Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I really struggled with this book. I wanted to like it but, the characters felt so disconnected. I had to make myself finish it.

This is a book which has lingered for far too long on my TBR, until a relatively recent discovery, the Talk Scared Podcast became a lifeline out of  a huge reading slump, rocketed 'The Return' to the top of the pile with talk of comparisons between it and The Shining.

Host Neil McRoberts unabashed and genuine enthusiasm for this modern gothic which uses the setting of the fictional Red Honey Inn for a reunion amongst 4 college friends was what got me stumbling through my bookstacks to find it. It sounds dick-ish calling them that, but basically we navigate our way around the house very carefully as there are piles of books in every room. We have an ongoing shelf space to book issue which I am not at all sad about and a long suffering and tolerating husband and children.Once located, I could not put this book down. I am not saying there is a link between me reading it on my break on the night shift at work the other night and my constant sense of wariness towards lights, shadows and sounds that had me on pins...but I am not usually one for jumping at noises that no one else can hear either...

It came with me to the museum today, I read page after frantic page as the miles went by between Bridgend and Cardiff because I was nearing the end and my nerves were in pieces wanting to know just what happens next. How can you not when Rachel nails people again and again with lines like this-

''Molly signals the bartender,a guy with a beard that acts as his only defining characteristic''

Tell me you haven't met someone like this?

Or how about-

''You can't erase the past when there are pieces of it scattered inside other people.''

Tell me that doesn't hit you right in the soft parts?

You take 4 women-Mae,Molly,Julie and narrator Elise- who all have a shared history but have been trauma bonded by both Julie's disappearance and return, 2 years later, with no memory of how she went missing, or what happened to her. Drop them into a boutique hotel, with themed rooms, suggested by Molly from one of her fashion shoot locations, mix them up and let them loose with years of misunderstandings, fermenting worries and the kind of intense inner life that only comes from going through a shared trauma, then add in a menace from an uncertain source and you too will be peering more closely into the shadows.

The setting is so vividly described that as a reader I had a visceral, very physical reaction to the jarring colours and schemes which from the get-go are wrong-Elise, meant to have the Gothic room is erroneously placed in the prophetic Cassandra room. The food they are served, the jarring dissonance between opulence of the decorations and lack of style or taste are diametrically opposed to Elise's relative poverty -she is the only one of the 4 with limited finances-and the reason for this getaway. As a setting for a retreat, this is not a great one, showing the roles each woman takes in the group straight away-Molly is the one who controls the narrative, Mae is a loner whose life has been defnied by childhood tragedy, Julie, the one Elise wants most to be like and who she is closest to, and then Elise, our narrator herself.

The first person narration brings the reader in like you are one of the group, as she shares her anxiety, the inner secrets of their bonds, their nicknames, partners and shared stories. And this creates an intimacy that as soon as they are flung into danger then your fear for these women becomes a very palpable, breathing, lurking thing behind your ribs.

Elise tells you she has anxiety, She tells you she has issues with security both within and without the friendship group. Her perception of things is your guide but she is not a traditional unreliable narrator, she is the beating, wounded heart of the tale. And whether the setting has activated some kind of supernatural something, whether the women bought it with them, or accelerated the monstrous is irrelevant, what is happening is happening and once it does, you cannot imagine a more prescient setting than the Red Honey Inn.

Corridors don't quite seem the same the second time you go down them. There are very few other guests. The staff appear to be unravelling. People are missing. The thermostat has a mind of its own. The colours jar and disconnect from the theme of each woman's room. The keys , kitsch and unique, don't do what they are supposed to-they do not keep these women safe.

In the midst of this, these four women want to give a platform to Julie, their friend, who now belongs to the world who want to deep dive into the how's, the wherefore's and why's of her 2 year absence.

Why was their friendship not enough to keep her happy? How can they reconcile the woman who has returned with the friend who left. Is she the same person, and if not, can they get her back or is she forever changed?

I am absolutely not here to give spoilers, just to massively recommended this incredible book which places these four very real women, in the spiritual hotel sibling of The Overlook, and does something quite extraordinary.

It takes a lot to scare me, but this book hit each and every nerve and set them to jangling over and over again.

Unexpectedly tender, brutally real about the way women are with each other and pulsing with horror, this is a book which belongs on the shelf of anyone who considers themselves a horror fan.

