The Wilderness Retreat follows a woman named Bella as she attends a small group retreat in Sweden and things take a turn for the very creepy.

The pacing wasn't the best - there's a lot of build up in the first half of the book, but not much happens until right at the end. I also didn't really get to know any of the characters apart from Bella, whose personality seemed pretty exclusively focused on the fact that she missed her son and didn't want to be in Sweden. I didn't like the twist at the end as it felt contrived and somewhat unbelievable.

However, despite being nothing groundbreaking, I wanted to find out what would happen next and it was a quick and enjoyable read so I'd recommend for anyone looking for an easy thriller.

In my opinion this was quite a good read there were plenty of twists and turns throughout. I found it rather slow until about halfway through, but the suspense keeps you reading. The characters were good, the plot was interesting and the style of writing was perfect. I have read another book by this author and enjoyed it, so I’ll be keeping my eye out for more in the future. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading this genre.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this for a honest review.

A breathtaking thriller! A race to the end page turner, with guests who have dark and devious intentions!
Bella goes on a Swedish retreat, meeting intriguing guests who are all coping with heartache. She receives threatening messages and does not feel safe in this isolated retreat. There are mysterious things happening that escalate to a spectacular conclusion.
Perfect for mystery, thriller, and suspense fans, with spine tingling and exhilarating detail! Jennifer Moore is a captivating author!

Disclosure: I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for a review. This hasn't affected the review's contents.

This novel takes us to a remote part of Sweden where Bella, our main protagonist, finds herself taking a vacation away from civilization to get away from the stressors in her life, the main one being her son recently departing the nest for university, with several other guests with interesting backgrounds. Things quickly take a turn, however, when she quickly realizes that things aren't quite as idyllic as they first seem on the surface and someone in the lodge may know a little too much about some skeletons in her closet...

This book really held my attention and had me finishing it in only a couple of reading sessions. The way that the story grips you from the start and takes you on Bella's journey, both from her past and in her present, is compelling and I really couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next! This was a real page turner!

I particularly liked the author's ability to imbue unique personalities into all of the characters within the cabin in a relatively short space of literary real estate. The reader is really able to get a feel for all of the characters quite quickly and their unique mannerisms, quirks and outward motivations for being there. The author even nails the somewhat uniquely British "passive-aggressive politeness" vibes from Bella when dealing with certain characters or situations, which is both delightfully nuanced and also quite funny when seeing it play out!

Furthermore, while certainly not a comedy by any stretch, the author manages to intertwine humor, both subtle and overt, into some of her characters well and at appropriate times which allowed me to further enjoy how "real" the setting and characters felt.

I also enjoyed the atmosphere and environment that was described in the book. You really did feel a foreboding sense of something ominous lurking on the peripheries of this isolated retreat and the forest, which added to the tension and suspense at every step.

With that said, there were certainly aspects of the book that I felt could have been improved upon. I felt that the way Bella pined for her son throughout the story to be overbearing at times. It was honestly beginning to get almost uncomfortable. I understand the fears and apprehensions a mother has when their child leaves the nest, but I felt the way in which she was describing these feelings, and the frequency of such, to be bordering on inappropriate. I feel this narrative could have been more subtle. It felt more like she was pining for a lost lover as opposed to her offspring at times by how it was written. Bella's seemingly heavily dependent relationship with her son certainly didn't give off the vibes of a relationship that was healthy. I could understand more if he was younger, but we’re talking about a young man at university. Bella’s narrative about her son quickly entered cringe-worthy territory, for me, the more it went on.

Subtlety, or lack thereof, was a little bit of a common theme within this novel. Throughout the course of her stay at the retreat, several incidents occurred and were written in such a way that it was accessible for the reader to draw their own conclusions regarding what may have happened or who or what might be responsible, heightening the mystery. Unfortunately, where some things could have been left as they were described, the writer felt the need to explicitly spell out, sometimes multiple times, certain elements and clues as to what happened through use of characters’ inner monologues. These clues often could have easily been inferred by the reader and I personally would have rather not had those aspects spoon fed to me; it was almost as though the author didn’t trust her reader to pick up on the clues at times, which were well-written enough that they didn’t really need explicitly highlighting in the manner in which it was done on some occasions.

