Review Copy

Basically THE CLINIC was a really good story, albeit a bit predictable about the ending. My problem, well, ok, I had more than one, so let's go.

The writing, while easy to read, was all the same. Switching back and forth between characters each chapter is something I appreciate but not when I can't tell the players apart. Everyone sounded the same.

The author says she has been to rehab, but it doesn't show. Maybe it's different for women, but two men I know who have been through the program have never, ever been left alone during a urine test and could never have smuggled drugs into a locked facility. Just unbelievable.

The story ran a little long and I wish it had been edited down, but overall I ended up thinking it was OK. Read a sample and see what you think.

This was my first book by this author and it will not be the last! From the characters to the setting, everything about the clinic is well though out. Meg, our protagonist, has many layers to her and leaves the reader wanting to know what is real. With its interesting cast of characters set in a rehabilitation clinic, the possibilities for help, and harm, are varied. If you like mysteries, you'll love The Clinic.

This book was unexpected. It’s filled with much more depth and character than I thought it would. Really authentic representation of mental illnesses and I love an unreliable narrator. The ending felt rushed and had some plot holes which made it less plausible and confused at time.

DNF at 13%. Dialogue was stilted and unrealistic. Writing was overly and unnecessarily descriptive. "He strokes his curling beard, woven bracelets dropping down his aging wrist." Then the author mentions that one of the main characters wears flip flops four times in the span of a couple of chapters. I think the characters are all supposed to be quirky, but it comes off as stereotypical instead. Not for me.

The Clinic by Cate Quinn is a compelling read. Well written with fully defined characters. Well worth the time!

_The Clinic_ is a thriller with twists and turns. Meg, an addict working in an LA casino, has a troubled past and family life. When her sister Haley, a famous singer, dies in a secluded rehab facility in the Pacific Northwest, Meg knows her death is suspicious. She checks herself in to solve her sister’s murder, and faces her own demons. There are many twists in this read that can feel a bit forced, but overall a solid mystery thriller that also illustrates the horrors of addiction.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review.
I was excited to read this since Black Widows was a 5 star read for me but sadly was disappointed. The plot was far-fetched/unbelievable with unlikeable, superficial characters. I’m a quick reader and took several days to get through this book. Not one I would recommend but definitely would pick up another new book by this author at a later date.

The Clinic is a posh rehab facility. Meg is a professional poker player who works with law enforcement but is addicted to oxycodin and alcohol. Her addiction started as a result of an injury while "on the job". She has trouble with personal relationships and hasn't been in touch with family. Her sister is a famous singer. She hears on the TV that her sister has died while at the rehab facility - The Clinic due to an overdose of heroin. She knows that her sister never used heroin and decides to go undercover to investigate. She is admitted to the clinic but takes her oxycodin with her as she really does not want to recover. She and her sister had a rough childhood and Meg has recurring nightmares about a man wearing a fedora and a lady dressed seductively. Meg meets her fellow addicts and tries to find out whether one of them killed her sister or one of the staff. There are plenty of suspects to keep you guessing until the end.
I look forward to reading Cate Quinn's other books - Black Widows and Blood Sisters
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this author's first book so I was super excited for this and it did not miss the mark. I loved every second of this book

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy. This book was a little bit of a struggle to get through. I found myself bored while reading this. I didn’t really care about the characters. And I was confused for more than half of the book as to which character was who and what their purpose was.

I really enjoyed this book. Initially I hoped for more background early on of the victim, but found that by the end of the novel you get all of that. There were several twists and turns I did not expect, even on the last page. I would definitely recommend.

Not since Gone Girl have I been so captivated and surprised with what could possibly come next! Meg works undercover for casinos taking on organized crime members and unearthing all sorts of slimy dangerous characters. Injuries and peril are a part of the job and pills and alcohol are part of the relief.

Meg's sister, Haley, is a pop star who she is presently estranged from. But headlines are everywhere saying that Haley is dead, having committed suicide while in a super exclusive secretive celebrity rehab center. Meg, however, is sure it was murder. The one way to find out is to check herself in and investigate, while getting the help she needs for herself.

The story is told from two POVs - Meg, who has not told anyone that Haley is her sister and Cara the ambitious manager of the facility. To tell more would be to give away too much.

The story is well written, but the end, although engaging, could be tightened up a bit. But this is no complaint., I have not read previous works from Cate Quinn, but I will be looking for both past and future offerings form this imaginative author.

My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

To say I read a lot would be an understatement, but this book had me hooked from the beginning and I was breathless the entire way through! Haley is in rehab and sister, Meg works in a casino taking down card sharks. But when Haley dies suddenly, Meg immediately goes to the clinic to investigate as things aren't adding up. Childhood memories flood Meg's mind as she remembers episodes she's blocked: something about a Queen of Hearts and a strange man in a fedora. But nothing is as it seems and this book is about SO many things: addiction, paranoia, trust issues, poker tricks, sex trafficking, psycho and sociopathy...oh and blowfish! This is one of those novels that had me stopping to think, "Wait! What did I just read??" It's chilling, it's mesmerizing, and it may be the best book I've read this year so far!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Clinic. I had some ambivalence about if I could weather the turbulent waters of reading about a rehab clinic when two of my own children were in one, but I managed.

The truth is while this is the story of a card shark (Meg) entering rehab to find out the details of her sister's death (Haley), this has very little to do with rehab. Sure they mention how clinics can cook the books for more money by raising the cost of drug tests, but it ends about there. The events that transpire are so unbelievable it becomes a clownish and amateurish roller coaster ride into absurdity. Not a fan.

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!