Iluka

by Cassie Stroud

'Knife sharp perception ... fiction that is an absolute pleasure to read,' Emily Maguire, author
This vivid, engrossing, beautifully crafted family drama from an exciting debut author charts the hurtful messes, complicated relationships and profound loves of three siblings.


After their grandfather's death, siblings Helen, Sylvie and Brendan, and Helen's daughter, film student Tig, are gathered together at Iluka, a typical fibro beach house in a small town on the south coast. Iluka is the house they grew up in when their troubled mother ran away to the bright lights of the city, leaving their grandparents to raise them.

As they slowly clear the house for sale and relive various memories, they find a bundle of letters addressed to each of them from their missing mother, Marguerite, that were sent long after they'd been told she died.

Their world shifts on its axis, as the siblings begin to question everything they have been told. Why did their grandmother hide these letters? Was their grandfather complicit? And could the mother they thought they had lost still be alive?

Viewed through the unsparing eye of Tig's camera, we watch a family first implode then reform around a new reality, a reality that brings with it profound change in the way they view themselves and each other.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Family

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2026

About the author

Cassie Stroud is a writer, editor and fiction scout. She has worked as a bookseller at Brays Books, WellRead and Collins Booksellers. She also reviews books for fellow readers on her Instagram page.

She has a BA in Creative Writing, has completed writing mentorships with Kirsten Tranter and Emily Maguire, and the ‘Inside Story’ course with Tessa Hadley, via the Curtis Brown Institute.

Cassie lives in a 1950s house on Sydney’s north shore with her husband, son and their Siamese cat. Iluka is her first novel.

Reviews

[Jaclyn]

Things I love:
*Debut Australian novels
*Sibling dynamics
*Houses as characters (think The Past by Tessa Hadley, The Turner House by Angela Flournoy, The Dutch House by Ann Patchett)
*Compressed timeframes (one week in this case)
*Family secrets being revealed
*Beautiful prose
Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, big tick. Cassie Stroud knows fiction and I’m delighted by how beautifully she writes it herself. I’m really looking forward to talking to @bri.e.lee about this book on News & Reviews.

[Gloria (Ms. G's Bookshelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️4 Stars⭐️
Iluka by Cassie Stroud is an incredible debut and a wonderfully powerful and gripping family drama.

The story centres around siblings Helen, Sylvie and Brendan and Helen’s daughter Tig who travel to Beecham Point on the coast of NSW to clear out their grandparents home, Iluka. The old beach house brings out their childhood memories and living there with their grandparents.

When they discover old letters from their mother it brings about confusion and a whole lot of pain, is their mother still alive?

The characters were so life like and believable, I was so intrigued with the dysfunctional family dynamics and the tension held between them all. Each character fascinated me!

I liked how the book was divided into different sections and different narrators.

Overall an absorbing and moving story with a fabulous Aussie setting that made me feel I was near that beach, smelling the sea salt, hearing the waves and walking the floorboards of the home. The writing is expertly crafted, has lots of depth and good pacing.

I wanted more at the end.

Highly recommend this debut and I am looking forward to the next book Cassie writes.

Publication Date 28 January 2025
Publisher HQ Fiction AU

I read this as part of the HQ Insiders team, thank you so much Harlequin Australia for my copy of the book.

[Michele (michelethebookdragon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

How is this a debut? We really do have some incredible writers here in Australia because this was such an incredible story.

Iluka is the house that Helen, Sylvie and Brendan grew up in. Not with their parents, but with their grandparents, Iris and Paddy. After being abandoned by their mother Marguerite when Brendan was a baby, they grew up in the idyllic seaside town of Beecham Point.

While they are cleaning out the house after Paddy's death their world is turned upside down and inside out when they discover letters to each of them from their mother dated well after they had thought her to be deceased.

With all of them carrying scars from their childhood, this revelation is devastating. Is their mother still alive?

The writing was so good. I got the feeling of Iluka and I could hear the ocean from the sunroom window, feel the creak in the floorboards, hear the gravel crunching on the driveway. I could sense the tension between these siblings that had long felt abandoned by their mother, then cheated of the chance of having a relationship with her.

