While I enjoyed the storyline, I felt like it was just a really long buildup just for the plot twist. The first 2/3s of the book was mostly story and character development, with the really juicy stuff at the end.

The characters all had some secret that they were keeping from each other and it just felt like it was awkward for them to be around one another.
I liked the multiple POV’s that allowed for better character development, but it was only of the females in the story. Understandable since it was mostly them who had something to hide.

I enjoyed the multi point plot twist, but wasn’t very happy about how the “villain” died.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and author Tara Laskowski for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

The Weekend Retreat
By: Tara Laskowski

4 Stars

The Van Ness siblings have the yearly tradition of going up to the family winery for a special birthday weekend. A family retreat. This year is different, since their mother, and matriarch is dead and gone. With guests around and secrets unfolding, the Van Ness siblings will never be the same.

This was an awesome story. From the very first page I was hooked. This story is written in such a gripping format. It keeps you wanting more with every turn of the page. This story was filled with family drama and secrets and mystery. The different characters view points throughout, really made this an intriguing read. It kept me guessing and I hated putting it down.


*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Reviews

No where better than the family estate to celebrate a family birthday.This birthday is the 35th of twins Harper and Richard.
The is one Birthday party for the books. Heated family drama, lies and revenge.

A great slow burn with a few twists.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
On publication date I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other indie book sites.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

Definitely add this one to your TBR list. What a thrill this book was to read. Who doesn’t love a good suspenseful story!?

One of my favorite things about this book was how the story is told in multiple POVs. It’s always so fun to read from each of the characters perspectives. I also think this helps build up the plot/storyline so well! I loved this about this book.

The little twists along the way were also all so good. They were executed very well! I loved the setting of the story and the mysterious layers of the family vineyard. I was completely stumped and could not figure out who the “villain” was. I enjoyed that!

This one is very close to a five star for me but I did feel it fell short on a few things. Even though the characters were well developed, as a reader, I didn’t feel a close connection with any of them. This is sometimes common with this genre but I still would have loved to feel more engrossed with the characters. Then a few of the twists, even though well developed, I think could have been just as good, if not better if executed slightly different! The epilogue was also good, but slightly felt to neat?

So 4ish ✨ for this one! But honestly, so good! If you love thrillers, you must read this when it is released in December! I’m excited to read more from this author. Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to read an ARC of this book! ☺️

Thanks to Netgalley & the publishers for my review copy! Unfortunately, I didn't like this book, It was irrelevant, rich people drama that started off too slow. By the time anything started happening, I was pretty much over it. I struggled to finish this book, but I did. I just read it last week and I really can't remember how it ended, which is a sign that the book wasn't memorable at all. It did make me like rich people even less, which isn't all that hard to do these days.

Thank you THANK YOU to Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC!
Who doesn’t love a twisty family drama thriller, and at a luxurious estate on a winery?! Sign me up.
Upon immediate review of the synopsis I was getting big The Chateau vibes, but thankfully I enjoyed this book FAR more than the latter.
This is one of those books where the story REALLY made me wish I could have been a fly on the wall as the plot developed. The way Laskowski created such unlikeable characters (I tend to enjoy the unlikeable!) that were so entertaining was brilliant.
I truly did not see the twist at the end coming. I’ll be thinking on this one for a hot minute.
4 ⭐️ out of 5

A slow burn mystery with a few bursts of thriller. You can read this book during the day or at night all alone- nothing too scary- but you won’t be able to put it down.

Switching around from different perspectives keeps the story fresh as you embark on a horrible birthday weekend.

I’m a fan of Agatha Christie and am very judgmental of all mysteries, and this one worked for me. If you like a book you can’t stop reading, a crew of mildly awful people, and a gorgeous setting this book is for you.

I really enjoyed this thriller. It was hard to put down even though it was a slower burn for me with lots of family drama. Lots of really well written unlikeable characters in the book. You want to hate the spoiled Van Ness family but can't help getting wrapped up in the lies and scheming in the book. The setting of the family vineyard estate was a great place to set the story. I liked the storm trapping them there. It gave good creepy vibes and some good twists towards the end of the book . Highly recommend reading this.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book kept me on my toes and had such a satisfying ending that I let out a huge sigh as I read the last words. This book is a very good family drama that is very realistic in how it handles the family dynamic. The author does a fabulous job at painting each character and I, as the reader, can picture them perfectly in my mind. I would definitely recommend this book to a book club or any of my friends who like a good book about family drama. Thanks, Netgalley for my ARC because I really enjoyed this one!

