Thank you netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

Cover is pretty. Story was written well, kept you wanting to read more.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

These types of books are honestly like crack for me. I love them, and this one was very good. It was a quick and easy read. Very atmospheric in setting. Okay characters. The plot was interesting and kept me reading. That said, I figured out who was behind everything and why very early on. The biggest issue I had was that ending. Was the author trying to be clever? Mysterious? It was just an absolute clusterpuck of an ending. 🤷🏻‍♀️

**ARC Via NetGalley**

I really enjoyed this book and, at times, it was unputdownable. The ending wasn’t my favourite as I would have liked a bit more detail but parts of the book were great.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG??? or WHAT DID YOU THINK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN????
First of all, don't waste your time and money on people you haven't seen since high school. There is probably a dang good reason you left them behind. Like oh, I don't know one of them might be a murderer??? This weekend plays out like an ""I Know What you did lat summer" movie but with grown-ups. First let's blame the grown-up that had the bright idea of going to a secluded island with a creepy old lighthouse, with no one around to hear you. Then throw in a little psychology crap from horror movies like "Saw" and a little I need to get out of here, escape room mentality and you have the disastrous weekend of Lyndsey, Sonia, Bobbie, Amanda, Juliet, and Val
What happens when the weekend is over???
Fun and thrilling but not one that will stick with me for years, but that is ok, sometimes a scary romp is just that, fun. Unless YOU are the one on the island.

The Weekend Escape by Rakie Bennett is a story about a group of friends setting out on what should be a fun weekend away. Soon it turns deadly. Who is to be trusted, who is to blame??

I loved this book, all of the characters had their own stories, their own strengths and their own weaknesses. The sense of foreboding, mistrust and isolation wound into this story was incredible and kept me on my toes the whole time.

I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys thrillers!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

What happens when a girls trip goes completely, totally wrong, right from the beginning? The Weekend Escape is a classic trapped-on-an-island-in-a-storm trope, but with a twist that there's never a period on the trip where anything goes right. From the first event of the six friends' reunion, someone gets hurt, then the accommodations aren't up to par, then the emergency radio is broken, etc. etc. Soon it becomes apparent that someone is intentionally sabotaging the trip and is possibly trying to kill the group members. With a violent storm set in, it's a race against the clock to get off the island before the killer succeeds.

I like the unique twist that the trip is a bust from the beginning; there's no honeymoon period for the group - it's straight into the shit. The build up is the slow realization that things aren't just bad luck, but that they're intentional sabotage. It's really intense and as they put the clues together, it's pretty exciting. I was turning pages quickly as things began to fall into place and twists begins to come out. And oh boy, there are some twists.

The ending itself was pretty good - it wasn't completely out of left field, but there were enough red herrings to keep you guessing. I was pretty happy with how things turned out. The only thing I didn't like about the ending is that there are some loose endings. I don't want to give it away but the very end is kind of open ended. It's a bit frustrating.

But overall, I really enjoyed this book. There was a lot of suspense and a lot of mystery to go around. Fans of the genre will greatly enjoy this book.

An easy read book. Six friends on a week away but not all six will return. Lots of secrets and truths unfold during the course of the book leading to the readers suspicions jumping between the characters. The pace is slow at times although it speeds up towards the end leading to a somewhat predictable but still satisfactory ending.

This was a very complicated, fascinating story. A group of friends who haven't seen much of each other since leaving school,, go on an activity weekend on a remote island. Things start to happen quite quickly with people being injured, one found dead and the accidents continue to escalate. Is there someone else on the Island or is it one of the group. It all unravels at the end..

"They’re dead. Please don’t tell me it’s going to be all right."

I'm a sucker for a locked-room mystery, so when I read the premise of this book I knew I had to read it. First off, the atmospheric and vivid description of the setting (the island) was wonderful and really made it very easy to be able to picture the story unfolding in my mind. One thing I did have a lot of trouble with, however, was distinguishing the six women. I kept having to go back and check who was who, so that was a bit annoying. I think the characters were all too similar and lacked a certain level of depth. None of the characters felt very likable to me either, so I was struggling to care who lived and who died... I also kind of expected the secrets that were revealed to be a lot darker than they actually were, but maybe my expectations were a little too high.

At the start, the pace is a bit slow but it definitely builds and picks up towards the end. There's plenty of action and tension, but then the ending felt so weird and abrupt to me. I'm still a little confused about why it ended where and how it did and I thought I had missed something but I didn't... I will admit I had the "big twist" a little wrong, so props for that I guess. Anyway, like I said at the start of this review: the creepy atmosphere was very well done and it definitely adds a lot to the book. Despite my issues with this story and the characters, it was still an enjoyable read/escape from real life.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, Rakie Bennett and Netgalley for providing me with me an e-ARC of this book.

“She couldn't stop looking at her, those hands curcled up like claws, teeth bared like an animal. She'd died in pain, that much was obvious. In pain and alone."

Overall rating: ★★½

The Weekend Escape by Rakie Bennett is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Harper Collins/One More Chapter (and in particular Sara Roberts for sending me a widget),  and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Six friends decide on a deserted island for a reunion.  Lyndsey, Juliet, Bobbie, Val, Amanda and Sonia.

Juliet has always wanted to return to Shell Island.  She set the whole thing up, and has an itinerary that has the group busy every hour of the day for the entire long weekend.  They are going to do things they haven't done since school, and most will include climbing.

But from the moment they arrive, they find that this island is no paradise, and when one has an "accident" shortly after arriving, Juliet's plans get cast aside.  It seems like they are being targeted.  But is it someone outside their group, or is it one of their own that means them harm?

As things fall apart, the friends start picking on each other,  and nothing is safe.  Their secrets and past come out.


