Four women are headed to the retreat.
Only one of them will come back.

Being a former child star is tough. Katie has first-hand experience in that. As her life seems to go from bad to worse in her twenties, she agrees that a weekend on a yoga retreat might actually do her some good. Sure, she's not thrilled that she has to go with her sister-in law, but that's what friends are for. So, her two best friends agree to tag along. This will be fun. Or will it?

What starts as a calm-verging-on-boring weekend on a wellness retreat will soon change into a horrible thing. Four women go in. Four people, each with their own secrets. Only one of them will come out of this alive. whose secret led to this disaster?

The Retreat is a fast-paced, easy-to-read thriller. Combining flashbacks with four different perspectives, it shows the readers glimpses of a puzzle they slowly have to construct. And it works, being fairly unpredictable up to a point. Sherri Smith has managed to give us a riddle to solve, while providing us with a story that feels like a classical american psychological thriller. So, if this genre is your thing, you're going to love this.

All in all, a good book for the fans of the genre.

I had high hopes for this book but it did not live up - it was a bit slow and predictable for my taste.

The Retreat by Sherri Smith is a really good read. I will definitely look for more books by this author. Her characters in The Retreat were realistic, and the mystery kept me up at night.

Katie Manning is a tween/teen star who has aged out of the business. She has tried college, several businesses and careers but can't find her new place. Katie thought she was going to have a big comeback role but her derogatory tweet got her canned from the project. She drinks too much and lives off of her dwindling acting money.

Katie needs a reset in life. Her sister-in-law invites her to a retreat where a tea with mental/health healing powers is given the last night they are there. Katie believes she needs this tea. She will be like a butterfly out of a cocoon. Only downside is her future sister-in-law is going, they aren't too fond of each other, but she gets two college friends to tag along and it will be fun.

But it's not fun. Katie can't seem to get it together. She keeps drinking has more blackouts. When a fellow member of the retreat winds up missing, Katie can't chase away the thought that she is the one at fault. She has also learned that one of her party might be a killer. Who is it? Katie is more and more worried that what is hiding in her blackouts will scare the hell out of her. Maybe she is the killer.

Great suspense that keeps the reader guessing. I thought there were some holes in the story and some of the side stories didn't seem to add up. 4.5 stars and recommended!

I wanted to like this more than I did. The premise is great - a woman and her soon to be sister in law embark on a healing journey by going to a wellness retreat where visitors partake in the usual massages/yoga/meditation but also consume a hallucinogenic tea that is supposed to give them clarity. On page 1 we learn that someone at the retreat is a psychotic murderer, so then as the story unfolds it is a question of when the murders will happen and who will be the guilty party. The POV switches between the two main women characters and the two friends that one of the women brings along. Each of these 4 as well as several others at the retreat - including the owners - are portrayed as lacking a moral center or sanity, thereby making it an interesting question of "whodunit?" However, since all of the characters are annoying/unsavory/a bit scary, it is impossible to care about any of them. Still, the climax was quite shocking in its cold violence and certainly disturbing. The ending, however, did not work at all and was disappointing. The writing style and characters didn't work for me, but the story overall is an interesting one and with dark twists and pulpy, violent themes.

Katie, Carmen, Ariel and Ellie all attend a weekend retreat at The Sanctuary. The retreat will climax with an ayahuasca tea ceremony that is supposed to help clear out all of the negative feelings and emotions that they all have built up. However, before they can even get to the tea, each woman slips into a paranoid and kind of hilarious state.

Katie wakes up covered in blood. Carmen finds herself intrigued with an older French couple. Ariel lusts after the leader of The Sanctuary. Ellie....Ellie ....plays along. Each woman retreats into her own madness over the weekend. There's murder. There's drugs. There's revenge.

Each people is rotten and each person is highly unlikable. BUT....this was a quick, quick read that was kind of fun.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Retreat by Sherri Smith is a recommended thriller. Four women head to The Sanctuary, a wellness retreat. Will they make it out alive?

