The Family Holiday: A totally gripping psychological thriller with an unforgettable twist
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- Create Date：2022-03-30 08:22:11
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Shalini Boland
- ISBN：B09Q9BFP6L
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Summary
Two families。 One house swap。 A vacation to die for。
I can’t believe my luck as I arrive at the beautiful， white-washed Italian villa。 Complete with an infinity pool and stunning views， it’s the perfect place to create special memories with my family。 But as soon as we step inside everything starts to go wrong…
When my neighbour from back home calls， concerned about the woman in my house – and the way she’s snooping about – I start to wonder why successful Amber Mason has swapped her gorgeous villa in the sun for a crumbling English cottage。
In the midday heat a shiver runs down my spine。 I have no idea who the stranger I’ve let into my life really is。
Then I discover an old photograph of my handsome husband hidden in a wardrobe in the master bedroom。 My head spins as I try to understand why it’s there。 When I confront Niall on the balcony he has an answer for everything。 As I search his familiar green eyes， with the sun setting in the background， I can no longer tell if he’s lying。 I storm out。
But when I return to the villa， in the dark of night， I scream。 My husband is lying dead on the veranda。
Memories of our marriage flash before our eyes。 Was it all a lie？ And are my children now in danger？
The vacation is over and the nightmare has just begun…
I can’t believe my luck as I arrive at the beautiful， white-washed Italian villa。 Complete with an infinity pool and stunning views， it’s the perfect place to create special memories with my family。 But as soon as we step inside everything starts to go wrong…
When my neighbour from back home calls， concerned about the woman in my house – and the way she’s snooping about – I start to wonder why successful Amber Mason has swapped her gorgeous villa in the sun for a crumbling English cottage。
In the midday heat a shiver runs down my spine。 I have no idea who the stranger I’ve let into my life really is。
Then I discover an old photograph of my handsome husband hidden in a wardrobe in the master bedroom。 My head spins as I try to understand why it’s there。 When I confront Niall on the balcony he has an answer for everything。 As I search his familiar green eyes， with the sun setting in the background， I can no longer tell if he’s lying。 I storm out。
But when I return to the villa， in the dark of night， I scream。 My husband is lying dead on the veranda。
Memories of our marriage flash before our eyes。 Was it all a lie？ And are my children now in danger？
The vacation is over and the nightmare has just begun…
Reviews
Samantha “Sam” A
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Shalini never disappoints， if you want an incredible， fast paced read that won’t let you put it down; look no further than Shalini！ Thank you Bookouture for the review copy！ Really great read that I loved！Have you ever thought of swapping houses with another family？ Maybe you’re stuck in cold weather and someone else is in a beautiful hot climate？ We all crave getting away at some point so， why not？ Two families swap houses for a promising two weeks but， secrets always come back to bite us。 Secr Shalini never disappoints， if you want an incredible， fast paced read that won’t let you put it down; look no further than Shalini！ Thank you Bookouture for the review copy！ Really great read that I loved！Have you ever thought of swapping houses with another family？ Maybe you’re stuck in cold weather and someone else is in a beautiful hot climate？ We all crave getting away at some point so， why not？ Two families swap houses for a promising two weeks but， secrets always come back to bite us。 Secrets are something you can’t run from especially when someone is out for revenge。This story was SO good and creative。 I didn’t even see it coming。 So we’ll written that it read fast and easy， I couldn’t put it down。 I enjoyed every paragraph written especially since it kept me wanting more。 Five stars all the way！ Highly recommend with a nice glass of wine and comfortable surroundings， because you’re not gonna want to stop reading！ 。。。more
RoshReviews
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In a Nutshell: I’ve never read this author’s works before but having heard so much about her， I somehow expected more。 It’s a decent one-time read but I can’t call it a must-read。 For a regular thriller reader， it will be highly predictable。Story: A WARNING FIRST: DON’T READ THE GOODREADS BLURB！！！！！Two couples – Niall and Beth Kildare （from Dorset， UK）， and Renzo and Amber Mason （British expats now residing on the Amalfi Coast in Italy） decide to house swap for a vacation。 （Don’t get me started o In a Nutshell: I’ve never read this author’s works before but having heard so much about her， I somehow expected more。 It’s a decent one-time read but I can’t call it a must-read。 For a regular thriller reader， it will be highly predictable。Story: A WARNING FIRST: DON’T READ THE GOODREADS BLURB！！！！！Two couples – Niall and Beth Kildare （from Dorset， UK）， and Renzo and Amber Mason （British expats now residing on the Amalfi Coast in Italy） decide to house swap for a vacation。 （Don’t get me started on the idea of house swaps！） When the Kildares arrive in Italy， their vacation starts off decently but soon devolves into a nightmare。 The story comes to us in the first person perspectives of Amber and Beth， and a third mysterious character whose brief and random interludes add a level of creepiness to the narrative。 Where the book worked for me:👌 It went by pretty fast。 I completed it within a day。 （Not bad for a 240 page novel。）👌 I loved one of the secondary characters， Luciana。 She seemed to be the only sensible one among all adults who have a major role to play in the plot。 👌 The book has multiple epilogues， the final epilogue is the best one。 It is also the only part of the book that surprised me。Where the book could have worked better for me:❌ That has got to be one of the worst blurbs I have ever read in my life。 Who the heck would put such a major spoiler in a blurb – and that too， one of the few surprises in the book！ The said character doesn’t die until the 72% mark。 ❌ The cover has zero connection to the plot。 Of the six children in the book， five are boys。 The only girl doesn't have any scenes near even a swimming pool， forget about the open ocean。 ❌ In a thriller， you always enjoy better if you feel the shock or pain of what a character is going through。 And for this， you need to love， or at least like the characters。 