Thanks, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark, for the digital review copy. Available 23 Jan 24.

Meg catches poker cheaters in a casino while ignoring her addictions to alcohol and opioids. When her famous sister dies in a remote rehab facility, Meg checks herself in to investigate what happened from the inside.

I feel bad for not liking this. Especially after reading the author’s note and learning it was inspired by her stay in rehab to address alcohol addiction. But, despite a great premise, fast-moving plot, and complex and interesting characters, I didn’t like it (though not enough to DNF. I had to find out how it ended. So there’s that.). I’m definitely in the minority here, as the book has about 1K ratings with an average of 3.76 stars.

THE CLINIC would make a good movie. It gave me “Spiderhead” vibes: handsome therapist, enormous and expensive facility for only a few patients, and a remote and isolated location (Complete with an electric fence. I kept picturing Jurassic Park.).

But while a movie can keep me entertained enough to distract me from irregularities, this thriller could not. This may be why I enjoy thrillers more as ear-reads vs. eye-reads, now that I think of it. Alas, I read this as an e-book.

I should state for the record that my suspense of disbelief button is HUGE. I can lock it down and enjoy the ride. But. But. You won’t believe everything Meg smuggled in with her. Then there’s the facility itself. This rehab clinic (with only five patients and a staff of ~seven) has its own morgue. A morgue? I mean, sauna and spa rooms, Chumash Indian sweat lodge, hypoxic gym, and cryotherapy room, sure. But for some reason, the morgue threw me for a loop. But that’s not the most unusual part. Apparently, there is an MRI machine on site, too. And not just any run-of-the-mill regular one, either. Nope. These MRI scans are in color. Bright oranges, reds, and greens.

🤨

And then the twists started.

The Clinic is a thriller set in a rehab facility in the PNW. Meg, an undercover casino worker checks into the Clinic to try and figure out who murdered her sister Haley who was a patient there. This book had a very interesting concept that set it apart from other thrillers I’ve read lately and touched on topics such as addiction and mental health which could make the story more relatable to some readers. Overall I was super into this book. It was fast paced, kept me hooked and had good development of characters throughout the story. There were enough twists to keep me guessing how some parts of the story would tie up and I was satisfied with the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley, Cate Quinn and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜
𝐁𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐧
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟏.𝟐𝟑.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝑂𝑢𝑡 𝑁𝑜𝑤!


𝐴𝑡𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑝ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑑𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 - those are the two things that fueled this thriller.

Set mainly in a secluded but posh rehab facility for the wealthy and famous, the atmosphere is eerie and constantly uncertain.

Meg is an undercover agent who works to catch cheaters in casinos. When she hears that her sister, Haley, a famous star, has died in a rehab facility, Meg goes undercover to get to the truth. The clinic is writing Haley’s death off as a suicide. But Meg doesn’t buy it.

The story becomes twisted and hazy as not only are all the residents addicts and can’t be trusted, but Meg herself is grappling with an opiate addiction from an old shoulder injury. Sometimes, in her drug-induced fog, she’s not sure whether what she’s seeing is real or not, maybe she’s not remembering right - and it’s all about to get even stranger.

It’s hard to find your footing here; even the staff seem somewhat sketchy, so who can you trust? It goes on a bit with the description of detox, and you may wonder what this has to do with the mystery at hand. But, if you stay the course, the ending gets pretty wild and intense. Short chapters, great atmosphere, psychological issues, and addiction make this a compelling read.

I always appreciate it when an author adds their own experiences, so please make sure to read the acknowledgments at the end.


Thank you @bookmarked for the digital ARC.

This was not great. The plot points, characters, and big reveals at the end weren’t the issue, it was the overall writing and poor dialogue. It was just not a very strong book, and I felt so disconnected from it the entire time. There were very strange choices with some of the relationships between the characters that felt extremely unnecessary and didn’t add anything to the story. Overall everything just felt very disjointed.

Okay okay. I gave this book 3 stars. It's really more like 3.5. But I'll start with the bad.

My main problem with this book is that it's kind of repetitive. Once Meg is in The Clinic, it's the same thing every day - popping oxy, snooping around, trying to find her sister's phone, distrusting people, rinse, wash, repeat. I was really into the story, but when they same thing happened every day for every days, I found myself not wanting to pick up this book. I wanted to know the end, but I was tired of the same things over and over.

That said, the story itself was so good. I enjoyed the whole slew of characters and Meg's response to all of them. I found myself not really distrusting any of the patients, but I also felt like they had secrets to hide nonetheless. The Clinic itself what like its own character, and I definitely did NOT trust that place. But I loved the psychology behind all the actions, and the end really played into that. I kept thinking I had things pegged, and then I'd be wrong. Which I LOVED, because sometimes thrillers all fall into the same category and it's a bummer when you can easily guess the ending.

