ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Wowza! I’ve read a handful of Kiersten Modglin’s books and this one has been my favorite so far! I really loved Carly Robins narration, and I felt she perfectly encompasses every character! The premises is about an author that gets invited to an exclusive writers retreat in South Dakota. There are five authors there total and mysteries things start happening soon after arrival. I really enjoyed all the twists and turns that completely blindsided me and I felt it was wrapped up perfectly! I would definitely recommend to anyone who loves psychological thrillers and mysteries!

I would have enjoyed this book as an ebook, but it was a massive win as an audiobook for me. The plot is interesting, and the plot/characters/chapters are easy to follow. The narrator was excellent and added to the experience for me. The tone of her voice and differing voices made me want to consume this audiobook in one sitting.

I liked the different POV from chapter to chapter. The author beautifully describes the setting, which felt relaxing and creepy. It was fun to read a book about a group of authors, especially as someone who reads thrillers and an occasional cozy mystery. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and Kiersten Modglin for an advance listening copy of A Quiet Retreat in exchange for an honest review. I LOVED THIS BOOK! It was spookier then most of her thrillers and it had me guessing until the end, The final twist was perfect and blew me away. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up when it comes out on 1.17.23! The narrator did a fantastic job guiding us through the story and making every detail seem important in the storyline. I cannot wait to see what Kiersten does next and I look forward to seeing more collaborations with Dreamscape Media in the future!

I enjoyed this book but I wish it had more to it. I liked the premise of this book a lot and I really liked the dynamic between Blakely and Tennessee. I liked the past and present timeline between Lessa and Blakely. The twist was fun this whole book was but I was wanting more. 3.5 Stars for me.

In 2022, I discovered @kierstenmodglinauthor’s books and fell in love with her fast-paced psychological thrillers. A Quiet Retreat begins with 5 authors being invited to a writers retreat at Black Hills Manor. Then the story progresses in true K. Mod fashion, with murder, twists, and turns that you do not see coming. The audiobook is well narrated and kept my attention throughout. I definitely recommend checking out this audiobook and any others by Kiersten!

Thank you @dreamscape_media and @netgalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

💭Thoughts:
This book sucked me in right from the start. I found myself staying up late into the night to listen to it. The author did a great job crafting a well paced, creepy, suspenseful thriller. I enjoyed the dual timelines, though I did find it a bit confusing at times. There are also a few events that don’t completely make sense, but not enough to take away from the enjoyment of the story.

The end is definitely a wtf?! did a just read moment. I don’t want to spoil it, but wow it’s a bit out there. Overall, I recommend for anyone looking for a short, suspenseful audiobook that can be devoured in one sitting! This was my first book by Modglin, but definitely won’t be my last.

Kiersten Modglin's A QUIET RETREAT is anything but quiet. A mysterious invitation lures five authors to the Black Hills Manor Writing Retreat, where nothing is as it appears in this unsettling strange mystery.

A remote Victorian house set high on the hill in the South Dakota mountains, it is advertised as the perfect place to unwind, find your inspiration, and connect with other writers on similar paths. The fully stocked retreat comes with everything you need to write your next bestseller, with a hot tub, stocked bar, luxury linens, and more.

A free week's stay in exchange for a social media post about the experience.

Blakley Baldwin meets horror author, Daniel Destrange (a bestselling author). There is also Aidy, Tennessee, and Lyra.

Soon after arrival, strange things start happening. Things, break, go missing, a blame game, people go missing, and tension begins.

What I found much more intriguing was the dual timeline versus the actual writer's retreat. I was so focused on the story of Lessa and Paul and the abusive relationship— I wanted to hear more about this story. Then it just fizzled out.

The entire story seemed so confusing and disjointed. I was not impressed by my first book by the author; however, I may try again with another book.

I enjoyed the audiobook narrator, Carly Robins, who did a great job with the story she was given. I see how the story comes together at the end, but the connection was not a thriller for me and fell flat. I even re-winded the audio several times and checked the e-book, and no, I did not miss anything. A very strange, weird book—bizarre, and unbelievable.

Book Rating: 3 Stars 📖
Narrator: 4 Stars 🎧
Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars

Thanks to #DreamscapeMedia and #NetGalley for a gifted ALC. I also purchased the e-book.

