The Vacation is the new title of the revised version of John Marrs' previously issued book "Welcome to Wherever You Are". Set in a decidedly unglamorous L. A. Hostel, the book features a large cast of characters, each of whom are fleeing from something in their past, sometimes things beyond their control, but often the consequences of their actions or bad decisions. As residents of the hostel their paths cross in sometimes surprising ways, and there are numerous plots to keep the reader guessing. Naturally I found some of the characters and stories more compelling than others, but I can also say that I did not dislike any of the plots. Because we are introduced to so many characters in such a short space of time, it is a lot to keep straight at first, but as the book unfolds this is less of an issue. I have read several other books by this author and while this is not one of my favourites, it is still an entertaining page turner that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat. It is an ideal piece of Summer escapism.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the Publisher, all opinions are my own.

John Marrs can do no wrong in my opinion!!
I have been a huge fan of his ever since 'The One' came out many years ago.

I had not heard of this book, and so was intrigued and excited to read it. I was hooked from the beginning. John Marrs always writes the most interesting and intriguing characters. They are always somewhat flawed, but they are just so so exciting. I always say I prefer a good plot to good character, but with John Marrs you are totally spoilt as you always get both.

When this book started, I had no idea where it was going but it felt a lot like the tv show 'The Serpent' - with the tourists and the hostel experience etc. However, it soon because so much more than that. This book felt so epic - spanning a holiday experience of one couple but then going back in time, and introducing more characters.
I usually struggle with books that have too many characters in, but with John Marr's writing this never was a problem.All the characters were just so different, I never once felt lost or overwhelmed by the characters coming in and out, and going back and forth in time. I can see this book being a successful TV series.

I urge anyone and everyone to read this book, it spans many different genres and keeps you engaged and guessing right until the end. I read this book in one sitting, and the time just flew past. Such an easy yet engaging read!

3,5 Stars

I am a fan of John Marrs since I read “The One”. “The Vacation” reminded me of this book. It almost seemed like a forerunner of “The One”. A bunch of backpackers stay in a rundown but somehow charming hostel in Venice Beach, LA. They all have in common that each of them has a secret. Some of them are running away. Their paths meet by accident but for a while their lives become entangled.

The story is told in different timelines and from different POV. There are a lot of characters and most of them tell their backstories and we see how they ended up in that hostel. This reminded me of “The One”, where we also get a lot of different people with their own story. The problem is that this book has no real story itself. There are many stories, but we get only a glimpse of each one. The characters all get real and I feel like I know them myself and shared some time with them. I enjoyed that and it shows the unique talent John Marrs is as a writer. But I was not as captivated as I was with his other books. Although I liked how he created his many characters and their story, the book lacked the big frame story. It was an entertaining read but I did not enjoy it as much as Marrs’ other books.

I have read and enjoyed John Marrs and this did not disappoint. A collection of people all with something to hide end up in a hostel together and their stories unfold. All very clever and engrossing. Only slight gripe is that the epilogue did not cover 2 of the main characters and I would have liked a neat little tie up there too!

I’m a recent reader of John Marrs so wasn’t aware this was a re-edited version of Welcome to Wherever You Are and I hadn’t read the original book. I was hooked from the beginning and this will definitely be amongst my best reads of 2021.

Briefly, the book revolves around the lives of a number of people all living in a rundown backpackers hostel in Venice Beach, California. All are running from their past; all hoping for a brighter future. All willing to kill to achieve it...

Each character has their own tale and the way they are interwoven with other characters is brilliant. Each of the individual stories are fabulous in their own right. The writing is so good and there are more twists and turns than a Big Dipper. The characters are all great, whether you love them or hate them, they are all damaged in some way by their pasts. Highly recommended and easily ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟

My thanks to the author and NetGalley for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

John Marrs never disappoints! Having thoroughly enjoyed his Good Samaritan, I leapt at the chance to review this re-issue... and have just come up for air! Gripping plot, the chapters fly by, and you’ll be rooting for various characters in no time (I loved Nicole and Savannah and Jake and Tommy...). Hoping they’ll make this into a Netflix series too!!

I have recently discovered John Marrs via net galley and think this book is just another tick off the list.
Absolutely loved following all the individual characters in this book and how their lives intertwined. Would definitely recommend and can't wait for the next one!

I'm a big John Marrs fan so was really excited to be able to read this one. A brilliantly, twisty thriller I devoured it in a couple of sittings, completely hooked from the first chapter!

The Vacation is set in a beach front motel in the glamorous Venice Beach area and follows the lives of eight of it's guests. All of whom have a secret that they're running from and that they need to keep hidden at all costs.

The characters were well drawn and as each snippet of information was revealed I found myself becoming more invested in them, their individual stories and how they were all connected. The storylines all came together really well with a very satisfying ending.

Easy to read with short snappy chapters this is a perfect summer holiday read that'll keep you guessing! Highly recommend.

The Vacation is a re-edited version of the fabulous Welcome To Wherever You Are, so there was never any doubt that I would to read this as I absolutely love Welcome To Wherever You Are.

As soon as I started reading this it brought back the memories of how fabulous it was the first time around.
The characters are just brilliant and due to the way John creates his character and brings them to life, I very quickly feel totally engrossed in their stories and just want to know more.
What I love most about the storyline is how the different characters stories all have a fabulous individual plot to them, and how it all brilliantly comes together throughout the book.
Brilliantly written and a book that will keep you wanting to read more.

