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Intruder
I don't walk past the house next door. I wish the woman who lives in it was dead. Which makes it hard . . . because she was the one who came running when I screamed.
Kat Jones is woken by an Intruder looming over her bed. She's saved by Edwina – the neighbour Kat believes betrayed her dying mother.
Her dad issues an ultimatum. Either spend nights next door, or accept another Intruder in her life – Hercules, the world's ugliest guard dog. It's a no-brainer, even for dog-phobic Kat.
When she meets adorkable Al at the dog park, finally Kat has someone to talk to, someone who cares.
But the prowler isn't finished with Kat. To stop him, she needs Edwina's help . . . and what Kat learns could mend fences – or break her fragile family apart forever.
Kat Jones is woken by an Intruder looming over her bed. She's saved by Edwina – the neighbour Kat believes betrayed her dying mother.
Her dad issues an ultimatum. Either spend nights next door, or accept another Intruder in her life – Hercules, the world's ugliest guard dog. It's a no-brainer, even for dog-phobic Kat.
When she meets adorkable Al at the dog park, finally Kat has someone to talk to, someone who cares.
But the prowler isn't finished with Kat. To stop him, she needs Edwina's help . . . and what Kat learns could mend fences – or break her fragile family apart forever.
336 pages, Paperback
First published June 2, 2014
8 people are currently reading
694 people want to read
About the author
Christine Bongers
4 books57 followersChristine Bongers is a former radio and television journalist who is now happier writing fiction.
Christine's latest YA novel "Intruder" won the 2015 Davitt Award for Best Debut Crime Book and was shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year for Older Readers. Her debut novel "Dust" is a CBCA Notable Book for Older Readers and was Highly Commended in the Prime Minister's Literary Awards for Children's Fiction. Her middle-grade novel "Henry Hoey Hobson" was short-listed for the CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers, the Qld Premier's Literary Awards and the WA Premier's Book Awards. "Drongoes" for newly independent readers is published by Scholastic.
She lives in Brisbane, Australia, with her husband, kids, and a very bad beaglish fur-boy called Huggy.
Christine's latest YA novel "Intruder" won the 2015 Davitt Award for Best Debut Crime Book and was shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year for Older Readers. Her debut novel "Dust" is a CBCA Notable Book for Older Readers and was Highly Commended in the Prime Minister's Literary Awards for Children's Fiction. Her middle-grade novel "Henry Hoey Hobson" was short-listed for the CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers, the Qld Premier's Literary Awards and the WA Premier's Book Awards. "Drongoes" for newly independent readers is published by Scholastic.
She lives in Brisbane, Australia, with her husband, kids, and a very bad beaglish fur-boy called Huggy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
June 3, 2014
A multi-faceted story, with much to enjoy. I loved it most because it is just. so. real.
I got goose bumps at page 3. They stayed 'til page 5. Later I snort-laughed, and later again I cried. Many times, I was caught unawares.
If you've ever held a painful truth between you and someone you might have otherwise loved, and it’s the kind of ‘truth’ that you learn isn't actually true, you’ll identify. And if you've ever been so very alone and wanting companionship, but with the kind of coping mechanisms that kick the crap out of the softest parts of those who try to breach the barriers, you’ll identify.
If you have never been a child, teen, or adult, you won’t identify at all. But I hazard a guess you’d still enjoy the story.
Also, I’m en route to One on La Blasa at Point Cartwright because: corncakes.
I got goose bumps at page 3. They stayed 'til page 5. Later I snort-laughed, and later again I cried. Many times, I was caught unawares.
If you've ever held a painful truth between you and someone you might have otherwise loved, and it’s the kind of ‘truth’ that you learn isn't actually true, you’ll identify. And if you've ever been so very alone and wanting companionship, but with the kind of coping mechanisms that kick the crap out of the softest parts of those who try to breach the barriers, you’ll identify.
If you have never been a child, teen, or adult, you won’t identify at all. But I hazard a guess you’d still enjoy the story.
Also, I’m en route to One on La Blasa at Point Cartwright because: corncakes.
