As Bella drops her son off at university, she’s devastated. It’s been the two of them ever since Asher was born. The only thing helping her through is an upcoming week-long wilderness retreat in Sweden, a surprise gift from her sister and Asher.

The lodge is modern and luxurious – but the surrounding forest is foreboding. Named Dead Man’s Forest after the legend of a local bandit left to die inside a wooden coffin, there are rumours that, on quiet nights, you can still hear the scratching of his fingernails against the lid.

When someone begins leaving unsettling notes, and a figure from her past comes back to haunt her, Bella’s unease grows. This certainly isn’t the restful retreat she signed up for. And when another guest suddenly disappears, Bella fears she might not make it home alive…

The Wilderness Retreat

by Jennifer Moore 

My review

I finished The Wilderness Retreat late last night. There was no way I could go to sleep until I had.

When we first meet Bella, she is dropping her only child, Asher, at university before jumping on a plane to Sweden for a week of relaxation, courtesy of her older sister. The Retreat is located in a beautiful place, but I’m not sure I would want to be somewhere so remote, especially on my own with a group of strangers so I could understand Bella’s reluctance. I found Bella quite relatable as a mother. I have two adult children and I know I would hate not being able to even text them/or them me if needed. They are still your babies no matter how old they get!

I knew something bad was going to happen at this retreat, but I was not prepared for the story that unfolded. It’s quite disturbing to say the least. The tension and suspense kept me glued to my kindle. I felt so scared for Bella as the story progressed. I could feel her fear, her frustration, her desperation, her panic. I would have been desperate to get out of there too! I suspected everyone at one point or another of causing her agony. I even thought Bella herself was having some kind of breakdown.

When it clicked my jaw dropped!

Brilliant! I loved it!

**Many thanks to the author and publisher for my review copy via NetGalley**

Preorder now

Out 22nd February 2023

Happy reading! 🙂