This is a dark book about a cult. It is about two sisters Natalie & Kit and when Natalie who has not heard from her sister Kit for 6 months receives a email saying are you going to tell her the truth or shall we. Natalie sets out to find her sister at the retreat called Wisewood.
The story keeps going from one sister to another and looking back I found it difficult to follow and dragged on a bit too much about the past.
Thanks to NetGalley for a advanced copy.

I enjoyed this novel about the relationship between sisters who for different reasons are separated by both attitude and distance. When Natalie receives an unexpected and vaguely threatening email from someone at the retreat where her younger sister has been living without outside contact for the last 6 months she decides to go and find out just what is going on there.
Intertwined with another storyline I found myself waiting for the threads to merge into the one storyline, and they do to shocking effect.

This is quite a slow burner of a story and a dark read. It is always really interesting to read a book where you don’t like any of the characters but all credit to the author that they are so well written that you still want to know their story and enjoy not liking them! The story is a slow burner but it is still addictive and you are rewarded at the end.

This is a very atmospheric book that really captures a subtly threatening mood without relying too much on extensive descriptions. However, I struggled to really lose myself in it because none of the characters were particularly likeable. It’s well written and crafted, but only a three star from me, unfortunately.

Natalie has not heard from her sister, Kit, for over six months and after receiving a disturbing email she decides to check out the secretive and creepy island retreat where Kit has been living.

The story is told in two timelines, an intriguing back story and Nat’s risky challenge in the present. Initially it is unclear who is telling the story from the past (on purpose) but it becomes clearer as it progresses and explains why a key character developed into a psychopath.

I really enjoyed both stories and gaining a greater understanding as the tension mounted towards a twisty conclusion.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

Nat's sister Kit has signed up for 6 months in an island retreat. When Nat gets an email she heads on over to find out what's going on.
From there a story of a creepy cult like organisation unfolds. All of the issues in families come out too.
There was a surprise for me around halfway through, a twist that I didn't see coming.

Natalie hasn’t heard from her sister, Kit in over six months. She’s been living off-grid on an island off the coast of Maine where contact with the outside world is prohibited. The rules are enforced in order to ensure the ‘guests’ reach their ‘Maximised Selves’. Kit has voluntarily chosen to live this way but after six months, Natalie receives a menacing email threatening to reveal a secret she’s kept from Kit for years. Natalie tushes to the island to confess to her sister and bring her home, but will it be that straightforward?
Intriguing and captivating. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book but I couldn’t put it down. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Michael Joseph UK and the author for the chance to review.

I enjoyed Darling Rose Gold by this author but I’m afraid I really didn’t enjoy this one. The pacing was really slow and I didn’t care for the alternative mystery POV as it detracted from the main story. Also I spotted what the ‘secret’ of our main character was going to be pretty early on so it was a pretty underwhelming ending.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a strange read and very confusing. Some chapters had titles and others didn't and I had no idea who I was reading about. The first half of this book was gripping but by the end of this book I felt underwhelmed. It left me feeling flat. This book had so much promise but unfortunately for me it did not deliver.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

This was a strange one for me. On the one hand I was quite gripped and reading quickly, on the other I was confused by the characters and a bit underwhelmed by the ending. I loved the first part of the book but never really got to grips with the second part and who the sisters Natalie and Kat were. Probably just me, but I thought it had amazing promise but just didn't quite deliver.

This book kept me interested enough to read over a couple days however I didn't find it particularly realistic. The characters weren't very well developed, only offering short information as to why they were there and what they had been through. I didn't feel particularly attached to any of the characters other than Rebecca as a child.

I didn't like Rebecca's character post leaving home at all and I thought dumping her on a desert island seemed a bit lazy. Especially as the last line of the book indicates Kit is going to do the same to her sister.

The concept was ok but felt underwhelmed at the end.

Unusual thriller told from multiple viewpoints. This jumps around a bit both in narrators and timeline, but it’s worth sticking with as the story of a very odd wellness retreat unfolds.

I really wanted to enjoy this book but really struggled with it. Whilst I think the concept itself is great I found it to be very drawn out, so much so that I was losing interest.

Kit wanders through life never knowing what will happen next, unlike her sister who always knows what she is doing.
The Kit finds a self - help retreat and disappears for six months.
Then Natalie receives an email and it seems someone has found out her secret. She finds herself heading to the retreat but will she leave?

A clever book that held a lot of surprises. I was constantly second guessing which only added to the enjoyment of the book. The characters were brilliantly portrayed and it was a suspenseful story line. My only comment is that it felt too long and there was so much backstory in the beginning which was almost a separate story in itself. I was so invested in Madam Fearless in the first half but then it felt a little disconnected from the present day storyline about the two sisters.

An Undertone Of Menace…
A somewhat mysteriously protected, self help retreat on a remote Maine island draws troubled Kit. Sister Natalie has her doubts and her concerns, it may be a cult - when an email arrives that is certainly troubling events begin to take a bizarre turn, as there is no option but to travel to Wisewood. A slow burn suspense, told in differing points of view and narratives, and a disturbing, unsettling yet compelling read which successfully maintains an undertone of menace throughout.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author, the first being The Recovery of Rose Gold which I gave a four star rating.

The opening chapter was disturbing which certainly drew me in at the start, however it lost its way a little as I loved the first part but unfortunately not so much in part two. The pace slowed right down and it lost my interest. I found the similarity in timelines and setting a little confusing, however I kept reading as I was intrigued to how it would end. This lack of momentum meant I dropped the rating to what would become a solid three stars.

The themes in this book were dark, and a little disturbing mentally. When I read new authors I have to get used to their writing style but while reading this I could see similarities to her first.

It ended well but overall I was a little disappointed which was a shame as I really loved her first book. This is down to my preference and anyone else who reads this may not feel the same as I did. I will be interested to hear how others found it.

Let me begin by saying I absolutely loved Rose Gold. I thought it was smart, pacy and the distinct voices were exceptional. I had high hopes for Wrobel’s second novel and unfortunately, it wasn’t up to scratch.

While there were some moments of greatness, overall it was very much your average thriller. At some points I was actively bored and uninspired to pick it up again. The constant jumping between characters and time periods was easy to follow but didn’t add much to the overall story, and by the end I really didn’t care what happened to the sisters or the Teacher.

Probably would recommend if you’re looking for a standard thriller but sadly, a huge disappointment for me.

A story with numerous threads that initially takes some understanding. Dysfunctional families, lies, half truths abound. Complicated and layered stories.

This book got off to a cracking start and I hugely enjoyed following the development of Madame Fearless and how she was shaped by her childhood experiences. Riveting stuff. Interspersed with her story was a parallel tale of two sisters, Natalie and Kit. I initially believed that Madame Fearless was one of these sisters and, when it became apparent that she wasn't. things got really muddled for a while.
The middle section of the book, dealing with the day-to-day life in WiseWood, was slow and unnecessarily drawn out at times. The character of Kit was the one that changed most during the length of the book but, unfortunately, I couldn't summon up enough belief or interest to empathise with her. Natalie seemed superfluous to the plot and served no real purpose that I could see. The ending left me with the feeling I get when I think there are a couple of chocolates left in the box, only to find it's empty.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.