Blog Review Posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Jan 17, 2022

Big thanks to Dreamscape Media for the ALC to read and review! I was excited to get approved for new KMod.

3.5 rounding up for the creepy feels!

I liked this story. I had a thought of where this would go but I was wrong and one of the biggest twists I didn't see coming. I listed to parts of this while hiking/ snowshoeing down a mountain (while by myself) and it got super creepy in parts! I liked the premise of 5 thriller/ mystery writers coming together to a retreat in a (semi)secluded cabin in the woods. It gave the novel a creepy, mysterious feel that I was digging. We get a little backstory on a couple of the authors but mostly they're presented as very one-dimensional. We get a tiny bit of backstory for the narrator, Blakely, but on the flip side: her secrets lend to the mystery of the story.

I did like the narrator. The only tiny gripe I have is I felt the onomatopoeias were lacking in effort. Like... if a gun is going to go off and the author writes "bang" I'd like the narrator to really go for it. They fell flat for me. It was enough that I noticed it but not enough to stop me reading soooo maybe take my opinion with a grain of salt, lol.

3.5 stars, rounded up

This is a soapy popcorn thriller with the kind of twists Kiersten Modglin is known for. While I didn't have total buy in for the motive of the villain, I was interested enough in the story to listen to it stop to finish in one afternoon.

It's the story of five mystery authors invited to attend a writer's retreat at an isolated house. Things start off well enough, but then strange things start to occur and they begin to realize that maybe they aren't alone in the house. There's also another story that becomes clear how it is connected later in the book.

It is overall fast paced and purely escapist reading, a nice palate cleanser (if murder and mayhem can be considered a palate cleanser) between other heavier, meatier reads. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job of keeping the tension moving throughout. If you're looking for a fun read, this is one of Modglin's better offerings as of late.

A small group of writers have been invited to a retreat. They soon learn there’s a history of murder in the house, so when strange things start occurring, it starts to get creepy at the retreat. This is a dual POV and dual timeline story. Before there is a young family where the mother and son go missing and present day, Blakely tells her POV as one of the writers at the retreat.

It’s quick and twisty, but got a little weird for me at the end, and left me wanting a more from the story and characters. I like Modglin’s thriller style, but I’m always waiting for something to top the arrangement series and I’m not sure that can happen. The narrator was good in this one and reminded me a lot of the arrangement series.

Pick this up if you enjoyed The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware.

Kiersten Modglin is one of my favorites and whenever I see a new thriller by her I cannot wait to read it!
A Quiet Retreat follows Blakely as she and 4 other authors go to a writing retreat at Black Hills Manor. Weird things start happening while there and no one can trust each other.
This was a ride! I always love a locked room type story. We have two POVs in this book, one with the present timeline and one with the past. We quickly find out Black Hills Manor has a sketchy past and that’s when odd things start happening around the house.
I didn’t guess the ending so that was fun! This wasn’t my most favorite thriller but I did have a good time listening. I’d recommend this for anyone who enjoys a locked room thriller, ghost stories or books about authors. Thank you Dreamscape Media for my advanced listening copy!

Another quick listen by Kiersten. The thing with her books is if you're not sure you like it, you can continue because it's a quick listen or read. Good suspense in this book. I thought i had it figured out but whoa I was def wrong! I always like when authors go back and forth from the past to present so you can get the backstory that will keep you guessing! Highly rec!

I was given this book, by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

So, this book has a decent plot. The execution was a little generic and the main character wasn’t flat but wasn’t super developed. I enjoyed it for what it was. The problem is that this book decided to take a very cliche route with how it handled its antagonist. While I wanted the development of the antagonist, I still felt like something could’ve been done slightly better. I don’t know. This book sits at a 3.5 out of 5. It doesn’t shake the genre up, being a generic thriller but I enjoyed the concepts presented.

One thing you can count on with a Kiersten Modglin book is a fast read with a plot twist. A Quiet Retreat is my 6th book of hers in the past year, and I may be starting to catch on to her style, because I did figure out the bad guy in advance of the reveal.

