Definitely a slow burn. This book took me a while to get into. I liked the multiple points of view as I enjoy understanding the book from different perspectives. I did feel that the book was a bit confusing and drawn out in certain areas. I also wish that certain areas had more of a build up and development rather than just being glossed over. Overall a good read.

✨ I'd like to extend my gratitude to NetGalley for providing an early copy of this book. ✨

Lorraine and Victor Gordon's enduring twenty-five-year marriage was the foundation upon which they built a thriving marriage retreat business. Their tranquil hotel, enveloped by the soothing melody of a nearby waterfall, provided couples with an idyllic backdrop to mend their fractured relationships. Tragedy strikes when Victor is killed in a car accident, leaving Lorraine to grapple not only with her own grief but also with a mysterious and enigmatic figure. A nameless girl, discovered at Victor's side, fights for her life in a coma, shrouded in an air of mystery that Lorraine is anxious to unravel.

As Lorraine delves deeper into the intricate layers of her shared past with Victor, she becomes entangled in a web of secrets and uncertainties that cast a new light on the life she had long believed she understood. Readers, hold onto your seats, for the story is about to unveil some unexpected truths about Lorraine as well…

Overall, "The Marriage Retreat" is an enthralling literary journey that leaves readers with a lot to ponder. Laura Elliott deserves a round of applause for skillfully crafting well-designed characters that drew me in and ensured that the story's nuances were felt deeply. While the pacing may have been a tad slow for my taste, the intricate characters added a layer of richness to the narrative that kept me engaged throughout.

I was pleasantly surprised by the abundance of plot twists in the book. Author skillfully weaves a tapestry of suspense and emotion, continually subverting my expectations and leading the story in unforeseen directions. However, it's worth noting that some storylines ended quite abruptly, leaving me with more questions than answers.

But, even after finishing the book, the themes of love, sacrifice, choices, and consequences stayed with me. It's not often that stories have such a lasting impact, lingering in one's thoughts and sparking contemplation long after the reading experience.

In my opinion, Laura Elliott's storytelling prowess certainly deserves commendation.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Marriage Retreat' by Laura Elliot.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Laura Elliot, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 17th August 2023.

This is the second book I have read by this author. i have previously read 'After The Wedding' which I would highly recommend.


This novel consists of 69 chapters. The chapters are short in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!


This book started off slowly but like with a rollercoaster that takes its time to get to the peak it was worth it when you hit that point at the top and your taken on a ride of deception, love, revelations, betrayal, heartbreak, secrets, twists, drama and suspense that will have you hooked on until the very end page!! I kept questioning the storyline, myself and the characters throughout the book as you try and work out who the 'no name girl' is, why they are in the car and what secret/s were hidden in Lorraine's marriage. I was completely invested in the storyline and there were countless of times I promised myself one more chapter before bed just to continue reading another and another and before I knew it I had read the whole book in one sitting. Laura's fantastic descriptions and writing skills brought the storyline and the characters to life and i was biting my nails several times wondering what was going to happen next. I absolutely loved the twists and turns and was not expecting the surprises at all so a huge well done to Laura. It gets harder and harder to surprise me after reading so many thrillers but you managed to do just that!! Laura manages to weave the changes in timelines and characters perfectly giving you just the right amount of the picture to keep you hooked without giving too much away too soon! If you love domestic suspense books then you will absolutely love this one!! Another great read from this fantastic author and I'm looking forward to reading her next book!


It is set over/includes multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.


