The Lodge kept me guessing the entire time about who was responsible for the murders! A family, including the ex-wife, are snowed in together at a lodge. A killer is at large and everyone is on edge. Then, one of their own party goes missing. Who is responsible for the murder?

I recently listened to "The Lodge" by Sue Watson as an audiobook, and I have mixed feelings about it. The setting of a secluded lodge during a storm created a perfect atmosphere for a thriller, and the story had its fair share of intriguing twists, affairs, and secrets, which added to the dark and mysterious vibe.

However, I found some parts of the story to be quite random and out of place, leading to moments of confusion. As the narrative progressed, it felt all over the place and became repetitive, making it a struggle to maintain my interest. Unfortunately, by the end, I found the conclusion to be rather predictable, which was a bit disappointing.

While "The Lodge" had its moments of suspense and intrigue, it ultimately didn't hold my attention consistently throughout the audiobook.

This is a hard one for me to rate. It started out interesting, but by 40% I was so bored, there was not a single likable character. Then by 50% I was thinking whoa, what the heck!?!? Bring it on. So I kept going. The second half was somewhat confusing. I had to stop and rewind several times to relisten. The ending was rather unrealistic, but this is fiction, so I can deal with that. There were several mysteries or secrets within the storyline, I think that contributed to the confusion. So, to recap, the first half was a slow burn and the second half was a Firey raging inferno. I was not able to guess any of the many situations in the story. The narrators did a good job, however I guess there were two different narrators, I guess I couldn't tell them apart. If I quit reading in the middle of a chapter and picked it up, I couldn't determine whose character's POV it was until there was a clue given. I could listen to it 1.75 speed. I would likely round this up to 3.5 stars only because it kept me intrigued enough to continue listening. It was very close to being a DNF. Per another reader they told me it got better at 50% so I kept on. They were correct. I'm glad I didn't DNF it. #TheLodge #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the early release copy of The Lodge by Sue Watson.
This is a fast paced and exiting read with several different intertwining plots and twists. The book kept my attention and I listened in one day. The reader did a great job and I enjoyed the performance of the book.
I look forward to exploring other books by this author. My jaw is still dropped from the twists and turns!

Many thanks to Net Galley and Bookuture for an audio copy of The Lodge for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this one. The matriarch of the family has invited her family to the lodge. Exemption the ex wife of her son and his new wife and child. Things get hairy. Things are happening and everyone is questioning others.

Angela feels she hasn't long left in life and decides to book a lodge with a personal chef and invite all her family. The only issue is that her son has an ex-wife and two children, plus a new wife and baby. Not an ideal scenario, but they agree to set their differences aside for the weekend.. What could possibly go wrong? Well, a snowstorm, a murderous hit and run, suspicious cops, one of them going missing, one of them having ulterior motives for being at the lodge and a whole load of drama in between! Not everyone is going to survive the weekend. The surprises just keep coming at the end of this one. With dual points of view, we are aware that neither wife is seeing the weekend from a similar perspective and both are unreliable and certainly in the dark about what is going on, which makes the reveals even better for the reader/ listener. I absolutely binged the audiobook and loved all the unveils. #thelodge #suewatson #netgalley #bookouture #thriller

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars
Happy publication to Sue Watson and The Lodge! Thank you to Sue Watson, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley ( @netgalley ) for allowing me to read an ALC (Advanced Listener 🎧 Copy) for an honest review!

📅 Tuesday, October 24, 2023 was the pub date for The Lodge. The narrators🎙️for this audiobook 🎧 are Alison Campbell and Tamsin Kennard. 📅

Imagine going on vacation (to a mountain town lodge) with your ex-husband, his new wife, their new baby, your ex mother in-law, your two children, and a friend of the family. It’s your ex mother in-laws birthday weekend and she is starting to suffer memory loss. She wants everyone to be together to celebrate what she thinks could be her last birthday.

As if things aren’t weird enough, the police show up at the doorstep of your lodge asking you to shelter in place for the weekend. They explain that someone has been killed. They have been run over by a car and the killer is still on the loose.

Suspicions start to rise among the house guests, arguments ensue, anxiety takes over. One house guest leaves to take an early morning walk to clear their mind and they are later found dead by the other house guests. Trust is immediately diminished accusations begin to fly rampantly.