There was such a range of emotions within these pages and the characters came to life so easily and quickly. Helen, the eldest, who remembers too much, Sylvie who is detached and stoic and Brendan who can only rely on what he has been told.

Another incredible debut by an Australian author. This story would translate to the screen so well and I would love to see that happen.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to HQ Insiders for my ARC in return for a review.

Iluka is Cassie Stroud’s debut novel, due for release in February 2026.

The family drama, where 3 siblings are thrown back together after their Grandfather passes away and they have to clean the house out and get it ready to possibly sell or do with however they decide. However, we soon find out that all was never as it seemed and there’s a shift in dynamics for each family member involved & they struggle in their own ways to deal with it.

I did enjoy the novel to a certain degree, but found it dragging along at some points.

I do however look forward to reading Cassie’s future books

[Lisa Fleming · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassie Stroud’s debut novel is a slice of Australian nostalgia - I felt I’d stepped back into the sounds, scenes and lifestyle of a coastal town and inner Sydney suburbs; eras in which I have my own lived experience.

Iluka highlights what it is for young women to yearn for freedom. Iris chooses to break away from the norms and traditions of her 1960s high society family to marry and move to the coast.
Margaret her daughter begins her quest for freedom with the lure of a boy and the stage, in the early 1980s; a changing, modern era but fundamentally her story is one of escaping family. It’s messy, a story of survival, struggle and loss.

Helen, Sylvie and Brendan,siblings, come together to clean out their deceased great grandma and grandpa’s home, Iluka. Stroud so beautifully reveals their shared experiences, trauma responses, survival mechanisms and hopes, as they navigate this time in their childhood home.

Throw into the mix letters from their absent/ presumed dead mother and emotions erupt. Tegan, Helen’s daughter, with her videos, captures what her family can’t plainly see - she’s family but distant enough to perceive so much. Will she share her candid video with her family? How might it be received, or will she decide it’s too damaging?

Definitely keep reading to the end, which may pose more questions than answers. I feel it masterfully brings threads together to create hope, clarity and opportunities for potential healing.

I’ve got to mention how gorgeous the painting on the dust cover by Jon Doran is; it creates a landscape for the beach cottage and its inhabitants to play out their lives in.

[Natalie M · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up for this debut author.

A genuine family saga that is told in such an authentic way I could envisage the issues. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I thought I would for the genre. It is not very common for me to say the book could have been longer, but this one would have benefited from more character depth. The three timelines to deliver the three protagonists POVs is where I lost my connection, it was jarring.

Beautiful writing, excellent setting and fantastic potential. I’ll definitely be on the look out for this author’s next book.

[Mel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m clearly in the minority here; I’ve totally missed what others have lauded, especially in the quality of the writing: the curious character traits; the inconsequential, laboured details, and; the underdeveloped (pivotal) moments - or blatant gaps - that could have given the story some emotional depth.
I did not find the story, characterisations or ideas to be explored in a compelling manner. The dynamics and tensions between the family seemed forced or overly dramatic and I found the representation of Tegan’s filmmaking to be a bit cringeworthy.

[Helen - Great Reads & Tea Leaves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Iluka is Cassie Stroud’s debut novel, a multi-generational family saga and their grandparents home in a small, classically Australian coastal town. The story follows the family across different time periods, uncovering long-held secrets, fractured relationships, and the emotional fallout of past choices.

Three siblings - Helen, Sylvie, and Brendan - return to their grandparents beach house on the New South Wales coast to settle their late grandfather’s estate. While clearing out the home, they discover a series of letters proving that their mother, whom they believed had died decades ago, was actually alive and writing to them for years. As they work through family secrets and deception, the novel explores inherited trauma and the fragile nature of memory, all captured through the lens of a granddaughter’s film project.

The Australian setting provides a real atmosphere to the novel. The jumping backward and forward between timelines can be a challenge at times, and while the family drama is intense, I didn’t personally connect with the characters.

Still, I do recommend Iluka to readers who enjoy emotionally rich family sagas filled with many emotions and complex dynamics.

