This book is one for those that like a building discomfort and angst. I know I do.

The premise is a simple one, a bunch of fairly unlikable and inscrutable characters at a posh retreat to which our protagonist has been treated to a stay to cheer her up.

Then things begin to go a little strange, a tad awry and we have the thumbscrews slowly turn on our pysche wondering who is doing all the terrible things. Is it ghosts? Is it the disgrunted ex? Is it the influencer.

It delivers in the payoff and you leave deeply satisfied with the complexity of the characters and the outcome and explanations. Highly recommended..

First book I’ve read from this author. I found it was good and would read more.

It was quite a page turner but it wasn’t creating a lot of suspense, it had a predictable storyline though.

This was an atmospheric story that was full of twists which I didn’t see coming. The fact that all the story takes place in one remote cottage gives the whole thing a real locked room feeling. You know that the guilty party must be one of the guests but just like Bella you are left not knowing who you can trust and who not.

This is well plotted, twisty turny and highly enjoyable. Other reviewers comment on lack of plausibility, but this offers an element of sheer escapism in the read.

Recommended for a chill out read.

An enjoyable book with a middle -aged woman as the central character for a change. Held my interest but at times I found myself getting frustrated with the behaviour of Bella and I found some parts of the plot rather unbelievable. However, overall I enjoyed the book and the way in which the author brought the various strands of the plotline together at the end.

This was enjoyable. I really liked the construction of this mystery. First it is great to have a middle aged main character. I really liked that despite being successful in her career and being a single mother, she was still filled with imoster syndrome, and worry for her now adult son. Her various worries and frets really built up a picture of her life and her past while also giving a fantastic reason for her being at the retreat and trying to embrase it.

The setting was great. I felt the description of the retreat was just fantastic and really atmospheric. It both gave a calmness and a friendliness to the whole thing, while also allowing the mood to turn on a dime and be scary, close and intimidating which really ramped up the tension.

I also loved the way Bella’s past was explored. it was presented in flashback form but they read like a change of perspective at first, almost like we were getting two stories happening simultanious but then slowly reveals that it is flashback which I thought was a really interesting element of the story. I also really liked the writing around the sections in the retreat it was very good at conveying the gaslighting that Bella experienced.

However, I found the outcome and big reveal to be a little conveluted. It was just a bit of a stretch. It left me feeling a little disappointed especially after such a good build up. It both felt like the culprit could be guessed but that their reasonings just didn’t have the oomph to give the shock reveal the setting and the build up deserved.

Overall I think this was a good read and I did enjoy it.

While I kept reading to the end, I didn't find the story line very plausible. There are some interesting twists but I found it difficult to empathize with the story teller who is the main character. Nevertheless the plot was clever and the various strands of the story were pulled together at the end

A fantastically tense page-turner. Great atmosphere and suspense with many twists and turns and a great ending. Strongly recommended.

The Wilderness Retreat was just so boring. It starts off with a mother being hesitant to leave her son behind at university as she goes off on a writing retreat in Sweden. We spend so much time in this main character’s head as she frets and worries over her son that by the end of it I was hoping that something dramatic would happen to him to make it all worth it.

I thought the twists and reveals were very convoluted at the end, although admittedly this might be because I had truly had enough of the main character at that point. I’m really disappointed in this one because I was hoping for an atmospheric isolated mystery!

Though I adored the setup, the setting, and the mood, something seemed to be missing and fall short at the conclusion.

The offender was easily guessed, which OK on its own. However, the relationship dynamics felt so strange, as if they weren't fully understood and developed, and the reveal didn't seem strong enough.

Unfortunately, it was a really slow burn, and for about a third of the book, we were inside Bella's paranoid head, which didn't help the plot advance.

I did, however, finish reading the book, and altogether, it was an ok read.

The premise for this book had me intrigued. Single mum escapes to the Swedish wilderness for some much needed "R and R". The setting was atmospheric and the tone was the definitive of creepy. It was a little reminiscent of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" as everyone finds themselves secluded in this retreat, surrendering their phones and having to succumb to a full digital detox. Sounds legit...but I'd still like to keep a hold of my phone. You never know when you might actually need it!

We meet Bella who is bidding a tearful farewell to her son Asher as he embarks on a new journey of university life. Bella is a composer of film scores and recently made something of a name for herself for a very creepy thriller. This retreat is a birthday gift from her sister Rachel as a way of relaxing and recharging after always putting herself last whilst raising her son alone. As she waves Asher goodbye, her next stop is the airport where she will catch her flight to Sweden and begin her wilderness retreat.

However, the getaway in this idyllic setting soon proves not to be the refreshing break she had hope it would be, despite the luxury rooms and stunning views and surrounds. Then a storm cuts them all off from the outside world and suddenly all hell breaks loose.

I don't want to give too much away so all I shall say is that when secrets from the past that refused to stay buried start to be revealed, questions begin to surface about an incident from nineteen years previous.

There are sick guests, mysterious characters, sinister references, creepy nuances...a reminder to never go on one of these wilderness retreats myself! Have none of these people read a psychological thriller before? Seen a scary movie? Enough to not put yourself in such a situation.

At any rate, the pace was fairly slow throughout and Bella was damn annoying. So much I felt was repetitive that it took away from the impact of the tale which had the promise of being such an atmospheric one at that. In the end, the story was kind of drawn out and with so many different characters it did get a little tricky keeping track of who was who.

Overall, an OK thriller but nothing memorable.

I would like to thank #JenniferMoore, #Netgalley and #HQStories for an ARC of #TheWildernessRetreat in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

This book was, admittedly, a bit slow to begin with...well, about until the halfway mark but then I felt the last half of the book just whizzed past. Very kntriguing and thrilling.

Bella is looking forward to her wilderness retreat in Sweden however, once she arrives that someone is there who wants her dead. Trapped with no way out can Bella outsmart and outlive her pursuer.

I did enjoy this novel; the setting and mood where really engaging; a great thriller read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Bella goes on a retreat after her son goes to university. Once there a face from the past appears. I couldn't get into this book, felt to drawn out.

I triedc3 times to read this book.
Istanbul time I gave up at 30%, next time I got to 40% and finally 45%
I foundcthe book was just a description of the Retreat & didn't feel like anything was happening.
Thanks to netgalley forcthe chance to read & review.

Not for me didnt enjoy the storyline and the main character was so irritating.
Not a thriller for me and I struggled to finish the book

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. I found it to be slow at the start but the pace quickly picks up.

Absolutely stunning.
A thrilling and unique story that keeps you awake and unable to put down.
Intricately crafted and brilliantly written with gasp out loud moments I simply cannot rate it less than 5 Stars.
Highly recommended.

An easy to read story in a rather overdone ‘stuck in a beautiful remote retreat with some dodgy characters and strange goings on’ theme. Whilst the characters were varied and interesting they all seemed to have a dark side and Bella, the protagonist, understandably didn’t trust any of them. Bella’s responses to these strange happenings, however, were annoying and pathetic and she made no attempt to defend herself.
There were twists and turns but I found it a bit predictable. The writing was good and easy to read but it was not really to my taste nor of a style I like, that of long, drawn out and repetitive thoughts and worries. If the author wrote again in a different and original genre I may try to read more from her.
With thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the arc

This is the first book I have read by Jennifer Moore and I found it to be very good and will most certainly read more.
It was well written and fast paced however at times it was easy to see where the plot was going despite the twists and turns.
Would recommend for a holiday read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review