A small group of 4 work colleagues go away to a luxurious beach house owned by Nicole (the boss). I enjoyed this book and found it entertaining with its mixed characters. The story is told from multiple viewpoints which makes it easy to learn more about the characters.
This is the first book I have read by this author and won't be the last.
Thanks to netgalley and Boldwood Books for this read.

Nina Manning never ceases to amaze me in her brilliant writing, but this one just wasn’t for me. I’d still purchase for friends though!

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

I stayed up way later than I should have reading this. I kept telling myself 'just one more chapter' and before I knew it I'd finished.

The Boat House is a multi faceted thriller, with fabulously flawed characters, whose stories inexorably build up to a climatic ending where hidden secrets are revealed.

Moderately paced and narrated from multiple POV, The Boat House will keep you guessing and engaged.

A fantastic page-turner full of suspense and intrigue.

My Review: Nina has written an engaging story that in parts reminded me of the early days in the Real Housewives Franchise on Bravo TV. It's told from differing perspectives of 4 women who work on a podcast called Laying it Bare together. The show isn't doing too well, neither are their bonds. We come across the lives of Paisley, Audrey, Margo and Nicole who is having some issues in her relationship with Gram. They wind up staying at The Beach House. There's a Party with 200 people, at a time where they should be focusing on more important things. Will the secrets and lies rip them apart of push them together? You'll have to read this recommended book to find out.

This wasn’t the best book I’ve read from this author. It was a bit predictable and slow in places. I would still recommend this book to my audience though . Thanks for the opportunity to read this book .4 stars from me

This was an interesting read. There were multiple POV’s and a time slip. I liked the premise but it took a while for all of the secrets to come out.
The title is The Beach House and it would be a perfect beach read. I am looking forward to reading another book by Nina Manning. Many thanks to the author, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

An enchanting journey through vividly imagined worlds and compelling characters. This fiction gem weaves a tapestry of emotions, adventure, and unexpected twists that kept me eagerly turning the pages. The author's masterful storytelling evokes a powerful connection, making this book an absolute delight to read. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a captivating escape

The beginning of this book was a bit hit and miss for me but then it started to flow better towards the middle.

There was a few interesting twists during the book that makes me recommend this to other readers.

3.5 stars

Just how well to ever know someone? This book had me hooked from the very start, with the intrigue and red herrings I was constantly questioning everything. The characters are so well written and multidimensional. I loved the multiple POVs and I would never have seen that ending coming - Great page turning thriller.

Nina Manning never disappoints!

Owning a beach house on the Dorset coast gives Nicole the ideal location for a working weekend along with Margo, Audrey and Paisley as they strive to come up with ideas to give the company the boost it needs to stay afloat. Nicole inherited the beach house, and as such it is full of memories - and not all of them happy ones. The remaining guests each have their own reasons to look forward to this weekend away - will it turn out as planned?

I often think this author would have made an excellent magician; she is extremely accomplished at sleight of hand and misdirection. This is a slow burner; every time I thought I had all my ducks in a row there would be more revelations which would quickly make it a very uneven line. Did I work out who did what to whom before it was laid out on the page in front of me? Not a chance! In fact, it took me completely by surprise. A thrilling read and one which will keep me reading Nina Manning's books. 4.5*, and one I'm very happy to recommend.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

3⭐
Genre ~ mystery
Publication date ~ August 16, 2023
Page Count ~ 300
Audio length ~ 7 hours 37 minutes
Narrator ~ Lucy Scott
POV ~ multiple 3rd
Featuring ~ secrets, slow burn, (view spoiler on my GR review)

Nicole, Margo, Paisley & Audrey are on a work trip together at Nicole's Beach House for the weekend. They're supposed to be brainstorming ideas for The Studio, but they didn't discuss work once and all they did was eat and drink, which doesn't sound like a terrible work trip to me.

We have The Party chapters from 6 weeks earlier which slowly lead up to a big secret.

So normally I love multiple POV, but since each character has a secret it took an awfully long time for those secrets to be revealed as we went from chapter to chapter. It did get repetitive at times and was a slow burn with a lot of 'telling' for quite a few long chapters, and finally we get more 'showing' and the chapters shortened up and we were heading at a faster clip to the conclusion.

