This book was pretty good. Interesting insight into addiction and trauma and how they're linked. Can’t say much else without giving too much away and I think it’s best to go in without expectations and just roll with it. A couple big reveals/twists at the end quarter or so.

Summary:
Meg is a professional poker shark, working for a casino to catch cheats and criminals. Maybe she drinks too much and takes a little more oxy for an old injury than she should but she’s mostly functional, so it’s not a problem, right?
When she learns that her sister, mega-star, Haley died of an apparent overdose in a rehab facility, Meg just doesn’t believe it and decides to take her skills at reading people and admit herself into the facility to find that truth.
While battling her own demons in rehab, she realizes that her life may also be in danger.

The book has an Interesting premise with a great atmospheric setting on the foggy coast of the Pacific Northwest. The characters felt a little flat to me, which I felt, at first was intended by the author to give the feeling of people that were disassociated and/or anesthetized by their drug of choice but it carried a bit too far for me.
The setup of the cute but crotchety and bumbling cops let the reader know right away that they would be anything but helpful.
For the most part, it was a highly readable book, no heavy lifting. The middle dragged on a bit and the ending was a bit predictable.
3 Stars

THE CLINIC
BY: CATE QUINN


I always feel terrible giving a negative review. The primary reason is due to the fact that I'm extremely grateful for being approved to read an Advanced Readers Copy. Also I feel bad because the author may be sensitive to bad ratings and I know that writing a novel is a huge accomplishment. Having stated those reasons my integrity about stating how I genuinely felt about my personal opinion regarding a novel always needs to be honest, otherwise what's the point? I would compromise my self respect if I wasn't honest and that's more important to me. I owe anybody kind enough to read my reviews to know my genuine thoughts.
from now on to follow my instincts if I feel conflicted about requesting on Net Galley. My internal
instinct told me that I probably wouldn't like this so I'm convinced that from now on I will honor my intuition. I read reviews and they were positive so I went against my better judgement and requested it. I have two more that I'm committed to read that I had the same reservations about. Reading should be rewarding not torture to finish something because of the arrangement with Net Galley.

The premise sounded interesting since I had read in a review along with the Author's
Acknowledgements that she had first hand knowledge of the experience having gone through it. I was hoping that it would be a realistic window of something I have not experienced. In other words, I wanted to learn something new and I didn't. I have a good friend who is a physician that has been the medical director at a hospital that I plan on asking if such treatments depicted in this book are actually practiced in the medical establishment. My friend is a board certified psychiatrist whom I've known since 1993. I was a premed major as an undergraduate at Boston University, wanting to be a psychiatrist. I ended up changing my major because I hated dissecting a fetal pig. I knew then that I couldn't deal with having to dissect a human being in Gross Anatomy in the first year of medical school. I did enjoy the many psychology classes which I excelled in so my good friend and I have interesting conversations. Common sense tells me that the treatments aren't practiced in the United States and this novel is set in a fancy rehabilitation clinic in the Pacific Northwest.

Why this novel didn't work for me on many levels is I expected it to be authentic to reflect a realistic portrayal of its setting. In other words, I was hoping that based on this author having been treated for addiction in a rehabilitation facility that she would incorporate in this novel the scientific approach towards treatment. If the setting is in the Pacific Northwest in the United States, I would be more inclined towards appreciating this novel if it stayed true to the location. That's just my opinion so please read the positive reviews because I'm in the minority. Personally, this could have been better if it was plausible and not sensationalized. The author thanked a source she consulted who works in the field of neuroscience. Maybe the methods of *treatments* used are undergoing cutting edge research, but I doubt they are the conventional approach practiced at this time. Since this novel isn't marketed as Science fiction, in which case I wouldn't have requested it, I expected it to be credible.

I like magical realism. I can suspend belief. I like escapism, but the context matters. Why not write what you know? It stated at the end that this was a pulse-pounding thriller. It wasn't for me. It started off slow and I knew that I had to finish it and I was hoping it would improve. I thought that it was highly unlikely that the main female character named Meg could succeed in sneaking in her black market stash of opioids and cellphone. It's common knowledge that checking into a clinic that treats addiction the standard procedure is that your belongings are searched. Meg checked in to this fancy clinic because she thought her older sister was murdered and she wanted to catch the killer. Meg pretended she was seeking treatment, but she was an addict. Any reputable rehab clinic will test your blood.

