In similar fashion to Lianne Moriarty's Nine Perfect Strangers, our characters, Katie Manning, former child star, her three besties, and her future sister-in-law, gather for a life-changing weekend with a promise that Ayahuasca tea will change their lives forever.

None of the characters are particularly likable. If that's a deal-breaker for you, then this story may not be for you. This book is not here to please you with characters who you may empathize with. They're really a bunch of nasty wenches, to be honest.

The book is split into three different parts (one per each day at the retreat), and the chapters are shared under the different POV of the four women (Katie, Ellie, April, and Carmen). They all seem a bit shallow, a bit cartoonish, cliched. Some of them will remain that way through the book, but Katie doesn't. As the chapters go by, her story unfolds and her character takes shape. Things begin to take a dark side. It's hard to process the seriousness of the story due to Sherri Smith's witty and humorous writing. Like Moriarty, she is good at throwing humor even in the darkest places.

There is a whodunit theme in the book that may distract you from the real issues each of the characters is going through. I felt that was the biggest red herring in the book. One spends so much time focusing on confirming who the killer is, that all the deep dark stuff suddenly sneaks on you.

I am super late in providing my honest review. I kindly received a copy of this failed to post it on time. However...if you are just now coming across to this book and unlikable characters don't bother you...I say, give it a shot.

Warning! There are plenty of disturbing themes in the book. Rape, child, and drug abuse to mention a few. Proceed with caution.

While I really liked the premise of this book, I really, really hated the characters. I have read books that I love while still hating the characters (Gone Girl is one example that I can think of) but if that's the case, the book has to really capture me and not let go. I didn't connect with this book in the way that I needed to, to get over the fact that I hated everyone I was reading about. Maybe hating the women was the point - maybe liking them wasn't the goal - but because I couldn't find myself even remotely caring about any of them, it was really hard for me to enjoy the time I spent ready.

Many thanks to Netgalley for my early read.

The premise of this story is really good. It was hard for me to really connect with characters so that was the only real draw back for me.

This book was a classic thriller: four girls go into the woods, one comes out. What’s happened? I loved that premise and was excited to get reading.

The four girls are former child star Katie, her brother’s fiancé, Ellie, and Katie’s two friends, Ariel and Carmen. All four are struggling, either with financial matters, mental health or really, just screwing up all the time. The book alternates between each of the girls’ points-of-view as they attend a bohemian “wellness retreat” in upstate New York, isolated from the outside world and forced to face their demons.

Again, the premise was incredibly intriguing. A wacky guru, four screwed up 20-somethings, hallucination-inducing tea, and was we learn from the very first chapter, murder! I’m in! And the book doesn’t disappoint. Things get real, real fast and it’s so obvious that this weekend is going to end in disaster, one way or another.

It was a little frustrating because it felt like sometimes the girls just kept making terrible decisions. I wanted to shake each of them sometimes, they were just completely setting themselves up for failure. But I think that also fit in with their characters. They all had backstories where they had a history of being locked into these terrible paths. It wouldn’t have been legitimate if everything worked out well for them.

I really liked the ending as well. I had figured out who the “bad guy” was, but not the extent of the crime, which left some nice surprises in there. And like with any book, there’s some nice little twists which add some nice twists in there. This was one book that you have to read until the very end!

Overall, i really enjoyed this book. It was like taking a mini-vacation into a weird, twisted world. Perfect for fans of horror movies or a good thriller.

Truthfully, I didn't know what to expect going into this book and I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about it. I really couldn't connect to any of the characters and good, well written, well rounded and developed characters are a huge must in a novel. If I don't feel connected to at least one character, it's hard for me to stay attached to a story. Well the plot wasn't all that thrilling and for a thriller, that is a must. Although, I guess I can see why some people do enjoy this novel. It's quick and it's fun.

Let me begin by saying that The Retreat isn’t a bad book. But sadly, it failed to live up to its massive potential. I still enjoyed reading it, though.

There are a few reasons I didn’t rate it higher. First, beginning the book with part of the climax took away all the tension when it was time to go back and see it all play out. You know from the first page that one of the characters has murdered a few people. So, once the first murder is shown, you know exactly how things are going to unravel (including the not at all surprising reveals).

Second, I figured out who was behind everything way too early. And that character’s motivation - although a strong statement about mental health and the destructive nature of obsession - didn’t really work for me.

Finally, there needs to be a big trigger warning for this book due to childhood sexual assault. The trauma one of the characters goes through while dealing with this is very realistic. But it felt squeezed into the story, which really didn’t need another plot line.

