Let me tell you something, this was an amazing book to read! I loved every last page of it!! I love the plot and the main Characters so much.

Where do I start with this book?

This book was very gripping, I was invested from the very beginning to find out the truth and I felt like I was with Lorraine on that journey. This was definitely a slow burner of a thriller and I think this book was probably my first exposure to this type of thriller. I really enjoyed the beginning of the book where it was building up to the more “typical” thriller. I loved getting to know all of the characters on a deeper level and finding out more about their back stories which I often find can be lacking in some other thrillers. However, due to the slow thriller element I did find parts of the beginning a bit hard to engage with and become invested in so for that reason the book for me lost a star.

I really enjoyed the fact there were small chapters throughout the book from no name girls perspective, this added more mystery and definitely made me feel on edge - I could almost sense there was something more sinister coming. We found out very early on within the book the mystery behind no name girl but all the plot twists and revelations that came after were phenomenal. For me it was clear this was about a journey with the characters rather than a simple thriller and I loved it.

The writing style of this book is applauding. The suspense, plot and atmosphere that has been created throughout is really commendable and it was makes for a fantastic read.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable book. I would definitely recommend it to those that love a slow burner thriller and a domestic thriller, this will be perfect for you.

This was the first book I have read by Laura Elliot but it definitely won’t be the last. I loved this book and would definitely recommend to my fellow book lovers.

The Marriage Retreat by Laura Elliot is out 17th August. Put the dates in your diaries (it’s also my birthday so definitely put the date in your diaries!)

Thank you to Net Galley and Bookouture for providing me with an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book didn’t capture my imagination as my as I had hoped it would. It seemed very long winded and at times I felt like it was a real struggle to keep reading. It all came together well in the end with the author going through everything again and putting it all together, but I don’t think that was enough for me to say that I enjoyed this book.

Loved ones secrets can really screw you over in the end.

The main plot line of this book kept me wanting to know how it was going to end and kept me reading.

This is a really slow paced thriller for my liking which made it out to be a longer read.

Some twists were predictable to me but I still enjoyed this read.

3.5 ⭐️

Imagine building your livelihood with your husband repairing relationships and in a blink of an eye it all come crashing down when your husband is killed in a wreck with a mystery woman who ends up in a coma. Watch Lorraine as she has to rebuild the ashes while uncovering the betrayal.

The author is very deliberate about slowly, and specifically bringing you into the plot on a schedule that really build suspense. Once the twists and turns started you can’t put it down but getting there took a little bit. I do want to emphasize I thought this was a good read but this may be for those that like a cozy thriller vs suspense thriller.

Thanks so much NetGalley for the arc copy.

The Marriage Retreat is a slow burn psychological thriller. Lorraine and her husband own Serenity Falls, a marriage retreat in Ireland. One day she gets a phone call that changes her life, her husband Victor has been in a car crash and has died. However, there is a mysterious young woman in the car with him that is now in a coma. Who is this woman that threatens to destroy everything Lorraine has worked so hard to build?

We get multiple POV, one from Lorraine which moves between past and present and one from the unknown young woman. The book can be a bit hard to get into but picks up towards the last half and kept me engaged. I was intrigued by the plot and rooting for the young woman to come out of her coma and remember who she is. The scenery in the book is described beautifully and sets a wonderful scene. Some aspects do drag on but overall, I was eager to get to the end to see how everything is resolved.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Lorraine and Victor run a successful marriage retreat at serenity falls until Victor is killed in a car crash which leaves an unknown woman in a coma. Who is this woman and how did she know Victor, how far will Lorraine go to find out and to protect her inheritance.
Domestic noir told from the point of view of Lorraine, the grieving widow and no name girl, the other victim of the crash.
Really enjoyed how the story unfolded and the past comes into the present.
Thanks to netgalley and bookouture for the advanced copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the free advanced reader copy.

I would give this one a 3. The first half was difficult for me to get in to. I didn’t connect with the characters quickly like I normally do. However, the second half of the book really picked up & I really enjoyed all of the secrets & twists!

Overall this was a good read and one that I would still recommend!

This book was really slow and I kept doubting about DNF'ing en continuing.
I eventually finished the book, but I must say I wasn't invested in the story.
It just took to long to get to the real plot and the build up was very, very slow.
If I read a thriller I want it to grap me and be "unputdownable". I want to uncover the mystery and be invested.
This was a book that I could forget about for days.

Web Of Deceit..
A web of lies and deceit to be intricately unwoven in this slow burn suspenseful mystery where nothing is quite as it seems. A fatal accident is the catalyst that ignites a series of explosive revelations. Told from varying perspectives of those women left behind, secrets and truths begin to rise to the surface. Deftly drawn with a credible cast and a tension mounting narrative. Secrets will out.

