Blog Tour Review: The Weekend Retreat by Tara Laskowski

 

The Weekend Retreat by Tara Laskowski

Publication Date: December 26th 2023 by Graydon House

Pages: 352

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Harlequin | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Books-A-Million

My Thoughts:

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. 

4 Stars

Book Summary: 

Every year, the illustrious Van Ness siblings, heirs to a copper fortune, gather at their lush 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 and relaxation, 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…

Photo Credit: Ron Aira

Author Bio: 

TARA LASKOWSKI is the author of The Mother Next Door and One Night Gone, which won an Agatha Award, Macavity Award, and Anthony Award, and was a finalist for the Mary Higgins Clark Award, Left Coast Crime Award, Strand Critics' Award, and Library of Virginia Literary Award. She is also the author of two short story collections, Modern Manners for Your Inner Demons and Bystanders, has published stories in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and Mid-American Review, among others, and is the former editor of SmokeLong Quarterly. Tara earned a BA in English from Susquehanna University and an MFA from George Mason University and currently lives in Virginia. Find her on Twitter and Instagram, @TaraLWrites.

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