This was a great summer read, a very believable situation with lots of characters who have hidden sides to them. I found the characters so realistic and the clashes between young and old a very familiar experience.

The story is based around two families who are going to stay in their "summer homes" in August. However, locals in the area are campaigning against those who only turn up in August and leave their homes empty the rest of the year. This is the backdrop that shapes the novel, but several side plots are also going on at the same time.

Perry, the dad in one of the families, appears on the surface to be quite a stereotypical right wing, relatively well off man. He bristles at the more progressive ideas of his son's latest girlfriend, who in his eyes is probably a "snowflake" or "woke". His wife Charlotte finds herself having to challenge him, although when he isn't around she ends up coming out with similar things, then regretting the possibility that she isn't quite as liberal as she'd thought herself to be.

Beattie, the teenage girl of the other family, has a huge secret and since arriving on holiday and getting involved with a local she gains another. She's another great character - she has traits that readers will probably love to hate in terms of a spoilt, self-centred, shallow character but at the same time we can see her point of view.

The book takes us through various crises of the characters as their secrets come perilously close to emerging. The various scenes with Perry - who is embroiled in a relationship with another man - as his secret life arrives on his doorstep were at times hilarious. As was the rivalry between him and the second dad, Linus.

It's possible that the wives - Charlotte and Amy - are a bit less fleshed out than the husbands, particularly Charlotte, who doesn't really seem to have much going on in her life other than her daily dog walk and opening the rose later in the day. I found this particularly odd because her relationship with Perry is obviously troubled, but she doesn't seem to reflect on this at all throughout the book, until the end.

Nonetheless, the vast majority of the characters are very well drawn, and the interweaving plots are more than enough to keep a reader's attention.

This book was fantastic - utterly immersive with some very unlikeable characters and within a beautiful setting. It was a great beach holiday read - the only trouble was I couldn’t put it down!

I’m a huge fan of Louise Candlish but this one did fall a bit short of the mark for me. I’m not sure why but I think I just didn’t particularly like or care about any of the characters so didn’t really care what happened to them! Now I do love an unlikeable character as much as the next person but these just didn’t connect for me. The storyline was great but again not as engaging as previous novels.
Not my favourite unfortunately.

Thanks for NetGalley and Louise Candlish for this ARC in exchange my review.

"Our Holiday" is a testament to Louise Candlish’s prowess in crafting psychological thrillers that resonate with readers. Through its intricate plot, well-rounded characters, and exploration of profound themes, the novel engages the audience in a gripping narrative that lingers long after the last page is turned. It is a gripping read that I highly recommend for anyone who loves a good psychological thriller. Louise Candlish has a knack for creating a story that’s as entertaining as it is thought-provoking. If you're looking to lose yourself in a world of suspense, secrets, and emotional turmoil, grab a copy of Our Holiday. Just make sure you have a cozy spot and some snacks ready—because once you start, you won't want to put it down! Happy reading!

r Holiday

Thoroughly enjoyed this escape to the seaside with a twist.
A really thought provoking ‘destination thriller’
Second home owners Charlotte & Perry love their beautiful holiday home by the sea in beautiful Pine Ridge. Neighbours Amy and Linus have recently bought their second home. Both couples leave London and head down to Pine Ridge for the summer and come to blows with local anti second home owners NJFA (Not Just For August).
Tate & Robbie are Pine Ridge born and bred - and they are priced out of their home town. Living on a caravan site, unable to afford a home of their own and with rental properties going to holiday makers they’ve had enough.
This takes a really thought provoking deep dive into both sides of this very real issue. One that I hadn’t really given much thought to in all honesty so it was really interesting. Some great characters, lots of plot twists and an idyllic setting. A really good read - perfect for a staycation…as long as it’s not in your second home…

Our Holiday follows a big cast of characters in a Cornwall coastal village during the month of August. Relations are fraught between the the second home owners and the locals for whom housing is scarce. Tensions rise as the novel twists and turns. Very gripping and fun, while also considering the housing crisis seriously. Tourist/local relations seems to be a popular topic for summer thrillers this year, with Lucy Foley’s The Midnight Feast looking at similar themes.

I would definitely recommend this for fans of fast moving and thoughtful thrillers - I read this in a day when the sun was out (ideal).

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC.

I usually love books by Louise Candlish and she's always an auto buy author for me but this was my least favourite book that I've read by her.
I found the book very slow to get into. There were so many characters and it was hard to remember who was who. The book was set around the issue of buying second homes in holiday locations which didn't leave enough housing for the local people. This led to protesting in a local English seaside town. The storyline didn't really grip me at all and the story didn't seem to have the plot twists that other books by this author do. I enjoyed the last quarter of the book the most as the strands came together and the story resolved. A disappointing read overall that I nearly didn't finish.

I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I was hoping too. It was a very slow burn and felt like it took a long time to see in what direction the story was going. Was really gripped by any of the characters either.

