Zoey doesn’t remember anything about last night. But she knows something went badly wrong. For she is no longer in New York. She’s woken up in the desert, in a white building she doesn’t recognise, and she’s alone.

When she discovers she’s been admitted to The Sanctuary, a discreet, mysterious, isolated refuge from normal life, to avoid jail, she is stunned. She knows she has secrets, troubles, but she thought she had everything under control. But as she spends more time with other residents, she begins to open up about what she’s running from. Until she realises that not everyone in The Sanctuary has her best interests at heart, and someone might even be a killer . . .

I found this book to have an intriguing concept – a slightly different take on a locked room type mystery thriller. The beginning of the book is a bit slow after the opening chapter while the plot is established but the pace does pick up a bit from there. The writing was good but I felt the book was a bit lack lustre. It was an ok read but I found it to be a bit repetitive and the twists just weren’t strong enough or twisty enough for me. It wouldn’t put me off reading her other work though!

My thanks to the author and Hodder & Stoughton for my advance copy to review via NetGalley. This book is due to be released 24th November 2022!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Three slow burn stars

I'll be honest, I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. Turns out, 'The Sanctuary' is incredibly gripping and had a way of drawing me in until I wanted to keep reading to find out all the secrets. The premise is good, although it starts off a little weird but bear with it. The setting of the desert is absolutely perfect and really helps the reader to evoke the sense of isolation the characters endure.
Which brings me nicely on to the characters. I absolutely loved all of them. Haughton has created a real eclectic mix; they are all flawed but oh wow are they likeable. They really carry the story and I felt for every single one of them. I loved them so much that I would have liked more of an exploration into their backstories and what happens to them.
Overall 'The Sanctuary' is full of twists, is incredibly exhilarating and has wonderful characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy.

After a night out partying in New York, Zoey wakes up in a strange building in the middle of nowhere with no idea how she got there. She learns that she is in The Sanctuary, a place designed to help people with their problems such as addiction. Zoey doesn't even remember signing up to the programme or understand what it is that she needs to deal with in her personal life. However it soon becomes clear that all is not as it seems and that in fact there might be something dangerous going on.

This is such a fantastic read. I was hooked from the very start.

I found myself instantly pulled into Zoey's ordeal and wondering how I would react in the same situation. This made for such an immersive reading experience.

Every single character was well-written and had so much depth. I enjoyed delving into their backstories and seeing how they all developed.

One of the best aspects of the book was the unforgiving desert setting. Emma Haughton has done a fantastic job on capturing the harsh reality of what it must be like to exist in such an environment. It worked perfectly because it added another layer of danger to the mystery and really increased the tense atmosphere.

The story itself was so engrossing. The pacing was spot-on and had me reading late into the night, unable to put it down.

Overall a brilliantly enjoyable book that had me completely absorbed throughout.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Very few people get to stay here. And some don't get to leave ...

Emma Haughton is back with her new novel The Sanctuary. This story is set in an ultra exclusive and completely isolated facility called The Sanctuary, located in the middle of a desert in Mexico, where the rich go to deal with their addictions and issues. Zoey wakes up in The Sanctuary and has no recollection of how she got there. She’s informed that she has to stay there or go to jail in New York for a crime she has no memory of. Zoey begins to open up to the other residents but slowly realises that not everyone in The Sanctuary has her best interests at heart, and someone might even be a killer….

Like Emma’s debut novel, she immerses her reader into an isolated environment where you find yourself breathing in the hot air and feeling the heat of the desert sun like the characters in the book. Emma excels at putting her characters into visceral settings of extreme environments and pushing them to breaking point.

An interesting take on the locked room mystery trope, the MC Zoey battles with her own demons as well as trying to escape death in this story. There’s a creeping sense of impending doom and dread which captures your attention throughout the story. It’s hard to connect with such a group of entitled and unlikeable but it’s still a solid mystery/thriller. Plenty of twists to keep the reader entertained.

I prefer The Dark over The Sanctuary but it was still an enjoyable read for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the arc. The Sanctuary is out tomorrow.

was the quiet which woke Zoey up - or, rather, the absence of the noise which was a constant in New York. Here it was silent and the heat was overwhelming. When she looked out of the window all she could see was the desert. How did she get here? Zoey was house-sitting for Uncle Dan and his two Manx cats and she remembered that she'd been out with Franny and Rocco last night. She knew that she'd had quite a lot to drink but how could she have got to the desert from New York? She had no memory of getting on a plane but as she thought back, a memory of sirens, flashing lights and of being pushed into a car snagged on the edge of her mind.

