Didn't live up to potential. Bella was not a likeable character, far too obsessive with her son bordering on pathological. Took too long to get going. Writing felt, awkward I suppose like the author herself wasn't sure what she wanted to write next. A bit odd.. The main twist, I presume wasn't actually a twist because it was made fairly obvious from the start. Lost its way somewhat

I read this book quickly whilst I had some time on my hands. It kept me entertained but I felt it was a bit long-winded and slow and the characters were largely unlikeable. I didn’t work out the plot twist although I was very tired when I read the book. Overall I enjoyed it but it could have moved at a quicker pace. Three and a half stars.

I’ve read several books in this genre - the small group stranded in an isolated location - and I thought this was one of the better ones. I found the main character more likeable and relateable than in many books. The sense of menace and claustrophobia was well done, increasing gradually and wasn’t over the top. I guessed what was going on but that didn’t spoil the story. An enjoyable read, and I’d read more by this author.

A real middle of the ground book for me. I really enjoyed the first part of the book and found myself drawn in to the characters and the plot line however it lacked some punch and pace for me about a third of the way through. The final few chapters again picked up pace and I did stick with it until the end but I did find myself plodding through much of the story. Fair to middling for me I'm afraid!

The Wilderness Retreat had so much potential but unfortunately for Jennifer Moore, she spent 50% of the book blathering on and on about characters you didn’t care about, Bella became more unlikable by the chapter so when the action finally started you really didn’t care. SPOILER: It was obvious the twist about Asher and Nat and I still didn’t care because I had worked it out so early on. In fact Julia who was remotely more interesting was sidelined far too early. Decent attempt at mystery/thriller but not for me.

A thoughtful gift from your sister......how lovely! When Bella's son leaves home to go to University, her sister gifts her a week of relaxation in a Swedish Wilderness Retreat to fend off sadness and 'empty nest syndrome '. Of course, all is not what it seems and as a figure from the past arrives at the same retreat, Bella's nerves become frayed rather than calmed and it's downhill from day one.
An interesting, if predictable plot although the "whodunnit" angle works well. The repeated incidents and coincidences become wearing about halfway through the book and the reader is left wondering at the credibility of the main characters .

The story starts when Bella drops off her son at Uni. Her sister treats Bella to a weeklong wilderness retreat in Sweden. And what a week she has.... Bella is looking forward to a quiet time but will be confronted with an unwelcome blast from the past during her stay in the Dead Man's Woods combined with some unsettling and creepy encounters.

This book pulled me straight in. At times, and certainly during the second half, I thought 'Bella, it's OK. Pull yourself together. You can do this'. On the other hand, some of the other guest's behaviour is a bit off, to be fair.
I'm a bit on the fence with this book. It's a pacey, enjoyable read for dark, cold evenings. But then again, the main character's behaviour can come across as a bit erratic and exaggerated.

This is a real page turner, once I started I couldn't put it down. A great psychological thriller which kept the suspense going to the end of the book.

The cover and title piqued my attention and I went into the book blind.

Unfortunately when I got the arc I was in a massive reading slump and was struggling to read this. The book couldn’t keep my attention hence I couldn’t enjoy it as much I usually would.

I will re-read this to give it a fair shot in the future.

Oh this was a goodun! I buddy read this with a friend and we were both absolutely full of questions and theories throughout the whole book. A couple of the reveals we got spot on but we didn’t quite put two and two together in the right order.

There were a couple of slower chapters which had you questioning if Bella was starting to imagine things but then something else would happen and you’d start getting worried again. The creepy setting really added to this and you could just imagine the fear she was facing, how she managed to keep going at times I don’t know!

Deep breathes needed now and I don’t think I fancy a lodge retreat any time soon, especially not in a forest setting! Let’s see if I can get some sleep without any nightmares hey!!

It was an okay read, it started off really strongly and seemed to Peter off. I figured out the twist though - it unfortunately didn’t take me long.
I did really rate the different characters and their foibles. It’s a good read if a bit plodding along and slow. I lost interest during the final third of the book.

A slow burning atmospheric and creepy thriller which does a great job of ramping up the paranoia and tension against a backdrop of well drawn characters. Very engaging read, a real page turner

I was very intrigued after reading the synopsis for this and looking forward to reading it. I was not disappointed. A slow burn of a read that came to a conclusion but with an ending that wasn’t rushed. It follows the story of composer Bella who after saying goodbye to her son Asher at university, goes to a wilderness retreat in Sweden for week. This was creepy and not easy to work out at all. Everyone appeared to have something to hide and were they all connected or was that in Bella’s head? Thank you to HQ publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was a bit of a hard slog for me & took a while to get going… I persevered and it did get going over the last few chapters.

Bella is a single mother to Asher who is starting his first year at university, Bellas at a loss as it’s always been just the two of them, her sister has booked her on a wellness retreat in Sweden.

Cue a mixed bunch of people all at the retreat for their own personal healing, I felt as though I didn’t care for anyone which was probably why it felt hard going,

I did enjoy the last few chapters and the final reveal, I would’ve have liked that pace throughout.

Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for opportunity to read and review this prior to publication.

This is a decent story with a twist at the end that I didn't see coming. However, the book was spoiled for me by the author's many repetitive reminders, particularly that the main character loved her son. Despite that, the book is still a satisfactory read.

The writing was, I don't know how else to describe it other than clunky. The near obsessive nature of Bella wrt her son was unsettling, and at times was uncomfortable to read. The atmospheric feel was ok, I did feel the isolation in the writing, but I just felt like Bella was a bit of a moron if I'm honest.

She didn't come across as likeable at all. THe sode characters werent anything special either and no one jumped off the page for me. The sideplots were boring or unfulfilled, or not required.

I did manage to finish it, but I wouldn't say I enjoyed it or would recommend it.

I enjoyed this book to begin with and I liked the unusual setting of a Scandinavian retreat, which was both beautiful and creepy. The characters are all introduced early on and it's clear straight away that there are going to be some red herrings...

But the book for me became increasingly ridiculous, and Bella's behaviour was infuriating and not very believable. The twist became obvious but also seemed implausible.

This was readable overall but an irritating main character and an increasingly unbelievable plot means this was somewhat disappointing.

I absolutely loved this book. Such a great story and didn’t see the ending coming. This was a first from this author for me but I’ll certainly be looking four for future releases

Bella is staying at a luxurious wellness retreat, paid for by her sister and son Asher, who is just starting college. The retreat is set in Sweden, in a beautiful area surrounded by dark, forbidding woodlands.
There are a mix of occupants at the retreat, mostly friendly and welcoming, although others more complex creating a threatening atmosphere, especially when the celebrity guest arrives. The plot develops steadily as characters are introduced and their backgrounds explored. When Bella starts to hear strange scratching noises coming from the room next door, along with notes and other items left in her room, she begins to feel on edge and fearful. Someone is trying to frighten her, and she cannot understand why.
This is a gripping, psychological thriller, the pace increasing as the plot unfolds and tense, threatening atmosphere builds. Several twists and turns keep you guessing who the perpetrator is, and the reason they want to harm Bella. A compelling, not-to-be-missed thriller.

So I've been a bit torn on how to review this. It started well, and I enjoyed the first third. But then it became a bit repetitive for me, and I'd spotted the twist a mile off, so by the time it was finally revealed, I was just glad I didn't have to listen to any more of Bella's angst about it.