DNF at around 15% of the way through.
I can tell that some people are going to love and rave about this. It has an interesting premise and is written in an interesting way. Unfortunately, I just couldn't bring myself to care. It feels like something I would need the audio to at least get through it but I'd honestly just rather have a friend read it and then tell me everything I need to know.

The Marriage Retreat by Laura Elliot
Pub date 17.08.23

My Husband saved other people’s marriages…But his secret will destroy ours…

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I thought the first few chapters were gripping and I assumed I would race through this book. But it slowed down, the chapters got longer and it started to drag. It took me a long time for me to get back into it. The second half of the book was sooo much better than the first. I do feel like it was longer than it needed to be. The Marriage Retreat is a slow paced thriller, so if that's your vibe you will love this. It was a good story, just too long for me. I liked the dual POV between Lorraine and the mystery girl. Also I adore the cover 😍

Thank you Laura Elliot, Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me to read a advanced copy of The Marriage Retreat, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

#TheMarriageRetreat #NetGalley

Lorraine and Victor lead a highly successful resort focused on improving relationships. However, tragedy strikes when Victor loses his life in an automobile accident. While Lorraine is grieving that loss, she discovers that Victor was not alone in the vehicle, and his passenger while currently incapacitated, she survived this devastating wreck. Who is the young female in the vehicle and why was Victor not at the location that he was supposed to be at? These are questions that Lorraine faces in the aftermath of Victor’s demise. Nothing is as it seems in this story and what lengths will Lorraine go to save the image of her late husband. This suspense novel will keep you guessing and you won’t want to put it down. Nothing is as it really seems in this book. When you think you’ve finally discovered an answer, another twist will keep you reading. I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of this book was really exciting, and I was prepared for a book full of twists and turns. Unfortunately, this book fell quite short.

thank you bookouture and netgalley. all thoughts are my own and nobody elses

Victor & Lorraine run a successful marriage retreat, but when her husband dies in a car accident with an unknown young women in the passenger seat, Lorraine begins to uncover a tragic story that threatens to destroy everything they have worked for. As Lorraine tries to discover the young woman's identity, journalists are hovering and waiting to pounce.

This book was very well written and the story was intriguing, however, I was expecting a more explosive ending. Though, it was still very fitting. The author has a way of making the reader dislike Loraine, but also feel sorry for her.

This book wasn't intense/suspenseful enough for my preference and I didn't get that 'one more chapter' feeling, but it was still good and kept me interested throughout the story.

To add to this, the books also had a forbidden relationship storyline that gave the story a weird vibe. The overall ending to the book was fitting, although it was a bit unsatisfactory for me. It was very well written though, and I was really able to understand the thought process for the main characters.

The summary of this book sounded so interesting, but I honestly felt like it was hard to get through this book. It didn't grip me, the way I had hoped. I ended up skimming a lot of it just to get to the end. Overall the storyline was fairly interesting, but wasn't what I was expecting.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Bookouture via NetGalley.

In the mortuary, I brace myself as I prepare to identify the body of the man I've been married to for over two decades. Together, Victor and I built Serenity Falls, a thriving couples' retreat founded on principles of trust and openness, which also defined our marriage. Guiding couples toward healing was our shared mission.

Now, my world has been upended. In the wake of Victor's death, I'm confronted with a woman lying in a hospital room, comatose. She had been with Victor when he passed away. Struggling to identify her, I'm forced to confront the unsettling realization that my husband held secrets. My grief morphs into anger as I grapple with his deception. How could he keep such things from me?

Delving into Victor's hidden past, I unearth the startling truth about the mysterious woman without a name or memory. The journey unravels a web of secrets, leading me to make a crucial decision to safeguard my family.

This book was engaging at the start, but the narrative loses its momentum as it progresses. Unfortunately, I struggled to form a connection with any of the characters, which subsequently diminished my investment in their fates.

This book wasn’t the best I’ve read from this author but it was an average read . Didn’t appeal to me that much as I found it a bit slow in places with no surprises. I still give it 4 stars as I do love this authors previous books . Thanks for the opportunity to read this book before the release date

Liked this book a lot. Very atmospheric and has a good few twists. I loved the writing style and that I was drew in from the beginning. The ending wasn't predictable, I had to keep reading. Look forward to reading more off this author
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Victor and Lorraine run a marriage retreat known as Serenity Falls. Lorraine gets a call that her husband died in a car accident and her life is turned upside down as he was suppose to be at a conference. He has lied to her and also he died with an unknown woman in the car with him.

This pushes Lorraine over the edge as she tries to protect what is hers. Just didn't like any of these people in this book and got bored reading about someone in a coma.

★★★ 3.5 stars

My Husband saved other people’s marriages...But his secret will destroy ours...

