I am afraid I struggled with this slow burner. I am too much of an impatient reader, and I prefer faster paced books. For more patient readers this might be a great read, I hope so.

A slow burn novel, in a remote location, family secrets and a fantastic twist. I loved this book! It did take me a bit to get into it but once I did, I was completely hooked.

A bittersweet brooding book in which he tension slowly builds until a terrible secret is told. I really enjoyed how the author drew on the light and dark of life and told a deeply human tale of vulnerabilities and tragedies.
The backdrop to the story really rang true to me, a retreat to the coast for a month to refresh batteries, a new take on past mistakes and to take stock of life. That idyllic setting is then offset against some of the worst aspects of life including domestic abuse, mental health and childhood abuse issues.
I think the difficult subjects were sensitively and well handled and woven into a compelling and interesting story with its own twists that I didn’t fully see coming. A definite recommend from me, albeit with a slightly unsettling aftertaste.

I enjoyed this book, there was multiple storylines going on and after a bit of a slow start had me wanting to find out more, I wasn't expecting the ending we got. Whilst it covers more serious topics there is humour sprinkled throughout. Well worth a read.

TW: This book includes themes of domestic abuse and mental health disorders.
3.5 Stars Rounded up.

A story of a family who rent a tiny cottage in Dorset to get away from their London life over the summer while work is being done on their home. Rob is a writer and Jess is a GP on sick leave and they have 2 small children. Whilst there they meet their neighbours: Helen, James and their two children, who have recently moved back from Germany, Helen and Jess' children all get on well, which brings the two of them together in a strained relationship, which starts to unearth secrets.

The story is quite slow placed, we the reader know something has happened recently to Jess at her role as GP, but it is very slow and drawn out process to find out exactly what that is. It can be quite difficult to keep track of everything that is going on at times, as the story jumps back and forth a lot and a real overuse of "looks back", "I would wonder later" and "the worst is to come". These phrases are fine in context usually, but I think it's there over use that irked me and not always followed up on or explained.

I liked the development between all the characters they felt real and gave a good insight into where they all were mentally in their lives. Having said that I didn't necessarily like all the characters, but then not all characters need to be likeable and at times it felt like there were too many stories all trying to be told in the one story to do any of them real justice, it could easily have been split into two books.

The book does deal with some very difficult issues like domestic abuse and mental health disorders, which I felt were thoughtfully, realistically and sensitively done, but that's not to say it's an easy read, because these things aren't easy.

I loved the descriptions of the surroundings, making the coast and the dancing ledge almost a character in its own right and of the characters I felt I could really picture the story as it unfolded and it kept me intrigued to see what would happen next and if my suspicions were correct.

After reading a plethora of marvelous summer thrillers recently this looked right up my street ...

❓The story is centered around Jess, a GP on leave from work due to complications which are revealed slowly throughout the book.
Jess and her family meet The Dunstable family while on their holiday, the cagey Helen and her friendly husband James... Other characters with their own issues are introduced throughout the story but I think this was unnecessary....

❓Although I found the story sufficiently compelling it was a very slow burn and their were almost too many threads of the story to follow. I felt like the author tried to touch include too many issues.... She touched upon anorexia, autism, sexual physical and mental abuse, mental health issues, stress, dementia??, mental breakdown, feminism, suicide, attempted murder....
If the many storyline had been stripped right back and just centered around Jess and Helens then it would have been a much stronger book.

My criticism aside I did enjoy this book, it had a good twist and read it in just a few days.

Firstly I would like to thank NetGalley and Faber & Faber for the much appreciated opportunity to review this ARC copy in return for a free and honest review.

I am giving this a three star rating, I found the story to be a very slow burner and I struggled with the book keeping my focus if I’m honest.

I found the chapter based on the car incident a very uncomfortable read and I tried to skim through to get to the end of this chapter as fast as possible. The book started off well but I found the over use of the term “something I would later regret” was used far too often in the chapters and I found that rather off putting, I get that it was building the suspense but I don’t think it needed to be said quite so often.

I’m sure lots of others will love this book, but for me it just didn’t quite get there.

Jess is a GP who is off work under a shadow because of an error she made. Her husband Rob, a screenwriter, is keen for her to go back but she is very reluctant. Eventually she agrees to go to Dorset for a month's break. There she meets Helen and James who together with Ollie and Lexie appear to be the perfect family. Over the course of the holiday several incidents occur which make her re-evaluate both her past and her present self.

I couldn't put this book down. I thought Jess was very well portrayed and the psychological issues she and others in the book had were dealt with very sensitively. But this isn't just a book about the characters. Several very important issues are covered not least the issue of how women are expected to 'be careful' as if being aware of the bad things men can do is going to stop them doing it. How many times does it have to be said? It is not a woman's fault if she is beaten, abused, raped. It is the fault of the perpetrator. There are several highly dramatic incidents in the book which are very well described (I won't say what they are because of spoilers) and which had me riveted. I'm really surprised by some of the less positive reviews as I found this to be a engrossing read with very well developed characters and very well written. Thanks to NetGalley and Faber for the ARC.

