2.5 stars rounded down to 2. The House Swap by Miranda Rijks. I must say I love this author. I have read almost all of her books. Unfortunately this book did not do a thing for me. 2 couples decide to swap houses to have a vacation. One in London, one in France. This is a very very slow burn. In fact, it was so slow that by the time I got to the end, I forgot what actually was going on. There is a huge chunk of this book that is just filler. Way too much filler. There are so many POVs it became totally confusing to me. The twist at the end is just totally incongruous to anything that made sense. As usual with this author, the writing was excellent. Character development, however, wasn't so great. It was difficult to keep the couples straight in my mind. I will patiently wait for her next book.

Thank you to Inkubator books and Netgalley for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it. I however, do not recommend this book.

I really enjoy Miranda Rijks, so I knew I would enjoy this book. The story centers on two families that have done a house swap for a vacation. Odd events start happening to both families and soon everyone’s secrets start coming to light. This book was pretty fast paced once it got going, I couldn’t put it down. I liked how just when you thought you knew what was going on, something would happen in a completely new direction. I also enjoyed the fact that there were several characters that made you doubt everyone’s intentions and motives. It definitely made the book more exciting. The multiple POV switches also worked well to build the suspense of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the opportunity to review this book. All thoughts contained in this review are my own.

Thanks for an ARC! This book is really engaging. I loved the jumping between different POV and it was such a tangled mystery of overlapping stories. The hard part was I couldnt really stand most of the characters. They were really unlikeable. Elodie was the least terrible of the bunch but my goodness. Well written. The ending left me wanting to know more but overall very enjoyable with overlapping details. I didn't figure out all the twists and it kept me hooked.

Two families switch houses for vacation, one goes to London and the other to southern France. The French house is woken up by builders, who promise to be quiet. The London house is very grand but one family member is there for a potentially live changing doctor visit. The story is told from multiple POV with the characters name at the beginning of the chapter, which I appreciated. This is a fun to read thriller with secrets everywhere.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for this ARC. The views outlined are my own.

Plot

Two perfect families. Two beautiful homes. A one-way trip to hell. When two families organise a house swap, it seems like the perfect holiday arrangement. The Browns will exchange their London Townhouse for a stunning Chateau in the south of France, the perfect place to relax and rekindle their flagging marriage. And the Lesters are looking forward to showing their son, Rafael, around their old haunts in the British capital. Sounds wonderful. Except for one thing - both families are hiding dark secrets, and secrets have a way of coming out…

Review

A solid story, about two families whose secrets intertwine. The ending felt a bit rushed which would be my biggest criticism but overall, it was a well constructed, well paced mystery that offered the reader enough to keep interest. The author has shaped the characters well, and the I find myself connected quite well with Piers, Elodie and Raf. I often find that if I care very little for the main characters I find it hard to connect to the story. This isn’t the case with this story, I felt very connected to these three characters and I was invested in their stories.
A solid read that I would recommend.

** 3.5 Stars**
This was a fun and quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed! I loved exploring the different viewpoints of the main characters. There were quite a few dubious characters, making it hard to know who to trust until the conclusion. I wish there had been a bit more closure before the epilogue, but I really liked it overall. I would definitely suggest it to others!


Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for allowing me to read this ARC

Holy cow! Miranda Rijks knocks another one right out of the park!! She is a constant bright star. The story sets up two families for a simple house swap. What appears to be simple ends up being a dark tunnel of secrets and lies. So many perfect herring ms it was impossible to know who to trust. This book actually made me feel a little scared and I definitely locked all of the windows and doors. So much lo love, Rijks is a top notch storyteller. Big 5 stars from me.
Thank you NetGalley, Miranda Rijks and an Incubator Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

First off thank you to NetGalley and Miranda Rijks for the ARC!!

What could go wrong with a simple holiday house swap? Well, as "The House Swap" shows us... everything can and will go wrong!

This book was a fun and twisty read right up to the end. With the different POVs you get to uncover many secrets that all add up to a shocking conclusion. I thought that I had this book figured out multiple times, but I didn't know who to trust with several shady and unreliable characters. Definitely give this book a chance when it is released, you won't regret it!

