What I loved is that this story is told through multiple perspectives. The Van Ness family consists of Harper, Richard & Zach. The weekend retreat is to celebrate Harper & Richard's birthdays (fraternal twins) and Zach's girlfriend, Lauren, and the spouses of Harper & Richard, Lucas & Elle, join the party. This story is told through Harper, Lauren & Elle's eyes (and the occasional news story + the mysterious "Party Guest"). I loved the twists and turns of the story and even I didn't guess who the "Party Guest" was correctly.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. I loved it.

This book definitely had a great dose of suspense! Three couples gather at their family home and winery to celebrate two of their birthdays. There is a lot of underlying tension even before the weekend begins. As with all families there are grudges and slights that have festered over the years and are now ready to boil over. None of them are aware that there is an intruder among them that sees all and is out for revenge against the family! I enjoyed the atmospheric writing and the intrigue. An interesting thriller to add to your TBR!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!
Overall 4.5 stars- all the characters were people you love to hate, and while I predicted the main twist of the book, it was still exciting to see it all unfold. Told from multiple perspectives, the story revolves around 3 siblings and their significant others as they gather at their childhood home following their mother's death. Each character has a major flaw, and the author does a great job of exposing those flaws as the story unfolds. Great for those who also enjoy Lucy Foley and Rachel Hawkins.

Oh my goodness... this book really threw me for a loop! Excellent writing and the characters were fantastic! I loved the drama, suspense and overall thrilling aspects of this book. The ending surprised me, which I always love. Must read!

Family dynamics are on full display in this domestic suspense. A family of siblings and their significant others meet for a birthday party where a nefarious guest is out to prove a point, putting everyone’s lives in peril. This was a locked room, atmospheric thriller. The setting was similar to several other thrillers I’ve read recently. The plot was ok but I never got swept up in the story. Still, an amusing read.

Wowww this one kept me on my toes the whole way through! I love a good thriller/mystery and this one delivers!

Thank you for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.
I thought I had this story all figured out and then I sure didn't. While the characters all appeared totally unlikable, i still loved the story and I couldn't put this book down!! I did not like a single one of them but still wanted to know what was happening to all of them. The story built up gradually and while I thought at times that nothing much was happening and it was dragging on, it built the characters and their backgrounds and stories and how they ended up being the way they were. I especially enjoyed the chapters from the different view points.
The ending came fast and with a lot of action nonstop. I enjoyed that the reader wasn't left hanging on what happens after but provided a great follow-up 2 years later.
Great book, a solid 4 🌟 read.

An excellent . Well-plotted.and well-paced thriller! A lush Vineyard is the setting. The characters are well developed and you are quickly invested in them. The best kind of thriller.

The Van Ness family head to their upstate mansion to celebrate twins, Richard & Harper’s 35th birthday. What’s supposed to be a celebration of life, success, and happiness, turns very quickly into drama-filled and ominous, with many secrets being revealed between the house walls. Can the family survive the weekend? Will they stick together through news that could destroy them? I enjoyed the many twists and turns this book unraveled! Each of the characters had their own personal stories, that eventually all came together. It was a true thriller with perfect plot. I look forward to more reads from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley, HTP and Tara Laskowski for a digital ARC of The Weekend Retreat in exchange for an honest review.

Thrillers/Suspense? Check
Gorgeous Cover? Check
Hooking Synopsis? Check
Actual Story? Not so much

As much as I wanted to love this book, it was just so-so for me. It wasn't anything special and too similar to many other books in this genre.

The story revolves around the Van Ness siblings, Zack, Richard & Harper, who have lived a life of luxury do to being heirs to a copper fortune. They have gathered, with their spouses, for a joint birthday celebration as they have always done, but this year is different. They all have secrets that could destroy them, plus someone is keeping an eye on them. Between the secrets and the creeper, plus the rain the blacks them out, this joint birthday venture just got really dangerous.

Like I said, it didn't stand out as anything new or special compared to similar books in the genre. Aside from that, it was too slow in getting to the "excitement." It was also very predictable. Granted, I almost always predict the outcome of thrillers, even ones I rate higher. It is rare that I get stumped, so I don't really hold the predictability against it. I also didn't care about any of the characters. Not a single one. As the book went on, I was kinda wishing they'd all just die.

This was a 3-Star read, at best. I unfortunately will not be recommending it, but appreciate the opportunity for an early read.

Twins, Richard and Harper, are throwing their annual birthday party at the mansion/vineyard they grew up in. Invited are their significant others and their brother. But little do they know at first, someone is watching them. From the beginning it is clear that there are lots of secrets being kept from one another. Then a blackout occurs bringing the all the tensions to a new height.

I really liked this book, with all its twists & turns, including a big twist at the end. This will definitely not be the last book I read by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book.

Packed with unloveable characters, this book is full of surprises! I was drawn in from the very beginning, and really liked the story being told through different POVs in each chapter. Every character has so much to hide, which made for some clever twists and turns! I was pleasantly surprised at how it all wrapped up in the end and overall, I really enjoyed this book!

You can’t go wrong with rich people behaving badly. The multiple POV’s really kept me intrigued and I found myself trying to guess what was going to happen and I kept failing. The strongest part of this book was the characterization. Each character felt fully constructed and real.

I really enjoyed this mystery thriller read. I love family drama with all those juicy secrets. All these characters are no saint, not loveable characters, you won't root for any of these characters, you will want see them punished for what they did, but that is what makes this book entertaining and engaging from the beginning.

