Fell asleep listening to the audiobook and had no desire to go back and find out what I missed. I don’t know, I just couldn’t get into it. The characters were flat and the situation familiar. I wanted to like it! I really did!

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I am so disappointed lol

I was really loving A Quiet Retreat for about... 80% of the book. The start was a bit slow, there wasn't really any character development I could sink into. But slowly, I was pulled into the dual timeline story of both Lessa and Blakely.

I couldn't really figure Lessa out. It seemed like she was preying on Paul, scoping him out like a mark. Then it seemed like it was a genuine relationship. Then by the end... I don't know. Paul's development was kind of sharp for me, it didn't feel like it progressed naturally. Lessa's POV ends so abruptly. I assume that made it easier for the author to allow her to descend into what she became without needing to actually do any hard work.

As the plot was unfolding, I was so interested in seeing how Lessa and Blakely's stories would intertwine. I couldn't really figure it out, which I was excited about. But as it turns out, I couldn't figure it out because none of it made sense. All the dangling strings just... sorta...knot together in the end. The reveal is such a letdown. So weird (and not in a good way), so cheesy, so unbelievable. One massive eye roll.

I'm rating it 3 stars only because I did like it up until the end and think a lot of other people will enjoy it and be less critical than I am.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ARC in an exchange for an honest review!

This was a super quick thriller!
I loved how we didn’t know a lot about any of the characters including the narrator. It added such an element of mystery!

The book bounced from two different timelines and I just couldn’t wait to see how it was all connected. I will say, it was not what I expected!

I definitely recommend this book or audiobook to anyone!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to listen to an audio version of this book.

I am a huge Kiersten Modglin fan, so I was excited to get this one! Five authors are given an invitation to attend a writing retreat. The story is told by Blakely and another character set in the past. This one really had me guessing, and the twist is one I did not see coming. I listened to this in one shot. It’s super easy to get into, and it does not lose your attention. The narrator was also fantastic!

I’m a full-on fan of closed-circle mysteries. They are indeed my first love and A Quiet Retreat by Kiersten Modglin did not disappoint. With interesting characters with back stories told over multiple timelines, A Quiet Retreat was intriguing, and mysterious and played on the “whodunit” trope in delightful ways. I enjoyed the psychological analysis this book presented because it kicked my analytical skills into overdrive. The audio quality was great and I really liked the narrator.

Thank you @Dreamscape_Media and @netgalley for the advanced review copy for my honest review.

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity.*

A QUIET RETREAT is a twisty, compulsive, and thrilling read-- perfect for anyone who loves suspense. Modglin did a masterful job of keeping the plot moving while providing just enough clues to keep the reader guessing. The ending make sense (the sign of a good mystery/thriller in my opinion) but still had a few reveals I didn't see coming.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and the author for this audio galley in exchange for my honest review.

The story is simple and compelling -5 authors are invited to a mountainside writer's retreat. Soon after arrival, things start to go awry- missing belongings, electrical glitches, flashlights in the woods late at night, It is a very fast paced thriller that can be devoured in a day, with alternating dual narrators from different timeframes.

I enjoyed the story up until the end. I don't want to include spoilers but I was disappointed in the way the stories ultimately tied together and the motives of the villain.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a quick and gripping read. I loved that the book was centered around a writing retreat and envy amongst peers. I did not see the ending that was coming and enjoyed this book.

Book Title: The Quiet Retreat
Author: Kiersten Modglin
Narrator: Carly Robins
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Pub Date: January 17, 2021
My Rating: 4.2 Stars

This is my seventeenth Kiersten Modglin novel.. I became a fan back in June 2021 when I read "Just Married".

In this story we have five mystery writers who have received an invitation to the Black Hill Manor Writing Retreat in South Dakota.
Strange things are something mystery writers know about but don’t always experience first –hand. Rumored has it that Black Hills Manor is haunted; new owners have remodeled it to a 5 Star Retreat, in hopes that the rumor will disappear. However, strange things are happening ~, there are missing and/or broken items, strange noises and then one of the authors is missing.
Everyone is suspicious of each member questioning their companions and now pitted against each other.

