“You’d kill for a holiday like this one”

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5)

Chloe has spent months planning the murder of her husband, Scott. Everything is ready, but first she must create the perfect alibi to avoid any suggestion of her involvement in his death. The entire family travels to Mykonos, and Chloe plans to show of her married bliss, however there’s slowly cracks in her plan. Scott’s sister, Tori, begins to ask questions, suggesting she might know more about Chloe’s plans than she should. Then there’s the villa concierge, Grace, who is watching her guests’ every moves.

These families are ridiculous and I cannot say I actually liked any character, however, this book was entertaining and definitely a popcorn thriller. The book had multiple POVs, Chloe, Tori, and Grace, along with a mystery POV at the end, which always is a win in my book.

There was a lot of build up, so I was disappointed with how quickly it ended and honestly felt like there were so many loose ends. The “who dun it” part did make me smile as you could slowly figure it out through the book. Overall it was a quick read and it was fun, just wish the ending was longer and a little more explanation.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and Sarah Bonner for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this book was a wild ride. It literally jumped from suspect to suspect so fast it was almost like having whiplash. I enjoyed it but the fact that so many people wanted the same person to die was a lot. I ultimately did not guess the true ending.

This dark comedy takes place in Mykonos, where Chloe is on a vacation with her extended family where they can all see how much she loves her husband, Scott… so that when they return home and Scott ends up dead - no one suspects her.
However, this trip is not going according to plan, and through multiple POVs, we find out many of these characters have secrets and motives just like Chloe.

I think this book was fun and would be great for a quick poolside read on vacation. I did find that I didn’t like the characters, though some were funny, and the pacing was a bit slow for my taste. I found the ending was not surprising, and was a little bit too quick with some things being left unanswered.

That said, overall I think this was entertaining and if you’ve liked the authors previous books, definitely pick this one up.

3/5

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

‘How To Slay On Holiday’ by Sarah Bonner is a twisty and murderous dark comedy set in the Mykanos sun. Chloe Cooper has decided to take her extended family on holiday to demonstratively fawn over her husband Scott and craft the perfect alibi for his murder! However, when things start to go off the rails, the drama really begins…

Like Sarah Bonner’s first instalment, ‘How To Slay At Work’, this novel contains an incredible number of jaw dropping twists and an explosive ending. So many of the characters were unlikeable but fabulously entertaining, and I enjoyed the moreish chapters and rotating narration between three characters.

This would be an awesome beach read - as it gave me serious holiday envy on a drizzly day, though maybe I’d go for a hotel and not the villain-filled villa the Cooper and Wilson families descended on. This gets four stars from me!

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Boldwood Books via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Well… this was excellent!! A great summer themed, murder filled read! The twists were twisting, and I was kept guessing throughout, I did think I had it figured out then another curveball was thrown in! This was told over several parts, from three different POVs but each one gave the book more depth, getting to know the characters from a slightly different view each time. I loved How To Slay At Work so when I seen this I knew I had to read it, and it didn’t disappoint. If you’re a Katy Brent fan then this is for you!!

3 Star rating!

I’ll be honest, I was putting off this read for so long! And I don’t know why. This was hilarious, chaotic (in the best way) and, the perfect light-hearted read! I can imagine in summer this will be such a hit for anyone who wants a bit of drama but also something that won’t require all the brain power in the world!

We meet Chloe, who has decided her husband is the ultimate cretin and therefore, needs to die. To do this, Chloe must come up with the perfect alibi that shows everyone how in love she is with her husband – so a family holiday is decided to set her alibi in motion. What happens leads to deaths, drama and, a lot of drinking!

Pros:

• This book was funny! I was audibly laughing during the airport scenes because of the descriptions of all these different characters and I could feel the annoyance radiating off Chloe.

• The author sets the scene beautifully, with vivid and stunning descriptions of a secluded villa in Greece with idyllic food, drinks and activities that would make most people envious.