Desperate Housewives crossed with The Shining!
For a debut novel this is outstanding, a mix of thriller and horror that works perfectly.
I loved the book but the audiobook version of this is on another level. There is something about having this read to you, especially at night, tucked up in bed in the dark, it enhanced the creepiness tenfold.
I have now added Rachel Harrison to my list of authors to look out for because of her next books are this good then she will become queen of the thriller/horror genre she’s created!

I didn’t feel that this book was realistic

It started off really well but then got completely weird and out there!!

Not my favourite I’m afraid

Absolutely horrifying but I couldn’t put it down until I finished. Excellent book that completely gripped me and had me racing through the pages.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

I struggled with this book and I’m afraid I gave up half way through. I found it hard work, the storyline and the characters just weren’t relatable to me.

Many thanks to netgalley and Rachel Harrison for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

It is weird because the marketing for this book was spot on — it is Sex and the City meets The Shining. Which yeah, sounds good in theory, but this book was surely the mix of their worst parts. Or, the product of a mash-up of two books that should have never been even attempted to be mashed together.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me a copy. I didn't enjoy this one as much as I thought I would do, there was nothing wrong with it I just could not get on with the characters.

I just don’t know what I think right now. Parts of this book haunted me, I even dreamt about it. There’s somethings about this book that I hated too. But if it was that creepy it gave me nightmares surely that’s a successful horror novel??

One day Julie went hiking, disappearing and leaving behind her college best friends, Molly, Mae & Elise wondering what happened to her. As the days pass to months pass to years they hold a funeral for Julie and the women finally grieve, apart from Elise. Elise has always believed Julie is still alive. Years later Julie returns with no memory of her disappearance. The women reunite at a remote resort hoping to find some answers about what happened during these missing years. Although it soon transpires they might not get the answers they’re looking for because Julie isn’t the same person she was before she went missing.

This isn’t a typical mystery thriller, it’s creative and the visuals are utterly terrifying at times but the flat characters, repetitive dialogue and circling plot brings my overall enjoyment and ultimately my rating down.

Thanks Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my copy to review.

3 out of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

A story of returning missing girl with some hidden secrets. I was very interested in this concept. The feelings of the friend group of happiness to see she’s back but feeling something is off.

To me I didn’t feel any connections with the characters whatsoever. I honestly didn’t feel they had a real connection with each other. I was under the impression that they are in high school or college but seeing other reviews they are supposed to be adults but they don’t ever act this way.

The ending reminded me of a certain horror film with a young mum and her son in the woods. (Won’t of course say which one as spoilers) I’m not a massive fan of this kind of reveal and wish it was a more elaborate ending.

I really appreciate the concept and the place everything was set was great. Will consider checking out more of Rachel’s work.

This is one of those books I struggle reviewing.
I struggled to get into it and to connect with the story. The beginning was very slow for me and only picked up speed three quarters through. A lot of things were repeated and felt unnecessary.
I really wanted to like it but unfortunately, it fell short for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Elise, Julie, Mae and Molly have been friends for years, in fact it’s been ever since college. Now they live far apart geographically, but try to get together when they can. Luckily, they seem to be the sort of friends who can pick up where they left off. As always within these friendship groups, there tends to be closer pairs and Elise is very close to Julie. It was a terrible shock to all of them when she suddenly disappears. After two years of searching and grieving, a funeral is held and the girls resign themselves to never seeing their friend again, Yet, for some reason, Elise still thinks her friend is out there somewhere. She’s right. One day Julie returns, and is found sitting outside her house in the same clothes she disappeared in. She has absolutely no recollection of where she’s been for two years. The girls decide to get together and welcome their friend back, and book a themed old hotel. During their stay will Julie’s memory return and will the girls ever find out where their friend has been and why.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book and really looked forward to getting stuck into the mystery. The hotel is incredibly spooky and there were definite vibes of the Overlook! I don’t think I’d have lasted a night there. I won’t go into the spooky goings on, but there are noises - ‘I hear it again it’s inside the walls, knocking’. So there’s something wrong with their hotel, but there’s also something wrong with Julie. She looks like Julie. She sounds like Julie. In fact, most people wouldn’t notice any difference, but these girls are close and Elise particularly thinks there’s something ‘off’ about. Julie. This book is a spoiler minefield when it comes to reviewing., so I won’t ruin the experience for anyone but suffice to say I was now desperate to know what was going on!

