The Other Family

by Theo Baxter, Talon David (Narrator), Corey M. Snow (Narrator)

This is one family you don't want to join.

Things haven't been easy for fifteen-year-old Sam Cotton. She's just recovering from the death of her mother when her father, Jesse, has a mental breakdown.

She's taken out of his care and given to a foster family, the Bradfords. The Bradfords live in the middle of nowhere and seem like pious, God-fearing people.

But Sam soon notices some disturbing things. The forbidden rooms. The strict rules. The cameras that track her every move.

When Sam discovers that two girls previously fostered by the Bradfords have disappeared without a trace, she realises she may be in grave danger.

Sam is smart and resourceful. And she'll need to be—because the Bradfords have a dark secret. A secret that will thrust Sam into a terrifying nightmare from which she may never wake.

The Other Family is a shocking psychological thriller by the best-selling author of The Stepfather and Not My Mother .

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Suspense

Audible Audio

Published August 26, 2025

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Is the nail-biting psychological thriller in the room with us? This was so awful and just laughably unrealistic.

[Tristan Waldie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got my money’s worth ($1.99)

[Donna Mallery · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy Theo’s books, especially the Kendrick series, and I seek his books out as soon as they are released. I am pained to admit that this book wasn’t that great for me. The daughter of a man who attempted suicide is placed in the care of a religious zealot and his wife. There are 3 other girls in their care. The book centers on the abuse of the three girls, and the daughter’s attempt to break away. The foster parents are truly horrible people, but I felt like it was too repetitive. So much so that I skimmed most of the pages until the final chapters.

[Sophie Brand · Rating 1 out of 5]

absolutely shocking if i’m honest

[Heather K · Rating 2 out of 5]

*you can totally tell it was written by a man.*
I’m sorry but maybe it’s because I’ve read so many good books lately but… no. The survivalist thing being a “super subtle” nod to a future way the main character was going to save them all was annoying. The survivalist thing wasn’t annoying it itself.

[Emily Romans · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn’t put this down this weekend. What’s most unsettling is that this stuff happens in every day life now. Heartbreaking. Only short of 5 stars because a lot happens at the end and I wanted a bit more depth. Great story, ok ending.

[Tabathareads · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars. This didn’t read like a thriller to me—there were no real twists or turns. While it tackles dark themes (check content warnings), it felt more like a grim family drama than a suspenseful ride. The setup had potential, but the story dragged, and the tension never fully delivered. If you’re looking for a gripping psychological thriller, this one might disappoint.

Thanks to NetGalley & Inkubator Books for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Kirstin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Skim read the last 60%

Repetitive and not very thrilling ..

[Bernie Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Made me stay up late to get to the end. Totally and thoroughly thrilling. Also disturbing to think this could really happen.

[Lana B- thrills_chills_and_frills · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — “Not all homes are safe. Not all families are holy.” 🙏🏚️💔

The Foster Family (or however it’s titled in your copy) is a gut-wrenching psychological, TWISTED thriller that balances edge-of-your-seat suspense with deeply emotional storytelling. It’s part survival story, part cautionary tale, and it does not shy away from heavy, sensitive themes.

Fifteen-year-old Sam Cotton has already been through hell—grieving her mother’s death and watching her father Jesse crumble under PTSD. When she’s sent to live with the Bradford family, they seem like the perfect, God-fearing foster parents. But the deeper Sam looks, the more she realizes that this picture-perfect home is built on something rotten. Locked doors. Hidden cameras. Missing girls. Every new discovery tightens the knot in your stomach.

The first half moves slowly, like watching a nightmare bloom in real time. But once the truth starts unraveling, it’s impossible to stop reading. Sam’s strength and resourcefulness are incredible—she’s brave in the way that only someone with nothing left to lose can be. Her chapters are tense, heartbreaking, and full of fight, while Jesse’s perspective adds another layer of frustration and hope as he battles to save his daughter in a system that keeps failing him.

This is a tough read at times—graphic, emotional, heavy, and painfully realistic—but it’s also a story about endurance and love surviving even the darkest circumstances. The ending brought tears and relief in equal measure, and the last few pages left me exhaling for what felt like the first time in hours.

💔 Verdict: Disturbing, heartbreaking, and beautifully written—a haunting look at trauma, faith, and what it means to survive when every adult has failed you.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this powerful, emotional read.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent audiobook about a teenage girl who is placed in foster care after her father’s attempted suicide. For Samantha “Sam”, this is an unexpected blow following her mother’s death months earlier. Things get worse when this supposedly pious Minister and his wife turn out to be religious zealots with many secrets to hide. Sam’s resourcefulness is tested as she tries to help the other foster girls who have been isolated on this remote property. Sam’s dad is tireless in his effort to get to her. While this thriller is a work of fiction, it seems to mirror what has happened in the past on remote properties with cult leaders and sister-wives’ abuse.

