The Marriage Retreat was a difficult book for me to finish.
Lorraine’s husband dies in a car accident. Along with that awful tragedy comes the news that her husband, Victor, was in the car with a much younger woman. He was also supposed to be out of town, and he wasn’t. You learn fairly quickly that Lorraine will do just about anything to protect her family’s secrets.
I don’t even know where to begin with this…… for such a long book I feel like I didn’t really know or understand any of the characters or their motives, especially Victor and Lorraine. There wasn’t a single character I was interested it, and in fact there were 2 specific characters (Aiden I’m looking at you) that had me absolutely flabbergasted with their behavior. I couldn’t believe it was even a storyline.
I did think the writing style was good and I enjoyed the POV aspect. I think this book could’ve been cut in half or the drawn out chapters should’ve been spent on character development.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

I really like the cover of this book, and the first chapter pulls you right into the story. However, when Lorraine starts asking questions in Scotland, I found it strange that they would just tell this stranger everything she wanted to know. I understand the need to move the story along, but it was a little convenient.
It was interesting but started to get a little stale around 47% for me. About halfway through, a documentary was being considered and conveniently both Lorraine's friend and son liked a character who had a bad experience with Lorraine's husband in the past. Again, it's necessary to move the story, but feels too convenient.
At first, it seems Megan is Max (Victor's) grandchild, then Carl said she was his love child? At 60% I feel I have devoted enough time. There are many drawn out sections of this book that add nothing, or worse, confuse things, so I am going to stop reading.
I had high hopes as I really love thrillers but this isn't a thriller. Some of the writing is great and much of it is not. It unfortunately feels unfinished and needs quite an edit.

(Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.)

"My husband saved other people's marriages. But his secret will destroy ours."

The Marriage Retreat is mainly told from the point of view of Lorraine, Victor's wife of twenty-six years. The novel begins with several mysteries for the readers and characters to unfold. For fans of domestic thrillers, this is a must-read. Unlike many in this genre, Laura Elliott employs a few main characters to narrate the tale. Her storytelling skills shine as she weaves a complex web of mysteries, leaving readers in suspense about the next revelation. Elliott does a great job of narrating through the eyes of the different main characters, delving deep into their psyches and motivations. While my initial engagement with the plot was gradual, once immersed, I found myself racing through the pages in eager anticipation of the unfolding story. While I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, there are some minor drawbacks. The book's somewhat slow start might pose a hurdle for some readers, but once the momentum picks up, the gripping nature of the plot takes over. I also encountered initial confusion over specific phrases and cultural references. However, I found this more so at the novel's beginning and eventually understood what was happening and what was being said. Because of the multitude of characters, I suggest that readers notate characters as they are introduced, as it can be challenging to keep up with everyone's names as it can be an intricate web.

To summarize, "The Marriage Retreat" is a captivating addition to the domestic thriller genre. Laura Elliott's utilization of various perspectives sets it apart, infusing the story with a unique depth. While minor pacing and cultural comprehension hurdles exist, the overall experience is immensely satisfying. If you're seeking a thrilling narrative that explores the complexities of relationships, this novel deserves a prominent spot on your reading list. Ultimately, it offers a remarkable journey into suspense, making it a fantastic read that will linger in your thoughts even after the final page.

I want to thank the publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this novel. I was not obligated to provide a review, but I found the book enjoyable and entertaining.

The Marriage Retreat is an atmospheric tale full of suspense and intrigue. It was a little slow paced, but overall I really enjoyed it, and I thought the author's skill was impressive. I definitely recommend this book.

When the “Love Guru”, Victor Gordon dies in a car crash, with a young woman in the car with him, you’d be inclined to think the obvious. You’d be wrong.

Victor and Lorraine have been happily married and running their marriage retreat for over 20 years, so Lorraine is stunned to find out that Victor recently reneged his will and has died intestate. The question is why? And who is the young woman, now clinging to life, in a coma?

This is one of those books that draws you in at the prologue and keeps on sucking you in further as the plot thickens and twists, revealing a multitude of compelling secrets.

The steady pacing and cleverly placed hooks, plus the undertone of deceit running all the way through the book kept me right on edge! One of the twists had me gasping so loud, I gave myself a fright!

If you enjoy an intense and sinister, twisty read, this book delivers in spades!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Laura Elliot and Bookouture for an ARC in return for an honest review.

DNF at 40% - This one started off strong. The premise was great, the writing wasn't bad. But at 40% I can honestly say that I don't care about what happens. The characters are not well-developed, especially Lorraine, which is making it hard to care about how this all unfolds for her. There were multiple opportunities to better develop her character, but it just didn't land.

The writing is OK, but multiple times I would have to go back and re-read because I must have missed a detail, and it turned out that section was just convoluted. After the first few times it became clear that it wasn't me and my reading but rather the writing itself. The plot to this point was also a little unbelievable, and perhaps that was the point and things would come together in the end, but it has to be believable enough that I can go with it.

This one wasn't for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you @bookouture for the #gifted copy of this e-arc.