There are parts of the novel, earlier on, when it drags a little, There’s more conversation between the three girls about Julie than necessary, but I understand the author is trying to build up character and establish what type of person each girl is. I think it’s maybe a little too dependent on the girls conversation to establish character; I felt I was being told about how the girls felt rather than shown. One of them says they’re all naturally reserved and tend to keep their feelings to themselves; I think this preoccupation with their friend does bear this out, There were times during these conversations when I found myself drifting. However once the spooky stuff started I was definitely paying attention! This was a very promising debut and it didn’t compromise on its paranormal elements.

Four friends go on a girls' holiday to a hotel which has all these weird themed rooms. One of the group, Julie, had been missing for the past two years and presumed dead, except she suddenly reappeared at home with no memory of what had happened. Her friends Elise, Molly, and Mae, take her to the Red Honey Inn to get away from it all, but when Julie arrives her friends are shocked by her appearance. Once a beautiful woman, Julie is now gaunt, losing her teeth, and has changed from being vegetarian to eating meat by the truckload. As sinister things start to happen at the hotel, Julie's friends begin to wonder what really went on when Julie was missing.

This was certainly a page turner. The author kept ratcheting up the tension nicely and it was quite a thrilling read. It's told from the viewpoint of Elise, Julie's best friend and due to some of her actions, I did wonder if she had had something to do with Julie's disappearance. I found the ending a bit lackluster compared to the rest of the book - I expected something a bit darker to be honest. Overall though, it was definitely worth reading.

Thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Hodder & Stoughton, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Julie had been missing for two years but her best friend, Elise, refused to believe she was dead. Even when everyone else was sure of it, even after the Memorial service, Elise was sure that one day Julie would come home. And she did. But she was different, and had no memory of what had happened to her or where she had been. Only to be expected perhaps after being lost for so long. After a few months back at home recuperating with her husband, Julie, Elise and two more friends, Mae and Molly, meet up for a long weekend of girly chats and re-bonding. They go to a swanky hotel that Mae has been to before and had fell in love with. It is a truly amazing place, all bright colours and arty decoration, with each room themed differently. It should be a fun few days but the girls haven't all been together since before Julie's disappearance, and while it is obvious they each love their friends dearly it is not long before they start sniping at each other. But they try to keep it together for Julie's sake even though it is obvious that their returned friend has changed, and when strange things start happening at the hotel....

This is a fun little story about female friendships and relationships, with a horror twist. Recommended reading.

I liked this book, I found it a fairly enjoyable read and the premise was an interesting one - interesting enough to keep me reading to the end anyway. But the execution wasn't completely to my taste, I found the characters pretty 2D and unoriginal which affected my overall enjoyment of the book and the main character's voice was almost annoying to be honest. But if you're looking for an easy, creepy read this is a fairly decent shout.

Julie is missing, and no one believes she will ever return - except Elise. Elise knows Julie better than anyone. She feels it in her bones that her best friend is out there and that one day Julie will come back.

She's right. Two years to the day that Julie went missing, she reappears with no memory of where she's been or what happened to her.

Along with Molly and Mae, their two close friends from college, the women decide to reunite at a remote inn. But the second Elise sees Julie, she knows something is wrong-she's emaciated, with sallow skin and odd appetites. And as the weekend unfurls, it becomes impossible to deny that the Julie who vanished two years ago is not the same Julie who came back. But then who - or what - is she?

This book, in my opinion, was quite dragged out. Not much happened in the book of the size, all of the action seemed to happen within around 50 pages. Unfortunately, I did not warm to any of the characters and found the nook quite hard to get into. I think I found the "horror" part of the story quite hard to get into.

3.5 stars (Rounded down to 3 stars. I don't believe in rounding up because if the book was good enough for 4 stars, then I would have awarded 4 stars).

Earlier this year I decided that I would like to try and read more horror novels in an attempt to see how I feel about them. Historically, I really haven't read horror and I wanted to give that genre a try. This sounded like a good book to start with because it's described as "horror thriller", so I thought that it may appeal to me more than straight up horror novels because it has a distinct thriller aspect to it.

Overall, I'm happy to say that I liked this one, and I'm glad that I read it. It didn't necessarily make me feel scared, but I did enjoy the horror aspects to it.