[Wanetta · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

So, this psychological thriller was okay. I can not imagine leaving with a religious zealot and his disturbed wife. And to think this could happen in real life. Like, this can be something you hear or see on a true crime show.

* content is heavy

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Theo Baxter and Inkubator Books for an ARC of this thriller. This book was “okay” for me. The subject and content was heavy, although there was a disclaimer at the beginning. Overall a 3.5 star read in my books.

[Katie Rosenkranz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Would definitely not call this a “nail-biting psychological thriller” unless you think watching paint dry is thrilling. Zero depth and super unrealistic

[Charissa Packham · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my second book by this writer and I am just not too sure about his writing style.
He goes from reaaaallly slow, to way too fast.
With a book like this, with a very very heavy subject, I expected more depth. Not just rushed over everything. Too much was happening in this book at once and I think the writer just decided to rush it all, so he could get everything in. Its a shame because his books sound good, but just not fully doing it for me unfortunately. Who knows if I pick up another book from him.

[Kaajal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here’s one thing about me, I do not think about the book I am reading while I am reading it. I immerse myself into the story and try and become one with it. I find I enjoy books more for that.

This book is the kind that can mess with your mind. It is scary and tense and frustrating; keeping you at the edge of your seat.

15 year old Samantha “Sam” has lost her mother in a tragic accident. Her farther is an alcoholic and has PTSD; yet she loves him and does her best to help him navigate his suffering. Until it all gets too much.

Before either of them can make sense of anything, she is thrown into the foster system and placed with a Reverend and his wife, who also foster 3 other girls.

But once there Sam realises that there is something very wrong and sinister about the whole set up. Being brought up to be smart and resourceful by her father, she starts to question what is happening. Soon she realises that she is in danger and must figure out how to get out and save the other girls in the process.

If you like tense thrillers, this is a good choice. It will keep you hooked.

[Genie Cooper · Rating 1 out of 5]

I downloaded this as it was listed as "a nail-biting psychological thriller" but boy was that a mistake. overall the book was horrible. The story felt like nothing new. it was very fast paced with no real background so I felt no connections whatsoever to the characters. the whole "foster kids with overly religious creeps" has been done soooooo much before and really brought nothing to the reader. Also the forced PTSD of a war veteran was very unnecessary in this plot along with him also being a "survivalist". so many half cooked ideas that truly went nowhere. if you are a fan of psychological thrillers this book is not for you. the ONLY reason I DNF this book was I am not a quitter.

[Emmy-Mae xx · Rating 2 out of 5]

Positives
- Easy to get through, paced well.
- Complex themes that aided the plot and kept this book engaging.

Why it couldn’t be a three star:
- Depiction of the Child Protection Services/Social Services: important to represent the flaws but felt as though this was construed to the extreme.
- Predictable
- Characterisation weak throughout and also, inconsistent (especially in relation to Sam, her father and the Reverend).
- Tone was confused at points
- Unrealistic in elements (ie would have been further investigation)
- Weak prose

[Nancy L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very Disappointing!

Was Not a psychological thriller, boring and repetitive, unlikable characters and I could go on though I don't know how to express myself that well. I would Not recommend this book and I don't plan on trying another by this author! I actually change my 2 star rating to a 1.

[Marcy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I personally did not enjoy this book. Written poorly and many grammatical errors and typos.

[Mrs Kathleen Wilkinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible book.

I would not recommend this book to anyone it is truly dreadful. I
found it boring no nailbiting at all.

[Lily Mitchell · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Joni Krupp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan

[Darran Sexton · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was awful….. completely one level and unengaging.

[Karolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is my review for The Other Family by Theo Baxter

