I found this to an up and down read for me. There were moments I was invested. Wanting to know the reveal. But I also found myself a little bored at times. Especially the past tense chapters. While those do play a part in helping to build the story. I just didn't find those as interesting.

This is the third in the DI Elin Warner series. I’ve read The Sanatorium but not The Retreat but that didn’t affect my enjoyment. Elin and her brother, Isaac, travel to a remote national park in Portugal to repair their relationship. They end up investigating the disappearance of Kier, a woman from their home town who was last seen in the park. This was a great read, a pacey thriller with some shocking twists. For me, the setting of the wild but beautiful setting made it even more enjoyable than The Sanatorium. Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for the review copy.

🌳THE WILDS🌳

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The third and final installment in the Detective Elin Warner series by Sarah Pearse.

The first two were great and I loved this one even more! Definitely my favourite of the trilogy but I would recommend them all.

Swipe for synopsis 👉🏼

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I really liked getting to know the characters in this book. Kier, Isaac, Steed, the group living at the camp... I enjoyed getting more back story and exploration about Elin too.

The Portuguese setting and eery atmosphere was stunning and had me wishing I was reading the book when away somewhere sunny and isolated.

The mystery in this book was intriguing from the beginning. Told between two POVs, Kier and Elin, I loved seeing how their stories intertwined. This book was super enjoyable and full of twists and turns, I thought I had it cracked a few times but was always wrong🤪

The Wilds is out on the 16th July and you will not regret adding it to your summer tbr!

Thank you to @netgalley, @littlebrownbookgroup_uk and @sarahpearseauthor for letting me read this eARC ✨

This was the complete opposite to the book I read prior to it but it was very much a welcome change.

I absolutely loved Sarah's previous books in this series - The Sanatorium and The Retreat - and I know I will jump on the chance to read any book she writes.

I have just found out that this is the final book in the Elin Warner series and I am very sad about that. I'm sure anything Sarah writes, I will absolutely loved, but I have really enjoyed this trilogy and seeing the directions she's taken it.

It opens with a description of an unnamed individual in a campervan of sorts in the dead of the night. I've always liked the idea of a campervan but I've thought it'd be too claustrophobic, and Sarah has depicted that fear absolutely perfectly. I was only two pages in and my heart was already in my throat. It's not over the top, but really tells you the direction this book is going in.

It's split between two characters, two time periods, and two locations: we have Kier in Devon in 2018, and Elin in Portugual in 2021. Kier's scenes are in first person, and Elin's in third person. In Kier's sections we also meet Zeph, her partner, and in Elin's we have her brother Isaac.

I particularly liked Elin's scenes with her brother as it allows us to see her relationship with him and how different that makes her than when she's in a professional capacity. By having the two separate scenes, it's like we have two stories and two sets of protagonists, and Sarah has expertly managed to weave them together.

What I enjoy about this series is that Elin isn't...how do I put this? She's not an active policewoman on policewoman duties. She always seems to be in a place where a crime happens to occur, and I like that. It means we get to see her as a character for herself, as Elin Warner, before we see her as a police officer, which gives us an extra depth to her.

There are some difficult topics raised, such as coercive control, emotional abuse, toxicity, death, crime, injury, grief, bereavement, loneliness, relationship difficulties, paranoia etc.

This felt very different to the first two. Whereas those were very enclosed, set in one place - unsurprisingly, the sanatorium and the retreat respectively - this felt wider. Yes it is all in one setting I suppose, but they can go anywhere. Mountains and hills and rivers and camps and villages etc. It's more open and I cannot decide it that makes it more or less frightening. It's less claustrophobic, but it invites in more danger.

There are twists and turns all over the shop which is exactly what I've come to expect from her work. You think the only thing linking them is the location but there's more to it than that, and there was definitely one twist I didn't see coming, about halfway through. It was a proper hand to mouth gasp kind of thing.

It is as engrossing and chilling as I've come to expect from her books, but it's more subtle. There's no murder mystery, no trail of bodies, no obvious violence etc, but there's this subtle, quiet chill that, for me anyway, makes it more thrilling.

Kier and her twin, Penn, witnessed an event when they were younger that scarred them. Kier escaped the town she grew up in and began to live her life on the road. Kier and Penn never lost touch with each other until a trip to Portuguese National park where Kier has disappeared.

Detective Elin Warner arrives at the same park and rather than enjoying the park and its surroundings, she is asked by her twin, Isaac, to help find Kier as he is friends with Penn who has helped him through a tough period. As the investigation goes on the park, its inhabitants and the wildness become more sinister and Elin realises that while working her way through the clues she needs to watch her back.

This has a dual timeline which I enjoyed as it flits between the two FMC’s, Kier in 2018 and Elin in 2021. I enjoyed reading this book. I had a theory on the plot twist but I was slightly off. This did touch on a difficult subject but it was written in a way that it was handled sensitively. Also I wasn’t aware that this is part of a series as it was easily read as a standalone. A good thriller overall.

Another cracker of a novel from Sarah Pearse although not as dark and as atmospheric as the first. Told in a slightly different style going back and forth in time and watching a woman make the worst decisions with the worst man possible until it all unravels spectacularly.

I enjoyed this book so much that I bought the first two in the series.
Very atmospheric with a great twist at the end.
A little slow in places but still a very good read.

