“The Clinic” by Cate Quinn was an enjoyable read. Diving into the world of addiction, alcohol and painkillers, suicide, and abuse. Each issue was briefly touched on as Meg goes undercover to the rehab clinic, where her Hollywood famous sister died of an overdose, to find out why they think it was suicide. Meg herself is an oxy addict from an old injury so she figures she’ll fit in. Maybe even get helped.

The story is told by Meg and Cara, the clinic's administrator. Meg's life could be in danger as she encounters suspect after suspect in what she feels is the reason her sister is dead.

The book moves fairly well, I appreciate the short chapters and the two POVs, and you won't guess the ending I am confident, I rated it three it can even be 3.5 mainly because it was not plausible but it was a good read.

I do recommend this book as a good who-done-it and I will read more written by Cate Quinn. I appreciate her story shared.

Thank you NetGalley, Cate Quinn, and Sourcebook Landmark for this ARC this is my honest review.

The Clinic is a gripping thriller until the end. I couldn't put it down, I wanted to know the end. I love how it's told from two different points of view, Cara - the well mannered Clinic administrator, and Meg - the sister of the pop star who died at the Clinic. This novel has a lot of details, and I connected with the characters, especially Meg. Her addiction and struggles really make you want her to win, and to figure out if her sister was murdered or if it was in fact suicide, as the Clinic staff try to make it seem. I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves a good thriller and "who-done-it:. Thank you netgalley and Cate Quinn! Looking forward to reading more from her in the future!

A wild ride that goes over the top but keeps you turning the pages. Did Haley die at the Clinic where she'd gone for rehab? Her sister Meghan doesn't believe it so she gets her boss at the casino where she works spotting scammers (and helping to catch loan sharks) to get her sent there. She has an oxy and alcohol problem so it's plausible (unlikely she could have gotten a place so fast but go for it). Haley and Cara, the manager of the Clinic tell this story of, well, no spoilers. Something's not right here- not just with the mystery of Haley's death (especially when she seems to be communicating to Meghan- or is she) but also with the other patients. There's a kindly doctor and a mysterious Director and a group of interesting patients. Then there are the police who are investigating Haley's death (gotta admit these two were favorite characters). What happened to Haley? Will Meghan manage to get out of this nightmare? No answers from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Topical issues and a mystery all in one.

Oh, boy.... tons to say about this ones. First, let me say that I love the premise and the way Quinn touched on mental health issues, addiction, and trauma is moving and appreciated (especially since many authors breeze past this issue or poorly reflect mental health and addiction issues).
With that being said, I had several issues with several unrealistic portions of this book. Starting with art therapy (no spoilers, I promise). The descriptions of the paintings by the clinic patients are vivid, detailed, and unbelievable. I understand using art to express yourself, but none of the patients are professional painters but their paintings are described as beautifully detailed works of art. I'm sorry, but no one is just that randomly talented no matter how much they've struggled in their life. There's also a lot of unrealistic parts of the clinic and rehab process. The way the check-in process is described makes Dr. Lutz, and honestly Max too, seem careless at best and guilty of malpractice at worst.
I was also more then 40% into this story before I really became interested in the plot or the characters. And speaking of being motivated to read, once I got past the 50% point I couldn't stop, however, once I finished this book, and I was so disappointed. Unrealistic, unlikely, and frankly completely impossible scenario after scenario. The ending was good, albeit totally non-plausible.
I don't want to completely bash this story because I do really appreciate when an author attempts to speak to mental health issues and the massive mental health crisis we have in the United States, however this book really didn't work for me. I wanted to love it, I really did. But I just didn't. I didn't completely hate it, but when I finished I sat back and realized how bummed I was.
I did really connect with and care about Meg and I was rooting for her throughout the novel. I think she is a good representation of battling addiction, childhood trauma, and mental illness and I appreciated that portrayal more than words can say.

Please note:
This review is posted on GoodReads as of now

Like that this grabbed my attention from the beginning! I enjoy the twists and turns. I would definitely be interested in reading more from this author.

My first Cate Quinn book, and it won’t be my last! “The Clinic,” simply put, is addictive. It grabbed my attention from page one and I did not want to put it down.

