
Member Reviews

This book was a slow start for me but then about 15% in I was hooked. The setting was creepy and the cast of characters all untrustworthy. The ending was shocking to me. I didn’t see it coming.

The Clinic is a special rehab center in the PNW. Only celebrities can afford to attend this specialty center with forward thinking rehab treatments. But when Haley, a famous singer, is found dead of an overdose, her sister Meg is convinced there was foul play. Haley may be self centered and an addict, but she wouldn't commit suicide...Meg heads to The Clinic under cover of an addict, which she is, but determined to investigate her sisters death. What she finds is unnerving...
I loved this book! Cate Quinn knocked it out of the park with this book! And a special congrats to her for writing this book while sober!!

Unfortunately this book didn't work for me. It probably was just me since I usually love this kind of books, but hoping on a reread that it might be better.

Absolutely loved this book! The writing was captivating, the characters were so well-developed, and the plot kept me hooked from start to finish. Highly recommend it to anyone looking for a gripping read!

The Clinic was the first book I have read by Cate Quinn and the description of the book is what interested me in the first place. The Clinic is a psychological thriller that is told from two separate perspectives, Meg and Cara, and touches on a numbers of different subjects from trauma to addiction. It’s a fast paced story that is sure to catch the attention of thriller and suspense fans alike. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an ARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book. I had high hopes for this book based on the description. It's not your typical murder mystery, but it had a unique premise. We have this fancy, high-end rehab clinic where celebrities often end up. It's in the middle of nowhere and one celebrity (a famous country singer/actress named Hayley Banks) goes, but doesn't leave. Yes, it appears that Hayley has mysteriously died at the clinic and though they say it appears to be suicide, her sister Meg, an addict/alcoholic herself, leaves her job at the Casino to go into rehab to find answers. She tells no one that she is Hayley Banks' sister and vows to find out what happened. Rehab is harder than she thought and though she's not ready to really do the work at first, Meg finds herself doing the therapy sessions and eventually going through detox. Then there are the mysterious treatments that are being practiced at the Clinic. Dangerous treatments with a toxic substance that can be fatal if not used in the right dosage, but a substance that holds a lot of promise for addicts. Meg finds herself immersed in the clinic's methods and starts to get to know the other addicts. She is trying to find out what really happened to Hayley, since she's convinced someone in the clinic killed her. The story takes place inside the walls of the remote clinic and there is a lot of tension building and mystery surrounding the other guests in the clinic. We get to know the staff (the clinic manager Cara, with a tarnished past of her own, Max the resident psychotherapist who truly cares about helping the patients at almost any cost, and the clinic founder/owner; Dr. Lutz who has a dark past and an even darker motive). The story drags a bit and I found some of it to be implausible. But the author keeps you guessing as to what is truly going down inside the walls of this clinic, and the truth being Dr. Lutz, the treatments and Hayley Banks. Meg eventually discovers that not everything or everyone is as it/they seem. There were times when the book really captivated me and other times where I just found it lagging. But it's worth the read to see where things end. Even if some of it is a bit far-fetched. 3.8 stars for me.

This was an interesting thriller. I struggled a little with the multiple POV’s and the past and present stories but the story was very interesting and I’m a sucker for any book set in the PNW

This is one of those wonderful times when you CAN judge a book by its creepy cover! Meg and Cara share perspectives in this sinister and twisty rehab-centered thriller, which starts off with a real bang

The Clinic started off strong. I really liked Meg and the setting intrigued me. I think it ended up falling flat for me due to the twist. I was kind of expecting it, but I think if it played out in a different way I may have enjoyed this more. The writing was engaging enough but nothing special.
The Clinic is now available.