Of Beth， Niall， Amber and Renzo， not one of them created even a minor stirring of positive feeling in me。 Beth was a spineless， hyper-agitated rambler who let everyone treat her like a doormat。 Amber was a selfish b***h of the highest order。 Renzo was too good to be true， thereby making it very clear that there was something fishy underneath that goody-goody façade。 Niall was the worst of the lot， a control freak with his constant mental abuse and gaslighting of Beth。 Thus， whenever anything bad happened to any of them， and especially to Niall， I felt more of satisfaction than sympathy for them。❌ I'm so fed up of characters' phones dying out on them at crucial points in thrillers。 Why can't anyone in the fictional world be more practical about charging their phones？ ❌ There's a fair amount of repetition in the writing。 This wasn’t something I had expected from an established writer。 ❌ The story is quite predictable with very few major twists。 Most are guessable as the shadiness in certain characters is made amply clear right from the start。 ❌ There are too many coincidences。 The silliest one was that Beth resembles Amber， and Niall resembles Renzo。 *eye roll*❌ The climax of the book （before the epilogues） is a damp squib。 Maybe I should call it an "anti-climax” for that word suits it better。 It’s over within a few paragraphs。。As I mentioned， this was my very first Shalini Boland thriller。 So I have no idea of her general writing style。 I might try a couple of books more by her before I decide if she is for me or not。 But I have a feeling this book might not be liked except by the most ardent of her fans。 That said， this book is highly rated on Goodreads， so yet again， I stand as an outlier。 Please go through the other reviews before you make up your mind on this thriller。2。75 stars from me。My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Family Holiday”。 This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book。***********************Join me on the Facebook group， Readers Forever！， for more reviews， book-related discussions and fun。 。。。more
Karen
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When Beth's husband Niall suggests they take a much-needed holiday， she is all for it！ When she finds out it is a house swap holiday she is slightly dubious， but the beautiful Italian villa on the Amalfi Coast of Italy is enough to change anyones mind。 However， when one thing after another starts going wrong， Beth can't help but wonder if she was right to be concerned。 House swapping for holidays has always felt a little weird to me， basically living in another person's house surrounded by all t When Beth's husband Niall suggests they take a much-needed holiday， she is all for it！ When she finds out it is a house swap holiday she is slightly dubious， but the beautiful Italian villa on the Amalfi Coast of Italy is enough to change anyones mind。 However， when one thing after another starts going wrong， Beth can't help but wonder if she was right to be concerned。 House swapping for holidays has always felt a little weird to me， basically living in another person's house surrounded by all their stuff while they are doing the same at your house， and this book has done little to sway me on that！ But it did make for a great story！ With alternating chapters betwen Beth and her 'house-swap' counterpart Amber， you get a well-rounded tale from the off and as with all the previous books I have read by this author， you know you are in for an absolute ride that will smack you in the face with something when you least expect it！ 。。。more
Bridget
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Beth and Niall Kildare are married and house swap with Amber and Renzo Mason。 Beth is a stay-at-home mum to Connor and Liam， and Niall is a historical fantasy fiction author。 Spending some time in Italy is just what Beth needs， whilst Renzo and Amber stay in Sherborne， Dorset， in Beth's eighteenth-century cottage。 But Beth discovers an old photograph of her husband wearing a pale green shirt in one of the wardrobes in the Italian villa on the Amalfi coast which has Beth puzzled， especially when Beth and Niall Kildare are married and house swap with Amber and Renzo Mason。 Beth is a stay-at-home mum to Connor and Liam， and Niall is a historical fantasy fiction author。 Spending some time in Italy is just what Beth needs， whilst Renzo and Amber stay in Sherborne， Dorset， in Beth's eighteenth-century cottage。 But Beth discovers an old photograph of her husband wearing a pale green shirt in one of the wardrobes in the Italian villa on the Amalfi coast which has Beth puzzled， especially when Niall denies knowing the Kildares。 Then someone ends up dead on the ground。。。This is my 7th novel penned by Shalini Boland and I enjoyed it as much as the others。 The author wowed me with her engrossing writing and perfectly executed plot， and the characters were spot on in their respective roles - good or bad。 I grappled to work out what was happening in this riveting， tense tale， enjoying every moment。 This is one very happy reader and The Family Holiday is certainly worth picking up。I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion。 。。。more
Stina
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★★★★★ 4。5 stars （rounded up）I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Shalini Boland's tense domestic thriller THE FAMILY HOLIDAY。One can always count of Shalini Boland to produce an exciting and riveting read from start to finish that readers won't want to put down。 I've said it before and I'll say it again。。。there is no such thing as a bad Shalini book， even those that aren't as good as some of her others。 They all have the ability to keep readers glue to the page and to ★★★★★ 4。5 stars （rounded up）I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Shalini Boland's tense domestic thriller THE FAMILY HOLIDAY。One can always count of Shalini Boland to produce an exciting and riveting read from start to finish that readers won't want to put down。 I've said it before and I'll say it again。。。there is no such thing as a bad Shalini book， even those that aren't as good as some of her others。 They all have the ability to keep readers glue to the page and to their seats as they swipe to the speed of light。 THE FAMILY HOLIDAY was no exception。 In fact it is indeed one of her better thrillers as there are three categories to Shalini's books - good， brilliant and bloody brilliant/what the hell did I just read！ She just doesn't do "terrible" or "boring"。。。I don't think she knows how。 She is， by far， one of my go-to authors that I never read the description before grabbing the book。 I just know it's going to be a hell of a ride。