This is a deliciously dark story that had me on tenterhooks throughout most of the story. Just when you think it can’t get any darker, it does! Jesse was in the military, lost his wife a couple of years ago and is an alcoholic with a load of guns in the house and a fifteen year old daughter, called Sam. One night their next door neighbour called the police because he heard a gunshot from their house. Two cops arrived and spoke to Jesse who wasn’t happy the cops were there. He was a bit boulshi with them, Sam collaborated his story and had to explain how she had hurt her hand as it was bandaged up. The cops wanted a look in the house and then decided to take Jesse into the station where they sectioned him for three days. Sam stayed with Billie and Emily, their friends and neighbours while Jesse was away. After three days, the police still hadn’t released his home so Jesse rented a motel room. The cops and child protection services kept asking Sam questions about her dad and the incident with the gun. They didn’t like it that she stuck to her story. In the end, they managed to get Jesse’s parental rights overturned and took Sam into foster care. They placed her in the middle of nowhere with the Bradfords. They treat her terribly, take her phone away sometimes and hover over her on any personal calls. Then she learns a terrible secret and she understands why the other girls treat her differently. Then something else happens which makes Sam get in touch with Hillie and tell her to send her dad down after her, she’s not safe. This was a corker of a story and I was so enraptured by this story I couldn’t put this book down as I wanted to know what happened next. The writing was absolutely brilliant and it had been planned really well. The topic was an interesting one and had been written sensitivity and came with trigger warnings. I love this author’s books for the quality of his stories and for the range of topics that he does. I believe this is his darkest book yet.

Blurb :

This is one family you don’t want to join.

Things haven’t been easy for fifteen-year-old Sam Cotton. She’s just recovering from the death of her mother when her father Jesse has a mental breakdown.

She’s taken out of his care and given to a foster family, the Bradfords. The Bradfords live in the middle of nowhere and seem like pious, God-fearing people.

But Sam soon notices some disturbing things. The forbidden rooms. The strict rules. The cameras that track her every move.

When Sam discovers that two girls previously fostered by the Bradfords have disappeared without trace, she realises she may be in grave danger.

Sam is smart and resourceful. And she’ll need to be - because the Bradfords have a dark secret. A secret which will thrust Sam into a terrifying nightmare from which she may never wake.

[kathleen r. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unreadable. The narration is that of a 15 year old girl, interposed with that of her 20-something father; from the POV of a hopelessly alcohol dependent, morose, clinically suicidal, and likely PTSD afflicted widower, to that of his aimless and insecure adolescent daughter who cannot seem to separate the facts from the fantasy of her being able to be the only one to help her father.
Both characters are milksops. Neither one has the intellect to come in out of the rain. Neither one seems able to navigate the issues facing their very survival with any form of concrete thought.
Most irritating of all, the plot wanders all over the place. Are we to believe the daughter or the father? Who garners the most sympathy points and who just wins the prize for being moronic for most of the story.
The semi-rural setting is key. I gather the nearest town is quite some distance from where most of the action is assumed to occur. Immediately, we see that isolation breeds not just ignorance of social mores and technology, but also lends great strength to the concept that being stupid is okay, as long as you believe in god. I use the small "G"-because I am not a believer, and will not bend in the titular exception of Deity. That being said, it is no surprise that there is also a deeply ingrained belief in the theory and practice of survivalism-that jarring combination of stupidity, hoarding, low intellect and education, and poor choices of lifestyle-which made this story just cringe worthy for me.
I gave up at about the 5th chapter. I couldn't stand the "dear diary" type of input, from both father and daughter. Everything and everyone else is wrong, only they have the slightest clue about how the world is doing...or not doing, in this case. There's no plot development, no action, no formulation of detail, just an endless whinging about how awful everyone is to them both, and of course, no one can see how right they are. Naturally.
But once the bible thumping religion is thrown in, along with some generic child abuse and sexual trends that should guarantee jail, not religion, as consequence, but just to muddy the waters and make this story an abomination of fictional nonsense, I had no further interest in reading.
I don't recommend this book.
I deleted it from my devices.

[Nicole Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Inkubator Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Theo Baxter’s “The Other Family” is a dark, unsettling psychological thriller that explores grief, trauma, and survival in the face of chilling abuse. It’s a story that is as heartbreaking as it is tense, immersing you in an atmosphere of dread where every locked door hides something sinister.

The story follows fifteen-year-old Samantha “Sam” Cotton, a resilient teenager reeling from the tragic loss of her mother. Her father, Jesse, is an ex-soldier battling PTSD and alcoholism, and when his struggles spiral into a breakdown, Sam is thrust into the foster system. She’s placed with the Bradfords, a seemingly devout and respectable couple who live in a remote farmhouse and foster several other girls. At first glance, they appear to be the perfect caregivers. But Sam quickly realizes that beneath their religious façade lies a terrifying secret: strict surveillance, locked rooms, forbidden spaces, and a suffocating control that turns her new home into a nightmare.

Baxter builds suspense with skill, going from Sam’s perspective and Jesse’s as he desperately fights against bureaucratic dead ends to get his daughter back. This dual narrative adds emotional weight, contrasting Sam’s fierce determination to survive and protect the other girls with Jesse’s devastating helplessness. Their love for one another anchors the story, making the moments of danger and despair even more gut-wrenching.

