The Wilderness Retreat by Jennifer Moore

 

Bella Burnstone's life is changing. Her career as a composer is beginning to take off and her 18 year old son is off to university. To cope with the departure of her son Bella has been gifted a week at a wilderness retreat in Sweden. A luxury retreat in the middle of the forest with seven other guests and four members of staff. Shortly after arriving Bella begins to experience things that make her doubt her own sanity.

Bella is a likeable character. For eighteen years it's just been her and her son, Asher. Having gotten pregnant just as she started university she dropped out and raised her son on her own, never revealing to anyone who the father is. There is a close bond between Bella and Asher and this helps you to understand the mixed feelings Bella is going through as her son leaves home.

The wilderness retreat is a gift from Bella's sister, the hope is that it will take her mind off Asher leaving for university. The retreat is in the middle of the forest, a chance to get away from the stresses and strains of everyday life, particularly as there is no phone signal.

The other guests are a mixed bunch, some are eccentric, others seem to be hiding secrets; Oscar is an aspiring thriller writer, keen to find novel ways of murdering his characters. Krista is a grieving widow, her husband was killed in a hit and run and a psychic has told her there is a Scandinavian connection to the driver who has never been found. T (yes, that's a name) is newly single, having recently being dumped by his partner. Hamer is a practical joker. Lena is a journalist who is writing a review of the retreat. Two other guests are due to arrive the following day, one of whom is guest speaker, someone who has links to Bella's past.

The story starts slowly, you understand how Bella is torn between needing to take her mind off events at home and her reluctance to cut herself off completely from the outside world. As little things begin to happen to Bella there is a sense of paranoia. Bella, and the other guests, begin to question her sanity as no-one else seems to be experiencing the same things. 

As the tension builds and Bella tries to figure out why things are happening to her one of the other guests goes missing. No-one else seems to notice the missing guest and this adds to the sense of paranoia and isolation.

I enjoyed the slow build, the tension, the neurosis but I found Bella's reaction to everything a little strange. I found far too many of her actions to be passive. The who and why didn't come as a surprise either, although there were still some revelations towards what I felt was an abrupt ending.

The Wilderness Retreat by Jennifer Moore will be published in ebook and audio format on 22nd February 2023 and in paperback on 27th April 2023. My thanks to NetGalley and HQ for a review copy.