The obvious thing to do was to explore. Her door wasn't locked and the building seemed luxurious and well-maintained. The double height atrium was stunning. There were indications of some rooms being occupied - but no signs of any people, until she heard the woman scream. Zoey was in The Sanctuary, a therapeutic refuge and she's there to avoid being in jail. She knew that she 'had her problems' but thought that she had them under control. It was almost a relief to open up about them to the other residents - until she realised that not everyone there had her best interests at heart.

I'm always a sucker for a locked-room mystery and that's what drew me to The Sanctuary. The desert is a superb setting and Emma Haughton brings it to life brilliantly. Despite the open spaces, I felt claustrophobic. The characterisation is good too: most are not completely likeable but I found myself invested in Zoey and Finn and in Zoey's backstory. If I'm sounding a little wishy-washy about the book, it's because the story didn't really grip me at all until the final quarter or so - and then I didn't see the final twist coming.

I'm glad that I read the book. Because of the therapy aspect of the story, it's more character driven than many thrillers: if this appeals to you, you could add half a star to my rating.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

The title and the cover really attracted me to the book but sadly it didn't live up to my expectations. I couldn't really connect with the characters and found it a bit beyond belief. I found myself feeling bored and wishing to be at the end. I'm really disappointed it didn't deliver.

Maybe 2.5 stars?

I didn’t really enjoy the book that much, as I found it all over the place and quite unbelievable.

I was however curious to see what happens and what’s the resolution, but it sort of seemed odd too.

Also bother gripe I had with the book is that I found a few names were too similar and I got confused many times about which character was being talked about, as they simple all seemed too similar.

Glad I finished the book, but it was nothing spectacular..

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

‘‘We prefer to think of the Sanctuary as a radical alternative to conventional rehab,’ Rory chimes in. ‘A unique opportunity for profound healing and lifestyle readjustment.’’
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Emma Haughton’s first novel ‘The Dark’ was one of my favourite reads of last year so I was so excited to get into their newest novel ‘The Sanctuary’… and boy oh boy did this newest book hit it out of the park again! Fast becoming an author that I count down the days for their latest release!!
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Zoey doesn’t remember anything about last night. But she knows something went badly wrong. For she is no longer in New York. She’s woken up in the desert, in a white building she doesn’t recognise, and she’s alone.
When she discovers she’s been admitted to The Sanctuary, a discreet, mysterious, isolated refuge from normal life, to avoid jail, she is stunned. She knows she has secrets, troubles, but she thought she had everything under control. But as she spends more time with other residents, she begins to open up about what she’s running from. Until she realises that not everyone in The Sanctuary has her best interests at heart, and someone might even be a killer…
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Always such a good take on a locked room mystery, by spreading that room to a facility of some sort stranded from civilisation. In ‘The Dark’ we were in the arctic, and in ‘The Sanctuary’ we are in the middle of the desert. Such a clever way of making us feel claustrophobic without having to lose any extra characters and therefore adding to our list of suspects. Each of her books has genuinely shocked me as to who was behind it, the clever twists that you are taken on make you second guess every decision, and this one helped warm up those cold winter nights with the sweltering desert isolation!! One you HAVE to have one your radar for its publication date! And whilst you’re at it, you may as well prep for the next book too, as I’m already sure it will be as brilliant as the first 2!!
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Thank you to Netgalley & Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC, I couldn’t have loved it more!!!

The cover really caught my eye and I adore a good thriller...but sadly I just couldn't latch on to this one. It was all a bit to vague and fat fetched and that stopped me being invested in the story.

It always really tough when you've loved an author's previous book so much for the next to live up to expectations. The remote, unforgiving desert environment made for another great setting and 'The Sanctuary' lent itself to some interesting if not particularly likeable characters. But it somehow lacked some of the uneasiness and atmosphere that the author so brilliantly created with 'The Dark'. In some ways and perhaps because of the therapy element it was more of a character driven story than tense thriller. I enjoyed it but wanted and expected slightly more from it.

This was an unusual and interesting storyline with a mixed array of characters with lots of background information on each of them. The main character Zoey wakes up to find that she has mysteriously woken up in the sanctuary with no recollection of how she got there. As the story unfolds most of the dark happenings occur in the final third of the book building to the final reveal.

The Sanctuary was an enjoyable read, I didn’t see the twist coming at the end. I liked all the characters and I enjoyed Zoey’s journey and her reflection on what had happened in her life. I found myself immersed in the story, invested in Zoey and Finn. I would recommend giving it a read.

A solid, murder mystery with lots of good elements. Its set in a luxury rehab retreat in the desert. The starkness and beauty of the landscape were beautifully described. And the retreat is full of interesting, elite guests. As another viewer stated, its reminds me a lot of 9 Perfect Strangers. Although the hosts have none of the same enigma.

