I finished this book overnight - I found it slow to start but once absorbed I could not put it down. I was, however, a little disappointed with the last section.

The novel revolves around The Sanctuary - a retreat in the Mexican desert to treat individuals with addictions. Zoey - a lost 32 year old - wakes up in the Sanctuary after a night out which ended in violence. You gradually learn her backstory and those of the other guests before the first murder.

Gradually it becomes apparent that all is not well at the Sanctuary and that someone is on a murder spree.

Zoey attempts to find out what is going on aided by Finn - one of the other guests.

A decent thriller - an interesting premise.

After a crazy night out with her friends in New York, Zoey wakes dazed in an unfamiliar and sterile room, in a resort that is isolated in the desert. The remote location is a recovery clinic and Zoey must remain there or she will have to pay back the extortionate fees. Plus, leaving is difficult. It is is inaccessible by foot, almost impossible terrain for vehicles and relies on a helicopter that calls for emergencies and pickup/ drop offs. There is a mixed group of people at the clinic. Some harbouring secrets. They cannot leave. It soon seems apparent, that some of them will never leave. A fast paced beginning,a slow middle, and an action packed , multi plotted ending that requires you to suspend all belief. #thescanctuary #emmahaughton #netgalley

Zoey wakes up with no idea where she is and no memory of how she got there; after some exploring she finds out that she's at an exclusive detox lodge in the middle of the Mexican desert and that a mysterious benefactor is paying for her £££ stay.
She's in denial at first but settles into her stay there, building bonds with some of the other guests along the way. There's an edge of mystery to the place, a guest left in a hurry just before Zoey appeared. and she's intrigued to find out what might have happened. And then there's the arrival of mega superstar Maia, so there's no way Zoey is going to leave if there's the chance to meet her. But then people start dying.....

I enjoyed reading this; as long as you suspend your belief and go along for the ride, its a page turner that will keep you gripped to the end. There are other books that are similar in feel and concept, but its entertaining, pacey and well written
3.5 stars rounded up to 4,

I absolutely loved Emma Haughton's first fiction book for adults, 'The Dark', set in a research centre in Antarctica. This was the perfect claustrophobic locked-room mystery with the inhospitable surroundings meaning escape was impossible.

I gulped that book down in one - so I was thrilled that NetGalley granted me access to Haughton's next book, 'The Sanctuary'.

In this book, Zoey wakes in an unfamiliar environment - she doesn't remember much about the night before, a night out in New York, aside from a few troubling flashbacks. Now she's in the desert in The Sanctuary, a high-end establishment helping people to kick their various addictions and face their problems. Zoey doesn't want to be there...but how can she escape when the centre is miles from anywhere and surrounded by the threats of the endless, empty desert? Instead, she begins to get to know the other residents and participate in some often-unorthodox treatments. But is the desert really more of a threat than the perils lurking within The Sanctuary's walls?

There was a lot in this book that I enjoyed - especially the dynamics between the various characters, the luxurious-but-sinister setting and the slow unfolding of the mystery. I'll admit that I couldn't see the solution, even as I was nearing the end, so it kept me reading. I also found the pacing of the second half of the novel to be compelling - as the danger increased, so did my interest.

Although I did enjoy this book a lot, I was not so keen on some of the characters. Zoey herself was fairly unsympathetic at times - especially in her desire to escape The Sanctuary, this amazing, luxurious place that she was dropped into and which she would never usually be able to afford. I found her bids to run away a bit distracting from the more engaging narrative thread - the mysterious people and events at The Sanctuary.

The start of the novel was quite slow because there were a lot of characters to introduce but, once it got going, I was hooked. Despite my frustrations at Zoey, I did genuinely get involved in the characters and relationships within the book.

I'd recommend this to fans of Ruth Ware, Lucy Foley and Sarah Pearse - if you like a slow burning, closed-circle mystery, this is for you. It might take a bit of concentration at the start to get the characters straight, but the pay-off is worth it in the end.

"My anger, my bravado evaporates, and I'm plain scared. This is surreal. Ridiculous. One moment I'm with my friends, hanging out in our favourite bar on Avenue A, looking forward to a fun-packed night; the next I wake up in some weird treatment centre in the heart of the Mexican desert."

Zoey is an aimless 32-year-old. No proper job, home, or romantic relationship. She doesn't even speak to her father or twin brother. Instead, she numbs herself by partying and avoiding responsibility.

