Member Reviews
Four university friends and their families go on holiday to a villa in France to celebrate their becoming 40. What could go wrong?
Katie's Husband Sean has seemed distracted recently and Katie, desperate to get to the bottom of things checks his phone and gets more than she bargains for. It seems he's having an affair with one of the 3 friends and they are planning on coming clean whilst in France.
Several reviewers have said they found this book to be a slow burner. I found i got straight in to the book and just wanted to keep reading it. I got a bit confused regarding who was married to who and who their children were. Not sure there's anything the author could have done about this though.
I loved the authors writing style and Katie, as well as the reader, suspects each friend in turn. There was no way I could have guessed the ending as it was original and fresh.
I enjoyed this book so much that I went straight to Amazon to buy the authors other 2 books , to find that , fortunately for me, I already have them sitting proudly on my Kindle. I can't wait to get started!
New to me author and what a gripping story! I really liked this book, enjoyed everything from the writing style that made me read and realised when I was more than half way through that I needed a break to gutter my thoughts on what I was reading and envisioned, to the characters that are so reliable and felt real, each one of them with their own insecurities, thoughts and past or present drama /angst. There are a few twists and made me realised how much they were necessary for the story. Who wouldn't be jealous or loose their beliefs in their other half when there are so many reasons to believe the worst of it. That twists at the end was unexpected for me and I was all along wandering what happens next and what the author has in his sleeves for us
I was delighted to get the chance to have an ARC of this novel as I loved the previous two books by TM Logan this is an honest and unbiased review of the book.
Unfortunately I found the first 80% of the book very slow the premise is good. Four good friends who have known each other since university go on a group family holiday arranged by Kate to celebrate her 40th birthday. I struggled with Kate seemingly to have had a happy marriage until her husband Sean starts behaving slightly differently just before they go on holiday. Then she starts to believe he’s having an affair. From reading a text on his phone seems to confirm it to her and she suspects it’s one of her three friends each one being suspected at some point in the story. The children of all the families are an absolute nightmare in one way or another. I just found it very slow going literally until I got to the last 20% of the story. When there are a couple of unexpected twists. I understand the story is showing how far a parent would go to protect their own children. I think the fact that Kate is a crime scene investigator so is a rational woman who from what we learn she looks at the evidence but she has previously been wrong on 3 occasions in her private life which makes you wonder how good she is at her job in the first place. The writing is good and it flows well I just felt it was dragged out too long. But this is just my opinion and others may feel differently as we all like a different pace in a story. I will give this 4 stars out of 5
The Holiday - T.M. Logan 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5.
All the stars for this addictive edge of your seat thriller.
An innocent holiday in idyllic France between four friends and their families turns into something a lot more sinister.
An outstanding thriller featuring holidays, relationships and dysfunctional families. With a murder thrown in to the mix.
Fantastic writing style, set with such a fast and rapid pace. This book I couldn't put down. My heart was beating as it came to an end.
I love a thriller that throws your mind onto so many tangents and theories that keep you up at night and this book did just that. The ending I could never have guessed.
My favourite thriller of the year so far 🙌. Truly brilliant. You wont be disappointed.
Overall this was a good read. It was just a bit of a slow burner. It seemed to take a long time to get into the story,
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.
Perfect thriller for holidays! I loved it and found it very entertaining beach read.
It hooked me easily and I kept guessing and guessing till the end. Very good pace and fun to read. Recommended.
Thanks a lot Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It is actually the perfect read for a holiday and puts you in a holiday mood, until the story unravels.
What I loved about this book was the reveal wasn't until the last 5-6 chapters even though you were guessing throughout the whole book.
Brilliant read, and a first introduction to this author! Great work!
Slight slow burner at the start but once it got going I really enjoyed this, and seeing the fragility of friendships. Thank you for the opportunity to read
The Holiday was a book by the first page I knew I was going to love, with a storyline that gets you right in there from the beginning but balanced with drip feeding you information that turns the storyline on its head.
Kate and Sean are in France on holiday with their two kids and three other families, Kate and her three university friends always try and go away together but after a few years of not doing have decided to do a big gathering with partners and children. What should have been the best holiday ever turns into the worst by far. Lies, deceit, trust and death are the main features in this twisty read.
