Thank you @NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

The cover and blurb had me hooked straight away so I was thrilled when it popped up that I’d received a copy to read.

This book had a lot of positives; the guessing game throughout, the descriptions of the settings made you feel like you were there with the characters and the overall suspense of the book were brilliant.

Sadly, the slightly creepy over attachment Bella has to her son Asher, the lack of anything really happening until the later stages of the book & the predictability of the ending meant that this book missed the mark for me.

A good read but unfortunately not a great read for me. I look forward to reading something else from Jennifer Moore in the future.

#NetGalley #Review #TheWildernessRetreat #Books #Bookstagram #UKReader #EBook #FreeCopy #Reading #Suspense #ThreeStar #JennierMoore #Author

The synopsis really appealed to me, as did the cover and I was really looking forward to the setting of a Swedish retreat but I found it a bit predictable, and somewhat far-fetched.
Unfortunately, I really didn’t warm to Bella (the main character) and saw all of the “twists” coming so it was a bit disappointing.
Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for this arc.

Bella is a single mum to Asher who has just left home for university. To help Bella move her own life forward her sister and Asher pay for her to go to a wilderness retreat in Sweden.

When Bella arrives at the retreat she finds out there is a mystery guest set to arrive. Someone from her past who she hoped never to see again. This is where Bella's troubles begin, with strange notes being left for her, weird sounds coming from the room next door. Bella starts to become more and more erratic trying to figure out what is going on.

I found Bella to be quite an annoying character. I get she is upset that her son is starting university but all she does is moan and whinge about it. Then not long after arriving at the retreat she is really mistrusting of all the other guests and starts to come over really paranoid.

By 60% of the way through the book still not a lot had happened.

When the story started to come together it was obvious who and why they were doing what they were doing but everything did eventually tie up in a nice little bow.

I'd give this 2.5 stars out 5 (rounded up to 3)

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Wilderness Retreat by Jennifer Moore is a thrilling and suspenseful novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. The main character, Bella, has been sent to the retreat by her sister and her teenage son, it is supposed to be a way for her to relax and rejuvenate, but it quickly becomes clear that something is not right.
As the week progresses, she begins to receive threatening notes and is plagued by vivid nightmares and hallucinations, she is constantly on edge as she tries to figure out what is happening to her.
The setting of the wilderness retreat is expertly crafted, and the author does a great job of evoking a sense of isolation and unease in the reader. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and the plot is full of twists and turns that will keep readers guessing until the very end.
Overall, The Wilderness Treat is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers. Moore has created a rich and captivating story that will stay with readers long after they finish the book. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller.

Thanks to netgalley and HQ for letting me review an arc for this book. This is the first book i have read by this author.
I got a bit confused in places. It seemed to move quickly from one character to the next without it flowing.It had I DIDNT SEE THAT COMING moments which i liked, but unfortunately the book wasnt for me.

A fascinating combination of mystery and intrigue all mixed together with colourful characters with deep back stories. The Wilderness Retreat should be the perfect get away, the hills mountains and forest hide a lurking darkness. As Bella flexes her independence and freedom on her own after saying goodbye to her son, she should be relaxing and healing, mentally and spiritually. Instead, she can't let go worrying about her son, on his own for the first time and inadvertently ends up living a nightmare from her past topped with new sprinkles of death and despair from the present. She, as with other guests carry a heavy burden which seems to be following her, stalking her in the dark shadows of the woods and trails. Will what should be a revitalising break, break someone in more ways than one. Clues and notes, poison pen letters, mystery and fear lurk very close by in this compelling mystery.

This book was everything you want from a thriller, fast paced, intriguing characters, eerie setting and full of twists and turns.

The way this book was written kept you engaged from start to finish and the twists towards the end were well executed. I do have to say that I did guess the big twist but that didn’t take away from how it played out.

The author did a great job of creating doubt in the readers mind about whether what was happening at the retreat was real or whether it was all in Bella’s head (main character).

This is definitely a book I would recommend to all thriller readers.

Thank you netgalley for this arc.
I have mixed feelings regarding this book, one hand I loved the twist and turns but on the other there was a lot of repetition and when the actions started it ended just as quick. I easily guessed where the story was going and felt a little let down overall as I feel it has great potential it just wasn’t for me.

Wow! I loved the setting of this one - it was a wonderful balance of moody, dark and isolated, which created a kind of haunting beauty and really added to the overall atmosphere of the book. I loved how Bella's mental state merged with the setting and her composition throughout the book, as it added to the underlying tension throughout.

The short chapters really help with the pacing as I flew through this in a matter of days, and there is a real sense of urgency as the book goes on. The reveals were well-spread out throughout the narrative, and I enjoyed the way everything drew together in the final act of the book.

I think I perhaps struggled with the characters, but they were deliberately written to be unlikeable, so it is understandable. I would have perhaps liked to have seen Bella have more to her character than being a mother, but as she hadn’t experienced adulthood outside of motherhood then it makes perfect sense. The fact that most of the characters had some kind of shady backstory did add to the overall tension of the book, but it felt somewhat unnecessary as these backstories were never really fully explained. Additionally, I feel that some elements of the plot, such as Lena's death - although it added to the overall story - felt perhaps a little rushed. but this did not detract from my overall reading experience.

