Thank you to Graydon House and NetGalley for my ARC of The Weekend Retreat! The premise of this book was good and I enjoyed the pacing, however most of the characters were pretty unlikeable. Although the twist wasn’t predictable, I found it rather boring. 3.5 stars rounded up for being a pretty engaging read.

a slow-build, locked-room family drama that accelerates in the last 30% of the book

“The Weekend Retreat” is the story of the wealthy Van Ness family, who’s gathered at their family winery estate in the Finger Lakes for the weekend. But soon, old tensions are simmering — and it becomes clear an uninvited guest is watching the family.

This was a fun combo of a family drama and locked-room mystery. I can’t ever recall reading a book where every character was SO suspicious! They were all hiding something, and the twist(s) at the end were wild. If you enjoy books with rich people behaving badly, you’ll be into “The Weekend Retreat.”

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. Unfortunately it wasn’t for me. It was a slow burn and characters that I couldn’t keep straight. I gave up at 20%.

Ridiculously wealthy, dysfunctional family? Sign me up! This was a fun one to read. The Van ness siblings and spouses gather at the family estate/winery to celebrate the 35th birthday of twins, Harper and Richard. No one likes anyone, everyone has an agenda, what could possibly go wrong? Yes, there are a lot of books with similar plotlines out there, but Tara Laskowski did a good job of throwing unexpected twists at you, and as I mentioned before, this was just so much fun! Could have done with a bit more character development, but still very enjoyable. This is my second book from this author and I'm looking forward to more!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Tara Laskowski and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Family dysfunction made better and worse by copious amounts of wealth. The setting of this one was the biggest draw for me, but I am getting tired of the 'secrets' being affairs...which happens in almost all the books I read.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.

This book is everything a m=good mystery thriller should be. I found the majority of the characters very unlikeable, however, I really enjoyed the plot.

The book introduces us to the 3 Van Ness siblings: twins Harper & Richard, and younger brother Zach, who are all rich, spoiled, and the heirs to a winery fortune. They all come together at the family estate for an annual birthday celebration, and with them are their significant others: Lucas (Harper's husband), Elle (Richard's wife), and newcomer Lauren (Zach's fiancée). Every year the twins celebrate their birthday as a family, and every year it is extravagant and flawless. Except this year is the first time getting together since their mother died, and this weekend "retreat" will be "killer". Literally. We find out early on in the story that (at least) one of the Van Ness siblings dies during the weekend retreat, but we don't find out who (or why) until the very end.

Elle is the party planner and hostess for the weekend, and is trying her best to make everything perfect but family drama, fate, and a raging storm are all working against her perfect weekend. Lauren is meeting the family for the first time, and just wants everyone to like and accept her. Harper is a generally horrible person and spends most of the book being rude, bitter, manipulative, petty and deceptive. There is drama between pretty much every character, and everyone it seems has a secret or two they are not sharing with the group.

I thought all 3 Van Ness siblings were awful, any of which I wouldn't have minded being the one who died, particularly Harper. Lauren seemed alright at first, but then became less likeable as the book went on. Lucas was the most endearing of the group, but even he wasn't someone I was rooting for. Elle was trying to do something nice for her husband, and took a lot of crap from Harper through the book, but she came across very shallow and needy with gold-digger undertones. I was pretty much just cheering on the killer by the end of it.

I enjoyed the twists in the plot, and the descriptive beauty of the house and the estate. I am a sucker for big old houses with secret tunnels and corridors. The identity of the killer was not who I was expecting it to be, and their motives were a refreshing twist. I loved the suspense woven into the plot, and the gripping sense of doom.

I will definitely recommend this book to my mystery/thriller friends!

The Weekend Retreat by Tara Laskowski is an exciting thriller about family, wealth, and secrets. Every year, the wealthy Van Ness family celebrates the birthday of both Harper and Richard, who are twins, at the family estate for a weekend of rest, relaxation and fun. Elle, who is married to Richard, makes all the plans, since she was close to the matriarch (deceased mother), and knows exactly what to prepare, as well as games to play. Of course, Harper hates Elle, since she never had the close bond of her mother, Katrina.

Harper, Richard and Zach are the heirs of the Van Ness family; Lucas is married to Harper, Elle is married to Richard, and Zach plans to propose to Lauren during the celebration. Harper is the most arrogant, and nasty character, which causes resentments among the family; with Richard controling the money, working close with Harper. Even Lauren has her own secrets. The POV’s center between the three women (Harper, Elle and Lauren), with a terrible storm coming, and so many twists and turns along the way.