To give due credit to the author for what points where I felt empathetic was that most insurance covers 2 to 3 day stays. The withdrawal symptoms that Meg experienced seemed genuine and gave me insight into why addiction is an epidemic and so difficult to stop the cycle. Trauma needs to be explored and that for a chance in recovery it takes a great deal of time and effort working with a psychologist. The injection of the toxin from Japanese fish that is deadly if eaten seemed like quackery to me. I think that seemed preposterous, dangerous and it defies logic that it is effective to uncover repressed trauma making it conscious. I don't know why this author didn't draw from her experience in what was helpful to her recovery that is actually practiced. I think that would have made this so much better,

Publication Date: January 23, 2024

Thank you to Net Galley, Cate Quinn and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for providing me with my eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#TheClinic #CateQuinn #SourcebooksLandmark #NetGalleyTHE CLINIC
BY: CATE QUINN


I always feel terrible giving a negative review. The primary reason is due to the fact that I'm extremely grateful for being approved to read an Advanced Readers Copy. Also I feel bad because the author may be sensitive to bad ratings and I know that writing a novel is a huge accomplishment. Having stated those reasons my integrity about stating how I genuinely felt about my personal opinion regarding a novel always needs to be honest, otherwise what's the point? I would compromise my self respect if I wasn't honest and that's more important to me. I owe anybody kind enough to read my reviews to know my genuine thoughts.
from now on to follow my instincts if I feel conflicted about requesting on Net Galley. My internal
instinct told me that I probably wouldn't like this so I'm convinced that from now on I will honor my intuition. I read reviews and they were positive so I went against my better judgement and requested it. I have two more that I'm committed to read that I had the same reservations about. Reading should be rewarding not torture to finish something because of the arrangement with Net Galley.

The premise sounded interesting since I had read in a review along with the Author's
Acknowledgements that she had first hand knowledge of the experience having gone through it. I was hoping that it would be a realistic window of something I have not experienced. In other words, I wanted to learn something new and I didn't. I have a good friend who is a physician that has been the medical director at a hospital that I plan on asking if such treatments depicted in this book are actually practiced in the medical establishment. My friend is a board certified psychiatrist whom I've known since 1993. I was a premed major as an undergraduate at Boston University, wanting to be a psychiatrist. I ended up changing my major because I hated dissecting a fetal pig. I knew then that I couldn't deal with having to dissect a human being in Gross Anatomy in the first year of medical school. I did enjoy the many psychology classes which I excelled in so my good friend and I have interesting conversations. Common sense tells me that the treatments aren't practiced in the United States and this novel is set in a fancy rehabilitation clinic in the Pacific Northwest.

Why this novel didn't work for me on many levels is I expected it to be authentic to reflect a realistic portrayal of its setting. In other words, I was hoping that based on this author having been treated for addiction in a rehabilitation facility that she would incorporate in this novel the scientific approach towards treatment. If the setting is in the Pacific Northwest in the United States, I would be more inclined towards appreciating this novel if it stayed true to the location. That's just my opinion so please read the positive reviews because I'm in the minority. Personally, this could have been better if it was plausible and not sensationalized. The author thanked a source she consulted who works in the field of neuroscience. Maybe the methods of *treatments* used are undergoing cutting edge research, but I doubt they are the conventional approach practiced at this time. Since this novel isn't marketed as Science fiction, in which case I wouldn't have requested it, I expected it to be credible.

I like magical realism. I can suspend belief. I like escapism, but the context matters. Why not write what you know? It stated at the end that this was a pulse-pounding thriller. It wasn't for me. It started off slow and I knew that I had to finish it and I was hoping it would improve. I thought that it was highly unlikely that the main female character named Meg could succeed in sneaking in her black market stash of opioids and cellphone. It's common knowledge that checking into a clinic that treats addiction the standard procedure is that your belongings are searched. Meg checked in to this fancy clinic because she thought her older sister was murdered and she wanted to catch the killer. Meg pretended she was seeking treatment, but she was an addict. Any reputable rehab clinic will test your blood.

To give due credit to the author for what points where I felt empathetic was that most insurance covers 2 to 3 day stays. The withdrawal symptoms that Meg experienced seemed genuine and gave me insight into why addiction is an epidemic and so difficult to stop the cycle. Trauma needs to be explored and that for a chance in recovery it takes a great deal of time and effort working with a psychologist. The injection of the toxin from Japanese fish that is deadly if eaten seemed like quackery to me. I think that seemed preposterous, dangerous and it defies logic that it is effective to uncover repressed trauma making it conscious. I don't know why this author didn't draw from her experience in what was helpful to her recovery that is actually practiced. I think that would have made this so much better,

Publication Date: January 23, 2024

Thank you to Net Galley, Cate Quinn and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for providing me with my eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#TheClinic #CateQuinn #SourcebooksLandmark #NetGalley

This novel truly has something in each chapter that you won't want to miss!
It takes place in a ritzy rehab facility where famous folks go to get clean. But... do they?
Meg (an undercover poker player) enters the rehab facility to find out what really happened to her deceased
singer sister, Haley..
She cannot nor will not believe that of all the things that Haley might do, she would die in this way, in a facility.
Upon entering this "place", Meg sees and learns things she could not imagine, nor did I!
However, should Meg be here? What will she learn?
I truly enjoyed this intense, shocking and twisty story. It is full of shocking surprises and tragedy!
I believe everyone will be totally absorbed in this book. It has everything!
Thank you to @Netalley and to @Sourcebook Landmark for this ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review.
Well done!