Elodie and Lewis Brown have a townhouse in London, and Susan and Piers Lester own a chateau in the South of France. Both families decide on a house swap for their holiday. The Browns hope that having a relaxing holiday in the south of France will help them to rekindle the passion in their marriage which appears to have become mundane recently. The Lesters are looking forward to re visiting London, showing their son Rafael the city he hasn't been to before.
However, there is a break in at the chateau, and history shows a woman who lived there strangely went missing and was never seen again. This makes the Browns anxious and feeling vulnerable. In London, Rafael goes missing, causing the Lesters to view their marriage in a new light.
Both families have secrets, and begin to suspect their happy marriages and perfect lives are far from the truth. This is a gripping psychological thriller, and is highly recommended.

Miranda Rijks is a new author for me and from the synopsis I was eager to read this book. The tag line is Their Perfect Lives, Their Perfect Lies so I knew I would be instantly hooked. When two families organise a house swap, it seems like the perfect holiday. The Browns live hectic lifestyles in London and are keen to escape for two weeks of sun. So a house swap with the Lesters who live in sunny Provence and are keen to show their son the sights and sounds of London seems ideal. It sounds perfect but both families are harbouring secrets and secrets have a habit of coming out. This is a well written, pacy psychological thriller that will keep you enthralled. Thank you to NetGalley, Inkubator Books and the author for the chance to review.

I mean this in the most loving and positive way, when I say that nobody can do crazy like Miranda. Fabulous. Would I expect this to happen in real life? Gods help me, no. It can I get lost in this crazy story and enjoy it? Yes! I think you just have to let go of all expectations and let Miranda lead you through her story. Though this was not my favourite of hers, I still enjoyed it immensely. Quick and crazy read, five stars from me.

The writing was good and the plot seemed intriguing enough. However, I felt like build up was poor. It could use a better execution. It took way too long to get to the main plotline of the story and things only picked up around the 60% mark or so. I couldn't quite feel the thrill before that. And the ending seemed pretty off too.

This may not be my favorite MJ book but still was a great one. Some of the twists seem pretty far-fetched & you’re certain you know where the story is headed but don’t hold your breath. When you think you know exactly who is terrorizing the guests just keep reading, be blown away & say “I didn’t see that coming”. That was my experience, anyway. Happy reading & hope you enjoy as much as I did!

Yikes! This book had all sorts of crazy! I've never understood why anyone would want to do a house swap. I certainly wouldn't want strangers staying in my house. I would be too skeeved out. But the premise is fun and entertaining for reading purposes as long as the story is well written, and Rijks did a great job with this one. The story was creepy and not at all what I expected. It was fast paced, and hard to put down. I was completely blindsided by the plot twists. There were quite a few shady characters, so I had no idea who I could trust. I would have liked a little more closure prior to the epilogue, but overall, I really enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend!

Thank you to Inkubator Books for granting me digital access via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

A house swap for all the wrong reasons as you will soon find out in this wonderful read ,Miranda never fails with her fantastic story lines .I loved it .

You really can't go wrong with this author.
Yet another fab read, a great storyline about a holiday house swap.
What could go wrong, well lots apparently!
Secrets, lies and many twists.
I devoured this in two sittings.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

This was just a fun read. Quick, snappy, a generally good time. The author manages to walk that fine line of writing these characters that you find you don't like a whole lot, but you also find yourself very invested in the outcome. A tough like to walk but such a fun one when done right! This is my first read by this author, now I'm going to search out more!

Two families decide to swap houses for their holiday. One house is In France and the other is in London. The two families do not know each other and are going on a whim to see how swapping houses goes. The two families meet for the first time as they do the swap. Sounds like a lovely holiday. But will it be ? Turns out they all have their secrets. This was a read that hooks you from the very beginning. It was full of mystery, twists, and turns. I will definitely think twice before doing a house swap. You may as well after reading this page turner. This was my first book by this author and definitely will not be my last. It will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

Two perfect families. Two beautiful homes. A one-way trip to hell! Great read! This book had some wild twists and turns! It had suspense, intriguing, murder, mystery, gaslighting, and a few who done its!! The storyline was interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley, Miranda Rijks and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the eARC.
Set in two great places: London and the south of France,
this book was hard to put down. Two families are swapping homes, at first so excited to start their vacations and then, slowly, the cracks appear. There are secrets and lies, then everything falls apart and things become nightmarish.
Excellent read, I finished it in one day! Definitely recommended, suspenseful read!