[Tabetha (tabsbooknook) · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC review : Iluka
2.5 rounded up to 3 stars
Thank you to HQ Insiders (Australia) for sending me an early copy.
After their grandfather passes, 3 siblings return to their childhood home of Iluka where there grew up after their mother dumped them there. While packing up their childhood home, the siblings discover something about their mother and it turns their lives upside down.
Unfortunately this book was just not for me. I can’t quite pinpoint what didn’t work for me, so I’m sure this was just a case of wrong book, wrong time.

[Anna Loder · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a debut!!!!! I could see iluka so clearly, ‘the cottage peering over the bush to the sea’..the setting was so well done! And what a plot..dead grandparents and a house clearing are just the beginning! What a character driven novel..I loved seeing the story playing out through Tig’s uni film assignment..I cannot wait to read whatever Cassie Stroud writes next! I agree with Emily Maguire it ‘is an absolute pleasure to read’

[Caroline Poole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The quote about tangled webs created by first being deceived comes to mind, particularly when it’s close family connections that are entwined here.
This novel takes you deep into the family dynamics of Helen, Sylvia and Brendan following the death of their grandfather.
There are different perspectives, opinions and emotions displayed which really makes you consider that each individual has their own unique experience to work through, and so don’t we all.
Great Australian setting, love the beach and small town backdrop, enjoyed the time and narrative changes also.
Thanks HQ Insiders for the advance copy from an exciting debut author.😊

[Linda Quatermass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set on the south coast of NSW it’s an easy read with comfortable familiar family members dealing with a grandparents death and the host of memories that spring from that. I enjoyed how each family member had a different memory, a different reality to their siblings. A pleasant read about an uncomfortable topic.

[Karan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable audiobook.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three siblings grow up living g with their grandparents, thinking their mother passed away when they were young.
After their grandparents pass away they find a bundle of letters their mother wrote to them.
What happens when the truth you thought you knew wasn’t the truth?
Helen Sylvia and Bren work their way through this new reality with Helen’s daughter Tegan filming their interactions for her uni assignment.
How will each sibling deal with this news??

[Juanita Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This debut author served up a family saga with more than the usual drama. Thank you to HQ Insiders for the opportunity to read and review this soon to be published book by Cassie Stroud.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow this was a powerful read!! I felt emotionally battered as I read the final sentence. And a bit concerned about what would happen after because some stories don’t finish just because you close the cover.
Helen, Sylvie and Brendan were raised by their grandparents Iris and Paddy after their mother leaves them and later dies. When Paddy passes away sometime after Iris the three siblings return to the house they were raised in to clear it out and decide on its future.
Accompanying them is Helen’s daughter Tig, a first year university student intending to use the time to work on a school project. And when Sylvie discovers a shoebox full of letters from their mother Marguerite, including one addressed to each of them dated after she was said to have died, Tig seizes on an opportunity to create a unique, family-focused film captured during a tense and troubled time.
This is a beautifully descriptive book that took me back to the times I spent at my aunt and uncle’s beach house when I was growing up. I could picture the house and the scrub and the beach so clearly and that made me even more invested in the book.
The property, Iluka, is almost an additional family member in a book containing a multitude of complicated family members spanning four generations.
Something that really stood out to me is the generational trauma. Trauma doesn’t have to be physical or sexual or emotional, it can be unintentional and cause just as much pain and damage. There is so much going unspoken between each generation and I think the ‘rules’ of parenting has weighed heavily on Iris, Marguerite and Helen. Each believes their daughter has taken the wrong path in life without knowing or recognising the impact her own life has had on them.
Another curiosity was the use of first names. Helen, Sylvie and Brendan always refer to their mother as Marguerite and their grandmother as Iris. The closest to an affectionate name is for their grandfather, Paddy. I found that this oddity could be a further indication of ‘no love lost’ between the generations.
Before beginning this book I didn’t realise it was broken into four parts (or I didn’t pay attention to that detail) and as part one went on I was starting to feel it was dragging but then bam! part two was revealed and the story changed perspective. And it changed again in part three before coming full circle in part four. Dividing the book into four parts gives the reader a deeper understanding of what each woman experienced in her life and the flow-on effect this had with the generation to follow.
I can highly recommend this debut novel from Cassie Stroud and I will wait with interest for her second.
*Thank you to HQ Insiders for this ARC in exchange for an honest review*

[Bine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iluka by Cassie Stroud is a reflective novel about family, memory, and the stories we inherit—both the ones we’re told and the ones that are kept from us.

