This is a well written fast paced book with a great twist at the end.
The premise is really interesting - investigation of a wellness retreat which seems to be linked to deaths and disappearances. The main character Hollie is selfish and obsessed in her pursuit of her story, and the truth turns out to be confusing and weird. This is where it lost me to be honest. The book seemed to want to be too many different things, each good individually but all put together felt too much.

This was exactly what I expected it to be: good entertainment. The story is well crafted and there are some nice twists and surprises. The premise may be still a little far fetched, but not to the point where it becomes too ridiculous to believe. It provides you with a few hours of relaxation. Good to read on holiday or if you just want to escape reality.

This was the first time I've encountered a Ruth Kelly book, and I'm impressed.

I'll admit the ending had me slightly befuddled but also open mouthed as I really would have never imagined the truth of the Ice Retreat.

In fact the whole of this type of treatment, sounds rather cold and scary, and as Hollie who knows Science knows, shouldn't work. Hollie is determined to debunk this place as a fraud at best, and possibly a cult, as that is what she does - makes documentaries about bad medical practices.

I loved the whole creepy feeling about this story, especially once Hollie is at the retreat, trying to determine the truth. And she has an ulterior motive for targeting this particular retreat, which had me guessing for a large portion of the book.

Definitely got my blood pumping and adrenaline pumping towards the finale, as I wasn't really sure who to trust at all. We get the story from three main view points, all quite different and unique, and I was totally hooked on finding out the truth.

A really great book, that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Thank you to Pan and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Spine Tingling…
A healing retreat on the highest peaks, deep in the Swiss mountains- The Ice Retreat - claims to cure all of the worst of pain. Hollie Jensen, presenter of hit docu-series Bad Medicine, believes none of it. She is determined to expose the leader of what she considers to be some type of cult. When she is invited to experience the retreat for herself, she simply cannot turn the opportunity down. A spine tingling suspense with a perfectly crafted cast of characters populating a propulsive and tension fuelled narrative with plenty of shocks and surprises along the way. Perhaps, this author’s best yet.

This was a great thriller with lots of twists and turns, particularly towards the end.

Journalist Hollie is investigating the too good to be true ice retreat run by a wellness influencer Ariel Rose who charges a fortune to cure all your pain with ice baths, With guests disappearing, or killing themselves after leaving, what's the truth behind the retreat, and why is Hollie so invested in digging it out?

I've really enjoyed all of Ruth's books, they get even better with each one.

I thought this was a well-paced, interesting book and I'm glad that I read it. The concept intrigued me as there are so many 'wellness influencers' around and it was fascinating to follow Hollie as she debunked these quick fixes. I really liked the location, and the plot held my interest.

My only negative would be that I did feel that the characters development was quite shallow. The book was fast-paced but this was possibly to the detriment of getting to know the characters on a deeper level.

Overall I would recommend this book.

In an era where stress related ailments and various health challenges are becoming a daily issue for many people, the rise of wellness gurus is perhaps inevitable. However, few are unorthodox as Ariel Rose who promises patients improvements through her cold based treatments.

Furthermore, in order to undertake treatment with her, patients must go to a remote location where others cannot be present for the duration of the three days clients spent there.

Not everyone trusts Rose's claims, of course and Hollie Jenson is one of those determined to expose her as a charlatan through her documentary series Bad Medicine. But Hollie also has a hidden agenda: she is looking for a boy who allegedly went missing after participating in the ice treatment.

But once she is in the mountainous surroundings of Rose's retreat, Hollie soon begins to realise that she may have bitten off more than she can chew. There are unexpected undercurrents, and the real question is, will she live to tell the tale?

This is a gripping story which will be enjoyed by thriller readers. Kelly does a great job of transporting us to the valley in Switzerland where the action takes place, and the characters are interesting and multi faceted. Worth checking out.

Since reading (and loving) The Villa by Ruth Kelly, I’ve always waited with anticipation and excitement for new releases from her.
As you may have seen, from my belated review a couple of weeks ago, I thoroughly enjoyed The Escape too. Therefore, when the opportunity arose to read The Ice Retreat (with thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan) ahead of its November release, I jumped at the chance.

My review does not contain spoilers…

To start with, I want to say that I honestly think this is one of those books that you could read in a day if you had nothing else you needed to do. In fact, if I’d found myself on a beach etc, I think I could’ve read it in a long sitting as The Ice Retreat is a novel that pulls you in, puts its icy grip on you and you know you won’t take a breath/be able to breathe properly (or defrosted from the frozen state it puts you in) until you know WHO. WHAT. WHY. WHEN. WHERE…?

Now that I’m defrosted, and my breathing has returned to normal (although I think an early night is needed as I stayed up to finish it last night…) I am able to type this and say that I have nothing but praise for it.

I loved reading it.

I loved every part of it.

Knowing where/how Kelly drew her inspiration for, for The Villa and The Escape makes me wonder where this comes from. I am yet to read an article or ask her about the origins of this, but I am VERY intrigued. Her imagination is totally unique, special even.

This book and all its concepts are so original. Like an onion, there is layer after layer and when you think you have worked something out/know where things might be heading, off it goes again, freezing your brain further.