Story is told from the POV of Blakely- past and present.

Once again Ms. Modglin delivers her signature great psychological thriller.
I was sure I had figured out on part - well one little part but the ALL the other twists and turns fooled me – AGAIN!!
I am a big audiobook fan and narrator Carly Robins did a super job performing all the characters.
I am not a fan of the nasty language but I did enjoy this story.

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this early eGalley.
Publication Release Date scheduled for January 17, 2023

I received this as an audio galley to listen to for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for giving me access.

This was an enjoyable story up until the end. Without any spoilers, I will just say it felt...off.

We enjoy a dual POV going between past and present. These two stories are unrelated but we all know they connect somehow. As the story progresses we learn more about each character and start to presume (in the logical sense) how the two are connected and what is currently happening.

This was all great, grand, and wonderful. Did I get a little confused at times? Yes, but I will chalk that up to listening to the audiobook at 2.5x speed and losing focus for 5 seconds from a child needing me.

As for the end...I really am still confused by it. It didn't make sense to me logically. I still have so many questions that lead up the the particular characters choice in their actions and why they went bat shit crazy. I may understand the (spoiler here) reasoning, but I just can't see how it lead to this end.

This one is great for a quick read/listen as it is very short, but it isn't one I would return to re-read.

Rating: 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

🎧 A L C • R E V I E W 🎧
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Title: A Quiet Retreat
Author: Kiersten Modglin
Rating: 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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My first KMod read for the year is officially in the books! As per usual, KMod knows how to set the tone and hook me into the story immediately; a mysterious death no one knew about? Someone lurking in the woods?! Stuff disappearing?! Hell Yes!!
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This one wasn’t as fast paced in the beginning and middle as I’m used to as far as KMod books go, but man, this one picked up the speed of a freight train towards the end. Also, I love how dark and creepy and actually how she even decided to throw a bit more gore into this one. I flew through this, its short and a super easy popcorn thriller read.
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Told in a dual timeline from Blakely’s perspective in the present and Lessa’s perspective in the past, I thought I had everything figured out but of course, KMod threw a wicked curve ball in at the last second leaving me shell shocked. Definitely didn’t see that ending coming. It was really very good, a tad petty in my opinion but hey, some people are just that petty . Also can just we talk about that epic ending though - the big final fuck you (obvi IYKYK)?! That had me grinning from ear to ear, it was perfect!
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I listened to this one on audiobook. Carly Robins was a phenomenal narrator for this one, she brought the story to life for me. I followed along easily!
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A Quiet Retreat is currently out and is available on Kindle Unlimited. The Audiobook for this one is dropping on 1/17! If you’re looking for a super fast popcorn thriller listen this one will grab you instantly an take you on a pretty intense ride!
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Huge thank you to @netgalley, @kirstenmodglin and @dreamscapemedia for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!
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#kmod #kmodstrikesagain #thriller #writersretreat #murderatblackhillsmanor #murder #alc#advancedlisenerscopy #netgalley #dreamscapemedia #kierstenmodglin #aquietretreat

I definitely don’t want to say anything negative about a author again. IYKYK 😂 anyways this book was amazing! I soaked this up. I love that it was a mix of two stories that all of a sudden connected. Thanks for the early listen NetGalley.

Fast paced, fun plot, two separate storylines. What better than that fantastic trio? This was my first read (or listen) for this author and I plan on reading more after this! I really thought I knew the twist… but no!

5/5 ⭐
0/5 🌶️

Another fantastic thriller from Kiersten Modglin; A Quiet Retreat was twisty and turny and kept me on the edge of my seat. I don't usually read suspense thrillers, my main genre is romance, but I wound up reading Our Little Secret last summer and fell in love with her writing style. She never ceases to give me whiplash as I belt out insane theories and somehow manages to get so much story into a nice concise little novella sized package. It's a double whammy that will have me coming back for more and more.

These are the kinds of books that are a blast to read alongside or right after friends. It's such a blast to watch the theories fly and the WTFs come in as you relive it through them. I had some absolute hair brained ideas about who the villain was and I was wrong at least 95% of the time. This one's twist took me by major surprise and yet it made all the sense in the world when I looked back on the story; it was so well crafted.

