A slow burning thriller that is enjoyable to read.
An eclectic mix of characters, each with their own unique traits and personalities intertwined to make and intriguing novel with a few twists and unexpected reveals.
The setting was eerie enough but cozy at the same time until the back story of Nicole comes to the fore.
I liked the style of writing and the interesting plot, only knocking a star off for the slow pace.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Great suspense novel. I am really impressed that this was the first novel from this author. I am looking forward to more books from her.
This one had me hooked and invested right from the start.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of The Beach House by Nina Manning in exchange for my honest review and opinion. First time I've read anything by this author and definitely look forward to reading more by her in the near future. I did find this book a quick, easy read and lots of twists and turns.

Having previously read and enjoyed The Housemate, The Waitress and The Guilty Wife, I was looking forward to this latest offering from Nina Manning.

Narrated as a dual timeline, with chapters alternating between the present day and ‘the party’ that took place six weeks earlier, there is drama and tension from the outset as each of the four main characters are concealing their own secrets.

While Nicole’s story dominates the plot, I loved how the other characters gradually become entwined in the twists in the tale before the reveal at the end.

Each of the characters have very distinct personalities and the author cleverly adds details to help the reader understand their thoughts, actions and behaviours. While each in turn have their own hang ups, we also get to see their vulnerable and caring sides, even when put under duress.

I instinctively became suspicious about Oli from the outset but was still surprised when he revealed his true identity.

There were lots of hints as to what the secrets could be and I actually liked this as it kept you guessing but there were still further twists to be discovered. I did, however feel that maybe the suspense was drawn out for slightly longer than necessary and could maybe have been condensed into fewer chapters.

Nevertheless, this was a book I raced through and thoroughly enjoyed and would definitely recommend!

With thanks to the author, Rachel at Random Resources and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to participate in the tour.

Having read 2 other books by this author, I had high hopes for this one. It was just too slow for me. This book is all about secrets. I loved the setting of the secluded beach house, but it was repetitive at times though.

Each character had their own storyline to tell. This book is a slow burner that keeps you guessing, it is split between present day and a party from 6 weeks previous

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Three ladies who work on a podcast together travel to the beach house of the boss for a weekend away shortly after the one year anniversary of the podcast and after a recent faux pas by the woman in charge. All of the women are struggling with issues, and are keeping secrets, which are unknown to the rest of the group.

This book took forever to get going. I felt like the first half was very repetitious with nothing that interesting going on. It was a lot of stage setting and mostly through the thoughts of the characters rather than actions. Things did pickup about halfway through and I started becoming mildly interested in what each person was hiding. The ending was pretty far fetched but I would have liked it if the build up to it was quicker and more interesting. In summary, it was ok.

3.5 stars

The idea behind the book was good, but somehow I felt let down with the execution. I felt there was way too much going on and it was confusing at times to remember what drama belonged to whom. At the same time, it felt like the story was crawling by util about the 70% mark; the majority of the interesting action happened in the final section, so it was a bit unbalanced.

Other than that, this was an enjoyable read that I would recommend.

Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for an arc of this book in exchange of an honest review.

I do love a new Nina Manning book and this has been one I loved.

This is a multi perspective book which has really allowed me to get to know the characters.

Manning writes in a way that I am completely pulled in and engrossed. I found myself immersed in this book and devoured in just one sitting. I found myself unwilling to put this down and it was impossible to predict.

The characters are unique. However, I can’t say I’ve liked all of them but each have added an element to the plot. They are so well written you feel you know each of them.

This is intriguing, full of suspense and completely addictive.

I absolutely loved this one and can’t wait to see what’s coming next.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

My first Nina Manning book. Easy read but definitely predictable. I will look into more of her books.

I usually like Nancy's book. But I couldn't gel with this one for some reason. It just didn't read well fur me and I just didn't enjoy it. Sorry

I normally love Manning's writing but this book was just not for me. As much as I tried, I could not gt invested in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Normally I enjoy the secluded getaway trope, and while this wasn't bad, it was also not brilliant. A bit far-fetched in parts, and it also got a bit laggy and drawn out. Lovely setting though, and the house was a character in itself, which I love.

