I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Newbourne Park by Jennifer Thorne Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on September 29 2026
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 368
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A visceral tale of monsters both human and supernatural, Newbourne Park is a bloody, terrifying story of hunger and survival.
“You’ll soon come to wish we ate you too.”
When I finished Jennifer Thorne’s last book, Diavola, I knew it was going to be hard for the author to top herself. But with Newbourne Park, Thorne hits many of the same highs but in completely different ways. This book certainly cements her status as one of the best horror writers out there and is a must read for fans of the genre.
Martha Shaw is a twenty-six year old still reeling emotionally from the recent death of her mother. To take her mind off things, her brother Ian suggests she tag along with him, his girlfriend Lucy and their mutual friend Tommy on an illicit outing. Tommy works at a grand country estate called Newbourne Park, the home of Lady Olivia Lambert, and his plan is to sneak into the house while the owner and staff are gone for the weekend. Tommy has an access card, after all, and he promises the surveillance cameras will be turned off. The four of them can enjoy everything the estate has to offer without anyone finding out.
At first it’s an adventure, breaking in, drinking the expensive booze, swimming in the pool, even partaking in the drugs that Tommy brought with him. But then someone shows up. In fact, a caravan of cars arrives at dusk one evening, filled with an odd assortment of people. Martha and others run into the house to hide, hoping to leave out the back before they are noticed. Until Lucy looks out the window and sees something horrifying. Before they can stop her, Lucy runs from the house, but it’s too late. What follows is a bloodbath as Martha and her friends find themselves trying to survive an impossible terror.
To avoid spoilers, I won’t reveal the type of supernatural creature in the story, although there are some obvious clues on the cover. Thorne’s themes of hunger, especially set against the backdrop of class divide, worked perfectly for this type of story. Yes, the killings are bloody and shocking, but even more surprising are the complicitous townsfolk who live in the nearby village and know exactly what goes on at Newbourne Park. The secrets surrounding the estate and the way outsiders are given the cold shoulder felt like watching an episode of The Twilight Zone.
Thorne divides her story into three sections: what happens to Martha when she’s at Newbourne Park, how she ends up back there after her “condition” kicks in, and her final, brutal act of vengeance when she uncovers some horrible secrets going on at the estate. This three act structure keeps the story full of surprises, but most of all shows how Martha changes over the course of the book from a fairly innocent woman to a cruel, calculating one who must change in order to survive. Martha really is the star of the show here, with the story being told from her first person point of view, and while she isn’t your typical sympathetic heroine—she’s very hard to like, honestly—let’s just say I admired her, especially after everything she goes through. I also loved the way the story unfolds, with Martha listing each of her “sins” as chapter titles (Sin One: Trespassing, Sin Two: Covetousness, etc.)
The author explains in a short introduction (which may or may not appear in the finished book) that she is an American living in the UK and therefore excluded from class expectations, which makes her the perfect silent observer of class divide. This divide is shockingly wide here, especially for Martha, whose humble upbringing is a stark contrast to her well connected college friend Laura, for example, who treats Martha horribly (although don’t worry, Laura eventually gets what’s coming to her!). There are so many little nuances like this that bring extra depth to the story and also set the stage for Martha’s transformation (and yes, I do mean “transformation” in more ways than one!)
The horror itself is nicely done and integrated perfectly into the rest of the story. The menacing tone starts as soon as the four friends arrive at Newbourne Park, as Thorne drops little details that make the reader uncomfortable: a fenced off poison garden near the house; a ditch outside filled with animal bones; the vastness of the house where unsettling paintings loom over its inhabitants; even rumors of a ghost who haunts the property. Martha already knows the outcome of the events, and her frequent foreshadowing only makes the reader more nervous for what’s to come. I must also mention Jennifer Thorne’s absolutely stunning prose, and the way she tells her story reminded me a lot of The Secret History, another book I love.
There is much more to Newbourne Park, details and characters I haven’t talked about in this review, but hopefully I’ve made you curious enough to discover the rest for yourself.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
I didn’t get around reading Diavola (although I still want to read it!) but now I also want to read Newbourne Park. I really love the sound of it and my guess for the supernatural creature is werewolf. And if true (don’t tell me though!) I want to read it even more. Obviously it sounds perfect for spooky season!
It’s perfect for spooky season!
I somehow didn’t realize this was the author of Diavola! You’ve got me curious about Newbourne Park and I think I can guess the monster
Honestly I can’t pick a favorite between Diavola and this one:-)
“Martha already knows the outcome of the events, and her frequent foreshadowing only makes the reader more nervous for what’s to come. I must also mention Jennifer Thorne’s absolutely stunning prose”
Not easy to foreshadow so often without revealing too much or annoying the reader. And yay for stunning prose!
Sometimes foreshadowing is annoying, but I thought she did a great job of it here.
You’ve sold me on this one, it sounds so good.
It was soooo good!
So happy to see your five-star review! I’ll be reading it closer to the end of the month… and have high expectations! I really liked Diavola, and loved Lute. She’s such a talented writer!
She really is talented. I’ll look forward to your thoughts!
I ended up loving it! I’m glad I didn’t read reviews in detail ahead of time — so much better to experience it without expectations. Your review is terrific, and hits so many of the elements I loved about this book.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks Stormi!
Wish I could take advantage of your tastes and enjoy this genre but happy you enjoyed this one so much.
Thanks Anne!
The way you describe the novel totally puts me in the mind of the film Abigail, which I love. And how have I never heard of this author?! I’m going to check her out immediately. Lastly, the only time I saw class action truly in real life was so bizarre. We had a foreign exchange student when I was in high school. He was a white, blond, blue-eyed Brazilian. In a neighboring town was another Brazilian, but he was brown-skinned, black hair, dark eyes. There was an obvious class difference between that yes, was based on race, but rooted in class divisions due to how the native and non-native peoples of Brazil have been treated.
Okay, I just looked her up and found she frequently writes with a co-author. Have you read any of their stuff written together?
I haven’t read any of her coauthored books yet, but I’m very tempted. I hope you get the chance to check her out!
Sounds like a neat book! But it also sounds way too creepy for my tastes. I’m glad the author was able to live up to your expectations though!
It is definitely creepy!
The premise of this one already had me, but reading your review has me even more intrigued. Sounds like Jennifer Thorne executed this one perfectly.
She’s so talented:-)
Dang this sounds like the perfect amount of spooky. I need to grab an audiobook copy! Thanks for the review, I have not heard of this author before.
I’ve loved everything I’ve read of hers!
I wasn’t sure about checking this one out but I’m definitely adding it to my TBR now. It sounds fantastic with the kind of setting that I love and an intriguing lead character (unlikeable ones can be oddly fascinating I find). The quote sends chills down your spine straight away too. Fantastic review of what sounds like an absolute must read.
Ahh, so excited for your review – I’ve only quickly skimmed it but the 5 star rating made me very happy.
Lynn 😀
This is such a great review!! And I am glad you loved this one so much!
Also, the part about the social divide sounds interesting and it adds a layer to a story that (it seems like) it has already a lot of things goin on!