The novel follows three siblings who reunite after their grandfather’s death to clean out the family home on the NSW south coast. In the process, they uncover a series of letters written by their mother to their grandmother.

Their mother died years earlier, and as the letters surface, it becomes clear that the version of events the siblings grew up with may not have been the full truth—particularly around why their grandmother ultimately raised them.

Stroud explores both past and present relationships with a lot of nuance. The siblings’ current dynamic is strained and guarded, with much left unsaid about their adult lives, while the past—especially their relationship with their mother and grandparents—slowly comes into focus through memory and correspondence.

What’s especially interesting is how the letters don’t always align with what the siblings remember, highlighting how shared history can be experienced very differently by each individual.

The story is broken into parts and perspectives, which helps piece together a fuller picture of the family’s past and the long-lasting consequences of decisions made a generation earlier. In many ways, this feels like a story about an ordinary family, but one shaped by secrets, misunderstandings, and emotional distance—messy in a very believable way.

The pacing is medium and measured, giving the story space to breathe. One of the strongest elements is the setting: the rundown beach shack on the NSW south coast is vividly drawn, to the point where you can almost hear the waves crashing outside.

While I didn’t fully connect with the characters on an emotional level, I still found Iluka to be an engaging and thoughtful read. It’s a novel that rewards patience and reflection, and it will likely resonate with readers who enjoy character-driven stories about family, memory, and the complexities that echo across generations.

Thank you so much Harlequin Australia for providing me an Advanced Readers Copy as part of their HQ Insider program! I really appreciate receiving a copy and will watch out for more books by Cassie Stroud.

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 5 out of 5]

New South Wales, Beecham Point. After their grandfather's Paddy Kelly’s death, siblings Helen, Sylvie and Brendan, and Helen's daughter, university film student Tegan (Tig), return to Iluka, the old fibro beach house he built. The children grew up here, after their dysfunctional mother left them to live in Sydney and they were raised by their grandparents.

Helen isn’t sure if she wants to sell the dwelling, and despite it being rundown, and Sylvia and Bren do. They have to sort through decades of clutter, make piles to keep and giveaway and it brings up all kinds of memories.

They find a bundle of letters addressed to each of them from their missing mother, Marguerite, they were sent years ago and yet their grandmother Iris informed them she died. Helen, Sylvia and Brendan start to question everything they have been told, believing Iris was the instigator of the deceit and why did Paddy go along with it and could their mother still be alive?

The dual timeline narrative is told in three parts, in present time, the late 1970’s and early 1960’s and from the main characters points of view, Helen, Marguerite (Margaret) and Iris.

Helen is old enough to remember what it was like living in a share house with Marguerite and their absent father Jake, this had a huge impact on her and she was very protective of her younger sister and brother. Sylvia has trouble with committing, she’s restless and similar personality to her mum and Brendan can’t remember life before Beecham Point.

I received a copy of Iluka by Cassie Stroud from NetGalley and Harlequin Australia in exchange for an honest review. The gripping and cleverly layered family drama, looks at issues such as; complicated relationships, secrets and lies, siblings and how history has a habit of repeating itself, and teenage rebellion and drug addiction, abandonment, and the challenges of motherhood.

A five star debut by Ms Stroud, it will have you thinking about the Nowak children, Marguerite, and the pain and emotional damage both she and Iris caused long after you turned to last page and why some people shouldn't have kids.

[Gillian Gates · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was engaged and captivated from the first page of this debut novel right through to the end. Iluka is the name of the small fibro house which Paddy had lovingly built for Iris,his wife, in 1961. It was situated on the beach front in a small town called Beecham Point. This was where the three siblings, Helen, Sylvie and Brendan were brought up and looked after by their Grandparents, Paddy and Iris. They grew up believing that their mother, Marguerite, had died. This was all about to change when both their Grandparents had passed away. They all gathered to Iluka to sort out what was to become of the house and its belongings. As they began sorting through the items, they came across some letters belonging to their mother. Was she still alive and if so, why didn’t they know?