I'm not sure that this book is for everything, there are definitely triggers for addicts and those who have survived trauma. But I really did enjoy the story as a whole, and I'm going to miss Meg and her ragtag team of patients.

The Clinic
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Cate Quinn

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Sourcebooks and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Meg works for a casino in LA, catching cheaters and popping a few too many pain pills to cope, following a far different path than her sister Haley, a famous actress. But suddenly reports surface of Haley dying at the remote rehab facility where she had been forced to go to get her addictions under control.

There are whispers of suicide, but Meg can't believe it. She decides that the best way to find out what happened to her sister is to check in herself – to investigate what really happened from the inside.

Battling her own addictions and figuring out the truth will be much more difficult than she imagined, far away from friends, family – and anyone who could help her.

My Thoughts: This novel really packs all of the elements of a thriller, it was creepy, eerie atmosphere, amazing details that pull you into the story, tension, secrets, betrayal, a very unique premise, mystery, the pacing is set very well, and an ending that I am still reeling about. The cover drew me in. Meg has had her battles with addiction, a vastly different path than her sister. She finds out her sister may have been through the addiction clinics and she knows her sister would not have committed suicide. She does the only thing that she can think of, checks herself in so she can investigate. Will her own addiction interfere with her investigation? Will she find her sister overdosed, committed suicide, or was murdered? Will Meg face the same fate when she digs to much?

The story follows Meg and Cara with the setting being the clinic. Meg is our MC. Cara is the administrative manager at the clinic and is very rule-following and trusts almost no one. Max is the psychologist at the clinic, he is rigid, while being aloof, but does appear to be really committed to the patients at the clinic. Meg has a history of childhood trauma and looks to others on social cues, and will use humor to divert others. The owner of the clinic, Mr. Lutz, has an unorthodox approach to treating addiction and does not believe in law enforcement. The authors really brings you through a journey of addiction and mental health with an investigative piece. However, the ending, while captivating, is a bit far stretched. The patient appearances were low, so it was a manageable amount of characters to keep track of. The characters were well built with depth, mystery, were intriguing, and captivating. The author’s writing style was complex, suspenseful, twisty, and absolutely engaging. The plot was delivered in twisty layers and the world-building was phenomenal. Following Meg, you could feel what she does and there were a few scenes that made me really feel the concern for Meg, the author did such a great job with details, it truly felt like a movie in your head.

The first half was a bit of a slow burn, and at times seemed overly wordy, but the second half is tense, page turning, and captivating. This story follows addiction, mental health, lies, betrayal, power, money, a touch of paranoia, and manipulation. This is the first one I have read by Quinn but will not be my last. I highly recommend this book!

This book wasn’t for me, and I’m not sure who I’d recommend it to.
It felt like there was so much going on, but the pace was so slow.

3.5 ⭐️! Thank you to sourcebooks for this ARC!

I overall liked this but didn’t love it! One thing I didn’t know until I started reading some reviews is this is the authors first book she wrote sober. As this is a thriller with addictions, that makes it even better in my eyes!

I loved the setting of this thriller, at an addiction clinic on a cliffside in a refurbished mansion. The cover is stunning! My main complaint with this book is that it’s way too long. I think it could have been cut down 100 pages. It does have short chapters though which I liked, but the book was very slow moving that the almost 400 pages felt like 400 pages. I found myself confused sometimes with things, but once I got to a little over halfway, I was more hooked on the story! I flew through the last 200 pages in one sitting.

The ending I didn’t predict! I did find it a little bit far fetched though, but it’s okay I don’t mind that in thrillers. I do think that the clinic isn’t accurate to actual addiction clinics since there’s no way someone would be able to sneak drugs on themselves without being searched on arrival. But again it’s just a book!

Even though I didn’t find this perfect, I did still enjoy it! I thought the idea was super clever and I am glad I read it.

Meg has done everything she can think of to leave her childhood behind. She still talk to her sister some, but their relationship is strained. Now she works in casino security, outing bad guys as a master poker player through her intelligence, her ability to change up her looks, and her sheer bravado. She can get herself out of most jams, but she does pay a heavy price. An addiction to opioids, usually getting washed down with Jack Daniels means that she can’t let anyone get too close.

But Meg did let someone get too close. A coworker, an ex-NYPD cop, named Harry. Their romantic relationship didn’t last, but he still keeps her close. He tells her she needs help. And Meg refuses. Until she saw on the news that pop singer Haley Banks killed herself in rehab. Suddenly, Meg is interested in nothing more than going to rehab. Because Haley was her older sister. And Meg knows in her bones that there was no way Haley would kill herself.