The story does move pretty quickly, and I remained interested enough to keep turning the pages. That’s a compliment to the writer’s style, especially since there was very little that I didn’t see coming.

Make this one a beach, plane, or vacation read. It’s got enough going on to be a decent thriller, but it doesn’t require intense concentration.

This review may come across as harsh.
Usually my low star reviews are infused with a bit of humor and mock outrage in order to make the process more palatable. I cannot with this read.
My experience of this book was very poor and most unpleasant. In fact, it is one of the worst experiences of reading that I have ever had.

There are four whiny, horrid, unlikable and duplicitous women. We are given very outlandish and mostly unbelievable reasons why they are this way. These four women do whiny, horrid and horrible things to each other and other women. We are given very outlandish and mostly unbelievable reasons why they do these acts. They go to a retreat. There, they do whiny, horrid, unlikable and duplicitous acts towards each other. But wait, one woman is also a psychopath and murderer.The twists are ridiculous, the psychological explanations flimsy and/or superficial and when people start to die. Oh well !

The last third of the book has some of the most gratuitous violence that I have read. Made no sense and for some readers may be triggering. Very important concerns such as substance misuse, personality disorders and dissociation are treated superficially and are there to either push the plot along or as accusations and judgements that these characters hurled at each other.

Please remember that a psychological thriller must have the following for this reader: psychological congruence , psychological depth, believable twists and turns and plausible motivations for intrapersonal desicions and interpersonal actions.

This book had none of the above. To make matters worse, this book lacked artistry, authenticity and any entertainment value.

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to post my honest opinion of this ebook that they provided to me.

When former child star Katie Manning takes on a wellness retreat with her brother´s fiancée Ellie and friends Carmen and Ariel, she expects at least a friendly weekend, a change from the lifeless life. And maybe charismatic shaman Dr. Dave and his wife truly have some tricks up their sleeves? Might the ayahuasca tea drinking help her to get some insight?
Well, yes. Truths are certainly get revealed. And some of them are the bloody ones.

Not a bad book as itself, this one. While it is unnecessarily prolonged, the ending feels rushed (mainly compared to the lengthy parts beforehand) and there are some cliches involved - yet, there is a lot of pearls of insight hidden. The authoress can be perceiving and witty (even sarcastic) observant of the darker sides of the world, including the darks of fame and the new-ruling world of wellness and even hints at the dark side of the political correctness. While the characters are not very nice, at least we see their motivations and I appreciate that.
The authoress is talented, yet a ruthless editor might be just the one to polish this raw works into something more refined (the pun intended).

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
This book grabbed my attention right away! The suspense and mystery was on-point and the characters, while not always likeable, were well-developed.

Four friends attend a wellness retreat to improve themselves and live better lives. The setting is at a holistic weekend camp, and I love how the author managed to add humor into the setting with a canvas bag "rebirthing," drum exercises and finding enlightenment by indulging in the ayahuascua tea ceremony. Unfortunately, the girls find a bit more than they bargained for at their weekend retreat!

Fans of suspense should like this tale of who done it and cat and mouse chase. The book is hard not to like. The characters, although not always likable, are well developed. You will even find yourself at the edge of your seat hoping that the "unlikeable" characters make it through the weekend alive. Although, in truth, every character has a measure of relatability and likeability.

A couple reviewers mentioned that they figured out the mystery early on, however, there will be enough doubt and suspense to keep you guessing. And, of course, a big surprise ending. I plan to think twice before accepting any invitations to go on any weekend retreats! I also plan to add her other thriller, "Follow Me Down" to my TBR pile.

“The Retreat” centers around four women with four secrets who go on a weekend getaway. The synopsis pulled me in almost immediately and I knew I had to read it. I won’t go into too many details because I don’t want to give anything away. I will say that I really enjoyed the writing style and the character development ( although I struggled to really like the characters). I kind of figured out early on what was going on/ who was responsible. Overall, it was an ok read.

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book drew me in from the first page and it held my attention way past when I should have been sleeping for work the next day.

I thought the locked room murder mystery was a great hook for a thriller and it had me guessing until the end. Katie and her friends definitely went through it in this book. Katie seemed like a terrible person but as the story progresses, I started liking her. The last chapters really had me thinking and trying to speed through to the end.

I really liked this book. Pick it up of you like a good thriller.

The Retreat is a thriller that starts off with a bang from Page 1.

The story revolves around Katie, former child star and hot mess. And her 3 friends on a girls' trip to a hippy, dippy trippy retreat with a god-complex guru and a eclectic crew of believers (or are they?). But the peaceful weeked soon turns into a nightmare.

So, what I loved. The book was written from the point of view of each of the friends. It was a little confusing, but it was great to hear each "voice".

