This classic locked-room thriller started off strong, hooking me with its fast POV swaps, and intriguing relationships. The author kept me on my toes by inserting small bits of intrigue and dropping clues before swapping POVs, which ensured I continued flipping pages.

3 POVs are told from the 3 women in the Van Ness family, each one hiding a big secret from their partner, and each one wholy unlikable (in a great way!). The 4th POV is told from the perspective of "The Party Guest", an unknown character who is plotting against the Van Ness family throughout the novel. This is where it loses its intrigue for me. The addition of this character made for a pretty predictable reveal, and took me right out of a lot of the suspense. I also felt the pacing was off as it took too long to get to any action, and when it did finally arrive, I blinked and it was over.

While I did enjoy the read and had fun discovering everyone's secrets and lies, I do feel this story has been told before. I think this is perfect for those who have not read a lot of mystery/thrillers and enjoy a fast-paced family drama story. However, if you're well versed in the genre there's not much here for you that you haven't already read elsewhere.

If you're looking for a December 26 release to fuel your post-holiday travels, this is a decent pick. It's fairly fast moving, and does include bad rich people, a trope I'm only rarely tired by. It isn't necessarily a stand out, but it does the job.

A family get together a few months after the death of their mother is the setting for this closed room thriller. This is not your all American family but one filled with secrets. Each character gets a chance to tell their POV including an uninvited guest. The story is fast paced and kept me on my toes. I found the characters to be very relatable and enjoyed getting into their stories. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves locked room stories and devious families.

Intriguing Tale With Multiple (And Rapidly Switching) Character POVs. This is one of those tales with a lot of moving parts and a lot of different character POVs that can throw some people off. So if that is you, know up front that this is the style Ms. Laskowski has chosen to tell this particular tale in. Specifically, we have three couples - each of the surviving children of a now deceased former matron of the family + their significant others, as well as a seventh person - an unannounced and unplanned guest. (The final central character is another, planned, guest.) The tale uses the perspectives of each of the three females + the unplanned guest as our narrative device, and ultimately it tells a strong tale of family secrets, petty grudges, and everything else that makes a family so complex at times. Here, the book truly shines - and yes, it is helped by its stormy, near gothic mansion (complete with hidden passages and rooms!) setting. The prologue is particularly strong, drawing the reader in and urging them to find out what exactly happened on this eventful weekend among siblings (and their partners), and the overall mysteries are much deeper than are originally thought, adding to the depth and complexity of the tale.

Overall Ms. Laskowski did a truly great job telling this story in this particular format, even as confusing as the frequent perspective jumps can be at times - she also used them to great effect to propel the reader forward in an "I've GOT to see what happens next!" manner. Yes, after an admittedly somewhat slow start, this will eventually become one of those that you're going to want to stay up later than you probably should to finish the book.

Those looking to end 2023 with a bang would do well to pick this book up, as it releases just in time to be many peoples' final book of 2023. Very much recommended.

The Van Ness siblings, heirs to a copper fortune, are all congregating at the family's secluded winery estate for a joint birthday celebration. It is supposed to be a weekend of lavish comforts, gorgeous scenery, and indulgent drinking, but first a major storm hits the area, cancelling the party they had planned. Then, the longer the 3 couples remain couped up together the more tensions begin to rise, and the more secrets begin to spill out, threatening every relationship there. The question is - will their secrets destroy them, or will they destroy each other first? And who’s been watching them from beyond the vineyard gates?

This was a perfect blend of rich people behaving badly, mystery, and suspense. The characters were like something out of a soap opera or off of a Bravo show, and none of them were particularly likeable. Normally that is a deal-breaker for me, but in this instance it worked. The mystery kept me guessing until almost the very end, and the suspense had me on edge for most of the book, waiting to see what was going to happen next. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers, mysteries, or just suspense in general, you should definitely check this one out.

The Weekend Retreat
By Tara Laskowski
Publish Date: December 26th 2023

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The Van Ness children reunite one weekend at their recently deceased Mother's winery estate to celebrate the birthdays of twin siblings' Richard and Harper.

This family is stressed and this weekend is already tough but little do they know, an unexpected party guest is watching them in the estate and they want revenge. There's a big storm coming and this will be the perfect time.

This book started a little slow but did have a lot of character development and you really start to see the family lies and secrets unfold.