We know from the start that someone has killed multiple people, we just don't know who. The four women who head to the retreat are all connected through former child star Katie Manning. Ellie Rose, Katie's brother's fiancée, invited Katie. Katie, in turn, invited her two friends from her brief college attendance, Carmen and Ariel. All four of these women have some big secrets they want to hide, but the whole purpose of the retreat is to find themselves and inner bliss. The weekend culminates with the ceremony where all the retreat attendees drink the hallucinatory ayahuasca tea.

Smith does develop her characters to give them depth; however they all seem to be caricatures of a type of person. The whole novel is populated by unlikable and unreliable stereotypical characters. It is also relatively easy to figure out early on who is the killer, so the thrill is in reaching the conclusion and find out what happens to tie the opening scene to the story. The narrative is told through the four women who travel together to the Sanctuary, so the reader is privy to their secrets, schemes, and insecurities. All of these women are vastly different characters.

The writing is good, in spite of the fact that the plot is predictable and the characters stereotypes. There are also scenes that really serve no purpose except to be disturbing or depraved. This is an airplane book, read it to pass the time, but you won't cry if you misplace it or never finish it.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of the Tom Doherty Associates.

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What a smorgasbord of nonsense this was! I was so disappointed by this one, I'm actually amazed I finished it.
4 mismatched female friends go off for a weekend at a wellness retreat; an ageing child star (Katie); her soon-to-be sister-in-law whom she has little to nothing in common with, and; her two best friends from college who are both living lives they resent. There's the stereotypical hippie leader and his wife, a mysterious French couple, an overemotional woman, a couple of guys and a die-hard fan of Katie's alter ego from her childhood, Shelby Spade. I think. The character's name was mentioned so many times and I can't even remember it two minutes after finishing the book... Not one of the characters was likeable or even relatable, with their terrible life choices and their senses of entitlement. There were far too many 'difficult topics' touched upon, but not actually covered in anything resembling a sensitive or respectful manner, in this book; cancer, child abuse, rape, murder, drug addiction, drug trafficking. It really was just a shambles throughout and the reveal was probably the weakest part, topped off by the cheesiest 'Eighteen months later...' ending I've come across for a while.

This is the story of four dysfunctional women carrying some heavy baggage as they join together at a weekend retreat. This will be a life-altering experience for all. The retreat seemed more like a week to me. A cauldron of stirred up dark secrets that became repetitive, the story losing momentum midway.

Katie is an aging child actor who is introduced as an alcohol-loving mean girl, Carmen, an anxiety-ridden, thieving, scalp scraper, gullible, obsessive Arial, and Ellie, a supermodel type, the outsider of the bunch rounds out the group and is someone who initially I could sympathize with. As time went on though, I lost any connection with her and the others. I really tried but I just didn’t care. Too many dark characters with few redeeming qualities. The pinnacle event of drinking a hallucinogenic tea at the end of the weeked was played up but when it actually happened, meh.

This book was enjoyable even with its many unlikable characters. The writing was good and the story did hold my interest. There were many secrets that were revealed for each character throughout the book that made it interesting. It did have a twisty ending, although I did figure out who the killer was early on. Not a bad suspenseful read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

Kate Manning is a trouble child star who thinks a wellness retreat, suggested by her brother’s fiancée Ellie, my be just the cure for her car crash of a life. She invites her two best friends, Carmen and Ariel.

When they get there everything quickly turns into a nightmare, until there is only one left standing.

The Retreat is slow burn psychological thriller with a hint of menace and plenty of creepiness running throughout.

Each of the characters were interesting, each with some secret they’re hiding. Ellie seems too perfect, Ariel is running away from something, Kate is in denial about her life and Carmen desperately needs money to help her family survive. None of them are particularly likeable but I think it works well for this story.

Fair warning there is a fair bit of drug use/sexual scenes scattered throughout the novel which I know some readers may not like.