To be honest, I found this book a bit of a struggle. It's a slow paced thriller which I don't mind sometimes, but this one was a struggle. It felt a bit too long and I felt like I was drowning part the way through. But having said that, it WAS a good story. Intriguing and compelling...just too long.

When Lorraine Gordon receives the news that her husband Victor was killed in a car accident on the motorway a few miles from Dublin when he should have been at a conference in London, her world collapses. Everything she thought she knew was a lie. And she was determined to right every last wrong.

She met Victor at some airy fairy hippies retreat in Texas where they lived on mung beans and gazed at their navels or something. I don't know but Victor seemed to be a guru that had an aura that shone from him. Every woman wanted to be with him, every man wanted to be him. He was an enigma that Lorraine fell in love with and together they returned to Ireland and built up their business in the hotel she inherited from her father, Serenity Falls, to become Rekindle Connections. And here, Victor became known as the "love guru".

So when the gardai come knocking to inform her of Victor's death, they have another piece of news to impart. He was not alone in the car. His travelling companion was a young woman who remains in a critical condition in a coma in hospital. Now it seems everything Lorraine thought she knew about her husband was a lie. Who is this young woman? And how does Victor know her?

But it seems Lorraine's troubles are only just beginning. When she visits Victor's solicitor's office for the reading of the Will with their son Aidan, it appears Victor had recently changed his Will in light of his health problems. Both of which were news to her. But, fortunately for her, the new Will had not yet been signed so therefore was invalid and given that Victor had revoked his previous Will meant that he died intestate. So where exactly did that leave Lorraine? And more importantly, Serenity Falls?

There is so much more I could say about this story but it would probably give a little too much away. So I shall just leave it at that and let you be the judge. To be honest, Lorraine is not very likeable which is hard in a main character because I really didn't care what happened to her. But I did want to find out what happened.

I almost DNF this book because I found it to be so long and drawn out. I was glad I stuck it out because it got marginally better in the last 25% which by then it should have had me enthralled (which I wasn't). I really wanted to like this book but it is hard to review because on the one hand it's a great story but on the other it is too long winded. I felt it would have been better editted down a little to be shorter and made pacier with short snappy chapters.

Overall, a good solid read that was atmospheric and chilling in parts.

I would like to thank #LauraElliot, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheMarriageRetreat in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

I was really looking forward to The Marriage Retreat as the cover and the description had me hooked but unfortunately it was a bit slow in places and I found some of the story confusing and hard to follow. It just did not work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

The Marriage Retreat by Laura Elliot is a slow moving mystery thriller which releases mid August 2023.
First of all, I really enjoyed the characters that Laura Elliot had obviously put a lot of time and effort into developing. Even the side characters were very intriguing and integral to the overall story, particularly Aiden and Pamela. The settings of the book were also great, with various destinations around the world. However I was disappointed that the marriage retreat itself, Serenity Falls, takes a back seat and isn't a focal point of the story in my opinion.
I wouldn't say this book is a page-turner as it isn't particularly fast paced. The story unfolds over each chapter, slowly getting closer to the truth. It is pretty wild and unexpected though and I didn't see the twists coming. However, unfortunately I do think the ending was rushed and it missed out on some crucial resolutions to the story. I wasn't a fan of where Lorraine's story went.
If you enjoy domestic mystery thrillers, this has some twists on the typical plot line and I would also recommend it if you particularly enjoy the settings of Ireland and Scotland.
⭐⭐⭐ 3/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Laura Elliot for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy.

Review posted to Goodreads, Instagram Stories and Threads. Review to be posted on Amazon on publication date.

The Marriage Retreat was a difficult book for me to finish.
Lorraine’s husband dies in a car accident. Along with that awful tragedy comes the news that her husband, Victor, was in the car with a much younger woman. He was also supposed to be out of town, and he wasn’t. You learn fairly quickly that Lorraine will do just about anything to protect her family’s secrets.
I don’t even know where to begin with this…… for such a long book I feel like I didn’t really know or understand any of the characters or their motives, especially Victor and Lorraine. There wasn’t a single character I was interested it, and in fact there were 2 specific characters (Aiden I’m looking at you) that had me absolutely flabbergasted with their behavior. I couldn’t believe it was even a storyline.
I did think the writing style was good and I enjoyed the POV aspect. I think this book could’ve been cut in half or the drawn out chapters should’ve been spent on character development.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

I really like the cover of this book, and the first chapter pulls you right into the story. However, when Lorraine starts asking questions in Scotland, I found it strange that they would just tell this stranger everything she wanted to know. I understand the need to move the story along, but it was a little convenient.
It was interesting but started to get a little stale around 47% for me. About halfway through, a documentary was being considered and conveniently both Lorraine's friend and son liked a character who had a bad experience with Lorraine's husband in the past. Again, it's necessary to move the story, but feels too convenient.
At first, it seems Megan is Max (Victor's) grandchild, then Carl said she was his love child? At 60% I feel I have devoted enough time. There are many drawn out sections of this book that add nothing, or worse, confuse things, so I am going to stop reading.
I had high hopes as I really love thrillers but this isn't a thriller. Some of the writing is great and much of it is not. It unfortunately feels unfinished and needs quite an edit.

(Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.)

"My husband saved other people's marriages. But his secret will destroy ours."

The Marriage Retreat is mainly told from the point of view of Lorraine, Victor's wife of twenty-six years. The novel begins with several mysteries for the readers and characters to unfold. For fans of domestic thrillers, this is a must-read. Unlike many in this genre, Laura Elliott employs a few main characters to narrate the tale. Her storytelling skills shine as she weaves a complex web of mysteries, leaving readers in suspense about the next revelation. Elliott does a great job of narrating through the eyes of the different main characters, delving deep into their psyches and motivations. While my initial engagement with the plot was gradual, once immersed, I found myself racing through the pages in eager anticipation of the unfolding story. While I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, there are some minor drawbacks. The book's somewhat slow start might pose a hurdle for some readers, but once the momentum picks up, the gripping nature of the plot takes over. I also encountered initial confusion over specific phrases and cultural references. However, I found this more so at the novel's beginning and eventually understood what was happening and what was being said. Because of the multitude of characters, I suggest that readers notate characters as they are introduced, as it can be challenging to keep up with everyone's names as it can be an intricate web.

To summarize, "The Marriage Retreat" is a captivating addition to the domestic thriller genre. Laura Elliott's utilization of various perspectives sets it apart, infusing the story with a unique depth. While minor pacing and cultural comprehension hurdles exist, the overall experience is immensely satisfying. If you're seeking a thrilling narrative that explores the complexities of relationships, this novel deserves a prominent spot on your reading list. Ultimately, it offers a remarkable journey into suspense, making it a fantastic read that will linger in your thoughts even after the final page.

I want to thank the publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this novel. I was not obligated to provide a review, but I found the book enjoyable and entertaining.

The Marriage Retreat is an atmospheric tale full of suspense and intrigue. It was a little slow paced, but overall I really enjoyed it, and I thought the author's skill was impressive. I definitely recommend this book.

When the “Love Guru”, Victor Gordon dies in a car crash, with a young woman in the car with him, you’d be inclined to think the obvious. You’d be wrong.

Victor and Lorraine have been happily married and running their marriage retreat for over 20 years, so Lorraine is stunned to find out that Victor recently reneged his will and has died intestate. The question is why? And who is the young woman, now clinging to life, in a coma?

This is one of those books that draws you in at the prologue and keeps on sucking you in further as the plot thickens and twists, revealing a multitude of compelling secrets.

The steady pacing and cleverly placed hooks, plus the undertone of deceit running all the way through the book kept me right on edge! One of the twists had me gasping so loud, I gave myself a fright!

If you enjoy an intense and sinister, twisty read, this book delivers in spades!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Laura Elliot and Bookouture for an ARC in return for an honest review.

DNF at 40% - This one started off strong. The premise was great, the writing wasn't bad. But at 40% I can honestly say that I don't care about what happens. The characters are not well-developed, especially Lorraine, which is making it hard to care about how this all unfolds for her. There were multiple opportunities to better develop her character, but it just didn't land.

The writing is OK, but multiple times I would have to go back and re-read because I must have missed a detail, and it turned out that section was just convoluted. After the first few times it became clear that it wasn't me and my reading but rather the writing itself. The plot to this point was also a little unbelievable, and perhaps that was the point and things would come together in the end, but it has to be believable enough that I can go with it.

This one wasn't for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you @bookouture for the #gifted copy of this e-arc.

What it’s about:

Victor and Lorraine have been married for 26 years and have had a successful and happy relationship. They own and operate “Serenity Falls” which is a marriage retreat for couples that are in trouble or headed towards divorce. The efforts are to help fix the problems in the relationships before anything more severe happens that couple cannot come back from. They are model people for the retreat until one day Victor passes away in a tragic car accident. The problem being that he wasn’t where he said he was and there is a young women in the car next to him. The woman is alive however in a coma and Lorraine is determined to find out just who she is and why her husband wasn’t truthful.

Thoughts: I was very excited for the premise of this book and can we just talk about that cover?!🤩 It’s gorgeous and I am a sucker for pretty covers. I was quickly drawn in to the story and the mystery behind Victors web of lies. Shortly into the story however I found the storyline a little hard to follow and a little too slow at times. I did stick with it and in the end it came together with a satisfying end filled with twists. If you like a slow burn mystery dripping with deceit give this book a try!