What it’s about:

Victor and Lorraine have been married for 26 years and have had a successful and happy relationship. They own and operate “Serenity Falls” which is a marriage retreat for couples that are in trouble or headed towards divorce. The efforts are to help fix the problems in the relationships before anything more severe happens that couple cannot come back from. They are model people for the retreat until one day Victor passes away in a tragic car accident. The problem being that he wasn’t where he said he was and there is a young women in the car next to him. The woman is alive however in a coma and Lorraine is determined to find out just who she is and why her husband wasn’t truthful.

Thoughts: I was very excited for the premise of this book and can we just talk about that cover?!🤩 It’s gorgeous and I am a sucker for pretty covers. I was quickly drawn in to the story and the mystery behind Victors web of lies. Shortly into the story however I found the storyline a little hard to follow and a little too slow at times. I did stick with it and in the end it came together with a satisfying end filled with twists. If you like a slow burn mystery dripping with deceit give this book a try!

Victor and Lorraine are a beautiful couple who seem to have the perfect marriage. They built their lives around their home, Serenity Falls, a marriage retreat to help couples try to save their troubled marriages. When Victor, is involved in a tragic accident with a mysterious woman, Lorraine begins to wonder if anything was ever as it seemed. If you like twisty family secrets, this book is definitely for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC. I really enjoyed the story line and the writing. I didn't feel as much suspense as I thought but I still enjoyed the ride

The death of Victor, a self-help love guru, occurs in a traffic accident with a strange woman beside him. The task of finding out who the other woman was and why Victor was lying to her falls to his wife, Lorraine.

She goes on a crazy trip from there as she discovers the truth and then has to work to maintain the same deception. This was a thrilling adventure that kept me on my toes with reveal after reveal coming at a steady pace. Lorraine was an intriguing woman with an intriguing past and her own secrets she wanted to keep hidden, and her learning the truth and then trying everything she could to keep the truth hidden was quite something.

The author skillfully explores complex human themes, including love, betrayal, and how individuals protect their interests. Lorraine's character development is fascinating, as she grapples with her own insecurities and the appeal of maintaining an impeccable public image.

A wonderful read that I recommend if you appreciate psychological mysteries with unexpected twists.

The story of Serenity Falls, the home of the Marriage Retreat is shrouded in mystery. It's a very long and complex story about deceit, betrayal, bigamy and murder. Sometimes it's hard to get all the characters and their part of the story straight. A car accident and a girl with no memory of who she is. A mother trying to protect her son and a documentary to help the truth come to light. There are a few surprises and lots of descriptive passages. I enjoyed the book and I think it could have been scaled down.

The Marriage Retreat by Laura Elliot was a superb story!
A very engrossing page turner. The plot is engaging and unfolds wonderfully with many twists and turns.
The characters were wonderful and relatable.
This book was brilliant from start to finish especially as it was a dark, and so gripping page turner that will have you gripped from the beginning till the end. It was full of family secrets that will come out throughout this book!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I enjoyed the writing of The Marriage Retreat, but I did think it was a little slow and hard to get into. I liked the characters and appreciate that it wasn’t as predictable as a lot of similar books.

Was kinda hard to get through in the beginning, almost did not finish. Dragged on with too much abou the couples at the retreat that had nothing to do with the storyline. Could have been alot shorter.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book

A bit slow to start but I loved the overall plot and the mystery of the story. It may have taken awhile for me to get into but I did really enjoy it once the pace picked up!

Absolutely loved this one!

Laura creates the perfect setting for a suspenseful thriller! I loved the pacing and the storyline, the prologue really gets you into it!

The characters had a lot of depth and I didn't predict the ending! Full of twists and turns I would definitely recommend this one!

Lorraine is shocked when she hears her husband was in a fatal car crash. She is even more shocked when the police tell her that an unidentified young woman was in the car with him. Lorraine and Victor run a successful marriage retreat so surely this can't be right. The young woman is in a coma so cannot help. Lorraine might uncover things though she'd rather remain hidden.

The writing style here wasn't my favorite. The prologue drew me in but then after that a lot was a lot slower. maybe more tidbits of suspense throughout. I'm not sure but something more to keep the reader hooked.

I want to thank Laura Elliot, the Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me to read this thriller and give my honest review.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, however, it was a very slow read. The twist was not very twisty and it wasn’t very thrilling. Not the typical gripping thriller that I enjoy. The writing was excellent as well as the character development. I did love the characters in the book, so that’s a positive. I would definitely try another book by this author. Thank again.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

After this book, I'm a fan of Laura Elliot and can't wait to read another!

I needed a break from my dark romance reads, and this one caught my eye on netgalley,. It'd consider this a psychological thriller of sorts, but I may be a little off on that.

Laura Elliot did an amazing job with the world building in this book. I literally could not stop reading once I got past the first few chapters. There were a few twists I truly did not see coming, and that's pretty hard to accomplish. haha.

Check this book out!

This book is an atmospheric thriller that keeps you guessing until the last page. I highly enjoyed the setting and the characters because I thought they really added to the story.

I absolutely love this fast paced thriller. I was literally swept away in to the setting from the first chapters in on the edge of my seat until the last.