This thriller was fairly fast paced, had a lot of twists and turns, and kept the reader constantly guessing who murdered whom. The reader is left thinking that everyone could be a suspect at some point throughout their read.

Kudos to the author for keeping the reader engaged and surprised!

Narrated fantastic- A lot of books usually either have a super good beginning or an amazing end. It's pretty rare for me to find one that has both but this defiantly had such a great beginning and all the way through pace that kept me wanting to keep reading like crazy and it also had an unforgettable ending.

What a ride!

My first Sue Watson book, and the excerpt at the end for her book "Sister In Law" had me downloading it in an instant.

Coming at you in two POVs, Fiona and Danni - the ex wife and the new wife of Scott Wilson. The family, including ex wife Fiona and a random girl Jenna, who claims to be a chef, have been invited to a Lodge to celebrate Scott's mum Angela's 75th Birthday. Claiming this may be her last birthday, who are they to decline the invite.

Shortly after arriving there was a murder and accompanied by being stuck by snow - their short weekend trip to the lodge has been extended and non stop drama and deep secrets start to arise. Cabin fever at its finest!

Everytime I said to myself "I knew it", I was then quickly wronged and the ending was one I was NOT expecting.

☆☆☆☆

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for my early audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I love Sue Watson books but unfortunately the download to the net galley shelf didn’t work and I was unable to listen to this on audio. Such a shame as I was really looking forward to this!

A Beautiful mountain lodge, a family getaway…..but not your regular family getaway. This one includes Scott, his new wife Danni and their new baby, Fiona the ex-wife and Fiona and Scott’s 2 children….all invited by Angela, Scott’s mother. What better way to spend a weekend than with your ex mother-in-law, ex-husband and the mistress that destroyed your marriage. This was an interesting read and just when the weekend was nearing an end and everyone was getting ready to leave, they are stranded at the lodge due to a snow storm. Will they survive spending several more days cooped up together or better yet will they survive at all….Enjoy!!!

Good quick thriller but I found some parts to be incredibly hard to believe.

*Spoiler alert*
Basically everyone was far too calm to have committed the crimes that they did. Jena was the only character who acted irrationally and she was just a fake cook and was *possibly* having an affair with the husband. The portrayal of the grandmother with dementia was not realistic either. She would have had to be much farther into her illness to be as confused as she was and the family would have absolutely noticed by then.

This is a good popcorn thriller as long as you do not look closely and the levels of manipulation and emotional blackmail are superb.

The Lodge was somewhat predictable. I had one storyline figured out very early on and was disappointed when I was right. There was so much going on in the book however that the rest kept me guessing right until the end. There were no revelations that left me in shock and awe which is what I usually look for in a thriller but I still was interested in finding out the ending. Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Deep, dark secrets and non-stop drama are certainly a family affair in Sue Watson's The Lodge!!!

In this story we follow the Wilson family, who all get called to a weekend getaway at a remote lodge by the matriarch of the family, Angela. It's a complicated dynamic, but Angela is ready to celebrate her 75th-birthday and she wants her whole family there.

Thus, she rents the Lodge and invites her son, Scott, his ex-wife, Fiona, his new wife, Danni, who once played the role of the other woman, and their baby, as well as Scott and Fiona's two teenagers. Thrown in just for fun is a young woman named Jenna, who claims to be a professional chef. As Danni and Scott react to Jenna's presence though, it's clear she may not be exactly who she's selling herself as.

The story is told mainly through Fiona and Danni's perspectives, but we do get some others in different sections. I found both women's thoughts fascinating from the start and wanted to know more about their lives.
They're both feeling self-conscious going into the weekend and they're also bringing a lot of preconceived notions in with them. Both are mothers and also have a natural instinct to do whatever they can to protect their children.

When a terrible storm hits and the Wilson family is trapped at the Lodge, with no end in sight, tensions rise to an unbearable level. People begin to break and cracks are revealed amongst the many relationships. Will anyone make it out of the Lodge unscathed?!