What follows is an intense, exciting thriller with tensions rising, and everyone being pushed to the edge; as well as the many secrets that could destroy the family. On top of all of that, there is another POV with an unnamed person, “Party Guest”, who we learn more about closer to the last quarter of the book. Who is the Guest, and why is this person hell bent on destroying the Van Ness family?

The last quarter of the book becomes wildly exciting, intense, intriguing, as secrets are revealed and the danger escalates. The Weekend Retreat was a terrific thriller, that kept me glued to my seat, so not to miss anything. The Weekend Retreat was so very well written by Tara Laskowski.

A slow start and a slow burn but still a great read. Harper . . . She is quite literally the worst. But in the best way - her character added that much needed tension and drama to every scene. And that twist at the end! Whoa. Didn't see that coming! Loved it.

Entertaining locked room style mystery. Not about a weekend retreat (which is getting to be an overdone premise) but a family party gone awry.

The Van Ness siblings and their significant others gather at their remote family estate winery. The matriarch of the family passed away, and now twins Harper and Richard are celebrating their 35th birthday and younger sibling Zach has brought his girlfriend (who quickly becomes his fiancee after arrival) Lauren. There is also a mysterious, unnamed "Party Guest" who is another narrator. We alternate between the females and the party guest, as the evening slowly unfolds and becomes more ominous. Everyone is keeping secrets, and some of them turn out to be deadly.

Although I didn't find the identity of the villain, nor any of the events to be all that surprising, the journey is quick and it kept me engaged throughout to see how it would all unfold. I do enjoy stories of wealthy people behaving badly, and this one had that for sure. I'm not always the biggest fan of stories that begin with the ending incident (in this case it is a report of two deaths at the mansion) but this book was all right because the foreshadowing wasn't excessive, it just piqued the right amount of interest rather than giving too much away.

The setting has a gothic feel with the hidden rooms and passageways, and while the mystery itself wasn't spectacular, the reading experience was entertaining enough to recommend this book.

If you enjoy psychological thriller books with a twist, then check out The Weekend Retreat by Tara Laskowski. This book contains everything from sabotage, deceit, and affairs to wealth, murder, and imposters.

Join the Van Ness siblings and their significant others on a weekend they will never forget! The family comes together at the Van Ness estate to celebrate the twins, Richard and Harper, turning 35 to honor their late mother's tradition. But as much as some try, the weekend just keeps getting more off course…

This was my first time reading anything by Laskowski, but it will not be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed her prose, character development, and plot structure. There was SO much deceit and twists thrown in, but it all felt very natural and believable! This book was told with 4 different points of view--but all of the characters were so different, so it was easy to keep each POV straight.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This family drama evolves at the Van Ness estate where the adult siblings come together for a birthday weekend celebration. We quickly realize that each sibling and spouse each has their own secrets and agenda items. We learn about the mischievous ways of their recently passed mother and how Elle, a spouse, really clung on to her wants to keep the estate alive and well. We have Harper who has created her own empire that is beginning to shatter. And Zach who is recently engaged and wanting to fit in with his twin siblings. Lauren, his fiancé, is new to the family and estate and very interested in digging in to the family secrets with a possible paycheck at the end of it.....many twists and turns! Great read!

Full of family drama, this domestic thriller is perfect for fans of readers who enjoy rich people behaving badly, complicated family stories, secrets, lies, betrayals and lots of twists. It was also excellently narrated by one of my favs, Karissa Vacker. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

The Weekend Retreat hooked me! This was such a fun read I had a hard time putting it down. Great concept and execution by Tara Laskowski.
While the story played out well, I feel the character development was lacking with most characters. I needed more insight into these seemingly unlikable people to better understand their actions and feel any sympathy.
Still, I was impressed with the story line and the twists that kept me turning pages! Good read!

The formatting of the book really made it hard for me to get into. There was no clear separation between chapters. The headings appeared randomly throughout the book. It is not formatted correctly. I made it through only 5% because I got annoyed. I’ll end up buying this book to give a proper review.

The start of this one reminded me a little of another book I read with the rich family and the playful but mean games that were played, but quickly moved away from that memory. The news reports and stories along with the POVs from someone, the “Party Guest”, with an ulterior motive gave me foreshadowing of what was likely to come.

It was hard to like anyone in the family as they were very entitled and not very kind, but I kinda like that as a trope in a thriller as long as I want to know what is up. And I was curious of not only what was going on but also who had died. I appreciated the atmospheric tone of the estate along with the impending storm. And the memories of the ever-demanding mother just added to the atmosphere. I was kept guessing as to who was sending the gifts and why and who might be the claimed family member.

A claustrophobic thriller but also a domestic family drama. As the story unfolds, so do the characters. Not everything or everyone is as they seem. It’s a slow burn in the style of season 1 of White Lotus. There’s a bigger picture but the characters get in their own way with their constant bickering. I thought this was handled very smartly by the author.