Thanks, NetGalley, for my ARC.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Nicole organises a retreat for her work colleagues at her beach house in Dorset. The group arrive with a whole heap of secrets they are keeping from each other...
The Beach House is a psychological thriller set in the UK.
Nicole and Audrey host a podcast but it may be on the brink of failing. Nicole invites her team to stay with her in order to work together on ideas to salvage the show. But all of the women have something to hide and the secrets may have devastating consequences.
The beach house is almost an extra character, and certainly creates a claustrophobic tension. This is set up in the opening chapter and straightaway suggests a sinister undertone. There is a past dimension to the book as it features a party which occurred six weeks earlier. We are drip-fed little clues slowly about the women's secrets. My mind was grasping at trying to figure out the connections and I did manage to work out some but not all of the twists!
I enjoyed the style of writing and the way that the chapters focus on one of the characters or the party. The author stacks up the layers of clues for the reader to guess at the secrets before they are finally revealed. All of the main characters have vulnerabilities and flaws to make them more realistic and rounded while the lack of a first person narrator makes their perspectives equal.
The Beach House is a tense and enjoyable psychological thriller.

Reading Between the Wines book review #110/115 for 2023:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: The Beach House
Author: Nina Manning
Available Now!!

Sipping thoughts: This was a very slow crawl. All the real action happened in the last 15-20% of the story. Because of the ending I gave it a third star. I enjoyed it enough to be glad I finished it.

Cheers and thank you to @BoldwoodBooks and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @TheBeachHouse.

#TheBeachHouse #NinaManning #BoldwoodBooks #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

The life of a podcaster appears to be anything but dull in this book. As a group of work friends go off to a beach house for the weekend to work on some new ideas it appears no one on this trip is being honest with anyone and as things start to take a creepy turn will all of the secrets and lies end up bringing everyone together or pushing them further apart. Along side this is a secret from the past that is threatening the safety of one of the group and what happens next is well worth the wait.

In 'The Beach House' we follow four characters as they all meet at said beach house. Of course, they are all holding secrets and over the course of the book those secrets are revealed with some having devastating consequences.
I enjoyed this book and it kept my attention but there was nothing electrifying about it and I do think it was missing a little something extra to really make this shine. This book does centre around the main characters and whilst they were interesting and I liked discovering their secrets, none of them were particularly likeable and I did miss having someone to root for.
This aside, I did enjoy this read and I would recommend it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy.

I've always enjoyed Ninas books and this was no exception. A working weekend in an idyllic beach house, personal chef a d a whole bunch of secrets. I enjoyed the different pov as each woman had something to hide.

This is the story of four colleagues that each have secrets they are keeping from each other. Through the POVs of Nicole, Margo, Paisley & Audrey we slowly discover more about their personalities and what happened at The Party weeks before.

A weekend away at a beautiful beach house in Dorset seems the perfect location for the women to relax and strategise how to help Nicole’s podcast and studio. However, the beach house also has some secrets to reveal and might not be the safe haven it appears to be.

The slower paced first half of this book really helps to delve deeper into the characterisation of each of the women and to begin to understand more about their thoughts and actions, both past and present

The possibility of an unreliable narrator also really made me start to question my own assumptions of the women and how wrong those initial judgements could potentially turn out to be.

Setting the story in such a picturesque location is a great contrast to the ominous atmosphere that builds throughout.

The Beach House is a tension filled thriller that leads to some shocking revelations.

Rating: 3.5/5

It should have been the perfect weekend…
Work colleagues Nicole, Margo, Paisley and Audrey all appear to be looking forward to a weekend away at Nicole’s luxurious beach house on the Dorset coast. It should be a chance for the women to kick back, relax and regroup after a stressful moment at work.
But this is no normal girls’ getaway. And the beach house is no normal home. This place holds dark secrets for Nicole, which threaten to be revealed when its doors are opened.
And unbeknownst to host Nicole, each of the three other guests all have secrets of their own…and some of them could be deadly.

This multiple POV and dual timeline was a bit slow to start but I enjoyed it overall. There were some twists and turns that I could not predict and others that I saw coming. Some of the dialogue was a bit far fetched especially towards the Pete character. Just didn’t seem believable after he left the beach house. The ending seemed rushed and there were a lot of character stories to follow so it got a bit confusing while reading. There was a slow build up of everyone secrets and then after everything was revealed it ended quickly.
Once I was 3/4 through the book I was entertained enough to keep reading to find out all the secrets.

Thank you to NetGalley and Nina Manning for the ARC.