I wish book descriptions would say ‘the third in the series …’ or similar! I always fail to really enjoy a book when I have no clue as to what’s happened before. It makes it difficult to understand the characters and their relationships, and what has led them to this point. It’s strange how an unusual or different name can affect a reader too. For most of the story I had to keep reminding myself that Keir was a female and I got confused a few times (no change there then!). I enjoy dual timelines, but in this case some of the chapters were so short that it took me a long time to understand what was going on. When I read that Erin was a detective, I was hoping for a bit of detective work but it didn’t happen. I thought the writing was good but the whole thing seemed to drag on. I didn’t enjoy the map and art thing at all and just found it confusing. The plot was over-complicated and at no time was I gripped or unable to put the book down. It was an OK read for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

I thought that this was a good story, full of twists and turns with interesting final chapters finishing the book without being too tidy and pairing characters up!
I felt engaged with the main characters and was keen to pick the book up again and read more.
I struggled with the format. I understand that the different time zones are following the characters allowing the reader to discover more as the “investigators” are gathering information. However, i found the tiny chapters difficult and was just getting into the thinking when the chapter ended and i was in the other time. This affected my involvement with the characters, i found it hard to get to know them in such short bursts.

Mystery set in a Portuguese National Park. Riveting descriptions of the scenery and locations mean the story is an enthralling read and the added drama and the winding backwards and forwards of the narrative enhances its addictiveness.

I think Sarah Pearse is one of the most skilful writers around for creating strong, atmospheric settings, and this book was another perfect example. The setting in Portugal was brilliantly described and added an effective, claustrophobic dimension to the book. It’s an interesting story and there was certainly a twist that I didn’t see coming at all in terms of a main character; I was so shocked that I wanted to go straight back to book 2 to see if I’d missed some clues. It was an enjoyable read that I’d recommend, but for me it didn’t have quite the sense of danger and excitement that were so strong in the first two books in the series; I think this was the fault of the blurb, leading me to expect a story as chilling as The Sanitorium, rather than a problem with the book itself.. I’ll be interested to see where Sarah Pearse takes her writing next and will definitely continue to buy books by this author.

I really like the author so I was thrilled to get an early read of this. It was complex, twisty and completely compelling. Definitely worth a read with a spare 24 hours to finish it!

I was totally reeled in by this story, written from Keir and Elin’s voice flipping between them and past and present. Strong, interesting characters with clever developments which were absorbing as I tensely turned the pages towards the conclusion.

This is the third Sarah Pearse book I've read and I think "The Wilds" is on par with her first book "The Sanatorium". It has a different vibe. This time we're in Devon and the remote wilds of Portugal. The book flips between Kier in 2019 and Elin in 2021. What happened to Kier. Did she disappear in mysterious circumstances. You suspect the boyfriend, brother and many others throughout the book. Nice twist at the end.

Another fantastic book by Sarah Pearse, this time in the wild woods of Portugal. Although this is part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone.

Very atmospheric, chilling and complex, you get an insight into the complexities of mental and physical abuse that people go through.

Highly recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy in return for an honest review.

The Wilds is the third in the Elin Warner series by Sarah Pearse and while I haven’t read the first two (yet!), this didn’t impact on my enjoyment of the book.

First of all, I absolutely loved the setting of Portugal and thought it was such a unique destination. The authors descriptions of the remote camp in Portugal really show how being out in the wilderness can be both beautiful and breathtaking but also dark and dangerous.

Elin is in Portugal with her brother, Isaac, and they are investigating the disappearance of Kier, the sister of Isaac’s friend. The dual timeline follows Elin in Portugal and Kier in Devon prior to going missing.

There are twists I didn’t see coming that left me chilled and it was one of those books I just couldn’t put down as I had to know what happened next.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this.

"The Wilds" throws Detective Elin Warner into the heart of a missing person case in the wilds of Portugal. While on a trip with her brother, Elin finds herself entangled in the search for Kier, a friend's sister who has vanished without a trace. The narrative cleverly weaves between past and present, initially causing a bit of disorientation, but ultimately fostering a deeper understanding of the characters and the unfolding mystery.

The heart of the story lies in exploring abusive relationships and the insidious nature of coercive control. Author Sarah Pearse masterfully unveils this theme in a way that subtly educates readers about its various forms. With its twists and turns, the plot keeps you guessing, culminating in a surprising and satisfying conclusion.

While "The Wilds" functions as a standalone novel, for a truly enriching experience, I'd recommend delving into the first two books in the Detective Elin Warner series. This would provide a richer understanding of Elin's character and backstory.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

I had a good time with this book! I wasn’t sure what to expect going in but I was pleasantly surprised. I hope to read more from Sarah Pearse in the future!

This book leaves me with mixed feelings. It took me a while to get into it, then it was pretty exciting then it seemed to lose that as the book went on.

The Wilds by Sarah Pearse
◇◇◇◇◇◇out 16th July 2024
♡♡♡♡♡♡YOU WILL LOVE THIS if YOU LOVE
Adventures set in exotic places
Dark and twisted domestic noir
Unexplained disappearances
Amazing shocks and twists 💙

This story is beautifully written and perfectly atmospheric. Highly recommended xx