I was hesitant to read this book after seeing a lot of mixed reviews. After talking with some of my reading friends, the consensus was that it was a lot different than her other books and it didn’t have that psychological thriller component to it. It was very helpful to know this ahead of time or else I think I would have been waiting “for something to happen” the whole time. Some of her books were so enjoyable to me, specifically The Husbands Secret and Big Little Lies..and others fell flat like Truly Madly Guilty. I love her writing style and her in-depth characters which are always a consistent theme of her books.
I went into this one with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised by the first half of the book. I enjoyed “getting to know” each of the nine guests and the three staff members at Tranquillum House. I also love self-help so I was intrigued by the idea of a 10-day retreat. I enjoyed hearing about what lead the guests to make a visit to this exclusive resort..some of the stories were very interesting and some were also very sad. The characters were multi-faceted and although the first half of the book was not especially fast-paced, it was very enjoyable to me.
Unfortunately, after the first half, this book just lost me. I was interested in the idea that although the guests knew they would be leaving Tranquillum House totally refreshed and changed, they didn’t quite know what they were signing up for. But the direction the “treatment” took was just comical to me and it was hard to take seriously after that. I did wade through it until the end and enjoyed the “wrap-ups” of each character but once the book went a completely different direction..it just didn’t seem believable to me.
I am happy I read it but it was a long one and I don’t think it would be one I would recommend. I am hoping her next book is a winner because so many of them have been!
