While I feel this book had an interesting start and an ok end the middle just felt too slow and unprogressive. There was no relationship built up between the characters and the reader, they just seemed to be there. Even the main character didn’t come across as having any real personality to her or any ways of connecting with her on a reading level.

It was a difficult read as it felt a bit like Groundhog Day. Very repetitive, over-detailed and unnecessarily wordy.

I feel the thinking behind this story was a good one, but was executed poorly

Really enjoyed the start of this thriller about Bella and her Swedish well being retreat. Full of interesting characters and uneasy feelings. Bella misses her son who has just started university and struggling with being separated from her phone, she starts to hear strange noises, receive odd messages and there is an unwelcome special guest. However too much alcohol and a feeling of not knowing what is real and what is not took a long time to reach its rather far fetched conclusion.

I’ve always liked the idea of a retreat, getting away from everything and just spending time by yourself.
Having read this it’s out me right off! The first three quarters of the book were slow, there were too many characters and too much plot. The last quarter of the book was crazy!
I’m glad I read it to the end so I know what happens but I can’t say I enjoyed it or would read a sequel.

Well this was certainly different! Creepy - but different.

Bella is a single mum and it has only ever been her and her son, Asher, but now he's heading off to university and she is devastated. Asher and his aunt, her sister, have put their heads together and organised a week at a wilderness retreat in Sweden and it is the only thing keeping her going as she drops him off at uni. The Lodge is large and luxurious, but it is set in a forest know as Dead Man's Forest, with a creepy legend attached. As someone begins leaving notes under her door and strange happenings occur, Bella get more and more uneasy - it's certainly not turning out to be the relaxing week she was anticipating. But who is out to get her - and why?

First of all, let me say that there is absolutely nothing on earth that would make me stay in or near a place called Dead Man's Forest - not on your life! Having said that, I found myself living there by proxy and although I didn't like it, I couldn't put the book down either! There are a few twists and turns along the way, but the ending rather shocked me - didn't see that coming! As long as you aren't planning a trip to a wilderness retreat, Sweden or a forest, you will love this one, otherwise please keep it until you return home! Once you begin reading, there is no setting it aside - trust me on that. I'm happy to recommend this one and give it 4.5*

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley, this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

I enjoyed this tense and gripping thriller set at a retreat in Dead Man’s Forest in Sweden. It is atmospheric and creepy, and I had no trouble turning the pages. Bella’s son Asher has just started university and they are apart for the first time. It’s a stressful situation for single-parent Bella so her sister and Asher organise for her to go on a retreat. The novel is told in the present tense, all from Bella’s point of view, which gives it a sense of immediacy. I liked the fact that Bella composes film music. This interested me and fitted in well with the creepy setting. I wasn’t sure who to trust. The ending came as a complete surprise but was satisfying. A really good read!

The Wilderness Retreat is a gripping thriller that had me hooked from the start. Bella drops her son Asher off at university. It is the first time they have been apart since he was born. Bella is devastated and wondering how she will cope. Luckily her son and sister have booked her a week-long wilderness retreat in Sweden.

At first, Bella loves the place, the luxurious rooms, and the gorgeous view over a lush forest with a sparkling lake. Then they have to surrender their phones for the full detox effect. Things start to get sinister. Creepy notes are left, the forest is called Dead Mans Forest and has a legend of a bandit buried alive scratching to get out. The final straw is a mysterious guest from Bella's past arriving. Someone who ruined her life.

The story is tense and edgy, Bella thinks she is going mad but is not able to leave due to a storm taking down the trees. The story races on to the end which brings about an unexpected twist.

A real page turner of a read

A story with many twists and turns which means you don’t know who to believe or trust. An accurate portrayal of paranoia from Bella.

⭐️Rating: 3/5
✍🏼Author: Jennifer Moore
📖Genre: Mystery/ Thriller

I really enjoyed this mystery thriller set in a Swedish wilderness retreat by Jennifer Moore.

The blurb was very intriguing and I immediately decided it was one for me. It starts off with Bella dropping off her son, Asher at university ready to start his life without her and then heading off to the retreat paid for and booked by her son and sister. However the idyllic setting and her week long refreshing break are not quite as they should be, despite the luxury rooms and amazing views and surroundings. she meets the other guests and a special guest who brings back some disturbing reminders of her life 19 years ago.

Some very interesting and different characters led me to think this was a bit Agatha Christie-esque especially with the location but at other times, it was very different.

A real page turner that was hard to put down and very addictive with a twisty and unexpected finish

I was struggling to decide whether to rate this as a 4 or a 3 and decided to stick with a 3 as one or two bits were a little repetitive. I wasn't sure if I lost my place once, as seemed to have read the same info, but apparently not and I felt the dream sequences were a little too much.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are that of my own.

Bella's sister, who now lives abroad, and her son Asher have arranged for her to go to a wellness retreat in Sweden which coincides with Asher leaving to go to University. Bella, a single parent, is already devastated about her and Asher being apart and on arrival at the lodge surrounded by the dark and creepily atmospheric forest she feels even more lost and alone. After the arrival of a celebrity guest can she survive the week!

Although enjoyable I found this book quite slow, I know it was building up the story but I felt it only picked up pace in the last chapters.

There was a good mix of characters and the setting just the right amount of spooky.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ for the ARC.

At the time of writing, I have read the first nine chapters (or 25%) of this book but it doesn't look like I'll be finishing the rest. The setup intrigued me but I found the pacing too slow, the writing lacklustre, and the main character, Bella, didn't strike me as very likeable.

