Name of Book: The Widow’s Retreat
Author: AJ Carter
Book Style: Kindle Unlimited
Dates Read: 9th June – 11th June
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
My Review No Spoilers Promise
When I saw this one pop up, I was ridiculously excited.
By this point, AJ Carter has become one of my go to authors. His books are easy to read, addictive and almost always manage to pull a twist out of nowhere that leaves me staring at my Kindle wondering how I didn’t see it coming.
And for about 95% of this book, I was absolutely loving it.
The premise hooked me immediately. A widow trying to escape the painful memories of Christmas by taking her family away to a secluded forest retreat sounds unsettling enough. Then add mysterious notes, threats and the possibility that a killer could be lurking nearby and I was fully invested.
The isolated setting worked brilliantly. There is something about being trapped away from civilisation that instantly raises the tension, and AJ Carter does a great job of creating that uneasy feeling where nobody feels completely safe.
I flew through this book in just a couple of days because I genuinely needed to know what was going on. The pacing was fantastic, the suspense kept building and there were several moments where I changed my mind about what I thought was happening.
Then came the twists.
Because of course there were twists.
And then another twist.
And then… one final twist.
Now usually I love the fact that AJ Carter keeps throwing surprises at the reader. It is one of the reasons I keep picking up his books. But if I am being completely honest, the final twist in this one just wasn’t for me.
I don’t want to spoil anything, but my reaction was less “OMG!” and more “Eugh… really?” It felt like one twist too many and slightly took the shine off what had otherwise been a brilliant read.
That being said, it still wasn’t enough to ruin the book for me because I enjoyed everything that came before it so much.
Final verdict
A tense, addictive thriller with a fantastic setting, plenty of suspense and enough twists to keep your head spinning. Whilst the final reveal didn’t quite land for me personally, I still thoroughly enjoyed the journey and flew through the book.
Not my favourite AJ Carter ending, but still a very solid four star read.
Let’s be friends on Goodreads
Me throughout the book: “This is brilliant.”
Me at the final twist: “AJ… mate… we need to talk.” 📚😂👀
The Anxious Book Worm 
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