October 23, 2023
Don't expect any objectivity. I loved this. It's grounded in a reality that is genuinely Australian. Kat's snarky behaviour is both selfish and sympathetic. Al is fabulous, as are all the secondary characters.
Terrific.
Updated 24 June 2014. So Megan made me write a longer (hopefully better review), which of course I did. Here 'tis.
Terrific.
Updated 24 June 2014. So Megan made me write a longer (hopefully better review), which of course I did. Here 'tis.
January 17, 2016
Some stories start in dark places and, prompted by the question 'What if...?' emerge slowly into the light. This story started when my daughter was woken by a man standing over her bed. She was eleven years old.
We were lucky. The prowler ran off when she challenged him. And my child is resilient; she recovered much faster than I did.
Motherhood is guilt. Particularly when they’re little. Forgot your lunch, sweetie? That’d be Mum’s fault. Turned up in full uniform when everyone else was wearing free dress? Definitely Mum’s fault.
Mothers are great at taking responsibility. We’re even better at torturing ourselves with terrifying ‘what ifs...'
As the years safely passed, I eventually stopped beating myself up as a mother and found myself responding to that prowler as a writer. Turning it over in my mind, intrigued by the fictional possibilities prompted by that most tantalising of questions: ‘what if…?’
What if it happened to a girl who was home alone? What if her mum was dead? What if her dad worked nights? What if the only person who came running when she screamed was the one person she hated most in the world?
And so the story of Intruder began to emerge, each question prompting countless others.
Why does Kat hate her neighbour Edwina? How could her dad Jimmy leave her alone, night after night? How would a vulnerable, motherless, once-bitten, twice shy teen react to a guard dog being forced on her? And how would she respond to the unexpected and unconditional love it offered?
On one level, Intruder is about vulnerability and what we need in our lives to make us feel safe. On another, it is about how the inescapable past shapes and, at times, traps us.
Like all of us, Kat sees the world through the prism of her own experiences. She hates her neighbour; she knows what she saw. A single shocking snippet of reality that sets like concrete in her mind and becomes the bedrock for all her subsequent actions.
The intruder is the catalyst for change in Kat’s life. Bringing her simmering problems with her troubled father, Jimmy, to the boil. Shattering her fragile belief that she is fine on her own. Forcing her to accept help – from the unwanted dog, Hercules, the new boy, Al, and her much-hated neighbour, Edwina. And ultimately, compelling her to face a truth buried in the bedrock of the past.
To paraphrase one of my favourite characters: Intruder is like an onion. It has layers. I hope its readers enjoy peeling them back. :)
We were lucky. The prowler ran off when she challenged him. And my child is resilient; she recovered much faster than I did.
Motherhood is guilt. Particularly when they’re little. Forgot your lunch, sweetie? That’d be Mum’s fault. Turned up in full uniform when everyone else was wearing free dress? Definitely Mum’s fault.
Mothers are great at taking responsibility. We’re even better at torturing ourselves with terrifying ‘what ifs...'
As the years safely passed, I eventually stopped beating myself up as a mother and found myself responding to that prowler as a writer. Turning it over in my mind, intrigued by the fictional possibilities prompted by that most tantalising of questions: ‘what if…?’
What if it happened to a girl who was home alone? What if her mum was dead? What if her dad worked nights? What if the only person who came running when she screamed was the one person she hated most in the world?
And so the story of Intruder began to emerge, each question prompting countless others.
Why does Kat hate her neighbour Edwina? How could her dad Jimmy leave her alone, night after night? How would a vulnerable, motherless, once-bitten, twice shy teen react to a guard dog being forced on her? And how would she respond to the unexpected and unconditional love it offered?
On one level, Intruder is about vulnerability and what we need in our lives to make us feel safe. On another, it is about how the inescapable past shapes and, at times, traps us.
Like all of us, Kat sees the world through the prism of her own experiences. She hates her neighbour; she knows what she saw. A single shocking snippet of reality that sets like concrete in her mind and becomes the bedrock for all her subsequent actions.