In my case, I was frozen solid as I did not get ANYTHING right! I fell for every red herring. If it were maths, in this case my two plus two equalled five. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Here's what particularly stood out to me:

• Setting – it’s perfect. Intriguing, creepy, mysterious. Yet, the juxtaposition of the beauty of it works so well. If you are a visual reader and can picture as you’re reading, you’ll know what I mean.

• Characters – well developed, all individual. I was rooting for so many of them too! In places, it certainly pulled on my heartstrings…

• Plot – action packed. It doesn’t really let up for a moment, or lull you into any sense of relief as you constantly have the fear of what might be coming.

Yep, the big three. Setting. Characters. Plot. Kelly has, in my opinion, a piece of perfection here.

Often, when I write a review, I think about if a book would make a good film or TV series. I don’t always include my thoughts about this in my reviews, but here it feels relevant to.

I truly think that this would make for an enthralling series. There’s enough drama to fill a series in that you would be wanting to binge watch the lot! Therefore, it would also make a good film, I guess. I think a tad of CGI might be needed here and there (I won’t explain – I said no spoilers) but, when that’s done well, it’s effective.

So…here’s me hoping that one day I get to watch this on a screen of some sorts, unchanged as it really is perfect as it is!

I can see this book reaching the heights of the retreat itself when this book launches in November.

Oh…and I LOVE THE COVER!!

Another absorbing thriller from this author that will keep you reading well into the night. Really enjoyed that there are multiple points of view, twists and turns, a beautiful sinister setting, a chilling plot line and an exciting finale.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the review copy.

I really liked Ruth Kelly's last two mystery books! This new one, The Ice Retreat, is just as exciting. It's about a famous social media person who uses freezing cold water to help people get over bad things in their lives. The story jumps around a bit, but it's easy to follow. It ends each chapter in a way that makes you want to keep reading!

Here's the main part: A lady named Hollie checks out this retreat because some people who went there died and another person vanished. But Hollie has some problems of her own too. There's a lot going on in this book, and it all comes together with some surprising turns. You should definitely read it!

I would really like to read and review this book but it will not download to kindle. I have tried several times now, but it never appears.

Addictive, thrilling and completely chilling, The Ice Retreat by Ruth Kelly (who is fast becoming an auto-buy of an author for me) is another propulsive psychological suspense read that takes a topic that is very current and spins a convincing mystery around it that’s immersive and incredibly engaging. I read this one in two eager sittings where I was utterly obsessed and rushed through the arc on my phone unable to stop turning the pages. It’s one of those mysteries that you consume in one exciting binge-read session.

The story follows several perspectives:
➡️ in the present narrative we have Florence who’s been mysteriously awakened to find herself in a hospital. She’s not sure why she’s there and no-one will give her any answers. Trapped in a sterile and unsettling hospital she’s oscillates between her present and past memories.
➡️ Hollie’s narrative forms the major plot of the book. She’s the main female protagonist leading the story. Hollie is an investigative, documentary filmmaker for Netflix whose groundbreaking documentary exposing a toxic medical company put her on the map. Now she’s gotten a call from a woman. Her son Martyn went on an ice retreat that promises to cure chronic illnesses that mainstream medicine can’t seem to treat. However after the retreat, her son started sending postcards explaining that he’s now travelling around the world. But they don’t sound like him and his WhatsApp pictures never include his face in them. Now even those have stopped. She thinks something has happened to her son but no-one will believe her including the police. Unsure of what to do she’s contacted Hollie. Hollie is convinced something dark and possibly criminal is happening at the ice retreat that’s run by a mere 24-year old Swedish young woman named Ariel. Determined to find out the truth Hollie starts investigating which even gets her into trouble. Until one day she receives a message from Ariel. An invitation…to the retreat. To see for herself that there’s nothing afoot. Hollie accepts…
➡️Interspersed with Florence’s and Hollie’s narrative arc you see a few chapters from Martyn’s view that’s sprinkled here and there taking place twelve weeks before his treatment.

When all the three narratives finally tie up together we get a series of twists and reveals that concludes in a creepy and unsettling climax. I liked the progression of Hollie’s characterisation and the way Kelly explores the issue of alternative medicine and how it’s become this capitalist venture for young people who’ve turned this business into another influencer-driven business. The back and forth between Ariel and Hollie when they meet was interesting and Kelly never really judges anyone here providing scope for two truths to exist at the same time. The setting of this story just like in her previous two novels is vivid and atmospheric creating an immersive place that reals authentic and plausible. I was completely immersed in this world. Another banger of a novel from Ruth Kelly. I eagerly anticipate her future suspense books.

Read this on the Netgalley Shelf App (as the Kindle isn’t working).

I’ve loved Ruth Kelly two previous suspense novels, The Villa and The Escape. She writes such pacy, suspense thrillers that touch upon topical and contemporary themes and with The Ice Retreat she’s done it again. She takes on those self-help gurus who are big on social media, in this case use ice baths and cold conditions to help heal trauma.

There are multiple POVs, and the timeline goes back and forth but it wasn’t confusing at all. Chapters end on cliffhangers, which had me scrolling on for more. In a nutshell the story follows Hollie investigating Ariel, who runs her self-help retreat on an icy cliff in Switzerland after a series of suicides from her clients and a disappearances. But Hollie has her own past and trauma as well to deal with.

There are many threads to the story that come together in a series of twists and reveals. I highly recommend!