Overall, I did really enjoy this book and was completely gripped by it.

This is an absolute page turner of a book hooking the reader from the onset. "One holiday. Eight guests. Every reason to be afraid" - The Wildnerness Retreat is one of those books that you are compelled to read, devouring each page unable to resist reading until the final revelation. This is a triumphant rollercoaster of a read with plot points and twists galore. An exceptional psychological thriller. A must read for 2023.
Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publishers HQ (An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers) for this eARC to review.

Psychological thrillers are not the usual genre of books that I normally read, but I thought that I would try it, and I am really pleased that I did.
What an excellent book.
Captivating, well written and surprising with an excellent setting, fairly unusual twists and turns and an excellent finish.
I will certainly be looking out for the author's books in future, whatever the genre.
Thanks to the author for a splendid book and to the publisher for an advanced copy for honest review.

The story starts with Belle dropping her son off at university for the first time. It’s been just the two of them for so long and now, here she is all alone. To help her cope with the initial loneliness, her sister and son have arranged for a get away from it all break in a Swedish retreat. Belle is a composer and a little time in the Swedish wilderness might be just the thing she needs to help her move her latest piece forward.
She is sharing the experience with half a dozen other guests. Each of the is there searching for something in the lives from, Oscar who is researching his latest book to Krista who is trying to find out the truth about her husband’s death. They will also share the break with a ‘mystery guest.’
Cut off from the outside world, when strange things start to happen to her, Belle must work out who is behind them and why.
The story moves along pretty quickly and I found The Wilderness Retreat an easy book to read. Belle is a likeable character and I was willing her to find out the truth. That said, when the truth came out I hadn’t seen it coming which, I guess, is the sign of a good thriller.
Many thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very readable thriller, set in a creepy Dead Man’s Forest - very atmospheric!
I enjoyed the setting and the background story of our protagonist’s past history during her time at university.
I would have liked a little more background info on her mum as she was mentioned a few times but not in depth.
I found the pacing a little slow and there was a lot of build up for a slightly anti climactic ending.
Thank you to the publisher and author for the chance to read this advanced copy!

This is another book on the genre of a remote setting cut off from the outside world where danger occurs.

This book set in a Swedish woodland retreat kept me engaged and wanting to read more with enough suspense and intrigue that, unusually, I didn’t figure out the culprit until revealed - a mark of a good book for me.

I would look for books by this author again after reading this one.

I loved the premise of this book, a remote and secluded retreat, secrets and suspense! Well written with an excellent atmospheric setting. However I found the protagonist’s narrative to be extremely repetitive and I couldn’t understand her early paranoia and suspicions (we know she’s in danger because she’s the main character in a thriller, but she shouldn’t know that)
Although it’s a little slow paced and at times farfetched, I had a good time with this book and especially enjoyed the flashback elements early on.

Thank you to Jennifer Moore, HQ and NetGalley for this advance copy.

Bella us given a week long retreat to Scandinavia by his sister. When she arrives she finds a group of strangers she has nothing in common with. Then a reminder of her past arrives and things begin to get very strange. The book was ok but the plot twists were signposted. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the arc. All opinions are my own.

Set in a remote retreat in Sweden, Bella goes there immediately after dropping her son off at uni in the UK. She is quite a clingy mum, having brought him up on her own, however I found her neediness quite annoying!
Lots of incidents happen whilst she is there and she starts to wonder if she is going crazy or if it is real. A bit slow moving in parts but overall quite enjoyable.

Along the lines of 'Nine Perfect Strangers' this tale is set in a remote retreat, and like the aforementioned spa things start getting weird. There is a level of spookiness, although it is not clear if the incidents are actually occurring or if the main character is just a bit hysterical having left her son at university for the first time. Anyway things progress and there is clarity over what is happening and why.

The pace got a bit flabby in the mid section, there was so much wondering and I needed a bit more action. By the end there were certain aspects that seemed very unlikely; revenge may be best served cold - but it was positively icy by the time this plot came to fruition. I enjoyed it, it was good for a cold January weekend - 'it was fine' is my considered view.

A largely enjoyable if not somewhat clunky thriller. The setting I loved - a retreat in a secluded Swedish forest however once the setting had been established it became quite repetitive in places.

I also don’t think the character of Bella was likeable which stopped me from becoming too invested.

Ultimately however it was an ok read, and I would pick up something from this author again in future

Thank you to NetGalleyUK and HQ for a review ecopy of this book.

I loved this thriller set in the Swedish forest, I even googled all the Swedish food served to the guests throughout their stay. Moore creates a very believable setting which rapidly grows more sinister as the retreat progresses.

I was kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the story and it is well paced and the characters are well developed.

A single mother goes on a wellness retreat, but ends up in fear of her life rather than the relaxing birthday treat she was expecting. Full of twists and turns it was hard to predict what would happen next despite the isolated group plot being a well know one.