The intruder is the catalyst for change in Kat’s life. Bringing her simmering problems with her troubled father, Jimmy, to the boil. Shattering her fragile belief that she is fine on her own. Forcing her to accept help – from the unwanted dog, Hercules, the new boy, Al, and her much-hated neighbour, Edwina. And ultimately, compelling her to face a truth buried in the bedrock of the past.
To paraphrase one of my favourite characters: Intruder is like an onion. It has layers. I hope its readers enjoy peeling them back. :)
February 22, 2015
Ugh. Okay. I had heard really great things about this book and when I read the blurb I was interested because it seemed quite mysterious..
I was disappointed massively. I don't even know how else to put it.
I don't really know how to review this because of the outcome so I'll just start off by talking about the characters.
Kat (the main character): She seemed alright, she was a girl that had been through a lot and I understood that, she was kind of likable but also seemed to have an odd aspect of her. But then, as I got further into the book, I really started to dislike her. She was never really worried about anyone else. All she thought about was herself. And that really pissed me off. For example:
"Trust me you don't know need to worry about her."
Trust me, I wasn't. I was worried about me.
SERIOUSLY.
Could she be anymore self-absorbed? Sure, what she had gone through was tough and mentally scarring and all that but it didn't give her an excuse to only worry about herself and whinge all the time.
So, I just could not relate to Kat's character at all because of her ever-changing mood swings and selfish. Maybe that is the main reason why I did not like the book.
Al (the love interest): Al was alright I guess. He was nice and kinda funny but I just kept questioning why he would take such interest in Kat. She was blatantly rude to him several times and continuously pushed him away. I couldn't find any good qualities that he could see in her :/
Kat's Dad: The entire book, I could not visualise nor imagine Kat's dad. Just, the way he acted wasn't right. And I did realize he had lost his wife so I tried to see it from that perspective but it still didn't all add up. The way some things including him were described just made him out to be, in my opinion, a really shady father.
Edwina: I imagined this girl to be really nice but strong and protective. And it was only Kat's perspective that made it her out to be bad. But that wasn't what happened at all. I couldn't find myself to like her throughout the entire book because I just could not relate or imagine it at all.
Actually, I couldn't really visualise any of the characters. So I guess that's why I didn't end up liking any of them.
I really didn't enjoy this book.
The end.
I was disappointed massively. I don't even know how else to put it.
I don't really know how to review this because of the outcome so I'll just start off by talking about the characters.
Kat (the main character): She seemed alright, she was a girl that had been through a lot and I understood that, she was kind of likable but also seemed to have an odd aspect of her. But then, as I got further into the book, I really started to dislike her. She was never really worried about anyone else. All she thought about was herself. And that really pissed me off. For example:
"Trust me you don't know need to worry about her."
Trust me, I wasn't. I was worried about me.
SERIOUSLY.
Could she be anymore self-absorbed? Sure, what she had gone through was tough and mentally scarring and all that but it didn't give her an excuse to only worry about herself and whinge all the time.
So, I just could not relate to Kat's character at all because of her ever-changing mood swings and selfish. Maybe that is the main reason why I did not like the book.
Al (the love interest): Al was alright I guess. He was nice and kinda funny but I just kept questioning why he would take such interest in Kat. She was blatantly rude to him several times and continuously pushed him away. I couldn't find any good qualities that he could see in her :/
Kat's Dad: The entire book, I could not visualise nor imagine Kat's dad. Just, the way he acted wasn't right. And I did realize he had lost his wife so I tried to see it from that perspective but it still didn't all add up. The way some things including him were described just made him out to be, in my opinion, a really shady father.
Edwina: I imagined this girl to be really nice but strong and protective. And it was only Kat's perspective that made it her out to be bad. But that wasn't what happened at all. I couldn't find myself to like her throughout the entire book because I just could not relate or imagine it at all.
Actually, I couldn't really visualise any of the characters. So I guess that's why I didn't end up liking any of them.
I really didn't enjoy this book.
The end.