This one is set in an isolated location filled with writers offered a free "writing retreat" at this new venue in exchange for a written review at the end. Sounds plausible. What I struggled with initially, however, did prevent me from enjoying the first part of the book - are writer's retreats actually structured as presented? I seriously would love to know because if I was an author in need of a quiet location in which to finish my book, I cannot imagine anything worse than house sharing with strangers, making small talk, assigning chores (do people still really eat 3 cooked meals a day???). This plot point made the first part of the journey harder for me to get caught up in because it felt off.

Thankfully I stuck with the book because it improved, I accepted the plot device, and KMod wrapped it all up nicely in a bow per usual.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for allowing me to listen in advance of the 1/17/23 release.

4⭐️ 0🌶️

This book was everything I have come to expect from Kiersten. I was hooked from the beginning and all the twists kept me on my toes and second guessing everything! I must have had a dozen different theories and I was wrong about almost all of them.

I don’t know how Kiersten manages to write such complex and action packed books in such a concise manner.

I have also have never enjoyed books so much where I genuinely dislike the characters so much. Kiersten is so good at writing characters I love to hate.

This is not my usual genre but I always know I am in for an exciting time when I read one of her books and I have yet to be disappointed.

I listened to the audiobook and I thought Carly Robins did a wonderful job. Her voice was so expressive and I was really able to lose myself in her voice.

2.5 stars

It’s not obvious until the very end, but this book is full of ridiculous plot points & criminal motivations. I was pretty annoyed by the end.

[What I liked:]

•There is a creepy atmosphere from the beginning when the MC shows up at the retreat lodge, which sets the stage for a thriller. The setting is also pretty solid.

[What I didn’t like as much:]

•The book is pretty slow until the %60 mark, & then the plot explodes. I wish the pace had had a bit more of a steady buildup of tension.

•Lyra is an unbelievable character. Her suspicions are disproportionate & unreasonable. While people do get irrational in situations of stress, ironically she’s the least paranoid of anyone & downplays really bad events, while still managing to blame the MC for everything in ways that don’t make sense. I found her annoyingly implausible.

•A murder is committed, supposedly in self defense, but nah it’s premeditated! The murderer had a few unexplored options for escaping their tragic situation *besides* murder, but do they try them or ask for help? Nooo, “I got myself into this mess, so I have to fix it” is their mindset—& to them, “fix it” = murder. So effed up 🤦‍♀️

•Oh yeah, & getting a bad review of your book is a terrible motive for violent crime 🤦‍♀️

•And why didn’t the retreat company replace the furniture in the old, abandoned, broken down house? Everything else was fancy & remodeled.

CW: domestic violence, murder

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

I love this book! It has all tho perfect twists and turns. The ending is unpredictable! This is an I’ll dedicate my entire day to reading type book. It’s perfect!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this audiobook I'm exchange for an honest review.
This is the first book I've read by Kiersten Modglin and I am very impressed. The first line of the book was powerful and really drew me in. The plot was fast paced and I ended up binging the audiobook in one session. I loved the emotion the narrator brought to the story. I think the author did a wonderful job switching between timelines and perspectives to create more mystery. The twists left me anxious and terrified for the characters in the best of ways. I think the only real issue I had with this novel was the how rushed the final plot twist felt. I can't really explain more without giving away spoilers, but I will say I definitely recommend giving a A Quiet Retreat a try if you enjoy psychological thrillers.

4 stars

This was a good one! I liked the creepy, suspenseful setting. I tend to enjoy the “a group of people are trapped in a secluded location and then things start to go wrong” trope (bonus points if it takes place in an isolated space in winter/during a storm or throughout an eerie, gothic building), and this book was no exception. The resolution was satisfactory, although I could have done without the very end of it; I’m not as big on plot lines that wrap up with the whole meta “writers finish manuscripts detailing the events of the novel and title it the same as the actual book” thing as it can feel a bit cheesy, but it’s fine. Overall, I usually enjoy novels from this writer, and this text is one of her best that I’ve read recently.

KMod is queen of short thrillers! This audiobook was under 6 hours long and packed a punch with the dual timeline & POVs!

I loved that it featured writers and how it all tied together at the end. Some pieces I didn't expect at all.

Another fabulous Modglin read!

Thanks to NetGalley, Kiersten Modglin & Dreamscape Media for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.