Pearse not only creates believably fallible characters, she also vividly portrays the frigid landscape of Le Sommet buffeted by blizzards, and a chilling epilogue cries out for a sequel. Crime-fiction readers will want to keep an eye on Pearse.” We all fancy a spa break don't we? Well don't include me after reading this book. It had me hooked from start to finish.' ***** The Retreat is slow burn psychological thriller with a hint of menace and plenty of creepiness running throughout.

The Retreat - Jen Ryland Reviews Spoiler Discussion for The Retreat - Jen Ryland Reviews

Pearse’s engrossing debut boasts a highly atmospheric setting . . . This dark tale of family dynamics is sure to please suspense fans.” Julia lost her whole family in one day. Her husband drowned as he tried to save their daughter Lily, while Julia could only watch helplessly from the shore because she cannot swim. While his body was recovered, they never found her daughter... and she believes she's still out there somewhere, alive and waiting to be found. Perhaps she was taken by a stranger, swallowed into the woods before her parents could notice and they just assumed she'd fallen into the water. With no proof either way, she seems doomed to never know. Well, what better way to bond than to go away to a holistic retreat together - that's what I'd do! Off Katie and Ellie go, with a couple of Katie's college friends along for the ride too. What happens next is where it gets interesting...... The Retreat is aptly named, for the story takes place at a literal ‘retreat’, a spiritual spa and wellness centre deep in the woods of the Catskill Mountains. That’s where former child star Katie invites her friends Carmen and Ariel too. Katie looks forward to finding her inner peace, to finding a solution to her sleepwalking and binge drinking. A weekend spent at the retreat sounds great if it weren't for Ellie, Katie’s brother’s fiancee, the perfect yoga-practising, sugar-free, expensive lifestyle-living, Etsy-selling woman. And even though Katie can’t stand her, she is prepared to endure her presence to ‘heal’. Will’s sister Farrah tells Elin that an ex has been hassling her. She has something else important to tell Elin but says she will do it later.This is one of those books that either works for you and you’ll absolutely love it, or it’s going to leave you scratching your head. Well from my rating you can see where I landed. My only complaint was that, some of the chapters felt a little bit too long especially at the start. I think they could have been broken up more. And secondly, it could have been a little bit shorter. The middle did get a bit slow and dragged on a bit. Something flapped in the branches above my head, startling me and almost making me lose my balance. But I stole another look at the house before I climbed down, and smiled. It was the perfect place to write a scary book.

THE RETREAT | Kirkus Reviews

Changing Lives Since 1837 We exist to support colleagues across the book trade and their families, providing grants and housing when they need it most. The townspeople believe that Lily was sacrificed to The Red Widow, a witch that eats the souls of young children. An urban legend, no different from Bloody Mary or the Boogey Man, but the problem with small towns, is that there is someone that always believes, and when you believe, fear can be a powerful motivator.The Retreat” is yet another holistic-health-retreat book (think Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers), with a dark and suspenseful twist. Pearse goes from strength to strength in The Retreat. The suspense inexorably builds to a stunning climax. An added treat is the return of Elin Warner, who is a fascinating character one can only root for.' David Baldacci, No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Mercy

The Retreat by Sarah Pearse | Waterstones

I hear you asking, why would you not have given this book a full 5* - are you mad??? Well let me tell you. I love this book, it was tense, angsty, it made me anxious and wanting to read further. BUT, I have read Sherri's previous book and I (unfairly?) compared it to that the whole way through. I LOVED 'Follow me down', I read it twice in a year I think. And I love Sherri, she's great - funny, endearing. So, 4.5* is a fair reflection of my views on this one. If you like psychological thrillers, with a bunch of characters that you probably won't like, then this will be up your street. This is the 5th 5 star book I've read by Edwards, and each one I have had the pleasure of reading with my GR buddy Christine. We always start out so confident, thinking we know Edwards so well now that there is no way he will be able to pull the wool over our eyes like he has in the past. Knowing how Edwards likes to throw multiple characters in the mix, we were ready to weed out the throw away ones. Next there is the plot, which once again we were confident in our knowledge that Edwards is going to trip us up with false leads and a bunch of distractions, but this time we'll be able to avoid those traps and stay one step ahead. Fair warning there is a fair bit of drug use/sexual scenes scattered throughout the novel which I know some readers may not like.Look retreat-ready in a figure flattering Hunza G swimsuit and scrunchie to match, made with their signature crinkle-stretch fabric that flexes to sculpt and support all body shapes. Perfect if you forgot your swimsuit or simply love the trendy designs. Deliciously paced with rich worldbuilding, The Retreat teems with questionable motives, unspoken frustrations, and hair-raising cliffhangers. Pearse’s latest thriller is a reminder that beneath the glimmering exterior of the places and people we love, vengeance often lurks. I absolutely could not put this book down!”

The Retreat | Boutique Luxury Hotel in West Berkshire The Retreat | Boutique Luxury Hotel in West Berkshire

Lucas can’t help but feel that he could help Julia find answers to Lily’s disappearance. But the deeper he digs into the mystery, the more unsettling it becomes. You see, Lily isn’t the first girl to go missing from this town. A girl has disappeared every 35 years as long as anyone can remember—a sacrifice to the Red Widow, made by the town to keep the other children safe. Lucas doesn’t believe in urban legends. And yet, how can he explain the tragic history of this town? And if he is able to, will the answers provide relief, or reveal more horrors to come? Characters, for the most part, were not very likable, nor relatable. I couldn’t connect with them, as hard as a tried. Certain plot points in the story didn’t really belong, or were forced. And I have to admit that the scene with the deer seemed irrelevant and gratuitous, and was so difficult for me to read.Atmospheric. Sinister. Chilling. These are all words that can be applied to The Retreat. And let's not forget unpredictable. Every time I came up with a theory for what happened, was happening, or what was about to happen, Edwards shot me down in flames. Will tells Elin that his sister Farrah, who coincidentally (?) works at Lumen, has not been herself lately. Elin and Farrah aren’t really friends, but Elin agrees to message her. The CSI team thinks the time of death was early in the morning. Steed is rattled and tells Elin he had a family member die in a similar way. Elin swims over to the island and hears a gunshot. The guests have barricaded themselves in the lodge and she can’t get inside. Haha finally someone has some sense! I enjoyed reading this so much. The characters are ALL flawed - I don't think I liked any one of them especially. But I was intrigued by most of them and needed to know what was going to happen to them. There are a lot of twists and turns and the story kept me hooked from start to finish. Although I read this in chunks, rather than in one go, I didn't want to put it down. Very well done on that front. I read the end 40% or so in one go and it was EXHAUSTING! It all happens, it's unexpected, twisted and oh so fun.