• I appreciated the pop-culture references. It felt related for today’s current reader and added a layer of realism and humour. (However, during the more serious conversations it did feel like they jarring and unneeded. I feel like at points the author was overusing them).

• I liked that this had short, snappy chapters. The author didn’t include drawn-out big reveals it just happened, and I appreciated that it kept the pace of the story going.

Cons:

• The issue with having so many characters is that often their behaviours and mannerisms become quite mashed together. At the beginning I feel like we had a clear understanding of who spoke like this and who acted like that. Towards the end it felt like each character had blended slightly – Chloe especially starts as quite strong, independent and sure of herself, by the end she’s become bratty and shallow. It was a big juxtaposition and one that I’m not sure worked well.

• Along the same lines whilst I appreciated the author needed characters to build up the story, I feel like there was just too many. I was expecting Chloe’s brother and sister-in-law to add something more to the story because his behaviour and him just being a total creep and yet he really didn’t - which left me wondering why they’d be included. Similarly, with Scott’s aunt and uncle. They weren’t necessary and just added another layer of complication. Yes the boat situation happened, but equally it also didn’t really add much more to the story in terms of building out the plot.

• As much as I loved the snappiness of this. I do feel like some of the more intricate details of the plot weren’t explained well, which left you feeling like something might have been missing. Such as Tori knowing all about the plan and being a genuis at points? and Grace being somewhat juvenile but then highly trained and knowledgeable - it was like these characters had forgotten their foundations.

Book due for publishing 27th February 2025!
Thank you to the author and publisher, Boldwood Books on NetGalley for my early copy to read.

A dark funny and deliciously twisty thriller, With family tensions, unexpected twists, and a watchful concierge, this gripping read is packed with suspense, sharp wit, and shocking turns.

"How to Slay on Holiday" by Sarah Bonner is a whirlwind of a read that I absolutely devoured. From the first page, I was hooked, desperate to know what would happen next. Bonner has crafted a truly compelling story. The plot twists and turns kept me guessing, and I genuinely struggled to put the book down. While there were a couple of minor pacing issues, they certainly didn't detract from my overall enjoyment. This book is the perfect escape, and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a thrilling vacation read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

Chloe Wilson, 29, has organised a group holiday on Mykonos, Greece in a luxury villa for the entire Wilson - Cooper clan. She has planned husband Scott Cooper's murder by contract killer for months, and this trip is to convince the family that it can't have been her.

However, everything goes wrong. Scott does end up dead, but a week early, and rumours fly about who it could have been. There are parents, siblings and spouses, so there is plenty of scope for family rivalries, secrets and lies. We get three alternating POVs - Chloe, Scott's sister Tori and villa concierge Grace who might not be who she says she is.

I had high hopes for this as I loved the author's previous book How To Slay At Work. Unfortunately my hopes weren't realised. The story dragged terribly in the middle, only to then rush the ending, but even the epilogue didn't explain some things like Tori's knowledge of Chloe's murderous plans or what really happened on that roof all those years ago.

I liked the twists and the dark humour but it took me forever to read this as it didn't hold my attention sufficiently. My biggest gripe is that there were so few murders. Almost everyone, men and women alike, were so unlikeable, criminal and toxic, yet only one was universally disliked enough to give so many people motives for his murder? A good serial killer would have decimated that clan by half and made the world a better place.

Chloe decides her family and her in-laws should go on a vacation to Greece together so she can show them what a devoted and loving wife she is before her husband is murdered. What?? Yes, she put out a hit on him and will need to convince everyone she wasn't involved! Both sets of families are involved in some illegal substances business so they are on high alert anyway and have security with them always. Chloes' husband, Scott, is really not a nice person and even his sister, Tori, doesn't like him. While on vacation, all the plans get thrown out the window and Chloe is left to figure out how many people in the family really don't like Scott or is the threat from outside the family? This book sucked me in from the very beginning with the fast pace and building suspense and was a fun read!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC! #HowtoSlayonHoliday

Wow, I really enjoyed this one. Chloe is plotting to kill her husband Scott, but will have one last family holiday first. Both sides of the family are invited to Greece for a holiday in a high end villa. Things are not going as planned though and the plot thickens. Loved the plot line, it’s intense and with small chapters it easy to read quickly. The ending was not what I expected and the twist was brillant. 5 star thriller. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

This was such a great read and I’ll definitely go back and read some of Sarah’s previous work!