I loved to hate so many of the characters (looking at you Lyra, Lessa and Paul) and this is another thing I love about Kierstan. She does a great job of making you suspect them out of sheer hate and yet you still loved the character and the part they played. I think my favorite character was Tennessee; he took me on such a roller coaster of emotions and the end was just *chef's kiss* for his character.

I read this one via audio and Carly Robins did an amazing job of bringing Blakely and Lessa to life along with all of the other side characters. I really enjoyed listening to this story.

A personal invitation for a writing retreat in the middle of the woods...what could go wrong?

Five thriller authors are excited to get much needed and much deserved time to write their (hopefully) next bestseller while they stay in a beautiful retreat home. With all the free food and drink one would want, surrounded by tree's and wildlife in the beautiful woods, it seems idyllic. But one night, after the news was broken to them that a murder occurred in the house years before, things started to go south. Missing phones, slashed tires, and the inability to get a hold of help darkened the mood and fears arose.

Can they get to the bottom of who is behind everything? And should they trust each other in the house, or ban together and question the outside world?

I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and was intrigued with the plot. I listened to this in a day! The narrator was fantastic and I found myself folding laundry faster as the plot thickened.

The one thing that bothered me was that the ending felt rushed. As everything came together, I felt disappointed that it was given away so easily.

Overall, I give this 4/5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape for the opportunity to listen to this novel!

I have heard nothing but praise for Kiersten Modglin, so when I saw her latest book was coming to audio I had to check her out! This was my first book written by her and now I know it will not be my last!

Let me start by staying the narrator, Carly Robins, was amazing! I loved her voice. She was easy to listen to, she changed her voice for the characters, she was just all around great. I will definitely look for more books narrated by her as well!

The storyline was new to me! I can't think of any other book I've read recently that was about a group of author's! I love when stories are not the same constant setting or plot.

5 writers have been invited on a retreat for the week. They will stay in this cabin in the woods as a chance to escape, work diligently, get a change of scenery, maybe be inspired as they all work on their next novels. Creepy things start happening, things start disappearing, figures are seen out in the woods and one by one, people turn up dead! Who is after them? They're all strangers, after all... who can you trust?

I listened to the book in one sitting I was so intrigued! It was a quick read, a fast-paced thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. You think you know what could unfold .... then she throws in a plot twist you'll never see coming!

Thank you #Netgalley & Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC of #AQuietRetreat in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Audiobook available January 17th 2023 but you can get the print or e-version now!

Loved the dual story. I didn’t figure out some of the twists till the end and I was shocked! I always love listening to Kiersten Modglins books and I really liked this narrator.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Ahhhh I love KMod’s books and this one definitely didn’t disappoint! All kinds of crazy twists! Loved it.

3.5 I love Kiersten Modglin fun , fast paced ,over the top thrillers and this one was no exception. This story follows Blakey as she is invited to a remote writers retreat with 5 other authors when strange things begin happening. There are two different time lines going on in this book as well Blakey future day and Blakey in the past years leading up to the writers retreat as they try to discover the mystery of Black Hills Manor

Kiersten Modglin is fast becoming one of my favorite thriller authors. Her books are fast paced fun times that I can never put down. Now I will say these books might not be for everyone they are fun and over the top to the point of almost being campy. This book follows suit I read it in one sitting and did not once think of putting it down. The plot in this one was not my favorite as there were not quite as many twists and turns as some of her previous works but I still had a great time with this one. I did listen to the audiobook and the narrator was good she kept me entertained and she was easy to understand. The only problem I had with the narration was that at times it was hard to tell if you were on current day or in the past. I would like to thank net galley and the publishers for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This mystery from KMod is a different sort of book than the other titles I have read like The Arrangement series, for example. In a good way! Five writers in an old house with a murderous past and unsettling goings on ramp up the tension. We know these popular authors also have secrets of their own. When the past crashes into the present, will they all have a future? I am even more in the fan club for this author than ever. If you want more substance from Kiersten Modglin, then try this one.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.