Three-Star Review for *The Lodge by Sue Watson (Audiobook)

The Lodge by Sue Watson offers an interesting mix of family drama and psychological suspense. The idea of being trapped in a remote lodge with unresolved tensions and a murder investigation adds a good amount of intrigue. The audiobook format brings the atmosphere to life, and the setting in the snowy wilderness enhances the sense of isolation and danger.

That said, the story unfolds a bit predictably, and some of the character development felt a bit flat for my taste. While there are moments of suspense, the pacing slowed down in parts, making it a bit of a slow burn.

Overall, it's an enjoyable listen, but it didn’t fully grip me the way I hoped. Worth a try if you enjoy family drama with a twist of mystery.

I love a good thriller mystery and this was great on audio book. Kept me hooked and lots to keep me gripped and entertained throughout.
Thank you netgalley for this in exchange for my honest review.

This is in many ways a typical thriller but that doesn't make it bad! The characters are interesting and have depth and the setting is naturally haunting, leaving you on the edge of your seat the whole time.

Okay, so I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. It sucked me in right out of the gate and I could not stop listening. How can you not love a multiple POV, locked-room, domestic/family thriller? I loved all the twists and the character development was awesome. Everyone's a suspect and no one is completely innocent.

The audio narration was excellent. This was an all-around great book. A solid 4 stars!

Thank you NetGalley for the audio copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

First of all I loved the title and cover for this book. So having read most of the author’s books I kind of knew what to expect. But wowsers I wasn’t expecting that. This book is so darn good I loved everything about it. I was totally hooked from start to end and listened to the audio in one day.

The narrator is awesome and really brings this story to life. I literally didn’t know who to trust. I mean you have an ex wife, the new wife, the mother in law and Scott trapped in a lodge. What could possibly go wrong?!

I loved that this story was set in the snow at Cornwall instead of the sunshine. Making the story more dramatic.

I also love how the story is told, alternating between Danni and Fiona. Building the story up layer by layer which keeps you on the edge of your seat.

This is a story full of twists and turns and suspense. I couldn’t listen to it fast enough. The Lodge is my new number one favourite by Sue Watson. She has really excelled herself with this cracking read. It is without a doubt a five star read.

It's Angela's birthday! She wants to invite the entire family to a lodge in the woods to celebrate. There's her son Scott and his new wife Dani and their child. Then there's Scott's ex-wife Fiona and her 2 adult children.
Fiona doesn't get on well with Dani, the new wife. And Dani doesn't care too much for Fiona either
And then there's the chef, Jena. Jena is young and sweet, and she may just have eyes for Scott
How will all these people get along in this one house when they all have something to hide. Not to mention, one of the family members is now missing

A bit of a slow build but once it picks up it gives fast. Some predictable aspects. Still not a bad story. Suspense and thriller vibes.

When Fiona gets an invitation to her ex-mother-in-law's rented lodge in Cornwall, to celebrate her 75th birthday she wants to refuse as her ex-husband and his new wife, Danni and their baby will be there. But then Angela (the M-i-L) suggests it might be her last and Fiona feels obliged to go. Her two children and a "chef" are also at the lodge. The lodge gets snowed in and there is a mysterious hit-an-run incident just as they arrive. When Danni goes missing and chef Jenna seems to have secrets of her own, everyone becomes a suspect. A good whodunnit with a few twists.

The Lodge centres around the Wilson family consisting of Fiona, her ex-husband Scott, his new mistress turned wife Danni, their daughter Olivia, Fiona and Scott's teenage children Sam and Georgia and Scott's mother Angela who all stay in a lodge in Cornwall to celebrate Angela's birthday. The snow comes in and severs the family off from the rest of the world and chaos ensues.

This book was so fun. I loved how unhinged the characters were and it was really entertaining to hate these characters. The secrets were unexpected and I thought the plot moved at a good pace in general. I loved the setting of the Cornish coast and the snow really added to the tense atmosphere and sense of foreboding throughout the book. The narrators did an amazing job and I liked the different voices for the two points of view.

My only complaint is that at times both narratives got slightly repetitive and particularly at the beginning the pacing was slightly slow.

Overall I really enjoyed this and would recommend this if you're looking for a fun, quick locked room thriller!

This was a good book and the narrator did a great job. It felt at times that the pace was a bit slow or clunky but overall a fun listen

"The Lodge" by Sue Watson is a compelling and atmospheric read that skillfully blends mystery and suspense. Watson creates a captivating narrative with well-developed characters. The setting adds an extra layer of intrigue, immersing readers into the eerie atmosphere of the lodge. Overall, a gripping tale earning a solid four and a half stars for its engaging plot and well-crafted suspense.

Thank you NetGalley and Sue Watson for the eARC!

