Such Sheltered Lives drops three wealthy strangers onto an isolated wellness retreat and then slowly peels back every layer they work so hard to hide. Amelia Blue Harris is the daughter of a rock legend and she is losing her fight with an eating disorder. Lord Edward of Essex arrives wrapped in the brittle confidence of a British aristocrat who is drowning in addiction. Florence Bloom is a pop star whose life has turned into a string of scandals she can no longer outrun. On the surface these guests have more money than I could ever imagine, yet their lives are filled with grief and trauma and choices that haunt them. Watching them land at Rushs Recovery with their secrets packed tighter than their suitcases is an instant pull.
The multiple points of view work beautifully because they let you slip into each character’s history and fear and motivation for getting out of this place as soon as possible. Their desperation is quiet at first, but it grows and you begin to understand why this retreat is not the safe bubble it pretends to be. There is also a separate thread that follows a body discovered on the island, and this entire community becomes a character of its own. The facility, the staff, the routines that look polished from afar all start to reveal something darker behind them. You feel the tension of a place that sells peace but survives on secrets.
Addiction, privilege, mental health, and generational trauma are explored with care and nuance, and the story moves with a confidence that makes the slow burn feel intentional. Then the last third of the book hits and everything tightens. The pace snaps forward and you realize you have been lulled into a false sense of calm right before the floor drops out. It is absorbing, unsettling, and surprisingly emotional, and despite the idea of a wealthy wellness retreat and days without responsibility - I was ready to get out of there too.
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