I. LOVED. This. Book.

Sue Watson takes us on a journey to a remote location with a family, including the fractured part with an ex wife. Add some snow, throw in murder, suspicions, cheating, dementia and you have a party.

Told from multiple POVs, the dual narration from Alison Campbell and Tamsin Kennard was perfect. It was easy to track which character was speaking, and, as an American, I am always enraptured by English accents and these narrators were made for me.

Watson kept me guessing throughout the entire book and right up to the big reveal, I was clueless. In fact, I was writing this review in my head based on what I thought was happening, and I had to toss that completely by the end. You're welcome. Initially I planned a rage filled post about ...... well, never mind. I was wrong.

Highly, highly recommend The Lodge and thank Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for allowing me to listen in advance of the 10/24/23 release date.

This is my third Sue Watson book read, and I've come to expect to be highly entertained by this author. The Lodge, a locked room mystery, was no exception!

The Wilson family is gathering for the matriarch's 75th birthday party. She has rented a beautiful lodge in a very remote location along the English coast. The catch? Both her son's wives are invited, the ex-wife who is the mother of his college age children, and his new wife, with whom he had an affair and a baby. What could go wrong?

We variate between two points of view: Fiona, the ex-wife and Danni, the new wife. Scott, the husband, seems a bit adrift in the life choices he has made. It is interesting how I invested in each character's point of view, then I would read the other character's version of events and doubt the one I had just read. Watson is very good at creating characters that come alive on the pages very quickly with their distinct personalities.

There is plenty of drama, just due to the family dynamics under one roof. Then the police appear to say that there was a hit and run on the road leading to the Lodge, and they are all under suspicion. Then the snow starts, and there is no way in or out. As other reviewers have stated, the real action doesn't start until midway through the book, but I was very interested and involved in the story, even before the big drama started.

This author's books are easy reads for me. The mysteries are not dark or gory, but there is plenty of suspense. The characters are relatable and interesting. And best of all, these are books you tear through and can't put down! I listened to an audio version and the narrator struck just the right tone with the two characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Sue Watson, and Bookouture Audio for allowing me to listen to the audio version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, the wicked web of lies and secrets that families tend to weave…

The Lodge is an exceptional thriller that keeps you on your toes and constantly questioning everything. A mixed family that agrees to stay for a weekend at The Lodge at the request of the matriarch who seems to this this may be her last birthday. Her son, his new wife and child, and his ex-wife and children, all together as one big family. Add in a dash of the cook with a chip on her shoulder, and you’re bound to have a weekend that is anything but peaceful.

A body is located nearby that seems to have been the victim of a hit and run. The police seem to think that someone at the Lodge is responsibly. And then one of their own disappears.

Sue Watson keeps the reader engrossed and guessing throughout, and the ending will leave you with a sense of family justice, but societal injustice.

How far are you willing to go to protect your family?

Kudos to the narrators that did an exceptional job.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this advanced audio copy. This is my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub date: 24 October 2023

This book was completely enthralling — it holds your attention and is full of many twists and turns and red herrings and I still didn’t quite see the ending coming. This story takes place in an isolated cabin and though the police seem to be very bad at their jobs — the domestic tension is well done and keeps you guessing who was telling the truth and who was lying and what are their motives.
The two narrators were very good and great at expressing the characters' feelings. This was my first book by this author and I will be reading more.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookoture audiobooks for this ARC. This is my honest review

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced audiobook of this thriller.

4 stars

Following 4 MCs over the course of one or two days we are enthralled in a web of lies, secrets and jealousy in this thriller set in a lodge during a snow storm. Sign me up, as soon as I read the synopsis for this one I knew it would be a great audio. I didn't really route for any of the characters, but I did love the lies and the dynamic between a mother in law, ex wife and her two kids, her ex husband, his new wife and their new baby. It was crazy, so many lies and reveals it had me hooked. I will admit that it was a slow burn until about after 50% but after that it was impossible to stop listening to it.

Would recommend and a debut author for me. I have since looked into this authors backlist and will be reading several.

Soon after the blended Wilson family arrive at a beautiful Lodge on the Cornish coastline, they are met by a knock on the door from the police. There’s been a hit and run on the road approaching the lodge and the victim is in critical condition. Angela’s son Scott and the rest of the family are gathered to celebrate her 75th Birthday, but things are incredibly awkward from the outset as Scott’s first wife, Fiona and his current wife Danny are both at the event - the tension is palpable.

A gripping and addictive psychological thriller, with convincing characters and many twists and turns right to the very end. I changed my thoughts on where this was going on numerous occasions as each person revealed a darker side. You can feel the undercurrent of the characters ulterior motives throughout; It’s clear no one is being truly honest and a lot of suspicious comments are made, who could have been involved in the car accident? Who is telling the truth about what?

The plot was great, and the character development was interesting with some truly loathsome and irritating characters in the mix. I enjoyed the unreliable narrators, as you see the timeline from various characters point of view and how different comments and actions are perceived.

Overall this is an excellent thriller and well worth the listen, especially if you enjoy a twisty tale. I really enjoy Tamsin Kennard as a narrator, so was thrilled to see she had a role in this and both the narrators did a great job.

This was a quick listen. I thought it was good at keeping you guessing about the real killer. But seemed a little implausible.. like lazy police work. None of the characters were particularly likeable but overall it was a quick listen.

‘The Lodge’ by Sue Watson is a fun murder mystery packed with dysfunctional family dynamics and delightfully dislikeable characters!

Premise - a blended family goes on winter trip together to a lovely luxury lodge in Cornwall. One of them won’t make it back home.

First of all - ex-wife and mistress-turned-new-wife go on vacation together? Messy! I couldn’t wait to get the tea.