The story is told from two persepctives. Meg, who is a hot mess with a cool job going after bad guys in casinos, and Cara, the manager of a rehab clinic. When Meg’s sister allegedly dies by suicide at the clinic, Meg feels like there is more to that story. She decides to go to the clinic herself, and find out what happened to her sister.

I was very invested in Meg’s story, but Cara is overall more likeable. I just preferred the chapters about Meg.

The ending of the book is a little far fetched, but it’s fiction and it’s supposed to be! Overall, it’s a very fun ride. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

DNF at 15% I just couldn’t get into this one. The writing was strong but the story line was just kind of fine. Not a great read and just sort of a fine mystery

I absolutely loved this book. It was really well written and it was also surprising. Thank you for the arc. I really appreciate it.

3.8 out of 5

The Clinic is a suspenseful thriller exploring the dark side of addiction, rehab, and family secrets.
The story follows Meg, a casino worker (and painkiller addict,) who, following the mysterious death of her sister, Hayley, decides to infiltrate a remote rehab facility. Meg quickly discovers that the clinic is not what it seems, and that her life may be in danger.

Recommended for readers who enjoy short chapters, multiple POV’s, and well-rounded characters. Admittedly, there were slow sections and some plot points which were a bit over the top, however, the author brought it together with a thrilling plot twist and clean ending.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark, the author, and NetGalley for this ARC.

The Clinic is a mystery thriller about Meg, a woman who grew up in Hollywood with her abusive mother and her older sister Haley, and now works as an undercover agent at a casino. Meg’s sister Haley is known to be an addict, so Meg is not surprised when Haley checks into a luxe rehab center on the West Coast. However, when Haley overdoses on heroin, a drug she has always stayed away from, Meg suspects murder. Meg has her own substance abuse problems, so she checks herself into the same rehab center to investigate Haley’s death. She has no intention of getting clean, but her friends at the casino insist that she needs the help that she can get in rehab. Meg, though, isn’t sure she can do both – and is afraid of what memories might return if she does get clean.

There was some really strong character development in this novel, and I strongly feel like the characters alone could carry it. Meg is complex – she is clearly an addict, despite her insistance that she doesn’t need help, and I was ready to follow along with her story if only to see whether she would finally get off oxy and start recovering from years of emotional avoidance. She makes some profound mistakes, especially in the beginning, but I never found her unlikeable – she is strong and determined to find out what happened to Haley, and it’s clear that she’s been through some profound trauma that she’s doing her best to suppress. It’s important, too, to note that she never does any direct harm to anyone – she might be self destructive, but she doesn’t directly lash out at her loved ones. The rehab manager, Cara, was also an incredible character, and definitely cast as the hero of the story, even if she was fairly passive through most of it. Cara has a suspicion that something is wrong in the rehab, and is willing to risk her position to uncover the truth about Haley’s death, and the other activities she is noticing. I really liked how hard Cara works to do the right thing – and I actually loved the conflict between Cara and Meg. It perfectly demonstrated both of their strengths and weaknesses, and showed that they could both be ultimately good while working against each other.

There was so much attention put into the details of the clinic – the various treatment rooms, what they looked like and how they worked. It sounded beautiful and certainly expensive, but it also set up tension for later plot points: the way the pool snaked through different rooms, making it easy to get lost in it; the room with low oxygen for working out; the room that drops below freezing. The reader knows from the beginning that this is a murder mystery, and can anticipate the problems that might come with some of the treatments, whether from malfunctions or someone altering the settings. I loved the way this built a man vs. nature conflict, even if it was all manmade.

In all, I’ll give The Clinic an 8 out of 10. This book doesn’t reinvent the genre, but it doesn’t need to – it’s a compelling mystery with a great cast that kept me invested from start to finish. I think anyone looking for a good mystery will get something out of this one.

