The Family

by S.E. Green

She should've gone anywhere else...

LEAH
When Leah’s daughter, Nyla, unexpectedly appears at her cabin in the Appalachian Mountains, it’s a dream come true. For five years, Leah hasn’t seen or heard from her daughter—ever since Nyla stormed out of the house, determined to go live with her idealized father.

Now she’s back. But there’s something different about Nyla. Something…off. And it’s deeper than her unsettling appearance. As Leah struggles to reconnect with Nyla, she has more questions than answers. Where has she been? What happened to her? And more importantly, what is she hiding?

NYLA
Ever since her parents’ divorce, Nyla longed to live with her charismatic father, Paul, who’s the opposite of her frivolous and overbearing mother. So, at eighteen, after yet another argument with her mom, Nyla relocates to her dad’s place in rural Tennessee.

She immediately falls in love with the slightly run-down, self-sustaining farmhouse that her father shares with a mixed collective of likeminded individuals. Secluded from society and self-contained, it’s the simple life she’s always wanted. Before long, she’s encompassed in “the family,” where everything is shared and everyone does their part. It’s perfect.

Until Paul begins to govern with an ever-expanding list of rules . . . and punishments.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Horror, Cults, Psychological Thriller, Audiobook, Cult Classics

156 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2025

About the author

S. E. Green is the award-winning and best-selling author of young adult and adult books. She grew up in Tennessee where she dreaded all things reading and writing. She didn’t even read her first book for enjoyment until she was twenty-five. After that, she was hooked! When she’s not writing, she's usually traveling or hanging out with a rogue armadillo that frequents her backyard.

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel by S. E. Green, tells the story of a child of divorced parents who chooses to live with her father and discovers his cult like living situation. It is sad and slightly scary, and one wonders at the choices some exes make and how lucky people can be to escape them. Recommended.

[Vale · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 4.5
It’s was a very short and easy psychological thriller book about a cult which really had me sucked into it. It was interesting how it switched from first person in the present to third person for the past. I would recommend 😊

[Cranky Commentary (Melinda) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nyla, the daughter of a divorced couple, leaves her mother’s house to fulfill her long time wish to go live with her absent but idealized father. Five years later, she shows back up at her mother’s house. Nyla looks very unhealthy and her personality has changed.

Great idea for a story but the opportunity was missed. It was written simply. Details and descriptions were sparse. Characters were described physically, but there was no personality development. Both Nyla and her mother’s POV were like reading very tiresome diaries.

The best thing about this was that it was short. This was very bland reading, and although it could happen (I suppose) I just never bought in to it. For a young adult who was 18 when she left home to live with another parent (! ? !!), Nyla seemed more like an impressionable child. Everyone had strange behavior with no motivations. The end was just as unbelievable.

That’s it. I’m done. Two stars.

[Sarah🥀⛓️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mom actually gifted this one to me, & holy crap I devoured this book literally in one sitting! New to this author, and would love to check out more of her work! Well written, & great plot- it’s hard to find decent stories with Cults as the focus! This story had me on the edge of my seat! Great fast paced read!

[Courtney Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick read but very interesting- love anythjng to do with cults/different societies.

An 18 year old girl goes to live with her dad and ends up in a cult

[Norma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was a great story with a Manson like cult leader.

[Tash · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read as the book has148 pages.
Though short, it managed to keep my attention and had me so curious as to what was going to happen next.
I couldn't help but feel sorry for the main character Nyla, her journey to find herself kept me hanging on.

[Hailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

S.E. Green is quickly becoming my favorite author. This is the second book I’ve read, both 5 stars reads, and every page between the two I have been hooked every second of the way. So good!

[Marrissa Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, fast-paced, I couldn’t wait to finish and find out how it wrapped up. While some details seem implausible, it didn’t bother me, I really enjoyed it.

[Sahian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the story of Nyla, who reappears at her mother’s home after years of having left. It’s a mystery what happened in that time. From the very beginning we find ourselves with foreshadowing clues, creating a feeling of dread that will follow us throughout the story.

The type of narrative was well chosen. While Leah’s perspective is told in first person, Nyla’s is in third, detaching her from a life that she probably wants to forget.

At times, descriptions are too short, straight to the point, mostly when it came to the delivery of dialogues. It could make the pacing fast, so fast that sometimes it seemed like we were watching a montage instead of feeling the depth of each and every scene.