What I like:
- Fast paced.
- The Mystery. It's not wow but still it's entertaining.
- Multi POV. From three women, Harper one of the Van Ness siblings, Elle the wife of Harper's twins, and Lauren the girlfriend of Zack Van Ness. Plus there's POV from the villain. Yup it's interesting. All those yummy secrets full of sins and loveeee the drama.

What I don't like: predictable and not a big fan of the reveal and what happen next, it wrapped up nicely though, it's just not my fav, but again it's still entertaining.

Recommended: yes if you're looking for fast-paced mystery with family drama.

With her first two novels—One Night Gone and The Mother Next Door—Tara Laskowski uncovered the secrets behind the façade of suburban families going about their daily lives, but with her latest release—The Weekend Retreat—she is exposing the problems faced by the ultra-rich, many of which are of their own making.


The Weekend Retreat features the Van Ness family, owners of a prestigious winery covering acres of land and on which is situated a palatial estate. It has been tradition that the family gathers at the family home each season to celebrate the birthday of the twins—Richard and Harper. The matriarch of the family has recently passed away, so while everyone is trying to keep the feeling of celebration high, there is also a somberness to the occasion. Along with the twins and their spouses, younger brother Zach, is also in attendance with his latest girlfriend.

In the beginning of the book, readers are privy to a newspaper report that reveals that a terrible storm ravaged the area, cutting off electricity, and that when all was said and done, there was a body found at the Van Ness Winery. So, right from the start, Tara Laskowski has set readers up to be suspicious of everyone. Without knowing who died, or even how, this technique makes everyone both a potential victim or a potential suspect.

Tara Laskowski has proven that she excels at female protagonists, so it makes sense that The Weekend Retreat unspools with multiple points of view—but only from those of the women. Harper, the only Van Ness family member given a voice. Elle, who has done much of the planning for the weekend festivities, and the “outsider,” Lauren whose dating of Zach everyone else finds questionable—at best—and potentially extremely suspicious—at worst.

The plot of The Weekend Retreat is a set-up we have seen countless times—a group of people cut off from any help when suddenly a body appears—but Laskowski manages to keep her narrative from seeming derivative by the convoluted knot she creates with all of the secrets shared by the Van Ness family. At some point, readers might need a scorecard to keep all the revelations organized.

To make matters worse, the three shifting POV’s are occasionally interrupted by a mysterious fourth voice—identified only as The Party Guest. It is clear from their first interlude that whoever they are—man or woman—they are up to no good. But exactly how they fit into the puzzle remains hidden as the narrative creeps toward the night of the storm.

Tara Laskowski’s writing has always been the type that reads very easily. Readers can sink into her words and luxuriate in the twisted plots her devious mind crafts. Writing multiple narrators is challenging, as each of them must have a distinct voice that is easily identifiable. In The Weekend Retreat, Laskowski manages this without much trouble. Since the male Van Ness family members are never given a voice, it can be more challenging to suss out their personalities at the beginning, but it is not too long before too each of them becomes suitably unique—albeit every character here has flaws, secrets, and disparate goals.

In the end, The Weekend Retreat makes for an enjoyable and speedy read filled with unexpected revelations unfolding amidst a delightfully sumptuous setting. Pour yourself a glass of your favorite wine and prepare to meet the Van Ness Family.

I enjoyed this book but not as much as I hoped too. A lot of the characters felt very similar. There are some wonderful scenes though, and the big mansion with secret passages was a fun addition.

This is a really fun thriller that I had a blast reading! Its fast paced and well-written. I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Tara Laskowski, Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -NetGalley ARC

<b>Description:</b>
Every year, the illustrious Van Ness siblings, heirs to a copper fortune, gather at their secluded winery estate for a joint birthday celebration. It's a tradition they've followed nearly all their lives, and now they are back with their significant others for a much-needed weekend of rest and relaxation, away from the public spotlight. With lavish comforts, gorgeous scenery, and indulgent drinking, the trip should be the perfect escape. But it soon becomes clear that even a remote idyllic getaway can’t keep out the problems simmering in each of their lives. As old tensions are reignited, the three couples are pushed to the edge. Will their secrets destroy them, or will they destroy each other first? And who’s been watching them from beyond the vineyard gates?
When a torrential rainstorm hits, plunging them into darkness, the answers prove all too deadly…

<b>Review:</b>
This locked room mystery has everything you’d want in a story; suspense, drama and a hard to guess twist. It took me a while to figure out who the party guest was and I didn’t figure out the twist until right before the big reveal. It was atmospheric, taking place during a bad storm. The story is told from multiple POV, so you get a glimpse into each characters life. I highly recommend this!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing,and Graydon House for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own.

Having appreciated this author's works before, I was eagerly anticipating her latest release. On the whole, I found it to be a satisfactory read. While it follows a somewhat predictable trajectory and takes a while to build excitement, I believe it holds up well. Unfortunately, the characters lack likability, and I struggled to keep track of who's who, which somewhat diminished my enjoyment. However, considering the narrative direction, their unlikable nature does fit into the story's framework. I just wished there was at least one character I could genuinely enjoy. Overall, it's a decent read, and given my positive experience with the author's previous novels, I'll continue to explore her future works, even though this particular one doesn't top my favorites list

Fairly ho-hum rich family, closed estate murder mystery that really reads more like a family drama. Unlikable cast of characters that never get developed beyond the snarky sibling banter. Side-plots seemed more like tangents than fully executed ideas. And the twist is a classic, as in we've seen this all before.

Chose this book for the setting as the Finger Lakes Region is fairly near where I live, but the description of the area in the book was so generic that it could have been anywhere.