Disclaimer to anyone who has read this book and loved it, this review is probably not going to go the way that you think and I apologize in advance.
I picked this book because it was on Reese’s book club list. It was the first time I picked a book for that reason. I was up late one night and saw she had a book club and there were a few books that I had already read and loved on the list so I figured picking one off her list was a safe bet.
I was wrong.
You let me down Reese!
There was honestly nothing I enjoyed about this book. I didn’t like the writing, the characters or the ending. But my big eye roll was the epilogue!
Sanatorium is a murder mystery. A “who done it” if you will. The main character is a female detective who is on leave because it seemed she got a little too emotionally involved with her former case and took the failure hard. She then goes to her brothers engagement party that’s being hosted at the hotel his fiancé works at. Things get weird when the bride-to-be goes missing before the celebrations even begin and they get even weirder as people around the hotel start to turn up dead. The cops are unable to make it to the hotel because it’s up in the Swiss Alps and there are major avalanches happening around the area making it unsafe to travel.
My pet peeve with the book was that the story could best be summarized as:
“Ah! I found the killer! So and so did it! Case closed.”
“Oh, wait. I was fooled! So and so didn’t do it. How could I be so blind? Clearly it was that person over there! Yup, solved it.”
“Whoops.. I was wrong again. It was definitely that guy! This time I’m sure of it!”
Nope. And after 12 hours of listening to this, she still don’t have it right. I honestly found myself anxiously waiting for the book to be over and the only reason I didn’t completely give up on this book and demand a full refund is because I just kept thinking about my deep love for Reese Witherspoon. I don’t think there’s ever been a movie that she’s been in that I didn’t love. She’s America’s sweetheart and I refuse to believe that the woman who has brought us everything from Cruel Intentions to Legally Blonde to The Morning Show has bad taste in books!
So I powered on and by the time the narrator said her final words, I literally said out loud, “oh thank God that’s over!
All in all, I don’t recommend this book, however, I am curious to hear from those who have read it and loved it. Was there something that I missed that made this book stand out from the others? Am I just not into murder mystery novels? Or is it in fact ME who has the bad taste in books?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Lastly, I always like to tell you guys if I read or listened to the books we discuss and what I personally recommend. I listened to this one but I think this one in particular would be better as a read. I usually listen to books while I’m driving or doing laundry or something of that nature but I don’t think Sanatorium is the kind of book you can listen to while multitasking. If I got distracted for the smallest second I was completely lost in the story. Sitting down with a physical copy would definitely help you pay attention to all the details and might help you enjoy this one more.
Overview from Barnes and Noble
What could possibly go wrong at an abandoned sanatorium turned hotel? Throw in the Swiss Alps setting AND an off-duty detective and you know you are going to be in for some winter weather chills. And, NOT from the low temperatures. This book stopped us in our tracks. Well, at least we THINK they are our tracks.
I didn’t read it but my mom did and she was asking if I wavted to borrow her copy. I asked, is it worth my time? Her response was the shrugged shoulder emoji ??♀️ . So I decided against taking it.
I heard this one wasn’t great, so I’m skipping it.
Glad you included your opinion on the audio. I’ve never listened to an audio book, so would need a great narrator to get me to make the change. I do want to try an audio book soon though. Just think I won’t be able to pay attention!
I’m so glad you didn’t like it!
…lol..because I literally couldn’t finish it with only an hour to go (I’m an audible person) I hated it…i still don’t care who did what!
Ha!
Have you tried any Kristin Hannah books!? I typically like more fiction/drama/campy, ideally set in London or Ireland (the accents!!) but Kristin Hannah is fail proof when you want something poignant, moving, tearful…historical! Ahh! Her narrators are the best too!
I had high hopes for the Sanatorium, I mean, Reese Witherspoon is recommending it, so it better be good, right? Wrong. I love to read murder mysteries, but this one fell flat for me. I didn’t particularly like the characters, the story was meh, and I think it was drawn out a little bit. This was the first book that I listened to through Audible, and the one positive I will say, is that I loved the narrator’s voice (Elizabeth Knowelden).
Thank you! I’m so glad I wasn’t the only that felt this way