It’s somewhat ironic then, given Bella’s often highly descriptive internal monologues that we were privy to which confirms she held some of our suspicions as to what was going down, that she maintained a certain degree of naïvety when it came to some other characters, their actions and what they were offering her. It wasn’t the worst example of main character naïvety in a book I’ve read, but there were certainly times when I felt that enough could be inferred by a particular point that it would be hard for me to imagine her putting herself in certain scenarios that largely occurred due to her being overly trusting, even when her own internal voice being used as a vehicle to share clues with the reader would very much be incongruent with doing so.

Having said all of those things, this certainly was not a bad book and I do not want to give the impression that this wasn’t an enjoyable read. It was, and it’s a book I’d certainly recommend. The story had all of the right components of a gripping, page-turning thriller from start to finish; there were just aspects that kept it in the “good” and not “great” category for me. That said, having not read this author prior to this book, I can certainly say it will not be the last time I choose one of her novels to dive in to!

This thriller had me hooked from the very beginning, I mean a thriller set in the middle of dead man’s forest, cut of from the rest of the world? What’s not to love! Whilst it was fairly easy to figure out the main plot line, there was definitely enough twists and turns to ensure that didn’t ruin it.

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

Ive just finished reading ‘The Wilderness Retreat’ in one sitting and what a ride that was! Jennifer has an incredible way of writing, with such description and creates a brilliant visual picture of the story as it progresses.

The characters are well rounded, and the theme of a mothers love runs throughout. There were multiple twists, I thought I’d figured it out so many times but was so wrong!!

Highly recommended.

A thriller set in the Swedish forest, this book kept me on the edge of my seat with every page. A single mother goes on a wellness retreat, and what happens next can’t be predicted.
I found the setting to be just eerie enough, the characters well developed, and the plot suspenseful. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I was left surprised with the next twist. I simply could not put this book down, and I constantly wanted to know what happened next.

Thank you to NetGalleyUK and HQ for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the concept behind this slow burning “locked room” mystery-a wilderness retreat where there’s no contact with the outside world and a total digital detox. Combined with a sympathetic character struggling with an empty nest this highlighted a really difficult time of life for many women and usually the catalyst for some sort of change. So Bella was a relatable character even if she wasn’t completely likeable!
The setting was perfect and evoked a strong sense of place that was well paired with this psychological suspense. For me though, the plot lost its way a little due to the amount of beautifully descriptive narrative which was such a shame because a more consistent balance would have bumped this up a star.

Wow what a compelling read right from the starting was hooked it just so gripping book had me on the edge of my seat a few times it got lots of twist and turns The characters were good i was there with them u could picture the retreat in my mind The dead man forest was perfect setting, I couldn't put it down I read in a day a real page turner very well written I recommend to you all

I did think twice about requesting a book on Netgallery that was available to all.

A rather predicable dual narrative. After a while I felt I was being bludgeoned over the head with clues just in case you hadn’t picked it up the first couple of occasions.

Could have done with a hard edit to slim things down a bit.

Thanks to Netgallery for the ARC.

A good engaging read, which I found very satisfying. Classic "locked room" formula, which always delivers. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

This started off at a nice pace as it introduced all the characters and the authors description of the retreat was very well done. Take some of this plot back to the 1930’s with a few more characters and murders and you would almost find yourself in Piorot territory - odd characters, the secrecy, night time meanderings, everyone with an agenda,building up nicely to a crescendo at the end. A very well written enjoyable read

Thank you NetGalley & HQ for the ARC!

The dual narrative felt a bit clunky - and once a few details were revealed it was easy to guess the twist. Throughout the book, it felt like I was being bashed with too many clues, to the point that it felt a bit like Moore didn’t trust the reader to understand what was going on so just info dumped to the point of spelling out the twists before they were properly revealed.

