in Sydney takes on a job working on a farm in remote northwest region of Western Australia. While the work was hard, another incident has her running away again. This time she find herself in an isolated community of people who have escaped main stream society. All is well until it isn’t. Not everything adds up.

This is a compelling story that takes you into the outback of Australia with heat and the challenges of the terrain and the people.

Highly recommended read.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher Harlequin Australia, HQ (Fiction, Non Fiction, YA) & MIRA via via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a great thrill-ride of a book - thriller with a dash of cult, one of my favourite sub-genres, and very rooted in the landscape it's set in. Jo needs to work on a farm to extend her visa, so goes fruit-picking and then makes the wild decision to go further afield, to a community which isn't what it seems. Jo gradually discovering more about the community builds to an edge-of-your-seat crescendo, and some of the scenes really stayed with me for days afterwards.

'She’s going to make this life work.’

Jo Ainsley escaped her traumatic childhood in England by attending art school in London. And then she moved to Sydney. When her relationship in Sydney fails, Jo moves to the remote north-western region of Western Australia. While Jo wants to extend her visa to stay in Australia, and 88 days working on a farm will achieve this, it is also another way of escaping from the past.

On a mango farm outside Broome, Jo finds that the work is hard. The conditions are basic, and the throughput of staff is high. While working, Jo meets Gabe, who tells her about an off-grid community which sounds idyllic.
So, when Jo decides to run again, after a traumatic incident on the mango farm, she sets off to find this community.

Badly sun burned, dehydrated and ill, Jo finds refuge in this seemingly carefree off-grid community. She is made feel welcome and encouraged to find her own answers. There are issues in the past that Jo needs to confront but she is also concerned about aspects of life in the community. Jo learns to free dive and enjoys the control the experience gives her. But not everyone seems happy in the community, and Jo is particularly worried about one person. Jo is also concerned when she learns how the community uses its free diving skills.

A terrific, haunting story with a fitting ending.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Jo Ainsley has been looking for a better life since her traumatic childhood in England, loved by neither of her dysfunctional parents. She thought art school in London would be her escape, but it wasn’t so she travelled to Australia where she found work she enjoyed and a boyfriend in Sydney. But when that relationship failed, she moved again, about as far away as she could to work on a remote mango farm outside Broome in north Western Australia. To extend her working holiday visa she has to complete 88 days of farm work so will need to find another farm job after that. The work is tough, the living conditions minimal (a basic steel hut with bunks and no electricity) but the farmer is fair and she comes to enjoy the outdoor work, however when a terrible accident happens to one of the workers, she runs away again to an off the grid commune on the coast that she’d heard about from a charismatic American called Gabe.

There Jo finds other souls like herself, damaged in some way and looking for a safe place to live. A woman called Anna, a psychologist in her former life, helps Jo and others face their pasts and their fears so they can come to terms with them. The group also teaches Jo how to free dive, holding her breath for increasingly longer times under the sea. The group live on damaged fruit and vegetables that Gabe collects from the farmers and at first Jo enjoys the carefree life that they have, especially once the sessions with Anna start to unlock the source of her childhood trauma. However, before long she discovers that not only does the group’s abilty to free dive has a nefarious purpose but also that someone has secrets which could harm the group and put her and a young girl in danger.

This is a very Australian novel set in a quintessential outback setting in the country’s northwest. It highlights the problems some working holiday visa holders can encounter in doing the required seasonal work needed to extend their visas, often with long working hours, poor living and working conditions, poor workplace safety and often with their pay withheld by the farmer until they have completed their stay. The pacing of the novel is a little slow at first but picks up once Jo leaves the farm and joins the commune and the ending is certainly very dramatic. Overall, a very original tale with some unusual characters in a very unique setting.

Loved it, great story and emkept me turning the pages into the night. Recommend highly to others. Great author.

A story of trying to find yourself, your purpose in the world. Jo is running, from her past and her present.
To extend her Australian Visa, Jo chooses to work on a farm for 88 days. There she meets Gabe who she’s immediately drawn to, who tells her about an off grid haven where lost souls are just allowed to be. After a traumatic incident at the farm, Jo does what she does best and runs. This time to Gabe and the haven, At first, she feels like this is the place for her, but then she realises she needs to run, again.

