User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Well, truly I hate the guts of the characters. I didn’t care what will happen to them! I didn’t care one of them die, hurt, get abused, terrorized, kidnapped, wounded etc. But I have to admit they’re the ensemble to get awarded as the worst unlikeable characters, have no idea why they’re created!
If I would be the author of this book, at the first chapter I would have killed them at a bloody massacre ( So bloody that Tarantino movies look like Disney movies if you compare it with my harsh, vulgar, violent opening) So thanks God, I didn’t write this. So so so so much better author wrote this book. Why is he so much better? Because even though I was out of my patience and I fantasized million ways to kill those characters, he gave me the reason to keep on reading with his great written plot, meticulously developed story progression and satisfying pacing. Actually if some pages of the book could have been emitted, it would have been more helpful to be hooked on the story. But the second half was surprisingly twisty, entertaining, exciting.
So Kate decides to go to a vacation to France with her longtime friends, including husbands, kids. She thinks her husband is cheating on her with one of her the very same friends she goes to the trip. She starts to conduct her own investigation to find out the identity of this shameless bitch is and she plans to scratch her face with sharp nails and then jump on her to punch till she gets unconscious.
Oh sorry, I confused her plan with regular Jerry Springer show scripted episode.
But as soon as she opens the box of secrets, she realizes she finds out more than she can handle. So much lies, secrets, schemes, twists, you feel like all those scumbag characters are worse than day time soap opera actors who are stabbing each other behind their backs.
The conclusion of the story is good but it could be better. There are still so much blanks needed to be filled. And I still have so much questions but I cannot talk about them without giving spoilers so I already put duct tapes on my mouth but funnily my hands still work but don’t worry my best friend Ashley watches my computer screen like a hawk and if I try to write anything inappropriate she’ll hit my hand with ruler.
So let’s round up my 3.5 stars to 4 because I enjoyed the writing and gripping story-telling but I wished I chose some better book of the author because his previous books stayed at my tbr so long that they might feel like they stayed at the purgatory so long. (Just like some of my long time requested books at NetGalley. They are not rejected but they are also not approved. They directly go to the archive cemetery.)
This is one of my good thriller reads but not one of the best and memorable reads. I recommend you to take it when you go to the holiday with your friends so you may give them dubious and disgusted looks during your vacation and learn the lesson of your life about how to lose your friends and alienate people!
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin Press for sharing this page turner ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review.
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Rating: really liked it
4 Jaw Dropping StarsRowan, Jennifer, Izzy and Kate were best friends and they all were. marking their fortieth birthdays with a week together in the South of France, husbands and children included.
And this is where it all begins... They are all in France and Kate sees 3 unread messages on messenger on her husband's phone. She clicks on them and sees that the messages are from Coral Girl...
Message me later when you can X...
Need to be careful this weekend like we discussed... Remember to delete messages as soon as you read... Does K suspect anything...
Then her husband messages her back... She has no idea but I can't go on like this... We'll decide when we're in France. ...Figure out what to do...I need to tell her soon...
Coral Girl responds We talked about this...Better a secret... Husband then responds...I know I feel so bad for lying to K.
Kate then thinks that her husband is having an affair. She suspects that the other woman is one of her two friends that are on vacation with her. But which one? The stakes are far higher than she imagined.
I love this author! I read 29 seconds last year and after I read that one I was hooked and wanted to read all of the author's books.
I loved the setting in France. I felt like I was there. I love when a book takes you to another country.
The characters were all very well developed. The author brings them to life. There were unlikable characters in this one. The kids needed a lot of discipline, which they didn't had any at all. Odette was such a brat but I loved reading about her.
After the first half of the book it became a very addictive read. I was captivated in the story and couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. I was so intrigued. It was a big surprise with jaw dropping moments and lots of twists and turns. This was not a predictable read at all.
I want to thank Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and the author for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
The year that four best friends turn 40 they travel to France with their families to stay at a luxurious villa together. Kate is on edge though because her husband Sean has been acting distracted, uninterested in her, and she suspects that he is having an affair. When she checks his messages on his phone she realizes that he must be having an affair with one of her three best friends. This week long vacation just goes downhill from there, as Kate frets about what to do, how to save her family, and how to find out which woman is cheating with her husband.
So many secrets and Kate has them, too. She has wronged, intentionally or knowingly, all three of her friends at one point or another. Any of them would have a reason to hurt Kate if they decided to do so. And it's beginning to look like someone might be willing to kill to keep the affair a secret. Too many things are going wrong, too many people, including the husbands and children, are acting strange. Just what is going on?