But I digress。。。so what does Shalini offer this time round？Two families。 One house swap。 A vacation to die for。。。literally！Beth and Niall haven't enjoyed a holiday since their first child was a baby， and even then Beth spent most of her time in the hotel room caring for her sick child。 Niall is successful author of an historical fantasy series， which he falls back on as his excuse for leaving everything else up to Beth， despite her desire to rekindle her career as a chef and one day open her own restaurant。 No， in Niall's mind， Beth's place is in the home caring for their children， Connor （12） and Liam （6）， and keeping house in their beautiful 18th century thatched cottage in Dorset。 Besides， he justifies， he earns enough to keep them all。 He just needs the peace and quiet to write。So when he pops the idea of a house swap holiday on Beth she is， at first， stunned。 They haven't had a holiday in forever。 It would be nice but living in someone else's home while they live in their's for the duration？ I know I wouldn't like it so I'm not sure why Beth thought it a good idea once she warmed to it。 Maybe it was the fact Niall glammed it up as a beautiful villa in Italy which was a far cry from their draughty cottage。 Besides， sunshine and swimming。。。how could she resist？Amber and Renzo live in a huge state of the art whitewashed Italian villa on the Amalfi coast with all the mod cons and a stunning infinity pool with their eleven year old son Franco and five year old daughter Flora。 When they decide to do a house swap with another family swapping their stunning villa for a cosy English cottage， Amber and Renzo think it's the perfect opportunity to aquaint their children with their English roots。Sounds perfect。 What could go wrong？Beth has been looking forward to a well deserved holiday and it couldn't come sooner as once again she is left to do everything - pack for the four of them and organise the airfares - while Niall locks himself away in his study with another book in the works。 Of course， he tosses out almost everything Beth has set aside for him to pack which wouldn't have been a problem if he had packed a week ago when she had asked him to。 But Niall， the selfish prat， has no time for little things like that when he has book to write。 When the family finally leave their house （in immaculate condition for the impending arrival of Amber and Renzo）， Beth breathes a sigh of relief。 However， that is short lived when Niall abandons them at the airport for some "peace and quiet" instead of dining with his family before boarding the plane。 For someone who supposedly adores their family he spends a lot of time ignoring Beth and palming their children off to her to deal with。If Beth thought things could only get better once they arrive at the villa， she was sadly mistaken。 As soon as they step foot on Italian soil， things just go from bad to worse。 From trivial occurrences to "things that go bump in the night" and far more scarier happenings。 The family holiday Beth had hoped would put their marriage back on an even keel just seems to drown the couple as they find themselves in the proverbial leaky boat。Meanwhile in the UK， Amber is far from enjoying her holiday either。 Especially when Beth's busybody neighbour keeps sticking her beak in and making a veritable nuisance of herself。 Does the woman have no life that she must bother their's？ And can she not take a hint to go back to her own dreary cottage and leave them to enjoy their holiday in Beth's？ Apparently not。Then the discovery of a photograph sends Beth's world into a tailspin。 Although she talks herself down into something innocent， another startling revelation brings it all crashing down。And then one of them turns up dead。And just like that， the perfect family holiday turns into a perfect nightmare。。。Told through the alternating perspectives of Beth and Amber， the story gradually unfolds and the bigger picture becomes startingly clearer。 Though Beth has most of the narrative， we do get snippets from Amber throughout。So while I loved this fast paced thriller， I didn't warm to any of the characters very much。 None of them were all that likeable and all of them had something to hide。 Beth was sweet but honestly stupid。 Her acceptance of her husband's appalling behaviour had me wanting to shake the stupid out of her！ In what world is it OK to treat your wife as a doormat， patronising her in a tone so condescending and she laps it up for fear of his angry reaction？ And how is it OK to leave your wife dealing with tired hungry children while you go off to enjoy a meal in peace？ My goodness， Niall was a condescending selfish prat I just wanted to Will Smith slap him！ As if his career as an accomplished author was more important than Beth's own dreams and their family; as if his success as a writer gave him the right to treat her like crap。 Although Shalini assures me Niall was NOT based on her own author hubby。。。lol I didn't like Amber at all and knew she was hiding something big as I contemplated what the hell she was up to。 Renzo？ He didn't really feature enough for me to form much of an opinion of him although he did seem devoted to Amber and his children。 More fool him。What a wild ride THE FAMILY HOLIDAY is！ Shalini certainly knows how to twist the knife and leave you gasping for breath！ Her ability to captivate readers from the off is legendary。 Even her slow burns are fast paced。 I don't think Shalini can do slow burn。。。readers are just glue to the page as soon as they open the book。THE FAMILY HOLIDAY is certainly one of Shalini's better thrillers and while I easily gathered one of the reveals early one it didn't detract at all from my enjoyment。 The thrill is in the ride。。。and Shalini can certainly deliver those。But that ending。。。I didn't see it coming until just before the twist was delivered。As always， Shalini delivers yet another absorbing twisty thriller that is addictive from beginning to end。 The secrets， the lies， the deception。。。oooh， such a tangled web it all was。 And what a spectacular explosion it lead to。 To sum up - THE FAMILY HOLIDAY is an entertaining addictive read sure to thrill avid fans of the genre。。。and of course， Shalini's。I would like to thank #ShaliniBoland， #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheFamilyHoliday in exchange for an honest review。This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic。blogspot。com/。 。。。more
Nicola Lynch