Written with multiple POV, which is I loved, the book kept me intrigued the whole time and had plenty of twists I was not expecting at the end.


Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Weekend Retreat
By Tara Laskowski

Graydon House, NetGalley

The Weekend Retreat hooked me and kept me on the line. I love a good family or strangers stranded at an isolated, sinister locale trope and this one delivers. The author reveals information and holds back at a perfect pace. The who and why is not too tricky to guess in my opinion but it serves the story because the characters and the how as it unfolds makes it so good. There is not a self-less character in the bunch but their motivations tract and are reasonable in their minds. We see characters through other characters points of view, bias and blind spots. Are they playing a part or lying? Read “The Weekend Retreat and decide for yourself. I look forward to reading more from Tara Laskowski and thank Graydon House and NetGalley for the advanced copy..

I loved this book and highly recommend it, especially if you enjoy books like Catherine Steadman’s The Family Game. The Weekend Retreat by Tara Laskowski centers around Lauren, a journalist dating the super-wealthy heir to the Van Ness fortune, Zach. She goes with him for a birthday celebration weekend at the family’s estate where she meets the rest of the family who are not exactly welcoming. It seems like everyone has a secret, but what are they each hiding and why? The setting of this grand Gothic estate was perfect. You can almost feel the draft coming from the dark corridors and secret hallways.



Synopsis:

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, 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…

I loved every page of this fantastic thriller. Coming out on December 26.

Richard and Harper are throwing a big party celebrating their 35th birthday as they always do surrounded with their other brothers and sisters in their mother’s mansion and vineyard. Everything has changed since their mother passed away and there are lots of secrets everyone has. This is a twisty thriller that has you guessing until the very end. And the nice twist at the end came out of nowhere! This is my first book by this author and I’m looking forward to many more. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release just in time for Christmas next week. All opinions are my own.

This might be just me but even if a daughter-in-law and mother-in-law were very close, if you are writing a family drama, maybe don't have that character to refer to her as "Mom". It was a little confusing at first to keep track of who was actually related to "Mom" since the book was taking place after her death.

I thought the book was okay. I always enjoy a hidden passageway and a giant estate for a big, breezy mystery setting. I thought there was a little too much going on and some of the reveals were quite weak. There were so few characters and you knew the dangerous one was uninvited and that left literally one named person in the book. The end was kind of abrupt and not everyone's motivations were super clear--why did the housekeeper care so much? It just felt like some connective tissue was missing.

There was just something about the blurb of The Weekend Retreat that made me curious, and I couldn't resist adding it to my shelves. I do tend to love a good bout of bad weather in my thrillers, as it usually takes the tension and suspense to the next level... And the remote winery estate setting sounded like an added bonus. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by what I found, and I ended up having an excellent time reading this book!

If you enjoy stories with characters that you will love to hate, The Weekend Retreat is a perfect match. There is no doubt that this group of characters both has major flaws and lots to hide, and they aren't exactly likeable. Harper is probably the worst of the bunch, but none of them are easy to warm up to. Usually this means that I struggle to stay invested in the story, but somehow in this particular case the complete opposite happened. I slowly watched everything go up in flames with a gleeful chuckle, and it was surprisingly fun to watch them get a dose of what they had coming.

One of the things I loved most about The Weekend Retreat was its remote winery estate setting, which made for the perfect backdrop for this story. The remote setting added that ominious vibe, and especially combined with that upcoming storm... The weather made for an excellent extra character and added a lot of atmosphere. The same goes for the 'the party guest' POV; it confirmed that someone was out there, but without knowing who it was or what exactly they had planned it added a healthy dose of suspense.

The plot uses a multiple POV structure, where we switch between different characters present at the estate as well as the mysterious party guest. It wasn't too hard to keep the different characters apart, and the switches were great to add more background and give little hints at what some of them were hiding. I could have done without the cheating, but since it's not important to exactly like the characters I wasn't too bothered by it. 'Love to hate' is definitely the key sentiment here! And somehow it really works in the plot's favor.

If you are looking for a well written and engaging psychological thriller focusing on a lot of messed up and unlikeable characters, The Weekend Retreat is a great choice. The entertainment factor is definitely present!

The plot line of this story was good but the characters were hard to follow or like honestly. I would still recommend this book for the whodunnit/creepy aspect of it.