Helen and Sylvie, “couldn’t understand or find a reason to what had happened. At least one that made sense to them. They could have had a completely different life. They could be completely different people, if they had stayed with their real mother.”

The story was written in four parts which I liked. Part one was set in the present day, part two was about Iris their grandmother, part three about Marguerite their mother and part four in the present day again tying it all together at the end.

I liked the character of Helens daughter, Tegan. She wanted to capture all the memories and to understand what was going on around her. She found a wonderful way to do this through taking images and videos on her camera.

The story has many themes including lies, secrets, deceit, friendships, family drama. It also has complicated relationships between mothers and children, husband and wife, the three siblings, and between women.

I found this to be beautifully written, very emotional and heartbreaking to think a mother could leave her three children with someone else to raise, love and look after and not be a part of their lives.

I loved this debut story, I highly recommend reading this wonderful book. Thank you to HQ Insiders for allowing me to read this ARC of Iluka. I thoroughly enjoyed this and give it five stars. Looking forward to Cassie Stroud’s next book.

[Jackie McMillan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about four generations of women in the same family. After the death of their grandfather, Helen and Sylvie return to the home their grandmother Iris raised them in after the death of their mother, Margaret (Marguerite). They, and their sibling Brendan, are packing it up, and in doing so, stumble upon something that reframes how they see themselves and their mother. Helen's daughter, Tegan, is a film student, and captures the rupture on film. Helen, in particular, unravels: "It was just that all the things were so imbued with Iris and Paddy and their history, an emotional load that was intensified even further by the added tragedy of Marguerite, and under the weight of this she found it hard to even empty a single drawer."

In a pretty coastal locale this introspective book is surprisingly engaging. The only thing I didn't really like was the structure: going from the present day about halfway through to begin with Margaret's life, then straight after going back to her mother, Iris. I guess though what was interesting is why each of the women—Iris, Margaret, Helen—are the mothers that they were, and how that plays out on the personalities and mothering of the next generation. In short: intergenerational trauma.

The book is also a study of how three siblings react to and relate through the loss of a parent: "A triangle of moveable loyalty, affection and attention." None of the three are particularly likeable: "Helen and Sylvie spoke to each other as if trying to avoid injury on the prickly edges of each other's personality." However as the book plays out, and through Marguerite's letters, you get to see what bits of their personality preexisted losing her. For a bad mother, she's surprisingly sage: "But with Helen, well, she remembers the past. She knows. And I know she knows. If that makes sense? We have more to untangle."

With thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for sending me a copy to read.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sensitive story of a complicated family both coming together and falling apart. It is at once gentle and sharply perceptive. I found it quietly moving, and an absorbing and surprisingly fast read.

This is a novel about people, and so the action is pretty minimal. I found it absolutely riveting regardless: I was so interested in each member of this family and in the decisions they would make that I read it in an evening.

For example, a substantial part of what we see is framed by Tig’s camera. Helen’s daughter, and an aspiring film-maker, Tig is amassing footage for a uni assignement. She films both the environment and her family. But Tig is also hearing impaired. Stroud is very fuzzy about the cause of that impairment, the extent of it, and how Tig addresses it. But her descriptions of some of the daily challenges for a hearing impaired child are spot on, and sensitive. I speak as someone with a hearing impaired child the same age as Tig.

Tig is a step removed from the family drama, being younger and not knowing much of the history. I shared her interest in learning more, and I was curious to know what decisions she’d make about her footage and how it should be used – and if it should be used.

Each character comes to life in the same way: they’ve all got distinct personalities, have very particular problems, and are wrestling with big decisions. And they don’t necessarily agree on “family” decisions either. This is what hooked me into the book and kept me fascinated: these strong, vivid characters and the question of what they were going to do.

Stroud has a highly readable style, and although she often switches narrative perspective, you’re never in doubt about whose head you’re in.