The characters’ feelings weren’t really dived into, at least not enough to make the readers get those feelings themselves. We just got a glimpse.

I don’t think the mother’s worry was as well portrayed as it should have been. Her daughter came back after so many years and it didn’t look like much changed. Worry didn’t eat her alive like it would have done me.

Sometimes Leah would react aggressively and only regret it later. She didn’t give a lot of thought (mostly in the beginning) about what Nyla had been through and she was quick to react badly.

I don’t think the author intended as such, but I very much disliked Walker. He didn’t ask Leah nor Nyla wether they wanted his support. He assumed that it was best if he left (calling it a business trip) and came back until everything was resolved.

I would’ve wanted to see more of the commune’s ideology. How they came to have those beliefs, how Paul managed to pull everyone in.

The conclusion is satisfying, but way too short.

Overall, it was great to see the evolution of Nyla’s character and her environment. To see how she came to be this fearful but strong person.

This was a story with interesting plot points, but their development left much to be desired.

(Review first posted on Amazon.)

[Sarah Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent

Excellent, excellent read…I couldn’t put it down and devoured it in one sitting. I used this book as a palette cleanser from the genre I usually read…this story was so exciting and well written. I’m so glad I read it!

[Ashley Chowdhury · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read. It could have been executed better. I would have liked a glimpse into more of Nyla’s family history to understand the dynamics between her and her parents. And it was too short and wrapped up too quickly.

[Nathan Snowden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read. Finished it the same day I started.

[Ryanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt so predictable and short. Ugh.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leah’s daughter returns home after being gone for 5 years living on a cultish commune with her batshit father.

I think this book’s WTF-am-I-reading-page-turn-ability helps to gloss over some of the flaws of this book. Ex: The daughter in this book reads like a 13 year old during a time where she is written to be 18, plotholes, flat writing at times, etc.

[Natalie Schneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Cindy Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

S. E. Green is quickly becoming one of my favs. Another 5 star review. Excellent read!

[Cari Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read, couldn’t put it down, great short story.

[Christine Cazeneuve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced and never dull. You can knock this out in a couple hours. For a short book it's very entertaining and I will definitely be reading more from this author.

[Madeline · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t finish this book. I am uncomfortable with cults, unbalanced people and females who must live with no doors and all that it implies. Also prefer heterosexual characters. I’m just old-fashioned, I guess.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Bethany Cousins · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Family is a dark thriller, a story about a girl who leaves her overbearing mother to go live on a rural farm with her father. The narrative is told from the alternating perspectives of Leah and her daughter Nyla, detailing the horrific occurrences that Nyla endures and her journey back to her mother five years later. While mysterious and eerie, the story felt clipped or rushed, as well as predictable in places. But overall it was an engaging, shorter read.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was enjoying BUT!

I've read over 1,000 books, mostly on Kindle. I've given some books ⭐. I gave this book ⭐⭐⭐ mainly because I was enjoying the story. Then I think S. E. Green just dropped the ball. Fumble! Loses the game, I mean, she just dropped off at the end. A little more creativity on the ending for the next book. Good part? Three quarters was good. I'm an older woman who doesn't have much else to do but escape in reading.