I loved the writing style it flowed well, the main character Kate was likeable and I liked the way I thought the book was going one way but after a chapter or two it totally turned on it’s head and I did not see the outcome coming at all.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.
This was my second TM Logan book and again I felt it was ok and I would recommend it to readers especially if you’re looking for something to read on holiday. That said it certainly isn’t on my favourites list as I couldn’t take to any of the characters and the lead female Kate who was a police officer seemed a bit dim and unworldly.
The perfect family holiday commences, planned by Kate to celebrate turning 40 – four best friends, their husbands and children in an amazingly decadent villa, celebrating their life long friendship. You’d think the worst that could go wrong would be drinking a little too much wine and getting too much sun. Instead, Kate finds out her husband is having an affair – with someone else in the villa. From there, things spiral way out of control and into a dark place of death and deceit. It’s a book about dysfunctional families, betrayal, secrets and lies. It twists and turns and drags you on a journey with an explosive ending.
A little far fetched, but undeniably a gripping psychological thriller. Four Stars. Check it out on Amazon. Four Stars.
This was a bit of a different take on the And Then There Was None trope - a group of strangers with a murderer amongst them. This time, Kate is on holiday with her family, and her best friends from university, and their families. What's meant to be a joyous reunion is ruined on the first day when Kate discovers her husband Sean is having an affair. And it's with one of her three best friends on holiday with them. As she starts to unspool the web of lies and delve into the cracks of her marriage, she goes through each of her friends to cross them off the list, and finally pinpoint who is ruining her life.
I liked how different this was - you weren't trying to pick out a killer, but the subject of an affair. And even though you knew there would be a death - you're told this on the first page of the prologue by the way, no spoilers - it is sort of put to the back of your mind as you focus on the more pressing matter - Sean's affair. And also, what is up with Kate's friends, and why are they all acting weird?
Ultimately, however, for a thriller this book wasn't very gripping. I didn't care for any of the characters, found them a bit 2D, and found the way they talked and interacted with each other just a bit... unrealistic. You know when you can tell a female character is written by a man? Yup. That. I also wasn't sold on the twist and the characters motivations.
3.5/5 stars.
I enjoyed this read and did not foresee the ending. It was full of twists and kept me interested to the end.
Four university friends get together with their families to celebrate their 40th in France. There are undercurrents and past secrets which underpin all the relationships. There are issues within each family which come to the fore and links which do not become apparent until the end.
I enjoyed the multi voices and perspectives.
An author I will look out for in future.
A well developed, fast paced and cleverly written thriller with good characters which I thoroughly enjoyed and can recommend.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
I’m someone who enjoys a fast paced thriller, and found The Holiday very slow to get going. The concept behind the story with four friends on holiday is a good choice. But sadly there wasn’t enough pace for me.
Thank you for the opportunity to read 'The Holiday'.
I would classify this as a holiday read - easy, enjoyable if not slightly unbelievable. The characters were interesting and the plot kept me guessing.
I absolutely loved this book. At last someone who can take a narrative and run with it, without resorting to changed of era etc. The opening chapter had me hooked and it did not take me long to read it all. Now I am sad as I no longer have it to read. The sign of a good book!
The setting in France, the gorgeous villa, the long lazy meals en famille made you feel as if you were on holiday, even if you were not. You could almost feel the heat of the day.
The build up to the climax was very good, it kept you guessing and the end was able to surprise.
Very good indeed, I look forward to more by T M Logan.
Four university friends come together for a holiday in a beautiful idyllic villa in France. They bring their respective families with them. Each of them is hiding a secret. One of them is prepared to kill to keep their secret.
Kate’s husband Sean has been acting strangely. Kate finds messages on his phone, he’s having an affair with one of her friends, but who? Rowan, Jen or Izzy? Each of them seems to be hiding something.
This book has suspense, intrigue and plot twists. Just enough to keep you wondering. There are secrets, lies and family drama.
The beginning of the book had me hooked. It slowed a bit in the middle but the ending is enough to send a chill down your spine.
An interesting story with many twists and turns as suspicion falls on the different characters in the book. As the book progresses you are carried along on as the pressure increases and the relationships are exposed. Definitely recommended.
A good story with characters that really annoyed me. Maybe a touch unbelievable but definitely a perfect holiday read