There is something that I didn't enjoy about the story and that is when Kate would be on the verge of learning something important from someone, so many times, as the person was on the verge of blurting out what was going on, spilling their guts, telling on someone, a catastrophe, big or small would occur in mid sentence and off everyone would go, sentence unfinished. I was okay with it a few times but it seemed to happen way too often within about a five day period. But otherwise, I enjoyed the story even if I didn't really like the characters. I even would get a chuckle because of the little five year old red headed brat that would act out...I would not have wanted to be around that kid in person but from this side of the page her tantrums made me laugh.
That little girl highlights a problem with this group though...that the parents don't seem to have control of their children and have no idea what their children are up to. The entire group is pretty messed up, no wonder so many "things" happen to them. While the parents are dealing badly with what is going on between them, the teenagers have their own problems that may outweigh those of the parents.
Published July 21st 2020
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
Rating: really liked it
Kate, Jennifer, Izzy and Rowan have been friends since their university days. Now years later with families of their own, they decide to include husband s and children in their
“girls” vacation. Maybe that wasn’t the best idea ladies! You know...worlds colliding and all that!🙄
Upon arrival Kate spies a text in her husband's phone. And surprise of surprises, it’s from another woman! The obvious conclusion is an affair. So why does this mystery text sound familiar? Kate has a sneaking suspicion it has come from one of her dear friends here on their vacation retreat!
Great premise! Unfortunately, it just didn’t grab me. This may be one of those it’s me and not the book situations. 🤷🏻♀️ But the story-line just went in one direction and my attention in another.
There are many fabulous five star reviews for this book, but I just couldn’t get there..
A buddy read with Susanne that left us both a bit underwhelmed.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC to read and review.
Rating: really liked it
A slow-burn of a mystery involving 4 best friends vacationing together. I had high expectations for this one after enjoying
Lies (2017) by this author. I really wanted this one to be a winner. The beginning was intriguing as one of the wives suspects her husband of having an affair with one of the "friends".
The second half involves the couples teenagers and this story line totally lost my interest. These are not the kind of people I would call friends and certainly not a dream vacation. I was frustrated with the pace and it didn't pick up until the last chapters. I was expecting more tension and thrills throughout the novel.
I am in the minority on my opinion, so check out the five star reviews and this may be a more exciting read for you. I saw that it was published in 2019 as
The Holiday and will be released in July 2020 as
The Vacation.
Thanks to NG / SM for my review copy.
Rating: really liked it
A Vacation to Boringville!!
(Warning! This is a 2.5 Star minority report among many 5/4 Star reviews)
The reader is whisked off to France, with a beautiful house and surrounding vineyards where four best friends and their families will be spending a long overdue vacation together. The four women have been friends since their first days at university.
One woman has recently noticed her husband becoming distant. Little changes here and there, such as him working out at the gym more often. She has high hopes that this vacation will set things right again. That hope dissolves on the day of their arrival, when she finds mysterious texts on his phone with another woman called Coragirl. Her heart plummets as she reads the last text "we'll talk about it in France". With no one else with them besides their children and husbands, this can only mean one thing. Coragirl is one of her best friends.
Instead of immediately confronting her husband she spends the rest of the vacation looking for clues and analyzing everyone else to figure out who it is. She wants all the information she can get before facing her husband directly. Meanwhile she is so fixated on her marriage that she misses important things going on in the lives of other members of her family, her children. With so many secrets and inner turmoil going on mere confrontation is the least of problems the group will encounter!
The synopsis of this book certainly sounded intriguing! Unfortunately, the plot itself was often arduous. Then when dramatic scenes did occur, they had an amateur tone, especially in the middle of the book. It took a long time to get anywhere with the plot. Which generally occurred at the very end. By then I found it all to be silly and no longer cared. Mostly I was glad the book was over. Many fellow readers have given this book 4 stars. I recognize I am in the minority. So, to each his own! This one was simply not for me!
*Thank you to St. Martin's Press (Macmillan) via Edelweiss+ for providing me with the digital review copy.
Rating: really liked it
The book begins with this epigraph: It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.” William Blake
Three Families
Seven Days
TOO MANY SECRETS TO COUNT!!
It’s supposed to be the perfect vacation, until Kate comes across a thread of text messages between her husband, Sean and CoralGirl.