Meg is an undercover floor worker looking for cheats, etc., in casinos. She gets notified that her sister, a famous singer, has died while in rehab for a number of addictions. Meg, being the kind of person she is and also addicted to opioids and alcohol, heads straight to the same clinic to look into her sister’s death and to find out what is going on there. It is very difficult to go into any parts of the plot without revealing a number of spoilers. The clinic is full of noteworthy addicts, a “mature” actor who always plays he-man roles and is in his third marriage, a front man and notorious womanizer who has been threatened by his band mates unless he straightens out, a sweet young thing addicted to opioids and maybe sex, a woman whose band mates have told to straighten out or get out, a model who is using to combat her lack of work. The main staff is not what they seem and obviously neither are the patients. It is remarkably well written and makes a reader feel like they’re there. The author has experienced this kind of rehab herself, which can explain how well plotted it is. Thanks to Net Galley and publisher for an ARC for an honest review.

This is high soapy drama. I didn't specifically know where all this is going and it's twisty and bizarre but fun. None of the characters are all that likeable although Cara comes close (and her relationship with the cops). It's just so outlandish but I still needed to know what was going on. It's interesting how certain things get dropped in about the actual world of addiction and treatment but you'll need another book to actually discuss that. Enjoy!

Thank you Net Galley and Sourcebooks for the e-book. Meg is shocked to learn of her sisters death at a rehab facility. They say it is a heroine overdose but Meg doesn't believe Haley would do that. Meg decides to check herself into the rehab facility and look into her sisters death. The treatment she received inside the facility made me cringe as the head doctor and therapist just gave me creepy vibes.

I liked Meg's character and how you knew something happened to her as a child but were not sure exactly what. They built it up to be something huge so when it was revealed it was kind of a let down as I thought it was going to be worse.

This was a slow burn with a shocking twist at the end. Overall okay

This was an interesting concept and I enjoyed it, but I couldn't help but think I had read similar before. The twists were what kept me going though and it had a very strong ending!

Meg receives a strange call from her sister, who subsequently is found dead at rehab. Suffering from addiction herself, Meg enters the clinic as a patient, but has no intention of getting clean. Instead, she spends her time getting to know the staff and other patients and asking questions about what happened to her sister.

The POVs alternate between Meg and one of the clinic's staff members, giving us full insight into what happens in this super posh rehab facility. A thoroughly engaging read with twits and turns along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC!

“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.”

Twisty thriller + unreliable narrator = perfection. Loved this one. So atmospheric.

This book was all right, if you're into a book that has a decent slow burn, plus some murder mystery / thriller then this book might be for you. I unfortunately couldn't really get into it and didn't really care for the story. It wasn't that it was bad, I honestly don't know why I couldn't get into it, I really tried. But the writing was good and the character build up was decent. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC exchange for a honest review

Sisters share a unique bond, and when one dies in rehab, the other instantly knows it isn’t accidental. Fan of light suspense might enjoy this.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the eArc in return for an honest review.
Meg works undercover security at casinos. She finds out that her superstar sister Haley died in a rehabilitation center for the wealthy. The cause of her sister's death doesn't sit right with her. Meg, who has addictions as well, decides to enter rehab to find out the true cause of Haley's death.

Meg tries to stay focused on why she's really there, but she can't run from her troubled childhood while in rehab. She's fighting her own demons, but will she get to the truth?

Cara, the newly hired member of the clinic, starts to realize Dr. Luz walks a very thin line between what is ethical and not.
Told in dual timelines between Meg and Cara, we get a first-hand look at what addiction looks like by way of Meg and what goes on behind the scenes by way of Cara.

This is a solid read. I'm eager to read the next book from the author.

Not my favorite book from this author. It was quite repetitive and a slow burn along with not the best story I have read. It took me a while to finish because I wasn’t too into it.

This was a fun read, following Meg, who pops a few too many pain pills heading undercover into a rehab facility to figure out how her famous actress sister Haley really died (she refuses to believe it was suicide). Great character development, with a non-linear narrative that keeps you guessing, I enjoyed the ride while peeking inside The Clinic.