This is very enjoyable to read, and has depth and complex issues which leave you with a lot to think about even after finishing the novel. Highly recommended.

[Amanda Cruickshanks]

Another fabulous novel written by a debut author who will surely be heard again as this book was so memorable in many ways.

We follow the lives of 3 siblings Helen, Sylvie & Brendan who all return to the homestead of their grandparents who actually brought them all up there due to their real mother who was very unsettled with her own life and couldn't look after the small children. They were told their mum had died.

Helen brings her daughter Tegan to help out plus she is a budding film student who decides to film everyone for a class project. Brendan arrives with his wife and 2 small kids as well. Sylvia is on her own.

In cleaning out the house, memories are stirred of their mum and their grandparents Iris and Paddy.

It is whilst they are cleaning that Tegan finds a box with letters written by her grandmother Marguerite to Iris and letters addressed to Helen, Sylvia and Brendon. Strange, how could that be, she died from the dates given.

I loved how the book comes in parts of the siblings, then the story of Marguerites life and then Iris's life. It truly helps you to understand what went on and how Marguerite's life spiraled for her.

Whilst reading I could visage what the house looked like being on the south coast.

This is an enjoyable read and I found the book really interesting. Nothing like family drama to capture your attention when reading.

The cover of the book is intriguing although this uncorrected reading copy is not the final cover which is unfortunate as I find it very different in a haunting way. I look forward to reading more of Cassie Stroud in the future.

Thank you to @Harlequinaus for sending me this book to read. I wasn't able to start reading straight away as my husband had a hip operation and then I had shingles jab that left me with a sore arm. Once I could pick up the book, that was me gone into oblivion of reading.

[Davena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iluka by Cassie Stroud

I was meant to read this book: I had requested and approved an eARC from NetGalley and was midway through when my WellRead book club subscription arrived. When I opened the package, I saw this beautiful cover art, so I'll be able to add the hardcopy to the little lending library I've recently set up on my desk at work.

Iluka is a beautifully crafted family drama by debut author Cassie Stroud. After their grandfather's death, siblings Helen, Sylvie and Brendan, along with Helen's daughter, Tegan (or Tig), arrive at Iluka, the fibro beach house they grew up in, as they clear the house for sale, navigate their relationships, their grief and relive childhood memories, they find a bundle of letters from their mother, sent after they'd been told she had died.

This book has the same sense of intimacy and familiarity that I loved about Sunbathing by Isobel Beech, and the same sense of complicated family connections as in A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan (which also happens to be set in a beachouse). Iluka also conveys a strong sense of place and captures fleeting moments with great depth, often using Tig's documentary-style filming as a device to interrogate them.

Also, Iluka has gorgeous cover art. It's a beautiful oil painting called 'Morning Swimmer 6' by Jon Doran (@jon_doran), which I think perfectly captures the mood, right down to the slight 'glitches' in the brushwork that visually connect to the miscommunication and time jumps in the story.

Thank you to @netgalley, @harlequinaus and @wellread__ for copies of this book. Iluka by Cassie Stroud was released on the 28th January.
If you liked Sunbathing by Isobel Beech, A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan or The Grapevine by Kate Kemp (which I've been recommending a lot recently), then I think you'll enjoy this one.

#Thumbsup

#netgalley #booksdeevaareads #2026bookshelf #Iluka

[Stacy Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iluka is Cassie Stroud’s debut novel, a story centred on family, secrets, and the pull of the past.
I received an advanced copy to read and review.

The novel follows three siblings—Helen, Sylvie and Brendan—who reunite at their childhood home, Iluka, after the death of their grandfather, Paddy. Set in the coastal town of Beecham Point, Iluka sits close to the ocean and becomes more than just a house to be packed up and sold; it is a place steeped in memories and unanswered questions. Helen’s daughter, Tegan (known as Tig), joins them as the family gathers to sort through a lifetime of belongings.

The siblings have always believed their mother, Marguerite, died while they were living with their grandparents. That belief is shattered when they discover a series of letters addressed to them and to their grandparents—some written far more recently than expected. As the truth begins to unravel, long-buried questions surface: why were the letters hidden, did their grandfather know about them, and why were the children left to be raised by their grandparents in the first place?