The short chapters work really well to keep the momentum going and for us as readers not to feel like they’re dragging on.
Sarah’s writing flows so well and just keeps you wanting to read more.

I loved the triple POV and how each day was broken down into mini chapters for each person.
It certainly added different elements as you went along that had you second guessing how things were going to pan out!

There are ALOT of characters in this book. Some quite minor but everyone contributes to the story in some way so if you struggle with a lot of names and who brings what to the story it might take you a little bit longer to digest what’s happening

There are some good twists and moments that keep you guessing. I’d say the final few chapters were quite surprising and I did see some of that coming but the epilogue not so much. I had a feeling from little things that happened throughout the book that this was how it was going to go. Just suspicions though, I wouldn’t say I could’ve solved this and guessed the outcome!

Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read an advance copy of the book

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This was an ARC
It was so fun to read. It’s full of twists and he had a side of comedy, but mostly is full of plot twists.
The female characters stand up, and they really took the main character energy to another level.
At the beginning, I thought this story will take a very different storyline, but with each plot twist turn into something more deeper and a little bit darker.
But at the end of the day, I thought this book has not that spring summer vibe of chill and light reading.

A fairly quick and funny read told from multiple viewpoints. There was great potential in this story, but the ending became rushed, with things left unexplained - and I'd correctly predicted who did it early on.
Fine for a poolside/beach read.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc ebook.
2.5 rounded up to 3

Chloe has spent months planning her husband Scotts murder. They are on holidays with his and her family at a Greek villa. She decides to played the loved up wife not to arouse suspicions within the family but soon the cracks start to show. Will she get away with her plan of murder?
A good funny read.
Total rating 3 1/2 stars

Dark comedic thriller set in a villa on the Greek Island of Mykonos. Chloe planned a family vacation to prove how in love she is with her husband so no one will suspect she is responsible for his murder, which of things go according to her plans, will happen next week. Of course things never go according to plan. Told through multiple POVs, this is a great vacation/beach read. Suspenseful enough to keep you interested, but there’s also a lot of humor. 3.75 stars ✨ rounded up.

Thanks to NetGalley & Boldwood Books for this advanced copy. Publishes 2/27/25.

I enjoyed reading this book. It kept me guessing about what was going to happen next. Though I had a small suspicion for about half a second, I never actually expected who the killer ended up being.

Sarah Bonner was a new author to me. I was excited to get this book as an ARC. It's a novel of suspense, set (mostly) in a compound in Greece with two families. There is a shifting POV between several women in the compound, which adds to the ratcheting of the suspense.

We know from the first chapter that the first POV, Chloe, is planning to kill her husband Scott but we don't know how, why, or when. It starts as the family is in the airport (which is hardly a calm, serene place to begin with). As the book progresses, we hear from Grace (the Coneirge), and Tori (sister-in-law/Scott's sister).

Eventually, a murder takes place and the fallout from it is where the last part of the book covers.

I enjoyed the story, the characters, and the shifting POVs. While most, if not all, of the characters were truly awful people, I think they were fun to read about. I did struggle with how Chloe's sister-in-law found out (I'm not sure how we even really knew how), and why the murderer thought doing it the way they did was a good idea. That would kick me out of my belief.

Overall, I thought this was a great read and I'll probably pick up another book by Sarah Bonner pretty soon.

First of all I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is perfect summer read, unfortunately I finished it in a day so had to find more books whilst on holiday. The chapters are short which make it all the easier to binge and you think to yourself ‘one more chapter’ and the next thing you know you have finished it.

Would definitely recommend this as a good summer/holiday read.

I loved every second of this book, i loved the writing, the story line, the characters and event he setting. Everything about it just screams SLAY