Firstly, I listened to this on audio and the two narrators were so good! I absolutely loved listening to them read the story.

I did enjoy this locked-in thriller! It did have unexpected twists that I wasn’t able to guess so bonus points for that! I really only had one main critique and I just remember feeling like the pacing felt a little off. It felt like this huge build up and then everything is revealed at the very end in the epilogue. I kind of wish little reveals were sprinkled in throughout the book. I truly hadn’t guessed who had done it because the actual killer was such a wild card. Did not see that coming at all.

*HUGE spoiler alert upcoming*



Since Dani’s death was more of an accidental killing, the ending almost fell sort of flat. I so wish it would’ve been because of a vendetta someone had against Dani. And then it seems wild to me that they would let their sweet granny with dementia just take the fall for it. I feel so sorry for Angela.

This is the perfect book to curl up and read on a cold winter day. (Lets just hope you're not trapped in a lodge like the unfortunate characters in this book).

Non-stop family drama. Scheming characters. Lies, lies and more lies. In other words, this is juicy stuff!
By the end, my feelings about the characters had flip-flopped so much. Watson did a fantastic job of layering domestic drama with a chilling mystery and leaving the reader guessing what would happen next.
There was so much unease with the familial relationships. I felt the tense ooze off the page and was thanking my lucky stars I was trapped with a family this dysfunctional. The snowy setting certainly enhanced the creeping sense of dread, and the ending was so unexpected.

If you're a fan of domestic thrillers/locked room mysteries, give this one a read.
I'm a big fan of Sue Watson and have read most of her books. This is my favorite one so far.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Overall interesting thriller- the pacing was good and the twists were not completely expected. I both enjoyed and disliked all the main characters in turn, depending on whose POV it was. The narrators did well.

I really enjoyed this Audio book , When Fiona is invited on a family holiday by her ex mother in law its her worst nightmare as her ex husband will be there with his ne w wife Danni the woman he left Fiona for and as Fiona tries to get out of it Angela the mother in law says it might be her last family holiday so Fiona agrees.
Its bound to go wrong especially when they get stranded in the snow and a number of the others have hidden agendas
Some good twists and turns

This is my first audiobook listen on NetGalley - many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity.

A dramatic build up to a weekend with the ex-wife, current-wife, and mystery woman all brought together by the beloved grandmother. What could possibly go wrong? One murder ? Two murders? Maybe more? Blackmail and sexual tension are on the list!

As a mom there’s not much I wouldn’t do for my children. The matriarch dynamics are shifty in this book. I can’t decide if the audiobook saved it for me or if it is what contributed to the characters I really didn’t care for.

I would read the author again.

‘The Lodge’ written by Sue Watson and narrated by Alison Campbell and Tamsin Kennard is a captivating mystery with great suspense.

Located in a snowy, off-the-beaten path lodge – One Family, One Holiday, One Chance for Murder – is a gripping murder mystery. This family gathers together to celebrate the 75th birthday of Angela, the grandmother, mother – including the ex-wife, new wife, her son and a personal chef, who happens to have her own twist on connections to others in the story. Who can not accept the invitation to the matriarch’s 75th birthday getaway when she indicates it might be her last holiday together?

Watson alternates between Fiona and Danni, two of the females at the lodge, to tell the story from two points of view. Their connection to the family is through Scott, the son of Angela. This writing pattern provided two different perspectives that I found easy to follow. It is clear there is jealousy between the two women. The suspense builds and creates a book that is difficult to set down or to stop listening to!

Thank you #NetGalley and #Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book early in exchange for a review. All opinions and thoughts are those of my own.

My first book from Sue Watson and I could not have enjoyed it anymore!

A story about a dysfunctional family locked in a lodge for a birthday weekend, a winter getaway.

This story focuses on a birthday weekend getaway for the matriarch of the family. She wants nothing more than to spend time with her son, his new wife, his ex-wife, their kids, and a cordon bleu chef.

There is a lot of animosity and jealousy between the ex-wife and the new wife, each fighting for the attention and love of the matriarch and her son.

Thank you Bookouture Audio and Netgalley for my ARC.

This was creepy, thrilling, and exactly everything you'd want in snowstorm set thriller. I absolutely loved everything from the pacing to the story, characters, narration- you name it. This audiobook begs to be read with a cup of something warm and a blanket for the chills.

Thank you so much for this audio arc in exchange for an honest review- my opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved The Lodge. I thought the premise was really interesting and the author really delivered. The characters were all so interesting and intriguing in their own ways. I spent the majority of the book trying to figure out everyone's intentions and who we could trust. These are my favorite types of thrillers. I thought the ending was very dramatic and really wrapped the book up nicely.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.