Running alongside this emotional unravelling is Tig’s perspective. Filming the family’s time at Iluka for a university assignment, she becomes both observer and participant. Her growing friendship with the family next door, and a developing connection with one of them, adds another layer to the story and offers moments of light amid the family tension.

Stroud’s debut is rich with emotion and quiet intrigue, capturing the complexities of family relationships and the way the past continues to shape the present. The ending feels deliberately open, leaving the sense that Iluka still has more stories to tell. By the final page, I was left hoping this is the beginning of a series, as the characters and their history feel far from finished.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

With thanks to HQ Insiders for my ARC to read and review.

When their final grandparent died, siblings Helen, Sylvie and Brendan arrived at Iluka, the small cottage they'd lived at most of their childhoods. Tegan, Helen's eighteen year old daughter, accompanied her mother, with her camera working overtime as she prepared for a uni assignment when she returned to Sydney. As the ramshackle old place was slowly emptied of all the evidence of years gone by: to the tip, to Vinnies, to keep - a bundle of letters were found. The shock of the siblings was immense, as they were from their mother, Marguerite, who, they'd been told by their grandmother, had died many years ago...

As the confused and shattered siblings reacted in different ways, Tegan continued to film. Sylvie went swimming most mornings, Brendan had his wife and two daughters there, and Helen fell to pieces. Still they needed to ready Iluka for sale. What would be the future for them all now they knew more about their past?

Iluka is the debut novel by Aussie author Cassie Stroud and I'm conflicted at how I feel about this novel. The jumping backward and forward in timeframes saw me struggling a bit, confused about where we were. Unfortunately there were no likeable characters - perhaps Brendan, and Tegan - but even they weren't particularly entrancing. The scenery however, was delightful, set near the ocean in the bush of NSW, Australia. Recommended to fans of contemporary fiction.

With thanks to NetGalley & Harlequin Enterprises AU for my digital ARC to read and review.

[Lyn Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to HQ Insiders for an ARC of this book to review.

Siblings Helen, Sylvia and Brendan arrive at their grandfather Paddy's house Illuka post his passing to clear out the house where they all grew up. Their grandmother Iris has already passed and all that is left is to clear out Illuka. Tegan, Helen's daughter is a film student so films this event for part of her studies.

The three siblings find the clearing of Illuka to be cathartic in more ways that one. Each of them have lives that have become more complicated than they would have liked. In Illuka, they find letters from their mum Margaret (aka Marguerite), who was thought to have died when they were young of a drug addiction. However it appears that Iris and Paddy were not quite as truthful as they were led to believe and that she didn't die and in fact wanted to be part of their lives, but was kept from doing this by Iris. What kept Iris from allowing this and why did Paddy seemingly go along with this ruse, never once letting on, even after Iris' passing?

Tegan's filming and insights into her mum, aunt and uncle provide us with a third party perspective, reminding us that there are always different ways to view the same scenario, especially those that include family dynamics.

I did enjoy this read, parts of the book felt a little slow at times and I did keep waiting for a big reveal lor twist that didn't happen. The storyline did keep me engaged, however there were some storylines that I felt had been built up and then remained unfinished. Perhaps this was the intent of the author, Cassie Stroud, to keep us, the reader wondering about the characters of Illuka a little longer after finishing the book. If this is the intent, then for me, it worked.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Families can be full of drama, but this family is hiding a bombshell.

Siblings Helen, Sylvie, and Brendan return to their childhood home, Iluka, following the death of their grandfather. After their mother left them with their grandparents and later passed away when they were young, their grandparents became parental figures in their lives. Now, the siblings must sort through the house and decide what to do with Iluka.

During the clean up, Helen’s daughter Tegan, who is filming the family for a college project, along with Sylvie, discovers a collection of letters written by their mother long after the time she was believed to have died. This shocking discovery raises the possibility that their mother may not be dead after all, reopening old wounds and unresolved emotions. The siblings are forced to confront their past and decide where to go from here.