But, this book overall was a bit lackluster. By the time I got to the ah ha moment, I had lost sympathy for ALL of the characters. The book really needed an edit. It was just way too long. Too many flashbacks, too many details and there were just too many divergent storylines. As the plot continued, I kept thinking, "How much more far fetched can this get?" And the author didn't disappoint. Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!

Unfortunately, I think there are too many books in the genre that have better pacing and a more satisifying conclusion, BUT I would read this in a crunch.

YESSSSSS! This was fantastic, seriously fantastic. It honestly pulled you in and you felt as if you had to finish the book in one sitting! Which I definitely almost did.. go ahead read it for yourself!

Child star Katie Manning goes on a wellness retreat with her brother's girlfriend Ellie. She takes along Carmen and Ariel, her two best friends.
Scarred from an attack in her teens by her manager, ending her career, she has been drifting aimlessly along in life, drinking and going through the money she earned.
Katie is hoping for enlightenment from the ayahuasca tea ceremony, the culmination of the retreat programs.
But when one of the guests goes missing, the terror begins.
This was a crazy thriller, especially the wild ending!
The writing style was entertaining and the humor added a nice touch.
But I didn't like any of the characters, which makes it tough to enjoy the story for me. And I felt it went on a bit too long.
I guessed some of the mystery at the beginning as well. And the death of an animal in the book was difficult for me.
Overall, not the best read for me, but I would still try another book by this author.
Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A great read that I could not put down! The Retreat is told from four alternating points of view each with their own very distinct voices, unique characteristics, complex backstories and motivations. I loved Sherri Smith's writing style and the super plot. There were many twists and turns in this satisfying, worthwhile novel. Highly recommended!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Forge via NetGalley at my own request. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

I had high hopes for this book but it did not live up - it was a bit slow and predictable for my taste.

The Retreat by Sherri Smith is a really good read. I will definitely look for more books by this author. Her characters in The Retreat were realistic, and the mystery kept me up at night.

Katie Manning is a tween/teen star who has aged out of the business. She has tried college, several businesses and careers but can't find her new place. Katie thought she was going to have a big comeback role but her derogatory tweet got her canned from the project. She drinks too much and lives off of her dwindling acting money.

Katie needs a reset in life. Her sister-in-law invites her to a retreat where a tea with mental/health healing powers is given the last night they are there. Katie believes she needs this tea. She will be like a butterfly out of a cocoon. Only downside is her future sister-in-law is going, they aren't too fond of each other, but she gets two college friends to tag along and it will be fun.

But it's not fun. Katie can't seem to get it together. She keeps drinking has more blackouts. When a fellow member of the retreat winds up missing, Katie can't chase away the thought that she is the one at fault. She has also learned that one of her party might be a killer. Who is it? Katie is more and more worried that what is hiding in her blackouts will scare the hell out of her. Maybe she is the killer.

Great suspense that keeps the reader guessing. I thought there were some holes in the story and some of the side stories didn't seem to add up. 4.5 stars and recommended!

I wanted to like this more than I did. The premise is great - a woman and her soon to be sister in law embark on a healing journey by going to a wellness retreat where visitors partake in the usual massages/yoga/meditation but also consume a hallucinogenic tea that is supposed to give them clarity. On page 1 we learn that someone at the retreat is a psychotic murderer, so then as the story unfolds it is a question of when the murders will happen and who will be the guilty party. The POV switches between the two main women characters and the two friends that one of the women brings along. Each of these 4 as well as several others at the retreat - including the owners - are portrayed as lacking a moral center or sanity, thereby making it an interesting question of "whodunit?" However, since all of the characters are annoying/unsavory/a bit scary, it is impossible to care about any of them. Still, the climax was quite shocking in its cold violence and certainly disturbing. The ending, however, did not work at all and was disappointing. The writing style and characters didn't work for me, but the story overall is an interesting one and with dark twists and pulpy, violent themes.

Katie, Carmen, Ariel and Ellie all attend a weekend retreat at The Sanctuary. The retreat will climax with an ayahuasca tea ceremony that is supposed to help clear out all of the negative feelings and emotions that they all have built up. However, before they can even get to the tea, each woman slips into a paranoid and kind of hilarious state.

Katie wakes up covered in blood. Carmen finds herself intrigued with an older French couple. Ariel lusts after the leader of The Sanctuary. Ellie....Ellie ....plays along. Each woman retreats into her own madness over the weekend. There's murder. There's drugs. There's revenge.

Each people is rotten and each person is highly unlikable. BUT....this was a quick, quick read that was kind of fun.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.