In Carinn Jade's debut novel, a group of friends are looking for some rest and relaxation at the Stars Harbor Astrological Retreat. Readers are introduced to siblings Margot and Adam, their significant others, and friends who are all looking for something different out of the weekend. Host, Rini, has tailored the weekend to each guest's astrological chart and promises a vacation that no one will soon forget... including herself. I could not put this book down! Fans of Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware, and Lucy Foley will thoroughly enjoy this read. I thought the concept of the book was unique and Jade went above and beyond in her astrological research. I look forward to reading future books by Jade as her storytelling is engaging and thrilling. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC!

Wow, this was a tangled web! Unfortunately there was just way too many characters to keep track to me. Three couples that all are main characters, plus a host, got really confusing. I liked the premise but spent too much time figuring out who was who. A little predictable in some ways, a few good twists in other ways. Loved the setting and concept. 3.5 stars.

The Astrology House is a vacation gone wrong mystery thriller with a large cast of characters and multiple POVs for you to see the story from. A group of wealthy people with various relationships to each other attend an astrology themed retreat to get away from their busy lives but during the retreat alliances shift and secrets are revealed that lead to someone's death.

I wasn't sure what to expect going in to this book but I thoroughly enjoyed it. First of all I loved the astrological elements, I thought that it was extremely well done and it was clearly well researched. I really enjoyed that Carinn Jade was able to add in so much astrology without making it overbearing. Second, I really enjoyed the dynamics between the different people in the friend group because everyone interacted so differently with each person. I will say I wasn't a huge fan of most of the characters and I think they were written to be flawed but some of them seemed much more than flawed and were just plain unlikeable. I also feel that the characters could have been a bit more fleshed out given how many POVs we have but, Carinn Jade did an excellent job as this was her debut novel. I also really liked the twists and turns that this book included, although I did figure out several of the smaller twists as someone who is not necessarily new to the mystery/thriller genre, I wasn't able to guess the big twist and the reveal at the end completely shocked me which I really appreciated. One issue that I had with this book was that the pacing felt a bit off because for the first 80% of the book everything is relatively calm with just some minor drama in the friend group and then all of a sudden once you get to the 80% mark everything starts to pick up. Now I won't complain too much because I was hooked for the last 20% of the novel but I feel like the pacing could have been a bit better which is something I think that Carinn Jade will get better at as she continues to write novels.

Overall I think this book would be great for someone who is looking to get into the mystery &/or thriller genres especially if you are a more character focused reader. I can't wait for this to be released and I hope to read more from Carinn Jade in the future.

Trigger Warnings - Forced Abortion, Infertility/Pregnancy Struggles

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Margot brings her couple-friends group to a weekend astrology retreat for a relaxing getaway… that ends with a dead body.
Aside from the astrology twist, this is a pretty typical thriller - four couples in a confined space are forced to confront each other’s secrets. Some of their conversations were frustratingly petty, and I had no sympathy for the characters. They were all pretty terrible. I really liked the astrology angle - without it, this would have been an average read. It was fun to watch the characters sweat trying to interpret their readings.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy, in exchange for an honest review.

“Do humans act according to fate or free will?”

3.5 rounded.. I read a lot of psychological thrillers that have the same twists and the same basic premise- this is NOT that.

I really enjoyed the character developments, the relatable hardships and of course all of the astrology. I did take me a little while to feel the hook but once I got there I couldn’t stop reading! The twist completely caught me off guard.

I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more books from Carinn Jade in the future.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gripping and dramatic. At times, unable to put down! Loved the astrology themed retreat, I think that was a very unique spin on a basic trope. There is a trigger warning for a forced abortion. So this book is dark at times. A lot darker than I was originally expecting.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for the pre-release copy. Below is my honest review.

This was a fun twisty little thriller, set in the coastal B&B known as Stars Harbor Astrological Retreat, where astrologer Rini hosts groups looking to find the star-sun-moon-and-planet connections to their lives. Of course, this group has some secrets, and they're all trying to keep them hidden.