Laura has created a very complex character in our main protagonist Lorraine whose character comes across as strong and realistic. Her character development throughout the book, in both the present and past timelines, was intriguing and I enjoyed getting to learn more about her. She is definitely a complicated character which made me all the more interested in her. I cannot say I was a huge fan of her character but she definitely intrigued me and I enjoyed getting to know more about her. The other main characters we have are Gail and 'No Name Girl', who is the survivor of the car crash. I don't want to say too much about the characters as it is one of those books where you are not sure who you can trust, who can be believed and what is really going on and I don't want to risk giving anything away. I enjoyed reading the perspective of 'No Name Girl' the most as I found it fascinating in regards to the fact that she could not remember her past and I could not wait to find out more. Gail wasn't particularly likeable but regardless of how i felt about them each of the protagonists worked together to make this a fascinating and dark psychological drama where each of their stories weaved together at the perfect times to drip feed the reader just the right amount of information without giving too much away.


Congratulations Laura on yet another great suspense and I look forward to reading more of your books both past and future. Here's to reading more page turner's you make 🥂

Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the prologue and the first chapter of Laura's 'The Wife Before Me' which promises to be just as good as this book and I cannot wait to get stuck into it!!!


Overall an unputdownable page turning and dark psychological thriller that will fill you with suspense with an ending that will shock you!!


441 pages.

This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon, free with kindle unlimited and £10.99 in paperback (at time of review) which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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This one took a while to get going and to be honest, I am not sure if I am glad I continued with it.

The multiple points of view added unneeded repetition that didn't add value to the story and I found my mind straying at times when reading.
However, the bones of a good story was there and there were elements of surprise and twists and I liked the writing, overall it as just a bit unevenly paced and unnecessarily repetitive.

In such a competitive genre unfortunately this missed that spark to make it stand out or memorable.

2.5 stars.

I enjoyed the multiple povs and the chapters aren’t too long, which makes a book easier to read in my opinion!

Definitely a slow burn thriller, but there are some twists and turns to keep you guessing! If you like a psychological thriller where you can play detective, then give this one a go.

This one is a little bit of a slow burn, but picks up some as it progresses. It’s a little bit twisty and based on an interesting premise. I didn’t really like any of the characters, especially the main character, but I was interested in where this it was going. It’s based on secrets, lies and trust, which is what any good domestic thriller is about, am I right? This one is more of a psychological thriller than a pulse pounding thriller.

If you are a fan of slow burn psychological thrillers with unlikable characters, you should check this one out.

The Marriage Retreat

I liked Lorraine, but it took a bit for me to get there. You feel her shock and betrayal at her husband’s presumed lies before his death, and you root for her to unravel the mystery.

It took a bit of development to get into it fully, though it does oscillate between past and present.

I wish there was a bit more setup at the onset to make us care more about the characters before the first plot moves, but if you can get past that, you can go along on the ride for all of the twists.

3.5 (rounded to 4, of course).

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for my honest review...

I was anticipating this title for a while when I had been approved, the premise sounded something that would be perfect to read in one sitting and the tag line and cover had me hooked....
This book didnt disappoint.. I managed to read it in one sitting and it was absolutely fantastic, short snappy chapters and enough intrigue to keep me reading unti I finished the book.

I will be sure to look out for more titles from this author and enjoyed the title thoroughly.

4 stars

I love a good mystery thriller with a twist and really enjoyed this one. I recommend sticking with this story and pacing yourself to get to the end, if only to find out who the mystery woman is. This a story that I didn't read in one sitting, but rather picked it up in a couple of sittings where i was able to digest the story. The story could easily have fit into the Hitchcock movie genre.

Thank you to the Author, Publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and give an unbiased review of an advanced reader copy of the story.

Well this really hits the ground running and you get sucked in to the story. I just had to keep reading and finding out how it ended. I liked the 'light relief' with the couples it gave a break from the intensity although even that served a purpose and drove the plot forward.
Off to investigate more by thus author.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own

I quite liked the upto date part of this book, the flashbacks I was not to so keen on. But the story itself is good, it is so sad to think that the husband was hiding so much and pretending to be something he definitely was not. Its devastating for Lorraine and its crazy how her life unravels after all the hard work she put into Serenity Falls. A good read, ok for a rainy day. I loved the writing style and how the Irish landscape is described, very well done.