One night, she goes out with her friends, and wakes up in The Sanctuary, a luxury rehab facility in Mexico, with no memory of how she got there. She's told she agreed to go after being arrested for assault, something she cannot recall. What makes it even weirder, is that a mysterious 'benefactor' has paid the exorbitant fee for her to be there.

At first, Zoey just wants to leave. Then, she decides to make the most of being there, despite The Sanctuary's unorthodox methods, like using psychedelics. Still, she wonders why a previous resident left in anger. And, when one of the therapists is found dead in the swimming pool, she begins to wonder whether being at The Sanctuary could be dangerous.

For a thriller, 'The Sanctuary' lacked a lot of tension in the first two-thirds of the book. I was interested enough - I finished this book in one sitting - but, at the same time, I was looking for more of a sense of unease. The action only really starts in the back-end of the book, and I feel it's quite a long set-up for a suspense novel. I'd recommend it as an easy, entertaining but slightly bland read.

At the start of the book. I thought it was quite gripping. But it lost its way a littl.bjt got me. As th book carried on I thought that the thriller aspect was lost a bit and I thought that yh characters didn't have enough development for me.

A suspenseful read full of twists and turns throughout. The characters were good, the plot was great and the style of writing was perfect. I have read another book by this author and enjoyed that very much, looking forward to the next book that comes out. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading psychological thrillers.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

Zoe finds herself in a remote location, far away from home and she is told is a rehab and someone has paid for her stay in this very exclusive place.
She doesnt think she has a problem though, and plans to live, however this would cost her too much, so she decides to make the most of it.
But the sanctuary is not what it seems and soon Zoe feels she in danger.

For the first half of the book I felt nothing really happened, the story took too long to get interesting.

Description 🔖

Zoey has no memory of last night but she knows that something bad happened. The last thing she recalls is being on a night out with friends in New York but when she wakes, she’s not in New York. She is alone, in the desert in a building that is unfamiliar.

She finds herself at The Sanctuary, an alternative to standard rehab and a place where the very wealthy go to try and sort out their lives. She’s been admitted to avoid being charged with a crime but has no idea who has arranged for this and more importantly, who paid the extortionate fees. She does have her demons, and the more time she spends there the more she starts to open up and realise she could benefit from this stay. Until things start to get strange. Very few people have the opportunity to stay at The Sanctuary, even less manage to leave.

General Thoughts 🤔

I started this book 100% intrigued and bought into the concept. I was hooked through the first few chapters as I really wanted to know where Zoey had ended up and why. I thought that the story had so much potential but unfortunately, it didn’t deliver on it in my opinion. It could have been super tense and have lots of twists and turns however after Zoey had realised that The Sanctuary had some dark secrets, everything stayed very “samey” and it didn’t feel thrilling to me anymore.

Characters 👫👭👬

Unfortunately, the characters were another element of the book that I thought could have been just that next level better. All of the characters at The Sanctuary were there because of some kind of demon they were battling, yet I didn’t feel like I was able to get close enough to any of them to empathise or even dislike. I would have liked for them to have been a bit deeper and for the story to have really leaned into their flaws.

Writing Style ✍️

The book started off strongly and I thought I was going to devour the entire thing. The pacing at the beginning was great and the story caught my attention immediately, however, I don’t think the author was able to maintain this. It’s because of this that I started to feel a bit disinterested and I got to the point where I was reading to finish the book as opposed to reading to find out what was going to happen in the story.

There were some twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and they were some of the high parts of the book. Ultimately though, by the time it had got to the big reveal at the end, I thought that I found it predictable and I didn’t get that lovely satisfaction I get when you find out what’s been going on.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖

I have to admit I’m disappointed that me and this book did not get along as I expected that we would. The concept of the story had the potential to be really great and I was expecting to be thrilled and surprised by lots of twist and turns but unfortunately, the book didn’t quite hit that spot for me. Hopefully there are others who really like this book and enjoy it.

Zoey wakes up not in New York but in the middle of the desert in 'The Sanctuary'. What is this place, why is she there, who has paid for her to be there? Lots of questions but who among the staff and other residents have the answer?
A mystery with a varied set of characters.
What will the outcome be?

Loved this book and wished some parts were different. You can’t have what you want in a book. The author writes the book and that’s what you get. There were parts that I loved - especially the start but it did dilute a little but stick with it as it’s a good book!

A good storyline about Zoe who wakes up in the middle of the desert without a clue how she got there. However it appears that she has ended up at a luxury rehab centre. Found it slow at first however was an enjoyable read.