January 4, 2016
Kat Jones is fourteen, about to turn fifteen. It’s Christmas Eve and her dad Jimmy is out working. Since her mother died of cancer three years earlier, Kat kept to herself. She and her father had that pact, so they would stay together. That changed when an intruder snuck into her room. He hovered over her in the middle of the night Christmas Eve. She let out a scream. The evil witch from next door came over brandishing a baseball bat making sure the creep had gone. Kat lies to the police. She doesn’t tell them that the intruder knew Jimmy wasn’t home. She couldn’t let them know because they might take her in foster care. That had happened before.
Then Edwina, the witch from next door gives her a dog called Hercules to look after. He was to keep her company and ward off any intruders. Kat hates dogs. She had a scar from a dog bite. That time they took her to a foster home. Somehow, Hercules walks into her heart. She takes the dog to the dog park and meets a whole group of interesting people all sharing their love of dogs. There she meets Al. Kat tells him everything about the intruder, when she is having an anxiety attack before entering the dog park.
Kat discovers her dad and the evil witch next door are not her enemies. She finds out Hercules is her birthday present from Edwina. She discovers that what she believes she saw when her mother was dying was not betrayal and so much more.
I first read this book in August last year. There is so much to love about this book. It is written in the first person. Yet the easy flow of the story the complexity of a Kat Jones life is related in her words. Yesterday I re-read it in one day. It is a great YA’s coming of age book.
I look forward to the day my grand-daughters discover this story, when they explore the wonderful world of young adults fiction.
Then Edwina, the witch from next door gives her a dog called Hercules to look after. He was to keep her company and ward off any intruders. Kat hates dogs. She had a scar from a dog bite. That time they took her to a foster home. Somehow, Hercules walks into her heart. She takes the dog to the dog park and meets a whole group of interesting people all sharing their love of dogs. There she meets Al. Kat tells him everything about the intruder, when she is having an anxiety attack before entering the dog park.
Kat discovers her dad and the evil witch next door are not her enemies. She finds out Hercules is her birthday present from Edwina. She discovers that what she believes she saw when her mother was dying was not betrayal and so much more.
I first read this book in August last year. There is so much to love about this book. It is written in the first person. Yet the easy flow of the story the complexity of a Kat Jones life is related in her words. Yesterday I re-read it in one day. It is a great YA’s coming of age book.
I look forward to the day my grand-daughters discover this story, when they explore the wonderful world of young adults fiction.
July 30, 2014
How would it feel to wake up with an intruder in your room, standing above your bed? This is, in fact, a situation that author Christine Bongers and her family experienced one night. The rest of us can be glad that this frightening event has not caused long term harm and instead was the catalyst for this fantastic book.
Set in Brisbane, Intruder, is the story of Kat Jones who has lost her mother to cancer and her father to grief. Kat is home alone when she is woken by a prowler in her bedroom. Her scream alerts her neighbour, Edwina, who comes to her rescue. To say Kat hates Edwina is an understatement and she is resentful rather than grateful that Edwina has come to her assistance. Once, the closest friend of her mother, Kat believes Edwina betrayed her mother during her dying days.
Intruders are a recurring motif throughout the book and Kat has to deal with many types of intruders as the story unfolds. With some surprising twists, this is a well written, enjoyable book and the girls at Mt Alvernia will love reading it. Highly recommended.
Set in Brisbane, Intruder, is the story of Kat Jones who has lost her mother to cancer and her father to grief. Kat is home alone when she is woken by a prowler in her bedroom. Her scream alerts her neighbour, Edwina, who comes to her rescue. To say Kat hates Edwina is an understatement and she is resentful rather than grateful that Edwina has come to her assistance. Once, the closest friend of her mother, Kat believes Edwina betrayed her mother during her dying days.
Intruders are a recurring motif throughout the book and Kat has to deal with many types of intruders as the story unfolds. With some surprising twists, this is a well written, enjoyable book and the girls at Mt Alvernia will love reading it. Highly recommended.
