This premise had so much promise, but it didn’t follow through. Part of the blurb states “burnout, mental health struggles and a painful breakup, twenty-something Max is feeling lost and seeking solace.” So you think you’ll read about all of that, right? No. He says he burned out but nothing’s explained as to how or why or what type of job he had. Has? I mean, he just leaves on the retreat so he must not work but then how does he afford the retreat being unemployed?

The break-up? Nothing. No who, why, when – nothing. And all we know of his mental health struggles is that he has anxiety and depression. How long, if it’s solely because of the burnout or breakup or whatever – no idea. And I was somewhere around 20-30 pages in before I felt confident that he was a guy. Only because he spoke of relieving himself in a bush. Knowing the gender of your character at the very least would be nice because the name could go either way and there’s no physical description, either. So not great character development at all. And it just gets worse from there.

The people attending the retreat are your typical new-age hippie types looking to ‘find themselves.’ It’s also run by your typical cult leader who calls himself ‘The Teacher.’ And everyone blindly does whatever he says, etc. But Max starts to feel something is off when a young woman freaks out about seeing something in the trees and then she’s treated by the on-site nurse. And then she disappears. So you know, creepy people running the retreat, naïve people attending, and no one believing Max that there’s something darker going on.

And then when the action picks up (most of the story is his rambling inner dialogue with WAY too many exclamation points) it takes a turn for the supernatural/fantasy realm, and I lost it. I loathe that genre and there’s no indication given about it that would have prevented me from reading the book. At that point, I didn’t even care about the non-ending, I was just so happy it was over. Great premise, terrible execution.

I had high hopes for this one, and it started promisingly. However it didn’t live up to its blurb sadly. Lots of repetitions and somewhat weak characterisation. Wasn’t for me.

Firstly I would like to thank netgalley and the book guild and the author Benjamin Compson for an early copy of his book.

This is a first time read from this author,Max and a friend go to a retreat,the retreat is quite strange the teacher was not what everyone is expecting from a retreat...who is this person? And this retreat has a strange vibe..there is abit of a twist near the end...my thoughts an okay read and a short book...could of been alot better...

The Retreat follows Max who has travelled to rural France to attend a meditation retreat following some struggles with mental health. Once he arrives he finds things not as expected with a strange and disturbing Teacher in charge.

This book is a thriller with a touch of horror with potential triggers for mental health.

I didn’t find the main character, who’s point of view we follow, particularly sympathetic as he oscillates between calling the other retreat participants his family, despite barely any interaction with them, and then despising and mistrusting them.

The first few chapters use the word I more than any book I’ve ever read. Thankfully this eases off as the book continues and the writing becomes a bit easier to read.

I found the whole book quite disjointed although this could be simply as Max our narrator has a disjointed way of thinking. However I did find it quite a clunky read.

Overall I enjoyed the general plot and the book was a nice quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book.

A novel set in rural France at a meditation retreat. The themes of mental health and burn out are written from an authentic perspective but I struggled with the narrative pace and failed to finish.

“The Buddha taught us that desire is like licking honey from a knife. It appears that it will bring pleasure, but underneath there is only pain. You cannot have one without the other.”

I would call The Retreat a thriller tinged with horror – it reminded me at times of The Wicker Man.  The story follows Max, who after suffering burnout, goes on a yoga retreat to relax. 

What at first seems the idyllic getaway soon gives way to feelings of concern and fear. Something doesn’t feel right. There are strange noises in the woods, guards to enforce a curfew, and staff who are all beyond bizarre. 
 
Sounds like the perfect place to relax 😬
 
Written in the first person, it gives you insight into the thoughts and feelings of the MC, in addition to the story of what happened.  His inner monologues further often add confusion, rather than clarity, that fits the book well. 

My only slight gripe is I found Max a little petulant at times; his behaviour seemed at odds with someone who would attend a yoga retreat. He didn’t seem open to the experience, instead questioning everything through a lens of suspicion.  To be fair, that isn’t helped by Lucille, the gaslighting mental health nurse, or the Teacher – who uses his beliefs to justify his actions, even when the two don’t align. 
 
This was a fun and fairly quick read; I’m not sure how I feel about the ending – but it is in keeping with the theme. I won’t say more as I don’t want to ruin it for anyone.
 
A huge thanks to Troubador Publishing and NetGalley for the review copy of this book for review consideration.  All opinions are my own.