A review by michellesantiago
The Retreat by Sarah Pearse

2.0

This will most likely be my last read by Sarah Pearse. I read The Sanatorium last year and I thought it was okay--I didn't hate it like everyone seemed to. The Sanatorium was mid for me, but I wanted to give Sarah Pearse another chance. When The Retreat was available in my library's Libby, I picked it up.

Well, The Retreat was boring and uninspired. The characters were cardboard and the plot and mystery so incredibly trite and tired. I basically just finished the book just to finish it and it took me a whole week and now I think I'm in a reading slump.

I should've just DNF'd it, but sometimes I'd be reading a mediocre book and feel like I already dedicated effort and time I might as well just push through then I'll at least be able to list it as a "read" book. That's what happened here.

I did like the setting of the story though--a mysterious, isolated island where unsolved murders had occurred. I'm a sucker for that kind of premise. I thought the author did a good job with the setting. Unfortunately, everything else sucked so the atmospheric setting got lost in all that boring muck.