Bella is slowly being driven mad, or maybe she’s just paranoid. Being marooned in the middle of a Swedish forest can do that to you, of course, but this is a luxury Retreat, a mixture of New Age mumbo jumbo (tree hugging, gong bathing, herbal teas, mindfulness) by day, and cordon bleu meals with ad lib wine in the evenings. Bella’s sister has paid for her trip, partly as a birthday present and partly to take her mind off the fact that her son, Asher, has just started Uni leaving her with an empty nest. The Retreat is run by therapist (type unspecified) Stuart and his fairly recently acquired, and much older wife, Marie, a retired medic. An assortment of other people, most of whom have had some traumatic event in their past, are also guests, and there are two additional staff to do the cooking and cleaning. A surprise visitor, music therapist and one time classical pop star, Ludwell Storm, is sprung on the guests – greeted by delight from all but Bella. Nineteen years ago she had had a crush on him, so intense that she changed her choice of University to go to the one where he was now a lecturer, dumping her boyfriend in the process. One night, after a drunken evening, she had gone back to his place, passed out and woke up in his bed (his marital bed). A few weeks later when she tried to tell him she was pregnant, he had ignored her attempt and denied that anything had happened. She had left Uni, brought up the child alone and carved out a career as a freelance composer. However, his presence is the least of her troubles, because things are going astray all around her; noises in the night, blackouts, estrangement by the other people. Is she cracking up or is someone really out to get her? And all the time, she keeps thinking off Asher, desperately wants to see him, talk to him, empty-nest-syndrome in overdrive, but she can’t because they surrendered their phones as part of the therapy, and the road to the Retreat is blocked by falling trees so she can’t escape.
On the face of it, this is a standard sort of plot – isolated group and strange goings on. What we want is some novel twists, lots of interconnections being stealthily revealed, a puzzle to be solved, all written in a tight style which wracks up the tension. But we don’t get that here. This is partly because the main protagonist is not really very believable, her behaviour is too irrational, she spends too much time mulling over the same things, the whole “missing Asher” issue becomes annoying. Not that she is alone in this since none of the other characters behaves in any rational way. There are several problems with the mechanics of the plot, and it is also not too difficult to work out what is going on and who the baddie is. I guess 2.5 is the best I can give it, rounding to 3 which is generous.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

This was such a good read, with many twists and turns I was not expecting. The author has woven a story which kept me gripped all the way through.

I consider myself quite good at spotting what is going on, but with this book I didn’t get it until the author revealed what was happening. That is a sign of a good book.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

I'm so sorry I was unable to finish this book. I was really excited by the premise and thought it would be the type of thriller I race through. Unfortunately the writing style was too obvious and repetitive for me. I got frustrated by the way that the back story was introduced,, spelling it out like American TV shows do. I'm sure lots of people will love it. But it wasn't for me.

Thanks to netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to review this book.

Mother drops off son , Sad as this will be their first time apart. But she has a break at a Retreat to look forward to . Or does she ? This exciting thriller of a read truly kept me gripped. Full of twists and turns. You just have to keep reading to the conclusion.

4⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book, set in the Swedish wilderness, was a gripping read and I found it hard to put down. The setting was well described and felt like an extra character.

There was a vivid cast of interesting characters, and the mystery of who was behind some of the odd things happening to Bella kept me guessing, although I did anticipate a couple of the twists and turns (not many!)

The plot was well executed and the ending was satisfying. The only reason I haven’t given this book five stars was because at times the pace felt uneven, mostly because Bella - internally - kept going over the same ground/there was repetition. At times I felt frustrated, and wanted the story to move on, or for more to be happening with the other guests. Writing from one of the other guests viewpoints may have helped break this up a bit. This is my own personal view, and other people may not share it.

With thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and author for the ARC.

Wow. Absolutely thrilling and kept me guessing the whole way. Would recommend to anyone who likes to be on the edge of their seat. Characters could have had more depth but I didn't find this a deal breaker. Will be looking for more by this author.

Beautiful retreat in the Norwegian mountains, excellent hospitality, minimal phone signal, exercises and sessions on meditation, relaxation spirituality, swimming (cold lakes, nope) sets the scene nicely. Stuart and Marie host their guests with a couple of house staff. The guests are a motley bunch each with their secrets/hang ups (no surprise there). Bella is the main character and is there as a result of a gift from her sister and son who has just started University hence Bella is suffering from the "empty next" syndrome. Then the odd notes appear, jokes that nearly drown Bella, disappearance of characters and keys, appearance of someone Bella does not wish to see and so on. It starts slowly and, frankly, I got fed up with Bella very early on - sympathy over the empty nest yes, but not with the repetitive reiteration of this. The back stories of the other characters mostly were just that. There was so much that was predictable although, to be fair, I do read a lot. Therefore it was an ok read but not one that particularly enthralled me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Bella( a musical composer)drops her son Asher off for his first term at University and as he and her sister have booked a holiday for her at a wilderness retreat in Sweden she heads off there.thinking it will take her mind off her son as they have never been apart before..
She arrives at the retreat and meets the other guests and as they get to know each other over food and drinks the owners of the retreat,Marie and Stewart ask them to hand in their phones so they can get the best experience of the activities on offer there without distraction.
shortly after settling in to their rooms strange things start to happen , notes under Bella's door and later strange noises from the supposedly empty room next door and later on threatening messages written in Lipstick on her mirror and then windows.
All this is compounded by the "Guest Speaker" Ludwell who it turns out was a tutor of Bella's when she attended university and had had a crush on for years before going there. In those days she was known as Izzy and did a lot of partying and drinking, on one occasion ending up back at her tutors house for the night.She dropped out of University after falling pregnant and going home before being thrown out of her home by her mother.she believed Ludwell was Asher's father but things are not as they seem as the story unfolds with many twists along the way especially around Bella's outlandish behaviour in her days at the retreat.