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This is the 14th Book I've read by Shalini Boland and you would think， after so many， that they might get 'samey' and I'd know what was going to happen， but this is most definitely not the case！I yet again found this a wonderful book that I genuinely couldn't put down。 There were plenty of surprises along the way， right to the very end and not once did I guess correctly！The book focuses on a house swap between two families， but all is not as it seems， I was made to love some characters， and hate This is the 14th Book I've read by Shalini Boland and you would think， after so many， that they might get 'samey' and I'd know what was going to happen， but this is most definitely not the case！I yet again found this a wonderful book that I genuinely couldn't put down。 There were plenty of surprises along the way， right to the very end and not once did I guess correctly！The book focuses on a house swap between two families， but all is not as it seems， I was made to love some characters， and hate others right from the get go！ Which only a good writer can do。 There is definitely tension， cliff hangers that make you want to read on， fabulous locations and strong characters。Shalini Boland's writing style is superb， this time she made me feel like I was right there in the glorious sun soaked Amalfi Coast， and I really do now want to go there on holiday， the text conjured up beautiful images of relaxing on holiday in a stunning location， and I think that's what a book should do， take you away from the daily humdrum of life。 I'd highly recommend giving this book a go， as well as any other of the authors books you haven't tried！Thank you to Netgalley， Bookouture and Shalini Boland for an Advance copy in return for an honest review。 All thoughts are my own。 。。。more
Joanne Alcock
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When Beth's husband， Nicole， persuades her to do a house swap with a family in Italy， she is initially reluctant， but he wins her around and they set off for the glorious Amalfi Coast。 The villa is beautiful and Beth's fears are soon allayed as they settle in to enjoy their family time， however husband Niall is tense and snappy and Beth wonders if they've made a mistake after all。 It soon becomes apparent that things aren't quite as simple as they initially seemed and there is more to the house When Beth's husband， Nicole， persuades her to do a house swap with a family in Italy， she is initially reluctant， but he wins her around and they set off for the glorious Amalfi Coast。 The villa is beautiful and Beth's fears are soon allayed as they settle in to enjoy their family time， however husband Niall is tense and snappy and Beth wonders if they've made a mistake after all。 It soon becomes apparent that things aren't quite as simple as they initially seemed and there is more to the house swap than she had anticipated。 This book is full of twists， keeping you guessing at every turn of the page。 I really enjoyed it and couldn't wait to find out more。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more
Els
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A holiday in the sun in freezing April where there does not seem to be any sign that spring is on its way， who would say no to that idea？ I would not。 I would not even spend time packing and jump on a plane straight away。 😊But a house swap？ I don’t think I would do that。 I would not like other people staying in my home and I would be to scared to break something in the other house to really being able to enjoy the days of freedom。Beth is not in for the idea immediately either， but little by litt A holiday in the sun in freezing April where there does not seem to be any sign that spring is on its way， who would say no to that idea？ I would not。 I would not even spend time packing and jump on a plane straight away。 😊But a house swap？ I don’t think I would do that。 I would not like other people staying in my home and I would be to scared to break something in the other house to really being able to enjoy the days of freedom。Beth is not in for the idea immediately either， but little by little the idea grows on her and before she knows it， she bundles her family in a taxi for the journey to the airport。 Let the good times begin…I like Beth。 She is a typical mother who puts everyone’s needs first。 Her dream is waiting on the backburner， but will she ever be able to make it come true？Niall， her husband， is egocentric and what he wants is what is going to happen。Amber could be Niall’s sister， because she is exactly the same while her husband Renzo is made out of the same cloth as Beth。People make mistakes。 Some do it out of love， others do it to hide things。 So some will be forgiven and others will get what they deserve。Another book by this author that made me forget everything happening around me for a few hours。 A great book deserves a great rating。 5 starsThank you， Shalini Boland and Bookouture 。。。more
marnie | once upon a time book reviews
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“The perfect family…The perfect holiday…The perfect murder…”Shalini Boland is back with another gripping tale that had me furiously flicking the pages and on the edge of my seat！What appears to be a cut and dry house swap for two families， becomes one’s worst nightmare。 Set in Dorset and the Amalfi coast In Italy， the story is both intriguing and sinister where long buried secrets and lies are uncovered destroying both families lives in the process。I enjoyed the mystery of the story and piecing “The perfect family…The perfect holiday…The perfect murder…”Shalini Boland is back with another gripping tale that had me furiously flicking the pages and on the edge of my seat！What appears to be a cut and dry house swap for two families， becomes one’s worst nightmare。 Set in Dorset and the Amalfi coast In Italy， the story is both intriguing and sinister where long buried secrets and lies are uncovered destroying both families lives in the process。I enjoyed the mystery of the story and piecing together the connection between the couples， all the while with tension slowly bubbling away in the background before it reached boiling point！ Boland is a master of throwing the reader curve ball after curve ball and once again she doesn’t disappoint on this front。The Family Holiday is a well plotted， executed and written tale that is almost impossible to put down。 A dark psychological thriller， with diverse characters （with one who is so vile！！） and plenty of suspense that all culminates in a very entertaining read。Thank you to Shalini Boland， Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of The Family Holiday， which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily。Where you can find me 😊💻 Blog: bit。ly/3gR3io8👩🏫 Facebook: bit。ly/3gVeC2B🐤Twitter: bit。ly/3BQk2Dl📷 Instagram: bit。ly/3wSv0Gj📌 Pinterest: bit。ly/3vS2HGX📚 Goodreads: bit。ly/3wQxUM3 。。。more
Carey Baldwin