I’m a big John Marrs fan and was looking forward to reading this book.
There were so many main characters, it took a while to remember who was who. But once I did I enjoyed their background stories and discovering what brought them all together to a run down hostel in Venice Beach LA.
There were some interesting twists, but the ending was just a bit too unbelievable for me and left me feeling slightly disappointed.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Secrets And Lies....
Eight strangers, a beach front hostel, Venice Beach. Secrets and lies abound in this engaging suspense. Packed with character driven anxiety and non stop storyline after an initial slow build. Short, snappy chapters add to the mounting tension. Thoroughly engaging.

After previously reading and loving What lies between us, i was so excited to read more by this author but unfortunately I didn't vibe with this book.

The prologue jumped straight into the action which hooked me into wanting to know more and find out how the story progressed to that stage however I found there was far too many characters and i couldn't connect with them. The constant timeline changes also left me feeling confused. Half way through [ i still didn't have a clue what was going on with everyone and not in a positive way

Typical Marrs - great prose, well written characters - a novel you won’t put down. Highly recommended.

I really enjoy John Mars book and was delighted to receive a copy of The Vacation.
The story is about a group of people living in a run down hotel in Los Angeles.
These people are mostly running away from their past and they are hoping to remain hidden.
The book is told by numerous characters and in numerous time frames.
Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the previous books I have read from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Vacation by John Marrs
I give this book 4 stars

How far would you run to escape your past?
Venice Beach, Los Angeles. A paradise on earth.
But for eight strangers at a beach front hostel, there is far more on their mind than an extended vacation.
All of them are running from something. And they all have secrets they’d kill to keep…....

Originally published as Welcome to Wherever You Are, this is a re-edited release
A complex narrative that cleverly alternates between 8 strangers past and present lives and how they inevitably collide l was totally drawn towards Savannah,Tommy and Nicole stories. The short snappy chapters meant l flew through it trying to guess how this compelling mystery thriller would end.........crime,love,hate,secrets and plenty of twists
With thanks to Netgalley,John Marrs and Pan Macmillan for my chance to read and review this book.

John Marrs is a solid mystery/thriller writer and this story is no exception. It has very short chapters. Multiple timelines and a whole group of characters. In the beginning it took me a while to keep everybody straight and not confuse them. Once I did I flew through this book. I really enjoyed the plot twists.

The Vacation by John Marrs is a re-release of his book “Welcome to Wherever you are”. I have not read it previously and I have enjoyed several other of his books so, I was looking forward to reading this.
Eight strangers from different parts of the world end up staying at a run-down hostel in Venice Beach LA. Each of them has their own stories to tell. All of which, seem to be running away from bad situations.
The story tells of each character and how they became in the situations that they are in. written in relevantly short chapters. Which at first, I thought how these stories are going to come together but John Marrs who is expert as his craft just does that with a great conclusion. This is a slow burn of a story and not one action packed. But the author still writes an engaging read which I did really enjoy finding out about each person. 4 stars from me.

This is a story about various travellers staying at the backpacker's hostel in Venice Beach, USA. That is the description in its simplicity, and the less you know going in to this the better, but my good golly was this one hell of an adventure. ⠀
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John Marrs is an outstanding author. The way he writes and what he writes is pure art. The short chapters add to the thrill as it kept me on my toes whilst simultaneously wanting more. His ability to take six or seven characters' perspectives as well as jumping from the past and the present, and weave it into a story that is complex yet easy to follow superbly creates a brilliant golden thread.⠀
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The layers, upon layers, upon layers that John provides, not only to the plot but the characters as well is top notch. The amount of detail that goes into each character is astounding. I became so invested that I almost felt like I too was a traveller staying at the hostel. I could gush about this all day. As you can probably tell I am a fan! ⠀

Rerelease of ‘Welcome to whoever you are’ which I enjoy much more second time around - go figure!!! The novel has a good premise with a disparate bunch of people from various corners of the world ‘washing up’ at a rundown hostel in Venice Beach. Every single one of them is faking in in some way shape or form, most are running or hiding from something which is often huge.

First of all, there’s no getting away from the fact there are a lot of characters to get your head around and it takes a while to familiarise yourself with them. There are some interesting ones with intriguing backgrounds and considering there are so many the author does a good job at giving insights into them. The unlikely character of Peyk, a sort of handyman, turns out to be the only one who sees people and events as they really are and it transpires he’s a bit of a weed assisted philosopher! Throughout the book for the main characters you get a chunk of the present day and then some backstory from a year or so ago. This is deployed throughout and whilst you do get some juicy revelations it is a bit disjointed. The dialogue is a mixed bag to with some feeling unnatural and inauthentic.

However, there are some VERY good twists in the book with at least three characters hiding their wolflike personalities in sheep’s clothing which delivers some good sucker punches. There’s one scene where the ‘purley gates’ really do open!!! That’s a doozy! A couple are connected in a surprising, shocking and heartbreaking way which you don’t see coming. It’s all a bit mad, busy and crazy but despite the ‘cast of 5000’ it is compelling reading with the plot turns coming at you right to the end.

Overall, I don’t think this is John Marrs best book but it is a fun read and it keeps you absorbed. I like the Breaking Bad references!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Pan McMillan for the arc in return for an honest review.

I’m a massive John Marrs fan and this book didn’t disappoint! It was face paced and page turning ( read in one afternoon) and I really got involved in the eight characters. Would recommend to old and new fans of this author