The only thing that still has my interest slightly piqued is the history between Bella and the mystery guest, but with the current pacing, I wouldn't be surprised if nothing of substance unravels until the very end. If you like slow burn thrillers, then this may be for you, otherwise I'd give it a miss.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

I picked this book up expecting an absolutely thrilling page turner of a book however I found myself quickly disappointed; I’m not a fan of any of the characters (which there are too many of) and none of which are particularly likeable which wouldn’t necessarily be a problem however the main character’s paranoia got boring and annoying, fast. It took too long for the story to pick up and I unfortunately couldn’t continue with this book and put it down ~40% of the way through.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the blurb, setting and premise of this book, and began reading it with high expectations. The opening scenes tick the “thriller” genre boxes. Newly successful composer and single parent, Belle, is highly anxious as she takes her son, Asher, to university for his first academic year.

Then she rather reluctantly travels to stay at a remote wilderness wellness retreat for a few days, taking comfort from the fact it’s a thoughtful gift from her sister to help ease the pain of parting from her son.

She encounters a motley group of strangers, with stormy weather cutting them off from civilisation for an unknown period of time. This is followed by a required relinquishment of their mobile phones, effectively removing any contact beyond the retreat and grounds.

Belle is also faced with the unexpected arrival of a “special guest” who turns out to be someone horribly familiar from her past. So far, so atmospheric. What spoils the novel from thereon is an unlikeable cast of characters and an unlikely sequence of alarming events.

The plodding plot isn’t helped by repetition. Belle’s preoccupations and troubled mental state are thrust upon the reader over and over again. She seems to be far less mature than her son, Asher, and far less capable of being by herself without the props of her daily life.

It’s hard to empathise or sustain sympathy when an adult acts more like a frightened child, one who is stuck in a groove of self-pity and self-absorption as well. This made the bulk of the book feel turgid and slow.

Though the ending was pacier, its predictability meant it wasn’t the thrill I was hoping for. A tighter edit and more rounded characterisation might have resulted in a better book. Thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 2.5**

When Bella left her only son Asher at university the only thing that stopped her from breaking down was her holiday she had booked to a retreat in Sweden.
It was meant to be a week of reflection and relaxation with no connection to the outside world.
But on arrival Bella is feeling anxious about just how remote the wilderness retreat is and having to stay with complete strangers for a week.

You know when you get to a part in a movie/book and you know something bad is going to happen but you still have to keep watching/reading?
Well I won't give you any spoilers but it definitely gave me the hebejebes?
A wonderful suspense thriller..

Bella waves goodbye to her son, Asher as he starts university. To help with her empty nest syndrome she heads to Sweden for a wilderness retreat. But when her pasts comes back unexpectedly things start to unravel.

This book was quite a slow burner with a decent amount of characters but it got quite interesting towards to end.

💭 ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
This is a very quick read and will be perfect for people who are trying out Thrillers but don’t want it too scary. I personally found it a bit repetitive and predictable. I saw the ending coming at the very start. I couldn’t really connect with the characters expect for Oscar; who was trying to find the creepiest ways to kill people as research for his book. He was quite entertaining. Overal a quick read and perfect for trying out Thrillers.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

🤓 ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Short chapters
It not too scary
Isolated environment

ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ:
𝘈𝘴 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘢𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘈𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬-𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘯. 𝘐𝘵’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦.

𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵, 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘥𝘨𝘦, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘶𝘹𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦-𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘰𝘹 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘪𝘥𝘺𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵. 𝘚𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺, 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥, 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥…

I really enjoyed this book, at times i felt it was a little slow and the ending was predictable but overall it was really enjoyable.

The premise of this book was really interesting I liked the setting and had high hopes. Unfortunately it was a real slow burn we were in Bellas paranoid head for about 75% of the book and so this just didn't help the story move forward. Once we got to the big reveal it wasn't very suprising and would of liked more from it given the slow build to it.
The charecters weren't likeable and I was glad when I got to the end.
Thanks to Netgalley for the Arc.

The blurb intrigued me. I did really enjoy the book. I did have to think for a minute as it did jump back to the past occasionally.

It took a wee while to get going but was a book I kept wanting to keep on reading.

Bella is a single mum to Asher, she drops him at uni and goes to the Swedish wilderness retreat her sister gifted her. While there Bella starts noticing things aren't quite right, who is sending anonymous notes, what secrets are the other guests hiding?

Bella makes some revelations.....

Thank you netgally for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Goodness me that was tense. It all started off fairly normally with single mother Bella dropping her son Asher off at university and then going off to a wellness retreat in Sweden; a present from her sister and Asher. Told largely in the present from Bella’s POV but with some narrative from the POV of Izzy as she starts university. A fairly slow paced locked room mystery with 11 potential culprits.

Briefly, when Bella arrives there are 5 other guests on the retreat with two more arriving the following day. Their mobile phones are taken from them on arrival. When the two other guests arrive Bella is shocked to see the man who changed her life irrevocably as a teenager, with his wife. Then strange things start to happen, scratching on walls, anonymous notes, other unexplained occurrences. Is Bella imagining everything? Or is someone targeting her?

All the characters were fairly well fleshed out and I think I suspected most of them at one time or another. This slow burning book was full of suspense and as it moved into the last quarter it really ramped up. I empathised with Bella and was desperate for her to find out what was going on and get back to her son. Well written with a great plot line this was a very good read. A psychological thriller that really deserved the label.

The story overall is a bit of a slow burner throughout however it is also a page turner. Bella is the main character who finds herself sent off to a retreat in Sweden by her sister and her son who has just started university. She needs to recharge her batteries but then things begin to happen all around her and the relaxing break turns into something else!! I had a good read trying to figure out what was happening and who the 'baddie' was - and no I didn't figure it out.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.