A solid effort and readable thriller. Disappointed at being able to guess the killer early in the book, and found that some of the central characters were underdeveloped for my taste. Despite being a predictable read, the writing itself was enjoyable and the descriptions of the main character's dance performance/practice were wonderful. I was *almost* turned off in the last chapter by the addition of an extra "twist" that I didn't find plausible, but am glad I pushed through as the last two pages were excellent.

This is a good afternoon read and I would recommend for thriller lovers looking for something safe and solidly in the genre.

This is a great atmosphere read for the a snowy winter day! The story held a good pace and although I was able to figure out where it was going by the end, I still enjoyed the storyline!

This book was a 3.5 out of 5 stars. At times the story was quite predictable (I was able to guess who the bad guy was quite early in the book) and at other times the author managed to catch you off guard and threw some red herrings into the mix.

I would give Elisabeth De Mariaffi's books another try to see if one of her other titles wowed me.

This book was SO SPOOKY! as someone who lives where it’s snowy I was picturing each scene so vividly. If you’re a fan on One by One by Ruth ware, you’re sure to love this book!

I really tried to get into this one but it just wouldn’t keep my attention. Sadly I do no recommend.

I really liked the atmosphere of The Retreat, it was the perfect isolated location for a thriller. I also thought the author did a good job with Maeve's backstory. I just found that the other characters were lacking - I didn't know much about them and they all were just vaguely creepy. I think if their dialogue had been more engaging it would have helped make the entire story more thrilling.

Maeve Martin arrives at the High Water Center for the Arts determined to do one thing: launch her own dance company. Time is running out for the former principal dancer and mother of two to find her feet again after the collapse of a disastrous and violent marriage. At first, there’s a thrill to being on her own for the first time in years, isolated in the beauty of a snowy mountain lodge.

But when an avalanche traps the guests inside, tensions run high. Help is coming, so they just have to hold on, don’t they? But as days pass, the other guests are struck down by mysterious deaths, one by one. Now, as she waits in fear, Maeve must admit how little she knows about anyone else . . . and how useless a locked door is if the darkness is already inside.

This book was good, but I did have some issues with it. Throughout the book has the situation continually gets worse for Maeve, you do feel that tension and fear very vividly. That's down to the amazing writing by Elisabeth de Mariaffi. The way she writes makes you feel a part of the story. You can feel the air getting colder and the dire circumstances getting scarier as the days go on. Being stuck with six strangers during an avalanche is scary enough, but when one turns up dead, that's terrifying because you no longer know who to trust, and Maeve certainly had her suspects. I really enjoyed the story for that part of it.

My issue was the super long chapters. I get that each chapter is penned as a day. But it should've been broken up a bit more. I also wasn't too sure about the ending. Like, it was abrupt in my opnion. You can obviously guess what's going to happen, but a short epilogue to confirm that would've been nice.

Overall I did like this book, but I didn't love it as much as I thought I would. It was still a good thriller, and definitely one I'll recommend to my customers.

This is a new thriller from a Canadian author, whose previous novels include 'Hysteria" and "I Remember You". The story is set at an Arts Retreat in the mountains in winter, inspired by the Banff Center. The story revolves around Maeve, a former principal ballerina who is attending the centre with a grant to help her start her own dance company. She is a widow and the mother to two children. When there are grizzly sightings and then an avalanche cuts the residents off from everything and one of them turns up dead, the place no longer feels like a retreat. This is a good recommendation for fans of the genre and is reminiscent of "One by One' by Ruth Ware.

Thank you very much to Harper Collins Canada and NetGallery for the advanced e-book to read so I can share my thoughts. This book is scheduled to go on sale July 20, 2021

Brief Synopsis:
Maeve, a mother of two who just escaped a rocky marriage, heads to an artist’s retreat for two weeks to help get her mind focused on starting her own dance company. Since it’s off season when she arrives, it’s only her & 6 other guests in the isolated location. After an avalanche traps the guests, mysterious deaths start to occur & Maeve doesn’t know who she can trust anymore. Will she make it back home or stay trapped?