The short, sharp chapters keep the pace relentless, and the writing captures both the claustrophobic horror of the Bradfords’ household and the heartbreaking resilience of its victims. The book doesn’t shy away from heavy themes, such as abuse, loss, and suicidal ideation, and you should be mindful of trigger warnings as this story gets pretty dark. While I did find the first half repetitive or certain elements unrealistic, the tension builds to a gripping second half that delivers shocking twists and, ultimately, a satisfying and emotional resolution.

Overall, “The Other Family” is Baxter at his darkest, a harrowing yet hopeful story about a girl’s fight for freedom and a father’s determination not to lose his daughter. It’s devastating, suspenseful, and unforgettable—a thriller that lingers long after the last page.

[Chhavi Gandhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

📖 Genre: Psychological Thriller ⭐ Rating: 4.5/5

📚 Overview
The Other Family by Theo Baxter is a gripping psychological thriller that delves into the harrowing experiences of fifteen-year-old Samantha (Sam) Cotton. Following the death of her mother and her father's subsequent mental breakdown, Sam is placed into foster care with the seemingly devout Bradford family. However, beneath their pious exterior lies a web of dark secrets, leading Sam into a perilous situation where her resilience and wit become her only means of survival.

🧐 What I Loved
✔ Compelling Protagonist: Sam's character is both relatable and inspiring. Her strength and resourcefulness in the face of adversity make her a protagonist worth rooting for.

✔ Atmospheric Tension: Baxter masterfully crafts an unsettling atmosphere within the Bradford household, heightening the suspense and keeping readers on edge.

✔ Thoughtful Handling of Sensitive Topics: The novel addresses heavy themes such as abuse and mental health with care, ensuring depth without resorting to gratuitous detail.

🤔 What Could Be Better
🔹 Predictability in Plot: Certain plot developments may be anticipated by seasoned thriller readers, potentially diminishing some suspense.

🔹 Supporting Character Depth: While Sam is well-developed, additional depth in secondary characters could enhance the narrative's complexity.

✨ Final Thoughts
The Other Family is a chilling and immersive read that showcases Theo Baxter's ability to intertwine emotional depth with psychological tension. Sam's journey is both heart-wrenching and empowering, making this novel a standout in contemporary thrillers.

📌 Would I recommend it? Absolutely, especially for readers who appreciate character-driven psychological thrillers with intense suspense.

[Olivia Summers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifteen year old Samantha Cotton hasn't had an easy life so far, she's still processing her mothers death and her father Jesse is dealing with ptsd after being a soldier. When he has a mental break down Sam is taken out of his care and placed with a foster family, the Bradfords. A religious couple who seem like the perfect family to help Sam. But Sam soon notices some disturbing things, foridden rooms, locked doors, strict rules, cameras that track the girls every move. The Bradfords have a dark secret that puts Sam into a terrifying nightmare from which she may never escape.

I found the first half of this book a bit slow and repetitive, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get into it. But the second half I couldn't put down. I did feel like some parts of it were very unrealistic but it was a good read.

It is a heartbreaking story, I recommend you read the trigger warnings before reading this book. I was nearly crying at a few parts, it's a devastating read. I loved Sams character she was so strong and brave to have done what she did to try and save herself and the other girls. It was so frustrating to see Jesse's pov and how he was just met with dead ends from the authorities. I was nearly shouting at the book when noone would help him. The ending was so heartwarming when Jesse got help from Dr. Sheldon.

It was a shocking story and just totally devastating, the rollercoaster of emotions this book puts you through. I'm so glad it ended the way it did.

Thank you netgalley for my copy

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole time I read this book I caught myself thinking "who hurt you, Theo?". This was the kind of read that I could not put down, but at the same time would really want to. My heart broke for Sam, a teen girl that lost her mother and had to watch her father's battle with his mental health. I found myself angry with the social worker and with law enforcement officers. I would comfort myself saying this would never happen in real life, and then be hit with the reality that some of these situations DO happen.
This was very character driven. At least for Sam and her father. Some of the other characters felt slapped together because they were necessary for the story line. I loved Sam's belief in her father and how she never gave up on him.
I was not the biggest fan of the ending. It felt rushed. There was a lot of development to the story in a very quick span of time. Both reading wise and in the storyline. Just bam bam bam. I'm not sure if you have watched The Office, but if you have, think of Michael Scott's improv classes and Threat Level Midnight. The last part of the book read to me like it was inspired by a Michael Scott film.
At the end of the day though, this is a great read. You'll get mad, you'll get sad, you'll feel hopeful and you'll be shot down again. I would recommend.
Thank you Theo Baxter for the read. Thank you Inkubator Books and NetGalley for the chance to enjoy this.