My Opinions:   
This was a LOT better than I had anticipated.  I've read a number of "stuck on an island" books in the last couple of years, but this one was really good.

The story is told from their first event on the island, and then through the hours/days leading up to the end.  It's progression revealed more and more about the characters.  It is told from the perspective of Lyndsey from start to finish, which was rather interesting since she had no clue as to social norms.

The characters were intriguing, if not too likable.  There was typical cattiness among the women, which I did not really enjoy.  The book looks at how closely we really know our friends, and do we really trust them.  It also looked at being able to trust your own thoughts.

I admit to figuring out who the perpetrator was, but it was still very good.

The writing was great, the plot fairly unique, and the action non-stop.  I absolutely loved the ending!

Such a fun thriller! Six friends look to connect on a outdoorsy weekend on a remote island. But the weekend starts to wrong when one friend falls from her climbing harness, narrowly escaping major injury. The climbing rope was cut.

One by one the friends are threatened and bodies start to pile up.

A fun "locked room" mystery in a remote island setting.

3 for neutral. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get into this one, will definitely update if able to finish at a later date!

The Weekend Escape by Rakie Bennett is just that: a fast paced weekend escape read. The book is atmospheric and perfect for blustery fall evenings.
I enjoyed the setting, but found none of the characters to be particularly likable.
The book is suspenseful, although slow at the beginning it does pick up the pace near the end. Which is probably why I found the ending rather abrupt and not altogether satisfying. It is rather open ended, which definitely has an appeal in this genre.
All in all, an enjoyable read.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK One More Chapter for this ARC of The Weekend Escape.

Six friends go on a weekend getaway on a secluded island however they are in for a surprise when they arrive and mysterious things begin happening to them.

I really enjoyed this book! I was a bit skeptical because the reviews seemed to think that it was a pretty basic whodunnit novel but I don't usually read this particular trope so it was pretty exciting for me. The characters were all a little bit plain but I liked having all of the secrets come out and trying to figure out who was behind the events that were occurring. There isn't really much that I think I could critique on this one as it kept my interest the entire time and I didn't figure out the twist until it was happening which is a plus for me when I'm reading mysteries.

4/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this copy to review.

While I wanted to love this I just couldn’t ….not the authors fault but this plot/ genre has been done too many times before. Island with group of friends and a who is the murderer. Author has potential but plot is tiresome.

5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I would definitely be recommending this book to readers on my Instagram bookstagram account.

This book was written pretty well however I felt the story did fall short a little. For a thriller it was quite standard. The twist wasn’t hugely exciting but not one I had guessed anyway. The setting of the book was pretty good and gave the feeling of isolation quite well. I did find that I wanted to read on but I found the story ultimately just okay.

⭐️⭐️

The Weekend Escape by Rakie Bennett

Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk for this Advanced Readers Copy that published on October 8th.

6 friends visit a deserted island off the coast of England for a reunion weekend of climbing and adventure. These friends bonded in high school and together dealt with the death of a member of their friend group. 10 years after the death of their friend resentment and blame still linger. The main character, Lynsey struggles to know who to trust and when to let her guard down. The story comes to a head when all members of the friend group have been put in near death experiences. Lynsey wakes up in a hospital bed with police questioning the events of the weekend and who is responsible for the trauma that occurred.

I was a bit disappointed by this book. The author threw in too many characters who were all very similar. It was difficult to keep them straight. I didn’t find the climax of the story very convincing nor the motive. I found myself feeling “forced” to finish, which is not a fun way to close up a mystery. I did enjoy the setting on a remote British island and that the story centered around female friendship.

Author: Rakie Bennett
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Age Range: Adult
Format: E-Book
Published: 8th October 2021
Pages: 692 (This was an e-arc so I think the formatting was different so it definitely is not as many pages)
Rating: 3 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis

A deserted island, a vicious storm, a murderer amongst friends…

It was meant to be a fun reunion, a chance for six friends to reconnect and relive the adventures that brought them together in the first place. But from the moment they arrive on their island home for the weekend, Lyndsey, Sonia, Bobbie, Amanda, Juliet, and Val realise that their paradise is filled with peril, and there are consequences when you try to outrun the ghosts of your past.

As everything starts to fall apart, and the friends begin to turn against one another, deep, dark secrets are revealed, and an unimaginable horror is unleashed. They came seeking adventure, but now they’ll be lucky to leave with their lives…

CAWPILE

Characters – 6
Atmosphere – 7
Writing Style – 6
Plot – 7
Intrigue – 7
Logic – 7
Enjoyment – 7

Overall: 6.7

Review

Trigger Warnings: Death, Gun Violence, Blood, Violence, and Loss of a sibling.

This review may contain spoilers.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley, however, this in no way influenced my opinion. Thank you to the publisher One More Chapter for providing me with a copy.

So, I have been in the mood for mystery/thrillers recently and after reading the synopsis of this on Instagram and being immediately intrigued I requested this and was so happy to be approved. In the weekend escape we follow six friends who are visiting an island for a weekend holiday, however, after one of the group is injured everything starts going wrong and they are left stranded. One of the strongest aspects of this book was the atmosphere, I definitely felt the claustrophobia of being stuck on the island and the hopelessness of feeling like no one is coming to help. I did think the plot was a little slow-moving at the beginning but once it picked up, I became invested and had no idea who to trust. The last 20% was especially intense to read. The plot twist of Amanda being behind everything really took me by surprise and I didn’t see it coming at all.

Overall, this was a decent mystery/thriller novel with some shocking twists and a gripping plot. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

This was a different take on a 'locked room' thriller. Everyone is under suspicion when the friend's weekend getaway takes a dark turn and a worsening storm means help is not able to come. Friendships come under close examination as each person looks to themselves and the rest of the group. Unexpected twist at the end.