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What a delicious read！ I loved every page of this fabulous psychological thriller with its tautly woven， twisty， page-turning plot！ But this book is so much more than a mystery。 The story is woven with careful attention to all the layers including characters， setting and pacing。 I loved the way the author reveals surprises （at just the right moments） through small details such as a character’s fleeting thought that stands out and signals the reader there is more going on than we know。 The lush d What a delicious read！ I loved every page of this fabulous psychological thriller with its tautly woven， twisty， page-turning plot！ But this book is so much more than a mystery。 The story is woven with careful attention to all the layers including characters， setting and pacing。 I loved the way the author reveals surprises （at just the right moments） through small details such as a character’s fleeting thought that stands out and signals the reader there is more going on than we know。 The lush descriptions of the Italian villa and locale put you right there on vacation with the family。 I often skim descriptions but this author is so skillful she had me glued to every word and， yes， I even gasped aloud at one surprise architectural feature in the villa。 This book is a joy to read engaging your brain， your emotions and your senses。 Not to be missed！ 。。。more
Carrie
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Review coming soon。
Sarah Ross
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A house-swap to Italy is a perfect way to holiday。 The villa is immaculate， modern， full of bells and whistles。 Niall and Beth should be delighted。 But something is wrong， it was wrong before they left their cottage in England and Italy isn’t making it right。Amber and Renzo are in Niall and Beth’s cottage。 Very different to their own palatial home， they settle in despite the nosy neighbour。 But something is wrong。This is a tightly written psychological thriller – something is going to happen， wh A house-swap to Italy is a perfect way to holiday。 The villa is immaculate， modern， full of bells and whistles。 Niall and Beth should be delighted。 But something is wrong， it was wrong before they left their cottage in England and Italy isn’t making it right。Amber and Renzo are in Niall and Beth’s cottage。 Very different to their own palatial home， they settle in despite the nosy neighbour。 But something is wrong。This is a tightly written psychological thriller – something is going to happen， what， you don’t know， and by whom keeps you guessing。 It is teased out for as long as possible。 The tension rises and red herrings abound。 The four main characters are quite different。 Two are easy to like and the other two are easy to hate。 A neat tying up of loose end finishes the book but there is one， or two， final twists。Thank you to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for the eARC of #TheFamily Holiday in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Katie Crabill
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The Family Holiday by Shalini BolandA true page-turning thriller that keeps you guessing up until the very last page。 In The Family Holiday we meet Niall and Beth， a couple from the UK who agree to a house swap with Amber and Renzo who reside on the Amalfi Coast of Italy。 Beth believes that this holiday could be a turning point in her marriage， and bring her whole family closer together after several years of coasting by living the domestic lifestyle。 Amber and Renzo are looking for the quiet co The Family Holiday by Shalini BolandA true page-turning thriller that keeps you guessing up until the very last page。 In The Family Holiday we meet Niall and Beth， a couple from the UK who agree to a house swap with Amber and Renzo who reside on the Amalfi Coast of Italy。 Beth believes that this holiday could be a turning point in her marriage， and bring her whole family closer together after several years of coasting by living the domestic lifestyle。 Amber and Renzo are looking for the quiet comfort of the country。 We find quickly that Amber has some ulterior motives for wanting to go on the holiday， some that are certainly not as cookie cutter as Beth's motives。 This book was truly a fantastic read， with amazing characterization by Boland。 I enjoyed very much getting to know the characters of the book， and Boland does a great job of creating them in a way that you feel like you've known them your whole life。 We feel tension in relationships when we need to and it creates a book that doesn't allow you to put it down because you're wanting to figure out the puzzle and see what happens next！I highly recommend The Family Holiday， and will be looking into more books by this author。 If they're half as good as this one， I know I'm in luck！Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for allowing me to have an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Dleech
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This is a psychological thriller about 2 couples who decide to do a house swap for 2 weeks as an alternative to a hotel holiday。 Whilst this isn’t a bad read I didn’t really feel it to be a page turner there is a good twist at the end but I did find the main plot a little silly and predictable。 However， the author does do a good job of portraying the respective husband， Niall and wife， amber from each couple as thoroughly awful people with incredibly selfish streaks which made me love to hate th This is a psychological thriller about 2 couples who decide to do a house swap for 2 weeks as an alternative to a hotel holiday。 Whilst this isn’t a bad read I didn’t really feel it to be a page turner there is a good twist at the end but I did find the main plot a little silly and predictable。 However， the author does do a good job of portraying the respective husband， Niall and wife， amber from each couple as thoroughly awful people with incredibly selfish streaks which made me love to hate them！Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Miranda G