Overall, I liked the setting of the secluded beach house with its atmospheric views, which is clearly shown on the cover. There were some tense moments, but I did have every single secret/twist figured out, which was unfortunate because I was hoping for a big zinger. I, also, feel the end was rather abrupt and left me with unanswered questions.

Narration notes:
I did not listen to this one, but am just giving the the info above for reference.

The Beach House by Nina Manning

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

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.

My Opinion

With a mixed bag of characters this is an entertaining read. I finished this in just two short sittings as I really enjoyed the concept. The story is told from multiple viewpoints but they are all very easy to follow. This is the first book I have read by Nina Manning so I wasn't sure what to expect from the style going in, but for me this worked well.

Rating: 4/5

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this arc. I did like the back and forth in time chapters. The book was kind of slow and it was hard to keep up as to who was who. Lots of characters. I love the premise of girls trip gone wrong and secret pasts.

Nicole's podcast business is suffering and a work weekend away at the beach house with her three colleagues seems like an excellent opportunity to work together on a plan of action. But the house has secrets and so do all of the women. And one of those secrets just might be deadly.

This book had many of the traits expected of a psychological thriller and I really enjoyed the different points of view giving different perspectives of the same events.

A pleasing read. Thank you to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and the author Nina Manning for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC.

Work colleagues Nicole, Audrey, Paisley and Margo are going on a getaway to The Beach House. Nicole has a secret connection to The Beach House but what she doesn't know is that the other three women have there own secrets and lies and that some things could turn out to be deadly. I enjoyed reading from the different characters POV and the quick sharp chapters kept me flipping through the pages. I didn't like the vindictive nature that some of the girls had but I was enjoying trying to guess there secrets. The plot has some whopping twists that although predictable still come as a shock. The Beach House is a perfect setting and I felt like it was haunted which gave me the heebee jeebees.

What should have been a fantastic thriller from reading the blurb, turned out to be a slow burning, uninspiring read.
It's very rare for me to point out negatives in an authors work, because I know how hard they spend on a novel.
But this just didn't gel right for me.
The characters seemed false from the start the storyline was full of holes as though it hadn't been edited.
On a positive note:
Nicole, Audrey, Paisley and Margo are all podcasters at the studio that Nicole owns and they all decide to take a break away together at Nicole's beach house in Dorset.
Unfortunately the beach house as secrets that Nicole wants to stay buried and after what occurred several weeks ago at party things get a little bit heated.
I did enjoy the time switch to the party from six weeks before to the present day but far to many author hints in the book takes away the twists that should be there.

Nina Manning's "The Beach House" proved to be an engaging and captivating read, a literary treat that I consumed with fervor and thoroughly relished. The narrative had me guessing from its very inception, and the finale turned out to be far more unexpected than I could have imagined.

The writing is skillfully executed, exuding suspense that keeps the reader on edge throughout. Manning masterfully weaves an atmosphere of unease and anticipation. The characters are expertly crafted, demonstrating depth and authenticity, while the plot twists and turns, leaving me pleasantly bewildered.

I was so engrossed that I found myself unable to set the book aside until I had devoured it in its entirety.

I wish to express my gratitude to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for their generosity in providing me with a complimentary copy of this remarkable eARC. It's important to note that the opinions conveyed in this review are wholly my own.

The beach house by Nina manning publishes august 2023. When women podcast employees have a bonding weekend at the beach house. All of their secrets are revealed

The Beach House by Nina Manning was an entertaining and gripping read which I devoured quickly and really enjoyed.
I was kept guessing right from the very beginning but I couldn't have predicted just how it ended.
The novel is well-written and suspenseful. Manning does a great job of creating a sense of unease and foreboding. The characters are well-developed and believable, and the plot is full of twists and turns
. I found myself unable to put the book down until I had finished it.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Boldwood Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

A really enjoyable story aboit dark secrets and friendships. It had me hooked throughout and I'd never have guesses some of the twists!!! Highly recommended xx