The texts suggest an affair and a plan to figure out “what to do” while they are both in France...which means that the woman involved is also on this trip, and that means it’s one of her best friends..
But which one?
Rowan..who has always been more clever than Kate?
Jennifer, who has always been prettier?
Or Izzy, the funnier one, who always makes Sean laugh?
(I suspected each woman at one time or another!)
Kate has caused each of these women PAIN, at some point in their friendship.
What kind of pain, gets revealed, a little bit at a time...
But, Kate thought these bygones had all been put to rest.
Turns out that somebody has a secret that they would KILL for, and
not everyone will survive (not a spoiler, revealed right after the epigraph)
I was engaged from the VERY first page and read this book in ONE DAY!
the REVEAL surprised me, and was actually plausible...at the 90% point.
The last 10%-not as much-but still fun!
Overall, it was entertaining and unputdownable for me!
Thank You to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and T.M Logan for the digital ARC I received in exchange for a candid review!
This book is published under the title “The Holiday” in the UK and available now!
Published under the title “The Vacation” in the U.S. and is Available NOW!
I have enjoyed all three of this author’s titles, and look forward to seeing what he comes up with next!
Rating: really liked it
Perfect friendships. Perfect families. The Perfect vacation...a perfect mess!
Kate, Izzy, Jennifer and Rowan have been friends forever. They decide to take their families and vacation together at a luxurious villa in France. Sounds wonderful right? Beautiful location, good friends, good food, relaxing times -- except it is not for Kate who believes her husband is having an affair with one of her friends!
So instead of a perfect holiday, this trip becomes a nightmare. Think you have everything figured out? Think again! Go into this one as blind as possible. Kate was on a mission to learn the truth, but will it be the truth she is looking for? What if you think you know the truth and the truth comes back to bite you? Will knowing the truth set her free or cause even more pain?
This was a fast read that will irritate you at times, has characters that are not all that likable, have secrets, have serious flaws, and have an annoying child or two. Ever hear the adage "With friends like these."? Vacationing together can either make or break a relationship...what will happen here?
A fast read that had me asking all kinds of questions, coming up with all kinds of theories and not figuring a single thing out. I really enjoy when I can’t figure things out. Entertaining, frustrating at times, with several twists and turns, but everything comes together in the end!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Rating: really liked it
A great setting is key for all perfect mystery novels, this riveting thriller has that in abundance.
As this secluded but familiar setting is the perfect modern take on a genre, as Kate and her friends and families week long holiday to the south of France is about to turn into a trip from hell.
For university friends Kate, Rowan, Izzy and Jennifer reunite to celebrate turning 40 this year, this novel introduces an interesting dynamic of people who’ve got a tight bond but slightly different lifestyles now.
With Kate it’s her sixteen year old daughter Lucy transitioning into adulthood, whilst Izzy is the single one of the group - there’s a nice blend of characters.
But when Katy discovers some anonymous messages on her husband’s phone, she starts to wonder if he is having an affair.
‘Does K Suspect Anything?’
‘We’ll Decide When We’re in France’
Which one of her long trusting friends could be behind the texts?
I loved how everyone was a suspect as little hints are dropped through the book, Lucy wanting definitive proof and cast a suspicious eye on all her friends.
The story is littered with plenty of red herrings and great chapter cliffhangers that makes this addictive reading.
I’m glad that even the tiny misdirects were resolved during the conclusion.
This perfect summer thriller really slowly racks the tension as each day passes on their week long stay!
Rating: really liked it
It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend. -- William Blake I liked this one, y'all.
The misdirection was flawless. I suspected every character at some point throughout the story.
Told primarily through Kate's point of view (though there are occasionally chapters from a few of the other characters), The Vacation is a slow-burning, captivating domestic thriller. That is, until the final twenty percent of the book...then the shocks come in a fast and furious manner.
So many puzzle pieces...and I just simply wasn't able to put them together. T.M. Logan clearly deserves some kudos. This is only my second of his books, but I definitely preferred this to 29 Seconds.
My only gripe, and it's a relatively small one...I was hoping for more tension and build-up as the story progressed. Regardless, the story was compelling and kept me engaged throughout.
Recommended!
Available July 21, 2020, in the United States**My sincere thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advance copy.
Rating: really liked it
The best thing was a vicarious holiday in la belle France. Seven mostly unlikeable adults, five kids amongst whom there’s an obnoxious five year old and one teen (at least) who should be locked up. The mostly narrator Kate would put a dampener on anything, what miserable baggage. Glad I wasn’t on holiday with her, or any of them tbh. The plot contrivances are well, contrived. What’s the word I’m delving for to sum this up? Oh yes, underwhelmed. That’ll do. Finally, the wrong person died. Over and out.
