4/5

Thank you Dreamscape media for the advanced listening copy!

Five authors with their own story ideas, three missing phones, and one mysterious home with a creepy history. This writer's retreat is off to an iffy start, with tensions rising almost immediately. As each writer tries to stay focused on their mystery novels, they find themselves entrenched in a real-life, creepy mystery of their own.

This was a classic Kiersten Modglin-- fast paced, easy to get drawn in to, with a fun and unexpected twist. This wasn't my favorite of hers, as it lacked a little bit of the shock factor that I usually find in her stories, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, listening to the entire thing in two sittings. The inclusion of both past and present storylines always adds depth and dimension to plotlines, and this was no exception. Overall, a solid and enjoyable, quick thriller.

A typical premise for a thriller - creepy and desolate woods, groups of strangers, etc. Some promise here, but the writing fell flat to me. By the time the thrills begin (quite late in the book), they are quickly wrapped up in a bizarre fashion that reminded me of Columbo spouting all the answers. No spoilers, but there were scenes where the characters actions and dialogue took me out of the story because they didn't quite make sense: example - why didn't anyone grab for the gun? It was right there! The characters stayed still and had long bouts of dialog when they should have been running.
All in all, a middling thriller.

This is one of my favorites books so far this year. I loved the present and past timelines and both had me captivated. I thought the characters were brilliant and the plot was twisty and entertaining!

The story brings five writers together with a free invitation to stay for a week at A Quiet Retreat to have time to focus on their writing. Well narrated by Carly Robins, characters slowly develop and so does the plot. The suspense of things going missing turns into something more threatening, as the story line bounces between present day and the past life of the Retreat House. It was an entertaining listen, not too long but the stay at the retreat is only a week so something had to happen soon. I thought the ending came together rather rapidly and the epilogue was predictable. Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Net Galley for an early listen in exchange for my honest review

Okay so now that I'm writing this out, I think I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

I liked the two storylines going at once: the writers on a retreat in hopes of finishing their WIP, and a woman who is in an abusive relationship who might just be pregnant.

I was excited to find out how the two would join together and when it would happen. When it DID happen, I wasn't super thriller. I kind of thought it was an odd "twist" and I wasn't happy about it.

But everything up until the end was interesting enough. It was a super quick read, so very fast paced and not many slow moments. I was worried I wouldn't be able to keep track of the other writers, but honestly, they didn't add much to the story- which doesn't say a lot.

But the lackluster twist and the fact that things went a bit off the rails by the end didn't make for the most entertaining book.

This was a crazy book!! And I loved it so much!! I'm such a big Kiersten Modglin fan. I don't know where she comes up with such great stories, but wow, she knows how to write a thriller. I couldn't stop reading!! And the audiobook was very well done! Highly recommend!!

*Thank you @dreamscapemedia for the #gifted audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

Thank you @netgalley for the ALC of A Quiet Retreat.
I usually like Kiersten Modglin's thrillers, but this one fell short for me.
The writing was good and it kept me reading, but it took a while to get to the suspenseful part of the book. I felt more could be done to show the tension. I also thought it was predictable. I had the person figured out pretty quickly. However, it was a short, entertaining read and I will definitely read more by her in the future.

The book is duel timeline. The present day is a group of writers who come to a retreat to work on their novels. Unexplained occurrences start happening and they learn the house has a deadly past. The past timeline is a couple who is in a tumultuous relationship that turns abusive. Is anyone safe?

A solid 3 star semi locked room mystery/thriller. Five writers attend a retreat meant for rest and inspiration. But things start to go quickly awry and they all become suspicious of one another. Once the deaths start, the action really ramps up. We also get some flashbacks and past perspective of another character, that then ties in to the end. A little bit unbelievable of an ending, but that's what thrillers are for.

I loved everything about this audiobook. I love the narrator and how the characters developed from beginning to the end. What a great thriller. Highly recommend to Thriller fans and my friends and family. This author is an auto buy for me, so I definitely want to buy the paperback book.

I love Kiersten Modglin on audio! She is quick to hook me and keep me captivated until the very last page. A QUIET RETREAT was no different.

The premise had a locked room feel where 5 mystery writers are invited to attend a writer’s retreat at an isolated manor. When things take an unsettling turn, you don’t know who to trust or what is going on.