This started off so well, I found it to be a gripping premise. A young woman who has drunk too much, finds herself in the middle of the desert, but, in comfortable surroundings and with others....what is going on?

Unfortunately, it then drifts all over the place and was ultimately, for me, a frustrating read. I'm saying an OK read rather than a 1* didn't like, as, there were elements of the book that were really good.

I'm grateful to Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview, just, not one for me.

Was a mixed one for me. I enjoyed the setting to the story a luxury treatment facility in the middle of the desert and so felt like an upgraded locked room mystery. However bits that just didn't work for me the main charecter just seemed really nosey and didn't come across to likeable and a lot of the plot was easy to guess.
Thanks to Netgalley for the Arc.

Zoey wakes up with the hangover from hell! She has no idea where she is, only that the room is small, stark & very hot! She remembers being on a night out with friends, she remembers having fun & drinking a lot, then blank. She manages to stagger to her feet & looks out the window & all she can see is desert! She wanders around & can't find a soul- this has to be a dream doesn't it? However she soon discovers that in fact she is in a very exclusive spa, specifically for those who need rehabilitation to get off drink or drugs. She is not exactly a willing participant but has no choice to go along with it. Something happened on her night out & she was arrested. Conditional on her release was that she came here for ten weeks. As time goes on she realises all is not well. The place is very short staffed, there are obviously tensions among the staff, to say nothing of the residents. Then someone dies. Who might be next?

I really enjoyed this book. Emma Haughton is excellent at creating an isolated setting & throwing in some awkward characters. I was kept guessing about a lot of things but ultimately it was a great read. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Sanctuary’ by Emma Haughton.

At 32, Zoey’s life is rootless, she is cut off from her family, is drifting and partying hard. In the opening chapter she wakes with no memory of what happened the previous night. Yet she knows that something is badly wrong and she is no longer in New York as she has woken up alone in a strange room. It is hot and looking outside she sees desert. She soon learns that she has been admitted to The Sanctuary, an exclusive and very discreet rehab facility in Mexico.

At first Zoey is resistant and hostile to the other residents, though as she gets more involved in the community her attitude begins to shift. Yet there are small things that seem out of place. Then a body is found. An accident or something more sinister? No further details to avoid spoilers.

Wisely Emma Haughton takes time to establish her characters and setting before introducing the aforementioned first dead body.

Zoey is the novel’s narrator and as often with mysteries with a number of supporting characters, I made a brief note of both staff and clients, in order to keep track of who was who.

There were definitely similarities with her 2021 novel, ‘The Dark’, in that both utilises the ‘closed circle’ mystery trope in which a set number of characters find themselves in an isolated setting with contact cut off with the outside world when suspicious deaths occur.

Overall, this was an easy and entertaining read even if rather formulaic in structure. I had a few minor quibbles with respect to how Zoey’s character went from complete misfit to heroine in record time though often this kind of thriller seems to feature similar transformations under stress.

On a side note: while I appreciated the inclusion of psychotropic therapies in the narrative, I feel that an author’s note providing some background would have been useful for readers unfamiliar with the subject.

Waking up in the middle of the Mexican Desert Zoey not only has no idea how she got there but she’s no idea what happened to her just last night when she was out in a club in New York.
As she realises she’s in an exclusive rehab facility it soon be comes clear that all is maybe not what it seems to be.
A brilliant locked in read with lots of twists & turns

I enjoyed The Santuary. It is one of those books that pulls you in from the start and you want to keep reading to find out what happens.

Zoey is living a pretty aimless life, actively avoiding any grownup responsibilities. After a night out partying with her friends she wakes up in The Sanctuary, a rehab facility in the middle of the Mexican desert. She has absolutely no idea how she got there and is less than enamoured with the idea of staying. She is told that she was arrested for assault at the party and cannot leave until she's had treatment. Zoey is also mystified as to who is paying for this very expensive stay. As she starts her therapy and meets the other patients, it becomes clear that The Sanctuary is less than orthodox. Then there is a suspicious death.

There are a lot of colourful characters in this novel and the mystery is quite intriguing. The atmosphere of desert and its isolation is well created and quite evocative. It is a fast and addictive read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful thriller, I was totally hooked! Zoe wakes up in a strange place, and discovers she has been placed in The Sanctuary, a kind of rehab refuge. As she struggles to find out the circumstances which brought her there, strange things happen. A man has left as she arrived, and there are secrets everywhere!
The characters are superb, and tensions build so well, until the amazing ending. A race to the end thriller!