The characters are all quite unlikeable and no one has any conventional morals, but they’re well developed and fun to read.

I did not see the final twist coming and it made the only likes or characters unlikeable, too. Well done, Watson! I highly recommend ‘The Lodge’ for a nice character-driven murder mystery.

Thanks, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Lodge is a twisty domestic thriller, set in a holiday lodge where the extended family are celebrating the grandmother's birthday.

Besides the grandmother, the people staying at the lodge are her son, his ex-wife and their two young adult children, his current wife and their one year old baby, and a chef who previously worked as a lab technician.

Quite an uncomfortable mix to throw together and even more so when the police arrive to question everyone in relation to a hit and run, and the weather turns meaning they have to stay cooped up inside the lodge and all have to extend their stay.

The background gets more and more murky as we learn that the husband, a headteacher, was conducting an affair with his new wife, a member of teaching staff, on school premises, before being exposed when they were photographed in flagrante. Somehow they managed to keep their jobs, claiming the evidence was faked, despite subsequently getting married.

In addition, it transpires the lab technician-cum-chef had been fired from the school, has mysteriously ended up being invited along on the holiday but doesn't seem to have any inclination to cook.

Tensions mount, and not just between the two wives, as more secrets continue to emerge which cast a new light on everyone and their motives.

This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s a perfect thriller with an unpredictable ending. It’s about a family holiday for one last birthday celebration for Angela. It’s rather unconventional and includes a chef that may not be a chef and a ex daughter in law. This book has all the elements of a great thriller infidelity, murder, lies and manipulation.

Sue Watson has done it again! She has blown me away with her latest thriller, THE LODGE. I was hooked from the start. Fiona is invited to a getaway to celebrate her ex-mother-in-law, Angela's birthday. She claims it may be her last, so Fiona goes with Angela and her ex, Scott, and his children, Georgia and Sam. Scott's new wife, Danni, is there with their baby, Olivia. Fiona is still quite upset since Scott cheated on her with Danni. They receive a knock on the door from the police that there was a hit and run accident nearby and they will be questioning everyone in the area. After this, things become quite interesting and we get more details about Scott's affair. There are some arguments and Danni ends up going for a walk and never returns. The police return and they believe Danni's disappearance may be related to the hit and run accident. I can't say I really liked any of these characters but I liked how the story slowly built up to an interesting conclusion. I have always been a fan of Sue's books and the fact that she can still surprise me makes her one of my auto-buy authors!

Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for my gifted ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Fiona reluctantly agrees to a birthday weekend for her former mother-in-law. Her children will be there but so will her ex, his new wife, and their baby. Things take a turn when they are snowed in, and then one of them go missing.

Overall, I liked the plot here! I thought there were some good twists and turns, and I really wanted to know what happened next. However, the characters could be so annoying at times! Like with Fiona, you just want to yell at her to get over Scott. It gets better later on, although she does seemingly revert at one point. She does end up with more character growth thankfully.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Lodge started out strong and was full of soap opera family drama! Murder, snow, lying, cheating, and more!

The story moved fast and had me captivated until about the last 20%. I felt the twists got very convoluted and just tried to shock us with quantity over quality. In the end, I didn't like any character and could care less what happened to them or what they did. The ex-husband and his new wife were horribly selfish and destructive.

Thank you Netgalley and the author for a copy of the audobook in exchange for an honest review.

Right at the beginning I was hoping our death would be Scott. Just scott. Because the women are terrible and terrible to one another but he is the issue there.
He cheats on his wife and gets caught on camera and it goes viral. Oh and it happened at a school!
Then later they get married and have a baby.
Meanwhile the first wife is having to move and live in poverty because he took the house and income. What a jerk.
So the family all comes to support his mom for her birthday. We have the two wives, the kids, the mom, and some woman Scott fired because wife two asked him to, and now she works in a cafe. Scott's mom invited her so she could cook for everyone.
Now they are all snowed in at this lodge and Dani (wife two) is missing. It is your standard closed room mystery but with so much drama between the women.
I don't get fighting over a man like that. It was beautiful.
The narration was great. I loved all the weird drama.

WOW! Sue Watson, take a bow! 👏🏻

This is one of the best domestic thrillers I have read!

Celebrating Angela’s 75th birthday on a rustic weekend lodge is her Son Scott, Fiona and Dani - his ex wife and new wife - the three children between them and a chef. Add a hit & run, a lot of snow and some shocking secrets and you have a gripping and very clever plot with more twists than Chubby Checker!

Every character, every detail is completely relevant - there’s no pointless filler and the red herrings are plentiful.

I kept speeding the audiobook up as I couldn’t wait to get to the end and find out the truth! The narrators were fantastic and I really appreciated two different narrators for the main storytellers of Fiona and Dani. .

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Sue Watson and Bookouture for an ARC in return for an honest review.

With lies more bountiful than truths, and connections more like knots than family ties, this is one bonkers weekend that made for an entertaining voyeuristic listen, over the course of this absolutely bonkers break away.

I especially liked the narrative switching between the two wives which demonstrates beautifully how experience and insecurity can impact the way the same situation is viewed differently by each participant.

Read it on your own weekend break, which will hopefully make it much more enjoyable than this Lodge stay.

The Lodge
By: Sue Watson
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Imagine getting an invite to your ex mother-in-laws getaway and having your ex husband and his new wife and child here. You go under the impression she is sick, but she always supported you.

Everyone is at The Lodge and the snow is everywhere and now that everyone has gotten together someone comes up missing!!!

The Lodge is on a cliff and there was an argument! Nothing is what is seems in this novel. I always look forward to Watson novels and as usual it nail bitting.

Due out October 24, 2023 with Bookouture.
#thelodge, #suewatson, #bookouture, #bookreview, #booksconnectus, #bookstagram, #stamperlady50