Benjamin Compson

Max is emotionally worn out and decides to participate in a weeklong meditation retreat in the French countryside to heal and relax. Things there are strange and suspicious from the start and quickly spiral into very dark and sinister shenanigans.
This was a fast read with many inconsistencies and even more exclamation marks. It was really really annoying. The beginning featured an insane amount of exclamation marks, which didn't help to take the story seriously. Please do edit those out. show more Please. They distract.
Additionally, the writing style felt very juvenile and immature.
Max therefore also felt quite immature as a character and a lot younger than he was supposed to be.
The Teacher raised red flags left and right and felt unqualified to lead such a retreat from the first sentences he utters. Why the participants all choose to stay and go on with this is beyond me.
Yet, The Retreat was a quick and easy read and the very twisty ending (together with the decreasing amount of exclamation marks after the halfway mark) redeemed it a lot.

I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All viewpoints are entirely my own. show less