The Wilderness Retreat

This is an absolute page turner of a book hooking the reader from the onset. "One holiday. Eight guests. Every reason to be afraid" - The Wildnerness Retreat is one of those books that you are compelled to read, devouring each page unable to resist reading until the final revelation. This is a triumphant rollercoaster of a read with plot points and twists galore. An exceptional psychological thriller. A must read for 2023.
Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publishers HQ (An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers) for this eARC to review.

The story starts with Belle dropping her son off at university for the first time. It’s been just the two of them for so long and now, here she is all alone. To help her cope with the initial loneliness, her sister and son have arranged for a get away from it all break in a Swedish retreat. Belle is a composer and a little time in the Swedish wilderness might be just the thing she needs to help her move her latest piece forward.
She is sharing the experience with half a dozen other guests. Each of the is there searching for something in the lives from, Oscar who is researching his latest book to Krista who is trying to find out the truth about her husband’s death. They will also share the break with a ‘mystery guest.’
Cut off from the outside world, when strange things start to happen to her, Belle must work out who is behind them and why.
The story moves along pretty quickly and I found The Wilderness Retreat an easy book to read. Belle is a likeable character and I was willing her to find out the truth. That said, when the truth came out I hadn’t seen it coming which, I guess, is the sign of a good thriller.
Many thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalleyUK and HQ for a review ecopy of this book.

I loved this thriller set in the Swedish forest, I even googled all the Swedish food served to the guests throughout their stay. Moore creates a very believable setting which rapidly grows more sinister as the retreat progresses.

I was kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the story and it is well paced and the characters are well developed.

A single mother goes on a wellness retreat, but ends up in fear of her life rather than the relaxing birthday treat she was expecting. Full of twists and turns it was hard to predict what would happen next despite the isolated group plot being a well know one.

It certainly was a good read, one of these ones when you accelerate through the book, as it reaches a certain point and you have to finish, a page turner. It's also difficult to review without spoilers, as it's not complex.....just an excellent ending.

bella is a single parent whose much loved son is off to university. To take her mind off this her sister arranges for her to attend a week long wilderness adventure in Sweden. Things go wrong right from the start. The father of her son is also there. Bella starts to believe that nothing is what it appears to be. She begins to think someone is out to get her. Her behaviour borders on the neurotic. It becomes obvious that she is being drugged by one of the other participants or teachers at the retreat. Who and why is hard to fathom out. The end of the retreat leaves her trapped with the person who has it in for her from the very start. Who it is, becomes clear to Bella and us.
This is an amazing read and it will make you feel as confused as Bella until the very end.
It is an excellent thriller and a great story from start to finish

After seeing her only son safely off to university, Bella heads off to Sweden for a week long respite at a wilderness retreat. However, this trip is anything but relaxing.
Weird things keep happening, and Bella discovers that the retreats 'special guest' is someone from her past. A past that she has no desire to revisit.
She feels vulnerable, and suspects that someone is possibly drugging her. Is it all in her mind?
This book is a real page turner, and I thoroughy enjoyed it from start to finish.

A Swedish wilderness retreat to relax a bit after her kid starts university it seems just what Belle needs. The place seems idyllic until the arrival of the person who ruined Bella’s life eighteen years ago. How far will Belle go to protect her current life and her son? A gripping thriller of a read!

In The Wilderness Retreat, a psychological thriller Moore creates a compelling read. One mistake more than a decade ago. Could it come back to haunt her? This is the farfetched premise of this novel. Moore crafts a tale of gripping proportions that’s incredibly believable.

Bella a single mum drops her son off at university. Of course both are upset. they only had each other all their lives. Moore evocatively explores both their emotions. Bella trying to be a stoic mum who doesn’t want to embarrass her son and Asher who equally does not want to be emotional and is trying his best to act grown up. Asher’s new varsity life will occupy him and help him through it. Bella however, would be returning to her empty nest. To help her however, her sister Rachel in collusion with Asher had organised a special week long retreat for her in Scandinavia. Just the ticket it would seem, except ….

The thriller is a slow boil as Moore builds the suspense with the storyline. It has numerous twists and turns keeping one on the edge of one’s seat. I dare readers to find this irksome. Think of it as driving up a steep winding mountain, sheer cliffs falling away at each side and one is not sure what the next bend presents. At the start of the novel an unknown character’s constant reminiscing may vex some readers, as it seems pointless, nevertheless it starts to make sense later on. This is just Moore’s way of adding hype to the tale.

Moore’s choice of location retreat is a brilliant move. It certainly adds to the noire of the novel. I easily associated with Bella the main protagonist, portrayed as a woman one could meet in everyday life. Vulnerable Bella was so believable. In fact, all her characters are believable. She has carefully built each character with their own quirks that fit in perfectly with the plot. Another aspect that makes the entire novel immersive. I read it in one sitting. I had to know what was going to happen next. The ordinariness of the whole plot contributed to its unputdownable.

Meant to be a blissful holiday, its anything but. Its eventually the climax and the end of the novel is in sight yet I was reluctant for it to finish. Just as well. I’m not sure how much more Bella could take. A gripping read! The novel sadly had to end but not before Moore executes a brilliant finish with the epilogue.

If one is fond of psychological thrillers this is a book to read. Frankly this is not my usual genre and I still liked it immensely.