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I was dreading the day I read an ARC that I didn’t particularly like because it’s never enjoyable to give that feedback。 I loved the concept of this book but ultimately it fell flat for me。 It read more as predictable family drama than a thriller。 The first thriller type event happened 35% into the book and then nothing happened again until I was at 80% and the synopsis completely gives that away beforehand。 After that everything wrapped up very quickly and I felt like there was an unnecessary t I was dreading the day I read an ARC that I didn’t particularly like because it’s never enjoyable to give that feedback。 I loved the concept of this book but ultimately it fell flat for me。 It read more as predictable family drama than a thriller。 The first thriller type event happened 35% into the book and then nothing happened again until I was at 80% and the synopsis completely gives that away beforehand。 After that everything wrapped up very quickly and I felt like there was an unnecessary twist just for the sake of having a twist。 I think with all of the great books being released soon I would skip this one。 If you do read it， definitely go into it blind because the synopsis really spoils it。 。。。more
Barbie
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🏡ᗷOOK ᖇEᐯIEᗯ🏡⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The Family Holiday by Shalini Boland A psychological thriller about a family who agrees to swap houses for their family vacation…。。 Can their vacation turn into a nightmare they will never forget？ Niall and Beth， who’s house is simple and small decide they will trade homes with Amber and Renzo who have a Villa in the Amalfi Coast for their holiday。 Besides some mishaps they have， they are happy to be on vacation after so many years。 The secrets each character shares are sho 🏡ᗷOOK ᖇEᐯIEᗯ🏡⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The Family Holiday by Shalini Boland A psychological thriller about a family who agrees to swap houses for their family vacation…。。 Can their vacation turn into a nightmare they will never forget？ Niall and Beth， who’s house is simple and small decide they will trade homes with Amber and Renzo who have a Villa in the Amalfi Coast for their holiday。 Besides some mishaps they have， they are happy to be on vacation after so many years。 The secrets each character shares are shocking and heartbreaking at the same time， specially how Beth discovers lies。 👨👩👦👦 I honestly disliked Niall， Beth’s husband。 He was narcissistic， acted like a child and had Beth walking on eggshells at all times。 Had no respect for her and their children。 I did enjoyed that the story was told in Ambers and Beth’s perspective， so you can understand each family dynamic and how they view their family。 I feel like there could have been more plots to the story。 The final twist to the story did shocked me 😱 Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for the ARC。 If you could swap houses and go anywhere in the World… Where would you go？ 。。。more
Jasminegalsreadinglog
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Two beautiful families decide to house swap their homes for a well deserving vacation in different countries。 Would anyone be comfortable letting strangers entering their abode and looking through their stuff？ What secrets will they find about each other？ Is it going to be the vacation of their dreams？The Family Holiday is a fast paced thriller which though somewhat predictable is an excellent book。 I finished this book in just under 4 hours so it's a quick read。 All the characters in this book Two beautiful families decide to house swap their homes for a well deserving vacation in different countries。 Would anyone be comfortable letting strangers entering their abode and looking through their stuff？ What secrets will they find about each other？ Is it going to be the vacation of their dreams？The Family Holiday is a fast paced thriller which though somewhat predictable is an excellent book。 I finished this book in just under 4 hours so it's a quick read。 All the characters in this book are pretty much defined and it's easy to predict who and what their nature is。 I hated Niall and Amber。 The ending is just WOW！ Didn't see it coming。Don't go into this book judging by its cover。 The cover is not even remotely connected with the story。 And do not read the full blurb！ It gives away a spoiler。 I really enjoyed reading this novel。 It's fast paced， interesting and keeps you engrossed in the story。Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this novel。Triggers: Infidelity 。。。more
Sunny
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Beth and Niall decide to take their family on holiday and swap their house with another family’s for two weeks。 We quickly learn that nothing is as it appears。 Niall is very unlikeable。 He is very iritable and snaps at Beth for everything， and it’s obvious there are issues with their marriage。Soon secrets are revealed， someone is murdered， and there are several twists with one final twist at the end。The Family Holiday is a fast paced， unputdownable thriller。 It’s a definite read for anyone who l Beth and Niall decide to take their family on holiday and swap their house with another family’s for two weeks。 We quickly learn that nothing is as it appears。 Niall is very unlikeable。 He is very iritable and snaps at Beth for everything， and it’s obvious there are issues with their marriage。Soon secrets are revealed， someone is murdered， and there are several twists with one final twist at the end。The Family Holiday is a fast paced， unputdownable thriller。 It’s a definite read for anyone who likes psychological thrillers。My main complaint about this book is that the cover does not seem to fit the story。Overall I give this one 3。5 stars rounded up to 4。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Joanna Lambert
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Niall and Beth and their two children swap their picture book cottage in Dorset for a modern state of the art villa on the Amalfi Coast。 Niall， a well-known writer， says it will be an opportunity for him to wind down and for them to have a proper family holiday。 But that is not what Beth experiences。 The villa is amazing， the local townsfolk friendly but things seem off with Niall。 And then she makes a surprise discovery which leaves her confused and concerned about her husband。A chef， Beth had Niall and Beth and their two children swap their picture book cottage in Dorset for a modern state of the art villa on the Amalfi Coast。 Niall， a well-known writer， says it will be an opportunity for him to wind down and for them to have a proper family holiday。 But that is not what Beth experiences。 The villa is amazing， the local townsfolk friendly but things seem off with Niall。 And then she makes a surprise discovery which leaves her confused and concerned about her husband。A chef， Beth had sacrificed her career， wanting to open up her own restaurant， but becoming a mother instead。 Everything has always worked well between her and Niall， but the holiday reveals glaring inequalities in their relationship。 Far from wanting quality time with the boys， he seems content to let Beth organise everything， preferring his own company。 From the beginning of the story， narrated from Beth and Amber’s perspectives， it’s clear that there is a reason Amber is keen to get away。 There is something going on， something sinister。 It doesn’t take long for Beth and her family to be pulled into this。It’s a well written and entertaining read。 There were a few moments when I felt I had to suspend belief but all in all， I felt the story worked well。 There were moments when I could see what was about to happen and others that took me completely by surprise。 。。。more