This was one of those rare thrillers where I had no ideas or indications of who did it or why. There was never a point where I thought “Oh I know where this is going!” And honestly I kind of loved being clueless! It kept me very interested in turning pages. This was a VERY atmospheric read, perfectly eerie and ominous. I enjoyed the look at childhood trauma and addiction. I thought both subjects were done really well. I liked getting both Meg and Cara’s POVs, one as a patient and one as an employee of the rehab facility. As much as I didn’t see it coming though, the big twist didn’t feel that big to me and what started out as excitement for what was going to happen turned into “…really?” The ending felt a little ridiculous to me and overly complicated. To me, it hinged on everyone being a complete idiot for it to be pulled off correctly. I’m still glad I read it because it had a lot of good commentary about addiction and the ways addicts are handled by the medical community.
CW: drug abuse, alcoholism, murder, suicide attempt,

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

4,5 Stars

This was a real page turner. With the captivating setting in the PNW and a mystery that twisted at every turn, I simply couldn't put it down and finished it in a day. The storyline was riveting and it was an excellent read!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks publishing for the digital ARC copy of The Clinic!

I was hooked with this book for the first 75% - in fact, I stayed up until midnight trying to finish. The characters were compelling, the story was interesting and I loved the setting of a mysterious rehab with questionable practices. But then the ending started and we went off the rails. Too much was thrown in and so many of the twists made absolutely no sense. I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief and ultimately felt like Quinn wasn’t sure what to do so she did everything. I only rated it three because of the ending, but I have seen many glowing reviews and I’ll definitely read more from Quinn.

Freaky, creepy and with hints of Chris Boyajian's "Princess of Las Vegas" meets Nellie Bly, The Clinic was a creative and eerie story about what happens when you try and face your demons. Made me fear for my mental sanity!

Came for the thriller, stayed for…

…the unique and sympathetic perspective on addiction, addiction treatment, addiction-related insurance coverage and drug development.

And that cover! 🤩

The thriller aspects of this book were great - atmospheric setting, unreliable characters, multiple POV and a compelling plot. But what I really loved was the way it got me thinking about how addiction is treated and “cured” in our country.

I love a book that makes me think and feel in unexpected ways!

The ending was a bit unbelievable, but certainly not to the point where it put me off the rest of the story.

Thank you @netgalley and @bookmarked for this great #arc out January 23!

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.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for my advanced digital copy of this book. This book will be published January 23, 2024.

For me, the best part of this book was the author's note. I appreciate her candor in sharing her own struggle with addiction and possibly the reason for the location of this book. In my opinion, this book could've been much shorter. It seemed too long and too drawn out for the ending. By the time the ending was revealed, I had lost interest. I think it had a lot of potential given the setting and the backgrounds in trauma and addiction, but I wanted to be more invested in Meg's purpose and the other patients struggles. The character's felt under developed and the therapies felt unrealistic.

This is a great psychological thriller set at a super posh yet creepy rehab center. Meg is an oxy-addicted undercover poker player in Las Vegas, when she hears that her superstar sister has died in the rehab center she had checked into. She smells a rat, so she gets herself admitted and meets a slew of unreliable patients, all who are famous in their own rights. It's up to her to figure out what really happened the night of Hayley's death, all while undergoing "treatment," which is never what it seems, and dealing with her own drug addiction and issues. A solid book with well written and compelling characters.

What thrilling, bingeable read! The Clinic had everything I was looking for in a book - a short but engaging chapters, unlikeable but compelling characters, and an atmospheric setting of a remote, austere rehab in the Pacific Northwest. I found myself devouring The Clinic in record speed.

Ultimately, I gave this book 3 stars, having to knock down a star because of the ending. The plot was strong until the last 75 or so pages when it all fell apart. I am able to suspend some sense of reality, particularly when reading thrillers, however, The Clinic took too wild of turns and became unrealistic with certain aspects. Additionally, the character of Meg was almost too unlikeable even if she was a product of her environment. I couldn't move past how much she annoyed me at times.

Since this was my first Cate Quinn novel I look forward to more from her!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book so much!!!!!!! This is definitely a thriller you don't want to miss. The twists and turns OMG!!!!!!!!!

This book was quite the ride. I love an unreliable narrator and Meg is definitely unreliable. As she is coming off pills and alcohol, you can’t help but think that she’s hallucinating. This continues through her entire ✨interesting✨ rehab stay. I’m pretty sure I thought every single patient was the murderer at different points 😂 But, I love a good comeback story and you can’t help but root for Meg throughout the whole book. This book definitely kept me reading until the very end, even if the ending wasn’t my ✨fave✨