‼️‼️‼️‼️ARC REVIEW‼️‼️‼️‼️

Thank you to the author, the publishing team and Net Galley for allowing me to review this advanced reader copy!

The Weekend Retreat by Tara Laskowski
Release Date: December 26, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I really enjoyed this mystery. It had a slow start to give the reader a basis of the setting and the characters. Around the 35% mark it started to pick up for me.

This book is set at a family birthday party and it has multiple POVs which I always love. The dynamics of this family are dysfunctional to say the least.

Honestly, all the characters are pretty awful people, so I didn’t find myself rooting for any of them. I was guessing what horrible thing the family would do next. The narrators are also all unreliable which is a mystery I enjoy because it keeps me wondering if any of the information is true.

The Van Ness siblings with their significant others are gathering at their winery estate to celebrate the twins, Harper and Richard’s thirty-fifth birthday. Lauren, Zach’s girlfriend is nervous and eager to fit in, Elle, Richard’s wife, is all about making the gathering and party perfect, and Harper is eager to get the weekend over. Little do they know, there’s a surprise guest bent on revenge, however they hardly notice any strange occurrences with all the snipping and one-upmanship going on between them. For the most part this was not a likeable bunch, and all had secrets. As the weekend goes on rivalries and tensions escalate. A perfect storm is brewing!

The story is from the POVs of Lauren, Elle, Harper, and the unknown “Party Guest”. Of the three women, I only liked Lauren. Harper was a straight up self-centered witch and Elle was conniving and annoying with a “sweetheart” veneer. Lauren wasn’t an angel either, but I found her to be the most likable/relatable. I felt for the “party guest” once their identity and motivations were revealed.

The Weekend Retreat was a real page-turner and I finished it in one day. While I did figure out some of the reveals, I was surprised by who was behind the revenge plot.

Lauren is headed to Zach's home to meet his family for the first time. Under normal circumstances, this would be a stressful situation. But when your boyfriend's family is one of the richest, privileged "old-money" families in the country, it ups the anty just a little.

As expected, the weekend starts off a little rocky. The family is still reeling from the recent loss of their mother, and everyone seems to have secrets they keep from each other -- including Lauren. It all comes together as a recipe for a fantastic read. Really, I couldn't put this one down!

Lawskowski perfectly imagines the power players in this very wealthy family. There are notes of Succession with many dark twists. Special thanks to Netgalley and Graydon House for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out now.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin trade publishing and Tara Laskowsi for the access to the advanced copy to review.

The Weekend Retreat came out on December 26th, 2023.

What do you get when you combine a wealthy vindictive family with family drama bubbling under the surface,, a vast winery estate, and an incoming violent storm? You get The Weekend Retreat by Tara Laskowski!

The Van Ness family has a tradition where they visit the winery estate to celebrate their birthdays; this time it's celebrate famous twins Richard and Harper's 35th birthday. After the tragic death of their matriarch, Katrina Van Ness, this will be the first time the family has come together. But tensions rise as unresolved resentments and conflicts bubble to the surface.

- Richard, who has stepped up as the leader of the family business and takes care of all financial affairs,
- Harper who started her own online cosmetics business that is going through a bit of bad press.
- Elle, Richards wide who married into the family, but is trying to step into the void Katrina Van Ness left.
- Lucas- Harper's husband who has many successful businesses under his belt and is fiercely competitive
- Zach who is the younger brother of the twins, golden child and has a habit of being fiscally irresponsible.
- Lauren, Zach's girlfriend who he brought to the estate to meet his family for the first time.
And finally, there's the mysterious party guest who is the key to the whole affair.

What drama is the family hiding? When will this powder keg burst? And who is the strange party guest? I'll leave that dear reader, for you to find out!

After reading The Weekend Retreat, I'm going to be on the lookout for more of her work! This tale gripped me from the very first page and would not let go until I finished! The cast of characters were so lively and vibrant; a mix of unlikeable characters, but who I could still sympathize with... to an extent. The setting was perfect for the story, a large opulent manor with sprawling estates, but with secrets hidden in plain sight (a great metaphor for the family), as well as the storm rolling in, adding to the tension. I also really enjoyed switching the character's POVs. I've found this can be hard to do and keep the characters feeling like separate beings, but this author does this masterfully. Also loved the playlist at the end of the book. The songs seemed quite fitting :)

What can I say? I thoroughly enjoyed this piece. If you like rich people drama with an idyllic winery setting full of secrets and betrayals, then you'll love Tara Laskowski's The Weekend Retreat!