Kristine
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I would have to rate this a solid 4 stars。A great read， captivated me with the skilful and imaginative writing。 I really enjoyed the book’s pacing， the author’s skilful writing and the characters were believable and some - relatable。 I truly enjoyed this thriller， by an author that is new to me， but now I will surely be looking into reading her other books。 Throughout the book I really hated the husband character and not going to lie， happy with the outcome。 Another thing I found very important I would have to rate this a solid 4 stars。A great read， captivated me with the skilful and imaginative writing。 I really enjoyed the book’s pacing， the author’s skilful writing and the characters were believable and some - relatable。 I truly enjoyed this thriller， by an author that is new to me， but now I will surely be looking into reading her other books。 Throughout the book I really hated the husband character and not going to lie， happy with the outcome。 Another thing I found very important and appreciated a lot was the mention of having therapy after a traumatic event （both for the child and the mother） - I think this is very important both for author to understand， write and it makes the character much more relatable and believable， Overall， I am quite impressed by this book and definitely will read more of the authors’ work。Thank you， NetGalley for the ARC！ 。。。more
Kerri Kalakay
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Another fast paced domestic suspense story from Shalini Boland。 A house swap goes terribly wrong。 A perfect family taking a much needed family holiday。
Lucy Chambers
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Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the arc of The Family Holiday。Two families in need of a holiday， one website and a house swap， what could possibly go wrong？Beth is thrilled when her very busy author husband，Niall，suggests a much needed family holiday。 Niall， always being the one having to be in charge，makes the decision to complete a holiday house swap。Amber， Renzo and their children are more than happy to swap their gorgeous Italian villa for Beth’s cottage in Dorset。Everything seems per Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the arc of The Family Holiday。Two families in need of a holiday， one website and a house swap， what could possibly go wrong？Beth is thrilled when her very busy author husband，Niall，suggests a much needed family holiday。 Niall， always being the one having to be in charge，makes the decision to complete a holiday house swap。Amber， Renzo and their children are more than happy to swap their gorgeous Italian villa for Beth’s cottage in Dorset。Everything seems perfect until Beth finds a picture of Niall in the villa， this discovery leads to a discovery of a web of lies and heartbreak。Wow， Shalini Boland has done it again and produced a gripping and page turning thriller with so many twists and turns that you are not sure what’s coming next。The characters were engaging and some not at all likeable and at times making me very angry by their behaviour which really brought them to life。 The emotion and thrills it delivered made this book such a fantastic read。Highly recommend The Family Holiday， it will have you turning the pages wanting and needing to find out more with every twist and turn。 。。。more
MeWriter
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Wow！ Wow！！ Wow！！！ This is an intense， riveting read that takes you right into the two families who have agreed to a holiday house swap。 Well plotted and oh so readable， you'll be hooked from the start！ If Shalini Boland writes it， I'm reading it！ Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC！ Wow！ Wow！！ Wow！！！ This is an intense， riveting read that takes you right into the two families who have agreed to a holiday house swap。 Well plotted and oh so readable， you'll be hooked from the start！ If Shalini Boland writes it， I'm reading it！ Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC！ 。。。more
Angela
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How many secrets can two families have？ Beth and Niall live in rural Dorset and have arranged a house swap with Amber and Renzo in Italy。 Each family have their reasons for not wanting to be in their own homes。When the Italian dream holiday turns sour for Beth and Niall， why then are Amber and Renzo not having a lovely time either。There are plenty of twists and turns， with Amber and Niall knowing each other， Beth finds out on holiday when she finds a photo of the two of them together。 When Niall How many secrets can two families have？ Beth and Niall live in rural Dorset and have arranged a house swap with Amber and Renzo in Italy。 Each family have their reasons for not wanting to be in their own homes。When the Italian dream holiday turns sour for Beth and Niall， why then are Amber and Renzo not having a lovely time either。There are plenty of twists and turns， with Amber and Niall knowing each other， Beth finds out on holiday when she finds a photo of the two of them together。 When Niall is found dead on the patio one night， what were the events leading to the tragedy？I really enjoyed the book， however I felt it was a bit rushed at the end after the plot was so well laid out， with the events leading up to the climax。 The end twist however was good and I didn't see it coming。 。。。more
Sharon May
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Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Shalini Boland - a favorite of mine。 4 stars！Beth is thrilled that her author husband， Niall， finally agreed to take a family holiday with their two boys。 He found a perfect house on the Italian coast on a house-swap website; that family will spend their holiday in their cozy English cottage。 Sounds idyllic， right？ This is best to go into blind - don't even read the publisher synopsis！ It's a quick， gr Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Shalini Boland - a favorite of mine。 4 stars！Beth is thrilled that her author husband， Niall， finally agreed to take a family holiday with their two boys。 He found a perfect house on the Italian coast on a house-swap website; that family will spend their holiday in their cozy English cottage。 Sounds idyllic， right？ This is best to go into blind - don't even read the publisher synopsis！ It's a quick， gripping read with lots of twists and turns。 I thoroughly enjoyed getting lost in this book today， as well as dreaming about a vacation in either house！ Not sure quite how the cover relates to the story though！ 。。。more