Then there was the ending. I personally didn’t think it was all that surprising which was a shame because the rest of the story was quite gripping.

Overall The Retreat was creepy and compelling psychological thriller that I’d recommend for fans of this genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel in return for my opinion.

The synopsis of this book was brilliant and was what made me want to read it. A girls’ retreat, and a murderer amongst them, who IS one of them? Sign me up!! I did enjoy the novel thoroughly, as it kept me guessing. The atmosphere was well done by Sherri Smith and the tension that built was undeniable.

However, the weak part for me, and where the book struggled, was the characterization. I find it very difficult to remain interested in a book when the characters are unlikeable or off putting. Don’t get me wrong, I strongly dislike cardboard cutouts. I appreciate characters who are complex, quirky, gruff, even sometimes jerks. They need to feel HUMAN. However, they still have to straddle that fine line of being unlikeable, yet remaining compelling in some way, or being unlikeable, yet having redeeming traits. I felt the author struggled with that.

All in all, it was still an enjoyable and suspenseful read. Just not my cup of tea.

Katie Manning, a former child star who drinks and sleeps through her days, decides to attend a wellness retreat with her brother's fiance in hopes of turning her life (and social media account) around. She tows along two of her friends - each one battling her own demons and secrets in the form of failed relationships / terrible debt / and family issues - who also hope to find peace in reconstructing their lives.

Temptation and secrets grip the women as they partake in meditation, group gardening, and other assorted organized activities, and the weekend culminates in tragedy that no one sees coming.

As my second "retreat-gone-wrong" focused read of 2019, I found The Retreat to be an enjoyable page-turner that kept me guessing until the end. I completely disliked all of the characters, but I actually liked that in this book I was rooting for no one.

I can easily recommend this as a fun beach, plane, or porch read for the final days of summer. (Or snuggle up with a coffee and a blanket when the air turns crisp and you want a lighter fall thriller.)

From the beginning of this book I was hooked! The opening was done so well and every chapter following just kept you wanting more. Each of the four main characters came to The Sanctuary with different intentions and as I watched their stories unfold I couldn't decide which character I hated most. I love a thriller with zero likeable characters and The Retreat definitely delivered. Every time I read a new character perspective I was thinking "oh, you are definitely capable of murder. No wait, you are definitely capable of murder". The twists and turns guided perfectly into a fantastic ending! I already want to reread this book to see if I can catch onto any of the clues throughout the story. Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing an advanced copy to read & review.

I enjoyed this book. It appealed to me in so many ways - the reference to Reiki as a practitioner myself along with the whole "wellness" concept was right up my street!

I didn't particularly connect with any of the characters though. I didn't find them likeable, and it was a slow start. Persevere though and it's well worth it.

In general, I prefer endings that are a bit more believable. I found the whole concept of this book a bit outlandish. That doesn't mean to say I didn't enjoy it though and it was still worth a read.

It's a 3.75 for me rounded up to 4 stars.

#TheRetreat#NetGalley

The Retreat by Sherrie Smith, is an atmospheric, sometimes dark, but fast paced suspense novel. The setting is at a wellness retreat, located in a remote area of the Catskills Mountains. The four main characters are each flawed, with secret lives, and ulterior motives, but are well developed. Although you may not like them, you will find yourself immersed and carefully following the story to unearth the dark secrets each woman holds. I found the characters complex and interesting and enjoyed the interaction among them. The reader quickly becomes acquainted with Katie, a washed up child star with plenty of baggage. Seeking a new beginning, Katie takes up the offer by her future sister-in-law, Ellie,to go the Sanctuary, a weekend wellness retreat. Since Katie is not particularly fond of Ellie, she invites Carman and Ariel, friends from college. Each woman has her own expectation of what she wants to accomplish while at the retreat. With hidden secrets and leaving behind unsatisfactory lives, they all hope to leave as "a new person". After all, that's what was promised when they signed up for the pricey weekend.
Do promises always come true and could a new beginning be this simple? According to Dr. Dave and his creepy wife, they will leave the retreat with a new positive outlook on life and return home to fulfill their dreams!
But soon the women discover that all is not as it seems. A bloody knife appears, illegal drugs are discovered and one of the guests goes missing, presumed dead!! The wellness weekend turns foreboding, with betrayal, danger, and a prevailing feeling of mistrust among all the guests and the eerie leaders of The Sanctuary.
There are many twists and turns and red herrings galore that will keep the reader turning pages!
I gave The Retreat a four star rating and recommend it to mystery lovers!