Haley had been murdered in rehab. And Meg is going in to find out who did it.

The clinic is an elite rehab facility in a remote area of the Pacific Northwest, created with celebrity patients in mind. The remote location keeps paparazzi and fans away, and the opulent facility, complete with gym, spa, pools, cryotherapy, and salt therapy along with a top level chef on top of all the usual talk therapy, art therapy, and group therapy. There are also mysterious treatments by the man who created the clinic, Dr. Lutz.

All of the practical matters at the clinic are managed by former hotel executive Cara. Cara spends long days taking care of the patient schedules, the housekeeping, the menus, the deliveries. She keeps everything running smoothly, and even helps type up therapy notes from Dr. Max. But the more time she spends digging into the background of the facility and those in charge of it, the more doubts she as about the work they’re doing.

Meg, meanwhile, has checked herself in as a patient and gets to know the other patients—an aging male actor, the front man of a popular rock band, a former model and party girl, the singer in a Latina pop band, and a young English actress who is trying to keep custody of her daughter. Meg snuck some oxycodone in with her, so she’s not hit with withdrawal symptoms right away, giving her a clearer head to try to find her sister’s killer. But through phone calls to Harry, and challenges from Dr. Max and the other patients, Meg is finding herself wanting to unlock the trauma that lead her to her addiction. She finally gives up her pills and faces her addiction head on.

And her body is racked with pain. As Meg battles with the pain in her shoulder that got her hooked on opioids in the first place, as well as the physical symptoms of withdrawal, she struggles to put together the pieces of her past. But slowly, she makes progress on her memories and on her mystery. But solving the question of her sister’s killer puts her in the sights of a dangerous person. Will Meg finally get her addiction under control, just to find herself in mortal danger?

The Clinic is a captivating, atmospheric thriller with lots of juicy secrets and breathtaking twists. Author Cate Quinn has crafted a stunning novel with layers of danger and a stunning ending. The elegance of this clinic hides so much darkness, and the fog of the Pacific Northwest adds a cloud of confusion to this locked-room mystery.

I loved The Clinic and just wanted everything to stop until I could read it to the end. Like Meg, I got distracted and failed to see what was right in front of me, so I couldn’t guess at the ending, but I didn’t even care that Quinn outthought me. I was thrilled with her masterful storytelling and loved every page of this book. It’s got some genuine darkness to it, like the cover implies, but it’s an amazing story if you’re willing to face your deepest secrets.

Egalleys for The Clinic were provided by Sourcebooks Landmark through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I went into this pretty blindly..

It’s a psychological thriller set in a rehab/clinic. The main character is pretty likable and it was overall a good story.

I think it started off pretty slow but once it became a faster pace, I couldn’t stop reading it.

Meg is an addict working under cover in a casino catching cheaters. Her sister, Haley, is a famous Hollywood starlet who has drug issues of her own. After checking into rehab, Haley is found dead of a drug overdose. When her death is ruled as a suicide Meg knows someone is covering up Haley’s murder. She decides to check herself in and do her own investigation. But can she overcome her own addictions and discover the secrets hiding in this secluded and secretive rehab for the rich?

I was hooked on this book in the first like 30 pages. That never happens to me. The insights into addiction mixed with the often shady world of the rich had me speeding through this book. Some of the characters came off as a little stereotypical but the creepy undertones of the story kept me coming back. I didn’t discover until the end that the author struggled with their own addiction issues and based some of the story on their time in rehab. The only reason it didn’t get 5 stars is that I saw most of the twist coming but there were a few surprises still. An amazing book that I would for sure recommend.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Clinic.

I love novels that take place in remote locations and the premise seemed like something right up my alley.

When Meg's pop star sister mysteriously dies in a swanky rehab facility, she takes it upon herself to check in as a patient to investigate the death.

But, she ends up discovering far more than she intended, including revelations about her past.

Sadly, I didn't enjoy this as much as I had hoped for the following reasons:

1. Meg is a decent protagonist though I didn't like her much. I love novels with sibling relationships and though she and her sister are estranged, there is no background or context to their relationship so I found it hard to care about Meg and her sister.

2. The idea of an exclusive rehab facility/resort exists but the setup is ridiculous, as well as the minimal staff and the stereotypical hippie cooler than everyone doctor in charge.

3. I've never been to rehab and I don't know many people who have but there are some details that made it hard to suspend disbelief. And don't get me started on that ending.

4. I didn't mind the varying POVs but I found it hard to keep track of who was who only because everyone sounded the same.