While this story seemed somewhat a similar theme of many released in the last year, this one stood apart from all of the other “vacation trio gone wrong” thrillers and I loved it.

This was gifted by Netgalley & the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This is a classic, who done it style of story. Three different couples s out to spend three days in an isolated vacation getaway. They gather at their winery to have a joint birthday celebration, which is a tradition that they’ve spent most of their lives upholding. They are bringing a significant other with them. A Winery, a beautiful landscape and your siblings. What could go wrong? Of course, everybody has their secrets and intentions get high as the secrets start to slip out……some of them might even be deadly.

You know the style of book we’re talking about if you’ve read pretty much any isolated setting, locked room thriller mystery. This one wasn’t anything special, I found myself a little bit bored throughout the book. Rich people drama can be very interesting to me however, the writing style of this one just didn’t capture my attention. I think that if you are looking for a book like this one, there are better versions of it on the market. However, if you just want a light and easy read, and this is accessible to you, I don’t think it’s a waste of time.

The Weekend Retreat by Tara Laskowski is a domestic thriller about family, wealth, and secrets. I was really looking forward to this book. I love a good locked room thriller. The book started so SLOW and didn't really pick up until about half way through. There were SO many characters and equally as many points of view and I found this confusing . I kept having to reread the passages to remember who was who.

There was definitely a lot of twists and turns and red herrings.

I wish the characters were fewer and better developed.

The Van Ness family and their spouses gathered at their sprawling estate for a weekend getaway as part of a joint birthday celebration. However, old grudges, secrets and a potential stalker turned their getaway into something far more sinister than they bargained for.

The Weekend Retreat was an bingeable domestic thriller with no shortage of family drama, lies and deceit. This book was a definite slow burn that picked up at the 60% mark. While The Weekend Retreat was highly entertaining, the twists didn’t pack as much punch as I would have liked. With that being said, the author delivered a satisfying conclusion, which I loved. All in all, this was a great light thriller that could be easily read over a weekend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.

A copy of this review will be posted on my Instagram account (whats.amy.reading) the week of October 23, 2023.

Classic dysfunction family locked in a room & everyone has a secret

Who wouldn’t want to marry into a rich winery family??

Kind of popcorn thrillery - got through it quickly, but I wasn’t overly surprised by the secret reveals

3/5 starts publishes Dec 26!

This book just was not for me. It was hard to follow, and not engaging at all. I would like better character development.

What a thrilling ride! When family members decide to get together for a birthday celebration, things take a chilly turn! This book had so many twists and turns! Loved it!

I found this to be a pretty average thriller.
It was an easy read that had two major twists. One I really enjoyed and the other felt pretty obvious.
Overall the story just fell flat for me. This felt more mystery than thriller with the action taking place at the very end of the book.
This book really focuses on secrets slowly coming to light.
The story follows three couples away for the weekend.
Told in multiple povs by the three females, we see everyone is hiding a secret and not everyone will leave the weekend alive.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review

The Weekend Retreat is a thriller about family, wealth, and secrets. The book starts slow and didn't reel me in immediately. The characters were unlikeable but I guess that's the point. There are many POVs and one is an unknown guest. There was a lot of red herrings and misdirection and I enjoy that. I'd recommend this book to others and will read the author's next one. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Weekend Retreat is a great murder/mystery thriller with morally grey characters you would love to hate!

When the Van Ness family returns to their family home for the twins, Haper and Richard's birthday, it is business as usual, filled with competitive games and each other's secrets. Things take a turn for the worst when a storm leaves them stranded. Not only is there no way out, but it also seems that a certain party guest has found their way in to the Van Ness home ready to make the family pay. Gear up for this wild ride with different POVs and secrets around every corner.

I loved this book. I enjoyed the different POVs and learning everyone's secrets. The party guest was unsurprising, but I was more interested in everyone's secrets and how they seemed to be out for each other. Overall, I devoured this book. This is the first time I have read a book from this author, and it will not be the last.

The Weekend Retreat comes out on December 26th!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read The Weekend Retreat. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.