June 17, 2015
Couldn't put this novel down. Great start, good ending and the thing I love most in a story; set ups and pay offs. Yah! Kat is plagued not only by an intruder but by the death of her mother, the hours her father Jimmy works, the proximity of the treacherous next door neighbour Edie, and finally a dog named Hercules. Herc, in the way animals do, endears himself, much to Kat's chargrin, and soon she's taking him to the park where she meets Al, the perfect stranger to open up to. I enjoyed the way Herc was responsible for bringing all these people from the dog park into Kat and Jimmy's life - Bill, the policeman, Nance, the old lady. I would tend to label it convenient in a novel had I not seen it happen often in life. Sometimes before you know it; you do have a whole new circle of friends. Kat's paranoia extends as the intruder seems determined to prowl and she has to confront not only who the Hoodie-Guy with the blue cattle dog is but all the realities of her life.
June 11, 2014
I ripped through this one like a dog on steroids at an agility trial. Terrific. Gutsy, three dimensional characters displaying equal parts humility, vulnerability, and bravado while tossing around some cracker one-liners people this teenage angsty tale about losing and finding. Christine Bongers writes with dramatic heart and unabashed confidence. A pleasure to read. Teenage somethings will suck this up.
January 3, 2015
A young girl struggling with loss, loneliness and betrayal. To top it off, an intruder decides he wants more than one go at her.
I loved this book. I raced to finish it to find out what happens, but at the same time, I didn't want it to end. I laughed, tensed and cried. When I finally finished it I wanted more, for it to not end. It is so typically Australian in Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland.
I loved this book. I raced to finish it to find out what happens, but at the same time, I didn't want it to end. I laughed, tensed and cried. When I finally finished it I wanted more, for it to not end. It is so typically Australian in Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland.
June 22, 2014
Oh my wordy. Well done Chris.
March 8, 2015
Great characters, great tension. Loved the community around the dog park. A few twists, one of which I picked up early on, but it was still a great story. Couldn't put it down.
July 4, 2014
I enjoyed the story, the dysfunctional family, the surprise twists,and Herc the dog in particular. Kat Jones grew on me as a character, and Al was almost too good to be true as the boyfriend.
August 15, 2021
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars
I went to an author talk a few years ago and picked up a signed copy of this book knowing absolutely nothing about it. Slowly trying to make my way though all the unread books I have and this one has been the top of the list for a while.
While I really loved the setting (Brisbane - a place I know well) and I liked the characters and really connected with the writing, I wouldn't say I loved the book overall and I think that is mainly due to the plot not really making sense .
Reading Challenge
Aussie Readers 2021 Annual A-Z Location Challenge: Read a book in a place starting with B (Brisbane)
Aussie Readers 2021 August Reading by Numbers Challenge: Read the first book on your TBR
Aussie Readers 2021 Annual A-Z Title Challenge: Read a book that has a title starting with I
I went to an author talk a few years ago and picked up a signed copy of this book knowing absolutely nothing about it. Slowly trying to make my way though all the unread books I have and this one has been the top of the list for a while.
While I really loved the setting (Brisbane - a place I know well) and I liked the characters and really connected with the writing, I wouldn't say I loved the book overall and I think that is mainly due to the plot not really making sense .
Reading Challenge
Aussie Readers 2021 Annual A-Z Location Challenge: Read a book in a place starting with B (Brisbane)
Aussie Readers 2021 August Reading by Numbers Challenge: Read the first book on your TBR
Aussie Readers 2021 Annual A-Z Title Challenge: Read a book that has a title starting with I
April 20, 2025
Content warnings: death of a parent (in the past), cancer, grief, home invasion, animal cruelty, mentions of animal death (in the past), poisoning
I've been staring at this book on the shelves at work for NINE YEARS before finally picking it up, and I'm honestly really glad I did. Because this is a contemporary/crime story about a 14 year old girl dealing with emotional drama/grief over her mother's death and the fact that she wakes up one night to find a strange man in her house.
So yeah, it's a little dated now. But I still thoroughly enjoyed it, and I loved the fact that the protagonist is only 14 - there are all too few books with 13-15 year old protagonists.
I've been staring at this book on the shelves at work for NINE YEARS before finally picking it up, and I'm honestly really glad I did. Because this is a contemporary/crime story about a 14 year old girl dealing with emotional drama/grief over her mother's death and the fact that she wakes up one night to find a strange man in her house.