3.75 stars.
The Clinic took me a little bit to get into but I’m glad I stuck to it. Once things got moving, it took off. You definitely could feel that tension and odd feeling of the Clinic. You could tell it was full of secrets that were itching to get out. It took some turns I that I didn’t think of and made me like it so much more. The creepy vibes were so good!
Thank you to Source Books and Netgalley for my gifted copy,

The Clinic is certainly intriguing, with a premise and storyline that is completely unique. It's told through the lens of two different characters, one of whom works at the mysterious rehab clinic, and one who fakes her way in as a patient to try to solve the mystery of her sister's death. Having those different points of view immediately works in the story's favor, allowing the reader to see the rehab clinic from two sides.
This novel is well-written and a quick read, with extremely well-rounded characters. Unfortunately, the story lags a bit in the middle, as some specific details of the clinic's inner workings become a bit too involved. Otherwise, it's a fascinating and entertaining read with some truly shocking twists.

This suspense thriller mostly takes place at a remote luxury rehab centre on the Oregon coast. Haley, an famous singer, is a patient there and we see her as the novel begins going into an area that she's not supposed to be in.
The novel then jumps to her sister Meg. Meg works at a casino in Las Vegas, where she is part of the investigative team looking for people trying to cheat the system and for other types of crimes. Meg was caught a few years back by some of the bad guys and suffered an injury that she got opioids for and now she is a functioning addict. She's already used other substances to deal with childhood trauma that she hasn't dealt with, and has recurring nightmares that include a man in a fedora and playing cards.
She'd been close to Haley until Haley left home suddenly, leaving Meg with their mentally unstable mother.
When Meg gets the news that Haley has died at the rehab centre, and hears rumours of suicide, she is at first very upset, then decides to enter the centre herself as a guest to try to find out what really happened to Haley. She is sure that Haley would never commit suicide.
There is a second point of view here as well, that of the manager of the rehab centre, Cara, who hasn't been there long. Cara has a background in the hotel industry, where she worked until she got caught up in a scandal. As Cara gradually learns what is going on, partly from the doctor there, Max, and partly from her own investigations, we learn about things from a different angle.
The other guests at the centre are as famous as Haley was, actors and singers, all there for various addictions. The head of the centre is a man from Switzerland with his own sketchy past, and as the local police also show an interest after the death of Haley, we find some other centre staff may have troublesome connections as well.
This is a story of both psychological suspense and some physical suspense as well. It has lots of twists and turns and unexpected events that keep you guessing on things right to the end. None of the characters are particularly likeable, even though you might think are.
The author has her own experiences in rehab, and says that this is her first novel that she's written sober.

The Clinic by Cate Quinn is yet another thriller that I seriously questioned DNF-ing, and now wish I would have.
I really wanted to read this one because of its gorgeous cover; how could I not want to pick up this book with its spooky fog and menacing cliff-side clinic? Side note: I love atmospheric thrillers! I expected the setting to really act as its own character but there were none of the chilling vibes I wanted, and instead the remoteness of the clinic was only mentioned a handful of times.
I realized at the 25% mark that I just didn't care about the mystery or the characters to be intrigued enough to continue and this is where I should have DNF'd! Mix this with characters that were all too interchangeable and exhibiting questionable behaviours, juvenile writing, odd plot holes, redundancy and an exorbitant length - and I really struggled to finish this book. Honestly, this felt like the longest book in existence and it would. not. end. However, the closer it got to that coveted ending, the more ludicrous the plot became (I may have even rolled my eyes a time or two).
The tagline on the Kindle edition states "Six troubled celebrities. One dead singer. No way out." and I wish the locked room, atmospheric thriller that this hints at played out for me within the book.
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the complimentary copy to read and review.

Not the best or worst book I've ever read. It really didn't have any substance you could sink yourself into. Repetitive parts, and the writing could have been shorter with the same impact. It did give a good look at the inner workings of a rehab facility and addicts in them. I'm sure much of this was due to the author's own addiction and rehab experience. Not a lot of action, suspense or any aspects of a story you can't put down. It starts off with a great opening prologue, but then seems to take a left turn. Overall story just went beyond believable. Characters were ok, although none really likable. This won't be a book that stays in my memory for long.

Absolutely captivating! Unreliable narrator kept me on my toes and guessing, Very enjoyable. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book started out strong, but overall fizzled out at the end. I loved the clinic setting and I enjoyed the overall writing style and alternating POV chapters, but the plot itself was lacking. Some editing to shorten the book would help.