Rating: really liked it
A reunion/holiday, four one-time best friends, three of their husbands and five children; Kate finds a text that clearly looks like her husband is having an affair with one her friends and will be announcing it on this holiday in France. Thus follows a superbly crafter paranoid investigation of her friends alongside an escalating mess of secrets amongst the older children! Happy holiday!
A near expert character study on how a partner has to second guess everything when they 'know' their partner is cheating on them, and how that paranoia can colour your interpretations of anything you see! I picked this book up because I had nothing to read before a journey on public transport, and what a gem I found. One of the most top quality engrossing mysteries I've read in years! 9 out of 12, Four Star read :)
2022 read
Rating: really liked it
Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review.
Eh, meh. I like my fiction to ring a mite truer than this did. It felt contrived and full of unnecessary subterfuge. It may work for some families to vacation together, kids and "baggage" included. If you are planning such a thing, you might want to reconsider, assuming you want to keep these friends of yours. I thoroughly enjoyed this author's
Lies, but this one just didn't track for me.
Rating: really liked it
In fairness to the author I’ll first say that I am definitely an outlier on this book. Many others have read and enjoyed it, however for me it was very mediocre.
As you’ve read from the blurb 4 college friends decide to take a trip to France, including their husbands and kids. The decision is helped along by the fact that one of them, Rowan, has been able to secure a beautiful vacation spot for them. What could be more perfect than a vacation to a vineyard with a beautiful pool with luxurious accommodations. Apparently what sounds perfect on paper doesn’t always pan out.
First off I completely disliked the main protagonist, Kate. She starts off the trip already completely unnerved and distrusting everyone because she feels as though her husband is having an affair. She is sure it is one of the three women that are along on this trip. She only has this assumption because she has seen some messages on her husband Sean’s cell phone that sound to her like they are from another woman and sound intimate. Rather than asking her husband of 25 years flat out, or questioning her friends, she goes about the entire vacation ruminating and talking about her assumptions. It got incredibly tiresome.
There really isn’t one likable person in this entire novel. There are three teenagers that all seem to have secrets and mental health issues. To say that these three come up with dangerous, even life-threatening ideas is to put it mildly. There is Daniel, Lucy’s younger brother, who seems to be an innocent in most things. But then there is spoiled, whiny and completely annoying Odette, who seems to be lacking any kind of parental control.
I felt as though I was just trudging through the story hoping for a satisfying ending. The last 25% of the book was redeeming enough that I knocked this up to three stars.
In a well written novel I usually enjoy descriptive writing. But when it comes to lines and lines of describing the weather and how hot and humid it was, it got repetitive. Here’s an example “the sun was already fierce, the air heavy with humidity and the damp, claustrophobic heat of impending thunder. And yet the sky was still a perfect azure blue, no clouds in sight and not a breath of wind.The only sound was a pair of swallows whirling high above me calling to each other as they turned and chased in an endless dance”. I felt as though some of the lengthy descriptions were just to fill pages and didn’t add to the story.
The ending wrapped things up pretty well but did little to change my mind about the entirety of the book.
I would recommend going into this book blind, you may find it an enjoyable read.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Rating: really liked it
Apparently this author thinks women = paranoid schizophrenics. They all acted mental but we, the reader, are supposed to just accept it as natural. The MC sees one small text on her husband's phone and suddenly goes psychotic towards him AND her three best friends, thinking he could be having an affair with any of them. She literally hides in bushes taking pictures of them.
But the men are ALL heros. Even the character who's 40 years old and watching a 16 year old girl in the pool, noticing her bikini top can hardly contain what's inside. Here's a direct quote... " Untouched by cellulite, by age, by wrinkles and lines and all the other stuff that ruined women in the end." That's horrible.
The book takes place in France. Great! Too bad the author forgot to include any kind of descriptive settings to reinforce that. It could have taken place anywhere. Also sexist is that the couples are literally staying in a house on a vineyard but none of the men drink wine. Only beer, whiskey or tequila. How masculine of them!.....eye roll.
The writing is SO-SO. I've seen a lot worse. Here's another quote " Pulling on my thin summer dressing gown, I padded out of our bedroom, marble tiles cool against the soles of my bare feet." It's not a bad sentence but how many times have you read a book that said the same thing?? Nothing original here.