DNF. Far too slow for me. This book blurb and cover made me think it was going to be a Nine Perfect Strangers type story but it wasn't.

DNF at 33%. The plot of the book caught my attention, but considering how long the book is, I assumed that it would continue to be more of a slow burn and I generally prefer books that are more fast paced, or maybe I like a more youthful plot. I think if you like slow burn, you may like this book. I found it entertaining that there were different POVs, especially the one about the woman in a coma, and I think the story was getting more interesting.

Overall, this was a decent read it was definitely a slow start and that alone kills my vibe sometimes making books take too long to read. Lies and secrets, Lorraine is on a mission to avoid them getting out into the world, ruining everything that has been built. It took almost 60% for me to get into the book and I didn't really care about Lorraine and her trying to figure out what her husband was hiding. When everything started to come together, I was more interested and ultimately glad I stuck with it. I think it was the writing that just didn't work for me, but I did like the resolution of the ending. I didn't care to much for this one but that doesn't mean you won't love it, to each and their own. We all love different things.

Sometimes a slow burn is so satisfying, but this is not one of those times. For a book described as a thriller, I did not find it thrilling enough. There were some twists, but I found most of them fairly predictable. Lorraine was not the easiest to connect with, and Victor seemed like a real jerk.
I did enjoy the setting in Ireland; I haven't read many books with this particular vernacular.
Thanks to Net Galley for the book to review.

Thank you NetGalley for this advance reader copy, in return for my honest and voluntary review. Absolutely amazing novel that kept me on my toes the entire read! Stunning characters and perfect details, I felt like I was right there with them. Definitely recommend!

This one was ultimately tough for me to finish. I think the cover calling it “unputdownable” gave me high expectations but nothing was shocking throughout it. It was slow paced so that didn’t encourage me to continue picking it up either. I felt we found out the “mystery” of who the girl in the car was very early on in the story so it was difficult for me to remain invested in the rest of the story. Nothing about the end was shocking to me at all.

I really enjoyed reading The Wife Before Me, so I was excited to read The Marriage Retreat. While the book was interesting and had some great plot twists, I didn’t find it to be engaging as TWBM. Still a fun read! I’ll continue to read this author!

The Marriage Retreat is a great domestic thriller full of loads of twists. Firstly I did love the plot and charracters and I thought the main storyline was completely engaging and I really enjoyed reading it. However I did feel like most of this was filler and I wish it was faster paced with some cut down as some of the story did drag and I felt it wasn't needed. However I do recommend to thriller fans, especially to anyone who is new to the genre.

"Trust, the bedrock of marriage. Honesty its core value." Lorraine finds herself repeating these words to herself in the aftermath of her husband's fatal accident. In the wake of his death, Lorraine begins to pull at the loose threads of the tapestry of her life, only to find that for each thread she pulls, even more unravels. A story told from the perspectives of three indomitable women, "The Marriage Retreat" is a thrilling psychological force to be reckoned with.

Elliot really took her time to add minute details that breathed life into her characters. Our leading ladies are varying shades of tenacious and fierce, but even the side characters are fleshed out. The setting was equally lifelike. It was so easy to picture the various places, but especially Serenity Falls. The interwoven points of view, along with slipping back in forth between various periods of time, was handled spectacularly. This easily could have become confusing, but instead, this careful balancing act was handled with grace. Elliot manages to unravel a mystery dangling thread by dangling thread while simultaneously weaving a new tapestry of truth from the same threads. By the time all has been revealed, you have gasped out loud several times in marvel of what you have witnessed. This was truly a book where the devil was in the details, and Elliot served up details on a silver platter. This book will take you on an emotional exploration of grief, family, and secrets while twisting you in directions you never saw coming. I can't recommend it enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily, and all views expressed are my own.

This book started out really promising but quickly lost steam. The first third of the book is fast-paced and engaging but then starts to drag out too long and become repetitive.

We follow Lorraine as she discovers the web of lies that her late husband, Victor, has been keeping from her. Lorraine uncovers the truth a third of the way through the book and then, there are no more secrets/surprises from Victor. The rest of the book involves Lorraine attempting to hide Victor’s secrets while the unidentified girl regains her memories and Gail tries to find out what Lorraine is hiding. Since the reader already knows what Lorraine is hiding, there’s not a lot of tension or suspense. I kept reading in the hopes of another plot twist (eg: Victor had more secrets) but that never happened. The ending was predictable and there was basically no build-up or tension coming into the last climactic scene.

Lorraine was a very compelling and morally grey character. However, the other characters totally fell flat. It was extremely difficult to feel sympathetic to Carl because he was basically delusional and set on ruining Lorraine’s life since he blames her (and her husband) for his cheating being exposed. Gail has basically no personality and Aiden seems to exist solely as a plot device to do whatever the narrative requires.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.