Things that I liked:

* I liked the premise of this story. A group of 4 best friends, who have gone their separate ways after college, then decide to meet up again after one of them goes missing for two years and returns, unable to remember what happened to her or where she was. She also seems changed, but no-one can pinpoint in exactly what way. That plot idea was extremely appealing to me.

* The description of the hotel and how gorgeous it was, but yet it seemed to be very creepy as well.

* There were distinct spooky elements to this story, and I found myself really enjoying those. Every now and then, something fairly unusual would happen and it would creep me out. I'm talking a shadow that disappears under the bed, unlocked doors that had been locked, unexplained blood smeared around the bathroom, the devouring of meat in less than savory ways.

* The characters were well fleshed out, and they were all very different from each other. It was also interesting to learn about a few back stories.

* This book kept me reading because I really wanted to know how things were going to pan out at the end. I couldn't tell how the author was going to wrap things up and what the outcome of Julie's changed character was going to be.

* I looked forward to picking up this book every day, and I actually read it really quickly.

Things I didn't like:

* You really do need to suspend belief to be able to enjoy this novel. But then again, this is partly a horror novel and I suppose that the horror genre lends itself to unbelievable events.

* I didn't like how often the characters either apologised to each other, or told each other how much they loved each other. This sounded a little over the top to me, especially all the "I love you's" between 4 adult woman. That started to get on my nerves after a while.

* The last 20% of the story went a bit pear-shaped for me. I would have liked things to perhaps go in a different direction, and I don't want to say exactly what I envisaged in this regard for fear of spoiling it for the rest of you. But, I feel that there is a direction that the story could have taken that would have made it much more creepy.

In conclusion, I thought this was a highly entertaining if not perfect read. I managed to totally escape while reading this one, and to be very honest, it was almost a 4 star read for me. Almost. I thought that it was a good introduction to the horror-thriller genre and I can't wait to explore this genre a little bit more in the months and years to come.

Quick, fast paced and eerie. I love isolated settings to books it turns up the creep factor. Julie, Elise, Molly, and Mae have all been friends since college. One friend goes missing and two years later returns after being presumed dead. I did feel like there was a little too much chatting and found the first section felt like it was going around in circles, but, the story made up for that.

Elise, Mae, Molly and Julie have been close friends for years, they don't see each other as much as they would like but they get together as often as they can. Despite the distance in miles between them, Elise likes to believe that they are as close as they used to be at university.

So when Julie mysteriously disappears, Elise is hurt that her friend didn't tell her that she was planing on going on a trip but she refuses to believe that anything bad has happened to her. Elise is convinced that Julie has gone away to have sometime to herself and that she will return when she is ready.

Two years later, Elise is proved right when Julie reappears but it soon becomes clear that there is something different about her, she is no longer the person they used to know. Hoping to reignite their friendship, the four friends go away for a long weekend stay at a isolated hotel. It is there that the shocking truth is revealed and the friends lives are irreversible changed......forever.

This chilling tale is voiced entirely from the perspective of Elise who was my least favourite character for various reasons. As with any group of people, the friends were a mixed bag of characters, there was the I don't want to rock the boat one, the forthright one, the pretty but cruel one and the one who always seemed to be on the outside of the group. Each had their own individual personalities, character traits, flaws and hidden secrets. As the story unfolded it would occasionally slip back in time and take the reader through events in Elise's past. I loved the descriptions of the hotel that the friends stayed in, it's sweeping staircases and the rooms with their own individual themes. I loved the room that Julie found herself staying in. And the parts set in the woods,a place which can appear sinister and otherworldly both in broad daylight or in the dead of night when you can hardly see. And all you can hear is your own footsteps that sound so.loud no matter how carefully you tread or maybe it's not your footsteps,maybe it's the footsteps of whoever or whatever is pursuing you.

The Return is a extremely well written debut that is a spine chilling mix of thriller and horror that had me captivated from the very first page. The reader is kept guessing about were Julie was and what happened to her whilst she was missing until towards the end of the story. The characters were well rounded and believable and the settings were so beautifully described that the reader could close their eyes and picture them vividly inside your mind. From the majestic hotel to the dark and sinister woods with its mysterious shadows and sinister atmosphere. I would love to watch a film adaptation of this brilliant book and look forward to reading more of this author's books in the future. Worth far more than five stars and very very highly recommended.