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 5 or a 4 and decided to stick with a 4 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.

A big thanks to HQ, HQ Digital for the ARC and the opportunity to read and review this book. I'd love to read more by Jennifer Moore.

I found The Wilderness Retreat a little confusing at times as it had alot of characters to get straight in my head. It was also a slow burner which, although kept the tension building, made me wish something would happen a little quicker. When the twist did finally arrive it then seemed a little rushed for my taste.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for my ARC.

Well this book has convinced me that being shut off in the wilderness is not for me thank you very much. This is however an exciting read about a mother Bella whos struggling with her son going off to university and is gifted a weeks retreat in the middle of nowhere by her sister. As the Nordic beauty unveiled the secluded retort the small group of guests settle in to get to know each other but when a VIP guest is announced Bella starts to worry a secret from her past may be about to explode and after receiving a threatening note she starts to worry something is seriously wrong with this resort and is she in danger or loosing her mind?

I really struggled with this there were so many characters and I found it so confusing. I kept having to stop and then going back to it, as thought it might be a slow burn and get better. I am glad I finished.
It just wasnt for me

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

The Wilderness Retreat by Jennifer Moore is an interesting story about a single mother who’s on starts university and her sister and son have bought her a spa gift for her first week when he has gone.
The Wilderness Retreat is in the middle of nowhere in Sweden and is a luxury lodge with other guests, including a guest speaker she never wanted to meet again. Things then take a deadly turn with events spiralling out of control and leaving one person dead.
A locked room sort of mystery but in the middle of nowhere.
Recommended

Bella’s son Asher is off to university and she’s left behind while he sets off to start a new chapter in his life. The only thing Bella has to look forward to is a week at a wilderness retreat in Sweden. Enter random strangers, a remote location and a storm that cuts them off from civilisation. It’s a recipe for disaster.

I loved the setting, and the moody, creepy tone that the author instilled during the time at the retreat, but I’ll be honest, it took me far longer to read this book than I would’ve liked. Although the synopsis sounds great, the execution wasn’t brilliant. I struggled to warm to Bella, I think that’s because she came across as infatuated with her son rather than as simply maternal. It’s was as though she could barely breathe without his presence, and that didn’t sit well with me. Some of the other characters actions were also questionable, making them fairly unrealistic, and unfortunately, the ending didn’t wow me.

I could empathise at first with her description of the empty nest syndrome, although Bella does seem to cling rather unhealthily to Asher, her only son.
From the start I felt the circumstances and larger than life characters were a little over the top. The story was somewhat farfetched which alienated me somewhat. Having said all of that I did continue to read and it was a page turner, so mixed feelings.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Jennifer Moore/HQ for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I very much enjoyed this book. The main character, Bella, is so likeable and relatable, and I loved rooting for her.

It begins with Bella taking her only son to university, and starting to deal with the idea of life without him, wondering how she will manage. But she is off to a 'retreat' after dropping him off, which she hopes will help her focus on herself for once.

The other characters at the retreat are interesting, annoying and intriguing. I loved how the author describes them, instantly bringing them to life and making them totally believable.

But from the first day, very strange things start happening to Bella. A mysterious note appears under her door, telling her 'I know what you did'. A maggot-infested apple appears in her room. And she regularly hears scratching at the wall, despite the fact that the room next to hers is supposed to be empty.

The author is good at developing a sense of unease and uncertainty. We aren't sure if Bella is losing it a bit, or if these things are actually happening. And when someone appears from her past, her stress levels increase as do the creepy events.

The only fault I had with it was that it does get slightly repetitive. There's a section in the second half where Bella is trying to track down another guest who seems to have vanished, and we are told repeatedly what she's thinking over several pages.

But on the whole I really enjoyed the book, and would read more by this author.

Well written, but really drags in places. Sadly I saw the ‘twist’ coming from early on in the book. The tension gets ramped up a little too much in some places, which, for me, detracted from the plot. It was like watching a horror film shouting ‘don’t do it you idiot’ and being frustrated when the character doesn’t listen. I think this would be better if it was leaner and the main character wasn’t so self obsessed. We get it, she’s a single mother who loves her son. There is a good book in here, but it didn’t quite hit the mark sadly. The part I did like was the very ending, when the most underrated and annoying character showed his worth.

Sadly this wasn’t for me…I had high hopes going in but these were soon dashed. I found it rather dull and far fetched. I couldn’t stand the main character, I thought she was irritating and somewhat stupid. Most of the other characters were plain annoying as well. There was no storyline until there was too much storyline (last 10%) when it just got really silly. Everything was predictable and basic and I felt like I was watching that part in a horror movie where the killer is chasing the victim through the woods and you just know she’s going to fall down.

Well I wasn’t expecting that ending. This is a real page turner of a book that kept me up half the night because I just wanted to read another page, then another page ….. I liked Belle as a character, a single mum who has just taken her son to university and was now at a wellness retreat in Sweden - a present from her sister and son. The other guests are a good mix too, each with their own stories to tell but who blend into the mystery so well.

When the surprise guest turns out to be someone from her past things take a sinister turn and Belle becomes more and more anxious as things appear to be happening to her separating her from the other guests. This is one of the best psychological thrillers I have read and can recommend you go out and get a copy.

Bella has gone to a Wilderness Retreat as her son starts university. A gift to help her unwind and relax to recharge her batteries for her future life. But odd things start happening and a man from her past is also there causing even more stress. Things go from weird to terrifying.