So yeah, it's a little dated now. But I still thoroughly enjoyed it, and I loved the fact that the protagonist is only 14 - there are all too few books with 13-15 year old protagonists.
July 7, 2015
Kat's life is shaken the night she wakes to find a stranger leaning over her. Her options? Agree to keep the dog her neighbour helpfully provides or spend each night with that same neighbour. In Kat's opinion, neither option is very pleasant, as she is terrified of dogs after a nasty attack and is equally determined to avoid her neighbour after she betrayed Kat's mother. So, dog it is. Enter Hercules - the world's ugliest and loveable dog.
This is an enjoyable book. Prepare yourself for plenty of dog references, drool and other 'by-products'. Enter at your own risk. But it doesn't take long for Herc to worm his way into Kat's heart (or mine), drool and all.
While the story revolves around the mysterious and creepy intruder, this book is far more than just a thriller. The suspense is merely the catalyst for Kat to closer inspect her surroundings and the people around her, prompting her to uncover family secrets and motivating her to seek companionship outsider of herself. It is Hercules who prompts Kat to connect with others, including the easy-going Al, whom she meets at the dog park. The two have an instant connection. Their friendship develops quickly but hits a few rough patches along the way before it gently becomes something more. I really enjoyed their friendship. Kat isn't an easy person for Al to connect to, always ready to retreat behind her carefully guarded walls.
Al isn't the only one Kat meets and soon she has people looking out for her all over her suburb. But the threat continues to loom, as does the influence of Kat's neighbour, Edwina (Edie to those who don't think she is a two-faced witch). The unfolding of family secrets is rather intriguing. The ending only reiterates that the true focus of the book is Kat and the people she chooses to love and include in her life. I feel the ending will spark some great conversations about why the author might have chosen to approach the ending, and the information shared, in the way that she has.
This book is set in Brisbane, Australia. All the familiar Aussie environments and references are an added bonus to this intriguing and enjoyable story about family and challenging yourself to see past the boundaries we set up to protect ourselves.
Find this review and more like it on my blog Madison's Library.
This is an enjoyable book. Prepare yourself for plenty of dog references, drool and other 'by-products'. Enter at your own risk. But it doesn't take long for Herc to worm his way into Kat's heart (or mine), drool and all.
While the story revolves around the mysterious and creepy intruder, this book is far more than just a thriller. The suspense is merely the catalyst for Kat to closer inspect her surroundings and the people around her, prompting her to uncover family secrets and motivating her to seek companionship outsider of herself. It is Hercules who prompts Kat to connect with others, including the easy-going Al, whom she meets at the dog park. The two have an instant connection. Their friendship develops quickly but hits a few rough patches along the way before it gently becomes something more. I really enjoyed their friendship. Kat isn't an easy person for Al to connect to, always ready to retreat behind her carefully guarded walls.
Al isn't the only one Kat meets and soon she has people looking out for her all over her suburb. But the threat continues to loom, as does the influence of Kat's neighbour, Edwina (Edie to those who don't think she is a two-faced witch). The unfolding of family secrets is rather intriguing. The ending only reiterates that the true focus of the book is Kat and the people she chooses to love and include in her life. I feel the ending will spark some great conversations about why the author might have chosen to approach the ending, and the information shared, in the way that she has.
This book is set in Brisbane, Australia. All the familiar Aussie environments and references are an added bonus to this intriguing and enjoyable story about family and challenging yourself to see past the boundaries we set up to protect ourselves.
Find this review and more like it on my blog Madison's Library.
December 30, 2014
A family cornered, a less than ideal single parent scenario, with both parent and child trying to cope with grief in their own way. Into this already fragile situation comes the intruder...
Many readers will feel cold chills down their spine as they read this novel, but the intrusion of an ill-intending stranger is moderated by our dislike for the main character Kat, shown best in her bristling teenage hatred for the woman who saves her. Kat's feelings are bluntly expressed, without ingenuity, by the word 'witch', used numerous times through the novel. Its use, for me, became a grating drudgery, but perhaps that's the feeling the author wished to engender in the reader.