The writing is really descriptive, sometimes too much so and spending too long on irrelevant actions/details. There was also a lot of repetition, which was frustrating when it got a bit too wordy.

In terms of good points, when it really got going this was a genuinely interesting read. I got through it quite quickly after getting past the first few chapters (which def dragged on a bit!) and overall I did enjoy this book.

Set in a remote cabin in the Swedish wilderness, this book is part psychological thriller, part horror with a really unsettling and adrenaline pumping plot. I had to stop reading it at night for my own sanity!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

If you are a thriller fan do not miss this book. Make sure that this book is on your must read books of 2023. I did not really guess where this book was going until the author wanted me too. It has sooo many twist and turns in it and is completely engaging.

This is one of those thrillers that really crosses the genres so that even fans of say women's fiction, mystery, it has humour and its also really compelling so it'll definitely appeal to a wide audience. I did have some issues with the main character and her very laxidasical attitude to what essentially is a crime and a trauma and I struggled to get past that but otherwise, I really enjoyed the book. As I said, there are some really funny moments which made a nice change for a thriller and ot on no way takes away from the feeling of danger or the creepy atmosphere that's built. I loved the characters and they were so unique and well written! I actually hated one of two of them with a passion for just how irritatingly human they were are they are the type of people you cross the street to avoid having to chat to.... harmless but so so sooooo annoying lol! There are some good twists and turns and you are literally suspecting everyone and I didn't see tbe real culprit until the author wanted me to see them! I did not guess at all!! And thats what you want in a thriller. Its a pretty quick and easy read and I doubt anyone won't enjoy in on some level

🌟 Well, @jennymoorewrites has pulled it out of the bag again. I really enjoyed her first adult book (The Woman Next Door), but this was even better. The writing had me hooked from the very first page. I could not put this down and it was full of creepy little themes that have your hair standing on end, and your heart beating that little bit faster.

🇸🇪 I don’t want to give anything away, so in short, this one is about a group of people on a retreat in the woods… odd things start to happen.

🍎The story was clever and woven together to keep the reader guessing. It took until 85% for me to click - probably the perfect time for it all to make sense. It was full of red herrings sending the reader off pondering different theories and ideas. I was all over the shop. I love that everything was plausible and this really could happen, with minimal stretch of the imagination.

🤭There are some amusing one liner’s throughout that made me giggle when I wasn’t expecting it!

🖊️ The characters were amusing and clearly defined. I love an author within a book, and with a name like Oscar Wildman, he was destined to be a writer! (If you know, you know)

🛍️ All in all, pre-order this one now! Lets get @jennymoorewrites on some best seller lists ready for the book drop in February!

👧🏽 She also writes children’s and young adult books, so you should check those out too.

👍🏽Thank you so much to @netgalley @hqstories and @jennymoorewrites for this advanced copy

Compelling and engaging right from the start, this gripping book had me on the edge of my seat and almost breathless at times. Fast paced with a perfect setting, I couldn't put it down

Fantastic thriller set in a Swedish wilderness retreat. Bella has just dropped off her son at university and is feeling a bit emotional so her son and sister have arranged for Bella to go to the retreat to relax and not to worry. Bella is a bit hesitant when she first arrives but realises it seem like a great place to be to recharge and not think about what her son is up to without her. Until a guest arrives who Bella new a long time ago and now she could be in danger.

Fantastic thriller which will keep you on edge until the end.

A gripping thriller of a novel set within a Swedish wilderness retreat. After dropping off her son Asher at university, Bella gears over to Sweden for a week long stay at a wilderness retreat. A beautiful lodge, with picture-perfect views and a chance to detox. The place seems idyllic until the arrival of the person who ruined Bella’s life eighteen years ago threatening everything she’s worked for and will do anything to protect. A very enjoyable book that keeps you hooked to the end. Thank you to NetGalley, HQ and the author for the chance to review.