"The Weekend Retreat" by Tara Laskowski is a gripping psychological thriller that skillfully navigates the complexities of friendship and the unraveling of secrets. The story unfolds as a group of friends gathers for a weekend retreat, only for tensions to escalate and long-buried truths to surface. Laskowski expertly builds suspense, keeping readers on the edge with unexpected twists and turns. The characters are intricately developed, each harboring hidden motives and insecurities. As the tension mounts, the author explores the fragility of relationships and the consequences of betrayal. "The Weekend Retreat" is a riveting and thought-provoking exploration of the dark corners within friendships.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
This book was really good!! The story hooked me from the beginning, the dynamic between the siblings and the background of a vineyard estate along with the secrets of almost every family member there, all kept my attention! This had many twists and turns, unexpected surprises along the way. It kept a face pace and gave just enough details at times to have you thinking you knew how it would go but then would have another surprise! I loved it! Only downside was even though the ending was good, I felt like the end of the book kinda came out of nowhere, many more details I still had thoughts and questions over.

The Van Ness siblings and their spouses/ partners meet on the remote but lavish family estate for their annual birthday gathering that turns deadly. A storm, a mystery character lurking in the shadows, secret passages, and oodles of unlikeable characters ready to stab each other in the back add to the suspense in this entertaining mystery. At times the family drama seemed to overshadow any suspense, but it was still an engaging read from start to finish.

Thank you Tara Laskowski, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HarlequinTradePublishing for the ARC #TheWeekendRetreat by #TaraLaskowski. This book was very interesting with the house secrets and the hidden secrets regarding a family reunion following their mother’s death. Highly recommend.

This book has a lot of my favorite tropes in it especially the one with Dysfunctional families and remote location where anything can happen but no body will hear your screaming .plus the Atmosphere, helped set the story as did the plot of the book.

Dysfunctional families and remote location thrillers are some of my favorite themes so this book was perfect for me! The characters were well-rounded and pretty unlikable, which supported the plot well. I liked how the chapters alternated between the more secondary characters (significant others, the mysterious guest). It made it feel like the reader was looking in at the drama in a way. This book is filled with greed, bad behavior, and rich people only concerned with themselves. All those elements lead to a great twist and a surprising ending. I really enjoyed this one!

Thanks to Tara Laskowski, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House, and NetGalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

The Van Ness family is one of major dysfunction stemming from their emotionally distant mother who raised the 3 siblings with mind games and manipulation. Each year they return to the family home and winery for the elder twins, Richard and Harper's, birthday. With the mother's passing the previous year, this weekend was overscheduled by Richard's wife. Included in the party are the spouses and the younger brother, Zach, and his girlfriend. What they do not realize, there is a secret guest who has an agenda of their own.

Once together, simmering hostilities and animosities surface. The couples despise each other, and as the weekend unfolds, secrets come out and suspicions run high with the uninvited guests creating chaos for the already tenuous bonds.

The author creates twists and turns especially toward the end. Just buckle up and enjoy the ride.

The Weekend Retreat is a thriller that follows the drama behind the wealthy Van Ness family and the secrets that may tear the family apart.

The three Van Ness siblings (twins Harper and Richard, and little brother Zach) and their partners meet for the twins' birthday celebration at their family's winery and estate. Family tension joins them, but so does a threat of an awful storm, as well as a mysterious party guest who can't be there for good reasons. There are secrets and drama in any family, but my goodness, every member of the Van Ness family has enough individually for an entire family.

It started off pretty slow for me and took a little while to get the characters, but it was necessary to get the backstory we needed to continue on with the story. It took me about a week to get through the first half of the story, but only two days to finish the second half. I was a little disappointed at first when it came to the reveal of the party guest's identity, mainly because I initially forgot who the person was when mentioned earlier in the book. But the rest of the reveals were pretty intense and actually surprised me.

I enjoyed that the chapters flowed between Harper, Lauren (Zach's girlfriend of 6 months), Elle (Richard's wife), the Party Guest, and snippets of newspaper clippings following the events of the party. It brought the exposition needed, but in a way that didn't grow old or stale.

All in all, it was a fun and interesting read. Thank you to Tara Laskowski, NetGalley, and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Graydon House for providing me with an advanced copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.