When Meg learns that her older sister Hayley died in rehab, she leaves her undercover job in a casino to infiltrate the rehab facility to uncover what really happened.

Meanwhile, Cara is hired as a manager in the same rehab facility and the more she learns about the place, the more secrets she uncovers.

Told from both perspectives, the story unfolds, though I enjoyed Meg’s chapters so much more because of what is at stake for her.

Meg is an addict herself and she puts herself in a place that could try to help her, though that is NOT her objective. She just wants to know what happened to her famous starlet sister. She gets more than she bargains for though, when she grows close to the other patients, inadvertently learning more about the facility and herself in the process.

I thought this was so well written. I enjoyed the care and time the author put into writing about addiction and trauma response. It hit close to home for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebook Landmark for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


I thought this book started off a little slow in comparison to similar titles. However, you will become totally entwined in this story which will take you on a wild ride. I love the elements of mental health and addiction inside this psychological thriller. A lot of psychological thrillers recently have felt very cookie cutter/copy and paste with the same setting, same generic plot, boring characters, and predictable twists. I’m comparison, The Clinic felt so much more developed. I didn’t like or connect with any of the characters but they still weren’t boring.

Overall I enjoyed this book and will recommend to my fellow psychological thriller lovers.

4 stars

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: a prologue featuring a character's death (from the victim's perspective). Readers learn quickly that the person who was perhaps murdered in the prologue is Meg's semi-estranged sister, Haley. For obvious reasons, Meg has a lot of questions and disbelief surrounding Haley's alleged suicide (which is how it's being billed publicly), so she decides to take matters into her own hands and covertly head to this rehab herself. Since Meg seems about two wild nights away from donning a Winehouse beehive, she makes for a messy, unreliable but strangely likeable character. Reading from her perspective is a lot of fun, even when the material is tough. Cara is in a completely different role: an administrative one at the clinic. She has her own dramatic past, but it feels like more of a kitschy mention than an essential plot point by the end. Though she's not the most exciting character, her sense of right and wrong really offsets the other characters who live in grey areas, and she also brings a sense of reality into a space where only bizarre situations occur. These two are an ideal pair in terms of perspective and narration.

I strongly recommend reading nothing at all about this book because - like most thrillers/mysteries - the fun is in finding out what the heck is going on with these folks. Though I did feel like the ending was a bit too drawn out, the ride overall is an exciting one. I wasn't let down at all by making this a creepy October read.

Readers who are sensitive to addiction-related content should be mindful of the fact that this is set in a rehab and bad people abound. Expect different kinds of sabotage, gaslighting, relapsing, withdrawals, and much more. Oh, and I've yet to meet the trauma-free addict, so be mindful of these mentions, too.

If this all sounds doable for you, snap up this one. It's a twisty ride with layered, un/reliable characters getting up to some truly wild antics.

first off, the cover!! just wow, that first drew my attention and then of course the title.... I can't ever pass up a title that has anything to do with some sort of treatment with patients/clients hehe. Gives me creepy and spooky vibes. Also the kindle version says 320 pages, but this felt SOO much longer than that. It's set up to have 2 POVs between the Clinic's manager (Cara) and Megan. Very short chapters with (over 100 chapters in this ARC) which I don't mind because at points I was flying through the chapters.

Biggest Trigger Warnings: drug use & suicide

I really enjoyed this book from start to finish! It hooks and grabs you from the first page and made you want to read until you find out what's going on!! Psychological thriller, SIGN ME UP!! You meet Cara and Megan, each with backgrounds that you'll find out throughout reading the book. Megan ends up at the clinic after hearing her sister committed suicide, only she doesn't believe that. There was of course the big question of did her sister really do it or was it murder? Megan is there to find this out, but she's dealing with her own issues throughout it all and is having a hard time deciphering what is real and what are delusions. I was hoping for a bigger "punch" with the psychological aspect, but overall content with how it ended. I wasn't expecting it and thought I had it figured out until the last 10%... The dual POV really made this book and the characters weren't perfect, but that adds to the layers.

I HIGHLY recommend this book if you're looking for a good psychological thriller.

This book had everything going for it. Drugs? Yep. Trauma? Sure! Natasha Lyonne in Poker Face vibes? You know it! Big gothic buildings? Of course! Romance? A bit. Likeable, understandable characters? Not so much.

This is a one stop shop for whatever you like to read. Except, it’s not. It’s a super fast, easy read, but there’s no ending there. Someone else said it better than I could “I liked it until I didn’t.”.

I loved Black Widows and I had crazy high hopes for this one. If you’re expecting that level of good, this isn’t your book. But, if you like a good forgettable read, grab it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are mine, except from the quote up there from another reviewer.