The Clinic is about a girl named Meg who goes undercover at an addiction recovery center (called The Clinic, hence the title) to solve the murder of her estranged sister. The only problem with this is that Meg is also an addict, and solving a murder while going through withdrawal is going to be tough.
If this was not an ARC, I would have DNF’d this thing after 10%.
I don’t want to completely rip this book apart (who has the time?) so let me focus on what I felt were the most major shortfalls for this title.
The Writing
I started having concerns about the writing around the Chapter 3. By Chapter 10, I was tired. This book takes the idea of “show, don’t tell” and drop-kicks it into the sun. As our two main characters, Meg and Cara, gather evidence, we are given a summary of that evidence and what conclusions we should draw from it. This has the effect of making the audience feel like the author assumes that they are very, very stupid. Assuming this is not your first thriller ever, you’ll be able to draw conclusions on your own with the information you’re given.
Additionally, the dialogue in this book ranges from stiff to completely unrealistic. Nearly every sentence has one character addressing another by name (ex: -What do you think, Meg? -I don’t know, Henry.). Conversations between characters feel like they were ripped from an extremely bad TV drama and stuffed in for the sake of writing them. When I saw the line “released the breath I didn’t know I was holding”, my eyes briefly rolled back to check out my brain stem.
The Characters
All this choppy, stiff, confusing dialogue means that the audience never really gets to connect with the characters. Meg and Cara are unlikable and one-dimensional – Meg is an asshole, Cara is an idiot. There is some movement towards Meg getting character growth, but it never feels real or accurate. I’m not going to put a spoiler in here, but the diagnosis that Meg receives did not ring true to me in the slightest by the end of the book.
The side characters also feel one-dimensional and lame, so there is no emotional connection to drive the story forward. When characters are in danger, it’s genuinely hard to care. Strangely, we only ever get to meet three of the staff of the Clinic – every other employee remains nameless and faceless, and every treatment that Meg undertakes is either administered by Max, a doctor you meet early in the story, or the owner, Dr. Lutz. The overall effect is that the world feels very bare – “Yeah, there were other people, don’t worry about them”.
Unbelievability
The Clinic is advertised as “the best therapy money can buy”, hosing celebrities and providing state-of-the-art, expensive treatments for the patients in attendance. Despite us never getting the names of other medical staff, we are assured that others are there. So how in the hell did Meg sneak in several packets of Oxy and an entire cell phone? I was waiting the entire book for someone to come out and say, “We knew you had it the entire time, we were playing with you.” OR/b> for the whole thing to have been a hallucination.. Alas, neither of these predictions were true and the end of the book genuinely made me want to throw the thing across the room (Except, remember, this is an ARC that I’m reading on my desktop).
Another prime example of this is the scene where Cara, Max, and the nursing staff (who definitely exist, guys) are running around looking for a patient that might be in danger. This is a dire situation, but you would never, ever know it because one of the characters stops to have a whole sidebar conversation in the middle of his run!
Really, the thing this book was in desperate need of was an editor. This feels like the unpolished first draft that you send off to be made pretty by a second set of eyes. I would not recommend this to anybody, but especially not to thriller fans who have learned to expect better.

I'd give this 3.5 stars...if only I could!! It's definitely heavy on the mystery and intrigue with a plethora of suspects to boot. The who and why are really quite diabolical if I bit tough to swallow. I don't mind suspending belief in my reading, especially with thrillers, as long as it doesn't go too far off the rails. I am amazed how quickly I raced through this one, since it says its 448 pages and I read it in less than 24 hours. So that's high praise!! I think anyone who appreciates a nail-biter thriller would enjoy this.

We read this for my book club and it was great! It was definitely a different thriller and it was nice to get to know the characters. The only reason it wasn’t 5 star is because I could guess where the story was going. However I definitely recommend it

Thank you NetGalley for this advance reader copy. This one was just ok for me. The beginning was pretty engaging and suspenseful until about halfway through. I did love the multiple POV's and short chapters which got me through to the end. The twist at the end was pretty good but also predictable. While not one of my favorite page-turning, thriller, this was still a good read.