The book is beautifully written and does a great job of exploring the different family dynamics between each sibling. However, I found the build up a little slow, and when the bombshell was revealed, the story again took some time to reach its conclusion. When it did conclude, it left me wanting to know more.

I enjoyed the four-part structure of the novel, which moves between the present-day perspective of the siblings, the past involving their mother Marguerite, the grandmother Iris’s experiences, and then back to the present. Seeing these different perspectives added depth to the story and provided insight into what both the mother and grandmother endured.

Overall, Iluka is a great, cosy read with rich family dynamics and emotional depth.

[Julie (Bookish.Intoxication) · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the first page, we are thrown into what feels like, generations of unresolved trauma, rough childhoods and loving grandparents who try to change the world for their grand children.

'Iluka' feels like such a magical place, Cassie Stroud has described the ultimate, Aussie beach shack-turn-house. The bush block, the views, the sounds of the ocean coming through weathered windows. It is so easy to picture, to see their family there.

The multiple points of view really give this novel, depth and perspective. I believe we have some unreliable narrators, and Tegan's perspective really cuts through the trauma and emotion of Helen and Sylvie.

The different personalities of our main three protagonists are fantastic. They are so similar, as siblings and parents often are, but their differences leap off the page.
That being said, if I could avoid another, outdated and polarising chapter from (redacted, I'll let you make up your own mind), I would.

As we get further into this novel, everything we thought we knew dissolves. Instead we are shown the inner workings of a normal Australian family in the 1980s. The difference in culture, beliefs, societal expectations. It is all written so expertly, it feels incredibly real.

For 300+ pages we are transported into the lives of another family. A typical, normal, family. To be wrapped up in their complications, connections and generational trauma. Iluka is easy to read, mid-paced and will give readers something to relate to.

Thank you to HQ Aus for sending me a copy of this title. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Debut from Cassie Stroud

This was a slow burn for me, considered not finishing at 20% but during a hot day in Melbourne decided to try it again. Enjoyed part 2 and 3 the most.

Part one of the story focuses on siblings Helen, Sylvia and Brendan as they meet at Iluka, their deceased grandparents house, to clean out what remains of their lives. The three siblings had grown up in this house after their mother abandoned them with her parents, and were told that she had passed. This for me was the hardest part to read as the siblings all came off as self absorbed, often selfish and while I wanted to feel for them after shockingly finding out they were lied to about the death of their mother, I just didn’t have the feels.

I enjoyed the story from Marguerite and Iris’ perspective and wanted to hear from Paddy as to his part of the lie. I wanted more from these three, why did they lie, why did they keep lying, this kept me reading til the end.

Some minor continuity issues, some of the years in Marguerite’s story were confusing in 1990 Brendan is a baby than in 1991 it talks about them being an audience of grown up strangers. Also, the children are put to sleep but during a conversation at dinner one of the children looks between them (page 209). Maybe these will be corrected in the final version and it wasn’t enough to detract from the story.

Was sent an uncorrected advanced copy as part of the HQ Insiders program. Thankyou to Harlequin Australia and Cassie Stroud for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Lee McKerracher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Family relationships can often be awkward and convoluted. Families can drift apart and when unexpectedly thrown together, all sorts of issues can rise to the surface.

This is the case in Illuka. Paddy, the grandfather of siblings Helen, Sylvie and Brendan, has died and they have all assembled at his home on the NSW south coast. The home, Iluka, has many memories for the family, not all of them good.

Cleaning out the house, tests their relationship with each other and this is exacerbated by a stunning discovery. There are letters found from their mother. They thought their mother was dead, but these letters are dated well after the supposed date of her death. This news shocks everyone and throws them completely off balance. Can they believe anything about their childhood, why did their grandparents lie to them? If their mother is actually alive, then where is she and does she want to see them?

The story is told from a number of points of view and can, at times, feel a little disjointed because of this structure. However, these points of view are needed as we have to understand the various perceptions and histories members of this family have.

It is a different take on what can happen when the world is suddenly turned on its head and the backstories of the siblings, their mother - Marguerite - and their grandparents, make for a very interesting read.