The story in emojis: 🏡🏖️💳

My Top 3 things from this book:
•Multiple POV
•Dual Timeline
•Unreliable Narration

Our Holiday is a twisty thriller, jam packed with red herrings and unreliable narration from start to finish.

There are a lot of characters in this book and quite honestly they are all awful people! The more the story progressed you realise just how terrible these people are and when you think they can’t do anything worse….. they do!

I thought that I had the plot and the culprit decided quite early on, but the more turns the story took, the further away I was.

I really enjoy Louise Candlish’s writing style and whilst this wasn’t my favourite of hers (The Other Passenger - 5 star), I did enjoy it and recommend it to all thriller readers.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Louise Candlish is one of my favourite authors in this genre. Louise has such a talent for writing people so well, and making readers question their own views on many topics. I found Our Holiday a clever and thought provoking read. The plot was clever and the writing gripping. Definitely will recommend!

Once again a smasher of a book. A great holiday read. Good plot and characters. I absolutely love this auth.

I have enjoyed this author before but this time it was a thriller that failed to thrill. I don’t live by the seaside but do live close to an area wher3 second home buying is a problem so I did 7ndeestand the social implications but just couldn’t engage with the characters in particular the holiday homers.
It was not a thriller but more a conscience raising tale so I’m not even sure if it would make a good holiday read.

I really enjoyed this holiday destination thriller - sunshine, scandals and social tensions set amongst second homers and the local community many of whom don’t want them there.
The characters were fascinating - flawed, self centred and mostly unlikeable which made the drama all the intriguing. A perfect holiday read. Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for letting me read this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is full of entitled, selfish, lying cheating individuals who are all thoroughly unlikeable for different reasons. Because they are on two sides of an issue - second home owners who come just for August- sparks fly and the book starts with an annex to one of the second homes being bulldozed off a cliff. With so many people having a reason to cover for themselves and others, everyone is under suspicion.
I enjoyed the second half of the book more, as the first half was slow, being introduced to so many characters, some who weren’t essential and could have been cut. A decent holiday read.

One of the things I love about Louise Candlish's fiction is that each one is set in such a different place. I've heard her speak at events a few times and I know she is one of those writers whose starting point is often an overheard snippet of conversation, or something unusual she spots in her surroundings. Then she mulls over what kind of person would say / do the unusual thing, and from there builds their world.

Our Holiday took me somewhere I've never been - the South Coast near Bournemouth - where Candlish creates a village in which local people cannot find accommodation because so many DFLs (people Down From London) have bought second or third homes which they only use in August. Although I don't know the place, I certainly know the issue, having come from a small seaside town a lot further North.

Because the characters are at the centre of the novel, we actually cover a lot of political ground. I'm still not 100% sure where I stand on the issue of second homes, but I do know where I stand on Candlish's characters - yet again she's given us a cast of horrible people who nonetheless are fascinating. I would not like to come across any of them in real life, but I could not stop reading about them!

How does she do it, every time? Skill, and I suspect, a lot of hard work behind the seemingly effortless prose she gives us.

Three Word Review: locals v. holiday-makers

Really enjoyable read. Slow burn to start but once all the characters are introduced it hooks you in.

The way the story is told across two timelines helps keep the book moving and the underlying message made it interesting.

As with all Louise Candlish novels, the twists and turns are very clever and the characters all interlink in imaginative ways. The novel focuses on 2 families. Charlotte and Perry have owned their prestigious holiday home in Dorset for many years. Amy and Linus are friends from London who have recently bought an old bungalow on the same road with the intention of doing it up. They are spending August there with their teenage and young adult children in tow.
Tensions are rife in the village as local activists protest about the second home owners and things aren’t much better between the couples as Linus and Perry fall out.
This isn’t so much a thriller as a domestic drama, someone dies but we don’t find out who until much later in the book. It’s a fun read though it felt very long, particularly at the end as everything ties up.

I have read a few of Louise Candlish novels and have always enjoyed them, so when I got the opportunity to read Our Holiday, I could not wait.

We meet couple Charlotte and Perry, who have a second home in the beautiful home in Pine Ridge, and their friends Amy and Linus, who have purchased a second home nearby start to make plans for the summer. The locals look bitterly on as people buy second homes in their beloved home stead but yet they can not afford one themselves.

The story was quite slow to begin with but it soon picked up the pace.

I do not want to give too much away but this made for a really interesting and though provoking read, especially as you can see why the locals are annoyed at this kind of situation.

Quite a lot of different characters, which I found to be quite distracting and at times, I did forget who was who but a good read, great for the current summer holidays.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A well plotted slow burn (sb only initially) suspense thriller with modern day themes that I found very relevant. Once you are introduced to the characters in the first part the story takes off!

As usual from Louise Candlish, Our Holiday is a completely immersive thriller that is addictive in a way I can't quite put my finger on...I love that she's set this one in a sun-drenched location. Twisty and intriguing characters