Imagine your husband fatally involved in a car crash with a woman in his passenger seat that you don't know. Wouldn't you wonder for a moment who she is and how she knew your husband. Oh, I know you would completely trust him and know that there must be an innocent explanation. But still, you might need some answers.
That is what happens to Lorraine when her husband Victor is involved.
She begins to question their life together and wonders did she really know the man she was married to at all.
She knows overall they have had a happy marriage but she starts to question who this woman is and how she knew her husband.
The story unfolds at a quite, slowly pace.
I enjoyed her character Lorraine, a little naive at times I felt and very trusting of her husband but nice nonetheless albeit with a few secrets of her own.
I felt image was quite important to Lorraine in this story and the need for people to see the good side of her husband even if she struggled to find it herself towards the end.
An enjoyable read, one that you will keep you entertained...

"My husband saved other people’s marriages…But his secret will destroy ours…"

A fatal car accident and a mistress who survives when my husband doesn't? can you say DRAMA!

I was super excited to read this book, it seemed like something I would love as a big fan of thrillers and domestic suspense but this book was way too slow for me. This book just didn't pull me in unfortunately and I felt rather bored throughout.

One of the main issues I had was the beginning is so hard to get into and not only that I had to re-read multiple chapters from being confused.

2/5 stars for me!

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC!

The Marriage Retreat
By: Laura Elliot
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Imagine getting a call that your husband was killed in a car accident with an unnamed women! He is not where he told you! Victor is dead and his passenger is in a coma.

Lorraine and Victor Gordon have been married for 26 years and have built a reputation at marriage retreat that has helped so many work on their relationships. Lorraine thinks her marriage is solid.

This novel is so full of so many twists! Lorraine needs to find out who the younger woman is! This novel had me engaged until the final reveal!

Thank you Bookouture, Netgalley and author Laura Elliot for this advanced copy. Available August 17.
#themarriageretreat, #lauraelliot, #bookstagram, #booksconnectus, #bookreview, #stamperlady50

Absolutely love this author’s books and this latest offering is fantastic. A fast paced psychological thriller with so many twists and turns - an absolute must read

The burb tells a lot of the essence io the story which is told from the pov of the main women characters. The pace of the book is spot on you are thrown straight into tge action and the back history of dead victor and the marriage reconnect is told in drips. I loved the way Lorraine pov was so raw and realistic but was also written ti show she was a complicated character. The mysterious wonen writing kept me hooked. I found myself willing her to remember caring what happened to her. Some of the suplementary characters i didn't see the point of they were just there. . The fact that the reader discovered tge truth about naomu so early on did make it a nore gripping read. I found some of Lorraine's actions towards the end too convenient . The final act seemed to be iver a bit too quickly. I did love tge twists and turns. Thus is a good solid read . Could maybe have done with a but more pov of make characters as they were only mentioned in dialogue or from pov of someone else. .4 stars. Thanks to bet galkwry and tge publisher for my arc

This was a little too slow burn for me, I ended up DNFing this one which is very very rare for me. I couldn’t connect to the characters and the plot was not very unique

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this one!

This was difficult for me to get through. Convoluted, the characters weren’t likeable or relatable, and it wasn’t very thrilling.

This book started off with a bang and kept the momentum going throughout. It was very well written and the ending was really good.

I was initially drawn to this book by the description and was so hoping to love it! It didn't quite hit the mark for me though. I struggled feeling connected to any of the characters. There were also a lot of different names and I found myself losing track of who was who and who was related. The book was slow for the first half and I had a hard time staying focused. I did really like the point of view from the "No Name Girl." I thought she was the most developed character and the most intriguing! The unexpected turns the story took are what raised the rating for me. While it wasn't necessarily a hit for me, I think other people might enjoy this book!

Thank you Netgalley for providing the ARC ebook! All opinions are my own and are given voluntarily.