Review: Such Sheltered Lives

Such Sheltered Lives by Alyssa Sheinmel
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Wow, just wow. This is my first book of the new year, and I felt that it had so much promise. I was very let down.  <spoiler>I dislike multiple timelines, especially when you don't find out about it until the end</spoiler>

I hope my next book by an unknown (to me) author keeps my interest more and has a clearer story. Yes, the twist was somewhat interesting, but to me, the twist was just another trope.  

I feel like my book must have been missing pages, or at least some pertinent information, to get the ending that we have here.

It was bad enough to sit through the constant whining of these three—poor little rich kids with issues that led up to their destructive behavior. They have nobody to blame for this but themselves.

 We have :

An anorexic who self-harms.

Someone with anger/drug issues ( and is totally misunderstood, of course)

And yet another with drinking and drug problems.

The multiple points of view just reinforced the 'poor me' attitude, and adding 'relationships' to the mix was over the top for a place like this.

It may have been a luxurious recovery center for the rich and has-beens, with only 3 patients at a time. Still, it was run more like a prison with the "caregivers" sleeping in the same bungalows as the people in recovery, and not being as observant as you would think doctors would be in such a high-priced place. It was so sloppily run that they never realized that one of the patients had smuggled in drugs.

I can't believe this book was only 288 pages; it read like it was over 500.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Atria/Emily Bestler Books/Simon & Schuster, the author, and NetGalley.

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SUMMARY: "

Rush’s Recovery promises its wealthy guests the utmost discretion. But when a body is discovered, how long can the center’s secrets stay buried?

Tucked among the pristine beaches and lavish manors of the Hamptons sits Rush’s Recovery, a rehabilitation center where ultra-high net worth clients can seek treatment away from prying eyes and paparazzi. The center’s latest guests have just Lord Edward of Essex, a British aristocrat fighting his black-sheep status and a painful addiction; Amelia Blue Harris, the daughter of a 90s rock legend struggling with an eating disorder; and Florence Bloom, a pop star trying to lay low after her latest tabloid scandal. Each has been promised the highest standard of care, from daily therapy and a live-in chef to acupuncture sessions and a personal care manager, available 24/7. Just so long as they stay in their private cottages and never interact with the center’s other guests.

But these three self-destructive B-listers have no intention of playing by the rules. No amount of cold plunges and talk-therapy can prevent Florence’s illicit flirtation with a staff member, or keep Amelia Blue and Lord Edward from sneaking out to wander the snow-covered grounds at night. Celebrities check in to Rush’s Recovery to protect their privacy, but the darkest secrets may lie in the center’s own history—and not every guest will be checking out alive."