I knew working conditions in the outback for temporary visa holders was tough, but I didn’t realise how tough, and how badly they are treated. Living in horrible conditions, and having their pay withheld.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Australia HQ for a copy of Out of Breath to review

Jo/Josephine /J Ainsley is a woman in her twenties who has moved from London to Sydney, and then goes to Western Australia to do farm work for her visa to enable her to stay in Australia. Laborious farm work ensues whilst meeting new people, followed by a series of tragic events that leads her fleeing to a community of people with a seemingly idyllic life. As a fan of Anna Snoekstra’s previous books, I was very excited to read this.

I enjoy location reads, and am fascinated by anything with a whisper of cult life, and this one did not disappoint. Vivid descriptions of the harsh Australian scenery, from the red dirt of the outback, to the glittering blue of the ocean,and murky green of inland swamps. As someone who adores the ocean, I was intrigued by the free diving aspect and the way this was explained and woven into the story.

This is an engaging story of strength, trust, muddled memories and what people are capable of doing to hold close the things that mean the most. This is one of the best books I’ve read this year!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for the advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jo keeps running away. In from a small town in England she runs from her family then from art college in London. Arriving in Australia she must work on farm to meet the requirements of her visa. She finds herself in a remote area near coastal Broome in north west Australia picking mangoes but finds herself running again. She thought she had found paradise in an isolated off the grid community. But was there something sinister underneath the happy smiles and idyllic life?

Jo is a complicated character haunted by her past. She is both likeable and frustrating as times. It is interesting how, with each escape, her name gets shortened– Josephine, Josie, Jo, J All the other characters are realistic and clearly depicted.

I enjoyed reading this thriller although even with its mystery and intrigue, it took me a while to get into the story. I kept pushing through waiting for something more dramatic to happen. When it did (about a third of the way through) it became more exciting and the final chapters were particularly hard to put down.

I commend Anna Snoekstra on her descriptive writing making it easy to get to know, and understand, the characters and to see, hear and feel the Australian outback – the heat, colours and dangers.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read. The plot and storyline were unique and I loved the ending.

With thanks to Anna Snoekstra, NetGalley, and HarperCollins for providing an ARC.

Broome is one of my favourite holiday spots. I have stayed there 17 times. so “Out of Breath” greatly appealed to me given that it’s near Broome where a lot of the action happens.

Jo is running away from bad relationships and a career disaster in England. After realising she was failing art school and being in a dissatisfying, dysfunctional relationship with a man who is her teacher, she dumps the man, Geoff, and leaves for Australia. She stops off in Sydney, but it doesn’t really appeal. She sees that it’s just a city like any other. Not far removed from London really. Her childhood trauma ( involving an uncaring and absent father) still haunts her in the form of insomnia and nightmares. She gets a job and meets a new boyfriend. She realises he’s a bit too similar to Geoff in London, that nothing has really changed, and leaves Sydney.

She ends up in Northwest Australia, working on a mango farm. Following a tragic event, she runs again to what she believes is the safety of Rossack, a community/ cult where those who want to disappear choose to live away from mainstream society. At first, she finds the community life to be idyllic, restoring, and calming. Just what she needs after all her worries and the turmoil she has faced. After a bit, she sees that all is not what it seems. She tries to help a young child to escape from what is not after all a community that offers succour to the lost, but rather a controlling cult.

The descriptions of the Northwest countryside and climate are wonderfully done. This is a well written, fast moving book that I really enjoyed reading. I recommend this book to others.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Harlequin Australia for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book that takes you on a wild journey, the tough conditions of outback Australia, a long way from home. This is one of those books that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat, biting your nails and wondering 'Why', 'How'......

I have only recently started reading this genre of booking and it is books like this that make me want to read more. There is so much to take in with this book but it is written in a way that I didn't get lost or confused but could follow the story easily. The suspense kept me entrenched and kept me reading from start to finish. I just couldn't put it down.

It is the perfect length, a story not padded out with unnecessary words and descriptions and I really enjoyed it. Great book, great read.