I enjoy Modglin’s stories because they are fast paced and the drama never stops. A Quiet Retreat has a dual timeline and I was curious to see how they came together. This was creepy, tense and I was kept guessing until the end. It felt like a popcorn thriller, kind of outlandish, but definitely entertaining.

Recommended if you like a fast paced, page turning mystery.

Thank you Dreamscape Media for the advance audiobook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

With Kiersten Modglin’s books, I never know what the story will be, but I know I will be captivated until the last possible moment. This one was no different. I had no idea where the story was going but I was not expecting that ending at all. So many threads to unravel between the many characters and I didn’t want to stop until I got to the very end. Highly recommended for fans of thrillers with lots of twists and revelations.

Five authors have been invited to the Black Hills Manor writing retreat for a week of rest and relaxation. Shortly after arriving, personal items begin to go missing and strange noises can be heard from above. This causes tensions to rise and no one knows who they can trust.
This was another fast paced, quick read by Kiersten Modglin. There were definitely some parts that creeped me out but at the same time I feel this lacked the suspense that I have come to love from this author. The dual time lines had me lost for a while but eventually came together nicely. There was not a lot of time for any character development but that didn't take away from the story much. This was a little different then the other books I have read from her but I didn't see the ending coming and loved all the little extra twists at the end. The narrator was a perfect choice for this.
Not my favorite but still worth the read! 3.5 stars rounded up
Many thanks to NetGalley and Kiersten Modglin for allowing me to listen to an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is my first book I’ve read by Kiersten Modglin , I was so excited to get this ARC because I’ve been hearing so many good things about her !!
From the very first line I was like … well ok then ! Let’s go!! I was totally drawn in and ended up listening to the entire audiobook in one sitting !

I really liked this authors writing style ! I loved the duel timelines , short chapters and the mystery of it all !

This was set in a creepy house in the middle of nowhere, for what was suppose to be a relaxing retreat for 5 thriller writers , which quickly turns into a nightmare. Broken property , missing items , missing cell phones , strange noises, and they can only blame each other for what is going on. Who can you trust in a house full of strangers ?

This is a locked room thriller filled with suspense , murder , and lots of secrets.

I loved it !

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Kiersten for my audiobook !

Review on IG comming soon! @books_andmakeup

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was a pretty good read, i won't lie and say it was like super original, i have read lots of books with the same story but not in a bad way. I also really liked that this felt like a book that wasn't cut short but mostly it didn't feel drawn out like many books like this! 4.5 rounded up

Kiersten Modglin delivers yet again with her latest fast paced, twisted thrillerific novel, A Quiet Retreat.

As a small group of writers are invited to a writing retreat their goal is for peace and breakthrough writing, however, the house might have other ideas in store for them.

The narrator of this book encapsulated the tension of the characters to a tee making this a great audiobook.

There was so much promise for the setting and plot with this one, a creepy house with a dark and disturbing legacy, things disappearing, characters each harboring secrets of their own, strange happenings. While the pacing allowed for a slow burn as the tension built up revealing things, it wasn’t enough to give me the menacingly creepy feel I had wanted and then the plot just became far fetched, almost silly and the motivation behind murder was just plain ridiculous. The parallel storyline between past and present threads just didn’t work for me and I found the ending to be meh. I have read several books by this author and have enjoyed them, but this one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this book that is well narrated by Carly Robins. This is my honest review and the opinions above are my own.

A Quiet Retreat by Kiersten Modglin is a fascinating, mind twisting suspense story that will leave you questioning everything you think you know!

5 stars

I loved this audiobook, for the most part I believed it was a cozy mystery, and it was in the perfect setting, towards the end as secrets were revealed it picked up pace quickly and the twists were so unexpected. I loved the ending and I think it was fitting and satisfying.

A Kiersten Modglin audiobook is always a must request for me! This one did not disappoint! I loved the atmospheric details of this one and also the characters. They kept me guessing, second guessing, and on the edge of my seat.

This who done it will keep you on your toes. Five mystery writers go to a retreat in the wilderness only to have their lives turned into a mystery. Things go wrong, items disappear, but no one is around but them so...who could it be? Not one of them, or is it?
The narrator does a great job with the telling of the story and the different voices. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read mysterys.