Apart from that, these characters are drawn really well, rounded out with faults, insecurities and loveable traits. It's an exciting read.
Many readers will feel cold chills down their spine as they read this novel, but the intrusion of an ill-intending stranger is moderated by our dislike for the main character Kat, shown best in her bristling teenage hatred for the woman who saves her. Kat's feelings are bluntly expressed, without ingenuity, by the word 'witch', used numerous times through the novel. Its use, for me, became a grating drudgery, but perhaps that's the feeling the author wished to engender in the reader.
Apart from that, these characters are drawn really well, rounded out with faults, insecurities and loveable traits. It's an exciting read.
June 21, 2015
Great novel! Out of the books that I have read that are in the running for the 2015 CBCA Awards, I hope this one wins the Young Adult category. The plot twist was so shocking that it could have caused eyeball whiplash if it were possible. Great characterisation too, and I love a bit of romance but somehow the arrival of Al and his somewhat easy development into Kat's life seemed a bit unrealistic. Nonetheless it was an unrealistic trait that I enjoyed and I guess their relationship did have its own small arc in the revelation of each of their personal lives.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2016
This book is brilliant! It's about many things, one of them being the danger and hurt that is caused by doing what you think is right for someone without talking to them about it or re-evaluating the situation. This is a story about dealing with loss, growing up, overcoming fears, forgiveness and becoming a responsible dog owner. This book also boasts an incredible support cast - I'd be happy to read a book based on any of them!
April 19, 2015
This a well-paced and beautifully written novel. The reader is given tantalising pieces of information about Kat Jones and her relationship with her father that keeps the pages turning in this suspenseful story. Wonderful to hear that it has been short-listed for the CBCA book of the year awards. It definitely has my vote
December 14, 2015
Once again I'm sooo thankful we still have libraries!! Browsing through the many books on the shelf I randomly picked up Intruder and read the blurb on the back. Sounded interesting enough for me to borrow and boy was I right.
If you love a good page-turning mystery with great characters and an overall well-written story then look no further with Intruder.
If you love a good page-turning mystery with great characters and an overall well-written story then look no further with Intruder.
June 24, 2020
This was a pretty average read. Not much special. I did find it a bit confusing and dramatic at parts. I didn't really like Kat. She was so self-absorbed and just didn't seem to have any distinct characteristics. The writing itself was pretty good but felt anticlimactic in the end. I suppose it's more realistic than what I expected. 2 stars
July 16, 2014
So enjoyed reading this! Went to Chrissy's launch and heard her read the first chapter. Gripping! Read it in almost one go. Great stuff. Took my copy to Bristol and gave to friend Alayne - hope she passes it around. Coming of age summer type story with great characters and a bit of a twist.
October 24, 2014
I loved this book, so refreshing Australian.
I was hooked by the first chapter. There were no lulls (like I experience in other books)
I for one, would love another book with these characters. Maybe from Al's world? About what happened to him?
I was hooked by the first chapter. There were no lulls (like I experience in other books)
I for one, would love another book with these characters. Maybe from Al's world? About what happened to him?
March 4, 2016
This was great. Actually great. The story was creepy but Intriguing. I can't really find the words to adequately describe it but once I started all I wanted to do was keep reading. It definitely helped that it was set in brisbane so I could really picture the locations. Divine storytelling.
July 4, 2014
This is a great book; I just couldn't put it down. The fact that it's set in Brisbane is a real bonus for us as teachers. I think the girls will really love this one!
October 3, 2014
An excellent young adult novel.
April 14, 2015
Absolutely loved this book and read it all in one sitting. Had a few tears and fell in love with the "ugly" dog. Only complaint is it finished too soon - I wanted to read more.
April 22, 2015
Amazing debut from this talented Brisbane author. I was glued to each page.
April 22, 2015
Great story. Hard to put down. If you enjoyed Two Wolves or Dying to Tell Me this should appeal to you. MF. Year 6 and above.
May 21, 2015
Read this in a day. Short listed for 2015. Good read for YA fiction. Students will love it.
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