A bit of a slow burner for me unfortunately although it was well written I didn't really gel with the characters. The storyline was ok but for me personally it wasn't an edge of seater.

Thank you to Netgalley and Faber & Faber Ltd for this ARC.

The family retreat is a domestic thriller type read that initially took me a while to get into but I’m glad I persevered as it definetly got better becoming fast paced, interesting and full of intrigue!
Two families both escaped to the gorgeous dorset countryside, lovely to read about as local to me and well loved so I could really envisage the setting. Both families have reasons for relocating to Dorset for the summer and secrets that are gradually revealed as the book progresses, many difficult subjects are tackled from the past and present as things aren’t always what they seem from the outside!
As secrets are revealed, things take on a dramatic twist to provide a really good ending!
Thank you netgalley for this early read!

This is a good read but was slow to develop, the story did keep me interested and the things revealed show great writing skill. Well worth the time to read and I will certainly try another one of her books.

This book is very well written with strong characters and a good, well paced plot but I couldn’t say I enjoyed it. It has so many issues in which made for a harrowing read. It would provide plenty of points for discussion ata book club.

Unfortunately, this one took too long to get going so I DNF'd it. I liked the heroine and her slightly self-involved husband who legs it to LA to work on his Sartre-inspired film, but there were a lot of characters, not too fully sketched in, and when the heroine's father started showing up and making inappropriate announcements (dementia)? it stopped me from continuing. Too much about the minutiae of childcare and not enough action.

It took me a while to get into this book and I did feel at times that the story didn’t seem to be going anywhere but as I got half way through the pace picked up and I really got into it , a lot more was happening and more things started to make sense.
I do have to confess that I didn’t like the main character of Jess though she seemed to be a bit self absorbed but maybe that was because of her past. I think the book had a lot of promise but it didn’t quite hit the mark however it kept me reading and I will be interested to read any future books by this author.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I read some feedback on this book to make sure it wasn't just me who felt confused reading this story. Sorry I didn't finish

I kept having to go back and re read parts of this as I kept getting lost as there are too many plots in the story, I wish the author had just stuck to Jess’s reason for wanting to get away with Helen’s running as a parallel storyline.

I absolutely loved the author's debut A Good Enough Mother so was thrilled to have the opportunity to read her second novel. The Family Retreat is a real slow burn of a read and in fact it started so slowly that it took me a couple of attempts to get into it. However, I would advise readers to persevere as it's ultimately an immersive, satisfying and unexpected read. It's set in Dorset, where GP Jess and her family are staying for an extended break. Thomas is excellent at depth of characterisation and conveying a sense of place. It is beautifully written with an almost dream like quality to the writing. Thomas covers the serious and essential subject matter with understanding and sensitivity. Another excellent read from the author that I'd recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

This book started off slowly.but did speed up towards the middle. I am still unsure if I actually enjoyed the book. It just didnt tick the boxes for me
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC

Thanks net galley for this deep and rather disturbing book.
I found it hard to understand all that was being talked about between Jess and Helen two people who met each other while Jess and her family rent a holiday cottage for the summer while their house was being decorated.
Helen had a family and they all seemed perfectly happy, it was just too perfect not at like Jess and her family.
It made Jess jealous to see such a perfect husband and wife and children, but all is not quite right, which Jess will find out.
Enjoyed the book but could not take a great liking to the two woman as it was a bit complicated for me and too deep. Thanks

GP Jess, her writer husband Rob and their children Sam and Ruby retreat to a seaside cottage for a month as Rob believes Jess in particular needs a break from their London life. At a fundraising event Jess meets Helen, their initial meeting is not auspicious but then something changes when Helen asks for Jess’s help.

First of all, the positives. The setting in Dorset is really good and is used well , allowing for some scenes ranging from heartwarming to chilling. The characters though not all especially likeable are portrayed well, however, for a professional like Jess I find it hard to believe she misses serious issues with a couple of characters which is mostly because she seems to do a lot of looking back! After about 30% there are some tense scenes and as the novel progresses there are some very thought-provoking points on concerning social issues and these are pertinent and well made.

However, it is very slow initially, it’s very drawn out and prevaricates like mad on certain things such as why Jess needs a break from London. As the novel progresses it’s the opposite of the first third, the plot becomes very busy, there’s a lot going on and includes somethings which aren’t followed up and generally it makes me feel rather bamboozled. However the most irritating thing of all is that Jess repeatedly “looks back“, “I would wonder later“ and afterwards she realises things like “the worst is to come“. On one page alone we get three of these backward reflections!!

Overall, the plot is good but I would have enjoyed it more with a more in the moment proactive approach from Jess.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Faber and Faber for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.