The Family Retreat: 'Few psychological thrillers ring so true.' The Sunday Times Crime Club Star Pick

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She meets another woman who is staying at the cabins for the summer, and she has two children roughly the same age as Jess's. Although Jess finds Helen a little stand-offish at first, she soon finds herself embroiled in this woman's life. As autumn approaches, Jess - and the reader - will come to realise this is going to end in a way no-one could have imagined...

I read A Good Enough Mother by this author which was incredible, so I was delighted to get my hands on this one and it didn’t disappoint. I LOVE the author’s style of writing; her prose, her reflections, her hints of what is to come swept me right into this story. And I don’t often quote parts of books but the following passage brought tears to my eyes (yes another book that’s made me cry round the pool in Fuerteventura, I’m on a roll here! 😭) as it was just so powerful and perfect. I loved the descriptions of the surroundings, making the coast and the dancing ledge almost a character in its own right and of the characters I felt I could really picture the story as it unfolded and it kept me intrigued to see what would happen next and if my suspicions were correct. In the cottage next door Helen her husband James and there two children Ollie and Lexie have also come to spend the summer in Helen's mum cottage whilst she is away. Even though James can only visit at weekends due to setting up is own business.As autumn approaches, Jess – and the reader – will come to realise this is going to end in a way no-one could have imagined… One thing that is missing from your family is quality time. If your family is anything like mine, there are a lot of things going on at any given time. The kids are in school, activities, sports, scouts and/or church. The adults are working, commuting, doing yard work, shopping, cooking, and cleaning. All of that activity can make it difficult to find time to just slow down, enjoy one another and leave the busyness of the world behind. A family retreat can be the perfect solution to help you slow down, enjoy one another and leave the busyness of the world behind. A family retreat can be just the thing to help your family reconnect with one another and refocus on what is important. What are the goals of a family retreat? Everything was amazing! We had a memorable time at La Borde Blanque!Highly recommended for those who are looking for a quiet, spiritual retreat immersed in nature and with excellent instructors and atmosphere :-) food and accomodation were also great!" Anyone who spots something suspicious can always report it to our Customer Service team so that our fraud team can investigate.

So, although I didn't really like the characters, the plot was good once it finally got going. It ended up being an okay read. The characters are not likeable and mostly disturbed, probably too many people with issues in one place. Yes. In fact, yoga retreats are often best taken alone. When you travel solo, you can focus fully on yourself and reconnect with your heart’s desire. You will also meet like-minded people if you’re on a group retreat. You might come away with a gang of new friends.Fuelled by a heady rush of altruism, she decides to act - a choice that will have unforgettable, potentially devastating consequences.

Jess communicates on a weekly basis with a therapist via the internet, having to go to a neighbour’s house where the signal is better. She befriends her neighbour Helen, who, similarly has two children, and the four young off-spring spend time together, trawling the beaches with their mothers. As the friendship grows, Helen starts to confide in Jess, sharing personal information. Meanwhile, Jess is struggling to piece together the snippets of information around the increasingly erratic behaviour exhibited by her father, whilst also still being sharply aware of her own sister’s mental health issues. It is a complex family dynamic that Jess understands but is forced to confront as she tries and keeps all the plates spinning. The theme of safeguarding played a major part in this storyline and the difficulties surrounding a very emotive subject were explored sympathetically. For GP Jess, her caring nature and sense of duty meant that she often looked at problems with a dichotomous thinking without considering any grey areas. Her sessions with her therapist helped to show the reader how these thought patterns have shaped the woman she is now and why she often doesn’t react to what is so obviously in her eyesight. She is a complex character but I found her absolutely fascinating even if I struggled to understand her thinking at times.

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It's been a long time since that book and I was delighted to find that Thomas had published her second novel; The Family Retreat. The Family Retreat is fabulously written, and I loved the setting descriptions particularly. It comes as no surprise that the author was a psychologist as the authenticity, the sensitivity and the authority of the psychological elements is mesmerising, making the book a brilliant read. There are some difficult themes explored through the narrative that give The Family Retreat incredible depth and maturity. I enjoyed the author's observations; her characters were rich and detailed, and I found their behaviours to be astutely depicted. The description of the women in the story having to manage men's emotions, to dim their own feelings to make room for the men in their lives was interesting food for thought, making me think about instances from my own life. The story was compelling and engrossing.