Did I enjoy this one? Absolutely. Was it anything ground-breaking? Not particularly. The big twists were pretty easy to guess ahead of time, and overall, it was just very predictable.

It was an entertaining read, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it. Three stars.

This book hooked me in from the first chapter. I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

A riveting debut that seamlessly blends suspense, mystery, and astrology into a captivating narrative. Set against the backdrop of a luxurious astrology-themed retreat, The Astrology House delves into the intricate dynamics of a complicated friend group with some very big secrets.

Jade skillfully crafts a plot that keeps readers on the edge of their seats, with twists and turns that will leave you guessing until the very end. I loved the engaging plot, well-drawn characters, and luxurious, moody setting. Definitely worth a read!

I started off enjoying the book. The premise is good, a retreat with a good bit of astrology and looking into signs and fate. The further along I read the more bored I became. Nothing truly happened until about 80% in. The characters are almost insufferable. Margot has a weird obsession with her brother, more than just close siblings. I thought that might be the twist but, no spoilers, it wasn’t but seemed like it could definitely have been where it was headed. The twist and ending left a lot to be desired truthfully.

This was a book that leaves everything to be desired. The characters were unlikeable, the plot was basic, the twists were predictable and the ending left me with a shrug. Several points you are asking, "Why?" Not out of misunderstanding but confusion as to motivations and how things pan out. Overall it was entertaining enough, but I was mostly bored throughout.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for this arc.

The premise of this book is exciting and new taking on a popular genre and creating a new view. I thought it was a fun whodunit with a unique cast of characters. The author takes you on a fun ride and the twist is everything!

I did enjoy Carinn Jade's The Astrology House, with its many twists and interesting relationship dynamics. I thought it was quite clever to include the astrology backgrounds of each character. The setting of an astrology house retreat was quite creative and interesting to me.

It was the use of too many character points of view that drew me out of the story unfortunately. In addition, I had been expecting much more excitement in the murder department! I wish there had been some kind of crescendo to occur part way through as well, rather than just at the very end of the novel.

This is a fast read, I think my students will like it and enjoy the astrology mixed in. For an adult, it was a fairly predictable story of a group of mainly unlikeable people, some growth and resolution

I loved the astrology element that was used in this universe. It had a great feel to this book and that it had everything that I wanted from the genre. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and thought they worked in the story. Carinn Jade has a strong concept and I enjoyed how good everything was.

Rini is one of many characters who share their points of view throughout this well paced effort, but she stands at the center as a good host should. She owns what sounds like a unique property, and this is where she holds Stars Harbor Astrological Retreats. If this retreat were real and I could attend with, well, NOT any of these people, I'd sign up. For this particular retreat, Rini has a group of connected friends, family, and acquaintances attending. There are siblings, old friends, couples, and so. many. secrets. SO MANY. Oh, and there are astrological charts and explanations and tarot cards, too.

To be blunt, I was bored. There was no real plot to speak of save for a few mentions of an incident having happened 10 years prior being dangled like a carrot by multiple characters, but I didn't care enough to be intrigued by anything.
The characters were probably the most insufferable people I've ever read about. There wasn't a single one among them that I liked, it was just varying degrees of tolerance. I think they were supposed to come across as "flawed" but ended up reading more like caricatures of their careers and not real, fleshed out people. They were all horrible and I didn't care about any of them.
There were a few other things that bothered me throughout or that just didn't sit well.
Overall, I'm disappointed. I had wanted to like this book, and there were just too many variables that prevented that from happening. The only reason this book is getting 2 stars is because the writing style was very readable.

TW: abortion/miscarriage, potentially triggering discussion about difficulties conceiving.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. You should read it!

I liked this a lot! Not a 5 star for more but a solid 4. A cool idea for a plot, and a good twist at the end.

Read If you like...

1. Closed Door Mysteries
2. Rich People Misbehaving
3. Novels that Place over a Single Weekend
4. Astrology
5. Examinations of Relationships Via Multiple Points of View

Happy Reading!