A well written novel with plenty of complicated characters. Lots of twists and turns right the way through, enjoy.

This book gave me a bit of a diverse assortment of feelings. This was an ok read but not for me personally.
The title and blurb really enticed to read but it fell short which is a shame.
Strong start which I really got into, a slow middle but still some intrigue, a lot of flashbacks but no depth as such, way over 75% through the book before the twist and then feels unbelievable with a lazy finish which was frustrating.

I release myself from the shackles of the outside world and embrace the wilderness world within. 

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 know you're here, she whispers into the stillness. The lodge breathes back its eerie silence. You don't scare me, she lies."

This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me, I enjoyed the author's writing style and the relaxed feel of the book and its characters. The set-up with Bella dropping her son at university and then travelling to the retreat in Sweden and meeting the other guests was great. It felt atmospheric, the characters were interesting and the premise was intriguing. I enjoyed most of the book, although it did seem to stall slightly around the middle point, but the ending wasn't quite right for me. Some of Bella's behaviour and reactions were questionable, and the end didn't quite flow like the beginning of the book did, it felt a bit forced and rushed, whereas the book as a whole was a bit too slow for my liking in general. There is definitely something here, I just feel that what was an ok book could have been a great book with a bit more editing. I'd be interested in reading this author's future work though. 

My thanks to the author, HQ Digital for my advance copy to read and review via Netgalley. Due out 22nd February 2023.

Creepy and atmospheric this book will reel you in to the Wilderness Retreat until you can no longer leave. Bella, a single parent says goodbye to her only son as he ventures off to university. As he had been her life for 19 years, she is feeling bereft and to help her come to terms with her feeling of loss, her sister treats her to a visit to the retreat in Sweden. Hoping it will refresh her and ease her worries she sets off but with a certain amount of trepidation. As the week begins, her unease is compounded by several unnerving events and despite her attempts to embrace the retreat, things go from bad to worse. Her past comes back to haunt her and as new fears emerge she becomes anything but relaxed. With unknown evil forces apparently at work, Bella just wants to go home but that too is impossible and feels so stressed she begins to wonder what is actually real or if she is imagining terrible events that keep happening. Suspicious of everyone this book eventually unravels to reveal a shocking climax and with a few twists along the way it is an excellent story that is dark with underlying fear throughout.

Bella’s life is about to take a major turn, as her son is leaving home to go to university. After years of having such a close relationship, the idea of being alone terrifies her. To distract her, Bella’s sister and son have conspired to send her on a week-long trip to Sweden, on a, for want of a better phrase, Wilderness Retreat. The lodge is modern and comfortable – but the forest outside, Dead Man’s Forest, is far from it.

As soon as the guests’ mobile phones are collected, strange things start to happen. Is it coincidence that the special guest on the retreat is literally the last person Bella would want to see? Why are some of the guests receiving mysterious messages? And who is scratching on the walls? And when one guest disappears, it soon becomes clear exactly what sort of nightmare Bella has stumbled into…

There’s a school of crime writing from way back when that is referred to as HIBK – Had I But Known – which mostly involves a young woman wandering blindly into a situation that starts escalating and, is she had but known, she wouldn’t have gone anywhere near. That’s the closest thing from the classic mystery genre that I’d compare The Wilderness Retreat to. It’s hard to call it a murder mystery as it takes an absolute age for a body to turn up – not as bad as Tragedy At Law, mind you – and even then, it’s one of the least important threads of the book.

It’s an interesting book, although the subgenre isn’t really my cup of tea. It’s well-written, focussing entirely on Bella’s point of view, but while some would call it absorbing, they are probably more patient than me, as I was hoping for an earlier interface between the fan and the excrement, if you understand my meaning.

At the end of the day, it’s a good reveal at the end (although not exactly the “big twist” that was promised) and an odd choice for the villain to signpost their identity in one of the messages to Bella, only for Bella to misinterpret it. Was she supposed to get it at that point? Wouldn’t that have derailed the later plans?

Anyway, if you’re a fan of the genre, this is a good entry that’s worth a look.

The Wilderness Retreat is out in paperback and ebook from HQ on 22nd February 2023.

I was really looking forward to reading this, a thriller set in a Swedish retreat sounded just what I was in the mood for.

Weirdly though, this book can’t quite find its rhythm. Even at the start, the set up is slow. Bella is a single mother, dropping off her son at university. I’ve managed to say that in a very short sentence but the same can’t be said for the author.

The fact that everything is described s-l-o-w-l-y with lots of flashbacks means that you very quickly work out exactly who is who and what is going to happen at the end of the book, which is a shame because it takes quite a long time to actually get there.

The main character is also unfortunately irritating, as are many of the secondary characters, which means that it isn’t either the tense thriller I’d expected or the cosy mystery I’d have been perfectly happy with. Such a shame.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was not a bad read but, it wasn’t great. There were too many characters which made it confusing, also, it jumped about quite a bit which made it hard to follow. Many times I nearly gave up but I ploughed on and finished it. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I absolutely raced through this engrossing, twisty mystery story set in a creepy Swedish forest. A fun, very atmospheric read but, if I am being totally honest, it is a tad repetitive at times. A good, quick read for dark winter evenings.

For the whole of his life it has always been Belle and her son, no-one else. So when he goes off to university she accepts the chance to go on a wilderness retreat to find herself however the retreat is not what she anticipated…..

An ok thriller but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.