Mrs V J Chamberlain
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I'm never ever disappointed in Shalini's books and this one was no exception。 I loved it！The story starts with Beth， Niall and their two children， Connor and Liam， swapping their quaint Dorset home for a stunning modern villa in Italy， owned by Amber and Renzo and their children。 Everything seems absolutely perfect， until Beth finds a picture of Amber with Niall， Beth's husband。 Finding this is the start of a web of secrets and deceit and murder。。。。 Once I picked this book up， I couldn't put it I'm never ever disappointed in Shalini's books and this one was no exception。 I loved it！The story starts with Beth， Niall and their two children， Connor and Liam， swapping their quaint Dorset home for a stunning modern villa in Italy， owned by Amber and Renzo and their children。 Everything seems absolutely perfect， until Beth finds a picture of Amber with Niall， Beth's husband。 Finding this is the start of a web of secrets and deceit and murder。。。。 Once I picked this book up， I couldn't put it down and stayed up late into the night to finish。 The characters were well rounded and， although not all likeable （Amber and Niall-I'm looking at you！） they were all hugely believable。 Although the tension built quite slowly， the simmering uneasiness is always there below the surface which I loved。 Although Beth exasperated me at times with the way she put up with Niall's behaviour， I did feel for her too。 This is a brilliantly written taut psychological thriller and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes these kind of books。 I've read all the author's previous books， so I'm now impatiently awaiting her next one！ Thanks to author， Shalini Boland， publishers Bookouture and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Paula Stammers
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Shalini Boland never disappoints and this latest book is no exception！！Two families。 Two locations。 One house swap。 What could go wrong ？ Beth is looking forward to a holiday and her husband suggests they do a house swap。 At first Beth is not convinced but then a gorgeous villa in Italy pops up on the house swap website and it seems the perfect place。 But will the owners want to swap with them to visit their small quaint cottage in the UK ？Suddenly it’s all systems go and Beth and her family hav Shalini Boland never disappoints and this latest book is no exception！！Two families。 Two locations。 One house swap。 What could go wrong ？ Beth is looking forward to a holiday and her husband suggests they do a house swap。 At first Beth is not convinced but then a gorgeous villa in Italy pops up on the house swap website and it seems the perfect place。 But will the owners want to swap with them to visit their small quaint cottage in the UK ？Suddenly it’s all systems go and Beth and her family have arrived in Italy and they can’t believe how gorgeous the villa is。 They think this is going to be the holiday of a lifetime but then everything starts to go wrong ！！This is a great psychological thriller that will have you hooked。 I will always pick up a book by Shalini Boland as you are guaranteed a great book and this one won’t disappoint。 Definitely one to add to the top of your reading pile， but possibly not if you are going on a house swap holiday ！！Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book。 。。。more
Christy
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This thriller gets 5 brilliantly-unexpected， mysterious， nightmarish stars~Two seemingly-normal families on holiday。。 what could go wrong？I read this thriller surprisingly fast。 I really liked getting to know each of the main characters - I think their personalities really came through well in Boland's writing。 Here we have two families， each with two children。 They are living completely different lives， in completely different locations。 We have Beth and Niall， and Amber and Renzo and their kid This thriller gets 5 brilliantly-unexpected， mysterious， nightmarish stars~Two seemingly-normal families on holiday。。 what could go wrong？I read this thriller surprisingly fast。 I really liked getting to know each of the main characters - I think their personalities really came through well in Boland's writing。 Here we have two families， each with two children。 They are living completely different lives， in completely different locations。 We have Beth and Niall， and Amber and Renzo and their kids。 Beth is shocked when Niall mentions a new vacation opportunity involving a "house swap" and they both decide to give it a go。 Beth and Niall leave their home in England to swap with Amber and Renzo and their home in Italy。 It could be a great opportunity for Beth and Niall to rekindle their marriage， and for Amber and Renzo to get a change of scenery。 But then。。。 things quickly prove to be more than they seem， with odd occurrences and mystery at every turn。 Maybe this house swap wasn't the best decision after all？Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing a digital ARC in exchange for review！ 。。。more
Barbara Powell
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Two families in need of a holiday - one house swap - not everyone will be going back home。 This was a fast paced page turner with so many twists right up til the very end。 Beth and Naill decide to try a house swap vacation to have a getaway from their English cottage and end up swapping with Amber and Renzo， who have a gorgeous Italian villa。 When it sounds too good to be true， it’s because it probably is。 So buckle up and get ready to go on a wild ride！ Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for th Two families in need of a holiday - one house swap - not everyone will be going back home。 This was a fast paced page turner with so many twists right up til the very end。 Beth and Naill decide to try a house swap vacation to have a getaway from their English cottage and end up swapping with Amber and Renzo， who have a gorgeous Italian villa。 When it sounds too good to be true， it’s because it probably is。 So buckle up and get ready to go on a wild ride！ Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this arc in exchange for my review。 。。。more
Rachel
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