Reviews

The Retreat by Sarah Pearse

szandi48's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

historyreader123's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kkellymsu's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

evolve_books's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5⭐️

shmadsie's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5. Well, I definitely liked this one better than the first. Elin was way less ineffectual/annoying, having gotten past her 'trauma,' she no longer just felt like a merry-go-round of the same three thoughts - yay! Though her relationship with Will should not be long for this world as he is the exact opposite of a support system. He didn't want to help her through, he wanted her to just stop and that's not a solution to anything. The killer was... fine? Honestly, the larger mystery didn't pull me in as much as the smaller one because I knew who it would be and I so badly wanted to know why and though I knew it had to be something worth killing for, I still didn't expect it to be that bad so that was super satisfying! I also really liked the setting, Reaper's Rock and the storm and LUMEN, it was all excellent mystery backdrop.

elissalynn's review against another edition

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3.0

2.5 stars

I decided to give this a try even though I did not care for the authors previous book, The Sanatorium. The plot sounded awesome-as did the one for the sanatorium-an exclusive spa retreat where guests start dying?! Count me in.

I did think it was better than the sanatorium…but not a lot. I really just do not care for the main character, Elin. Why is she with Will?? Why do we always need to know so much of her back story?? Why are things always on the periphery of her mind and she can never figure them out??

I think the main part of the book I enjoyed were the chapters focusing on Hana and her friends and written from Hana’s point of view. I also liked the resolution to that storyline!

There were a lot of loose ends to me that it felt like weren’t really tied up. Did Elin recognize Michael Zimmerman from somewhere? I felt like the history of the reaper and the old school could have used a clearer explanation as they kind of blended together for much of the book.

So all in all, better than her first book but it still fell short for me. I’d like to see something different in the authors next book other than elite fancy resort has people start dying and a natural disaster closes them off from help…

bookworm_3331's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

strawberrymivvy's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Another tense, atmospheric mystery from this author.

A purpose-built wellness retreat is opening on an island off the Cornish coast.  Influencers are there, with Jo taking her family along as her guests to try to repair a struggling sibling relationship.

Detective Elin Warner is gradually returning to work and rebuilding her confidence.  When a body is found on the island, Elin is called over to manage the investigation.

Then a guest drowns, and a storm picks up, leaving Elin and the guests and staff cut off from the mainland and any hope of rescue.

Whilst Jo and her family were all pretty annoying and unsympathetic characters, I liked Elin and her struggles and keen to read more about her.  A couple of surprises in the plot kept the pages turning, and the weather and storm actually felt like a character all of their own

kristyloves2read's review against another edition

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4.0

OMG!!!

I loved how much growth Elin goes through in this book. This book is paced very well, and the audio book's narrator did a fabulous job of keeping that pace.

I'll admit I guessed who the killer was about midway through but I didn't know why or how until the reveal I just got a funny feeling that turned out to be right. It was a great story and I think it was better than the first book and honestly can't wait for # 3 because I am sure there will be a #3.

jillibean91's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75