5. The big revelation about Meg's childhood and her mom and the big secret her sister was trying to hide all these years was so lame. I was waiting for something shocking, like there was a serial killer in the family. Something fun like that.

The writing was fine, but the narrative dragged with unlikable and unmemorable characters and contained little to no suspense.

This thrilling novel introduces Meg, a casino employee in LA, who finds herself grappling with the sudden death of her famous sister, Haley, under mysterious circumstances in a remote rehab facility.

The narrative kicks off with Meg's determination to uncover the truth behind Haley's death, dismissing the whispers of suicide. Meg's decision to immerse herself in the same rehab facility, battling her own demons and seeking answers, sets the stage for a suspenseful journey that kept me on edge.

Cate Quinn's "The Clinic" is a page-turner, diving into the dark corners of addiction, family, and mystery. The short chapters kept me hooked, and the rehab facility's isolated setting in the PNW added suspense.

The alternating perspectives between Meg, the main character, and Cara, an employee at the facility added depth to the story. The addiction angle felt authentic, especially knowing the author's personal journey with addiction and rehab. Plus, the plot twists kept me guessing—every character seemed suspect, and the surprise ending hit me out of left field.

Conversely, the book's 115 chapters felt like a marathon. More character development wouldn't hurt, and some plot points were too far-fetched. By the end, things felt rushed, leaving me a tad unsatisfied. Overall, I would rate this book three stars, but I should also note it is still a decent enough thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3-4⭐️
I loved the cover and I was nervous about reading this book because my friends were all over the place with it. They either loved it or hated it. I guess I had a love/hate relationship with it. It had drama and it was messy and the mystery was there. Does anybody like an addict? Because this book had it in spades. Lots and lots of unlikable characters. The writing felt like five stars a few times in the beginning but then it hovered and held a 3 star holding pattern for the entire middle. But lo and behold I was shocked with two well done twists at the end! So I don’t know what to rate this. And I love a happy-ish ending and I sort of got that.
And as a side note I want to say that I was shocked when reading that the author shared that this was her first sober written book and that she’d been to rehab. Wow! Congrats on your recovery and may you write many more books. So that’s my review I hope it was helpful. (Laughs)
Thanks SourceBooks Landmark via NetGalley.

I have no choice but to give this book 5 stars. The biggest reason for that is that this is the single best mental health related thriller/mystery I have ever read. And after reading that the author has been through rehab herself, that makes a lot of sense. But it is obvious that beyond that a lot of good research went into this book, particularly regarding sociopathy, psychopathy, and anti-social personality disorder. A lot of books where the plot features mental health issues fall into the same stereotypes and for the most part this one sidestepped all of them and avoided demonizing mental illness.

Beyond that, I am really pleased with how well the author tied up all the loose ends in this book. Throughout reading it, I was a little worried how all the different plot threads were going to fit together. I was really afraid she was going to try to lead them all to one ending where everything was tied up in a bow but nothing really made sense. Instead, everything came to a conclusion that didn't all fit into one neat little box together, but they all created a very coherent story. A couple of the twists were a little out there, but completely within my ability to suspend disbelief.

If I had to come up with a criticism, I would say that the book probably would have been okay with a couple less characters. Especially in the beginning, learning who everyone was and keeping them straight was a bit difficult.

This is now the second book I have read by this author and I can't wait to enjoy more by her in the future.

The Clinic is a whirlwind of a thriller with heavy themes of trauma, addiction, and recovery. 

It's a longer thriller (well over 400 pages) but I flew through it. I'm sure some parts of the narrative were unrealistic or far-fetched, but I found it all quite spooky and incredibly entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

A fast-paced suspense read about a luxury rehab facility with a sinister secret. When Meg finds out her sister has been found dead in rehab, she finds a way in, knowing that she didn’t overdose - it was murder. The plot did feel a little silly and overdone at times but overall it was a fun and quick read.

I loved this book! This book will stay with me forever! I’ve never read a book like this before and it’s amazing!

The Clinic is a locked-room suspense with a unique setting -- I would have never thought that a celebrity rehab would provide the perfect location, but it really was, and I loved the way that Cate Quinn used a dual narrator style between Cara and Meg to provide contrasting views. It also ended in a way that was completely unexpected, but that really worked. The short chapters kept me flipping far too late into the night, because they're perfect for...just one more.

Thank you NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Cate Quinn for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely LOVED this one! I loved the multiple POV's, and short chapters, and I loved the White Lotus vibes of the rehab clinic! This one was a great mystery and kept me hooked the entire way through! I couldn't "turn" the pages fast enough.

4 star read for me!