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The Retreat
psychological thriller
Titan Books
August 13-th, 2019
Paperback
429
Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Sherri Smith illuminates the dark side of the self-care and wellness industry in a thrilling ride of revenge perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers.
Katie Manning was a beloved child star until her mid-teens when her manager attacked and permanently scarred her face, effectively ending her career and sending her on a path of all-too-familiar post-Hollywood self-destruction.
Now twenty-seven, Katie wants a better answer to those clickbait “Where Are They Now?” articles that float around online. An answer she hopes to find when her brother’s too-good-to-be-true fiancée invites her to a wellness retreat upstate. Together with Katie’s two best friends—one struggling with crippling debt and family obligations, one running away from a failed job and relationship—Katie will try to find the inner peace promised at the tranquil retreat. But finding oneself just might drudge up more memories than Katie is prepared to deal with.
Each woman has come to the retreat for different reasons. Each has her secrets to hide. And at the end of this weekend, only one will be left standing.
Hi, guys.
It’s so hot outside! I hope you are having a great time. Today I have the pleasure to take part in Sherri Smith’s blog tour for her latest gripping thriller, The Retreat. Its Publication Day was yesterday. Today I have an exclusive opportunity to share my review with you. Many thanks to lovely Sarah and the amazing team at Titan Books for the chance to be part of this blog tour.
Don’t forget to visit all the other stops of this amazing blog tour! Enjoy!
Have you ever been on a retreat? Do you remember how relaxing it was? Well, guess what? For four young women, the weekend retreat turned out to be the worst nightmare.
Katie used to be very famous when she was a kid. But now, at twenty-seven, she has no idea what to do with her life. All she does is spending the money she has earned as a child. She also suffers from sleepwalking and her brother has to lock her every night. As much as she loves her brother, Katie hates his girlfriend, Ellie. When Ellie invites her on a retreat weekend, she is desperate to hide her true feelings for the sake of her loving brother. She can’t spend any minute alone with Ellie, so she invites her friends Carmen and Ariel.
Ellie is Nate’s girlfriend. She loves her boyfriend and to wants to marry him in the future, but he comes in a package with his famous and troublesome sister. As a peace offer, she invites her to a weekend retreat, to rediscover themselves and connect each other with yoga, meditation and some herbal tea. She knows that Katie doesn’t like her and that’s why she desperately tries this peace offer. But nothing goes according to the plan.
Carmen is Katie’s friend. She is a caregiver to her ill father and younger siblings. All she knows is having responsibilites around her home and her family. So when Katie invites her in for the weekend, she grabs the opportunity to relax herself and loan some money from her rich friend. For her family.
Ariel is the fourth girl in the pack. She is running away from a bad relationship and she desperately tries to start her life all over again.
The couple who runs the retreat looks like a little bit strange and off the law, but each of their guests receives a different approach and a different kind of therapy. It seems like more than one of them is up to something. No one comes to a retreat for relaxing anymore?
Nothing works as it planned!
Brilliantly twisted story with an unexpected outcome! With the constant change of the characters, the author created four different stories melted into one. I can’t say that I liked this character or disliked that character. Every single one has her unique story and face to show and reasons for her behavior. For the lovers of twisted stories and locked room mysteries, this is the perfect read! No, it’s not a locked room mystery, just starts as one. In order not to reveal more, I already introduced you with the main characters, will leave you to explore this story full of turn-overs. I know you’ll like it. Because I liked it!