Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This book focuses on a group of pregnant women who go to a relaxing retreat for the weekend called The Sanctuary. They go there to release some pressure, and to get mindful tips from the lady who runs it, who is qualified in all things pregnancy and childbirth. As the weekend flows on odd things start to happen, and slowly but surely secrets are revealed about each member of the retreat, include the owners.

This was a great read and a real page turner. Some secrets I guessed, but the rest I hadn’t and really left me shocked at some of them. The characters were all great, and I especially liked Bonnie and her tell it how it is attitude, and she was the complete opposite of her sister, Nicky. The woman who ran the retreat, Selina, was instantly dislikeable and really had a double personality. The story was excellently written, and the ending was perfect.
This author never fails to write excellent books.

Charlotte is a fantastic author who knows how to write not only a captivating active story but also characters you relate to or find compelling . The sanctuary is no exception to this with the focus being on friendship,family and parenthood. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I read The Perfect Father by Charlotte last year and enjoyed it immensely so when I saw the opportunity to read her newest book, I didn’t think twice. The Sanctuary is a twist-a-minute, easy read and while it isn’t the most original plot line, the story flowed well and I quite happily read big chunks at a time.

It started off rather slowly in my opinion but after a few chapters, the fast pace set in and it didn’t really let up from there. However towards the end, there were so many secrets and plot twists thrown in the mix that it started to feel slightly unbelievable - but it is fiction after all! I think the best thing about the story are the characters, they were portrayed well and it was interesting trying to uncover who was hiding what.

This isn’t a book that will be ingrained in my mind for a long time but it’s a perfectly entertaining read.

Rating: 3.0/5

This is my first experience of Charlotte Duckworth's work, but I dare say that I will be back for more in the future. I wouldn't say that it is the best example of its type - nor is it the most original - but it is entertaining, easy to read, flows well and generally progresses at a good pace.

The premise put me very much in mind of Cally Taylor's "Her Last Holiday", which was set in a self-help wellness retreat and where one of the characters who signed up for the group had an ulterior motive for being there. In "The Sanctuary" the action takes place at a yoga retreat for pregnant women where one of the participants has an ulterior motive for signing up to it. In addition, both books have a mystery at the core of the story, but also touch on family (particularly sibling) relationships and the impact that unrevealed secrets can have on future events. Both novels also raise questions about the rôle and motivations of self-styled, self-help groups and the, often charismatic, people who run them.

If you are not a fan of multiple points of view being expressed in your reading material, then this may not be the book for you. In total, the narrative is delivered from the viewpoints of seven different characters, so you do need to keep your wits about you in order to keep track of which character is describing events at any given time. Thankfully, for the most part, Charlotte Duckworth does a decent job of giving each of the protagonists a clear and distinct voice - though there were odd occasions when I needed to flick back a few pages to check. The changes in character narration are well signpotsed throughout, so that certainly helps. However, slightly disconcertingly, six of the seven points of view are written in the first person with the remaining one viewpoint being written in the third person. I would be interested to know what the author had in mind when she opted to do this. I have had some thoughts regarding the possible reasoning behind the decision, but none that have fully persuaded me of the merits of the mechanic in this instance.

If, like one of the characters in this novel, you love the kind of plot twist that 'Comes striaght out of nowhere and bam! Hits you between the eyes' then the latter stages of this book could be right up your street. Personally, I prefer a plot twist that has alll the necessary clues provided along the way - even if they are quite well hidden. Then the author is at least giving the reader the opportunity to piece things together, rather than simply blindsiding the audience by producing a "rabbit out of the hat" style twist that could only ever be guessed at, rather than properly deduced.

I am conscious that this review may read as though as though I hated "The Sanctuary", but I will finish by reiterating what I said at the outset: Although it has some shortcomings it is, nonetheless, an enjoyable and entertaining novel. I may not class it amongst the better books in this genre, but I would still happily recommend it as a worthwhile read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

Four pregnant women arrive at an exclusive yoga retreat for a five-star weekend of prenatal pampering. The location is idyllic, remote farm with nature all around. But of course, things are never what they seem. All hide something, even the hosts. And secrets can be deadly.