Zoey wakes up in a place she does not recognise with no memory of the night before. It becomes apparent it is a rehab in the desert that boasts alternative therapies. Everyone there has has an issue in the past that is preventing them from moving forward, including Zoey. Surprisingly, she finds herself beginning to bond with some of the other residents, until someone is murdered. And then everyone is a suspect. Zoey needs to uncover who the murderer is but in the meantime, maybe she can resolve her own issues too.

The story kept me intrigued. It was a bit slow to start, but quickly became more interesting as Zoeys memories came back, and the guests began to reveal some of their secrets and then the murder mystery unfolded. Easy reading and overall enjoyable. A solid 3.5 stars

This was a nice easy read that kept me engaged until the end. I found myself both intrigued by the main characters personal journey which is slowly alluded to and also by the unfolding of the larger story. I could easily see this being a TV series.

There were a few sections where I felt the story begin to drag but the later part of the book picked up pace.

I liked the resolution to the story, but had guessed the key player early on and felt this wasn’t hidden well enough.

3.5 stars. An enjoyable read and an author I will certainly look out for again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review

The story starts with Zoey waking up in a place. She couldn't remember how she ended up in the place with no recollection of what happened the previous night. She knew she was no longer in New York but is in some desert area. Zoey then later on realizes that she is in a place called Santuary where they house the people who might end up in jail. Zoey wondered what she did to be deserved to go to jail although later on she finds that she has secrets of her own. Then soon, people start getting disappearing and there might be a killer on loose.

I like story plot line which actually made me want to request this ARC. However, the first few chapters were kind of boring and bland in my opinion. This story reminded me a bit of Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty which kind of had the same vibe in the story as well. It was towards the ending that actually intrigued me as secrets about the Sanctuary was revealed and the actual killer was known.

There were not many plot twists and turns, the story to me kind of feels direct to me in my opinion and this was a slow burn thriller in my opinion, not fast paced. However, I think I do like a bit of multi-cultured concept in the book. Despite the fact that I didn't enjoy this much, I am looking forward to read more from this author. Worth 2.5 stars

Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder for ARC.. The review is based on my honest opinon only.

An intriguing mystery with a tense setting, The Sanctuary has a brilliant opening scene that instantly fills you with a claustrophobic dread.

I was a big fan of Haughton's The Dark and I love the fact that she went from frozen landscape to the scorching desert. And the locked-room thriller vibe again works quite well here. This is a rather large locked room with so much freedom outside so I never got the sense of being confined or trapped, but the isolated setting does add a lot more mystery and I certainly felt the heat.

The thriller side of the story is definitely quite domestic and not as gritty as I was hoping. But there's a lot going on, which does make it difficult to predict easily.

Unfortunately, I found Zoey to be far too nosy which is one of my pet peeves for thrillers. Make her a journalist or a family member seeking answers, and her many questions would have been more justified. I understand that she needed to understand her own place at The Sanctuary, but I feel like all she did was pester into other peoples' lives and that got a little tedious for me.

Other than that, I found this to be a quick and enjoyable thriller.

I really enjoyed reading this book, but it was slightly lacking. I expected it to be more of a thriller than it was, but it was still a good book

Rattlesnake in the desert ★★★☆☆

After another wild night out, Zoey wakes up in an unknown room in the desert with no memory of getting there. They say it’s an elite rehab and somebody is footing her extortionate bill.

As Zoe starts to face up to her painful past and gradually accept some help, the secrets surrounding the sudden departure of a guest and the conflict between the staff come to a head. Can she trust the dozen people she is stranded with? And is her mysterious sponsor friend or foe?

An interesting thriller with a great opening idea although there are some big coincidences.

I’d definitely recommend reading Haughton’s previous novel The Dark (2021).

To be honest, I was a little disappointed with the content of this novel as I’d expected it to be a really gritty thriller after reading the blurb. Nevertheless, The Sanctuary was entertaining and engaging, the setting and characters well rounded. But, for me, the happy ending was a little too sweet and predictable.

Zoey wakes up in a strange place having no idea where she is or how she got there. Apparently she's in a clinic to help her, no communication with the outside world in the middle of nowhere and all phones etc removed.. She finds others also being helped - some are celebrities, some have alcohol/drug problems. There are very few staff. It took a long time to establish who was who and for the characters to develop. Murders happened. Long treks into the hills happened then a lot seem to happen at once and the story ended. Vaguely disappointed. The writing was good though, descriptions of landscape and context good but I just wasn't grabbed with thisone. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy.