Overview

She needed a fake girlfriend. The universe sent her the one woman she swore she’d never forgive.

Talia Knox is a fiercely ambitious corporate lawyer with one goal: making partner at her prestigious law firm. Her boss places great importance on family—and Talia’s carefully crafted lie about her long-term girlfriend, ‘Alex’, has kept her professional image impeccable. But when the firm announces a corporate retreat, with obligatory attendance for significant others, Talia’s lie is suddenly at risk of being exposed.

The worst is yet to come, after a chance mix-up leads Talia’s boss to mistake Imogen Lake—unemployed art curator, walking disaster, and the last person Talia wants to see—for her elusive partner. Given that Talia has despised Imogen ever since she found her in bed with her then-girlfriend, it’s less than ideal.

Desperate to protect her career, Talia proposes a deal: Imogen will pretend to be her devoted girlfriend for one weekend at the luxury countryside retreat, in exchange for a much-needed payday. Broke and out of options, Imogen agrees.

But between couples yoga, blindfolded hikes, and a classic one-bed situation, the line between performance and real emotion begins to blur. Old wounds resurface. Sparks fly. And soon, Talia faces the biggest decision of her life: hold on to everything she’s built or risk it all for the last woman she ever expected to want.

A witty, slow-burn sapphic romcom from internationally bestselling author Natasha West, The Retreat is a sharp, emotional, and laugh-out-loud lesbian romance. It follows two rivals forced to fake a relationship on a company retreat, where close quarters, unresolved history, and undeniable chemistry ignite a journey from enemies to lovers—and offer a heartfelt second chance.