Thanks to the author, Sherri Smith, to NetGalley and to the publishers Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I had absolutely no idea what to expect from The Retreat, but I found myself completely absorbed in this tense and gripping tale of secrets and betrayal.

Sherri Smith has created some great characters in Katie, Ariel, Carmen and Ellie and the rest of the cast of people who have gathered at 'the retreat' - each character has their own flaws but also various likable characteristics too. Katie, a has-been (once a child television star), heads to an elusive retreat with her sister-in-law-to-be, Ellie, and invites along a few of her friends, Carmen and Ariel. 

What follows is complete craziness - I don't want to give too much away here but the key is just to completely suspend your disbelief and enjoy. I certainly did - I loved the chaos that ensured, with dark secrets and plenty of confusion for both the characters and the reader! You're left wondering exactly who the 'she' is who is mentioned in the very impactful opening pages, and as the novel goes on I thought I had it... not quite!

I loved the 'whodunnit' elements to this story and the shady backstories to some of the characters which only made them the more intriguing. Is anyone exactly who they appear to be at this retreat? I had a lot of fun finding out!

I loved the idea of this story. Four very different women go away for a girls weekend to a wellness resort, but one of them (really all of them) are not whom they seem to be. While I liked the idea, I had a herd time getting through this book. I’d read a few chapters and then forget about it for a day or two. I had to remind myself to go read. I also figured out who the killer was pretty quickly, so that might have put a dampener on my desire to keep reading. I finally sat down and finished to make sure I was right, and I was.

2 1/2 ⭐️‘S
This book was really hard for me to get into. I would read a few chapters and set it aside. I found it painful to just finish!! With unlikable, unremarkable characters at a cult like retreat center, there was really not much I liked about it. The first few pages were intriguing and had me interested, but it quickly went down hill from there. There was no real suspense to speak off and I knew who the killer was from the get go. Interspersed with every cliche possible at a retreat center, this book was just not for me!

i'm going to be honest - this is one of my harder reviews to write

for the most part, i really liked this book and will admit that i did find it hard to put down. plus i really enjoyed all the snark and have a few particular lines that i just loved

i did enjoy the lay out of the book and i really really liked Katie

while i LOVED the idea of this book i felt there were too many plot lines and i really wish the author would have tightened that up. also at times it felt like the writing was a bit too abrupt

lastly the end... let's just say i wasn't completely satisfied despite there being resolution

overall despite some lukewarm feelings i would read/try another book by this author

Who is the murderer?


Katie and Ellie go to a weekend Retreat, to get to know each other before Ellie marries Katie’s brother. Unbeknown to Ellie, Katie has invited two of her close girl friends as well, but which of them has murder on their mind?

This thriller opens with a dramatic murder, and then the reader is left wondering “who did it” as the story is unfolds through the eyes of Ellie, Katie and her two friends. As the women’s reasons for being there gradually become clear, the suspense and wonder of how it is going to end grows. There are plenty of cliff-hangers, and exciting moments along the way in this fast moving thriller, and by the final pages all becomes clear.

2*s from me, as I found the girls pretty unlikeable, and struggled to stay interested in what happened to them. Initially I found I got confused between the two names Ellie and Katie – who was who? Good cliff-hangers, but as the story was constantly moving between the four girls, by the time the cliff hanger was returned to so much else had happened that the original moment had been overtaken. Just not for me.