The Lodge was highly addictive and entertaining as all heck. It was actually my first Watson novel, but certainly won't be my last. I look forward to many, many more in the future. I listened to the audiobook and found the narration to be a perfect fit for the story. It drew me in right away and I felt like I was actually getting to know these characters; hearing their stories told their own way.

I vibed with Fiona immediately, and she continue to be my fave throughout. Although not perfect, I could see where she was coming from and definitely related to some of her feelings and motivations.

This story starts off rather quickly, throwing the Reader right into the enticing set-up, with all of the family coming together at the Lodge. You can tell right away that everyone is keeping secrets, but what are they and how big of a blowout are they going to make when they're revealed?

In addition to the secrets, not a lot of great choices are made either and this definitely adds to the fun of the story. I just love characters making bad decisions. The drama level just got deeper and deeper too as the story went on and more and more secrets came to light. It was freaking fascinating. I couldn't get enough.

Towards the end, a couple details didn't quite work for me, or felt a little too convenient, but overall, I think this was really well done. A great Winter Weather Thriller!

I definitely recommend this one to anyone who enjoys a dramatic story, particularly with an extended family involved who have a lot of secrets from one another. Also, I recommend this to Readers who enjoy closed-circle mystery/thrillers that feature inclement weather.

Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was a ton of fun!

A family holiday or a chance for revenge?
A family meets for a holiday out at a remote lodge to celebrate Angela’s 75th birthday but tension between the old wife and the new wife are high but go through the roof when the new wife recognizes the hired chef for the holiday.
A snowstorm leaves them stranded and now someone is missing.

Listening to this story had me biting my nails to see what would happen next. Who would Scott choose and why did Angela want them all together?
Although I see the reason for the side plot between Fiona and Nick was needed I do think the resolution of this sub plot could have been more exciting and I found myself wanting to skip past those chapters/sections of the book but over all expertly written with some mind boggling twists! A great recommendation for Freida McFadden readers.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to The Lodge.

It’s my first trapped in a snow storm book of the season. It starts out so innocent and then packs a punch after bodies are piling up. Everyone has a secret as exes and family maybe play not so well together.

I always love Sue Watson books. They always have moments where I did not see that coming. There are multiple narrators in this one and whomever is narrating, it’s almost like we are in their head as they not only tell the story, but justify anything they may have done. And those mini cliffhangers at the end of the chapters really had it so I did not want to put this one down.

I could never figure out which, if any, of Scott’s women I could like or even trust. The ex-wife, the current wife, or the maybe new mistress all had reasons to give me pause. Then throw in his mother and his daughter and it was like there were five versions of the truth running around with me having no idea who might even be close to reliable.

This really was a good read/listen and lured me in and kept me guessing.

Alison Campbell and Tamsin Kennard narrated the audiobook and really did a great job of voicing the characters and bringing the story to life. They had me loving the moments when I switched from reading to listening. I’m not sure I had a favorite reading or listening to this one. You can’t go wrong either way.

If you’re a psychological suspense fan and haven’t read a Sue Watson, this one is a great start and perfect for the start of winter.

The Lodge was an entertainingly twisty and suspenseful read. Not the most likeable group, and I can’t figure out why the husband/ ex was worth fighting over, but this story did keep me on the edge of my seat right up until the very end.

Alison Campbell and Tamsin Kennard did a nice job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Sue Watson, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ALC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

I received a free copy of this book from Bookouture through netgalley.com. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I applaud Ms. Watson for a truly uncomfortable read. I can't imagine the tension flying through through the air at the Lodge where Fiona is staying with her two kids, her ex-husband and his new wife and baby, her ex mother-in-law and a suspicious woman who was hired to cook for them.

Everyone in the house has secrets and they are stuck, unable to leave, due to bad weather, and the police discovering a hit and run murder of a man from their home town. Secrets are revealed slowly but not before suspicions and accusations fly.

Just when I think I had things figured out I was taken in another direction. It was totally brilliant and the ending was shocking and believable. What a great edge of your seat mystery thriller.

I would have liked to listen to this and leave a review, but it got archived before I had fully downloaded it.

I read this ARC in less than a day! I thoroughly enjoyed it! I love a book that keeps you guessing and you end up surprised at the end- which is exactly what this book did. Everyone in this story seemed to have a secret so it was nice to be surprised at the end!