This is a well written psychological thriller. All the characters are well drawn and I loved the forest setting. The twists took me by surprise especially at the end. The narrator was overly obsessed with her son and there was a lot of repetition but otherwise I enjoyed this novel.

A thoroughly enjoyable read and exactly my type of thriller with many twists along the way.
It came close to being a five star book BUT I just felt that there was a degree of improbability about it given the apparent way that it had been possible to get all the main characters at the resort at the same time so deducting one star as a result. Don't wish to say any more on this as don't wish to spoil the storyline by saying too much.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review the ARC.

I liked the idea of a retreat which pulled me into the story. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

I was attracted to this book by the basic premise of going on a retreat as I have experienced a few yoga retreats myself.

It started off in a quite light hearted vein and the characters seemed amusing and interesting, each with their own issues but as the book developed it became more sinister as the plot deepened and hidden secrets came to light.

This was a very enjoyable book, it kept me interested right up to the final chapter, I will definitely be following this writer.

If you're after a perfectly read-able thriller them this is for you. The setting - a retreat deep in the Swedish forest - works well and the first half is good. It begins to lose its way a little in the second half and the plot loses pace. Despite that it will keep you decent company for a few days. (Copy received via Netgalley in return for an honest review).

I’m afraid I found it repetitive, and it didn’t capture my attention like books usually do. The characters seemed a little odd, and not in a good way.

It was a good read, but not a brilliant one. There seemed to be a lack of pace in the middle, then it sped up towards the end. It's an easy read whodunnit, it has twists, it was an OK read. For me it didn't really grip me.

This was just what I was looking for in an 'isolated psychological thriller'.

From the first chapter, Bella already felt like a much different main character from other thriller featuring mothers - she has an 18 year old son and has a good relationship with him (and not a creepy, obsessive one!). I find thrillers involving children tend to focus on the beginnings of motherhood or a negative relationship, so this was a pleasant change.

Bella is a great unreliable narrator. I was never quite sure what to believe, even when she knew certain, absolute truths. The nod to the character being aware of horror/thriller tropes is a great touch. There were a couple of things I did guess before the big reveal, but enough was left as a surprise without being unexpected - personally, a great ending to a thriller.

Some of the characters feel a little bit over exaggerated and their actions got quite repetitive, but I understand they were a relevant part of the story. The pacing slowed right down in the middle of the book, which I know is the build the tension, but did mean there was about 20% or so of the book that felt a little bit of a slog.

Overall
This a great, tense, atmospheric thriller that made me feel on edge because I didn't know who to trust. Although I found the pacing quite slow in parts, the climax and conclusion were worth it.

Many thanks to NetGalley, HQ Digital and Jennifer Moore for my ARC of 'The Wilderness Retreat' in return for an honest review.

I devoured this book quickly as it is a trued page turner. Bella's sister and son have arranged for her to attend the Swedish retreat with six others all searching for something and a 'mystery' guest. totally cut off from the outside world and strange things begin to happen.

Full of twists and turns it kept me reading. Highly recommended.

A surprise gift of a week-long wilderness retreat in Sweden is something a mum of one is looking forward to. Though the accommodation is breath-taking, its location – the foreboding Dead Man’s Forest – could make one feel unsettled.

I am a fan of thrillers and this one caught my eye when I saw it, being set in a Swedish wood, cut off from anyone else it gives the chance of a locked room mystery-style thriller. The room is not a room but an isolated setting, with guests who are strangers and not altogether likeable.

Bella is a single mum, her son has just gone to uni and her sister has arranged a break for her at a wilderness retreat. Having a life focused on her son, she has effectively cut herself off. It is while she is at the retreat that she discovers that she has lived her life so far through her son so she wants to try to cope without him. It is tough for her as she is not able to get in touch with him, and while she thinks there are those that may show her some support, Bella isn't actually making a great impression.

The author has taken the character of Bella and given her so much to deal with and you can start to see cracks appear as more and more stress and emotion are piled on. I did mention some of the other characters not being likeable, in fact, there is the odd one or two that did wind me up as much as they did Bella. The author uses paranoia to good effect, and at times it did feel a little too repetitive, while it does work for the story it did make it feel like Bella was a bit too many and whiny. To counteract this though there are some good twists and what I thought were red herrings, but not quite though!

I did enjoy this and I found myself quickly addicted to the story I definitely needed to know how things would eventually come to a conclusion. When it did, it was unexpected and also rather quick.

This is more of a mystery thriller and the mystery section of the book was great. If you like a remote setting with strangers in a setting that leaves the imagination to run wild then I do think you will like this one. Not quite as creepy as I thought it might be and still a very enjoyable read that I would happily recommend.

I had great hopes for this but they were dashed by the end of the first chapter. This turned out to be a cross between a rejected Agatha Christie and a script from Murder She Wrote.The characters were cut and paste from a thousand other plays, books and films and one could not connect with even the feckless main player. I rarely do not finish a book but this one hit the buffers around half way and even if you could argue that not seeing the plot fully develop prevents a rational review life is too short to wade through treacle. Sorry.