My thought/opinions:
The writing in this novel is very atmospheric and descriptive. The author really makes you feel like you are in the frigid and isolated location with the characters. The writing about the wildlife and nature is very well done as well!
At times though, I seemed a bit lost with this writing. It felt a little bit long in some scenes or there was a lot of back and forth that made me confused as to what was really going on. I wanted to know more about some of the characters however as soon as it seemed like we were going to dig in more to their past, the moment was gone.

This is my first novel I’ve read by this Canadian author & I’m very curious to try out her other novels and see how they compare!

The Retreat by Elisabeth de Mariaffi was a haunting and descriptive atmospheric thriller. We meet Maeve, a professional ballerina who has arrived at the stunning High Water Center for the Arts to begin to rebuild her life and begin her business as owner of a dance company. This stunning lodge is filled with artistic, interesting and mysterious characters. Maeve is still suffering from the trauma of her abusive marriage, which recently ended. This makes her untrusting of her bunkmates. Does she have reason for concern or is she just ‘crazy’ like her ex husband said?

As the story progresses, the dark nightmares, suspicious guests and horrific accidents begin. Wild animals, avalanches, deception and steamy scenes are sprinkled throughout this novel which helped to hold my attention well.

This reminded me of a darker version of Liane Moriarty’s 9 Strangers.

If you love dark horror stories, and aren’t afraid of some gore, this one's for you!

A sincere thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Canada for the digital ARC

It is early winter in the mountains in bear territory just before hibernation and High Water Center oozes with atmosphere. Not only does an avalanche force a motley group of off-season guests and maintenance workers together but the days are short (though long!) and dark. At first the thought of a snow day or two appeals but soon the idea of safety and togetherness is shattered. After a body is found suspicion is so strong it can almost be felt. Who do you trust and turn to?

Maeve is one of the guests who goes to the retreat center after an abusive marriage to clear her mind, dance and make plans for opening a dance studio. Her young kids are left at home for two weeks and Maeve misses them like crazy but feels she must do this for herself. Other guests have their own reasons to be there. Weather complicates things. So does murder. Secrets and mysteries swirl as much as the snow.

Closed-room murder mysteries and thrillers are amongst my favourites to read about and this one had me on edge. Trudging through deep snow is very real in my part of the world and the thought of being followed or watched whilst doing it is chilling.

Though I really, really like the premise and story the characters seemed kept at arm's length and a bit flat. The frequency of adult language got distracting at times. But as the story was so good I anticipate reading more from this author. If suspenseful locked-room thrillers are your thing, definitely read this one.

My sincere thank you to HarperCollins Canada and NetGalley for the privilege of reading an e-ARC of this suspenseful book.

Let me start off by saying this book has one of my favourite thriller tropes - a locked room mystery with a snowy back drop (An Unwanted Guest, The Guest List, and One by One anyone?). Any book with that premise immediately has my attention and I will most likely read it knowing full well there are only so many directions a book like that can take.

The Retreat follows Maeve Martin, a dancer and mom of two who just escaped a rocky marriage. She heads to an isolated center in the mountains for two weeks to work on developing her own dance company. It’s off season when she arrives and she finds herself alone with only six other guests each working on their own artistic endeavour.

Before long an avalanche traps the guests inside and they begin to die mysteriously one by one.

What I loved most about this book is the references to nature and animals. There are some seriously spooky passages involving some of the wildlife. At times I was so lost in the writing I could feel the cold creeping in and the watchful eyes of the wildlife surrounding Maeve as she trudged through the snow. I have to think experiencing the cold east coast winters in Canada helped the author write some of these scenes.

What I didn’t love were the loooooooooooong chapters. When I’m reading a mystery/thriller I love for my chapters to be short and leave me needing to read the next one. This book is written in sections of days and since Maeve is only there for seven it leaves an almost 300 page book only broken up into seven chapters (eight if you count the prologue). That’s a personal preference but it definitely made this book drag on at times for me.

With that being said I need to read more of her writing because she has mastered atmospheric writing.

Be sure to keep your eye out for this one July 20, 2021.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Canada, and the author for giving me the chance to read this one early.