The novel is twisty, full of tensions and striving for perfection. Be the best mother, wife, partner, woman. To achieve and live by highest standards. But we’re fallible, because we’re human. It’s an impossible challenge, and the only option we have is to fail. And so we do. We fail, we beat ourselves up, we promise to try harder and then we fail again.

Compelling read full of drama, but in many areas incomplete.

Oh I was really disappointed with this book. A perfect location, 4 pregnant women expecting a relaxing weekend at the beautiful countryside sanctuary. No-one is quite who they seem or they have a hidden agenda, this includes the guests and the staff so I was all set for a nail biting, edge of you seat thriller. Unfortunately it was incredibly slow and not very dramatic. Most of the characters were quite unlikable which immediately turns me off a bit, did I really care about the who, what where and why?? I will say that the pace picked up right at the end but it wasn’t enough for me I’m afraid. I was also left wondering what Georgia decided to do about her dilemma as that was never revealed?
Sadly, not for me. 2.5 rounded up to a 3.
#NetGalley #TheSanctuary

I was looking forward to reading The Sanctuary but for some reason whilst I enjoyed it, I didn’t love it as I found it to be quite slow paced in places. I’m glad I stuck with the book though as I liked how Nicky and Bonnie’s relationship developed and although it wasn’t the gripping thriller I expected I enjoyed how it ended. Thank you to NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author for the advance review copy.

Each Chapter starts with a commentary from an anonymous person, who is it what has happened? My thoughts on who this person was changed multiple times while reading.
Then each chapter is from the perspective of one of the women starting with Nicky, Bonnie, Georgia, Poppy and then Selina the host. I found each persons story interesting and they all had me thinking about who had an ulterior motive for being there on the retreat.
The side characters of Selina’s husband Will and son Kai added some interesting subplots to the story that then became something more as we got more into the book.
I did not see the ending coming and it may have been a little rushed and a complete blindside but I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it will be reading more from this author.
I found this to be a solid 4⭐ book

Published 16th December 2021
Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Books for the opportunity to read an advance copy and provide my own and honest opinions.

A fairly entertaining read, although maybe not quite as exciting as I'd hoped!

There's a LOT going on: A lot of secrets, a lot of ulterior motives and a lot of lies. This does keep you reading because ultimately you do want to know what happened in the end but I found it lacked the thrilling element.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review 📖

Charlotte Duckworth's books are always a quick read for me, They have me hooked from the start and I can't stop reading - The Sanctuary was no different. I was immediately intrigued by the story and where it was going to go. Yes it was a bit out there and I had to suspend belief, especially at the end but it was fun.

A yoga retreat for pregnant women in the middle of nowhere - sounds perfect right? Well, that is what these 4 women thought too. It was exactly what they needed, a break from their lives and family to concentrate on themselves and their babies. But of course, things are never what they seem. These women are all different ages and have their own unique stories. But all are hiding secrets, including Selina, who runs the retreat with her partner. And secrets always have a way coming to the surface.

Thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.

I found the first half gray but I think it became too crazy and unbelievable sorry. I just could not finish

Although this was an entertaining read it needed a bit more oomph for me to make it a thriller as it was to light for me to make it into this genre.

I liked how the chapters were told from the perspectives of each of the characters but I felt there was something missing from the ending I think not hearing the outcome of all the main characters was missing.

An original and unconventional thriller set on a luxury prenatal yoga retreat in the Devonshire countryside. Half of the intimate cast of characters are pregnant.

I especially liked Nicky and Bonnie's relationship, half sisters with a sizeable age gap, Nicky is expecting her third child, while Bonnie is expecting her first. I also warmed to Georgia the enthusiastic lifestyle journalist.

The cast of characters is good, we get to know them all really well, and the scene is set vividly, I know the area and could picture it very clearly.

Not everything goes to plan, is somebody sabotaging the retreat? Which of the guests and hosts are harbouring secrets?