[a🧚‍♀️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars ⭐️

[buzy_reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

After her parents divorce Nyla lived with her mom until an argument broke out between them. Nyla left to live with her father in Tennessee. She hadn’t spoken to her mom in five years. Nyla shows up at her moms house emaciated, disheveled and dirty with no luggage leaving her to question what happened to her.
…
Leah offered a privileged lifestyle for Nyla of which she hadn’t appreciated. Instead she desired a simpler lifestyle one that her father could provide. Nyla returned a different person one who Leah didn’t recognize. Nyla has yet to come clean with her mother about the place she was living at with her father.
…
I found the relationship between mother and daughter fascinating. Nyla was cruel with her mother being upset at the excessive lifestyle. The relationship between father and daughter was bizarre. Nyla didn’t question his actions the same way she did her mothers. It’s a battle between right and wrong. Nyla saw her mothers frivolous lifestyle as excessive. Nyla saw her fathers simple lifestyle as natural. Except he had a few flaws that went ignored. When Leah had flaws Nyla questioned her and stormed out of the house. I guess the difference is fear and control. Nyla feared her father. He held control over her. While she embraced the lifestyle he offered she also didn’t understand the true purpose of his life.
…
I do not gravitate towards books about communes or cults, yet this one called to me in a very different way. For one SE Green spent the time focusing on the transition of Nyla’s character. We see a change happen from the point she began living with her father to the point she began healing at the cottage. Nyla’s journey was remarkable because most individuals who live in an isolated community become manipulated to the point of no return. The brainwashing is hard to overcome. Nyla’s character had a specific purpose.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if your young adult daughter returns home after no contact for five years? What if she has a shaved head, is very thin, and is acting strangely? It's not what you might think!
Leah
"When Leah’s daughter, Nyla, unexpectedly appears at her cabin in the Appalachian Mountains, it’s a dream come true. For five years, Leah hasn’t seen or heard from her daughter—ever since Nyla stormed out of the house, determined to go live with her idealized father.Now she’s back. But there’s something different about Nyla. Something…off. And it’s deeper than her unsettling appearance. As Leah struggles to reconnect with Nyla, she has more questions than answers. Where has she been? What happened to her? And more importantly, what is she hiding?
Nyla
Ever since her parents’ divorce, Nyla longed to live with her charismatic father, Paul, who’s the opposite of her frivolous and overbearing mother. So, at eighteen, after yet another argument with her mom, Nyla relocates to her dad’s place in rural Tennessee.
She immediately falls in love with the slightly run-down, self-sustaining farmhouse that her father shares with a mixed collective of likeminded individuals. Secluded from society and self-contained, it’s the simple life she’s always wanted. Before long, she’s encompassed in “the family,” where everything is shared and everyone does their part. It’s perfect." Or is it? synopsis copied

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In "The Family," we are taken on a journey through the strained relationship between Leah and her daughter, Nyla. This compelling narrative dives deep into the complexities of family dynamics, personal growth, and the haunting shadows of past decisions.

The author masterfully builds suspense, keeping readers on edge as they piece together the mystery of Nyla's past and her transformation. The emotional depth of the characters and their flawed, yet relatable, motivations make this story resonate deeply.

"The Family" is a poignant exploration of the bonds that tie us together and the secrets that can tear us apart. It's a haunting reminder of the lengths we go to for those we love and the strength it takes to confront painful truths. This book is a must-read for anyone who appreciates a story that delves into the heart of family relationships with unflinching honesty and emotional intensity.

[Angel **Book Junkie** · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Family by S.E. Green was an interesting read with a premise that immediately caught my attention. The dark, cult‑like atmosphere and the tension between loyalty and survival made for a compelling setup. There were moments where the story pulled me in and I wanted to know what would happen next.

That said, the execution didn’t fully deliver for me. The pacing felt uneven, and at times the narrative dragged instead of building suspense. Some of the characters had potential but didn’t feel fully fleshed out, which made it harder to connect with them or care deeply about their choices. While the book had flashes of intensity and intrigue, it ultimately fell a little flat compared to what I was hoping for.

Overall, this was a solid 3‑star read. It had an engaging concept and some memorable scenes, but it didn’t quite sustain the momentum or emotional impact I wanted. Readers who enjoy dark family dramas and cult‑style thrillers may still find it worth picking up.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in a day in part because it is a short novel, but also because I could relate to the characters and their struggle to reunite. It's disturbing that there are evil yet charismatic people who are able to brainwash others into a life of submission and fear. Leah the mother in the story questions how she could have contributed to her daughter's willingness to join a cult. Sadly, cult leaders rarely pay the price for their actions and simply move on to other victims. The story is told from the POV of Nyla, the daughter, and Leah her mother. I was disappointed that Walker, the boyfriend, and Ava the other victim never really developed as characters. I'll be reading more of S.E. Green's books.

[Bridget Hollister · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping Fast Read

As a “Coming of Age Fiction” novel, it grabs your attention from the first page. My only disappointment was that it was only about 150 pages. Nyla was a very relatable character whose yearning to live with her father in a more simple life and wanting to be daddy’s girl is very relatable. Unfortunately her vision of her father being perfect started changing immediately when she arrived and she had to call her dad Paul. She started seeing him for the person he really was. Her courage to free Ava, herself and their children from the cult Paul created was powerful.