I found it to be an entertaining, fairly light read, but unfortunately it didn't really grab me as a thriller.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus

Out in ebook on December 16 – the paperback will be published in March 2022 – this creepy read centres on four pregnant women attending a luxury yoga retreat. Yes it’s in the middle of nowhere, yes, someone needed two Ubers to get there, but it’ll be worth it. A weekend to relax, unwind and focus on themselves, not the needs of their families, partners or the realities of bringing up a baby. And when they arrive, it’s not exactly Paradise but the owner means well and wants her visitors to feel welcomed and cared for Selina, an experienced midwife, is on hand to answer any question or provide guidance and support about pregnancy and motherhood. She has seen it all. But then again, she’s used to secrets – and as we find out, there’s plenty at the retreat who have something they’re not willing to share with anyone else. As events happen to scare the bejaysus out of the visitors and homeowner alike, suddenly everyone is on edge… and rightly so, because there’s one person who is willing to do whatever it takes to exact revenge.

This yoga retreat is exactly the sort no woman, let alone a pregnant one, should set their foot in! A great sinister book with the sort of twists that truly leave your head spinning!

I found this book very enjoyable. Four women on a prenatal yoga retreat all with something to hide. Nicky, Bonnie Georgia and Poppy all lead very different lives with the story being told by their different perspectives. Quite a few twists and turns to keep it interesting and me turning the pages, I enjoy Charlotte Duckworth's books and this was another that did not disappoint me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Woweee… @charduck I need all of your books pronto!! This was SO good!?
I don’t think I’ve been this invested in a thriller for the longest time, the suspense? The one lot twists? The writing style? I honestly did not expect the ending to be as brilliant as it was!!! I cannot reccomend this enough and cannot wait to read more of her work :)
Thank you so much to Netgalley for this one!

I have loved all Charlotte Duckworths stories to date so had very high hopes for this new release. I wasn't disappointed!! Far from it. To me this is the perfect domestic noir. 5 pregnant ladies, away at a retreat. Something completely realistic and relatable and that makes it all the more sinister and makes it all the more beilvable. The characters all have such different powrsonalites and perspectives, they all have different circumstances and they're just all fleshed out into realistic individuals which makes the story so much more compelling. You will find your head spinning from all the twists and turns and you will not see the ending coming. The only warning id say before you start this, make sure you've nothing else planned for the next 4 hrs because you won't want to put this down once you start. Another amazing story from this very talented author

Four pregnant women go to a retreat run by Selena. We have Nicky, her sister Bonnie, a journalist Georgie, and Poppy who seems to hold a grudge against Selina. The perfect retreat Selena has planned is sabotaged by someone as unexplainable events occur...Is Poppy behind it all or is there someone else involved?
This was a fun escapist read. I enjoyed the setting, the luxury tents and fresh food. Selena endorses a natural lifestyle and there’s lots of lovely descriptions about nature and herbal tea. I think Duckworth does a great job of tapping into the mindset of pregnant women and their differing experiences. The suspense element of the story is done well too. I genuinely had no idea what was going on, however maybe as a reviewer said there was one twist too many. I certainly think there far too many coincidences, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I was compelled through and through, and didn’t want to stop reading. Things are tied up, that ending is surprising and definitely catches you off guard. Absolutely splendid! An absorbing, thrilling read 👌

Charlotte Duckworth is an author whom I’ve recently discovered. I read The Perfect Father, which I loved. Since then I’ve been on a hunt and have read her backlog of books. They are exceptional. I’m happy to report that the good streak continues with The Sanctuary. Duckworth surely is creating an impressive list of titles.
The plot of The Sanctuary is self-explanatory. A retreat for pregnant women. One weekend. Secrets. Lies. And murder.
I raced through this one. It did take awhile to get into it, as there’s five female characters, and we’re following each characters’ POV. It was a bit confusing at first. But once you get into the story and delve into the characters it was easy to see them individually and connect with them. Each character is fully fleshed out and has her own unique experience of pregnancy and motherhood. There’s lots of suspense too, as unusual things start to occur. There’s secrets and lies, characters forming alliances. A whole lot of tension and anxiety. I was hooked!